Cold Snap
Freezing a minion for 1 mana is not a worthwhile play when it comes to affecting the board, as even a 0-mana single-target freeze would struggle to see play. Generating a random Frost spell is not a strong effect either. 1-mana spells that discover a card need some synergy to see competitive play, so a random generation is drastically weaker.
We do not think combining these effects together justifies the investment for the cost and we are not sure which decks would want to play this card. Perhaps a deck that is restricted to play no minions, or a small number of them, would dip into this card as cheap filler, but we doubt most Mage decks will intentionally make room for Cold Snap.
Score: 1
Contraband Wands
We view Contraband Wands as a 2-mana spell that generates 3 spells of high quality. The reason we think Arcane Missiles could be desirable is their synergy in spell damage shells. Burn Mage wants cheap damage spells that it can easily play alongside cards such as Time-Twisted Seer or Unstable Spellcaster. A bonus to Wands is that the Arcane Missiles we generate can be discounted to cost no mana by Story of the Waygate. Suddenly, we can accumulate 9 damage that triple taps into spell damage.
This damage potential could let us cut more expensive forms of burn, such as Fireball, since we gain more damage with Wands. Arcane Missiles are also versatile in faster matchups by providing us with a pseudo-clear turn.
We suspect Wands will be a strong card for Burn Mage, or late-game-oriented Mage decks that try to burst down the opponent with an OTK. If we had any faith in Arcane Mage, this would be an extremely powerful combo piece for it.
Score: 3
Spire Security
This minion is not bad on paper, as dealing 5 split damage on top of a 3/4 for 3 mana is an excellent deal. The condition, however, is very difficult to meet in Mage’s current circumstances. It requires us to run a Big-Spell Mage deck with no cheap spells, if we want to have consistency in Security’s activation, which we do.
A Big-Spell Mage archetype does not appear close to being competitive with the addition of this new set. Mainly, it does not have access to tools that can cheat high-value spells on an earlier turn, unless we randomly generate them. It is also extremely difficult for the class to restrict itself from playing cheap spells.
If Security cannot activate with consistency, it will not see play, as constructed cards need to have some level of reliability when we cast them. This is especially true early on when they can decide whether we have successfully won early board control or not. Late-game randomness is more forgivable if it packs a high amount of value.
Score: 1
Mystic Misdirection
A secret when no meaningful secret synergy has been provided to the class, which means this spell is not meant to be put in our deck. While Misdirection provides indirect removal to enemy minions, it can be played around with relative ease. Considering that Hex costs 3 mana, a transformation effect at the same cost that gives the opponent control over the outcome sounds terrible.
Mystic Misdirection is strictly being added to the pool of secrets that can be cast by Tricksy Improviser. It is not a bad random outcome when the opponent has less information on what the secret could be. Properly playing around a list of possible secrets becomes significantly harder.
Never put in our deck.
Score: 1
Bootleg Alchemist
We think this card is not difficult to evaluate, as it can technically be played in any Mage deck, rather than just a Big-Spell Mage archetype. It does not require restriction, despite feeling like a Big-Spell Mage card.
We spend 5 mana to transform a known commodity into a random one that costs 5 more mana. If we transform a 1-mana card, we get a 6-mana spell that costs 1. It becomes clear from this example that we do not get ahead with this play. We are developing a 5-mana 3/3 first, which is a horrible play for the board. Unless the card we transform costs 0 mana, we cannot play it on the same turn.
Only a turn after playing Alchemist, we gain the mana investment back. But we do not gain it on a desired spell, we gain it on a completely random one, which is not guaranteed to represent good value. The only net benefit here is that we gain a “free” 3/3, but it is not truly free when we cannot play both cards on the same turn. The net gain is delayed by a full turn, making it significantly worse. This is clearly not a constructed-level card.
Score: 1
Breakout Architect
Architect can discover from a pool of 13 spells. Only about 4 of them are unconditionally strong when doubled and would be considered desired discovers. Spells such as Flamestrike and Blizzard are only as good as the board we are facing when doubled.
All the good spells here cost 7 mana too, so we are spending 5 mana on a 4/5 to try and swing back two turns later. Even if we are desperate to generate high-cost spells for Jailhouse Manastorm, Architect is an awkward fit since both cards cost the same and curving them out is difficult.
Much like Bootleg Alchemist, Architect does not look like a purposefully designed card, but a self-contained one that does not have much synergy or speak to the rest of the set. The 5-mana cost on both is intentionally done to disrupt their flow.
Score: 1
Tricksy Improviser
A 4/4 that casts a random Mage secret is a good deal for what is technically 3 mana. The condition is not difficult to meet thanks to the Prepare mechanic, as we can Prepare this minion on turn 2 and drop it alongside a cheap spell on turn 3.
A good past comparison would be Arcane Keysmith, which allowed us to discover the secret and was a 4-mana 2/2. Improviser’s randomness and condition make the effect a bit worse, but it has twice the stats and can be played on turn 3. Keysmith was competitively viable and serviceable.
Improviser’s main issue will be finding a home where it makes sense. It is a generically serviceable card rather than a card that can further a strategy, so Mage archetypes that are homed in on a specific win condition may not have space to accommodate it. Its best use will likely be in a slower Mage deck that seeks some standalone defensive cards.
Improviser leans on the defensive side due to the pool of secrets in Standard and the Prepare mechanic not being a great fit for aggressive decks that cannot afford to take a turn off.
Score: 2
Code Violet
Like other 7-mana Prepare cards, we can Prepare Code Violet on turn 2 and play it on turn 4. Is that good? Probably not. A random 8-cost minion is just a single threat that can be dealt with by defensive opponents and is not a line of play that aggressive decks will be worried about. The upside of Code Violet is that the effect doubles if we play 3 other spells on the same turn.
That upside looks powerful, but the condition is extremely difficult to meet. Even if those spells are cheap, we need to Prepare Code Violet on a later turn to discount it more dramatically. Otherwise, it will be difficult to have enough mana on a turn to both activate and cast it.
This significantly delays the timing of the spell, requiring us to take a full turn off in the mid-game to properly discount it. This risks us falling behind in faster matchups, unless we are completely committed to the Prepare mechanic and run Jailbird.
Code Violet offers Mage some path to victory that is relevant in slower matchups, since even defensive decks can struggle to deal with two big threats in one turn, but the support required is steep. We believe this card can only compete if Prepared Mage emerges as a new archetype alongside Improviser and others.
Score: 2
The Skeleton Key
A 1-mana spell that discovers a card is normally not good enough unless we have specific synergies that are relevant for it, such as Quest Mage. However, The Skeleton Key allows us to refresh the choices and try to discover from a different list of three spells. Every refresh risks us taking 5 damage, at a 20% chance. We can keep refreshing, but that damage could start hurting.
If we strictly judge this statistically over a large sample of occurrences, The Skeleton Key only deals 1 damage to us per refresh. That is not a significant amount to pay for a discover effect that is more likely to find us a desirable spell, since we can reset the choices whenever they are not to our liking.
This refresh effect increases the quality of our average discover, so we consider this legendary spell to be a solid inclusion. An obvious choice in Quest Mage, though note that refreshing does not add to the quest count. In other archetypes, it should be a generically serviceable card.
Score: 3
Jailhouse Manastorm
Manastorm turns every spell we cast from that point into a random minion summoner. For example, casting a 6-mana spell summons a random 6-cost minion, turning our game into a Tavern Brawl format. This is an extremely powerful effect that is guaranteed to sling us ahead within a couple of turns and puts a tremendous amount of pressure on our opponents, which should more than make up for the 5-mana investment on a 5/5.
The tricky part is the reliance on finding Manastorm consistently while having enough spells that can take advantage of the effect quickly. We believe that a deck that utilizes Manastorm well needs to tutor the card consistently. The best way to do that in the upcoming format is to run a minion-light build with Xavius, geared to guarantee finding Manastorm in the discover options (so no more than 2 other minions in the deck besides Xavius and Manastorm).
Whether this approach proves to be competitive is dependent on whether Mage can build a shell that can survive pressure while accommodating the restriction. This deck sounds greedy, so it may run into survivability issues, but Manastorm is clearly an extremely powerful build-around card, one that Mage players will be desperate to make work due to its high ceiling.
Score: 3
Final Thoughts
Violet Hold Set Rank: 7th
Overall Power Ranking: 8th
We think most of the Mage class will be standing still, so it will be up to a couple of cards to lift it to a more prominent position. We doubt that Quest Mage will feel much different with The Skeleton Key, or Leyline Mage looks better than what it currently is.
Burn Mage gets a difference maker in Contraband Wands. This card looks innocent, but it is worth a lot of damage in a spell-damage archetype. This damage can be discounted by Story of the Waygate too. But the most important thing is that the damage is versatile. In slower matchups it nukes our opponent’s face. In faster matchups, it helps clear boards. Split damage is historically good.
Then there is Jailhouse Manastorm. This card seems nuts and will likely have a huge impact when drawn. It is worth so much value over the course of a slow matchup and can quickly overwhelm a faster opponent. The problem is whether the deck that runs it can compete, because in games where Manastorm is not found, the deck is going to barely function. We might genuinely need to run a 4-6 minion deck with Xavius here to improve consistency (Xavius + Manastorm + 2 other different minions).
We would say Mage is in a slightly precarious state. Burn Mage is going to be the solid and safe deck for the class that is the most likely to be competitive in the new format, but we doubt it becomes one of the strongest decks. Whether Manastorm Mage booms or busts will determine Mage’s overall standing.
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