In case you missed it, here's our first guide in the series, focusing on the powers of the Mage, Jaina Proudmoore. Today, we'll be focusing on Anduin Wrynn, the Priest. His playstyle is certainly different, though he does share the trait of enjoying removing the enemy's minions from play. We'll go over everything you need to know in order to start playing the Priest effectively. In this series of guides, we’ll be taking a look at what makes each class tick, as well as providing a starting point for playing them effectively. We’ll be taking the sample deck lists provided by the Trump’s Teachings video series that came out before any new sets, or expansions, to show that solid mechanics can still win you games when you haven’t yet played a single match or opened even one pack.

(Note: For the purpose of these guides, we’ll assume you’ve hit level 10 with each hero, giving you all of the free cards. If you haven’t yet reached level 10, simply play against the beginner AI until you get there. You can use the decks provided, but might need to make a few substitutions until you’ve unlocked your free cards.)

Why should I play the Priest?

• Extremely versatile removal spells. Shadow Word: Pain and Shadow Word: Death don't deal specific amounts of damage; they'll take out minions regardless of how much health they have.
• Constantly healing yourself or your minions while destroying your opponent's board can be very frustrating for new players to deal with. You have the mental edge!
• It may cost 10 mana, but Mind Control is an extremely powerful card. The ability to permanently gain control of one of your opponent's minions can completely change the tide of a game.

What should I look out for when playing the Priest?

• You're playing a slower, control-based strategy, and can be susceptible to aggressive decks that can rush you down. Shadow Word: Pain doesn't help much if your opponent has 4 minions in play.
• Use your removal wisely! If you use either Shadow Word spell carelessly, you could be out of options if your opponent just drops a scarier minion next turn.
• Mind Control doesn't guarantee victory. Some new players fall into the trap of feeling invincible when holding this card, but if you're too far behind, it may not be enough to swing the game. Also, remember that the minion you gain control of will need to wait a turn before it can attacking, just as if you had played it normally from your hand.

How do I burn people with the light with just free cards?

Heal your way to victory!

Where do I go from here?

Destroying opponents who do not see the light might just be your thing. If it is, you're going to want to look towards building a more competitive deck as you unlock more cards.

Control Priest

While there are a few variations on Priest, this is likely the most effective one to look towards. It plays a similar style to our starter deck, but on a much larger scale. Auchenai Soulpriest turns all of your healing abilities into damage, while Thoughtsteal, Shadow Madness and Cabal Shadow Priest all turn your opponent's own cards against them. Shadow Word: Pain and Death are still great cards for removal, while Shrinkmeister is a great way to cut your opponent's minions down to size. For an example of what a full deck might contain, let's take a look at Kolento's Priest deck that he used on his way to winning Season 1 of the Kinguin Pro League 2015 tournament:

Closing Thoughts

Priest seems to be something of a niche hero, as he has often risen and fallen in popularity quickly. In the recent HTC Invitational, he was the only hero not used by any of the competitors. On the other side of that coin, as mentioned above, Kolento was armed with a Priest deck when winning the Kinguin Pro League tournament, so it's clear that things can really go either way. In the end, it's up to you. If you enjoy the Priest's playstyle, it's absolutely possible to create a competitive deck. On a personal note, Anduin was the first hero I really played, and I've always liked him. His level of minion removal and ability to turn opponent's cards against them is almost unparalleled, so if you enjoy that style of control, I strongly encourage you to give the Priest a long hard look.