Let's talk Holy Avenger

[Kelanen]

I never have more fun than when I'm winning consistently, and that happens more often with better tools.

I disagree with Beldin, but only in as much as I put Priest in Tier 3.

As for leaving the beaten path, after many hundreds of games there are rarely new paths to find, I've certainly not seen any here for a long time.

I'd much rather efficiency over creativity or variety personally.

[Phillus]

But is it worth 1 channeling and better than +6 Treants?

[Super Sorcerer]

ב"ה
I usually win with my priest. The only reason I will never bring one to a tournament is adramelech warlocks (that just ruin your burning ability).
I usually start with mana crystal + temple of asyra on the first round, and play sort of "melee + support" by bringing enchantments and equipment with my quickcast (and sometimes attack spells or dispels or dissolves or minor heals), melee attacking with full action, and bring a creature every 2 or 3 rounds from the temple.
If the temple get destroyed, then once I have too much mana I bring a big creature with full action.
Usually it works just fine.

[Beldin]

ב"ה
I usually win with my priest. The only reason I will never bring one to a tournament is adramelech warlocks (that just ruin your burning ability).
I usually start with mana crystal + temple of asyra on the first round, and play sort of "melee + support" by bringing enchantments and equipment with my quickcast (and sometimes attack spells or dispels or dissolves or minor heals), melee attacking with full action, and bring a creature every 2 or 3 rounds from the temple.
If the temple get destroyed, then once I have too much mana I bring a big creature with full action.
Usually it works just fine.

Within more causal metas this works fine. This is far too inefficient for me and who I play against. I wold rather harmonise the temple so it automates and generates a creature quicker. If mana is a problem then maybe priestess wins out.

[ExcaliburTK]

With PvS out HA got much better with the inclusion of the breastplate that allows you to gaurd and the noble vanguard there are many options to trigger the HA, my two favorite targets for HA are the asyran defender and white cloak knight. White cloak knight is still a little squishy and I usually invest some mana to protect him while asyran defender has built in defense so I feel there is no need to invest anymore mana into him after making him HA. In my current priest book which I run a temple sentry, a noble vanguard, a temple highgaurd, and two asyran defenders.

I think the key to HA is knowing when it is best to summon it and knowing what the best creature for your HA is in the match up your playing.

[Coshade]

With PvS out HA got much better with the inclusion of the breastplate that allows you to gaurd and the noble vanguard there are many options to trigger the HA, my two favorite targets for HA are the asyran defender and white cloak knight. White cloak knight is still a little squishy and I usually invest some mana to protect him while asyran defender has built in defense so I feel there is no need to invest anymore mana into him after making him HA. In my current priest book which I run a temple sentry, a noble vanguard, a temple highgaurd, and two asyran defenders.

I think the key to HA is knowing when it is best to summon it and knowing what the best creature for your HA is in the match up your playing.

This is some interesting insight. Good reading from a fellow main Priest player

I haven't experimented enough with Noble Vanguard as a HA. Do you tend to run healing on him? What situations do you tend to bring him out as an HA?

[ExcaliburTK]

I generally dont HA the noble vangaurd, I use him as a trigger for whatever I HA. In my current book my holy avenger asyran defender or temple high gaurd.

But if I were to HA a noble vangaurd I would invest a healing enchantment to keep him alive.

Another interesting choice I havent tested would be knight of the red helm.

[Coshade]

Interesting. Yeah I've tried KOTRH to some success. Usually people try to snipe it which is decently effective. Lately I've been putting Knight's courage on KOTRH instead of HAing though so I can trigger the HA.

Currently though I've been favoring WCK or Asyran Cleric as my HA. Haven't done it on Meditation Monk either

[Super Sorcerer]

ב"ה

Within more causal metas this works fine. This is far too inefficient for me and who I play against. I wold rather harmonise the temple so it automates and generates a creature quicker. If mana is a problem then maybe priestess wins out.

I harmonize only if I try to turtle in the corner (like when I face a forcemaster). Otherwise it just makes the temple something that should be destroyed, and spending 14 mana and 2 actions on it makes many opponents consider spending about the same to destroy it (it has only 8 life 3 armor).
And anyway, I don't really plan to bring a creature in the second round, since I am actually playing a melee build that would use most of the first rounds on equipping and enchanting the mage.
In a meta where adramelech warlocks are too common, priests might be not so good, and priestesses would usually be a better choice (because they transfer the burn back to you). In a meta where adramelech warlocks are rare enough, after PvS the priest became a very decent mage in my opinion.

With PvS out HA got much better with the inclusion of the breastplate that allows you to gaurd and the noble vanguard there are many options to trigger the HA, my two favorite targets for HA are the asyran defender and white cloak knight. White cloak knight is still a little squishy and I usually invest some mana to protect him while asyran defender has built in defense so I feel there is no need to invest anymore mana into him after making him HA. In my current priest book which I run a temple sentry, a noble vanguard, a temple highgaurd, and two asyran defenders.

Well, even before PvS you would usually run at least 2 creatures, one to guard and one to avenge (when I have enough mana it would be a knight of westlock holy avenger with a guardian angel as the guard, but many times I use cheaper creature). Definitely PvS made some better options for the priest, especially when it comes to attack spells and conjurations, and temple high guard might be a better choice for a guard than the guardian angel in some cases. I think that overall PvS made the priest a decent mage, with some really nice new tricks in his sleeves.