Hearthstone Year of the Hydra, the 2022 Core Set, and Voyage to the Sunken City are almost here and it's about time we give Mage a review of what is to come. Below you will find our thoughts on Mage as they pertain to the brand new Hearthstone year. We're going to go over the archetypes we expect to see play, the heavy-hitting cards, a general overview of Mage, and a theorycraft deck for you to try out on Day 1.
Before we jump straight into our review though, we've got a few pieces of content you may want to check out.
- If you haven't seen the whole Core Set for 2022, check out our guide.
- All the cards have been revealed for Voyage to the Sunken City.
- You can build decks with all these cards in our deckbuilder.
- Need a set rotation refresher? Learn more about card set rotations in Hearthstone.
- Open your card packs early by creating your own Fireside Gathering.
- Check our pack opening simulator to test your luck.
Now with that done, let's jump into it!
Year of the Hydra Mage Quick Impressions
- Blizzard wants to push Mage toward utilizing the board more, compared to last year.
- A distinct lack of Mechs in the Core set may hold back Standard Mech Mage from reaching its goal.
- The Naga look to weave spells and minions together, but there might not be enough of them to currently consider running a dedicated deck.
- With the additions of Kalecgos and Pyroblast in the Core set, the Mage also sees more support for the Big Spell archetype...although they don't mesh with what's available.
- Major pieces, such as Mozaki, Master Duelist, Mask of C'Thun, and Wand Thief, are on their way out. The class will need to rethink its playstyle if it wants to adapt to the new Standard Year.
- Overall, this class has potential but might be too unfocused in its delivery. By the release of the mini-set we should know where the Mage stands. I currently rate it a 5/10 for its power level.
Mage Power Level
Year of the Hydra Mage Archetypes
With half of the class' expansion set dedicated to the tribe, Blizzard really wants Mech Mage to be a thing again after several years. They also laid the groundwork for a Naga tribal deck, jumping between minions and spells to get a flow going. Big Spell continues to limp on, but perhaps we'll see a deck built around the Fire spell school for something different.
- Mechs - A fan favorite from ages past, it's back with a vengeance (although missing a few notable entities that would have been appreciated).
- Naga - We'll have to see if the tribe receives more support - like Elementals, Mechs, etc. - or is more of a one-off like Quilboar. The question is if there are enough right now.
- Big Spell - Pyroblast could have been a great help...if targets weren't chosen randomly from Clumsy Courier, Iceblood Tower, etc.
- Fire - Volcanomancy is simply alright, but the return of Explosive Runes and the aforementioned Pyroblast could work in pushing the archetype.
With our quick archetype overview out of the way, let's talk more about them.
Mech Mage in Year of the Hydra
You have to remember all the way back to Goblins vs Gnomes to find when this archetype was once a power-player. Many enjoyed the archetype and played it extensively (myself included), so to see it blossom once again is like...returning home. With that in mind...where are the Mechs in the Core set to help take advantage of this? Perhaps Blizzard believes Standard Mech Mage doesn't need the help - they would know better than we would about what's on the horizon - but it certainly lead to some initial disappointment among the player-base.
As it stands, it seems the strategy is to slam down bodies and hope they survive long enough to utilize Gaia, the Techtonic's effect. Seafloor Gateway combined with Mecha-Shark will help you flood the board and take it simultaneously with the pings. And if all else fails, Security Automaton can ramp up and become a major threat on the cheap.
Naga Mage in Year of the Hydra
Everyone got a taste of the newest minion type, but the Mage might be one of the better classes that can fully embrace their back-and-forth gimmick. The class generally has a solid number of cheaper spells that can be weaved in-between the Naga themselves, allowing the player to trigger their Battlecries and conditions without going too far out of one's way. And if they happen to be clearing or damage spells, well...all the better. The major considerations holding the deck back are: the ratio of quantity vs quality in the Naga "worth playing", and the card draw necessary to keep one's hand full (so the Naga can see you cast the spells, and vise-versa).
The Mage answers the second part with Gifts of Azshara, and there's also Crushclaw Enforcer in Neutral that can help as well. The first part is much harder to evaluate without experimentation: will there be enough solid Naga minions that you can make an entire deck focused on the tribe? Some cards - Queen Azshara, School Teacher - seem amazing, but we'll have to get our hands on the cards to know better.
Big Spell Mage in Year of the Hydra
No new Mage cards directly add to this archetype, but the return of Kalecgos could potentially help...and he can be summoned via Drakefire Amulet. The return of Pyroblast is the kind of move that makes one pull their hair out in frustration: even a simple addition of "to an enemy" would have solidified the card as an option in the always-a-bridesmaid archetype, but alas it was (once again) not to be. Without such a change, 10 damage randomly assigned is a big risk to one's Health and safety and thus cannot be justifed.
Fire Mage in Year of the Hydra
While Pyroblast might not see play in a Big Spell Mage, it could be a top-end finisher for a dedicated Fire Mage deck. United in Stormwind brought us several cards directly related to the Fire spell school, but they were generally overshadowed by the influx of Sorcerer's Gambit decks. Now, with the rotation and Core set upheaval, they might get to come out of the rain, cozy up by the roaring fireplace...and burn the house down. If Fire Mage becomes a thing, it will have to do so more-or-less without Voyage to the Sunken City, which only gave us Volcanomancy; a card arguably beaten out by Fire Sale already. But maybe, with a little help, Grand Magus Antonidas will be played in a deck unironically.
Year of the Hydra Mage Heavy-Hitters
With a fresh Core Set and the Voyage to the Sunken City, there are a ton of cards to talk about in our review. We're going to go over the heavy-hitters, the cards that are going to make the most impact to start this year off.
Mecha-Shark's Impact in Year of the Hydra
The latest Mech Mage will probably live or die on the back of this card - even more than Gaia, the Techtonic - and its ability to rapid-fire damage as one vomits Mechs onto the board. Without something like SN1P-SN4P to summon a bunch of tiny tokens, Seafloor Gateway will be required for a combo-style of board presence. Doing things one-at-a-time might not cut it, 'cause then you're just casting Arcane Missiles once per turn until Mecha-Shark dies, and that ain't much. Can a Mech barrage turn the game in your favor, or will this be a "win more" scenario where you pile on damage in a game you were already dominating? Time will tell, but Mech Mage needs the Shark to be a home run.
Spitelash Siren's Impact in Year of the Hydra
If Naga Mage becomes a thing, expect to see a lot of Spitelash Siren; until it gets nerfed, at any rate. Mana-cheating has been a staple of many powerful decks over the years, and here comes the Mage to try and do it again...so long as you play by its rules. Get a good flow going and you can drop your entire hand by turn 5 and convince your opponent to concede; mess up your swing turn, or get a bad/empty hand, and it can all fall apart. To reiterate from before, card draw and Naga quality will be the main factors at play here, because you actually need the good cards in your hand in order to play them (who'd have thought?). We could see the Siren kind of like Tickatus, in a way: the potential of an absolute terror, leading to flak from the players, but just might escape getting nerfed because A. something worse came along, and/or B. it's just not consistent enough to justify getting smacked down.
Explosive Runes' Impact in Year of the Hydra
Explosive Runes was a solid Secret back in its day, and can be so once more. 6 damage is generally lethal to a minion in the early stages of the game, and with Blizzard's intention to push people back to using the board again, having efficient clears that can answer threats is always appreciated. And if you hit something smaller, well...no place like the face! This could be utilized in a wide variety of archetypes, from the dedicated Fire Mage mentioned before to simply protecting one's board and pushing toward lethal in Mech Mage. And if Sorcerer's Gambit continues to captivate the Mage audience, well...expect to see it there too.
Neutral Cards for Mage in Year of the Hydra
As alluded to before, the Core set's reveal was a tad disappointing, as we received very little in the way of support for Mech Mage. Annoy-o-Tron stuck around, but Gorillabot A-3 was just about the only addition to Core that could be seen in the archetype. Cogmaster couldn't even bother to stay for the reunion! What a jerk.
Triggering Ini Stormcoil on Gaia, the Techtonic is a pipe-dream; let's just get that out of the way. Copying Mecha-Shark or Security Automaton, though, is a spicy possibility that's worth consideration. More damage is more damage, and ramping up your threat-o-meter with additional salvos or a new hefty Mech could swing the game pretty quickly.
For Naga Mage to work, the archetype needs a constant intake of resources that it can subsequently spill out onto the board/the enemy's face. This means you'll need cheap minions like Vicious Slitherspear or the 1/1 Nagaling from School Teacher to trigger effects with. Queen Azshara, meanwhile, could be quite versatile in her intended usage: Xal'atath with some cheap spells can end the game outright, while Tidestone of Golganneth could help you turn the tide in a value-race.
Freeze Mech Mage - A Theorycraft Deck for Mage in Voyage to the Sunken City
While not exactly a meta-inspiring creation, I consider this an ode to my little buddy, Snowchugger. He missed the boat back to Standard, and my disappointment is immeasurable. Forged in the Barrens and Fractured in Alterac Valley had Freeze cards just lying there waiting to be utilized, and wouldn't you know it, Blizzard decided to bring back Blizzard too. You'll note that, ironically, there is no Popsicooler in the deck: despite being *exactly* what the deck is about, it's just not good enough to warrant inclusion. Besides, I only have enough space in my heart for one Freeze-related Mech.
The goal of the deck is to trade and stall with your side of the board until you essentially win via a pity concede sheer attrition, grinding your opponent down while you build up a Mech force worthy of the Terran race. Wait what game were we playing, again?
*Sigh* Anyway, I miss you, Snowchugger. Please write back soon.
Final Thoughts
The Mage will be taking some heavy blows from the upcoming rotation and changes to the Core set; it remains to be seen if it can survive the damage. Naga Mage and Mech Mage will play for the throne of Dominant Mage Archetype De Jour, but whether or not they've got the resources they need is the million-dollar question. Will everyone just fall back to Sorcerer's Gambit? Hopefully not. My inability to say with any confidence that the Mage will be good is why I gave it only a 5/10...and I wonder if that's generous.
Thanks for taking the time to read our review on Mage for Year of the Hydra. Do you agree with our take? Let us know your thoughts on our review and Mage in the comments below.
More Out of Cards Year of the Hydra Reviews
We've got more to talk about for Hearthstone's Year of the Hydra that officially begins on April 12. Check out all of our Standard class reviews!
More Wild Reviews for Voyage to the Sunken City
We've been hard at work preparing additional insights into the new Voyage to the Sunken City cards with a Wild spin. Check out all the classes released so far down below.
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