As with every contest I seem to run, I got behind on this one because there were just so many other things to do. However, here are the Top 5 submissions that we ended up choosing. If the Rodent is feeling generous, he will make a forum topic for each deck and provide spiffy links to them. (It’s hyperlinked at the top of each deck – The Ferrett) Then you kind and generous folks can feel free to go visit those forums and provide feedback on the decks, and help Jim and I decide which deck you think should win. Sometime next week, I will announce the first- and second-place decks and get busy sending off dollah bills to the lucky winners.
So without further ado, I give you the Top 5 deck submissions to the Dead Presidents contest:
Deck #1 is a submission from Star City’s very own Carl Jarrell. I’ll confess that I didn’t quite understand the deck at first glance, but anything named after one of the most influential kids’ movies of all time gets a little extra attention. (There are so many amazing moments that I can’t even begin to describe them, but let’s just say that watching Andy Gibb recreate the”truffle shuffle” is often one of the best moment of any specific month.) The deck is strangely sexy, features a bunch of removal and burn (important aspects in the current metagame), and lets you exploit the power of Goblin Goon and Graveborn Muse.
4 Grim Lavamancer
4 Zombie Infestation
4 Fiery Temper
4 Violent Eruption
4 Smother
4 Duress
4 Graveborn Muse
4 Goblin Goon
4 Sickening Dreams
11 Swamp
5 Mountain
4 Sulfurous Springs
4 Bloodstained Mire
Deck #2 is a deck submitted by Travis Carr called”Dumbo Sligh.” According to Travis, this is a relatively early build of the deck, as he was going to do additional testing with Goblin Grapplers and Goblin Goons down the road… But still, this build was interesting enough to get included as one of the Top 5 submissions. By adding just a splash of Green to a more traditional Sligh build, Travis gained access to what he calls the”Best Goblin Ever” in Call of the Herd, and also adds Elephant Guide for even faster beatdown flavor. He also shores up some traditional Sligh weaknesses by adding Compost and Naturalize to the sideboard. If Kai’s G/R build isn’t aggro enough for you (is that even possible?) then perhaps this will suit your fancy a little better…
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Sparksmith
4 Goblin Sledder
3 Goblin Taskmaster
2 Grim Lavamancer
2 Blistering Firecat
Spells
4 Lava Dart
4 Firebolt
4 Volcanic Hammer
4 Call Of The Herd (Best Goblin Ever Made)
3 Elephant Guide
Land
8 Mountain
4 Karplusan Forest
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Forgotten Cave
1 Forest
1 Goblin Burrows
Sideboard:
4 Compost
3 Naturalize
3 Flaring Pain
3 Violent Eruption
2 Threaten
Travis Jones contributed the following deck to our contest, and Jimmy Bean and I found it interesting enough to include here. We honestly have no idea whether it works or not in the current metagame, but it is interestingly techie, looks original, and feels like it has potential. Let us know what you think over in our forums.
Creatures(21)
4x Shadowmage Infiltrator
2x Hollow Specter
4x Nantuko Shade
3x Mesmeric Fiend
3x Braids, Cabal Minion
2x Undead Gladiator
3x Merfolk Looter
Spells (17)
4x Smother
3x Opposition
4x Cabal Therapy
2x Haunting Echoes
4x Memory Lapse
Land (22)
4x Polluted Delta
3x Underground River
11x Swamp
4x Island
Sideboard
3x Engineered Plague
3x Persecute
2x Eastern Paladin
2x Upheaval
4x Duress
1x Haunting Echoes
Deck #4 was submitted by Richmond, Virginia’s own”Star Wars Kid” a.k.a. Chris T. McDaniel, who keeps the hot side hot, and the cool side cool (or something). Anyway, Chris has his own funky take on a Mirari’s Wake deck that left me confused, bewildered, and generally intrigued.
3x Holistic Wisdom
3x Mirari’s Wake
2x Mirari
4x Counterspell
4x Circular Logic
4x Cunning Wish
4x Inspiration (more on this later)
3x Moment’s Peace
2x Chastise
4x Wrath of God
1x Opportunity
9x Island
4x Adarkar Wastes
3x Brushland
4x Forests
3x Plains
3x Krosan Verge
Sideboard (a.k.a., where the win condition hides)
2x Circle of Protection: Green
1x Alter Reality (allows you to board in Circle of Protection: Green against Corruptor like decks, then wish for this guy, you usually aren’t on too fast a clock.)
1x Opportunity
1x Renewed Faith
1x Naturalize
1x Ray of Revelation
1x Krosan Reclamation (if you lose all your vital enchantments or permanents)
1x Memory Lapse
1x Divert
1x Envelop
1x Early Harvest (When you have time to wish for this you generally win)
1x Boomerang
1x Moment’s Peace
1x Reprisal (a quick and easy way to dispatch Roar of the Wurm tokens, or Goblin Piledriver if he gets too many friends)
I’ll let SWK say his own piece about this thing, since I certainly can’t do it justice…
“The deck is pretty straightforward; it plays like many Wake decks, except for the Holistic Wisdom. Wisdom is just amazing. If you aren’t light on land, it is almost impossible for Psychatog to beat you with this thing on the board. While they are busy drawing Chainer’s Edicts and Smothers, you are pitching Moment’s Peaces and Chastises to get back counter spells. Or Inspiration to get back Opportunities.
“This is why Inspiration is in the deck; sure, it doesn’t flash back – or does it? with Wisdom on the board, you can ditch instants you draw with it to keep casting it again and again, and late game it returns Opportunities. Plus, not having to tap out on your turn for card drawing is nice.
“So how does the deck win? Actually, I was wondering if you could tell me! Just kidding. Mirari and Cunning Wish is all you need to get a sort of lock on your opponent by always being able to Fog. But if you get out enough land or a wake. A mirari and a wisdom you can win. Cast and Mirari the Wish, get a Wish and an Early Harvest, cast and Mirari the Harvest, tap and float some random mana. Then cast and Mirari the wish again, getting a Wish and any instant, pitch the instant to get back the Harvest and repeat. Getting you infinite mana. Then just keep recurring Opportunity til your opponent runs out of deck.”
It’s like Tight Sight, except you know… Different. And I received the decklisting long enough ago that Tight Sight wasn’t really being discussed until a week or two later. (Note to self: Finish contests faster.)
Last but not least, we have the most thought-provoking deck of the lot. I found it entertaining for two reasons:
1) Because it provided me with the initial inspiration to develop a good Windborn Opposition deck (which no one else seems to talk about these days in spite of how powerful it actually is) and:
2) Because I received the decklist from a man who’s e-mail name says”Muscled Beaver.” The deck may not be incredibly tight (heh) as it was submitted, but the tech is great and provides a virtual smorgasboard of offshoot ideas to be pursued.
Oppo Branls (cause I’m a member of the Branls Team 😉
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Squirrel Nest
4 Wild Mongrel
2 Call of the Herd
2 Seedborn Muse
4 Opposition
4 Force Spike
4 Weathered Wayfarer
4 Sunstrike Legionnaire
2 Ray Of Revelation
3 Windborn Muse
7 Forest
2 Plains
4 Island
4 Flooded Strand
4 Windswept Heath
1 Deserted Temple
1 Cephalid Coliseum
That’s all for now, kids! Let me know what you think of each of the decks over in the forums and I’ll be back next week with the winners. Remember that your comments will have an effect on which deck is declared the winner, so spend some time on these and tell me which ones you think are the best.
The Holy Kanoot
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