Mazag's Picnic

One of my favourite cards in Fall of Argenport is Mazag, the Waking Terror. He's cheap, he flies, he can steal things and he has LOTS of eyes! Unfortunately, you have to sacrifice a unit when he comes into play. Here, then, is an attempt at a deck that can play Mazag. This is VERY much a work in progress, and hasn't even really got to a point where it feels like it's in the right spot to start tuning (for example, it can't really deal with early threats like Teacher of Humility, or units from the various TJP berzerk decks). Before I go on any further, a disclaimer! This deck ISN'T good, but it IS fun. This write up is so I can keep track of the deck changes and my thoughts since this is something of a pet deck. Do try it, because when it works it's fun, but do NOT spend shiftstone that you will miss on it!

The deck wants to play Mazag (hopefully generating some minor value at the same time), and then try and make him just a LITTLE bit bigger to get some meaningful mileage out of his ultimate. Currently the big problem with Mazag, it seems to me, is that he can only steal units with 3 health or less, which means that by the time that ultimate is going off it's less meaningful than one might want. That means the deck wants two things (in addition to Mazag!) - cheap units with reasonable entomb abilities, and weapons (or potentially warcries) to try and make the big lunk bigger. That brings us to the first wad of cards in the deck: the things Mazag wants to eat.

Grenadin drone is a cheap robot that makes another little robot. It's not exciting, but it's a turn one play, and it makes two bodies that Mazag can eat, and provides some fodder for Combust and Devour. I am not sure if two is the right number, it might be that more is better, but I really don't know yet!
Slumbering Stone is another turn one play, but this one gives back a 2/2 flier when it dies (either to Mazag, or the aforementioned sacrifice cards). Again, no one cares if Mazag eats this guy since he actually gets better.
Obsidian Golem pulls double duty here - the fact that it makes a 2/2 weapon when it dies is great, since that obsidian armour fits Mazag like a glove, and gets him to six health. This is the sweet spot, really - it means he can survive combat a lot more readily and, more importantly, greatly expands his choice of victims when it comes to his ultimate.

Next on the list is making Mazag bigger. I already mentioned Obsidian Golem, and to complement that the deck is also playing Statuary Maiden. This is just a great card in general, but Mazag LOVES waving those cudgels around with whatever he uses to wave things around.

Unfortunately, that's it (as the deck currently stands) for ways to pump up Mazag. Previous versions used Recycler as another source of free weapons, and also played other weapons in the deck, but playing actual weapon cards diluted the unit count (which is important to be able to play Mazag), and Recycler never felt that good. Luckily Fall of Argenport gave us Kerendon Merchant, which means we can stick another Maiden in the market to have an effective six copies in the deck, so we can get the Cudgel party started when needs be! More on the market later, first let's quickly look at the rest of the units in the deck, and the package of spells.

Memory Dredger helps recur the little dudes that have previously been sacrificed. This means repeated fodder for combust and devour and more obsidian armor. Ripknife Assassin is just good, and if the warcries end up landing on Mazag then everyone is happy. Finally we have Jekk, Lone Gun. He is a total boss, and gives a nice threat in the later part of a game, and it's relatively easy to get tribute to work.

The spells in the deck are pretty standard for a stonescar deck that has a sacrifical theme - Combust, Devour and Madness are all best friends forever, so they go in. Plus Madness into Mazag sounds fun as all hell. The deck makes fire influence, so Torch is in, and in the current meta it's better than ever to deal with some of those early plays that lose you the game if they go unanswered (it also reduces a big units health to mazag-snag it). Quarry is excellent - it's great to draw cards! This might be better as Cull the Deck - I don't know yet if this deck values the dig more than the cost reduction.

The market is a complete guess. The four fixtures are a copy each of Mazag, Statuary Maiden, Combust and Madness, since these are all cards the deck really wants to see. Dizo, Cabal Chairman is in there because wears cudgels really well. There are some times where you just want an unblockable guy that can take a cudgel or an armor and go to town... plus the extortion scheme is kind of fun if you get it...

Finally the power base - all the dual lands, to help with influence (Mazag is SSS, but the deck also wants fire early), a couple of each standard to help out in combat (plus Shugo Tactics can buff Mazag's health, if you got loads of power and need it) and waystones to make grenadins for mazag or dizo to eat!

Well, that covers all my card choices. As I said, this deck isn't doing very well. It seems to struggle to be assertive in the early game, and loses super hard to removal. I am not really sure how to improve it - I half wonder if the way Mazag makes you contort your deck means that this is just how Mazag decks are?!

Well, thanks for reading! And if you play this deck, I am sorry!