‘Tis the season of Playoffs again! After China selected its four representatives to participate in the Winter Championships, this coming weekend it’s Europe’s turn to select separate the wheat from the chaff. High time for us to take a look at some of the wackiest decks players have opted to bring.

No, I’m not talking about including one or two tech cards to catch opponents off-guard. I’m talking about crazy decks. High level ‘expanding universe meme’ decks. Players who fear no threat and laugh in the face of death. The players who turn the HCT Winter Playoffs into Playoff pandemonium. Are you hyped up enough? Let’s dive in!

Might of Mecha’thun

Now, you may think: “Mecha’thun? That isn’t all too crazy right?” While it’s true that the card viable not too long ago, the card has fallen out of grace nowadays. Malygos Druid, Even Warlock and Cloning Priest were all considered far stronger than their classes’ Mecha’thun alternative. After the nerfs in December though, the meta was stirred up again.

Stirred up enough for Zyrios, Tars, and Meati to bring Mecha’thun Warlock in their line-up. The latter two even brought Mecha’thun Druid to go with it! Although the lists differ slightly, the idea behind it remains the same: Play the big boy, kill the big boy, win.

Keeping the board clean

Cranking up the craziness a bit, we find two decks that are all about controlling the game. Hatul - who made it to the last Fall Championships - and BuzzRay have chosen to let Odd Mage guide them to victory. The upgraded Mage hero power is mixed with the classic Big Spell Mage core to remove the enemy board. When you’re in the late-game stages, value cards like Astromancer, Azalina Soulthief, and Jan’alai the Dragownhawk take over, and win the game.

Another deck trying to remove all of the opponent’s threats is Control Warrior, brought by Swidz and Yogg. In days where Odd Warrior (with or without the Quest) reigns supreme, these players want none of that Baku nonsense. No, just stick with the classic removal and trust that Dr. Boom, Geosculptor Yip, and The Lich King will bring it home.

Total mayhem

Finally, we’ve come to the end of the spectrum. These decks are so next level that an expanding universe meme is just barely enough to cover how next-level this is. German duo Viper (who already has his ticket to the World Championships) and Kolmari saw Shudderwock in their collection, and decided to give it one more try. It is a very different list from the pre-nerf combo deck, however. This version seems to rely on a board-control style, with late-game value coming from Elise the Trailbazer and Hagatha the Witch. Of course, as an old-school Shudderwock aficionado, I just want to see the 9-drop work its magic.

But there is one player who looks down on all other decks, and scoffs. Trec is bringing Quest Warlock. Yes, that’s right, the deck that people tried to make work from the day Lakkari Sacrifice was released, but failed to make it every time, is being played at the HCT Winter Playoffs. This is where you throw an unbiased, objective approach out of the window. This is where you just root for madness.