From: KEFHOFFY@aol.com Date: Sun, 7 Sep 1997 06:00:53 -0400 (EDT) To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Subject: T2 Tempest MIVIWE5th Type 2 will be making some Drastic changes in the near future with the loss of Homelands, Ice Age and the greatest set since the first couple...Alliances. From the spoiler lists that I have seen so far Tempest is not gonna be any great shakes, a few cards that you will want to own, but basically you will be making most of your decks from the current card pool of 5th, Mirage, Visions, and WeatherLight. So lets look at the field of decks that will and won't be around. 1 Big Blue Suffers perhaps the greatest loss since the mighty Mana Drain in losing Force of Will and Arcane Denial both Alliances cards. Now you are gonna know that if they are tapped out they can't counterspell plus Arcane Denial was Critical in some decks that relied on getting more cards like Stasis. Big Blue will have to be teamed up with another color for removal unless it just runs the 4 disks but that might not be fast enough. Ophidian and Manowar are problably the best blue creatures in a while for card advantage but will it be enough? 2. Stasis is problably gonna be another casualty of Alliances leaving the format because it just will have a difficult time surviving in the early going and it will be very difficult for it to protect the lock. 3. Orb Icy decks are dead for this format ya just can't replace icy with amber prison!!! Although the Static Orb from Tempest should be interesting... 4. Prosperous Bloom decks have the potential to be one of the big winners in the force of will lose especially with Abeyance around turn 4 or 5 kill could be common place because really you haven't lost much for the deck and you have gained Abeyance so if you are playing a counter deck do you stop the Abeyance and if you do you most likely are tapped out. Shudders I think Squander Resources may be the first banned card in the New Type 2 think about it you only have 2 other sets to help combat this monster deck that took Paris by storm.... 5 Green Stompie heres a deck that is pretty proven right now and doesn't really lose that much in the Transition Spectral Bears, 1 elf, Bounty of the Hunt, and Serrated Arrows in the sideboard. Plus it problably is the #1 deck that will be able to handle the bloom decks with all of the Enchantment removal. The new blue Wrath of God for Green might be a problem but the deck just keeps coming at ya.... 6 WW during Transition periods I usually fall back on this deck because I like the ability to be able to deal with everything. Plowshares will be a blow but I usually just ran Pacifisms. Outposts will hurt because when all else failed you could depend on your opponent to forget to not have LD in the deck or sideboard and they would always say "I forgot about Outposts." Scars of the Veteran is a big blow for me Because that card has single Handely made Red's life miserable and I believe I have run most red decks outa town. Aura of Silence not Serenity is proven to be the better of the spells for White to help disenchant out plus the plus 2 to all you opponents artifacts or enchantments makes it MAIN deck in alot of the new white decks replacing a disenchant or 2 in some cases....Plus ProBloom loves the aura......NOT! 7. Sligh, Red Blaster whatever ya want to call red now did not take many hits at all. Horde and Pyrokinesis were the big cards in Alliances that I can think of for Type 2 and it did not lose too much from the other sets so expect alot of red Floatin around. 8. Sands of Time Equipose deck problably is gonna be a winner in the new T2. The only problem I see with the deck is all the pro white creatures still around Like the Knights and Wild Fire's. "Hammer" has proven to me that this deck can sneak up on ya if you are not prepared for it. 9. Ertai's Familiar decks first introduced in the MIVIWE ptq is a deck that I think might be able to be run now in the New Type 2. Song of Blood ertais has the speed to challenge Stompie, Shadow Guildmages will wreck some wennie decks and if you go with a heavy Flyer makeup for the deck you should be able to poke through.... 10. Black decks in general have taken alot of hits lately and this change is no different. Contagion is a big lose but Dystopia.... Green and white are gonna have a field day knowing that the Disk is the only major threat to their knights and dervishes. Sure ya still got quicksand but they got Giant Growth and Wrath of God which would you rather have? 11. Buried Alive what do ya bury the nether shadows? With the lose of Ashen Ghoul Buried alive will be crippled the only thing that might be usefull is the Necrosavant since there will only be furnace around with no swords get rid of this guy. 12 Falcon Armor or just armor anything this deck is gonna become more prevalent I believe because we are starting to run a wee bit shot on instant removal service. Terror and banishing won't help because most likely they are gonna put it on a pro black critir and incinerate might not help if its a big critter or a pro red Critter. Lately I run 2 Armors in any white deck I play cause its a easy win against black and sometimes red now with swords gone it could be just a easy win.... Yes Armor decks are gonna be around just gotta be ready for them I guess... 13. Winter Orb decks should be alive and well in the new Type 2 pretty much pick your color and it should help if you design the deck for Orb. 14. 5 color Decks period are gonna be a staple now with city of Brass, Undiscovered Paradise, Gemstone Mine and Lotus Vale..... What did he just say Lotus Vale? Yes I did and the reason is simple. What land do you need to destroy in this environment? Quicksand?... With the lose of Alliances you lose Outposts the most dangerous land in the game. Lake, and the rest of the the alliances lands are good but they are gone too. LD decks in general took alot of hits so heres the next deck type. 15. Land Destruction decks I believe with the Exception of Armageddon decks are virtually dead or at least hurting alot. Ok these are the Land Destruction spells in this format. Stone Rain, Creeping Mold, Choking Sands, Politcal trickery, and Armageddon. Nice one for each color. Pillage, Thermokarst,Fumurual and Icequake were lost and this really hurts LD. However a Creative person could still run a LD you would problably have to rule Lotus vale, Cities and Undiscovered's. But it would problably be easier to run a 5 color deck. At Least you won't have to worry about getting land destructed I think.... 16 Island Santuary type decks should be interesting to see if they can survive but the major problem is lack of early counter ability and Orb decks should be able to chew them up in this format I could be wrong... Couple disturbing things I see in this format are as follows 1 White has lost all lack of single creature removal at instant speed with the lose of swords, exile, and reprisal. This is the big REMOVAL color and now it has to wait for wrath of god on turn 4? This is not good! Spirit Link and pacifism are enchant creature spells that are OK at best and Afterlife give your opponent a 1/1 Flyer! Thats not removal thats lesser of 2 evils in my book and I have seen people get beat down with this flyer it is not pretty. 2 Blue has lost its 2 best early game counter spells in Arcane Denial and Force of Will. I see that Blue is getting a new counter spell that costs 4 with the Buy back program. The Buy back is great if you survive to turn 4 or more but come on at least give Blue a good dependable counterspell that cost one blue. Powersink and Memory laspe sometimes don't do the job and disrupt and forcespike will get a oppenent once and that is about it if that. 3 Black could use a way to get rid of pro black critirs quicksand is good but it is not gonna work against Dervishes and knights if armors or GG are used and Urborg Justice is a nice start but Dystopia will be missed. Disk is boring.... 4 Red the lose of Anarchy will be great Mono Red will have to rely on Disk to do the job against cop red. Disk is boring..... 5 Green has always been a weak color but I think unless they explore something new in green it will always be smash with critirs. Any other Ideas feel free to email me before this becomes legal. Michael Hoffman "Hoffy"