Introduction
Where have all the Mage’s gone? Yes, some secret builds pop up here and there, but the class has taken a nosedive over the past few weeks. As such, we’re here to fix all that. This week we are going to blow the class open with a legend Tempo/Control Hybrid Elemental Mage list that combines all of the unfair spells Jaina is known for with some very powerful minions. I talk a lot of about versatility, and this deck is great because it can switch back-and-forth between tempo and control as needed. Sometimes you need to push for damage and end a game quickly, other times you just need to sit back and grind it out. The choice is going to change each game, but the fact that you have the choice in the first place is what’s important.
Key Cards
Flame Geyser
Flame Geyser is a very simple card. You spend two mana, you get two damage. However, you also get a 1/2 Flame Elemental, which is honestly much more important than the damage. There are only two elemental triggers that matter in this deck: Servant of Kalimos and Blazecaller. However, making sure they each go off can be the difference between winning and losing a game. Playing a vanilla 4/5 for five or a 6/6 for seven is an absolute disaster, and one you must work to avoid at all costs. Do not just play the 1/2 elemental early on just because you can. It might be your reflex to get something down onto the board against a faster deck, but most of the time that elemental tag is going to end up being more important.
Now, that being said, there are going to be situations where you need the 1/2 body over the trigger. The general rule is that you are never going to run out Flame Elemental against slower decks. The extra trigger is going to be worth much more as the game goes on. When facing faster decks or staring down an early board, you should always analyze how your hand can deal with the situation. For example, going up against Hunter with a hand full of removal that curves into Water Elemental means you won’t need to burn your 1/2 right away. However, facing down Zoo, it is probably better to put the body down on an empty board to get something ahead of our opponent. This is not always going to be black and white, but if you don’t have extra options you should use the one drop to fill out your curve. If you do have options or removal, save it. Chances are you’re going to need it.
Volcanic Potion
This is one of the most important additions to the deck. We are currently in a world of swarm decks. Midrange Hunter, Aggro Druid, Token Shaman, Zoo, and Tempo Rogue all want to push lots of early bodies out onto the board very quickly, and you need to be ready. While Mage has plenty of early options to take down single threats, they suffer against decks that want to go wide. Volcanic Potion neatly fixes that problem by giving you two extra chances to answer an early push. This is not AOE in the sense of something like Brawl or Flamestrike. Rather, it is an anti-aggro tech card. Two damage is great early on, but even the fastest decks will rise above it quickly. Know that, and don’t try to hold this back for extra value. If you can remove two or three bodies, you got your money’s worth.
Another important note about Volcanic Potion is that it doesn’t always have to be a control move. It is very easy to see the three mana spell and only think “control card.” However, being able to deal two damage to your opponent’s board as a pseudo-consecration can be a good way to finish off midrange boards or clear out threats when pushing for lethal. Often times people will hold back the spell while battling for the board, but losing small minions or taking some hits can be worth it to get in a few extra points of damage. Just do be aware that the spell does hit your own minions. It can be easy to forget that. You never want to blow up your own board and suddenly lose control of the game that you’re winning.
Polymorph
While you have a ton of different removal options at your disposal, there is no doubt that Polymorph[/card] is your best. Turning something into a 1/1 sheep is fantastic because, not only does it shut down problematic deathrattles like Tirion Fordring, but it can also cripple end-game cards like Bloodreaver Gul’dan. Seriously, always target Doomguards against Zoo. You have a lot of removal at your disposal in this deck, which means you can afford to be picky. Always try to have a set target in mind when using Polymorph. There are many high-attack threats you may want to tranform right away, but often those can be cleared out through other means like Fireball and Blazecaller. This card should always be your fail safe in case your opponent puts down a high-health minion or a big deathrattle finisher your burn cannot touch. Turning a Savannah Highmane into a sheep is fantastic, killing one with a Fireball is underwhelming.
Like so many spells in this build, Polymorph is a great way to get in damage. This may be a bit harder to recognize than with other cards like Fireball, but the four mana spell can go a long way towards lethal. Hearthstone is a game of attacks. That is because whoever has the turn is always going to have priority. Many current decks are built upon that idea. In fact, most builds you face are going to hope to curb your tempo with effective trades. If you can suddenly turn one of those bodies into a 1/1, it helps you push damage and forces your opponent back into a tight corner. Now they have to spend their turn using removal in order to not die. That then keeps them off of the board, and allows you to either hit them with another big threat or finish the game with burn.
Water Elemental
Water Elemental is one of the most interesting minions in this build because it works well as both a control card and as a tempo play. I talk about versatility a lot on this series, and the 3/6 is a perfect example of that. The ability to freeze is one of the most underrated in Hearthstone, and it can do a lot against many builds in the current meta. Locking down a Druid or a weapon-equipped Hunter for a few turns can help you stabilize a board, while crashing into a big threat to protect your smaller minions on future turns can give you an avenue to play to your lethal. Hitting with a couple small bodies, freezing your opponent’s next play, and then attacking their face again is one of the best ways to stack up pressure. However, note that the four drop also works well at buying you time. Getting one more turn to draw into key burn or removal can be fantastic, especially when you’re up against big finishers. The elemental also does a great job of eating multiple mid-game minions from decks like Zoo and Tempo Rogue. Even if they have a way to kill it, that often means one less removal or burn play they will have during the end of the game. Try to prioritize the 3/6 in aggressive matchups when possible.
Frost Lich Jaina
Oh yeah, she’s back. My personal undying (get it?) love for Frost Lich Jaina aside, the nine really gives this type of build a lot of staying power. As mentioned, you are going to play in two distinct modes. The main mode is a tempo deck that, like so many past lists, seeks to push damage with on-board minions and then end things in a flurry of burn. In that game plan, turn nine is rarely going to matter. However, when you shift to the more control-focused part of this deck, you are going to play to the DK as much as possible. Frost Lich Jaina can wear down any deck in the game because she represents both growing threats and healing. That means, not only is she fantastic in terms of controlling the board and threatening damage, but she also gives you a way to rise above burn. That is the complete package, and in any game that goes long, you should get her out immediately. From there, just work your burn to set your opponent’s minions to one health.
Always plan for Frost Lich Jaina. Despite your early tempo plays and strong burn package, there are going to be a lot of games where you are on the ropes during the later turns (here’s looking at you Anduin). To offset that, you need to try to have elementals in play when you run out the DK. This will allow you to instantly make use of her ability and give you a way to gain health back. Once your opponent sees you transform they are going to do everything in their power to shut down your lifesteal. By protecting your elementals as best you can, it gives you a way to get some extra health in before your opponent can react. It may not always be a huge chunk, but it always comes on top of five extra armor. Whenever you are facing down a deck with a lot of end-game burn like Priest or Zoo, it is pivotal to gain health (or threaten to gain health) as quickly as you possibly can. The DK is the best way to do that.
Deck Code
AAECAf0EBNAC7Ae WxwKb0wINTbsCiwOVA6sElgWBsgLpu gK/wQLCwwLKwwKYxALIxwIA
Matchups
The four decks I see the most while playing the ladder.
Tempo Rogue
Valeera continues to make her case for the best class in the game. Rogue isn’t going anywhere, and this is a matchup you should be able to win as long as you know how to pace it correctly. Strong tempo is always going to be the best way to fight back against Rogue, but understand that you are going to win the long game here if you can keep your health up. Rogue runs out of gas very quickly. They also are not great once they lose control of the board. Your goal is to be a pure control deck here. Kill everything that comes down across from you, and hyper prioritize removal before things like Bonemare can drop down. If you keep off damage and get to Frost Lich Jaina you should be able to take this one. Rogue has a lot of ways to stack pressure, but chances are they are not going to be able to keep up with the health that your elementals can provide.
Watch out for burst. Rogue has evolved into a strange deck. They now have a lot of early options and, once those get solved, they hope to push through with Leeroy Jenkins, Cold Blood, and Southsea Deckhand. There are a lot of ways your opponent can do damage out of hand, and you need to be aware of them since you run no real taunts. Damage is almost never going to matter against Rogue. As their pressure is capped, you typically want to run them out of cards. That is a win condition in itself. Your burn spells should hit minions first, and you only want to try to stack up pressure when you either have a firm hold of the board or are at so much life any out-of-hand damage won’t be able to touch you.
Kazakus Priest
Things were going well, and then Priest had to come along and ruin the fun. This game is going to be an extremely difficult affair where you need to put everything you have into damage. Damage. Damage. Damage. It is no secret that Kazakus Priest has become a combo deck, and every single card they play is built to push to their finisher. As strong as you are, it is going to be extremely hard to beat Priest once they switch to Shadowreaper Anduin. There are two ways to fight against the eight drop, and the best is by running your opponent out of cards. Priest needs a lot of cards to power their end-game engine, and if you can get them to two or three you should be able to outlast them. The way you do that is by putting on pressure at all stages of the game. The more you threaten the board, the more cards Priest is going to have to use to stay alive. Then, once they become their DK, they will only be able to do so much damage to your face.
This is a matchup where you need to get value out of Frost Lich Jaina‘s ability more than any other. Once Priest assembles their combo, their damage is going to get crazy. Just about every deck these days packs Prophet Velen and Mind Blast to give their combo even more reach. You have to do everything in your power to stay ahead of that, and Frost Lich is the way to make that happen. If you pace the game in the correct way, Priest is going to use up most of their removal throughout the match. That means they are going to have a hard time taking out any threat. While it may not seem like a big deal, even gaining three life a turn can be enough to negate Priest’s burn. Protect your elementals at all costs once you switch to the DK.
Midrange Hunter
Whereas you want to take the control route against Rogue, against Hunter you need to be all tempo. As Rexxar is so focused on damage and board presence, you may be tempted to try to sit back and play the control route. However, Hunter simply has too many ways to stack up pressure for that to be a reliable road to victory. If you can go that way, you should take it, but your plan going into this one should be to get the board early and never give it back. Trying to outlast Hunter is very difficult to do. Rather than fight their hero power, you should try to kill them before they kill you. You have a lot of burn at your disposal, and you also have a lot of different ways to push. Do not get complacent and always spend your resources to keep your opponent off the board. Hunter is going to be able to race your down if they’re ahead during turns four and five. However, if you have the lead going into turn four your opponent is likely going to be at a loss. Even something like a lone Water Elemental can be enough to shut down Hunter’s curve. Once that happens, you then need to push with everything you have.
Zoo
Who let the Warlock out? Zoo continues to gain popularity, and it will only get stronger as the weeks go on. Playing small minions has always been good in this game, and Gul’dan can now do that and back it up with some insanely powerful threats like Bloodreaver Gul’dan, Despicable Dreadlord, and Bonemare. This is another match where you need to spend all of your resources on the board. As Zoo has Lifetap, you are never going to be able to truly run them out of cards. However, many of their minions are quite weak. If you can get them down to one or two cards in hand you should be able to grind them out. Every lifetap also costs them life, and they can only take so many hits before they lose. Get the board at all costs.
Polymorph is your best card in this game. The sheep needs to almost always be used on a big demon to cripple Bloodreaver Gul’dan‘s battlecry. Shutting down one or two big bodies can be the difference between winning and losing the game. In that same vein, you need to have a plan for the DK. Often, you will run Zoo off the board, and they will bounce back with the Death Knight. If you save your AOE or have a big board that can instantly take down that push, they will be out of options. Also note that, as they lifetap so much, Warlock is usually going to be in the mid-teens around turn ten. See this, and do not be afraid to hoard burn.
Mulligan Guide
Tempo is always going to come first with a deck like this one. That means you need to do what you can to get out onto the board. Babbling Book, Mana Wyrm, Flame Geyser, Primordial Glyph and Frostbolt are your must keeps. However, if you have a choice between bolt and geyser you should only keep bolt. Beyond that, Volcanic Potion is strong against all aggro or swarm decks, Tar Creeper is good with a curve or the coin, and Arcane Intellect is good with a curve or against any slow deck. Always keep Water Elemental if you can curve into it.
Conclusion
Man, this chill is like death. I have always loved slower Mage decks, especially ones that can fight for the board as well as this one can. You have a lot of awesome toys to play with here, and they all work together extremely well. Today’s meta is diverse, and having the two modes here is very important to winning on a shifting ladder. If you like slow decks, if you like elementals, or if you just wanna become an undead lich queen, this is definitely going to be the list for you. Until next time, may you always set your opponent’s minions to one life.
Published: Oct 30, 2017 10:56 am