Well, this is a bit of an oddball. This deck is focused on using enrage effects to gain stronger minions. However, in general healing does not work that well combined with enrage effects as it cancels those out when healing the minions to full. Simply leaving the enraged minions alone leaves them vulburnable and easy to pick off. This deck tries to go around these problems using +health mechanics with beefy taunt minions that can keep the enraged minions safe and out of reach from the enemy.
General Strategy.
In general you first want to get your minions enraged somehow and than defend them. * When attacked by minions, defend your enragers with high health minions that have taunt, which forces the enemy to slam through a wall to reach your enraged minions. (Add inner fire to make spiked wall). * If he tries to deal with your enraged minions using spells. Increase the enraged minions health to survive the attacks. * If the total damage starts to get out of control. Use Holy Nova and Hero Power to keep your minions in the game. Ofc it will never be as strict as this, but gives you a hint how to deal with situations.
Key Combos
Enraged minion + added health: As the effect just adds additional health it lets the minions keep the enrage effect while being able to tank another hit or two. Enraged minion + Beefy taunt minion: The taunt minions will be able to keep your enraged minion at a safer distance, allowing it to dish out some free attacks. Beefy taunt minion + Divine Spirit/Inner Fire: This combo will add another threat to deal with beside your enraged minions. Gurubashi Berserker + Any heals: This ticking timebomb is possibly one of the biggest threats in the deck. As he is not enrage based he can be topped of with your hero power, allowing him to constantly grow in power in a safer position.
I decided to do a last minute to remove two Tauren warriors for an additional Inner Fire and Nat Pagle for more card draw power. Not sure if it was the right move though, might had been better to exchange the Sen'jin Shieldmasta's instead.
Tried to come up with a gimmick/strat that has not been posted in the deck submissions yet. Stealth minions are harder to kill than normal and relatively cost effective and the idea here is to mass them up, still utilizing them when necessary, and casting Shadow Word: Pain or Mind Control or Shadow Madness or Mass Dispel and/or any of your cards that silence to get rid of taunt defense or instead gain more offense the turn you go in for the kill with your stealth minions.
Strategy and Match ups:
Early game:
Without Ancient Watcher (other aggressive minions) and a low cost silence in your starting hand or draws, your goal is to be defensive. Utilize Holy Smite, Shadow Word: Pain, and your cards that silence to stave off early aggression and strong minion effects. Use low cost stealth minions as needed to kill targets or hit an open opponent if its a clear board. If you are lucky enough to have Ironbeak Owl or Silence with Ancient Watcher then go on the offensive, else leave Ancient Watcher out on the field for later use.
Midgame:
This is where match ups come into play. The more AOE your opponent is capable of, or ways of getting your minions out of stealth, the more you are going to throw yourselves at them instead of saving up. Scare them into using AOE on your early game creatures when you start hitting them with what you have. Because this deck lacks any card draw, you don't want to put all your eggs into one basket. Have them scramble a couple of those eggs at a time, using up their AOE cards so you can safely put out higher cost stealth minions that can take a hit from AOE.
Against decks that lack consistent AOE output, use this time to mass stealth minions on the board, even if it means you take some damage.
Lategame:
Because Stealth minions can not be targeted, a good amount of ability cards can't have been used to prevent you from saving some of these creatures for an opportune strike. At this point your opponent should have been whittled down a little by Mind Blast, Ancient Watcher, and other low cost minions. Mind Control with stealth minions already on your side can result in a lot of damage in a single turn if your opponent has no taunt minions, which this deck is exceptional at neutralizing.
Final Words:
Silence remains strong throughout the game, letting you deal with otherwise troublesome lategame drops and taunt, and you have 8 cards that let you silence! Most taunt minions have 3 attack or less and with that in mind Shadow Word: Pain, and Shadow Madness are another way of removing blockers. In addition there is Mind Control , but that is best utilized as a finisher on the turn you attack with a couple stealth minions if your opponent has something big out.
This deck is not meant to be an all in strat. Use stealth minions to deal with strong creature abilities when you don't have silence around. Instead of saving them, use them to pressure your opponent when they use cards like Thoughtsteal or Shadowform early which leave the opponent with no board presence.
Edit: added Leper Gnome over Shieldbearer for more aggression and early damage to your opponent before you pop stealth.
Well, this is a bit of an oddball. This deck is focused on using enrage effects to gain stronger minions. However, in general healing does not work that well combined with enrage effects as it cancels those out when healing the minions to full. Simply leaving the enraged minions alone leaves them vulburnable and easy to pick off. This deck tries to go around these problems using +health mechanics with beefy taunt minions that can keep the enraged minions safe and out of reach from the enemy.
General Strategy.
In general you first want to get your minions enraged somehow and than defend them. * When attacked by minions, defend your enragers with high health minions that have taunt, which forces the enemy to slam through a wall to reach your enraged minions. (Add inner fire to make spiked wall). * If he tries to deal with your enraged minions using spells. Increase the enraged minions health to survive the attacks. * If the total damage starts to get out of control. Use Holy Nova and Hero Power to keep your minions in the game. Ofc it will never be as strict as this, but gives you a hint how to deal with situations.
Key Combos
Enraged minion + added health: As the effect just adds additional health it lets the minions keep the enrage effect while being able to tank another hit or two. Enraged minion + Beefy taunt minion: The taunt minions will be able to keep your enraged minion at a safer distance, allowing it to dish out some free attacks. Beefy taunt minion + Divine Spirit/Inner Fire: This combo will add another threat to deal with beside your enraged minions. Gurubashi Berserker + Any heals: This ticking timebomb is possibly one of the biggest threats in the deck. As he is not enrage based he can be topped of with your hero power, allowing him to constantly grow in power in a safer position.
I decided to do a last minute to remove two Tauren warriors for an additional Inner Fire and Nat Pagle for more card draw power. Not sure if it was the right move though, might had been better to exchange the Sen'jin Shieldmasta's instead.
This was not an easy decision, the deck submissions were amazing this week. But after much deliberation I chose this one because I absolutely love the theme and foresee the play-style of this deck being very fun. I was blown away by how many decks omitted Prophet Velen, the hands down best priest card and of all the decks that seemed to forget Velen this was the only one that got away with it, since it already seems to be efficient enough at what it's trying to do.
Congratulations Erskow!! Let me know your prize preference.
I was blown away by how many decks omitted Prophet Velen, the hands down best priest card...
I know you guys went cuckoo for cocoa puffs over this guy, but unless you are playing a heavy spell deck he just doesn't seem that good. If you watch the Priest vs Warlock vid, they show Velen on the field. The priest uses his hero power to heal himself and it only heals him for 2. Zeriyah then comments that Velen doesn't buff the hero power. I'm doubting he buffs the Lightwell heal either. Seems that in the right deck he's amazing but in others there may be better options, or am I missing something?
I was blown away by how many decks omitted Prophet Velen, the hands down best priest card...
I know you guys went cuckoo for cocoa puffs over this guy, but unless you are playing a heavy spell deck he just doesn't seem that good. If you watch the Priest vs Warlock vid, they show Velen on the field. The priest uses his hero power to heal himself and it only heals him for 2. Zeriyah then comments that Velen doesn't buff the hero power. I'm doubting he buffs the Lightwell heal either. Seems that in the right deck he's amazing but in others there may be better options, or am I missing something?
I have to agree with WarProphet, Velen is good, but not the best, I'd rank Holy Nova and Mind Control eons above Velen.
I'm not entirely sure if the hearthpwn managers actually played the game on any scale (printed card/cockatrice etc). I appriciate their dedication and hard work but as far as I listened to them on the chats they sound less knowledgeable about the game play then most people on the forums. I think their criteria for the decks are more fun oriented then efficency or potentness; but I'm fine with that :D Although I'm saying that I'm not entirely sure how potent the winner decks are, I haven't tried them so I'm not the one to talk :D Besides my deck entries were focused more on fun than potentness as well :D
Zeriyah then comments that Velen doesn't buff the hero power. I'm doubting he buffs the Lightwell heal either. Seems that in the right deck he's amazing but in others there may be better options, or am I missing something?
Correct, it doesn't effect hero powers or Lightwell (Shadowform included), only spells. He defiantly wouldn't have been much help to your deck (which was awesome btw). That being said there were a few spell oriented decks which omitted him.
I have to agree with WarProphet, Velen is good, but not the best, I'd rank Holy Nova and Mind Control eons above Velen.
Holy Nova is exactly why he is so good. It's worth noting that spell power gets factored into spell damage before Velen's effect. So a single +1 spell power minion when played with Velen turns holy nova into 6 damage to the enemy board and 6 health to everything on your side including your hero.
He defiantly wouldn't have been much help to your deck
Double-typo makes for a very interesting turn of phrase here. <3
Velen, being the rebel at heart we know he is, defiantly refused to be much help to anyone's deck. Instead, he straddled his brand new Mecha-Hog, spat his cigar stub on the floor, and rode full-throttle into the sunset.
Holy Nova is exactly why he is so good. It's worth noting that spell power gets factored into spell damage before Velen's effect. So a single +1 spell power minion when played with Velen turns holy nova into 6 damage to the enemy board and 6 health to everything on your side including your hero.
instead of a velen holy nova I would rather auchenai soulpriest + circle of healing for 4 total mana cost for the same 4 dmg and same 2 card cost. Of course it will not heal you for 4 or deal 4 dmg to the hero but a) can be done at the same turn meaning your velen can be silenced or removed before you get the chance b) costs 3 times as more to deal the same dmg to emies which si really what you will be using it for (unless you run a heal based deck.) c) the soulpriest will still live with 1 health so you can pull off a second circle of healing for no extra cost but 4 extra dmg while as even if you placed 2 spell power minions (the cheapest is 2 so 4 mana cost at best) it will cost a total of 16 mana, 2 turns and 4 cards to deal 8 dmg while as the other is 4 mana, 3 cards and 1 turn.
Holy Nova is exactly why he is so good. It's worth noting that spell power gets factored into spell damage before Velen's effect. So a single +1 spell power minion when played with Velen turns holy nova into 6 damage to the enemy board and 6 health to everything on your side including your hero.
However, your opponent gets a turn to react to the Velen when used in conjuction with Holy like this (barring some Pint-Sized Summoner shenanigans), and giving your opponent a turn to react is never a good thing, especially when all your getting (for certain) is 4 damage to everything and 4 healing to you.
@ angelcrest- That's an improvised board clear combo and isn't really comparable to holy nova, the instances in which you would be using the soul priest + a circle of healing are very different from the instances in which you would want holy nova. Your combo is situation and would be best used in a scenario where your opponent had a larger board presence (more minions, or larger minions than you). As where Holy Nova is a good option in a majority of instances.
@Hollowninja He is still a 7/7 for 7 mana, reacting to him is easier said than done. And while there are a lot of removal options (minion damage, corruption, mind control, assassinate... ect) the same can be said for any other minion in the game (barring divine shield minions). A good player doesn't over extend with a bomb like velen unless he is at least half way positive his opponent doesn't have the means to deal with him. (IE bait removals with another minion)
Yh I suppoese you're right about the useage of it druing board control but you wouldn't really want to use holy nova if you have a strong board presence and you wouldn't want to waste velen in case your opponent has complete board wipes in his hand nor would you need him if you have that good a board presence. In the midway maybe when you and your opponent have equal presence of course by then you would play velen on one turn giving your opponent a chance to buff his munions,shadowflame them etc to really piss you off. or a simple silence will still work. If you really need 4 dmg from holy nova then then you're already in a bad position.
You can't 1 turn save yourself and 7 life is not that much to deal with once you're in the 7 mana cost range. The best use you can get is if you don't even need to cast holy nova or need velen but you play him anyway and he just stays on the board as a 7/7 and if your oponent does try to gain presence you can just cast a holy nova to deal 4 dmg to him. of course a senario like this wouldn't need velen spesificly you can pretty much gaint hat board control with any other minion.
I personally prefer Baron Geddon more because we can heal 2 life to us and every turn your ooponent eats away at 2 aoe and 7 single dmg.he costs the same as velen but if you combine him and holy nova you will take no dmg or healing (or heal before you take the dmg) and deal 4 dmg to every opponent at the same time. I'm not saying velen is a bad card or that he isnt strong. all Im saying is I have only seen velen 4 times since cockatrice games became avaliable and all 4 times he was silenced on the turn he was summoned.
I much prefer a card like Ragnaros or Baron Geddon over Velen, they don't require you to have other cards to get their value. And if you're playing a spellheavy deck (The only way Velen would be of use, being the greatest chance to actually use his power) your opponent would generally have te answers for him since you played very few minions throughout the game, at least in comparison to a minion heavy or split deck.
wow XParity that looks like an awsome priest deck :D I will definately try it.
Let me change your mind
Thanks! Have fun! :D
I decided to do a last minute to remove two Tauren warriors for an additional Inner Fire and Nat Pagle for more card draw power. Not sure if it was the right move though, might had been better to exchange the Sen'jin Shieldmasta's instead.
This was not an easy decision, the deck submissions were amazing this week. But after much deliberation I chose this one because I absolutely love the theme and foresee the play-style of this deck being very fun. I was blown away by how many decks omitted Prophet Velen, the hands down best priest card and of all the decks that seemed to forget Velen this was the only one that got away with it, since it already seems to be efficient enough at what it's trying to do.
Congratulations Erskow!! Let me know your prize preference.
I know you guys went cuckoo for cocoa puffs over this guy, but unless you are playing a heavy spell deck he just doesn't seem that good. If you watch the Priest vs Warlock vid, they show Velen on the field. The priest uses his hero power to heal himself and it only heals him for 2. Zeriyah then comments that Velen doesn't buff the hero power. I'm doubting he buffs the Lightwell heal either. Seems that in the right deck he's amazing but in others there may be better options, or am I missing something?
I have to agree with WarProphet, Velen is good, but not the best, I'd rank Holy Nova and Mind Control eons above Velen.
I'm not entirely sure if the hearthpwn managers actually played the game on any scale (printed card/cockatrice etc). I appriciate their dedication and hard work but as far as I listened to them on the chats they sound less knowledgeable about the game play then most people on the forums. I think their criteria for the decks are more fun oriented then efficency or potentness; but I'm fine with that :D Although I'm saying that I'm not entirely sure how potent the winner decks are, I haven't tried them so I'm not the one to talk :D Besides my deck entries were focused more on fun than potentness as well :D
Let me change your mind
Correct, it doesn't effect hero powers or Lightwell (Shadowform included), only spells. He defiantly wouldn't have been much help to your deck (which was awesome btw). That being said there were a few spell oriented decks which omitted him.
More is a strong word, I would say that fun is equally valued.
Holy Nova is exactly why he is so good. It's worth noting that spell power gets factored into spell damage before Velen's effect. So a single +1 spell power minion when played with Velen turns holy nova into 6 damage to the enemy board and 6 health to everything on your side including your hero.
Double-typo makes for a very interesting turn of phrase here. <3
Velen, being the rebel at heart we know he is, defiantly refused to be much help to anyone's deck. Instead, he straddled his brand new Mecha-Hog, spat his cigar stub on the floor, and rode full-throttle into the sunset.
instead of a velen holy nova I would rather auchenai soulpriest + circle of healing for 4 total mana cost for the same 4 dmg and same 2 card cost. Of course it will not heal you for 4 or deal 4 dmg to the hero but a) can be done at the same turn meaning your velen can be silenced or removed before you get the chance b) costs 3 times as more to deal the same dmg to emies which si really what you will be using it for (unless you run a heal based deck.) c) the soulpriest will still live with 1 health so you can pull off a second circle of healing for no extra cost but 4 extra dmg while as even if you placed 2 spell power minions (the cheapest is 2 so 4 mana cost at best) it will cost a total of 16 mana, 2 turns and 4 cards to deal 8 dmg while as the other is 4 mana, 3 cards and 1 turn.
Let me change your mind
However, your opponent gets a turn to react to the Velen when used in conjuction with Holy like this (barring some Pint-Sized Summoner shenanigans), and giving your opponent a turn to react is never a good thing, especially when all your getting (for certain) is 4 damage to everything and 4 healing to you.
@ angelcrest- That's an improvised board clear combo and isn't really comparable to holy nova, the instances in which you would be using the soul priest + a circle of healing are very different from the instances in which you would want holy nova. Your combo is situation and would be best used in a scenario where your opponent had a larger board presence (more minions, or larger minions than you). As where Holy Nova is a good option in a majority of instances.
@Hollowninja He is still a 7/7 for 7 mana, reacting to him is easier said than done. And while there are a lot of removal options (minion damage, corruption, mind control, assassinate... ect) the same can be said for any other minion in the game (barring divine shield minions). A good player doesn't over extend with a bomb like velen unless he is at least half way positive his opponent doesn't have the means to deal with him. (IE bait removals with another minion)
@Nodata 10/10 post :D
Yh I suppoese you're right about the useage of it druing board control but you wouldn't really want to use holy nova if you have a strong board presence and you wouldn't want to waste velen in case your opponent has complete board wipes in his hand nor would you need him if you have that good a board presence. In the midway maybe when you and your opponent have equal presence of course by then you would play velen on one turn giving your opponent a chance to buff his munions,shadowflame them etc to really piss you off. or a simple silence will still work. If you really need 4 dmg from holy nova then then you're already in a bad position.
You can't 1 turn save yourself and 7 life is not that much to deal with once you're in the 7 mana cost range. The best use you can get is if you don't even need to cast holy nova or need velen but you play him anyway and he just stays on the board as a 7/7 and if your oponent does try to gain presence you can just cast a holy nova to deal 4 dmg to him. of course a senario like this wouldn't need velen spesificly you can pretty much gaint hat board control with any other minion.
I personally prefer Baron Geddon more because we can heal 2 life to us and every turn your ooponent eats away at 2 aoe and 7 single dmg.he costs the same as velen but if you combine him and holy nova you will take no dmg or healing (or heal before you take the dmg) and deal 4 dmg to every opponent at the same time. I'm not saying velen is a bad card or that he isnt strong. all Im saying is I have only seen velen 4 times since cockatrice games became avaliable and all 4 times he was silenced on the turn he was summoned.
Let me change your mind
I much prefer a card like Ragnaros or Baron Geddon over Velen, they don't require you to have other cards to get their value. And if you're playing a spellheavy deck (The only way Velen would be of use, being the greatest chance to actually use his power) your opponent would generally have te answers for him since you played very few minions throughout the game, at least in comparison to a minion heavy or split deck.
This competition is long over, closing so as not to confuse people that it might still be running.
Closed.
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