One of my favorite things about Sorcery is how it brings back that old-school love of trading card games that so many of us share with innovative, modern play experience. Sure, Sorcery's amazing art might grab your attention first, but it’s the way the art pairs with awesome gameplay that keeps things exciting. Plus, the stories that come out of playing are unforgettable and make every game a fun experience you share with your opponent.
Ask someone how their last game of Sorcery went, and you'll likely get a story: “The King of the Realm got turned into a frog, but then he rolled a boulder over his enemies for revenge!” Coupled with the Avatar being your embodiment in the Realm, there’s even more potential for putting yourself into action.
The Battlemage is a fan favorite among folks who like to bring the fight to their opponent. I had the privilege to catch up with community member Alexis Romero (aka Count Tolstoy on the Sorcery Discord) to talk about what initially drew them into the Sorcery community as well as how they run their “Shrink the Frog” Deck - a Battlemage Deck you can bust out at your next casual play meet-up with friends!
Get to Know Alexis Romero
Alexis: I have enjoyed TCGs ever since I was a child, and my older brother was as much an avid fan as I was. The spark of enjoyment sort of fizzled out though as the years went by, since it became less about the game itself and more about how valuable certain cards were. I would occasionally dip my toe back into some TCGs and win some tournaments here and there, but I never stayed long.
It was October of 2023 when my brother started talking to me about Sorcery: Contested Realm. After playing a few games I felt the buzz of excitement from my childhood as I started thinking of which Avatar would be my favorite. My favorite thing about this game is the community and the kind of people it has attracted. People who like seeing cool cards and enjoy laughing together when they see some ridiculous plays before the final hit.
Alexis Romero’s Shrink the Frog Deck!
You can view Alexis’ full deck list, "Shrink the Frogs" on Sorcery TCG’s official deck-building site Curiosa.io here.
Deck Inspiration: What inspired you to create this deck?
Alexis: I have always liked the Battlemage avatar from the start, mainly because the art makes them look the most menacing out of all the other Avatars. I always played battlemage-type builds in other games and enjoyed being on the front lines in the midst of battle, and Battlemage thrives in that setting. So, with a flaming sword in one hand and a spellbook at the hip, I wanted to ensure Battlemage had the mobility and combat tricks to get through any frontline, no matter the odds.
Key Card Choices: Tell us about some of the key cards in this deck and why you included them. How do they synergize with your deck's strategy?
Alexis: Grapple Shot is your bread and butter in this deck because it accomplishes your two main goals: additional movement and extra damage. Say your opponent is flooding the board with cheap minions or is developing their army of Foot Soldiers; Screaming Skull is how we clear the board and gain additional card advantage. Pair this with spells like Shrink and Polymorph, and we can deal with almost any minion our opponent has out. It’s so satisfying to polymorph a huge minion into a frog and draw a card off it.
While we prep for battle, we depend on minions like Phase Assassin and Gyre Hippogriffs to mount some early pressure on our opponent. The charge from the Hippogriffs makes them a staple in pretty much any deck that runs Air, and the Assassin’s Voidwalk lets you play them right next to the enemy Avatar at the start of the game.
Playstyle Tips: What’s the recommended playstyle for this deck? Are there any specific strategies or combos that players should be aware of when using it?
Alexis: This deck is definitely tempo-based. You want to keep constant pressure on your opponent using the power of Towers and playing cards ahead of the natural curve of the game. Playing cards like Highland Falconer on turn 1 is a great way to start the game and help thin out your deck. Typical turn 2-3 cards you would want to play are Phase Assassin, Gyre Hippogriffs, or Grapple Shot. It’s important to have at least 1 Tower in hand at the start of the game so you can play these cards ahead of the curve. Remember that while you play Battlemage, your life is a resource. Don’t be afraid to take a decent hit to your life if it means controlling the board. Great multi-spell combos include Flaming Sword + Grapple Shot, and Screaming Skull + Polymorph/Shrink. A good way to think about your games playing Battlemage is imagining that you need to hit your opponent 7 times as fast as possible because the majority of the time you are dealing 3 damage per hit. This is either with Battlemage, Phase Assassin, Hippogriffs, or Grapple Shots on the enemy Avatar, etc., so think about how you can get these 7 hits.
Matchup Insights: How does your deck perform against popular archetypes in the game? Are there any particular matchups where it excels or struggles?
Advantageous Matchups:
- Control Enchantress: Early Phase Assassins and Grapple Shots make this an easy matchup, and playing a low number of sites in general also helps because it gives animated auras fewer targets to animate. Flaming Sword + Shrink is an amazing combo to use against an animated Abundance or Thunderstorm since the Flaming Sword strike will hit all four locations the aura is on.
- Standard Earth/Air/Fire Deathspeaker: Screaming Skull, Daperyl Vampires, Pillar of Zeiros, and Atlantean Fate make this an easy matchup, and you're typically getting them to Death’s Door before they can gain too much card advantage. Since they can’t remove Battlemage from the board with Bury or Banish, the match is very easy once you’re on top of them. Be wary of giving them too much value with an Earthquake, so don’t clump or dump all your artifacts at once.
- Grey Wolves Sorcerer: This is a relatively easy matchup because we have 3 power initially. If we can Grapple Shot early to kill a wolf or play a Phase Assassin, we can outpace 2 wolves a turn with ease. It’s important to also keep cards like Atlantean Fate in hand since they can pretty much force your opponent to scoop. Another tip is to keep a Floodplain close to the center in case they burrow their wolves somehow
Disadvantageous Matchups:
- Mono-Earth Roots Control Geomancer/Seer: These decks primarily use Gnome Hollows and Free City before getting Roots of Yggdrasil, which are extremely hindering. The key to beating these decks is an early Atlantean Fate. You can also counteract roots somewhat by keeping the Aquamarine Core and a Tower in hand to better stabilize post-Roots. If you can shut off the Roots, be wary that an Earthquake may still get the Roots back online!
Thank You, Alexis!
Big thanks to Alexis for sharing their knowledge with the community. For more information about this deck, visit Alexis’ detailed primer on Curiosa, the official Sorcery deck builder here.
Have you got a Sorcery deck you’ve been finding success with or just think is really cool? We’d love to hear about it! Share your decks in the Sorcery: Contested Realm Facebook group and join the Sorcery Discord community.
