Hearthpwn

As many have already said - you can win with priest, it would just be so much easier to win with just about any other class.

For example Zetalot hit every season with priest a legend rank.

Priest is most fun yet most challenging class in HS now IMO.

I am having fun with Yogg-Purify deck right now, (before yogg will get nerf, which is sad)

The biggest Priest issue is:
Drawing cards from own deck.

Priest have enough very specific tools for every moment, but frequently games end up in the same way: "I have answer in deck and  dont have in hand!"
Control deck with bad draw - dead deck.
Pls let me dont go in details, why Cleric, Acolyte, Coldlight, Gadgetzan, Azure D, etc now sucks for priest. Purify...

What we really have?
 - PW Shield - good.
 - Loot Hoarder - meh, ok (dont fit to resurrect, die from heropower)
 - Thoughtsteal and Mind vision. - RNG Fiesta: (Both dont fit to resurrect. Low synergy potential.)

Result - Priest is suffering. Thanks Blizzard.

P.S. If only Thoughtsteal is changed by Arcane Intellect - ALL Priest decks become much more viable.

Well, I have a priest deck that I took to rank 9 last month and am already at rank 14 this month, so it's not an unplayable class. Yes, there are bad matchups for priest (mainly agro decks), but that can be said for other control type decks. it is also more dependent upon a good mulligan than other decks out there, but isn't as bad as an astral communion deck.

My priest deck is a resurrect/yogg deck with lots of early removal. Priest of the Feast really shines and I sometimes get 9-12 healing in one turn with Power Word Shield, Mind Vision, and Holy Smite. I also have thoughsteal, so I've stolen some big minions to win the game. The best was against a control warrior and I had 5 Sylvanas on my board at the end of the game (by stealing his Slyvanas and a N'zoth as well as resurrecting mine a couple of times.)

Take a look at the deck here

http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/612114-resurrector

Nzoth priest is actually very strong in this meta. 

Every deck is playable. Expansion coming with new board wipes or removal, might make it good.

Quote from brilliant_gnome >>

Quote from barbzilla >>

Quote from brilliant_gnome >>

 

A control class without a big board clear is just a joke.

 

 That is precisely why many Priest players prefer Dragon Priest right now, but honestly Deathwing can be played in any deck (provided you have the means to A: hold out until turn 10 or 9/w Coin and B: enough left in the deck or some other means of re-handing, though you really need to watch the opponent's hand before dropping.  You really don't want an empty hand and they have 6 cards of a tempo or agro deck in hand (unless you have already baited out all of their strong removal, in which case just having a couple extra draw cards in deck like Asure Drake and Bloodmage Thalnos will see you through the turn or two before he dies).

You also have to remember that Priest has a lot of little methods to clear a board when overwhelmed and the ability to stay alive while take back the board 2-3 minions at a time.  Cards like Mind Control are super useful there (though I much prefer the limited mind control cards like Mind Control Tech, Shadow Madness, and especially Silvanas + PW: Death for an extra permanent mind control once you have their board down to just the target you want.  Though if you do run [card]Mind Control[/control] I'd caution against running two of them.  It is just too excessive for most scenarios.  Especially since you can use the mind controlled minion to drop the problem minion a lot of the time.  

I really don't worry too awful much about board clears though as Priest outside of Bloodmage Thalnos + any direct damage AoE such as Excavated Evil and Holy Nova, Deathwing (in some of my Priest decks, but only about 35% or so), and Shadow Word Horror + Confuse (though as a note, you may want Confuse in your deck if you are having a lot of issues with AoE removal.  You can use that to chain together Shadow Word: Horror with Confuse after using any of the Priest's AoE damage setups to clear out most non-legendary creatures if you are truly overwhelmed, but I honestly only run SW: Horror when my deck is having issues with agro decks, and even then its usually much more effective to invert your heals with one of the two ways and circle of healing.

 On Vicious syndicate stats dragon priest has a WR of 44%, control priest 41% on standard ladder.

While dragon priest is better yes, those stats are still so horrifyingly bad that reaching 5 will be a challenge and making legend close to impossible. Remember that those stats take into account that if you lose, you drop in rank. Exceptional players might be able to eke out an edge, but they would undoubtedly do far better than in any other class.

About the only place priest can eke out a small spot is in tournament metas (which we have seen on the scene), it it is still possible to make some good counters with it. But for playing on ladder? It's at a horrible spot right now.

 

Ozan, thanks. Some guys here doesn't seem to know what a forum is used for... but fortunately most ppl here do.

Problems of priest in a nutshell.

1: no safe or recovery tools.

In practice you dont have 30 life, because you dont play much early stuff almost all classes use some removal or burst spells on your face. If you are below 15 hp you are in danger against almost any class. And there is no good defence play against this

2: no pressure for the opponent.

Priest need to do 30 hp or more damage to the enemy with minnions only, which you dont have. No cheating for priest to do some 12 extra face damage with removal cards that are left over in your hand.

Because priest wont burst you the opponent has a lot of room to play nothing or draw some extra cards tempo loss isnt a problem because the priest is always behind anyway.

3: cards are not flexible.

Almost anything is at a condition.

Cards be to be combo played or are dead in your hand.

Other classes dont have this restriction or can choise to do many things with 1 card.

Play a 4 attack minion early on in the game against a priest? , congratz you yust won the game. 

4:No card draw options.

Because you need to spend 1 or more cards to resolve  a lot of situations on the board you will be in need of cards more then any other class.

Well good luck while your opponent has some great tools to get some extra cards from there deck , priest has to pray that his thoughtsteal draws something great to stay in the game.

This is far from true.  Whenever I play against Priest it always feel I have no chance of winning.  First you can steal cards, then you have Priest of the Feast the helps control against aggro decks along with that you have the best removals in the game.  Players have to look out for 6 instant removals and strategize around that when playing you.  And lastly your ability resurrect and heal at will makes you even harder to play against.  I feel if you say Priest isn't playable you just aren't playing the class right, I've seen it get played perfectly numerous of times and I've always lost.

Only Dragon Priest with Aggro style can climb the ladder right now. At least reach at 5 rank.

Dragon Priest/aggro style? 

Someone divided by zero.

Quote from Hannibal254 >>

Nzoth priest is actually very strong in this meta. 

You guys think cards like resurrect and onyix Bishop are not broken? Wait for the next expansion... Priest will be the new shaman

I disagree, I have been slowly climbing the ladder with my Resurrection Priest deck, it's pretty decent in the current meta...except for those damn Face Hunters!

If you're interested in playing Wild (and have Naxx and GVG cards), Wild N'Zoth Priest is insanely good. Like, Tier 1 good.

Quote from L0ckie >>

Problems of priest in a nutshell.

1: no safe or recovery tools.

In practice you dont have 30 life, because you dont play much early stuff almost all classes use some removal or burst spells on your face. If you are below 15 hp you are in danger against almost any class. And there is no good defence play against this

 

2: no pressure for the opponent.

Priest need to do 30 hp or more damage to the enemy with minnions only, which you dont have. No cheating for priest to do some 12 extra face damage with removal cards that are left over in your hand.

Because priest wont burst you the opponent has a lot of room to play nothing or draw some extra cards tempo loss isnt a problem because the priest is always behind anyway.

 

3: cards are not flexible.

Almost anything is at a condition.

Cards be to be combo played or are dead in your hand.

Other classes dont have this restriction or can choise to do many things with 1 card.

Play a 4 attack minion early on in the game against a priest? , congratz you yust won the game. 

4:No card draw options.

Because you need to spend 1 or more cards to resolve  a lot of situations on the board you will be in need of cards more then any other class.

 

Well good luck while your opponent has some great tools to get some extra cards from there deck , priest has to pray that his thoughtsteal draws something great to stay in the game.