Mask Warlock

[low raptor]

Provoked by the article, I tried to make a Warlock deck and spotted the synergy between Duke of Below and Bat Mask. This deck relies on your opponent not having removal that can deal with that combo. Fortunately, a lot of classes don't as a lot of removal is damage-based now. Unfortunately, that's not every class. The deck doesn't have much going for it in terms of power but it has a few pairs that I would like to highlight and talk about.
Gemstone Hoarder normally is nothing spectacular, but it has a few extra quirks in this deck that make it special. Targeting Naralex lets you play Ysera on turn 7. Targeting Disposable Acolytes lets you get its effect without "using it up" as fodder for your Ocular Occultist. Targeting Mask and Duke lets you pull off the combo without Ysera. Finally, something this list doesn't do but it is possible, you can Mask your Hoarder to get up to 7 copies of a card (like Agamaggan). You could also run Earthen Drake to target with Mask.
The discard package forms an alright early game while also buffing your Duke of Below. Duke is also fine without Mask sometimes. You only need to discard 3 cards for it to deal with a Slitherdrake for example. It also works well with most Dark Gifts.

Like I said earlier, this deck is surely not good — I'm barely positive — but it's quite satisfying and funny when it works, so please entertain the idea.

edit: i forgot to post the code
AAECAf0GBqn1BqGBB9+CB8ODB7aUB4KYBwyxnwSCoASpiAeEmQeKnAeGnQfQsgfWvgfXvgfZvgfPvweMxgcAAA==

two clips of it working

[polar ore]

WOW! Awesome idea. I'm poking around Bat Mask too, in my case over in the https://discord.com/channels/147167584666517505/1492993224829173820 cook. I've yet to share my idea yet actually now I think about it, doh.

Anyway, I'm a big proponent of Gemstone Hoarder and just recommended him over in that cook channel.

Oh Duke has rush of course too - very nice. And that is positively hilarious about Mask - ing Gemstone to get 7 copies of something 🤣 Is there the right minion out there to make that fatal? 🤔 BTW do actively use both Masks? If not maybe you could Gemstone a Duke, then Mask the Gemstone and end up with 7 Discounted, big, Dukes? Excuse me if I've got it all wrong.

I've messed around with the Earthen Mask idea and it's just too slow IMO even with additional aggressive discounting via the likes of Tranquil Treant. Egg Mask is far more feasible I reckon.

Finally, how might you incorporate the incoming Phoenix for Warlock (& Maloriak)? Any ideas?

Right, I'm off to give this deck a spin - thanks again for posting OP!

[low raptor]

The synergy of Mask and Duke is that Duke's stats are all aura buffs. That means when you set its stats to 1/1 with Mask, it only loses 1/1 of base stats and all the stats from the discards stay. I don't see why you would rather Gemstone Hoarder a Duke and Mask the Hoarder than skip the middle-man and just Mask the Duke.

Also the minion that makes Masking the Hoarder fatal is Agamaggan as I hinted at. Up to 7 9 mana Agamaggans is up to 63 damage through Armor

Incorporating Phoenix and Maloriak seems like a bad idea

[polar ore]

Yes, that is my understanding of said synergy and you're right , however I was specifically referring to the second copy of bat mask. It's almost certainly of no use but I was wondering if that copy could be used to get 7 copies of something, which would be diabolical for some reason. Just ignore lol

[polar ore]

OHHHH

[low raptor]

i use the second copy of bat mask rather rarely yes. Happens every now and then though when the first wave didn't kill

[polar ore]

I missed the Aggy mention, that's brilliant!

[polar ore]

I'm sure you're right - I haven't thought it through but just thought I'd throw it out there for discussion.

Actually can you clear up my confusion on the 63 Aggy damage? The first one costs mana and the remaining 6 inflict 9 health right? Which is 54 by my count, unless I'm missing something (which I probably am...)

[polar ore]

Hey @low raptor, if you get a minute, I'd really appreciate your input on the below 👍🏻

1. the deck uses temporary minions because they are considered to have been discarded from hand (since Patch 30.0 whenever that was). Hence, is there a reason that Bloodpetal Biome and Platysaur are not in the deck?
2. do we basically use our judgement as to when to permit a temporary card to be discarded (which boosts the Dukes +2/+2) but obviously denies us use of the card?

That's it - cheers.

[modern shore]

@low raptor what do you usually mulligan for here?

[low raptor]

1. I used to run Biome but you don't need that many discards. Additionally, unlike Tunnel Terror, it's slower and you exclusively waste value (as opposed to at least getting a 4/3). I could run Biome instead though. Could be better bc it's cheaper.
   I used to run Platysaur too but I dropped it bc it wasn't as controlled.
2. Yeah, although the 2-drops from Terror are more often bad than not

[low raptor]

I'm not good at figuring out what to mulligan for but I mull for early game. I like to start with Hoarder in hand or at least Occultist. Terror is also easier to play on 3 than later. I'd also like to say it depends on the opponent. Sometimes I keep Tentacles if I suspect it'll come in useful

[modern shore]

I'm bad at determing what to mulligan as well

[polar ore]

thanks. I quite like biome simply because it's so damn cheap and with two of them you get four discards for two mana which is pretty hard to beat. It does feel weird just purposefully tossing away minions, but I am coming from the tempo warlock community deck list, where half of your deck is food for soldiers, so I'm getting used to the sort of sacrificial type deck.

I'm the same with Platysaur. It just makes me too nervous that it'll draw like Duke or Batmask or something and then you just hosed.

BTW I kind of collabed with my oppo to get this play but it was pretty satisfying/amusing to see it in the flesh

[polar ore]

Hi @low raptor ,I was just watching https://youtu.be/XxN6yCmya_c?t=15&si=RGK3-EO8DelClKmH and it turns out that [[Divergence]] counts as a discard (makes sense when you think about it) and not only that , it lowers Duke's cost to 2, making it possibly to Mask it 2 turns sooner 👀 - nice , right?

[vivid niche]

Divergence

-# Across the Timeways
-# 5 mana Warlock Spell

Split a random minion in your hand into two halves.

They really are my other half.

[low raptor]

Divergence doesn't count as discard

the reason it increases Duke stats is because Duke's stats are a passive buff, so when Divergence halves its stats, it sets its minimum stats to half of its maximum stats, which makes the passive buff apply again

that card is extremely ass though I tried

[polar ore]

I don't follow your logic. Why would halving its stats apply the buff? Here's its card text:

Rush Has +2/+2 for each card you've discarded this game.

It says nothing about anything but discards invoking the buff. Also Divergence actually does discard a card: the original 2/2 Duke, no?

I agree about Divergence being generally shit. IMO they should change the card because "random minion" targeting just isn't useful enough. However getting the combo done 2 full turns earlier is often likely game-winning IMO.

[low raptor]

I must've not explained it properly because I know I'm right here

Remember from a couple metas ago when you tried attacking an Ancestral Automaton with Horn of the Windlord and instead of setting the stats to 3/3, it healed the Automaton to full and gave it +2/+1? That's the same thing as what's happening here

When Duke is a 10/10, it's a 2/2 with a +8/+8 buff bc you discarded 4 cards. Then you halve it with Divergence which sets its Cost to 2 and its stats to 5/5. However you still discarded 4 cards this game which means it still gets the buff of +8/+8. That makes Duke a 5/5 with an +8/+8 buff, so a 13/13. Divergence doesn't discard anything so it doesn't count as discarding

[low raptor]

as for 2 turns earlier, that's fake. You don't wait until turn 12 to do the play, you play (Naralex and) Ysera on turns 7 or 8. Divergence is worse than that since it speeds up the combo by less turns AND it works poorly in the same deck since you'd need to rid yourself of Naralex and Ysera before casting Divergence and at that point you might as well just play them and you'll have all the mana you need

I don't see Divergence

[polar ore]

Thanks for the explanation but again I can't see where you're coming from here because Divergence onto a 10/10 Duke will actually result in a 9/9 : because it's a 1/1 + 8/8. I'm pretty sure I've actually done this myself. Like 95% sure.

One of us will just have to try it to find out. If I've time later I'll give it a go 👍🏻

EDIT: actually Divergence onto said Duke will result in an 11/11 Duke - I forgot my own argument lol, that Divergence is counted as a discard heh

[polar ore]

I'll take your word on this cos I was on HS hiatus then so can't really comment 👍🏻

[low raptor]

One of us is me and I've tried it before I even posted the list dawg

Feel free to waste your time to prove yourself wrong though

[peak peak]

Wait

Each agga hits individually?

[polar ore]

Dude, I meant no offence. How was I to know you'd actually tried it? All you said was "I must've not explained it properly because I know I'm right here", no? If I'd have known you'd already tried it, I wouldn't have said that.

Anyway, because I didn't know you'd already tried it with Duke's, I did and Divergence does not proc a discard. So the fairly famous YT HS player I watch was completely wrong. However it's all rather moot really as it's the difference between like 7 x 20/20 v.s. 7 x 14/14 right - both are pretty effing lethal.

Anyway, I apologize if I pissed you off, that was not my intention at all.

[low raptor]

No it's cool. It just irritated me that I got opposition when I wasn't explaining an opinion but a fact

[polar ore]

Soz man I didn't grok that it wasn't just opinion.

Have you actually won with this deck? I've tried several cooks and have yet to win :/ It seems that finding Duke and a Mask and staying alive long enough to play both is not realistic, not for me anyway. It's great fun though, just discarding card after card lol

[low raptor]

yeah it's not a good deck

I almost reached 50% with it once