The Shaman class in Hearthstone has gone from complete garbage to a top-tier contender over the last couple of years. Ever since League Of Explorers gave us Tunnel Trogg , Blizzard has been doing everything in its power to keep Thrall under control. With the Year Of The Mammoth, Standard rotation and the release of Journey To Un’Goro , Shaman has been feeling a little lackluster. For the first few months, Elemental and Aggro Shaman were the only archetypes that could play with the big boy decks, but a new contender has entered the battlefield.
Shaman Evolves To…
Evolve has to be one of the most interesting cards Blizzard has ever released. Turning any minion into one that costs one mana more seems like a gimmick at first glance. Wow, you can turn your Flame Juggler into a Scarlet Crusader, think of all the crazy options! It took awhile, but the card is finally starting to find its place in the meta. Using weak minions, Jade cards and just a splash of Bloodlust , Evolve Shaman has begun its domination of the ranked ladder.
The goal with Evolve Shaman is simple: spam the board with minions, Evolve them into something good, then play Bloodlust for a one-turn kill. It’s a toolbox deck, there’s always a play. It’s one of those decks that can have an empty board one turn, and then have over 30 damage the next. Knowing when to hero power, play a minion or save your resources is important; a toolbox is only as good as the person using it. If you have a guy who’s never seen a toilet before, hand him a socket wrench and tell him to fix a leak, you’re going to end up needing a new bathroom.
Remember: Using the Shaman hero power is a must when playing this deck. Those 0/2 totems start to hurt when you have Direwolf Alpha and Flametongue Totem to back them up.
In the early game, cards like Fire Fly and Bloodsail Corsair keep your board strong and stable. Around turns four to seven, you start playing bigger minions like Aya Blackpaw and Thing From Below . Now that your board is huge, you play Spirit Echo , allowing you to get extra copies of your dead minions. Now that you have enough resources to outlast a 40 armor Garrosh, you play Doppelgangster and Evolve , which seals the deal.
I always theorized that Doppelgangster and Evolve would be a good combo, but I never thought it was consistent enough to carry an archetype. There are too many terrible six-drops that can lose you the game. For every Boulderfist Ogre you get, there’s a Big-Time Racketeer waiting for you. After playing against seven of these decks last night, I can say I was very wrong.
Mulligans: Against aggro decks, Fire Fly, Jade Claws, Bloodsail Corsair and Flametongue Totem are all good in your starting hand. You most likely won’t in this meta, but if you happen to find something slower, like a Taunt Warrior, Maelstrom Portal and Primalfin Totem, those options aren’t too shabby.
Decklist From Hearthstone Pro Thijs:
Bloodsail Corsair x2
Evolve x2
Fire Fly x2
Patches The Pirate x1
Devolve x2
Evolve x2
Flametongue Totem x2
Jade Claws x2
Maelstrom Portal x2
Dire Wolf Alpha x2
Primalfin Totem x2
Mana Tide Totem x2
Stonehill Defender x2
Spirit Echo x2
Doppelgangster x2
Bloodlust x2
Thing From Below x2
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How do you like Evolve Shaman? Tell us in the comments
