Maiev Shadowsong Unbound

Roles

Build Cycle

2

3

3

3

Shortest Cycle

11

3

4

6

Playable Anywhere

Summary
This deck build centers around using Unbound units to ignore lanes altogether and quickly burn down towers and bosses, while simultaneously lowering Maiev Shadowsong's Gold cost.

The deck excels in maps with long or difficult lane pushes, such as the Vilebranch Hexx Campaign. However, it also requires knowing when to place your unbound minis far from your tower as the playstyle often leaves your base unguarded.

Roles and Talents
For every Unbound unit you place, Maiev Shadowsong's Gold cost is reduced by 1 Gold. This means she's best placed near the tower or boss when her Gold cost is 3 or less. It's even possible to place her at just 1 Gold cost if you place enough Unbound units!

Worgen serves as your main burst mini, dealing very high damage when it first attacks out of stealth. While strong, this mini isn't particularly tanky so it's best placed once the Quilboar or Earth Elemental has already drawn the tower or boss' attention.

Quilboar is your default Unbound unit thanks to its low cost and ability to fill multiple roles in your team, such as grabbing chests or distracting towers or bosses.

The Earth Elemental is your main siege unit and is preferably placed on the tower or boss to start the push. It has enough HP to tank and solo towers but will require Ranged support when opposing minis start pushing through the lane.

The Stonehoof Tauren is your only non-Unbound unit and is arguably your strongest melee unit thanks to its charge attack dealing high damage. It's best placed on your starting base, serving as a backup tank to defend lanes from incoming enemies.

Maiev's Enveloping Shadows grants Stealth to your friendly minis, and synergizes well with Worgen since it gives that mini another Ambush attack boosted by Premeditation.

Tunnel Vision grants faster deployment for Quilboar, while Obsidian Shard allows the Earth Elemental one last push to burn down the tower or boss by splitting into two weaker minis when it dies.

Ranged Minis
The S.A.F.E. Pilot is this deck's only Ranged unit and functions as a Spell when first placed. She's best deployed to clear weak squads, with her initial crashing attack strong enough to kill the likes of Harpies, Whelp Eggs, and Defias Bandits.

Since she's the only Ranged unit in your deck, you'll also want to deploy her near the base if you see a flying enemy pushing toward your tower.

Gnomish Cloaking Device addresses the S.A.F.E. Pilot's prevents her from being immediately killed after landing, giving her time to move around the lane or launch a surprise attack against a Flying mini.

Flying Minis
Whelp Eggs are your only Flying Mini and are placed strategically in lanes to defend your tower. They can easily overpower tanky melee units, who will often prioritize attacking their eggs over your tower.

Flame Burst grants the Whelp Eggs an AEO attack once they hatch, which can help burn down hordes of enemies approaching your tower.

How to Play

Place Unbounds Near Towers and Bosses
The main strategy of this deck is quickly deploying Unbound minis near towers and bosses to quickly burn them down. Start by placing the Earth Elemental near a tower or boss to distract it, then place the Worgen to deal burst damage with its Ambush attack.

The Quilboar can fill multiple roles in the team, either as a secondary tank or your primary treasure taker. Meanwhile, the Stonehoof Tauren functions as your backup tank that you'll need to place on your main tower to protect it from any attackers.

Place Maiev in a Group of Minis
Once you've reduced Maiev Shadowsong's Gold cost to 3 Gold or less, you should place her in your group of advancing minis to Stealth them.

This can help make burning down the tower or boss faster, especially when she re-stealths a Worgen who will use its Premeditation-boosted Ambush attack to deal high damage to the target.

Explain build cycle and general strategy of the deck build.