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Quest Mage deck list guide - Descent of Dragons - Hearthstone (December 2019)

How to play the latest incarnation of Quest Mage in Descent of Dragons.

Quest Mage is based on a new card released in Saviors of Uldum: Raid the Sky Temple. The gist of the deck is that you’re trying to play the long game, benefiting from Ascendent Scroll’s ability to constantly generate value.

We’ll keep updating this deck list of course, and you should be warned that this deck is not currently at the top of the meta. Don’t let that stop you if you already have the cards though - it’s a fun one to try out!

Below is the most played version of Quest Mage. Check back for any changes that occur!

MageNeutral
2 x Elemental Evocation2 x Sea Giant
2 x Magic Trick2 x Mountain Giant
2 x Mirror Image
1 x Raid the Sky Temple
2 x Ray of Frost
2 x Ancient Mysteries
1 x Khadgar
2 x Mana Cyclone
2 x Sorcerer's Apprentice
2 x Arcane Intellect
2 x Conjurer's Calling
2 x Flame Ward
1 x Ice Barrier
1 x Stargazer Luna
1 x Luna's Pocket Galaxy
1 x Archmage Antonidas

Select and copy the long ID string below, then create a deck in Hearthstone to export this deck into your game.

Deck Import ID: AAECAf0EBu0EuAju9gLG+AKWmgO5pQMM0wGrBOYE4Qe8CMiHA4OWA5+bA+KbA/+dA7+kA/SrAwA=

More great Mage guides:

General strategy

When playing Quest Mage, you want complete the Quest as quickly as possible. Not all spells you generate from Ascendant Scroll will be hits, so it’s important to press the button a whole lot to maximise the chances of filling your hand with the good stuff.

Early Game: Getting a decent early hand with spells and card generation is important to set you up for the late game. Mana Cyclone works wonders with this in mind, and combined with Sorcerer's Apprentice and Elemental Evocation can help you cast around half of the spells required to activate Raid the Sky Temple in a single turn. Arcane Intellect is a solid play early on if you’re low on options, and Ancient Mysteries acts as two spells in one with its reduction of a Secret draw to 0 mana. Basically, cast your cheap spells and find ways to draw more, getting your Quest moving at a decent pace so you can generate value through the new Hero Power.

Mid Game: Use your spells wisely to avoid dying to aggro. Magic Trick can help you out in a pinch given its ability to Discover a spell of 3 cost or less. Depending on your situation, an Ice Barrier could give your hero some extra stability or a cheeky Cinderstorm might be able to ping a wide board of small enemies away for you. Playing Luna's Pocket Galaxy can set you up for some great plays later on - discounting Archmage Antonidas, Sea Giant and Mountain Giant - but if you’re struggling to survive then you should prioritise this play.

Once the Quest is complete, push the button every turn you can weave it in, generating an unpredictable array of magic to hopefully answer everything your opponent throws at you.

Late Game: Get together the spells you’ve got in your hand and discounted. Occasionally, a lethal inflicted by Archmage Antonidas’ many Fireballs (especially if he’s down to 1 mana) is possible at this stage in the game. Otherwise, just keep your opponent at bay with the board clears and removal you’re generating from your Hero Power and look for big plays for the late game. Conjurer's Calling on a Sea Giant or Mountain Giant can do the job nicely here, but Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron earned through Ascendant Scroll could grant you the possibility of out-controlling and out-valuing your opponent at this point in the game - or ruining your chances entirely...

The whole time, you’ve been creating spells out of thin air, so aggressive opponents should start losing steam and control opponents may not be able to keep up with your huge levels of value. Of course, watch out for potential lethal setups, and be careful not to let your opponent’s board get too out of hand. It’s easy to be tempted into making greedy plays on your side of the board, but you always run the risk of being hit with a sucker punch by a player who’s saving specific cards for the late game.

Quest Mage tips, combos and synergies

Quest Mage has a decent number of combos and synergies to watch out for, which we’ve listed below.

- Mana Cyclone can help you complete your Quest at a rate of knots in the early game. Casting Elemental Evocation allows you to play Mana Cyclone for 0 mana, whilst simultaneously adding 1 spell to your hand and Quest completion!

- Conjurer's Calling summons two minions of the same mana cost as the one it destroyed. This means there’s a whole lot more variance in what minion you summon with the 10 mana Sea Giant than the 12 mana Mountain Giant, which can only summon copies of itself and Grave Horror.

- Archmage Antonidas adds a Fireball spell to your hand for each spell you cast when he’s on the battlefield. This means you can change a Mirror Image into a Fireball for some quick burn damage if needed.

- Ice Barrier isn’t the strongest Mage spell on the face of it, but is hugely important in staying alive early in the game. You can also cheat it out for a discount by drawing it with Ancient Mysteries.

- Stargazer Luna works wonders if you keep drawing cheap spells with her. If you’re lucky, you can get a whole bunch of spells cast and your deck a bit thinner while you’re at it.

- Sorcerer's Apprentice reduces the cost of spells in your hand by 1 mana, meaning your 1 mana spells can all be dumped from your hand if you want to rush the Quest.

- Khadgar, when combined with Conjurer’s Calling, can be a game-winning play, sacrificing one minion in return for four minions of the same cost.

- Luna's Pocket Galaxy’s discount for minions stacks with other effects from Mountain Giant and Sea Giant, meaning in most situations you’ll be able to play them out for 0 mana.

- Raid the Sky Temple discounts the spell you generate by 2 mana, in a similar fashion to Primordial Glyph. However, it gives you a random spell rather than allowing you to Discover one, meaning the results are far less reliable.

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