Subject: Re: Re: Article on Deckbuilding
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 1997 11:55:24 -0400 (EDT)
From: GossNJ@aol.com
To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com

Card Quality
By Seth Johnson

  I've recently been playtesting Urborg Justice with Fallen Angel and
Necratog.  I used Ashen Ghouls, and Insidious Bookworms as my prime
sacrifices since they serve me in death as well as in play.  It was in no
particular format, so I used 4 Hypnotic Specters and 7 Order/Knight of
Stromgald as other cheap, efficient creatures.  The deck played out very
similar to a Buried Alive/Necratog deck.  At first I was going to try
playtesting it with four Buried Alives, but then I realized something. Even
though it was more expensive, Fallen Angel powered the deck much better than
Buried Alive ever would.
  The reason for this is that Fallen Angel is about three times as useful to
me as Buried Alive would be.  Buried Alive has one effect that would power
two of my cards very well.  Fallen Angel, on the other hand, powers four of
my cards effectively while increasing its own usefulness at the same time.
 It can also be used to attack and block which Buried Alive can't.  Also,
although Buried Alive may get me a choice pick of creatures in the graveyard,
Fallen Angel isn't limited to three at a time.
  The basic concept I was realizing is what I will call card quality.  Card
quality is an evaluation of how useful and effective your cards are.  A
simple example might be the difference between Cockatrice and Thicket
Basilisk, one is flat out better than the other.  Another comparison in that
genre might be River Boa and Mtenda Lion.  For one more mana (easily acquired
in green) River Boa has two more good abilities and one less weakness.
  The deck I was playtesting took advantage of card quality in a more complex
form, the combo.  When two or more cards improve each other's quality
drastically, you have an effective combo.  The problem with combos is that
you can't rely on them lest part of the combo is eliminated, and they also
tend to be somewhat difficult to set up.  To effectively use a combo, all
cards in it must be as effective as possible without the other composites.
 Fallen Angel, for instance, works perfectly well without Urborg Justice, but
it becomes much better with it.  The second requirement for improving your
cards' quality with combos is that you must include as many copies as
possible in your deck.  This brings up the failing of many combos in that you
don't have any use for a second or third copy of the combo card.
  Anytime something gives you card advantage, it's quality, of course,
increases.  Nekrataal has a higher quality than Terror since it has the same
effect plus a 2/1 First Striking creature.  Bogardan Firefiend also has a
high card quality since it helps you while it is in play and also helps you
when it dies. The same goes for Abyssal Gatekeeper, and Insidious Bookworms.
 Cards like Ashen Ghoul, Ivory Gargoyle, and Hammer of Bogardan have a very
high quality since they will be a threat more than once.
  Another field of card quality is cost efficiency, or how good a card or
ability is compared to its cost.  Grizzly Bears is more cost efficient than
Pearled Unicorn since it is the same thing for one less mana.  Ernham Djinn
is more cost efficient than Durkwood Boors since it is larger for less mana
and only a minor weakness.  As a final example, Prodigal Sorcerer is much
more cost efficient than Rod of Ruin, since it takes one less to cast and
three less to use (Rod of Ruin, on the other hand is harder to destroy, can
be used in any color deck, and can be used the turn it's brought into play,
but it's nevertheless much less cost efficient than Tim).
  Anyhow, the basic point I'm trying to confer, is that when building decks,
try to use cards with the highest quality possible.
 -----Seth Johnson (Shadow)

 P.S.  Don't think that my screen name is associated in any way to Nether
Shadow. Also, drop me a note at GossNJ@aol.com not Shadow.