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Hearthstone Deck Guide: Even Shaman

Hearthstone Deck Guide: Even Shaman

Totemic

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A two-mana, 2/3 minion seems an unlikely card to build a deck around, but that's what happened with Even Shaman.

Murkspark Eel, the card in question, has a useful battlecry that can eliminate an enemy minion. And it turns out that using even-only cards lets you build a very effective version of the basic "minion shaman" beloved of many new players. Here's how it works.

Card Choice

2 x Zap!
2 x Earthen Might
2 x Flametongue Totem
2 x Menacing Nimbus
2 x Murkspark Eel
2 x Primalfin Totem
2 x Hex
2 x Thunderhead
1 x Fire Elemental

2 x Dire Wolf Alpha
1 x Knife Juggler
2 x Saronite Chain Gang
2 x Arcane Dynamo
1 x Argent Commander
1 x Genn Greymane
1 x The Lich King
2 x Sea Giant

Deck code:

The new Boomsay version of this deck is cheap compared to earlier builds. And even then, some of the big cards are not essential. The Lich King, for example, does well but is not a linchpins of the deck.

That leaves you with Genn as the only essential legendary. Which he is, because it's his power that makes the whole "even" shtick work.

As for replacements, if you want to run a more offensive game, start by doubling up on the single cards, in particular Knife Juggler.

You can also push the deck the other way, toward more defensive play, with cards like Plated Beetled and Defender of Argus. Finally, one copy of tech cards like Spellbreaker and Acidic Swamp Ooze can often come in handy.

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Mulligan

As an even-only deck, your first action is usually going to be to use your cheap hero power to summon a totem. As a result, buffing cards like Flametongue Totem and Dire Wolf Alpha make very tempting turn 2 plays. Keep them if you can.
The other keeper is Murkspark Eel which is one of the best early minions in the game. It's not spectacular but on turn two it gives you a solid body on the board while, hopefully, clearing your opponent's.

Against slower decks, Primalfin Totem is very powerful. With any luck it'll enjoy several turns of free 1/1 minions before your enemy can get hold of anything to destroy it. If you guess you're up against some big minions, hold on to a Hex.
If you're facing a faster foe, then your priority is to establish early board control. Zap! and Earthen Might are great tools to help you do just that.

Play Style

This is a deck built for trading, and that's what you should do. The majority of the minions are high health so they're great for bulldozing away foes. That gives you time to develop some totems, which you can then boost or buff to join in the assault.
Although the deck is pretty aggressive, Taunt is a very useful tool. It runs several cards like Knife Juggler and Dire Wolf Alpha that work best if you can keep them alive to do their thing for repeat turns. Learning when to risk one early and when to save one to hide behind a Taunt wall is an important skill to master.
They also make position an important consideration. You can't just throw down minions from this deck. You need to think which ones will work best next to one another, planning ahead if necessary. Remember that totems summoned from your hero power always appear in the leftmost slot.

Shaman is famous for its powerful board clear spells, and this deck runs none at all. Instead, it tries to maintain board control both from sensible trades and direct damage. There are four 2-damage minions in the deck and they're great at sniping out problematic enemies. Add in Hex for emergencies and Knife Juggler plus your 1-mana totems for random chaos and you should be able to stay on top of things.
Unusually, Even Shaman does not have a clear "win" condition for the deck. The closest is the inclusion of Arcane Dynamo, which has a high chance of getting you a copy of Bloodlust. You can then use this to pile in with all your tokens for massive damage.
In fact, value is generally where the deck gains an edge. Between cheap totems and buffs, the aim is to simply outperform your opponent on curve through the course of the game.

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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.