Vamplock

[rant]

Ok, so the warlock has been my favorite mage for a while now.  In order to keep it fresh I tried my hand at building (an almost) fireless warlock.



[spellbook]
[spellbookheader]
[spellbookname]Vamplock[/spellbookname]
[mage]Warlock[/mage]
[/spellbookheader]
[spells]
[spellclass]Attack[/spellclass]
[mwcard=FWA04]2 x  Hurl Boulder[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFA02]2 x  Hurl Rock[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Conjuration[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1j08]1 x  Hand of Bim-Shalla[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j22]2 x  Tanglevine[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j04]1 x  Battle Forge[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j12]1 x  Mana Crystal[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Creature[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1c05]2 x  Blue Gremlin[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFC02]1 x  Blood Demon[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1c26]1 x  Necropian Vampiress[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1c23]1 x  Malacoda[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Enchantment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1e23]1 x  Jinx[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e10]1 x  Decoy[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE04]1 x  Brace Yourself[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e28]1 x  Mongoose Agility[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e12]1 x  Divine Protection[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e01]2 x  Bear Strength[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e40]1 x  Vampirism[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE07]2 x  Rust[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e08]1 x  Death Link[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e31]2 x  Poisoned Blood[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e19]1 x  Ghoul Rot[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e09]3 x  Agony[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Equipment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1q11]1 x  Gauntlets of Strength[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFQ01]1 x  Adramelech's Torment[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q06]2 x  Dragonscale Hauberk[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNQ01]1 x  Cloak of Shadows[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q09]1 x  Enchanter's Ring[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFQ06]2 x  Morning Star[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q28]1 x  Ring of Curses[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNQ09]1 x  Wand of Healing[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWQ01]1 x  Dancing Scimitar[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Incantation[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1i08]1 x  Drain Life[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i28]2 x  Teleport[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i12]2 x  Force Push[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i07]1 x  Dissolve[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFI03]1 x  Disarm[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i06]2 x  Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i24]2 x  Seeking Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i23]1 x  Rouse the Beast[/mwcard]
[/spells]
[cost]Total cost: 120 pts[/cost]
[/spellbook]


So the basic premise is to get the Vampiress and Blood Demon out, buff them, and go to town.

Turn 1 (19)
Cast mana crystal (14) in starting corner
move up one and cast Battleforge (6)

Turn 2 (16)
BF casts enchanters ring (15)
Cast decoy on self with QC (14)
reveal decoy (16) cast Vampiress (0)

So tell me what you  think. This book has been a lot of fun to play and build.  Questions, comments, and concerns are all welcomed.

[Schwenkgott]

1) What are the Gremlins for? 4 Spellpoints is a quite heavy investment.

2) You do not use a lot of healing. Only 1 Vampirism and 1 Death Link. Healing Staff to help out.
Regrowth could help you a lot.

3) What is the Dancing Scimitar for? It will drain your Channeling every round. If you want to use it every round, you cannot stand still to summon (you have to charge the enemy) ... but you will have problems with your own Malacoda this way and eat his poison.

4) Without Nullify or Armor Ward, your equipment can be dissolved quickly.

5) With the forge used every turn and your own two actions per round (for cursing the enemy?), it will not be easy to safe enough mana to summon your second big hitter in the game.

6) Only 7 curses is not very much. Most of them only cost you 1 spellpoint (Magebane)

7) Your max armor is 2 from one single source. If this armor is somehow destroyed (2 times) or you receive a Rust enchantment, you will be pushed through thorns without being able to evade the damage.

[rant]

First off, thanks for taking a look at my book and responding.

1) Gremlins are great (and cheap) little creatures. When their ability is activated, they can't be hindered and can have fast making them a great first strike creature. When picking my creatures, I wanted them to be able to get to the mage without being hindered.  Gremlins fit this build very well.  That being said,they're mostly used to knock off guards. +1 piercing doesn't hurt either.

2) I really enjoy passive healing. Vampirism, deathlink, drain life, and making my blood demon a blood reaper.  with deathlink and my mages innate ability to heal through my blood reaper that puts me at +4 regen per round all while doing damage!  Add in vampirism and the heals just keep on rolling.

3) Dancing scimitar is normally not played until later in the match.  Once I'm ready to attack with my mage, it will be deployed through the BF.  Nice additional 3 dice attack when I'm built up and not worried about mana.

4) Armor ward cost too many spell points for what it does.  I've tried it before and it really hasn't worked well for me.  Nullify would be nice, but not necessary for this build.  If the other mage is within dissolve distance, I'll move in and the match becomes a damage race.

5) Yes, mana can be a problem for this build.  My two actions are normally an enchant buff (for 1 with the ring) and a curse (-1 when revealed).  Malacoda is an alt for the vampiress and mostly used against a druid.  Without fire spells, I needed to improvise.  Malacoda works well enough.  Once Plagued comes out for legal play, it will be an enchant for malacoda giving it 3 direct damage every round!
I'll very rarely get the Vamp and Mala out in the same game as my matches normally don't run that long.

6) 9 with the 2 rusts. and that's plenty.  I'll mostly throw agonies, which are great cards with a divine protection.  -3 dice against my mage means I'm not taking many dice .... which brings us to your last point ...

7) I've found I don't need anymore than 2 armor.  2 armor and -3 dice from attacks is a wonderful thing.  But just in case, there is a brace yourself for some added security.





 

[ACG]

Once Plagued comes out for legal play, it will be an enchant for malacoda giving it 3 direct damage every round!

Unfortunately, Malacoda is an illegal target for Plagued, since it is a poison enchantment and Malacoda is immune to poison.

7) I've found I don't need anymore than 2 armor.  2 armor and -3 dice from attacks is a wonderful thing.  But just in case, there is a brace yourself for some added security.

How are you getting -3 dice from attacks? I see divine protection, but nothing else that would reduce all incoming attacks. You might also consider investing in a [mwcard=MW1Q12]Helm of Fear[/mwcard]. Expensive, but effective at reducing attack damage on your mage.

The more I play with Brace Yourself, the more I am impressed by its potential. Perhaps consider investing in a few more copies; it is an absolutely fantastic defensive spell, the only downside of which is the requirement that you invest a quickcast for each round that you want to use it, though this is mitigated by the fact that you can choose when to reveal it (so that you can store one when you have a free action and release it when you are pressed).

[rant]

Malacoda Nooooooo! Well scrap that idea. Any suggestions for an alt?

Agony and divine protection is how I get -3. Agony is played early and often. So it won't be ALL incoming attacks, but it is still very effective. Adding dice to my creatures with bear strength while taking dice away from your creatures has been a solid strategy.

Helm of fear is just too expensive for this build. 8 mana pretty much means that it will be the only spell cast that round.

Brace yourself is a must have. I'll add disarm into the mix as a must have as well. Both are very versatile cards, cheap to add to any book, and cheap to cast.

Thanks for catching the plagued/malacoda.  I'll need to fine tune that part of the book.

[ACG]

Malacoda Nooooooo! Well scrap that idea. Any suggestions for an alt?

An alt for the plagued target? Plagued is still effective if you cast it on the enemy mage, but of course that will be more expensive due to magebind. You might consider casting it on the Blood Demon, since it can heal itself with vampirism, is quite mobile (so it can stay in the appropriate zone), and is difficult for your enemy to attack. Your Vampiress would also be a good target, for similar reasons (though she is easier to attack due to lack of flying).

If you are asking about an alt for a source of damage over time on multiple targets, [mwcard=MW1J11]Idol of Pestilence[/mwcard] is an effective and far-reaching option.

[rant]

Those are some good suggestions.Thanks ACG!

[DaveW]

Gremlins are great (and cheap) little creatures. When their ability is activated, they can't be hindered....

They absolutely can be hindered, even when activating their ability to Teleport to the next zone. This is because of the wording.... "each move action he takes is a teleport...." If he starts hindered or is hindered in his first zone, he will not be able to move against, even by Teleport.

[sdougla2]

Blue Gremlins can Teleport even if hindered. See page 29 of the Rules Supplement.

[echephron]

This is a style criticism, but i would use a veteran belt and more than 2 armour over divine protection.

that or a regen belt.

[DaveW]

Blue Gremlins can Teleport even if hindered. See page 29 of the Rules Supplement.

Cool... don't know when that changed, but I'm glad. There go a couple Gremlins into my Wizard book....

[Obsidian Soul]

I really do not see how this build would deal with a Beastmaster, a Priestess, a Necromancer or a Wizard because of the swarming.  I also do not see how it helps against a Druid (who can melt your equipment off of your flesh), a Forcemaster (who can mind control your creatures) or a Wizard (who can deal massive spell damage).  I do not even see how it works against another Warlock because, after they get rid of your Armor, they will just barbecue you.  Please tell us how it works out for you because it is a counterintuitive build. 

[rant]

Against living swarms, this book really shines. It is very easy to get the Vamp to 7 dice and the BD to 8.  That's a lot of damage and passive healing!  They also can only be hindered by flying creatures making them very mobile buddies. Agonies, tanglevines, and force push are all there for swarm control.

Against undead swarms, not so much.  A deathlock shuts down a lot of this strat.  Resilient zombies are the worst!

[rant]

This is a style criticism, but i would use a veteran belt and more than 2 armour over divine protection.

that or a regen belt.

I like my dark mage with a touch of light   

I've done the 5 armor and vets belt and it works great.  But that is also 4 actions verse 2. 

[rant]

[spellbook]
[spellbookheader]
[spellbookname]Vamplock V2[/spellbookname]
[mage]Warlock[/mage]
[/spellbookheader]
[spells]
[spellclass]Attack[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1a04]1 x  Fireball[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a06]2 x  Flameblast[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFA02]2 x  Hurl Rock[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWA04]1 x  Hurl Boulder[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Conjuration[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1j12]1 x  Mana Crystal[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j04]1 x  Battle Forge[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNW02]1 x  Wall of Bones[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Creature[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1c05]1 x  Blue Gremlin[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC04]1 x  Grey Wraith[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFC11]1 x  Sersiryx, Imp Familiar[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFC02]1 x  Blood Demon[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1c26]1 x  Necropian Vampiress[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Enchantment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE06]1 x  Lion Savagery[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX1CKE04]2 x  Enchantment Transfusion[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e14]1 x  Enfeeble[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e10]1 x  Decoy[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e31]2 x  Poisoned Blood[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e09]3 x  Agony[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE04]2 x  Brace Yourself[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e19]1 x  Ghoul Rot[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e23]1 x  Jinx[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e08]1 x  Death Link[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE07]2 x  Rust[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e01]2 x  Bear Strength[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e24]1 x  Magebane[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Equipment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1q08]1 x  Elemental Wand[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q16]1 x  Leather Gloves[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q21]1 x  Moloch's Torment[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFQ06]2 x  Morning Star[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q15]1 x  Leather Boots[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q06]1 x  Dragonscale Hauberk[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWQ01]1 x  Dancing Scimitar[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q23]1 x  Regrowth Belt[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q28]1 x  Ring of Curses[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNQ09]1 x  Wand of Healing[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q09]1 x  Enchanter's Ring[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Incantation[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1i06]2 x  Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i17]1 x  Minor Heal[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i07]1 x  Dissolve[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i24]1 x  Seeking Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i23]1 x  Rouse the Beast[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i28]2 x  Teleport[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFI03]1 x  Disarm[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i12]2 x  Force Push[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i19]1 x  Piercing Strike[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i04]1 x  Charge[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i08]1 x  Drain Life[/mwcard]
[/spells]
[cost]Total cost: 120 pts[/cost]
[/spellbook]

So this is the update. I still use the same opening, but the pacing has changed. I took some advice and it worked out for the best.  What I really like about this book is that it buffs my creatures and debuffs the opponents, which normally gives me a dice advantage early on.

questions, comments, and concerns are always welcome.