The Year of the Dragon has been kind to Warlock. Both aggressive and control archetypes such as Zoo or Mecha’thun Warlock were on top of the rankings, providing highly competitive play experiences. Together with niche decks like Mecha’thun or Plot Twist Warlock, the class an archetype for “everybody” to play.
By the looks of it, Ashes of Outland will keep Warlock on track. Thanks to the expansion’s unique fantasy, Warlock will gain much more obvious support compared to other classes, primarily thanks to the release of numerous Demon cards such as Darkglare and Enhanced Dreadlord.
How will the focus on the Burning Legion and its demons change the Warlock lineup? We took a closer look at three existing archetypes that could use the demonic additions to their advantage.
Demon Galakrond Warlock
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On first sight, this may look like your average Galakrond Control Warlock deck. The Galakrond package combined with Dragon synergy creates massive amounts of board pressure as well as insane tempo swings thanks to cards like Crazed Netherwing.
As for the Demon part of this well-known archetype, we try to incorporate new cards that synergize with the existing mechanics while hoping to get a fresh and new playstyle in return.
First there is Imprisoned Scrap Imp, a dormant 2-cost 3/3. Do I want to pay 2 mana for a 3/3 that activates on turn 4? Certainly not. Do I want to have a minion-heavy hand buffed for a mere 2 mana that also leave behind a 3/3 body? We should be conservative with absolutes in this position, but this little imp offers a ton of flexibility, reliability and – much more importantly – plannable tempo as well as decent board presence.
Next in our new Demon line-up is Darkglare. 3-cost 3/4s with high-impact active effects have a history in Hearthstone, and this one has potential to become history in the best possible way as well. The release of Escaped Manasaber just recently showed that the impact of mana-cheating is still more than relevant, and Darkglare offers more than enough synergy in addition to that.
This demon also brings back an old friend: Elven Archer! It basically serves as a weird Innervate with a body, but also helps in tricky situations involving Plague of Flames.
And not only that: Elven Archer brings its new favorite Demon friend to Galakrond Warlock, Terrorguard Escapee. A 3 mana 3/7 that spawns three 1/1 tokens are a dream come true for Elven Archer’s battlecry as well as Mortal Coil.
All that is topped of by Unstable Felbolt – a great removal tool for every Warlock archetype that doesn’t rely on very early board presence.
Demon Zoo Warlock
We all know that Zoo Warlock is one of the most popular archetypes right after a Standard year rotation, and that has multiple reasons: Returning players can afford the deck and are most likely familiar with playing it, and the aggressive playstyle often punishes deck experiments due to a new expansion release in combination with key removal cards rotating out of the format.
That doesn’t change with Ashes of Outland. One of the main reasons is Kanrethad Ebonlocke. Thanks to the Demon mana discount, the 2 mana 3/2 enables insane early board plays. And not only that: Kanrethad Prime and its battlecry plays out like a light version of Bloodreaver Gul'dan which can provide a needed tempo swing in the later stages of the game.
Another mana-cheating minion in this list is Darkglare. Similar to the first deck of this article, the 3-cost minion basically provides a free Hero power if you can afford the 2 mana on the same turn. In our first deck we used a certain archer as an activator; but there are even better fighting buddies in Zoo Warlock:
First there is Neferset Thrasher. A turn 3 into coin play involving this minion and a Darkglare on top in the next round can start the beginning of the end of the game – not last because Zoo Warlock never really cared about self-harm in the first place.
Next is Soulbound Ashtongue, a 1 mana 1/4. Together with Darkglare this minion can produce mass amounts of mana if unchecked; beside that, one can argue that it’s a pretty decent Zoo Warlock minion on its own.
In terms of new cards, this list has another new addition that could revolutionize Zoo Warlock gameplay: Infectious Sporeling. Together with the usual Lackey generation, this little plant creature provides excellent board manipulation with a decent body even playable on turn 1.
Yes, Zoo Warlock will lose some of its most powerful tools in the form of Grim Rally and Scarab Egg. However, the mana-cheating mechanic of Darkglare should make cards like Defender of Argus and Serpent Egg more playable and thus viable for the archetype, and this list could turn into a real meta buster in the first weeks of Ashes of Outland!
Demon Plot Twist Warlock
Last but not least, we’re taking a closer look at a new twist (hehe) on Plot Twist Warlock. First of all, the loss of Augmented Elekk and Dollmaster Dorian hits the archetype very hard – but the base combo of it still stands!
One of the new key pieces of this deck could be The Dark Portal, a card that provides a combination of minion card draw and mana cheating. The incredibly expensive curve of Plot Twist Warlock loves mana discounts – and could end a game in the mid-game already if it hits Fel Lord Betrug or basically any other expensive minion. Again – this archetype relies on combos, and drawing combo pieces early increases your chance to win not only earlier but also more reliably in the long run.
One of the new expensive demons is Supreme Abyssal. Plot Twist Warlock doesn’t rely on face damage, and this value-trading beast of a demon adds a ton of defensive capabilities, just because it can contest basically any bigger board state of multiple turns. Another special addition is Magtheridon. The former Lord of Outland not only provides a very special way of clearing the board, but can also lead up to ridicuolous mid-game uncontested board states.
Overconfident Orc tries to protect Plot Twist Warlock most vulnerable spot – the early to mid game transition. Together with Unstable Felbolt, this new version of Tar Creeper should guarantee easier times in terms of survivability.
Last but not least there is Enhanced Dreadlord, or as we should call it: A big demon with an insane Deathrattle effect. This has to be Fel Lord Betrug‘s most wanted minion target, and with the limited sources of silence in the upcoming meta, Enhanced Dreadlord becomes incredibly valuable – not last because of Kanrethad Ebonlocke and its ability to revive it.
Demon Plot Twist Warlock tries to cover its wounds with new highroll mechanics – that may mean more clear losses, but also much clearer wins in the future of the archetype. But one thing is for certain: This archetype will survive the rotation with ease, mainly because of its unique playstyle, but also because of the new opportunities given thanks to Ashes of Outland.
Unstable Felbolt, Terrorguard Escapee, Supreme Abyssal, Infectious Sporeling… come on guys, there’s no way you put those in a constructed deck…
Um, there’s still an ellek in the questlock, That supposed to be a bone wraith?
Bruh there’s no Galakrond in that Galakrond deck. Is that on purpose?
No, it’s not on purpose, my mistake. Fixed it.