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Author Topic: Suggestions for Playing Apprentice Warlock vs Beastmaster?  (Read 7032 times)

ApprenticeWarlock

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Suggestions for Playing Apprentice Warlock vs Beastmaster?
« on: August 17, 2013, 10:22:58 PM »
Hi,

I'm relatively new to the game. My friend and I are still playing with the apprentice spellbooks. I'm wondering if anyone on here has any suggestions for going up against the Beastmaster with the Warlock. Looking through his book it seems like his equipment is his main strength. My plan right now is to get out a couple of Mana Crystals and the Battle Forge, then equip every piece of equipment in his book over the next couple turns. Hellfire Lash with the Fire Ring and his +1 innate in melee gives him six dice with a burn chance! That seems pretty good. The problem I see is my mage then becomes a big target for things like Tanglevines, so I think it would be good to summon at least one creature first so I can still do stuff while breaking out of vines. I'm thinking either two Skeletal Sentries (good value for mana cost) or one of the Demons with four dice and Piercing +2 (I forget their name). How does this plan sound?

ringkichard

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Re: Suggestions for Playing Apprentice Warlock vs Beastmaster?
« Reply #1 on: August 23, 2013, 11:16:03 AM »
Howdy, welcome to the forums! I noticed that your question slipped through the cracks a bit, but never fear, we'll help ya' out as best we're able. I have to go earn some money right at the moment, but I'll get back to ya' I promise.  :)
I can take the fun out of anything. It's true; here, look at this spreadsheet.

sIKE

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Re: Suggestions for Playing Apprentice Warlock vs Beastmaster?
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2013, 11:22:50 AM »
You will want to suit up but don't take to much time in doing so, as BM's swarm can build very fast and you will be taken out before you get a chance to directly battle his mage. You have only one Lash out, he can have a large pack of Foxes out that all bite what will feel like all at once.
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Fentum

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Re: Suggestions for Playing Apprentice Warlock vs Beastmaster?
« Reply #3 on: August 23, 2013, 12:41:37 PM »
In the apprentice book standard builds, it is quite difficult to beat an aggro Steelclaw.

They are great for learning the mechanics but you will no doubt move up soon...

Memnaelar

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Re: Suggestions for Playing Apprentice Warlock vs Beastmaster?
« Reply #4 on: August 23, 2013, 05:04:26 PM »
One thing I discovered in my own first run-in with a Beastmaster (I received my sets Wednesday and played my first games Thursday) is that they sometimes become so enamored with their swarms that they play their mage overly aggressively.  If your opponent fails to set up a Guard around his Beastmaster and sends his swarm out on full offense, my suggestion is to focus (assuming you've already pulled out a few creatures yourself) on cursing the Beastmaster and sending your creatures in (and possibly your Warlock) in for the kill.  Especially at apprentice levels of life, it doesn't take much damage to put down a Beastmaster, especially one stuck with the relatively weak non-creature spells found in their apprentice spellbook.

ApprenticeWarlock

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Re: Suggestions for Playing Apprentice Warlock vs Beastmaster?
« Reply #5 on: August 23, 2013, 08:53:05 PM »
I'm sorry if I was unclear. I am playing the full game but with the apprentice (i.e., preconstructed) spellbooks. So we will have the normal amount of life (36/38).

It sounds like my plan may not be the best. Are creatures generally favoured over equipment? Perhaps I should forego the Battle Forge, getting less equipment out and focussing on creature summoning instead? Which creatures are considered the best out of the Warlock book? I tend to prefer higher cost creatures since they are more efficient action-wise. Is the Pentagram worthwhile? Thanks for all your help :)

Fentum

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Re: Suggestions for Playing Apprentice Warlock vs Beastmaster?
« Reply #6 on: August 24, 2013, 03:53:22 AM »

The best thing to do is to try lots of strategies yourself.

Sometimes, the obvious strategy doesn't work so well in practice. That is very true of a low level swarm.


sIKE

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Re: Suggestions for Playing Apprentice Warlock vs Beastmaster?
« Reply #7 on: August 24, 2013, 09:11:27 AM »
Ok if you are going full life you need to change to full spellbooks. Apprentice mode is to learn the mechanics , get an idea of flavor. I can tell that you already like it. Time to change to the default playbooks to flush out your understanding (and love) of the game. Soon you will be building your own spellbooks and will never look back!
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ApprenticeWarlock

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Re: Suggestions for Playing Apprentice Warlock vs Beastmaster?
« Reply #8 on: August 24, 2013, 02:00:16 PM »
Maybe "Apprentice" was the wrong word. We are using the full spellbooks. You know, the ones with the conjurations in them such as Battle Forge and Pentagram that are listed in the back of the rulebook. We love the game and want to play the full game but don't know it well enough to build our own books, so we are using the preconstructed ones. We also don't enjoy building books, at least not yet. This may be connected to our limited knowledge of the spells and the game.

I'm hearing that it's best just to try things out rather than seek help on the strategy forums. Probably good advice, but my opportunities to play are very limited, so in the mean time I've been trying to formulate a plan at least going into the game. This is because from the very few times I have played I have noticed that going in without a plan can leave your actions disjointed and your mana totals off by one! So I wanted to at least have a framework for my first few turns and an idea of how I would kill my opponent.

In the games we have played so far (one Beastmaster vs. Priestess, one Beastmaster vs. Warlock) my opponent went heavy on Mana Flowers and Lair, trying to build up an advantage over time. He was always playing the long game with buffs like Regenerate. So I have not yet had to deal with an overly aggressive Beastmaster.

sIKE

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Re: Suggestions for Playing Apprentice Warlock vs Beastmaster?
« Reply #9 on: August 24, 2013, 08:14:15 PM »
For what it is worth there are better versions of pre-constructed spellbooks on the magewars.com website. It is great to hear that you are progressing along on your journey with MW. You need to figure out what your opponents is doing well early on and disrupt that. Then build on that for the win.

Playing games is the best way to learn, and studying the cards to get a better understanding of how they work and interact with each other will be the building blocks needed to improve your gaming.
 
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ApprenticeWarlock

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Re: Suggestions for Playing Apprentice Warlock vs Beastmaster?
« Reply #10 on: August 24, 2013, 08:35:02 PM »
I believe those are the spell lists we're using, sIKE, as they don't differ from what's printed in my rulebook. I must have a second printing.

Last game my opponent was building up with Mana Flowers and such, so I summoned a Necropian Vampiress and Teleported her into his zone. I had forgotten how much healing the Beastmaster has in his book, though, and didn't used Poisoned Blood soon enough. He dealt with the Vampiress (stupid Grizzly...) and healed a lot of the damage. We called the game after we realized that Regenerate doesn't stack and he had been cheating for the past few turns with Regenerate 4 and then 6 :o

I'm thinking the Vampiress opening I did was a little too aggressive. For the mana I spent, I really needed to ensure it killed him or be left with a huge channelling and creature deficit. That's why I was thinking building up some equipment might work better. Of course, I doubt he will focus so much on mana generation next time now that he has seen how aggressive I can be :)

Fentum

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Re: Suggestions for Playing Apprentice Warlock vs Beastmaster?
« Reply #11 on: August 25, 2013, 03:04:41 AM »
Note that the Nec can fly on her action but the Grizz can't.

Note also that you have Walls of Fire.

ApprenticeWarlock

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Re: Suggestions for Playing Apprentice Warlock vs Beastmaster?
« Reply #12 on: August 25, 2013, 12:18:03 PM »
Right, but the Flying trait goes away at the end of her action, so the grizzly can attack her on its turn; right? The grizzly was in the same zone as the Beastmaster, so I really had no way to avoid it if I wanted to attack the enemy mage.

aquestrion

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Re: Suggestions for Playing Apprentice Warlock vs Beastmaster?
« Reply #13 on: August 25, 2013, 01:30:28 PM »
Force push through the wall of fire

Fentum

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Re: Suggestions for Playing Apprentice Warlock vs Beastmaster?
« Reply #14 on: August 25, 2013, 02:06:55 PM »
Force push through the wall of fire

Yes

Nec can fly over walk giving flexibility