When it comes to climbing the ladder, face decks tend to be all the rage. They’re cheap, quick, and very infuriating for your opponent. It seems like yesterday that Face Hunter was the bane of everyone’s existence. For this guide, let’s spotlight Face Shaman, the new bane of everyone’s existence.
“Face” means bypassing enemy minions and going straight for your opponent. That is the main crux of this deck. Your opponent might have a minion or two on the board, but that doesn’t matter. Go for the face! Damaging spells are part of Shaman’s toolkit, and those can bypass taunt minions for some very potent bursts of damage. Lightning Bolt and Lava Burst are standout examples. If you luck out with the spell damage increasing totem, these can be made even better.
From the beginning, you’re going to want Tunnel Trogg on the board as soon as possible. He’s a one mana, one attack, three health minion that gets +1 attack every time you Overload, which is a balancing act for the powerful spells and minions at your disposal. It won’t surpass 3 or 4 attack most times, but for a one mana minion, that’s insane value.
Cheap minions are mainly what will get you far in this deck. Abusive Sergeant, Totem Golem, Argent Horserider, these are fantastic, early plays.
This deck is not without its bigger minions. Flamewreated Faceless is a four mana, seven attack, seven health, with an Overload cost of two. It’s a huge play on turn three or four, and with cards like Lava Shock that negate the Overload cost, the downsides to playing it are miniscule. Thing From Below is a six mana, five attack, five health with taunt, but gets cheaper for each totem you play. With your hero power summoning totems and four totems within the deck, you’re bound to reduce Thing From Below’s cost in a very effective manner.
Your goal with Face Shaman is to get the match over with in as few turns as possible. You start getting into the 8, 9 and beyond range and your opponent will be able to beef up defenses enough to kill your momentum. Watch out for taunt minions and board clearing spells like Excavated Evil and Brawl.