Gannicus Warlock / Standard / May 2017

Back in March 2014, before Naxxramas was released, famous Hearthstone streamer Trump faced against one of the early visionaries of the game, Gannicus. This visionary combined the use of Warlock with cheap cards, such as Wisp, Flame Imp, Faerie Dragon, and Magma Rager, to overwhelm the opponent with fast damage to the face and many cheap minions on the board. Some say Gannicus was the first player to ever use the Zoo deck archetype.

Trump was left with only one HP, and managed to pull through against the might of Gannicus’s deck. Due to this, unfortunately, we were only able to see 15 cards of Gannicus’s deck.

This deck is a remastered version of Gannicus’s deck, which combines the cards Gannicus used against Trump, and the non-class cards Trump used to defeat Gannicus. Six slots were still missing, so we assumed Gannicus had a second copy of Wisp and Magma Rager, since they’re some of the, if not the most powerful cards in the game.

I used the four remaining slots to put in some all-around solid cards: Sacrificial Pact, to get rid of those pesky Lord Jaraxxus; Angry Chicken, it makes the opponent concede 1/3 of the time; Bluegill Warrior, for synergy with Grimscale Oracle; and Succubus, a 2 mana 4/3!

How to play the deck

This deck has a very advanced play style, so it’s only for experienced players. Generally, you want to start out with a very solid first turn. If your play is potent enough, it can make the opponent concede.

In the best situation, you will have Wisp, Grimscale Oracle, The Coin, and Flame Imp. 

Then you want to play your minions on curve, and use your hero power when you’re running out of cards to play.

In almost every situation, your best option is to go face. The damage from your minions, spells like Soulfire, and the insane 5 attack from Magma Rager will quickly deplete your opponent’s life points.

Against Warlock, keeping Sacrificial Pact is a must. 

If the deck is played correctly, it can easily outvalue popular decks such as Pirate Warrior, Midrange Paladin, and Burn Mage. It can easily get you to the top of Rank Legend.