Last time we published an article by Gadiel, our forums erupted like someone had lit them on fire (though it was mostly with hatemail.) Well, he’s back again to tell you how he finished in the money in San Diego. Yeah, it’s late, but we all know that you want to keep up with the continuing adventures of the most precocious (yes, there are other descriptions one could use) fifteen-year-old on the Pro Tour.
A continuing look at the trends of Type I, and some observations about what to expect for the Summer Convention Season.
I’m just going to jump in with both feet and get the ol’ fire stoked. Okay, that line is a horribly mixed metaphor because, barring some sort of Far Eastern mind trick, your feet would be burned in the most disgusting manner, leaving you with useless chunks of charred flesh and a sticky sweet stench that will haunt your nostrils forever. You should get my drift, though, because I contend that: The DCI did not need to ban Skullclamp.
Today, for no reason whatsoever, I’m continuing my Fifth Dawn menu with a look at the Black cards.
You are covered head-to-toe in welts and bruises, lice, and bodily wastes. Worse: you are bound hand and foot, your limbs are stretched to the four winds on the rack, and your captor stands above you mocking your every breath. You can’t move, you can hardly breath, and every time you try to sleep or escape into the recesses of your mind your captor turns the wheel yet another notch. There is absolutely nothing you can do but suffer… and, eventually, die. Welcome to the hell that is Krark-Clan Ironworks.
Sometime before Regionals a friend of mine got very excited about a mono-Blue combo deck that worked post-Darksteel. He referred to as”Teen Titans.” I’m told the deck is well known, and was considered to be a pretty good deck locally, although I don’t know exactly who came up with it or where the deck’s exact origins are. I could probably say something like”The Japanese came up with it” and that would satisfy everyone. The better name for the deck is probably simply”Retract-storm combo.” Here’s how it works…
In part one we looked at some of the combo decks of Vintage. In part two we looked at mostly Control and Aggro-Control decks. In this article, we look primarily at the various Mishra’s Workshop-based decks that Type One has spawned.
Auriok Salvagers
Okay, Ben Bleiweiss told us that this is a stupendous two-card, infinite mana combo with Black Lotus (or Lion’s Eye Diamond, actually), so we should get off our stagnant Type I asses and innovate up a Salvagers deck.
Knut: Mike, this article has no strategy. I can’t run you at the top of the page.
Flores: But I’m the greatest. You have to run me at the top of the page.
Knut: Okay, maybe you’re the greatest. And the article really is quite wonderful. But I’m sticking this in”Issues” where it belongs.
Flores: I will have my revenge!
Knut: Just Kidding.
Whenever a new set comes out, two things happen. First, people look at the direct impact on existing decks in a given format. What Fifth Dawn cards might go into Tooth and Nail? What does Ravager get to replace Skullclamp? Second, people start building the obvious decks, like Krark-Clan Ironworks combo or mono-Black control. In my opinion, both of these activities are premature. First should come the brainstorming.
Even before we had any preview cards, Wizards had been hinting that Fifth Dawn was a combo set. Some people are happy and some people are sad, because they like to get a chance to play their own deck rather than just watch me fiddle with mine for twenty minutes before I kill them. However, I feel justified in playing a”selfish” deck: it’s not like in a sudden flash of brilliance you gain both the deckbuilding expertise and the skill required to play combo. It takes tons of practice, and there are difficult decisions to be made at every step of the way.
Before I was selected to be on the Five Color Ruling Council, I was very vocal about what is arguably the most contentious issue in Five Color. However, after being placed on the Council, I decided to no longer be vocal. My opinion was known by most already, why belabor it? Since it is such a divisive issue, why talk about it? At the time, I believed that nothing would ever happen, so why work for change? Therefore, this is the first time in over two years that I have made my voice on this issue public.
A lot of people have published articles about the next great combo. They all run something like this: “Play these cards do this and win. Turn 5! No, 4! 3! It’s great! / It wrecks the format! / It shows I’m amazing!” These people have no clue. You don’t build combo decks to goldfish. You build combo decks to play in tournaments. That means you have to build a deck that can survive an active opponent, not a goldfish.
