[SF] Zhanna - The Godess of Balor

[4Ak]

Zhanna Mist

zhanna.JPG

...for she is The One and Only true Godess of Balor

Allies [25]:

2x Champion of Irum - lightweight early game, turns quite big mid-to-late, can become a game winner once TKP is down (mind u can be 6/6, impressive fro 2-drop, ennit), although i might drop 1x for one more Chalice

3x Jasmine - early game she WILL draw attention away from Zhanna, late game her ability is still hard to replace

3x Aldon - early game also helps draw attention away, late game his +1ATT helps a LOT, since most of your allies have low attack, he helps to stall until you draw into one of your TKP's

3x Devoted Knight - Zhanna needs a lot of resources and this guy is imo the best way how to get them w/o loosing too much tempo. i am actually considering toping him up to have full-set included main

3x Tainted Oracle - draw

2x Elizabeth Winterborn - moar draw! making sure u have as many draw options as possible

3x Braxnorian Soldier - his spot is still subject to change, BUT, apart from lot of hasty dudes running around recklessly, i feel there aren't too many fatties in play these days and his passive helps him survive to actually do some damage

...i tend to alternate this spot with Knight of the Golden Dawn, both have been working pretty well so it kinda depends on your preference

3x Sandworm - for he IS a tank, and some people still tend to avoid/ignore him simply cuz he's only 2ATT

3x Aeon - best play post-Tidal Wave (with at least 1 Devoted Knight on board when u TW on t5 u don even have to sac to play him next turn)


Abilities [23]:

1x Forgiveness - well, i like this card and once im running 55 cards, its hard not to justify. might actually add one more for it makes the first 1 (eventually 2) saccing choices THAT much easier

1x Retreat! - (Time out!!) this can actually get boot for the 2nd Forgiveness, but its nice and cheap versatile card, either use it on own crippled dude, or on opponent to buy u a little extra time. i know most of you might argue for this is only 1-off, however i can guarantee you that u will use this no matter when u draw it (...except for when it appears on your opening hand, then sac it, even first when there's no better sac option)

4x Focused Prayer - good sac option when u aren't expecting troublesome items, but if u are, u need to max chances of having one reasonably early

4x Healing Touch - dont.sac.this.card.ever! seriously - the only time i'd sac this is if i draw all four in my opening hand, crippling attachments, posion, geting your Aeon back to full strength, but most importantly, keeping Zhanna alive, this card does it all, its just so so good especially when we consider we ARE going to b playing long game here

2x Holy Shield - i have used Ice Storm before, but the (although costly) TW+Shield combo is just plain sick and it can and will win you games

2x Banish - breaks Bloodpack Shaman loop like nuffin else, helps get rid of protectors or other buffed allies. i would strongly recommend to save this for something your opp put a lot of effort in though

2x Zail's Hymn - another way to stop loops, also helps Champion of Irum grow by leaving some opposing 3+cc allies on board, one of the best Priest abilities fo'sho

4x Tidal Wave - what to add? board wipe please )))

2x Mass Purification - although i do not use this too often, want to have some answer available against attachment-based decks. it's next to useless most of the time, however beyond value when it matters, that's why 2x.
NOTE: if u use Purification when your Zail's Hymn is on an opposing ally, that ally will be placed on the bottom of opponents deck


Items, Weapons, Armors [6]:

4x Glass Chalice of Knowing - ultimate priest draw-engine, initially i thought it was too expensive to use, but having a deck of this size the ability to actually be able to pick one of 3 cards is simply irreplaceable

2x Wizent's Staff - could be just nostalgia, but additional ways to draw are essential here, plus its a weapon, and there still are 1HP dudes, or armors/weapons need wearing down...so yeah, that's that

2x The King's Pride - main win-con for this deck (apart from milling your opponent, when it comes to that), essentialy the only way how this deck wins through combat. if you get one opening, sac it FIRST (even if u have an Aeon as well), you have solid chances of drawing into your second,or even 'third' with Forgiveness


...so, that is my latest take on Zhanna - 54+Hero

You MAY like this deck if:

- you like heavy Control decks
- you live by 'Slow and steady wins the race!'
- you prefer adaptive play-style
- you believe that Control is The BEST archetype and should be EVERYWHERE

You may NOT like this deck if:

- you prefer to be the aggressor during the game
- you want to 'poop-out' creatures as fast as possible
- you are grinding QM's to place in Top100 (...not that this deck couldn't do it, but it will take significantly longer)
- you are nice and don't feel like ruining everyone else's day by always having answer to their play



...well, OK then, but how to hack is this thing played?

..as for ideal play, most of you probably know this kind of deck doesnt have one, it really doesn't, as simple as that really, however, there are some ways how to maximize your odds of winning

a) First and Foremost - know your enemy! knowing what you can expect is crucial so that u know what to sac

b) dont be afraid to soak in some damage - Zhanna heals (plus, we have also Healing Touch, so over the course of a long game we can easily pump up 20+ HP) and wipes board, so taking few early hits means nothing. remember we'll b playing long game, so the fact rush decks play a ton of shit early works for us, just pray for timely Tidal Wave

c) do your math! calculated risks, knowing how much damage is coming next turn, knowing (at least roughly) what are your odds of drawing THE answer....this kind of shit

d) throw in some juicy baits - having Jas behind Aeon makes your opponent feel u r not going to wipe, so they will drop allies more loosely and than BANG! wiped out....if u get our Retreat, u can always save some ally pre-tidal

e) ...well, what to add, if things arent going exactly accordingly to The Plan, DO NOT GIVE UP! every single card you draw into can change the direction of a game on the spot, and if u r drawing 2,3,4, or even moar card a turn, things are never lost! if nothing else, just keep enjoying the game - at the end of the day, you're The Godess, and those do not just run away!

!!!WARNING!!!

Playing this deck is likely to annoy the crap out of your opponents and can result in a flow of rather strong words aimed at you! Turning your chat OFF is therefore highly recommended.

[chamthabo]

Cheer for control Zhanna!

I am now considering adding more cards into my control Zhanna deck, seems like a cool thing for Zhanna player to do.

[4Ak]

Cheer for control Zhanna!

I am now considering making my control Zhanna deck a bit more tower-like, seems like a cool thing for priest player.

...as long as you have enough draw, you should be fine - this kind of deck actually likes long games for 2 main reasons:

1) ..you have enough control tools to be able not to attempt for board presence
2) ..you need time and resources to be able to draw and pull-off your win conditions

..when it comes to draw, Priests have Glass Chalice of Knowing which happens to be THE card No.1 for being able to successfully control (i.e. - cycle through your deck and pick the right card for the situation)