Mill Druid – Standard Format

Yup! You can actually play mill druid without King Togwaggle, Azalina Soulthief and Twig of the Worldtree. This version of mill druid is really one of my favorite decks.
It’s just too good not to be shared. And by good, I don’t mean the type of deck
you wanna try and hit legend with. But rather a deck to have tons and tons of
fun with, play loooong games and win surprisingly often.

The idea is simple: Armor up, and make odd warriors envy you. Draw through both your and your opponent’s deck. Win by fatiguing out your opponent while
shuffeling copies of your Astral Tigers back in your deck. Know that your opponent was caught by surprise since no one else is playing this deck on the ladder. 

Even though the idea is simple, the game may not be easily
won.

The cards may be categorized into 4 groups: Mill (4 cards),
damage (8 cards), support (16 cards) and clones (6 cards). Wait, that is 34
cards? Yes, some cards are a bit tricky to place in a category. However, with
only 4 mill cards, it’s pretty obvious that these need to be comboed with other
cards to really have an effect. That’s the key to success with this decks,
playing the right card at the right time.

Lesser Jasper Spellstone (damage): Since you will gain alot of
armor, you won’t have any trouble upgrading this. Use whenever you find it
neccesary.

Naturalize (mill/damage): Surves both as a mill card and as
a removal. Should only be used on your own minions if it causes seroius
burning, or if you use your Carnivorous cube for something other than Astral Tiger.
 

Baleful Banker (clones): Very useful when drawing through
your deck. Targets depend on the matchup, but are usually The Lich King, Forest
Guide or Astral Tiger.

Wrath (damage/support): Usually a card draw plus a ping.

Drakkari Enchanter (support): The most obvious use for this card
is a combo with Forest Guide for a lot of milling. Combine that with a
naturalize, and 5 cards are being drawn for your opponent before it can take any
action. However, if you get this to stick for a turn and then play your Lich
King… Yeah…

Ferocious Howl (support): Your hand will usually be quite
big, meaning you can easily get alot of value out of this one. However, it’s
usually not worth skipping turns after the early game has ended to get one more
point of armor.

Stonehill Defender (support): A good card for your early
game. Ironwood Golem of Bewitched Guardian are great picks from the druid pool.

Zola the Gorgon (clones): For just one more mana, you get to
add a minion to your hand rather than your deck, as the Baleful Banker does.
Even though you want more cards in your deck, Zola is pretty good aswell, since
you could get certain minions summoned again much faster. Usual targets are
Forest Guide and The Lich King.

Astral Tiger (support): This card alongside your Baleful
Bankers serves as your anti-fatigue. It should never be kept in an opening
hand, and not played until the end game. Chanses are that your opponent then has
spent it’s hexes, ploymorphs, silences and saps earlier in the game.

Branching Paths (support): Usually it gives you a lot of armor,
occationally some card draw, and if your opponent has a full board, and you are
holding Spreading Plague plus Branching Paths with 10 mana crystals…

Forest Guide (mill): This is your main card for drawing your
opponents card. Best played with Drakkari Enchanter for more effect. Since
milling is your main win-strategy, this is usually a good target for Zola the
Gorgon, Baleful Banker and even Faceless Manipulator.

Swipe (damage): You won’t deal a ton of damage to your
opponents board, so this card is a must have.

Carnivorous Cube (clones): You’re only running one copy of
this, because it usually only has one purpose. To activate the deathrattle of
Astral Tiger, and grant two more copies of it. Should only be played in the
late game, when your opponent is more likely to have spent it’s silences, hexes,
polymorphs and saps…  

Faceless Manipulator (clones): This one surprised me aswell
in this deck when I tested it. It’s actually really good. It offers alot of
flexibilty since it can be used on enemy minions aswell (combo priest got a
surprise when i followed up with a naturalize). Considering your own minions, your
usual targets will be Forest Guide or The Lich King if it has enough health to
be worth it. It may sound strange to spend five mana to copy a 4-cost minion,
however milling is your win condition, so more copies of the Forest Guide should
not be underestimated.

Spreading Plague (support): Since a big plan of your game is
simply to survive until the fatigue stage, this card is a must. It can really
slow your opponent down, and even prevent it from playing more minions due to
the low damage on the scarabs.

Malfurion the Pestilent (support): Usually go for the armor,
unless you really need to throw down some damage.

The Lich King (support): You should rarely play The Lich
King without a way to copy it. Since most of your minions are easily killed or
doesn’t pose a huge threat, silences and removals are usually ready to take on
The Lich King. If you can copy it however, it’s running a much higher chanse on
his next summon. The DK-cards are also pretty good in his deck, except for Army
of the Dead.

Mulligans (very general)

Always keep: Stonehill defender, Malfurion the Pestilent

Never keep: Astral Tiger, Carnivorous cube

Aggro: Keep taunts, armor and removals.

Midrange: Keep taunts, armor and removals.

Control: Keep armor and mill cards.