Voodoo Priest Gahz'rul: how to beat

Voodoo Priest Gahz'rul — dungeon “Zul'Karrak — Sanctum of Sands”, level 42. The deck: phases, turn cycle, damage and healing by mode, cold, test strike,…

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Dungeon Zul'Karrak — Sanctum of Sands, boss 1 of 2, level 42.

The boss plays its own deck: every turn it plays the next line of its phase’s cycle, with no randomness. Learn the cycle and you know what is coming. The numbers on this page are the same as in the card tooltip in combat: before Hardiness and Defender’s Stance. Mechanics in detail — Boss mechanics.

In short

Modes: Heroic (at level 60), Normal (at the place’s level, 42–50), Keystone +10 (Mythic+, at level 60).
2 phases, 5 cards in the deck. Schools: ⚔ Physical 3, ⛰ Earth 1, 🌑 Darkness 1.
“Night in the Desert” cold: every enemy turn, everyone through shields — heroic 1,040, keystone +10 860 to each before Hardiness. No cold in normal mode.
“All Rise!” test strike — on boss turns 8 and 16: heroic 7,000, keystone +10 8,000; 40% weaker with a defensive card on yourself.
The heaviest hit is “All Rise!”: heroic 7,000, keystone +10 8,000.

Phases and turn cycle

The phase changes with the boss’s Health. In each phase the boss goes round its own cycle: at the end it starts again. The boss’s next turn shows on its portrait.

1. “Seizure” — from the start of the fight

Down to 50% Health: a recess every 5 turns.

Cycle step	What the boss plays
1	⚔ Bailiff's Rod
2	⚔ Bailiff's Rod + 🌑 Seized
3	⚔ Bailiff's Rod
4	⚔ Bailiff's Rod + 🌑 Seized
5	⚔ Recess

2. “Witnesses” — below 50% Health

Below 50%: witnesses at once, a recess every 4 turns.

On entering the phase the boss plays at once: ⛰ Witnesses Are Called.

Cycle step	What the boss plays
1	⚔ Bailiff's Rod + 🌑 Seized
2	⛰ Witnesses Are Called
3	⚔ Bailiff's Rod + 🌑 Seized
4	⚔ Recess

The “All Rise!” test strike is not part of the cycle: the boss announces it on its turns 7 and 15 and hits on turns 8 and 16.

Cards and numbers

The number is what a hit takes before Hardiness (through shields — from Health only), how much the boss heals itself, the shield it puts up, a minion’s Health. A dash means the card is not in that mode or has no number. Keystone: +10 numbers; hits are the same from +7 to +9 and weaker per level below +7.

Card	What it does	Heroic	Normal	Keystone +10	How to answer
⚔ All Rise! · Physical, test strike	A test strike on whoever holds the boss’s attention (usually the tank). The boss announces it on its own, outside the cycle, and hits on its 8th and 16th turn; one turn before, there is a countdown on the portrait and a warning above your hand. The target plays a defensive card on themselves before the hit — it is 40% weaker. Not in normal mode. Through shields.	7,000 · with a defensive card 4,200	—	8,000 · with a defensive card 4,800	Test strike, one turn of warning. The tank plays a defensive card, the healer tops him up in advance.
⚔ Bailiff's Rod · Physical, hit	A hit on whoever holds the boss’s attention (usually the tank).	2,150	600	4,100	A plain hit.
🌑 Seized · Darkness, burns a card and heals	Burns 1 card(s) of a damage dealer or the healer (past the tank) and heals itself.	heals 880	heals 180	heals 4,600	Takes a card from the target's hand and heals himself for 880 (heroic) / 180 (normal) / 4,600 (keystone +10). Do not hoard your hand, play it.
⚔ Recess · Physical, opening: more damage to the boss	The boss is open: damage to it ×1.3 for 2 turns.	—	—	—	Drinking tea: +30% damage to him for 1 party turn. Big cards here.
⛰ Witnesses Are Called · Earth, summon with a task	Summons “Witness” ×2. While it lives, it heals the boss every turn.	Health 590 · hits 108 · heals the boss 590 per turn	Health 120 · hits 30 · heals the boss 120 per turn	Health 3,070 · hits 205 · heals the boss 3,070 per turn	Each heals him for 590 (heroic) / 120 (normal) / 3,070 (keystone +10) per turn. Remove them at once.

“Night in the Desert” cold

Hot by day, cold by night. The court sits at night.

Heroic: 1,040 to each per enemy turn, before Hardiness.
Keystone +10: 860 to each per enemy turn, before Hardiness.
Hits every fighter in the party through shields; Hardiness reduces it — better gear takes less.
The answer is healing every turn: shields do not stop cold. Healer cards do it best — they heal Health only.
No cold in normal mode.

Test strike

“All Rise!” — on boss turns 8 and 16, through shields, on whoever holds the boss’s attention (usually the tank). On heroic, while the party’s tank is alive, it goes to the tank. Not in normal mode.
Heroic: 7,000 before Hardiness; 4,200 if the target answered with a defensive card.
Keystone +10: 8,000 before Hardiness; 4,800 if the target answered with a defensive card.
One turn before the hit there is a countdown on the portrait and a warning above your hand. The target plays a defensive card on themselves: a self-shield, damage reduction or “cannot be killed”. A card someone else plays on the target does not count.

Enrage

Heroic: from party turn 40, every boss turn is 4% stronger, and it stacks.
Normal: as before — if the fight drags on past its expected length, the boss hits harder every turn.
Keystone +10: as before — if the fight drags on past its expected length, the boss hits harder every turn.

Roles

Tank

The “All Rise!” test strike lands on the boss’s 8th and 16th turn (heroic and keystone +10). One turn before, play a defensive card on yourself — a self-shield, damage reduction or “cannot be killed”: the hit becomes 40% weaker. Keep such a card in hand for those turns.
Shields do not stop this hit: the healer tops up your Health before it.
“Bailiff's Rod” hits you. Keep Taunt on rhythm: while the boss hits the tank, the rest stay whole. The heaviest is “Bailiff's Rod” (“Seizure” phase, cycle step 1).
Do not fall: on heroic, mythic and in keystones, without a living tank the boss’s hits on its focus go through shields. A resident can be the tank too.

Healer

“Night in the Desert” cold hits everyone through shields every enemy turn: heroic — 1,040, keystone +10 — 860 to each before Hardiness. Heal everyone every turn; healer cards do it best — they heal Health only.

Damage dealers

“Witness” heals the boss every turn — kill it first.
“Recess”: the boss is open and takes more damage — save your strong cards for that turn.
“Seized”: the boss heals itself — keep the pace up.
“Seized” hits your cards and crystals: do not hoard everything for one turn.
Do not drag it out: heroic — enrage from turn 40.

The heaviest hits

“All Rise!” — test strike, through shields.
“Bailiff's Rod” — on the tank; “Seizure” phase, cycle step 1.

Loot

All of the boss’s loot with rough drop chances is in the item atlas; rules and items by boss are on the Zul'Karrak — Sanctum of Sands page.

Next boss — Sezz'ziz, Avatar of Sand.

All bosses of the place — Zul'Karrak — Sanctum of Sands. Rules of a fight against a boss with a deck — How to beat: every boss.