I got the game yesterday and currently Diamond 3 and getting stuck.Every game has cards that generally have a crap version and a good version to get same effect and some cards are just not worth using at all, as I'm still new I'm yet to identify these.
I'm sure there are plenty of improvements that could be made, any feedback is appreciated!
I will be more than happy to help you out with your deck but I need to know what direction you want to go with this deck, control, agro, etc. Right now your deck is kind of all over the place, no offence. I had the same issue when I started playing so i know how you feel.
Thanks for responding, I've tried to improve my deck so I've updated the list in first post.
Basically going for the control and stall till late game approach.
I want to replace Baron and maybe Shieldbearer/Argent Commander but I don't have any of these cards: Pyroblast, second counter, Archmage Antonidas, second azure dragon, spellbinder, Alexstrasza, thalnos, ancient mage, black knight.
The other thing I'm wondering is from the cards I'm missing that I'd like to get from the above list, what I should prioritize getting.
Ill update this post when I get home since im posting this from my cell phone but for now I can tell you get atleast one pyroblast asap its a staple card for mages. In a control deck that is where a lot if your damage is going to come from. Ill make a detailed post tomarrow when I can sit down at my computer but for now one pyro and a second azure drake are pretty much a must. You need that second azure drake not only for the spell power but for the draw power also.
Ill update this post when I get home since im posting this from my cell phone but for now I can tell you get atleast one pyroblast asap its a staple card for mages. In a control deck that is where a lot if your damage is going to come from. Ill make a detailed post tomarrow when I can sit down at my computer but for now one pyro and a second azure drake are pretty much a must. You need that second azure drake not only for the spell power but for the draw power also.
Well I have 700 arcane dust right now. Is it important enough that I should prioritize Pyro over archmage or thalnos?
I plan to buy atleast 40 boosters tomorrow; I would think chances of getting an epic(pyro) over a legendary make it worth trying to get with the pyro and work towards crafting thalnos?
Dont waste 1600 dust on thalnos. Acolyte of pain can be used in its place and is almost just as effective. Wait till you buy the packs tomarrow to do anything but if you dont get a pyro go craft one. Im on my way home now so ill explain what needs to be prioritized.
why would I spend 1600 dust on a thalnos when I can get more draw power from an acolyte of pain for free. +1 spell power is not worth 1600 dust in my opinion. I say that Acolyte is almost as useful of thalnos because thalnos is a legendary and acolyte is a common that can give you up to 3 cards. I know its a three cost card but it has more drawing power.
There is no doubt in my mind that Thalnos is a better card but I just cant justify spending 1600 dust on him when there are much better legendarys to craft. Cairen Bloodhoof, Rag, Hogger all > Thalnos in my option.
If and when you get them you can replace those novice engineers with Thalnos.
I replaced that archmage with another ogre magi because I feel that ogre magi are beefy enough to last a few turns and do some damage and that there are better 6 drop choices like argent commanders.
If you manage to get two pyros you could swap out Ysera for a second pyro. As much as a love Ysera (shes my favorite card) I just don't think she fits well in this deck. I pulled her from mine after realizing that maybe one out of every ten games I actually got to play her and when I did get to play her I was already so far ahead that it was just to have a little extra fun. I think Hogger would also be a fantastic replacement for Ysera. That extra defense is always nice and plus hogger is the type of minion that is going to force your opponent to deal with because if left unchecked he/she is going to be over-run by minions with taunt.
Geddon was removed because there were just so many better choices for this kind of deck. He seems like a decent filler if you are lacking cards but this deck is pretty cheap so you should have all the cards needed after you craft the pyro(s).
Mirror Image works in some cases but in a deck like this you shouldn't need that taunt right off the bat. You should have some small minions plus arcane missles/frost bolts to deal with minions early game.
I added the arcane missile in there because they synergize fantastically with mana wyrm. Mana Wyrm + coin + arcane missile = a turn one 3/3, just be careful using that combo against a priest or you will more than likely get shadow word:pained and will have wasted three cards on turn one. I also like them because they are good early damage against smaller minions if you want to try and save your frostbolts. I know the damage is rng but even if you manage to hit an x/2 minion once you can ping it with your hero ability to finish it off. It is also a good ability to try and kill minions with stealth.
I added in the kobolds because they are one of the best spell damage cards you can run. Do not be deceived by the low cast 2/2. These are not minions you want to drop at the start of the game. These are minions you want to hold on to till later when you need to burst something down. Because of the low cost you can drop a kobold or two and then nuke something for significantly more. That one or two damage can be a game changer.
I added in the Sen'jin Shieldmastas because they are just an all around good card. For a 4 drop common you can't ask for any more.
Two blizzards were
This is just an idea of what you can use. If you want to go in a whole different direction that is your choice but this should be a decent deck until you get some better cards. If anyone else has anything to add/change please jump in and help out. I don't claim to be a great player I mean I just hit 3*M a few days ago but I have been playing mage exclusively from start to 3*M although I have been playing priest a lot lately but that's beside the point. I'm sure Aishi could add some valuable input next time he checks out the post. Until then I hope this helps out even a little.
I readily disagree, the versatility of Thalnos is something to simply be amazed at, it fits into so many decks that I could not pass him up. He was the first legendary I crafted. Thalnos does not change the actual composition of your deck but stands in for any versatility a deck already offers due to its spells, the card always pays up in value at a cheap 2 mana to combo. Ragnaros wins games on his own merit but you find a lack of consistency in what Ragnaros actually offers to certain decks. He's not versatile so much as he is something to be played to secure a board state. Same with any other card you take an entire turn to play. Cairne and Sylvanas are closer to this utility Thalnos offers, just a different kind and all three carry good reason to be used.
Druids, Mages, Shaman, Warlock, Rogue, Paladin, I find myself happy with Thalnos over many other possible choices as you can find more situations he will be of use. Not every deck works towards late game and theres an argument of whether it can have enough control to guarantee Ragnaros is going useful, Thalnos amplifies whatever versatility of spells you have at no loss of value in more important situations. One extra damage on Consecrate/Swipe turn 6 is something to be well considered where you hold back on playing Kobold Geomancers due to minion composition or already have two because of a spell-heavy deck.
I also think Hogger sucks way more often than he's useful. Just a victim of our aggro-heavy meta, but you slowly start to see a shift towards control heavy once people pull the expensive cards needed to play control decks successfully and changes to priest/Mage/Druid are being accommodated.
Thank you so much for your responses guys, it's great that people can spend some time/thought into helping others and I appreciate it a lot. I actually went 10:1 with this deck last night and the 1 loss was because I killed myself with Ysera's 5dmg to all targets when I essentially won the match... Unfortunately I had one bad night where I lost more than won at diamond 3 and it seems I am soft locked there and can't move up.
Comments:
Ysera - Viridiana, I think you are absolutely right and its a harsh reality I was trying not to face. Amazing card, but may not be the best in this deck and I couldn't agree more its more of a 'fun' card when you are ahead, at this stage I just want to win. Archmage - This was actually my filler for a second azure drake, but even then it seems there are better choices so i will take this out. Shieldbearer - Removing this too Baron Geddon - It was more of a filler for me really, did not intend on keeping it. It just provides a nuke that I found useful but very situation, has just sat in my hand not being used on multiple occasions.
Questions:
Counterspell - Considering the control and stall approach to late game, would it not be a good idea running two of these? It's one of the few turns that can interrupt the opponents combo and add an unexpected factor to them and usually great for protecting your stronger minions Second Pyro or Ragnaros - To minimize dead hands, I feel it should be one or the other. Which would be a better option, or should I try add both into the deck?
Going to edit and add more information but I've run out of time for now, thanks again all!
To be honest, you already have Baron, you have two ways you can take this deck.
One is a clear heavy burn deck, 2x Abomination, 2x Leper Gnome, 2x Argent Commander, Baron, Ysera, Ragnaros, and all the AoE you can fit, where you can pretty much bank on being able to finish the game with Pyros when you have all this direct damage coming through solid cards.
The other option is a more tame mage deck that, although is somewhat standard, is very strong and has many variations. You get decent-value minions, stall and clear with AoE, hit their life points a few times, poly to take out beefy cards, Flamestrike/Blizzard for the rest, then kill with Pyro. If you try it this way, then you look into whether it's AoE heavy, the balance of spellls:minions, a win condition if you want to play control over direct burn, there's just so many nuances in mage decks that you need to have a firm position on before your deck just feels all over the place.
Here's a list of cards I recommend changing:
- Shieldbearer: I think you already have, but it's a very weak card in general, it works somewhat decent as stall, but mages have Mirror Image for much better results. - Archmage: It's a very slow card in most cases, I personally dislike Archmage for his stats alone, it's just not something I would like Spellpower on and it's a 6 mana card. - Counterspell, I mean, it works, but when you don't have any variety in counters, repeat opponents tend to catch on very quickly. If you're mostly doing queues, then you find that counterspell isn't too good of a card when you're only playing one, there's very easy ways to check for secrets and when you're left from them playing into it with whatever they want, you essentially have wasted a turn playing it due to the high costs in mana. The question becomes, what are you playing counterspell for? Are you playing to protect a big creature? Are you using it to counter board clear? The only high profile creature you actually would protect is Ysera and Baron, you don't play with a high minion count either, so it's not the best card. - Ysera, you can slightly tweak your deck to play her, she's a very versatile card, but you need to accommodate her skills. For Dream, you need to be able to have a handful amount of minions with Battlecry to return to hand and gain value or beefier cards to push forward after returning an enemy minion. You can also return Ysera herself. For Nightmare, you need to have other minions that are a bit more disposable and don't carry much value so you can chunk the opponent. Ysera Awakens is nice as well, it complements burn decks, and the two minions are amazing on their own right. If you try to shuffle a few more battlecries like another Azure Drake, Oozes, Silences, Draw engines (Novice/Gnomish), you can have any card you draw from Ysera to be useful in most situations. She's an excellent card to have for burn and control alike. - Double up on cards, you get more consistency, another Argent Commander is excellent for most purposes, Azure Drake as well. Ogre can be okay as the stats are solid for a spell damage, but you can't really combo with him until late game, where I think you already have great options. Kobold Geomancer is an alternative if you feel you're lacking early game. - Taunts, Mirror images are okay, but you're not necessarily going to bank on them to save you vs AoE clear later on, you want something to actually protect your health and present a sizeable threat to death with. Sen'jin, Abomination, even Fen Creeper work here. I would recommend against Fen unless you get a stronger early game, say... Kobold Geomancers and Arcane Explosion. - Just a reminder that if you want to try for a direct-burn route of sorts, add in Abom and Leper Gnome. - Needs more Pyroblast. Rather, you actually need a win condition, how are you going to win with this deck? What's the goal? When you look at it right now, the answer isn't so clear, maybe... clear the board a lot, and hit them with some minions. Do you want to play a deck like that? Add beefier/longer lasting minions to control the board and really hurt them every time you clear the board (Sunwalker is a prime example of a minion with staying power). If you don't, it's probably a deck that works around Pyroblasts and burn without seriously deviating from the initial concept.
Just an assorted list of thoughts, I kinda just jumped on the topic with a different talking point and haven't contributed, so there you go! Cheers. Viri above me actually made a deck, it's pretty cookie cutter and has most staples for a mage, so use that deck and tweak it until you find something that clicks.
I got the game yesterday and currently Diamond 3 and getting stuck.Every game has cards that generally have a crap version and a good version to get same effect and some cards are just not worth using at all, as I'm still new I'm yet to identify these.
I'm sure there are plenty of improvements that could be made, any feedback is appreciated!
I will be more than happy to help you out with your deck but I need to know what direction you want to go with this deck, control, agro, etc. Right now your deck is kind of all over the place, no offence. I had the same issue when I started playing so i know how you feel.
Thanks for responding, I've tried to improve my deck so I've updated the list in first post.
Basically going for the control and stall till late game approach.
I want to replace Baron and maybe Shieldbearer/Argent Commander but I don't have any of these cards: Pyroblast, second counter, Archmage Antonidas, second azure dragon, spellbinder, Alexstrasza, thalnos, ancient mage, black knight.
The other thing I'm wondering is from the cards I'm missing that I'd like to get from the above list, what I should prioritize getting.
Ill update this post when I get home since im posting this from my cell phone but for now I can tell you get atleast one pyroblast asap its a staple card for mages. In a control deck that is where a lot if your damage is going to come from. Ill make a detailed post tomarrow when I can sit down at my computer but for now one pyro and a second azure drake are pretty much a must. You need that second azure drake not only for the spell power but for the draw power also.
Mirror Images is kind of bad. It'd be better to get pyroblast and arcane explosion in their place.
Well I have 700 arcane dust right now. Is it important enough that I should prioritize Pyro over archmage or thalnos?
I plan to buy atleast 40 boosters tomorrow; I would think chances of getting an epic(pyro) over a legendary make it worth trying to get with the pyro and work towards crafting thalnos?
Dont waste 1600 dust on thalnos. Acolyte of pain can be used in its place and is almost just as effective. Wait till you buy the packs tomarrow to do anything but if you dont get a pyro go craft one. Im on my way home now so ill explain what needs to be prioritized.
>Acolyte of Pain almost as useful as Thalnos
Watchutalkinbout. But yeah, Pyros are core while Thalnos is supplementary.
http://www.youtube.com/user/vtxaishi
You're not going crazy, I edit 2~3 times each post
why would I spend 1600 dust on a thalnos when I can get more draw power from an acolyte of pain for free. +1 spell power is not worth 1600 dust in my opinion. I say that Acolyte is almost as useful of thalnos because thalnos is a legendary and acolyte is a common that can give you up to 3 cards. I know its a three cost card but it has more drawing power.
There is no doubt in my mind that Thalnos is a better card but I just cant justify spending 1600 dust on him when there are much better legendarys to craft. Cairen Bloodhoof, Rag, Hogger all > Thalnos in my option.
Since I don't know exactly what you have access to at the moment here is a pretty cheap deck that should work for you.
If and when you get them you can replace those novice engineers with Thalnos.
I replaced that archmage with another ogre magi because I feel that ogre magi are beefy enough to last a few turns and do some damage and that there are better 6 drop choices like argent commanders.
If you manage to get two pyros you could swap out Ysera for a second pyro. As much as a love Ysera (shes my favorite card) I just don't think she fits well in this deck. I pulled her from mine after realizing that maybe one out of every ten games I actually got to play her and when I did get to play her I was already so far ahead that it was just to have a little extra fun. I think Hogger would also be a fantastic replacement for Ysera. That extra defense is always nice and plus hogger is the type of minion that is going to force your opponent to deal with because if left unchecked he/she is going to be over-run by minions with taunt.
Geddon was removed because there were just so many better choices for this kind of deck. He seems like a decent filler if you are lacking cards but this deck is pretty cheap so you should have all the cards needed after you craft the pyro(s).
Mirror Image works in some cases but in a deck like this you shouldn't need that taunt right off the bat. You should have some small minions plus arcane missles/frost bolts to deal with minions early game.
I added the arcane missile in there because they synergize fantastically with mana wyrm. Mana Wyrm + coin + arcane missile = a turn one 3/3, just be careful using that combo against a priest or you will more than likely get shadow word:pained and will have wasted three cards on turn one. I also like them because they are good early damage against smaller minions if you want to try and save your frostbolts. I know the damage is rng but even if you manage to hit an x/2 minion once you can ping it with your hero ability to finish it off. It is also a good ability to try and kill minions with stealth.
I added in the kobolds because they are one of the best spell damage cards you can run. Do not be deceived by the low cast 2/2. These are not minions you want to drop at the start of the game. These are minions you want to hold on to till later when you need to burst something down. Because of the low cost you can drop a kobold or two and then nuke something for significantly more. That one or two damage can be a game changer.
I added in the Sen'jin Shieldmastas because they are just an all around good card. For a 4 drop common you can't ask for any more.
Two blizzards were
This is just an idea of what you can use. If you want to go in a whole different direction that is your choice but this should be a decent deck until you get some better cards. If anyone else has anything to add/change please jump in and help out. I don't claim to be a great player I mean I just hit 3*M a few days ago but I have been playing mage exclusively from start to 3*M although I have been playing priest a lot lately but that's beside the point. I'm sure Aishi could add some valuable input next time he checks out the post. Until then I hope this helps out even a little.
I readily disagree, the versatility of Thalnos is something to simply be amazed at, it fits into so many decks that I could not pass him up. He was the first legendary I crafted. Thalnos does not change the actual composition of your deck but stands in for any versatility a deck already offers due to its spells, the card always pays up in value at a cheap 2 mana to combo. Ragnaros wins games on his own merit but you find a lack of consistency in what Ragnaros actually offers to certain decks. He's not versatile so much as he is something to be played to secure a board state. Same with any other card you take an entire turn to play. Cairne and Sylvanas are closer to this utility Thalnos offers, just a different kind and all three carry good reason to be used.
Druids, Mages, Shaman, Warlock, Rogue, Paladin, I find myself happy with Thalnos over many other possible choices as you can find more situations he will be of use. Not every deck works towards late game and theres an argument of whether it can have enough control to guarantee Ragnaros is going useful, Thalnos amplifies whatever versatility of spells you have at no loss of value in more important situations. One extra damage on Consecrate/Swipe turn 6 is something to be well considered where you hold back on playing Kobold Geomancers due to minion composition or already have two because of a spell-heavy deck.
I also think Hogger sucks way more often than he's useful. Just a victim of our aggro-heavy meta, but you slowly start to see a shift towards control heavy once people pull the expensive cards needed to play control decks successfully and changes to priest/Mage/Druid are being accommodated.
http://www.youtube.com/user/vtxaishi
You're not going crazy, I edit 2~3 times each post
Thank you so much for your responses guys, it's great that people can spend some time/thought into helping others and I appreciate it a lot.
I actually went 10:1 with this deck last night and the 1 loss was because I killed myself with Ysera's 5dmg to all targets when I essentially won the match...
Unfortunately I had one bad night where I lost more than won at diamond 3 and it seems I am soft locked there and can't move up.
Comments:
Ysera - Viridiana, I think you are absolutely right and its a harsh reality I was trying not to face. Amazing card, but may not be the best in this deck and I couldn't agree more its more of a 'fun' card when you are ahead, at this stage I just want to win.
Archmage - This was actually my filler for a second azure drake, but even then it seems there are better choices so i will take this out.
Shieldbearer - Removing this too
Baron Geddon - It was more of a filler for me really, did not intend on keeping it. It just provides a nuke that I found useful but very situation, has just sat in my hand not being used on multiple occasions.
Questions:
Counterspell - Considering the control and stall approach to late game, would it not be a good idea running two of these? It's one of the few turns that can interrupt the opponents combo and add an unexpected factor to them and usually great for protecting your stronger minions
Second Pyro or Ragnaros - To minimize dead hands, I feel it should be one or the other. Which would be a better option, or should I try add both into the deck?
Going to edit and add more information but I've run out of time for now, thanks again all!
To be honest, you already have Baron, you have two ways you can take this deck.
One is a clear heavy burn deck, 2x Abomination, 2x Leper Gnome, 2x Argent Commander, Baron, Ysera, Ragnaros, and all the AoE you can fit, where you can pretty much bank on being able to finish the game with Pyros when you have all this direct damage coming through solid cards.
The other option is a more tame mage deck that, although is somewhat standard, is very strong and has many variations. You get decent-value minions, stall and clear with AoE, hit their life points a few times, poly to take out beefy cards, Flamestrike/Blizzard for the rest, then kill with Pyro. If you try it this way, then you look into whether it's AoE heavy, the balance of spellls:minions, a win condition if you want to play control over direct burn, there's just so many nuances in mage decks that you need to have a firm position on before your deck just feels all over the place.
Here's a list of cards I recommend changing:
- Shieldbearer: I think you already have, but it's a very weak card in general, it works somewhat decent as stall, but mages have Mirror Image for much better results.
- Archmage: It's a very slow card in most cases, I personally dislike Archmage for his stats alone, it's just not something I would like Spellpower on and it's a 6 mana card.
- Counterspell, I mean, it works, but when you don't have any variety in counters, repeat opponents tend to catch on very quickly. If you're mostly doing queues, then you find that counterspell isn't too good of a card when you're only playing one, there's very easy ways to check for secrets and when you're left from them playing into it with whatever they want, you essentially have wasted a turn playing it due to the high costs in mana. The question becomes, what are you playing counterspell for? Are you playing to protect a big creature? Are you using it to counter board clear? The only high profile creature you actually would protect is Ysera and Baron, you don't play with a high minion count either, so it's not the best card.
- Ysera, you can slightly tweak your deck to play her, she's a very versatile card, but you need to accommodate her skills. For Dream, you need to be able to have a handful amount of minions with Battlecry to return to hand and gain value or beefier cards to push forward after returning an enemy minion. You can also return Ysera herself. For Nightmare, you need to have other minions that are a bit more disposable and don't carry much value so you can chunk the opponent. Ysera Awakens is nice as well, it complements burn decks, and the two minions are amazing on their own right. If you try to shuffle a few more battlecries like another Azure Drake, Oozes, Silences, Draw engines (Novice/Gnomish), you can have any card you draw from Ysera to be useful in most situations. She's an excellent card to have for burn and control alike.
- Double up on cards, you get more consistency, another Argent Commander is excellent for most purposes, Azure Drake as well. Ogre can be okay as the stats are solid for a spell damage, but you can't really combo with him until late game, where I think you already have great options. Kobold Geomancer is an alternative if you feel you're lacking early game.
- Taunts, Mirror images are okay, but you're not necessarily going to bank on them to save you vs AoE clear later on, you want something to actually protect your health and present a sizeable threat to death with. Sen'jin, Abomination, even Fen Creeper work here. I would recommend against Fen unless you get a stronger early game, say... Kobold Geomancers and Arcane Explosion.
- Just a reminder that if you want to try for a direct-burn route of sorts, add in Abom and Leper Gnome.
- Needs more Pyroblast. Rather, you actually need a win condition, how are you going to win with this deck? What's the goal? When you look at it right now, the answer isn't so clear, maybe... clear the board a lot, and hit them with some minions. Do you want to play a deck like that? Add beefier/longer lasting minions to control the board and really hurt them every time you clear the board (Sunwalker is a prime example of a minion with staying power). If you don't, it's probably a deck that works around Pyroblasts and burn without seriously deviating from the initial concept.
Just an assorted list of thoughts, I kinda just jumped on the topic with a different talking point and haven't contributed, so there you go! Cheers. Viri above me actually made a deck, it's pretty cookie cutter and has most staples for a mage, so use that deck and tweak it until you find something that clicks.
http://www.youtube.com/user/vtxaishi
You're not going crazy, I edit 2~3 times each post
Based off feedback and new cards here is what I have formed now.
I've got a lot of arcane dust as well now to craft anything else.
Other than general feedback, should I make room for Ragnaros and/or Ysera? If so what can I remove?
Thanks again everyone for your amazing input!