Hearthpwn

Hello guys, Anomaly back at it with a different take on highlander mage.

After trying out various versions from streamers like DMoney and some of my own concoctions, this right here is the single best highlander version for mages, the class has struggled in the aggressive matchups because it had too many highcost cards as dead draws.

I was inspired to make this kind of deck while playing a tempo reno mage in wild. I have taken the idea from that deck and made the best possible version of it with the cards available to the standard format. (The spell damage package is not a part of the wild deck which I will also be posting shortly).

What archetype is this deck?!

This is a tempo deck that aims to win with the board, while simultaneously generate resources in the background. The play style is similar to that of a secret rogue, only the secret quality is better along with getting access to cards like Reno the Relicologist and Zephrys the Great!!

This deck dispatches those pesky aggro demon hunters and highlander hunters because it is active on board from the get go while also having the highlander tools to fall back on if things go south. I have also been running 2x weapon removal for those evolve/revolve shamans.

Playstyle:

The deck functions a lot like secret rogue; you want to generate as much tempo as possible and maintain control of the board. Rogue might have Shadowjeweler Hanar but Mage has cards like Apexis Smuggler, Sayge, Seer of Darkmoon,  Occult Conjurer, and Cloud Prince which really tie the deck together. 

Lorekeeper Polkelt is really important to the deck as it gets to your best cards sooner, knowing that Reno the Relicologist (board clear) and Sayge, Seer of Darkmoon (Draw engine/reload) are just around the corner is very powerful!

Matchups:

Against aggressive decks like DH/Hunter/Shaman the idea is to maintain board control and play around your secrets. These classes often mistake you for a slow highlander mage and will not me making smart trades and trying to burst you down. Tools like Arcane Flakmage and weapon removal will be key in these matchups.

Against slower control decks like Warrior, Priest, Warlock you have to play the role of the aggressor, aiming to kill your opponent with board and secret pressure before they are able to stabilize. Sometimes you can play a slower game and generate a lot of value from cards like Apexis Smuggler, Wand Thief, and Potion of Illusion. 

The toughest matchups are against Rogue and Paladin for the same reason; they can match your tempo pound for pound. In these matchups getting Lorekeeper Polkelt into your big threats like Jandice Barov will be very important. Whoever sticks board first, will win. 

Against Paladin, the biggest advantage the deck has is value generation as paladin only has 1 card to generate value for a whopping 7 mana. The class tends to run out of cards so capitalize on that and KEEP Devolving Missiles EVERYTIME!

The Rogue matchup is a coin flip, but the mage decks faire's (Intentional pun) better against aggressive decks because rogue has next to no removal or stabilization mechanics outside of Hanar generating secrets for aoe. Just know that you have more gas than they do. 

A detailed breakdown of why each card is in the deck is in progress, I will be happy to hear your feedback so I can make the deck even better!

Currently 17-6 in 1800 legend.