Wild Patron Warrior deck list and guide

Wild Patron Warrior is a Hearthstone deck that you'll already be very familiar with if you played much of the game in 2015. So popular - and so powerful - was this deck at one point, that it can count itself amongst the very few archetypes that ended up being directly nerfed by Blizzard at one point. Still, in the brand new Wild format it continues to shine, and our Wild Patron Warrior guide has everything you need to know about getting to grips with it.

As the name suggests, there's one key card that underpins this deck: Grim Patron. Once this duplicating character has been placed onto the board, it's possible to make near endless copies of it by inflicting minor direct and AOE damage against both the original minion and the fresh spawns themselves. From here, your opponent should find themselves in a hopeless situation as they scramble to take control of the board before you've blasted through their health pool.

In our Wild Patron Warrior guide, we've first of all got an outline for you of the best deck list that's currently available. We also go into more detail about how exactly you should go about dominating the board from the very earliest turns. On that subject, we've also provided some crucial Mulligan advice to ensure you kick things off with a solid opening hand. Finally, we've a breakdown of all the most important combos you need to weave together if you're to win matches consistently.

Got any questions about playing this deck? Let us know in the comments below and we'll do our best to help you get on top of things!

Editor's note - Gadgetzan Update: Very little has changed for the Wild Patron Warrior deck list in Gadgetzan. A few of the numbers have been tweaked to make room for a pair of Ravaging Ghouls, but that's about it for the format. Carry on as you were!

(For the Standard version of this deck, make sure you take a look at our Patron Warrior (Standard) deck list and guide)

BREAKING NEWS! - Don't miss our Journey to Un'Goro guide, which contains everything we know about the next expansion for Hearthstone!

Wild Patron Warrior deck list and strategy - Gadgetzan

We think this is the most powerful version of Wild Patron Warrior that's available in the Gadgetzan era - it should help you clatter through the ladder climb in pretty short order.

The early game is all about keeping the opponent's board clear using your weapons and lower Mana cost minions. While you ideally want to use your damage spells to boost up the Grim Patrons in your deck, you should not be afraid to use them to prevent the opponent's board from getting out of control either. You've got lots of damage sources to play with, after all.

The mid-game is where things start to get a little more interesting. While you have many ways of activating your Grim Patrons (see the combo section below for more on this), the Wild version of this deck also includes the likes of Grommash Hellscream and Dr. Boom. These provide alternative late-game damage if things don't quite pan out with your Patron plays.

There are so many variables with this deck that it's hard to provide a one-size-fits-all approach to strategy. In the most part though, you should focus more on survival against aggressive opponents, and more on ending the match faster against control. In this sense the deck owes a little in philosophy to Midrange Hunter, where you switch strategies altogether to suit the opponent you're up against - not to mention the precise shape of each individual match as it unfolds.

More Hearthstone guides:

• The best Standard Hearthstone decks
• The best Wild Hearthstone decks
• Hearthstone: Deck Tier List
• Wild N'Zoth Control Warrior deck list and guide
• Wild Patron Warrior deck list and guide
• Wild Pirate Warrior deck list and guide

Wild Patron Warrior Mulligan guide - Gadgetzan

Don't be too ambitious during the Mulligan phase by looking for your core combo pieces. Instead, value cards like Acolyte of Pain, Armorsmith, Death's Bite, Fiery War Axe, Frothing Berserker and Sir Finley Mrrgglton. You will have time - and the means - to draw heavily through your deck and build the damage potential you need for later on in the game.

Against aggro opponents, place greater emphasis on keeping a weapon and Whirlwind so that you can clear down the early swarm (Ravaging Ghoul is also helpful here). If you're playing against more typically control opponents like Warrior and Druid, you can dig deeper for heavier cards alongside your weapon. If you're feeling a little timid, an Execute can be an excellent keep as well.

Wild Patron Warrior tips, combos and synergies - Gadgetzan

Need to refresh your memory? Here are all of the most important card combos you have at your disposal when you're playing the Wild version of Patron Warrior.

- Here are your activators for Grim Patron's duplicating effect: Blood to Ichor, Inner Rage, Whirlwind, Death's Bite (Deathrattle), Unstable Ghoul and Slam.

- In a similar fashion, those same cards listed above can also be used to bring any enemy minion into the obliteration range of your Execute spell.

- Frothing Berserker is also empowered by the use of those spells, along with any minion damage interactions that occur on the board. Always plan your turns carefully to ensure you extract maximum value from this creature. The beneficial effect of Armorsmith is another card you need to factor into your plans as well.

- Grommash Hellscream is yet another card that benefits from any light damage you can inflict upon it yourself.

- You'll receive a bonus card from Battle Rage for every injured minion out in play, along with your Hero (if you've taken some damage off of your 30 limit). Before casting this powerful spell, consider whether it's worth inflicting some AOE damage against the board using Death's Bite or Whirlwind.

- Again, Acolyte of Pain can be proactively pinged with many of your damage effects to gain extra card-draw for your hand.