Introduction

Objectives

Strengths

Weaknesses

Two of Cards

**Cards are ranked alphabetically within their tiers.

Two or One

One or Zero

Intriguing Options

Match Ups



My current deck for reference.

Vs Zoo Warlock

Vs Trap Heavy Hunter

Conclusion

Hello! My name is Carthac and I am a legendary ranked player and I primarily play Control Warrior. I would like to share my knowledge of the class which I have accumulated over time. Unfortunately, Control Warrior is not a cheap class to play. Control Warrior focuses it's strength on late game; therefore, cheaper cards generally do not have the power to replace legendary cards and bring consistent wins.The overall goal of Control Warrior, in it's current form, is to maintain board control in the early/mid game and utilize strong late game minions to overpower opponents. Warrior has the strongest late game out of the current control decks: it uses strong minions along with very efficient removal to take command of the board.Warrior is the only class that can reliably raise itself above 30 Health. This is a tangible benefit in games where both players draw their full decks and also defends against burst decks without Taunt minions. Armor can also be utilized viaWarrior has the strongest single target removal in the game. When it comes to clearing big minions, no class is better than the Warrior. Between Weapons,, and, you will rarely find yourself in trouble against large threats.Late game legendary minions are some of the most effective cards in the game. Want twos for six mana? Play. Want a card that can not only heal you up 14 Health or deal 15 damage to your hero while spawning an 8/8? Play. Maybe you want a card that sits there hits for eight damage with immunity? If so,is the card for you. There are so many more to choose from!The low mana minions utilized by the Control Warrior work well with each other and provide small buffs that can snowball into multiple advantages quickly.When it comes to board clears, Control Warrior struggles. The current options are a combination of, andrequires help and can damage your board in the process.as a board clear is typically not enough against most rush decks and using two is usually incorrect as you lose the ability to trigger positive effects for your deck such ascan be great, but rarely clears in your favor as your opponent is almost always statistically favored to win.is great but you have to survive until you can play him safely, which can prove to be difficult.Another weakness of the Control Warrior is responses to situations that require immediate action. The Control Warrior deck is much more of a slow build up in the early/mid game and attempts to stabilize and maintain board control until they are able to put their true threats out. There are definitely cards that help --and-- but it is still not above par compared to deck types.is a great neutral card for control decks that, in my opinion, is utilized best by Control Warrior. Unless your opponent is willing to use a three damage spell or silence, you are often drawing at least two cards with the large amount of ping effects the deck utilizes. As it is one of the few card draw options, I findto be an essential card in this deck. I always run two.Simply an incredible card. For a single mana minion you can destroy almost anything. Compared to the drawbacks of, there is no way not to put this card in your deck. An absolute essential card for Control Warriors.The only removal spell that is comes close to. This is one of the big reasons we plays but it also helps us use our defensive spells offensively:and Armor Up. Another essential card and a must play in any deck variant.is pretty incredible: it is a heal five which cycles for only three mana. It is also part of the key synergy which makesa hard removal spell. It is an essential card, always run two.This card provides a ton of utility. It can be used as a board clear against a board full of hounds against Hunter, or it can be used to trigger positive effects from, and Garrosh. It can be used along withto provide a two damage board clear. It can be used as a setup for. All deck variants should run two.An amazing card for control decks. An 8/8 minion that provides the ability to either nuke your opponent for 15 damage or heal yourself up to 14 damage in tight situations.is great. A very durable 1/4 that can be played effectively in both the early and mid game. If left alone, your armor can rocket up and steal a game.The introduction of Kitkatz's warrior deck brought a new card to the Control Warrior arsenal.cantrips, is a five drop in a midgame with few options, and provides Spell Damage for your spells. While I was not initially sold on it, I am coming around and realizing how much it adds to the deck. The main reason I really like the card is the card draw. Card draw in a control deck is very important since the mana curve is more spread out. Before this addition, the only options wereand. Smart players, when playing against Control Warrior, realize this and will rush to either Silence or only allow a single draw on Acolyte. Stifling the Warriors draw in this way leaves him to rely heavily on luck to curve out effectively.changes all of this. Another mid game minion option is an added bonus. Two damages are very nice to have. I am not a fan of cards without an immediate effect, but I still feel this is a great addition to the deck.In a deck that struggles with clearing multiple minions:is like a breath of fresh air. Ash filled air, but fresh nonetheless. If you can control Zoo decks and getdown on turn seven you can steal wins. In control match ups, I like to useas a way to bait removal and make way forandis also very valuable againstShaman decks. An amazing card overall which should be in any Control Warrior build.Is there another card in the game that is loses value the more decks play it? The card is so great it is being played in more decks, which is causing people to cut Taunt minions from their deck as they are a liability.is still very good against Druid decks and has seen a small increase in value with the emergence ofMaster in Midrange Hunter decks. If the trend of cutting Taunt minions continues,will be sidelined as well. In the present meta, I am still using. It is, however, another one of the cards on my short list to be cut in favor of better options as they come up.is one of those cards that is not great, but is basically an essential part of the deck. Almost all variants only run one, and I feel that is the correct amount. If you are running into situations where twp are necessary, you are most likely making mistakes somewhere else along the way.may be the best legendary in Hearthstone. I would not argue with that sentiment.is not an immediate response toward regaining board control in the mid game, but it is a piece which sets everything in motion. Outside of a Zoo player having a Silence in their hand, it will be difficult for them to trade: they typically will opt to go for face damage and end the game. Given your two 4/5 minions on board,, or even useall become much better plays.is a pretty incredible card and near essential in any Control Warrior deck.Much likeprovides an incredible amount early game utility. The card provides a one damage ping against one drops, can be used to trigger positive effects from your minions, or it can set up an. I do not feel it is an essential card, but if it were to be swapped out, I would only replace it withto bypass the two mana requirement if you are just looking to utilize the Battlecry.A very flexible card that can be used in both the mid and late game.is typically used in control mirrors to copy and clear opponent legendaries in one turn when coupled with cards such asor. It can, however, be used in a pinch to maintain or balance board control. In the Zoo match up, you can useon a. Against Druids that utilize emphasize the mid game, it can be used on 4/4for an immediate removal. As far as number the of them in your deck, I typically run one. Some deck variants run two, but I feel that is overkill. Not an essential card, but one I typically run.One of the few cards which lets you be proactive in the early game. The only real discussion about this card is simply the number of them. While many variants of Control Warrior play two, I prefer to play only one as I was finding myself rarely using the second efficiently.is a minion which gets a lot of hype. I don't, however, feel it is as key to the deck as some people may believe. The goal of theis to work in conjunction with the other early game minions to provide a snowballing threat into the mid game. It can also provide a threat to end the game around turn 6-8: this very rarely happens. Since the four Health ofnever increases, it is still neutralized in one hit by almost all mid game spells and minions. You are therefore dropping a three mana minion and hoping he can go unanswered. If this is the case, why not just drop anorAll that aside, I am still running twos because it fits the mana curve of the deck better than a second four drop. I am not sold on it being an essential part of the Control Warrior deck. I feel it could be replaced in future iterations of the deck.What can act as a Force of Nature/Savage Roar combo when coupled with Whirlwind/Cruel Taskmaster and can also be used in other match ups to remove big threats in tight situations. A strong and flexible win condition? What more can I say?This card can be an absolute game changer against Shaman running. It can be great in the mirror match up if they run. It can be used against Rogue decks usingand. The five mana makes it more suited to be a mid to late game weapon answer. If there is a resurgence of Warrior beatdown,may become more valuable.A card that very few variants utilize, but one that I have been using with much success for quite some time.provides a ton early to mid game utility in several different match ups. Against Zoo decks, it provides immediate removal and can easily trade 2-for-1. While it is not an essential card by any means, I have been running two for quite some time and enjoying success in doing so.Rag is another big win condition in the Control Warrior deck. It is a high Health target that can be tough to deal with and can lock up a win quickly if you are able to useand get two on board. Despite the random element, Rag is too good to pass up. An essential card in any Control Warrior variant.This can be used just to cycle and set up an, can be used to draw extra cards out of, and can be used to take out high value targets such as. Some variants run one and I currently run two.Some decks are attempting to use this card as an answer to Zoo decks. After much testing, it became clear thatis better on paper than in practice. Being five mana, I found it being too little too late. It is also easily countered by. As far as other match ups go, it really does not have a place at all.A card I have not used much, but one in which I can definitely see the appeal. A 3/3 with a two swing weapon is pretty awesome. The four drop slot, however, comes down to two cards:or. Play Arathi if you prefer more damage over time. Playif you would prefer immediate removal.is quite the conundrum. When the Battlecry can be used, it provides incredible value for three mana. While the card is great, however, I feel the card is outperformed byand. Since you already have four hard removal spells for control decks, and the 4/2 minion by itself is underwhelming, I prefer to keep it out. If you must have it in your deck don't run more than one. This card could make a come back if Handlock returns to prominence.An incredible four drop which has been played throughout the young history of Hearthstone. The problem withis that it falls into that previously mentioned four drop slot. I feelis the worst of these three options. I would stay away from this card in Control Warrior decks.is not often seen in the Control Warrior deck but can have value in an aggressive meta. A two mana spell that can deal four damage to enemy minions sounds tempting: sadly this is too situational to be used consistently. It shines against Zoo decks if everything goes right, but with the addition ofand, it can be tough to use effectively. Run these depending on how much Zoo you face.is a pretty cool card. This unique weapon really enables Warrior to keep the board clear. That said, I choose not to play it. Seven mana means this only will come down in the late game and Control Warriors needs to already be in the control and playing legendaries in the late game. If I need help taking board control in the mid game, I would prefer the cheaper. The combo I was enjoying was equipping the weapon, playing, then attacking with a combination oforto end the game. Getting yourbe destroyed byor,however, is a huge tempo hit and not one you can easily recover from. I will not argue with people who play, but it is too high variance for my liking.The Shieldmasta has been a staple of so many decks through the history of Hearthstone: great stats, cheap cost, and board stabilizing. I used to think it was the perfect solution to pushing me into the late game against early rush and pressure decks. So why no recommendation in the current form of Control Warrior? The reason for this is that I want to make the decision how to play my cards rather than waiting for my opponent to deal with it. Let's take a situation against Zoo decks. The opponent has an, andon board: ours is currently empty. We drop Shieldmasta which leaves the Zoo player with many good lines. They can doubletheir, useand attack with Argent, useon their Argent, and the options going. If we drop a, however, we can immediately trade into theand at least guarantee one minion kill with potential for more. It is also a prime target forin many other match ups. In summary, I don't think this card is bad. I just don't play it currently.Another card that sounds good in theory but fails to work consistently. There were two board states into which I was dropping: where I have board control with my low mana minions; and one where I was playing from behind and playedto retake board control. In the first scenario, I would have board control with their side being either empty or having one minion to take. This would result in them trading off their minion and killingbefore playing more. I felt it never put me as far ahead aswould have been stronger plays. When I played her with an empty board, it was either treated as a five Health-six mana Taunt, or she was just ignored and the pressure continued on. I am still undecided on the card, but I have not played her for some time and am still of the mindset to leave her out of my future decks.In the entire game of Hearthstone,is my favorite card. She is a late game legendary card that can't be removed byorand can tank a huge amount of damage. Besides that, she is one of the only card generating mechanics in the game:being the other. "But Carthac, if it is your favorite card in the game, why do you not have it in your deck?" The sad news is that I tried, I really did. The problem I kept running into over and over again withwas losing games before I was able to use the cards she produces. Ifcost seven, or if Warrior had an Innverate type effect, I would love to play. In the current meta, and against other control decks, I feelis too slow in comparison to other legendaries we have available.While situational, this card has so much potential in the current meta game. Just one Divine Shield and you can drop a 6/6 on turn three!s aren't worth going in your deck just to utilize themechanic, but with a fairly decent number of popular decks -- Zoo, Token Druid, Shaman -- already running. I could seeseeing play in the near future, but it hasn't worked for me yet.There is not a single card in Hearthstone that turns the tide of a game faster than. A 12/12 minion that completely clears the board is hard to stop. After testing, however, I came to the following conclusion:has to be the last card you play or you are putting yourself completely all in. Since it is so easily countered by, I do not recommend playing him at the moment. Furthermore, after hitting ten mana you're most likely favoured in everything but the control mirror.This is one card I can see being pushed forward in Control decks if Silences keep getting cut. At worst it is a 0/7 Taunt that rush decks are forced to deal with. If they can't deal with it, they lose board control and give their opponent a free turn to set up. This two mana card really needs to be explored more. I feel it has the potential to become an essential part of any control deck, not just Control Warrior.The Zoo deck is a very popular deck that can be seen at just about every point on the ranked ladder. The general strategy of Zoo revolves around playing small yet efficient minions, utilizing strong/cheap/efficient spells, keeping cards coming in through the use of the Hero Power, and trading up minions. Through efficient trades, the Zoo deck builds up board control very quickly. Their end game is get your Health low enough to be finished withs,s, andThe key to this match is understanding their threats and how to best neutralize them. The Attack value of a minion sets their importance. The biggest threats early on are, and. These are the targets you should be prioritizing with your, and. Try to savefor the ping on, or. If you see an opening toand get two one Health minions, take it. Don't get greedy and wait too long orcan ruin your day.Do your best to ignore, Void Walker,, andandtakes too many resources to try to kill early, so let them be taken care of by your mid-late game threats.andare simply buffers for their true threats so ignore them as well.Top mulligan priorities are, and. The second tier iss,s, ands. Get rid of everything else:, and all the legendary cards.You sadly won't have time to utilize card draw in this match up. It is the last priority and you have to hope you draw threats in such an order to be used efficiently. The ideal start would consist of taking out the high threat 3/2 type cards with Slam; bringing down multiple one Health minions with Whirlwind/Cruel Taskmaster; then allowing them to fill the board with 4+ minions and. Our game ending follow up will be withand. This will not happen every time, but you should aim for something similar with what you have. If you can, try to save a ping/Execute combo for: it can really turn the tide of a game very quickly.should also be the target of yourif given the chance.The Heavy Trap Hunter is almost a mage-like deck in Hearthstone. Their goal is to use their Hero Power to deal damage consistently, equip a bow, refresh the charges and deflect damage through their multiple traps, then use Buzzard/Unleash thes when enough threats on board to draw multiple cards and snowball an advantage into a fairly quick kill.What is our strategy? We are never going to defeat the hunter in a damage race, but we can outlast the Hunter through smart play and patience.My rule of thumb is to never have more than two minions on board at a time. It can be any two, just enough to put them on a clock without getting great value from their Buzzard/UTH combo. Try to focus more on building Armor and using your small minions to activate abilities.The most important aspect of this match up is to not let the game get out of control by giving free weapon charges. Try to deal with the traps when a weapon is not up. Always lead the attack with your smallest minion in case ofand. If you happen to draw, activate the trap with your minion for the extra card draw.The end goal against Hunter is to play. Since they are playing a damage deflecting type style that relies on the opponent attacking them, Rag is a real problem for them. Just play the match up very defensively, take it slow, and you should do fine.As far as mulligans, snap keeps are, and. The middle tier cards are, and. The bottom tier cards are, andI hope you enjoyed the read! I put a lot of work into it. If people enjoy this, I might come back and add more information on additional matchups or expand upon points if people are interested. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message on twitter. If you liked the work and want to see more, you can check out my stream on Twitch. Thanks for reading!In the time between writing this and publication, I decided to change up my deck and experiment with a few things. I removed Harrion Jones for a brief amount of time in favor of. After listening to Ben Brode speak abouton an episode of Value Town, I grew to really appreciatefor a couple reasons. Firstly, he gives you an unmatched early game presence. It actually was not bad in other matchups if it could be played on an empty board vs a non-aggro deck. With the recent popularity of Rogue decks, I have opted to cut onein favor of. I also putback in and cutting. I was findingto be too slow in the current meta.You may have noticed I opted to put anin my deck. I am finding this card simply amazing in so many matchups.It helps with, it clearsand, and the list goes on. I switched this in foras the seven mana weapon was often coming in too late to help me transition to the late game. I am still experimenting with the card but I am really liking it thus far.Finally, you may noticed I did a little experiment with. For a while I was tearing through Ramp Druids and Midrange Hunters because of him alone.helps take down that board of built upandspawns. He is a complete trump card in the Druid match up if you can bait an earlier. While I found myself really liking him, I feel he will go back to the bench soon with the meta shifting again towards the midgame again. After playing with him a little bit, I find him severely underestimated in Control Warrior decks.