WARQUARTER’S TEMPO RUSH WARRIOR – DECKLIST AND GUIDE

——- Introduction ——-

Welcome to the Tempo Rush Warrior decklist by WarQuarter. This deck uses a variety of strong Tempo cards like the all new Rush minions from The Witchwood to control the board and put pressure on your opponents until they run out of answers for your minions and you win the game!

Rush is the new mechanic, and seems quite strong which could possibly bring Tempo Warrior back into the game finally! This deck seeks to get early board control as well as have big minions in mid-late game that are able to threaten and soon win the game by themselves.

Tempo Warrior was a classic deck back in the day during Blackrock Mountain, but now it is possibly able to come back with so many strong tempo-oriented cards for Warrior in The Witchwood.

WarQuarter is my name and I have played Warrior a ton of times! I have a Golden Warrior and have been trolling around with some Standard N’Zoth Control and Dead Man’s Hand Warrior, as well as Wild Dragon Tempo and Classic Control Warrior since the release of Kobolds and Catacombs. I am so excited to be back playing some Standard Tempo Warrior decks because I’m sick and tired of playing 40 minute games!

——- How 2 Play ——-

This deck has a fairly basic game plan:

During the early game, play small minions that generate lots of value like Town Crier and Redband Wasp. Using weapons like Woodcutter's Axe and Blood Razor can allow you to control the board as well as putting down some more threats like Frothing Berserker. Using Acolyte of Pain along with Whirlwind effects can allow you to draw quick and be able to continue to have a stream of threats every turn (that’s why its called Tempo Warrior).

During the mid game, you are trying to put out some bigger minions. The Town Criers that you played during the early game probably drew you some bigger minions. Now is their time to shine! Start dumping downKor'kron Elite for huge damage and pressure. Not dealing with an Elite fast will cause your opponent to very swiftly, lose the game. Playing Militia Commander and Darius Crowley are really good in mid game; this is where they shine brightest. Darius can easily trade into opposing minions and grow into an uncontrollable monster while Militia Commander can trade very efficiently for the mana that you pay for her.

During the late game, your opponent should have very little resources left as they used many on dealing with all those efficient minions earlier this game. Now is your time to close the game out by slamming down Big threats! Cairne Bloodhoof is a very annoying minion to play as it sticks on the board for a while. Countess Ashmore can refill your hand and allow you to draw some late game threats to close out the game. Grommash Hellscream is the classic finisher as you can deal 10 damage out of nowhere! Scourgelord Garrosh is a great card to transform and be able to rip down your opponent’s board and close out the game fast!

——- Card Choices – Why I Chose The Cards I Chose ——-

1. Town Crier is arguably the best card in The Witchwood. You get a well stated minion, along with a very strong tutor ability. Not only do you get to draw a card, but it is a specific card; a Rush minion.

2. Whirlwind gives small board clear, but the reason you want to use this is to: make Redband Wasp stronger, trigger Acolyte of Pain‘s draw effect, make Frothing Berserker bigger, and close out the game with Grommash Hellscream.

3. Commanding Shout, I think this is very good with Rush minions, but I will definitely have to test it. Shouting when you are about to attack with a Rush minion, can have it survive an attack against a minion especially when used on Darius Crowley so he can survive and grow bigger!

4. Dead Man's Hand can give you some extra value. A quick “combo” that you can use is to shuffle back some strong Rush minions into your deck (e.g. Darius Crowley) and then use Town Crier to tutor it into your hand giving you 2 Crowleys!

5. Execute is like the best. Not much to say about it.

6. Redband Wasp seems like a fairly strong minion especially with Woodcutter's Axe. This card provides early board presence and control. You can use the second trigger of Blood Razor for an unexpected 4 damage on an enemy minion for 2 mana.

7. Woodcutter's Axe is a great weapon especially when used on Redband Wasp or Darius Crowley. Not only is it good at buffing your Rush minions, but it is actually good for clearing out small minions in the early game due to its low cost of 2 mana.

8. Acolyte of Pain is here because this deck lacks card draw and lacks 3 drops. Many of the good 3 drops are leaving Standard, so Acolyte will have to do for now.

9. Frothing Berserker can snowball really hard in a game. If you have played it or played against it you know how strong this minion can become. Though Ravaging Ghoul, Frothing Berserker‘s best teammate, is rotating out, there are still many ways to trigger its ability efficiently including Whirlwind, Blood Razor, and Scourgelord Garrosh.

10. Blood Razor is the best weapon Warrior has ever had (excluding Death's Bite) and is just very strong card all together. Great for clearing the board. If you are new to Warrior decks, there is lots to learn with using this card’s triggers effectively, so just play a lot and you will learn!

11. Kor'kron Elite is like the best Charge minion for Warrior. Deals massive damage every turn if it doesn’t get taken out and can also trade fairly well with that strong 4/3 body.

12. Militia Commander is a solid Rush minion, think: 4 mana 5/5 charge into a minion. This can trade very efficiently and give you strong tempo in the midgame.

13. Darius Crowley can be a minion that wins you the game like Frothing Berserker. Buffing this minion with Woodcutter's Axe can also make it a huge threat. Just make sure to kill a minion and also have Darius stay alive so he can grow bigger and make himself a prime target for your opponent.

14. Muck Hunter is one of the best Rush cards in The Witchwood, especially in Warrior. Since Warrior has many Whirlwind effects, it makes Much Hunter’s Battlecry not even a thing to worry about.

15. Cairne Bloodhoof is a strong Classic neutral legendary that is a big body that is very annoying to deal with. Basically paying 6 mana for 2 4/5 minions can provide a lot of Tempo and can also be drawn out from your deck with Countess Ashmore.

16. Countess Ashmore is almost like The Curator which will allow you to draw 2 cards from your deck along with a solid 6/6 body. Make note that Countess Ashmore can draw you Woodcutter's Axe and Blood Razor as she draws you a Deathrattle CARD, not just minions.

17. Grommash Hellscream is a classic finisher in Warrior decks since the beginning. Grommash can provide burst damage for up to 10 attack if you use a Whirlwind effect. Setting up a Blood Razor a turn early can make for some fast finishes.

18. Scourgelord Grommash is the Death Knight hero card for Warrior. The weapon that he provides is very strong in clearing the board along with his hero power that can whittle opponent’s minions down, but most importantly power up some of your own minions like Frothing Berserker and Grommash Hellscream

19. Woecleaver seems like a strong weapon for this deck. Imagine Recruiting a Rush minion! So much value, especially because there are only 5 minions you don’t want to Recruit: the 2 Town Crier, 2 Acolyte of Pain, and 1 Countess Ashmore.

——- Card Replacements ——-

“Look at all these Legendaries! How in the world am I supposed to play if there are so many?! I don’t have money, gold, or the dust to craft them! What do I dooooo?!”

The answer to that is first off, it will be a real struggle to try to win without any legendaries in this deck. The Standard Rotation removes MANY of the good Tempo Warrior cards and we are now stuck with very few to deal with. Though there is some replacements for these high cost cards, your win rate will definitely lower because of it.

1. Town Crier. This card you will HAVE TO CRAFT. It is so damn strong and there is nothing else like it. Go and craft it if you want to play this deck.

2. Dead Man's Hand. This card provides late game value, so it isn’t necessary for this deck to function. Try putting in Elise Trailblazer for late game value or try Battle Rage for some good draw.

3. Darius Crowley. This is a hard one to replace but I suppose you can put in Direhorn Hatchling as it not only is a 5 mana card too, but it provides a strong Taunt body and a very strong late game minion with the Matriarch.

4. Muck Hunter. Just like Crowley, try for some Direhorn Hatchlings. The new Festeroot Hulk doesn’t seem like a bad card either. Almost like a Darkshire Councilman which can become a big threat if not dealt with. Maybe try for Cobalt Scalebane which is very low cost to craft as it is a common.

5. Cairne Bloodhoof. Try a Bone Drake. It is a big body and provides some value when it dies too.

6. Countess Ashmore. Put in a Battle Rage because all you’re looking for is draw with this card slot, it’s just that Countess draws specific cards not just any cards on the top of your deck.

7. Grommash Hellscream. Go for Argent Commander or Leeroy Jenkins as they are all game finishers with Charge.

8. Scourgelord Garrosh. A hard one to replace, but you can try The Lich King, Primordial Drake, or any big minions.

9. Woecleaver. Probably the most flexible card on this list, you can try to put just about any big creatures in your collection that provide value and pave a way to your victory.

——- Thank You! ——-

Thanks for spending some time to check out this new homemade brew! Hopefully you enjoyed this guide and learned a thing or two. Make sure to go craft some golden cards from the new set and have a blast with this deck! Comment any questions or criticism so that I can become a better player and writer. See you in the Year of the Raven and best of wishes to your pack openings on A pril 12!