Home » Solitaire Golf » Combo priest. (Updated) Combo Priest - Meta Breaker of the Week

Combo priest. (Updated) Combo Priest - Meta Breaker of the Week

Combo Priest was one of the few archetypes that was directly affected by the latest nerf patch. Reversing the cost of Pair of Hands to (3) mana destroyed the power of Northshire Cleric, which was put on the board on turn 1 and buffed with Pair of Hands on turn 2. Bwonsamdi, Loa of Death acted as a replacement for one copy of Pair of Hands in these decks. Along with several other accompanying changes to the archetype, this has kept Priest at the top of the meta.

Bwonsamdi, loa of death

Bwonsamdi, Loa of Death costs (7) mana and is a 7/7 creature that draws minions from the deck for (1) mana until your hand is full. This allows Combo Priests to draw their Northshire Clerics and Guardians of Light from their deck.

Bwonsamdi is designed to strengthen the priest in the middle and late game, and also check the opponent for threats. It can rid your deck of extra creature cards to get you closer to drawing the combo pieces you need. Northshire Cleric also allows you to speed up the cycle of going through cards in your deck.

Since Northshire Cleric is the priority target in this deck, the opponent will kill him as soon as possible. In this case, you will have a disadvantage in drawing cards because it is unlikely that both clerics will come in synchronously naturally. Thus, Bwonsamdi provides additional card draw. Also, as a 7/7 creature, it can become part of a combo using Inner Fire if the opponent leaves it on the board.

Auxiliary cards

Bwonsamdi's effect requires the deck to have multiple minions for (1) mana. Before the Pair of Hands nerf, some decks only contained Northshire Clerics as such creatures. Now the Guardian of Light was needed, and the players added the Cheerful Companion.

Cheerful Companion is a good card for drawing her Bwonsamdi in the late game. At the turn 8 stage and beyond, Priests will want to attract a minion to enhance their Inner Fire combo. A cheerful companion gives the creature an additional 2 health units. This effect allows you to maximize the value of Divine Spirit before casting Inner Fire or Upheaval.

These cards in the deck replaced Ripple of Light and 1 copy of Servant of Pain. Acolyte of Pain is a great replacement because its effect offsets Bwonsamdi.

Suitable opponents for Bwonsamdi to enter the game

Bwonsamdi is very important map in medium pace matches.

Against aggressive decks the game is usually decided before the 7th turn, even if the match is not technically over. Control decks can usually counter Bwonsamdi and what follows.

Quest Druid decks that struggle with single targets are excellent candidates for Bwonsamdi on turn 7 if they can survive against Combo Priest's powerful early game. In a Combo Priest mirror match, a real battle can take place, with both players doing a full cycle or not doing one at all. Bwonsamdi alone may be enough to take your opponent out of the game.

In any match, this card is undesirable at the mulligan stage. This is the card you'll want to take when you're short on other cards. It would be nice if early game you won't have time to draw all your creatures for (1) mana. The deck is not suitable for maximizing the value of Bwonsamdi, considering that it only contains 6 creatures for (1) mana.

Bwonsamdi, Loa of Death was a welcome addition to the Combo Priest archetype because Pair of Hands no longer provided the insane tempo. World Champion Casper Notto (Hunterace) has truly demonstrated the justification for this inclusion by proving its strength in the Hearthstone Grandmasters tournament and declaring it to be the best deck in the game right now.

Deck code:

AAECAa0GBqUJ+wzl9wLQ/gKnhwOppQMM+ALLBPYH1QjRCtIK8gz3DK+lA9KlA/2nA4SoAwA=

How he managed to become the 13th Legend in the world with his Priest deck. According to him, it turned out to be abnormally strong and, at its core, develops the idea of a very greedy combo priest who is able to cope with aggro and midrange decks with the help of Resurrection.

“Due to his greed, usually losing matches against a handlock and a robber are now not only won, but, one might say, preferred,” the player noted. We are publishing a translation of his manual.

Deck screenshot

Proof

Unique Features

1.Resurrection can change the course of a match - this map Incredibly strong in all games due to the extra combos using Pyromancer/Aukenai Priestess/Cleric, as well as the value of playing a Grunt in the early game or as a late game hit or miss, or as a temporary 2 mana minion.

2. 12 cards in a single copy- the reason why a similar deck has not been created until now.

3. Troggzor and Snids- there are no potential targets for the “Experienced Hunter” and the deck becomes stronger with the number of turns.

4. Every card in the deck is either high value or part of a combo.

Why is this deck good?

1. Because you're a cool dude and you think the priest is cool.

2. A high learning threshold and a high skill ceiling, but at the same time, incredibly high returns when playing well.

3. There are many opportunities for long and impressive moves by the pyromancer.

Card selection

“Resurrection” x2: described in detail in its own subsection.

Against midrange decks

Consistently respond to your opponent's attacks until they run out of fuse or cards. Your cards are much more valuable than the cards in the zoos or the druids, so the longer you hold out, the closer you will be to victory.

Against control decks

When playing against a warrior, try to catch their clearing with an Auchenai priestess or grunt.

Resurrect will force them to play even more clear cards, or you will start to out-value them in cards. In the second case, it will be more difficult for him to cope with your largest creatures.

Standard Control Priest and Paladin represent a card value fight. You need to get more out of the cards than they get out of theirs. Make every effort to maintain card advantage, as it usually transfers from one player to another.

Against other decks

The Frost Mage is the preferred opponent unless the most menacing cards they will not go into his hand one after another. Try to build a strong board or play everything early and push until your opponent is quickly destroyed. If there is no opportunity for such a game, save all your healing to respond to Alexstrasza, in which case they will not be able to kill you.

Against a handlock, you'll need to apply a lot of pressure early in the game and really time your moves, relying on Holy Fire with Auchenai Priestess and Naaru for extra in-your-face damage. If possible, you should draw the starting cards, since in the case of a bad hand, towards the end of the game it will be increasingly difficult to cope with such an opponent.

Don't give up, don't take into account his ability to play "Fire Giant", since the deck described is not designed for control when playing against a handlock, since we simply do not have the means to destroy several cards with a large supply of health. Try, if possible, not to overwhelm a potential target with “Mind Control” for the “Experienced Hunter”.

Replacing starting cards

Changing cards before the first turn is common for priests with a similar playstyle.

The only exception for replacement is “Resurrection” - this card, as a rule, you need in the early game. For example, when playing against a warrior and a druid, you should almost always leave Resurrection. While against a paladin this is not so important, since in this case you only need to clear their initial group of cards, after which you can play according to standard. It's usually a good idea to keep Resurrection against Mages as well, although it's pretty weak against Freeze.

Whether Resurrection is worth keeping really depends on the rest of the starting cards, and whether you can get the most out of this card right away, or save it for a better opportunity.

FAQ

Can I replace XXX:

1. Vol'jin - no. It's essential as one of our several clearing tools, and has serious potential to change the pace of the game the deck is based on. If a replacement is necessary, then it is worth changing it to the second “Word of Darkness: Death”.

2. Troggzor - yes. You want either Sneed or Troggzor as a good non-target card for Master Hunter. I would replace it with Enemy Slasher 4000, which I tested and had some success with in this deck. Chromaggus can hardly be called a second backup option, but, at the same time, not a completely unnecessary replacement.

3. Snead – maybe. Everything here is the same as in the case of Troggzor, but Sneed is more important.

The hero of the guide is Combo Priest. The archetype has been strong since the start of Saviors of Uldum, after nerfs, and now in the patch with wild cards. Combo Priest didn't receive a single useful Wild card, but that doesn't stop it from maintaining its title as one of the best, if not the best, deck in the game.

In the latest patch, the Combo Priest has serious competitors: the Priest inside the class and outside the Evolve Shaman and the Tempo Rogue - these three are not the easiest fights for the Combo Priest, but in all of them the hero of the article has decent chances if performed well. Most other popular matchups don't give Combo Priest much trouble. Particularly pleasing is the duel with Quest Shaman, the most popular deck on the ladder.

Calls Combo Priest the meta-breaker of the week and best deck to move up the ladder. But the Combo Priest has other advantages. Games last a short time, often opponents give up after 3-4 moves if the Priest finds a good mana curve. Plus everything top builds Priest combos are cheap: even beginners and those who have never played Priest can pull them off.

Combo Priest looks like the perfect ladder deck, but there is one major problem - This is one of the most difficult meta archetypes. Even at the highest positions of the Legend and tournaments, players often make mistakes in handling the Combo Priest, and the archetype does not tolerate them - even minor “misplays” often lead to defeat.

The guide will help you better master Combo Priest: you will find the top builds in the latest patch and learn how to build your own. Learn all about the complex mulligan and gameplay of the archetype. There will also be a detailed look at the popular matchups of the Saviors of Uldum meta in the wild card patch.

This updated version guide relevant to the meta of the wild card patch and the October ranked season. Next full list changes:

Guide sections:

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Calls Combo Priest the meta-breaker of the week and the best deck for moving up the ladder. But the Combo Priest has other advantages. Games last a short time, often opponents give up after 3-4 moves if the Priest finds a good mana curve. Plus, the top Combo Priest builds are cheap: even beginners and those who have never played a Priest can assemble them.

This is an updated version of the guide, relevant for the meta of the wild card patch and the October ranked season. Below is the full list of changes:

Guide sections:

Viewing the content is entirely possible only by subscription. Log in to your account or subscribe if you don't have one.

Subscription cost from 50 rubles per month on promotion. Significantly cheaper than a regular cup of coffee or tea at McDonald's.