Priest Decks October. Theory and Practice: Priest with Dragons

Card games have always been popular, and this one, released by Blizzard - Hearthstone, was no exception. Today we will tell you how the Priest deck should look like at different stages of the character's existence. From basic to top. Of course, a lot in such games depends on the skill of the player himself and the starting hand in the match, but the right cards at the preparatory stage can become a problem for your opponent.

Strategy

Let's start with the general tactics that the Priest deck requires of us. Hearthstone allows you to use a wide variety of combinations and techniques when managing a deck, but when compiling it, it is important to remember that the cards must also interact with each other.

Priest is a very handy character for beginners. Even if you are unable to win the match, your personal strength will allow you to drag it out long enough to familiarize yourself with the deck, understand the tactics of the opponent, the basics of the game and the interaction of different cards.

In addition, the base Priest deck has a large number of mechanisms for drawing cards during a match, so you will always have an advantage over your opponent when choosing your options.

The foundation

So, if you have just started your journey in the world of Hearthstone, then the first thing you need to do is complete the full training for the Priest. More precisely, in training mode, pump up to level 10. Thus, a complete Priest deck will be assembled from his starting class cards. Unfortunately, there are not enough good expensive creatures in the starting set for 5 mana crystals, but for the class in question, this is not a problem. By using a number of power-ups and summoning a healing naga, you can completely seize control of the board. So what cards should a Priest deck contain?

• "God's punishment".
• Power Word: Shield.
• "Voodoo Witch Doctor".
• "Cleric of Northshire".
• "Divine Spirit"
• Shadow Word: Pain.
• "Acid Slug".
• "River Crocolisk".
• Dark Word: Death.
• "Steelmech Grizzly".
• "Priest Sindorai".
• "Gnome Inventor".
• "Frosty Yeti".
• "Ring of Light"
• Berserk Gurubashi.
• "Naga Healer"
• "Heavy Fist Ogre".
• "Hero of Stormwind"
• "Mind Control".

What can you say about the selected cards? Of course, these are the most basic and popular items that most of your rivals will have. They need to be replaced with more rare and effective ones. But not all are replaceable.

Methodology

In the early stages, Shield and Spirit can help you create a very good combination, if used on Northshire Cleric, they will allow you to take the board and get an additional card regularly when you heal.

Voodoo Witch Doctor is more of a bargaining chip. If you have Cleric on the board and have an extra mana crystal left, you can heal a creature and get an additional card. Experienced players also do not recommend using it to heal the main character.

"Ring of Light" is a super effective mass spell. If there is a "Cleric" and several creatures with incomplete health on the table, you will not only heal them, but also get several cards at once.

"Naga healer" in combination with the above combination will allow you to draw cards into your hand to failure.

Berserker Gurubashi, although it has a low initial attack, can become your main offensive creature. If you use a combination of "Spirit" and "Shield" on him, and then diligently heal, only the most powerful enemy spells - mind control, transformation, and others can remove him from the board.

"Mind Control" is your trump card, and you need to use it wisely. For example, if you take control of a 6/7 monster, then you simultaneously remove it from the field, save one card per summon, and even trade it profitably.

Extra cards

Of course, even in the base deck there may be cards that are not useful to you.

"Inner Vision" allows you to copy one random from the opponent's deck. Since this is not stealing, you will not deprive your opponent of a card, but only exchange yours for a possibly very useless card. It is much more profitable to use the "Shield" and draw a card from your deck. It will be more useful if only because it was chosen by you initially before the battle.

Mind Blast is a rather controversial card. First of all, playing with the chosen deck, your task is to seize control of the board. Here 5 units of damage to the hero will not help you. On the other hand, when there are few cards left, 5 health is a good chance to quickly finish off the opponent without risking losing. Depending on your desire, you can try to replace one "Dark Word: Pain" with this card.

Replacement

Of course, you won't always be playing with a starting deck. With each match you will receive more and more new cards. This will give you a budget Priest deck.

"Delicious Zombie" - two pieces instead of "Voodoo Healer" and "Divine Punishment". Since our task is to control the board, for only 1 mana we get a fairly strong creature, and its "death rattle" does not play a role, because we are not going to beat the enemy hero yet.

"Dark Cultist" is able to replace your "Grizzly" completely. Combined with Gurubashi's Berserker, it can be a killer combo.

The Slime Belcher is successfully able to replace the Berserker, because a little earlier we got rid of our two Grizzly tanks.

"Temple Fighter" instead of "ogres". His battle cry fits perfectly into the deck.

Top

There are many different opinions about what a top Priest deck should look like. You may come across characters based on "dragons" or "burials" for example. Decks with "Brann Bronzebeard" are gaining great popularity. Therefore, for you, we will highlight only the main cards that almost any top priest deck contains.

• "Cleric of the Northlands".
• "Wounded grunt".
• Power Word: Shield.
• "Ring of Light"
• Brann Bronzebeard.
• "Isera".
• "Light bomb".

The use of "Brann" assumes that the player has an overwhelming number of creatures with the "warcry" ability. The rest of the tactics are quite simple. Using bonuses, heal yourself to such an extent that the "guardian of the light" can get an attack of up to 25-35. And due to the "Spirit" and "Shield" health will be about 20-25.

That's all. We've provided you with some basic Priest cards of varying rarity that are sure to come in handy in the toughest matches. Otherwise, a lot depends on your ability to choose the right cards during the course. And the whole game may depend on the starting hands - you and your opponent. In general, it will require considerable skill and skill from the player.

Throm-Ka, friend! For several weeks I have been testing various top priest decks, trying to determine the most suitable for the current meta. After all, there is a new hero, but it would seem that there is no good deck.

It took me two weeks to determine which deck is better for playing for a rating, and another 3 days of fluctuations between 14 and 12 ranks, in order to finally make sure that the priest is not suitable for overcoming these "heights". But what can you do, you want to play, and here's how you can do it in November 2016...

NZot priest deck

NZoth Priest has changed significantly with the release of Karazhan, now the deck is on resurrection, has received an additional opportunity to reanimate the fallen with the help of . same, in turn, made adjustments to expensive cards.

To tell the truth, I was more comfortable playing my version of the deck without Barnes, with creatures more familiar to controlling a priest. In such a deck, it will be rather harmful, since it does not increase the resurrection, but more often on the contrary, it adds weaker creatures to the list of the dead, including Barnes himself. But in this case, it might be better to just take the tournament deck from Hamster.

Tactics: When playing this Priest deck, one of the main tasks for you is to choose the right minion to resurrect. With aggro - this, with control -, and of course, which is equally good in any of the cases.

Dragon Priest Deck

The classic dragon priest deck is not very effective at the moment, but an unusual aggro version for Anduin has appeared on . And we will clean up in order to quickly bring the enemy into a suitable state for a challenge. And having in your arsenal you will no longer be afraid of Midrange Shaman.

At the beginning of the game, you will need , and a combo along with Purify or Silence. In the case when your opponent is a paladin, and is suitable for starting.

Unfortunately, the classic control priest did not survive the invasion of midrange shamans and the aggressive environment of face hunters, but in a hybrid form with resurrection, he is still capable of something. The new decks have completely replaced it, so much so that the priest is still not the best option for raising the rating, but is still a good option in places where most aggro decks are eliminated.

Priest is one of the basic and most balanced classes you will encounter in Hearthstone. His strength lies in strong removal spells, as well as constant healing of himself, and more importantly, his creatures, which helps the priest to easily make profitable exchanges and control the board. He has no problems with a set of cards (hereinafter - draw potential) - here such cards as Northshire Cleric and Power Word: Shield help him.

This budget Priest deck has a very strong base compared to other budget decks. The essence of the deck lies in the total control of the table, the Priest spells will help you here: Shadow Word: Pain, Dark Word: Death and Divine Punishment. In addition, the constant healing of your creatures will give you an undeniable advantage in a profitable exchange.

Shadow Word: Pain and Shadow Word: Death have one significant drawback - it is difficult for the priest to deal with creatures with an attack of 4. So be prepared - experienced opponents will use this weakness with might and main. However, as new cards are unlocked, you can buff your deck with cards like Shrinker, which can be great combos with Dark Madness and Dark Priestess.

Priest budget deck

Starting hand (Mulligan)

Ideally, in the starting hand, you should leave cards so that you have something to play on each turn. Here is a list of those cards that you can play from the first to the fourth turn:

• 1 mana: Divine Punishment, Northshire Cleric
• 2 mana: Acid Ooze, Bloodmarsh Raptor, Shadow Word: Pain
• 3 mana: Steelmech Grizzly, Sin'dorei Priest
• 4 mana: Frost Yeti, Ogre Mage, Sen'jin Shieldbearer

It is worth noting here that when playing with a coin, you will have a lot of freedom of choice, since you can lay out a card on the first turn for 2 mana or on the 2nd - drop for 3.

Strategy for playing the Priest budget deck

As I have written more than once, the essence of the game with this priest deck (and almost any deck of this class) is complete control of the board. Using strong removal spells, trading profitably, and healing your creatures at the same time, you will very quickly undermine the morale of the enemy and completely take over the course of the game. In the late game, it will be possible to use combinations such as Northshire Cleric + Naga Healer or Ring of Light - having a lot of wounded creatures on the board will allow you to draw a lot of cards.

Possible combos with Priest's budget deck

There are not very many combinations in Anduin's budget deck, but they not only help clear the table, but also allow you to collect a large number of cards and heal your creatures. So after holding one such successful combination, it will be very difficult for your opponent to recover. In addition, after upgrading the deck with cards such as Shrinker, Shadow Priestess or Auchenai Priestess, even greater opportunities will open up in front of you.

• Ogre Mage + Divine Punishment - this combination is very often played on the 5th move, when the Ogre Mage is already on the table. This way you deal 3 damage instead of the normal 2.
• Ogre Mage + Ring of Light - If you also cast Ogre Mage on Turn 4, then on Turn 5 it would be ideal to play Ring of Light, which will deal 3 damage to all enemy minions. This combination works great against aggro decks.
• Northshire Cleric + Nova of Light or Naga Healer - the more wounded creatures lying on your side, the more maps You'll get. Before playing this combo, think carefully about your turn: you can't lay out or hurt another creature of yours and get an extra card in the process.

Deck Improvements

• As you play, you will receive packs, thereby opening up new cards. And naturally you will want to improve your deck. Below I will give you some tips on how to do it right.
• Before adding new cards, you must understand the function and role of each card present in the base deck. By removing a key spell or creature, you can greatly weaken your deck, even if it is not noticeable at first glance.
• Try to improve cards so that the mana curve does not change much. That is, you can replace a creature for 2 mana [Bloody Marsh Raptor] with a creature for the same 2 mana Juggler with daggers. These cards have the same attack/health stats, however Dagger Juggler has a nice buff, so he will look a lot better in this deck.
• There are cards like Azure Drake that combine the effects of two cards at once - in this case, it's the warcry of the Gnome Inventor creature and +1 spell power from Ogre Mage. Therefore, a good substitution can be made here too.
• Do not rush to radically change your deck! Replace one or two cards, try playing with the resulting deck, and then think about whether the replacement was good, and what else can be changed.

Potential Priest Budget Upgrade Sheet

2 mana

acid slug

• Excellent Replacement: Reducer
• Good Replacement: Dagger Juggler, Recombinator

[Bloody Marsh Raptor]

• Possible replacements: Crazy Demoman, Faerie Whelpling, Microbot
• Mediocre replacement: Vicious Pyromancer, Jublin Stalker, Possessed Creeper, Young Brewmaster

3 mana

Steelfur Grizzly

• Possible replacements: Scarlet Crusader, Psychic Technician, Blood Knight, Ogre Brute, Earthen Ring, Master Hunter, Emperor Cobra, Injured Bruiser
• Mediocre replacement: Tropical Panther, Enraged Worgen

Sin'dorei Priest

• Good Replacement: Spider Tank, Dark Cultist
• Possible replacements: Harvester Golem, Shade of Naxxramas

4 mana

Sen'jin Shieldbearer

• Excellent Replacement: Slime Belcher

Frosty Yeti

• Excellent Replacement: Piloted Shredder, Auchenai Priestess

• Very Good Replacement: Azure Dragon

5 mana

Naga Healer

• Excellent Replacement: Circle of Healing (if you have Auchenai Priestess and/or Wounded Grunt)

6 mana

Boulderfist Ogre

• Legendary Replacement: Dr. Boom, Sylvanas Windrunner, Ragnaros, Kel'Thuzad, Snead's Old Shredder
• Epic Replacement: Sky Golem
• Rare Replacement: Vanguard Commander, Sunwalker

10 mana

Many Priest decks do not include Mind Control. Here you are given complete freedom of action - if you feel that this card is difficult to play and heavy for this deck, then you can safely replace it with another copy of an already present card in this deck, or add some legendary creature along with it to boost the late game.

Conclusion

A big plus of this deck is its stability and balance. Even the deck described above can be played and won at high ranks, which, you see, is an important factor. In addition, the presented deck has room for development, constantly upgrading and strengthening it, you can achieve considerable success in the rating game!

While priests may not shine in the professional arena of Hearthstone, we still love them and believe that the most persistent are able to reach the legendary rank. One of the most persistent and relevant priest decks is dedicated to dragons. The basis is cards that have a battle cry that works if there is a dragon in hand. The advantages of such a priest are excellent survivability, good board control and inexpensive map creation.

Basic deck recipe:

creatures:

2x Northshire Cleric

2x Twilight Dragonling

2x Dragon Envoy

2x Void Wrath Historian

2x Blackwing Technician

2x "Twilight Guardian"

2x Blackwing Destroyer

1x Booksnake

1x Guardian of Medivh

spells:

2x Power Word: Shield

1-2x Shadow Word: Pain

1-2x Shadow Word: Death

2x Ring of Light

2x "Burial"

Who, why and why:

Northshire Cleric is a wonderful card that is in demand in any Priest deck. Be sure to take 2 copies. We bet when there is a creature with incomplete health on the table, we heal it and get an additional card (and it is not necessary to heal our own, in critical situations all means are good). Cleric is a base card and requires no dust to craft.

Twilight Dragonling is a strong one-mana card available only to priests. Placed at the very beginning, it throws off the rhythm of aggressive decks or forces you to spend a kill spell on it. If the dragon came in the middle or end of the game, it is worth holding it: we have a lot of cards that are important to have a dragon in hand. You can get a card for completing the challenge in the Blackrock Mountain adventure.

Dragon Envoy - 2/4 Defender for only 2 mana. Appropriate for both the second and tenth move. The cost of creation is 100 dust.

Historian of the Wrath of the Void - Appeared in the latest addition, Party in Karazhan. Allows you to unearth a dragon card (you will have to choose one of three random cards). Be sure to put both copies in the deck.

Blackwing Technician is a three-mana 3/5 minion that poses a serious danger in the early game. The card is a reward for defeating Baron Geddon in Blackrock Mountain.

"Twilight Guardian" - there are no words to describe how beautiful this dragon is. Defender 3/6 for only 4 mana, which will break 2-3 creatures and / or spells of the opponent. Of course, 2 copies are required in the deck. The card appeared in the Grand Tournament add-on, the cost of creation is 400 dust.

Blackwing Destroyer is indispensable if you need to kill or finish off an enemy creature, or even the enemy himself.

"Azure Dragon" - in itself is very good. Warcry does not lose a card, but for a priest its value is small: the only spell that deals damage is "Ring of Light". You can put 1 copy in the deck, or replace it with another dragon (for example, "Ysera" or "Nefarian"). The card comes with the base set and is crafted for 100 dust.

Booksnake is a very strong card that has an effect similar to Shadow Word: Pain. One copy is enough, but against aggressive decks it is better to take two. The card can be obtained in the Karazhan Party adventure.

"Guardian of Medivh" - gives the staff "Atiesh" with durability 1/3, which has similar mechanics to the "Summoning Stone", i.e. when casting a spell, summons a random minion for the same mana. You can get this card in the Karazhan Party adventure.

Basic spells:

Power Word: Shield is a basic cleric spell that increases the target creature's health by 2 and draws a card.

Shadow Word: Pain and Shadow Word: Death are 2 more basic spells that allow you to kill a creature with a power of three or less and a creature with a power of 5 or more. The number of copies of both depends on which opponents are most often encountered (with an overwhelming number of opponents with a brood of small animals, "Dark Word: Pain" is suitable, against giant lovers - "Dark Word: Death").

Ring of Light is worth having two copies in your deck. Effectively clears the opponent's board and heals friendly troops. Be extremely careful when using Northshire Cleric on the table, as you can sort through the cards. The spell is basic, no creation required.

"Burial" is the best spell that allows you not only to remove a very dangerous or useful creature from the table, but also to put it in your deck. Be sure to use both copies. The card appeared in the League of Explorers expansion, the cost of creation is 40 dust.

Add-ons

There is always room for creativity. What will be useful?

"Brann Bronzebeard" is a legendary dwarf that allows all warcries to proc twice. All creatures (except the cleric) have a warcry that can be enhanced, so "Brann" is a great choice. How it works? The Dusk Guard's battlecry reads "Creature gains +1 Attack and Taunt", but if Brann is on the board, the dragon will gain Attack twice and become 4/6. Member of the League of Explorers.

"Prince Malchezaar" is a very interesting demon that came with Party in Karazhan. At the beginning of the turn, shuffle 5 legendary creatures into the deck, which may include dragons. The Priest is built for the long game, where additional cards will give a huge advantage.

Mariel Pureheart empowers the hero's ability to regenerate four health per turn instead of the usual two. If you have ten mana crystals, you can use healing, put Mariel, and heal again already enhanced. The cost of creation is 1600 dust.

Glutton Priest has impressive stats for a low mana cost and an excellent ability that allows you to restore a lot of health when using spells. Costs only 40 dust.

In addition, you can add any dragons of your choice to the deck, for example, "Wonderful Dragon" will add aggressiveness in the early game, and "Dragon Crusher" can be decisive in the later stages. If resources allow, the deck can be supplemented with powerful legendary creatures, such as Ysera, Nefarian, or Sylvanas.

Stages of the game

Priest feels very confident in the early game. The trio of Twilight Whelp + Dragon Messenger + Twilight Guardian will greatly slow down aggro decks and create threat themselves. Please note that if Twilight Whelp is the only dragon in hand, then you should not play it on the first turn, because. it is very important to activate the warcries of other cards.

Shadowword: Pain and Power Word: Shield will help you maintain control of the board and move into the mid game, where Blackwing Technician, Blackwing Bane, and Booksnake will be released.

In the late game, we play strong minions like Ysera or Medivh, while Shadow Word: Death and Burial give us the opportunity to eliminate the most dangerous enemy minions. Ring of Light is worth playing at any stage if it brings tangible benefits.

What's left in the starting hand

It all depends on your opponent. Here is a detailed list of wish cards in order of priority.

Druid:

Hunter: Void Wrath Historian, Shadow Word: Pain, Twilight Whelpling, Dragon Messenger.

Mage: Void Wrath Historian, Power Word: Shield, Shadow Word: Pain, Twilight Whelp, Dragon Messenger.

Paladin: Void Wrath Historian, Power Word: Shield, Shadow Word: Pain, Twilight Whelp, Dragon Messenger.

Priest: Blackwing Technique, Void Wrath Historian, Power Word: Shield, Shadow Word: Pain, Twilight Whelpling.

Rogue:

Shaman:"Blackwing Technique", "Void Wrath Historian", "Shadow Word: Pain", "Twilight Whelpling", "Dragon Messenger"

Warlock:"Blackwing Technique", "Void Wrath Historian", "Shadow Word: Pain", "Twilight Whelpling", "Dragon Messenger"

Warrior: Blackwing Technique, Void Wrath Historian, Power Word: Shield, Shadow Word: Pain, Twilight Whelpling, Dragon Messenger

Dragon Priest is a stable and interesting deck that is quite easy to play. Don't be afraid to change its composition and adjust it to your playing style. A little practice and you'll improve your rank considerably. And, perhaps, you will return the priest to the meta.

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Priest play mainly involves the use of control decks. If you're comfortable with this playstyle, Priest can be a fun and competitive class, even at high ranks. Updated to reflect maps from Ashes of Outland.

New Priest decks:

Guides on current Priest decks

(New) Legendary Dragon Priest (WoG)

Legendary Dragon Priest (Standard)

With the Wake of the Old Gods, Lord Deathwing was added to the deck, which adds strength to the deck in the final stage of the game and serves as an additional condition for victory. With the slow standard meta and the Master Hunter nerf, Priests have more freedom to use large creatures in their decks.

Tactics

Toward the end of the match, the dragon control priest will use various large threats designed to overwhelm the opponent. Almost all control priest decks feature Sylvanas Windrunner, as it has a lot of utility and pairs well with Shadow Word: Death, allowing you to instantly steal an enemy minion. In addition, the deck in question has Burial, designed for problematic enemy creatures that cannot be removed from the table in other ways. For example, if the opponent exposes his Sylvanas, you can lose your creature, and since this is not allowed, Sylvanas is a great target for Burial. Ysera is usually used as the main condition for victory, allowing you to win matches, which boil down to a war for resources.

Overlord Deathwing is an additional condition for victory, but it will take some experience to use it effectively. As Deathwing closes the curve, it's possible that by the time he spawns, you'll have played all the high-value dragons. In addition, Deathwing is very vulnerable to enemy spells to eliminate creatures, such as Hex, Polymorph, and Burial. There is a bit of a tactical inconsistency in this regard, as you should expose large creatures for baiting spells, but keep some of them in hand to use Deathwing's deathrattle later on. Solving the problem requires a certain amount of experience and directly depends on the class of the enemy.

Synergy and combinations

Sylvanas Windrunner + Shadow Word: Death simulates Mind Control and is used to instantly steal an enemy creature.

When playing against an aggressive opponent, use the Twilight Whelpling and Dragon Envoy, because. they allow you to gain an advantage even if the opponent manages to make a perfect starting hand, and bad first moves leave him no chance of winning. In addition, in such matches, you will need Shadow Word: Pain, which can deal with key enemy creatures like Dagger Juggler or Imp Gang Leader. Ideally, a starting hand against an aggressive opponent should contain Twilight Whelpling, Dragon Messenger, Northshire Cleric, Museum Caretaker, and Shadow Word: Pain. If your starting hand already has Twilight Whelpling and Draconic Envoy, you can leave any other dragon in it to activate the effects.

Changing cards

Some players find Overlord Deathwing situational and too slow, so he can be replaced with any card that provides stability in the early game.

(New) Budget Dragon Priest (WoG)

Cheap Dragon Priest (Standard Mode)

This guide focuses on a control priest deck with dragons, which breaks away from the usual pattern in which the priest reacts to the actions of the enemy without trying to do anything on his own. Priests now take a more active tactic, gaining victories through high tempo and profitable trades. The deck has strong dragon synergies, as well as cards from The Grand Tournament expansion, providing opportunities for confident play.

Tactics

The dragon priest departs from the standard tactic of retaliating without trying to take matters into his own hands. Instead, he acts more actively, but at the same time heavily relies on large creatures that can completely suppress the enemy in the final stage of the game.

Tactics for the first moves may seem illogical. Previously, Tasty Zombie was considered the best minion worth 1 crystal (even in decks with dragons). However, in the presence of the Dragon Envoy, the Twilight Dragonling takes on special significance. However, this means that sometimes you will have to play off the curve, holding a 1-crystal minion in your hand to cast Dragon Envoy and Dusk Guardian with additional bonuses, and leaving Twilight Whelp for later turns and play it after drawing an additional dragon. Still, it's a reasonable sacrifice, considering that in the past, more expensive dragons had to be left in hand for the same purpose.

Spells such as Power Word: Shield and Shadow Word: Pain come into play in the middle of a match to gain advantage on the board. With their help, you will strengthen your position, which is especially important because, unlike other priest decks, a priest with dragons does not have the opportunity to rehabilitate if the enemy gets the better of him. The museum caretaker should be viewed as an additional source of resources for the last turns, and not as a creature for an early struggle for control. Since there are no such strong creatures with death rattles and a cost of 3 crystals in the standard format, like the Lord of Death and the Dark Cultist, the value of the Museum Caretaker drops rapidly when played along the curve, because. he can't give strong card for the third move.

With the release of the Grand Tournament, Dusk Guardian became a key card of the deck, which greatly flattened the mana curve by closing the distance between Blackwing Technique and Blackwing Destroyer or Azure Drake. As a result, the deck has become more reliable and consistent. A provocateur with 3/6 characteristics is great at stopping aggression and allowing you to fill the table if you are unlucky with your starting hand and first moves.

Forbidden Shape is another nice addition to the deck, allowing you to flatten the curve if needed. Since the Dragon Priest relies heavily on creatures in the mid-match, skipping a turn greatly affects his plans, and Forbidden Form, despite its unreliability, always allows you to curve a creature and fill turns that otherwise would have to just use the hero power. Because Priest's Hero Power doesn't always have an effect on the game situation, Forbidden Form spends the remaining mana much more efficiently.

If you feel that the enemy is getting the better of you, you can use various mechanisms for rehabilitation (as mentioned above, there are not as many of them as a regular control priest). So Ring of Light is a reliable AoE spell that has a devastating effect on aggressive opponents, and Dark Priestess can instantly turn a losing situation in your favor.

However, it is unlikely that you will need to use rehabilitation mechanisms often. Instead, you will fight for control or increase your presence on the table. Blackwing Destroyer and Shadow Word: Death are excellent for this purpose, as they provide a tempo advantage by eliminating the enemy threat and setting up their own (in the first case) or destroying a large enemy creature (in the second case).

Starting hand and detailed tactics

Try to get cheap creatures in your starting hand that can be curved, keeping in mind that some cards require a dragon in hand. As mentioned above, this often results in the player having to play cards in a strange order - for example, saving a Twilight Whelpling to activate a Dragon Messenger or a Twilight Guardian. Aside from cheap creatures, Power Word: Shield is a good starting hand.

When playing against an aggressive opponent, use the Twilight Whelpling and Dragon Envoy, because. they allow you to gain an advantage even if the opponent manages to make a perfect starting hand, and bad first moves leave him no chance of winning. Shadow Word: Pain, able to deal with key enemy creatures like the Knife Juggler or the Imp Gang Leader. Ideally, a starting hand against an aggressive opponent should contain Twilight Whelpling, Dragon Messenger, Northshire Cleric, Museum Caretaker, and Shadow Word: Pain. If your starting hand already has Twilight Whelpling and Draconic Envoy, you can leave any other dragon in it to activate the effects.

When choosing a starting hand to play with a control opponent, try to ensure that the curve of the creatures is as smooth as possible. Spend your mana as efficiently as possible, keep up the pace, and don't let your opponent get ahead of you. The ideal starting hand should contain Twilight Whelp, Dragon Messenger, Blackwing Technique, Twilight Guardian (with Coin), and Power Word: Shield. In addition, the Museum Caretaker will come in handy, as in such a match, you will be less dependent on cheap creatures.

Changing cards

There are currently two Blackwing Destroyers and two Azure Dragons in the deck, occupying a 5-gem slot. Any of them can be replaced with a situational map like Harrison Jones.

Burial Priest by q8en (S21 #5 Legend)

We present to your attention a deck for a high-level game, which is based on new map, introduced with the release of the League of Explorers expansion. Compared to other Priest decks, the Burial deck is the most consistent. Burial actually combines the Appeal and the Word of Darkness: Death, because. allows the priest not only to eliminate the threat, but also to turn the situation for his own good. Worthy targets for Burial are Sylvanas Windrunner, Tirion Fordring, or Ysera. In addition, the deck has several effective spells that are characteristic of the control priest (Flashbomb, Ring of Light, and Shadow Words).

Starting hand selection

Druid: Northshire Cleric, Tasty Zombie, Vicious Pyromancer, Museum Caretaker, Lord of Death, Wounded Bruiser, Power Word: Shield (if you have the right creature for it), Auchenai Priestess, and Circle of Healing. In a fight against a druid, Wounded Grunt is probably the best card, because. Druids are generally unable to remove a 4/7 minion off the board, and you can use it to make a profitable trade.

Hunter: Northshire Cleric, Delicious Zombie, Furious Pyromancer, Museum Caretaker, Lord of Death (two copies allowed). In such a fight, Burial is usually applied to Savannah Highmane. The Lords of Death will allow early aggression to be contained. Don't spare Flash Heal or Light of the Naaru for them.

Mage: Stolen Thoughts, Lord of Death, Wounded Bruiser, Slime Belcher, Museum Caretaker. If you're playing against a Freeze Mage, always use your Hero Power on yourself and don't reload the board to avoid Fire Wave or Doomsayer combos. Try to steal the Mad Scientist with the Dark Priestess. Always keep the answer to Archmage Antonidas in hand and don't spare Lightbomb, even if there is only one enemy creature on the board. You will be able to win if you bring the enemy to fatigue or deal periodic damage with creatures (the second option is quite rare). When using the Museum Caretaker, choose a larger creature.

If you're up against a tempo or aggro mage, you'll need cheap minions to clear the board. In addition, you will be able to effectively use the Ring of Light and Flash Bomb.

Paladin: Northshire Cleric, Delicious Zombie, Furious Pyromancer, Museum Caretaker, Lord of Death, Injured Grunt. Defeat recruits with the Pyromancer. If you used a Lightbomb and the enemy had the secret Atonement, he will resurrect the creature that appeared on the battlefield first. If you have a mid-paladin in front of you, do not give him a single opportunity to buff recruits. Use Ring of Light or combo with a pyromancer to reduce Quartermaster's effectiveness. Use Burial on Tirion Fordring. If you have a paladin with murlocs in front of you, take Old Grimeye from him so that he does not fall under the Murgle of Fate. If Murk-Eye comes into your hand, don't play it, as Murgles of Fate resurrect all murlocs, including enemy murlocs.

Priest: Northshire Cleric, Delicious Zombie, Museum Caretaker, Lord of Death, Wounded Grunt, Auchenai Priestess, Stolen Thoughts. In a fight with any control opponent, Stolen Thoughts play a key role. They give a huge advantage and allow you to find out what cards are in the opponent's deck. If you have a priest with dragons in front of you, try to get an advantage on the table. If you succeed, wait for Ysera or another large dragon to appear, and then take it with Burial. If you have a regular control priest in front of you, you won’t have to fight for control, because. there are not enough creatures in his deck. Don't try to get as many cards as you can with Northshire Cleric, or you'll be the first to die from exhaustion at the end of the match. If the enemy deck has Elise, Burial the Golden Monkey.

Rogue: Northshire Cleric, Delicious Zombie, Furious Pyromancer, Museum Caretaker, Lord of Death, Injured Grunt. The rogue is unable to kill you without the help of his creatures. Clear the table and use the hero's power on yourself. Defend yourself against Assassin's Blade with provocateurs. With the appearance of the Tomb Raider, the meta was filled with Miracle Rogues, but the Lightbomb allows you to kill any creature in disguise.

Shaman: Northshire Cleric, Delicious Zombie, Furious Pyromancer, Museum Caretaker, Lord of Death, Injured Grunt. Recently, aggro shamans have appeared in the meta, similar to hunters and capable of dealing heavy damage in one or two turns. Since such decks usually do not have Hex, actively use the Lords of Death, strengthening them with Velen's Chosen if possible (but only after Earth Shock). As a general rule, Shadow Word: Death isn't particularly useful in these matches, but if you see a suitable target, use the spell without hesitation.

Warlock: Northshire Cleric, Delicious Zombie, Furious Pyromancer, Museum Caretaker, Lord of Death, Injured Bruiser, Stolen Thoughts, Shadow Word: Death, Flashbomb. If you have a zoo lock in front of you, focus on clearing the board. Keep in mind that if used in a timely manner, Nova Light or Lightbomb can quickly end the fight. Handlocks, on the other hand, can cause a lot of problems with their giants and other large creatures (for example, the Twilight Dragon can survive a Lightbomb). You can win if you consistently deal with all the threats and wear out the opponent, but with Jaraxxus, this is very difficult. If this option does not suit you, try using Auchenai Priestess in combination with healing spells.

Warrior. Northshire Cleric, Delicious Zombie, Furious Pyromancer, Museum Caretaker, Lord of Death, Injured Bruiser, Stolen Thoughts. Warriors are very difficult opponents, because. usually they have time to accumulate armor by the time the deck runs out of cards. If you managed to pull out a weapon or a large creature with the help of Stolen Thoughts, consider yourself lucky. Watch your draw and don't overfill your hand.

Choice of situational maps

Of course, you can't choose your opponent, but the meta is pretty predictable at the moment. After observing typical opponents, try to change your deck to increase your chances of success.

Against aggressive opponents: Velen's Chosen is more profitable than Stolen Thoughts, as it allows you to organize a profitable exchange at the expense of additional units of health. In addition, Unearthed Evil is of great benefit in such a fight, which is very similar to Hellfire, but does not affect heroes. Some players also use Dark Madness, but we think it's too slow and doesn't justify its cost.

Against Control Rivals: Use Stolen Thoughts, as in such matches, card advantage plays a huge role. Velen's Chosen or Tasty Zombie can be replaced with Ysera, Paletress Confessor, or any other large creature that will help you in the final stage of the game.

If you often face opponents with weapons, include Acid Slug or Harrison Jones in your deck. They are the ones who will help you deal with Assassin's Blade, Ashbringer or even Silver Blade.

When playing against an aggressive opponent, use spells to combo with a pyromancer, even if it seems to you that this is ineffective.

Learn to choose the right creatures offered by the Museum Caretaker. Adequately assess the game situation and choose the most profitable option, even if the caretaker offers you Sneed's Old Shredder or Ice Maw. Remember that big creatures only play against slow opponents. If the opponent is aggressive, you will need a smaller minion that is suitable for a profitable trade (for example, Dark Cultist).

Replacing other cards (for example, Mariel Trueheart or Lightbomb) is virtually impossible, because. each one plays a specific role, and their effects cannot be mimicked by other creatures or spells.

An alternative deck with a new legendary card (Elise) looks like this:

Circle of Healing x2, Light of the Naaru, Power Word: Shield x2, Northshire Cleric x2, Delicious Zombie x2, Museum Caretaker x2, Furious Pyromancer x2, Shadow Word: Death, Velen's Chosen, Master of Death x2, Injured Grunt x2, Auchenai Priestess x2, Eliza Stargazer, Flashbomb x2, Slime Belcher x2, Ring of Light, Shadow Priestess, Mariel Pureheart.

We'd love to hear your comments and suggestions!

Shadow Priest with Reno + Brann + Elise by Fliesnmalauk (LoE)

This deck includes popular cards such as Shadowform and Reno Jackson. Its effectiveness is based on the fact that Reno neutralizes the negative effect of Shadowform.

Initially, the deck was not intended for rating battles, but later it turned out that it is quite competitive.

Starting hand Cards worth 3 (if you have a Coin - 4) or less than a crystal. Always keep Reno and Shadowform in your starting hand.

Possible replacements: Frost Giant, Fire Giant, Garrison Commander, Delicious Zombie, Sylvanas Windrunner, Acid Ooze, Power Word: Glory, Mystic of Kezana, Stolen Thoughts, Bolf Ram Shield (if OTK opponents are common in the meta - for example, Freeze Mages , Malygos, and Murgles of Fate).

Enemies:

• - you have a chance to defeat any opponent, except for the mill-warrior with the Iron giant;
• - OTC decks are of particular difficulty;
• - The percentage of wins in matches with control opponents is very high.

• - When casting Shadowform, you can use your hero power twice per turn (before and after this spell);
• - learn how to play Doomsayer in time (as a rule, he plays especially well on the second turn, just before the form of darkness);
• - if you don't like Power Word: Glory, use Delicious Zombie;
• - if you think the opponent might play Jaraxxus, try to finish him off with Holy Fire;
• - Keep Lord of Death in your hand if it has Mental Tech, Dark Madness or Lightbomb.

With the release of the League of Explorers expansion, a new Burial card has appeared in the deck, which provides new opportunities for eliminating "inconvenient" enemy creatures - for example, Sylvanas Windrunner, Savannah Highmane, or Tirion Fordring. Burial allows you to build a deck focused solely on survival, and not worry about the conditions for victory.

In the early stages of the game, the main goal of this deck is to control the board, which is carried out with the help of effective creatures and powerful spells. Having seized control and strengthened his position, the priest puts the most powerful creatures on the board.

The main means of control lies in the active use of the hero's power. The ability to heal is a significant advantage of this class, as using mana to heal is much more profitable than fielding new creatures. This allows you to use resources more efficiently and keep cards in hand that may come in handy in the last moves.

When restoring health to a creature, always try to guess how your opponent might respond. For example, shamans are able to deal 3 damage with spells like Lightning, Rockbiter, or Fire Elemental, so you will benefit from having your creature's health exceed that amount.

At the beginning of the fight, control priests behave quite passively. Most cheap creatures (such as Northshire Cleric, Shrinker, or Vicious Pyromancer) increase in value if their effects are used immediately. Therefore, we recommend skipping the first turns and playing the first creature on the third turn. The exception is in fights with aggressive opponents, when cheap creatures come in handy in the struggle for control. However, Vicious Pyromancer is almost never used at the start of the fight, as it allows you to cast AoE spells.

Once you've secured your presence on the board, try to gain an advantage by effectively trading and healing creatures. As a result, you will be left with many more cards than your opponent, which is very important for the last stage of the game. If you heal your creatures in the presence of a cleric, then the enemy will very quickly lose control of the situation.

When playing this deck, the main tactic is to play back by eliminating enemy threats, but if necessary, you can play actively with the use of Wounded Bruiser, Lord of Death, and Light of the Naaru. However, the top priority is spells that allow you to remove an enemy creature from the table.

In the middle of the match, AoE spells take on special importance, as well as a spell of medium cost. Ring of Light is a very powerful tool that will come in handy if you don't have a significant advantage on the board. The ring simultaneously heals your creatures and destroys enemy creatures.

If the opponent has a significant advantage on the board, you can use one of the two options described below. Furious Pyromancer is used in combination with spells like Power Word: Shield and Light of the Naaru to deal AoE damage without spending too many crystals. If that's not enough, you can use Circle of Healing in combination with Auchenai Priestess or Flashbomb to deal significant damage to all enemy minions.

If you managed to survive the opponent's initial attacks, you can start developing your own table. The most powerful means of the game at the final stage are the Dark Priestess, Ysera and Burial. With the presence of the Shrinkmaster, the Dark Priestess becomes a formidable weapon. By temporarily lowering the attack power of an enemy creature, you can steal giants like Slime Belcher, Mechanical Yeti, Piloted Shredder, or even Ysera. Try to save Shrinker for exactly this kind of situation, especially against control decks.

Burial is a great new map to deal with "inconvenient" creatures like Ysera, Sylvanas Windrunner or Tirion Fordring. Moreover, when using Burial, the target is put into your deck, i.e. you can take it and turn it against your opponent. This card removes creatures like Holy Protector and Sylvanas Windrunner from the deck and replaces them with additional spells.

Finally, this deck has Mariel Pureheart, which allows you to get the most out of your Hero Power. As a result, your creatures become more tenacious, and aggressive opponents lose all chances of winning. Learn to recognize the right moment for Mariel to come out. This is a very fragile creature, and because of him, you will most likely lose the advantage in speed. As a rule, Mariel must be deployed at the moment when you are already confidently in control of the situation, or vice versa. are in desperate need of healing and can use your Hero Power immediately.

Use your Hero Power every turn to heal your character or creatures. This simple trick combined with Shadow Word: Death will allow you to win any fight.

Synergy and combinations

Priest relies heavily on different combinations of cards, so the key to success is understanding the principles of their interaction.

Shrinker combined with Shadow Priestess allows you to steal powerful creatures like Piloted Shredder or Ysera.

Wounded Bruiser combined with Circle of Healing allows you to deploy a 4/7 minion for only three crystals. If you managed to deploy a Cleric before, you can draw an additional card, and then remove an enemy creature from the board with a grunt.

Wounded Bruiser combined with Light of the Naaru will give you two creatures (4/6 and 1/2) for only 4 crystals.

Furious Pyromancer in combination with spells allows you to effectively clean the board. Compared to other classes, priests who use a pyromancer have undeniable advantages. Using Power Word: You can increase a pyromancer's health and then cast more spells before he dies. Additionally, you can replenish the Pyromancer's health with your Hero Power while continuing to AoE.

Northshire Cleric combined with Circle of Healing is used to gain multiple additional cards in a single turn. Especially effective when used next to a pyromancer.

Auchenai Priestess and Circle of Healing provide a very powerful AoE spell that deals 4 damage. If your creature is on the table at the same time, the effectiveness of the reception is reduced.

Starting hand and detailed tactics

Try to get creatures such as Wounded Grunt and Furious Pyromancer in your starting hand. Alternatively, you can look for Power Word: Shield, Northshire Cleric, or Circle of Healing (if you have Wounded Bruiser).

Against aggro decks, Northshire Cleric has a high priority, as it allows you to make profitable trades with cheap creatures. In addition, you can keep important AoE spells in hand (like Nova of Light or Auchenai Priestess + Circle of Healing) to have access to them in case of need. Since the priest is able to stabilize even the most hopeless situation, you can give your opponent a head start in order to effectively clear the board a little later.

Against control decks, actively look for Wounded Bruiser and Circle of Healing, as this combo performed on turn 3 can give you a significant advantage. A Northshire Cleric will come in handy in this fight much later, because. at the start, control decks use cheap spells a lot, and you won't be able to get the most out of it. In addition, use cheap spells and Power Word: Shield in the early stages of the game.

Changing cards

Ysera is an optional card, as the deck contains Burial, providing the conditions for victory. Instead of Ysera, you can put another copy of Stolen Thoughts into your deck.

Instead of Ragnaros, you can take one Divine Punishment to provide more stability in the early turns.

If you often encounter aggressive opponents, replace one Lightbomb with an additional Nova of Light.

I hope this Priest deck guide has been helpful to you. If you want to thank us, you can repost this article on social networks and rate it. Good game!