How to Play Ziggs Akshan
Hey guys NicMakesPlays here.
Today, I’m going to go over my Ziggs Akshan deck I won 8 in a row with!
This deck abuses Ziggs’s synergy with The Absolver and other buffs to win matches before late game arrives.
We’re constantly covering new decks so be sure to check out our previous deck guides.
Deck Code: CEBQGBIKDNE2GAIGAQDQ2JJGLFOYEAIDAUDQEBYLAIAQIB4KAEAQKBYEAA
[See Ziggs Akshan deck details]
Win Condition
The goal of this deck is to level Ziggs and then kill the enemy in one turn with Ziggs + The Absolver.
You can also kill your opponent with Waste Walker’s overwhelm alongside buffs such as Shaped Stone and Unleashes Energy.
The deck has a ton of 3 drops and buff spells so you just need to start off strong with your early game.
This deck is expected to win the game around turn 7-8.
Mulligans
In this deck, you want to mulligan for your early game units such as Inventive Chemist, Akshan, and Rock Hopper.
Card Choices & Key Synergies
Rock Hopper / Akshan
These are both of your 2 drops of the deck that summon Landmarks. Being able to reliably summon a Landmark on turn 2 helps start Ziggs level up progress, enable Shapestone, and set up all your combos with Waste Walker/Rite of Arcane/Desert Naturalist.
Akshan’s landmark is versatile because you can work towards leveling it up or you can destroy it for an effect, then attack to get a new one.
Endless Devout / Desert Naturalist
Endless Devout’s Last Breath effect gives you a powerful landmark that you can combine with Desert Naturalist. Endless Devout’s Landmark summons a 5|3 with Fearsome.
If you block with Endless Devout on turn 3 and use Desert Naturalist on his Landmark on turn 4, then you get a 5|3 with Fearsome, a 2|4, and a 5|4.
This is a huge powerplay in terms of tempo and can help push big damage to ensure finishing the game is easier later.
Ziggs / Waste Walker
Ziggs and Waste Walker are two of your win cons of the deck. Ziggs levels extremely easily and can rack up burn damage with his leveled ability.
Ziggs does 2 damage when he attacks or when a Landmark is destroyed, which there is a ton of in this deck.
Waste Walker has Overwhelm and gains +1|+1 for each Landmark that dies.
You can combine him with Inventive Chemist, Unraveled Earth, or Rock Hopper to gain some quick stats while pushing for damage with his Overwhelm.
Unleashed Energy / The Absolver
These cards allow you to go for game in the blink of an eye. On the turn you want to go for game, you can use Unleashed Energy on Endless Devout’s Sarcophagus or Hexplosive Minefield to put on more damage or stun enemy blockers.
Killing your landmarks can also trigger Ziggs and Waste Walker’s effects. The Absolver can give your Ziggs extra attack and Overwhelm on top of it.
Due to Ziggs’s easy level up condition, making The Absolver live is no problem.
Preservarium / Unraveled Earth
Preservarium and Unraveled Earth are your refuel of the deck which also helps level Ziggs. Both of these cards draw cards, contribute to Ziggs level up, and synergize with your deck.
You can use Unraveled Earth with Waste Walker threaten buffing him while also making your opponent’s units Vulnerable.
Good Matchups
This deck is good against decks like Poppy Lulu and Sion because of Hexplosive Minefield. This minefield can be used on their key offensive turns to stop Poppy or Sion from making their aggressive pushes.
Hexplosive Minefield also gains its effect when destroyed so later in the game you can kill it with Unleashed Energy, Rite of Arcane, or Desert Naturalist to use its effect again.
This leaves you in full control of the combat phases and you can chip away damage and then go for game when the time is right.
Bad Matchups
This deck struggles against Darkness and other decks that Hexplosive Minefield isn’t as good against.
In these matchups, you want to utilize your high health units like Ziggs, Waste Walker, and Endless Devout.
These cards are able to apply pressure without being removed easily. Leveling Akshan, Preservarium, and Unraveled Earth also enable you to refuel after they use their removal spells.
You can play Desert Naturalist to summon a Grumpy Rockbear and make your opponents deal with multiple threats, and when they tap low on mana you can finish them off with The Absolver.
Tech Choices
Safety Inspector
This card is great against decks with tons of removal to have additional top end to finish the game with.
Treasure Seeker
This is a nice one drop to block within aggro metas since you can use its Waking Sands to block again later or finish off a Vulnerable unit.
Quicksand
This card is good against Elusive and Overwhelm decks to remove their keyword on their big turns, and then you can punish them with a big swing next turn.
For more Beyond the Bandlewood decks, head to the Deck Library! To build your own, head to the Deck Builder.
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