Double Hero Elemental Shaman (Witchwood, June 2018)

This deck is based on a challenge a friend gave me: build a competitive deck that uses both Shaman hero cards, Thrall, Deathseer and Hagatha the Witch.  Combining these with Shaman’s elemental package results in a powerful midrange deck that can turn into a control deck in the late game.  I’ve hit rank 3 with it, and it works very well against some of the most powerful decks in the meta right now.

The deck has a fairly standard elemental package built in.  Note that the current version runs two copies of Glacial Shard to stop big threats from overwhelming you in the early game.  It also has two copies of Servant of Kalimos in order to keep up with control decks in late-game value.  

The deck runs Prince Keleseth for two reasons: Shaman doesn’t have many 2-cost cards that function well in the current meta, and the deck is fairly minion-heavy.  Always try to mulligan for him.

The deck also runs two copies of Mana Tide Totem as the draw engine for the deck.  Aggro is very rare on the ladder these days, and so these are crucial for trying to out-maneuver control decks.

One of the most important cards in the deck is Hex.  This is your answer to Even Warlock and Recruit Hunter’s big threats, and it completely destroys Taunt Druid by clogging up their pool of taunts and beasts with Frog. 

The only removal spells the deck runs are Lightning Storm and Volcano.  Be sure to use these carefully, at least until you can get Hagatha on the board to generate more removal spells.

Thrall, Deathseer serves a very particular purpose in this deck.  You almost never want to play him on curve, and in some match-ups you don’t want to play him at all.  Thrall, Deathseer is primarily used for burst when trying to quickly finish off combo decks (such as Shudderwock Shaman or Mind Blast Priest).  It can also be used to buff up your health and board when defending a low life total; it can mean the difference between life and death when facing Aggro Mage or Odd Rogue.  Note that Thrall, Deathseer works well with most of the cards in this deck, since elementals tend to be understatted for their cost.  In particular, it can also be used with Saronite Chain Gang to build sudden board presence.  Time out the use of this hero accordingly, and it can swing the battle in your favor.

If you’re in a matchup against control decks, you’ll more often want to be playing Hagatha the Witch.  She serves as a continued value engine throughout the game, and can often help you find removal/healing spells in the late game.  She is pretty much necessary as your win condition in any stall-related matchups, while also serving as good board clear.  In particular, keep an eye out for her when playing against Even Warlock, Token Druid, and Quest Warrior.

Don’t be afraid to play both hero cards in one game, if the situation demands it.  They have drastically different use cases, though, as Thrall, Deathseer generally should be used while you’re ahead, and Hagatha the Witch should be used when you’re behind.  Keep in mind that they’ll override each other’s powers.