Spiteful Druid deck list guide - Rastakhan - Hearthstone (January 2019)
The latest deck list is now highlighted in our massively expanded guide!
Spiteful Druid is not a new archetype for the hero but it's threatening a return in Rastakhan's Rumble. Casting Spiteful Summoner reveals a spell from your deck, and then grants you a random minion that costs the same as that spell. Ultimate Infestation is the only possible target in this context, and so you're guaranteed a meaty ten Mana drop.
Along the way you'll field a pretty fast board presence, while also increasing your future Mana reserves through cards like Greedy Sprite. Although it's extremely early days, the deck is starting to see some play in the new expansion. It's a long way from proving itself as a competitive force, however.
In this article we highlight the most competitive version of Spiteful Druid that you can play right now, and also provide strategy advice on how to pilot it. After that we've got a Mulligan section, gameplay video of the deck in action and a teardown of all the combos contained in this particular list. Finally, we've wrapped things up by highlighting some of the key cards in the deck, so you use them as a jumping off point for your own creations!
We'll be updating this guide regularly, so check back soon for another post-launch update.
UPDATE - JANUARY #1
No one should make the mistake of thinking this is a top tier deck in the current Hearthstone meta, but if you're determined to make it work then we thought it was time to overhaul our guide. You'll find the latest deck list and updated strategy advice throughout this article.
Spiteful Druid deck list and strategy
Here's the Spiteful Druid deck that's proving the most competitive at this current stage of the Rastakhan's Rumble meta. We'll be updating this one continually in the coming weeks and months ahead so check back soon for another update.
Druid | Neutral |
---|---|
1 x Crypt Lord | 2 x Fire Fly |
2 x Druid of the Scythe | 2 x Glacial Shard |
2 x Greedy Sprite | 1 x Prince Keleseth |
1 x Wardruid Loti | 1 x Gluttonous Ooze |
1 x Flobbidinous Floop | 1 x Mind Control Tech |
1 x Malfurion the Pestilent | 2 x Tar Creeper |
2 x Ultimate Infestation | 2 x Vicious Fledgling |
1 x Spellbreaker | |
1 x Cobalt Scalebane | |
2 x Fungalmancer | |
1 x Leeroy Jenkins | |
1 x Nerubian Unraveler | |
2 x Spiteful Summoner | |
1 x Grand Archivist |
Select and copy the long ID string below, then create a deck in Hearthstone to export this deck into your game.
Deck Import ID: AAECAZICDK8E3gXyBdPFAsrLAqfOApHQAq7SApnTApziAtDnAvX8AgmXwQKfwgLrwgLKwwKHzgLR4QL55gLX6wKL7gIA
General strategy
Like its Priest counterpart, Spiteful Druid has done very well out of the most recent rotation. The only spell it runs is Ultimate Infestation, and so you're guaranteed to pull a ten Mana minion from Spiteful Summoner. With a lot of the less desirable ten-cost cards getting cycled out of Standard play, you get a lot more value out of the combo.
You have to get to Turn 6 - or sooner if you've ramped up your Mana reserves - in order to field Spiteful Summoner onto the board though, and so the name of the game is control until the mid-game rolls around. From there, you should be able to put up an offensive fight that quickly overwhelms the opponent.
Here's how the classic three stages of your Spiteful Druid match look:
Early-game: Quite simply, if the opportunity to play Prince Keleseth presents itself, you take it. Once fielded, the Prince ensures that any minions you draw into subsequently have +1 / +1 stats. Otherwise look to use cards like Greedy Sprite to generate an extra Mana Crystal.
Mid-game: At this point you hope to start fattening up your board by making use of cards like Fungalmancer. As you move from the mid to the late-game, you've hopefully drawn into a Spiteful Summoner play (and hopefully not both Ultimate Infestation spells...)
Late game: If you haven't already taken charge of the proceedings then you have a lot of power to last the late-game. Grand Archivist has further positive synergy with Ultimate Infestation, while Malfurion the Pestilent provides stupendously stubborn tools to help you outlast your opponent.
Aggro Opponents
Here are some specific tips for dealing with aggro-focused opponents on the new Standard ladder. We'll update this section - and the one below - as we gain more experience with piloting this deck.
- 1. In both types of match-up you need to control the board, but this advice goes double when you're up against fast decks.
- 2. Taunts are your friend here, and you should do everything you can to protect them. Use other cards, use your Hero Power, and do whatever it takes to keep them in the fight and frustrating the opponent for as long as possible.
- 3. The longer the match goes on, the better your odds of winning are. Getting a pair of 1 / 5 Taunts through Malfurion the Pestilent, for example, can quickly provide you with a major advantage.
Control opponents
Next, here are some thoughts on how to play Spiteful Druid when you're up against somewhat slower, control-orientated players:
- 1. The usual advice applies here. Go faster, and get over the finishing line a lot more quickly than you typically would. While you're a relatively slow deck, you're not pure control and will find it harder to keep up in the late-game.
- 2. If you're not already running a deck tracker that follows your opponent's plays throughout the match, consider getting one. Being able to see how many of their typical hard removal options have been used up can make a big difference to your decisions about either trading, or just hitting the other player in the face.
More great Druid guides:
- 1. Best Budget Decks - Hearthstone: Best Budget Decks for Ashes of Outland
- 2. Tier List - Hearthstone deck tier list (Ashes of Outland)
- 3. Embiggen Druid - Embiggen Druid deck list guide (Ashes of Outland)
- 4. Token Druid - Token Druid deck list guide (Ashes of Outland)
- 5. Treant Druid - Treant Druid deck list guide (Ashes of Outland)
- 6. Quest Druid - Quest Druid deck list guide (Ashes of Outland)
Spiteful Druid Mulligan guide
There are some keeps that are proving useful across many match-ups, and so we wanted to highlight them here. We've also got a little bit of insight into why you're looking for each one as well, which should help you build a solid approach to handling the early-game.
- 1. Prince Keleseth: If you played any Tempo Rogue in the last meta, you'll know exactly why we're singling this one out. Get this on the board on Turn 2 - or Turn 1 with The Coin - and your win-rate shoots up. The value is insane!
- 2. Fire Fly: A really useful early-game presence that regenerates a version of itself - sort of - to boot. It's hard to go wrong with this kind of early play.
- 3. Greedy Sprite: The faster you can get hold of your bonus Mana Crystal in the match, the more benefit you'll gain from it across the entirety of the encounter.
- 4. Vicious Fledgling: If the opponent can't counter this minion quickly then it can quickly get out of hand.
Those four cards - in order - are pretty much your priority targets for the best possible start as Spiteful Druid. Tar Creeper has further value - particularly in aggro match-ups - but is a less desirable target than the other four. Go all in to find them.
Spiteful Druid tips and card combos
Here are all of the biggest combos that exist in this exact version of Spiteful Druid. When the deck list changes, we'll update this section of our guide:
- Once played, Prince Keleseth will give every card left in your deck pile an extra +1 / +1 of stats. Note this doesn't affect the cards in your hand, and you should always plan to play this card as early on in the game as possible.
- When Greedy Sprite dies you'll be granted an extra Mana Crystal for the remainder of the match. The earlier you can get this one off the better!
- Put Gluttonous Ooze onto the board and the weapon your opponent is holding will evaporate. You'll also receive Armor equal to the Attack value of the weapon.
- Once Crypt Lord is in play, each subsequently summoned minion will grant it an extra point of Health.
- If your opponent has four or more minions on the board, Mind Control Tech will choose one at random and pull it over to your side of the board.
- Fungalmancer provides a permanent stat boost to the minions either side of where he lands, so set up your board positioning to take best advantage of this powerful support card.
- At the end of each turn Cobalt Scalebane will choose a friendly minion at random and give it +4 Attack. Note that the Scalebane cannot buff itself in this way.
- Signature card Spiteful Summoner reveals a spell from your deck, then summons a random minion that costs the same as that spell. With Ultimate Infestation being the only spell in this context, you'll get a ten Mana minion. Consider how this synergises with new card Flobbidinous Floop.
- Hit End Turn and your Grand Archivist will cast Ultimate Infestation - assuming there's a copy left in your deck, that is.
- Each time Vicious Fledgling hits the opponent's face it'll go through the Adapt process. You'll get to choose one of three buffs selected at random from the following pool (the dream is to get Windfury first so you can put it through the Adapt process again on the same turn):
Adapt Name | Effect |
---|---|
Crackling Shield | Divine Shield |
Flaming Claws | +3 Attack |
Liquid Membrane | Can't be targeted by spells or Hero Powers |
Lightning Speed | Windfury |
Living Spores | Deathrattle: Summon two 1/1 Plants |
Massive | Taunt |
Poison Spit | Poisonous |
Rocky Carapace | +3 Health |
Shrouding Mist | Stealth until your next turn |
Volcanic Might | +1 / +1 stats |
Spiteful Druid Card Choices and Substitutes
The following cards are considered the backbone of the Spiteful Druid deck and will feature in just about every version of the archetype. If you want to start experimenting with your own take on the format, make sure you make room for these:
Prince of Keleseth: The undisputed king of value in Hearthstone right now. While it's not technically required that you include this Legendary in your Spiteful Druid deck, it's a huge loss of power not to, and not something that can be replicated through cheaper means.
Spiteful Summoner: It's not called Spiteful Druid for nothing! When this card is played, a spell is revealed, summoning a mininon that costs the same. Big spells equal big minions. Simple.
Ultimate Infestation: By including Ultimate Infestation - and only that spell - in your deck, you're guaranteed to get a ten-Mana minion out of Spiteful Summoner. Unless you've already drawn both spells, which happens, and is very sad when it does.
Grand Archivist: Another big spell interaction. At the end of your turn, he'll cast a spell from your deck and...you get the idea. Just be aware that he might randomly send those five points of Ultimate Infestation damage into your face or another friendly minion.
Malfurion the Pestilent: Provides a lot of late-game staying power thanks to a flexible new Hero Power and the ability to summon one of two problematic minions to suit the encounter at hand.
Primordial Drake: Not really a signature card as such, but it's extremely common to include this card as it provides an annoying body on the board and a Battlecry that's potentially devastating for the opponent.