My Best Edwin Vancleef Win So Far (8/8 on Turn 2!)

Well, I'm back to Rank 20 after the August reset...  But, the good news was I started off the month with a great first hand on my first match up. A little while back I started off a match with a 6/6 Edwin VanCleef that wound up winning me the match. However, in my latest match up against a Warlock I pulled off any even better Turn 2.

After replacing 3 of my starting cards, I ended up with Eviscerate & Preparation. Not to mention I had "The Coin", which allows the Turn 2 Edwin VanCleef play to even be possible. Starting the match, my opponent passed on his first turn so I ended up just using the eviscerate on his Hero. If he would have played a Minion on Turn 1 I would have been able to use Backstab.

Turn 2: Being that I couldn't use backstab, I settled for the three card combo instead. Playing Preparation + Eviscerate + The Coin + Edwin Vancleef, set me up in a great position to start the matchup. By playing this three card combination I was able to summon an 8/8 Edwin VanCleef on only turn 2! Withing a few seconds of playing this card, my opponent conceded. Honestly if I was playing against this combination, I would find it extremely difficult to come back.

Recap: It would take either 3-4 cards, Silence or an extra two or three turns just to deal with this card. Wasted cards and wasted turns usually result in a loss later in the game. In addition, normally Warlock decks do not use any minions or spells that can Silence, especially this early on in the game.

There is always the Ironbeak Owl, which only costs 2 Mana, but I rarely see this card used by other Warlocks. The reason for this is that this is really a defensive type card and most Warlocks I've played against mainly use low cost Minions that focus on offense.

While this happened to work out for me in this particular match-up, this Rogue play is extremely risky. If your opponent can deal with this card early on, you are at an immediate disadvantage. Here are a few things to be aware of when using spell combos to play Edwin VanCleef early in the match.

#1. You are at a card disadvantage: You are essentially playing 4 separate cards to create one extremely powerful one. (As a Rogue you always want to have more cards than your opponent. The only time you should have fewer cards is when you are finishing off your opponent)

#2. Counters: While it needs to be the right card, your opponent only needs a single card to deal with Edwin VanCleef. Just to list a few, these counters include Silence, Shadow Word Spells, Hex, Polymorph, Spellbreaker, Sap, Ironbeak Owl, Mass Dispel and any cards that can destroy a single minion (regardless of Attack & Health).

#3. Opponent's Deck: While there are counters to this card you can sometimes tell if your opponent will have a counter to this early push or not. However, when using EdwinVanCleef this early on, most opponent's have not played a card yet. Therefore, it is can be extremely difficult to tell what kind of deck you will be facing. Depending on the Class you are facing, it can sometimes be better to wait for your opponent to show his/her hand before playing Edwin VanCleef.

In conclusion, this is a Very High Risk/Reward play! If you like playing conservatively this may not be the choice for you, but if you enjoy the risky plays try this one out.

If you have any experience using or playing against the Edwin VanCleef Legendary card. Please share in the comments below!

The Ultimate Edwin VanCleef (2 Turn) Combo

One of my favorite things about my Rogue deck is the Legendary card Edwin VanCleef. For those who don't know, for each card that is played earlier in the turn, Edwin VanCleef gains an extra +2 Attack/ +2 Health! With this Combo bonus, it is possible to create a 20+ Attack/ 20+ Defense Minion during a match. Especially when the majority of Rogue spells cost only 2 Mana or less, this card can be a threat on almost every single turn.

While it is possible to create a ridiculously powerful Minion with any spell based Rogue deck from turns 5 and on, I've found the most success when using Edwin VanCleef in the first few turns of a match. If I ever start a match with Edwin VanCleef or the "The Coin" I immediately throw any cards with a Mana Cost of 2 or more back into my deck. The goal is to get cards like Backstab (0), Preparation (0) & Deadly Poison (1) which cost little to no Mana. I can then combo these cards in a single turn while still having enough Mana to play Edwin VanCleef.

Here is an example of a match that I just recently played where I started with Edwin VanCleef & "The Coin" in my hand:

Turn 1: My opponent started the match by playing Leper Gnome. This card is played in the majority of Low Mana Cost aggressive decks. Normally I would use Backstab this turn or use "The Coin" and attack him with my Hero directly. However, knowing I had Edwin VanCleef I had to save both cards for next turn.

Turn 2: I took 2 damage from Leper Gnome, and then my opponent played Knife Juggler. Instead of wasting Backstab on the Leper Gnome I was able to efficiently use it on his (2 Mana Cost card) 3/2 Knife Juggler. Not only that, but it also gave me an extra combo towards Edwin VanCleef. I then used "The Coin" which gave me the 3 Mana I needed to summon a 6/6 Edwin VanCleef!

Turn 3:  By only the third turn of the match I had already had a 6/6 Minion on the board. Unfortunately for my opponent, I don't think that there are many cards 3-4 Mana Cost Cards that can destroy a 6/6 Minion (Especially for a Paladin with an Aggressive deck). He would have had to play a few more turns to play a more powerful card.

However, by this time I would have damaged his hero to below 20HP, plus I would have had board control. It would have been very difficult to come back and win at that point.

Recap: Edwin VanCleef can be used in many different situations. By using combo spells you can usually clear out all enemy minions and then play a X+/X+ of your own. It can really completely change the pace of a match. 

If you have one or two additional Minions on the board before unleashing a combo of this type you are almost always guaranteed a win. This card brings another element of surprise to the Rogue deck and that is why it is one of my favorite cards. Quickly win in the early game or create an extremely powerful Minion in the mid to late game. This card can fit into any kind of Rogue style of play.

If you have any stories or strategies of your own related to Edwin VanCleef please share in the comments below!

Winning (19 Total Damage) Combo In Arena

This post is meant to show just a small sample of what Rogues can do when combos are used effectively.

Quick Recap: I only had a 2/3 minion creature out on the field and my opponent had a 7/7 and a 3/2. I was down to 11 Health and my opponent still had 19 Health left.

Luckily, from the picture you can see I had 4 cards left and it was my turn. By playing Arcane Golem I was able to activate the combo mechanic on the 3 cards in my hand. With the combo activated, 2x Cold Blood = 8 extra attack for Arcane Golem on this turn and 1x Eviscerate = 4 extra damage.

Being that Arcane Golem had charge, I was able to use those 4 cards to do a total of 16 damage that my opponent did not expect. In addition, I used my Hero Power for 1 damage and my 2/3 creature for 2 damage for a total of 19 damage on one turn!

Most classes cannot chain together multiple cards on one turn and deal large amounts of damage at once. Therefore, most opponents may think they have the advantage in this situation having board control and being up by 8 HP (Rightfully so). However, Rogues have the capability of winning a match instantly, especially when there are still a lot of cards in his/her hand.

Although I have never done this myself, I have seen Rogues on the verge of losing put together an 8 card 30+ damage combo. Hopefully, I'll be able to do this one day!