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!
Any replacement for Pyros?
I think this deck lacks consistency against aggro and faster midrange decks, such as Zoolock. If you do not have the perfect combo in the starting hand, which happens only about 10% of time, you are dead already by turn 4, even if their starting hand was mediocre. I am exprimenting with elemental decks since the introduction of Frost Lich Jaina, but yet have found a solution against early aggressive playstyles. I find it almost impossible to establish board control until turn 5. And if Big Spell Mage has a lot of removals to play past turn 5 then this one hasn't.
I have and I do play it. It was very fun in the beginning of the Witchwood. But now it looks like even 2x Stonehill Defender and 2x Tar Creeper is not enough against Paladin and Warlock. Their combos are just too strong.
I don't have Pyros, so I could either add another elemental or how about a single Astromancer? I was playing a Hand Mage and is very easy to pull up big minions with her and this deck has even more potential to keep a big hand. Any thoughts on this option?
How i can replace Tinkmaster Overspark?
May be Spellbreaker ?
I feel like a lot of the hate for this is a bit misdirected. The deck doesn't suck, it just isn't strong against the meta. You shouldn't craft it thinking you're going to climb very far up the ladder. I don't use it on the ladder because it gets stomped by Pally (especially odd pally) and generally loses to cubelock but if those are your standards then every deck that isn't t1 or t2 sucks. It can be strong against any deck, it just isn't consistent which is what makes it bad for the ladder.
I run a somewhat different version of this deck based on one of the earlier versions but it has a majority of the core cards and it's my favorite deck to play. The deck can be punishing because you have to make good trades every turn because you don't have many spells to help control the board. It's a ton of fun though, thanks for posting it. I love filling my hand with cards from a spellstone/arugal then discounting them all with leyline for a ton of value. I have a lot of fun playing this in casual. I might try out the version you have now with the dragons, the even version by Thijs looks neat, as well.
Any replacement for amalgam and tinkmaster?
Mage is my least favorite class, but this deck is pretty fun. Thanks!
50% win rate after 4 games, still no Book of Specters.
Wow, really appreciate your work on this guide! The in-depth and constant update shows how much effort you put into this guide. Salute to you sir!
Been trying out this deck, though it is great, i found it kinda overwhelmed by other decks that have much more cheat out mechanics.
Still, really fun when the combo ticks off. I once did that arugal + book combo and made 4 giants out of it. Played nothing but giants from turn 3 to 6 LoL
Should I replace Pyros and Tinkmaster with one Glacial Shard and one Spellbreaker until I get them or there are other replacements?
What's your WR with the deck?
I'm 14-27 (34% wr, rank 5).
I really want it to be good. Arugal seems useless since I always have a full hand. I remember using his combo just once.
Anyway, thanks for the deck and for the constant tweaks. I hope you don't give it up.
Can Toki. Time-Tinker fit into this deck?
I actually enjoy seeing you update this deck periodically.
All I need is Archmage Arugal to make this. Is he just a meme card, or is Arugal really good?
this deck is terrible, i just cant control the board with 0 spells. getting so outplayed by any massclearing of the board without any chance to come back. i dont see any winning condition besides to snowball in overcontroll your opponent. every spitefull deck has more power and even the old jaina mage is way better with Alanna. 0:6 delete thx :o|
A deck wouldn't have gotten so popular so fast if it was no good, maybe you just can't play it properly.
lets face it guys....this deck sucks. Looks nice and fun...but in the context of the meta it sucks....
(and is not even as fun as it looks)