What is the last chance to activate Eagle Wings in response to a creature being targeted with Quicksand? Can you activate Eagle Wings on the Counter Spell step, making it an invalid target? I assume that once the Quicksand has Resolved, you can no longer slap on some wings and fly away.

Thanks for the hard work Sean, I think you guys made the right choice with Core Spell Tome 2.

Wait. The source of the attack is still the Warlock.

So does the damage barrier from the Warlock's armour hurt himself?

I'm really on the fence about Gate to Hell.

If you're going with a Pentagram strategy, that +1 Melee is a lot..

You could take down a swarm Beastmaster's whole team with the 12 mana 2nd ability.

And it's unquestionably super cool.

I just don't know if it's any good. Compare it to Tooth & Nail. Gate costs 12 mana, instead of 7, and 1 Melee isn't that much better than 1 Piercing. Yes, opening the Gate can be pretty effective, but it's probably going to light your Warlock on fire too, and the cost is huge! And 6 points to put in your spellbook? Yikes. Tooth & Nail is much more affordable at 2 points.

Maybe the Gate will get better when there's a lvl 2 Demon to summon.

Or maybe it's good right now and I would know already if I was playing the Warlock a bunch.

Thoughts?

Keep in mind I only have the base set. Once I have a few more copies of Battle Fury, Bear Strength and Nullify I may change this list a bit.

Basically the idea is that I have many angles of attack and a wide array of counters. And I use the spells that seem appropriate for the opponent in question.

Priestess gets Deathlock.

Swarmy Beastmaster gets Idol of Pestilence, maybe a few Skeletons, maybe Ring of Fire when I'm really surrounded, maybe Adramelech + sweep. Not really sure what's best there. But Idol + Blood Reaper seems really good.

Wizard gets punched repeatedly in the face, and his Voltaric Shield worn down by bats and imps. And then I have a Teleport to bring him back if he tries to run away, or maybe to Teleport away his Hydra.

Not sure what you do against another Warlock. Maybe put up Force Sword? Maybe Agony them or Vampirism yourself and win the damage race?

Pentagram comes out if they have early summons, stays in the book if they don't.

Koz, I think it's important to remember that when you Know exactly what someone has in their spellbook, of course their weaknesses will be obvious. goofy can still put down an enchantment on a creature (that he's put a Death Link on as well, say), not flip it over right away, and bluff a Nullify. In a game you won't know if he has one or not.

That said, I do agree that having a Nullify or two (and a Dispel or two) in your Warlock spellbook is a very good plan. It's much cheaper to have the Nullify than to re-cast the Lash of Hellfire over and over again. And what if you're up against another Warlock, who drops an Agony on you?

I guess I could post my list.

Thanks Sean.

I've played Magic for so long that I've grown used to playing all kinds of different strategies.

I typically lean towards aggressive strategies, just because they take less planning and playtesting. But my favourite Mage is currently a fairly defensive Wizard build, so, figure that one out.