SMOrc Decks: Pirate Quest Warrior

         In the earlier days of Hearthstone, one might laugh if you wanted to build an aggressive warrior deck. For quite a while, Dragon Warrior was the fastest build until Mean Streets of Gadgetzan. By then, Pirate Warrior was over the top. In fact, it was so over the top that Blizzard had to nerf several cards.

         How absurd, you might ask? Well, it was absurd enough that a Doomsayer on turn two is nothing but nuisance against it. The deck could kill by turn five on a consistent basis. More oft than not, they get you by turn four. In an aggressive deck, every damage counts. To give you some perspective, here are some examples of the nerfs that happened.

Small-time Buccaneer - HP went from 2 to 1. This guy used to be able to hit for 3-6 damage before going down.
Patches the Pirate - Losing Charge means he did 1-2 less damage
Fiery War Axe - It was a warrior staple before its cost increased from 2 to 3 mana.

         Blizzard went as far as adding "hate cards" as tech options in Golakka Crawler.

         But, they didn't do much until more AoE cards and the Rush mechanic came to be.

         Nowadays, Pirate Warrior is still a viable, but it's no longer as quick and dirty as it used to be. To maintain an onslaught against opponents, I decided to experiment.

         I decided to work in the new quest, Hack the System.

         One of the weaknesses of aggressive decks is running out of steam mid game. The quest reward in Anraphet's Core mitigates it somewhat by giving you means to keep going. Of course, at some point, you would call a loss a loss as your opponent reaches their win condition.

         My version of Pirate Quest Warrior is in no way optimized. Especially, when I include cards like Skycap'n Kragg and Gorehowl. One might argue that Gorehowl permits you to summon two Stone Golems a turn. But, there are better alternatives in Kor'kron Elite and Sul'thraze. Those are more economical options. Heck, even Heroic Strike might serve you better. My point is to have fun with a themed deck.

This version would cost you around 11200 Arcane Dust from scratch.

General Strategy

         The idea of the deck is to start as you would with a non-quest Pirate Warrior: GO FACE. So, playing the quest on turn one is not always the best thing to do. For example, if you could have a strong 1, 2, and 3 opening, don't sacrifice tempo for the quest. You have plenty of weapons to make up the difference later.

         Ship's Cannon adds another layer to your tempo-based arsenal.

         In this deck, the utility of Gorehowl is to break through tough walls while yielding you two golems. Or, a general surprise attack to the face, especially when you couple it with Upgrade.

         The Lackeys from Livewire Lance should give you some interesting options and value.

         Remember to be aware of cards like Flame Ward. If you suspect it, try to place down Kragg at a discount before sending your minions into a trap. Above all, don't let your golems shatter with it.

         Other than that, you shouldn't have to worry about overextending. Oftentimes, your opponent would think you have overextended early on. Then, they realize you have means to refill the board after they used up their AoEs.

         You also shouldn't have to worry about your health for the most part because you are the aggressor in most cases.

Variations

         If you want to summon multiple golems per turn, consider adding Sul'thraze. Otherwise, having Tentacles for Arms for longevity. Chances are, it wouldn't matter if your opponent can break through you summoning two 4/3's a turn.

         Sharkfin Fan can be another option as it sustains your Pirate synergy.

         Consider tech options with Silence or anti-Secret effects. This is to negate powerful Taunt and Lifesteal defenses.

Weaknesses

         You cannot hope to outvalue a dedicated control deck. Manage your damage well and you can beat them before they run outside of kill range.

         Against other aggressive decks, your decisions may vary. Against burn decks, you need to race for damage. Against other minion-based aggressive decks, you need serious board control.

         It's another day of playing terrible decks in The Game Room.

Previous post: A Little Musing