Harnessing Shadows: Warlock Class Card 101

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THEIR SOULS WILL SUFFER! Warlocks are the malefic masters of demons, shadows, flames and other general unpleasantries who sell their own lifepool and mana crystals to achieve what they damningly desire. Such as Murlocs. Insanely powerful in Hearthstone due to their hero power, the infamous Life Tap. With some of the most powerful 1 drop minions in the entire game and a class Legendary that rivals the powerful Tirion Fordring (THE DEMON KNOWN AS THE EREDAR LORD OF THE BURNING LEGION), Warlocks have the pleasant option of being able to run either a super aggressive deck or a heavy control late game deck.

Widely considered to be on top of the world in terms of the “deck tier lists” that many people have collaborated on and put out, Warlocks are well deserving of their title. The value of Life Tap is overwhelming combined with a powerful set of class cards that offers great variety. From early game power, control all game, to an absurd late game there is hardly a phase of the game that Warlocks are considered weak in. As with all of my guides, these rankings are meant as introductory knowledge for newer players and discussion points for the more advanced players. If you’re ready to sell your soul for power, here’s an explanation of the twisted sorcerers that would call themselves “Warlock”.

Grading Scale

• 0 : Seriously, don’t put this card in your deck. It’s bad and I will probably explain why it is bad on a card by card basis.
• 1: Unless you are running a strategy that heavily centers around needing this card or a strategy that buffs this card to overwhelming value, skip it.
• 2: A card that is usually worth considering at least. Weigh your options, and be sure that there are no alternatives that do the same thing for your deck but do it slightly better. (Think Argent Protector vs Hand of Protection for Paladins)
• 3: Now we’re getting to the good stuff. These cards are good, but they lack the utility of 4 and 5 scoring cards. Often good at doing one thing and doing it well, they are perfect if you need them to do that one thing. It can slice, but don’t expect it to dice.
• 4: Strong cards. You can almost expect to encounter this card once, maybe twice per encounter against this class and you should probably have at least one of these in every deck you make for said class.
• 5: These are the true class defining cards. Fitting in either an aggressive or control deck, these cards are the staples of the class and you can expect to see two in nearly every situation (Or more if you’re in arena).

Lord Jaraxxus

Arena: 5/5 | Constructed: 5/5

YOU FACE JARAXXUS, EREDAR LORD OF THE BURNING LEGION

[youtube url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_7fO9OtJKU]

Be sure to watch the video as you read the breakdown of this INSANE card for proper effect. Much like Ysera, this card basically provides an “extra deck” worth of value, except for the part where it cannot be silenced or removed off the board. Giving you a 3 damage 8(!!) durability weapon, and infinite 6/6 minions (INFERNO!!) for 2 mana, this card can quickly overwhelm your opinion as you rain fiery doom upon their trifling heads. For either late game Control decks or an Aggro deck that has burnt all of it’s options, it is a fairly safe bet that you will always be FACING JARAXXUS.

How can I possibly hope to face Jaraxxus you might ask? Maintaining strong board control is key, as playing Jaraxxus costs 9 mana and will take up the entire Warlock turn except for the ability to swing at something for 3 damage with the newly acquired weapon. Saving an Acidic Swamp Ooze, while unusual against a “caster” hero such as Gul’Dan, will knock a large amount of value off this card. Saving your direct damage spells such as Holy Fire or Pyroblast is also a wise choice, seeing as Jaraxxus takes over for the Warlock hero at 15 HP and cannot exceed that threshold.

Finally, if you’re a Warlock yourself and have been paying attention to this 101, you can ace the class by playing Sacrificial Pact against the enemy Jaraxxus, killing him instantly. The battle against Jaraxxus is a race against time, it is very difficult to win a war of attrition against infinite 6/6 minions. As long as you can pin your opponent as a Jaraxxus player and plan accordingly, he becomes a lot less fearsome. Don’t get me wrong though, this card is easily one of the strongest Legendary cards in the entire game and would stand head and shoulders above all other Class Legendaries if Tirion Fordring did not exist. Remember, even if you defeat Lord Jaraxxus, YOUR WORLD IS STILL DOOMED!

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Flame Imp

Arena: 4/5 | Constructed: 4/5

3/2 for 1, even if it hits you for 3 on play, is a very powerful card. The Flame Imp gets right on it and is a threat on turn 1. Incredibly vulnerable to early removal like Holy Smite, Arcane Shot, or most of all Backstab, resulting a 1 for 1 trade that puts you back 3 HP. However, if your opponent doesn’t have an early answer to your Flame Imp, once your other early game tools come out, such as Voidwalker or Demonfire, the presence of a 3/2 on the field on a turn early can swing the game heavily in your favor.

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Hellfire

Arena: 4/5 | Constructed: 4/5

Going along with the theme of “getting what they want regardless of the cost”, Warlocks have some of the most powerful AoE removal spells in the game, one being Twisting Nether and the other being this card. It’s a pretty simple card, 3 damage to EVERYTHING. Including your own hero and your minions. So the trick to using this spell is obviously to attempt to minimize the collateral damage you do to yourself while removing as many enemy minions as possible.

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Power Overwhelming

Arena: 4/5 | Constructed: 4/5

A great tool in the Warlock arsenal for multiple reasons. Can be used a powerful finisher in Warlock aggro decks. An overwhelmed Leeroy Jenkins is a 5 mana Pyroblast for crying out loud. Outside of Warlock aggro, Power Overwhelming allows you to make a powerful hit to the face or a stacked taunt minion and then “detonate” the buffed minion with Shadowflame for an insane board clear. With insane utility, it’s a safe pick to put one in Warlock decks.

A+ tier to maybe B+ tier, Blood Imp is still a great card.

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Shadow Bolt

Arena: 4/5 | Constructed: 4/5

This card is pretty good at what it does. Dealing 4 damage to a minion for 3 mana almost guarantees this card will at least 1 for 1 any minion in its Mana bracket, while additionally being able to reach up and punch a few higher Mana cost drops. Being able to remove cards such as Frothing Berserker, Azure Drake, Gadgetzan Auctioneer and even Hogger, Shadowbolt is pretty much a no brainer to include in almost every Warlock deck. Aggro locks may tend to avoid it in favor of Soulfire, but it is by no means a weak card.

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Shadowflame

Arena: 4/5 | Constructed: 4/5

A recipe for BOOM! This card is one of the coolest removal spells alongside Shadow Madness, requiring some forethought to get the maximum value out of it most of the time. Commonly combo’d with a Power Overwhelming “target” (victim is probably a better word), or a low cost Molten Giant for anywhere from 6 to 8 damage to all enemy minions, the most important part of this card is to remember that it will always cost at least 2 cards to activate properly.

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Siphon Soul

Arena: 4/5 | Constructed: 5/5

This is an easy enough to use card. Kill minion, get 3 health. No convoluted targeting problems like Deadly Shot or stat requirements like Shadow Word Pain or Shadow Word Death. Just make sure you use it on something that really has to die instead of a convenience removal. Nothing sucks worse than using Siphon Soul on a Guardian of Kings just to see a Ragnaros dropped next turn. It’s only drawback for Arena is that it’s a Rare quality, and may come against strong Arena cards such as Argent Commander which can also effectively be a removal spell but leaves a Minion behind as well. Siphon Soul is a really powerful, direct removal to take care of any potential headaches your opponent can drop.

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Voidwalker

Arena: 4/5 | Constructed: 4/5

He may not like it, but he’ll always answer your call. Voidwalker is realistically just a Goldshire Footman with an extra point of health. That extra durability however makes all the difference against rival 1 drops and even some 2 drops. This minion is able to trade out and live against common cantrip (card-cycling) drops such as Novice Engineer and Loot Hoarder In addition the Voidwalker has the added advantage of being a Demon which allows him to be buffed by a friendly cast Demonfire. The dream situation for a Voidwalker would involve Voidwalker, The Coin, Blood Imp on Turn 1, followed up by a Turn 2 Demonfire. By the end of the turn, your Voidwalker would be a 3/7, which is stronger than the 5 mana cost Fen Creeper! Even without this perfect storm of cards, the Voidwalker is a solid taunt card that helps keep your HP safe early to allow liberal use of Life Tap.

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Blood Imp

Arena: 3/5 | Constructed: 3/5

This little fella got hit by the nerfbat in the most recent patch, losing his ability to attack and changing his static buff aura to an end of turn buff mechanic. This essentially makes him a harder to kill Young Priestess. Given these nerfs, he’s terrible right? If you’re still flooding the board with tons of Murlocs, Argent Squires, and Harvest Golems expecting it to be mindlessly effective, sure it’s a nerf. However, for slower Warlocks or Warlocks who play less minions, this “nerf” is actually a beneficial change. Voidwalker, The Coin, Blood Imp is an annoying turn 1 that ends with a ¼ Voidwalker on the field. However, if that Voidwalker continues to exist he’s now a ⅕ and it only continues to roll higher and higher. While Blood Imp isn’t the insane “I win every trade and you can’t AoE me easily” card that it used to be, it still brings powerful value to Warlocks in the early game, where they remainl a dominant force.

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Demonfire

Arena: 3/5 | Constructed: 3/5

In theory, 2 damage for 2 mana is inefficient when compared to Arcane Shot or Holy Smite. However, this card is very “Druid” in it’s applications due to the fact that you can use it on a friendly demon for a great buff to your early game minions. Having a 5/4 Flame Imp rampaging the board Turn 2 is very powerful. It has great utility as an offensive board control card or as a buff card for an essential demon on your field. Just weigh your options before you choose to use it in either way. Also be sure to remember that you cannot target the enemy hero with this spell!

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Drain Life

Arena: 3/5 | Constructed: 3/5

Much like Demonfire, this is an overcosted 2 damage removal spell with a secondary effect of healing you for 2 damage. So if you think of it as a combination of Holy Smite and Lesser Heal, it’s not that bad of a card overall. Besides that, there’s not any really trick or gimmick you can pull with this card, just try not to use it at full health if you can help it. Can also be used against enemy heroes, unlike Demonfire.

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Soulfire

Arena: 3/5 | Constructed: 3/5

A very polarizing card, this card can either be the bane of your existence or the perfect solution at any given time. That goes for the Warlock using it OR the person on the receiving end of it. Sometimes, particularly for Control/”Hand” Warlocks, using a Soulfire can mean throwing away a valuable card like a Molten Giant or even Lord Jaraxxus. However, to the Aggro Warlock, throwing away things like Argent Squire or Bluegill Warrior is a lot less painful. Obviously there are ways to minimize the risk of Soulfire (empty your hand), but sometimes the known risk of Soulfiring a minion on board (like a Questing Adventurer) is a better risk than the unknown risk of letting it live. Definitely more of an aggro card than a control card, but having 4 damage on 0 mana is always worth considering.

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Twisting Nether

Arena: 3/5 | Constructed: 3/5

Arguably the coolest card in the game (at least visually), Twisting Nether opens up a big ol’ black hole and sucks in everything on the board. Your minions, their minions, everything disappears. Deathrattles will proc and come back to the board, so this card is a pretty good play when you have a Cairne Bloodhoof or Harvest Golem on the field against a stacked enemy board. As long as you can find 2 decently sized minions to remove without being overly detrimental to yourself, Twisting Nether is a super flashy card that gets the job done. For practicality over style though, stick to Shadowflame in most situations.

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Void Terror

Arena: 3/5 | Constructed: 3/5

This card can be a real playmaker. Like most popular 3 drops such as Earthen Ring Farseer, Harvest Golem or Mind Control Tech, this card really isn’t played for it’s stats. While 3/3 is good enough for a 3 drop, it’s real power comes from it’s Battlecry, which can allow an obtusely large minion to appear out of nowhere for your opponent. While it does have a crippling weakness to Silence, having a 3 drop that can be as strong as 8/11 from eating a pair of cards such as Voidwalker and Ancient Watcher can get out of hand really quickly for your opponent. Additionally, if your opponent hard removals or Silences this card, it opens the way for cards like Ysera (not that this is a common Warlock card at all, but still) or other late game monsters for a Control Warlock deck. Just try to hedge your bets and remember a Void Terror becomes worth 3 cards and if your opponent manages to remove it with just 1, you’ve really put yourself at a disadvantage.

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Bane of Doom

Arena: 2/5 | Constructed: 2/5

A fairly interesting card, Bane of Doom is like a lot like Mortal Coil in that it’s conditional removal. However, 2 damage is a lot easier to deal with than 1 damage, so picking off fodder for demons to be spawned is easier. Summoning any random Demon from Blood Imp to Dread Infernal, one of the best things this card has going for it is that you avoid the battlecries of the demon you summon. No Succubus card discard. No Felguard mana destruction. When you summon those demons without their detrimental battlecries they become even more valuable than they already are. Situationally a good card and a very fun one to play, Bane of Doom is just a LITTLE too random to be picked consistently. Nothing would suck worse to bank on a strong minion and Bane of Doom out a Blood Imp when you needed something big. Don’t expect to see this card often, seeing as it is Epic rarity.

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Doomguard

Arena: 2/5 | Constructed: 2/5

Definitely a card for the more aggressive Warlock, this card is a powerful finisher in the aggro Warlock style of deck. While you pay a heavy cost of throwing away 2 cards, you get a 5/7 minion for 5 in return which is above and beyond the “Vanilla” test for 5 drop minions. Another great target for Power Overwhelming, this card is a great alternative to people who don’t own Leeroy Jenkins or Arcane Golem as a similar finisher. In slower, control Warlock decks, it’s scary to have to risk throwing away two valuable cards to get a minion on the field, so skip this card if you aren’t running insane rushdown Aggro lock. Not a terrible card by any means.

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Dread Infernal

Arena: 2/5 | Constructed: 2/5

A decently valued 6/6 with mini Hellfire as a battlecry, this card at least passes the “Vanilla” test in terms of Mana cost to stats. While it’s battlecry has a bad habit of squishing your Blood Imps, the Dread Infernal isn’t all bad. The largest issue the card has is that it shares space with other powerful 6 mana cost cards such as Siphon Soul, Argent Commander, Sunwalker, Cairne Bloodhoof, Sylvanas Windrunner, etc. Not a bad card, but it is bullied out by other, more valuable cards.

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Felguard

Arena: 2/5 | Constructed: 2/5

Basically a Sen’jin Sheildmasta that you can play a turn early, the Felguard is a pretty solid taunt minion. However, by dropping him you destroy a mana crystal, which can really set you back in some situations. Sometimes it’s worth getting the early taunt minion out though but if you desperately need a taunt earlier than Sen’jin Shieldmasta, Warlock already has you covered with Voidwalker. If Voidwalker wasn’t already such a great early stall card for Warlocks without a drawback, this card might potentially see more play. Like Succubus though, it lives in a weird limbo of being too slow for the Aggro decks and too cost prohibitive to run in the Control decks.

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Mortal Coil

Arena: 2/5 | Constructed: 2/5

A decently strong cantrip but it’s hard to properly use the draw effect of the card. Works well with the Voidwalker card to set up the needed 1 HP, seeing as many people play 3/2 2 drops. Don’t forget that you can additionally use Mortal Coil on your own minions if you deem it needed. After all, you are a Warlock…what is a little sacrifice among minions and masters? If you need card draw and are running some spell power minions such as Bloodmage Thalanos or Azure Drake, this card can become easier to use. Warlocks have better removal options however, and while the card draw is nice you shouldn’t really need to build draw into your deck too much due to Life Tap.

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Succubus

Arena: 2/5 | Constructed: 2/5

Another card with power well out of it’s mana range, Succubus is the minion version of Soulfire. Requiring you to ditch another card to play it, Succubus exists in a weird limbo. While it could be great for aggro locks, it’s lack of Charge, Divine Shield, Deathrattle, or a persistent effect like Knife Juggler almost makes it “too slow” for Aggro decks. On the other side of the same coin, throwing away a card in Control/Hand Warlock decks is very counter-intuitive to the playstyle of the deck. Especially if you are running cards such as Mountain Giant or Twilight Drake. Can be strong in some situations, but Warlock 2 drops for Aggro are already pretty well stuffed to the brim with better choices, and Control Warlock will want to avoid throwing away cards.

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Summoning Portal

Arena: 2/5 | Constructed: 2/5

Summoning Portal is another one of those cards that can help you expand on a board lead, but will never help you to take it. Having a flood of cost reduced minions can be pretty clutch at some moment of the game and you may even bait a removal or silence on your 0/4 portal. Again, like a lot of the mid range creatures in the Warlock deck, it plays too slow for an Aggro deck and it just doesn’t really fit into a control deck either, seeing as the turn 4 would be crowded up by Twilight Drake and possibly even Mountain Giant. Not a weak card overall, but it needs someone to come along and figure out how to make it work in a deck.

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Sense Demons

Arena: 1/5 | Constructed: 2/5

This card actually helps to reduce some RNG in your draws, grabbing you two random Demons from your deck at the cost of 3 mana. Even if the only Demon in your deck is Jaraxxus, guaranteeing his draw can be crucial to victory for some decks. Additionally, if you use this card when you have no Demons left to draw, you grab 2 Worthless Imp cards, which are 1/1s and can be good fodder for Sacrificial Pact. If you are in need of a little less RNG in your deck, this can be an easy enough and helpful way to do it. This card is harder to make use of in Arena due to the constrictions of “Demon” only and there’s no guarantee of drafting Demons.

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Sacrificial Pact

Arena: 1/5 | Constructed: 1/5

Anti-Lord Jaraxxus Card: Hilarious 1 hit kill/5

Besides one shotting an enemy Jaraxxus (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xdDnbiN4oY), this card has fairly limited uses. Ok for eating up a Blood Imp who is about to die anyway or maybe a Worthless Imp from a whiffed Sense Demons, this card’s conditions for value are usually too prohibitive to make it actually worth having around in your deck. Great for Warlock mirrors and maybe ok in Arena if you pulled an Imp Master, I would never have more than one of this super conditional card in my deck.

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Corruption

Arena: 0/5 | Constructed: 0/5

A pretty terrible removal card. Hearthstone’s attempt at a “Damage over Time” spell, but in such a fast paced game it has very little practical applications. Corruption will often fail to accomplish the purpose of removing the minion without it either trading into your minions or hitting you in the face before it expires. Additionally, you can silence the effect of corruption off the minion, completely nulling the effect of the card. Warlocks have much stronger and more reliable methods of removal.

TOP 5 OVERALL WARLOCK CLASS CARDS FOR ALL DECK TYPES

1. Lord Jaraxxus

2. Voidwalker

3. Flame Imp

4. Siphon Soul

5. Hellfire

Overall, even after the Blood Imp nerfs Warlocks are still probably the strongest overall class in Hearthstone. WIth it’s hero power Life Tap allowing for either overwhelming aggro or the ability to draw into every card it needs to control the board, Warlock as a class really possesses no weakness. With the ultimate safety net Legendary in Jaraxxus and probably the strongest early game rivaled by Rogues, Hunters and Mages, learning the ins and outs of the Warlock class can never really be a waste of time. Additionally, when you play Warlock your opponent needs to spend the first turn or two getting a feel for what type of deck you are playing at the time. As long as you can minimize the amount of havoc you put upon yourself with your numerous self damage mechanics, Warlock gameplay as a whole is thematically satisfying and an enjoyable experience for you. Your opponent? Maybe not…but you’re a Warlock! You’re into making people suffer and stuff! If you’re into playing the most efficient class in terms of time invested into winning, play Warlock. At the moment, it’s as simple as that.