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The standard rotation cycle is due with cards from Journey to Un'Goro, Knights of the Frozen Throne and Kobolds & Catacombs also leaving Arena. Mage is losing some pretty sweet cards from Constructed but also some useful tools in Arena. We also wrote about impactful Arena cards Druid and Hunter will lose.
Mage has always been top tier in Arena. As of today, the class has a 51% win rate in Arena, topped only by Warlock at 53%. Throughout most expansions, Mage was able to be dominant due to hard removals from basic and Classic sets such as Flamestrike or Blizzard.
Here are the best ones Mage will lose in Arena in 2019.
#5. Coldwraith
Expansion: Knights of the Frozen Throne
Coldwraith pretty much saw no play in Constructed. The Battlecry is not very useful in Arena either since it is situational, but it has great stats for a 3-drop. Mages lack strong 3-drops in their class and rely on good Neutrals.
Class cards have a higher occurrence bonus, so Coldwraith fits perfectly in the 3-drop slot. And even if you do manage to freeze an enemy, card draw is always good and has a lot of use in Arena.
#4. Raven Familiar
Expansion: Kobolds & Catacombs
Raven Familiar brings back the Joust mechanic from 2015's The Grand Tournament. It is an ok statted 2-drop and it's Battlecry is a bit of a gamble. Even if you draw a high-cost spell such as Meteor, Blizzard, Flamestrike, etc. your opponent also knows that you have this spell in hand.
Still, drawing out the spell thins your deck for better draws and your opponent won't be able to flood his board knowing you have a good spell in hand. If your topdeck is a Raven Familiar and your opponent is about to kill you, maybe you can Joust and get exactly the board clear you need (or not, pray to RNG).
#3. Primordial Glyph
Expansion: Journey to Un'Goro
Primordial Glyph is as busted in Arena as it is in Constructed. A cheap spell which allows you to discover a discounted spell. Not only can you discover board clears you can also discover card draw such as Arcane Intellect, removals such as Polymorph and other useful spells. All of these spells get discounted by 2 which allows you to use extra mana to play another card.
#2. Leyline Manipulator
Expansion: Kobolds & Catacombs
Remember that spell you got from Primordial Glyph? Now discount it by 2 more, to a total discount of 4 mana with Leyline Manipulator. Even if you don't generate random cards, Leyline Manipulator is a nicely statted 4-drop. It is a Chillwind Yeti but with a Battlecry. You can generate random spells from the Spellstone, the new Classic Mage card or other cards and even get random minions from spells and other minions.
#1. Meteor
Expansion: Journey to Un'Goro
Meteor is one of the best board clears added to Mage's pool of cards. It is insanely valuable when you can use it to clear large taunts such as Hungry Ettin, Giant Mastodon or Witchwood Grizzly. It is useful to damage your opponent's other minions and makes it much easier to clear them. This does way too much damage for its cost!
Honourable Mentions
Some neutrals and Mage cards have been handy for Mage as well. Here are some honourable mentions.
Hyldnir Frostrider
Expansion: Knights of the Frozen Throne
Hyldnir Frostrider makes up for the lack of powerful 3-drops in the Mage slot. It is very strongly statted at 3-mana and its Battlecry is rarely ever a downside. It is a common card so it is very easy to get it in drafts.
Tar Creeper
Expansion: Journey to Un'Goro
Tar Creeper is strong in almost every class. Again due to the lack of good 3-drops for Mage, Tar Creeper stood out because of how powerful a defence tool he is. With the addition of being an Elemental, Tar Creeper has been a great fit for Mage.
Flame Geyser
Expansion: Journey to Un'Goro
Flame Geyser is a nice ping spell which adds a handy elemental to your hand too. It is as good as Fire Plume Phoenix, which is a 3/3 that deals 2 damage too. It's also cheap for the effect that it has.
Dragon's Fury
Expansion: Kobolds & Catacombs
Dragon's Fury is yet another powerful board clear for Mage. Although it also deals damage to your minions, even 2 damage to all minions on the board from revealing a cheap spell can be quite impactful. Dragon's Fury is a great tool for high damage and low damage removal.
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