Robinette’s Malygos Concede Shaman Deck List Guide (December 2016, Season 33)

Robinette took this Malygos Concede Shaman deck to Legend this season! Thanks to Robinette for allowing us to re-host this guide.

Control Shaman is one of my favorite decks in Hearthstone, I tried the deck at rank 2 and climbed over the last days to rank 39 legend EU (at the moment rank 43 at the 20th December). Due to broken PC I can only play on tablet, so unfortunately I didn’t track games. But the deck is in my opinion a really strong meta pick, so I want to present to you my spin on the archetype. I am a regular legend player, only once this year didn’t play to legend, with my most honorable success being 12 wins with Murloc Warlock in the Heroic Tavern Brawl (https://redd.it/5demkd).

Legend Proof: https://m.imgur.com/EIGwzmL

More screenshots, if somebody wants to question if I really grinded with the deck (I played more than 100 games, maxed out the 100 gold/30 win cap twice while playing the deck): https://m.imgur.com/a/CDXJH

General Gameplans and Match Ups

Pirate Warrior, Dragon Warrior, Aggro and Midrange Shaman

Double Earth Shock and Lightning Bolt gives you a consistent way to deal with 1 drops (Buccaneer) and with Lightning Storm, Elemental Destruction and Maelstrom Portal you will consistently clear their boards around turn 4-6. Often if you have a board clear into an Earth Elemental or White Eyes you just win. Barnes into Ancestral Spirit a minion or even Earth Shock an Earth Elemental can often also be an insta-win. Generally I keep healing wave or one earth elemental if I have at least one board clear in my starting hand against aggressive decks. You are highly favored against stuff like Pirate and Dragon Warrior and Aggro/Midrange Shaman.

(Key Cards: Lightning Storm, Elemental Destruction, Maelstrom Portal, Healing Wave)

Miracle Rogue

There are some special elements to the game against miracle rogue, Barnes into Earth Shock your own minion is especially a really strong tempo play against Rogue, or getting them to sap your ancestral spirited Barnes target. Using Earth Shock against Thalnos or denying a coin from Tomb Pillager slows Rogues down pretty much which is often exactly what you want. The tricky question is getting the balance between using Elemental Destruction too liberal vs getting out aggroed in the early game. Generally I usually use removal quite aggressively against Rogue which I think wins you more games in the long run. If you get into your heal and taunt phase you are generally pretty far ahead. The match up should be rather even

(Key Cards: Barnes, Earth Shock, Elemental Destruction)

Handlock

I started playing with Malygos due to this match up. You have a 30 damage combo with Malygos double Lightning Bolt and Lava Shock if they give you time, for the rest you generally want to outheal and taunt them. The tricky question is how you go against Sylvanas Windrunner, sometimes if Handlock gets an early start you have to risk an all in Ancestral Spirit and just hope they don’t have it. If they don’t pressure you, a really lucky Dirty Rat is often the only way to lose

(Key Cards: Malygos, Lightning Bolt, Earth Shock, Emperor Thaurissan)

Jade Druid

One of the worst match ups, you generally need to pressure them, but if they get a snowball Jade beginning it is hard to comeback. If you however get an early Earth Elemental into Ancestral Spirit (or Barnes Ancestral Spirit pretty much whatever) you have a good chance. I didn’t face too many Druids, but generally I would say you are unfavored quite a bit

(Key Cards: Barnes, Earth Elemental, Ancestral Spirit)

Control Warrior and Jade Control Shaman

I met a couple, if you remove their threats and clear their board a White Eyes into double Ancestral Spirit is a really insane game winner near fatigue. Didn’t face too many but you should be highly favoured

(Key Cards: White Eyes, Ancestral Spirit)

Anyfin Paladin

Try to hex their murlocs, also get value from your Ancestral Spirits so they need to waste an eqaulity on one or two minions. I won against both I faced and would say you are highly favored.

(Key Cards: Hex, Ancestral Spirit)

Reno Mage

Faced 3, lost against all. I guess you want to pressure them and hope to avoid a good Polymorph from them, I failed at that.

(Key Cards: White Eyes probably)

Priest

Drakonid Operative is pretty cruel sometimes, this match up is highly dependent if they tech in Dragonfire Potion or even double Entomb. The good thing is you can overcome their early game pretty consistent with Elemental Destruction, but if they get too much value from their cards you are having a hard time. Malygos into Maelstorm Portal can be a key combo hear to clear their late game board a last time and get the White Eyes fatigue strategy in the end. I would say you are slightly unfavored, but I also didn’t face too many Priests.

(Key Cards: Malygos, Elemental Destruction)

Card Discussion

Board Clears (6 cards): Maelstrom Portal, Elemental Destruction, Lightning Storm

Absolute core cards that makes the aggro and midrange match ups so good

Heal Cards (4 cards): Hallazeal the Ascended, Healing Wave, Jinyu Waterspeaker

I found that 2 Jinyus often worked against Barnes, with the current list you can pretty much earth shock/ancestral spirit every pull. You could run 2 if you literally only face aggro warrior, but you are highly favourd with 1 anyways. Hallazeal and Healing Wave are important core cards because they really give you an edge over aggro and Rogue decks. If you only drew Barnes you also have a 1 in 7 to hit Hallazeal with barnes which won me a couple of games.

Hard Removal (2 cards): Hex

Best Removal in the game, clear auto-include.

Burst/Early Removal (4 cards + 1): Lightning Bolt, Lava Shock, Malygos

They are good against aggro, allow you not to lose too much tempo and give you a potential OTK. I just love the package. Ever since including Malygos I do way better against Renolock, also the potential to get a Barnes/Malygos plus spell on turn 6 is insane tempo, plus potential Ancestral Spiritting it.

Earth Shocks (2)

This is the current sleeper card in my opinion, it is insane against rogue (Tomb Pillager, Edwin, Thalnos, Questing), can get you insane tempo with barnes (earth elemental, 2 cards for a 10/11 turn 5), gives you a consistent way to deal with buccaneer turn 1 and of course deals with Twilight Drake. And even if all off this fails: A turn 10 Malygos 6 Damage Earth Shock is still really solid tempo.

Card Draw (4): Ancestral Knowledge and Far Sight

Far Sight enables Malygos combos to happen faster and more consistent and getting insane Taunt combos with Ancestral Spirit against Aggro. Ancestral Knowledge is also just really solid card draw especially with lava Shock

Value Cards (7): White Eyes, Emperor Thaurissan, Ancestral Spirit, Barnes, Earth Elemental

Emperor enables Malygos combos, Ancestral Spirit Combos and Hallazeal plays, plus high synergy with Barnes. Barnes has 7 targets in the deck, 6 are insane with either Earth Shock or Ancestral Spirit. Ancestral Spirit wins games on taunts against aggro and on stuff like White Eyes against control. Getting it off from Far Sight allows you to make insane tempo plays. Earth Elemental is just great against most decks except against rogues with sap. But if you get both saps out of the way a Ancestral Spirit on Earth Elemental is often gg.

White eyes a solid taunt that is good against every match up exceot Freeze Mage. Can win games against aggro and control. This card is what control shaman reallly needed to get over the edge

Exclusions

Cairne Bloodhoof: Wins games against Brawls, faced only one Brawl, not good in the current meta.

Sylvanas Windrunner: Very good against Druid and Priest, but I didn’t face them too much so I cut her. Useless against aggro and sometimes has Doomsayer backfire potential

Thing from Below: I used to run them, but they are not really optimal. I generally didn’t totem up against aggro decks because I needed to play stuff like Lightning Bolt and Lightning Storm, so they costed often 4 or 6 mana when I drew them in the midgame. And against control decks like Renolock a 0 Mana 5/5 just didn’t help at all.

Faceless Manipulator: Most decks can’t deal with one Earth Elemental and Ancestral Spirit, and for really long grindy games (except jade druid) White Eyes into double Ancestral Spirit should be good enough.

N'Zoth, The Corruptor: Too slow at the moment, especially after I cut Sylvanas and Cairne.

Concluding Remarks

Concede Shaman shines in an Aggro Meta, but also has a good chance against control decks. You shouldn’t play the deck if there are a lot of Jade Druids, Priests or OTK decks (and I guess Reno Mages). The consistent board clears you get in the midgame, combined with the OTK game strategy and snowball ancestral spirit combo gameplan or the simple outheal gameplan makes it a deck that can be played and built in numerous ways, which makes it a versatile and challenging deck.

Hope you liked the little guide.