Mage Crafting Guide

Table of Contents

• +1. Class-Specific Cards
  • 1.1. Commons
  • 1.2. Rares
  • 1.3. Epics
  • 1.4. Legendaries
• +2. Neutral Cards
  • 2.1. Commons
  • 2.2. Rares
  • 2.3. Epics
  • 2.4. Legendaries
• +3. Gold Allocation Guide
  • 3.1. Pack Type
  • 3.2. Adventures
• 4. Changelog

On this page, you will find a list of the most useful Common, Rare, Epic, and Legendary cards for the Mage class, in terms of crafting. We separate cards by their rarity; Common, Rare, Epic and Legendary, but each individual card is given a rating of priority. It is important to know that a Rare or Epic card that is given a "High" or "Top" priority rating should be crafted before a Legendary with a "Medium" rating. In fact, if you have 1,600 Arcane Dust to spend, crafting 2 or 3 Epics and a handful of Rares is usually better than spending it all on a single Legendary. If a card is not mentioned, you can safely assume that it is rarely, or never, used in the Constructed meta.

You will also find a guide on how to best allocate your gold or money between the various Card packs and Adventures. This can vary greatly from class to class and has a great effect on how quickly and efficiently you can build a competitive deck.

In this section, we list the class-specific cards that are important for you as a Mage.

1. Flame Ward - Priority = MEDIUM: Flame Ward is a powerful potential board clear that greatly helps bridge the gap between the early game and late-game board clears like Flamestrike.
2. Sorcerer's Apprentice - Priority = MEDIUM: Sorcerer's Apprentice is a key card in most aggressive or midrange-focused Mage decks and is a key component of the Tempo Mage decks.
3. Mirror Entity - Priority = LOW: Mirror Entity is one of the best Mage Secrets, and can create very awkward situations for your opponent. However, due to the loss of Mad Scientist from Standard format, it is much less efficient unless you are playing Wild.
4. Ancient Mysteries - Priority = LOW: Ancient Mysteries provides a small boost in tempo for any Mage deck that runs Secrets. It also allows a 0-Cost Secret to be held in hand to enable powerful spell and Secret-based synergies on future turns.
5. Daring Fire-Eater - Priority = LOW: Daring Fire-Eater is a cheap minion that turns the Mage Hero Power into a removal tool. It is especially powerful in Mage decks that aim to use a limited number of spells.

1. Arcane Breath - Priority = MEDIUM: Arcane Breath is a cheap and efficient removal tool. However, it is restricted to Mage decks that use Dragons.
2. Deep Freeze - Priority = LOW: Deep Freeze is a powerful late-game card that helps populate the board with minions while still allowing the use of Mage's spell synergies.
3. Blizzard - Priority = LOW: Blizzard is used in Control Mage decks, alongside other high-Cost spells. However, it offers very little value in other Mage archetypes.

1. Mana Cyclone - Priority = MEDIUM: Mana Cyclone is an essential card in Tempo Mage decks. It rewards playing large numbers of spells in a single turn, which Tempo Mage excels at, by replacing each one played with a random Mage spell.

1. Astromancer Solarian - Priority = MEDIUM: When killed, Astromancer Solarian will shuffle Solarian Prime into your deck which, when subsequently drawn and played, can simultaneously clear the board, spawn friendly minions, and deal direct damage to opponents.
2. Reno the Relicologist - Priority = LOW: Reno the Relicologist is an essential card for Highlander Mage decks. However, it offers no value in other archetypes.
3. Archmage Antonidas - Priority = LOW: Archmage Antonidas is a very common finisher in all kinds of Mage decks, ranging all the way from the aggressive Tempo Mage, to the hyper-controlling Freeze Mage deck. As such, it should be considered as a crafting option for a budding Mage player.

In this section, we list neutral cards that are always good to craft if you are playing Mage. Note that many of these cards will be usable in a wide range of decks across multiple classes. This means that crafting these cards over class specific ones is often a good idea if you plan to play a range of classes.

1. Scalerider - Priority = LOW: Scalerider is a strong Dragon-synergy card that provide solid tempo.
2. Big Ol' Whelp - Priority = LOW: Big Ol' Whelp is a natural fit for any Mage deck that uses Dragons. It helps fill out the mid game with a solid body with the added bonus of card draw attached.

There are currently no neutral Rare cards that regularly see play in Mage decks.

1. Doomsayer - Priority = MEDIUM: Doomsayer is a common card in Quest Mage and Freeze Mage decks. It can provide a strong board clear when combined with Frost Nova and is a strong choice to help any Control deck survive against early aggression.

1. Zephrys the Great - Priority = LOW: Zephrys the Great is an essential card for Highlander Mage decks. However, it offers no value in other archetypes.
2. Dragonqueen Alexstrasza - Priority = LOW: Dragonqueen Alexstrasza is an essential card for Highlander Mage decks. However, it offers no value in other archetypes.
3. Bloodmage Thalnos - Priority = LOW: Bloodmage Thalnos is a nice addition to many Mage decks. Much like Azure Drake, the combination of Spell Damage and card draw is very fitting for Mage's gameplan. However, as the card itself is not game-changing, it is a low crafting priority due to the high amount of dust needed to craft it.

The Rise of Shadow expansion provided many useful tools for Mage, such as Mana Cyclone, Conjurer's Calling, and Messenger Raven, that bolster a range of Mage archetypes.

The Saviors Uldum re-introduced the Highlander Mage archetype. The presence of cards like Zephrys the Great and Reno the Relicologist make this expansion essential for anyone who wishes to play Highlander Mage decks.

The Descent of Dragons expansion provided a range of powerful Dragons and synergy cards for the Mage class. It opens up the Dragon Mage archetype as well as adding multiple strong cards to bolster other archetypes, such as Dragonqueen Alexstrasza for Highlander Mage and Chenvaala for Tempo Mage.

Generally, it is best to focus on a good mix of Saviors of Uldum, Descent of Dragons, and Classic packs for a Mage player to try and pick up as many key Mage cards as possible.

The Galakrond's Awakening adventure provides The Amazing Reno as a powerful late-game control tool to the Mage class. Additionally, it contains a few strong standalone cards suited to Highlander Mage decks. Despite this, the adventure is not essential for any Mage deck and should be a low purchase priority for Mage players.

• 01 May 2020: Updated for the Ashes of Outland expansion.
• 01 May 2019: Updated for the Rise of Shadows expansion.
• 29 Aug. 2018: Updated for The Boomsday Project expansion.
• 28 May 2018: Updated for the Witchwood expansion.
• 02 Jan. 2018: Updated for the Kobolds and Catacombs expansion.
• 01 May 2017: Updated for the Journey to Un'Goro expansion.
• 21 Feb. 2017: Updated to reflect the changes in MSG meta.
• 19 May 2016: Updated to reflect changes in ToG and Standard format.
• 02 Sep. 2015: Updated to include The Grand Tournament and Blackrock Mountain cards.
• 19 Feb. 2015: Complete overhaul in format, and update for the Goblins vs. Gnomes meta.
• 08 Sep. 2014: Adjusted Pyroblast's and Ice Block's descriptions and removed Tinkmaster Overspark.

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