Highlander Paladin deck list guide – Scholomance Academy – Hearthstone (August 2020)
Our guide to playing Highlander/Finley Paladin in the Scholomance Academy meta.
Our Highlander Paladin deck list guide features the best deck list for Season 77 of Hearthstone (August 2020). You can also find some general strategy advice and a breakdown of the deck’s key combos, but we will continue to add more for Highlander Paladin over time.
Highlander Paladin is a deck built around Sir Finley of the Sands. His Battlecry reads ‘If your deck has no duplicates, Discover an upgraded Hero Power’. Given that Genn Greymane and Baku the Mooneater were unceremoniously dumped from Standard format due to their extremely polarising nature, it’s surprising to see another upgraded Hero Power mechanic being added into the game once again.
This time, the deck restriction is different, and more difficult to accommodate than simply filling your deck with odd and even cards. There is a lot less consistency both with drawing the cards you need and with regards to Discovering the correct Hero Power. You can’t build your deck around getting Paladin’s upgraded Hero Power that summons two Silver Hand Recruits. Instead, Sir Finley of the Sands needs to be drawn and played early on, as it offers a valuable effect for the rest of the game much in the same manner as Prince Keleseth did in the days of the Frozen Throne.
You’re not completely reliant on Sir Finley though! Plenty more powerful synergies exist in Highlander Paladin, from Dragonqueen Alexstrasza to Zephrys the Great. We’ve put in some new cards from Scholomance Academy along with a little bit of a Libram package too, so you have many plans to choose from.
Highlander Paladin deck list and strategy
Here is the version of Highlander Paladin we prefer at this point in Scholomance Academy. Expect further refinements with card reveals and meta shifts, and we’ll be sure to update this page as and when they happen.
| Paladin | Neutral |
|---|---|
| 1 x Aldor Attendant | 1 x Sphere of Sapience |
| 1 x Wave of Apathy | 1 x Bloodmage Thalnos |
| 1 x Hand of A’dal | 1 x Loot Hoarder |
| 1 x Libram of Wisdom | 1 x Wild Pyromancer |
| 1 x Murgur Murgurgle | 1 x Zephrys the Great |
| 1 x Shotbot | 1 x Teron Gorefiend |
| 1 x Sir Finley of the Sands | 1 x Crimson Hothead |
| 1 x Aldor Peacekeeper | 1 x Vectus |
| 1 x Lord Barov | 1 x Siamat |
| 1 x Consecration | 1 x Dragonqueen Alexstrasza |
| 1 x Hammer of Wrath | |
| 1 x Truesilver Champion | |
| 1 x Aldor Truthseeker | |
| 1 x Amber Watcher | |
| 1 x Libram of Justive | |
| 1 x Devout Pupil | |
| 1 x Lady Liadrin | |
| 1 x Tirion Fordring | |
| 1 x Turalyon, the Tenured | |
| 1 x Libram of Hope |
Select and copy the long ID string below, then create a deck in Hearthstone to export this deck into your game.
Deck Import ID: AAECAZ8FHgAAAAAAAAD6AfsB3APtBc8G+gb2B48Jg6ED/KMDhKcDiK4DkbEDjbYDyrgD/LgD/bgD6rkD67kD7LkD1LoDhMEDysEDAAA=
More great Paladin guides:
- 1. Best Budget Decks – Hearthstone: Best Budget Decks for Ashes of Outland
- 2. Tier List – Hearthstone deck tier list (Ashes of Outland)
- 3. Pure Paladin – Pure Paladin deck list guide (Ashes of Outland)
- 4. Mech Paladin – Mech Paladin deck list guide (Ashes of Outland)
- 5. Murloc Paladin – Murloc Paladin deck list guide (Ashes of Outland)
- 6. Highlander Paladin – Highlander Paladin deck list guide (Ashes of Outland)
- 7. Quest Paladin – Quest Paladin deck list guide (Ashes of Outland)
General strategy
Your plan is to beat out the opponent through the tempo offered by your secrets and the value brought by Sir Finley of the Sands’ Hero Power upgrade. That’s what the deck restriction is all about, after all. When discovering the upgraded Hero Powers, think through which of the 3 offered will give you the best chance of winning, and adjust your plans accordingly.
Early Game: Look for Sir Finley. Drawing him early will drastically increase your chances of victory, so don’t hesitate to hard mulligan for him or a card that can draw him. Aside from this, it’s important to make sure you can actually stay in the game in the event that you don’t draw Finley early. For the moment, get your smaller minions down. Murgur Murgurgle and Shotbot are great early drops, and Hand of A’dal can help you trade extremely positively. You have all kinds of stall techniques too – Wave of Apathy and Lord Barov can reduce damage you take as well as give you better trading options.
Pick your Hero Power upgrade wisely. Facing aggressive opponents, it’s probably ideal to stick to something defensive, unless you think you can outrace them. Against control, they probably have enough to outlast you, so go for a more aggressive Hero Power. This is very matchup-dependent, but this flexibility is great for the deck’s viability.
Mid Game: If by now you have your upgraded Hero Power, then keep pressing that button. Regardless of this though, you’ve got to keep getting strong minions in play. Play Aldor Truthseeker and Aldor Attendant to reduce the cost of the Lubram of Wisdom, Libram of Justice, and Libram of Hope for the future, and continue challenging the board. You have a lot of low-cost minions to put out there, as well as Sphere of Sapience which is massively powerful for getting much stronger draws as it lets you put unwanted cards at the bottom of your deck.
Depending on your Hero Power, you might be on course for an early win, but if not then keep playing proactively, forcing your opponent to answer. Teron Gorefiend is a decent shout if you have Deathrattles on board like Bloodmage Thalnos or Loot Hoarder, as he’ll trigger them and resummon the minions after he dies.
Late Game: Getting into the late game? No problem. Sir Finley has a whole lot of ideas on lasting longer, including the Warrior and Druid upgraded Hero Powers. Dragonqueen Alexstrasza can give you an immediate threat on board as well, offering you some big Dragons costing only 1 mana.
You also have Siamat, who’ll get you some nice easy minion damage whilst still posing a threat, as well as Tirion Fordring‘s constant scary presence. Vectus is also able to repeat Deathrattles, including Tirion’s, potentially giving you even more weapon damage.
Highlander Paladin Mulligan Guide
Sir Finley is king, as we know. Plan your mulligan accordingly.
1. Sir Finley of the Sands is the heart of this deck, so please don’t bin this card by mistake.
2. Zephrys the Great is worth keeping here too. He gains the ‘perfect card’, and this can save you from defeat or secure a win if you play it well. Check out our Zephrys the Great guide for more help on what to expect from him.
3. Early minions like Aldor Attendant, Murgur Murgurgle, or Shotbot are well worth keeping, as they challenge the board and give you a chance to survive against aggro.
Highlander Paladin tips, combos and synergies
Highlander Paladin is quite a straightforward deck to play, but keep an eye out for the following synergies and situations:
– You have a lot of AOE damage in this deck, so don’t worry about using some on wide boards. Lord Barov, Consecration, Wild Pyromancer, and Zephrys the Great can all clear enemies off.
– You can also remove single targets efficiently. Turalyon, the Tenured, Libram of Justice, and Siamat are just some examples of your ability to take out large foes with ease.
– Like all Highlander decks, you’ll struggle against Bomb Warrior or Albatross Priest. When multiple copies of the same card are shuffled into your deck, the Battlecry of Sir Finley does not trigger. It’s less of a major issue in this deck than others though, as given how cheap Finley is as a minion, it’s easier to play him early in the game before a horde of Albatross flood your deck and scupper your plans.
– Zephrys the Great is as his name suggests. He will give you the perfect card based on your board, hand and mana situation. Check out our Zephrys the Great guide for more information.
– Always look for lethal damage – you’ve often got ways to make it happen from hand. Truesilver Champion, Consecration, and even Libram of Justice can all find you lethal, amongst others.
– Be flexible! You’ll have 3 upgraded Hero Powers to choose from when you play Sir Finley of the Sands, so adjust your game plan accordingly. If the opponent is aggressive, it might be best to pick Tank Up and take the face damage until you draw your board clears. If the future is uncertain, then Druid’s upgraded hero power is a very versatile one.
– If you’re feeling saucy, you can add in Nozdormu the Timeless to this deck. He’s a 4 mana 8/8, but remember: it boosts both players’ mana to 10. Your opponent will benefit from this first, but it’s worth it if you have a big play in mind for the following turn like Dragonqueen Alexstrasza.
