Demonlock and Warlock Zoo decks have been dominating constructed Warlock play for awhile now. But what if there was someone mad enough to combine them into one single monstrosity?!?!
Andrew is that man. You can see how this deck performed in its deck battle against the current Happy Hearthstone deck in this week’s episode!
Note from Josh: The rest of this article was written by Andrew. Thanks, Andrew!
The DemonZoolock Deck
While figuring out Warlock’s place after Blackrock Mountain, a very interesting hybrid came to light: Zoo plays a lot of cheap, strong minions to trade with the opponent’s board. Demonlock gets big, powerful cards onto the board for cheap through Voidcaller. Combine the two, and you’ve got a very versatile deck that can easily hang with the big boys.
Let’s get straight into the cards I used in my deck for the mighty showdown with Josh. You can find a completely plain deck list on the podcast episode. Here, I’ll provide additional commentary where I feel it’s helpful or necessary.
This little guy is versatile! He’s a combo card that can be used in a ton of different circumstances: Trading an imp into a larger minion, buffing a shadowflame, activating a Nerubian Egg, making an enemy minion a target for BGH… The list goes on. One is a must! (You could even get away with two!)
1x Ironbeak Owl
It’s always nice to have at least one silence in your deck. That’s really the only reason the owl is coming to play! Use him to get through a pesky Sludge Belcher or whatever’s in your way.
2x Nerubian Egg
These seemingly docile eggs are actually quite helpful with this deck in two ways: 1. If you have an egg on board with all your 1/1 imps, your opponent will definitely think twice about clearing your side. The 4/4 awaiting is a great comeback to make sure you don’t lose much tempo. (You might even GAIN some!) 2. With a little help from Power Overwhelming or Abusive Sergeant, you can trade into an opponent’s minion and still have your 4/4 in the end.
FINALLY the 3 drop we’ve been waiting for! This guy will do some work for you. Playing him on turn 3 is usually the ideal time. Trade if you can to get a couple imps out of him. Those little guys build up fast and can later be used with Power Overwhelming or Defender of Argus to cause some serious mischief.
It’s bad enough for your opponent that you’re dropping minions every single turn. But when you buff them with the Defender, you will audibly hear him scream at his computer (or phone) screen. Usually your opponent has been scheming for how to take out your wimpy minions. Buffing two minions with the Defender throws his plan right out the window. Ideally, you want to use him to buff a Nerubian Egg or Voidcaller to force your opponent to activate them, but he’ll be snug and cozy right between two imps, too. Activate some deathrattles and slow down your opponent? Yup. It’s as good as it sounds.
2x Voidcaller
Now THIS is where things start getting good. Voidcaller makes this deck able to survive the midgame and create some great tempo to finish fast. I’ll usually keep one in my opening hand if I get it, as it’s an easy play on turn 4. If we can coin him out on turn 3 and get Mal’Ganis on turn 4, the game’s practically over. If he gets silenced though, it’s OK to cry.
2x Doomguard
This is one of the deadliest Demons to drop from Voidcaller because he can attack immediately. That 5/7 body is second to none, too. Trade a lot, or go in for the final hit points. Oh, and if you have both Power Overwhelming’s and the Abusive Sergeant still in hand? That’s right. 15 whopping damage. Boom. Roasted.
1x Dr. Boom
Because Dr. Boom. Seriously, this guy is just a wrecking ball. Being able to get 3 strong minions on the board in a single turn can change the entire game. He’s an automatic add in just about every deck right now, and this one is no exception.
1x Mal’Ganis
The king is here at last! Mal’Ganis must be dealt with by your opponent immediately. And it’s exactly that shift of playing that is such a threat to the entire feel of the game. Anyone who knows the Demonlock deck is scared to death of your Voidcallers because they know that this guy could come raining down soon. With Imp-losion and Imp Gang Boss, we’re hoping to have several little imps on the board to get buffed by him. Those little pesks are all of a sudden significant threats. Don’t forget to tap every chance you get if you have him up!
1x Sea Giant
This card is mostly here to be a big threat and add more flavor to the Zoo mechanics of the deck. It’s rare that I’m paying more than 6 for this giant, and that’s a killer deal for an 8/8 minion. Have fun slapping this guy down as you hear your opponent gulp on the other side of your screen.
This card is just stupid. I’ve used it most with the 1/1 Demon Imps that spout out of Imp-losion and Imp Gang Boss to trade with mega minions. You’ve also got some crazy burst potential with 2 of these, especially in combo with Doomguard. Yeah. That’ll straight up win you games.
1x Demonwrath
To be honest, I just wanted to try out this new BRM card at first, but it’s actually been quite helpful overall. Zoo normally doesn’t run many spells, but we worked one of these in to further help with board control in the aggro-heavy meta Hearthstone is in right now. Demonwrath is powerful in this deck not only because it won’t affect most of your minions, but also because it will activate your Nerubian Egg. Didn’t see THAT coming, did you?!
2x Imp-losion
Wait, let me get this straight… You’re telling me I get to kill an enemy minion AND spawn lots of little guys all with 1 card. I’ll take 2 of those… This is the definition of a tempo card. Being able to clear your opponent’s board and spawn some minions for yourself can be really powerful if timed well.
Possible Additions
Good news: This deck is (practically) CHEAP AS FREE. With only 1 epic, and 2 legendaries, this deck is almost all common and rare cards. You should already have most of these cards or be able to craft them pretty quickly. Just in case you don’t have those high costed cards or Blackrock Mountain yet, here are some substitutes:
2x Dread Infernal (6)
This is a fine substitute for Mal’Ganis and Sea Giant. He has a strong battlecry that is very versatile but is a great drop from the Voidcaller as well.
2x Floating Watcher (5)
This is another very strong Demon card that just didn’t quite make it into the deck. If you haven’t gotten the Volcanic Drakes from BRM yet, I’d suggest adding a couple of these. The ability of gaining +2/+2 on your turn can add up fast, if you play on your turn in the right order. Always tap first!!
1x Hellfire (4)
I think there’s an argument that Hellfire is the correct pick over Demonwrath. And if you’re not into BRM yet, that makes the choice easy. The downside is that you want to keep your minions on the board in order to win. So this spell can be unplayable in certain situations. It can also be a life saver if your opponent is way ahead though. Use wisely!
1x Stormwind Champion (7)
If you still haven’t crafted Dr. Boom, what are you waiting for?! It’s time to start saving your dust! He’s the most versatile, strong minion in the meta right now and absolutely worth the 1600 dust to craft. But until you get there, a Stormwind Champion will buff all your other minions and be a large body as well. Because we want to get as many creatures on the field as possible, this card could catch your enemy off guard and be a great finishing blow. His biggest problem is if you don’t have anything in play, he’s pretty expensive. That’s why Boom is the better pick. He works when your board is empty and can shift the game significantly.
Final Thoughts
The unification of 2 decks is surprisingly strong in this meta, combining the aggression and control of Zoo with the bigger threats of Demonlock. Keep adding to your board, make effective trades, and then go for the kill. With Mal’Ganis on your side, you too can know what it means to be ETERNAL!
Be sure to listen to our last episode of the podcast, where we talk about the deck at length. If you try it out, tell us what you thought of it, and what cards you swapped in to have the most success.