Date:         Tue, 24 Jun 1997 12:34:17 +0800
From: "Selwyn Clyde M. Alojipan" <selwyn@MOZCOM.COM>
Subject:      Turn Denial and Turn Advantage

The entire WetVisage series (ehem, the Mirage Series according to Ken
Lignelli) has been successful in making temporary-removal strategies more
viable compared to destroying or burying cards (the traditional preferred
method).

The arrival of more graveyard-recursion and graveyard-sourcing spells in
Weatherlight just made Visions' unsummon effects (returning cards to
owner's hand) much more valuable as a deck strategy. A deck designed to use
resources from the graveyard will instead need to spend mana (and other
costs) to recast a card that has been returned to the owner's hand.

Another major trend was in the increase in library manipulation spells and
abilities: library depletion, card-drawing, card selection, and graveyard
recursion. Now even creatures are joining the act: Sage Owl, Barishi,
Tolarian Serpent, etc.

The two strategies of library manipulation and returning cards to the
owner's hand or to the top of his library can be combined into a deck
strategy that I call "Turn Denial." Basically turn denial means being able
to proceed with your normal turn while preventing your opponent from
proceeding with various aspects of his normal turn. This means you get a
temporary turn advantage (in chess, this is called a "tempo") which you
hope will become a permanent game-winning advantage later. You can do this
by preventing your opponent from:

1. Being able to untap certain cards at the start of his turn (Stasis,
Sands of Time);
2. Saving his mana for casting useful spells (Energy Vortex, upkeep costs);
3. Being able to use existing cards in play during his turn (Shimmer,
Teferi's Realm, Teferi's Curse, Vision Charm, etc.);
4. Laying down a new land per turn (Fallow Earth, Solfatara, Storm Cauldron
(AL), Desolation, land destruction, etc.);
5. Drawing a new or desired card per turn (Fallow Earth, Memory Lapse,
Agonizing Memories, Vision Charm, Stunted Growth (IA), Misinformation
(IA)); and/or
6. Summoning or casting different new spells (Flooded Shorelines,
Man-o'-War) on his turn.

Getting "Turn Advantage" is being able to accelerate your own turn sequence
ahead of your opponent by means of:

1. Drawing more cards than normal (Well of Knowledge, Prosperity);
2. Getting the best out of your card draw by rearranging the top of your
library or selecting the best card from a batch of cards (Rowen, Preferred
Selection, Call of the Wild, Sage Owl, Lim Dul's Vault (AL));
3. Putting down more than one land per turn (Summer Bloom);
4. Deploying more mana sources than normal (Lotus Vale, Elvish Spirit Guide
(AL), mana artifacts, mana creatures, sacrificial mana sources, etc.);
5. Being able to untap one or more cards another time (Vitalize, Quirion
Ranger);
6. Making more than one attack (Relentless Assault, Final Fortune);
7. Having a creature operate without needing to tap so it can also block or
do things more than once (Serra's Blessing, various creatures with "no tap"
abilities);
8. Negating summoning sickness in your creatures (Fervor; various "rushing"
creatures);
9. Casting main-phase spells at any other time (as if they were instants)
(Winding Canyons, Benalish Knight, instachantments, Lure of Prey);
10. Not having to discard excess cards at the end of your turn (Library of
Leng, Gustha's Scepter, etc.).
11. Gaining a disproportionate amount of life which negates an opponent's
earlier attacks, extends the game, and allows you to exchange life for
other resources or advantages (Gerrard's Wisdom).

Traditionally, strategy has focused more on securing one's turn advantage
than on
preventing an opponent from proceeding with his normal turn (especially in
Classic Type 1). However, with the influx of new cards, can a turn-denial
deck now become playable? Notice that a majority of the above card examples
were either Green or Blue, although Black, White, and Red have their own
particular flavors of it.

To help the turn-denial strategy become more viable, we need to see certain
types of cards in the upcoming sets (if WotC dares):

1. Preventing a player from casting summon spells during his turn.
2. Preventing a player from untapping artifacts, lands, or creatures during
his untap phase.
3. Preventing a player from drawing a card (either during his normal draw
phase or at any particular time).
4. Preventing a player from making an attack.
5. Giving a player control of a card you now control or is in your hand
(select a particularly nasty one).

Comments, anyone?

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Every generalization is false, including this one.
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 /)     /) Selwyn Clyde M. Alojipan       TIP#2704
/______/   E-mail: selwyn@mozcom.com          OPPA
\_/^\_/    Quezon City, Philippines