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Mulligans
Aggro Mulligans
One good Defile can be a game-changer. Other removal like Darkbomb or Demonwrath is great to. Alternatively we can try to make something stick (like a Voidwalker with Demonfire) and fight for board control.
Combo Mulligans
Kill your opponent as soon as possible with your buffed demons. Create big bodys and go wide on board. Your opponent often can't deal with so many big bodys in a row.
Control Mulligans
Two strategies are possible: Either go for the aggressive line of buffing or take the road of Life Tap in order to get a big hand you can unload with Crul.Right after the reaveal of Bloodreaver Gul'dan (yes, when Kibler burned him during the reveal stream…. he was still great though) I knew that I would love this card:
The hero power is very strong. It gives Warlock tools to control the board while healing yourself. That’s the dream.
And more importantly: It supports an archetype that I wanted to work for a very long time: Demon Reno Warlock. With some other powerful additions in form of Despicable Dreadlord and especially Defile I tried to make a build with Krul the Unshackled. Unfortunately tools like Imp Gang Boss and Imp-losion have to be cut in order to keep the board strong that DK Gul’dan summons.
And I must say that this deck right now is one of the most versatile and fun to me. It kind of remembers me of Un’goro’s Midrange Murloc Paladin in the way it can be played. The deck is quite flexible and you can play according to your hand either quite aggressively (with a “Demon + Buff” – start) or slower and control oriented (thanks to Defile).
General Strategy
The general strategy is: play a small demon and buff it. Make it stick and snowball your board from there. This deck has some sticky demons that are likely to stay on the board for at least a turn, either because your opponent can’t remove them (Blood Imp, Voidwalker, Mistress of Pain) or don’t want to (Voidcaller). The best part is: people are not really playing around a buff-oriented Renolock. So the surprise-factor is on your side.
Making a Kabal Trafficker stick can be huge. Some demons you might get have a crucial downside in form of a horrible battlecry. Those can be avoided by Voidcaller and Krul the Unshackled. On the other hand you can get cards like Jaraxxus or a second Mal'Ganis that provide so much value and power.
If you should lose the board you can clear with Twisting Nether and follow it up with Krul the Unshackled and his Demon-army. Your opponent is somehow able to clear this board? No problem! Just play your Bloodreaver Gul'dan and bring back a probably even bigger board. Most decks can’t deal with this, especially if a Mal'Ganis is brought back. In one game I was able to bring down a Quest Priest from 40 HP to 0 in a single turn.
The optimal game plan would be something like:
1) Voidwalker / Blood Imp / Flame Imp
2) Demonfire on your demon / Dark Peddler
3) Earthen Ring Farseer to heal your demon
4) Voidcaller / Pit Lord
5) Demonheart on your Mal’Ganis you pulled from your Voidcaller 🙂
6) Kabal Trafficker
7) Brann Bronzebeard + Kazakus / Floating Watcher + Life Tap
8) Siphon Soul + Life Tap
9) Krul
10) Bloodreaver Gul’dan (if necessary)
Substitutes
Like every Wild Reno deck this one also has a very tight list. Since I’m experimenting with this deck I’m not super sure about what to cut. Probably Dark Peddler, Flame Imp and maybe even Brann. They can make room for some common tech cards:
Golakka CrawlerAcidic Swamp Ooze or Gluttonous Ooze
Hellfire as another strong AOE ( I prefer Demonwrath because it keeps your board of demons healthy)
Eater of SecretsBlack Knight or a Spellbreaker to allow a final push to the face
