Some cards are just begging for someone to make a deck around them. Even if they are not playable, players will try to break them again and again, just because they pretend to be a part of some possible and not-yet-discovered combo. Let's take [Kentro Slade] as an example: I'm sure many thought about making him work properly. His effect is way too cool to let combo-players forget about him, but his operating conditions are so complicated that he has never seen competitive play before. (Honestly it's not true - Stefan Urban played KentroSlade.dec at the World Cup in Paris, but his results were unimpressive, so I'm not sure if this actually counts or not).

Was Kentro really that bad all the time, or maybe he just needed a specific environment to become a viable option? It seems clear that Kentro is not reliable enough to focus the deck around him, but he may perfectly fit a deck that matches a number of certain criteria:


-Runs good allies, able to be real threats on their own and able to force opponent to spend removal on them.


-Runs various good equipment that can be useful enough even without Kentro.


-Runs a master hero that you'll be able to play (at least in theory) without Kentro.


The good thing is that plate class decks in Core (not counting [Grand Crusader]) are focused on good allies and surely have some valuable equipment in it. They have access to the best armor in format ([Etched Dragonbone Girdle]) and plenty of good weapons ([Shalag'doom, the Axe of Unmaking], [Sorrow's End], [Scimitar of Sirocco]). Paladins are also able to use another format-defining card: Devout Aurastone Hammer. The most specific part of this combo, a playable item, was a bit problematic to find until last month. But thanks to Winter Veil Disguise Kit, now we have an item able to win games on its on (with Alarm-O-Bot or [King Genn Greymane]) that also protects [Kentro Slade].

Having all the necessary pieces, we can now set up a deck that is supposed to make this strange rare shine.

As Greymane is not so powerful without a Worgen hero, we can limit our class choice to Warrior versus Death Knight.  And this choice is not going to be problematic: [Vandos, Herald of War] seems to be a must-have card if your deck is sort of equipment-based.

Girdle surely forces us to play [Twilight Citadel], and Disguise Kit becomes even more annoying with Crime Scene Alarm-o-Bot. Add some of the Alliance's best allies and Warrior abilities and we'll get the concept for this deck. Let's try something similar to this:

(As a note, I have not included exact heroes as there are multiple choices. Play which one you believe suits your deck best.)

Master Hero: 1
1 [Deathwing the Destroyer]

Allies: 30
4 [Crime Scene Alarm-o-Bot]
4 [Bronze Warden]
4 [Burly Berta]
4 [Bronze Guardian]
3 [Obsidian Drudge]
4 [Vandas, Herald of War]
3 [Kentro Slade]
4 [King Genn Greymann]


Abilities: 12
4 [Furious Strike]
3 [Shockwave]
3 [Crushing Strike]
2 [Chaotic Rush]

Equipment: 11
3 [Shalag'dooom, the Axe of Unmaking]
4 [Etched Dragonbone Girdle]
4 [Winter Veil Disguise Kit]


Locations: 4
4 [Twilight Citadel]

Quests: 4
4 [Seeds of Their Demise]


As you can see, the deck doesn't seem to depend from Kentro, as it has multiple ways to win without him. Snowman combo and long-time known Citadel+Girdle are both reliable win conditions, while Vandas is really helpful to build both of them. [Crushing Strike] is a potential MVP for Warriors in upcoming metagame as it answers such a huge amount of annoying things including [Miniature Voodoo Mask].


While preparing for Worlds I've spend a lot of time with a different sort of warrior deck: the one based on [Sinestra] and [Burning Rage] for a possible turn 6 kill (faster than other Girdle-decks). Finally I was not confidant enough to choose it for the main tournament of the year (mostly because of the "threats > answers" statement, which is usually true for an unknown metagame), but i still love that idea and enjoy the opportunity to reuse it as a potential space for Kentro Slade.

The best thing here is the possibility to play Deathwing normally, using Sinestra tokens or dogs generated by [Leader of the Pack]. This variation of the deck may look pretty much like the first one, but alongside the Kentro plan it relies on different win conditions.

Master Hero: 1
1 [Deathwing the Destroyer]


Allies: 27
4 [Bronze Warden]
4 [Burly Berta]
3 [Bronze Guardian]
3 [Obsidian Drudge]
4 [Vandas, Herald of War]
3 [Kentro Slade]
3 [Sinestra]
3 [Magni, the Mountain King]


Equipment: 11
3 [Shalag'dooom, the Axe of Unmaking]
4 [Etched Dragonbone Girdle]
3 [Dread Pirate Ring]


Locations: 4
4 [Twilight Citadel]

Quests: 7
4 [Seeds of Their Demise]
3 [Leader of the Pack]


[Dread Pirate Ring] may seem weird, but it actually fits this build more than Disguise Kit. King Genn seems to be much worse without that item, so it's reasonable to exchange him for an additional token generator in [Magni, the Mountain King].

Finding a slot for one (or two) more Deathwing will be fine also, but it's impossible to put everything useful in 60-card first build.


As we mentioned before, Warrior is not the only way to go. Classes able to run [Devout Aurastone Hammer] can provide a completely different environment for Kentro. Patrick Peek at DMF LA showed that midrange Paladin can be competitive, combining the power of both Hammer and Girdle with some unexpected techs (like [Soridormi], who finally found a place to be useful). Maybe some of his wins came from the opponents being unprepared (as Rohashu is usually associated with anything but [Devout Aurastone Hammer]), but this look on a HordeStone archetype is definitely not worse than more common Shaman and Priest builds.

Master Hero: 1
1 [Deathwing the Destroyer]


Allies: 31
4 [Bronze Warden]
4 [Burly Berta]
4 [Tharal Wildbreeze]
2 [Jerrak Krandle]
3 [Obsidian Drudge]
3 [Kentro Slade]
3 [Jessa the Lifebound]
3 [Gnash]
2 [Soridormi]
3 [Amani Dragonhawk]

Abilities: 9
3 [Hammer of the Zealot]
3 [Rightenous Cleanse]
3 [Holy Shock]


Equipment: 11
3 [Dread Pirate Ring]
4 [Devout Aurastone Hammer]
4 [Etched Dragonbone Girdle]


Locations: 4
4 [Twilight Citadel]

Quests: 4
4 [Seeds of Their Demise]


[Dread Pirate Ring] here provides even more allies for [Soridormi]'s effects, while a solid pack of Paladin abilities help to protect the combo and deal with opponent's threats. As usual, Kentro is just a part of the whole team, with Citadel/Girdle and Hammer/Gnash/Dragonwahk ready to substitute him as a "victory backup".

The main disadvantage of Paladin in this case is the impossibility of using a Worgen hero for [King Genn Greymane]. Among the other hammer-classes only two are able to potentially combine the ramp strategy with [Winter Veil Disguise Kit] lock.  And while Druid still doesn't seem to be impressive, blue Priest has all the opportunities to gather everything best (even Edwin, but i prefer to construct without him, at least at local events or Realm Qualifiers you do not need to spend $500 for a play-set to stay competitive) all-in-one.

[Miniature Voodoo Mask] is another valuable addition to Priest's toolbox, giving this class a significant advantage against various HordeStones and [Grand Crusader]s.


Master Hero: 1
1 [Deathwing the Destroyer]

Allies: 32
4 [Crime Scene Alarm-o-Bot]
4 [Burly Berta]
4 [Tharal Wildbreeze]
3 [Jerrak Krandle]
3 [Kentro Slade]
4 [Magni, the Mountain King]
4 [King Genn Greymane]
3 [Gnash]
3 [Amani Dragonhawk]


Abilities: 3
3 [Shadow Word: Death]


Equipment: 16
4 [Miniature Voodoo Mask]
4 [Devout Aurastone Hammer] 
4 [Tattered Dreadmist Mask]
4 [Winter Veil Disguise Kit]


Locations: 4
4 [Fordragon Hold]

Quests: 4
4 [Seeds of Their Demise]


[Tattered Dreadmist Mask] may look weird, but it seems to be the best option among Priest armors, especially if you Hammer got stuck with opponent's Mask. A huge amount of heirloom-Stash cards increases the chance to play King Genn Greymane turn 3 or helps charge Tattered Dreadmist Mask to activate its hidden potential.

-Dmitry