Deck Philosophy

This is an Air-Water Tempo deck that looks to be as efficient as possible. Using my own theory about board/realm control, the deck is built around forcing the opponent into inefficient decisions repeatedly until they fall behind on the realm.

Pros & Cons of [[Battlemage]]

Pros:

Highest starting power of any Avatar
Can't be targeted by hard removal spells i.e. ([[Bury]], [[Drown]], [[Disintegrate]])
Deceptively beefy when the board is clear and can start attacking sites

Cons:

Weak to direct damage, especially against Charge Minions and damage Spells like [[Firebolts]], [[Arc Lightning]], [[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 [[Troll Bridge]], [[Gnome Hollows]], and [[Perilous Bridge]]

SPELLS

ARTIFACTS

[[Key to the City]] allows you to begin moving your [[Battlemage]] earlier due to not tapping as often for Sites. This accelerates your deck and helps with outpacing your opponent and establishing board control earlier than most decks can keep up with. It's also a great answer for pesky defensive sites. Don't be afraid to give this to a minion if it gets you ahead in damage, especially for defensive sites that don't affect your own Avatar like [[The Void]] and [[Bottomless Pit]].

[[Ring of Morrigan]] is still one of the powerhouse staple Uniques of the game. 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 be able to ping anything for much needed life gain.

[[The Rack]] is perhaps the best artifact for demonstrating positional mastery. Understanding prior set-up and predicting your opponent's defense is how this is meant to be used. Stretching certain Avatars like [[Avatar of Air]] can actually be an advantage to your opponent unless you get multiple stretches in a single turn pinning them down and preventing movement.

[[Toolbox]] is the way we get to access our Collection. For non-[[Imposter]] decks, [[Toolbox]] is one of the only ways Collections can be accessed and are very much another staple in the game now because of how useful the Collection is and being able to have a useful card in almost every matchup and board state.

AIR

MINIONS

[[Highland Princess]] helps us tutor our preferred 1-cost Artifact. With [[Ring of Morrigan]] being so strong it's important to get this artifact out as often as possible. [[Key to the City]] is another viable option to take, but only if you can calculate a higher benefit during your next 2-3 turns with this extra mana advantage. Also take [[Key to the City]] if your opponent has a problematic defensive site on the board.

[[Highland Falconer]] is one of your solid turn 2 plays that grabs you [[Vampire Bats]]. Great for establishing early pressure and if you can capitalize on an early empty board you can even get multiple stretch triggers with [[The Rack]].

[[Vampire Bats]] is one of two minions in this deck that can provide lifegain. When it comes to utilizing your [[Battlemage]]'s attack and kill benefit, [[Vampire Bats]] mitigate the life cost of drawing extra cards. In this deck your life is a resource so getting more is always a net positive.

[[Jack the Ripper]] is primarily used for tempo, being able to kill potential powerhouse minions like [[Morgana Le Fay]] and any of the powerful mortals like [[Sir Lamorak]], [[The Green Knight]], and other Sirs from Arthurian Legends. This is also used for dealing with a tricky warded mortal in the way of controlling the board i.e. [[Paladins of Bazia]], [[Sister Stefania]], [[Order of the Sacred Oak]] etc...

[[Sturmgeist]] is a decent airborne minion as a 3 for 3, but its main use in this deck is to penalize opponent's attempts to play powerful magics especially if they're on Death's Door. Positioning is very important for this minion since your opponent can use the triggered movement ability against you. Keeping it alive in certain situations is more important than getting 3 damage if it keeps you ahead on board.

[[Bane of Aventis]] at worst is a 4 power bear for 4 mana, but at best can completely flip the board state by stealing your opponent's Ward minions like [[Sacred Stag]] and almost all of the different Order minions from Gothic. This is one of bigger tempo-stealing cards in this deck that you want to keep in hand in a matchup you expect certain ward minions to be played at certain stages of the game. A game ending minion when your opponent is struggling to keep board control.

[[Gyre Hippogriffs]] is still a solid minion with Charge being its main appeal, being able to press the advantage during an early turn. Site positioning is critical in the late game as you want to have your airborne units able to hit as many potential targets as possible. Also a great finisher minion in conjunction with movement sites like [[Wuthering Heights]] and [[River Rapids]].

MAGICS

[[Browse]] is one of Air's strongest spells that will almost guarantee a new useful card in hand.

[[Blink]] is a versatile movement spell that can be used to get your Avatar to the center of the board, avoid potential blockers, or set up proximity based abilities and magics. And as a cantrip it's a great inclusion that doesn't put you behind on cards.

[[Tactical Move]] is another movement spell in the deck meant for consistency and versatility, both in the main board and as a copy in the collection. While it doesn't replace itself like [[Blink]] it does have a higher ceiling for outmaneuvering blockers and applying unexpected pressure on your opponent. If you're ahead on life and board pressure use this to deal as much damage as possible while safely positioning your units to not get blown out by potential board wipes like [[Earthquake]] and [[Atlantean Fate]]. It's low cost also allows potential follow-up spells.

[[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 [[Battlemage]] is free to attack afterwards if untapped. You would normally reserve this for extra damage on your opponent, but if using [[Grapple Shot]] as a removal/movement spell keeps you ahead on the board it's better to use it for that purpose.

[[Whirling Blades]] is the big brother to [[Grapple Shot]]. It's a great midgame Magic removal spell that can deal with multiple units and get some extra damage in without needing to tap your unit.

The theme with Air is really just movement so having multiple cards that do similar things gives you consistency overall.

AURAS

[[The Black Plague]] is an amazing Minion removal Aura that ignores Region restrictions and Stealth. Very rewarding if you're able to displace your opponent's Minions which the deck has multiple ways to. But in this deck its main benefit is essentially forcing your opponent to play their minions away from the aura, so it really acts like forced placement which can leave you free to attack certain areas of the Realm.

WATER

MINIONS

[[Pied Piper of Hameln]] is one of the few minions in the deck like [[Bane of Aventis]] that takes control of your opponent's minions, essentially taking your opponent's resources for your own and is the best counter to cards like [[Guards!]] and [[Plague of Frogs]]. Is also the best minion against Token based strategies from Avatars like [[Geomancer]], [[Necromancer]], and [[Archimago]]. Can also be played preemptively if you're expecting a combo turn with [[Onslaught]].

[[Polar Explorers]] allows you to set up a defensive posture and not commit to the middle of the board too early, and allows you to go around your opponent's defenses. A great minion in this meta where defensive sites are common.

[[Aino]] is an amazing 3 cost Minion that has inherent movement and evasion. It's important to play this as early as you can to start applying pressure immediately.

[[Coy Nixie]] can fully turn off any early aggression your opponent may have if you have an early [[Thin Ice]] on the board. She's also a great unit to break Ward without having to spend a card in hand, and can also be used aggressively forcing your opponent's Avatar to step somewhere you can leverage more damage away from potential blockers.

[[Fey Changeling]] is the definition of Tempo for this deck forcing your opponent to redeploy a potential threat, clearing the board, and ignoring ward/stealth. On its own its not as strong but paired with all the disruption/pressure the deck can do it's a perfect complement to the deck's strategy. Another benefit is that it provides you an extra turn to move your units and forces your opponent in an awkward situation, do they spend a whole turn replaying a minion or concede the board presence for something else.

[[Order of the Sacred Oak]] is a durable Minion with Ward that provides some much needed protection against [[Sinkhole]].

[[The Lady of the Lake]] is great utility minion towards the mid-lategame because of the targets it can potentially bring back like [[Toolbox]] or a disenchanted artifact. Paired with a turn 3 [[Ruler of Thul]] it becomes 2 turns of powerful offense that typically ends with a win.

[[Abaddon Succubus]] is the second lifegain minion and being able to heal and deal damage to minions makes her a great option for removal and much needed life gain.

[[Evil Twin]] is more of tech minion that allows you to play it as a copy of powerful minion your opponent might play. It punishes potential [[Lord of Lies]] or early Charge minions and can finish the game if your opponent has some sort of direct damage minion like [[Balor of the Evil Eye]], [[Colicky Dragonettes]], or [[Vile Imp]].

[[Ruler of Thul]] 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 Thul]] has charge. So he provides an immediate benefit in damage, mobility, and buffs. [[Sacred Stag]] is another durable Minion meant to stabilize your early game and provide a beefy body that provides favorable trades and potential defense for your Sites.

MAGICS

[[Dodge Roll]] is one of the few magics that can be played during your opponent's turn, and is almost never played around. It saves your crucial minions from being attacked and more importantly provides your [[Battlemage]] an extra layer of protection/movement while on your opponent's side of the board. Paired with [[Ring of Morrigan]] you can even win during your opponent's turn. With many people expecting to get certain value from their cards on their turn it's one of the ultimate ways to nullify an opponent's whole turn.

[[Plague of Frogs]] is one of the highest value cards in the deck that provides a myriad of options either with placement, artifact holders, blockers, or even potential attackers with [[Ruler of Thul]]. Paired with [[The Rack]] you have a lot more potential lines for multiple stretch triggers.

[[Shrink]] is meant to be paired with your [[Battlemage]] in order to attack and kill minions, mitigating life loss and drawing cards. So it really acts as a cantrip removal spell for 1 mana when used properly. Can also act as a ward breaker on even Avatars.

[[Pollimorph]] is meant for minions that are harder to kill, i.e. airborne. This spell also banishes the minion and cannot be interacted with later on in the game via [[Deathspeaker]]/[[Pillar of Zeiros]]. Another pseudo-removal spell meant to cancel out your opponent's previous turn.

[[Sleep]] is an amazing pseudo-removal/tempo magic that disables a minion and with many decks not able to deal direct damage reliably like a fire deck you can essentially ignore that minion for the rest of the game or attack into it with [[Battlemage]] for more card advantage.

[[Swap]] is a very flexible card to reposition Artifacts and Minions, and also potentially steal [[Toolbox]] or [[Ring of Morrigan]]. Can also be used to reposition an Omphalos, limiting your opponent's Omphalos since it can only cast Minions while on an Ally Site.

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 [[Gnome Hollows]]. The threshold conversion from [[Atlantean Fate]] is also a game finisher, but it is important to keep in mind that this Aura only affects Non-Ordinary Sites.

DUAL THRESHOLD

MINIONS

[[Sir Pelleas]] is our strongest 3 Cost Minion because of its movement and evasion. Being able to block and attack most of the board is extremely strong and the 4 attack power allows it to trade into most Minions. This paired with [[Floodplain]] can help connect your Body of Water and unlock additional movement lines as well.

MAGICS

[[Scatter]] is the main disruption Magic this deck has. I prefer this over [[Swap]] because it has a higher ceiling for disruption being able to push everything at a Location in different directions, including Avatars and even Auras. Possibly the most versatile card in the list because it can be used for some extra movement or even to steal an artifact your opponent is carrying since things are moved one at a time. It best uses have been to remove blockers out of the way while repositioning other units. Combos well with many cards in the deck so understanding positioning is how you really make this card OP.

SITES

Air

[[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.

[[Lone Tower]], [[Gothic Tower]], and [[Dark Tower]] 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.

[[Mountain Peaks]] is part of the new series of double Threshold sites Gothic introduced. This helps activate our threshold with less sites required, potential turn 2 [[Cloud City]] and helps the deck feel like [[Elementalist]] at times. It also enables the deck to keep more Water sites in the starting hand.

[[Observatory]] is crucial for setting up your potential game plan. Placing back your top 3 spells in any order allows you cater your draws and be able to play out your next few turns as if they were in your hand since you know when they'll be drawn.

[[Wuthering Heights]] is probably the strongest Air site in this deck because of how well it synergizes with other defensive sites and disruption effects, and also offers additional movement to our own Minions.

Water

[[Deep Sea]] similar to [[Mountain Peaks]], allows you to keep less water sites in your opening hand.

[[Floodplain]], like [[Deep Sea]], allows you to mulligan any extra water sites in your starting hand. [[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 give our [[Sir Pelleas]] additional options for movement. Paired with [[Deep Sea]], the deck essentially has 6 double Water Threshold Sites.

[[River Rapids]] is similar to [[Wuthering Heights]] because it provides extra synergy with movement as well as being able to push Minions onto an adjacent Site, can be played up front as both a defensive and offensive site.

[[Troll Bridge]] is one of the actual defensive Sites that synergizes extremely well with the decks inherent ability to move units on the board. It discourages opponents from playing and moving Units into it, and also provides potential removal during our own turn if we can push an opponent into it.

[[Thin Ice]] is another defensive Site that rewards positioning and disruption and providing extremely efficient removal. This is one of the main forms of Site based removal that you can use to great advantage with Minions like [[Coy Nixie]], Sites like [[Wuthering Heights]] and [[River Rapids]], and Magics like [[Scatter]] and [[Swap]]. You can use your Submerge Minions to activate [[Thin Ice]] at the end of your turn as a form of evasion and removal as well.

Dual Threshold

[[Lighthouse]] provides Water and Air threshold so they're very important in helping smooth out your threshold requirements during the early turns. Ideally keep one in your starting hand.

[[The Colour Out of Space]] is basically the same as [[Lighthouse]] but with potential downsides, so site placement is crucial.

Non-Threshold

Threshold consistency is the most important thing for the deck so non-threshold sites are a no-go.

Overall you win by making the opponent spend more effort solving problems than it took to create them.

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!!!

Deck Stats

Croak & Dagger

@Count Tolstoy