Malygos Warlock guide - March 2016

How to Mulligan and win more games with this month's Malygos Warlock.

Guide by John Bedford Contributor

Published on March 4, 2016

The League of Explorers Adventure was pretty kind to most of the Heroes in Hearthstone, but at this point it's fair to say it was the Warlock who received some of the most powerful new toys to play with. This new revival of the Malygos format was good enough for popular player PurpleDrank to reach third place Legend with towards the end of last year, and he also took top honours at Dreamhack using this deck.

What's changed to make the Malygos Warlock so powerful, then? Well, the addition of Brann Bronzebeard provides you with a huge boost to your Battlecry bonuses, while Dark Peddler is a fine addition to the early stage of your game - and, of course, even more worthwhile if played while Brann's out in play and doing battle.

Editor's note - March 2016: This deck archetype continues to be tweaked and refined, but we reckon SilentStorm's creation is the one to watch right now. There are only a couple of differences to consider here compared to last month's version, with Earthen Ring Farseer and Kezan Mystic getting dropped for a pair of Imp Gang Bosses. Feel free to swap these cards back and forth to suit your own current corner of the metagame.

Malygos Warlock deck list and strategy - March 2016

Your real win condition with this version of Malygos Warlock is to control the board as best you can in the early game using cards like Mortal Coil, Zombie Chow and so on. Brann Bronzbeard allows you to extract greater value from your Battlecry cards, which in turn makes it easier to take charge of the board. He's even more powerful if you can play him later in the game, and guarantee getting that bonus effect with a second play on the same turn. You've got lots of mid-game Dragon synergies to play with to maintain board control too.

As the game plays out, you're really looking to bring your essential combo cards of Soulfire, Darkbomb and Malygos into your hand. Once you have those combo pieces, you need to get Emperor Thaurissan out into play, so you can reduce the Mana cost of your burst spell damage. With one reduction from Thaurissan, you can play Malygos onto the board on Turn 10, followed by 16 points of spell-damage from Soulfire and a single Darkbomb.

All of this maths means you shouldn't feel too bad about spending a single Darkbomb during the early stages of the game to block your opponent's board development, but you really don't want to throw away the second one. There's a lot to think about with this deck, so make sure you're constantly calculating how far away you are from doing lethal damage to your opponent, and always think through every single play before committing.

Malygos Warlock Mulligan guide - March 2016

Druid: Darkbomb, Dark Peddler, Imp Gang Boss, Twilight Drake, Twilight Guardian

Hunter: Dark Peddler, Imp Gang Boss, Ironbeak Owl, Mortal Coil, Zombie Chow

Mage: Darkbomb, Dark Peddler, Imp Gang Boss, Twilight Drake, Twilight Guardian, Zombie Chow

Paladin: Darkbomb, Dark Peddler, Imp Gang Boss, Mortal Coil, Twilight Guardian, Zombie Chow

Priest: Darkbomb, Dark Peddler, Imp Gang Boss, Ironbeak Owl, Twilight Drake, Twilight Guardian

Rogue: Darkbomb, Dark Peddler, Imp Gang Boss, Twilight Drake, Twilight Guardian, Zombie Chow

Shaman: Dark Peddler, Imp Gang Boss, Hellfire, Twilight Guardian, Zombie Chow

Warlock: Dark Peddler, Imp Gang Boss, Ironbeak Owl, Twilight Drake, Twilight Guardian, Zombie Chow

Warrior: Azure Drake, Dark Peddler, Imp Gang Boss, Twilight Drake, Twilight Guardian

Malygos Warlock combos and synergies - March 2016

As mentioned already, your most important combo when playing with SilentStorm's Malygos Warlock is that huge spell-damage volley, but there's plenty else to consider as well. Here are some of the most important combos to think about when you're playing with this deck.

- Blackwing Corruptor's three points of bonus damage are triggered by the presence of any Dragon-class card that is in your hand.

- Likewise, you'll get the essential stat-boost of Twilight Guardian if you're holding onto another Dragon when it's played out onto the board.

- Malygos boosts up the damage output of every spell you play while he's on the board, including Mortal Coil if you need to burst through a stubborn Taunt minion in the late-game. Don't forget about the extra damage it can grant Hellfire as well – watch your own health though!

- Azure Drake grants a weaker bonus damage effect to all of your spells as well.

- Don't forget that you can use Abusive Sergeant's Battlecry effect to make an enemy minion more powerful, and by doing so bring it into range of Big Game Hunter.

- All Battlecry effects are repeated if Brann Bronzebeard is out on the table.

- Emperor Thaurissan should only go out into play when you have the game-winning pieces of your combo in hand, but don't forget he'll reduce the cost of any other cards you're holding as well.

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