Imagine this scenario: you've just arrived at your local Battlegrounds event. A friend is there, and you begin discussing last week’s matchups and what you will be doing this week. You decide to let him in on your latest super-secret tech—Magma Totem. Your friend then proceeds to shoot half of his carbonated beverage through his nose and onto the minis, removing an unfortunate amount of paint. Grinning through tear-filled eyes, your friend laughs and says, “Good one.” You smile to yourself, knowing that your secret tech is still secret. Because honestly, who would play Magma Totem?
Who indeed? Magma Totem appears to be situational at best and expensive to boot, and it pales in comparison to other totems. And yet, one of the most appealing aspects of World of Warcraft Minis is that there is a niche for everything. You can take any single piece in the game and make a team that will exploit some feature of it. Case in point: Frost Nova. Corle Huffman’s “Tinker’s Timing” article illustrates how a seldom-used and underpowered Action Bar card can become game-breaking. So how exactly does one exploit Magma Totem?
First we need to find a way to ensure that one or more enemies are in the blast radius at the end of ticks 5 and 10. The most obvious trick is to place a totem on the VP spot. Any attempt by your opponent to cash some easy points will result in pain. Another strategy, which involves a little more planning, is to have your Shaman drop the totem near some enemies on the final tick, after everyone else has made their moves.
One thing that makes totems really unique is that they blur the line between typical Action Bar cards and pets. Totems, although not actually characters, can benefit from several abilities that affect figures. Magma Totem gets more boons than most, thanks to its magical nature. Chen Stormstout, Jezbella of Karabor, and Thangal each give nearby totems a reroll. Moonkin Form lets Magma Totem crit on 9s, and Elendril’s Trueshot Aura will turn 3s into successes. You could even use Master Tactician on tick 5 or 10 to force a crit as well!
Looking at our options here, I have two armies in mind.
Team 1: Bomber Sha-Man (19 Honor)
Mojo Shaper Ojo'mon
The two Druids serve a dual purpose. Not only do they help boost the Magma blast by turning it into a five-die reroll that crits on 9s, but Entangling Roots will pin enemies inside the radius of the Magma Totem. To prevent locked down figures from waxing your totems, Stoneclaw Totem and Bear Form provide Taunt. This team will benefit most from the first strategy we discussed: charging the center and planting the totem on tick 5 or 10.
Team 2: Minefield of Dreams (20 Honor)
Phadalus the Enlightened
With all the ranged attacks in the above team, your opponents are going to need to close the gap, walking right into your trap! We have a flurry of lower-powered attacks between totems, pets, and crits. Combined, those attacks should quickly wear down the opposition. On top of that, Magma Totem is pretty close to a miniature version of Flamestrike. Getting both to go off will bring a world of fiery pain down upon your opponent's figures. Combined, they should quickly wear down the opposition. Polymorph will set up the opponents for pain, much as Roots functioned in the other party. Forcing your opponent to come to you can be very powerful. Place your totems wisely, Grasshopper!
Keep dusting off those unused Action Bar cards. Until next week, may you experience the joy of scorching your opponents with Magma Totem.