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Starting From Scratch: The Key Points Of Building A States-Worthy Deck From Nothing

Here is a depressing little fact: Almost no rogue decks win major tournaments. Jamie Wakefield’s PTQ win with Secret Force is legendary partly because of Jamie’s writing skill and partly because he was like the Little Engine That Could – failing repeatedly with the same deck before finally qualifying. I’m the king of rogue decks, and if I really wanted to win, I wouldn’t go rogue… But if I did, here’s the basic steps I’d take towards making a competitive deck.

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Building Your First Five, Volume 1: Planning It Out

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.

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The Daily Shot: Onslaught Red Finish

Thoughtbound Primoc really reads:”If your opponent is playing bad cards, he may gain control of this creature sometime during the game, if your removal and Sparksmith doesn’t get rid of the 1/1 after he pays 2U for it.”

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You CAN Play Type I #62: Opening Up Onslaught, Part III – The Sorceries

Blackmail is clearly a second-rate Duress. But is that bad? Well, actually it is – unless you can find a deck that wants four more discard slots. You know, though, that no deck wants all that discard, the simplest reason being it sucks to strip an empty hand while a weenie beats down on you. Discard is just disruption; you need other things to win you the game.

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The Daily Shot: Onslaught Red Review, G – P

Goblin Sligh might just be fast enough to work in Extended. First turn Lackey, second-turn Flunkies, attack for one, drop Goblin Piledriver. Third turn Piledriver #2, Reckless Charge it, attack for twenty-one!?

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How To Get Ready For The Coming Onslaught – Lands And Artifacts

Island

This is the land that makes blue mana. If you have two of them untapped, your opponent will always worry that you have a Counterspell. As such, many people consider this the best land ever printed. And for good reason! If you have two Forests untapped, what is your opponent going to be scared of? Double Giant Growth?

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The Road to States 2002, Part The Second

Three decks from Dave’s testing gauntlet – including one further refined, with playtesting results and feedback from readers. Wanna see the Meddish U/B Wizards deck? No? How about a Burning Bridge deck that’s all the Rage… Or maybe not, now that it can’t PLAY Rage? All right, will another Mono Black deck satiate you?

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The Daily Shot: Onslaught Red Review, A-F

Geordie won his PTQ this weekend drafting W/R. No less a figure than Kai Budde says that W/R is the way to go in Onslaught Draft. And what card is key to the W/R archetype? Well, you know it’s not a card that begins with”G” or later, but maybe you oughtta read the article to find out.

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Mixed Knuts: Get Yer States On

The question everybody wants to know right now, though, is what are you packin’ this time? You’ve got a tough job ahead of you, I’ll tell you – because you’re losing a lot of power from the Invasion Block and not getting much back from Onslaught. That leaves many thinking the top decks might just be Standardized Odyssey Block decks.

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Yawgmoth’s Will #49: Word of Bears

Imagine sitting back with a half dozen lands, a Prodigal Sorcerer, Words of Wilding, Sindbad, a Quirion Elf, and four 2/2 bears in play. Pretty harmless – even an Overrun won’t do all that much. Oh, and two Arcane Denials, a Jungle Barrier and Force of Will in hand – because you are about to tap three mana and play a card that says”game over.”

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Multiplayer Is An Art, Part 18: Tapping Creatures With A Red Enchantment

Stijn discusses NOT multiplayer, but his second-place finish at the prerelease, along with several strange combos for Future Sight and the man who countered a Silvos – and had it turn out to be an incredibly stupid move.

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The Daily Shot: Written At 12:02 In The Morning

Oh, did I mention that I won a PTQ in Detroit on Saturday? I’m going to see you all in Chicago! Come January, I’m going to be slinging spells with the big boys – and I’m going to do my damndest to bring you all along for the ride. No detail will go unreported.
*dances the TDS dance*

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Beat The Cheat: Tracking The Card Count

In recent years, some midwestern players out of Iowa City, Iowa have taken preventative measures a step further. They have begun employing the use of something referred to as”the card count.” The card count is a nearly foolproof manner in which you are able to monitor if your opponent has drawn more cards in a game than they were supposed to.

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Is This The Right Build?: A Sample Sealed Deck Analysis

Iain opens up a real Sealed set and attempts to build the best possible deck for the season… But he can always use the input. Did he choose the right colors? Did he choose the right cards? Come on over and help him out!

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The Daily Shot: Well, It COULD Be Good….

The two could not be more different – and as a result, the set is bear-trap for unwitting columnists. Beware! If you try rating the set in absolutes, the result will be a train wreck of a review. Case in point: Josh Lytle’s article on common Onslaught cards.

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