Awesome. Hopefully we'll see some innovative Warlord builds make an appearance. My Druid's not looking forward to fanning the flames, though!

Great write up. A few additional thoughts:

I think Gurmash is actually a big deal, mostly because Command spells are good but rarely worth burning a Warlord action to play. He's robust enough compared to other familiars for the cost and has quite a few options at his disposal. Well suited to the Thorgg and friends strategy now, but possibly also a player if some sort of effective weenie rush strategy emerges.   

General's Signet Ring is hardly flashy, but it was a key piece of the puzzle that was sorely missing from the Warlord's arsenal. One of his few ways to gain some incremental mana advantage over the long term. 

Akiro's Favor is significant because it is the only card out there (I believe) that allows re-rolls. How many times in this game do you come within 1 damage of killing something, only to have to pass the initiative and have that creature clock you for 4-5 dice despite its 1 health and be healed in the process. And then you have to waste an action to finish it off next turn, if that is even still viable. Sure, you might whiff again or you might roll awesome and never invoke it's ability, but the tempo gained and damage saved by winning an "almost, but not quite" situation is enormous. On a creature with a powerful attack, this is a very good ability to have.

Sardonyx has gotten some mixed press because of his cost, but I think you have the right of it. Unlike Talos, which takes a lot of setup, this thing comes down in the middle of the board on turn 2 for a Necro or Warlock. Unstoppable is ridiculous and justifies the price. The poison attack is lousy, but spreading finite life and piercing +2 is no joke. I believe the key to using him well, as you mention, is to just go straight to the dome and forget about other creatures. He will be such a distraction between the high health, sweeping attack, and hindering that your mage can either step back and play D or support Sardonyx with reanimate effects or combat tricks if the enemy isn't pressuring you. If he dies, who cares? The real cards to look out for, in my opinion, are stall tactics like Block, Fumble, and Reverse Damage; if these fire off, then you end up sustaining 2 damage, opponent rebuilds his mana base, and you get in no damage. That would be terrible.

Morning Star is an excellent addition to the game. It's dirt cheap and a repeatable counter to frustrating defenses. Combined with a good buff, this will hammer the Forcemaster better than most equipment. 

Why the heck wasn't Ballista in this set? I can't think of a more appropriate card for the Warlord, especially given that Akiro's Hammer is so inefficient! Hope we see it soon.

So far I've been using Kralathor, Galador, and Tarok as my "giant" creatures, with Raptor Vines and Thornlashers. How are the Grizzlies treating you as a Druid? That's not something I've played around with yet.

I'd think you'd be more concerned about a Devouring Jelly or an Iron Golem at your tree though. A Bonded Vine Tree has 2 Armour so a 3 die attack with no piercing, even repeated three times, isn't exactly that impressive.

Agreed. Jelly is definitely a much larger threat than Hydra. I got a bit lazy in my post and just used Hydra as a generic stand-in for "huge dude in zone with your bonded tree." As for Grizzly, he's worked well for me in the past by doubling as harassment and tree zone protection. I always seem to get more mileage out of him than Kralathor, especially against Wizards. I run Galador and Tarok as well. Galador's lightning attack against armored buffoons is quite the stones.   

Alright, time to finally throw this topic at the community. I tend to read a lot more than I post, so this thread comes after a lot of reading, fiddling around, and discussion with some of my local gaming crew.

The Wizard seems to receive a disproportionate amount of glory in posts and competitive play for a number of reasons, the main ones being that he is:

a) A blast to play
b) Has versatile spellbook options with few drawbacks
c) Wins. Consistently 

I've enjoyed quite a few victories as the Wizard myself, but I'm honestly hard pressed to think of strategies that slice and dice him with any consistent degree of effectiveness. It's a given that almost every spellbook is different, but that doesn't prevent us from generalizing at least somewhat about how Wizards operate and what sort of tactics may be effective. Some common spellbook characteristics:

1) Teleport shenanigans
2) Wands
3) Dispel/Nullify/Dissolve effects, often in abundance
4) Gate to Voltari/Wizard's Tower
5) Channeling buffs and conjurations
6) Hydras, gorgons, oozes, gargoyles

Obviously this list is hardly inclusive, but here's the question I want to engage:

How do your competitive spellbooks effectively challenge Wizards? Knowing that an opponent is a Wizard at the start of a game, is there a holistic strategy that you try to employ from the outset?

There are soundbites of advice scattered throughout the forum on this topic, but it'd be nice to have a refreshed strategic look centralized in a new thread. Have at it, but don't leave us hanging with a wishy-washy "it depends!" Give examples using specific mages. Any input is appreciated!