I think that I finally (fingers crossed) figured out a solid mono-white Birds deck. I say this because I started 5-0 at this weekend’s tourney, not losing until I faced David Dyer and his RWg Astral Slide deck. That, and I debate with the pros, find a home for a poor lost wizard, and discuss the R/G Anger deck that everyone’s been asking about!
After a week or two, Chris and I had played pretty much all of the decks and came to the conclusion that there was really only one deck to play. There really were only two decks that had a”just win” opening hand, and only one of them that could put a fight up against all the others.
I will freely admit I simply threw a Lavaborn Muse deck together and expected it to do hideously poorly. The thing is… The deck sort of surprised me. Lavaborn Muse did its job a lot better than I thought it would. Muse range is a great place to put your opponent. So with that in mind, I playtested the other four Muses to see how they did…
Compared to old Necro decks, which needed to get Necropotence into play as fast as humanly possible and had little chance of winning without the power of the skull, this is a considerable upgrade. Graveborn Identity leans heavily on Graveborn Muse, but it’s not a crutch.
I am painfully aware that further writing about my Kamahl/Goblin Sharpshooter topic is silly; It is a deck no one but me will play nowhere except the”Casual Constructed” room of Magic Online. However, one thing I never get to do in my writings on Magicthegathering.com is really dissect a pet deck and follow its evolution. So how where do you go with Sharpshooters and Kamahl Mark 2?
The Graveborn Identity deck that’s been floating around for the last couple of weeks is interesting – but as Jimmy Bean said to me, it plays”Candy Ass” cards like Words of Worship that are absolutely horrid, if somehow – inconceivable as it might seem! – your Muse actually dies. Then all you have is a really bad enchantment on the board that allows you to not draw cards in order to gain life.
With such a limited card pool, what does the face of Diet Five look like? It actually looks a lot like Five normally does. Sure, Jackal Pups and Lightning Bolts have been replaced with Grim Lavamancers and Firebolts; yeah, there are no classic power cards and combo elements have been significantly neutered. The online decks look more similar than normal. But despite taking a big whack out of the Mighty Card Pool of Olde, the format translates well into Magic Online.
That’s right; there’s nothing too earth-shattering. It’s blue, right? Blue sucks in multiplayer. No, there’s nothing too powerful – at least, until you play the Galina, shortly followed by the Unnatural Selection next turn, followed by the red burn to destroy anything I don’t like.
The idea of Earthcraft/Squirrel Nest kept tickling my fancy. Could I possibly make it just mono green? Obviously, Earthcraft demands basic lands, and playing mostly basics would make Wastelands much worse against me. Just how can I compete with the speed of the format with just monogreen?
I know there has been a lot of talk about U/R losing a lot of its luster with one less pack of Lavamancer’s Skills; I think the combination is still viable, but the archetype has changed. I have had some success pairing the Mistform creatures with the blue and red Slivers, like Blade Sliver and Shifting Sliver. 3/1 Mistform Dreamers and 4/1 Mistform Seaswifts present your opponent with a small window of time to find their answers.
People say that the only reason to go green is Living Wish – but Burning Wish doesn’t depend on having Astral Slide already in play and cycling cards in your hand. Your rogue opponent just surprised you with Tranquility after you overextended. How do you win immediately? Burning Wish for Earthquake or Blaze. In short, Burning Wish provides access to more answers, and each one is faster and more efficient in terms of mana cost.
Do you know how hard it is to kill those Phantom guys? A single Phantom Flock stops a flying Wurm not once, not twice, but three times. And then we’ll add Shared Triumph. “Great,” you say. “Shared Triumph makes the Phantoms bigger.” No, Shared Triumph makes Elephants bigger; it makes Phantoms invincible.
Okay, as the last deck in this article – and series – I want to look at my favorite Extended and multiplayer deck at present. Typically I build a new deck every week or so, play it once, then do something else. This deck is staying together – probably indefinitely. It’s a solid deck that loses very little in the transition to multiplayer. It’s Rock.
Before I detail how to play this deck, I should warn you that what you are about to witness is graphic, violent, and could inspire foul language. This deck utilizes two cards that my personal playgroups frown upon and draw instant retaliation the second I put them into play: Pandemonium, and Sneak Attack. They all gun for me, but to quote Jaya Ballard, Task Mage:”You know what? They’re dead.”
So y’all think you’re better at me at predicting what might or might not get played in new formats? Well, it’s time to put your money where your mouth is – and win yourself a fabulous prize! Can you pick the fifteen cards that will see the most play at Pro Tour: Venice?
