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With regards to pick #3, I would definitely pick Fireball, especially this early in the draft. I would consider Haunted Creeper if it's much later in the draft and I'm severely lacking 2 drops.
Whoops, didn't realise we passed that! I would pick Fireball as it is a nice removal card. Stranglethorn Tiger could also be a viable pick as it is (kind of) a removal. Haunted Creeper is also good as it it a solid 2-drop minion. All of these are AMAZING picks but overall, I would choose Fireball.
Gotta remember there are more two drops in the game then there are fireballs, definitely early enough to go by strength of card over good deck compostion, take it where you can. Fireball all the way imo.
@Triangle, good point, if I already have a Fireball or two and was lacking in the 2-drop department, I suppose you'd decrease the value of Fireball. A little. ;)
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Yeah, I picked up that Fireball. I like the other two cards a lot (I use Haunted Creeper in my main constructed deck right now and many more), but as pick #3, I'm picking in an almost complete vacuum, so based on individual value alone that really sounds like the pick.
OPTIONS FOR PICK #4: Duplicate vs Acolyte of Pain vs Mirror Entity. Hm... off-hand these all seem like they could be viable picks. Acolyte of Pain could certainly bring some card draw and paired with my hero power could certainly up its value a little more even. Duplicate is another kind of card draw. In an environment that's almost all about board control and less about crazy combos, having some extra minions in hand after losing one could be great. Unless of course it's the wrong minion. As a plus though, opponents really will have much less idea what kind of secrets to expect since this isn't constructed. I'm not sure how I feel about this compared to the others. I feel like Mirror Entity is still a decent pick, but is the biggest wildcard of the three. While it's great to help not lose tempo, it's rather dependent on what my opponent decides to play. It's tougher for me to gauge in a non-constructed format when I believe my opponent is going to play their awesome cards. My gut reaction is to pick the Acolyte, but with some reserve. I'd love to hear what you guys think.
I'd pick the Acolyte, since it's always good to have a bit of card draw. Also, as a mage, having an acolyte on the board turns your hero power into a better version of the warlock hero power.
You have 2 choices here: secret or not and value vs tempo.
Getting secret so early is a big draft advantage: when you had to choose Mad Scientist, Kirin Tor Mage or many other secret synergies you will already have one secret.
I vote for Mirror Entity too. Savvy opponents expect it, but they have to trigger it eventually (unless they're winning already), which is not the case with Duplicate, which can be more easily ignored (although in a midrange value deck, with plenty of big taunts, it can be gamebreaking). The Acolyte of Pain I have already stated in the first thread that I do not like, but I have to agree Mage is one of the best classes for it. It costs, however, a lot of tempo to ensure you get as much out of it as a simple Arcane Intellect, so I'd be careful about picking it early - if you end up aggressive, it's a liability.
Plus, having at least two good secrets (Mirror Entity, Counterspell, Spellbender), as others have pointed out, turns Mad Scientist into a borderline bomb, and Kirin Tor Mage into a top tier three-drop. Not that you're guaranteed to get either of those, but it's something to keep in mind.
About advantage to have secrets early on: imagine that you drafted one or two Mad Scientist's in the middle. You may not draw even a single secret later on making that op card plain crap. Or you may have to choose bad secret over good card just to make synergy work.
I like the Acolyte of Pain here, because you tend to see a lot of paladins in arena play. Your acolyte can get some serious card draw, plus deal with their hero power. You can also couple the Acolyte with your hero ability to drop a 2 health minion.
Don't get me wrong, sometimes I pick secrets, and mirror entity is very good for tempo/board control. This often makes other players rethink their turns and have to play around it.
I think I'd pick Mirror Entity. Of the three it's the only one I'd really want to play on curve. Even if your opponent plays around it and drops a small minion you've still messed with their turn 4 play and kept them from playing something big on curve and you get the first chance to attack with the minion in most cases.
Duplicate can be great as card draw but you'd like to get something a little bigger out of it than your 1 or 2 drop most of the time. The minion has to die on your opponents turn to trigger the secret so the only way you can really make sure you get a card duplicated is with taunt minions.
Acolyte can be nice card draw but unless it's at least turn 5+ so you can ping it yourself it's probably just a bad Loot hoarder that costs more and doesn't trade as well IMO.
In Arena, Mirror Entity is always a powerhouse. It can really demolish your opponent's curve, and force them to play sub-optimally. If you can pick up another secret as well, such as a Duplicate, or pick up a Mad Scientist, it's value goes up even more.
This is great thread thanks for starting it. I am trying to improve in arena and this helps a lot. After reading all the other posts I think Mirror Entity is the right pick.
The main point here: in vacuum mirror and acolyte are comparable cards. If I have to make the same choice for a slower deck at the end of a draft which have zero secret synergies I may choose acolyte.
Thank you, everyone! This is an example of why I started this thread. What I perceived to be the weakest of the three turns out to be what the majority of you recommend. I like Acolyte of Pain, but I liked more the argument that many of you made for Mirror Entity in regards to keeping tempo. Acolyte can work well for some card advantage, but I'm spending 5 mana (to play plus ping) to gain 1 card and eventually at least one more. I shouldn't hope to be doing that on turn 5. I decided to go with Mirror Entity. As a bonus, I now have a secret for potential synergy with a Kirin Tor Mage or Mad Scientist if they show up down the line.
OPTIONS FOR PICK #5: Blackwing Technician vs Cone of Cold vs Stranglethorn Tiger. It's still early, so I'm not sure if I should let card cost affect this decision. Blackwing Tech seems like just an averageish 3-drop since I can't guarantee I'll see any dragons going into my deck. The tiger seems like a solid 5-drop as it's almost guaranteed to be able to attack the next turn. Cone of Cold I'm not sure how to evaluate. In terms of AoE damage and/or freezing, I feel like I have potential for better options. Freezing 3 minions and pinging each of them sounds good on paper, but is it worth 4 mana? Would it arguably be better to put down a 4-drop on turn 4 instead of freezing my opponent out of attacking? My gut tells me the Tiger is the card to pick of these three, but my gut was also wrong for pick #4.
Tiger all the way. It lets you trade with a 5 health minion at the time of your choosing. Tech is a poor 3 drop w/o dragons as you rightly point out, and cone of cold is too situational to be worth the pick. Now to go back and check out your other choices! =)
FWIW, I like the Fel Reaver pick and the Fireball pick.
I don't like getting secrets without other synergy already in the deck, and your hero power can be a card draw machine w/ the acolyte. I could go either way on Force Tank vs SSC. It's often a 3 for 1, but it is a finisher. SSC is better with having more early stuff in your deck so you can buff on curve.
Tiger of course. Tech is awful for fast deck without guarantee to draw a single dragon. CoC is for control style. And tiger is the great finisher, fits perfectly.
P.s. CoC may work for agro if you freeze opponent minions and go to the face. But it's a dead card too many times.
It's absolutely a fireball pick here. You would have to have a lot of fireballs already before you think about not taking it here.
Enjoyed reading this informative series so I'm registering an account to express my thanks to OP and everyone who has been contributing!
With regards to pick #3, I would definitely pick Fireball, especially this early in the draft. I would consider Haunted Creeper if it's much later in the draft and I'm severely lacking 2 drops.
I would say go for the Shattered Sun Cleric over the Force-Tank MAX since it is overall a pretty good arena card. If you can get some nice solid 2-drops, Shattered Sun Cleric will be a powerhouse!Whoops, didn't realise we passed that! I would pick Fireball as it is a nice removal card. Stranglethorn Tiger could also be a viable pick as it is (kind of) a removal. Haunted Creeper is also good as it it a solid 2-drop minion. All of these are AMAZING picks but overall, I would choose Fireball.
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Gotta remember there are more two drops in the game then there are fireballs, definitely early enough to go by strength of card over good deck compostion, take it where you can. Fireball all the way imo.
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@Triangle, good point, if I already have a Fireball or two and was lacking in the 2-drop department, I suppose you'd decrease the value of Fireball. A little. ;)
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Yeah, I picked up that Fireball. I like the other two cards a lot (I use Haunted Creeper in my main constructed deck right now and many more), but as pick #3, I'm picking in an almost complete vacuum, so based on individual value alone that really sounds like the pick.
OPTIONS FOR PICK #4: Duplicate vs Acolyte of Pain vs Mirror Entity. Hm... off-hand these all seem like they could be viable picks. Acolyte of Pain could certainly bring some card draw and paired with my hero power could certainly up its value a little more even. Duplicate is another kind of card draw. In an environment that's almost all about board control and less about crazy combos, having some extra minions in hand after losing one could be great. Unless of course it's the wrong minion. As a plus though, opponents really will have much less idea what kind of secrets to expect since this isn't constructed. I'm not sure how I feel about this compared to the others. I feel like Mirror Entity is still a decent pick, but is the biggest wildcard of the three. While it's great to help not lose tempo, it's rather dependent on what my opponent decides to play. It's tougher for me to gauge in a non-constructed format when I believe my opponent is going to play their awesome cards. My gut reaction is to pick the Acolyte, but with some reserve. I'd love to hear what you guys think.
I'd pick the Acolyte, since it's always good to have a bit of card draw. Also, as a mage, having an acolyte on the board turns your hero power into a better version of the warlock hero power.
You have 2 choices here: secret or not and value vs tempo.
Getting secret so early is a big draft advantage: when you had to choose Mad Scientist, Kirin Tor Mage or many other secret synergies you will already have one secret.
As you building fast deck it's tempo.
So Mirror Entity
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I vote for Mirror Entity too. Savvy opponents expect it, but they have to trigger it eventually (unless they're winning already), which is not the case with Duplicate, which can be more easily ignored (although in a midrange value deck, with plenty of big taunts, it can be gamebreaking). The Acolyte of Pain I have already stated in the first thread that I do not like, but I have to agree Mage is one of the best classes for it. It costs, however, a lot of tempo to ensure you get as much out of it as a simple Arcane Intellect, so I'd be careful about picking it early - if you end up aggressive, it's a liability.
Plus, having at least two good secrets (Mirror Entity, Counterspell, Spellbender), as others have pointed out, turns Mad Scientist into a borderline bomb, and Kirin Tor Mage into a top tier three-drop. Not that you're guaranteed to get either of those, but it's something to keep in mind.
Hmmm, Im a sucker for acolyte, but mirror entity here. It is probably the best mage secret in arena. Always nice to pick one up early.
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About advantage to have secrets early on: imagine that you drafted one or two Mad Scientist's in the middle. You may not draw even a single secret later on making that op card plain crap. Or you may have to choose bad secret over good card just to make synergy work.
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I like the Acolyte of Pain here, because you tend to see a lot of paladins in arena play. Your acolyte can get some serious card draw, plus deal with their hero power. You can also couple the Acolyte with your hero ability to drop a 2 health minion.
Don't get me wrong, sometimes I pick secrets, and mirror entity is very good for tempo/board control. This often makes other players rethink their turns and have to play around it.
I think I'd pick Mirror Entity. Of the three it's the only one I'd really want to play on curve. Even if your opponent plays around it and drops a small minion you've still messed with their turn 4 play and kept them from playing something big on curve and you get the first chance to attack with the minion in most cases.
Duplicate can be great as card draw but you'd like to get something a little bigger out of it than your 1 or 2 drop most of the time. The minion has to die on your opponents turn to trigger the secret so the only way you can really make sure you get a card duplicated is with taunt minions.
Acolyte can be nice card draw but unless it's at least turn 5+ so you can ping it yourself it's probably just a bad Loot hoarder that costs more and doesn't trade as well IMO.
In Arena, Mirror Entity is always a powerhouse. It can really demolish your opponent's curve, and force them to play sub-optimally. If you can pick up another secret as well, such as a Duplicate, or pick up a Mad Scientist, it's value goes up even more.
Acolyte of Pain is a great card, but the pick here is Mirror Entity.
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This is great thread thanks for starting it. I am trying to improve in arena and this helps a lot. After reading all the other posts I think Mirror Entity is the right pick.
The main point here: in vacuum mirror and acolyte are comparable cards. If I have to make the same choice for a slower deck at the end of a draft which have zero secret synergies I may choose acolyte.
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Thank you, everyone! This is an example of why I started this thread. What I perceived to be the weakest of the three turns out to be what the majority of you recommend. I like Acolyte of Pain, but I liked more the argument that many of you made for Mirror Entity in regards to keeping tempo. Acolyte can work well for some card advantage, but I'm spending 5 mana (to play plus ping) to gain 1 card and eventually at least one more. I shouldn't hope to be doing that on turn 5. I decided to go with Mirror Entity. As a bonus, I now have a secret for potential synergy with a Kirin Tor Mage or Mad Scientist if they show up down the line.
OPTIONS FOR PICK #5: Blackwing Technician vs Cone of Cold vs Stranglethorn Tiger. It's still early, so I'm not sure if I should let card cost affect this decision. Blackwing Tech seems like just an averageish 3-drop since I can't guarantee I'll see any dragons going into my deck. The tiger seems like a solid 5-drop as it's almost guaranteed to be able to attack the next turn. Cone of Cold I'm not sure how to evaluate. In terms of AoE damage and/or freezing, I feel like I have potential for better options. Freezing 3 minions and pinging each of them sounds good on paper, but is it worth 4 mana? Would it arguably be better to put down a 4-drop on turn 4 instead of freezing my opponent out of attacking? My gut tells me the Tiger is the card to pick of these three, but my gut was also wrong for pick #4.
Tiger all the way. It lets you trade with a 5 health minion at the time of your choosing. Tech is a poor 3 drop w/o dragons as you rightly point out, and cone of cold is too situational to be worth the pick. Now to go back and check out your other choices! =)
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FWIW, I like the Fel Reaver pick and the Fireball pick.
I don't like getting secrets without other synergy already in the deck, and your hero power can be a card draw machine w/ the acolyte.
I could go either way on Force Tank vs SSC. It's often a 3 for 1, but it is a finisher. SSC is better with having more early stuff in your deck so you can buff on curve.
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Tiger of course. Tech is awful for fast deck without guarantee to draw a single dragon. CoC is for control style. And tiger is the great finisher, fits perfectly.
P.s. CoC may work for agro if you freeze opponent minions and go to the face. But it's a dead card too many times.
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Agree withStranglethorn Tiger it even survives a Flamestrike .