Deathfang WK

[Cvntvs]

I wanted to make a aggressive WK thats not focusing on demons only. I wanted to open with two Mana crystals, Deathfang and a Red Claw. Anotherway is to get a Battle Forge early, Goran and Red Claw. Tell me what you think, cause im a new player, too inexperienced to get along with spellbook construction

Mage Wars deck (built using OCTGN deckbuilder)

Spellbook points: 120 used of 120 allowed

---  Attack  ---
2 Flameblast
2 Fireball
1 Ring of Fire
1 Firestorm

---  Conjuration  ---
2 Mana Crystal
1 Battle Forge
2 Wall of Fire

---  Creature  ---
2 Deathfang
1 Goran, Werewolf Pet
1 Redclaw, Alpha Male
2 Dark Pact Slayer
1 Adramelech, Lord of Fire
1 Mort

---  Enchantment  ---
1 Nullify
1 Magebane
2 Marked for Death
2 Agony
1 Chains of Agony
1 Maim Wings
1 Poisoned Blood
1 Ghoul Rot
1 Vampirism
1 Bull Endurance
1 Rhino Hide
1 Bear Strength
1 Cheetah Speed

---  Equipment  ---
1 Lash of Hellfire
1 Wand of Healing
1 Dragonscale Hauberk
1 Demonhide Armor
1 Fireshaper Ring
1 Ring of Curses
1 Gauntlets of Strength
1 Leather Boots
1 Regrowth Belt
1 Moloch's Torment

---  Incantation  ---
2 Reassemble
1 Unholy Resurgence
1 Drain Life
2 Explode
1 Dissolve
2 Dispel
1 Force Push
2 Vampiric Strike
1 Charge
1 Shift Enchantment

Any input is apreciated

[Wildhorn]

WL is for Warlord. Warlock is WK.

[DeckBuilder]

Hi Cvntvs. Welcome to the forum! It can be daunting posting a book up here, and quite brave as a first post.

You seem to have quite a lot of cards (a couple high level out-of-school) for 120! I'm sure it's right.

Your idea of Redclaw + Goran + Deathfangs is a nice idea to explore

Unfortunately, it has very little synergy with the Warlock's abilities. There are no Demons there.

Summoning those creatures takes up alot of mana and full actions. Necromancer starts with 10 Channeling, can make your first Deathfang an Eternal Servant for free for more aggression and Plague Master is a better ability than Curse Weaving.

In short, I advise you either go Warlock and discard this idea or go Necromancer and pursue this idea.

If you go Warlock, your go-to Reaper is the Dark Pact Slayer
Your go-to turn 1 play is probably Battle Forge (usually in a central zone) to kit you out
Your other great creatures are Necropian Vampiress and Lord of Fire because he's so good in current meta
The Warlock has a lot of passive healing

If you go down your Canine Necromancer route (which is far more interesting), it's a very different build

Which build interests you more? 

[Cvntvs]

Thanks for the warm welcome

You made few intersting points and to be honest your completely right DeckBuilder. I should decide, so I would like to concentrate on Deathfang + Red Claw thingy. I Guess i should post a new spell book with necromancer now.
I played few games already, but a lot of in-depth plays and mechanics are still very enigmatic to me. So i still count on specialists from Mage Wars forum. Is it even worthwhile to work on a canine necro with redclaw? I guess extra armour for these fragile skeletons is good when you have no other way to buff it, right?

I will try to post the book ASAP. Im from Poland so i will do it tomorrow probably cause its 7 pm already

[sIKE]

As Deckbuilder said Demons are probably a better play, but (he knows I am a contrarian) since Deathfang and Ravenous Ghoul are the only Dark creatures with the Fast trait, I think you could weave it into something very useful, only play testing will it help. I can see the Deathfang's being your opening vanguard getting across the board quickly and applying pressure, while you spin up your equipment and fatties in rounds 2-5. The 3 die with +1 piercing that early with the opposing mage is trying to suit up would quite nice and probably throw him out of his opening plan and grabbing tempo. Might work....

[silverclawgrizzly]

Hello and welcome tot he forums! Always good to see another coming to the dark arts of the Warlock!

I'm playing Warlock pretty steady lately and I've found that not focusing on Demons is working better for me. Yeah I have them but I almost never have time for Gate to Hell as well for example. I've thought about putting ole Redfang in my deck as well. Play it a couple of times and let us know how it works for you.

[DeckBuilder]

Hello and welcome tot he forums! Always good to see another coming to the dark arts of the Warlock!

I'm playing Warlock pretty steady lately and I've found that not focusing on Demons is working better for me. Yeah I have them but I almost never have time for Gate to Hell as well for example. I've thought about putting ole Redfang in my deck as well. Play it a couple of times and let us know how it works for you.

I hereby dub your canine idea "Redfang"... whatever that is

[DeckBuilder]

And please tell me you haven't fallen into the Gate To Hell trap, Silverclaw?

I know I'm going against everything I've ever said about "being open to new ideas" but I draw the line there!

I think Imaginator tried to make it playable with Orc Builder (maybe it is vs. a defensive Druid). The card is designed for Johnny Combo players like Imaginator who (quite admirably) will try to make the most unusable cards semi-playable (or fight design making a defensive build of the most aggressive short-term mage out there). MTG does alot of these Fool's Gold combo pieces (Door to Nothingness or that rare where you discard your whole hand for 1 black for reanimator shenanigans). I think Altar of Skulls could be more Fool's Gold but I'm hoping it's not.

I've always found the best use for Gate To Hell is to laminate it and use it as a coaster.
Where, when entertaining fellow gamers, it makes for an interesting conversation piece.

[DeckBuilder]

Actually, been thinking about Gate To Hell (see, I do practice what I preach) and it may not be THAT bad

I think we focus too much on the second ability which should be thought of as a deterrent to avoid swarming it

I've never tried a Warlock Swarm build but 12 mana for a quite a resilient +1 melee upgrader may not be too bad in the right book based on 6 Firebrand Imp + 4 Dark Pact Slayer (hence not stuffed by Flame Resistance or Immunity). The Flame Hellions only exist for anti-flyer Board Control and you are playing Kill the King so despite their Flame Immunity vs. Gate's opening, too much Flame attacks is a liability against a variety of books hence the better Slayers are there instead. Flame -2 is good enough should you ever open it.

Or maybe 6 Firebrand Imp + 4 Flame Hellion + 4 Wall of Fire. Yeah that could be an interesting build, with your Warlock (Dragonscale + Elemental = Flame -4 on walls) also getting relatively safe Wallwalking. Problem is both those equipment are so prevalent in so many books and need to be Dissolved range 1 (all copies). So great in theory but the meta doesn't support it. Would stuff the Druid of course.

Demon Swarm just feels worse than Beastmaster Swarm which has Fast to counter overcommiting to an Orb + Obelisk.

And 6 spellpoints... Ugh.

I think the best we can hope for is that designers will make it playable with more cheap demons and a better spawnpoint (or sweeping or zonal damage creatures to trigger Pentagram more), maybe some sort of Demon Builder? Or mechanic that makes remote summoning (like Garrison Posts) better - but that would make Druid obscene. So they can't really go that way either...

Meantime while waiting for the support cards it needs, every time I look at Gate To Hell, it makes me think "why not play Beastmaster Swarm instead?" It's like Golems in Warlord Charge instead of Earth Wizard Teleport. There are build archetypes. Not all mages do the same build archetype equally well. I'm not a fan of Demon Swarm currently.

Yeah sorry, back to a coaster you go...

[baronzaltor]

Just looking at the melee buff aspect, you need to have about 5-6 demons on the table for it to generate enough extra dice (over all your horde) to justify not having just spent 6 spell points and 3 further mana on 3 Bear Strengths cast across your forces.

[DeckBuilder]

Yeah, I'm trying Baron, to justify its existence. I'm trying and failing miserably!

[baronzaltor]

I tried hard with the Gate too.  I also did the "builder trick"  to at at least carry some of the load of its clunky casting.

Still havnt found something that really works… though, it did teach me a new appreciation for the Goblin Builder at least!
Now he runs around the arena plopping out Enchanters Wardstones for my Warlock instead of trying to build Hellgates.

[DeckBuilder]

Goblin Builders for Crystals and Wardstones!

That's the missing piece for my Necromancer + Cloak of Shadows + Enchanter's Ring + Curses + Enchantment Transfusion book!

Thank you, Baron! Learnt 2 things today already. And so many threads still to catch-up on...

[baronzaltor]

Yeah, I use Sectarus to lay out the curses and Builders to lay out Wardstones so they are harder to get rid of.  Nothing like paying 16 mana to get rid of a Ghoul Rot

[silverclawgrizzly]

I tried using the Gate to Hell, honestly I did. I even went Gate to Hell plus Pentagram and thought "Ah gee I'm clever cause I Harmonize and stuff!" But no it didn't work. Know what works with a Warlock? Beating the living crap out of the other Mage. That works. Spawn a creature or two, grab the melee weapon of your choice, and go throw fire at them til they're ash. Curses are amazing, and I'm totally going to use that Ward Stone idea btw. Every turn with a Warlock I'm throwing fire and cursing(both in and out of game!) Get you some Cheetah Speed, some Moongoose Agility, and just blaze around the board incinerating stuff. So far it's worked incredibly well Even if you lose your opponent will know they were in a fight.