Beat Unholy Death Knight

What they want to do

Death Grip the kill target in, Chains of Ice them in place, then Apocalypse overlapping Dark Transformation while Anti-Magic Zone covers the return. They win Solo Shuffle if your caster dump lands inside the zone and nobody crowd-controls the ghoul.

Main danger

Death Grip into stun plus the Apocalypse ghoul window. Anti-Magic Zone deletes a magic go. Anti-Magic Shell eats the crowd control you needed to stop the dump. Diseases grind the round if you let it go long.

Interrupt priority

1. 1 Their healer, not the death knight

   Do not interrupt this death knight. Save your interrupt for the healer they gripped out of the play. Unholy does not cast the kill.

2. 1 Mind Freeze range (yours to respect)

   Do not greed a cast at 10 yards during Apocalypse. They lock whoever is peeling while the ghoul finishes the dump.

3. 2 Your magic crowd control into Anti-Magic Shell

   Throw a cheap spell first to bait Anti-Magic Shell, then stun. Shell eats Polymorph and other magic crowd control — stun after it drops.

Watch for

• Death Grip into Chains of Ice setting Apocalypse and Dark Transformation — wall or leave melee before the ghoul connects.
• Anti-Magic Zone dropped at your feet the moment you press offensive cooldowns — drag the fight out before you dump.
• Anti-Magic Shell eating the first magic crowd control of the round, then Asphyxiate on the peeler.
• Abomination Limb rooting you before Asphyxiate on the peeler — wait the root, then stun.

Offensive cooldowns

• Dark Transformation. Pet damage window. It overlaps Apocalypse. Crowd-control the ghoul; do not ignore it while you tunnel the death knight.
• Apocalypse. Ghoul dump. Crowd-control the ghoul or the death knight before the army connects. This is when Mind Freeze also sits on whoever is peeling.
• Death Coil / Epidemic. Ranged pressure and burst. Do not tunnel the death knight while coils sit on your healer.

Defensive cooldowns

• Anti-Magic Shell. Magic absorb, sometimes a reflect. Stop dumping spells. Swap to physical or sit until it drops.
• Anti-Magic Zone. Your caster go disappears inside it. Drag the fight out of the dome before you press offensive cooldowns.
• Icebound Fortitude. Stun immune plus damage reduction. Sit the go or swap. Do not finish burst into it.
• Lichborne. Fear and charm immune, and they self-heal. Keep chip pressure; do not read it as a full wall.

Crowd control

• Asphyxiate
• Chains of Ice
• Death Grip
• Abomination Limb

Dispels

• Unholy diseases are disease dispels — rip them if you have it or the round becomes a grind.
• Anti-Magic Shell eats magic crowd control. Do not leave your only peel as a spell if Shell is still available.

Mobility

Death's Advance, Gorefiend's Grasp, Death Grip. They choose the room. Do not stand near pillars they can grip you behind. Roots and terrain beat a straight-line kite — Death's Advance ignores slow, it does not ignore a wall.

Kill windows

• Icebound Fortitude and Anti-Magic Shell down after they used Apocalypse
• When Anti-Magic Zone expires and they are still in the open
• When the ghoul is crowd-controlled during Apocalypse and they have no wall left

When to run

Gripped in with no trinket, Anti-Magic Shell up, and Apocalypse rolling. Line. Do not greed a caster dump inside Anti-Magic Zone.

When to attack

Outside Anti-Magic Zone. After Icebound Fortitude. When the ghoul is crowd-controlled during Apocalypse. Physical damage still works through Anti-Magic Shell.

Common tricks

• Anti-Magic Zone is for your go, not theirs. They drop it the second you press offensive cooldowns.
• They Anti-Magic Shell the first magic crowd control every round. Throw a cheap spell, then stun after Shell drops.
• Death Grip plants you for the ghoul window. Do not stand at grip range on a pillar.

Common mistakes against them

• Casting a full go into Anti-Magic Zone.
• Standing in Anti-Magic Shell range with a magic crowd control as your only peel.
• Casting in Mind Freeze range during Apocalypse.
• Letting the ghoul free-cast during Apocalypse instead of crowd-controlling it.