For awhile, Warlock was one of the best classes in Hearthstone . Since Reynad first introduced the world to Zoolock, Gul’dan and his band of demons have been plaguing Blizzard’s card game like a Corrupting Mist . During the Whispers Of The Old Gods and Mean Streets Of Gadgetzan expansions, you couldn’t hop onto the ranked ladder without seeing a few Zoo, Reno or Discard decks. Now that Journey To Un’Goro has been out for a full month and the meta is starting to take form, it seems like Warlock just couldn’t keep up.
Going from overpowered to non-existent in one card cycle is pretty drastic. Why has Shaman disappeared from the meta and are fans happy about it?
Whatever Happened To Gul’dan?
Warlock has always been a nuisance throughout the entire history of Hearthstone. Gul’dan can draw cards for a couple of life points, making him have one of the best hero powers in the game. Combine that with the multitude of low-cost but powerful minions and spells at their disposal, it’s no surprise that Warlock players dominated the game. Power Overwhelming allows any minion to gain a giant stat line, that can be used to trade with powerful minions or finish off the last of your opponent’s life.
Zoolock used Flame Imps , Possessed Villagers and Voidwalkers to build up an army of little baby minions. Direwolf buffed those weaklings, Gormok The Impaler cleared away sticky minions and Mountain Giant gave a much-needed beefy body to threaten the board. The deck was consistently good, maintaining a high win rate among other popular decks, especially aggressive ones.
Once Reno Jackson came out in League Of Explorers, Warlocks got a new toy to play with. Reno only worked if your deck contained no duplicates, but the class has a toolbox of cards at their disposal. Renolock decks were slow and boring to play (IMO) and usually ended the same way. Either, the Renolock player held off long enough to play Lord Jaraxxus and have enough resources to end the game, or they lost miserably early because they didn’t draw any of the low cost cards in the deck. The deck was top tier and nearly every professional Hearthstone player knew how it worked. ShtanUDachi managed to take the HCT Winter Championship with this deck just a few months ago.
Now, for the first time in the history of Hearthstone , Warlock is nowhere to be seen. The Year Of The Mammoth Standard rotation knocked one of their best cards, Power Overwhelming , out of the game entirely. Reno Jackson has gone to the great card collector in the sky, along with the rest of League Of Explorers . Without a consistent healing card, Warlock just can’t keep up. Using your hero Hero Power is much too risky, every little bit of health matters when you are up against a Pirate Warrior or Control Mage.
Warlock has only been terrible for one expansion, it’s not like this is the last we see of the angry, occult orc. Classes strengths ebb and flow with each new release, not every class can be top tier. I don’t mind seeing less Warlocks when I’m climbing, I’ve always preffered faster decks myself. Still, it’s kind of sad to see the once mighty king of Hearthstone demoted to the bottom of the tier list. Journey To Un’Goro might have been tough for Warlocks, but if the next expansion has to do with the Lich King, you bet that Blizzard will be releasing more demons, zombies and monsters then you can shake an occult stick at.
Do you think Warlock is weak or is it just a sleeper OP? Tell us in the comments.
