One of the untold stories from Darkmoon Faire Chicago was the resurgence of Grennan Stormspeaker. While Alliance counterpart Phadalus the Enlightened has been hogging the spotlight lately, the veteran Horde hero put five of his pilots at a 5-3 record or better at the conclusion of the Swiss rounds—an astounding feat, considering only 6 of the 168 competitors were fielding the Tauren Shaman.

Since 5-3 is exactly the sort of Day 1 record we’re aiming for at Nationals, metagame prognosticators should take note: Grennan is bringing more cowbell to Indianapolis. How does this bit of information impact this ponderous penny-pincher and his parsimonious pack of players?

Truly competitive Shaman builds have been mostly untouchable to the Building on a Budget crowd due to the primo price tag associated with “must have” card Chain Lightning. All hope is not lost, though; Justin Martin courageously and creatively eschewed the Shaman power rare in his Darkmoon Faire Chicago list, opting for a somewhat more budget-friendly build that took its pilot to a respectable 6-2 finish.

Justin Martin

Darkmoon Faire Chicago

Day 1 Record: 6-2