With the evolutionary shot-in-the-arm of Mirrodin, Extended had turned into a monstrous format. Wielding bone-crushing brutality and terrifying speed, the top decks tore up lesser creations with the savagery of Fast Mana and Broken Tutor Effects. Stax, Tinker, and Seeeeething Gobvantage thundered and roared across the landscape, with Tog occasionally darting in to take down weaker and unprepared players.
Then one day, a bright DCI light blazed across the sky and hit the format like an Extinction Level Event. The impact crater marked the passing of the Power decks, but also marked the ascendance of the smaller, more flexible and fair decks to finally have their day. The format has chilled and it’s time for the shrews to take over.
Now, conventional wisdom says that Tog, Rock and possibly Blue/Green Madness are the survivors most likely to succeed. I suspect articles aplenty arguing over the best builds, strategies, and tech in the coming weeks, but I have a problem with these decks. I’m friggin’ tired of ’em, particularly Tog and Madness. With the brokenness gone, isn’t there something interesting to play in Extended? I’m going to wade through the top half of the three hundred eighteen decklists from Pro Tour: New Orleans and see what other decks might be ready to crawl out from their holes and gnaw on the bones of the pre-January 1st format.
Red Deck Wins
First up is Red Deck Wins. Dan Cato, who placed 9th in New Orleans, wrote a tournament report here at Star City about playing it, and for a decklist check out his article. While it doesn’t lose anything in the bannings, I’ve heard there are some issues with the deck in dealing with the sure-to-be-popular Rock and its recursive Ravenous Baloths. I’m not sure what I think about RDW right now, except to say that I bet some PTQers who underestimate the effectiveness of this deck are likely to take a few hits in their Loss column on the backs of Blistering Firecats and Grim Lavamancers. Don’t count out little Red men even if they aren’t Goblins.
Draco Explosion
Now, outside of RDW, Tog, and the broken decks, I had to go all the way down to forty-ninth place to find something different: Draco Explosion, played by France’s Regis Lavoisier! Man, I’d almost forgotten about that one, but can see where that combo could certainly thrive in a format where there were more Ancient Tombs were played than any other card. But what about a format where no Tombs are whittling each player’s life total down? It’s still a fair control deck at heart, so if Tog doesn’t blow up your skirt then give this a try.
Draco Explosion by Regis Lavoisier
1 Caldera Lake
2 Faerie Conclave
7 Island
1 Lonely Sandbar
4 Mountain
2 Polluted Delta
4 Shivan Reef
2 Wooded Foothills
3 Draco
4 Accumulated Knowledge
4 Brainstorm
4 Counterspell
2 Cunning Wish
1 Earthquake
4 Erratic Explosion
1 Fact or Fiction
4 Fire / Ice
3 Intuition
3 Mana Leak
1 Mystical Tutor
3 Scroll Rack
Sideboard
2 Cursed Totem
2 Fact or Fiction
1 Fault Line
2 Mana Short
1 Meltdown
1 Misdirection
3 Pyroclasm
1 Rack and Ruin
1 Shattering Pulse
1 Sonic Burst
White Weenie
You can almost hear the grunts and cursing coming from Wizards’ Research and Development offices out there in the Pacific Northwest. It’s the strain of trying to bring the venerable White Weenie deck back into viability. Fortunately for White Weenie fans, Extended offers up two of the best white weenies ever printed in Meddling Mage and Ramosian Sergeant. Add to that everyone’s favorite one-mana beatdown critter, Savannah Lions, and let the good times roll!
Daniel Steindorfer (64th) and Taiki Morishita (116) went the expected route, splashing Blue for Pikula’s handsome mug and some metagame cards like Stifle, Energy Flux, Chill, and Propaganda. Both also used the Enlightened Tutor/toolbox approach to fetch a silver bullet for disruption while the weenies beat down. A particularly nice touch was Taiki’s Seat of the Synod, allowing the Tutor to fetch an uncounterable Blue mana source. I also really like Steindorfer’s True Believer, which is great protection against a lot of kill cards. [At least for a turn. – Knut]
Alexander Dick (98th) went pure mono-White aggro weenie. In a slower format, efficient weenies accelerated with Chrome Mox, backed with Crusade and Parallax Wave could be fast enough to surprise some people.
64th Pro Tour New Orleans: W/u Weenie
Daniel Steindorfer
4 Adarkar Wastes
4 Flooded Strand
2 Island
12 Plains
4 Meddling Mage
4 Ramosian Sergeant
4 Savannah Lions
4 Silver Knight
3 True Believer
4 Whipcorder
3 Crusade
1 Cursed Scroll
1 Damping Matrix
1 Energy Flux
3 Enlightened Tutor
1 Parallax Wave
1 Seal of Cleansing
3 Stifle
1 Worship
Sideboard
4 Chill
1 Defense Grid
1 Disenchant
2 Dismantling Blow
1 Energy Flux
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Light of Day
1 Mana Maze
2 Parallax Wave
1 Seal of Cleansing
98th place Pro Tour New Orleans: White Weenie
Alexander Dick
20 Plains
4 Leonin Skyhunter
2 Mother of Runes
4 Ramosian Sergeant
4 Savannah Lions
4 Silver Knight
4 Whipcorder
4 Chrome Mox
4 Crusade
3 Cursed Scroll
4 Parallax Wave
3 Seal of Cleansing
Sideboard
2 Absolute Law
3 Armageddon
4 Raise the Alarm
3 Reprisal
3 Serenity
116 Pro Tour New Orleans: W/u Weenie
Taiki Morishita
4 Adarkar Wastes
1 Ancient Den
4 Flooded Strand
1 Island
12 Plains
1 Seat of the Synod
3 Galina’s Knight
4 Meddling Mage
2 Mother of Runes
4 Ramosian Sergeant
4 Savannah Lions
4 Silver Knight
4 Whipcorder
1 Absolute Law
1 Damping Matrix
1 Energy Field
4 Enlightened Tutor
1 Masticore
1 Parallax Wave
1 Seal of Cleansing
1 Serenity
1 Worship
Sideboard
1 Absolute Law
1 Chill
3 Exalted Angel
1 Galina’s Knight
1 Parallax Wave
2 Propaganda
2 Seal of Cleansing
1 Seal of Removal
1 Serenity
1 Treachery
1 Tsabo’s Web
Mind’s Desire
While the current Twiddle Desire build is pretty much dead and buried with the January bannings, I’ve heard rumors that Mind’s Desire itself is not down and out. Anyone who played in the recent Type 2 and observed how much mana the Mirari’s Wake decks could produce knows that there’s bound to be some other options. Roberto Focherini clawed his way to 92nd place with a Desire deck that eschewed the Tinker engine altogether, going for the more stylish (and still legal) Sapphire Medallion/Cloud of Faeries/Snap mana-ramping plan.
92nd place Pro Tour New Orleans: Mind’s Desire
Roberto Focherini
4 Adarkar Wastes
4 Flooded Strand
9 Island
1 Plains
1 Skycloud Expanse
4 Cloud of Faeries
3 Sunscape Familiar
4 Accumulated Knowledge
4 Brainstorm
1 Chain of Vapor
3 Cunning Wish
2 Intuition
1 Meditate
3 Merchant Scroll
4 Mind’s Desire
4 Sapphire Medallion
2 Sleight of Hand
3 Snap
3 Turnabout
Sideboard
1 Brain Freeze
1 Gainsay
3 Mana Leak
1 Meditate
1 Orim’s Chant
4 Propaganda
1 Rebuild
1 Rushing River
1 Snap
1 Turnabout
Final Fantasy
Way down in 110th place we finally come across one of the coolest totally new decks to hit the format, Final Fantasy! Built around a three-card combo (Isochron Scepter imprinted with Final Fortune with a Platinum Angel in play), it takes effectively infinite turns once it gets set up. The loss of Tinker requires a complete overhaul to the deck, possibly going the Trash for Treasure route or maybe more of a Reanimation strategy (which would provide access to a much-needed Vampiric Tutor). Ben Bleiweiss talked about the deck in Star City’s PT: New Orleans coverage, so you may want to check that out. I’m sure some enterprising players will cook up something that’s at least halfway competitive and just as cool.
110th place Pro Tour New Orleans: Final Fantasy
Tony Rungee
4 Ancient Tomb
3 City of Traitors
5 Island
4 Rishadan Port
4 Seat of the Synod
2 Platinum Angel
4 Accumulated Knowledge
4 Chrome Mox
4 Counterspell
3 Cunning Wish
2 Fact or Fiction
3 Final Fortune
3 Intuition
4 Isochron Scepter
3 Mystical Tutor
4 Sapphire Medallion
4 Tinker
Sideboard
1 Boomerang
4 Defense Grid
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Final Fortune
1 Mana Short
1 Misdirection
1 Mystical Tutor
4 Propaganda
1 Stifle
Crush Weaver
Our illustrious editor Ted”Too Sexy for My Cat” Knutson highlighted this deck among some other Japanese innovations during Pro Tour: New Orleans here. Crush Weaver is just about as cool as Final Fantasy and really loses nothing to the bannings (with Ancient Tomb only really necessary to compete in the ultra-fast Tinker environment). Spellweaver Helix is one of those cards that I’ve been dying to crack for Type 2, but Extended gives us Intuition to juice up the Weaver. Getting a Crush of Wurms thrown in for free whenever you cast a Cabal Therapy or Chatter of the Squirrel is just insane. As a bonus for fans of this deck, after the bannings, maindeck artifact hate won’t be nearly as prevalent, allowing you to potentially get several activations off your Helix. Have a ball, y’all!
120 Pro Tour New Orleans: Crush Weaver
Satoshi Nakamura
3 Ancient Tomb
3 City of Traitors
3 Darkwater Catacombs
6 Forest
3 Island
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Underground River
4 Yavimaya Coast
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Cabal Therapy
3 Call of the Herd
4 Chatter of the Squirrel
2 Crush of Wurms
4 Engineered Plague
4 Intuition
3 Mox Diamond
4 Quiet Speculation
4 Spellweaver Helix
Sideboard
2 Coffin Purge
3 Damping Matrix
3 Deep Analysis
3 Naturalize
3 Pernicious Deed
1 Ray of Revelation
Ponza
While I’ve never been a huge fan of Land Destruction themes, I can’t argue that they can sometimes be incredibly effective. I have to admit to being incredible impressed that Daniele Canvesi managed to finish in the top 50% of the field with an LD deck armed with zero mana accelerants. He even had four and five mana spells! With the format slowing down by at least a full turn, this strategy may improve in the standings – especially if Chrome Mox is added to the mix.
121 Pro Tour New Orleans: Ponza
Daniele Canvesi
2 Dust Bowl
2 Ghitu Encampment
16 Mountain
4 Rishadan Port
4 Wasteland
2 Arc-Slogger
4 Avalanche Riders
2 Flametongue Kavu
4 Burning Wish
3 Cursed Scroll
3 Molten Rain
3 Pillage
3 Pyrite Spellbomb
4 Seal of Fire
4 Stone Rain
Sideboard
3 Boil
1 Cave-In
2 Cursed Totem
1 Pillage
1 Pulverize
1 Pyroclasm
4 Rack and Ruin
1 Tectonic Break
1 Wildfire
Suicide Black
Ah, here’s another blast for the past, found lurking down in 123rd place. It’s a pretty stock build, with Bonesplitter and Chrome Mox being the only recent additions. Duress and Therapy backed with quick fast beats can mean game over for slower decks. Chrome Mox makes me want to squeeze a way to reload your hand into this deck, maybe Phyrexian Arena or Graveborn Muse. I mean really, how suicidal is Carnophage and Sarcomancy damage anyway?
123 Pro Tour New Orleans: Suicide Black
Olavi Kuosmanen
17 Swamp
4 Carnophage
4 Dauthi Horror
4 Dauthi Slayer
4 Nantuko Shade
2 Phyrexian Negator
3 Skittering Skirge
2 Bonesplitter
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Chrome Mox
4 Duress
4 Sarcomancy
4 Snuff Out
Sideboard
1 Diabolic Edict
4 Engineered Plague
3 Masticore
4 Mesmeric Fiend
3 Perish
Solitary Confinement
Ah, Squee – it’s good to see you’re still around and kicking, even if it’s in the hands of the French (just joking, Mr. Ruel). Tons and tons and tons of synergy here folks; set up your Confinement lock, protect it with counterspells and win with Spirit tokens or decking. Fun for the control freaks, agony for your opponent.
142 Pro Tour New Orleans: Confinement
Olivier Ruel
4 Adarkar Wastes
4 Flooded Strand
12 Island
2 Plains
3 Squee, Goblin Nabob
4 Accumulated Knowledge
3 Annul
3 Brainstorm
3 Compulsion
4 Counterspell
3 Cunning Wish
2 Forbid
3 Intuition
4 Sapphire Medallion
3 Solitary Confinement
1 Spirit Cairn
2 Thirst for Knowledge
Sideboard
1 Annul
1 Capsize
1 Damping Matrix
1 Disenchant
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Interdict
1 Intuition
1 Mageta the Lion
1 Masticore
1 Quash
4 Serenity
1 Solitary Confinement
Aluren
Poor little Aluren. This combo card has been buzzing around since Tempest, desperately looking for a deck with little success. There always seems to be some bigger, badder, nastier, and faster combo around to ruin the fun. Well, welcome to the New Extended, where combo has been introduced to the tar pit. Slow enough for Aluren to finally have its day? Maybe, if people ever stop packing their decklists with four Engineered Plague.
It cracks me up that the actual win condition for this deck – Maggot Carrier – isn’t even in the main deck, but rather sits in the sideboard waiting to be Wished for. Anybody up for a Wish Sandwich? That’s where you got two slices of bread and you wish you had some meat, bow-bow-bow… By the confused expression on your face I’d guess I’m showing my age here with that reference so I guess I’ll move on. [Okay Bennie, no more bad jokes for you. You’ve reached your quota for the year. – Knut]
135 Pro Tour New Orleans: Aluren
Rasmus Sibast
3 City of Brass
3 Forest
1 Grand Coliseum
4 Hickory Woodlot
2 Island
4 Polluted Delta
2 Swamp
4 Yavimaya Coast
4 Birds of Paradise
3 Cavern Harpy
1 Cloud of Faeries
3 Raven Familiar
1 Soul Warden
4 Wall of Blossoms
4 Aluren
4 Brainstorm
3 Cabal Therapy
3 Intuition
4 Living Wish
1 Pernicious Deed
2 Vampiric Tutor
Sideboard
1 Academy Rector
1 Cavern Harpy
1 City of Brass
1 Deep Analysis
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Maggot Carrier
2 Naturalize
3 Pernicious Deed
1 Raven Familiar
1 Soul Warden
1 Stern Proctor
1 Wirewood Savage
Pirates
Down just below the 50% mark lurks a deck I just had to mention, simply because bringing it to light guarantees what Ted Knutson will be playing after January 1st – Pirates! Also known as If I Win The Coin Flip I Win Dot Dec. Yep, Ted is partial to one of the most annoying decks to play against ever created. [Guilty as charged – it’s my favorite deck of all-time. Check out Craig Stevenson article about this deck, as Craiggers is a fabulous read. – Knut] With Tinker dead and buried, it might actually be safe and downright nasty to put some Isochron Scepters into this deck.
162 Pro Tour New Orleans: Pirates
Craig Stevenson
3 Dust Bowl
1 Faerie Conclave
15 Island
4 Rishadan Port
2 Gilded Drake
2 Morphling
3 Rishadan Cutpurse
3 Rishadan Footpad
3 Ankh of Mishra
4 Boomerang
3 Capsize
2 Counterspell
4 Hoodwink
2 Isochron Scepter
4 Parallax Tide
3 Seal of Removal
2 Stifle
Sideboard
4 Chill
3 Energy Flux
4 Powder Keg
4 Propaganda
Well, there you go folks – crawling through the muck to see a glimpse of the next link in the evolutionary chain. Some of these decks may not survive the primordial (ahem) Upheaval, but some may adapt, change and, be producing Styrofoam and Acid Rain in no time! Give a few of them some love and attention, and maybe you’ll kick my ass with one at a January qualifier!