Wow – you say the word”contest” and everyone goes crazy. I had an overwhelming* response to what I thought was a pretty silly idea. I can’t imagine how Anthony Alongi manages to deal with all of the Break This Card Contest Entries. It is truly overwhelming. My thanks to everyone who responded – and congratulations to Taylor Howard for being the first email in the box. I didn’t even know StarCity posted the new day’s articles that early!
I want to praise [email protected] and [email protected] (I don’t have your names; I would call you both chickens for not leaving your name, but in this article, that is too easy and lame… Wait, I am lame and I already called you chickens) for having already submitted chicken decks. Remember people, the goal is not to win, but to get a Pro player to stand up and cluck like a chicken during a match.
Over thirty-seven new cards were suggested for the deck. The ideas ranged from the more serious (Vindicate to replace disenchant or Terror**) to the more humorous (Elvish and Orcish Farmers***). The most suggested card was the Chicken Egg. Over half of those who wrote in suggested it, so, I guess we are doing a five-colour deck.
Another selection that was spread throughout the emails was Swords to Plowshare to replace the Terrors. They can rid the board of every creature Terror can, and also hit black creatures. Besides, the Plowshares and farming thing really seemed to work for quite a few people. Considering all of this, here is the deck so far:
Choking the Chicken (we’ll probably have to change this, too!)
4x Chicken a-la-King
4x Mesa Chicken
4x Free-Range Chicken
4x Poultrygeist
4x Chicken Egg
4x Fowl Play
4x Swords to Plowshares
4x Vindicate
4x Wing Spell****
4x Counterspell
So I will try to create a new deck that works with the cards above and a selected few from the cards listed here:
Cockatrice (This is so funny and obvious… But at first glance, it doesn’t work well with Wing Spell)
Goblin Bookie (His die re-rolling ability is just too good to pass up)
Clam I Am (Will get you better odds on every roll)
Giant Caterpillar (Chickens gotta eat)
Foul Imp (this was from EmpSchao. I can’t believe I didn’t spot that one)
Zodiac Rooster (this from Pieter de Wildt. I was going to include this originally, but it was caught in the numbers game)
Elvish Farmer
Orcish Farmer
Remote Farm
Farmstead
Triassic Egg (Graveyard recursion for Chicken Egg, or getting a chicken with wrong mana in play)
Here is a list of other cards that were suggested that I have sitting on the bubble. They don’t really fit the Chicken theme, but they would work perfectly:
Overrun
Conspiracy
Giant Fan (the ability to move tokens is a wonderful thing)
Unnatural Selection (this just feels like cheating, but I don’t see why not)
Tsabo’s Decree
Extinction (how does this fit the theme?)
Engineered Plague (-1/-1)
Ashnod’s Coupon
I’m Rubber, You’re Glue
Catastrophe
Urza’s Incubator
There were several cards that I liked, but in the end decided against them. Coat of Arms was a commonly suggested card, while Aluren was another card that would normally be spectacular for this deck. When you consider the field*****, I think that is a mistake. There will plenty of other theme decks that have absolute hordes of creatures, turning Coat of Arms against the poor Pro schmuck stuck with this deck. Most of those other decks will also be using creature types with casting costs, mostly under four as well. If there was going to be a sideboard, Aluren would be perfect to side in against the Vampires, Dragons, and Angels in this world.
The Shard Phoenix, Shivan Phoenix, and Darigaaz were other creature suggestions. While I agree they all look like chickens (sort of), it really doesn’t fit the theme. The Brass Herald was also suggested. I really don’t think this card belongs in our Chicken deck, but if you can convince me…
The Power Nine and some other particularly nasty old-school cards were suggested as a way to speed up the deck or just make it nasty. I appreciate that I did ask for help there, but I have since decided that there is no point. Seeing Ancestral Recall and Black Lotus listed in a deck next to Chicken Egg is just weird.
The combination of Volrath’s Laboratory and Bad Moon was a combination that was suggested, but I think any of the theme decks in the Invitational could have this combination. I admit, I did have Volrath’s Lab in my multiplayer Chicken deck, but I don’t think it holds to the theme, or provides support for the Chicken theme the way we hoped. Besides, I would like to try and hold the deck size to under seventy cards, so I’ll have to be ruthless.
I also realize that I didn’t set a deadline for this insanity. As the decks are due on September 10, 2001, let’s end this on Friday night. I will devise something over the weekend and share with everyone on Monday, along with the contest winners.
Following along with my penchant for writing and then thinking, I am travelling out of town next week, so my internet connection will be sporadic at best. I will try and keep the updates coming, but if I miss a day or two, please forgive me; I’m trying to have a life and play Magic.
Bruce Richard
[email protected]
* – Anything over three responses is something I consider overwhelming. As you’ll see, the number of responses I did get was shocking.
** – Credit to Taylor Howard again. Geez, my freakin’ article and his name is in here more than mine! How is that going to help my ego?
*** – Credit to Adam Mauss. Hey Adam, aren’t you supposed to be working?
**** – Credit to Quinten Cauwelier. He was the only one to suggest this alternate card for Hurricane. The”Wing” thing really works for me.
***** – I just can’t say metagame. That would be giving this whole idea too much credence.