This is part 2 of my Mazahaedron opening-turns series. If you missed it, part 1 is here: Mazahaedron’s Opening Hand Had Me Stuck — So I Mapped Out Opening Breach II on Turn 1
Last time, I worked through opening Breach II on turn 1. But that was only one of the three paths I’d been staring at. This time it’s the next one: what happens if Mazahaedron spends that first turn gaining a card for himself?
As before, I’m using his signature card, his charge ability, and cards from Aeon’s End: War Eternal. Everything here assumes a 4-mage game.
Back to That Turn-1 Hand
Here’s what you’re looking at when turn 1 begins. Remember, opening Breach II costs 3 Aether.
- Hand: Worldheart Shard, Crystal, Crystal, Spark, Spark
- Deck: Crystal, Crystal, Crystal, Crystal, Spark
- Discard: none
And here are the three ways I see to use Worldheart Shard on turn 1:
- Open Breach II
- Gain a 3-Aether card for yourself
- Gain a 4-Aether card for an ally
I’m going through each one in turn. This post covers the second one: gaining a 3-Aether card for yourself.
Turn 1: Why Frozen Magmite Is the Card to Take
Option A: Gaining a Gem
You have two Sparks in hand, but I’d still take Frozen Magmite here. The plan is to follow up by gaining high-cost gems and the like as fast as possible. Here’s the board after taking Frozen Magmite, at the start of turn 2:
- Breach I: Spark
- Breach II: closed
- Hand: Spark, Crystal, Crystal, Crystal, Crystal
- Deck: Spark
- Discard: Frozen Magmite, Worldheart Shard, Crystal, Crystal
The Spark in Breach I is the one left over from turn 1.
And here’s what surprised me: this is almost exactly the same spot as the turn 2 I looked at last time. More on that in a moment.
Option B: Gaining a Relic or a Spell
So what about relics or spells?
For 3 Aether or less, you can pick up Mage’s Totem, Conclave Scroll, Fiend Catcher, or Thoughtform Familiar.
If you take a spell, you’ll need to open another breach by turn 3, which eats even more Aether. When you factor in that Mazahaedron will also be spending Aether discarding power cards, I can’t really recommend it in a 4-mage game.
The relics other than Conclave Scroll leave you behind on building charges. And Conclave Scroll isn’t exactly fast either. Gaining gems and charging with those will probably get you there sooner.
So if you’re gaining a card for yourself on turn 1, I think Frozen Magmite is the way to go.
Everything from here on assumes you took Frozen Magmite on turn 1.
Turn 2: What to Do with 4 Aether
Here are the ways I see to spend the 4 Aether:
- Gain a gem — 3 or 4 Aether
- Gain a relic — 2 to 4 Aether
- Gain a spell — 3 or 4 Aether
- Focus a breach
- Charge
Unless Mazahaedron is the one attacking, you may not need to focus a breach this early.
Charging isn’t needed early either. You can build charges later and still heal Gravehold in time.
Gaining a Gem, Again
The 3-Aether gems are Frozen Magmite, Volcanic Glass, and Dread Diamond, and I recommend Frozen Magmite. When you use Frozen Magmite to gain a card, you can put that card on top of your deck.
If you go for a 4-Aether gem, I recommend Scoria Slag, since it gives 3 Aether from Tier 2 onward. Keep in mind, though, that in a 4-mage game Tier 2 doesn’t arrive until turn 6 or later. If you buy it now, it’ll probably still be Tier 1 when it reaches your hand, so you’ll only get 2 Aether from it. As for Breach Ore, since I don’t expect to use its breach-focusing in the late game, it feels like a waste.
Here’s what it looks like after taking a second Frozen Magmite:
- Breach I: Spark
- Breach II: closed
- Hand: Crystal
- Deck: Spark
- Discard: Frozen Magmite, Worldheart Shard, Crystal, Crystal, Spark, Frozen Magmite, Crystal, Crystal, Crystal
You’re left with one Crystal in hand. Just leave it there.
Gaining a Relic
The relics that cost 4 Aether or less are Mage’s Totem, Conclave Scroll, Fiend Catcher, Primordial Fetish, and Cairn Compass.
If you take Mage’s Totem, you have 2 Aether left, and all you can do with it is take another Mage’s Totem or charge.
If you take Conclave Scroll or Fiend Catcher, things play out much like the Frozen Magmite line. After that, you’ll have up to 6 Aether to spend from your hand.
If you take the 4-Aether relic Cairn Compass, here’s the start of turn 3:
- Breach I: Spark
- Breach II: closed
- Hand: Spark, Frozen Magmite, Worldheart Shard, Crystal, Crystal
- Deck: Spark, Cairn Compass, Crystal, Crystal, Crystal, Crystal
- Discard: none
You’re back to the same set of choices as turn 1.
Cairn Compass shows up on turn 4. By then, though, your allies most likely have no discard pile yet, or if they do, it’s probably just a Spark or their signature spell.
Primordial Fetish lets you either heal yourself or focus a player’s breach, so it’s also worth considering.
Gaining a Spell
In this line, if you gain a spell, it’ll pile up with the spell you cast from Breach I, and you’ll end up with two spells in hand when it comes around.
One way to handle that is to open Breach II in the meantime. Another is to spend 2 Aether focusing a breach while the new spell is in your hand, so you can prep it.
Turn 2 Picks at a Glance
| Pick | Why |
|---|---|
| Frozen Magmite — gem, 3 Aether | A card you gain with it can go on top of your deck |
| Scoria Slag — gem, 4 Aether | 3 Aether from Tier 2, but in 4-mage you’ll probably still be in Tier 1 when you draw it, so only 2 Aether |
| Breach Ore — gem | Feels like a waste if you won’t use its breach-focusing late |
| Conclave Scroll or Fiend Catcher — relics | Plays out like the Frozen Magmite line, with up to 6 Aether from your hand afterward |
| Mage’s Totem — relic | Leaves 2 Aether, enough only for another Mage’s Totem or a charge |
| Cairn Compass — relic, 4 Aether | Puts you back at the turn-1 choice. When it shows up on turn 4, allies probably have little or nothing in their discard |
| Primordial Fetish — relic | Heal yourself or focus a player’s breach |
| A spell | Two spells in hand at once. Open Breach II, or spend 2 Aether focusing so you can prep it |
The Payoff: Turn 3 After Two Frozen Magmites
Back to the double Frozen Magmite line. This is where it gets fun. Here’s the start of turn 3:
- Breach I: Spark
- Breach II: closed
- Hand: Crystal, Spark, Frozen Magmite, Worldheart Shard, Crystal
- Deck: Crystal, Spark, Frozen Magmite, Crystal, Crystal, Crystal
- Discard: none
Now you can hand an ally a card that costs up to 6 Aether, or Mazahaedron can gain a card that costs up to 5 Aether himself.
That opens up a lot of options, like:
- Give a spell to an ally who’s playing the attacker role — Conjure the Lost, for example — and put it on top of their deck
- Give an ally Bloodstone Jewel. Mazahaedron can then use the 3 Aether that comes with it to gain a spell, relic, or gem
- Have Mazahaedron take a 5-Aether card for himself, like Erratic Ingot or Aurora
Erratic Ingot isn’t consistent, but it can give you up to 4 Aether, so if it’s in the supply it’s worth picking up. With Erratic Ingot, your next hand can hold up to 7 Aether. On top of that, Frozen Magmite lets you put the card you just gained on top of your deck.
If you take Aurora, your next hand is Aurora, Crystal, Spark, Frozen Magmite, Crystal. Prep Aurora to gain 1 charge, then spend 3 Aether to open Breach II and prep the Spark there.
Any of these looks like a good choice.
Wrap-Up: Notes to Myself
- If you’re gaining a card for yourself on turn 1, take Frozen Magmite. It puts you in almost the same spot as the turn 2 from the open-Breach-II line.
- Skip spells on turn 1. You’d need another breach open by turn 3, and in a 4-mage game Mazahaedron’s Aether is also going toward discarding power cards.
- On turn 2, a second Frozen Magmite is my pick. Focusing and charging can wait.
- By turn 3, you can give an ally a card worth up to 6 Aether, or take one worth up to 5 for yourself: a spell for your attacker, Bloodstone Jewel, Erratic Ingot, or Aurora.
Next time, I’ll look at the third turn-1 line: gaining a card for an ally.
See you then!
Assumes a 4-mage game. Mileage may vary in solo and 2-mage games, but the core logic holds.
