Another weekend of HCT Winter Playoffs is upon us soon. Last weekend, Europeans got to show how creative they are when it comes to building decks. This week it’s up to players from the Americas region to outwit their fellow competitors and grab a coveted ticket to the Winter Championships.

When looking at all of the line-ups, it appears as though the Americas’ players are not as innovative as their European counterparts. But that’s a bit deceiving. Just because other players brought some off-choices last week, it’s no less dicey to bring a same deck this week. As a matter of fact, decks like Mecha’thun Druid have been brought by more Americas players than by Europeans! But that’s not all - there are a handful of decks that stand out. Let’s take a look.

Rising in popularity

First up we have two pretty wacky decks that already debuted at the European Playoffs a few days ago, but which have risen in popularity since. Unsurprisingly, the Shaman list Viper used to qualify for the Winter Championships is one of them. Three players from the Americas have chosen to rely on the so-called ‘Peanut Shaman’ (because it’s the nuts) for their shot at a ticket to Los Angeles. Hopefully for Flamekilla, Fled and SargentoSC it works its magic just like it did for Viper.

Egg Paladin saw some play last weekend as well, but has tripled in popularity. Six players - Firebat, Purple, Gallon, TheChosenGuy, Guiyze and Zeh - are putting their faith in metal monstrosities and slimey cubes.

Deck code Shaman: AAECAaoIDuvCAtPFAsnHAs/HAtHTApziAsPqAqfuAu/3Apn7AqCAA8uFA8GJA/OKAwj+Bf8Fx8ECm8ICscQC8+cCioUD7IkDAA==

Deck code Paladin: AAECAZ8FCu0FucECycICq9ACjtMCneIC/fsC8f4CoIADvYYDCvsB3AP0Bc8G9geIxwLjywL40gKL4QKRgAMA

Digging deep

Druid is the second-to-last in terms of popularity at the HCT Winter Playoffs for the Americas. Eleven players are betting on the class to do well. The biggest surprise, however, is that four players have opted for a Hakkar Druid list - one that was already among the least popular archetypes when Druid was still good. Bloodyface, Lnguagehackr, Noblord and Zamos have proven their worth in the past, so keep an eye out for this list.

Second: Murlocs. Let’s be real - who doesn’t have a soft spot for Murlocs? The babbling and sputtering critters with their primitively dull expressions induce a smile when played. They’re deceiving however, as Guiyze (also bringing the Egg Paladin) has realized. Face is the place for these fellows!

Deck code Druid: AAECAZICBPnAAv3rAsX9ApaKAw3pAf4B0wPEBqQH9gf7DJLSApjSAp7SAr/yAo/2AsaGAwA=

Deck code Mage: AAECAc2xAgKi0wLu9gIOvwG7AsUD2wP+A5YF4wXQB6cIncICscIC/eoCzu8C3oIDAA==

OTK madness

Finally we’ve arrived at the truly wacky decks. These are so niche, so unexpected that the opponents can only scratch their heads in confusion. The best part? They’re being brought by one person: Jay. Malygos Rogue, has never quite been a tier 1 deck. In the Playoffs’ Conquest format, that doesn’t matter though, all it needs to do is beat one deck of the opponent. And who better to destroy things than a big blue dragon?

Atop of the Americas’ wackiness we find a Mecha’thun deck. “Wait, did we not cover those already?”, I hear you think. 1: This is the first Mecha’thun Priest brought to any region’s Winter Playoffs so far. 2: This isn’t your regular, fast-cycle Mecha’thun Priest, it’s a Quest Mecha’thun Priest. Time to blow up some opponents!

Deck code Rogue: AAECAaIHCLQDwMwC5dECgNMC3+MC8OYCse4C7PwCC7QBxAHNA70EmwXGBYgHhgn3wQLb4wLe+gIA

Deck code Priest: AAECAZ/HAgjlBO0FlsQCnccC3PUC8fsCiIID5ogDC4oB+wHRwQLKwwKezgLwzwLo0AKp4gLq5gKh/gKXhwMA