by Jeremy Waxman on May 20, 2015
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.)
Heal your way to victory!
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.
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:
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.