I have to hand it to Wizards, they have been incidentally printing really good cards for Type Four in the past two blocks. Mirrodin, especially, has revolutionized the way the game is played. With cards like Door To Nothingness and Platinum Angel, we get to play with truly unique effects in the most fun of all multiplayer formats. Those not familiar with the format are missing out on one of the best ways to kill time at a tournament and let of some steam around the kitchen table.
My goal of this article is to review all the playable cards in Champions of Kamigawa for Type Four. I must admit, the list is quite long. This is a great sign, as it amps up the power of any deck. Every tower of Type Four will find something good from this set.
I must make a note on terminology here: I refer to “castle” decks and “aggro” decks, both of which are styles that I see routinely in play as well as the standard “pick good cards and have no style*”. Castle decks grab things like Panacea, Maze of Ith and a fistfull of counterspells and run maybe four really good creatures. They grind out the game until they are one of the last standing and win with something like Xanthic Statue. Aggro, on the other hand, gets all the good creatures it can find as well as helpers like Tooth and Nail and Illusionary Mask. Both are very viable strategies. Without further ado, here’s my picks for the best of CHK.
Myojin of Cleansing Fire
Adding to the formidable array of Wrath effects for Type Four is this 4/6 indestructible body. If you are drafting a “castle” deck that holds out and tends to control the board, an unkillable creature that wipes the board and beats on command is good. This is a good diplomacy card. People don’t like attacking you when you can clear their army away, guaranteed.
Gifts Ungiven
Mindslaver, Reya Dawnbringer, Chainer, Dementia Master, and Bringer of the White Dawn form a quadruplet of awesome cards to grab that you’ll never end up being able to draft. However, being able to tutor for two big beaters in an aggro deck is pretty smooth. Not to mention how well this card combines with things like Crush of Wurms! Intuition is already played; I see this as being superior in T4. Get a foil version and run it now!
Keiga, the Tide Star
This ranks as one of the few answers to Darksteel Colossus, and probably the best. Beat to your heart’s content and then steal something on your way out. Much like Myojin of the Cleansing Fire, this is a good deterrent card for a “castle” deck against the random Krosan Cloudscraper or Nichol Bolas.
Squelch
All I can say is that if you run Door To Nothingness, which I suggest you do, run Squelch. It adds to the “Stifle” effects in the deck and cantrips so it is rarely useless. It’s also good for stopping the many artifact activations that pop up in the course of a game. Things like Mindslaver, Bosh, Grinning Totem and Bloodfire Colossus are all good things to Squelch.
Time Stop
This is the surprise Mindslaver. It is the most potent card to have in hand in the whole deck, in my opinion. Need another turn? Need to stop that attack? Feel like countering a gamebreaker? Time Stop is the answer. It’s an auto-inclusion.
Kokusho, the Evening Star
This should replace Laquatus’ Champion in your deck. Kokusho is such a strong card that I would unhesitatingly play it on the first turn. Obviously, it’s best when played (and killed) early and combos well with the multitude of reanimation effects. This will make you a small and then a very large target, depending on whether it’s alive or not.
Kuro, Pitlord
A 9/9 body first and a really expensive Masticore second, this is worth considering. It takes care of Colossus and ends games very quickly. You have to judge whether your deck already has enough creatures, however. This would be one of the first on the line to go if you needed space.
Nezumi Graverobber
This is the best Type Four card in the set and possibly the best in the entire deck. I almost think that it is too powerful for the deck. It’s a better Genesis and a far better Chainer, and if you have Voidmage Prodigy or Bosh in the graveyard, the game simply ends at that point. I would be wary of adding this into all but the most powerful of Type Four decks.
Night Dealings
I am always a fan of Planar Portal, so I have a natural love of this card. You can pull up multiple cards at instant speed and find the next wave of fat with an aggro deck. I see this as less effective in “castle” decks, as they tend to grind out a win in the lategame with board control rather than beatdown, making the damage dealing requirement hard to satisfy. Look to combo this card with Inferno or Bloodfire Colossus and try to stifle your laughter.
Soulblast
I look at this as an uber-Fling. Sometimes it will be unplayable, other times it will be the last strike that wins. Highly effective in beatdown-based decks, it’s also a good answer to Wrath of God effects. In a pinch, you can throw Nicol Bolas to nail your opponent’s hand. Every T4 deck needs non-first picks to even it out and this is a decent card on its own.
Myojin of Life’s Web
Tooth and Nail is pretty good, so this must be good as well. Best when used with cards like Armistice or Yawgmoth’s Bargain. When you’ve got a full hand, take that counter off and bring on the pain. If you’ve got Anger in the graveyard, people will die. Also note that this does not count as your spell for the turn, meaning that Savage Beating and friends are still able to be cast.
Shell of the Last Kappa
It’s a more limited Spelljack, but it also probably won’t use up your spell for the turn. It soaks up things like Bribery, Acquire and Searing Wind. It’s not a first-pick, but then again, it’s a really nifty card to have if you like tricks such as Grinning Totem.
Tatsumasa, the Dragon’s Fang
First, there was Palinchron. Then there was Mist Dragon. Now we have possibly the best of the lot. A nigh-unkillable 5/5 token along with a huge creature-pumper is just what a “castle” deck needs. I think something like this might be too good for the format, and that says a lot. Pretty much the only way to get rid of it is Mindslaver combined with a Disenchant effect or Memnarch, the Magic Wizard That Fixes Things.
Hinder
Not much to say here other than it’s another counterspell. It’s got some diplomacy tacked onto it, as the “put back in library” effect somewhat ameliorates the whole countering thing. If you play with Vex and Arcane Denial, you should also be running Hinder.
Boseiju, Who Shelters All
Lands are rare in Type Four and very strong. I drew this in a hand with Tooth and Nail and the game went predictably fast from there. Combine with Beacon of Immortality to exponentially and unstoppably increase your life total. This is a very solid tool.
I hope you find Type Four even better now with a bit of CHK!
* This is termed the “JP Meyer“.