Hand Mage Deck List Guide (Meteorologist) – Boomsday – August 2018

Hand Mage Mulligan Strategy & Guide

VS Fast Decks

Higher Priority (Keep every time)

• Plated Beetle – A source of early board presence and some health gain, both of which will be crucial as you try and hang on until you can set up a bunch of massive taunts.
• Saronite Chain Gang – A staple of many slower decks, this double taunt trouble can also be very beneficial in your quest for survival in the early turns.
• Frost Lich Jaina – One of the major benefits of giving up on the one-cost hero power, the Mage Death Knight can single-handedly shut down aggro if you can make it that far, and since this deck lacks many of the class’ board clear options in order to power up Book of Specters, it’s well-worth keeping for the guaranteed turn 9 option.

Lower Priority (Keep only if certain conditions are met)

• Scaleworm – If you’ve got another dragon in hand that you’d like to keep – most likely a Twilight Drake –, then having this tempo option in the mid-game can be a worthwhile option.
• Spellbreaker – More of a backup than a game-winning tool on its own against aggro, but if you’re confident that you won’t fall behind on tempo thanks to your other cards, it can help against a nasty buff or two.
• Sunfury Protector – If you’re going to be reliably able to stick something large on the board, or you’re really concerned about the tempo situation, this card could also be worth it in your opening hand.

VS Slow Decks

Higher Priority (Keep every time)

• Mountain Giant – As the saying goes, the early 8/8 gets the worm, and many Warlock decks over the years have shown us that this card can be game-winning on its own under the right conditions. It’s a massive threat that you can put out early on, and is one of the main reasons behind the deck’s gameplan.
• Twilight Drake – While it may not pack the same punch, it’s still your secondary option to take over the game on turn 4, and therefore warrants a keep.
• Book of Specters – This is the card that really makes the deck work, allowing you to super-size your hand even without the ability to Life Tap. It enables the two aforementioned minions and is therefore crucial to your gameplan.

 Lower Priority (Keep only if certain conditions are met)

• Pyros – Since Silence and Transform effects are so prevalent, you might want to get this out as early as possible, provided you’ve already got one of your major threats lined up for turn 4.
• Archmage Arugal – If you’ve got Book of Specters and the Coin, it’s definitely worth keeping this for an early combo, but it’s a bit too speculative to flat-out keep it in your opening hand without any additional support.
• Acidic Swamp Ooze – Since you’ll likely have your Druid opponents on the back foot anyway, you might be able to afford keeping this card against Twig of the World Tree. If you’ve got a good read against Rogues or Warlocks, it can also be a consideration.

Hand Mage Play Strategy

VS Aggro Decks

Don’t be fooled by all the big and expensive cards: this deck’s main strategy is similar to Even Warlock’s: it’s meant to cheat on tempo after a few turns of setup, then take control of the board and never looking back. With no real spells to help you in this goal, cards like Scaleworm and Saronite Chain Gang will be imperative in the early game until you can swing back with Meteorologist, Baron Geddon or Primordial Drake. Eventually, Frost Lich Jaina should lock down the game for you, and your massive minions can also close out the game if your opponent takes too much damage thanks to Life Tap or weapon usage over time.

VS Control Decks

Once again, tempo is the name of the game, and there’s nothing better than an early Twilight Drake or Mountain Giant to strike fear in the hearts of your opponents. Be careful not to overcommit into board clears as you lack the spell damage to finish off the game from hand. If possible, try to keep back some of your card draw for Archmage Arugal in order to generate some additional value. While you can certainly keep up with most decks in the long run as well, recognize that you’re often the beatdown in these matchups and play accordingly.

Hand Mage Card Substitutions

• Doomsayer – Again, similarly to Even Warlock, this card might be good enough to include despite its obvious anti-synergy with your initial gameplan. If Baron Geddon and Frost Lich Jaina are too slow, these could be viable alternatives.
• Genn Greymane – It’s also not out of the question to restore the deck’s original Even concept along the way, even if that requires you to sacrifice Astromancer along the way. Arcane Intellect can be replaced by Astral Rift in a pinch (or Loot Hoarders are an additional option if you want to maximize Book of Specters’ consistency) and Baron Geddon and Frost Lich Jaina can make way to the deck’s original Pyroblast finishers. It’s certainly an interesting alternative to consider.