Scalise’s Sessions: Control Priest

Introduction

As we move into July, I decided to keep the off-beat style we’ve been rolling with for the past few weeks and break down another up-and-coming deck. Last week we looked at a new style of Jade Druid, and this time we are going to break down Control Priest. While those two names do not necessarily come with the best connotations, the archetype has steadily crept up in popularity over the past few weeks. Of course, you are not going to see it everywhere, but it does exist. It is always fun to break down slower control decks, especially when they play unlike anything else we’ve seen in recent history. This list is all about the grind, and it doesn’t better than anything else on the current ladder.

The Deck

This version of the deck is Sequinox’s list that he piloted to legend. While it seems a bit odd at first glance, I really like it. I mean, really really like it. Decks like this one are powerful when there is a lot of diversity on ladder. That is because, while you give up a lot in one matchup (*cough* Pirate Warrior *cough*) you are insanely strong against everything else. Yes, there are going to be times where things don’t quite click, but the sheer overload of removal spells and AOE gives the core a ton of consistency. Your goal is to kill everything your opponent has, and you do that very well. In weaker metas decks that go all-in can shine, and that is the plan here. Sticky minions and quite rare these days, which is extremely good news when you want to clear, clear, and clear some more.

Early Game

This is a very interesting part of the game. Far more interesting than you think it would be. The reason for that is many decks right now build off of their early turns and use them to jump to a strong middle push. As a result, you need to know when to react and when not to react to your opponent’s plays. Should you use Shadow Word: Pain on that Enchanted Raven? If you do, how will you deal with a coined Vicious Fledgling? Does that even matter if you can’t beat Mark of Y’shaarj? Those type of micro-decisions are very important and you constantly need to think about the best ways to use your spells. Do not pull the trigger just because you can.

When in doubt, it is always better to slow the game down. Doomsayer is one of your best early game tools and you want to play it on turn two against any deck that wants to put minions onto the board. There is just nothing that can do that much damage with little resources, and getting the sayer to stick grinds everything down to a halt. It is also a great way to buy yourself time with awkward draws. You should also look at any threat and see how much damage it can do. A 3/2 may seem scary, but if your opponent has nothing to back it up with, it is only getting in one damage a turn because of your hero power. It’s all about patience and recognizing high-priority threats.

Middle Game

The later turns of the game are where you have the advantage, but the middle is where you win. That is vitally important to remember because it will help you properly sculpt the game. Your middle turns are where your AOE and big swing turns come into play. Here’s a quick list of some of the most popular decks in the game: Pirate Warrior, Midrange Hunter, Midrange Paladin, Token Shaman, Aggro Druid. What do those all have in common? They are not good at playing around board clears. Some lists can dance for a little while, but most of the time they will need to extend into Dragonfire Potion or Shadow Word: Horror. That is one of your biggest advantages. Do not be afraid to sit back on AOE or act like you don’t have it to draw your opponent in. If you clear their board and leave them with just one or two cards the game should be close to over.

This is likely the stage of the game where you want to set up Pint-Sized Potion. Normally, I save the card interactions for the tips and tricks, but the one mana spell is vital here. This card is one of your biggest finishers and will lead to a ton of wins. The combo with Shadow Word: Horror is a fantastic way to save your Dragonfire Potions, while using the card with Cabal Shadowpriest can end the game on the spot. What you will notice is that the game is not necessarily over in the sense that your opponent is at zero life, but rather that your opponent simply is in a spot they cannot come back from. This is a game where you want to put your opponent into a hole much more than you care about literally getting a concession.

Late Game

Your goal is to make it here, and once you do, you are in your wheelhouse.  The end of the game is going to be spent doing what you love to do, which is controlling the pace. Medivh, the Guardian is extremely strong as a late-game finisher, but your real power comes from your double Mind Controls. Work hard to set the ten mana spells up in a way that will give you immediate value. That is to say, you should always clear entire board during the later game if at all possible. This will make it so you can just take one big threat without having to worry about a whole board. All you want here is to make sure your opponent is in topdeck mode. They play something, then you kill or steal it. They play something else, you kill or steal it. Rinse and repeat. That is where you want every game to end up, and if you played your middle turns well you should be able to achieve that.

Matchups

A breakdown of the different decks I see while playing ladder.

Discover Mage

Mage is likely one of your trickiest matchups. The reason being that your deck is focused on taking down the board and they love playing with spells. You should have no problem dealing with their early push, but once that happens you need to get defensive real quick. Health is a limited resource against Jaina, especially once she starts building up her bigger spells like double Fireball and Pyroblast. Use your hero power as much as you can and instantly kill everything that comes down. You do not want to take unnecessary damage in this one. If you keep yourself at a high amount of health and put a few bodies onto the board you should be able to keep Mage preoccupied for a while. This will then help grind them down over time.

The card that is going to hurt you the most is Alexstrasza. Cutting your life down to fifteen will decimate your hero power and instantly put you on the back foot. To resist this you need to keep a Shadow Word: Death at your disposal (or play a Doomsayer on turn eight) and look for Greater Healing Potion at all costs. In fact, that card is your win condition against Jaina’s constant burn. You want to do everything in your power to get the card, and you should always take it immediately off of Shadow Visions if you can. Beyond that, know that Cabal Shadow Priest is extremely good in this matchup on its own. Mage has a lot of two attack minions that you can freely snatch up.

Pirate Warrior

Unfortunately, every deck has its weaknesses. And Pirate is this one’s. While you have some tools that can help you here (and while you can win if you make it to the late-middle part of the game) it is extremely easy to get overrun. You have healing, but you do not have taunts. That means you have to be able to get your health up above a constant string of charge minions and weapon hits, which is extremely difficult to do. Doomsayer on turn two is one of the best ways to get Pirate back off the back foot, as is a turn one Northshire Cleric. Even if they can find answers, the amount of damage they will soak up is going to go a long way. Like Mage, this is a game where you want to make good use of your hero power. It is easy to get burst down, but if you can maintain your health you may be able to squeak this one out. Harrison Jones is also powerful, but you need to have him on turn five for Arcanite Reaper or he simply comes in too late. Play the board, kill pirates, and look for Greater Healing Potion. That is your only real path in this one.

Midrange Paladin

This is one of your best matchups, and a great reason to choose Control Priest. Midrange Paladin has its strong early push, they have powerful end-game threats, and they have a lot of swing cards. Unfortunately for them, you can easily handle all three. Doomsayer and early removal will shut down their murlocs, and then by the time they manage to get a board together you can take them down with Cabal Shadow Priest or AOE. Paladin does not have a lot of ways to put together burst damage. That forces them to extend onto the board and keeps them up against the wall. Read their plays and figure out ways to get around them. For instance, letting something live to they play Spikeridged Steed into your Pint-Size Potion/Cabal Shadow Priest.

Mind Control is fantastic here. Not only does it shut down Getaway Kodo, but stealing a Tirion Fordring or Ragnaros, Lightlord can win the game. Paladin heavily relies on their late-game once their early push runs out. If you can cut that attack off at the knees they likely will not have a chance to climb back into the game. Their removal is to limited for that. The only card you need to watch out for is Sunkeeper Tarim. You do want to hold back on AOE, but always count how much damage you will take if everything suddenly has three attack. A board of recruits seems weak until they bash your face in.

Aggro Druid

Aggro Druid is going to be a chess match more than anything. You want to get them to commit real power into your removal, and they want to try to kill you without putting too much of their hand onto the board. That balance is tricky, and you need to be patient here. It is easy to see two or three minions and pull the trigger, but you want to go wider. Your AOE will be able to handle any buffs Druid can put together. As a result, you only want to use clears when you are under pressure of dying or taking too much damage. To figure this out, always calculate your opponent’s damage at plus one per minion in addition to Savage Roar. That will help you know how to use removal.

Living Mana is realistically the only card that is going to give you problems. The reason is that, while you have ample AOE, Druid can push beyond that. If you have to use your only clear on a mid-game board it is going to leave you open to the crystal treants. The way you get around that is being very careful with your spells and using other ways to get rid of your opponent’s minions. For example, using a Cabal Shadow Priest and a Shadow Word: Pain on a board of four threats to take away damage potential rather than going for a full clear. This makes it so your opponent needs to play more threats to put together real damage without committing your more important spells.

Miracle Rogue

Though I continue to hear whispers of Quest Rogue lurking around the ladder, I have not seen it. What I have seen is a large wave of Miracle Rogues trying to run through me. Control Priest has traditionally been weak against Valeera, but that does not seem to be the case here. Where old Miracle decks relied on burst to put together a strong front, today’s decks are built off of a steady stream of powerful threats. And you can answer threats. Your AOE hits just about everything your opponent plays, and Pint-Size Potion/Cabal Shadow Priest is almost always going to be a blow out. That combo can get concessions on the spot. You either want to use it on Gadgetzan Auctioneer if you have no AOE for the goblin, or you want to use it on Sherazin, Corpse Flower. Those plays give you control and force the pressure back on Rogue.

Tip and Tricks

Northshire Cleric is a fantastic way to stall aggro. It is very easy to get caught up in this card, but just running it out and forcing your opponent to find a plan for it can buy you a lot of time. This is never going to be your first mode, but do not hold back the 1/3 to get value when it can contest an early board.

Pint-Size Potion has a ton of utility and you always want to have a plan for it. You typically are going to save it for Shadow Word: Horror, but simply using it with Shadow Word: Pain on Twilight Drake can make a ton of difference.

Do not be afraid to drop Doomsayer against an empty board. Using the 0/7 as a tempo play to bridge the gap between two cards or buy you extra time to draw can be invaluable. You have no freeze, so it is best to just put this down when you know it is going to go off.

Understand that Cabal Shadow Priest can go beyond its ability. The 4/5 has one of the strongest swings in your deck, but there are also going to be many situations where you cannot get value from it. Stealing a two attack minion dwindles as the game progresses, and there are many times where you are out of combo pieces. Think about potential targets and do not hold back from dropping this to fight for board.

Dragonfire Potion is going to win you a lot of games, but it can also you to lose a lot if you don’t use it in the right way. Be stingy with your AOE in this build and try to hold it back for one extra turn. Getting even one more minion can make a world of difference.

You want to try to get Mind Control down when your opponent only has one minion. This is not easy to do, but the ten mana spell takes your turn and can lose a lot of value if it can be easily answered. Setting the spell up after a full clear is the best way to insure it will work in the way you want it to.

Mulligan Guide

When mulliganing with this list you want to always search for early removal. You are a pure control deck, which means you have a lot of big, slow cards that can bog your hand down. Trying to keep a midrange card and then getting stuck with three other finishers will likely lead to a quick loss. Aggressively search for your cheap spells and small minions.

Must Keeps:

Northshire Cleric Doomsayer Shadow Word: Pain

Situational Keeps:

Pint-Size Potion can be kept alongside Shadow Word: Horror if you have a good opening and are facing a swarm deck.

You should keep Power Word: Shield any time you have early minions to play with it.

Shadow Visions should always be kept against control or against faster decks when you have a strong opening.

Both Acolyte of Pain and Curious Glimmerroot should be kept with a curve or the coin.

Replacements

This deck is largely teched against a wide spread of different classes. For that reason, there are quite a few solid replacements you can make without worrying about altering the core. As long as you are focused on hyper-control you should be fine. Just don’t try to get fancy. You want to kill things and your cards need to facilitate that.

Curious Glimmerrroot is a great value machine, but you could swap it out for even more control options. Things like Priest of the Feast work well here. Control Priest is built off of spells. However, you do want to mix some minions in here and there. Nothing quite replicates the value that the plant gives you, but some other solid bodies (Darkshire Alchemist) can be tested.

Greater Healing Potion is a tech choice for aggro, but it is definitely not needed. You don’t have a great matchup against Pirates, and if you want to beat them you would be better off teching in another ooze effect. I would look at this as a flex spot for any tech choice, be it Mind Control Tech or Eater of Secrets.

The easiest adjustment here is Harrison Jones. The legendary is by far the best choice for weapon removal with this list, but if you’re tight on dust or don’t have him you could run an ooze instead.

Medivh, the Guardian is strong, but there are a ton of finishers in this game. This is a card that can become another powerful swing card that helps push your opponent back against the ropes. Whatever big fatty you choose, just to make sure you have something big at the top end of your curve.

Of course, you do not need two Mind Controls. While the deck manages to slow the game down enough to get to them, there are numerous other finishers you could run in their place. Ysera immediately comes to mind, but any slow value card would work. Regardless, I would definitely run one of them unless you also want to cut Medivh, the Guardian as well.

Conclusion

What a cool deck. I have seen a ton of different Control Priest builds in the last two years, but none of them have been as awesome as this one. That may seem like an exaggeration, but it’s not. It is always fun to break down some of the popular-but-not-too-popular meta builds, and Control Priest is a very recent player. Whether its popularity grows more or not, there is no doubt it has some power. Definitely a fun list if you want something new. Until next time, may you always control minds.

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