Mulligans
General Mulligans
The sooner you start getting card advantage the better. Esspecial against decks with good early draw minions/spells.
Kitchen sink because you never stop
throwing everything you can at the opponent!
Use damage spells and low cost minions to stop the rush. Or, if
facing a slow deck, develop a wide board and use removal, good trades and smart spell timing to maintain the
advantage (Frostbolt Medivh's Valet , Mana Wyrm Shimmering Tempest , Babbling Book Primordial Glyph ). YOU SHOULD, In this case, always be the one getting a few points of damage in after the dust clears.
THEN
Let’s face it, on its own mage doesn’t have the chops to maintain
tempo through the mid game. This is when you make your opponent want to rip there hair out. Replenish your hand with any “discover” or add cards not used during phase 1. Put the stop to any moves your opponent tries to make ( Counterspell ) or at the very least match him play for play ( Mirror Entity ). If you can, keep a decent board by using your Mana-Efficient combos (Kirin Tor Mage + SECRECT & SECRECT + Kabal Crystal Runner ). Most of the time I hold on to The Coin till the 3-4 turn more this reason.
IF
Nothing above has worked and you see check mate coming down the pipe and all you need to do is hold on for 1 more turn after this 1… Meteor is your stop-loss. While an emergency hack for sure, using Val on turn 5-6 will often give you the clean board you need to stay alive long enough to overwhelm your opponent with your late damage. I know what your going to say “that’s what Ice Block is for” consider this… ice block means you MUST win next turn. This makes it great in Quest decks but without it, wouldn’t you rather play to win the game, all game, early, mid and late?
FINALLY
You know what to do. Do your calculations and figure out which combo of damage spells and minion slaps get the other guy down to or below 0. I usually hold on to my Sorcerer's Apprentice ‘s to help cast as many Fireball ‘s as Archmage Antonidas can shell out.
CONCLUSION
Mage has long been played as a class that wins in 9 to 13 turns. This build, save a few key cards, probably looks like many you’ve seen. However, with this specific set of 30 was build with the idea that you can win at any phase of the game. It has enough fire power early to take an opponent out quickly against some decks. Also, the majority of the games in which your opponent draws poorly (and you know it) you should be able to win in as few turns as your used to from agro decks.
If you can use smart trades and removal to keep the tempo in your favor early, don’t let off the gas and wait to hit the NAS right before the finish line. Keep on getting in the every point of damage you can every turn. Many times, an above-average/good open can give you enough momentum that your “removal spells” turn into finishing moves. Especially with your opponent handcuffed by your incredible mid-game control.
OR
MAYBE I HAVE NO IDEA WTF I’M TALKING ABOUT!!!!
This is my first go at this and I’d love to get some feedback. Don’t worry I can take it!!