INTRODUCTION
The Druid class has never really gotten to the lower ranks when it comes to overall playability and strength in serious play. From Ramp to Watcher to Token Druid deck variants, there are a lot of ways to strike down the enemy. So, with the most famous Druid deck being Ramp (who doesn't like to surprise opponents with turn 4 or turn 5 Legendary dragons?), redditor cogoga thought that it would be okay to tweak the deck a bit in order to deal with the current meta. So, he decided to combine the mana-ramp abilities of that deck with the surprise factor of the Watcher druid deck.
The staple or core parts of the deck are composed of 25 cards which can be grouped into three categories:
Druid Staples:
2x Wrath
2x Sunfury Protector
2x Swipe
2x Keeper of the Grove
2x Druid of the Claw
2x Ancient of Lore
Ramp Staples:
2x Mark of the Wild
2x Wild Growth
Finisher (for example, Ragnaros)
Watcher/Mid Range Staples:
2x Ancient Watcher
Savage Roar
Force of Nature
Cairne Bloodhoof
Black Knight
Moreover, cogoga examined three scenarios when it comes to mulligan. The first one involves having no Innervate in your opening hand, which mean that you have to mulligan for the "classic" Druid early game crds such as Innervate, Keeper of the Grove, Swipe, and Wrath. If you do get an Innervate or two in your hand, it would ideally be best to mulligan for bigger minions such as Chillwind Yeti and Druid of the Claw. Finally, if you have two copies of Ancient Watcher in your opening, you should replace one of them to possibly get an activator (to silence the Watcher or give it taunt) such as Keeper of the Grove and Sunfury Protector.
STRATEGY AND GAMEPLAY
Almost Half of the Cards Cost Two Mana Each
Now, it might seem that the mana curve is unbalanced, especially with the number of cards that cost two mana. But fear not, cogoga believes that these cards won't burden you and will instead prove to be flexible throughout the first few turns (such as Ancient Watcher taunted by a Sunfury Protector) and even through the mid-game (for example, you can use your hero power on turn four while playing a two-mana cost card).
So, how can this be classified as a mid-range deck if almost half of the cards cost two mana each? Well, the answer is that these cards will allow you to get to your "mid-range" earlier, or allow your earlier plays to reach "mid-range" status by buffing Ancient Watcher, Sunfury Protector, and Keeper of the Grove. This could either make your opponent dispose of his removal spells early, or it could lead you into some tempo advantage.
Going for Mid-Range Status
Unlike the traditional Ramp Druid decks which aim to get big in the super-late game period, the Ramp Watcher Druid deck by cogoga aims to accelerate into mid-range status as fast as possible through the use of Innervate, Wild Growth, and Mark of the Wild . This allows for a dominant board presence early on.
Moving on, Ancient Watcher is a really formidable card that largely helps in developing board control. This is the reason why there are six staple activators in the deck (Keeper of the Grove, Sunfury Protector, and Mark of the Wild).
Druid Burst Damage
And of course, Druid decks are famous for their Force of Nature + Savage Roar combo which gives a bit of burst damage potential to deal with Handlock. Additionally, it can wipe out the opponent's side of the board immediately to regain tempo.
The Five Flex Cards
Since there are 25 staple cards, there are five slots which can be filled by different cards that can be used to adapt to the situation. Here are the flex cards:
1. Defender of Argus: Cogoga states that this is believed by many to be the best neutral card out there, and I would agree at some point. Not only are they additional activators for Ancient Watchers, they also buff your minions and add defense and offensive power.
2. Chillwind Yeti: This is the card hated by the Priest class as no Shadow Word can get rid of this. Every mid-range player would not mind having a couple of these in their decks, but the reason why Chillwind isn't a staple card is because there are other cards that can adapt better to the changing meta. After all, it is a vanilla card.
3. Sen'jin Shieldmasta: Ah, the great 3/5 with taunt that only costs four mana. It's great to use against Hunters, Zoo, and Murloc Decks.
4. Stampeding Kodo: This is another great neutral card. It is another card to fight back against Zoo and Hunter, and using Innervate to drop this early provides good tempo.
5. Gadgetzan Auctioneer: If you think that the deck is slow on card draw or you are against Miracle decks that also capitalize on card advantage, this is the answer.
6. Faceless Manipulator: While totally dependent on the minions on board, it's a fun minion that can ultimately finish the game in your favor.
7. Big Game Hunter: This is the answer to sniper Ragnaros and Handlock decks with all those giants. This is okay to add since Druid lacks an answer to bigger threats.
8.
Healing Touch: Great card when against very aggressive decks or those that have burst damage such as Miracle Rogue.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Acidic Swamp Ooze, Bloodmage Thalnos, Wild Pyromancer, Azure Drake, Argent Commander, Cenarius, and Nourish.
RAMP WATCHER VARIANTS:
Anti-Hunter and Zoo
The added flex cards here are two Stampeding Kodos to deal with the early buggers, an Ancient Swamp Ooze against weapons, a Chillwind Yeti, and a Defender of Argus to provide taunts and strengthen the minions. This is very successful in stopping Zoo and Hunters from rushing for the win.
Mid-Range
The mid-range version includes the two classic Chillwind Yetis, a Defender of Argus for buffing and defense, a Faceless Manipulator which can possibly copy a big minion, and a Stampeding Kodo to deal with pesky little minions.
Survival / Anti-Burst
This is the version that isn't tested the most. It was made to deal with burst-damage decks. However, it still won't really handle well against these kind of opponents.
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