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Murloc Warlock deck list guide - July 2017

Our guide to climbing the ladder with Murloc Warlock in Season 40.

John Bedford avatar
Guide by John Bedford Contributor
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Murloc Warlock is a Hearthstone deck that owes a fair bit to its traditional Zoo counterpart, but unsurprisingly leans heavily towards the Murloc class of cards for its strategic inspiration. In our guide to playing the new format, we'll run you through the basics of getting to grips with this very late arrival to the Un'Goro party.

On the subject of the current expansion, there are quite a few new cards you're going to need in order to play this deck. A pair of Epic Gentle Megasaurs will ensure your Murloc army gains a significant mid-game shot in the arm, while Common cards like Rockpool Hunter and Primalfin Lookout help to provide buffs and extra card-draw respectively.

In our Murloc Warlock guide, you'll find a really strong deck list to start off with, as well as a few tips on how to actually play the deck. From there we'll take you through the Mulligan stage, before giving you a closer look at all of the Murloc-fuelled synergies that make this deck viable in the first place.

It's hard to know whether this deck will prove to be more than a flash in the pan right now, but Warlock fans who've had a rather dismal time of things in the Un'Goro expansion will certainly enjoy this rare glimpse of hope for the hero. Let us know how you're getting on with it in the comments.

BREAKING NEWS! A new expansion is coming! Check out our Frozen Throne guide for all the latest information.

Murloc Warlock deck list and strategy - July 2017

Expect the Murloc Warlock to undergo a lot of revision in the coming weeks, as it's quite a new deck for this late stage of the Un'Goro metagame.

Still we reckon this version by up_n3xt is as solid a starting point as any other you could use right now:

WarlockNeutral
2 x Malchezaar's Imp2 x Murloc Tidecaller
2 x Soulfire2 x Bilefin Tidehunter
2 x Voidwalker1 x Blowgill Sniper
2 x Seadevil Stinger1 x Bluegill Warrior
2 x Doomguard2 x Murloc Tidehunter
2 x Rockpool Hunter
2 x Coldlight Seer
2 x Murloc Warleader
2 x Primalfin Lookout
2 x Gentle Megasaur
1 x Finja, the Flying Star
1 x Leeroy Jenkins

Deck Import ID:

Select and copy the long ID string below, then create a deck in Hearthstone to export this deck into your game.

AAECAf0GBK8E4wWtvALjvgINMMUD2wP3BM4H0AenCIqtAry2AvO9Ap3CArHCAobEAgA=

The crucial aspect of playing this deck is to get bodies on the board as quickly as possible, give them some kind of protection via Voidwalker or your buffs, and prevent the opponent from getting off the starting blocks with their own army of minions.

From here, it's simply a case of switching from control to face damage once you have a snowballed board that the opponent is forced to deal with themselves if they want to stave off disaster. You must of course be very mindful of AOE effects the opponent might be capable of playing in the near future, and also continue making any full or partial trades that ultimately leave you with a stronger board in the long term.

Cards like Gentle Megasaur and Murloc Warleader provide obvious power when it comes to ramping up the pressure. If you pull a passive buffing Murloc onto the board with Finja, Flying Star, it can be as good as game over for your opponent. If it all goes wrong, don't forget that you have burst damage in the form of Soulfire, Doomguard and Leeroy Jenkins too!

This is a combo-heavy deck, and so it's quite hard to give one-size-fits-all strategy advice. Our recommendation is to study the combo section towards the bottom of the page, memorise all possible outcomes, and only play this deck if you have at least a passing knowledge of the broader metagame.

Combined, this knowledge will give you a set of tools that will help you respond flexibly - and increase your ladder-climb efficiency - regardless of the opponents you face along the way.

More great Warlock guides:

Murloc Warlock Mulligan guide - July 2017

Getting solid plays for your first three turns is absolutely vital, as you need to being building a board right from the start - you've no time to Life Tap on Turn 2 here.

Voidwalker, Murloc Tidecaller and Rockpool Hunter are probably your most consistently useful keeps. Although it's nice to get card value out of Malchezaar's Imp later down the line, it can also serve as a perfectly solid Turn 1 play - particularly against aggro opponents where you just need to chip away at minor threats to stop things from getting out of control.

Murloc Warlock tips, combos and synergies - July 2017

Extracting maximum value out of your plays is vital when playing a deck like Murloc Warlock. Take time to study the following core combos until they're second nature:

- Malchezaar's Imp has synergy with Soulfire and Doomguard. The cards that you lose a result of playing these latter minions will be replaced by the imp.

- The next Murloc you play after putting Seadevil Stinger on the board will cost Health instead of Mana. Note that this effect only lasts for the current turn!

- Every subsequently played Murloc minion increases the Attack value of Murloc Tidecaller by one point.

- Bluegill Warrior becomes more useful as surprise burst damage that the opponent can't account for once there are buffs on the board.

- Rockpool Hunter can target a friendly Murloc and increase its stats. This can provide a huge tempo swing for you if you manage to get a Turn 1 minion on the board first.

- The buff effect of Murloc Warleader is very handy, but expires if this creature is taken out of action - it is not permanently applied!

- If Finja, the Flying Star manages to kill a minion, two Murlocs remaining in your deck pile will be selected at random and put into play. Go for the kill with Finja before doing anything else, as you might pull a Murloc Warleader or two into play, which could change your whole strategy for the turn.

- When you put Gentle Megasaur into play, your Murlocs will collectively be put through the Adapt process. You'll be able to choose from one of three buffs, randomly drawn from an overall pool of ten:

Adapt NameEffect
Crackling ShieldDivine Shield
Flaming Claws+3 Attack
Liquid MembraneCan't be targeted by spells or Hero Powers
Lightning SpeedWindfury
Living SporesDeathrattle: Summon two 1/1 Plants
MassiveTaunt
Poison SpitPoisonous
Rocky Carapace+3 Health
Shrouding MistStealth until your next turn
Volcanic Might+1 / +1 stats

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