Budget Tempo Kalecgos Mage

While I called this deck a budget Kalecgos deck for flare and to draw the viewer in, it is primarily a Pyroblast oriented deck. This deck like my title is all about illusion. It is designed to make the opponent think one thing while in fact you truly have another goal in mind. This is a "jack of all trades but master of one" strategy deck.

Mulligan

This is a tempo mage so of course you want to grab cards that are going to control the pace of the game and always keep opponents on their feet. You have a lot of options as far as good Mulligans go.

• Arcane Missiles. Always a sweet treat. For little to no cost, you can immediately start chipping away at the enemy hero.
• Magic Trick. A great addition to the meta, this card gives you quick access to spells early on. It pairs well with your Magic Dart Frog...
• Magic Dart Frog. This little menace is one of your main tempo setters. He helps to keep the opposing board clear while also giving a target for the other player to focus in on.
• Cinderstorm. Like Arcane Missiles but better, especially with spell damage.
• Mana Reservoir. This card is golden and pretty much the key aspect of this deck, but more on that later.

Never keep Kalecgos or Pyroblast because by the time turn ten roles around they almost always end up back in your hand.

Preferred Strategy

The main way this deck wins games is through patience and focus while waiting for turn ten to role around. Your strategy is to play just enough minions to buff your spells and keep the enemy targeting them while you slowly whittle away at the enemy hero until they have 10 health left. At this point you should have either Kalecgos or Pyroblast in your hand, possibly even both. You want to find a good balance between baiting the enemy and also focusing on drawing cards while defending your own health. When played right, this deck is incredibly effective and Pyroblast makes for a very satisfying win condition.

Tricks of the Trade

• Mana Reservoir and Spellshifter are the unspoken heroes of this deck. They are hardly ever targeted by your opponent, who prefers to spend their time on Sorcerer's Apprentice or Cosmic Anomaly, which makes them perfect for providing consistent spell damage.
• Fireball and Frostbolt are also your friends as they give easy access to hitting the enemy hard and fast providing you with that sweet spot of 10 health.
• You'll want to pace yourself and remember to use Arcane Intellect and Acolyte of Pain to increase your pull. You don't want to end up at turn ten missing both Kalecgos and Pyroblast.
• Kalecgos is a secondary win condition. He is mainly in the deck to make your final move of Pyroblast look even more epic. If your discovery's are good or if you're granted an extra turn past him he also can help create some additional pressure but generally a Kalecgos/Pyroblast combo is going to be your best finisher.

Common Problems

You would think the most common defeater of this deck would be a Priest or Paladin with their heal abilities, but that is not the case. This deck actually does very well against Priest because it generally puts too much pressure on them, so they panic. Hunters and Warriors provide the most difficulty as Buffed Beasts, Armor, and Mechs compound rather quickly, which shifts your attention from hero damage to minions. As long as you can maintain focus and be patient, turn ten is almost always extremely rewarding.

Enjoy the deck!