Fire

The first wizard I fought was a Fire. The last one I fought was a Fire. I have fought Fire so much that I know exactly what to do every single time.

From first: All the Fire wizards I’ve faced have all ran the same exact strategy. They wait for that Shadow Pip, and they release the FFA (Fire From Above). Most of the time, they’ll aim for a Critical to land on you… Which for some reason works ALL THE TIME. I’m not going to lie, I did run against some Fires who went with the good ol’ Efreet, so do be weary of coming across a few. A good way to counter Fire is Conviction. It stops that King Artorious stun and adds a little more block to your arsenal. Don’t let their bubbles stay. Use Gaze for more of a bubble change than its damage. Abuse the laws of using shields from first. There’s quite nothing they can do  about it.. using DOTs from second aren’t very effective since you can just shield after each tick. Weakness has always been our friend against Fire, and it always will be.

Use it.

From second: Going second against Fire isn’t all that bad. The worst thing they can do is probably a critical FFA.. in most cases it would kill, but HEY! It’s okay to take one lucky loss. If that does not happen however, they would most likely Shield, Blade, Bubble, Mantle, Stun, or even use an Aura. In that case, the best option would be either to Shield or Mana Burn. Watch out for that FFA.. wielding 248 block doesn’t mean it will always block. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a good amount. It’s not too much, nor is it too little. I would say about just right. Just make sure to stack those Weakness and you’ll be smooth as butter. Don’t let them win the bubble war either. Let Gaze be the key factor to that. Usually when I do go second, I always tend to increase my use of Loremaster to even out the turn difference. It’s always a good move to use Lore, as it adds a chance of fizzling next round along with a weakness. Always try to look for conviction, as those things can determine the fate of either wizard. Some spells we still have to look out for are Link and Power Link. Those LOVE to critical on me and get those infections off the opponent as well. Remember to always watch for Efreet. It’s one spell we had to watch out for since Level 60, and I think we will always have to.

Ice

I have only fought one Ice out of my entire 101 matches… honestly I’m glad I did, as Ice is probably the third most annoying school to fight. (Balance being first, Life second)

From first:

When I fought my first Ice, I went second. I have watched a few of my friends’ matches, and I often observed a Winter Moon-Abd Weaver combo… That just SOUNDS fierce doesn’t it? Well, going first you should be able to prevent that with Conviction. Weaver is our fearsome foe that we have to watch for. The -75% shield should be easy to handle with the first move at hand. Make sure you let Ice Wizards know that the bubble war is all yours. This is one school that is REALLY in love with their bubble, and they’d want to have it up at all times. Gaze, Gaze, Gaze. Don’t let them have the bubble at all. Especially not the Critical bubble… I wouldn’t be surprised for an Ice to still be wielding a Life Amulet, so it may be best to Infect. Even if you don’t see a Life Amulet, they may have one, as the new Darkmoor Mastery amulets are actually hidden from view… Did you know that Ices can bare 46 resist without a single resist on their pet?  Make sure you do know that. Shrike is very useful against the School of Ice, but Infallible works just as well. Make sure not to try and hit through the -75% shields, even if you do have Shrike. The only spell damage that’s okay to use over shields is Loremaster, as it serves as a double effect rather than damage. Follow through with Lore, cast conviction accordingly, keep their bubble down, and that Ice wizard will soon be melted.

From second: When I got this match-up, of course I was scared. What made it worse was the fact that the guy spoke to me, and I looked at his stats. Boy was I spooked… He was sitting on top of 61 Resist, along with 73 damage. He wore the Teeth of the Lords of Night over the Malistare staff. He had 313 block, 200ish critical and only 6 pierce. I gladly thought about that fact that I had 45 resist. If the guy has no Pierce, then what’s the worry?? Well, unless you face a guy exactly like mine, my advice for you would be to “Pop” those Infallible, and cancel out those blades with stacks of weaknesses. Make sure to keep the bubble in your possession just like fighting from first. That bubble is a magnificent beauty, but we would rather have OUR magnificent beauty up. Mana Burn is our love against Ice, as they tend to run on 5+ pips spells. If you run into an offensive Ice, make sure you dig for your best friend; Conviction. It stops those criticals, and it also stops those stuns. When I fought that Ice wizard, I found it was easy to heal off his damage, so hopefully you can do the same. I did manage to land a critical on him as well, which was pure gold since there was no possible way for him to critical on me for revenge. Always remember, before you go into Shrike, put up Conviction. A stun could easily make that Shrike useless. When you do get into Shrike, Lore spam your way out, or even go out with Gaze of Fate. Shrike+Loremaster Spam is absolutely unstoppable. Unless a -75% shield runs into your way… remember to use those Infections. I’d hate to take an Ice all the way down to kill range to have them heal right back to 6,000+. Shield frequently, as Frostbite is one of those spells that aren’t found much anymore. If they do happen to use Frostbite, then just let it be. Don’t let them get a wide open Weaver on you. At least make sure to have a Weakness or something on at all times. Make those Ice wizards EARN those wins – don’t let them have it.

Storm

I have fought countless Storms and I haven’t lost to one at all.  Maybe it’s just my luck that I always blocked those 500+ critical ratings with a small amount of 248…

From first: If you get that Shadow pip, use Gaze ASAP. If it criticals, that should be an Automatic GG. If no Shadow Pip shows up, then hope for a Mana Burn, if that doesn’t happen, start the round off with a Loremaster. It is important that you start attacking asap, since they can pretty much kill you in 3 rounds or less. Conviction is the Perfect spell for Storm as it will stop criticals most of the time, and also prevents that Storm Lord that they’re probably hoping for. Infallible won’t be really needed as Storm only has around the average 4,000 health. Conviction is what you really want to be emptying your deck for. A critical Stormbug Squall won’t be so scary anymore. Don’t always go for those Volcanic Shields. Storm still has those Insane Bolts in their decks. Basically play on the Defensive until you get enough pips to go for a counter strike. When they take your health down near 3,000, that’s where you should instantly go onto Loremaster’s side. You’re getting a Weakness on them every time, as they Pierce out most of your Tower Shields anyways. Plus you’re increasing a chance to fizzle! Keep calm, and keep control. Storm isn’t all that dangerous like they were during the Hades’ gear era.

From second: Let’s just hope that no Shadow Pip comes in for them in the first round. That’s a wide open Stormbug right there. If your deck allows it, pop the Conviction that same first round. What’s better? A critical Storm Lord – with a Shield, or a Critical Storm Lord – blocked with Conviction? Well, the critical Storm Lord + Shield would hurt less, but you’re stunned, while the Conviction Storm Lord hurts slightly more, but you block the Stun 90%/95% of the time. If you ask me, I’d say conviction. It allows me to enter with my Counter-Attack so that I’m not put at a disadvantage with the Stun (Sorry for the nerd talk… just shows my experience I guess you can say. :P) Basically go for the same idea going second. Go on the Defensive, and wait for the right time to Counter. If you do lose to a Storm, don’t get frustrated about it. Just boot up and try again.

Death

Ahh the School of Death. The BEST school in the game that no school can stand a chance against. (Joke) I love Death and all, but let’s not call any school the “Best”

From first: First move against Death should be pretty easy. If they can’t get that Khrulhu landed freely on you, then the match should be a breeze. Top level Death has almost all ran the exact same Strategy. Clear shields for Khrulhu with Poison. It’s actually an effective strategy too. I’ve even ran into some Death wizards who summoned their Animate Minion! About 4 of my losses have come from Death, going second, and I won against about 3. All you have to do against Death is do what they do to you. Pound them into a no-healing zone, and keep them scrambling for health. Loremaster is an easy counter for Death, as Death’s drains are already weak enough. Why not make them even weaker? Don’t give them too many weaknesses as it may pressure them into using some sort of self-hit spell (Sacrifice, Bad Juju, Empower, Dark Pact) to their benefit. What’s even worse for a Death Wizard not to have? Pierce! If a Death Wizard has no Infallible (assuming that you’re popping them), and they’re just hitting through your resist and countless weaknesses/shields, how could you possibly lose?? Abuse the laws of going first with Death, and there’s an easy win for you

From second: This match is probably where you will meet your maker. If a Death is playing their cards right going first, then any match is theirs going first against Balance. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t win against Death going second. I even let my nine year-old brother 1v1 me using my Death Wizard. I lost all 3 times going second. I feel ashamed. It’s just because of the fact that Death can pretty much heal off all your damage with Khrulhu after removing those shields and weakness with Poison. Doom and Infection makes the situation even worse – you can’t heal back your health. My advice for facing Death going second is to watch for Khrulhu. Maybe increasing Loremaster use will help.. but I bet they will just end it with a critical Sacrifice every time. Shield after Poison’s tick if they have a Shadow pip, and put up conviction sometime too. Most of the time Death would use Poison, stun, and Khrulhu in a combo type of way. It works too.

Life

The school of the fearsome critical Satyr. What’s more annoying then having all your hard work basically IGNORED..?

From first: First thing you should do is find those Infections. Find about 2 if you can. I’ve found that Life wizards love using Auras despite if they face Balance or not (based on my experience). I guess they feel they can just heal it off anyways. Eh. Who knows. Pop those Auras if they’re casted, and keep control of their pips. Don’t let Life Wizards go past the limit of 8 pips. I only say this because they can unleash some annoying combos with a such amount of pips. Every time those Life Wizards get that Shadow Pip,expect a Caterpillar – Shield, and take off the absorb with a Loremaster if they use it. Don’t sleep on Hungry Caterpillar. Those things are vicious, and can stack with other absorb shields. Luminous Weaver is actually an amazing spell that Life wizards can obtain, which does an amazing 900+Damage, and adds a Weakness as a transfer to defense. It’s almost like Loremaster, just minus the Mantle… therefore, you should use it as a defensive move as well. One reason Life is an annoying school to face is the fact that can basically heal off all your damage with a critical Satyr or better. How fun. If a Life wizard ever places a Sanctuary or Nemaste of course you would want to take it down with Gaze, as both will bring terror towards you.

From second: Facing Life from second is the type of match I don’t want to look at. I mean, honestly, they can basically make all of your time a waste as it’s too easy to remove an Infection for a critical Satyr the next round. Also don’t forget that they can do as much damage as you can to them with Weaver and Caterpillar. You already know about that Guardian Spirit which is definitely an advantage Life has over every school. One way you can hold Life is by taking their pips first of all. A critical Satyr isn’t all that bad as long as you can take half of the heal right back down. If it were up to me, I would start getting ready to pile up monstrous amounts of hits by building up pips. Once you’re at maybe around full pips, that’s when the time is right for you to bring out the Infallible (or even Shadow Shrike if you feel it’s necessary), and start releasing combos such as Gaze of Fate > Savage Paw > Loremaster (my personal favorite combo). You don’t want to end up just spamming Loremaster on a Life Wizard going second (unless you have them in a range of 2000 health). This match-up will never be as bad if you keep their pips low, and just release simple combos with an Armor Piercing spell (Infallible, Shrike).  If you do happen to lose in this match, don’t worry about it, just move on to the next.

Myth

I have only lost to Myth once, which was because of a critical Medusa.. I honestly think Myth is at the bottom for Top Level PvP only because their new Shadown Enhanced Spell didn’t bring as much to the table for 1v1 as the other spells did. That being said, Myth is pretty easy to handle, regardless of first or second move.

From First: Myth is a pretty simple school to face. As long as Conviction is up a majority of the match, you should be just fine (unless they happen to stun through it). Always consider burning their pips, as Medusa is just that much of a game changer. This is probably one reason why I wish I would go scrape up a training point and train Stun Block. A definite x2 Stun resist is always better then a 90%/95% chance of resisting, but let’s rock with Conviction for the extra block (feel free to train Stun Block if you feel it’s necessary). Basically when you face Myth, you just have to watch out for Medusa, King Artorious, and Basilisk. But if you keep their pips low, you won’t even have to worry about those. For this Match, you want to keep pips for you to deliver a Mana Burn onto them to prevent their 8+ pip spells. That being said, you would want to use 0 pip spells like Tower Shield, Balanceblade, Conviction, etc to build on pips. Once their pips are either burned or used, there’s your chance for Offense. Feel free to heal up from attacks with Availing Hands. This match is as easy as pie if you deny their key spells. Even Weakness stacking can take their key spells out. Keep that in mind…

From second: This match is still easy if you do the same thing as if you were going first. Keep their 8+ pip spells sitting in their hand by digging for those Mana Burns. The only thing I would to say to do differently is use Conviction way more often. A good time to use it from second is on its last round as that’s probably what they’re waiting for. Keep their pips low, and just wreck havoc on offense and this match is yours.

Balance

Every school has their weakness, and it’s always themselves. When you get around the 1200ish rank, that’s the time that you will want to actually start holding Balance Dispel in your deck (your opponents will, so you might as well too).

From first: Going first against Balance is a major advantage, especially if you’re Balance too! Mana burn is easy to avoid going first, so of course you would want to avoid it by using Mana Burn yourself.  Only use Gaze in this match if you have a clear shot (no shields). I say this because you would want to make good use of your Gaze, and get the bubble up at the same time. The bubble is needed because you’re facing BALANCE, so using an Aura would only be cursing yourself. But don’t forget that you’re also helping the other wizard in battle. Do know that since you’re going first, it may be okay to use an Aura, as long as you’re using Loremaster with it. The mantle can almost for sure cause fizzle on Supernova. For some reason, I feel that in a Balance vs Balance match, it always seems all about who can use Loremaster the most. That being said, just do it. Lore spam your way out, and heal off their Lore with Availing Hands. Make sure you place an Infection or two so they don’t heal off YOUR damage. Loremaster spam is always the best way to counter Balance itself. The mantle for some reason always makes me fizzle, so do be cautious of situations where you do fizzle. You’re always bound to intake a critical hit when wielding 248 block, so don’t think you’re safe because you’re going first. This match is all yours… If you’re ever called a “Lore Spammer”, don’t be offended; ignore it. Honestly Loremaster was MEANT to be spammed. 4 pips?? 600-700 damage???? Yes boo.

From second: Great! The worst match-up in the game. Believe it or not, this match is still able to be won. Just play it smart and time your spells. Your first move should automatically be some type of hit. I like using Lore for the first round as it places that mantle and weakness, and gets that edge over Mana Burn if they use it. In this match, you would want to look forward to stacking weakness, or even placing random weaknesses. Weakness is the reason why Loremaster is spammed in a Balance vs Balance match. I use different enchanted Loremasters to build weaknesses onto each other along with the ones found in the deck itself. If you were to ask me, that would be my excuse on why I “spam Lore”. Simply stacking Weakness is an easy way to defeat a Balance wizard. DO IT! What really determines these matches really depend on “who lands that first crit”. That’s not always true, but a majority of the time it is. But anyways, Weakness, Weakness, Weakness, and facing Balance from second isn’t all that bad as it sounds.