Hearthstone

Pyros_sl said:

a lot of the games is just "drop everything you can and attack face with everything that can".

Click to expand...

That isn't how Zoo plays at all, Zoo is a control deck. Pure lock aggro is usually just a face race, but Murlock is somewhere between Zoo and Aggro. Unless you're playing full face aggro, the whole point of warlock is to bury the board under board control via the card advantage gained from your hero power.

I can't think of a single matchup when I'm playing zoo where I don't focus on clearing the board before I do face damage.

Which decks put more minions on the board than the Zoo deck where you'd have to be clearing? I agree with Pyros, I don't see Zoo as control. And how can Warlock Murloc not be aggro? I know this terminology is a little distorted because HS creatures can direct their attacks, but typically control would suggest some card advantage strategies. Warlock is totally tempo, trading away multiple cards for big damage/speed and trading life for more cards.

I think people are too focused on making Hearthstone decks fit into MTG archetypes.

Yeah some people have their terminologies really screwed up. Control does not simply mean "kill all the minions before killing face".

Yes, it's a MTG link so sue me, but the definition of a control deck isMagic: The Gathering deck types: Control

Control decks avoid racing and attempt to slow the game down by executing an attrition plan. As the game progresses, control decks are able to take advantage of their slower, more powerful, cards.[12] The primary strength of control decks is their ability to devalue the opponent?s cards. They do this in four ways:[13]

1.) Erasing threats at a reduced cost. Given the opportunity, Control decks can gain card advantage by answering multiple threats with one spell ("clearing"/"wiping" the board), stopping expensive threats with cheaper spells, and drawing multiple cards or forcing the opponent to discard multiple cards ("grinding"/"milling") with one spell.
2.) Not playing threats to be answered. By playing few proactive spells of their own, control decks gain virtual card advantage by reducing the usefulness of opposing removal cards.
3.) Disrupting synergies. Even if control decks do not deal with every threat directly, they can leave out whichever ones stand poorly on their own; e.g., a creature enchantment which will never need attention if all enemy creatures are quickly removed.
4.) Dragging the game out past opposing preparations. An opponent's faster, efficient cards will become less effective over time.

Control warrior fits the bill for all of this. Control warrior is a Control deck.

Zoo is the very definition of anAggro-Control, or Tempo, deck.

the definition of which is:
Aggro-control is a hybrid archetype that contains both aggressive creatures and control elements. These decks attempt to deploy quick threats while protecting them with light permission and disruption long enough to win. These are frequently referred to as "tempo" strategies, as their control elements are often more temporary; for instance, they may return opposing creatures to their owners' hands rather than remove them entirely.

Sound familiar? a bunch of little shits with just enough stalling (shield-bearer, divine shields) to make life a pain in the ass.

I got enough dust to make another legendary card. I already have good ones like Rag, Maly, Leroy and Cairne. Should I go for Ysera, Alexstrasza, Sylvanas or Black Knight?

It depends. All 4 are good choices but of those you listed (and didn't list) I'd rank them as follows:

1. Thalnos
2. The Black Knight
3. Alexstrasza
4. Ysera
5. Sylvanas

Thalnos is just too good. It feels weird spending all of that dust on a 1/1 buy he has paid for himself many times over in my decks. Works fantastic in Druid, Rogue and Mage decks.

What do you want to play/enjoy playing?

Warlock zoo is the very definition of a tempo deck. What a ridiculous argument.

Craft the Elite Tauren Chieftain.

Keep in mind that Zoo has changed quite a bit since Reynad first started to play it. The original version was very much a board control / tempo / whatever you want to call it. The whole concept was to use minions that were hard to deal with and make efficient trades. That's why there are so many divine shields and things like harvest golems which will trade 2 for 1 in most situations.

The current Zoo deck is much more aggressive with flame imps and such. The current Zoo will play the board control game to a point but it also works by hiding flame imps and other beat down minions behind a taunt wall and going for the face much more aggressively.

Finally, it's worth noting that Zoo isn't a deck list in the same way that Miracle Rogue or Contro Warrior are. It's more of a play style in my opinion and not an actual deck per say. And that's why Zoo is impossible to nerf (which isn't something I expect out of Blizzard with a Naxx just around the bend). The reason Zoo works is, primarily, because so the Warlock hero power and I don't see Blizzard wanting to tinker with hero powers at this stage of the game.

Flame Imps have always been in zoo.

*edit*

On an unrelated note, here's one of my favorite decks for ladder grinding. Went with a control shell, then instead of the traditional slow control finishers, I just plugged in a bunch of aggro cards. Definitely better than pure aggro warrior for most of the matches where aggro warrior is good anyway, and isn't quite so bad in the traditionally bad matchups for face warrior. I haven't tinkered with the list for awhile, but with the rise of handlock in popularity, it could probably use a black knight.

2x Execute
2x Shield Slam
2x Upgrade
2x Whirlwind
2x Fiery War Axe
1x Battle Rage
2x Heroic Strike
1x Slam
2x Cruel Taskmaster
2x Wild Pyromancer
2x Shield Block
2x Acolyte of Pain
2x Kor'kron Elite
2x Arcanite Reaper
1x Brawl
2x Argent Commander
1x Grommash Hellscream

The Battle Rage could probably just go back to being a second slam, or be pulled entirely for a utility card like Black Knight.

I honestly forgot that the original zoo deck included flame imps. For some reason I thought they were a recent addition to make it more aggressive.

Nobody will ever guess the plays that led to this board happening rofl

Helps that you made it nearly impossible to see what class you are playing against.