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Hearthstone decks that may be endangered in the Year of the Mammoth

Say goodbye to Dragon Priest (Blizzard)
Dragon Priest isn’t dead, but it’ll be on the ropes to start next Standard season (Blizzard)

Hearthstone is preparing to usher in the Year of the Mammoth in the month of April, with the Year of the Kraken coming to a close. The final professional tournament contested under the Year of the Kraken will take place from March 23-26 during the Hearthstone Winter Championship, marking the last time viewers will see cards from the Blackrock Mountain, Grand Tournament, and League of Explorers expansions in pro play.

That’s over 200 cards that are set to disappear from the Standard season, not including the Hall of Fame cards that are also being retired. That’s bound to have an adverse effect on the current meta; familiar decks may be see their play diminish, if not outright halted.

While the Journey to Un’Goro expansion provides a potential lifeline to some of these decks, let’s take a look at the decks that are in danger of going away, based solely on the essential cards that are set to rotate out of the Standard meta.

Drakonid Operative can’t carry Dragon Priest by himself. (Blizzard)
Drakonid Operative can’t carry Dragon Priest by himself. (Blizzard)

Dragon Priest

This hurts, particularly because Dragon Priest has seen a recent resurgence thanks to the One Night in Karazhan adventure and Mean Streets of Gadgetzan expansion.

Dragon Priest has some bulky bodies with invaluable Battlecry effects, with Drakonid Operative and Book Wyrm filling some pivotal late-game roles. Those cards are sticking around, but the trouble is, they’re mainly mid-to-late game plays.

What Dragon Priest is losing is crucial early game plays. Essential dragon synergy cards like Wyrmrest Agent and Twilight Guardian (2 and 4 mana Taunt minions, respectively) are both rotating out. This is a killer against the Aggro decks that are running rampant across the Hearthstone meta, because these will not be easily replaced. The heavier bodies don’t do much good if Aggro decks can end the game before turn 5 and solutions like Shadow Word: Pain and Potion of Madness can only provide so much protection before the pain really starts.

Azure Drake going to the Hall of Fame also does irreparable damage here, as it not only fit perfectly into the dragon synergy, but also provided a helpful card draw.

Brann Bronzebeard’s presence will certainly be missed, because he fit nicely with cards like the Discovery minion Netherspite Historian, the health-boosting Kabal Talonpriest, and the aforementioned Drakonid Operative.

Gadgetzan Auctioneer’s longevity will be put to the test next season. (Blizzard)
Gadgetzan Auctioneer’s longevity will be put to the test next season. (Blizzard)

Miracle Rogue

Miracle Rogue has been one of the most resilient decks in the history of Hearthstone. It somehow survived the nerf of its biggest bedrock, Gadgetzan Auctioneer, to rise to the cream of the crop once again.

But now, its days are numbered

Miracle Rogue is just aboutDOA with the removal of Conceal, one of the crucial pieces of its success formula. One of its key strategies is to beef up minions like Edwin VanCleef and Questing Adventurer to gargantuan levels before blanketing them with Conceal’s Stealth effect, keeping them safe from a vast majority of removal spells. Enhancing those minions with spells like the Attack-boosting Cold Blood before a Conceal would offer a “Sword of Damocles” effect, forcing the opponent to try to end the game or face the full onslaught on the next turn. That goes away with Conceal’s retirement, and while dealing with 8/8 Edwins or Questing Adventurers is still daunting, it’s no longer impossible.

The other key to the Miracle Rogue formula is cheap spells to trigger Gadgetzan Auctioneer, which is why the loss of Tomb Pillager is devastating. Tomb Pillager’s 5/4 body made it a mid-game staple and the Coin it left from its Deathrattle effect fit perfectly with the Auctioneer, often comboing with Conceal. Counterfeit Coin is a potential replacement for the latter half of that strategy, but the 4 mana, 5/4 body will be a brutal loss for the Miracle Rogue.

Reno Jackson’s adventuring days are over in the Year of the Mammoth (Blizzard)
Reno Jackson’s adventuring days are over in the Year of the Mammoth (Blizzard)

Renolock/Reno Mage

The most obvious one has been saved for last. Reno Jackson decks have been a staple since the release of the League of Explorers adventure and have enjoyed even greater popularity with the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan’s emphasis on Highlander decks. It’s hard to escape the current meta’s love of Reno and Kazakus, but half of that combination is going away, putting these decks on life support.

The trick with Renolock is to take advantage of the Warlock’s Hero Power to draw as many cards as possible and control the board with efficient removal spells, making sure to play Reno to return to a full 30 Health if things get dodgy. Mage strategies involve controlling the board and hoarding spells, making sure to play Reno at the pop of a first life-saving Ice Block. Without the Reno Jackson parachute to break any falls, these decks are now forced to accelerate those strategies drastically. In the Warlock’s case, it forces a Lord Jaraxxus play far sooner than normal, which leads to the other major departure for these decks.

Emperor Thaurissan is the second key piece, reducing the costs of minions and spells just enough to make late-game plays. For Warlocks, they could play Jaraxxus at 8, which would open the door for a Hero Power 6/6 Infernal. For Mages, it would reduce the cost of Alexstrasza and spells that could be thrown right at the opponent’s face. This would often include Forgotten Torch, another painful loss for the Mage. Without Thaurissan to reduce mana costs, the later turns for these decks become far more difficult.

It’s not the absolute end for these two decks, however. Kazakus will still be a mainstay (albeit without Brann Bronzebeard) and there are Highlander cards for each class. The Mage’s Inkmaster Solia opens the door to play the 10-mana Pyroblast or a 10-mana Kazakus spell for free. Meanwhile, Warlock players now have a potential new slot for Krul the Unshackled, a Demon-summoning 7/9 legendary that has seen little play in the pro meta thus far. But while it is not the bitter end, these decks will no longer be the same.

If nothing else, they certainly can’t use the “Reno” prefix anymore.


Ozzie Mejia is through with dragons. Follow him on Twitter @Ozz_Mejia.