From: justin nicholls Newsgroups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy Subject: looking for mirvislight advice... Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997 17:24:34 +1000 greetings, fellow magic fanatics. the pro tour qualifier is coming up here in brisbane, australia real soon, so finding a deck that can beat the rest of the field has become a high priority (at least more of a priority than doing anything uni related). I've only been playing for about ten months, so perhaps my perspective in even this limited format is not as good as some, but I'm certainly enjoying building and tweaking decks that will hopefully give me the best chance of winning. anyway, my first thought is to go with the b/u obviousness deck, if only because these colours have handfuls of strong cards, and I'll regret it if I don't use them. the deck follows - 4 man-o-war 4 impulse 4 nekrataal 2 powersink 3 ophidian 3 memory lapse 2 bone dancer 2 boomerang 3 cloud elemental 3 stupor 2 waterspout djinn 1 abduction 2 serrated biskelion 2 necromancy 1 ancestral knowledge 4 bad river 9 islands 9 swamps kind of transparent, isn't it? I get out either the ophidian or the bone dancer and then use basically the rest of the deck to get these creatures through unblocked to gain card advantage. the deck is, however, a little weak against mono-red. I could try the floodgate, but not having much experience makes me worried that it might hurt the black element of the deck. would going to a third colour (white) in the main deck dilute it too much? I'm guessing that it would. cards like honorable passage, hazerider drake and disenchant (vs. aether flash) are strong against red, but I'm hesitant to add any of these to the main deck, in addition to undiscovered paradise and gemstone mine. as I haven't played in many tournaments, would these cards work in the sideboard, as a surprise vs. brainless red? I'm equally as hesitant to put gemstones and undiscovered paradises in the main deck, in case it stunts my mana development. I suppose I'm just really impressed with white, not as the main colour, but as the splash or support colour in this format. I'm yet to play against an aether flash deck, but they kind of scare me, especially with all the two toughness creatures in the above deck, so disenchant or even aura of silence (good against armor decks?) seem important. since I haven't playtested the above deck as much as I need to, I don't know, but I imagine that stupidredburn will hurt it. anyway, the side board will probably look something like this. comments from those more experienced in this format would be appreciated - 2 knights of the mist 2 vodalian illusionist 1 serrated biskelion 2 forsaken wastes 2 phyrexian furnace 3 tidal wave 2 dissipate 1 necromancy just as an aside, I'd welcome any thoughts on this deck also (below), which isn't particularly strong, considering that it is kind of combo based. when the little combo comes off, however, things seem to work out in my favour. it could also be a good metagame deck for this format (esp. in this area, where direct copies of .strategy decks are everywhere), if I had the balls to go with it. 4 wall of roots 4 impulse 4 river boa 4 memory lapse 3 karoo meerkat 3 teferi's veil 4 stampeding wildebeest 2 creeping mold 4 man-o-war 3 fog elemental 2 serrated biskelion 10 islands 10 forests 3 quicksand in play testing this deck turns out to be fragile; while the wildebeest is a great creature if you can the right creature returning to your hand every upkeep, it is only good as a one-turn blocker if that wall of rooting or boa doesn't come to hand. I do feel, however, that the boa and meerkats could be strong against a field that will be playing a lot of blue. the man-o-wars are again obvious, and the fog elementals, as demonstrated by kimmo hovi, can rock under the right cirucumstances. the wall is great against creatures with celerity, and the wildebeest is big and tough. this amount of mana, in addition to twenty-two cards only needing two mana to cast, is also fairly healthy. perhaps the strongest card in the deck is the veil. in this format it seems like metagame central. man-o-war? no way. nekrataal? please. sorcery based creature removal just dies in the ass if you can keep this enchantment in play. I'm kind of surprised that more people haven't looked at this card. sure, it is only one card (much like abeyance), but it can make a lot of cards in your opponent's hand deadweight if you are attacking every turn. please post if you feel I have something to learn. in lieu of that, just send me a killer deck! ;) justin ----- in your real life, treat it like it's special in your real life, try to be more kind in your real life, think of those that love you in this real life, try to be less blind words by vernon reid