Legend Freeze Mage [Standard + Wild]
- Last updated Apr 25, 2017 (Un'Goro Launch)
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Wild
- 13 Minions
- 17 Spells
- Deck Type: Ranked Deck
- Deck Archetype: Freeze Mage
- Crafting Cost: 8200
- Dust Needed: Loading Collection
- Created: 1/3/2015 (GvG Launch)
- James1
- Registered User
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- 12
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- 70
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Battle Tag:
N/A
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Region:
EU
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Total Deck Rating
1597
Freeze Mage
"The end is coming" - Doomsayer
Hello! I'm James1. I have achieved legend 7 times with Freeze Mage including season 10, 15,16, 17, 18 , 19 and 37. Proof in spoiler Below. The list you see now is the standard Freeze. Most people including myself thought this deck would be dead with the rotation of standard, however its really good right now.
July :
June :
August :
September :
October:
season 37 :
The Guide
A cold welcome to newcomers of Freeze Mage. I would suggest start studying LaughingHS- if you are unsure how to play the deck. In the spoiler below is a list of streamers wh
Card Replacements
Alexstrasza : sorry there is no replacement for this card
Archmage Antonidas : If you would like to play this card remove a Forgotten Torch
Bloodmage Thalnos : 5th freeze spell like Cone of Cold is a excellent replacement. Lots of people seem to recommend Kobold Geomancer, however kobold is not very flexible, so I don't recommend it.
Match Up Guide/ Mulligan
Mulligan is really important in Freeze Mage. You dont want any secrets, Alexstrasza or Archmage Antonidas in your opening hand. The one card that is a 100% keep all the time is Arcanologist, Loot Hoarder and Acolyte of Pain.
In general aim to get this kinda of hand. This hand is completely nuts.
In general you should : draw or contest board > healing, unless you're close to death. For example: if you have the choice between Arcane Intellect or Ice Barrier on turn 3, play Arcane Intellect.
Vs aggro decks: you want a defensive card like Frostbolt or Doomsayer. Then ideally 2 draw minions such as Arcanologist or Loot Hoarder, to fight there 2 drop. Turn 5 is massive vs zoo, typically you want to Frost Nova, Doomsayer. This allows a turn 6 clean board to play your secret's, acolyte or Emperor Thaurissan (in wild), putting tempo back on your side.
Vs midrange decks : Keep 2 cost draw minions like Arcanologist, loot, thalnos. Arcane Intellect and Acolyte of Pain are also great here. Draw early so u can optimize later plays. Freeze spell get the best value later in the game, were as draw spells get weaker late game.
Consider keeping Acolyte of Pain till five mana against slow decks . With a ping you can guaranty at least 2 draws from him.
Key play: If you haveAlexstrasza them and are burning them out over 2 turns then priority is to Pyroblast turn 10. This is because pyroblast takes a hole turn. Thus if u get ice block popped on your 11th turn u can ice block while burning there face. Pyroblast first also plays around Loatheb in wild.
Important Combos
Turn 5 Acolyte of Pain + ping (Careful of overdraw)
Turn 5 Frost Nova - Doomsayer
Turn 6 Cone of Cold - Doomsayer
Turn 8 Blizzard - Doomsayer
Turn 10 Frost Nova - Archmage Antonidas
VS Aggro/Midrange: Go for a turn 2 Doomsayer into card draw (to stop the pirates). Use one Frostbolt (Try to keep the other one to activate Ice Lance if possible) + Forgotten Torches to control the board. You can either win by either using Alexstrasza on them + 15 points Burn. Vs Pirate Warrior you can even heal yourself with Alex and use her a beatdown and play all spells defensively (even Ice Lance their face to stop weapons if you would die to that). If you can't draw Alex, figure out if you can/have to set up a kill over a couple of turns with enough burn before they can pop all your Ice Blocks.
VS Reno Decks: Go for Card Draw early. Play Emperor Thaurissan if you have enough burn spells to do 25+ damage from hand. (Usually this involves Evolved Kobold/Bloodmage Thalnos + Frostbolt + 2 Ice Lance + some combo of Torch and Fireball). Pray that they don't get an Ice Block. (Mage by Drawing into them, Priest by stealing them with Drakonid Operative.
If you don't have LoE, I guess the best replacement for the torches is Antonidas for enough late game spell damage + 1 Volcanic Potion for the early clear. Don't play this deck if you miss Alex/Emperor/Doomsayers/Iceblocks.
Basically the deck is Laughing's Kobold Freeze Mage with a very outdated guide.
FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE MISSING CARDS [Underrated card replacements]
Explosive Sheep [Run this if you are missing Blizzard / Doomsayer or face a lot of aggro] - acts as a Consecration if combied with your hero power. Also half the times the opponent doesn't waste resources to kill it, unless it's a 1-dmg hero power class or has another wave of creatures he can play the same turn, giving you use of the Sheep's 1 attack, together with your hero power next turn its almost a spell damaged Swipe. Immediately switch to Doomsayer / Blizzard when you get them.
Volcanic Potion (New expansion) [Run if you are missing Blizzard / Doomsayer or face a lot of aggro] - basically 3 mana Consecration for most times, better than explosive sheep. Immediately switch to Doomsayer / Blizzard when you get them.
Mirror Image [Run if you are missing Ice Barrier or have Archmage Antonidas] - Images save you at least 4 health most of the time, but often it happens that the creature/spell attacking the image deals more than 2 damage, making you heal more. Usually blocks 4 - 6 dmg. This is especially good if you have Antonidas as an ez trigger AND protection for himself at the same time.
Polymorph / Vaporize [Run if you are missing Doomsayer] - Doomsayers are used to deal with Malygos, C'Thun, Ragnaros the Firelord, Giants and any big threat, this is another way to deal with them. Keep in mind that you can ignore giants/C'thun if you have enough freeze, but you can't ignore Maly or freeze Rag. Keep in mind that Mad Scientist can get you underperforming Vaporize. Immediately switch Vaporize with Doomsayer when you get him.
Cone of Cold [Run if you are missing Blizzard] - Some do some don't run this card, I personally really like the card but other cards are just better to run, unless you lacking freeze, if missing at least a single Blizzard, this is a must include. Immediately switch to Blizzard when you get it.
Medivh's Valet [Run if you are missing Forgotten Torch] - It's basically a Frostbolt without freeze, spellpower gain and with a condition as a downside (you rarely don't have any secret up with x2 Ice Blocks and x2 Mad Scientists), 2/3 as an upside. Immediately switch to Forgotten Torch when you get it.
Evolved Kobold [Run if you are missing Pyroblast / Archmage Antonidas / Forgotten Torch] - I don't recommend playing the deck at all if you don't have Archmage or Pyro, but if you really want to try it then Kobold gives you extra burst. This card is actually pretty good on its own to run even if u do have the cards, but it requires good Emperor Thaurissan on your burst to make the card more effective, its minimum 6 damage Frostbolt + x2 Ice Lance and 10 max with Frostbolt + x2 Ice Lance + Forgotten Torch + Fireball with Thaurisan reduction [assuming he dies immediately], and of course it can be used with Blizzardif needed or Arcane Explosion if you add specifically for this card, (Blast isn't that bad since half ladder is aggro / midrange, especially with Bloodmage Thalnos and Archmage Antonidas). Don't run more than 1 Kobolds.
can you play evolved kobalt freeze, and in that deck you dont need alextrasa?
Alex is very important, so not really. Use both in the current meta once you have alex
Can i replace Thaurissan and Forgotten Torch? I only have the Karazhan Adventure.
At least replace the torch then?
Antonidas???
I mean if you don't have Antonidas then fucking save for LoE.
I run Antonidas along with torch to just try to tech against both Ctrl and Face.
I'm not an expert on this, but I don't think you can. It gives you one more piece of early burn which then cycles the single most efficient burn card you can have in your deck--3 mana for 6 damage. In freeze mage it functions OK as extra early burn to take down troublesome minions, and then turns into a better fireball. Given how valuable fireball is (heck, mage has a legendary whose job it is to give you more of them), I'd say cycling a cheaper one into your deck is pretty darn good.
That said, somebody with actual experience playing freeze mage may be better suited to answer your question :)
This is the correct answer. Removing torch affects the early game and the late game of this deck, both for burn and for endgame. There just isn't another card that covers all of those holes. The only thing I personally can think of that would even sort of cover it would be an arcane blast and another pyro, but that is an ugly replacement.
You lose out on the flexibility and the cost-efficiency. start saving up gold or change you find in the couch. Without torch this deck isn't going to work out.
I find having extra burn in almost all of my games: Frostbolt x2 [6 damage] + Ice Lance x2 [8] + Fireball x2 [12] + Forgotten Torch x2 [18] + Pyroblast [10] + Alexstrasza [15] = 57 damage in total, not to mention the spellpower from Bloodmage Thalnos, so I really don't think another 9 dmg is essential for your deck unless you are really high rank and facing less aggro and more control.
what about going for molten giants? I just crafted two cause I want to make them playable in the meta again but it just I don't seem to make it work and on this deck looks more reliable
The Molten Giant nerf made them basically unplayable, even in Renolock.
molten giants only fit SOMETIMES in handlock, but absolutely not in this deck
Emperor you can't if you wanted to play the deck at full power. Maybe cone of cold for barnes.
Emperor replace with antonidas, I don't even run barnes, so replace with evolved kobold.
I am currently using the wild list, i was wondering what would you replace for the medivh valets
?
This list is too tight for the valets. You will never have board control with freeze mage so the other burn spells are much better than conditional burn with a small minion attached.
IMO you can't play this deck without both doomsayers and ice blocks. Aggro decks are going to destroy you without doomsayer and both ice blocks are often the difference between winning and losing. Antonidas is not absolutely necessary but if you don't run him I would also take out Barnes since that will make him far less effective.
Update the guide?