Sons of Arugal
- Last updated Aug 10, 2018 (Boomsday)
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Wild
- 25 Minions
- 4 Spells
- Deck Type: Ranked Deck
- Deck Archetype: Hand Mage
- Crafting Cost: 12480
- Dust Needed: Loading Collection
- Created: 4/7/2018 (Patches Nerf)
- user-10109854
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Battle Tag:
Pillowise#2103
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Region:
EU
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Total Deck Rating
386
Sons of Arugal (video from Witchwood day 2)
The Game Plan - Tribe-based, Mid-range Tempo Hand Mage.
Step 1. Establish board control, with strong minions, and start putting on pressure:
Fire Fly, Pyros, Faerie Dragon, Nightmare Amalgam, and Tar Creeper.
Step 2. Back up early game board control with strong synergies and bodies:
Scaleworm, Twilight Drake, Leyline Manipulator, and Servant of Kalimos.
Step 3. Continue board domination while retaining a full/ large hand size:
- The Archmage Arugal draw synergy. He combos perfectly with Book of Specters, Research Project, and Stargazer Luna.
- Elemental Card Value. Elementals make more cards, such as Fire Fly, Pyros, and Servant of Kalimos.
Step 4. Take advantage of internal synergies for tempo swings (smallest to biggest):
- Twilight Drake, a 4/10 for (4) mana allows for some great control and consistent threat.
- Scaleworm, a Rush 5/4 for (4) mana, is crazy powerful, it's nearly a fireball but can also often remain a body on the board afterwards.
- Leyline Manipulator, discounts a large portion of the hand, allowing for crazy turns.
- Astromancer, large swing from hand synergy.
- Mountain Giant, having a large hand means you can normally play Giant for 3-4 mana.
- Luna's Pocket Galaxy, in order to overwhelm the opponent (when draw is considered).
Wombo Combo
Playing Mountain Giant turn 3 as 'Player 2' (with The Coin):
- Standard: turn 1 Fire Fly, turn 2 Book of Specters, turn 3 Mountain Giant. - 9/10 worth of stats and a 9 card hand by end of turn 3 (2 cards are The Coin and Flame Elemental).
- Stronger: turn 1 The Coin + Archmage Arugal, turn 2 Book of Specters, turn 3 Mountain Giant. 10/10 worth of stats played, and a fantastic hand for Leyline Manipulator but you discard a card.
- No Discard: turn 1 The Coin + Archmage Arugal, turn 2 Research Project, turn 3 Mountain Giant. Same as above, however you only have ten cards in hand if your opponent doesn't kill Archmage Arugal on their turn 2 (unlikely).
There are lots of variations, but the earliest 'Player 1' can play Mountain Giant is turn 4.
Mulligan Guide
- Always Keep: Fire Fly and Book of Specters.
- Against Aggro: keep Tar Creeper.
- Against Control: keep Research Project, Faerie Dragon and Pyros.
Guide for specific cards:
- Archmage Arugal, if you go turn 2, keep, just for the chance you can play turn 1 uncontested. If you go turn 1 only keep if you are against control and really only if have Fire Fly in hand.
- Mountain Giant, only keep if you have are going second and have Fire Fly and Book of Specters (and/or Archmage Arugal).
Ongoing Refinements
The Witchwood:
Day One (refining mid-range):
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- -Twilight Drake x2 - As people have rightly pointed out, it disrupts elemental synergy, not worth it
- -Blazecaller x2 - The tempo of this card is great, but not enough
- -Cauldron Elemental x1 - The few times I got this to work it was amazing... but I was wrong after all.
- +Glacial Shard x2 - Such a useful minion, especially for protecting high value minions, not for turn 1.
- +Questing Adventurer x2 - Yes, really! All credit to: 'dyonthegrey1', who showed me the way.
- +Servant of Kalimos x1 - Turns out that this is more valuable than Bonfire Elemental (Just!)
Day Three (going aggro):
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- -Arcane Intellect x2 - Intellect was a bad play without Archmage Arugal.
- -Nightmare Amalgam x2 - Amalgam was underwhelming a good turn 3, but otherwise unplayable.
- -Bonfire Elemental x2 - Servant was better than Bonfire and Bonfire was only good on turn 5,
- +Shimmering Tempest x2 - Now that there is a lower cost focus, this is good as it adds a card to the hand.
- +Knife Juggler x2 - As there are now so many 1 drops, brought in so that the deck performed better against paladin.
- +Igneous Elemental x1 - Igneous brings two (worse) cards to hand but these can be discounted and has a 2/3 body, had the same effect on giant as Arcane Intellect.
- +Cult Master x1 - Master draws like crazy, replacing Bonfire.
Day Four (back to mid-range):
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- -Glacial Shard x2 - I found a better minion for the current dynamic.
- -Shimmering Tempest x2 - Arlght turn 2 elemental, underwhelming for the rest of the game.
- -Knife Juggler x2 - really good against paladin but not against anything else, taunt works just as well.
- -Igneous Elemental x1 - Only really good if your going for an aggro, small minion build.
- -Cult Master x1 - Only really good if your going for an aggro, small minion build.
- +Mana Wyrm x2 - great one drop, works with: The Coin, Book of Specters, Primordial Glyph, and Flame Geyser... Also doubles the chance of having good early game against paladin.
- +Vicious Scalehide x2 - Great at hampering aggressive decks, and otherwise is a ping with a body and 1 life-steal.
- +Stonehill Defender x2 Decent taunt, that messes up aggro and discovers, want to keep on mulligan against Aggro.
- +Voodoo Doll x1 Decided to tech in one, to help a little bit more vs contol.
- +Bonfire Elemental x1 - Bringing mid-range draw back and a big body.
- +Countess Ashmore x1 - Draws Vicious Scalehide x2 and Pyros or Voodoo Doll, all things that you want out of the deck and in the hand in the late game.
- +The Lich King x1 - To shore up the late game, to play Jaina. Also generates cards.
Day Six (multi-tribe, is much more powerful, but may require tweaks):
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- -Mana Wyrm x2 – Good 1 Drop but now with only 1 spell in deck, has no place.
- -Vicious Scalehide x2 – Lack of synergy.
- -Primordial Glyph x2 – Space in deck has decreased.
- -Voodoo Doll x1 – Better slots filler in either Polymorph or Spellbreaker.
- -Zola the Gorgon x1 – This was really hard to do, but have to make cuts somewhere.
- -Steam Surger x2 – Didn’t quite make the cut, but I may change my mind, it is fantastic.
- -Countess Ashmore x1 – An experiment that didn’t pan out. I hope you guys appreciate the fact that I crafted this card just to try this for you.
- -The Lich King x1 – Too high cost, for too low impact.
- +Faerie Dragon x2 – Really nice, well stated and strong effect Dragon.
- +Nightmare Amalgam x2 – Welcome back Amalgam! I missed you and now we have duel tribe, you are amazing.
- +Scaleworm x2 – Does not grant dragon synergy, but is a fantastic card, and grants removal.
- +Spellbreaker x1 – Really not sure about this or Polymorph, also not sure if I should make the sacrifice to have two of them…
- +Twilight Drake x2 – Welcome back Drake! Now that you have Dragon and Hand synergy you are really strong.
- +Bonfire Elemental x1 – Second one back into the deck, now that more draw is needed.
- +Cobalt Scalebane x1 – would love to have 2 in, but 4 and 5 drops are contested slots.
- +Wyrmguard x1 – Only need 1, but it can be the death stroke to aggressive decks, basically ensuring you can get to Frost Lich Jaina.
Day Seven (tweaks):
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- -Spellbreaker x1 – Only helps against big decks, most are playing aggro.
- -Cobalt Scalebane x1 – winmore card (in retrospect).
- -Bonfire Elemental x1 - Improving the curve.
- -Wyrmguard x1 – need to get to turn 7 against aggro.
- +Arcane Intellect x2 - The decks needs that extra draw.
- +Steam Surger x2 - The deck needs this card for optimal curve.
Day Ten (counter-meta tweak):
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- -Arcane Intellect x1 - Only actually need 1 for reliable draw (it appears).
- +Tinkmaster Overspark x1 - Essentially because this is a 3 mana polymorph that isn't a spell and has a body (so not game loosing against paladin), essentially the purpose of this inclusion is to Transform a Voidlord, or any minion for a druid, into either a Squirrel or a Devilsaur (which because it is a beast, messes up druid).
Boomsday Project:
Day Two (acquainting myself):
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- -Arcane Intellect x1 - Making room for Research Project.
- -Tinkmaster Overspark x1 - This card is no longer needed.
- -Servant of Kalimos x1 with Mecha'thun, Bonfire Elemental becomes the stronger card.
- -Steam Surger x1 - Needed to make a slot, this may be changed later.
- +Research Project x1 - Stronger then Arcane Intellect because of 1 mana cheaper (Giant combo) and mill potential.
- +Stargazer Luna x1 - Obviously...
- +Bonfire Elemental x1 - As above, this is better with Mecha'thun.
- +Mecha'thun x1 - Allows the deck to be unworried about fatigue, thus allowing for greater focus and a win condition.
Day Three (some realism and optimisation):
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- -Mecha-Thun – no way to kill it myself.
- -Stonehill Defender x2 – need more tempo and reliability.
- -Bonfire Elemental x2 – With removing [cardMecha’Thun[/card], the worry off fatigue returns, additionally Servant of Kalimos is stronger due to the Leyline Manipulator synergy.
- +Steam Surger x1 – One of the core synergy cards.
- +Servant of Kalimos x1 – Reason above, replacing Bonfire Elemental.
- +Astromancer x2 – May limit this to one at some point, however this brings a strong swing.
- +Luna’s Pocket Galaxy x1 – I don’t know yet if this deck can afford to skip a turn, but there is enough draw to take advantage of this card.
Thank you for reading!
Gonna try this, when the XPAC comes out, seems fun.
Also, maybe spiteful now becomes a real thing. My initial take is this. Have few version built around this:
Solid deck brah
id throw in a Toki just for the hell of it.
Looks good. I’ll try.
I would lose the mountain giants and add Frostlich Jaina and Baron Geddon.
She’s already in there
The deck feels like it's trying to accomplish too much. My decklist has more synergy with elementals and board control (You're missing the big mage spells that give mage advantage in the late game).
A few removals and hard aggro will put this deck on it's heels, especially in the mid/late game.
This is my version I made up the other day, more tempo elemental with board control curving into Frost Lich Jaina, Blazecallers (+ extra blazecallers from Arugal), and 10/10 Pyros.
https://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/1062815-elemental-voodoo-mage-witchwood
Thanks for sharing that deck, very useful. (On the URL want to delete that space encoded at the end " ")
I don't misunderstand the deck, I've played big mage, tempo mage, elemental mage etc many times..
It's not about being control or aggro or tempo. It's about being viable against top tier meta decks (cubelock isn't going anywhere, or hard aggro decks like paladin, shaman, or zoolock).
Playing against a warlock; tempo is easy to control with AOE, twisting nether, siphon, voidlords, DK Guldan or just board trades. So your elemental tempo doesn't reach very far in these matchups. Priest is pretty much the same with removal, psychic screams, and big bodies to trade.
Against aggro, you are getting overwhelmed if you have no AOE clears. As the opponent can multiply its board faster and more efficiently then a tempo mage (say a paladin with buffs, a zoolock with tapping more minions every turn, shaman duplicates and bloodlust, hunter with tokens and beast synergy).
So regardless if its control, aggro, tempo.. its Mage.
And Mage by design won't be very good at tempo swings without board control, and it has the most powerful board control spells save for warlock. Without em, you are pressing hard to win matchups against control, or aggro decks.
But hurting your own elementals would not be very helpful compared to say blizzard or meteor strike if it came down to that. I'm not trying to gain tons of armor, its not needed. Its about board control, trades, into Blazecallers, Jaina, Pyroblast near fatigue.
I like how this list looks out of the gate. I do share some people's concern about a lack of board clear, but.. as a starting point, it's very solid. I was considering making my own similar list, but I think it'll play out a LOT like this one. I'll probably use this as a base and build off of it.
I think there will be a huge need for AOE in the new "meta", because you will have to deal with aggro decks, and they will go wide.
The Elemental mage will need AOE to retake the board, and I'm thinking the deck is a bit too greedy for the ladder. Who knows, and it will be interesting to see your updates going forward.
Good points, but the Cube Lock is going to be very tough to deal with in the new set. I think tech cards are going to be needed, like an ooze and Poly to help against the Cube Lock.
Oh I agree with you 100% about trying to counter a meta that has not even formed yet, but I know for a fact that the Cube Locks will be going no where in the new set :)
They will be a major part of the meta, and so will these new "improved" flood/buff Paladin decks. I think weapons are going to be a big part, and oozes will be needed big time.
But, that's what testing is all about my friend and it should be fun seeing how these new decks will perform on the ladder in a few days
I agree about the over-reliance on AOE. With tons of Flame Elementals, you can pick away at the pally's board while keeping a board of your own. Everyone worries so much about Cubelock but it's very possible to outvalue them with Frost Lich. I've done it plenty of times in wild with Reno Mage. Plus they're screwed if you can get a T3 Mountain Giant, since you'll likely be trading with their Kobolds and they have no way to clear an 8 health minion that early. I like the deck and will definitely try it out if I open Archmage.
Have you considered Lesser Ruby Spellstone as a replacement for Arcane Intellect?
Any of those would be discarded with Book of Specters, so I don't think running both spells to be optimal. But I believe the spellstone should do a better job as card advantage and it would help you generating spells that could help Jaina creating more elementals with your HP.
I'm not entirely sold on Glacial Shard here. It's not part of the optimal opener and you really don't want to play it on turn 1 solo, and while it serves as an activator late game for elementals and Jaina pings, I'm not sure it serves any super clear purpose otherwise that couldn't be replaced with something else.
Have you considered voodoo doll? The lack of removal is a little scary and voodoo doll while not an elemental would still work with book of specters.
Oh looks like I just missed that last part on the bottom there. I look forward to trying something very similar and have been running a Jaina elemental in preparation. I do find that even with many minions having a board clear is necessary. Also, as any recommendations for replacing pyros?