How is a class reliant on “narrow” spells without card draw supposed to work?

Multiplayer Discussion
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Believe me good players do take advantage of the narrow nature of the shadow words, I’ve been killed by a LOT of 4 attk minions over the years!

And that’s the problem, Priest is a good class vs bad players, but often useless vs good players, because they know to deny our narrow openings, i.e. a bad player will silence that upgraded steambot and go face , then get killed next turn and create a Divine Spirit/Inner Fire is busted thread, whereas a good player will kill the 'bot and leave the priest with a handful of worthless cards.

Yeah I could start running MC and surprise a few players, but my winrate overall would go down because there’s a reason MC isn’t played in good decks, it’s like saying Warriors could play Rampage, yes it would surprise a few people, but it still wouldn’t be a good call.

Just look at tier 1 decks , they mainly comprise individually good cards that are even better with synergy, very few narrow cards in them.

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How its going to work? I dont know,maybe they make it so that ther is little card draw but when you do eventually draw the card you want you win 99%
Priest will have draw,they have cleric pws and there is acolyte and pyro in neutral.

How pyromancer not nerfed yet,compared to all the other 2 drops it is prrtty insane. (I dont hope they nerf it btw,its a great card)

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Right? When Mind Control steals Hero Cards it’ll be worth running again.

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And yet, priests continued to use those shadow words over the years.

Oh sure there is a reason. I think we disagree on what that reason is though. I think the reason is more due to how most metas aren’t ones where MC would shine. That’s not a point about MC as much as it is a point about the meta in general.

No, it’s not like that. Rampage isn’t a “narrow but powerful” spell. It’s not that narrow, and it’s not that powerful.

Those tier 1 decks aren’t priests decks though. Of course other classes wouldn’t use narrow but powerful spells like a priest could or would.

When priests did manage to have a tier 1 deck, they actually do use their narrow but powerful spells. Take shadow word horror. When it first released it was a joke, one of them “narrow but powerful” spells, but by the time priest has some good decks, it gets included.

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What draw has priest had in the past? Looking through the entire priest library there is literally only 1 card which has been printed for priest that draws a single card. Mass dispel. Everything else is discover. Unless I missed something this entire discussion is moot.
Priest sucks right now true but it’s not due to lack of card draw.

Edit: There have been 5 cards printed for priest since the beginning of time that draw from your deck and 3 of them are in rotation right now. They all just suck so hard. Pretty sure the previously printed draw cards also saw little play or didn’t define the priest decks.

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Two issues with that. For one thing? No, they really don’t. Compared to how often Warriors run Execute, Shield Slam, or both? No, the Shadow Words have never seen the playrate that those removals have. And Priest is definitely the slower class, and it has no weapons. It needs removal more than Warrior does.

For another thing? No, they really aren’t seeing a lot of play right now, either. Silences are far more common. There are no Shadow Words in the Mech Priest list on VS, but it has both Silence and Mass Dispel. Forbidden Words was printed as well, and that’s not seeing play either. It’s almost as if they’re narrow and not that powerful for their cost.

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Actually the shadow words see very little play in good priest decks because they’re not good enough, when they are used is when Priest has no other option (we’re a control class with no weapons or direct damage and weak minions!)

No the reason MC isn’t used is that it’s deliberately overcosted because other players don’t like the effect, MC is jusy another one of Priest’s bad cards that are narrow but NOT powerful.

Are you seriously trying to say a +3/+3 for 2 mana isn’t a good card!

No, that’s why priests don’t have tier 1 decks, because it seems we aren’t allowed to have good cards but are left with a lot of terrible meme junk, I don’t mind the memery, that’s quite fun, but the narrow cards we have been given don’t live up to the powerful part and adding a spell like Radiance doesn’t bode well for future spell power level!

I mean Healing is supposed to be a priest core strength and yet there are tons of better healing spells already in other classes, it’s a narrow and weak card, and I will make a public prediction now, Radiance will never EVER be a part of a tier 1 deck.

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But they do see play, more than say mind control.

Like I said, we disagree on the reason. I’m looking at the game (the meta). You seem to want to make things personal, attacking “other players”

Not what I said. I’m talking about “narrow but powerful”, not “good” or “bad”.

Let’s dive in a bit: a druid can give +2/+2 and taunt for the same mana cost, without the need for the minion to be damaged. Taunt is rather expensive in this game, but let’s say taunt is only worth 1 stat point (see: zen’jin vs yeti). That means for the “narrowness” of a damaged minion (which again isn’t very narrow of a limitation), all you get for it is 1 extra stat point in power.

Whether or not rampage is “good” or “bad”, 1 stat point is not a lot of power. Hunters can get 3 times the stats for only twice the cost (dire frenzy). MSG pally could give his entire hand +1/+1 while putting a 1/1 on the board for 2 mana, or in spell form, +1/+1 to whole hand for 1 mana.

So no, rampage doesn’t fit “narrow but powerful” description.

And let’s revisit one of your earlier points: that narrow just means people can easily play around it. So how would people play around rampage? Easily at that?

Again, you’re missing the point. I’m talking about “narrow but powerful”, not “good” or “bad”

Throughout priest history, whether or not they have “good” decks or “bad” decks, priests do run some amount of their narrow but powerful spells.

Except they do. Again, look at something like shadow word horror. Its power (destroys all minions with 2 or less attack) has always been the same. It was “living up to the powerful part” all along. Whether or not it’ll be used however (“good” or “bad”) is a separate matter.

Put it another way, “power” is the power that satisfied the Timmy player (look up Timmy Johnny Spike in card games). It’s not power in the sense of helping you win more (that’s Spike)

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