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Hearthstone Deck Guide: Odd Rogue

Hearthstone Deck Guide: Odd Rogue

You odd rogue, you

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Odd Rogue is an odd deck. It's related to the ongoing Tempo Rogue archetype, but utilises Baku's power to build something much more aggressive.

You might think that upgrading Rogue's hero power weapon from 1/2 to 2/2 wasn't such a big deal.

But it's very good for early board control. And with all the other burst damage in this deck, the extra value becomes huge over the course of the game.

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1
Card choice

  • 2 x Cold Blood
  • 2 x Deadly Poison
  • 2 x Blink Fox
  • 2 x SI:7 Agent
  • 1 x Myra's Unstable Element
  • 2 x Vilespine Slayer
  • 2 x Argent Squire
  • 2 x Dire Mole
  • 2 x Fire Fly
  • 2 x Southsea Deckhand
  • 2 x Hench-Clan Thug
  • 1 x Vicious Fledgling
  • 2 x Void Ripper
  • 2 x Fungalmancer
  • 2 x Giggling Invetor
  • 1 x Leeroy Jenkins
  • 1 x Baku the Mooneater

Deck code:
It's not a particularly expensive deck, although Baku is essential, as it's the engine around which everything else builds. Leeroy is a useful finisher but not strictly necessary. Neither is Myra's Unstable Element which lends more late-game survivability.

The Epics Vilespine Slayer and Void Ripper are a similar story. The former great for minion removal, but when this deck plays well it can close out games before you're in a position to play a Slayer. The latter is a useful switcharoo which can be used both offensively and defensively, but the deck works without it.

If you need to bulk out the deck, general aggro is the way to go. Acherus Veteran and Glacial Shard make fine additions. Cobalt Scalebane is a great replacement for higher-cost cards.

You could also run a second Ironbeak Owl to nullify annoying Taunts thrown up in your way.

2
Mulligan

As in almost any deck that runs good, cheap minions, hold on to any 1-drops that you draw. All of the ones in this deck can help gain the early board control you need. They're also useful to activate Combo cards.

The other card to watch out for is Hench Clan Thug. Combined with your 2-strong attack it is extremely powerful. Early in the game it can snowball into an unstoppable threat if your opponent doesn't or can't deal with it. Either way, it's a keeper.

If you've got the coin or a good 1-drop, you should also consider keeping SI:7 Agent or Cold Blood. The power of the former is best against minions, but even without them it's still an extra blow to the face. And combining the latter with something like Dire Mole creates a massive early minion.

3
Defensive duties

In the first few rounds, your goal is to keep board control by removing enemy minions. Your ideal is to play a minion turn 1, dagger up on turn 2 and then use it to clear enemies off the board. Yours will then stay alive to start to grinding down the face.

Most of your early minions have good survivability, so use them to make good trades if necessary. You can even use Southsea Deckhand as an unexpected trade for something more valuable.

The only out and out defence card in this deck is Tar Creeper. It's best used against other fast, aggressive decks as a speedbump. But because it's cheap and high-health it's also a good target for Cold Blood.

4
Play style

Once you've established a board presence, you this deck builds damage with incredible speed. You can use things like Cold Blood and Fungalmancer to turn your weak early minions into deadly threats.

If you've got Leeroy in hand, comboing it with Cold Blood for a massive ten damage is a big burst win condition.

If you don't, then you can start to build up dangerous mid-game minions instead. Vicious Fledgling and Hench-Clan Thug can be extremely dangerous given a turn or two to do their thing. So play one and then sacrifice your cheap early minions to keep it alive.

Although this is a very aggressive deck, and you should play it as such, try not to empty your hand. If you can keep a coin or a 1-mana minion in reserve, it's very useful simply to activate combo cards. Having something to play alongside Vilespine Slayer can be a game-winning difference.

Alongside it all, you've got that vicious knife to wield. Try and ensure you've got it at your disposal at all times, even stalling an attack if you don't think you'll have the mana for it next turn. You're pressuring the face hard, so don't worry too much about your own life total when using it to remove minions. And if there's not useful targets, stab the face instead.

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Matt Thrower
Matt Thrower
Matt is a freelance arranger of words concerning boardgames and video games. He's appeared on IGN, PC Gamer, Gamezebo, and others.