I started on this article Monday morning, a dreary rain-soaked day. Walking to class without an umbrella means one will get soaked, so I’ve been pretty uncomfortable all day now. I guess I could have brought along a change of clothes, but my book bag is already pretty heavy, so I don’t need wet clothes (which undoubtedly will smell like they have just come off of a dog) to be hanging out there.
I could be eating lunch now, but there is a distinct rumbly in my tumbly, and I would rather write. I get sleepy after eating, and I need to pay attention to literature class. (We’re going over Flannery O’Conner’s Revelation today. It’s a very good story written by a very good American writer.)
I digress; no one really cares what I study in school. People just want to see a decklist, and that is what I am going to bring you in yet another installment of Why Does No One Play This Card.
This is the third part, which means I am up to Form of the Dragon.
Yes, Form of the Dragon does see play, mainly in Enduring Ideal decks, and that’s great and all… but I want to cast this bad mamma jamma if I ever draw it. I want to windmill-slam this card into play as I become a dragon. (If I could chose, I would like to be one of the Two-Headed Variety, those guys are just cool.)
I cannot choose, though… I just become a dragon that deals five.
Good enough, I guess.
If you recall, Form of the Dragon did get some play in Onslaught Block Constructed, and here is a list from that format to refresh your memory. It was played by Grand Prix king and Hall of Fame eligible Alex Shvartsman at Grand Prix: Detroit (Bob Maher won that one with a neat Red/White cycling deck that did not use Astral Slide.)
Bad Form
4 Temple of the False God
4 Gempalm Incinerator
2 Rorix Bladewing
4 Spark Spray
4 Lay Waste
4 Lightning Rift
4 Solar Blast
4 Shock
4 Starstorm
3 Form of the Dragon
4 Forgotten Cave
19 Mountain
Sideboard
4 Misguided Rage
4 Sparksmith
4 Thoughtbound Primoc
3 Menacing Ogre
This deck was popular in a Goblin-heavy field, because the general thought was “yeah, they have men,” but you had removal to trump those men to make into the late game, where you would tomahawk the enchantment into play. At the time, Goblins had three outs. If they did not have multiple copies of Shock in their grip, chances were you were not losing the game. (Yes, Siege Gang Commander beat you.)
I think we could port Bad Form into the current environment, and have a pretty good foil to the aggro decks of Standard. The first thing I am going to change is the amount of lands in the deck. That was a cycle heavy format (obv) and without much of it in this format, I do not think there is a need for twenty-seven lands. I’m pretty sure we can get away with running twenty-four.
The build that I am about to present has had a minimum amount of testing put into it. Like the previous decks before it, it is a work in progress, and sadly I do not think it will ever be more then a fun deck to play at a Friday Night Magic.
Bad Form for Standard
20 Snow-Covered Mountain
4 Mouth of Ronom (Sweet Flametongue Land)
4 Rakdos Guildmage
2 Ryusei, the Falling Star
2 Shard Phoenix
3 Demonfire
3 Form of the Dragon
4 Shock
4 Seal of Fire
2 Parallectric Feedback
4 Volcanic Hammer
4 Char
4 Flames of the Blood Hand
Sideboard
4 Stone Rain
4 Genju of the Spires
3 Rimescale Dragon
4 Skred
Okay, on to the card choices.
Snow-Covered Mountain over Mountain?
I really like Mouth of Ronom, and I find it to be a better Quicksand. It kills Meloku, Paladin En-Vec, and a wider assortment of men than Quicksand. Having Snow lands in the main makes it easier for me to sideboard in Swords to Avalanche Victims (I mean Skred) and Rimescale Dragon.
Yeah, why not? Against the control decks you can often times wait for them to tap out and cast a huge monster, therefore dealing then five to seven point of damage. It’s another burn spell, just a situational one.
Ryusei and Shard Phoenix over Genju in the main?
Again yes, I’m designing this to be an anti-aggro deck. I want to lob burn at the opponent’s face instead of at men (although you have to do that sometimes), and these guys will help keep the board in control.
Yaus! This guy makes goblins, which in turn makes Dan Paskins smile (though I doubt if he were to look at this deck there would not be a toothy grin.)
…
We are halfway through my tour of some unexplored skeletons here at the Daily Series. I finish up with a look at Polymorph, and then Friday I take a look at a card current Kentucky State Champion Brandon Burks tried to break in Warp World.
I hope these have been fun reads, because I am having a blast being a little more creative than normal. It’s not my intention to find the hot new Standard deck, but to find a deck that someone somewhere can play and enjoy.
Magic is still about fun, right?
JXC