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Albatross Priest deck list guide - Ashes of Outland - Hearthstone (April 2020)There’s no Rime or reason to this one.

There’s no Rime or reason to this one.

Bad Luck Albatrossis our favourite card in any game ever. Just look at it. This absolute wild boy doing whatever he can to mess up your day.

Enemy drawing into a combo? Taking you down with the super-powerfulDragonqueen AlexstraszaandZephrys the Great? Tough luck, their deck is now filled with useless 1/1 Albatross.

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We’ve got a lot of information on the history of the albatross in folklore and superstition, but if you’re just here for some hardcore deck list action, click through this section.

The History of the Albatross

Why is it called the ‘Bad Luck Albatross’?

InThe Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge illustrates the folly of murdering an albatross. The beast had brought the Mariner and his crew great fortune. They believed it had led them out of the icy Antarctic after a terrible storm, and brought about a south wind to steer them to safety. Despite this, the Mariner shot it down with his crossbow, and the crew were furious. They changed their mind, however, when the boat began float into warmer waters.

They grew to regret this change of heart. Malevolent spirits stalked the ship, and the wind that had once blessed the crew took them into uncharted waters with no way out.

Water, water, every where,

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink.

The crew grew thirsty, and blamed the Mariner for their thirst. They were unable to speak, and forced the Mariner to wear the dead albatross around his neck as punishment for his crime, or perhaps to signify to the evil spirits regret for their actions.

Ah! well a-day! what evil looks

Had I from old and young!

Instead of the cross, the Albatross

About my neck was hung.

The many men, so beautiful!

And they all dead did lie:

And a thousand thousand slimy things

Lived on; and so did I.

Through his suffering, the Mariner eventually begins to appreciate the sea creatures and their beauty. As he prays and blesses them, the albatross fell from his neck, ‘like lead into the sea’.

And now, all in my own countree,

I stood on the firm land!

The Hermit stepped forth from the boat,

And scarcely he could stand.

His cursed journey is not over, though. The guilt rides with the Mariner, causing him great agony. The Mariner is compelled to tell this tale to whomever he meets for the rest of his life, lest the sin continue to weigh him down.

He went like one that hath been stunned,

And is of sense forlorn:

A sadder and a wiser man,

He rose the morrow morn.

Anyway, here’s our deck list and how best to pilot it. Your opponent will tell the tale of their suffering for years to come.

Albatross Priest deck list and strategy

We’ve updated theBad Luck Albatrossdeck list after testing it out in the Ashes ofOutlandmeta - here’s what we’ve come up with.

Select and copy the long ID string below, then create a deck inHearthstoneto export this deck into your game.

Deck Import ID:AAECAa0GBM6+A9MKk5sDn6kDDZibA6ylA5mpA++SA/2wA7alA9msA8kGr6UDptUDgpQDlroDmZsDAA==

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General strategy

Your win condition is frustration. You want to be shuffling as many 1/1 albatross into your opponent’s deck as possible, and with all your potential resurrection and Deathrattle effects, this shouldn’t be too difficult. Your main worry is aggressive enemies, so keep an eye out and plan accordingly.

Early Game: It’s essential you drawBad Luck Albatrossas quickly as possible, but you have some survival tools until then.Shadow Word: Deathnow costs 2 mana rather than 3, andPenanceworks to heal you and get a pesky enemy out of your way.

For the early game, you’re looking to stay alive, so this might not even be wholly necessary for the start of the match. If you’re up against control or combo opponents especially, you’re in for a treat, and it might even be best to avoid polluting your resurrection pool to give you more of a chance to getBad Luck Albatrossback.

Psychopompcan bring back yourBad Luck Albatrosstoo if you’re lucky, andShadowy Figureis another way to copy it when it’s already on board. Reliquary Prime (and Reliqiuary of Souls) is strong when you’re resurrecting things too, and if you end up failing to get theBad Luck Albatrosscoming in constantly, it’s well worth having this super-strong backup.

Late Game: Later on in the game, your opponent should hopefully be running low on fuel. Their deck filled to the brim with 1/1 albatross, they’ll be on their last legs. Rub salt in the wound with your big ticket cards -Mass ResurrectionandCatrina Muerte. These give you the chance for even moreBad Luck Albatross, but also allow you to raise from the dead other strong minions like moreCatrina Muertes andConvincing Infiltrators.

Reliquary of Souls, if you can get a few copies resurrected, can protect you from fatigue for a bit longer too if necessary.

Albatross Priest Mulligan Guide

Below is our guide on what to keep in your opening hand when playing Albatross Priest.

1.Bad Luck Albatrossobviously needs to be there. At 3 mana (and with good stats!) you can get it into your resurrection pool, or start duplicating it if your opponent can’t immediately kill it.

2.Forbidden Wordscan kill almost any minion, and early on you’ll be needing this one to foil your foes' plans to get ahead early.

3.Reliquary of Soulscan contest the board early and slow down enemy aggression.

Albatross Priest tips, combos and synergies

Below are some tips for how to best play Albatross Priest in the upcoming Ashes of Outland meta:

  • Remember:Bad Luck Albatrossis your win condition, but you can always grab a win out of nowhere withDivine SpiritandInner Fire.

-Wretched ReclaimertriggersBad Luck Albatross’ Deathrattle and brings it back to life, giving you a huge amount of value and your opponent absolutely none.

-Augmented Elekkisn’t essential to this deck’s success, but if you can double up onBad Luck Albatross’ Deathrattle, you’ll be in a great place.

  • Shuffling lots of 1/1 albatross into your opponent’s deck cancels out any bonus they’d get from playing a Highlander deck. This means the likes ofDinotamer Brann,Dragonqueen Alexstrasza, andZephrys the Greatwon’t trigger their Battlecries when played.

  • Think of the Mariner when you play this deck. The point is to make your opponent have as bad a time as possible, so play as if you’re an evil spirit haunting a doomed voyage. We’ve found that helps in life too.