Adramalech Warlock - burn

[SharkBait]

Alright, so here's a go at what I've been pondering since it's coming around to Origins and GenCon time. Last year I got stuck unprepared at GenCon (forgot my Mage Wars stuff) so I used a Stock 'Lock. While it was fun, I want to actually bring a book this year. Here's what I've been working on so far/play testing a little bit (against a beastmaster, but want to start playing on OCTGN to try against other mages.)


The idea is to get Sersiryx out and buff him with a harmonize and a hawkeye early (can be finished by turn 2 if no wrenches thrown in.)

I'm using the battleforge to help cast the cheaper equipment right away (typically the rings, the elemental wand (flameblast) and the amulet. I'm considering switching to just 2 mana crystals instead of the amulet. I've gone back and forth with it in my head and can't decide. Anyone have any experience with it?)

Turn 2/3/4 is when Sersiryx starts passing out cheap curses setting up other creatures/the mage for smoldering curses and for keeping burn tokens attached.

Once these have been set up, I begin to fire away and make plays as necessary.

[spellbook]
[spellbookheader]
[spellbookname]Trogdor the Burninator[/spellbookname]
[mage]Adramelech Warlock[/mage]
[/spellbookheader]
[spells]
[spellclass]Attack[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1a06]4 x  Flameblast[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a12]2 x  Ring of Fire[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFA01]3 x  Devil's Trident[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a05]1 x  Firestorm[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a04]3 x  Fireball[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWA02]2 x  Force Hammer[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Conjuration[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1j04]1 x  Battle Forge[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j12]1 x  Mana Crystal[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Creature[/spellclass]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFC13]4 x  Wildfire Imp[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1c23]1 x  Malacoda[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1c03]2 x  Dark Pact Slayer[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFC11]1 x  Sersiryx, Imp Familiar[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Enchantment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1e29]2 x  Nullify[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e25]1 x  Maim Wings[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE02]1 x  Akiro's Favor[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE03]1 x  Arcane Corruption[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE01]3 x  Adramelech's Touch[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE07]1 x  Rust[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE04]2 x  Brace Yourself[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e04]2 x  Chains of Agony[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e27]1 x  Marked for Death[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e08]1 x  Death Link[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e19]2 x  Ghoul Rot[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e21]2 x  Hawkeye[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e20]2 x  Harmonize[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Equipment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFQ01]1 x  Adramelech's Torment[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFQ02]1 x  Bloodfire Helmet[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q06]1 x  Dragonscale Hauberk[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q10]1 x  Fireshaper Ring[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q22]1 x  Moonglow Amulet[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q05]1 x  Demonhide Armor[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q07]1 x  Elemental Cloak[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q08]2 x  Elemental Wand[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q28]1 x  Ring of Curses[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Incantation[/spellclass]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFI01]1 x  Combustion[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i11]1 x  Explode[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i23]1 x  Rouse the Beast[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFI05]3 x  Ignite[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i07]1 x  Dissolve[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFI03]2 x  Disarm[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i06]1 x  Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i29]2 x  Vampiric Strike[/mwcard]
[/spells]
[cost]Total cost: 120 pts[/cost]
[/spellbook]

See my post for list of individual changes, but here's rev 2
[spellbook]
[spellbookheader]
[spellbookname]Trogdor the burninator Rev 2[/spellbookname]
[mage]Adramelech Warlock[/mage]
[/spellbookheader]
[spells]
[spellclass]Attack[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1a06]6 x  Flameblast[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a05]1 x  Firestorm[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a04]3 x  Fireball[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWA02]1 x  Force Hammer[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a12]2 x  Ring of Fire[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFA01]3 x  Devil's Trident[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Conjuration[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1j04]1 x  Battle Forge[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j12]2 x  Mana Crystal[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Creature[/spellclass]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFC11]1 x  Sersiryx, Imp Familiar[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFC02]1 x  Blood Demon[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1c03]1 x  Dark Pact Slayer[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Enchantment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1e08]1 x  Death Link[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE02]1 x  Akiro's Favor[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE07]1 x  Rust[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE04]2 x  Brace Yourself[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e04]2 x  Chains of Agony[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e27]1 x  Marked for Death[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e25]1 x  Maim Wings[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e19]2 x  Ghoul Rot[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e21]2 x  Hawkeye[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e20]1 x  Harmonize[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e29]2 x  Nullify[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e40]1 x  Vampirism[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE01]2 x  Adramelech's Touch[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Equipment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1q06]1 x  Dragonscale Hauberk[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q10]1 x  Fireshaper Ring[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q05]1 x  Demonhide Armor[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q08]2 x  Elemental Wand[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q28]1 x  Ring of Curses[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q14]1 x  Lash of Hellfire[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q16]1 x  Leather Gloves[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q15]1 x  Leather Boots[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q23]1 x  Regrowth Belt[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFQ01]1 x  Adramelech's Torment[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFQ02]1 x  Bloodfire Helmet[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Incantation[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1i06]2 x  Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFI03]2 x  Disarm[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i07]2 x  Dissolve[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFI05]3 x  Ignite[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i23]1 x  Rouse the Beast[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFI01]1 x  Combustion[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i12]2 x  Force Push[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i28]1 x  Teleport[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i24]1 x  Seeking Dispel[/mwcard]
[/spells]
[cost]Total cost: 120 pts[/cost]
[/spellbook]

[Schwenkgott]

If your Sersiryx is killed, you lose almost 20 Mana. That might be Good Game at that point. Think about protecting him from evil and you'll have more fun with him.

[iNano78]

If your Sersiryx is killed, you lose almost 20 Mana. That might be Good Game at that point. Think about protecting him from evil and you'll have more fun with him.

I'm working on a similar spell book / strategy. In addition to [mwcard=MWSTX2FFE04]Brace Yourself[/mwcard], what would you suggest to protect [mwcard=MWSTX2FFC11]Sersiryx[/mwcard]? [mwcard=MW1E34]Reverse Attack[/mwcard]? [mwcard=MW1E13]Eagle Wings[/mwcard]? [mwcard=MW1E32]Regrowth[/mwcard]? [mwcard=MW1E36]Rhino Hide[/mwcard]? The more you protect him, the more expensive he gets - both in terms of mana and actions to set him up.

[Schwenkgott]

Something like Block might work. You only have to save 2 mana for the reveal ... and he is usually not attacked by unavoidable attacks.

[SharkBait]

I really like the block idea, I'll have to throw that in. Do you think 2 would be enough?

Also, any comment on moonglow amulet vs a second mana crystal?

[iNano78]

I really like the block idea, I'll have to throw that in. Do you think 2 would be enough?

Also, any comment on moonglow amulet vs a second mana crystal?

Mana Crystal, especially if you plan to actually use [mwcard=MWSTX2FFQ01]Adramelech's Torment[/mwcard].

[Borg]

My guess is you won't have enough mana to do everything you want between using sersiryx, the Battle Forge and your Elemental Wand every turn.

Your Channeling : Mage (9) + BF (1) + Sersiryx (1) + Amulet (1) + Crystal (1) + 2 Harmonize (2) is 15 at most but it costs you at least 39 !!! mana already just to get all of that out.

15 mana to divide between 3 spellcasters/spawnpoints means you have only 5 mana on average for each spell.

The cheapest attack spell you have is Flameblast, 5 mana, and there's only 4 of them. ( I would up that to six. )
All other attack spells cost 7+ mana.

Equipment : you have the two cheap rings and the Torment but after that the mana cost of everything starts to go up quickly. 7-8ish

Enchantments : most of them cost 5 mana or more, ( Arcane Corruption can cost up to 10 mana ) so, I think it's clear that you will not be able to use all your casters/spawnpoints every round.

You mentioned putting a Hawkeye on S. and then later you said "Turn 2/3/4 is when Sersiryx starts passing out cheap curses" : Hawkeye doesn't help with that

I suggest :
- Drop the Battle Forge, Amulet, and Harmonizes
- Try putting Sersiryx on full time Cursing duty, that would allow him to stay two zones away from danger. ( Flameblast is range 1 ) and possibly improve his survivability.
- Put the warlock on full time Firing duty ( with a Wand )
- Try to bring the cost of your spells down : casting cheap curses and Flameblasts ( with an occasional Fireball ) may allow you to still armor up and react to situations.
- Get at least two more Dispels and preferably also at least one Seeking Dispel as there are a lot of good enchantments which stay face down like Brace yourself, Enchantment Transfusion, Retaliate, Reverse Attack ...
- Add a few Tanglevines to keep the opposition of your hide
- Never go to war without a Wall. Amazing how useful one of these can turn out to be at the right time.

A possible opening :

R1 19 : Sersiryx + FD Brace Yourself ( on Sers )
R2 14+1 : QC Ring of Curses + FD Hawkeye on Mage leaves you with 19+2 mana going into R3  ( if you don't play a Curse on R2 )

Succes.

[iNano78]

By the way, instead of or in addition to Tanglevine, you'll definitely want at least a couple [mwcard=MW1E14]Enfeeble[/mwcard]s.  They're probably the most important curse for keeping your opponent off your back.

In addition to what Borg said, check this out:
http://forum.arcanewonders.com/index.php?topic=15259.0

That one is more DOT, whereas you're going with more fireball-to-the-face, but a lot of the same principles apply in terms of hitting them hard while staying out of range of their attacks.

[Coshade]

Hey there!

I really like your build. I hope I can give you some tips that are useful. Since you're focusing on tournament I will try and be as competitive as possible.  I like to play very mid-game timings, so keep that in mind with my advice. There has already been a lot of good stuff posted here so I will try not to repeat them.

Your opening - I would be really weary about giving to many enchantments to Sersiryx. He is already a prime target without enchantments, the more you put on him the more you lose. If you do want to buff him, be prepared to spend a lot of actions babysitting him with your mage. The only enchantment I would suggest if you plan on using attack spells is akiro's favor. You are also at a disadvantage because healing costs quite a bit to put in your spell book.

I would take out both harmonizes and the moonglow amulet. If you want the higher channeling you should use mana crystals. The conjurations are a lot harder to destroy then enchantments and equipment. I wouldn't suggest having so much mana generating things too. The actions it will take to cast these will take you into round 3 minimum without getting defense (thats with the Battle Forge). My suggestions is you have a Battle Forge, 1 Mana Crystal, and Sersiryx.

Creatures - Without a spawnpoint I would suggest high level creatures. Getting swarms to work is tough to do action wise. I would suggest at least 1 Blood Demon. Usually I prefer Malacoda for the Necromancer. How do you plan on using him in your book?

Equipment - I would drop the Bloodfire Helmet. I would add the leather boots/gloves combo. When you play your games try and notice how much you cast the Elemental Cloak. A lot of players put them in but never cast it. I know it's tough, but I would really suggest a Wand of Healing. It is a very useful wand to get rid of all sorts of problems in the game (corrodes and rots mainly, very useful for stuns/dazes as well). I noticed you didn't have the Last of Hellfire, are you planning on just summoning creatures during your main action? You need a regrowth belt. When I have a Battle Forge I always include a Regrowth Belt. It is much better then the cloak IMO. I would say include an eagleclaw boots but you should be ok. Just keep in mind there is a wall the is immune to Fire Damage so you would need your other creatures to break you out if you get trapped.

Incantations - You need more at least 2 more dissolves, 2 more dispels, and some form of teleports/force pushes. I know you want to Direct damage your way to victory, but armor can be a big problem for you. When you play, try and notice how much you want to use your Explode, vs how much you use your dissolve. I would suggest at least 2 Force Pushes and 1 Teleport. If you are against someone cursing you, you will need the dispels.

I would suggest taking out the Vampiric Strikes in place of a Vampirism. I think I understand where you are going, but the action economy is what I am most worried about in this book. A good way to keep your mage alive is to have Lash of Hellfire with Vampirism and Ring of Curses (6 dice for 3 healing).

I think you also need Acid Balls. I would suggest at least 2 of them.

[SharkBait]

Thanks a ton for the suggestions guys. I've taken what I can and modified the list (I'll update the OP as well as post it here so you can see.)

Added:
1 dispel
1 dissolve
2 Force Push
2 Flameblast
1 Teleport
1 Seeking Dispel
1 Blood Demon
1 Mana Crystal
1 Vampirism
1 lash of Hellfire
1 Regrowth Belt
1 Leather boots
1 leather gloves
1 Block

Removed:
4 Wildfire Imps
1 Harmonize
2 Vampiric Strike
1 Malacoda
1 Moonglow Amulet
1 Elemental Cloak
1 Arcane Corruption
1 Adramalech's touch
1 Dark Pact Slayer
1 Force Hammer
2 Disarm
1 Explode

Coshade, you made a good point about creatures. I'm not sure i'd ever be comfortable spending the turns to summon each WiFI (can that be the official designation?! ). I took out Malacoda (who was there as a way to deal with flame immune things/be scary) and added a Blood Demon who should do something similar for cheaper and is less likely to kill me. 

I did keep one Harmonize because I think it helps Sersiryx start throwing attack spells after turn3/4 (I use the first few turns to set him up, during which he'll pass out curses using his mana, then transition into full attack mode with both him and my mage.)

I decided to keep 1 of the Force Hammers as my non-fire attack spell should that be required. It helps for Walls of Earth, and anything else that may come up. I also kept the bloodfire helmet because I really like the +1 melee for demons considering each of the creatures I have is a demon and I'm trying my best to burninate the peasants. I'm not COMPLETELY attached to it though, so should playtesting reveal that idea to be dumb, I'll adjust accordingly. I just want to see it first.

I'll admit that originally I wanted to keep my mage out of the frey, but after thinking about it I believe that I can use her as a large source of damage as well and still cast the ranged spells like flame blast. Armor up and charge in burninating peasants.

Didn't quite have room for acid balls, though I'll be on the lookout for spells I never cast in order to switch them in and test them.

Anyone up for an OCTGN match sometime soon?


[spellbook]
[spellbookheader]
[spellbookname]Trogdor the burninator Rev 2[/spellbookname]
[mage]Adramelech Warlock[/mage]
[/spellbookheader]
[spells]
[spellclass]Attack[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1a06]6 x  Flameblast[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a05]1 x  Firestorm[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a04]3 x  Fireball[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWA02]1 x  Force Hammer[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a12]2 x  Ring of Fire[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFA01]3 x  Devil's Trident[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Conjuration[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1j04]1 x  Battle Forge[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j12]2 x  Mana Crystal[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Creature[/spellclass]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFC11]1 x  Sersiryx, Imp Familiar[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFC02]1 x  Blood Demon[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1c03]1 x  Dark Pact Slayer[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Enchantment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1e08]1 x  Death Link[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE02]1 x  Akiro's Favor[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE07]1 x  Rust[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE04]2 x  Brace Yourself[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e04]2 x  Chains of Agony[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e27]1 x  Marked for Death[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e25]1 x  Maim Wings[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e19]2 x  Ghoul Rot[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e21]2 x  Hawkeye[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e20]1 x  Harmonize[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e29]2 x  Nullify[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e40]1 x  Vampirism[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE01]2 x  Adramelech's Touch[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Equipment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1q06]1 x  Dragonscale Hauberk[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q10]1 x  Fireshaper Ring[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q05]1 x  Demonhide Armor[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q08]2 x  Elemental Wand[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q28]1 x  Ring of Curses[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q14]1 x  Lash of Hellfire[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q16]1 x  Leather Gloves[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q15]1 x  Leather Boots[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q23]1 x  Regrowth Belt[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFQ01]1 x  Adramelech's Torment[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFQ02]1 x  Bloodfire Helmet[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Incantation[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1i06]2 x  Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e02]1 x  Block[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i07]2 x  Dissolve[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFI05]3 x  Ignite[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i23]1 x  Rouse the Beast[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFI01]1 x  Combustion[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i12]2 x  Force Push[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i28]1 x  Teleport[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i24]1 x  Seeking Dispel[/mwcard]
[/spells]
[cost]Total cost: 120 pts[/cost]
[/spellbook]