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Back to Basics: Building Mirrodin Sealed

Onslaught-Legions-Scourge threw away the typical spell-to-creature ratio in Sealed; bombs were aplenty, and sometimes ignored for a more solid deck. But just as Mirrodin has swung the design pendulum away from creatures towards artifacts, so has the pendulum of Sealed strategy swung back to the basics – with just the slightest bent towards artifacts. Having the experience of a few Limited tournaments to dirty my nails, I have determined the following basic principles should be applied when building a Sealed deck for Mirrodin…

Mark Rosewater favorite metaphor in describing each new expansion of Magic: The Gathering is the pendulum,”constantly swinging in an everchanging pattern.” (He really is intending to refer to Focault’s Pendulum, but that’s a discussion for another time.) Sometimes it is easy to see the shift in the pendulum from a design standpoint when we are presented with all-creature expansions like Legions, and, more recently, the artifact-heavy Mirrodin. From a player’s standpoint, these shifts in design can be much subtler when it comes to playing, especially in Limited.


There are a few basic rules we all start with when first building Sealed decks, and these rules hold up very well under a set where design has allowed the pendulum to hover close to the center. However, as design pushes the envelope on new creatures, new abilities, and new themes, it is necessary for the player to rethink the basic strategy and adjust for the new environment to stay competitive. Onslaught-Legions-Scourge threw away the typical spell-creature ratio; bombs were aplenty, and sometimes ignored for a more solid deck; there was no longer a need to flinch at having more than one card with a converted mana cost of greater than six.


Just as Mirrodin has swung the design pendulum away from creatures towards artifacts, so has the pendulum of Sealed strategy swung back to the basics – with just the slightest bent towards artifacts. Having the experience of a few Limited tournaments to dirty my nails, I have determined the following basic principles should be applied when building a sealed deck for Mirrodin:


  1. Have at least thirteen to fifteen creatures. Since the primary win condition in Limited play is through attacking, it is important to have at least enough creatures to mount a solid defense while still being able to get a few points of damage through in order to defeat your opponent.

  2. Evasion is key. With less creatures and fewer creatures with powerful abilities, evasion is once again an important factor in deckbuilding. Ground stalls will be common with the types of creatures in Mirrodin. A 2/2 flier will do plenty of damage if your opponent has no way to defend against it.

  3. Removal is good. Again, due to fewer and less powerful creatures, removal becomes more potent. The one change of tack in Mirrodin, though, is that now artifact destruction should be considered removal. With the majority of decks consisting of nearly 50% artifacts, any artifact destruction effectively acts as removal.

  4. Play with your bombs. Onslaught forced players to ignore some powerful cards in a sealed pool due to their heavy color commitment. With the possible exception of cards like Reiver Demon and Luminous Angel, many of Mirrodin’s most powerful cards are colorless. Also, there are fewer powerful cards and fewer synergies in Mirrodin. As a result, it is easier for bombs to heavily impact play. Playing with bombs is guaranteed to increase your chances of stealing games away from an opponent.

  5. Watch your mana curve. Many of the spells in Mirrodin are efficiently costed and don’t have as far-reaching effects as the Onslaught block. The mana curve is back around a comfortable converted mana cost of four. It is unlikely that you’ll see a horde of powerful creatures within the first few turns in this format, but a few early Equipment on the board can make it hard for a slower deck to recover. In addition, a good mana curve will typically offer the chance to overcome early mana problems.

Whenever a new set rolls around, I find myself addicted to shredding open packs of cards on a nightly basis just to build some sealed decks and play. Through play and practice, I not only discover what rules need to be bent or discarded, but also start to understand which cards at first glance I have over- or under-estimated. Since Grand Prix: Kansas City is peering around the corner, I thought I’d share a couple of practice Sealed sessions. This will help to see how some of the basic principles are applied, and show some of the thought processes that are used when deciding how to build.


Since this is a practice session for both the author and the audience, I offer one disclaimer: the final build may not be perfect. Even the most seasoned players disagree on how to build sealed decks. This exercise is not intended to provide the answer, but rather the intelligence that goes behind a build.


I’ve managed to cull together three practice sessions to walk through. Onward, dear readers, and screw your courage to the sticking place!


One Order of Empyrial Devastation, Please

This card pool was borrowed from a friend of mine at a recent PTQ:


Land

Ancient Den

2x Tree of Tales


Black

Nim Shambler

Nim Shrieker

Terror

Wail of the Nim

Wrench Mind


Blue

Fabricate

2x Neurok Familiar

Neurok Spy

Override

Somber Hoverguard

Thirst for Knowledge


Green

Groffskithur

One Dozen Eyes

Predator’s Strike

Slith Predator

Tel-Jilad Archers

Tel-Jilad Exile

Wurmskin Forger


Red

Fractured Loyalty

Krark-Clan Shaman

Molten Rain

2x Ogre Leadfoot

Seething Song

Shatter

Vulshok Berserker


White

2x Arrest

Blinding Beam

2x Leonin Elder

Skyhunter Cub


Artifacts

Aether Spellbomb

2x Alpha Myr

Banshee’s Blade

Chromatic Sphere

Clockwork Condor

Copper Myr

Crystal Shard

Dragon Blood

Empyrial Plate

2x Frogmite

Galvanic Key

Goblin War Wagon

Gold Myr

Icy Manipulator

Iron Myr

Liar’s Pendulum

Lifespark Spellbomb

Lightning Greaves

Malachite Golem

Mindstorm Crown

Myr Prototype

Myr Retriever

Nightmare Lash

Omega Myr

Ornithopter

Pearl Shard

Psychogenic Probe

Pyrite Spellbomb

Slagwurm Armor

Soldier Replica

Tangleroot

2x Tooth of Chiss-Goria

2x Vorrac Battlehorns

Wizard Replica

Yotian Soldier


Before I begin deciding which colors to play and which spells should be considered part of a build, it helps to narrow the potential field by first culling out cards typically considered unplayable (for my philosophy on which cards get thrown out, go here). For this pool, I’ve narrowed down to the following cards:


Land

Ancient Den

2x Tree of Tales


I typically start by considering all land viable until the deck is chosen, especially since the artifact lands are typically a worthwhile substitution for basic land. The one exception to this rule is Cloudpost – even with three to four copies, the drawback of coming into play tapped is too great to ever consider it as anything short of a makeshift toothpick.


Black

Nim Shambler

Nim Shrieker

Terror

Wrench Mind


Nim Shambler falls on the fence for playability, mostly due to inexperience with the card. On the one hand, the Shambler will typically be a 6/1 regenerator. On the other, its regeneration ability relies on an abundance of creatures – a precious commodity in this format. Wail of the Nim has been left out of the playable pile because it mainly exists for combat tricks, since most of the more troublesome creatures have a toughness greater than two. The number of creatures played in a deck is directly proportional to the number of combat situations that will arise during a game, meaning that there are many fewer chances to make use of such tricks. This forces only the more powerful combat tricks to make the cut.


Blue

Fabricate

Neurok Spy

Override

Somber Hoverguard

Thirst for Knowledge


With such powerful artifacts as Empyrial Plate and Nightmare Lash available, Fabricate is an extremely useful tutor. Override is a good late-game Counterspell and deserves at least some consideration. The only blue cards that aren’t considered useful are the Neurok Familiars. With a marginal ability that can possibly force the loss of a good card, it isn’t worth wasting slots on 1/1 fliers. Though one of the basic rules for deckbuilding is to pay attention to evasion, all of these rules must be applied with a solid understanding of what makes a card useful. Most 1/1 creatures that are played do not make Limited decks because of their ability to deal damage to an opponent; rather, it is their additional abilities that make them worthwhile.


Green

One Dozen Eyes

Predator’s Strike

Slith Predator

Tel-Jihad Archers

Tel-Jilad Exile

Wurmskin Forger


Green is straightforward – good creatures and a versatile combat spell. The one borderline card is Slith Predator, since its evasion ability does not immediately give it the opportunity to become larger. However, its ability to come out on turn 2 gives it the chance to become a 3/3 or 4/4 within the first few turns.


Red

Krark-Clan Shaman

2x Ogre Leadfoot

Shatter

Vulshok Berserker


Red’s pile is also fairly straightforward with good creatures and removal. Red also has a borderline card in the Krark-Clan Shaman. It gets a look because of its ability to effectively act as mass creature removal; however, it comes at significant cost of possibly losing several non-creature artifacts.


White

2x Arrest

Blinding Beam

2x Leonin Elder

Skyhunter Cub


It hasn’t taken me long to discover the amazing ability of Blinding Beam to lock your opponent’s defenses down long enough to get in two deadly attacks. Blinding Beam has become an auto-include in the playable pile for me. Although I typically give almost no consideration to lifegain in the Sealed environment, there is a special exception given to the Leonin Elder, especially with two. Since there are usually twenty and twenty-five artifacts between the decks of both players, an Elder can net an average of ten to fifteen life. This is enough to make a significant impact in a tempo-driven game. In addition, as a 1/1 creature requiring a single mana to cast, the Elder can come out early and deal a couple of points of damage before an opponent can put down any defense.


Artifacts

Aether Spellbomb

2x Alpha Myr

Banshee’s Blade

Clockwork Condor

Copper Myr

Crystal Shard

Dragon Blood

Empyrial Plate

Goblin War Wagon

Gold Myr

Icy Manipulator

Iron Myr

Lightning Greaves

Malachite Golem

Nightmare Lash

Pearl Shard

Pyrite Spellbomb

Slagwurm Armor

Soldier Replica

Wizard Replica

Yotian Soldier


As far as artifacts go, all the Myrs that provide mana (Leaden, Silver, Copper, Iron, Gold) should be considered playable and culled out after the colors have been chosen. The Myrs are better mana acceleration than the typical Moss Diamonds we are used to, since a 1/1 body is attached for no extra cost. Keep in mind that these creatures act primarily as mana acceleration and shouldn’t bog down the deck. I usually don’t stray beyond two total in the colors I am playing.


Frogmite is one of the more common creatures that is noticeably missing from the playable list. Though I have seen people play with Frogmite because it can sometimes be cast for free, a worthwhile two-power creature with no abilities needs to come out on turn 2 to be considered useful to put the pressure on your opponent. Unless you happen to be playing with several Chrome Moxes, the Frogmite will almost never make it to the board before turn 3. A better creature for the same power is Alpha Myr, a two-power creature for 2 mana.


Another card worth noting that gets instantly thrown out is the Tooth (and likewise the Scale) of Chiss-Goria. Though these artifacts have the versatility to act like either instant spells or regular artifacts, the additional increase in power (or toughness) does not merit inclusion. This is due to the fact that differing combat situations will sometimes warrant the desire for extra power, others for extra toughness. There is no luxury to choose which you would prefer with these charms. Now, if it granted +1/+1 or +2/+0, this card would be a different story.


It is worth nothing that I threw out almost all of the more confusing and situational artifacts, specifically because they are too confusing and/or too situational. I think that several of these cards aren’t worth considering until their power in action is witnessed.


Looking at the remainder of the playable cards, it is clear that the two most powerful cards in the pool are Nightmare Lash and Empyrial Plate. Unfortunately, review of the cards shows black to be the weakest of the colors, with only two mediocre creatures and a Limited removal spell. With all the other four colors hosting better creatures and similar-to-better removal, the heartbreaking decision has to be made to leave the Nightmare Lash by the wayside.


White immediately stands out as the most playable with two Arrests and the use of the Soldier Replica. Skyhunter Cub is one of the larger fliers at 3/3 when Equipped. Red does have one removal spell in Shatter and a Pyrite Spellbomb, but blue and green stand a little above Red. Blue sports decent evasive creatures along with some deck-digging spells, while green offers a couple of large bodies. If it wasn’t for the three removal spells (counting Soldier Replica) provided by white, this deck would be blue-green, despite the lack of Madness.


After much internal debate, I chose Green for the secondary color for two reasons:


1) Tel-Jilad Archers is one of the most powerful defensive creatures in the format, and:

2) Wurmskin Forger creates a devastating combination with Crystal Shard.


With a few tweaks to reduce the size closer to 40, the final deck takes shape:


Green

One Dozen Eyes

Tel-Jilad Archers

Tel-Jilad Exile

Wurmskin Forger


White

2x Arrest

Blinding Beam

2x Leonin Elder

Skyhunter Cub


Artifact

2x Alpha Myr

Banshee’s Blade

Clockwork Condor

Copper Myr

Crystal Shard

Dragon Blood

Empyrial Plate

Goblin War Wagon

Gold Myr

Icy Manipulator

Malachite Golem

Soldier Replica

Yotian Soldier


Land

Ancient Den

2x Tree of Tales

6 Forest

2 Island

6 Plains


The Pearl Shard, though synergistic with a white deck, has been removed. Though useful in many decks, it isn’t as necessary with the large and regenerating creatures in green. Slith Predator, already a borderline card, does not make the deck. Since Dragon Blood and Crystal Shard perform double-duty in and outside of combat, Predator’s Strike doesn’t have much of a place either. I’ve left the deck at forty-one cards purely to make use of the double Leonin Elders. As a singleton, it would be a much less attractive card. Think of it in terms of Wellwisher. One other possible alternative to the Leonin Elders is to splash red – replacing the Islands with Mountains – and put in the Shatter and Spellbomb.


This first example was pretty exhaustive, but many of the same reasoning and principles will apply to the next couple of builds. Shall we commence with the next session?


Can I Please Use Nightmare Lash?*

Apparently, Nightmare Lash wants be used in a deck. This one was staring at me when I opened my first practice pool for the season:


Land

Ancient Den

Mountain (Foil)

Seat of the Synod

Stalking Stones


Black

Chimney Imp

2x Contaminated Bond

Disciple of the Vault

Dross Prowler

Irradiate

Moriok Scavenger

2x Nim Shambler

Nim Shrieker

Terror

Wail of the Nim

Wall of Blood


Blue

Neurok Familiar

2x Neurok Spy

Override

Wanderguard Sentry


Green

Battlegrowth

2x Deconstruct

Fangren Hunter

2x Predator’s Strike

Sylvan Scrying

Turn to Dust

Wurmskin Forger


Red

Atog

Grab the Reins

Incite War

Ogre Leadfoot

Seething Song

Vulshok Berserker


White

Awe Strike

Blinding Beam

Leonin Elder

Loxodon Mender

Razor Barrier

Taj-Nar Swordsmith


Artifacts

Aether Spellbomb

Blinkmoth Urn

Clockwork Condor

Crystal Shard

2x Dross Scorpion

Frogmite

Galvanic Key

Goblin Charbelcher

Gold Myr

Granite Shard

Grid Monitor

Hematite Golem

Isochron Scepter

2x Leaden Myr

Lightning Greaves

2x Malachite Golem

Myr Adapter

Myr Incubator

Neurok Hoversail

Nightmare Lash

Nuisance Engine

Pewter Golem

Ornithopter

Scale of Chiss-Goria

Soldier Replica

Sunbeam Spellbomb

Synod Sanctum

Tanglebloom

Tooth of Chiss-Goria


Beginning again with the first step of removing unplayable cards, the list reduces to the following:


Black

Dross Prowler

Irradiate

Moriok Scavenger

2x Nim Shambler

Nim Shrieker

Terror

Wall of Blood


In this card pool, the estimation of the Nim Shambler goes up slightly due to the presence of a Nuisance Engine that can easily fuel the regeneration ability. Though Fear isn’t as powerful in an artifact-heavy Limited environment, it can still provide some form of evasion and allows Dross Prowler to be considered playable. Disciple of the Vault is not a mirror of Leonin Elder, and artifacts do not go the graveyard as readily as they come into play. Contaminated Bond, at best, is pseudo-removal. It does little good when the enchanted creature can still attack to finish you off. This isn’t a strong enough argument for playability.


Blue

2x Neurok Spy

Override


Though few viable blue cards dare show their faces, the unblockability of Neurok Spies is still worth considering blue as a possible splash.


Green

Battlegrowth

2x Deconstruct

Fangren Hunter

2x Predator’s Strike

Turn to Dust

Wurmskin Forger


Battlegrowth typically falls by the wayside in most builds for the same reason that cards like Wail of the Nim aren’t included. However, with the possibility of imprinting Battlegrowth on Isochron Scepter, it is included temporarily. Turn to Dust holds a similar position, since it is restricted to targeting Equipment.


Red

Atog

Grab the Reins

Incite War

Ogre Leadfoot

Vulshok Berserker


Unlike many of the other combat trick cards, Incite War has the added bonus of forcing an attack that effectively serves as removal of an opponent’s creatures. This card is viewed more as removal than combat trick, giving it the nod as playable.


White

Awe Strike

Blinding Beam

Leonin Elder

Taj-Nar Swordsmith


Awe Strike is another one of those cards that makes the grade only for the chance to combine with Isochron Scepter. Loxodon Mender has a unique ability to save non-creature artifacts from an ill-fated Shatter or Deconstruct, but the hefty casting cost makes this Cleric appear after the devastation has been wrought. Definitely a sideboard card, but not maindeck material.


Artifacts

Aether Spellbomb

Clockwork Condor

Crystal Shard

Goblin Charbelcher

Gold Myr

Granite Shard

Hematite Golem

Isochron Scepter

2x Leaden Myr

Lightning Greaves

2x Malachite Golem

Neurok Hoversail

Nightmare Lash

Nuisance Engine

Pewter Golem

Synod Sanctum

Soldier Replica


One thing to note is the inclusion of Neurok Hoversail in the playable list, which shows the strength of Equipment over creature enchantments. While Flight wouldn’t be considered a playable card, the versatility of the Neurok Hoversail to give at least one creature flying all the time makes it a much more effective card.


This card pool also a few cards that stand out as powerful: Nightmare Lash, Goblin Charbelcher, and Isochron Scepter. Unfortunately, red left her Shatter at home. White and blue do not offer much to this build, so red and black can provide the focus to make use of the Charbelcher and Lash. The two Deconstructs and Turn to Dust make green a strong consideration as a splash.


With a little bit of peeling and skinning, the final deck configuration is as follows:


Black

Irradiate

Moriok Scavenger

2x Nim Shambler

Nim Shrieker

Terror

Wall of Blood


Green

2x Deconstruct


Red

Atog

Grab the Reins

Incite War

Ogre Leadfoot

Vulshok Berserker


Artifacts

Clockwork Condor

Goblin Charbelcher

Granite Shard

Hematite Golem

2x Leaden Myr

Neurok Hoversail

Nightmare Lash

Nuisance Engine

Pewter Golem


Land

3 Forest

7 Mountain

7 Swamp


When the cards to be played were laid on the table, only Terror and Turn to Dust could be used with the Isochron Scepter. Since fitting in Turn to Dust would push out either creatures or a Deconstruct, I made the decision not to rely on a weaker threat and removed both the Isochron Scepter and Turn to Dust from the build.


Another difficult cut to make was Synod Sanctum, which provided protection against an opponent’s removal. I chose the Neurok Hoversail over this card namely because of the five creatures that have pump-style effects: Atog, Hematite Golem, double Nim Shambler, and Wall of Blood. The Neurok Hoversail also provides a nice ride for the Nightmare Lash.


Once again, you might have noticed that the deck contains forty-one cards instead of the standard forty. A Leaden Myr can easily be scrapped from the deck.


Ready for one more?


It’s Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas*

This is the first card pool my husband received when he sat down to play some Sealed with me:


Land

Cloudpost

Great Furnace

Seat of the Synod

2x Vault of Whispers


Black

Barter in Blood

Chimney Imp

Contaminated Blood

Flayed Nim

2x Irradiate

Moriok Scavenger

Nim Shrieker

Slith Bloodletter

Woebearer


Blue

2x Annul

Looming Hoverguard

Lumengrid Sentinel

2x Neurok Spy


Green

Copperhoof Vorrac

Creeping Mold

Deconstruct

Glissa Sunseeker

Groffskithur

2x Predator’s Strike

Tooth and Nail

Turn to Dust


Red

Electrostatic Bolt

Fractured Loyalty

Goblin Striker

Incite War

Krark-Clan Shaman

Molten Rain

Ogre Leadfoot


White

Arrest

Awe Strike

Luminous Angel

3x Raise the Alarm

Rule of Law

Skyhunter Patrol


Artifacts

Alpha Myr

Bonesplitter

Clockwork Condor

Crystal Shard

Dragon Blood

Elf Replica

Frogmite

Galvanic Key

Goblin Replica

Goblin War Wagon

Leaden Myr

Mask of Memory

Mindstorm Crown

Myr Adapter

Myr Enforcer

Neurok Hoversail

Nim Replica

Pyrite Spellbomb

Rust Elemental

Scrabbling Claws

Serum Tank

2x Slagwurm Armor

Soldier Replica

2x Steel Wall

Tooth of Chiss-Goria

Vulshok Gauntlets

2x Wizard Replica


Narrowing the field down a bit, we have:


Black

Flayed Nim

2x Irradiate

Moriok Scavenger

Nim Shrieker

Slith Bloodletter

Woebearer


I’ve chosen to remove Barter in Blood from the playable pile because the sacrifice effect can create a dead card late in the game. In the early game, the mirror effect can be detrimental to the person who is controlling the tempo – which won’t always be the opponent. It is another card that fits solidly into the sideboard category.


Blue

2x Annul

Looming Hoverguard

2x Neurok Spy


Though the Looming Hoverguard is expensive at six mana for a 3/3 flyer, it is still a 3/3 flyer. Its extra ability also combines well with an Annul in hand. Annul, though a little more time-dependent, can still be considered effective artifact removal. Lumengrid Sentinel, at first glance, appears similar to a very weak Icy Manipulator. Experience will dictate whether or not this card should be considered playable.


Green

Copperhoof Vorrac

Creeping Mold

Deconstruct

Glissa Sunseeker

2x Predator’s Strike

Tooth and Nail


Without an Isochron Scepter handy, Turn to Dust gets left in the sideboard to make room for more versatile removal.


Red

Electrostatic Bolt

Incite War

Krark-Clan Shaman

Ogre Leadfoot


The red choices don’t waver from the previous analyses.


White

Arrest

Luminous Angel

3x Raise the Alarm

Skyhunter Patrol


The three Raise the Alarms are an unknown quantity to be fleshed out with some practice. They are considered playable based purely on hearsay. Awe Strike suffers a similar fate as Turn to Dust without the Isochron Scepter.


Artifacts

Alpha Myr

Bonesplitter

Clockwork Condor

Crystal Shard

Dragon Blood

Goblin Replica

Goblin War Wagon

Leaden Myr

Mask of Memory

Myr Enforcer

Neurok Hoversail

Pyrite Spellbomb

Serum Tank

Slagwurm Armor

Soldier Replica

Steel Wall

Vulshok Gauntlets

2x Wizard Replica


Though Rust Elemental is a 4/4 flying creature for four mana, I do not consider it playable due to its drawbacks. Because Rust Elemental cannot sacrifice itself during its upkeep, it can easily turn into a tapped time bomb. Steel Wall and Slagwurm Armor, due to their purely defensive nature, sit on the line. At most, only one of these should be included in a deck.


When narrowing the colors down, the Luminous Angel pushes white to the forefront. Green fights with black for the second spot, as both are strong in the removal department – green with artifacts, black with creatures. Red offers splashable removal in the form of Goblin Replica, Electrostatic Bolt, and Pyrite Spellbomb. Blue bids removal with two Annul and plus evasion with two Neurok Spies.


This is definitely a more challenging build in trying to decide whether black or green should take second chair next to white. The question that first comes to mind is: Which is more important to have removal for – artifacts or creatures? Some of the more powerful cards in this block are the artifacts, making Glissa’s repeat-destruction ability stand out. A quick pair of green against white results in around eleven creatures (not including Raise the Alarm), less than I am typically comfortable with. Pairing black against white sits the deck at a more modest thirteen creatures with regeneration providing a little bit more resiliency. Unfortunately, with white and black as the primary colors, the artifact removal has been neglected.


Green suffers from a double-base malady and must be ignored. Blue is still standing by with two Annuls, but red offers a little more in a single Goblin Replica. The Goblin Replica can be combined with the Moriok Scavenger to remove two artifacts. Playing a couple of tricks with the Moriok Scavenger and Crystal Shard, and the Goblin Replica starts to mimic a sluggish Glissa.


Having decided the colors will be white, black, and red, the deck begins to shape into this:


Black

Flayed Nim

2x Irradiate

Moriok Scavenger

Nim Shrieker

Slith Bloodletter


Red

Electrostatic Bolt


White

Arrest

Skyhunter Patrol

Luminous Angel


Artifacts

Alpha Myr

Bonesplitter

Clockwork Condor

Crystal Shard

Dragon Blood

Goblin Replica

Goblin War Wagon

Leaden Myr

Mask of Memory

Myr Enforcer

Pyrite Spellbomb

Serum Tank

Soldier Replica

Vulshok Gauntlets


Land

Great Furnace

2x Vault of Whispers

2 Mountain

7 Plains

5 Swamp


The Raise the Alarms have disappeared, as have the more defensive Equipment. Though Equipment can power up creatures once they come into play, it is important to recognize that Equipment cannot function without creatures. Perform an Equipment check and make sure those artifacts don’t outstrip a good ratio for the number of creatures being played. The current rule of thumb I employ is to limit the number of Equipment to three or four to a forty-card deck.


Hope you all had a good time exercising your brain, and remember – if in doubt, play it out!


* – For those of you who are watching, you might notice that there is one less uncommon and one more common in this pool. Alas, as StarCityGames does not offer the amazing deals on tournament packs that it does on booster boxes, I had to suffer with five boosters instead.