Control Priest Deck

Last updated on Jun 06, 2020 at 13:00 by Kat 9 comments

This guide contains detailed strategy, mulligan, and deck-building information to help you improve your Control Priest play for The Wailing Caverns expansion meta.

Control Priest is a deck that has existed throughout Hearthstone's history. It uses efficient spells to keep the board under control to generate card advantage over opponents. The deck is renowned for playing long and drawn-out games due to Priest's unique ability to acquire copies of cards from the opponent's deck, which is excellent when games often come down to fatigue damage.

Card List

Priest Cards
0 Raise Dead SA 2
1 Draconic Studies SA 2
1 Renew AO 2
1 Wave of Apathy SA 2
2 Sethekk Veilweaver AO 2
3 Apotheosis AO 2
3 Palm Reading MDF 2
4 Cabal Acolyte SA 2
4 Xyrella FitB 1
5 Against All Odds FitB 1
6 Lightshower Elemental FitB 2
7 Soul Mirror AO 1
Neutral Cards
2 Wandmaker SA 2
3 Venomous Scorpid FitB 2
4 Blademaster Samuro FitB 1
4 Southsea Scoundrel FitB 2
7 Mutanus the Devourer FitB 1
9 N'Zoth, God of the Deep MDF 1

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Control Priest Deck Mulligan Guide

Control Priest is a value deck that aims to remove every threat played by opponents to win long drawn-out games. As Control Priest's removal only targets specific minions, you should look for early card draw in your mulligan to maximise your options available each turn.

  • General Mulligan (keep regardless of what your opponent is playing)Wandmaker, Venomous Scorpid, Draconic Studies, Palm Reading.
  • Mulligan against Aggro (also keep if you think you are playing against an aggressive deck)Cabal Acolyte
  • Mulligan against Control (also keep if you think you are playing against a slow deck) — No additional cards required

Control Priest Deck Strategy

Throughout the early game you should try to use your Mana efficiently to play cards that will generate you cards in return, such as Draconic Studies, Wandmaker, and Venomous Scorpid. These cards will allow you to develop a light board presence to fight against your opponent while allowing you to a hand full of cards to be used throughout the game.

Going into the mid game, you can continue contest the board making use of further card generation effects like Sethekk Veilweaver and Southsea Scoundrel as well as looking for opportunities to make use of cards that have been generated in earlier turns.

Should your opponent start to put pressure onto you, the deck has access to various card combinations to help deal with pressure from opponents. To deal with singular large threats, Cabal Acolyte and Wave of Apathy can be used in combination to steal the target for a huge tempo swing. For a cheap board clear, Xyrella can be used in combination with Renew to deal AoE damage to your opponent, this damage can be boosted further with multiple Renews, Lesser Heal, and even minions buffed with Apotheosis. Lastly, Blademaster Samuro can be combined with Apotheosis to deal moderate AoE damage and massive healing when the situation begins to look dire.

To win the game, the deck has a soft win condition via N'Zoth, God of the Deep. However, in most situations the act of making efficient use of your cards to control the board, while drawing less cards than your opponent, to slowly grind out wins is the most common route to victory.

Against Aggro, you should be much more liberal with your card usage, as controlling the board by any means should be your only aim. Trying to assemble the aforementioned board-clear combos will go a long way to helping you achieve victory. Additionally, it is important to look for the best timing and target for Apotheosis, which is ideally Blademaster Samuro on Turn 7, to stabalise your Health enough to close out the game.

Against Control, you should be very cautious about how you use some of your key cards as every card in your deck will often be played as you head toward fatigue. Southsea Scoundrel serves as an excellent tool to both push your opponent close to fatigue, while giving you access to some of their most powerful cards. Additionally, if your opponent plays a key card or combo in their deck that can win them the game, or put you at a huge disadvantage, you can try to find an optimal timing for Mutanus the Devourer to remove a key minion from their hand. For example, seeing a Control Warlock make inefficient use of a 7+ Mana card, is a strong indicator they intend to play Tickatus against you on the following turn, which you should try to prevent.

Control Priest Deck Card Swaps

  • Against Aggro — Add 2x Condemn (Rank 1) for 2x Sethekk Veilweaver.
  • Against Control — Add 1x Mindrender Illucia for 1x Against All Odds.

Changelog

  • 06 Jun. 2021: Deck has been completely overhauled for the Wailing Caverns meta.
  • 06 Aug. 2020: Deck has been updated for the Scholomance academy expansion. Removed 2x Wild Pyromancer, 2x Shadow Word: Ruin, 2x Psychic Conjurer, 2x Holy Smite, 1x Reliquary of Souls, 1x Archivist Elysiana, 1x Natalie Seline for 1x Renew, 2x Initiation, 2x Sethetkk Veilweaver, 2x Breath of the Infinite, 2x Brittlebone Destroyer, 1x Murozond the Infinite, 1x Kronx Dragonhoof, 2x Fateweaver.
  • 07 Apr. 2020: Deck has been updated for the Ashes of Outland exansion. Removed 2x Omega Medic, 1x Zilliax, 2x Mass Hysteria for 1x Plague of Death, 1x Reliquary of Souls, 1x Renew, 1x Soul Mirror, 1x Natalie Seline.
  • 26 Mar. 2020: Deck has been updated for the Ashes of Outlands prepatch. Removed 2x Northshire Cleric, 2x Power Word: Shield, 2x Auchenai Soulpriest, 2x Injured Blademaster, 2x Circle of Healing for 2x Thoughtsteal, 2x Holy Smite, 2x Shadow Word: Ruin, 2x Psychic Conjurer, 2x Omega Medic.
  • 10 Dec. 2019: Deck has been updated for the Descent of Dragons expansion. Removed 2x Hench-Clan Shadequill, 2x Lightbomb, 2x Sandhoof Waterbearer, 2x Convincing Infiltrator for 2x Disciple of Galakrond, 1x Mindflayer Kaahrj, 2x Time Rip, 2x Shield of Galakrond, 1x Galakrond the Unspeakable.
  • 09 Oct. 2019: Deck updated for Doom in the Tomb patch. Removed 1x Acolyte of Pain, 1x Cabal Shadow Priest for 2x Lightbomb.
  • 02 Sep. 2019: Guide reviewed for September play season.
  • 06 Aug. 2019: Deck has been updated for the Saviors of Uldum expansion. Removed 2x Lazul's Scheme, 2x Forbidden Words, 1x Cabal Shadow Priest for 2x Penance, 2x Sandhook Waterbearer, 1x Plague of Death
  • 01 Jul. 2019: Deck has been reviewed for the July card rotation.
  • 05 Jun. 2019: Deck has been reviewed for the June play season.
  • 01 May 2019: Deck has been reviewed for the May play season.
  • 09 Apr. 2019: Deck has been completely overhauled for the Rise of Shadows expansion.
  • 03 Mar. 2019: Deck has been reviewed for the March play season.
  • 07 Feb. 2019: Deck has been reviewed for the February balance patch.
  • 01 Jan. 2018: Deck has been reviewed for the January play season.
  • 04 Dec. 2018: Deck updated for the Rastakhan's Rumble expansion. Removed 1x Cabal Shadow Priest, 1x Shadow Word: Death, 1x Twilight Acolyte for 1x Crowd Roaster, 2x Firetree Witchdoctor.
  • 01 Oct. 2018: Deck has been reviewed for the October play season.
  • 01 Sep. 2018: Deck has been reviewed for the September play season.
  • 07 Aug. 2018: Guide updated for The Boomsday Project expansion.
  • 01 Jul. 2018: Guide has been reviewed for the July play season.
  • 12 Jun. 2018: Control Mage added to similar decks
  • 09 Jun. 2018: Deck added.
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