Hearthpwn

The Shadows are more interesting than the Light, and that’s a fact. Don’t you agree? No? Then, come with me and I’ll guide you through the paths of the battle; come with me and I’ll teach you the light inside war, come with me and I’ll show you the true power of the Dark Side!

You want to unleash your Shadowform as soon as possible. You will lose some tempo that turn, but you will have the advantage from that point on, so the earlier you play it, the more turns you will be able to use it. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to throw it without further considerations: in the early game, wasting 3 mana when in heavy board disadvantage can be deadly. Having a Deathlord or a Sen'jin Shieldmasta on board when darkening your portrait is your early goal.

Once in Shadowform, you want to neutralize any threat your opponent plays immediately and keep the board under your control. You don’t have any big bomb to drop, your main damage source during the match will be your new Hero Power for your rival’s face and the strong AoE cards like Excavated Evil and Lightbomb for the minions on board, alongside with the hero power when needed. As you can see, this deck requires perseverance and cold blood: don’t become a berserker just because you can shoot shadows, you have to focus on keeping everything under your control.

Key cards:

- Shadowform: Why do you heal when you can destroy? Damage every turn whatever you want for only two mana. Remember that, if you use your hero power and then you use Shadowform, you can use the new Hero Power that same turn, even if it was your second Shadowform. Mind Spike and Mind Shatter the same turn? You will love it. Oh, and remember than Justicar Trueheart does NOT improve it, her battlecry only affects basic hero powers.

- Excavated Evil, Holy Nova and Lightbomb: Your AoE cards and your most powerful tools against your enemy’s board. In addition, Excavated Evil will usually deny your opponent a better draw. Keep in mind that two of them will also damage your minions.

- Vol'jin: This card will set a minion’s health to 2, so you will guarantee the kill with Mind Spike or Mind Shatter. Anyone said board control?

- Garrison Commander: A really handy card to have. Whenever you need to deal the extra damage of a second hero power, throw him. And what’s more: if you are controlling the board (you should), he will easily survive until your next turn, when its value increases to infinity and beyond. He is not a must, but it's one of those cards that can win you the duel if played in the right moment.

- Unstable Ghoul: Great against aggro decks, it will save your early game more times than you expect. Also, it combos with Acolyte of Pain.

- Deathlord, Sen'jin Shieldmasta and Sludge Belcher: Let’s repeat it one more time: you have to control the board. These are three of the taunt minions that better fit this deck, but you are free to try any alternative you want. Try to drop a Deathlord and/or a Sen'jin Shieldmasta during turns 3 and 4 so you can use Shadowform and the new Hero Power on turn 5 more comfortable.

- Tournament Medic: Who said you could not heal yourself? Your opponent will have to deal with it immediately, and its 8 health ensure some annoyance for him.

- Harrison Jones: Destroy a weapon and draw some cards. We all love Mr. Jones, but it can be replaced with an Acidic Ooze or even Holy Fire.

- Kodorider: Once on board, it will summon minions each turn, minions that survive both Excavated Evil and Lightbomb. It’s like our particular Grim Patron.

- Shadow Word: Pain,Shadow Word: Death, Cabal Shadow Priest, Zombie Chow, Acolyte of Pain and Antique Healbot: I’m sure they don’t need any further explanation, we all know how good they are and how to use them. Try to use the Acolyte of Pain when you can heal him even with Holy Nova or your base Hero Power.

Other cards to consider:

- Second Antique Healbot: If you feel you need more healings during the match, include a second copy of it.

- Holy Fire: Some direct damage and an extra healing, it’s an interesting card to have in your deck. I recommend using it instead of Harrison Jones if you don’t see much weapons.

- Spawn of Shadows: You may think this card fits perfectly in a Shadowform deck... Not exactly the case. Spawn of Shadows is designed keeping in mind the Priest's healing abilities: when the card deals the 4 damage to each hero, you can usually heal yourself with your hero power while your opponent cannot, giving you the advantage. When in Shadow Form, you need extra cards to heal yourself (Tournament Medic), so the handicap of the Spawn of Shadows is not so easily removed. Try it if you feel you need that extra damage or you want to try a Shadow Kamikaze! Actually, you should try it at least once, it's funny.

- Confessor Paletress: It helps a lot during the late game, so put her into your deck if your matches tend to last too long. She is a bit random, but not inconsistent, and she will usually put on board some big threats. She is, without doubt, a strong card in this deck, but including her means to have an even more long-term play-style, while de Kodorider can we used before, so it gives a better answer and board presence when your taunts are not enough. If I face very few aggro decks, I think I would replace an Unstable Ghoul with the Confessor Paletress, or maybe I would cut off the Garrison Commander if I simply want to use her without limiting my answers to aggro decks.

- Frost Giant: You will use your hero power a lot, so this card will become cheap really soon, giving you a big body for the mid game. The bad news are that you don’t have any other minion with an attack equal or greater than 7, so most times a Big Game Hunter will kill it as soon as it’s summoned.

Mulligan:

I'm not a fan of strict and too specific mulligans, you are going to have a lot of initial hands with none of the recommended cards and you should be able to crush your rival with more than a limited set of options. The initial cards really do a difference, but you have your ability, your dark powers and the surprise factor in order to deal with your opponent... And, of course, a ton of removals and annoying cards!

Always keep:

- Zombie Chow: Best statistics for 1 mana, obviously you want to play it on turn 1. On turn 2, kill whatever your opponent dropped and heal the little zombie with your hero power. Also, The Coin + 2 Zombie Chow on turn one are amazing for controlling the board until you drop your taunts or you use Shadowform.

- Deathlord: 8 health and taunt for 3 mana. Keep him, drop the card on turn 3 and relax. It's a strong taunt minion even later on the game, but the sooner you use him, the better it becomes.

- Unstable Ghoul only against Hunter and Paladin: These classes hate this explosive taunt. Play it when they have some of their lovely low health minions and enjoy the show!

Maybe keep:

- Shadowform: As I said, using Shadowform with a naked board is not the most clever idea. Keep it (you should) if you have at least one of the top priority cards in your hand.

- Sen'jin Shieldmasta: It's a bit risky to keep a 4 mana minion in the initial hand if you don't have anything to use during the early game. Keep him if you have something with a lower cost.

- Shadow Word: Pain: As always, it's a good card to keep if you have the most important ones. Specially useful as an answer against persistent and potentially dangerous minions that should be dealt with as soon as possible, minions like Mana Wyrm, Armorsmith Shielded Minibot. I use to keep it against Mages and Warriors, sometimes Druids.

Embrace the Dark Side!