Suggestions for modifications are in the writeup of the deck (please click through to see it). What do you think? What changes would you make? There are only a small handful of non-core cards in the deck, so it's not a deck that tweaks very well as the meta shifts, unfortunately.
The list I'm running currently doesn't have Counterspell or the Arcanist. I think Counterspell is fairly weak in the meta (cheap spells from raz-priest &c.) and with arcanologist, you really don't need to run 6 secrets. Arcanist is a fine pick, and i think can snowball very easily because of how much burn you have, which can help protect him, when people start running more removal, you might want to think of pulling him though. I'm also running a one of Pyroblast, sounds clunky, but i've won many match ups with it, and usually you just want the burn anyway. So maybe pull a counterspell for pyroblast? I've got the 3/2 +1 spellpower as a two of currently but I think Arcanist might be subbed soon.
The list I'm running currently doesn't have Counterspell or the Arcanist. I think Counterspell is fairly weak in the meta (cheap spells from raz-priest &c.) and with arcanologist, you really don't need to run 6 secrets. Arcanist is a fine pick, and i think can snowball very easily because of how much burn you have, which can help protect him, when people start running more removal, you might want to think of pulling him though. I'm also running a one of Pyroblast, sounds clunky, but i've won many match ups with it, and usually you just want the burn anyway. So maybe pull a counterspell for pyroblast? I've got the 3/2 +1 spellpower as a two of currently but I think Arcanist might be subbed soon.
I can't imagine cutting counterspell, it's still super solid protection against things like Dragonfire Potion. If I were to cut anything, it would be Mirror Entity because it's completely dead against Spell Hunter and weak against decks that run Kabal Lackey / Fire Fly / Argent Squire / Murlocs / etc which is a large part of the meta.
Firelands Portal feels like a better slot than Pyroblast, don't you think? I get what you're saying, but 10 is a lot of mana.
I have been using a similar deck but have Medivh, the Guardian in there. He helps stop Aluneth from burning too many cards on overdraw. He also pairs well when casting the bigger spells like Firelands Portal.
Hmm, if Aluneth is killing / overdrawing you, haven't you already lost the game? I can totally see Medivh being good in the deck, but only if you shifted away from aggro, pretty heavily towards midrange. 1-2 flanking strikes isn't enough to justify Medivh IMO, though I haven't tried it myself and it could be good. Maybe Lich King? Same mana cost, bigger body, impacts the board immediately (taunt), gives you value immediately (card in hand). I think I'd personally try LK before Medivh in this specific deck.
I'm not even entirely sure why Secret Mage is so popular right now. The deck gets crushed by Spell Hunter, which has even better tempo and Secrets that are harder to counterplay. Not to mention that, for a Mage deck (in your version and a lot of others I've seen), the deck tends to have pretty bad board clears, so it even struggles against Aggro. And with Aggro Paladin on the rise, that's not a good thing for Secret Mage. And, as it's pretty much always been, Mage's secrets are incredibly easy to play around and predict.
It is mostly good when the meta try to counter Aggro Paladin.
I agree that the Mirror Entity / Ethereal Arcanist can be cut, and I like adding in the Firelands Portals. Ice Block seems out of place in the deck, though. The only way it seems good is if you're in a race situation, and you have Ice Block out, and you would win in exactly one more turn, and they can't stop you from winning once they realize it's block.. Seems pretty unlikely...
I'm not running Aluneth, because this weapon is usually pretty weak ( I don't know how about you, but when i run out of cards, im usually 100% winning / my oponent is stabilised - I have no chance to win anymore. It is also pretty bad if you get it in stating hand. )
The list I'm running currently doesn't have Counterspell or the Arcanist. I think Counterspell is fairly weak in the meta (cheap spells from raz-priest &c.) and with arcanologist, you really don't need to run 6 secrets. Arcanist is a fine pick, and i think can snowball very easily because of how much burn you have, which can help protect him, when people start running more removal, you might want to think of pulling him though. I'm also running a one of Pyroblast, sounds clunky, but i've won many match ups with it, and usually you just want the burn anyway. So maybe pull a counterspell for pyroblast? I've got the 3/2 +1 spellpower as a two of currently but I think Arcanist might be subbed soon.
I can't imagine cutting counterspell, it's still super solid protection against things like Dragonfire Potion. If I were to cut anything, it would be Mirror Entity because it's completely dead against Spell Hunter and weak against decks that run Kabal Lackey / Fire Fly / Argent Squire / Murlocs / etc which is a large part of the meta.
Firelands Portal feels like a better slot than Pyroblast, don't you think? I get what you're saying, but 10 is a lot of mana.
I'm going to have to agree with this, Counterspell is not a good cut imo. Yes there are cheap spells that can play around it, but with the pressure secret mage is capable of in the fairly early game many times there isnt mana for the enemy to "test". Looking down lethal on turn 6 you cant test for Counterspell before casting Dragonfire to try and get the two 5 5s off the board.
If a secret from that list needed to be cut my vote would also be mirror entity as that is the easiest one to play around, for most classes, imo.
Ice Block seems out of place in the deck, though. The only way it seems good is if you're in a race situation, and you have Ice Block out, and you would win in exactly one more turn, and they can't stop you from winning once they realize it's block.. Seems pretty unlikely...
Well.. Not exactly. It allows you to focus on your game plan, ignoring the enemy one. Block is also a consistently safe secret to trigger the monkey-valet, ensuring damage. Chakki is one crafty mage player, that ice block is a good addition.
Ice Block seems out of place in the deck, though. The only way it seems good is if you're in a race situation, and you have Ice Block out, and you would win in exactly one more turn, and they can't stop you from winning once they realize it's block.. Seems pretty unlikely...
When I lose the board, the only target is the face and I want to draw quickly all my burst to throw it in the face.
The block is then 10 mana for burst and 4 additional cards.
Hmm, I'm still not seeing the value, but you guys have convinced me to try it out, at the very least.
Re: Secret Keepers -- if Spell Hunter becomes a large part of the meta (15%ish maybe?) I think this card would be a good inclusion. As it stands right now, Spell Hunter is 5%ish of the meta per hsreplay.net, so I'm not sure it really makes sense. I think I'd rather have a free secret + mediocre body than a mediocre body that becomes good as you play secrets for full price. That said, I haven't tested it myself -- could be good.
Suggestions for modifications are in the writeup of the deck (please click through to see it). What do you think? What changes would you make? There are only a small handful of non-core cards in the deck, so it's not a deck that tweaks very well as the meta shifts, unfortunately.
I'll let ZaPhantom answer, but sometimes this deck runs out of gas late game. The Lich King (along with Aluneth) gives you a little more gas to get over the hill. I tried Archmage Antonidas for the same purpose and wasn't very happy with him, but I only ran him for 5 games or so. In all the games I drew him, The Lich King probably would have been better.
Alright, so I made the following changes: -2 Mirror Entity, -1 Ethereal Arcanist, +2 Firelands Portal, +1 Ice Block, and just went on a win streak to Rank 5. I'm currently 17 - 2 with all versions of this deck on ladder, and undefeated with the current version.
My thoughts on the changes
Firelands Portal is a big improvement. The deck runs out of gas late game sometimes and the extra 5 damage + 5 drop is huge at getting over the hill. A+ change, would buy again.
Ice Block vs Mirror Entity: Of the 4 games I actually drew the Ice Block: in 1 game Mirror Entity would have been better (would have gotten free Bittertide Hydra and won the game 3 turns earlier than I did), in 1 game Ice Block + burn actually won me the game on my 'extra' turn, in 1 game Mirror Entity would have been better (would have given me The Lich King, Ice Block never proc'd), and in 1 game Mirror Entity would have just given me a 1/3 Murloc, plus Ice Block let me trigger a Medivh's Valet that otherwise would have not triggered. So, 2 games it was worse than Mirror (but not so much worse that I lost), and in 2 games it was quite a bit better. Overall, I'm giving the nod to Ice Block, but I wouldn't argue too strongly if you wanted to run Mirror Entity instead.
Overall, this version of the deck is much improved over the 'stock' version, and I recommend it for ladder if you're looking for a Mage deck to play.
Props for "small sample size" in the title ;-) At least someone who doesnt just spit % left and right as a click bait. I mean obviously, it still is, but at least u gave it a fair "warning" ;-)
Btw i played a variation of this as well few days ago, it did fairly well even without Aluneth (since i dont have it). Obviously i went into topdeck mode relatively often, but since its a tempo/burn deck, it was usually fine. So yeah, the deck is pretty good for laddering from 20>5 at least.
Props for "small sample size" in the title ;-) At least someone who doesnt just spit % left and right as a click bait. I mean obviously, it still is, but at least u gave it a fair "warning" ;-)
Btw i played a variation of this as well few days ago, it did fairly well even without Aluneth (since i dont have it). Obviously i went into topdeck mode relatively often, but since its a tempo/burn deck, it was usually fine. So yeah, the deck is pretty good for laddering from 20>5 at least.
Yeah, I try to be honest ... 24-4 is impressive but it doesn't mean anything as a statistic *shrugs*.
Agreed, if you don't have Aluneth the deck is still quite good, and I actually make that point in tomorrow's video. You're going to struggle with running out of gas in certain matchups, but you could try something else (like The Lich King) to give you value to maybe get over the hump. I'm not sure LK is actually a good choice as he's going to give you some weak cards (Army of the Dead, Doom Pact), but I'm just using him as an example. Someone earlier in the thread mentioned using Pyroblast, which hey, if you don't have Aluneth, might as well try it.
BTW I think this deck is good enough to hit legend with. I at least plan to try, currently at rank 4 with it, though I am going to experiment with Tempo Rogue deck lists for a bit in the near future too.
I got this basic list from hsreplay.net, and have been testing it on ladder at ranks 7-9. I'm currently 9-1 with it, but I think it can be improved.
Original decklist for posterity
Current decklist
Suggestions for modifications are in the writeup of the deck (please click through to see it). What do you think? What changes would you make? There are only a small handful of non-core cards in the deck, so it's not a deck that tweaks very well as the meta shifts, unfortunately.
Catch me on YouTube and Twitch: https://www.youtube.com/c/Hindered https://www.twitch.tv/hindered_
My take on the Patches Raza Bonemare Creeper nerfs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wysTG125huM
Here's a gameplay video of the initial version of the deck
Catch me on YouTube and Twitch: https://www.youtube.com/c/Hindered https://www.twitch.tv/hindered_
My take on the Patches Raza Bonemare Creeper nerfs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wysTG125huM
The list I'm running currently doesn't have Counterspell or the Arcanist. I think Counterspell is fairly weak in the meta (cheap spells from raz-priest &c.) and with arcanologist, you really don't need to run 6 secrets. Arcanist is a fine pick, and i think can snowball very easily because of how much burn you have, which can help protect him, when people start running more removal, you might want to think of pulling him though. I'm also running a one of Pyroblast, sounds clunky, but i've won many match ups with it, and usually you just want the burn anyway. So maybe pull a counterspell for pyroblast? I've got the 3/2 +1 spellpower as a two of currently but I think Arcanist might be subbed soon.
Catch me on YouTube and Twitch: https://www.youtube.com/c/Hindered https://www.twitch.tv/hindered_
My take on the Patches Raza Bonemare Creeper nerfs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wysTG125huM
I have been using a similar deck but have Medivh, the Guardian in there. He helps stop Aluneth from burning too many cards on overdraw. He also pairs well when casting the bigger spells like Firelands Portal.
Hmm, if Aluneth is killing / overdrawing you, haven't you already lost the game? I can totally see Medivh being good in the deck, but only if you shifted away from aggro, pretty heavily towards midrange. 1-2 flanking strikes isn't enough to justify Medivh IMO, though I haven't tried it myself and it could be good. Maybe Lich King? Same mana cost, bigger body, impacts the board immediately (taunt), gives you value immediately (card in hand). I think I'd personally try LK before Medivh in this specific deck.
Catch me on YouTube and Twitch: https://www.youtube.com/c/Hindered https://www.twitch.tv/hindered_
My take on the Patches Raza Bonemare Creeper nerfs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wysTG125huM
I'm not even entirely sure why Secret Mage is so popular right now. The deck gets crushed by Spell Hunter, which has even better tempo and Secrets that are harder to counterplay. Not to mention that, for a Mage deck (in your version and a lot of others I've seen), the deck tends to have pretty bad board clears, so it even struggles against Aggro. And with Aggro Paladin on the rise, that's not a good thing for Secret Mage. And, as it's pretty much always been, Mage's secrets are incredibly easy to play around and predict.
Catch me on YouTube and Twitch: https://www.youtube.com/c/Hindered https://www.twitch.tv/hindered_
My take on the Patches Raza Bonemare Creeper nerfs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wysTG125huM
I'm not running Aluneth, because this weapon is usually pretty weak ( I don't know how about you, but when i run out of cards, im usually 100% winning / my oponent is stabilised - I have no chance to win anymore. It is also pretty bad if you get it in stating hand. )
- Lackey, - Aluneth, - Counterspell
+ Leeroy, + 2x Firelands portal
Maybe you can try replacing the Kabal Lackeys with Secretkeepers? It has good synergy with your deck, and messes with Spell Hunters.
Catch me on YouTube and Twitch: https://www.youtube.com/c/Hindered https://www.twitch.tv/hindered_
My take on the Patches Raza Bonemare Creeper nerfs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wysTG125huM
-1x Arcanist, 2x Apprentice, 1x Mirror Entity
I'll let ZaPhantom answer, but sometimes this deck runs out of gas late game. The Lich King (along with Aluneth) gives you a little more gas to get over the hill. I tried Archmage Antonidas for the same purpose and wasn't very happy with him, but I only ran him for 5 games or so. In all the games I drew him, The Lich King probably would have been better.
Catch me on YouTube and Twitch: https://www.youtube.com/c/Hindered https://www.twitch.tv/hindered_
My take on the Patches Raza Bonemare Creeper nerfs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wysTG125huM
Alright, so I made the following changes: -2 Mirror Entity, -1 Ethereal Arcanist, +2 Firelands Portal, +1 Ice Block, and just went on a win streak to Rank 5. I'm currently 17 - 2 with all versions of this deck on ladder, and undefeated with the current version.
My thoughts on the changes
Firelands Portal is a big improvement. The deck runs out of gas late game sometimes and the extra 5 damage + 5 drop is huge at getting over the hill. A+ change, would buy again.
Ice Block vs Mirror Entity: Of the 4 games I actually drew the Ice Block: in 1 game Mirror Entity would have been better (would have gotten free Bittertide Hydra and won the game 3 turns earlier than I did), in 1 game Ice Block + burn actually won me the game on my 'extra' turn, in 1 game Mirror Entity would have been better (would have given me The Lich King, Ice Block never proc'd), and in 1 game Mirror Entity would have just given me a 1/3 Murloc, plus Ice Block let me trigger a Medivh's Valet that otherwise would have not triggered. So, 2 games it was worse than Mirror (but not so much worse that I lost), and in 2 games it was quite a bit better. Overall, I'm giving the nod to Ice Block, but I wouldn't argue too strongly if you wanted to run Mirror Entity instead.
Overall, this version of the deck is much improved over the 'stock' version, and I recommend it for ladder if you're looking for a Mage deck to play.
Catch me on YouTube and Twitch: https://www.youtube.com/c/Hindered https://www.twitch.tv/hindered_
My take on the Patches Raza Bonemare Creeper nerfs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wysTG125huM
Streaming this deck right now on the climb to legend on twitch, come say hi and make fun of my misplays! https://www.twitch.tv/hindered_
EDIT: Went 7-2 with the deck on stream, thanks to everybody who stopped by to check me out!
Catch me on YouTube and Twitch: https://www.youtube.com/c/Hindered https://www.twitch.tv/hindered_
My take on the Patches Raza Bonemare Creeper nerfs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wysTG125huM
Gameplay video for the updated decklist.
Catch me on YouTube and Twitch: https://www.youtube.com/c/Hindered https://www.twitch.tv/hindered_
My take on the Patches Raza Bonemare Creeper nerfs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wysTG125huM
Props for "small sample size" in the title ;-) At least someone who doesnt just spit % left and right as a click bait. I mean obviously, it still is, but at least u gave it a fair "warning" ;-)
Btw i played a variation of this as well few days ago, it did fairly well even without Aluneth (since i dont have it). Obviously i went into topdeck mode relatively often, but since its a tempo/burn deck, it was usually fine. So yeah, the deck is pretty good for laddering from 20>5 at least.
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Catch me on YouTube and Twitch: https://www.youtube.com/c/Hindered https://www.twitch.tv/hindered_
My take on the Patches Raza Bonemare Creeper nerfs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wysTG125huM