Your goal is to overwhelm the opponent with sheer numbers of versatile units (Minions) and control the board with efficient damage spells (Magic). The Avatar ability to draw is slow, but effective late game.
Here is a brief competitive primer on how to play this deck, focusing on its core strategies and weaknesses.
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Primer: Minion Swarm & Burn Control
This deck is best characterized as a Mid-Range Swarm with a Burn Control backup plan. Your competitive strategy relies on dominating the early-to-mid game board presence and leveraging your large pool of Sites and flexible Magic cards.
Core Strategy: Establish Presence and Pressure
Your primary goal is to play a Minion or two every turn and commit to a consistent offensive push.
1. Early Game (Turns 1-3): Set the Board
Prioritize Sites: Your high Minion count means you need a strong, stable Mana engine. Balance the fire and air threshold.
Swarm with Small Units: Use Vile Imp (excellent pressure) and War Horse (quick reach) immediately. The Phase Assassin and Headless Haunt are key for applying immediate pressure and trading favorably.
Use Blink/Lightning Bolt: These are your insurance. Use Lightning Bolt for removal (Minions/Sites) and Blink to save your Phase Assassins or War Horses from removal.
2. Mid Game (Turns 4-6): The Push
Anchor with Minions: Deploy your powerful, durable units like Daperyll Vampire (for lifegain/fatigue control), Gyre Hippogriffs (for charge), and Hounds of Ondaros (high resilience).
The Black Plague: This Aura is your board stabilization tool. Play it when the opponent has 3-4 small Minions out to guarantee strong board clear over several turns.
Focus Efficient Damage: Use Disintegrate, Thunderstorm and Lava Flow to eliminate high-value enemies, and allowing your Minions to hit their Avatar.
3. Late Game (Turns 7+): Close Out
Final Threats: Your finishers are Adtonitum, Death Dealer, and Grandmaster Wizard. Deploy these only when the opponent has minimal answers left.
Burn Finish: If the opponent is protected by Minions, calculate if you have enough remaining direct damage (Lightning Bolt, Lava Flow, Disintegrate, Arcane Barrage) to finish the Avatar directly without needing to attack.
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Key Cards and Synergies
| Card(s) | Role & Competitive Use |
| Blink | Resilience/Efficiency: Save your high-value Minions (Phase Assassin, Daperyll Vampire) from targeted removal |
| Magic Damage Suite| Control/Finish: Lightning Bolt, Disintegrate, Lava Flow, Arcane Barrage. These spells let you ignore the enemy's board state and target their Avatar directly if they fall below 15 health, pivoting from board control to a burn strategy. |
| Artifacts | Mid-Game Spikes: Mix Aer gives you critical Mana acceleration. Amethyst Core is a solid source of steady mana $ threshold. Play these before your big Turn 5/6 Minions. | Kythera mechinism eliminates rng on numerous cards, lightning bolt, headless haunt etc
| Merlin / Grandmaster Wizard | Nimbus Jinn Combo & Card Advantage: These are vital in a long, attrition-heavy game. Use them to dig for more damage or the correct Site.