@Ahlano

I find that skeletons don't rely on the burst technique like the zombies do. I wanted to make a Necromancer that wasn't considered super defensive until later in the game. Skeletons are all about board positioning using a mobile spawnpoint (The board game Duke inspired me).

The problem you will run into with the zombies and doing this is that the slow will cause you huge problems! You lose the range units using zombies (although you could just put in skeleton archers).

I never tried to bone tower. It seems too defensive for me, but you could make it work in this deck. If you make a long corridor with the bone walls you can use sentrys to hinder the way.

I have been considering using Plague Zombie in this with Sacrificial Altar. The idea is to use your eternal servant marker on the Plague Zombie then kill it every round giving the opponent and any minions the rot. It's great for releasing your Plague Master ability and does tons of damage in the long game.

The one big weakness I find in this spell book is when versing zombie Necromancers.

Thanks for the reply!

Maybe instead of preventing a teleport, it could just require you to pay extra mana to complete it.

Hey Guys!

Here is the 5th episode of Arcane Duels. This week we have a special guest Lord of Winter! I was in Atlanta for Dragoncon and we decided to meet up. I will be playing a skeleton Necromancer and Lord of Winter plays the Water Wizard.

Sorry about the quality of the video. I was using my gf's laptop and did not have all the proper programs installed. We recorded the audio separately but sometimes it cut out.

Here is a link to the episode ---->http://youtu.be/8ql-7cDX8kw
Feel free to subscribe to our Youtube Channel

Here is the spell book I used and I think Lord of Winter will post his later.

[spellbook]
[spellbookheader]
[spellbookname]Soul Reaper[/spellbookname]
[mage]Necromancer[/mage]
[/spellbookheader]
[spells]
[spellclass]Attack[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNA01]1 x  Acid Ball[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Conjuration[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1j19]1 x  Deathlock[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNW02]3 x  Wall of Bones[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j11]1 x  Idol of Pestilence[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFJ04]1 x  Armory[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j12]2 x  Mana Crystal[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Creature[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1c32]2 x  Skeletal Sentry[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC07]1 x  Mort[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1c23]1 x  Malacoda[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC14]1 x  Skeletal Knight[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC02]1 x  Deathfang[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC13]2 x  Skeletal Archer[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1c08]1 x  Darkfenne Bat[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC15]5 x  Skeletal Minion[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Enchantment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1e25]1 x  Maim Wings[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e27]2 x  Marked for Death[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e24]1 x  Magebane[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE07]1 x  Rust[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e14]1 x  Enfeeble[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e04]1 x  Chains of Agony[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e22]1 x  Hellfire Trap[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e19]2 x  Ghoul Rot[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e09]2 x  Agony[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Equipment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1q16]1 x  Leather Gloves[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q15]1 x  Leather Boots[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q05]1 x  Demonhide Armor[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX1CKQ06]1 x  Eagleclaw Boots[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q04]1 x  Deflection Bracers[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNQ02]1 x  Death Ring[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNQ01]1 x  Cloak of Shadows[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNQ05]1 x  Libro Mortuos[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNQ03]1 x  Deathshroud Staff[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Incantation[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNI03]1 x  Reassemble[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i08]2 x  Drain Life[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX1CKI01]2 x  Drain Soul[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i11]2 x  Explode[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNI05]1 x  Unholy Resurgence[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i12]2 x  Force Push[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i28]1 x  Teleport[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i24]1 x  Seeking Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i06]1 x  Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i07]1 x  Dissolve[/mwcard]
[/spells]
[cost]Total cost: 120 pts[/cost]
[/spellbook]

Special thanks again to Lord of Winter!

Seems like a pretty solid Forcemaster. My only concern is if you face an equipment heavy deck. The new anvil throne warlord would be a big nemesis for you.

Thx for this! Much appreciated from an apprentice mage. (and keep the videos comming)

I have a ton of questions:

Whats [mwcard=MW1J16]Mordok's Obelisk[/mwcard] doing in your build? You have quite a few creature yourself, and you have [mwcard=MW1J24]Temple of Light[/mwcard], [mwcard=MW1A02]Chain Lightning[/mwcard], [mwcard=MW1C18]Gorgon Archer[/mwcard] and an [mwcard=MW1Q13]Ivarium Longbow[/mwcard] which should take care of swarms?

[mwcard=DNJ10]Stranglevine[/mwcard] - whats that for?

[mwcard=MW1E13]Eagle Wings[/mwcard] - what that for? thats one pretty expensive for you.

[mwcard=MW1E20]Harmonize[/mwcard] - why 2?

On equipment: If you use the bow you can´t use [mwcard=DNQ10]Meditation Amulet[/mwcard] or [mwcard=MW1Q08]Elemental Wand[/mwcard], and you only have 1 [mwcard=MWSTX1CKJ02]Wizard's Tower[/mwcard], so if you want to be able to throw a lot of attack spell this might be worth looking into?

Why the [mwcard=FWQ10]Storm Drake Hide[/mwcard]? Thematic(one spell point save)? or you just not afraid of fire?

[mwcard=MW1I23]Rouse the Beast[/mwcard]. Do you ever use it?

and finally [mwcard=MW1I21]Purge Magic[/mwcard]. Thougts?

On openings: What good would a Blue Gremlin in turn one do, if you expect a Lord of Fire (or similar) would´nt fx Temple of Light be more usefull (and if ToL is in your deck, why not add Hand of Bim Shalla to your build?)

Thats it for now

ps: How do i make does codes for spell-pop-up? (thx i tried to edit them all in)

Hey Biblo these are good questions. I too have been questioning if I want some of these in my book.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mordok's Obelisk - I don't actually consider my book to be very swarmy. I usually just pull out the Jelly or the gorgan in most games. When an enemy is playing really weak creatures (bobcat/ minion cratures etc.) I cast Mordok's when I see 2 of those creatures. They usually don't actually do enough damage to really hurt me (with armor or voltaric shield). If the opponent chooses to ignore Mordok then I watch their mana a lot. If they focus it down I find the minions can't really deal with it effectively. I agree that this isn't really necessary in the book.It could be replaced to better fit how you play.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stranglevine - I like this card because it deals with buddy builds very well. Agony and Gorgan Archer combo with it decently. IA lot of times it forces the mage to use a teleport which delays a turn which then allows me to shoot another volley of damage to them (i usually have a telport in my hand after stranglevine is casted). It could be replaced with tangle vine but the direct damage is really nice IMO.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eagle Wings- I use this only for Gorgon Archer. I don't think I have ever used it on the Basilisk but it would be good as well. It deals with mages that wall themselves into corners (you can chain lightning through most walls and gorgan them to death). It also gives your Gorgon a lot of survive ability if they manage to muster a good ground force. Akiro's Favor/Eagle Wins on a Gorgon is great against buddy builds.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harmonize - In long term games I tend to use it on Gate of Voltari and Wizard's Tower. The extra mana gives a nice edge. You can also use it to get rid of nullifys on opponent mages (assuming they didn't harmonize themself). Taking out one of them seems fine to me.

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The Ivarium Longbow - The bow combos with Hawkeye pretty well. I find that I save a lot of mana by using the bow and it can best be used when stonegaze and gorgon is out. you can get there with teleport traps and teleports. akiro's favor on the stonegaze can really casue problems for solo mage builds. Getting a second wizard's tower is probably a good route to go with in this book. I use the bow probably in 2/3 of the matches I play.
 The meditation amulet I find useful when you have a combination of Gate of Voltari/elemental wand/ wizard's tower/Temple of light. It is purely used in long game scenareios (opponent does not show signs of attack after turn 6). Basically if you have your actions used by other things then you might as well meditate. Problems are a reduction of damage because you miss an action, but you have a lot of mana to work with. This is the original idea of this book so it might be time to look into more solid ways to close the game earlier.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Storm Drake Hide - the 2 armor is really useful. I am not too afraid of fire since I have a geyser in the deck and wizard's tower is super versatile. It is the cheapest spell point wise as well. If I end up versing someone that uses lightning I also have some sort of protection to prevent the dreaded stun.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rouse the Beast - I use it all the time with my stonegaze. I have used it on my gorgan as well. Usually I don't use it on my gargoyle since defend is really awesome for him.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Purge Magic - I think that equipment is way stronger in general. There are not a lot of direct ways of dealing with equipment in comparison to enchantments (I find a lot of the cards dance around the problem). I think I have used Purge Magic once and it worked wonders. Otherwise it has sat there doing nothing. Not a lot of players I vs use enough enchantments to make Purge Magic useful. It is the only tool I really have to deal with mass enchantment buddy build/solo build types and it would wreck it. If you were to take it out I would suggest putting in another mage wand or something to deal with equipment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Snot also asked a question about the opening.

I started my opening with Blue Gremlin/Mana Crystal because I didn't know that much about the game. I found that whatever the opponent was doing this build was able to keep up with it in some way. I like to think of it as how much power a mage can do in a turn, there is immediate rushing on one side and very long game on the other. This plays more for the safe route against all of that. So it's probably not better then a lot of other openings, but it does deal with all the other openings equally better. Also I find the people hate that Gremlin! Once they see that 3 damage a turn they devote way more resources then they should to crushing it. I would consider the Temple of Light opening against a necromancer but I have never done it! The non mobility of the temple is my first problem thought about it. I think the temple and elemental wand (lightning spells of some sort) would be a good choice. Might as well go full stun lock and add in wizard's tower. About the Bim-Shalla. I used to run it! I took it out because I found my use of the Temple of Light was not enough to justify it. If you wanted to go more pure stun/lock then definitely put in the Bim-Shalla.

Thanks for the great questions. I opened up my book and really had to analyze why I put some cards in. I might consider updating it sometime in the future.

Hey there,
I posted the spell book on the Arcane Duels post but people wanted a more in depth look at why i chose the cards. So here it is!

[spellbook]
[spellbookheader]
[spellbookname][/spellbookname]
[mage]Wizard (Air)[/mage]
[/spellbookheader]
[spells]
[spellclass]Attack[/spellclass]
[mwcard=FWA01]2 x  Arc Lightning[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a09]1 x  Jet Stream[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNA01]1 x  Acid Ball[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWA04]1 x  Hurl Boulder[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a13]1 x  Thunderbolt[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a07]1 x  Lightning Bolt[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a08]1 x  Geyser[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a02]1 x  Chain Lightning[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Conjuration[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1j16]1 x  Mordok's Obelisk[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j24]1 x  Temple of Light[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j12]2 x  Mana Crystal[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX1CKJ02]1 x  Wizard's Tower[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j07]1 x  Gate to Voltari[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j04]1 x  Battle Forge[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNJ10]1 x  Stranglevine[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Creature[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1c18]1 x  Gorgon Archer[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1c35]1 x  Stonegaze Basilisk[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1c05]2 x  Blue Gremlin[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC03]1 x  Devouring Jelly[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX1CKC08]1 x  Gargoyle Sentry[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Enchantment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1e09]1 x  Agony[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e23]1 x  Jinx[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e16]1 x  Force Hold[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e13]1 x  Eagle Wings[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e06]1 x  Circle of Lightning[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e21]1 x  Hawkeye[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE02]1 x  Akiro's Favor[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e38]2 x  Teleport Trap[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e20]2 x  Harmonize[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e10]1 x  Decoy[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Equipment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1q19]1 x  Mage Wand[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q32]1 x  Suppression Cloak[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q23]1 x  Regrowth Belt[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNQ10]1 x  Meditation Amulet[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q04]1 x  Deflection Bracers[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q15]1 x  Leather Boots[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWQ10]1 x  Storm Drake Hide[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q13]1 x  Ivarium Longbow[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q07]1 x  Elemental Cloak[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q08]2 x  Elemental Wand[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Incantation[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1i28]3 x  Teleport[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i07]2 x  Dissolve[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFI06]1 x  Defend[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i23]1 x  Rouse the Beast[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i06]2 x  Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i24]1 x  Seeking Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i21]1 x  Purge Magic[/mwcard]
[/spells]
[cost]Total cost: 120 pts[/cost]
[/spellbook]

This was the first spellbook I ever made (I've been playing since December). The idea is of the deck is to be able to pull out the correct tools depending on what the opponent is doing. This requires a lot of knowledge on cards and proper judgement on what the opponents plans are. It is one of the few "reactive" decks I have seen on the forums.When I play a new player blind I usually open Mana Crystal and Blue Gremlin as it keeps up against most other builds in some manner.  I'm changing the deck as I learn more about the game and it is far from "perfect."

In all of these scenarios if you suspect there might be a nullify/reverse attack etc. on something just use decoy, or one of the useless enchantments (depending on the situation some of them are useless) to help identify it. My favorite is to cast harmonize on a mage to find out if there is a nullify (and usually mages seeking dispel it if they didn't have a nullify on ).

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Attacked by turns 1-2 (A rush response)
The most rushy deck I have seen is turn 1 full action move one then teleport 2, then hurl a boulder as a quickcast. If I see that someone is trying to attack me quickly I usually decide that racing is the best option. I usually suspect the Forcemaster, and Warlock to try something like this. I prefer to open with a Blue Gremlin and Mana Crystal in this case. I consider it the safe way to keep up with damage if they rush, but also not lose a long game if they decide to not rush me. By turn 2 it's easy to identify this rush so I activate Voltaric Shield and wizard's tower (hurl boulder), Blue Gremlin, and punch in the face usually does more damage then anything they can muster. You can keep up the damage if they decide to commit and statistically take the victory. You can also Jet Stream and shove them into the arena wall to give an extra edge.

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Swarm Decks - This usually focuses around the Beastmaster, and Warlords and Necromancers. Every mage can swarm in a unique way. I consider a swarm to be someone that has at least 4 creatures by turn 5. I see swarms as being either aggressive or defense. The way I identify that is if they put their spawnpoint on their side or my side (My side is not the board cut in half but more of a diagonal half since we start at the corners).  If it's on my side I usually assume I will be attacked by turn 3. If it's on their side I usually consider being attacked around turn 5-6.

Offensive swarm response - If I see the opponent run 2 spaces and put a spawnpoint two spaces away from my start point I consider this an offensive swarm. I open with Mana Crystal and Battleforge. Turn two I usually leather boots, circle of lightning and Devouring Jelly. Turn 3 you have something to defend an onslaught. Jellies are really good defenders. If the opponent wants to advance then defensive Wizard's tower Arcane Zap/Punch in the face and reveal circle of lightning. You can usually out damage the opponent with the Jelly.

Defensive Swarm Response- If I see the opponent cast a spawnpoint on their side I usually assume I have until turn 5 to make prepare. I usually want a battle forge, 2 mana crystals, Gorgan Archer, Stonegaze Basilisk, Wizard's Tower, Mordok's Obelisk, and the Ivarium Longbow out. You can usually focus down most of the heavy threats and the weak/cripple combo is deadly if mages choose to get within range. Also strangle vine and Force Hold are great ways to exploit a mage that decided they wanted to advance cautiously. You have a firing line of 4 strong attacks that they have to get away from.

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Buddy Builds - This is type usually focuses on one strong creature that gets in your face between turn 3-4. When I play against the priest and warlock I usually try to be cautious here. A classic build for the warlock is turn 1 mana crystal and double move, turn 2 Adramelech.

Usually I open double mana crystal. If I see the opponent double move to save up the mana I suspect a buddy build. Turn 2 you can agony (this usually cuts the buddy down quite a bit), wizard's tower and lightning bolt to try and seriously delay the buddy. If that fails to seriously damage the buddy I usually Force Hold then hurl a boulder and arcane zap get him to back off. You can also use teleport trap to try and delay things. The most important things to get up is basic armor by the time he gets to you.

Against Priest/Priestess divine intervention shenanigans you can usually turn 1 double mana crystal, turn 2 wizard's tower/ hurl boulder, then agony. If they keep buffing the buddy for a delayed divine intervention then Devouring Jelly, armor, and the wizard tower arcane zap, punch combo works really well.

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Long game type of builds - I consider attacking turn 6 or later to be a long game type of play. I find a lot of new players to play very defensively and fall into this category. I usually open with one of the above opening depending on the mage. If I suspect that they are going to be hanging back I make it hard to attack. The goal is to have the Battle Forge (harmonized), Temple of Light, Wizard's Tower (Harmonized) and Gate of Voltari. I usually get the Meditation Amulet out turn 3 then all my full cast actions are spent channeling more mana so I can get creatures out of the Gate of Votlari and my equipment out. When they choose to attack I have the Temple of Light and Wizard's Tower NC with Elemental Wand Lightning Bolt while using the meditation amulet (usually I have some mana saved on the Wizard's Tower). You can Force Hold or Stranglevine to delay and use teleport traps to help you. Often you'll have creatures to help you and Akiro's Favor as well.

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Force Master - The best way to deal with creatures that have defenses is to have Arc lightning (elemental wand), Arc lightning (Wizard's Tower), and the Temple of light (1 dice with the chance of daze/stun ). Stonegaze can be great with Akiro's Favor to get the cripple.

Temple of Light - I find this as a soft way to deal more damage to mages that use Devouring Jelly. It is also great against Necromancer's. I've considered taking it out a lot. It was very helpful at the Gen Con tournament though and I still think it is worth it. On top of that the chance to stun or daze is nice if you decide to go mass lightning spells.

I often find players that don't like the basic melee attack. A lot of times they choose to defend or run away. I find that the punch in the face action is a great way to save mana while keeping up with the total dice dealt in the game.

There are mages I still haven't played against. And I hope to revise this Wizard to be able to deal with everything in the future. This Wizard got 4th place at Gen Con! I hope this write up helps you plan out alternative ways of dealing with problematic spell books!

Let me know what you think! If you think it sucks let me know why! I'll update this main post if I get questions regarding how I respond to things.

Also here's a link to the post of it being played against the Anvil Throne Warlord - http://forum.arcanewonders.com/index.php?topic=14530.0

-Justin

Here's a link to the spell book I ran at Gen Con. Nathan used the Anvil Throne Warlord that you see as the second comment at Gen Con as well.

http://forum.arcanewonders.com/index.php?topic=14530.0

Hey dude!
I'm gonna be at Dragoncon. I don't know if Arcane Wonders is going, but if you want to meet up and play a few games i'll be there Thursday and leave Monday