Despite the previous nerf, the card Shudderwock and Shudderwock decks are becoming increasingly popular in Hearthstone. Was the Shudderwock previously more of a fun deck to annoy opponents with animations, it is now increasingly seen in higher ranks. Is the Shudderwock following the same career path as Zoolock?
Zoolock and Shudderwock Shaman have something in common: They are durable and resilient. Despite nerfs and changes in the meta, the decks survive and are played repeatedly.
This is how Shudderwock Shaman plays: The Shudderwock Shaman is an OTK deck. This means that it aims to defeat the opponent with a combo in a single turn. Since it relies on specific cards for this, it requires a lot of time. Thus, the deck has many control elements to stall the opponent.
The legendary card Shudderwock repeats Battlecries of previously played minions. Thus, the deck fully relies on Battlecries, combined with spells to control the board. Through this combination, the Shudderwock Shaman can handle both fast rush decks and slow control decks.
Zoolock like Shudderwock: Simply can’t be nerfed to death
This is how Zoolock plays: Zoolock fully relies on its hero power, through which it can draw an additional card per turn. The deck consists of many low-cost minions, ensuring that there is always something playable.
The Zoolock wants to control the board at all times, because without board control it loses. In this way, it continuously reduces the opponent’s health points. Some Zoolocks play significantly more aggressively and are more of a rush deck. They ignore opposing minions and attack only the hero.
That’s why Zoolock exists in almost every meta: With each expansion, some decks disappear, making way for new ones. The Zoolock survives every new card set. Because the deck is not built around any specific card, it completely relies on the hero power.
Therefore, it does not bother the Zoolock when cards disappear or get nerfed. There is always a replacement for it. Moreover, the deck is versatile. If the opponent plays a slow deck, the Zoolock reacts aggressively. If the opponent rushes as well, the Warlock plays more defensively and tries to control the board.
Zoolock and Shudderwock Shaman – Durable decks
When the decks were developed, hardly anyone played them except for their creator. They subsisted in the shadows. And yet they did not go extinct. Zoolock and Shudderwock Shaman became increasingly popular over time.
The Zoolock occupied a niche in the meta. Depending on the development of the meta, the Warlock was at times very dominant and sometimes almost disappeared. But it always came back. And the same path is followed by the Shudderwock Shaman, which became more popular after the nerf.
Shudderwock Shaman won’t last forever: Unlike Zoolock, the Shudderwock Shaman will not stay permanently. Sooner or later, when its legendary card rotates out of the active sets, the deck will die.
But until that happens, we will likely encounter the Shaman time and again, depending on how strong the Battlecries of the next expansion are.
Shudderwock is not the only card that has been nerfed recently: Hearthstone: The nerfs are known – Warlock, Rogue, Pala caught in the crossfire
