Is Banisher Priest viable in standard?
Standard forum
Posted on March 28, 2014, 6:14 a.m. by AndyReveler
With all the kill around, is running Banisher Priest even worth it?
AndyReveler says... #3
i have 3 in my sideboard right now, but am considering replacing them since theres just so much removal. The only 2 decks i would use them against are g/r monsters (which runs Mizzium Mortars , Domri Rade and sometimes other burn) and mono blue (which has Rapid Hybridization , Domestication and Cyclonic Rift ). Its just getting harder to justify its existance...even with the awesome promo art lol
March 28, 2014 6:40 a.m.
Banisher Priest is "ok" in W/X Aggro-decks. It's more or less a tempo-play, to remove a crucial blocker to get in some more damage and make your opponent waste his mana to deal with your Priest.
March 28, 2014 6:46 a.m.
AndyReveler says... #5
thats exactly it Putrefy, i dont really know any other decks that run it right now...esper and orzhov humans might run it sideboard to i think...i forget. But yeah, im just seeing it less and less as an option...
March 28, 2014 6:55 a.m.
Really sucks that it's only 2 toughness. Part of what made Fiend Hunter so good last format was that it was a 1/3. Very hard to force a trade.
March 28, 2014 7:12 a.m.
It's a good tempo card. It get's a Desecration Demon out of the way for a while.
March 28, 2014 8:20 a.m.
Of course, the other thing that made Fiend Hunter so good last format is that he was around with a bunch of instant-speed flicker, so you could permanently exile things, which Banisher Priest was templated to no longer allow.
March 28, 2014 10:24 a.m.
He's often just a bad Flickerwisp but that's still not too bad. White is really lacking removal in this standard so you take what you can get.
March 28, 2014 10:43 a.m.
NerdPounder says... #10
Yeah I run 4 of them in my white weenie list, it's perfectly viable, you just have to be weary of removal spells buying back blockers at untimely times. Not in a control shell mind you, they have so much dead removal in game 1 they'll use it as quickly as possible, but in aggro shells it's fine. Especially against the green decks, they have a hard time with it.
March 28, 2014 10:56 a.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #11
I run 4 in my Selesnya Midrange deck. They're okay. Good most of the time but as others have stated, can backfire at the worst times. I have Celestial Flare and Soul Tithe as additional removal. Both are better choices if u just want removal and not the body.
March 28, 2014 11:10 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #12
Please read the forum descriptions carefully. If your post is about a specific format, then it should go in that format's forum. Moved.
March 28, 2014 12:48 p.m.
AndyReveler says... #13
sorry bout that Epochalyptik, my mistake.
i have Selesnya Charm for my main removal, sideboard Celestial Flare and i took out Soul Tithe for Banisher Priest cause Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx dont care. At worst i think it buys you a turn...if youre lucky, and at best your problem is gone most of the game, but with so much kill it calls into question its relevance, at least i think so
Slycne says... #2
Depends on the deck, but it's absolutely necessary for some WWx lists - they will even run it over cards like Brimaz, King of Oreskos . They do tend to get sided out in extremely removal heavy match-ups though.
March 28, 2014 6:29 a.m.