Semi-Budget Resurrect Priest deck guide and upgrade path – Hearthstone February 2020

I often get requests to build cheaper Hearthstone decks, and I decided to take a look at Resurrect Priest from a budget perspective. Now, I do not think it is possible to do a full budget list without any Epics, but it is possible to succeed on the ladder all the way to Legend with a Resurrect Priest that includes only four Epics and no craftable Legendaries.

This is the cheapest currently viable control deck, so if you want to take a look at something else than aggro or midrange without having a ton of dust, Resurrect Priest with its immense defensive capabilities just might fit the bill. As an additional upside, you get to play with Priest’s Galakrond!

Semi-Budget Resurrect Priest decklist

Deck code: AAECAa0GBNYKmJsD47QDyMADDdMKl4cDgpQDmZsDoaEDr6UD0aUDmakDn6kD2awD8qwDza8D/bADAA==

I mostly played this list, which does include Kronx Dragonhoof, because I built this deck based on a viewer request, and he had Kronx, so I just threw it in for some additional fun. It is by no means necessary – it is not even included in the full-cost lists – and it can easily be replaced with a second copy of Forbidden Words for a more budget experience.

Upgrading from here to a full-cost list is simple and straightforward:

All you need to do is the following (preferably in this order):

  • Remove a Grave Rune for Zere’s Cloning Gallery
  • Remove a Shadow Word: Death for Zilliax
  • Remove Kronx Dragonhoof for Catrina Muerte

Bam, done! The full-cost deck code is this: AAECAa0GCNMK1gqggAONggOTmwOYmwPZrAPIwAMLl4cDgpQDmZsDoaEDr6UD0aUDmakDn6kD8qwDza8D/bADAA==

Semi-Budget Resurrect Priest mulligan

Your basic mulligan with the deck is to keep the Bad Luck Albatross, Psychopomp, and Penance.

There are also other potentially good cards to keep depending on the matchup:

  • Shadow Word: Death can be useful against Rogue’s Edwin VanCleef
  • Breath of the Infinite or Mass Hysteria can be useful against decks that swarm the board
  • Sandhoof Waterbearer can be useful against aggressive decks.

Semi-Budget Resurrect Priest tips and tricks

Remember that you have multiple ways to win games. While getting an early Bad Luck Albatross and then resurrecting that to fill the opponent’s deck with 1/1 tokens is a powerful strategy, it is not the only one. Sometimes you want to avoid playing the Albatross so that you can ensure resurrecting more defensive minions, or if you pick up your first Albatross very late, you may want to win a slower deck in fatigue and not give them more cards.

Controlling your resurrect pool is important. Especially if you have found an early Psyychopomp, think carefully what you want it to bring back. Albatross is often great, as then you will fill your opponent’s deck with junk, but sometimes defending well is more important.

Galakrond has two roles in the deck: it is a hard-removal tool, one that is capable of removing one or two random minions (two only if you have found both copies of Time Rip), and it is a value engine that provides infinite minions. The value part is mostly useful if you go for the Albatrosses and just aim to outvalue the opponent from there. Remember to keep an eye on your resurrect pool if you still have unused Mass Resurrection spells left.

You are playing a control deck. Ration your removal and try to fit them to the level of threat the opponent is able to build. You can run out of removal if you spend it carelessly, but you can also die if you are too greedy. It can be hard to find the balance, but in general, you want to be at least somewhat greedy.

Semi-Budget Resurrect Priest gameplay video

Finally, here is a recap of the guide and some gameplay footage to give you a better idea of what the deck is capable of.

Malygos Rogue deck guide – Hearthstone February 2020

Combo decks are having a hard time in Hearthstone now, all except one: Malygos OTK Rogue. The current iteration of Malygos Rogue makes heavy use of Galakrond and Heistbaron Togwaggle to draw some zero-cost cards that can then be used to destroy the opponent out of the blue.

The overall reach of the deck is typically 34: Malygos adds five points of spell damage to two copies of Sinister Strike and two copies of Eviscerate. All of these can be played in a single turn either by getting some of them discounted in advance or with a single Preparation and three coins from Umbral Skulker.

This means that this iteration of Malygos Rogue can be out-armored, but the deck can also complete a partial combo surprisingly quickly to launch a quick 16 to 25 damage upon its unsuspecting victim.

Malygos Rogue decklist

Deck code: AAECAaIHDLICtAPtBYYJoIADkpcD2p0Dtq4Dwa4D47QDn7cDy8ADCbQBzQPGBYgH9acDua4D/q4Dqq8Dzq8DAA==

I first played with the commonly used Malygos Rogue decklists, but I found a lot of room for improvement. In particular, the common lists use too many combo cards for redundancy, even though you rarely use the full combo anyway. By cutting the mana gain cards down to one copy of Preparation and one copy of Umbral Skulker, I still have the possibility to go for the full 34-damage combo, but I also have a much more proactive deck with fewer dead cards in it.

The main addition I made is the SN1P-SN4P and Zilliax package. This package is already extremely important for Galakrond Rogue, and the current Malygos Rogue is not that different, so there was a good reason to expect great things from them. Indeed, the cards perform extremely well in the list and really help against aggressive decks.

I have also chosen to cut EVIL Miscreant from the deck. When I had it included, I was often in positions where I had a hard time freeing up hand space for my zero-cost cards, and leaving it out has allowed me to manage my hand size more easily. The Invoke cards already provide plenty of Lackeys for Heistbaron Togwaggle. I am running Bloodmage Thalnos instead because it allows me to go through my deck faster and can also help with spell damage to boost up Backstab, Seal Fate, or even the final combo turn.

One interesting thing about the deck is that this may be the first deck ever where Jepetto Joybuzz is actually worth it. Make no mistake, it is still one of the worst-performing cards in the deck, but unlike in most other decks where it has been used, it is not even the very worst card at all times. The deck just has so many good targets for it, because you mostly care about the Battlecry effects and not stats, so Malygos, Heistbaron Togwaggle, Flik Skyshiv, and Kronx Dragonhoof can all be excellent draws from Jepetto.

Malygos Rogue mulligan

The main card you mulligan for is Pharaoh Cat. Getting on the board on the first turn is just so important. Other than that, Seal Fate can be useful in most matchups and Edwin VanCleef is usually a good keep when you’re on the Coin; I would not keep it when going first.

Beyond those, look for a curve and if you have some good early game already, you can even keep cards like Heistbaron Togwaggle or Galakrond.

Malygos Rogue tips and tricks

Always think about how you are going to end the game. It is especially important to know how much reach you have with Malygos and various spells:

  • Sinister Strike: 8 damage
  • Eviscerate: 9 damage
  • Two Sinister Strikes: 16 damage
  • Sinister Strike and Eviscerate: 17 damage
  • Two Sinister Strikes and Eviscerate: 25 damage
  • Sinister Strike and two Eviscerates: 26 damage
  • Two Sinister Strikes and two Eviscerates: 34 damage

You rarely win the game from 30, even though the deck is technically capable of doing that. Try to chip in some damage, because once your opponent is down to around 16, you have tons of ways to finish the job, and even 20+ can be done in multiple ways. Remember that a fully invoked Galakrond also gives you a five-attack weapon that can add to your reach.

Malygos Rogue gameplay video

Finally, here is a recap of this guide and some gameplay footage of me playing this deck. I hope it gives you a better idea of what this fun combo deck is all about.

Quest Galakrond Shaman deck guide – Hearthstone February 2020

Galakrond, the Tempest (image: Blizzard Entertainment)

Shaman has been the weakest class in the game during Galakrond’s Awakening, but there are still a couple of Shaman decks that are, if not exactly great, at least playable. One of them is Quest Galakrond Shaman.

The main strategy of the deck is to complete the Quest to gain access to powerful doubled up Battlecry effects, including the ultimate form of Shaman’s Galakrond: summoning four 8/8 minions with Rush and equipping a 5/2 weapon.

If this is not enough to win the game, the Battlecry can be accessed again with Shudderwock. This is enough to overwhelm most decks in the game.

Quest Galakrond Shaman decklist

This is the decklist I had the most success with during my experimentation with the archetype.

Deck code: AAECAaoIBooH7/cC4agD47QD87cD08ADDJwC7/ECxpkDu6UDz6UDt60Dua0D/q4Dqq8D8LADgrEDuLYDAA==

I see many people playing the list without Dragon’s Pack, which understandably does not feel as strong anymore after the nerf now that it summons a pair of 4/5 Taunt minions and not 5/6 Taunt minions, but I have found the card to still be an essential part of the deck. Your survival against many of the more aggressive decks, such as Dragon Hunter, can depend on getting enough Taunt minions on the board.

Two copies of Dragonmaw Poacher are likewise a tech against Dragon Hunter. I had some success with Mind Control Tech in that slot as well but ultimately felt that the ability to respond to dragons is currently more important for success. This is a tech slot that should be adjusted according to the meta.

Another tech slot is the Acidic Swamp Ooze, which I ended up adding to better cope against Dragon Hunter as well.

Some people choose to include Barista Lynchen in the list, which can seem attractive because it has the potential to give you infinite Shudderwocks in combination with Faceless Corruptor – Shudderwock turns another minion into a copy of itself with the Corruptor Battlecry and then returns a copy of that into the hand with the Barista Battlecry. However, this is too slow for the current meta, and also fairly unreliable even in a slow matchup, so it is better to cut Barista if you want to win more.

Quest Galakrond Shaman mulligan

There are three cards that you should always keep in the mulligan regardless of the matchup: Corrupt the Waters, Questing Explorer, and Licensed Adventurer.

The Quest and the synergies around it form a core part of the deck’s strategy, and should always be pursued.

If you already have one of the two-drops, you can generally keep something to play on curve.

You can also consider keeping some other cards in specific matchups: In particular, Sandstorm Elemental is useful against token decks and Sky Gen’ral Kragg is useful in matchups where the opponent does not go wide.

Quest Galakrond Shaman tips and tricks

Completing the Quest is your main priority with the deck because it allows you to do several extremely strong plays:

  • Double Galakrond Battlecry for multiple Rush minions – note that sometimes you will want to do this even with a less than fully invoked Galakrond
  • Dragonmaw Poacher as a 12/12, capable of killing any Dragon in the game
  • Corrupt Elementalist that invokes Galakrond four times alone and provides eight damage worth of Rush minions
  • Two 4/2 Rush parrots from Sky Gen’ral Kragg
  • Six damage and six healing from Lifedrinker

It is sometimes worth playing Battlecry cards even without their full value just to advance the Quest and be able to double up other Battlecry effects on subsequent turns.

Note that your Hero Power changes when you become Galakrond. However, Galakrond itself is a Battlecry card, so if you complete the Quest with Galakrond, you get the Quest Hero Power, not the Galakrond one. This is only marginally useful, but sometimes it can come in handy.

You often have a number of tokens on the board, so remember that Kronx Dragonhoof can give them all +2/+2 if you are in Galakrond form.

The Coin from Licensed Adventurer can sometimes help you trigger Shudderwock’s Battlecry twice. This can only happen if you still have the Quest Hero Power when you play Shudderwock though, and you mostly aim to have played Galakrond before Shudderwock, but it can still be useful occasionally.

Quest Galakrond Shaman gameplay video

Finally, here is a quick recap of the deck and a bunch of my gameplay footage with it. I hope this helps you get a grasp of what the deck is all about!