Last updated on Aug 06, 2020 at 16:00 by Kat 2 comments

This guide contains detailed Strategy, Mulligan, and deck-building information to help you play Reno Mage in the Scholomance Academy expansion.

Reno Mage is a "highlander" deck, including only one copy of each card in order to make use of Zephrys the Great and Reno the Relicologist. It is a versatile control deck with a threat-heavy lategame.

Card List

Mage Cards
1 Arcane Breath DoD 1
1 Ray of Frost RoS 1
1 Wand Thief SA 1
2 Ancient Mysteries Uldum 1
2 Frostbolt Legacy 1
3 Arcane Intellect Legacy 1
3 Combustion SA 1
3 Flame Ward Uldum 1
3 Frost Nova Legacy 1
3 Ice Barrier Legacy 1
5 Jandice Barov SA 1
5 Malygos, Aspect of Magic DoD 1
6 Blizzard Legacy 1
6 Dragoncaster DoD 1
6 Reno the Relicologist Uldum 1
8 Deep Freeze AO 1
8 Power of Creation RoS 1
8 Tortollan Pilgrim Uldum 1
9 Kalecgos RoS 1
10 Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron Uldum 1
10 The Amazing Reno GA 1
Neutral Cards
2 Doomsayer Legacy 1
2 Zephrys the Great Uldum 1
4 Escaped Manasaber GA 1
4 Twilight Drake Legacy 1
5 Big Ol' Whelp DoD 1
7 Keymaster Alabaster SA 1
7 Siamat Uldum 1
9 Alexstrasza Legacy 1
9 Dragonqueen Alexstrasza DoD 1

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Reno Highlander Mage Deck Mulligan Guide

Reno Mage includes a few key build-around cards with a much higher power level than the rest of the deck. These will be your main Mulligan targets in most matchups.

  • General Mulligan (keep regardless of what your opponent is playing)Reno the Relicologist, Zephrys the Great.
  • Mulligan against Aggro (also keep if you think you are playing against an aggressive deck)Frostbolt, Doomsayer, Ancient Mysteries, Arcane Breath.
  • Mulligan against Control (also keep if you think you are playing against a slow deck)Arcane Intellect, Twilight Drake, Escaped Manasaber.

Reno Highlander Mage Deck Strategy

Reno Mage is a control deck with a powerful late game based on summoning multiple large minions. Cards like Deep Freeze and Power of Creation allow you to generate several waves of threats and heavily pressure your opponent.

You will find yourself taking a variety of different routes to get to this stage thanks to the nature of the deck's highlander style. As a general rule, though, you will be playing passively during the early game and seeking to recover with a powerful swing turn. This could take the form of one of your major board clears, such as Reno the Relicologist, or of a massive board development.

Zephrys the Great is a very difficult card to use well, and rewards players with a comprehensive knowledge of the Basic and Classic sets. Its Battlecry discovers the "perfect card": a card from the Classic or Basic set from any class that Zephrys believes will be useful based on the current game state. This high level of flexibility makes it hard to identify exactly when Zephrys will be most impactful. One strategy you can use for valuing it is to evaluate your hand and consider what is missing; if you are lacking a threat, a major removal or a board clear, and think you may need one, hold Zephrys until a turn on which it can serve that purpose. Do not be afraid to play it on turn 2 if your hand demands it; Wild Growth can be an exceptionally strong option in this deck due to its heavy curve.

Try to set up your turns in such a way that it will be obvious to Zephrys which card you are looking for. Setting your opponent's Health to 6 before playing Zephrys, for example, is much more likely to result in the offer of a lethal Fireball than playing Zephrys at the beginning of your turn. Additionally, be on the lookout for situations where a highly niche card can swing the game; Hungry Crab is frequently offered as an answer to opposing Murlocs, for example.

Against Aggro, it is important to limit the amount of damage you take, as the deck runs only a small amount of life-gain. Use freeze effects liberally, and err towards playing high-value minions like Malygos, Aspect of Magic for tempo rather than holding onto them for maximum value. This will help you drag games out long enough for your superior lategame to seal the win.

Against Control, try to stagger your threats in order to put some strain on their removal options. Overextending into board clear spells like Brawl can be costly, but equally it is important to make your opponent use them; forcing out a board clear with a medium-sized board can clear the way for big plays to win the game.

Reno Highlander Mage Deck Card Swaps

  • Against Control — Add 1x Archmage Antonidas for 1x Combustion.
  • Against Aggro — 1x Khartut Defender for 1x Keymaster Alabaster.

Changelog

  • 06 Aug. 2020: Deck has been updated for the Scholomance Academy expansion. Removed 1x Netherwind Portal, 1x Azure explorer, 1x Conjurer's Calling, 1x Frizz Kindleroost, Khartut Defender, 1x Polymorph, 1x King Phaoris, 1x Flamestrike for 1x Arcane Breath, 1x Wand Thief, 1x Combustion, 1x Jandice Barov, 1x Steward of Scrolls, Keymaster Alabaster, 1x Ice Barrier, 1x Escaped Manasaber, 1x Puzzle Box of Yogg Saron
  • 07 Apr. 2020: Deck has been updated for the Ashes of Outland expansion. Removed 1x SN1P-SN4P, 1x Ice Barrier 1x Zilliax, 1x Stargazer Luna, 1x Luna's Pocket Galaxy for 1x Deep Freeze, 1x Dragoncaster, 1x Khatut Defender, 1x Netherwind Portal, 1x Malygos, Aspect of Magic, 1x Frizz Kindleroost.
  • 26 Mar. 2020: Deck has been updated for the Ashes of Outland pre-patch. Removed 1x Mountain Giant for 1x The Amazing Reno.
  • 10 Jan. 2020: Deck has been reviewed following the January balance patch.
  • 10 Dec. 2019: Deck has been updated for the Descent of Dragons expansion. Removed 1x Puzzle Box of Yogg Saron, 1x Counterspell, 1x Sand Binder, 1x Arcane Keysmith, 1x Khadgar, 1x Vulpera Scoundrel for 1x Azure Explorer, 1x Big Ol' Whelp, 1x Malygos, Aspect of Magic, 1x Dragonqueen Alexstrasza, 1x Ice Barrier, 1x SN1P-SN4P.
  • 09 Aug. 2019: Deck added.
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