Kanrethad Ebonlocke

Kanrethad Ebonlocke is a legendary warlock minion card, from the Ashes of Outland set.

Strategy
Kanrethad's two halves are somewhat incongruent. Despite both being demon-related, his initial form works best with smaller demon to flood the board, while his Prime form is better with larger demons. However, this doesn't hurt the viability of the card, it just changes how certain decks prefer to use it.

Zoolock can use Kanrethad to summon multiple low-cost demons in one turn, such as Flame Imp and Voidwalker. While the Prime form in this case won't summon very good demons, you'll still get a 7/6 and three other minions. This is a great board swing to recover from an area of effect spell from your opponent, and a perfect topdeck in the late game.

Control Warlock can play Kanrethad as a simple 3/2, and use his Prime form for a huge board swing in the late game. Prioritize running well-statted demons like Enhanced Dreadlord and Dread Infernal for the best pool of cards. Since he shuffles into the deck, Kanrethad delays fatigue by one turn, and can also provide fuel for Supreme Archaeology.

Kanrethad's deathrattle may be triggered multiple times, giving immense, although very slow, boost in value, as well as giving further protection against fatigue. Cubelock in particular can do this by using Spiritsinger Umbra, copying Kanrethad with Prince Taldaram or Carnivorous Cube, or resurrecting Kanrethad with N'Zoth, the Corruptor. However, with warlocks' late game potential, this is often unnecessary. Furthermore, doing this as a Reno Warlock will disable most of your game plan.

Kanrethad has notable anti-synergies with other demon-synergy cards that should be kept in mind when building a deck:


 * While the random demons summoned by Galakrond, the Wretched may be better than your average demons, the Draconic Imps summoned by Invoke effects will interfere with the pool of dead demons.
 * Effects that summon demons from your hand or deck will bypass Kanrethad Prime's battlecry. These cards include Voidcaller, Skull of the Man'ari, Possessed Lackey, and Archwitch Willow. However, of these, Voidcaller and Skull of Man'ari can be partially played around by playing Kanrethad Prime the turn you draw him.
 * Kanrethad Prime himself can be resurrected by Bloodreaver Gul'dan. However, as he also adds three more demons to the graveyard, his chances of being summoned by Bloodreaver are mitigated.

In Wild, both of Kanrethad's forms get value. A powerful curve would be Kanrethad on turn 2, followed by a discounted Voidcaller on turn 3. In the late game, his battlecry functions as a mini-Bloodreaver Gul'dan which can summon your Voidlords and Enhanced Dreadlords that had died prior.

Lore

 * '' is a powerful human warlock and former leader of the, a group of like-minded warlocks gathered after the of Deathwing.


 * ''Kanrethad was present, ostensibly as a member of the, in the battle where Illidan Stormrage was killed during the siege of the . Following the battle he shared the secrets of Illidan's transformation with the Council. After Deathwing's downfall, he gathered great warlocks together to form the Council of the Black Harvest and they decided to go after the powers left behind by Ragnaros and Cho'gall, and return in a year's time. He partnered himself with the undead warlock and together they went to accomplish their mission on.

Kanrethad's Prime version depicts him as a Demonology Warlock in the original version of, before it became a Demon Hunter ability.

Patch changes

 * Added.