I have been trying to pilot the tempo Spell damage deck all morning, and it’s fast and it’s fun, but it doesn’t feel especially reliable or durable.
Am I playing it wrong?
Does it need more tools to make it more viable?
It seems like the perfect way for mage to go.
Maybe Team 5 will give it some love this expansion.
In what area do you feel like you lack the most?
Spell damage? Draw?
Tempo mage cant be fast and durable at the same time.
Dont bust your head too much. New expansion is on its way so more cards might spice things up for you.
Im gonna try to build secret mage if I have any leftover dust.
Why you ask? Just a gut feeling I guess.
1 Like
Tempo Mage needs some Tempo minions.
Blowing your hand to take the board, generate a spell or two and plop down some weak minions just leaves you vulnerable to the kind of turnaround that pretty much any other deck can accomplish.
Kirin Tor Mage is an offensively-statted minion that helped cheat out Secrets (when Mage had more tempo-oriented Secrets like Explosive Runes). Mana Wyrm was a significant threat, Kabal Crystal Runner was a cheatable 5/5, etc. Those cards were the backbone of the deck that got you into burn range.
Tempo Mage worked because it could curve out well. Having to wait until popoff turns is the opposite of this and often gets you killed while waiting to draw key cards, or sees you lose after your big tempo-swinging turn because nothing you did actually went face. Chenvaala, Sorc and a couple 5/5s isn’t that big of a deal anymore.
Regarding the Spell Damage minions, they’re all low-tempo plays that need to be ignored to provide any kind of real payoff until the mid-late game when you can actually play them and spells together.
Noticing a theme, here? If you’re blowing your combo pieces just trying to survive until the mid-game or later, you don’t have those pieces for the big uber awesome turn.
While I personally find Mage’s spell generation to be a fun and flexible mechanic, playing a bunch of cool flashy stuff that doesn’t even go face then dying because you can only develop a board or two kinda just sucks.
They’ve already shown us that Mage being able to pull off too much generation too early is nerf-worthy regardless of actual power level. Maybe it’s time to give Mage back the ability to curve out decently.
I don’t anticipate Darkmoon bringing that to the class, though. The expansion was long since finished before the nerfs were done and will probably still revolve around small spells and maybe some more Secret synergies. In 2021 though, I’m hoping to see some more Tempo-tastic directions for the class.
9 Likes
I dont feel like i explained it very well. It seems to lack in the middle of the game. I dont know if it needs survival or more burn, or what
@Drum Thank you. Exactly this. The deck is fun and fast but it lacks any sort of board presence or survival until you can throw down spell damage to go face with.
Like I said, what is needed is more minions like Ras Frostwhisper where spell damage is converted into minion damage. This would make mage more spell damage + board minion friendly.
For example:
3 mana
2/4 Minion
Spell damage + 1
This minion gains +1/+1 for every spell damage you have.
2 Likes
I played it all morning and so far I have only managed 33% win rate.
Exactly.
Convert spell damage into actual impact and you might see something. Raw spell damage isn’t that helpful because no one is going to start running Arcane Explosion because they might be able to combo it with a spell damage minion or two that survived.
Who knows, maybe next month will actually flesh out the archetype really well with some tempo power before all of the big generation cards rotate in April and the class receives a redirect to further leverage this year’s tempo pieces.
For now though, it’s an archetype that’s noticeably lacking.
3 Likes
Mage currently has Miracle tools and not Tempo tools.
Since RoS it received:
Mana Cyclone
Ray of Frost
Chenvaala
Mana Giant
Elemental Allies
The Reno Quest
Evocation
The Spell Damage package worked well with the Miracle package because of Cram Session drawing cards cheaply to fuel the Miracle style. When they nerfed the Strongest cards on both Miracle and Spell Damage it can’t compete.
Now compare that with the Boomsday Spell Damage package which came together with Shooting Star to keep board control, Luna for Miracle and Tempo card draw, and Cinderstorm (from Witchwood) for more early board control and/or face damage; all with the Mammoth Secret Tempo tools still in Standard.
1 Like
Spells hitting face.
Is literally what said deck needs. They could have cards like unexpected results too but mostly spells that hit face to be buffed by the spell damage.
3 Likes
I’d love to see that, but i don’t think we will because if too many cards just hit face then the deck is busted, wouldn’t you say?
I mean; if you never have to interact with the board at all then it isn’t much of a game, you just spam face spells 'til you win.
Well, that’s the problem. Hearthstone is so cutthroat these days that including things like Fireball in your deck for burn just winds up thinning your deck too much and you can’t fight for the board to get to that point where you’re ready to burn.
3 Likes
I do miss burn mage in Standard. I wish Blizzard would give it or just a better version of this spell damage tempo to mage.
I have never been a fan of the Cyclone deck.
Just post your replays, people will identify mistakes.
Ok. it could very well be that I’m not playing it correctly.
Although i do think it needs better cards to make it a strong deck.
The obvious resolution to this would be to allow Mage to have spells similar to what Hunter got - a spell that hits both face and minions so you split the damage.
2 mana spell
Deal 4 damage to a minion - deal excess damage to the opponent
Some sort of system like this set up for mage. You get both damage to minions and to face so you can slowly pick away at minions and face at the same time without going full face.
This could be built around a system similar to what paladins have in librams. Afterall, shouldn’t mages be the keepers of the arcane scrolls?
2 Likes
Remember Explosive Runes? Wardrum remembers.
Adopts Filch voice
God I miss the screaming…
3 Likes
Now you’re talking my language. Secret mage was and is my favorite all time deck:)
2 Likes
Secret Mage did a great job of showcasing minion/spell interaction in tempo-positive ways. It was streamlined, smooth, and had enough variance in Secrets that it made folks think - both in terms of which one to play when, and how to test against them.
The current Secrets wre kinda meh and the expansion minions that synergize with them are defensive and value-based. Why? What endgame would such a deck even be aiming for?
4 Likes
Yah, this is what mage really should be like.
I like the idea of counterplays with the counters dealing damage to the face as punishment…explosive runes was one of those ideas. NEW SECRET!
Secret (3 mana obviously)
When your opponent plays a spell, deal damage equal to the cost to the enemy hero and a random enemy minion.
Secret (3 mana obviously)
Choose 1 - When your opponent plays a minion, their next minion costs 4 more
or When your opponent plays a spell, their next spell costs 4 more.
I like this sort of mage playstyle myself.
3 Likes
Secret - Arcane Reclamation
3 mana (durr)
When one of your minions destroyed, draw 3 cards.
We actually have quite a few Secret synergy cards in Standard that will rotate next April. I’m really hoping that the archetype gets solid support next month because I really can’t imagine telling someone that Secret Mage wound up being the new Freeze Shaman for two years.
Seriously, how sad is that?
4 Likes