Mage in Hearthstone is a very fickle class. Smart players know how to properly manage spells and resources, while bad players usually end up dying while wasting Fireballs on four-health minions. Tempo and Control Mage have been the best versions of the deck for a long time now, but it looks like that’s about to change once the Mean Streets Of Gadgetzan expansion rolls into town.
Briank Kibler, the king of dragons, just revealed a brand new Legendary on his YouTube channel, called Inkmaser Solia. She’s a Mage 5/5 that costs seven mana with a Battlecry: “if your deck has no duplicates, the next spell you cast this turn costs (0).” This card is going to make Reno Mage one of the strongest decks in Hearthstone. Mage spells can tend to be really expensive, usually costing whole turns of mana to use. With Inkmaster Solia, you can do a hell of a lot more with your turn than just play Flamestrike.
Kibler’s shiny new Legendary combos almost too well with another Legendary in the set, Kazakus. This toothy troll creates a special potion card for you, if you have no duplicates in your deck. A spell from him can cost one, five or 10 mana and has a varying effect depending on its cost. A ten mana Kazakus potion can deal six damage to all minions and summon three friendly minions that died this game. So the ideal scenario would be to play Kazakus on turn four and then Inkmaster Solia on turn seven, netting you a free 10-mana potion.
Mage might even be able to give Aggro Shaman a run for its money as most overpowered deck. Kabal Lackey, Gosugamers’ card reveal, might not be as good as Inkmaster Solia, but that doesn't mean it isn’t as useful. It’s a one-mana 2/1 Mage minion that makes the next Secret you play that turn cost zero mana. Since Mad Scientist rotated out of Standard, Mage secrets haven’t been as prominent as they once were. With this little lizard and the need to fill a deck with 30 different cards, spells besides Ice Barrier and Ice Block might actually see some play.
Will Inkmaster Solia change Mage forever, or is it just a gimmick card? Tell us in the comments.
