When I first sat down to write this series, I had no idea that over 55 pages later, I would finish the first five articles. That’s a novella. I cannot begin to name all of the things I cut or left out, either…. But I’m gonna try here, discussing the Banned and Restricted list, why people are afraid of Ante, the importance of Jeweled Bird – and the Top Ten Creatures In 5!
This is it: The final part. The cards have been chosen for the three decks we’ve been creating… Now it’s time to add the mana. And Abe rolls up his sleeves and gets more down and dirty than he’s ever gotten before, discussing percentages, ratios, and basically discussing 5-Color mana bases like no one has before. Go Abe!
we have been building three decks along through this series in order to give you an idea of how the steps work: By now, we should have a healthy decklist, with only twenty to forty spaces left for non-mana cards. How do we fill in the gaps and prepare for the next stage of creating a mana base?
My basic advice is simple: Take your deck’s foundation, then add the details you might add in a regular deck. For now, ignore mana and cards to round out your deck – we are still working on the raw side of things. We want to take that skeleton and mold into a solid, well-rounded list of cards.
Today, we’ll be constructing a basic skeleton or framework for the 5-Color deck you’ll be playing. We do not want to fill it up with tutors, or removal, or mana, or whatever – not yet, anyway. All we want is the tasty nugget. Figuring out the skeleton, however, may be a little bit harder than it appears at first.
I asked a few of my friends why they hadn’t gotten into Five Color yet; after all, they enjoyed watching Five Color play. Was it the ante? Getting the cards? Not having any powerful cards? Not wanting to use sleeves? Nope; they didn’t want to build the deck, because they didn’t know where to start. And if that is you and why YOU’RE not playing Five Color, then just read on.
Now, we need a Five-Color review of every single card like I need a gastroendectomy. The very casual nature of Five suggests that any card can be used at any time, so be ready. What I would like to focus on are cards that I would not be surprised to see playing against at our next Five Color game night. These cards could make a significant impact in Five – or at least may be worth more investigation.
Assuming that Weathered Wayfarer works for any land, as it currently reads, then this is a recurring tutor every turn for any land, and that is quite powerful in 250. If it reads like this at the Pre-release, then I will personally recommend that it be placed on the October Ballot for restriction.
I wanted to build a fun, competitive deck for the occasional MOL foray. And it had to be cheap. Surprisingly, the answer came in the form of an Invasion draft, and it’s a blazingly-fast deck for those who want to goof around seriously.
If there is one syndrome the Magic community is notorious for, it’s forgetting about good cards in the environment. Judgment has come and the result? The entire Invasion block should be renamed the Vacation Block. What cards are still good?
The picture of a man rolling a stone up a hill for eternity, only to have it keep rolling back down, is iconic. It strikes a chord with many readers, and this relatively minor Greek character has retained a place in many peoples’ minds.
And here is the Magic application: Do you feel like Sisyphus?
I was recently selected to be on the 5 Color Voting Committee, and now I have to decide what to vote on for the month. How should Wishes be used? What card needs to be restricted in 5? Let me tell you why, and the strategy behind my decisions.
Have you ever read the MOL Terms of Service? Do you know that, legally speaking, you don’t own the cards – even though you’ve paid money for the packs? Abe dissects the ToS and finds some legalese you might want to think about before you play.
Fires-IELN was metagamed heavily towards the mirror and Quiet Roar; those were both matchups that my R/G deck lost to initially. And while Origins was chock-full of Quiet Speculation, the environment has morphed into more Mono Black Control. I had to change it back.
If you have ever seen a long volley, then you may have seen pushing. Watch as one tennis player keeps knocking the ball further and further left until – BAM! A line drive down the right side. But you are hardly playing against reflexes, speed, or power; just intellect. Which means that pushing means more.
