Another week just means we’re another week closer to Standard format and Whispers of the Old Gods. To celebrate the evil (or in Ragnaros’ case, good) transformations, let’s take a look at an archetype that transforms your light-loving hero into a master of shadows – the Shadow Priest.
This Shadow Priest is a Reno Jackson-themed deck, meaning it mainly leaves out doubles of any card. Shadowform is the only card that gets two slots in your deck because of how powerful having a 3-damage hero power is. Notice the abundance of taunt minions and healing minions. With your hero power switched to something more damaging, you’ll want to keep your health up somehow. Tournament Medic is a great example of how to do this. You get to dish out 2-3 damage and still heal yourself.
This deck does well against late-game, control-heavy decks. Additions like Elise Starseeker make your deck have one or two extra cards up your sleeve. Board-wipe options like Holy Nova and Lightbomb will keep your generally high-health minions kicking.
Inspire was a great mechanic on paper, but sadly it hasn’t gained a lot of traction. Minions with Inspire simply didn’t stick around long enough to have a lot of use. Used wisely, however, the mechanic can be put to good use. Minions like Tournament Medic, Nexus-Champion Saraad, and Confessor Paletress are great late-game additions that will reward you for utilizing your hopefully powerful hero power. Just pray you don’t get Majordomo Executus.
This deck isn’t for quick, easy climbs up the ladder. You have to play to your strengths and make sure not to underestimate your opponent. If you’re hovering in the 15-health range, watch out for Druids and Rogues. If you think the deck needs more removal and AOE spells, go right ahead. Like in Renolock, these deck archetypes reward experimentation and don’t grow stagnant as quickly as other decks can.