Thanks! Great summary of gameplay/strategy at the beginning. The deck can have some pretty silly games if you get ahead early.

Congrats on the success!

Effigy is a fine replacement. I’d keep rolling with that if its working for you. I’ve found the card is surprisingly effective in this deck.

I certainly understand not wanting to craft an Epic this close to an expansion release, even though Ice Block is a pretty safe craft. In this deck, the purpose is more about ensuring a Secret is in play than the trigger itself.

If nothing else, I really dig the art on this card. It brings back fond memories of the Vengeful Gladiator Priest set from my WoW days.

Ragnaros is a viable replacement, but coming out a turn later is relevant. In the past, I’ve had success with Firelands Portal instead of Dr. Boom.

An early curve is critical to this deck’s success. The reasoning against Dragonfire Potion is that you have fewer dragon minions than non-dragons. The healing on both minions and face from Holy Nova is often relevant as well.

Freeze Mage is a bit of a problem for this deck because of the reliance on minion damage. Your best opportunity is to Discover Ice Block and/or burn spells from your opponent’s deck.

The aggressive curve is meant to stay ahead of aggro decks, which meta reports still suggest are popular choices. It does have some options for outvaluing greedy decks with Brann + Operative/Historian as well.

The deck does have some unfavorable matchups, but I think it’s still in a decent spot in the current meta.

Spirit Echo may be a good option in the VLPS version with Thing From Below and Lightning Bolts.
http://www.hearthstonetopdecks.com/decks/vlps-12-win-nzoth-control-shaman-wild-heroic-tavern-brawl/

This particular would rather get the immediate board presence from Ancestral Spirit and/or Reincarnate since you frequently have a full hand of high-cost threats, so adding copies of minions to hand can be a liability at times.

Agreed. The tutoring ability necessitates it being understated (which makes it crazy that Arcanologist isn’t). There’s a big difference between a draw and a controlled draw.

Like you said, it fits well in a Paladin Handbuff deck where Wickerflame Burnbristle is one of the best cards to buff. If that deck and/or the Divine Shield synergies get more support, it could see play.

Thanks, Tom! Any of the cards in the Notable Exceptions would probably work as a replacement. Babbling Book might as be a consideration. I would lean towards Babbling Book, Arcane Intellect, Piloted Shredder, or Firelands Portal.

Dr. Boom is good in this deck, but I don’t think he’s critical. Highmanes already provide good late game finishers, but Ragnaros or Call of the Wild would fill this void if you find you can’t close out games. Another Quick Shot might also be helpful, as would a second Piloted Shredder or Sludge Belcher.

This deck has a pretty poor matchup (~38% WR) against Jade Druid, thanks to the new armor gain tools the Druid has (not to mention the possibility of infinite Jade Golems).

If you’re looking for general tips and strategies against Jade Druid specifically, you can check out the Anti-Guide Switters wrote: http://www.hearthstonetopdecks.com/anti-deck-guide-beat-jade-druid/

Thank you! And your feedback is appreciated. As you mentioned, the guide does outline Egg Druid deck specifically, but the deck (along with those referenced in the Variants section) all fall under the same archetype of Token Druid.

The variants of Token Druid play so similarly, it didn’t seem necessary to write a guide for each but it’s something I’d be open to in the future if there is demand for it.

You’re welcome and happy laddering!

Brann is an interesting consideration. He’d certainly provide some massive swing turns with Quartermaster and/or Lightfused Stegodon as well as some value with Stonehill Defender. My concern is that he’s a little slow for the pace of the current Wild Meta. While potentially powerful, I’m not sure he’s necessary (but willing to be proven wrong).

As you mentioned, the list is a little tight but swapping out a Steward of Darkshire seems fine. Give it a shot and let me know how it works for you!

Thanks! Glad you’ve like it!

Congrats on the success so far and good luck on the Legend grind.

I think Rallying Blade potentially has a home in this deck with all the Divine Shield minions, depending on matchups. It’s certainly worth testing, but might create some clunky hands because you often want to play Muster for Battle on turn three.

Vinecleaver can definitely turn games around for you, but there is also the possibility that with another card in hand you wouldn’t have gotten behind to begin with. At certain ranks, the Wild Meta is quite fast, so keeping up is critical.

The reason you find Truesilver Champion in Wild variants so frequently is the need to remove high-value four health minions, such as Frothing Berserkers, Bloodsail Cultist, Totem Golem, and Imp Gang Boss.

Understandable. If your streak continues (or even if it doesn’t), feel free to shoot me a friend request (Roffle ##### on NA & EU) and I’d be happy to spectate some of your games and offer advice and/or talk through plays.

Glad to hear you’re finding success and having fun with it!

I tend to doubt that either you or the deck is bad.

I haven’t played the deck much this season, so I can’t speak to its strength in the current meta, but it does have a handful of frustrating matchups. Unfortunately, based on the latest vS report, the two most popular decks in the format (Pirate Warrior and Egg Druid) are the most difficult. If you’re consistently running into these decks, it may be better queue a different deck.

However, Secret Mage does feed off of decks that aim to counter some aggro/flood decks (Control Shaman and Reno Warlock), so I think it still has potential to perform well.

The deck, in general, is somewhat streaky. I, too, have had similar runs where my rank tanked and I started getting frustrated and questioning the deck/myself. These streaks tend to even out over time though. Secret Mage found its way into the Top 3 of the vS report, so I think it’s still well-positioned in the current meta.

Glad to hear it’s still working out for you! I think those changes look pretty good depending on the matchups you’re running into.

Both Justicar and Boom fit well in the deck and the second 2-drop minion is often a matter of preference. A case could be made for Haunted Creeper, Golakka Crawler, and Hydrologist in this spot. With the removal of Steward of Darkshire, which (as you noted) is not a good card on its own, Haunted Creeper loses a lot of value.

You’re welcome and thank you for the kind words! That’s a pretty impressive win streak you had there!

The Midrange Paladin archetype in particular is probably the strongest deck in Wild at the moment, so while the other decks might not be quite as good, they are certainly capable of doing well. And they’re equally fun to play!