Big news this week: we got a sort-of date for PvE release. For more information you can check out the PC Gamer Interview which goes through the new patch. The semester just started so I won't have as much time to grind my first character as I would like, but I'm planning on getting my Twitch stream going again for the occasional Dungeon run-through.
Launch of PvE is going to be a bit more truncated than initially assumed. Back in August with the Warrior Talent Tree reveal, the plan was 8 races and 6 classes While all the races will be available, only three classes will be accessible with the launch of the Chronicles patch: Cleric, Warrior, and Mage (Ranger, Rogue, and Warlock will be released later). Additionally the number of talents have been scaled back (as mentioned in the Cleric Preview) to only the first third, and the number of racial talents halved to three, with 2 Race-Class Combo Talents. As evidenced by the PC Gamer Interview, the Warrior Talent tree has changed somewhat since August to balance for these latent changes. While we don't have an exhaustive list, I'll make a post later this weekend detailing the ones that can be confirmed from the PC Gamer Interview.
The Mage Class was previewed with the Human Race, so as a follow up to the previous article I'm going to go over the Class Talents. Once again I'll refrain from discussing the Racial abilities of the Human and Race-Combo abilities, since many people who choose Mage won't necessarily have access to those. Based on the Spell-like nature of the Combos we've seen for Mages so far, they will likely have a large impact on the sorts of decks supported by that race. I'll also be comparing the function of these abilities to the Cleric abilities, so if you haven't read the Cleric Preview, I would suggest skimming it (even if you have your heart set on playing a Mage) just to see where the two differ, as it will inform the analysis.
Mage Starting Stats are 14 Health and 7 Card Starting Hand Size, which is significantly less health than the Cleric or the Warrior. While there is one Talents available to mitigate the low health, it could be extremely difficult to play as a Control Mage at early levels with such low starting health, since those deck generally sacrifice early game tempo and 14 life isn't a large cushion.
Spell Power
Spell Power (SP) is the core mechanic of Mages, which is a separate resource from resources, threshold, and charges. Spell power is spent specifically on Spells. Spells are learned from Talents. As of now there is only one that you can unlock (Telekinesis), one that you all Mages start with (Soothsaying) and based on the two races we've seen one spell which is available from your Race-Class combo as well (Human Mages get Polymorph: Beast and Vennen Mages get Weaken). Spells use a specific amount of Spell Power, and the base cost of those Spells increases by 1 each time it is used. The starting spell Soothsaying, for example, requires 4SP the first time it is used, then 5SP the second time, and so on. The scaling cost creates an incentive for using a diversity of spells.
Replenish Spell Power (11)
[BASIC] [3], Gain 3 to 5 SP at random.
Replenish is the Mage Charge Power and is the main way to gain Spell Power throughout the game. It also serves as a good baseline to gauge just how valuable and scarce SP is throughout the game when determining how powerful the spells are. While there is inherent randomness in how much Spell Power you gain from this ability, it is notably more reliable than the Cleric ability, which requires you to actually draw the Blessings you create. While the Cleric tends to favor longer games, the Mage can use the Spell Power right away, making Aggro decks more viable in tandem with how the class functions. Prolonged Games would of course allow for more Spell Power over the course of the game, but as the ability cost grows over time from continuous activation, their impact and cost-efficiency will also wane.
Learn Spell: Soothsaying (10)
[4SP]: Draw a card, then choose and discard a card.
Soothsaying is a Talent that grants a Spell all Mages, regardless of Race, will begin with in addition to their Passive. It's essentially a free Tireless Researcher activation starting at 4SP. While this doesn't net you card advantage, it does net you card quality since you can pitch unwanted additional resources or cards that are too expensive early game. You can also use this pitch ability to create a reanimator combo, which requires discarding an expensive troop only to bring it back with effects like Rise Again at a cheaper cost. The limited card pool in Hex has hindered this sort of deck in competitive PvP. Mages get both Replenish and Soothsaying to start, making such combos a little more viable since the engine to get those troops in your crypt exists on your character without any additional deck support.
The difficulty comes with the possibility that Replenish might not grant you enough Spell power by itself to let you play Soothsaying if you're unlucky. This can be mitigated with other Talents, but the combo is also contingent upon actually drawing the troop. This isn't too great a barrier since Mages lean towards Action-heavy decks anyways, which are good at drawing cards with small cantrips like Arcane Focus or Crackling Wit. Outside of combo decks, Soothsaying is a fine ability for Aggro or Control decks as well, allowing greater quality in cards. While you might not use it more than once a game, it's definitely a nice perk and a solid starting spell.
Learn Spell: Telekinesis (1)
1 Point, No Prerequisites (PR)
[6SP]: Return target card to its controller's hand.
I'm going to hop to the only other Spell available for Mages from the Talent tree, Telekinesis. This one costs a steep 6SP and gives you a free Throwback without the ATK debuff. If you can generate a lot of Spell Power, this can be a nice way to keep the Mage alive early game if you are running a control deck. It's also nice as a follow up in Tempo decks, and is really solid in aggro decks, particularly if a single blocker is standing between you and a full swing. The steep cost limits repeated activations of this ability, preventing locks. At their best bounce spells can set your opponent back a turn or ruin an attack phase, however there will likely be some dungeon bosses where this isn't particularly good. At this point third or fourth activations of Soothsaying aren't a bad option, which is one of the benefits of having a diverse Spell Pool. Since this can play vital roles both Defensive and Offensively, and requires no prerequisites, it's definitely one worth looking into.
Affinities
Affinity: Elementals (8)
1 Point, No PR
Elementals in your deck get "While this is in your hand (0): Transform this into a random action of the same shards."
This is a pretty fun ability, and while it doesn't seem very strong it could actually have some practical uses, particularly early on. The PC Gamer Interview showed that players will be hampered in the rarity of cards available for their decks at early levels. As such players could be forced to run less powerful commons and uncommons where they would prefer rares. Being able to turn a Boulder Brute or Sandstone Rumbler into something else might make these lackluster cards more palatable placeholders. This is also a good option for budget players (or Free-to-Play players) to get to experience different cards they might not otherwise get to play, a feature I really appreciate about Hex with their inclusion of these random creation cards. Giant elementals like Storm Colossus and Wrathwood Colossus now carry less of a drawback to running a full playset. Storm Colossus even has the Sword of Sapphire Weapon (an inexpensive drop from the Frost Ring Arena) which can replace it with a Sapphire shard if you start the game with it in your hand, giving them even more versatility in Sapphire control decks.
Affinity: Mages (14)
1 Point, No PR
Mages in your deck get "When this enters play, gain 1SP."
Unlike Cleric buffs, Mages don't actually get any additional Combat stats. Instead, having an army or arcane scholars only seeks to serve your own Spell-slinging needs. There are plenty of good mages out there where the Spell Power is just icing on the cake. Aggressive decks can use cheap, efficient mages like Ruby Pyromancer to ramp quickly into a Telekinesis activation to bounce blockers and finish the game quickly. Control Mage decks might be able to abuse Mages that can enter play multiple times like Cerulean High Counselor to gain a constant flow of SP.
Unlocks
Unlock: Spell Sprites (9)
1 Point, No PR
Unlock 2 Spell Sprites, or 4 for 100+ cards in your deck.
{1 cost Shardless Troop, Flight, When this troop enters play, draw a card and gain 2 SP.; 1ATK/1DEF}
Much like with the Cleric Tree, the 100 card theme carries over to the unlockable cards for Mages as well. Spell Sprites are nice little cantrip troops similar to Ancestral Spirit, though less sturdy. They have the added bonus of fueling your Spell Power. This can be particularly nice in Control decks since they are very cheap chump blockers that replace themselves and get you closer to an activation of your Spells. Though you likely won't build around them as you only get four at the most, an Air Superiority deck would definitely make them more threatening, and aggro decks would appreciate pressure in the air. The only real criticism, as with all unlocks, is that it relies on your drawing them. While this is definitely powerful for its efficiency, it's not prone to abuse the same way Blessing of the Ancients is. The Sprites aren't cards you search for, but you're generally always happy when you draw them.
Unlock: Knowledge is Power (4)
2 Points [Min 4] (PR: Open Mind OR Worldly Knowledge)
Unlock 1 Knowledge is Power, or 2 for 100+ cards in your deck.
{1 cost Shardless Quick Action, Target Action in your hand gets "When you play this, copy it."}
Assuming the talent trees work like I think they do, you need a minimum of 4 points spent to unlock this, going through either Open Mind or Worldly Knowledge (see below). Knowledge is Power is a free Chimes of the Zodiac copy effect on an action, which can be game ending on a giant Life Siphon. One of the interesting things is that this seems to permanently alter the Action, so if you have a way to get the action back into your hand (like Cyclone Shaman) and play it, it would copy again. Some cards like Mastery of Time void themselves to prevent these sorts of shenanigans or infinite loops, but some cards are extremely powerful just on their own. Copying Escalation cards like Crash of Beasts will put the additional copy into your deck as well. Decks that rely on these and other powerful Actions would make the best use of Knowledge is Power.
Others
Mental Superiority (12)
1 Point (No PR)
Increase the minimum SP granted by Replenish Spell Power by 1.
This essentially changes the ability to grant 4 or 5 SP. This is a good Talent to guarantee Soothsaying when you first hit 3 charges, or any Race-Class Combo Spells that also cost 4SP. It's also good in Control Decks that plan on using their Charge Power frequently throughout the game, since the average output goes from 4SP to 4.5SP per activation. It's also valuable as the fastest way to unlock Worldly Knowledge in early leveling.
Spry (13)
1 Point (No PR)
+2 Health, +1 SP
Much like Mental Superiority, Spry allows you a Guaranteed Soothsaying when you hit 3 charges, since you start with 1SP. However it also won't net you any additional SP throughout the game. The additional 2 health is a nice buffer, through 16 is still pretty low. However it's the only straight-up Health Buff in the Talent Tree. That combined with the guaranteed Soothsaying makes it very valuable. It's also the fastest way to get to the Secret Knowledge Talent.
Learning (2)
1 Point [Min 2] (PR Unlock: Spell Sprites OR Open Mind)
You begin the game with 0 to X SP at random, where X is the total number of spells you've learned.
This is a really dicey talent, since it could literally get you nothing. Most Mages taking this will probably want Telekinesis, which combined with the Race-Combo Spell could let them start with +3SP. Combined with Spry this means you could get a Soothsaying on turn 1. It depends on how much you want to gamble. In fairness to Learning, the Unlocks (and some other Talents) could also have no direct effect on any individual game if you never draw those cards. The difference here is that you actually feel it since you know what the Talent did from the moment the game starts. Spell Sprites and Knowledge is Power you get scaling odds of drawing a copy throughout the game. Getting 0SP from Learning at the start of a really key boss fight can take the wind out of your sails quickly (like getting the Cerebral Fulmination Challenge on Xarlox in the Frost Ring Arena). It also doesn't unlock any other Talents. Nonetheless, this Talent is capable of netting you more starting SP than any other Talent, and is only a 1 Point investment.
Open Mind (3)
2 Points (No PR)
Passive: The first time you cast each spell each game, gain 2 SP.
This is a super nice ability. Assuming you will only ever have a max of 3 different spells between Race-Class Combo, Soothsaying, and Telekinesis, it's capped at getting you 6SP throughout the course of the game. That's still quite valuable, particularly with cheap Race-Combos like the Vennan Mage's Weaken, which is essentially free on the first activation since it only costs 2SP. While ideally you would want to use all of your Spells once during the game to get the most benefit, sometimes you'll just want to use the 2 SP to help mitigate the second activation of the Spell. This does't make it particularly more valuable than some of the other Talents, but the flexibility you get with the Talent is where it really shines.
Worldly Knowledge (5)
1 Point [Min 2] (PR Mental Superiority OR Knowledge is Power OR Secret Knowledge)
Passive: At the start of your turn, if you have four or more actions in your crypt, void all actions in your crypt and gain 2 SP.
While this talent actually hurts Cyclone Shaman-Knowledge is Power combo, it's very potent in Action-heavy decks. Activating it twice in one game will net you 4SP for 1 Talent Point with no hard cap, compared to Open Mind's 6SP for 2 Talent Points. Soothsaying can also be used strategically to funnel actions into your crypt and triggering it. This will never net you any SP since Soothsaying always costs something to activate, but considering how frequently Sapphire Control decks use cantrips like Arcane Focus you likely plan on triggering this pretty frequently. Aggro decks likely wouldn't get as much play from this since they tend to rely on a good chunk of early troops. A mono ruby deck focused on direct damage actions like Crackling Bolt wouldn't be a bad thought, but you would generally want your opponent dead before you can activate this more than once. Burn decks also frequently include Ragefire, which has poor synergy with Worldly Knowledge since it doesn't go to the crypt upon resolution.
Secret Knowledge (6)
2 Points [Min 3] (PR Spry OR Worldly Knowledge
At the start of the game, a random card in the top five cards of your deck gets -2.
Depending on the layout of your deck, this can be very good or very underwhelming. A midrange or control deck that gets to slam a 4-drop like Vampire King on turn 2 is at a huge advantage in most matchups. On the other hand your Arcane Focus could be free, which is nice but far from game-breaking. The effective wording of this would likely only effect cards whose cost could be reduced, meaning it wouldn't pick out shards among the top 5 and try to reduce them. Along with Midrange and Control decks that manage to hit their big troops, Kindling Skarn decks might also like this since it allows for more chances to create free actions to evolve him. It's also effective on Inspire Troops like Jags the Blademaster, since it lowers their overall cost, allowing them to Inspire more troops. Secret Knowledge can be really good or really underwhelming, but most people will pick it up because of what it unlocks.
Self Knowledge (7)
2 Points [Min 5] (PR Secret Knowledge)
+1 Starting and Maximum Hand Size.
This is a straight up buff to max and starting hand size, and it's the talent that requires the most investment to reach. There's no real combos here other than just how good the extra card is, particularly if you are trying to pull off a 100 card deck with Unlocks. The reliability of not getting Shard screwed is so paramount in games where resources are included in the deck, that the importance of an extra card cannot be understated. While it certainly isn't the flashiest of Talents, tucked away in a corner and hard to reach, it's one you will want to seriously consider.
Final Thoughts
Early leveling with Mages will be much more difficult than other classes due to their low starting health, and may have to rely on aggressive strategies to subdue their opponents quickly until they gain some levels. As they invest in talents, the play-style will gradually shift to support more combo and control oriented decks that will utilize Spells and manipulation of Spell Power to gain advantages against opponents. Soothsaying and Telekinesis are important Spells in any style of deck, though the Race-Class Combo Spell available to the various mages can impact what types of decks (Control, Combo, Aggro) are best supported, as many of the Mage abilities are designed to support your Spells. Additionally, Affinity Elementals is a fun option for budget players to try out powerful actions they otherwise wouldn't have had access to due to their rarity.
Card Images from Hex TCG Browser & Deckbuilder
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| The spells are labeled below based on where they appear in the picture above, from left to right. Telekenesis is slot (1) in the upper-left hand corner, Self Knowledge slot (7) in the upper-right, and Affinity Mages slot (14) in the bottom-right. |
Spell Power
Spell Power (SP) is the core mechanic of Mages, which is a separate resource from resources, threshold, and charges. Spell power is spent specifically on Spells. Spells are learned from Talents. As of now there is only one that you can unlock (Telekinesis), one that you all Mages start with (Soothsaying) and based on the two races we've seen one spell which is available from your Race-Class combo as well (Human Mages get Polymorph: Beast and Vennen Mages get Weaken). Spells use a specific amount of Spell Power, and the base cost of those Spells increases by 1 each time it is used. The starting spell Soothsaying, for example, requires 4SP the first time it is used, then 5SP the second time, and so on. The scaling cost creates an incentive for using a diversity of spells.
Replenish Spell Power (11)
[BASIC] [3], Gain 3 to 5 SP at random.
Replenish is the Mage Charge Power and is the main way to gain Spell Power throughout the game. It also serves as a good baseline to gauge just how valuable and scarce SP is throughout the game when determining how powerful the spells are. While there is inherent randomness in how much Spell Power you gain from this ability, it is notably more reliable than the Cleric ability, which requires you to actually draw the Blessings you create. While the Cleric tends to favor longer games, the Mage can use the Spell Power right away, making Aggro decks more viable in tandem with how the class functions. Prolonged Games would of course allow for more Spell Power over the course of the game, but as the ability cost grows over time from continuous activation, their impact and cost-efficiency will also wane.
Learn Spell: Soothsaying (10)
[4SP]: Draw a card, then choose and discard a card.
Soothsaying is a Talent that grants a Spell all Mages, regardless of Race, will begin with in addition to their Passive. It's essentially a free Tireless Researcher activation starting at 4SP. While this doesn't net you card advantage, it does net you card quality since you can pitch unwanted additional resources or cards that are too expensive early game. You can also use this pitch ability to create a reanimator combo, which requires discarding an expensive troop only to bring it back with effects like Rise Again at a cheaper cost. The limited card pool in Hex has hindered this sort of deck in competitive PvP. Mages get both Replenish and Soothsaying to start, making such combos a little more viable since the engine to get those troops in your crypt exists on your character without any additional deck support.
The difficulty comes with the possibility that Replenish might not grant you enough Spell power by itself to let you play Soothsaying if you're unlucky. This can be mitigated with other Talents, but the combo is also contingent upon actually drawing the troop. This isn't too great a barrier since Mages lean towards Action-heavy decks anyways, which are good at drawing cards with small cantrips like Arcane Focus or Crackling Wit. Outside of combo decks, Soothsaying is a fine ability for Aggro or Control decks as well, allowing greater quality in cards. While you might not use it more than once a game, it's definitely a nice perk and a solid starting spell.
Learn Spell: Telekinesis (1)
1 Point, No Prerequisites (PR)
[6SP]: Return target card to its controller's hand.
I'm going to hop to the only other Spell available for Mages from the Talent tree, Telekinesis. This one costs a steep 6SP and gives you a free Throwback without the ATK debuff. If you can generate a lot of Spell Power, this can be a nice way to keep the Mage alive early game if you are running a control deck. It's also nice as a follow up in Tempo decks, and is really solid in aggro decks, particularly if a single blocker is standing between you and a full swing. The steep cost limits repeated activations of this ability, preventing locks. At their best bounce spells can set your opponent back a turn or ruin an attack phase, however there will likely be some dungeon bosses where this isn't particularly good. At this point third or fourth activations of Soothsaying aren't a bad option, which is one of the benefits of having a diverse Spell Pool. Since this can play vital roles both Defensive and Offensively, and requires no prerequisites, it's definitely one worth looking into.
Affinities
Affinity: Elementals (8)
1 Point, No PR
Elementals in your deck get "While this is in your hand (0): Transform this into a random action of the same shards."
This is a pretty fun ability, and while it doesn't seem very strong it could actually have some practical uses, particularly early on. The PC Gamer Interview showed that players will be hampered in the rarity of cards available for their decks at early levels. As such players could be forced to run less powerful commons and uncommons where they would prefer rares. Being able to turn a Boulder Brute or Sandstone Rumbler into something else might make these lackluster cards more palatable placeholders. This is also a good option for budget players (or Free-to-Play players) to get to experience different cards they might not otherwise get to play, a feature I really appreciate about Hex with their inclusion of these random creation cards. Giant elementals like Storm Colossus and Wrathwood Colossus now carry less of a drawback to running a full playset. Storm Colossus even has the Sword of Sapphire Weapon (an inexpensive drop from the Frost Ring Arena) which can replace it with a Sapphire shard if you start the game with it in your hand, giving them even more versatility in Sapphire control decks.
Affinity: Mages (14)
1 Point, No PR
Mages in your deck get "When this enters play, gain 1SP."
Unlike Cleric buffs, Mages don't actually get any additional Combat stats. Instead, having an army or arcane scholars only seeks to serve your own Spell-slinging needs. There are plenty of good mages out there where the Spell Power is just icing on the cake. Aggressive decks can use cheap, efficient mages like Ruby Pyromancer to ramp quickly into a Telekinesis activation to bounce blockers and finish the game quickly. Control Mage decks might be able to abuse Mages that can enter play multiple times like Cerulean High Counselor to gain a constant flow of SP.
Unlocks
Unlock: Spell Sprites (9)
1 Point, No PR
Unlock 2 Spell Sprites, or 4 for 100+ cards in your deck.
{1 cost Shardless Troop, Flight, When this troop enters play, draw a card and gain 2 SP.; 1ATK/1DEF}
Much like with the Cleric Tree, the 100 card theme carries over to the unlockable cards for Mages as well. Spell Sprites are nice little cantrip troops similar to Ancestral Spirit, though less sturdy. They have the added bonus of fueling your Spell Power. This can be particularly nice in Control decks since they are very cheap chump blockers that replace themselves and get you closer to an activation of your Spells. Though you likely won't build around them as you only get four at the most, an Air Superiority deck would definitely make them more threatening, and aggro decks would appreciate pressure in the air. The only real criticism, as with all unlocks, is that it relies on your drawing them. While this is definitely powerful for its efficiency, it's not prone to abuse the same way Blessing of the Ancients is. The Sprites aren't cards you search for, but you're generally always happy when you draw them.
Unlock: Knowledge is Power (4)
2 Points [Min 4] (PR: Open Mind OR Worldly Knowledge)
Unlock 1 Knowledge is Power, or 2 for 100+ cards in your deck.
{1 cost Shardless Quick Action, Target Action in your hand gets "When you play this, copy it."}
Assuming the talent trees work like I think they do, you need a minimum of 4 points spent to unlock this, going through either Open Mind or Worldly Knowledge (see below). Knowledge is Power is a free Chimes of the Zodiac copy effect on an action, which can be game ending on a giant Life Siphon. One of the interesting things is that this seems to permanently alter the Action, so if you have a way to get the action back into your hand (like Cyclone Shaman) and play it, it would copy again. Some cards like Mastery of Time void themselves to prevent these sorts of shenanigans or infinite loops, but some cards are extremely powerful just on their own. Copying Escalation cards like Crash of Beasts will put the additional copy into your deck as well. Decks that rely on these and other powerful Actions would make the best use of Knowledge is Power.
Others
Mental Superiority (12)
1 Point (No PR)
Increase the minimum SP granted by Replenish Spell Power by 1.
This essentially changes the ability to grant 4 or 5 SP. This is a good Talent to guarantee Soothsaying when you first hit 3 charges, or any Race-Class Combo Spells that also cost 4SP. It's also good in Control Decks that plan on using their Charge Power frequently throughout the game, since the average output goes from 4SP to 4.5SP per activation. It's also valuable as the fastest way to unlock Worldly Knowledge in early leveling.
Spry (13)
1 Point (No PR)
+2 Health, +1 SP
Much like Mental Superiority, Spry allows you a Guaranteed Soothsaying when you hit 3 charges, since you start with 1SP. However it also won't net you any additional SP throughout the game. The additional 2 health is a nice buffer, through 16 is still pretty low. However it's the only straight-up Health Buff in the Talent Tree. That combined with the guaranteed Soothsaying makes it very valuable. It's also the fastest way to get to the Secret Knowledge Talent.
Learning (2)
1 Point [Min 2] (PR Unlock: Spell Sprites OR Open Mind)
You begin the game with 0 to X SP at random, where X is the total number of spells you've learned.
This is a really dicey talent, since it could literally get you nothing. Most Mages taking this will probably want Telekinesis, which combined with the Race-Combo Spell could let them start with +3SP. Combined with Spry this means you could get a Soothsaying on turn 1. It depends on how much you want to gamble. In fairness to Learning, the Unlocks (and some other Talents) could also have no direct effect on any individual game if you never draw those cards. The difference here is that you actually feel it since you know what the Talent did from the moment the game starts. Spell Sprites and Knowledge is Power you get scaling odds of drawing a copy throughout the game. Getting 0SP from Learning at the start of a really key boss fight can take the wind out of your sails quickly (like getting the Cerebral Fulmination Challenge on Xarlox in the Frost Ring Arena). It also doesn't unlock any other Talents. Nonetheless, this Talent is capable of netting you more starting SP than any other Talent, and is only a 1 Point investment.
Open Mind (3)
2 Points (No PR)
Passive: The first time you cast each spell each game, gain 2 SP.
This is a super nice ability. Assuming you will only ever have a max of 3 different spells between Race-Class Combo, Soothsaying, and Telekinesis, it's capped at getting you 6SP throughout the course of the game. That's still quite valuable, particularly with cheap Race-Combos like the Vennan Mage's Weaken, which is essentially free on the first activation since it only costs 2SP. While ideally you would want to use all of your Spells once during the game to get the most benefit, sometimes you'll just want to use the 2 SP to help mitigate the second activation of the Spell. This does't make it particularly more valuable than some of the other Talents, but the flexibility you get with the Talent is where it really shines.
Worldly Knowledge (5)
1 Point [Min 2] (PR Mental Superiority OR Knowledge is Power OR Secret Knowledge)
Passive: At the start of your turn, if you have four or more actions in your crypt, void all actions in your crypt and gain 2 SP.
While this talent actually hurts Cyclone Shaman-Knowledge is Power combo, it's very potent in Action-heavy decks. Activating it twice in one game will net you 4SP for 1 Talent Point with no hard cap, compared to Open Mind's 6SP for 2 Talent Points. Soothsaying can also be used strategically to funnel actions into your crypt and triggering it. This will never net you any SP since Soothsaying always costs something to activate, but considering how frequently Sapphire Control decks use cantrips like Arcane Focus you likely plan on triggering this pretty frequently. Aggro decks likely wouldn't get as much play from this since they tend to rely on a good chunk of early troops. A mono ruby deck focused on direct damage actions like Crackling Bolt wouldn't be a bad thought, but you would generally want your opponent dead before you can activate this more than once. Burn decks also frequently include Ragefire, which has poor synergy with Worldly Knowledge since it doesn't go to the crypt upon resolution.
Secret Knowledge (6)2 Points [Min 3] (PR Spry OR Worldly Knowledge
At the start of the game, a random card in the top five cards of your deck gets -2.
Depending on the layout of your deck, this can be very good or very underwhelming. A midrange or control deck that gets to slam a 4-drop like Vampire King on turn 2 is at a huge advantage in most matchups. On the other hand your Arcane Focus could be free, which is nice but far from game-breaking. The effective wording of this would likely only effect cards whose cost could be reduced, meaning it wouldn't pick out shards among the top 5 and try to reduce them. Along with Midrange and Control decks that manage to hit their big troops, Kindling Skarn decks might also like this since it allows for more chances to create free actions to evolve him. It's also effective on Inspire Troops like Jags the Blademaster, since it lowers their overall cost, allowing them to Inspire more troops. Secret Knowledge can be really good or really underwhelming, but most people will pick it up because of what it unlocks.
Self Knowledge (7)
2 Points [Min 5] (PR Secret Knowledge)
+1 Starting and Maximum Hand Size.
This is a straight up buff to max and starting hand size, and it's the talent that requires the most investment to reach. There's no real combos here other than just how good the extra card is, particularly if you are trying to pull off a 100 card deck with Unlocks. The reliability of not getting Shard screwed is so paramount in games where resources are included in the deck, that the importance of an extra card cannot be understated. While it certainly isn't the flashiest of Talents, tucked away in a corner and hard to reach, it's one you will want to seriously consider.
Final Thoughts
Early leveling with Mages will be much more difficult than other classes due to their low starting health, and may have to rely on aggressive strategies to subdue their opponents quickly until they gain some levels. As they invest in talents, the play-style will gradually shift to support more combo and control oriented decks that will utilize Spells and manipulation of Spell Power to gain advantages against opponents. Soothsaying and Telekinesis are important Spells in any style of deck, though the Race-Class Combo Spell available to the various mages can impact what types of decks (Control, Combo, Aggro) are best supported, as many of the Mage abilities are designed to support your Spells. Additionally, Affinity Elementals is a fun option for budget players to try out powerful actions they otherwise wouldn't have had access to due to their rarity.
Card Images from Hex TCG Browser & Deckbuilder
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