Introduction
Hello everyone ! I’m Spark, Top Ranks Legend player, and today I’m following up on the Experimental Decks Series from GvG.
I already have some background with Tempo Rogue as I’m playing this archetype since Beta and always found that it is a nice way to learn how to trade efficiently and fight for board control to win with a standard gameplan.
Previously, I was running some Deathrattle interactions with the Naxxramas set in my Legendeath build, which has been updated slightly since GvG came out. However, I’ve also decided to try and see how Mech synergies are doing for this archetype since it seems to fit the aggressive playstyle of the Deck !
My initial experimentation was to combine both but I feel like it requires too much sacrifices so I ended up splitting the 2 concepts 😉
Deck Breakdown
First of all, I’m always including staples Tempo tools :
backstab, deadly-poison, si7-agent, eviscerate and a single copy of blade-flurry. Those cards pretty much justify running this archetype by providing early removals which really help you establishing board presence as soon as possible !
I’m also adding a big-game-hunter as the meta pretty much needs it with dr-boom being played everywhere and all those Handlocks and Control Warrior running around.
The other cards that I can’t get rid of in my Tempo Rogue Decks are bloodmage-thalnos and azure-drake. The Spellpower is really valuable when combined with your Tempo tools and the draws allow you to keep a decent hand size throughout the game.
As they represent your only stable source of draw, you should be really careful on how you use your resources if you don’t want to run out of steam ! Don’t be surprised if you have often fewer cards than your opponent in hand though as your primary resource with this Deck is Tempo, not card advantage or life 😉
Besides the core presented above, the Deck completely focuses on Mech interactions and make great use of mechwarper.
Presenting the power level of this card doesn’t feel necessary anymore, especially considering that we are talking about a Tempo Deck which runs 15 Mechs !
Goblin-auto-barber is a perfect addition to the Deck as it is an early Mech and its effect can come quite handy at times. Don’t underestimate it but don’t be too greedy for its value as using it for a last charge of dagger is often more than enough 😉
harvest-golem is prefered to spider-tank because it synergizes better with all the Rogue damage tools, requiring you to trade some weaker minions in, and survives better to board wipes, ensuring that you often have a Mech on board.
iron-sensei is a really cool card for the Deck, although I’m only running one because it’s still a bit situational. I wasn’t convinced at first glance but it generally forces your opponent into a weird situation where they have to choose between killing a weak 2/2 that can snowball the game quickly and dealing with a buffed mech that can sometimes be a huge threat !
piloted-shredder and piloted-sky-golem are perfect Mechs to add in the Deck as they are both very sticky thanks to their Deathrattle effects and their stats are more focused toward aggression so it definitely suits the playstyle of the Deck 😉
The last Mechs that are in the Deck are used as Spare Parts producers while fitting the curve. clockwork-gnome is a good early drop to play on Turn 1 or combined with mechwarper, and mechanical-yeti is our beloved mid-sized threat that will fight for board control.
Spare Parts are probably the most useful in Tempo Rogue because they generally help answer specific board states to keep controlling the board with your side and they are also perfect Combo activator, allowing you to not make inefficient plays just to use an eviscerate or si7-agent.
Another reason to love those Spare Parts is the presence of gazlowe in the Deck. This guy is so much fun and can actually save your ass when a game is getting too long against a Deck that outrun you on card advantage like Control Warrior or Priest !
Remember that almost every Mechs in the game are generally good cards and the fact that they tend to synergize with each other and with the Deck is the icing on the cake.
To complete this set of Spare Parts interactions, I’ve added Toshley in the Deck after opening it in a pack and it definitely synergizes perfectly with the Deck. Its powerful stats are what you need at this stage of the game and the Spare Parts compensate the exclusion of tinkertown-technician from my original list.
As I wouldn’t recommend crafting those 2 legendaries, I want to insist on the fact that they are not necessary to play the Deck with some success. They are just good cards that synergize perfectly with the Deck design but you can easily replace them with some other Tech cards, see Considerations section below 😉
Considerations
Either you are running on a budget or simply looking to tweak the Deck to your personal preferences and needs, here are some cards that you should consider :
loatheb — A solid card that can lock the board for a turn and fight some mid-sized threats, always great to have in a Tempo Deck 😉
tinkertown-technician — This card was initially in the Deck and I removed it to include some Tech cards, but you should definitely consider it if you’re lacking anything from the list.
the-black-knight — It can help you not wasting resources on things like sludge-belcher, which is still seeing a lot of play.
dr-boom — This card is just too strong overall as it can’t be answered very simply, it can just fit any Deck out there !
arcane-nullifier-x-21 and antique-healbot — Here are some defensive options that you can consider if you’re facing a lot of Aggro Decks. In my opinion, they doesn’t really suit the gameplan of the Deck but it can probably fit your playstyle if needed 😉
Gameplay Videos
I’ve uploaded some basic recordings of interesting games ! Besides the results, it shows some of the Deck’s interactions through funny and challenging games 😉
The playlist contains the following match ups : Mech Mage, Control Priest, Control Warrior, Midrange Hunter and Freeze Mage.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL25ooc9f6z39FL0uAl1orRBmLFge6h22w
Closing
I’m very happy to bring another Tempo Rogue to the table as I’ve always enjoyed this archetype and I actually used this Deck during my climb to Legend with great success. It can run out of steam against heavy Control Decks so sometimes you’ll have to sneak your way to find lethal or just accept the loss but overall it’s a pretty consistent build that can fight a wide variety of Decks efficiently.
Here are my winrates with the Deck including Casual and Ranked games :
That’s it for the guide guys, I hope you’ll enjoy the Deck as much as I do !
Don’t forget to rate the article if you liked and don’t hesitate to discuss about it or ask any question in the comment section below 😉
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