Choose your own adventure with tons of card generation, good tempo, and a healthy dash of smart gambling (we can still be friends though, Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron). Early cards are geared towards countering Face Rogue and Face Hunter, while a well-timed Spellbender can make Libram Paladin rage quit. Meanwhile Counterspell on 10 mana stops Big Druid in his tracks, and The Amazing Reno cleans up all those nasty deathrattles. Devolving Missiles also sorts out Prime cards and Rattlegore. Because this deck has a little of everything, the cards you generate will more often than not synergize well, and each game is interactive for both players in interesting and sometimes maddening ways.
Win conditions do involve smart timing of key cards, with Kalecgos and Conjurer’s Calling often being held until you’ve exhausted your opponent’s clears. I’ve chosen not to put Evocation because my hand is often full and I have a small reload with Mana Cyclone, but also because I am poor and prioritized crafting Malygos, Aspect of Magic (who rarely gives me what I need when I need it).
Deck is weak-ish against Demon Hunter, Highlander Hunter, and Duel Paladin, but with The Amazing Reno you can never be too sure! Opponents should never quit against him either, as he can still one-shot himself before killing his opponent.
First of all, i like your creative approach of the deck. But i also see some problems.
Isnt a Mana Giant a good idea with that many spells?
How often did your Trick Totem backfire?
Why are you not running Rolling Fireball /Combustion/Firebrand (all are exceptionally good against aggro)
Azure Explorer is good Value, but horrible tempowise.
And last but not least: Do you really need 4 Secrets. I think that's too much. Especially highly situational ones like Spellbender. Or is all you face Pure Libram Paladin? ^^
Thanks for the feedback! I did try Mana Giant, but in the time it takes to cast enough spells I'm usually already ahead in the game. That said, there is a lot of flexibility in card choices and I could definitely switch in Mana Giant once I have Evocation.
Trick Totem is indeed tricky, but alone on the board the worst it can do is Overload, destroy itself, or shuffle Soul Shards into the deck, which does mess things up - I certainly quit using it for a bit, but have renewed my faith in it :P. Most 1-3 mana cost cards either buff, summon, or cast secrets and quests, all of which fit into the versatile approach.
I also avoided using Azure Explorer for the same reason, but I've been surprised how well it combines with Violet Spellwing in the early game. It can also get you an untargetable taunt in Evasive Drakonid (halts Face Rogue completely), a clutch Alexstrasza, a game-winning second Kalecgos, and keeps up dragon-activated cards (as there are only 5 other dragons in the deck).
I have tried to fit in Firebrand and Combustion, but it requires switching out the entire secrets package to keep tempo. If you're not a fan of Secrets that's totally fair, but personally I like forcing my opponents to tiptoe; and even if they're useless they can still be used to activate Spellbursts or reloaded through Mana Cyclone. And yes, I have faced a LOT of Libram Paladin, though even a simple Backstab gives you an extra 1/1 minion and a messed up turn for your opponent. Most of all, though, they exist as options for you to consciously counter expected plays.
Overall there is lots of room to switch in cards for the meta - after all, the goal is to counter anything. As a singleton deck it cannot lean too heavily on spells that do one thing, or else your hand will just overflow with unplayable cards. Games against Control decks are a good example of this. It's more fun to build your deck as you go, picking the cards you think you might need later, all while keeping your opponent subdued early on. I'm sure I will find improvements as time goes on, so thanks for the suggestions!
Secret package is clunky and Cloud Prince is only reliable as a turn 8 play with the secret the same turn or if you happen to Arcane Mysteries. Mana cyclone makes no sense in a highlander deck, especially since your hand is going to be full so often and you're only running a single copy of apprentice so odds for that combo to go off are pretty slim. Missing key control cards like Blizzard and Rolling Fireball. And you're running Primordial Studies with literally only 1 spell that can benefit from spell damage....I guess 2 if you count Violet Spellwing.
Case of mixed identity between tempo/secret/highlander and you're falling short on all 3.
It is exactly a case of mixed identity, you're right. I find the more I lean into an archetype the bigger my weakness is to its counters. The point of this being Discover-heavy and 1-cost spell reliant is that from turn one I am countering early game plays while simultaneously building a hand that can address expected plays. The playstyle of "freeze things until I can combo with specific key cards" is very popular with mage players, but I find it uninteractive and overly reliant on those cards.
Primordial studies gets me a second Astromancer Solarian if I want, or another Azure Explorer for value, or a Violet Warden for turn 5 Taunt. It may be fun to stack spell damage and then stack spells, but that's a glass cannon approach. +1 and +2 spell damage is all you need to make a generated Arcane Explosion clear the board, sometimes. This is not a maximum damage deck, this is a maximum flexibility deck.
When you get a little more experience with Discover cards, let me know if your opinion on generated cards changes. I find the 1-mana cards to be relevant 90% of the time, and Mana Cyclone is for the rest of the time when you get something like Elemental Allies, which is the only bad outcome.
I love your deck! It has the same idea like my own „identity crisis“ priest (that‘s how i called it). But in my case i don‘t try to counter everything, but to fit in as many archetypes as possible. And you know what? It looks just „as horrible“ as your deck. No clear way how to play it, but it is actually really good. I use it to climb up the ladder until diamond. After that i just don‘t like to play ladder. It‘s not because the deck couldn‘t win anymore.
unfortunately i‘m also poor and can‘t try your deck, since i‘m missing many legendaries for it. But it looks like a lot of fun!
The deck just happens to have a high uptime on Secrets and it's fun giving love to underappreciated cards, so I added Cloud Prince for some good old-fashioned board control in the midgame. You're absolutely right that he's niche, he's probably the best candidate to swap for Mana Giant. Thanks for the feedback :) Fun > Meta
Choose your own adventure with tons of card generation, good tempo, and a healthy dash of smart gambling (we can still be friends though, Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron). Early cards are geared towards countering Face Rogue and Face Hunter, while a well-timed Spellbender can make Libram Paladin rage quit. Meanwhile Counterspell on 10 mana stops Big Druid in his tracks, and The Amazing Reno cleans up all those nasty deathrattles. Devolving Missiles also sorts out Prime cards and Rattlegore. Because this deck has a little of everything, the cards you generate will more often than not synergize well, and each game is interactive for both players in interesting and sometimes maddening ways.
Potion of Illusion makes a surprise appearance, allowing you to do a second Reno the Relicologist or Zephrys the Great, or even deal 12 face damage with Cloud Prince. I’ve even countered Bomb Warrior with 4x Khartut Defender thanks to a somewhat intentional series of generated cards. Alexstrasza saves the day as usual, but between Magic Trick and Trick Totem you can end up with plenty more secrets to thwart those death blows.
Win conditions do involve smart timing of key cards, with Kalecgos and Conjurer’s Calling often being held until you’ve exhausted your opponent’s clears. I’ve chosen not to put Evocation because my hand is often full and I have a small reload with Mana Cyclone, but also because I am poor and prioritized crafting Malygos, Aspect of Magic (who rarely gives me what I need when I need it).
Deck is weak-ish against Demon Hunter, Highlander Hunter, and Duel Paladin, but with The Amazing Reno you can never be too sure! Opponents should never quit against him either, as he can still one-shot himself before killing his opponent.
First of all, i like your creative approach of the deck. But i also see some problems.
Isnt a Mana Giant a good idea with that many spells?
How often did your Trick Totem backfire?
Why are you not running Rolling Fireball /Combustion/Firebrand (all are exceptionally good against aggro)
Azure Explorer is good Value, but horrible tempowise.
And last but not least: Do you really need 4 Secrets. I think that's too much. Especially highly situational ones like Spellbender. Or is all you face Pure Libram Paladin? ^^
We need more of Mr. Bigglesworth
Thanks for the feedback! I did try Mana Giant, but in the time it takes to cast enough spells I'm usually already ahead in the game. That said, there is a lot of flexibility in card choices and I could definitely switch in Mana Giant once I have Evocation.
Trick Totem is indeed tricky, but alone on the board the worst it can do is Overload, destroy itself, or shuffle Soul Shards into the deck, which does mess things up - I certainly quit using it for a bit, but have renewed my faith in it :P. Most 1-3 mana cost cards either buff, summon, or cast secrets and quests, all of which fit into the versatile approach.
I also avoided using Azure Explorer for the same reason, but I've been surprised how well it combines with Violet Spellwing in the early game. It can also get you an untargetable taunt in Evasive Drakonid (halts Face Rogue completely), a clutch Alexstrasza, a game-winning second Kalecgos, and keeps up dragon-activated cards (as there are only 5 other dragons in the deck).
I have tried to fit in Firebrand and Combustion, but it requires switching out the entire secrets package to keep tempo. If you're not a fan of Secrets that's totally fair, but personally I like forcing my opponents to tiptoe; and even if they're useless they can still be used to activate Spellbursts or reloaded through Mana Cyclone. And yes, I have faced a LOT of Libram Paladin, though even a simple Backstab gives you an extra 1/1 minion and a messed up turn for your opponent. Most of all, though, they exist as options for you to consciously counter expected plays.
Overall there is lots of room to switch in cards for the meta - after all, the goal is to counter anything. As a singleton deck it cannot lean too heavily on spells that do one thing, or else your hand will just overflow with unplayable cards. Games against Control decks are a good example of this. It's more fun to build your deck as you go, picking the cards you think you might need later, all while keeping your opponent subdued early on. I'm sure I will find improvements as time goes on, so thanks for the suggestions!
Doesn't seem good at all.
Secret package is clunky and Cloud Prince is only reliable as a turn 8 play with the secret the same turn or if you happen to Arcane Mysteries. Mana cyclone makes no sense in a highlander deck, especially since your hand is going to be full so often and you're only running a single copy of apprentice so odds for that combo to go off are pretty slim. Missing key control cards like Blizzard and Rolling Fireball. And you're running Primordial Studies with literally only 1 spell that can benefit from spell damage....I guess 2 if you count Violet Spellwing.
Case of mixed identity between tempo/secret/highlander and you're falling short on all 3.
It is exactly a case of mixed identity, you're right. I find the more I lean into an archetype the bigger my weakness is to its counters. The point of this being Discover-heavy and 1-cost spell reliant is that from turn one I am countering early game plays while simultaneously building a hand that can address expected plays. The playstyle of "freeze things until I can combo with specific key cards" is very popular with mage players, but I find it uninteractive and overly reliant on those cards.
Primordial studies gets me a second Astromancer Solarian if I want, or another Azure Explorer for value, or a Violet Warden for turn 5 Taunt. It may be fun to stack spell damage and then stack spells, but that's a glass cannon approach. +1 and +2 spell damage is all you need to make a generated Arcane Explosion clear the board, sometimes. This is not a maximum damage deck, this is a maximum flexibility deck.
When you get a little more experience with Discover cards, let me know if your opinion on generated cards changes. I find the 1-mana cards to be relevant 90% of the time, and Mana Cyclone is for the rest of the time when you get something like Elemental Allies, which is the only bad outcome.
I love your deck! It has the same idea like my own „identity crisis“ priest (that‘s how i called it). But in my case i don‘t try to counter everything, but to fit in as many archetypes as possible. And you know what? It looks just „as horrible“ as your deck. No clear way how to play it, but it is actually really good. I use it to climb up the ladder until diamond. After that i just don‘t like to play ladder. It‘s not because the deck couldn‘t win anymore.
unfortunately i‘m also poor and can‘t try your deck, since i‘m missing many legendaries for it. But it looks like a lot of fun!
Deck became a joke after reading Cloud Prince
Fun > Meta
The deck just happens to have a high uptime on Secrets and it's fun giving love to underappreciated cards, so I added Cloud Prince for some good old-fashioned board control in the midgame. You're absolutely right that he's niche, he's probably the best candidate to swap for Mana Giant. Thanks for the feedback :) Fun > Meta
That relies on the druid being a very bad player, and they can easily kill you before that.
Who plays "Big" druid nowdays anyway? You meant the builds with ramp into the OP turn 7-plays, right?
Editor of the Heartpwn Legendary Crafting Guide:
https://www.hearthpwn.com/forums/hearthstone-general/card-discussion/205920-legendary-tier-list-crafting-guide
What is big druid? Anyone that plays druid is obviously what the kids call nowadays "small pp energy"
I'm not wrong.
Fun > Meta
How would Reno 1-shot HIMSELF?
"Your soul is mine ..." - Felsoul Inquisitor