Totem Shaman Deck List & Guide – Darkmoon Faire – November 2020

Key Cards for Totem Shaman

• Lightning Bloom: This is basically Innervate for Shaman (Druid as well – dual class card). The ability to have 2 extra mana is especially potent during the early game, allowing you to develop a wide board before the opponent can react, setting up for either a Totemic Surge or Bloodlust lethal early on. 
• Storm's Wrath: A really potent and cheap buff for your board. Don’t be hesitant to use it early, especially if you have a Surging Tempest for it in the early game. Just make sure you can play something with the reduced mana you will have on the following turn.
• Tour Guide: Your most important card during the mulligan, it lets you use Hero Power on turn 1, which can be followed up by a 2-drop or Hero Power again on turn 2 and then either Totemic Might or Totemic Surge (or both!).
• Cagematch Custodian: A new card, this fits really well in the deck, since it can fetch Splitting Axe, making your turn 4 more consistent.
• Grand Totem Eys'or: The first ever Legendary totem! Even if it survives for only one turn, it can make your other totems harder to deal with, while also making them deal damage (the difference between 0 and 1 attack is… infinite).
• Stormstrike: What a card! It’s basically a 2-for-1 trade, making it extremely efficient for board control, which is what this deck wants to do until the mid-game. Having the option to also use your health as a resource for that or push damage to face, without needing to draw a weapon is really nice.
• Totemic Reflection: One of the cornerstones of the deck. This card makes any totem you control a threat, while also letting you set up powerful turns for Splitting Axe.
• Splitting Axe: The other cornerstone of the deck, it defines what the archetype wants to do, which is copy a bunch of totems that have been buffed too much. Do not be afraid to use it, even for a couple of totems. You can almost always buff them next turn and make them into threats!
• Bloodlust: A great finisher, even with a small board. It can catch your opponent off-guard, especially if your board is mostly basic totems.
• Totem Goliath: This is the deck’s mid-game threat. It can keep the opponent under pressure, while also leaving you with a good board (all 4 of the basic totems) after it dies, so you can still be threatening.

Totem Shaman Mulligan Guide

In order of importance: Tour Guide, Surging Tempest, Cagematch Custodian, Stormstrike and Grand Totem Eys'or.

Since this is a fast deck, the matchup has little impact on the overall mulligan strategy. The first thing you want to do is get on the board as soon as possible, then use cards like Serpentshrine Portal and Stormstrike to protect it. You should be looking for your 1-drops always, then something to follow them up with. Do not get baited into holding on to Grand Totem Eys'or if you have nothing to play on 1. [card_name=”Splitting Axe”] is always a non-keep, as you should be looking to draw them with Cagematch Custodian for efficiency.

Against slower decks (Priest, Warrior, Mage) you can look for Grand Totem Eys'or in your mulligan. Warrior may be able to Shield Slam it, but Priest and Mage could have a hard time removing it that early, making it really dangerous, especially if you can buff its health or copy it on the following turn. Be careful not to overextend against slower decks, especially if you have Totem Goliath on the board, as you can damage its ability to summon the 4 basic totems with its deathrattle, after it dies.

Totem Shaman Playstyle and Tips

The deck is aggressive, so it seeks to end the game as fast as possible. Usually, you can buff a good totem on 3 with Totemic Reflection or copy totems that have been buffed with Totemic Might and/or Totemic Surge with Splitting Axe on 4. If you want to use Totemic Reflection on a basic totem, you should aim for Healing Totem (sustain for your board), or Wrath of Air Totem (useful with Serpentshrine Portal and Stormstrike. Bloodlust is a good finisher, even with a relatively small board, but it’s not as essential as before, due to how much more consistent the deck is.

After the early game, Totem Goliath can help you stay competitive and threatening for a while. Even if it gets removed, you are left with all 4 of the basic totems on the board, which can be dangerous for your opponent, if you’re keeping one of Totemic Surge or Bloodlust in your hand. Aside from Totem Goliath, Grand Totem Eys'or can be a great target for Totemic Reflection and Splitting Axe, not only because it means that the effect is double, but also because it makes it harder to remove both of them, so you can have another turn of its effect.

Possible Replacements

-1x Stormstrike / +1x Lightning Storm: This is a tech choice, in case you are facing a lot of other fast decks. You can include one more Lightning Storm to help you with those if you want, by removing one Serpentshrine Portal.

-1x/2x Stormstrike / +1x/2x Runic Carvings: This is the exact opposite; a tech choice against slower decks. The goal of the inclusion of Runic Carvings is making the deck more midrangy, sacrificing a bit of board control power (Stormstrike), which you would not need against them that much.