Starter Cyclone Mage

Deck Overview

This starter deck is trying to utilize the card generation and added value from cycling small spells with the help from several specific minions. The best value generator in this deck is Mana Cyclone that lets you transform your small cheap spells into different, often more powerful, ones. Together with Vex Crows and Dune Sculptors, this deck introduces a versatile playstyle that can be adapted vs individual opponents.

To have a great success with this deck, it is recommended to have a good overall knowledge about most of the cards in Standard format, mage cards first and foremost, since you often play with a good deal of randomly generated spells and minions that don't start in your deck.

I went from R20 to R15 in about 12 games.

Card Description

Value Generators

• Mana Cyclone - Core driving engine of the deck. Can transform your cheap spells into bigger ones, can additionally fuel rest of the synergies in this deck. Has overall huge versatility. Do not be afraid to use it to generate just two spells for example, if you are in a tough situation and need to fish for an answer or if it is a good tempo play; you have plenty of other value in the deck. Don't lose games because you wanted to get one more spell and you waited too long.
• Astral Rift - Good cost efficient value generator. For 2 mana you get two minions. It is a spell, so it synergizes with the rest of the deck by itself and the random minions will help you to have something to play while you're waiting for a right situation to unleash your combos. Often times this is a good way to get a high cost minion for random Conjurer's Calling as well.
• Dune Sculptor - New card that found a place in this deck quite nicely. If left unchecked, it can quickly become a huge problem for your opponent. Since it generates mage minions specifically, you very often get stuff like Archmage Antonidas, Kalecgos or another Mana Cyclone that can create a win condition out of a thin air. It is also a good practice to remember what started in your opening hand, since getting Hex Lord Malacrass is rather common too :)
• Messenger Raven - Cost efficient value generator and something you can play at any stage of the game just to put something on the board. Again, since the discover pool is class specific, you often find an alternative win condition in likes of Archmage Antonidas, Kalecgos or Jan'alai, the Dragonhawk very often.
• Vex Crow - Good card to get yourself on the board quickly in one turn. Don't be afraid to play it with just one spell, you have plenty of other value in the deck and you need to make small tempo plays to not fall behind. Can provide huge win more condition and pushing power, forcing your opponent to spend AOE to essentially clear a board that was generated from a single minion. Do be careful about the Doomsayer potential tho. It can have both bad and good outcomes for you.

Small Spells

• Magic Trick, Ray of Frost, Shooting Star are here to feed the Value Generators and provide additional versatility in terms of small removals/aoes. Often you can deal 4 damage with Ray of Frost to an already frozen enemy, since you have other ways to freeze stuff. Shooting Star is a good early aoe-ping to stop aggro decks in their tracks. Magic Trick can discover itself and keep feeding the Cyclones or Crows or you can fish for a specific secret for any given situation. Combination of these with Sorcerer's Apprentice can create very powerful turns, since all these spells will cost 0 mana.

Removal/Reach Options

• Frostbolt and Fireball can be used both as a small/mid-sized removals or to help you close out games with reach damage. Polymorph is there to get rid of big threats, annoying deathrattle minions or go through taunts. The deck runs only the bare minimum of this type of spells since you often generate them via the random effects.

Secrets Package

• We have a small secret package in the deck in terms of two Flame Wards and a single [Hearthstone Card (Arcane Flankmage) Not Found]. Wards are here to combat early aggression and Flankmage is here to provide additional board clear options or act as something to put on the board if there is no other option. Often times you generate extra secrets from random effects, so you will be able to trigger Flankmage even later on, but don't be afraid to just play him for tempo as a 2-drop.

Other

• Last two minions we haven't looked at so far are Bone Wraith and Water Elemental. Bone Wraith is just a really good taunt option for its cost that provides an adequate protection in any phase of the game. Water Elemental is one of the best minions in the game in terms of pure overall value for its cost. While it might not fit into many specific decks, it is one of the best cards you can put in any low cost Mage deck. It has great stats for its cost and the freeze effect helps vs weapon classes or to provide additional synergy with likes of Ray of Frost. Elemental tag is seemingly unimportant, but it can help trigger a random Arcanosaur from time to time, which can have a game swinging potential.

Notes / Tips

• Elemental Evocation - You can put two of these in your deck if you are missing some other cards, they have a great synergy with many minions, especially Mana Cyclone. Ideally, i would suggest replacing either Astral Rifts with them or one Rift and Arcane Flakmage.
• I specifically avoided Conjurer's Calling in this deck, because it is too clunky and not worth it given the minion inclusion. You get it often enough anyway, so you get to experience it no matter what.

Mulligan

Going second is a huge plus for this deck, since The Coin helps greatly to speed up (early) combos.

Always try to get Mana Cyclone if possible, it is just that good and can be used in almost any situation.

• Vs Aggro - Hard mulligan for Flame Ward and/or Shooting Star. Frostbolt and Bone Wraith are usually worth keeping. Basically remove whatever they play early and outvalue them. They will run out of cards and either concede or lose soon after.
• Vs Control - Hard mulligan for Mana Cyclone to start the value war early. Messenger Raven is an ok keep. This will be a war of attrition. Try to squeeze the absolute maximum out of your cards that generate extra value, you will need it. Try to take advantage of the random cards you get and look for swing turns to go big; or decide early you need to take it into fatigue and try to conserve your resources as much as possible.
• Vs Combo - Try to get any of Vex Crow, Dune Sculptor, Water Elemental, Mana Cyclone. Pretty much anything that can create early pressure and snowball fast. You are in a race vs combo decks, you cannot utilize your value potential, they are ok with you playing slow, don't give them time to finish their win condition. If you get burn spells, try saving them to go face and have a big swing turn that finishes the game when they don't expect it.

Improving the Deck - Alternative Routes

You can adjust this deck to go in a few different directions, i will list two. One more serious that packs a punch and one that will provide even more enjoyment and craziness than you could ever hope for! :)

Proper Cyclone Mage

This deck can evolve into its proper form, now updated for Saviors of Uldum, something like the list below. You ditch the minion generators and focus fully on spells. There are many win conditions associated with them, using Conjurer's Calling on your Mountain Giants and Sea Giants to flood the board with overwhelming force. Good old Archmage Antonidas to rain down Fireballs on your opponent or get a "surprise" win condition from a random spells you generate. Luna's Pocket Galaxy can help in any of these scenarios to accelerate them or make them more deadly.

Casino Mage

Or you can go full yolo and embrace the one and only true master Yogg-Saron, Hope's End. Well almost, Yogg is on vacation, but he didn't leave without a present - Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron. You can try and disturb His Randomness' me time, if you ask Toki, Time-Tinker nicely, but i wouldn't recommend that. This deck is a clown-fiesta in its finest. You never know what can happen, all you know is you cannot stop until you're finished.