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[S42 Top 50] Wild Highlander!

  • Last updated Oct 29, 2017 (Triggered)
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Wild

  • 17 Minions
  • 12 Spells
  • Deck Type: Ranked Deck
  • Deck Archetype: Highlander Priest
  • Crafting Cost: 15780
  • Dust Needed: Loading Collection
  • Created: 9/24/2017 (Evergreen Nerfs)
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  • Battle Tag:

    N/A

  • Region:

    EU

  • Total Deck Rating

    1731

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NOTE: The guide is not an absolute truth to how the deck should be played to full potential, it's more of my view on it and how I personally played it, so be a bit reserved and consult with some guide of pro players as well, I suggest checking Zalae's guide on YouTube!

Hey guys, 

I just played a bit of Priest in Wild and went 5-2 (EDIT: 9-4 now!) with Reno Priest on pretty high legend, got me back to top 50. I didn't use it to reach Legend but it seems it's performing really good. In Wild, Reno Priest is probably the best deck out there you could use, however I see people running basically all Standard lists, only with the addition of Reno and some use Lightbomb (some don't even use that believe it or not). Anyways, here is how Paletress work for example, and it's not a gimmick lucky pull, it always makes 2-3 legendaries with ease:

 

Card choices

I found it weird that no one used some cards that are broken in such deck beyond understanding. Tho logical explanation would be that people don't have those cards and are not willing to craft them, since both Vol'jin and Paletress are Wild only cards, used in only single deck of a single class, extremely narrow usage. Still, here they are broken beyond understanding. I will name and comment on some of those choices.

Overpowered beyond belief in this deck. Godlike synergy with hero power and removes literally anything in game. Synergy with Holy Smite is just an extra, but it works godlike with your hero power gain with Shadowreaper Anduin. Would use 3-4 Vol'jins if possible - directly better than for example Vilespine Slayer, with much better stats not even requiring an extra card to combine if you had Raza/DK before, and even on it's own you'd be surprised how well it works - overstatted 5 drop enabling great trades with opponents big minion. Even named the deck after it! 

Friend and I laughed that people don't run this. I understand that don't many have the card and not many are ready to craft a card used in a single Wild deck and that cannot be used in any other archetype, however Paletress is just unearthly broken in this deck, generates 2-3 legendaries with ease in a turn, more powerful than any, not only 7 mana but also 8 and 9 mana card in game pretty much (in this deck ofc).  

I didn't see a single Reno Priest running this. It is exceptional card for this deck. I see people running Gnomish Inventor for f*cks sake and not using Drake. Sure 1 mana more but in the Prieststone that is Wild, Azure is much better in mirror matchups, and it increases dmg of 4 cards in your deck, Spirit Lash and Holy Smite of which are easily combined with Drake in a single turn. In this deck you benefit both from draw and spell power, just like you do by having a 4 attack minion vs other priests.  

Barely seeing this card at all, maybe they just don't draw it but I see Dragonfire Potion a lot for comparison, which is a directly worse card (and should be used next to Bomb). Full board clear in a deck that is not so board oriented? One of the best AoEs in game, and in this setup probably better than any other for their own decks.

 

Gameplan & Matchups

This is a control/combo deck. You control the board and defend heavily against aggro - rarely seeking value and not preserving combos at all often. Literally feel free to drop Lyra just like that to be 3/5 "taunt", or use AoE on just a few minions if you see there is high chance for the opponent to have lethal, whether you'd sometimes wait for it's value to become bigger next turn - so do not be greedy vs Aggro but defend at all cost the best you can, cos you will outvalue them by far in time, not even a slightest chance for not doing that. Vs Zoo-ish decks you might wanna wait for some bigger value of AoE, tho still play defensively like you are playing vs Pirate Warrior. For example preserve AoE if possible for Druid's Living Mana or for Murloc Pala to buff bunch of murlocs so you can swipe them all at once. Lightbomb is brutal here, and not even Finja survives anymore after Warleader nerf. You got the point - play very defensively and don't be greedy vs Aggro at all, while trying to get the most out of your AoE vs Zoo-ish aggressive decks.

Slower matchups play a bit more differently. Thanks to Confessor Paletress Jade Druid might as well be one of the easiest matchups you have - generating so insane board to which Druid doens't have an answer to in form of AoE - that is one of the biggest weaknesses of Standard Razakus, fixed here with immense board presence generated in late game by a single card. Also in Wild with Lightbomb and potentially 2nd one with Shadow Visions, you are likely to OBLITERATE Jade and Giants decks without any effort. Be slightly more greedy than vs aggro tho don't be way too greedy cos it can backfire in late game when they have so many Jades. Still - midrange/jade/giants decks are very easy for this deck, just like Aggro is imo. 

Worst matchup would be mirror matchup with ~50%, which again you can outvalue with Confessor's board - be extremely greedy here. The match will usually be decided by who draws Raza -> Shadowreaper Anduin 1st, and nothing much you can do there. In 9/10 matches winner is who draws them 1st. Still, if it comes down to value battle, you are likely to do more with Paletress than he would do with idk... N'Zoth - greedily generating 3-4 Legendaries in a turn with ease, being much better on average than minion's you'd revive with N'Zoth, while also being more flexible, playable earlier than N'Zoth and not requiring you to use sub-optimal Deathrattle cards that you wouldn't otherwise.

 

Combos & Tips

For you to play this deck properly, you need to understand what combos you have. For example I spectated a friend that used certain cards yet he had no clue why were they placed in that deck. In his example he just dropped Dirty Rat on curve, instantly losing to Hunter's Highmane, or not saving Tainted Zealot with Spirit Lash but just dropping it like that on turn 3 even if he had Lash in hand, etc. Both cards aren't used in this deck but still, just to point out that you need to understand why some cards are in the deck, and to learn what combos you might wanna wait for, that you'd often overlook if you haven't analyzed them before the game:

  • Vol'jin + Voidform / Holy Smite / Bloodmage Thalnos + Spirit Lash
  • Vol'jin + your own high hp minion that will die in trade with lower hp minion anyways
  • Pint-Size Potion + Shadow Word: Horror / Cabal Shadow Priest
  • Doomsayer + Shadow Word: Horror (explanation: you will often find yourself having too many cards in hand in mirror matchup hardly able to control it, this is the effective way to empty your hand with useless minion for that matchup without killing your own board)
  • Bloodmage Thalnos + Spirit Lash / Dragonfire Potion / Lightbomb / Holy Smite
  • Azure Drake + Spirit Lash / Holy Smite
  • Acolyte of Pain + Spirit Lash / Voidform (explanation: sometimes you want to draw rather than deal 2 dmg or seek value, feel free to hit sometimes your own acolyte to fish for a card you need)
  • Confessor Paletress + Shadowreaper Anduin + Raza the Chained

 

Mulligan Guide

Mulligan is very complex with this deck - one of the hardest to decide. For now I have just wrote the list (basically half the deck) of possibilities, but I will write comment on each card. Since mulligan is not the same vs everything. For example some card you'd keep only in combination with some other, some card you keep only vs certain class/deck, you get the idea. Since the deck is all one-offs, there are countless options and situations to choose a card to keep. I wrote some basic explanations and named the cards, but don't take it for granted, it can vary from situation and other cards you might use as replacements and such. Best is to actually analyze card by card the deck, understand it and decide on your own at the start of each matchup, but here is some basic guide to help you out at 1st:

Without Coin:

  • Northshire Cleric - keep always
  • Holy Smite - keep vs aggro if you have 1 or/and 2 drop already
  • Potion of Madness - keep always vs aggro/zoo decks
  • Power Word: Shield - keep if you have 1 and 2 mana minion already
  • Doomsayer - keep vs all aggro/zoo/midrange/tempo decks
  • Bloodmage Thalnos - keep vs slower decks or keep always if you already have turn 1 (example Cleric)
  • Loot Hoarder - same as for Thalnos - always vs slower decks, sometimes vs others
  • Novice Engineer - same as for the two above
  • Radiant Elemental - keep vs aggro/midrange decks, especially if you have Power Word: Shield in hand, vs slower decks this is more useful later as combo piece
  • Shadow Visions - keep if you have 1 and/or 2 cost minions
  • Shadow Word: Pain - keep if you have 1 and/or 2 cost minions - even vs aggro do not keep this card if you don't have stuff to play, the best case scenario is defensive 2 mana for 2 mana, you want it rather later to kill stuff with 3 attack, or of course vs aggro to survive - but it's useless if you don't have any minions, can also keep with Reno vs aggro stuff always
  • Spirit Lash - keep vs aggro always, especially with Thalnos in hand
  • Acolyte of Pain - keep vs slower decks always, and keep vs aggro/zoo if you have 1 and/or 2 mana card already 
  • Curious Glimmerroot - same as for Acolyte, tho you can generally keep this one more often in hand
  • Kazakus - keep vs aggro if you have 1 and/or 2 mana minions already, can also keep vs slower decks to gain some draw and board
  • Priest of the Feast - keep vs aggro/tempo/midrange decks if you have both turn 1 and 2 already
  • Raza the Chained - keep always vs slower decks especially mirror match, and can keep vs everything else if you have 1 and/or 2 cost cards already
  • Reno Jackson - keep vs aggro/tempo always, never vs slower decks
  • Shadowreaper Anduin - keep vs other Priests only if you have Raza and Cleric

With Coin: 

 

Replacements & Options

This section is not finished yet! I need to test each replacement on ladder before I can actually recommend something, and certain replacements are more complicated than just swap a card for card, cos they combine with some other stuff, so if you replace one card, it might be actually good to replace some other even if you own it. So be aware of this and please if you can suggest some replacements that I didn't name.

Replacements:

Options:

  • Mind Blast - only if you use Prophet Velen as well, and have problem with mirror matchup - other than that combo is just not that great in my opinion and experience. My advice for the full explanation would be to check some of the Amnesiasc's videos, will link if I find it, or will give my detailed opinion on it if anyone cares.
  • Recruiter - excellent choice for this deck since recruits cost only 1 mana - basically better card than Lyra for this deck in many occasions - didn't try it myself but friend Nasandi recommended me this option and I believe him how good it can be - so props to him for the idea that I didn't see nor would it ever come across my mind!
  • Nexus-Champion Saraad - I forgot about this card completely but Peiande gave an idea in the comments. Will try it myself when I get the dust but it seems legit in this deck!

 

Crafting Vol'jin and Paletress for this deck is not worth it in my opinion. You can reach highest Legend ranks without them as well. In my opinion and experience they do improve this deck and will eventually increase your win rate - but I simply don't think it's worth crafting Wild-only, class-only, and not even that but single deck-only (not working in any other Priest) legendaries, especially if they are not needed to achieve Legend. Still, they are great addition in this deck, improves win rate in my experience and are very fun cards, if you really have a lot of dust to spare or already have the cards, I'd go for it and use them! If not? Np it's still more than Legend capable without them.

 

Good luck and da spirits be restless!