LoR Deck Guide: Zed Hecarim

How to Play Zed Hecarim (Domination)

Hey everyone NicMakesPlays here.

Today I’m going to go over my Hecarim Zed Aggro deck.

This is currently the 2nd most played deck in the game so you should really know how it works even if you aren’t an aggro player.

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Deck Code: CEDAOAIFA4FAYFIXFIXQCAQFBEAQIAQOAIDAEAYJAEDAKKIBAEBASAABAEAQEKQ

[See NicMakesPlays Zed Hecarim deck details]

Goal of Deck and Mulligans

The goal of this deck is to deal tons of damage output and aggro the enemy down with Ephemerals as fast as possible. This is particularly good against Seraphine decks before they set up. The new card Moonlit Glenkeeper was also a huge buff to the deck. The expected turns to win with this deck are turns 6-7.

In this deck, you want to mulligan for Oblivious Islander + Shark Chariot. Oblivious Islander discounting your Shark Chariot is the most aggro efficient aggro pressure you can put out. Alternatively, Shadow Apprentice and Soul Shepherd are great alternative 1 and 2 drops.

Card Commentary

Oblivious Islander | Shadow Apprentice

Oblivious Islander and Shadow Apprentice are your 1 drops of the deck. Oblivious Islander allows you to discount units in your hand by -1 and make them Ephemeral.

Luckily, we’re playing an Ephemeral deck so we get to reduce the cost of our units while mitigating the downside. This allows you to output aggro pressure much earlier and more efficiently. Shadow Apprentice is an Elusive that gains +1|0 each time you summon an Ephemeral.

This allows for insane Elusive damage reach for only a 1 drop.

Shark Chariot | Soul Shepherd

Shark Chariot and Soul Shepherd are your two drops, and two of the centerpieces of the deck. Shark Chariot revives itself attacking every time you attack with Ephemerals.

You want to get this card in the grave as fast as possible so you can immediately start reviving it since you attack with Ephemerals every turn. You can even attack with Ephemerals on your opponent’s turn with Dragon’s Ambush.

Soul Shepherd is also pivotal to the Ephemeral deck. Soul Shepherd buffs all Ephemeral units +1|1 so playing it down as early as possible lets you buff your units right away.

Zed | Hecarim

Zed puts on insane pressure as early as turn 3. Zed has Quick Attack and summons an Ephemeral version of himself as a Living Shadow.

If this is not stopped, it helps level Hecarim, revives Shark Chariot, and also is buffed by Soul Shepherd. Hecarim is your late-game win-con that you work towards all game.

Hecarim levels up when 7+ Ephemeral allies attack which you aim to do all game. After Hecarim is leveled up he gives all Ephemeral allies +3|0 which turns your attacks into potential lethal each turn.

You can also combo this with Dragon’s Ambush for a huge attack on your opponent’s turn to finish them off.

Moonlit Glenkeeper | The Stagehand

Moonlit Glenkeeper is a card from the newest set that put Ephemerals back on the map. Moonlit Glenkeeper simultaneously acts as removal and Grants buffs to all your Ephemeral units.

Moonlit Glenkeeper’s Nightfall ability summons a Sapling which then get’s buffed +1|0. This allows you to remove enemy blockers to apply pressure, while also leveling Hecarim.

Moonlit Glenkeeper also buffs each Ephemeral +1|0, so you can sit it in the backrow and continue buffing your Ephemerals throughout the game. The Stagehand is a great Ephemeral that can stun enemy units.

On offense, you can use this to stun a blocker and go for big damage. On defense, you can use this to stun a key enemy attacker and ruin their attack.

Haunted Relic | Dragon’s Ambush

Haunted Relic allows you to output huge damage with Ephemeral buffs and turbo-level Hecarim. You can use Haunted Relic after you have Soul Shepherd on the field, Moonlit Glenkeeper on the field, or Shark Chariot in the grave for additional value.

Dragon’s Ambush is one of your main win conditions alongside leveled Hecarim. Dragon’s Ambush allows you to attack on your opponent’s turn which is huge when combined with a leveled Hecarim, Shark Chariots, and other Ephemeral buffs.

You can make a huge aggressive swing on your turn, then on your opponent’s turn when they try to recover you swing again with Dragon’s Ambush for game.

Good Matchups

This deck has an amazing matchup against Seraphine decks, which is partially why it’s so popular right now. The key is to aggro down the Seraphine decks before they can set up.

You want to mulligan for a 1 drop and 2 drop to start the pressure off strong. Once you’ve set up your buffs and Shark Chariots you can use Haunted Relic, Onslaught of the Shadows, Zed, Hecarim, and Dragon’s Ambush to create massive damage output.

Bad Matchups

This deck has a bad matchup against opposing Aggro decks such as Pirates or Fearsomes. To win these matchups you want to get good blocks early with Soul Shepherd and Oblivious Islander.

On turn 3 you can attack with Zed to be ahead in the damage race so they have to respond to your plays. Once you are ahead in damage, you can use Dragon’s Ambush to heal and they can’t keep up with the difference in Nexus health.

Tech Choices

This deck can cut copies of Onslaught of the Shadows, Sparring Student, and The Stagehand.

Mark of the Isles – This card is a simple combat trick that lets you push more damage, get better trades and live through removal spells

Nopeify – This card is a cheap way to protect your power plays

The Harrowing – This card gives you a late-game bomb to finish off the game with

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