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Inkmaster's Secret Mage!

  • Last updated Mar 4, 2017 (Aggro Downfall)
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Wild

  • 15 Minions
  • 15 Spells
  • Deck Type: Ranked Deck
  • Deck Archetype: Reno Mage
  • Crafting Cost: 11700
  • Dust Needed: Loading Collection
  • Created: 12/1/2016 (Gadgetzan)
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  • Chimera
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Mulligan

Going 1st Additional Options With Coin
Arcane Blast Reno Jackson
Babbling Book Kabal Lackey
Frostbolt Medivh's Valet
Arcane Intellect Kabal Courier
Bloodmage Thalnos Kazakus
Doomsayer Kabal Crystal Runner
Volcanic Potion  
I am not going to go in depth regarding match-ups but you should consider at the beginning of each game what cards may be best to keep or look for based on the class you will be dueling.

Avoid keeping Kabal Lackey unless you have one of your secrets to combo with it early. It may be a 1-cost card, but that is not an excuse to drop it turn 1. You want to try to make sure you get value from the effect. It's cost lets you play it at any time. This also goes for Medivh's Valet. There's no point having it too early if you can't make proper use of it.

Strategy

  • Your core strategy for this deck will be to take it slow and maximize value. In the early game you want to be conservative and get a feel for what you are up against. Usually i will not drop anything on turn one except for something like Babbling Book

  • This deck is a little harder to pilot than it looks i think. That is the case for most reno decks in general though i think. This is more of a midrange sort of deck although it might appear to be more of a control deck at first glance. I would call it a midrange deck with a lot of reach.

  • Finding Reno Jackson will be a priority, so try to hold out until you can draw it. Calculate your damage and use removals efficiently. You do have your Ice Block to fall back on, but try to stay away from lethal range.

  • Keep their board clear when possible. It's fine if they have a couple weaker tokens as you know you can heal back up later. 

  • Win either by outlasting your opponent or using combos and powerful cards to burn them to the ground.

Check out the card breakdown for more tips on how/when to use individual cards

Card Breakdown

Arcane Blast This card is a cheap and effective removal at any point in the game. Ideally you will try to save this to combo with spell damage, but sometimes you may need to kill a pesky minion early game. 
Babbling Book This card is pretty simple. Play it and get a spell. This is probably the ideal 1-drop in this deck, or any mage deck. 
Kabal Lackey This is a cool card that you never want to play on it's own. It's low cost allows you to fit it in anywhere to cheat out a secret and save you 3 mana to get more done. If you are really lucky you may get a chance to play it on turn 1 with a secret which can activate Medivh's Valet turn 2 if you need it.
Frostbolt  I shoudn't have to explain this!
Medivh's Valet This is an excellent card; The stats are fair and when you have an active secret you get 3 free damage! Try to make the best use of this.
Arcane Intellect This is for cycling the deck. Whenever you get a chance you drop this.
Counterspell Avoid playing this too early so it isn't wasted when they cast a shitty cheap spell. Especially if your opponent has the coin.
Ice Block

Save this card until you have mana left a nothing better to spend it on or you need it to prevent lethal. Can't go wrong as a follow-up to Kabal Lackey either.
Manic Soulcaster I love this card, it let's you recycle a minion you played so you can play it again, essentially bypassing the entire "no duplicates" mechanic, but you only get one. I try to save this for a valuable card like Reno, Solia, or Kazakus, but it should be fine to use it on any 4-cost minion and up. If you somehow get [card]brann bronzebeard on your side of the board DO NOT PLAY IT! If you put 2 copies of something in your deck... well.. you will find out.
Mirror Entity Try to avoid playing this one too early. This is much more valuable after the first few turns when they have less cheap minions, unless you identify the your opponent is playing aggro.
Ice Barrier As i have been seeing a lot of aggressive decks recently i decided this would be a good secret to have in this meta.
Volcanic Potion This is a very convenient aoe spell, but do keep in mind it damages your minions as well. Sequencing and planning is key in getting the most from this. 
Ethereal Arcanist This is a good body that you should usually play the same turn you play a secret so you make sure it is at least a 5/5 on your opponent's turn. The longer they leave it, the more value you will get!
Fireball Of course!
Polymorph This is your strongest removal tool. Think very carefully before you choose to play it. Don't waste it on minions that are easy to clear. 
Cabalist's Tome Here is a source of some more spells. It's sort of like card draw, but it allows you to get second copies of spells you have as well which is nice. Fantastic when you roll a second tome. Try to play this when there is not a lot of pressure on the board.
Kabal Crystal Runner With 4 secrets in the deck it is very likely you will be getting a cheap 5/5 body. Can't go wrong with some board presence.
Firelands Portal This is another one of your strong removals, however don't forget it can damage face as well. Great to swing some tempo in your favor.
Flamestrike This is your premium aoe obviously, so use it carefully.
Inkmaster Solia This card is really cool. It opens up a lot of possibilities and provides good tempo. You are saving a lot of mana too. Ideally you will want to combo this with one of your 10-cost spells, but 7-cost spells are fine as well.
Pyroblast Great balls of fire! Try to save this for lethal, but use it if you need to destroy a huge thread or put your opponent in range of lethal if necessary.
Bloodmage Thalnos Cheap spell damage to combo with and a card draw. This is always a handy card to have. Sometimes if i don't anticipate needing the spell damage and i need to play something i will just cycle it.
Doomsayer This card will help a lot with aggressive decks, and those that generally like to play a lot of minions. It can buy you a bit of time to set up for your next play(s).
Kabal Courier I think this card is fantastic. You can get some ridiculous options here. Pick the strongest, but also most applicable.
Elise Starseeker This adds a lot to your late-game strength and gives you something to fall back on. Also, because we have several cards that produce more cards, sometimes you can use that to your advantage for a few extra legendaries.
Arcane Missiles Decided to go ahead and put this to work. It could help clear minions or it could help win the game if the board is clear. Although it is random, it has a lot of potential. Being a 7-cost spell works well with Medivh and Solia as well.
Kazakus The big man himself. He is your boss and he will whip you up a powerful little potion to do just what you need. In this deck i almost always choose a 10-cost potion because am in no rush to play it, and it is better value if you combo with Inkmaster Solia because you can drop it early!
Azure Drake Standard card draw/spell damage. Always a great addition.
Reno Jackson This is a very important card and one that you should hope to draw asap for the reassurance that you can heal back to 30 whenever you want. 
Medivh, the Guardian This is a really cool legendary and it will help to supplement the value of your spells late game. Just be careful with the 0-cost spell discounts because it will give you a 0-cost minion

 

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