the trick to having a successful
Jericho
deck is to understand how his play style works.
Jericho is a slow starting hero. if you are going to win matches with him, then you will have to work with this, and find strategies that work for you around it.
jericho can not rush you, and push you out of the game early. the trick is to hold serve (tennis term), until you can get enough resources to do what you please. his native ability dictates this, as it does not help him win directly, it just slows down or changes how your opponents play. all of this being said, here's some tips in building a competitive
Jericho deck.
1. retreat, retreat, retreat! it cannot be overstated how useful this card is to your strategy. it will help you slow down your opponent, and not let them overrun you early. it can also be used to help you late as well. have 3~4 in any jericho deck without hesitation, 30 or 40 card format.
2. tidal wave will save your life. i personally have never found a situation where i did not need less than 3 in a deck. i personally advocate having 4 but i suppose that it depends on your style of play. if you are going to have ice storms, then 3 is a good number, but never forget that it will save your life to be able to wipe their board. it is best played when they have few or no cards in their hand. it gives you almost complete control for the next turn or 2. what you do with it is up to you.
3. fat is good. unless you are using plague (which requires a completely different strategy altogether), then there is no reason not to have some assortment of heavier allies. raven, aeon and now sandworm are your friends. they provide you with something to be feared in the mid to late game timeline. as i said earlier, jericho is a slow starter, but when he hits his stride, there's no stopping him lol. having stronger allies at the mid point will help you after you clear the opponents board, or help you get it back. most decks rely on infernal gargoyle, jasmine, or some other assortment of 3cc allies to get a foothold and ultimately win the game for them. most of your big guys take them out in one swing. they have no retort for it.
4. heed your skills. i have read a lot of debate in this thread of how useful healing touch, or smite, or holy shield are. heed your native abilities as a priest. they are in your toolbelt for a reason. since the nerf to protector, aeon can no longer protect jericho himself. that is why the inclusion of some sort of support is crucial. there will be just too many times where you take damage early, and have trouble getting the board, but when you finally do, you're too low on health to have the one or two turns it would take to win the game. that is where healing touch, or holy shield come in. they are the replacement for the augmented protector mechanic. as for smite, i personally do not find that i need it much, but that does not mean that it is not useful. there are going to be entirely too many times where you will need either some direct damage on a hero, or need a pesky ally off of the board. that is where smite comes in handy. it is one of the cheapest for it's power in the game, and is very versatile. i recommend testing to see if it helps you or not, but do not ignore or discount. By the way, the same goes for playing curse as well
5. keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer. know the matchups that you're going to encounter. jericho is a strong hero for a reason. he shuts down boris' and ambers' native draw engine without a second thought, but does not win against anyone without trying. you need to know that including cards like king's pride are going to not quite guarantee victories against some heroes, but will definately help your chances. example, gwen has no item destruction, so if you can survive the first 5 turns, and not lose the board entirely, then by the time turn 7 comes, you can drop a king's pride, and shut her down altogether. the same applies for boris and amber, jerichos' best matchups. as for the rest of the matchups, it's all about playing to your strengths and knowing your deck. the same with any deck.
P.S. - i am basing this off of my personal experience. i have not been running priests for too long, but have worked hard to understand them, and how you win with them. i personally have a jericho deck that wins 5 out of every 6 matches, if it helps my credibility any. i'll post it if you all like
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Originally Posted by soothslyr
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