Beginner Warlock Deck List Guide & Tips 2017

Welcome to our Beginner Warlock Deck List Guide! If you are just starting out in Hearthstone this guide will help you learn how-to build and play this completely free Warlock deck list. The guide includes card explanations, mulligans, play strategy, and future card replacements/substitutions.

Find More Beginner Decks: Beginner’s Hearthstone Decks for Every Class

Beginner Warlock Deck Overview

Warlock is an interesting class because it has had multiple different styles of popular decks throughout the years. The type that has stuck around the most, however, is Warlock Zoo which is an aggressive but board controlling deck list that uses a lot of cheap minions to make efficient trades. A deck like this would generally struggle to keep cards in its hand, but Warlock’s hero power allows it to flood the board while drawing a couple cards a turn. Warlock also has control options as well, which was especially the case with Handlock and Renolock.

Don’t understand some of the terms in this guide? Check out our Hearthstone Terms & Glossary!

Card Choices

These card choices are broken down into two sections: Class and Neutrals.

Warlock Cards

Mortal Coil – Great for finishing off a minion and then getting a draw out of it. In a pinch it can be used to remove a divine shield, but you are generally looking to get the draw out of it.

Soulfire – Used to be an even better card at zero mana, but now it’s a bit more of a fringe inclusion due to the 1-mana cost. Make sure you try and limit your chance of dumping anything important, it’s usually best to wait to use your hero power before using this card.

Shadow Bolt – Not as versatile as most damage spells due to only being able to target minions, but being able to deal 4-damage is relevant because not many spells are capable of doing it with out spell damage.

Hellfire – Strong AOE spell that has a cheap cost, but unfortunately deals damage to your minions as well. You have to obviously be careful with this, and it’s generally better when you are taking a more controlling position. However, if you do have to destroy some of your minions just make sure to attack with them first! Remember that this also deals damage to your hero as well as your opponent’s so you can finish a game, but hopefully not destroy yourself.

Dread Infernal – Decent stats for the cost, but the additional AOE can be really helpful at times. Just make sure you don’t kill your own stuff without using it first.

Neutral Cards

Acidic Swamp Ooze – Decent stats and an ability that is very relevant against certain classes. It’s generally best not to be too greedy with the effect unless you know for sure they are going to play a weapon. It’s almost always better to play something rather than wait and hope to destroy a weapon. Be more conservative with this card against Warrior.

Bloodfen Raptor – Mostly just a body for stats and a cheap cost.

Razorfen Hunter – A pretty bad overall card, but spreading the stats out across minions can be valuable.

Shattered Sun Cleric – Solid minion that has a strong buff attached to it. While it’s nice to get the buff, it’s usually best to just play the minion on the board rather than hope for a best case scenario.

Chillwind Yeti – One of the best basic minions. 5-health is very important and can trade and survive against most minions of the same cost or below. The card saw some really early play in meta decks in the beginning of ranked play, but is just purely outclassed by better minions now.

Gnomish Inventor – Card draw on a body is usually pretty valuable even with Warlock’s hero power.

Sen'jin Shieldmasta – A good way to stop early aggression with a pretty decent stat line for the cost.

Darkscale Healer – With a lot of your spells damaging your own minions it’s nice to have a card that can heal them back up if necessary as well as healing yourself a bit.

Boulderfist Ogre – This is essentially the 6-drop version of Chillwind Yeti. 7-health is very hard to remove with a single card unless it’s premium removal like Hex or Polymorph is used.

Stormwind Champion – Good for buffing your minions to get in good trades/damage and potentially protecting them from opposing AOE spells.

Beginner Warlock Deck Mulligan Advice and Strategy

I wouldn’t keep Mortal Coil or Soulfire, they can be good early but they can be very hit and miss. Your 2-drop minions, however, are generally always going to be good. I would also not keep Shadow Bolt as it again is kind of slow and not proactive.

Keep your 2-drops, and if you get one in the opening mulligan you can look to keep a 3-drop. If you are going second then you can consider keeping a 4-drop if you already have a 2-drop.

• Always Keep: Acidic Swamp Ooze and Bloodfen Raptor
• Keep w/2-drop: Shattered Sun Cleric and Razorfen Hunter
• Keep w/2-3 drop Curve or 2-Drop & The Coin: Chillwind Yeti and Sen'jin Shieldmasta

Play Strategy

Warlock’s hero power is very powerful, but make sure you are keeping track of your card count so you don’t overdraw the following turn. You can hover over your deck list if you are on PC and it will show the amount of cards in your hand. You can only have 10 cards in your hand, so don’t use your hero power when you have 9 cards and you aren’t for sure going to play something.

Another important factor when playing Warlock is that you will want to draw first. That means make a plan for your turn, and if that plan includes using your hero power you should do it first. The card you draw could change up your plan. This also applies to Mortal Coil if you can guarantee a draw from it.

This deck runs Hellfire and Dread Infernal, so before you play them make sure none of your minions are going to die when you do. If they are, you should make sure to attack with the minions before you play the card.

Stormwind Champion is great for protecting against some of the damage your self-inflicting cards will do. Even if Champion dies the minions will take damage based on the buff they had received. So, a minion that has 3 health normally that has been buffed to 4 health which eats a piece of a Hellfire will take damage based off of the 4 health even if Champion dies.

Card Replacements and Substitutions

I’m going to list cards that you should start to look to replace to stick with the theme of this deck which is a Midrange Warlock. You should start to look towards budget decks and build towards them once you start to acquire cards. Once you’ve built a budget deck, you can then start to build towards a meta deck.

Find Budget Decks: Hearthstone Budget Decks for Every Class

You’ll want to start steering this deck in the direction of a Zoo deck. So once you get Flame Imp which is a signature Warlock card you should add that immediately for Razorfen Hunter.

Voidwalker which is a basic card that you get early on in the Warlock leveling process is a good card, but without buff cards it’s not as good. so, once you are able to get stuff like Acherus Veteran and Dire Wolf Alpha you can add in Voidwalker.

Darkshire Councilman is a common Warlock card that fits nicely into this style of deck. You are adding a lot of minions to the board so it should get buffed pretty nicely.

Fire Fly is a great budget card that fits in quite a few meta decks so stick that in the deck as well.

Bonemare is one of the best common cards in the game. It fits quite well in this deck which tries to flood the board.

Once you’ve gotten a few of these upgrades it’s time to start looking into those budget decks listed above! Good luck out there on the ladder.