Starting Hand
With miracle rogue, the general rule of thumb is you want 2 tempo cards (I.E. Sap, Prep, SI:7) and a midrange card (Azure Drake, Pillager). Generally, i will always keep an auctioneer in my starting hand because it can really set you behind if you cant find one by turn 6-8. Against aggro, generally im looking for SI:7, backstab, skulker, and farseer. Against shaman, i will also keep shadowstrike for Thing From Below. Against control im looking for SI, Tomb Pillager, Auctioneer and emperor. I will cover these more in the match ups section.
Strategy
Greetings, traveler! My name is Kobraa and i've been a rogue main in both WoW and hearthstone since beta of both games. I've always enjoyed rogue as a class in hearthstone for its high skill cap. Generally, rogue decks are all about decision making. Risk vs reward, and knowing when to push for lethal just before your opponent thinks they have you. I watch Chessdude play frequently because in my opinion, he is the best rogue player in the world. This list is his Standard Malygos Rogue deck i have been playing since Wotog came out. The success of this deck is entirely dependent on your ability to predict your opponents actions, and maximize the value of your own cards.
Now the first thing i normally get asked is "How can you play miracle rogue without conceal?" The answer is simple, this deck does not rely on keeping damage on the board nearly as much as a Leeroy deck. This also gives you the added benefit of not having to worry about taunts putting you dead in the water. Your cards are there to get you to one of your 2 win conditions. First i will discuss my less favorite of the 2:
Vs: Aggro
Aggro is definitely the harder of the 2 major match ups. These match ups will boil down to who can out value the other one. A well timed skulker can make or break these matchups. Don't be afraid to play offense with removal, as every point of health you lose will close your window to win. Essentially, you are trying to starve your opponent for cards. Do no feel obligated to save prep for the auctioneer if you can get good value off a Thalnos prep fan. You have a good amount of draw between drakes, thalnos, and your spells to keep your hand reasonably full without an auctioneer miracle turn. And keep in mind what your opponent will have for removal in the process. Many aggro decks do not have much removal, so dont be afraid to push some threats on the board. Depending on the match up, an early aggressive Edwin can close out the game before they have the opportunity to overwhelm you. I will cover this more in the match ups section.
Vs: Control
Ah, Control. This is where Miracle Maly really shines. Your win condition will almost always be surprising your opponent with the Maly drop. As most rogues on ladder are running the Leeroy miracle, your opponent will aggressively keep the board clear to try to prevent a cold blood from getting value. But, that works in your favor since you wont rely on sticking minions to pull off your win condition. And if they're just removing your minions, that delays the game to get you to your Malygos turn. Try to keep tempo with your drops to keep steady pressure and give them the opportunity to overwhelm you. You are going to want to try and hold onto both eviscerates, unless you absolutely need to use one to survive. Your win condition is going to be using auctioneer to draw through your deck, get Malygos, both eviscerates, sinister and maybe a shiv in your hand. Then, drop emperor and get some sweet, sweet discounts. If you can get emperor to go off, you will have the following to nuke your opponent: Malygos (8) Evis x2 (1 each) Sinister (0). On turn 10, thats 26 damage from an empty board. If you can hold onto a coin or a prep, you can sneak shiv in there for an extra 6. However, generally coins are better spent as free draws with auctioneer to find your win condition.
