Throughout the history of struggles, there have been philosophical shifts, departures in thinking from conventional wisdom, improved technologies, and evolutions in tactics and strategies employed to win a fight. The desire to survive prompts ingenuity and evolution. Turtles have developed the shell, sharks have additional rows of teeth, rams landed larger horns, and humans came up with the tank.
During World War I, the British army created the tank to deal with a problem. There were often stalemates in the trenches marked by two opposing forces that were heavily armed and dug securely into the battlefield. Neither army was able to make an aggressive move or gain position because the heavy fire zone meant certain death to the unprotected aggressor. Tanks were eventually developed and enlisted to engage the dangerous enemies head on. They packed large caliber guns, were supported by machine guns, and balanced both mobility and survivability.
Prior to the use of tanks in World War I, a similar principle was used during times of strife. Many ancient wars employed the use of huge human shields that swarmed into battle in order to break down opposing defenses. More primal tactics included the use of foot soldiers or a calvery to storm the battlefields. Most people would side with the ingenuity and efficiency of the tank over the savage use of human shields or a barrage of foot soldiers rushing into certain death.
In the World of Warcraft TCG, we deal with various aspects of war. We are called upon to recruit armies of allies that march into battle in an effort to collapse opposing wills and health totals. In fact, one might argue that the most popular form of combat in our beloved game follows the more primal tactics employed in ancient times. At times, we send as many allies into battle as possible in an effort to kill opposing players. At other times, we throw out big protectors and ally defenses to hold off opposing assaults.
As the game has grown and theory has developed, we have seen the use of solo decks that balance firepower and protection in an effort to stave off the ally forces most commonly used in combat. As solo decks became more popular, players were found talking about all sorts of options that might be available for battle. Some players looked at increasing the aggressive nature of the allies, some players looked to destroy the equipment and armor of solo decks, and still others considered the concept of a tank.
When faced with near-impenetrable defenses or an aggressive assault that might lead to certain death, a tank may be the ideal strategic choice to win battles. You have access to heavy defenses and wield the biggest guns. Great defense and huge weapons are always good. They have proved useful throughout the history of war and should find their place in our TCG.
The Tankadin: Next Generation Paladin
Many players saw the first competitive versions of the Paladin arise during U.S. Nationals. Aleyah Dawnborn marched into battle with heavy defenses in the form of huge protectors and healing. She slung the Hellreaver and wielded keen firepower with abilities like Consecration, and she dropped huge allies to end the game. The Paladin success continued over the course of the National Championship season as the Horde beauty landed her first national title in the United Kingdom with an updated list using cards from the Fires of Outland expansion. Most recently, several top spots at the French Nationals, including the 1st and 2nd place finishers, found tournament glory with Nathadan and cards like Avenger’s Shield.
While these decks have solid games against both control and rush decks, they shine most brightly in the long game. Cards like Solanian’s Belongings ensure that key abilities keep opponents occupied, while other cards like Lor’themar Theron are busy limiting the answers that opposing players have to beat the deck.
As a consistent fan of Paladin, I updated my Nationals list with some of the new cards and made the switch to the Protection hero. I was pleasantly rewarded with a deck that can virtually survive forever. The deck has a ton of draw and huge allies, and it does its best to avoid death using protectors, healing, huge threats, and tricky little cards like Redemption and Blessing of Freedom. This deck seems like it has the most stamina of any deck ever built.
If You Could Live Forever . . .
While in college, I had a philosophy course that required students to compose a paper positing the logical conclusions surrounding concepts like infinity. There is a famous book that proposes that given an infinite amount of time, there might be an infinite number of occurrences. There is a potential for everything that might be possible to occur in that time. Don’t think about it too much because you can really get lost when you go down that road, but the general argument and thinking applies to our game.
If you have a deck that can last forever (or longer than all other decks), then you have a sort of limitless number of options available for win conditions. You might try to swing for an infinite amount of damage with a fancy epic weapon; you might exhaust 15 resources for an expensive quest or ally; or you might come up with some sharp combination of attackers, burn, or some other delightful win condition as you drift into the twilight turns.
In reality, there are time constraints, but your opponent may not actually be able to find enough answers to bring about your doom in the given time. Therefore, your primary concern is not with infinite survival. Therefore, you can begin to focus on one of those fun win conditions. I have played against several high caliber control decks. Some of the decks had excellent roads to victory, while others just had the ability to last a really long time but lacked a decisive way to finish the game.
For a good while, my Paladin builds fell in the latter category. I know that you can use very large allies and weapons, but those roads were often inconsistent. The allies and weapons could be destroyed, and you’d left with few outs and no solid way to finish a match. Many players have either seen or played against these decks. They are fun, but they ultimately provide as much frustration as they do joy, so they end up on the shelf.
Enter the Winter Veil
It seems like the holiday release contains a bomb. One of the ten cards that we are going to see provides a strong win condition. The Internet is buzzing with the possibility of playing with the new finisher, The Abominable Greench. The Greench has a cost of 9, which is no problem for the Tankadin. If you can make it into very late turns, can protect allies from harmful abilities, and can recur allies with cards like Chasing A-Me 01 and Redemption, then dropping a 9-cost ally with nice stats and a controlling effect that tops most other effects can be a really nice finish.
Check out this Paladin list that might make a splash at the World Championship in November. It packs some of the biggest allies and combines all the important aspects of a tank as it attempts to finish the game with two huge 9-drops.
Hero: Nathadan
Allies
1 The Abominable Greench
1 Lor’themar Theron
1 Chen Stormstout
1 Tewa Wildmane
1 Vorden the Shadowbringer
2 Ophelia Barrows
2 Guardian Steppestrider
4 One-Thousand-Battles
4 Guardian Steelhorn
Abilities
4 Blessing of Wisdom
2 Redemption
3 Lay on Hands
2 Consecration
4 Holy Shield
4 Hammer of Justice
2 Blessing of Freedom
3 Avenger’s Shield
Equipment
4 Hellreaver
Quests
4 Counterattack!
4 Gahz’ridian
4 Chasing A-Me 01
3 Solanian’s Belongings
Side Deck
1 King Mukla
1 Vorden the Shadowbringer
2 Guardian Steppestrider
2 Ophelia Barrows
1 Lay on Hands
1 Redemption
2 Consecration
This deck needs considerable playtesting, but I have given it some trial runs and found that you typically make it to the very latest turns and have the time and support to drop the allies that you want. There are a couple of paths that will earn you the win, including the Greench finish. You have access to a ton of outstanding abilities, a really tough weapon, and top quests, and you can basically sit back and control the game until you are ready to clear the field and drop your huge end-game personalities. I could imagine running [Mt. Hyjal] in this deck, and also Lay on Hands. After skipping a turn, the big boys come down and finish the game.
Controlling Allies
One-Thousand-Battles
Vorden the Shadowbringer
Lor’themar Theron
The Abominable Greench
Chen Stormstout
This lineup makes the Tankadin. When paired with classic protectors and the array of controlling abilities, these five guys are really tough. They support the deck and give you a shot at controlling everything from attacks, to card drawing, to board advantage, to abilities. I consider the red guys from the list among the best reasons that a true Horde fanatic does not jump ship in favor of the Alliance control package of King Magni Bronzebeard and The Missing Diplomat. I do acknowledge that many of the new allies do not cling to a faction, though, and really open the possibilities of deck design to both factions. Testing will tell if this deck is best packaged out of Horde or the Alliance. While Horde does not have search, it does seem to have some of the best protectors, and also Blood Elves, which give you access to recurring abilities.
No doubt there will continue to be debate about the power of this type of build. I think the big tank decks, with access to huge allies, weapons, healing, and other key abilities, will be among the most effective in the format. I really look forward to playing with cards like Greench and just about every 9-drop. Big dudes are cool, and they are the perfect closers for those seeking stylish win conditions and a chance to sport truly powerful stats and abilities.
If you are worried about this type of deck ruining the game, you need only to read through your favorite forgotten cards for excellent, non-targeted removal like Unwelcome Visitor or characters like Vorden. Someone even mentioned that you could deck a player that uses Greench by laying Jin’do’s Bag of Whammies. When you attempt to draw until your hand is full (assuming that your hand isn’t at its maximum size), then your Greench-toting opponent draws a card. At that point, you would need to fill your hand and would continue seeking another card. The Greench would require its owner to keep drawing and eventually would result in the feared deck-out.
Have fun with your own versions of the tank and get ready to roll them into the World Championship. Keep the excellent ideas, suggestions, and comments coming.