You’ve been through the Arachnid, Plague, Military and Construct Quarters. Now you’ve finally reached the final wing of the Curse of Naxxramas and the final boss. So what should you expect from Kel’Thuzad of the Frostwyrm Lair? He’s the first Curse of Naxxramas boss to have multiple phases. If you’re not familiar with MMO terms, when a boss shifts from one phase to the next, the fight usually sees a significant change. The battle against Kel’Thuzad is no different.
Unlike Sapphiron before him, there’s no way around Kel’Thuzad’s hero power, Frost Blast. During the first phase, this power hits your hero for two damage and freezes him or her. If you plan on using any weapons, you won’t be able to during the first phase of the battle. Expect your hero to be frozen the entire time because Frost Blast does not cost Kel’Thuzad any mana to use.
Kel’Thuzad begins the battle with 10 armor in addition to his normal 30 health. You need to get rid of the armor as quickly as you can. Once the armor is gone, Kel’Thuzad transitions to phase two and his hero power changes Chains. This new hero power costs eight mana and takes control of one enemy minion until the end of the turn. He won’t use this every turn due to the high mana cost, but expect to use it more as the fight continues.
When the battle transitions from phase one to phase two, your turn ends immediately. Make sure you’re done playing your hand before you remove the last of Kel’Thuzad’s armor to avoid an untimely interruption. During the phase transition, Kel’Thuzad also summons two Guardian of Icecrown minions. These 3/3 taunt aren’t too much of a hassle, but you’ll need to clear them.
Your initial strategy should be to inflict damage to Kel’Thuzad as quickly as possible or have some sort of countermeasure for the Frost Blast hero power. You’re going to take at least two damage and remain frozen during each turn of phase one. The faster you get through it, the less damage you take. Having good low-cost minions to play early on will help to remove Kel’Thuzad’s armor, but direct damage spells will also work. If you take too long to remove Kel’Thuzad’s armor, he can transition to phase two at any point after turn seven, even if he still has armor remaining.
Have something ready to remove the two taunts that Kel’Thuzad summons after the phase transition. A board clear or even something like Shadow Word: Pain (you’d need two of them) from a Priest works well. Just be ready with anything that will remove the two taunt minions and allow you to continue the battle.
During the second phase, you need to be careful of the minions you play. While Kel’Thuzad doesn’t use his Chains hero power every turn, you don’t want him taking a powerful minion to use against you. Don’t limit the minions in your deck, but you should always be mindful of the fact that Kel’Thuzad may use one of them against you from time to time.
Beyond Kel’Thuzad’s hero powers and the phase transition, there isn’t much that’s out of the ordinary when it comes to this battle. Kel’Thuzad doesn’t use any cards that you haven’t already seen plenty of times from Naxxramas bosses. He’ll have taunt cards ready to go, but you should already have a way around them considering you have to deal with two during the phase transition.
When you defeat Kel’Thuzad, you earn two Shade of Naxxramas cards and one Kel’Thuzad card. The Shade of Naxxramas is a great card that many of the bosses used against you. It’s a three-mana, 2/2 minion that has stealth and gains +1/1 at the start of your turns. The longer you can keep this minion alive, the more powerful it gets. The stealth also prevents it from being directly targeted.
Kel’Thuzad is an eight-mana, 6/8 minion that brings back all friendly minions who have died that turn. By itself this is a very valuable card, as it has to be silenced or killed before the end of a turn or else other minions killed that turn will be brought back to life. However, when you combine it with a few choice spells, it becomes devastating. One such combo with a Shaman is to use Kel’Thuzad, then Reincarnate or Ancestral Spirit. If you can use both of these cards, you’ll end the turn with four Kel’Thuzad minions… and that’s just the beginning.
Check out our Curse of Naxxramas hub for strategies to beat every boss and class challenge in the Hearthstone expansion!
