One Dozen Eyes!

“Attack for the Win!”

“Tap two Birds of Paradise in my Mono-Green deck and Terror your biggest guy!”

“WTF!”

“Click ‘okay’ so I can start my turn.”

“click”

“Swing for the win!”

“ARRRRGGGG!”

“Congratulations, here is your no prize for losing in the first round of a MODO tournament!”

“Marilyn!”

“What!”

“I need more money!”

“We’re out of money! You spent it all on crack!”

“Well sell one of the dogs, we have too many anyway!”

Crackity crack crack!

Have I mentioned the environment is insane right now?

I like when I get a Dosan on the board and MUC just goes “all in” with Thieving Magpies, Meloku and Stalking Stones and out aggro’s me.

Or when a Red deck gets a turn 2 Arc-Slogger.

When did Red become the color of turn 2 fatties?

Or when my Tooth and Nail opponent takes nine turns to search for combo pieces, with a Top on the board, and still fails to kill me.

Or like the game I watched where a Medium Red deck played a Mountain, Chrome Mox, Psychogenic Probe, Untap Seething Song, 2 more Probes and the Tooth player ignored them and went on to kill his opponent on turn 6.

For now, lets talk about how the Elf deck is evolving around this and the hybrids it has inspired.

Champion version 1.0

Elvish Champion Beatdown

Jamie Wakefield

Test deck on 05-22-2005

Standard

Creatures (26)

• 4 Elvish Champion
• 4 Viridian Zealot
• 3 Troll Ascetic
• 3 Molder Slug
• 4 Slith Predator
• 4 Elvish Scrapper
• 4 Elvish Pioneer

Lands (23)

• 23 Forest

Spells (11)

• 3 Beacon of Creation
• 4 Blanchwood Armor
• 4 Predator's Strike

Sideboard

• 4 Matsu-Tribe Sniper
• 4 Choke
• 4 Fecundity
• 3 Nourish

My friend Dave Montgomery and I have been working on this deck for weeks now. And now my friend and long time MMORPG guildie Aaron Harleman has picked up the deck as well, but he is primarily a sealed specialist. But we’re working on it.

If you haven’t done a lot of testing in the environment, you probably don’t know how fast or how slow the games can be. Or how recursive. Or how much of a lockdown they can be.

For one thing, you need a weenie deck so you can kill Tooth or any other deck that combo’s you out. And you need fatties so you don’t die to a lone Vulshok Sorcerer or a turn 2 Arc-Slogger that can kill your whole gang. But you can’t play fatties, because then they’ll get Bribed or Shackled. And you need lots of discard so you can deal with any long-range plans your opponent might have, like recursing Plow Under with Eternal Witness.

Wow, I want to punch my opponent in the face when he does that.

Then again, don’t bother with discard because with Top and Kodama’s Reach and 5-Color Gifts, and artifact creatures that put one or even three cards into your hand when they die, you’re really not doing anything by making them discard. And, for that same reason, don’t even bother to play land destruction. With Reach and Elder, which everyone is playing, it’s just useless. One sure thing I can tell you is that Tooth is the strongest deck in the format, so make sure you have lots of Land Destruction to slow them down.

That said, lets take a look at the why and wherefore of Champion.

Pioneer gives you speed. When the game can and does end on turn 6, that extra land drop can make all the difference in the world. It’s like adding 4 Chrome Mox without the twenty-dollar price tag. Plus he’s an Elf, so if you get a Champion on the board, that means he has evasion.

Scrapper gives you more forest walker, plus more one-drops which helps against MUC. More speed beatings. Possible Shackles, Jitte or Sword elimination if you play it right.

Viridian Zealot, same as the Scrapper but he also kills Glorious Anthem or anyone else crazy enough to play Blanchwood Armor. Also can be played, and sacked to kill something (like a Jitte) that has counters on it, unlike a Scrapper who has to wait a turn.

Elvish Champion. It only takes a hundred games of Magic for you to realize that ninety-eight of the last people you played all had Forests in their deck. Against some decks, he is the only way to punch through enough damage to kill someone before they go off. Just get some elves on the board, give them all +1 +1 and the all-important “Avoid target Elder” ability. Plus, against Tooth, you Armor up any one of your other elves and they have to go off fast fast fast. No blocking with Vine Trellis or Birds or Sakura. Just die die die.

Slith Predator. With no Armor, he is very good against MUC as long as you keep a Scrapper untapped to kill the Shackles the second it comes into play. Against five color gifts, he’s a clock. He also has one of the things you will come to know is one of the most important things in this format. Evasion. His evasion is trample right over your ass as you thaw for land. Yes, you feel free to sac yourself for a land or a card, I don’t care. Punch you. Punch punch punch.

Troll Ascetics. Wheee! Put an Armor on you against Red and keep attacking. Can’t be pinged. Can’t be stopped. Can safely put an Armor on him without fear of him getting bolted. Ohhhhh, blocked by a Frostling, Predator’s Strike for the win!

Molder Slug. Wow, does MUC hate these. Wow, does Red hate these. Red just really doesn’t like six toughness guys. Bribe me. I dare you. Kill your Shackles. Kill your Mox. Kill your Jitte. Kill your Sword. Kill your Platinum Angel.

Actual log from MODO. Joshie is on lunch break at my house. Playing Champion. Playing a guy who played an Angel and Leonin Abunas and let Joshie hit him below zero. Then he played a Molder Slug.

4:26 JoshieTT plays Molder Slug

4:26 Tatsuo: what the randomness

4:26 JoshieTT:

4:27 Duvon: hahaha

4:27 Tatsuo: thats complete random

4:27 Tatsuo: wow, i lost to an idiot

4:27 Tatsuo: playing elves

4:27 Duvon: tat.

4:27 Tatsuo: time to kill meself

4:27 Duvon: slug is getting play now

4:27 Tatsuo has conceded from the game.

4:27 Tatsuo has left the game.

4:27 Duvon has stopped watching.

And oh we laughed and laughed. Joshie said, “That made my week.”

Beacon of Creation is just a great card. It’s four more attackers against Tooth, or if your opponent Wraths or Oblivion Stone it’s quick recovery. Or if your opponent is playing Black, it’s Barter in Blood and Death Cloud protection. Fantastic card.

Predator’s Strike. Don’t know why I don’t see more of these. If nothing else it’s a GG to win the creature wars, and more often than not, you play it to win the game. Without Hurricane, Green has to have some way to punch through those last points and this does it, and so much more.

Blanchwood Armor. Everyone wants to destroy your artifacts. Very few people want to destroy your enchantments. You can’t play fatties, but you have to play fatties. This gives you the best of both worlds. Against Blue, you only put it on a Troll, and then you side it out game 2. Against Red, you put it on anything alive when they tap out and watch them wonder what the hell they’re going to do now. Usually they respond with “Magma Jet YOU.” And then you sweat a little bit, serve and pray for an AWESOME STRIKE!

Forests – Well, these are crap.

Sideboard –

Choke – Dosan is crap. I tried him. He never won me the game. Choke wins you the game. If your opponent is running Spectral Shift, then he’s bad. Hibernation is a much better card and works against a lot more decks than Mono-Green. If he does Spectral Shift your Choke, get rid of it with a Zealot. Win Big, Lose Big. (I know I’m going to get hammered for this in the forums.)

Matsu-Tribe Sniper. Kills Birds. Kills White’s Flyers. Taps Meloku. Taps Magpie.

I tried Gale Force, but against Blue, it never resolved, and against White, I was dead from fliers by the time I got to five mana.

Fecundity – Black is just a really hard matchup. Hope you draw one of these, play it, and then play a Beacon.

Nourish – Nourish? Why not Sun Droplet? Because Sun Droplet + Molder Slug = Not a Combo. And you really really need Molder Slug against Red. Everything he is and does is amazing vs. Red. And there are versions of Red that just ignore your creatures, play an Ensnaring Bridge and burn you. Molder Slug is more Artifact elim, and Nourish is a big surprise.

Those are my thoughts on the deck, let’s see what Dave Montgomery has to say about his testing.

I don’t like bat-nips. That’s a vicious rumor.

My experiences with the deck have been as good and as bad as Dave’s. I can make Top 2 in a tournament four times in a row, think I’m about to go infinite and then lose in the first round of the next four tournaments and sob like a little girl.

Last night I entered a Premier tournament and went 4-1-1 to make it to the final 8, but then lost in the first round.

I’m not really sure this means that everything and nothing is viable, or that the games are still too fast and draw dependant. Or maybe it means there’s a lot of luck in Magic.

Lets take a look at another log, because logs are funny.

5:23 Secret Force joined the game.

5:23 Secret Force chooses to play first.

5:23 Secret Force keeps this hand.

5:23 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake mulligans down to 6 cards.

5:23 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake keeps this hand.

5:23 Secret Force plays Forest

5:23 Secret Force plays Elvish Pioneer

5:23 Secret Force plays triggered ability from Elvish Pioneer

5:23 Turn 1: UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake.

5:23 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake plays Urza’s Tower

5:23 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake plays Sensei’s Divining Top



5:23 Turn 2: Secret Force.

5:23 Secret Force plays Forest

5:23 Secret Force plays Wood Elves

5:23 Secret Force plays triggered ability from Wood Elves

5:23 Turn 2: UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake.

5:23 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake plays Forest

5:23 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake plays Sakura-Tribe Elder

5:23 Turn 3: Secret Force.

5:23 Secret Force plays Forest

5:23 Secret Force plays Kodama of the North Tree

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake plays activated ability from Sakura-Tribe Elder

5:24 Turn 3: UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake.

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake plays Urza’s Mine

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake plays Reap and Sow

5:24 Turn 4: Secret Force.

5:24 Secret Force plays Forest

5:24 Secret Force plays Blanchwood Armor targeting Wood Elves

5:24 Secret Force plays Giant Growth targeting Elvish Pioneer

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake: nice

5:24 Secret Force: and now you will tooth and kill me 🙂

At this point in the game, my opponent is at 2, on turn 4.

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake plays activated ability from Sensei’s Divining Top

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake put a card on top of their library.

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake put a card on top of their library.

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake put a card on top of their library.

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake plays activated ability from Sensei’s Divining Top

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake put a card on top of their library.

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake put a card on top of their library.

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake put a card on top of their library.

5:24 Turn 4: UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake.

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake requests an undo.

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake plays Reap and Sow

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake plays Oblivion Stone

5:24 Turn 5: Secret Force.

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake plays activated ability from Oblivion Stone

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake plays activated ability from Sensei’s Divining Top

5:24 Turn 5: UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake.

5:24 UniqueAndBeautifulSnowflake plays Tooth and Nail

5:24 Secret Force has conceded from the game.

The names have been changed to protect the guilty.

This was game 2. In game 1, he played all 3 Urza’s lands, a Forest, a Vine Trellis and a Top by turn 4. He didn’t bother to Tooth, instead he played a Stone, blew up the world and started casting Titan’s, Colossus’s and Trikes by hand. My 11 artifact destruction spells hid in fear.

I don’t blame them.

I’m sure that many of you have noticed that the match I just showed you contained a whole bunch of cards that aren’t even in Champion’s list. Well, you may have noticed my article was absent last week. In the time I started the article to the time it is now, I’ve been building other decks and testing them as well. Many of them based off of principles inherent to Champion.

I have a deck I’m working on right now with 3 Beacons and 4 One Dozen Eyes.

One with a lot more fatties that I just hate every time someone plays an Island.

Let me show you another log – of me winning this time – that shows you how fast the environment is, just in case you don’t know yet.

6:45 Secret Force joined the game.

6:45 Notsofast joined the game.

6:45 Secret Force chooses to play first.

6:45 Secret Force: good games. Good luck

6:45 Secret Force keeps this hand.

6:45 Notsofast: Hello and good luck.

6:45 Notsofast keeps this hand.

6:45 Secret Force plays Forest

6:45 Turn 1: Notsofast.

6:45 Notsofast plays Forest

6:45 Notsofast plays Birds of Paradise

6:45 Turn 2: Secret Force.

6:45 Secret Force plays Forest

6:45 Secret Force plays Slith Predator

6:45 Turn 2: Notsofast.

6:45 Notsofast plays Forest

6:45 Notsofast plays Sakura-Tribe Elder.

6:45 Turn 3: Secret Force.

6:46 Secret Force plays Forest

6:46 Secret Force plays Blanchwood Armor targeting Slith Predator.

6:46 Notsofast plays activated ability from Sakura-Tribe Elder.

6:46 Secret Force plays triggered ability from Slith Predator.

6:46 Turn 3: Notsofast.

6:46 Notsofast plays Forest

6:46 Notsofast plays Sakura-Tribe Elder

6:46 Notsofast plays Eternal Witness

6:46 Notsofast plays triggered ability from Eternal Witness targeting Sakura-Tribe Elder

6:46 Sakura-Tribe Elder is returned to Notsofast’s hand from the graveyard.

6:46 Turn 4: Secret Force.

6:46 Secret Force plays Forest

6:46 Secret Force plays Blanchwood Armor targeting Slith Predator



He’s an 11/11 trampler now.



6:47 Notsofast plays activated ability from Sakura-Tribe Elder

6:48 Secret Force plays triggered ability from Slith Predator

6:48 Turn 4: Notsofast.

6:48 Notsofast plays Sakura-Tribe Elder

6:48 Notsofast has conceded from the game.

6:48 Notsofast draws their next card.

6:48 Notsofast draws their next card.

6:49 Notsofast has left the game.

Or this game.

6:36 Secret Force joined the game.

6:36 Notsofast joined the game.

6:36 Secret Force chooses to play first.

6:36 Secret Force keeps this hand.

6:36 Notsofast keeps this hand.

6:36 Secret Force plays Forest

6:36 Turn 1: Notsofast.

6:36 Notsofast plays Forest

6:37 Notsofast plays Birds of Paradise

6:37 Turn 2: Secret Force.

6:37 Secret Force plays Forest

6:37 Secret Force plays Sakura-Tribe Elder.

6:37 Turn 2: Notsofast.

6:37 Notsofast plays Sensei’s Divining Top.

6:37 Notsofast plays activated ability from Sensei’s Divining Top.

6:37 Secret Force plays activated ability from Sakura-Tribe Elder.

6:37 Notsofast put a card on top of their library.

6:37 Notsofast put a card on top of their library.

6:37 Notsofast put a card on top of their library.

6:37 Notsofast plays activated ability from Sensei’s Divining Top.

6:37 Notsofast plays Forest.

6:37 Turn 3: Secret Force.

6:37 Secret Force plays Forest.

6:37 Secret Force plays Iwamori of the Open Fist.

6:37 Secret Force plays triggered ability from Iwamori of the Open Fist.

6:37 Turn 3: Notsofast.

6:38 Notsofast plays Kodama’s Reach.

6:38 Notsofast reveals: Forest.

6:38 Notsofast reveals: Forest.

6:38 Notsofast plays Forest.

6:38 Notsofast plays Sensei’s Divining Top.

6:38 Turn 4: Secret Force.


6:38 Secret Force plays Blanchwood Armor targeting Iwamori of the Open Fist.

6:38 Turn 4: Notsofast.

6:39 Notsofast plays Wood Elves.

6:39 Notsofast plays triggered ability from Wood Elves.

6:39 Notsofast plays Kodama’s Reach.

6:39 Notsofast reveals: Forest.

6:39 Notsofast reveals: Forest.

6:39 Turn 5: Secret Force.

6:39 Secret Force plays Forest.

6:39 Secret Force plays Wood Elves.

6:39 Secret Force plays triggered ability from Wood Elves.

6:40 Secret Force plays Predator’s Strike targeting Iwamori of the Open Fist.

6:40 Notsofast has conceded from the game.

6:40 Notsofast has left the game.

I think Sensei’s Diving Top has to have been developed for the same people who love Thawing Glaciers. People who really don’t care if they win or lose, just so long as they get to fondle there cards in front of someone else. And make them watch.

Honestly, I have people using the Top when no cards have changed. Over and over again.

“Play a land.”

“I’ll activate my Top.”

“Play Blanchwood Armor.”

“I’ll activate Top again.”

“Nothing has changed, why did you look again?”

“I’m looking to see if I had a solution to Blanchwood Armor. I wasn’t looking for that before.”

“I’ll attack and end my turn.”

“Activate my Top.”

“Are you fondling yourself?”

“What? No! Of course not!”

“Then why is one your hands under the table?”

“I was… looking for a dice… in my pocket…”

“….”

So, anyway, as I was saying, the environment is still pretty fast. And the different evolutions of Champion have inspired other versions of the deck. Like this one.

One Dozen Eyes! ver .5

19 Forest

4 Cloudpost

4 Elvish Pioneer

4 Sakura Tribe Elder

4 Wood Elves

4 Eternal Witness

4 Beacon of Creation

4 One Dozen Eyes

4 Creeping Mold

4 Reap and Sow

4 Echoing Courage

1 Might of Oaks

Sideboard

4 Choke

4 Gale Force

4 Fecundity

3 Nourish

Unlike Champion, this deck can get to five mana fast.

I love the synergy of this deck and its done very well in testing. This is actually about the fifth version I’ve been working on. Version point one couldn’t win a game and I almost gave up on it. I mean, hey, it does have One Dozen Eyes on it. A measly Uncommon. A card so disrespected, when I asked Paul Hobday if he had any for trade he said, “I think so. But they have writing all over them because I use them as proxies for good cards.”

The idea of course is to swarm your opponent with weenies, or even just get an early Beacon and two Echoing Courage. That’s 20 damage.

2:05 Secret Force joined the game.

2:05 Death joined the game.

2:05 Secret Force chooses to play first.

2:05 Secret Force keeps this hand.

2:05 Death keeps this hand.

2:05 Secret Force plays Forest

2:05 Turn 1: Death.

2:05 Death plays Cloudpost.

2:05 Turn 2: Secret Force.

2:05 Secret Force plays Forest.

2:05 Secret Force plays Sakura-Tribe Elder.

2:05 Turn 2: Death.

2:05 Death plays Forest.

2:05 Secret Force plays activated ability from Sakura-Tribe Elder.

2:05 Turn 3: Secret Force.

2:05 Secret Force plays Forest.

2:06 Secret Force plays Beacon of Creation.

2:06 Creating 4 tokens.

2:06 Turn 3: Death.

2:06 Death plays Swamp.

2:06 Death requests an undo.

2:06 Death plays Night’s Whisper.

2:06 Death discards Forest.

2:06 Turn 4: Secret Force.

2:06 Secret Force plays Forest.

2:06 Secret Force plays Echoing Courage targeting Insect token.

2:06 Secret Force plays Echoing Courage targeting insect token.

2:06 Death has left the game.



The Reap and Sow are used to hopefully destroy an opponent’s land and get you a Cloudpost. These combo nicely with Creeping Mold in the fact that both are useful alone, but combine well to become a land destruction deck should the opportunity present itself or if playing Tooth.

The One Dozen Eyes is a more expensive, and more versatile Beacon. Making a 5/5 beast is much better against some Red decks than making five 1/1 guys to be destroyed by Sorceresses or Pyroclasm or Arc-Slogger.

You have all the mana acceleration you could want. The ability to have a very quick kill. The ability to have an excellent late game. The possibility of having dozens of attackers on the board. And the ability to completely shut down Tooth with recursive land destruction. And its all totally immune to Bribery and Shackles.

And it’s damn fun to play.

What more could you want?