WoW TCG Scrub

Since I first saw totems in this game I have wanted to build a deck around getting a crowd of these guys around your hero, then going to work. Up until recently, with the addition of Mag’s Lair and March of the Legion, this hasn’t been possible, well feasible. There just weren’t enough available totems with useful effects; but, times change and wherever you go, there you are.

I was a trying to decide whether this deck really belongs in the Fun Deck category.  If you have a meta with rush/beat down decks running amok, this deck will do very well in tournaments.  In the end though, this is basically a totem wall, and really it’s a blast to play, which is really why you come to read on Fridays.

Hero – Urrth

Abilities

• 4 – Echo of the Elements – The Main bulk of the Combo, easy ally removal when Aegis is on the table.
• 4 – Totemic Focus – Reducing totem costs allows you to drop totems quicker, and with 2 out most totems are either free or cost 1. (Note the card does not say “To a minimum on 1″)
• 3 – Stoneclaw Totem – Rush stopgap,  it acts as a Hammer when allies smash into it, and with 5 health it can usually survive at least a couple of hits from allies.
• 4 – Sentry Totem- A bonus part to the Aegis/Echo combo, this sets off the combo whenever your opponent plays an ally.  Before the combo gets out it is also a nice way to stop ferocity allies.
• 3 -Searing Totem- Ally removal and also puts pressure on the opponent.  A lot of times this card gets a bulls-eye on him quickly, which can take pressure away from other totems.
• 3 – Earth Elemental Totem – A nice protector, free with 2 totemic focuses out, whats not to like.
• 3 – Fire Elemental Totem- Same as above, only replace protector with attacker.  Nice for ally removal when your opponent has guys with big health.
• 3 – Mana Spring Totem- I love this card, finally an instant draw totem, cheaper with focus out, and playable at opponents EOT for a minimum on at least 1 extra card.  If not answered quickly the draw just keeps getting better and better.

Allies

• 4 – Scout Omerta – Early protection to get you into your combo
• 2 – Silea- With all the abilities in this deck, this turns into a Solo Equipment bane
• 4 – Doshura – Works great in combo with Sentry Totem, as well as a nice big attacker removal.
• 1 - Varimathras – One way to finish off a game.

Equipment

• 4 – Aegis of the Vindicator- Combo Piece and great shield all together.
• 3 – Perditions Blade- Still a great card, the ability to gank a 1 health guy just for playing it cannot be overlooked.

Quests

• 4 – The Spirit Polluted – Great card draw as well as the ability to get some damage on you to heal with aegis/echo
• 3 – Forces of Jaedenar – Lots of abilities gives you more chances to set this off.
• 3 – Zapped Giants- Fishes out those abilities you need.
• 4 - Counterattack! – Horde Staple, especially with this few number of allies.
• 1 – Poison Water – If the card draw gets to much for you or you run into a mill deck, this is a nice reset button.

The core to this deck is the combo between Echo of the Elements and Aegis of the Vindicator. Between these 2 cards any ally that has less than 2 health cannot deal combat damage without some extra help (ie power word shield). As soon as they exhaust to attack the shield triggers, triggering echo, resulting in the damage hitting the ally before you get to the end of combat, where the damage happens. This is assuming you have damage on your hero, of course, but with the slower start to this deck you will generally have plenty of damage on your hero for this to work, of course we have other ways of getting damage on our hero just in case.  When this combo gets working with Sentry totem it now means that opposing allies can’t even be played unless they have greater than 2 health.

This deck really has 2 options, Horde or Alliance. On the alliance side you have some great options.  Phaladus has a great flip that can get you back that totem you really need.  Rescue the Survivors is a great card, and with token generating totems and your allies you can throw in some Defias Brotherhoods for even more card draw.  Alliance has some nice early protectors, as well as some nice finishers.

I chose to go with horde because I thought it has more to offer this type of deck.  Doshura works ridiculously well with Sentry Totem.  Counterattack! works really well against decks that aren’t solo.  Finally Silea/Shadala (Shadala in sideboard most likely) gives you great answers for equipment or ongoing ability heavy decks.

How the Deck Stacks up.

Rush 

Most of my rush testing has been against Omedus.  This deck does very well against it most of the time.  Of course when Omedus draws the nuts there is nothing you can do about that turn 4 kill, but when they don’t drop it they have to kill you before vindicator/echo hits the table or else they are completely shut out.  Dispel Magic’s in the sideboard can slow you down, but with so many abilities in this deck they have to make choices as to which to dispel, and a lot of times that choice isn’t easy, generally leaving you with good stuff to use.

Beat-Down

Very similar to Rush, Beat-Down ally based decks can have trouble against this deck mostly because they are waiting to get into the mid-game before the hammer comes, and by that time you should have the combo up and ready. 

Solo

This is where the deck starts to show some weakness.  Against solo Echo is useless so you are relegated to stalling with stoneclaws and protectors until you can get out Varimathras to deal the needed damage.  I have beaten solo with this deck, but most of it usually ends with me running out of cards and solo finally getting past the silea equipment burn and destroying my board.

Control

This deck also has trouble against control.  Because most control allies have larger healths than rush when they do attack they will not be instagibbed by echo.  Doshura/Sentry totem are great against control, but the Aegis/Echo generally falls short.  In the end its generally a rush to see who can get their endgame ally out first, and with control they are in a better position to do that.

This deck certainly needs some help to be a tourney deck.  It needs a side-deck, one that preferable deals with solo and control.  But like I said at the top, if your meta is all rush, or mostly rush, you could do very well with this deck.

Thanks for reading, see you next week!