The new PTQ season kicked off in Hollywood with a pair of PTQs and, well, would you look at that? Once again Faeries is the giant elephant in the room that forces everyone to consider the old “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” philosophy. Since it practically ports itself over to Block, you had to see that one coming. Super.
Unfortunately, for budget players, Faeries is just Not An Option. Mutavault: $50 as of this writing. Bitterblossom: $30. Thoughtseize: $20. Cryptic Command: $20. Even the creatures are somewhat expensive since they’re mostly rares – Mistbind Clique is $6, and Scion of Oona is $10.
So unless you’ve already splashed the cash for Faeries in Standard, there’s little likelihood that you’re going to switch over to the Fae now without spending a bunch of dough. Just those rares listed above, in playsets, is almost $550.
Luckily, there are options out there that are cheaper, and can have some of those more expensive cards replaced if you don’t feel like shelling out two C-notes for a set of ‘Vaults.
Kith Me Deadly
I am a child of the eighties. You knew it was only a matter of time before I started naming these little headings after hair band songs. Although… there is probably also a very real possibility that (a) you aren’t old enough to know it’s a hair band song so (b) I’ve once again managed to admit to being elderly in a Magic column.
… Right.
The other option which seems to be hitting the top tables in this, the opening salvo of Block Constructed, is the Mirrorweave-based Kithkin deck called “Mirror Master.” It broke out at the first PTQ in Hollywood, earning Iain Bartolomei a slot at Berlin.
Creatures (24)
- 4 Goldmeadow Harrier
- 4 Goldmeadow Stalwart
- 4 Knight of Meadowgrain
- 2 Thoughtweft Trio
- 4 Wizened Cenn
- 2 Oversoul of Dusk
- 4 Thistledown Liege
Lands (23)
Spells (13)
Sideboard
Rare Cost Summary:
Oversoul of Dusk ($10 x 2 = $20)
Thistledown Liege ($4 x 4 = $16)
Thoughtweft Trio ($3 x 2 = $6)
Mirrorweave ($10 x 3 = $30)
Militia’s Pride ($4 x 2 = $8)
Mutavault ($50 x 3 = $150)
Rustic Clachan ($2.50 x 4 = $10)
Windbrisk Heights ($3 x 3 = $9)
The deck works by racing the opponent, dropping in little creatures and pumping them up beyond Happy Meal size using the eight creature-pumpers in the deck. The big finish is provided by Mirrorweaving all your guys into something appropriate (Wizened Cenn? Thistledown Liege? Why not?) to multiply the damage. To this end, Mirrorweave started out as a two-buck rare, but has now become a $10 finisher thanks to its place in both this deck and aggressive Merfolk builds.
Beyond the big finisher and the Mutavaults, though, nothing in this deck is grossly expensive. If you don’t have the Oversouls and don’t want to drop the money for them, they’re replaceable. Even the Thistledown Lieges have somehow remained at a reasonable price level, which is really important for this deck – if you can’t play all eight pumpers, you’re probably better served with a different deck.
The real question is, can we replace the Mirrorweave and the Mutavaults and get something that’s approximating the deck’s efficiency without spending a brazillion dollars?
Mirror Entity: Probably the closest thing that can approximate Mirrorweave’s function is the Changeling usually seen nowadays making everything 0/0s rather than attacking for a bunch of damage. It has some great synergy with the deck as a whole – it acts as a Kithkin for Goldmeadow Stalwart, gets pumped by both of the pumpers, and can even go so far as to change your Spirit tokens into Kithkin as well. And at $5, he’s half the price of Mirrorweave.
Swell of Courage: Gives you the option of supersizing all of your guys, or just that singular one who’s getting through to your opponent.
Ajani Goldmane: A third pumper that is a little more permanent should your Cenn or Liege be taken off the board. Another five-dollar rare that cuts your cost in half.
Personally, I think Mirror Entity is probably the choice if you’re going to replace Mirrorweave. The interactions are just too smooth. Mirror Entity was something of a standby in the old pre-Shadowmoor Kithkin decks, and Mirror Entity can do a decent job of protecting itself from the only real board-sweeper in the format, Firespout.
The Mutavaults give you two things: an uncounterable threat that helps with damage without spreading yourself to thin, and a hard-to-deal-with threat that can’t be taken out at sorcery speed. In the budget world, they become Plains. You already have as many lands coming into play tapped as you can afford, and (right now) you’re not looking to splash any secondary colors, so basic Plains it is. In the spirit of hard-to-handle creatures, though, I think we can cut one of the Mutavaults and make it a third Militia’s Pride – an early Pride will give us a continuous supply of creatures to keep the pressure on the opponent.
As for Oversoul of Dusk, there are a few options. One would be to go ahead and go with a full set of Thoughtweft Trios. A 5/5 for four is no joke to begin with; throw in the first strike and the vigilance for the mere drawback of Championing a Kithkin and he becomes quite the monster. This deck should generate a bunch of Kithkin to Champion, and since the Trio isn’t legendary, they won’t get stuck in your hand. Another option is Twilight Shepherd, a resilient flying threat that will let you get back a bunch of dudes should something… sweeping… happen.
Creatures (27)
- 4 Goldmeadow Harrier
- 4 Goldmeadow Stalwart
- 4 Knight of Meadowgrain
- 3 Mirror Entity
- 3 Thoughtweft Trio
- 4 Wizened Cenn
- 4 Thistledown Liege
- 1 Twilight Shepherd
Lands (22)
Spells (11)
Rare Cost Summary:
Thistledown Liege ($4 x 4 = $16)
Thoughtweft Trio ($3 x 3 = $9)
Mirror Entity ($5 x 3 = $15)
Twilight Shepherd ($4 x 1 = $4)
Militia’s Pride ($4 x 3 = $12)
Rustic Clachan ($2.50 x 4 = $10)
Windbrisk Heights ($3 x 3 = $9)
He’s Only Gaddock Teeg
Okay, even that one made me cringe, but you have no idea how hard it is to apply hair band songs to Magic.
Now that we’ve taken out Mirrorweave, it’s making me wonder about Gaddock Teeg ($5). He’s seeing a little resurgence nowadays in G/W aggro decks, but he really belongs in a Kithkin deck that can pump him up and keep him safe. I always assumed that Mirrorweave was the reason he was kept on the sidelines; now with the budget look, it’s only Spectral Procession that interacts poorly with the Kithkin Advisor. For a token generator that works under Mr. Teeg, look no further than Cloudgoat Ranger. He even makes tokens of the appropriate creature type!
The problem then is the manabase. Wooded Bastion appears to be the most-loved of the Shadowmoor dual lands, because a playset will run you fifty bucks. The manabase would have to rely on Vivid lands… and potentially Shimmering Grotto. But the deck is already playing with some lands that come into play tapped, so replacing those with Vivid lands won’t necessarily slow the deck down. (It will, however, rob you of the ability to play stuff for free from under the Windbrisk Heights. Bummer.)
Creatures (31)
- 2 Cloudgoat Ranger
- 3 Gaddock Teeg
- 4 Goldmeadow Harrier
- 4 Goldmeadow Stalwart
- 4 Knight of Meadowgrain
- 3 Mirror Entity
- 3 Thoughtweft Trio
- 4 Wizened Cenn
- 4 Thistledown Liege
Lands (22)
Spells (7)
Rare Cost Summary:
Thistledown Liege ($4 x 4 = $16)
Thoughtweft Trio ($3 x 3 = $9)
Mirror Entity ($5 x 3 = $15)
Gaddock Teeg ($5 x 3 = $15)
Militia’s Pride ($4 x 3 = $12)
Nine lands that come into play tapped is a lot… but it gives the deck seven opportunities to play Gaddock Teeg on turn 2, and another two on turn 3. Even a spent Vivid Grove still has some use to the deck, though, as there’s still a lot of colorless mana to throw around.
Nice Day For A… White Weenie
I always did enjoy White Weenie as a deck archetype. It’s nice to see the deck get most of its aggressively-costed and efficient creatures in the common and uncommon slots for once, rather than the rare Savannah Lions or Isamaru. Wizened Cenn is a great lord, and so is Thistledown Liege, who may even be good enough to go into my Legacy White Weenie deck! Kithkin will remain a “Deck to Beat” throughout the PTQ season, and is workable, even for those of us with limited funds.
Until next week!
Dave