Learn What Goes Into Crafting a Dominating Ladder List
We’ve had only a few weeks to play with the new expansion, Witchwood, but a strong archetype seems to be the Odd Rogue. Though the limitations of Baku the Man Eater only playing odd-cost cards is a heavy restriction, the upgraded hero power, 2 mana, 2 attack 2 durability weapon, makes up for a lot of it.
The main style of the deck is to be aggressive while maintaining board control. Each Boku deck has a different play style; Hunter which purely goes face and Paladin which is much more focused on the board controlling aspect for example. Odd Rogue, unlike the other Baku decks, is the perfect combination of styles.
The Odd Rogue
Further, in the core, we see the Ironbeak Owl. I believe you could cut this down to only one owl but with the number of silence targets in the current meta; ranging from anything from a twilight drake to taunts and buffs, two owls will do very well for this deck.
Also playing two copies of Deadly Poison and Cold blood helps to increase the amount of damage you have to trade for board control or to close out the game later on.
Next up, SI:7 Agent and Hench-Clan Thug. These are currently the best board oriented 3 mana cards we can play. The amount of 1 mana cards we have makes the combo effect of SI:7 Agent easy to achieve. With how often we use our upgraded hero power on turn 2, following it up with an effective 4/4 that keeps growing is incredibly strong. The deck will want more 3 mana cards later on but we’ll discuss those more at the Deck Tech Discussion part.
In the 5 mana slot, we have our old friend making a return, Leeroy Jenkins. The strength of this finisher is unmatched. This card will frequently be used to push through our opponent’s taunt minion or to just straight out end the game and works great with our Cold bloods.
The other card that has to have its place in your Odd Rogue deck is Vilespine Slayer. This deck, like many others in Hearthstone, is based on tempo. Having the first decision advantage and usually means you are the one playing on the offensive. Vilespine Slayer is one of few cards in Hearthstone that is a tempo swing.
Being able to remove a large threat when you are behind or even to get ahead on your opponent is very powerful. With the amount of 1 mana cards we play, its effect is easy to activate.
Last up is Baku the Mooneater. While it’s not often you are happy Baku shows up in your hand, this is the card this whole deck is based around. The upgraded hero power allows this deck to compete. The two damage weapon fighting for early board control or dealing damage to the enemy hero is worth the sacrifice.
Deck Tech Discussion
Sinister Strike![]()
While Sinister Strike isn’t as strong as some of the other options, it’s certainly a card worth considering. Sometimes you just want that little extra reach in your deck and this is a good option for just that.
![]()
Fan of Knives and Kobold Apprentice![]()
Fan of Knives and Kobold Apprentice
Both cards fill a similar role in the deck as they are mainly there to fight off paladins. Both are alright in other matchups but would be included purely if Paladin is common enough. They would certainly be the first replaced if Paladin were to move out of the metagame.
Vicious Fledgling
Vicious Fledgling is one of the more board snowball oriented cards we have, with a similar role to the Hench-Clan Thug. In a meta where you are able to consistently get board control in early turns. Think a lot of slower decks like warlock; a card like this will be much better than when every other game is fighting for the early turns.
Fungalmancer
The ultimate mid-game card. It’s not very often you aren’t able to get two buffs out of this card and it perfectly fits the turn 5 curve. Since our alternative is often a 3 mana card and hero power, fitting something in here could be the way to go!
Tar Creeper
Facing a lot of aggressive opponents and need something to slow them down? Tar creeper is the card for you! There is a lot of added synergy with cards like Cold blood and Fungalmancer. This card can change the state of the game in an instant!
Captain Greenskin
This is a card I’ve seen people experiment with more and more. It has a similar role to the Fungalmancer in that it’s a card you want to get out on turn five. Your hero power is a key part of the deck and this card makes it even stronger. While also giving you a great amount of stats on the board.
Wolfrider
A card included in older versions of Odd Rogue, I think it might again find its place in Odd Rogue. Sometimes you just want another charge minion to deal damage or trade with it to protect your board. Not spectacular but a solid inclusion.
Glacial Shard
This is a very interesting card as its stats are very underwhelming but its effect could be invaluable. Though I disagree with keeping this card in your mulligan, its effect can help you out of so many scenarios. Freezing a big enemy minion before your Vilespine combo the next turn, or just freezing a minion from trading efficiently with yours. It just works well with the deck.
Sample Decklists
Last but certainly not least is the elemental build of Curdy which he played to top 50 Legend! Featuring Harrison Jones, Blazecallers, Cobalt Scalebanes AND Vicious Fledglings this list is one of a kind! Going way far away from the standard build is sometimes just what you need to discover the new best thing! Give it a shot and let me know how it goes!
No matter which deck you’re playing, Odd Rogue is a ladder threat you’ll want to be familiar with! Let me know your thoughts on Odd Rogue and Witchwood on twitter @hscoached or book a lesson and learn how to play the deck directly from me.
