r/CompetitiveHS • u/ExplodingGuitar • 24d ago
Guide Top 100 with OTK Warlock
I had been struggling to click with any decks this meta and was stuck around rank 900 on NA, but with the release of Mother we finally have a viable OTK deck that doesn't take insane APM (looking at you Raza DH). My overall record climbing back to top 100 with various versions of this deck is 41-14, but I am 23-2 in my last 25 games with the deck (granted only 3 Warriors faced in that stretch). This is the best counter to all forms of Priest in the game, and pretty much every matchup besides Warrior feels at least even.
### combo
# Class: Warlock
# Format: Standard
# Year of the Scarab
#
# 2x (0) Cursed Catacombs
# 2x (1) Eternal Toil
# 2x (1) Glacial Shard
# 2x (2) Cursed Chains
# 2x (2) Drain Soul
# 2x (2) Shadowsworn Disciple
# 2x (3) Caged Cranium
# 1x (3) Godfather Kazakus
# 2x (3) Hellfire
# 1x (3) Imp Gang Stooge
# 1x (4) Godfrey the Betrayer
# 2x (4) RAFAAM LADDER!!
# 1x (5) Earthen Drake
# 2x (5) Spire of Solitude
# 1x (7) Chrono-Lord Deios
# 1x (8) Annihilation
# 1x (8) Bat Mask
# 1x (9) M.O.T.H.E.R.
# 2x (10) The Unseen Atlas
#
AAECAf0GCIadB5mxB93XB63ZB7DZB9vgB7roB4TpBwuPnwTnoATTngaEmQeqrQfQsgeTvgfgvgex2Qe32QeN3AcAAA==
#
# To use this deck, copy it to your clipboard and create a new deck in Hearthstone
Game Plan
The main combo you're playing for with the deck is Deios + Drake + Bat Mask on the Drake for a total of 48 damage on an empty board. Importantly, 48 is enough to clear the important 40hp threshold of Azalina Priest as well as 42hp from Deathwing. Druids can theoretically armor out of range, but you should usually be pressuring enough with Spire and whatever nonsense that this isn't realistic. To be able to play the combo on turn 10, you need to get 10 total mana of discounts across the three cards, and this is actually pretty easy even if combo pieces get stuck on different parts of your hand because you're usually getting Godfrey discounts on at least a couple pieces and you can usually hand dump some before your Mother turn. Often you're going for 11 mana of discount to OTK on 9 with a Godfrey discount on Mother, and that's usually not an issue either. Also worth noting that if you're certain they can't gain life, Hellfire + Drake + Bat Mask is 31 damage on an empty board.
As far as getting to the OTK, unless we need to immediately remove pressure (mostly Warrior matchup), we are tapping on 2 and either jamming a 3 drop or tapping again on 3. The main goal is getting our hand full so that Atlas and Ladder are taking advantage of Godfrey discounts to really accelerate our game plan. If you find, it you're almost always playing Spire at the first opportunity; if the board is remotely even, you basically completely halt any pressure for the next few turns because your opponent has to deal with a 10/10 and then another one two turns later. At this point we just keep cycling through our deck with Ladder and Atlas, dumping unnecessary cards to make space and keep getting your discounted cards in hand, and try to set up for a Mother turn on either 8 or 9 (can sometimes be even earlier with Kaz discount). You usually want to save a couple stall cards that you can play for free alongside Mother so you don't explode to counterpressure. But if you've made it to the lategame and aren't actively dying then the game is basically immediately over.
Mulligan
- Kazakus always (this is by far the most important card against Warrior, low key might be a full toss angle for it)
- Atlas always
- Chains against Priest/DK (maybe not DK at lower ranks but it's basically all Egg once you get to top legend)
- Rafaam Ladder on the play
- Eternal Toil against Warrior
- Catacombs against Warrior
- Drain Soul against Warrior on the coin
- Spire against not Warrior
Kazakus Choices
Honestly, this is pretty simple in the vast majority of cases. If you're getting pressured, click Voidlord and heal 12. If you're not, click steal two, draw three, and reduce minions cost by 2. As far as the cost, for a turn 3 Kazakus it's almost always a 4 unless you aren't getting pressured and already have stuff to spend mana on for the next couple turns (usually this means Rafaam Ladder in hand), in which case you can pick 0.
Using Catacombs
If you're against Warrior, this is usually just ripped on turn 3 praying to find Kazakus for early Voidlord. Otherwise it's mostly just trying to find key cards on curve: Ladder on 4, Spire on 5, Atlas when it's free. Later in the game, it's incredibly useful to use it just to both dump hand and thin your deck of unwanted garbage as you're cycling towards your combo; you just rip it and click something like Godfrey or Hellfire or whatever and let it discard at the end of your turn so it gets replaced by a discounted Godfrey card. I've seen a bunch of lists of this cut Catacombs and can confirm that it's absolute nonsense, you do in fact want 0 mana cycle in your combo deck.
Edit: Apparently the official Hearthstone account tweeted this list out lmao, surely that means its the nuts https://x.com/PlayHearthstone/status/2103532252789440847
