AL = Arthurian Legends

Pros & Cons of [[Battlemage]]

Pros:

Highest starting power of any Avatar
Can't be targeted by hard removal spells i.e. ([[Bury]], [[Drown]], [[Banish]], [[Pollimorph]])
Great target to hold and keep artifacts due to resiliency
Excels at early damage

Cons:

Weak to direct damage, especially against Charge Minions and damage Spells like [[Firebolts]], [[Craterize]], [[Arcane Barrage]]
Requires mobility from spells to get around the realm, no movement spells = Snailmage
Starts to lose advantage against draw based Avatars by turn 5-6 i.e. [[Sorcerer]], [[Geomancer]], [[Pathfinder]]
Hindered greatly by sites like [[Free City]], [[Gnome Hollows]], and [[Perilous Bridge]]

[[Battlemage]] can be played in a variety of ways depending on what elements you choose to use. For this variation we're using Air and Water.

Artifacts

[[Aquamarine Core]], [[Amethyst Core]], and [[Philosopher's Stone]] allows you to begin moving your [[Battlemage]] earlier due to not tapping as often for Sites. These artifacts accelerate your deck and help with outpacing your opponent.

[[Ring of Morrigan]] is now the powerhouse staple artifact of the format. This gives [[Battlemage]] a damage boost and can turn the tempo around immediately upon being played, especially with the Magics that are available within Air and Water. Because you will most likely be around the center of the board or on your opponents side of the realm, you'll more than likely be able to ping anything for much needed life gain.

[[Screaming Skull]] is the perfect pairing for [[Battlemage]] as it works in tandem with the [[Battlemage]] passive and can generate additional card advantage/board advantage if you can checkers your way through your opponents weaker minions.

[[Mix Aer]] is preferred over [[Four Waters of Paradise]] due to the mana cost difference. Since the majority of the spells are air and cost 3 or less [[Mix Aer]] is definitely more consistent as a 2 of. You typically wouldn't want this in your opening hand unless you know you can have a big turn 2-3 after cracking the [[Mix Aer]].

AIR

Minions

[[Highland Falconer]] is a minion that both thins out your deck and provides an additional minion on the board in the form of [[Palliburrie Bats]]. [[Palliburrie Bats]] are a useful minion in this deck since it can burrow itself and grab buried artifacts, as well as offering additional evasion/mobility in the form of airborne. You can also play either of these minions turn 1 if you have a tower in hand since they each have only 1 Air Threshold required in their cost, making these a great early game pair. [[Phase Assassin]] is a strong early game minion at the 3-cost slot and it gives you the chance to begin playing units next to your opponent thanks to Voidwalk, and Stealth is just the cherry on top. Stealth is such an oppressive ability that this deck takes advantage of whenever it can, using it's evasiveness and the unblockable attacks are key to increasing your board advantage. [[Gyre Hippogriffs]] are a staple in almost any Air deck because of the immediate value it provides with Charge. Because it has Airborne, this minion has inherent evasiveness as well as more options for movement, making this one of our best minions in almost any matchup. With [[Ring of Morrigan]] being so strong it's important to get this out as often as possible, so we now get to use [[Highland Princess]]. While there are 4 other options to take with [[Highland Princess]], you will almost always be grabbing [[Ring of Morrigan]] because of it's power. Finally we have [[Merlin]] as one of the recent AL additions to the deck. At worst it's a 3 power Spellcaster for 3 mana which allows you to look at your top spell. Even if you never get to cast with [[Merlin]], the information gained from his ability is too good to pass up on. Thanks to [[Highland Falconer]], [[Highland Princess]], and [[Battlemage]] passive, the top Spell in your Spellbook can constantly change which allows you to keep searching for answers with [[Merlin]].

Magics

Gives you great mobility spells in the form of [[Grapple Shot]] and [[Tactical Move]]. [[Grapple Shot]] is your bread and butter in this deck because it accomplishes your main goals, additional movement and extra damage. Being able to drag your [[Battlemage]] across the board to deal direct damage is great because the struck unit does not strike back and your [[Battlemage]] is free to attack again. You would normally reserve this for extra damage on your opponent, but if using [[Grapple Shot]] as a removal spell keeps you ahead on the board it's better to use it for that purpose. [[Tactical Move]] is another great Air Spell from the AL Set due to how basic it's ability is. Additional movement on any of your units is immediate board presence and the fact that [[Tactical Move]] allows you to move any number of your units in any region two steps is massive for only 2 mana and a single threshold. This is a step above [[Blink]] that is limited to only a single unit. Even though [[Tactical Move]] doesn't replace itself, it's effect alone is strong enough to be worth it especially because of your units like [[Phase Assassin]] that can regain Stealth for an unblockable attack, or your Airborne units that can move across the entire realm, but the fact that you can do this as well as moving your [[Battlemage]] to an enemy minion for a draw is massive. For specific removal we have [[Cast into Exile]]. This is definitely a flex card being only a one of in the deck and is primarily used for problematic minions that make it to your backline. It's primary purpose is to deal with minions without needing to circle back to your own side of the board. Next we have [[Browse]]. [[Browse]] is one of Air's strongest spells that will almost guarantee a new useful card in hand, and the second portion of [[Browse]] is now really relevant because of new Sites in AL. And finally we have [[Feast for Crows]], another OP card in the right hands. At worst this Spell lets you see your opponents hand and entire Spellbook, which is immense value for only 3 mana, but if you have experience in a plethora of matchups you'll have a higher success rate of naming relevant cards. A few staple cards to name can be [[Common Sense]] or [[Autumn Unicorn]] for most Earth decks, [[Grapple Shot]] or [[Magic Missile]] in most Air decks, [[Vile Imp]] or [[Firebolts]] in most Fire decks, or [[Atlantean Fate]] against Water decks. You can also name your opponent's potential win conditions such as [[Craterize]], [[Arcane Barrage]], or [[Major Explosion]]. [[Feast for Crows]] targets definitely vary depending on the Avatar your opponent is using so the more experience you have, the better your decisions for naming cards will be.

Auras

[[Thunderstorm]] is the only Air Aura we are using in this list. An early [[Thunderstorm]] on top of your opponent is an amazing way to get semi-consistent damage before your opponent can move away, even mid-late game its a great aura to use if your opponent is hiding in a [[Gnome hollows]] or secluded far-away after using [[Teleport]]. Another use for [[Thunderstorm]] is as a way to corral your opponent's Units that forces them to move out of it's range and into a less optimal area that can leave them exposed to your own units. [[Thunderstorm]] can be detrimental if your own Minions/[[Battlemage]] are within its range, so it's important that you time this Aura properly in order to get the max value.

WATER

Water in general got a massive surge in power from AL so we now have a lot more options besides the few staple water cards from Beta.

Minions

The best minion we got from AL for this deck is definitely [[Lugbog Cat]]. At 4-power and the ability to be played on an opponent's water site this is a step above the already amazing 3 cost minion [[Autumn Unicorn]]. Even at 2 Water threshold, this can be done much more consistently with the deck's current Site base. This and [[Phase Assassin]] make our potential turn 2 plays much more destructive for our opponent. Another Beast Minion we got from AL is [[Questing Beast]]. [[Questing Beast]] is just a great beater of a minion at 5 power, and while the Lethal ability on it is negligible, the Stealth on it makes it a powerhouse with having inherent movement at the end of your turn. Pair this a [[Grapple Shot]] and you can deal half of your opponents life in a single turn from just these two cards. [[Ruler of Thuul]] is still your All-Star minion in this deck. It pumps not only your minions but also your [[Battlemage]] +1 power and connects the top and bottom realm for your units only, allowing your units to rush to your opponent's sites/units in their backline. On top of this, [[Ruler of Thuul]] has charge. So he provides an immediate benefit in damage, mobility, and buffs.

Magics

Water gives you access to spells great tempo swinging combat tricks in the form of [[Shrink]], [[Pollimorph]], and [[Degradation]]. These spells help keep your [[Battlemage]] healthy because you take significantly less damage from debuffed minion, so these spells can be considered a cantrip due to [[Battlemage]] drawing a card after attacking and killing these debuffed Minions. [[Pollimorph]] is a flexible spell that is meant for minions that are harder to kill, i.e. airborne/high power. This spell also banishes the minion and cannot be interacted with later on in the game via [[Deathspeaker]]/[[Pillar of Zeiros]]. [[Shrink]] is meant for higher power units that are +4 power, but can also be used in case you want to preserve more life throughout the game. One thing to keep in mind is that both [[Shrink]] and [[Pollimorph]] become cheap kill Spells when you have a [[Ring of Morrigan]] on your [[Battlemage]] being able to ping minions right before getting debuffed. [[Degredation]] is the newest addition for Water combat tricks and is more of a specialized removal Spell because it only affects Mortals. A few of the staple Mortals that are used in many decks already provide an immediate benefit upon entering the Realm, for example [[Grandmaster Wizard]], [[Highland Princess]], [[Brother Knight]], and many of the other Genesis Mortals in Beta and AL. However, [[Degradation]] is the most efficient way to remove Stealth Mortals because the Spell itself does not target a Mortal. This makes dealing with [[Morgana Le Fay]] and sneaky [[Phase Assassin]] a lot more efficient before these Mortals get too much value.

Auras

[[Atlantean Fate]] is arguably still the strongest Water card in the game and is a great finisher card against opponents that keep their Avatars in sites like [[Free City]] or [[Gnome Hollows]]. Most decks are still not playing Water so the Threshold conversion from [[Atlantean Fate]] is still a game finisher for you, but it is important to keep in mind that this Aura only affects Non-Ordinary Sites and AL brought a lot of new Ordinary Sites into the format.

SITES

[[Lighthouse]], [[The Colour Out of Space]], [[Tintagel]], and [[Joyous Garde]] provide both Air and Water threshold and playing one will already meet the threshold requirement for almost half the Spells in your Spellbook. [[The Colour Out of Space]] works well with this deck due to [[Battlemage]] playing a low amount of Sites per game and the two Unique Sites from AL also do well since we will always have space in our back row. Keep in mind that [[Earthquake]] does have the ability to remove these thresholds depending on placement, making Units and Artifacts on these Site susceptible to Bury once they lose their threshold.

Air

[[Lone Tower]], [[Gothic Tower]], and [[Dark Tower]] are the original Air Ordinary Sites. These sites provide an additional 1 mana on the turn they are played if it's the only copy among your sites. These sites are amazing with the [[Battlemage]] game plan since you get to play cards ahead of the natural curve of the game. This gives you the capability to play turn 1 [[Highland Falconer]]/[[Palliburrie Bats]], turn 2 [[Phase Assassins]]/[[Grapple Shots]], turn 3 [[Hippogriffs]]/[[Thunderstorm]]/[[Ruler of Thuul]]. Playing minions ahead of the curve is what makes Tower's so powerful in any Air deck. These Sites also give you the possibility of insane starts if you have an early Core or [[Philosopher Stone's]], i.e. turn 2 [[Thunderstorm]].

[[Lookout]] is one of the new Ordinary Air Sites from AL and early in the game can be just as powerful because of the information you gain from looking at your opponent's hand. Also gives you valuable info to be able to name more optimally with your [[Feast for Crows]].

[[Observatory]] allows you to stack your next 3 spells in the most optimal way while also giving you information on what your next few turns may look like. Keep in mind that your [[Highland Falconer]] and [[Highland Princess]] will shuffle your deck so you can always change the top Spells in case you don't want the cards from the next few draws.

[[Cloud City]] is an extremely versatile site that can give you many options throughout the state of the game due to the mobility it can offer. It's also a great Site to hinder [[Enchantress]] decks since it leaves a void in its place once moved.

[[Merlin's Tower]] is another new Site from AL that allows you to play multiple Spells early in the game thanks to the Magic cost reduction. This gives you a free [[Grapple Shot]], [[Attack by Night]], but it can also be used to play your Water Magics as long as you have the Threshold for them.

Water

[[Pond]] is our favorite new Site from AL because it allows the deck to rely a little less on Threshold in the early game. This Site is such a boon for this deck because we have more options for Sites that provide Water Threshold besides [[Floodplain]] and Multi-Threshold Sites, and we get to play [[Gyre Hippogriffs]] a turn early and without Air Threshold. This also lets us play [[Questing Beast]] a turn early as well, so all in all 10/10 Water Site for the deck SSS-Tier.

[[Floodplain]] is a staple site to play if you ever SPLASH Water in any deck. It provides an additional Water threshold if necessary, allowing you to keep your site count low while still being able to play those crucial double threshold spells. [[Floodplain]] also creates a threat to any deck that uses burrowed minions, i.e. [[Root Spider]], since it can flood an adjacent site and kill any burrowed minion at that site. We can also use the Flood effect to play [[Lugbog Cat]] atop an Adjacent enemy Site.

[[Babbling Brook]] is yet another amazing Water card from AL and also another boon for this deck. This Site definitely feels like [[Quagmire]] but with a lot more utility because it's able to remove Stealth from Nearby Minions. This can also cancel out your opponent's [[Infiltrate]] because it gets cancelled whenever the Stealth is removed from the Minion. This Site also helps with better establishing your next turn and being able to stop your opponent's early aggression.

Finally we have [[Kelp Cavern]]. If this Site is in your opening hand it gives you a lot more flexibility with your Spell Mulligan choices because you can prioritize early game, bottoming your 4 Cost Spells, and be able to place them back on top of your Spellbook in the future. Because of this Site the Spell order from [[Browse]] is definitely more important and you have to be more deliberate with the order you bottom the remaining six Spells.

All of these new AL Water Sites make your Threshold Base much more consistent with getting double thresholds for both Air and Water, rarely will you face Threshold issues because we only run a single Non-Threshold relevant site.

Game Plan:

WILL BE PUBLISHED AFTER SORCERY LEAGUE TOP CUT

Starting Hand Tierlist (Not Legible on Mobile)

S-Tier: ______A-Tier: _B-Tier: __________C-Tier:

[[Highland Falconer]] _____________[[Mix Aer]] _________________________[[Degradation]] ________________________[[Palliburrie Bats]]

[[Phase Assassin]] _______________[[Shrink]] ___________________________[[Cast into Exile]]

[[Grapple Shot]] _________________[[Pollimorph]] _______________________[[Attack by Night]]

[[Gyre Hippogriffs]] ______________[[Screaming Skull]] ___________________[[Browse]]

[[Ruler of Thuul]] ________________[[Questing Beast]] ____________________[[Tactical Move]]

[[Ring of Morrigan]] ______________[[Thunderstorm]] ____________________[[Merlin]]

[[Feast for Crows]] _______________[[Magic Missiles]]

[[Lugbog Cat]] __________________[[Atlantean Fate]]

[[Blue Knight]] __________________[[Kelp Cavern]]

[[Highland Princess]] _____________[[Valley of Delight]]

[[Floodplain]]____________________[[Cloud City]]

[[Pond]]________________________[[Observatory]]

[[Floodplain]] ___________________[[Merlin's Tower]]

[[Pond]] _______________________[[Babbling Brook]]

[[Lookout]]

[[Wizard's Den]]

ANY TOWERS

ANY MULTI THRESHOLD SITES

ANY CORES OR PHIL STONE

Some of the cards in the Tierlist above for Starting Hands can definitely go up a tier depending on the matchup, such as [[Pollimorph]] against [[Deathspeaker]], or [[Cloud City]] against [[Enchantress]]. The deck is always a work in progress, and as of now this is the current version I play exclusively.

Leave a comment if you have any suggestions and have fun!!!

SHRINK THE FROG!!!

@Count Tolstoy