Subject: 4 on the floor from Team Island Magic Date: Wed, 11 Mar 1998 18:45:27 EST From: DBull19002 To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Frank it was great seein ya again in LA.As soon as I got back,I figured I'd start adding my decks to the Dojo again.(Another one of my lengthy commentaries on the new standard field will soon follow.)Anyhow.....I have been holding Standard tourneys w/Stronghold in my area over the last few weeks.This way I can get an idea of some of the deck concepts floating around and actually get a chance to play them.All of the following decks HAVE been playtested against the entire field of competitors(from sligh to enchantment test..) and have proven their worthiness.I am fully aware that the creator of a deck is a far fetched idea unless its some half witted combo like Prosbloom:) so I'm just gonna share em with everyone. Comments on all are appreciated. Megropox-or the mind screw is hardly an original idea,but it's tweaking is the truly important part.As a pox deck,it must be able to handle a creature heavy and counter heavy environment.The Megropox holds up well.....we all know the idea...drop a Megrim..then Pox...ouch,etc.Note that I chose not to use Dark Rituals.(Some will disagee that speed is more important....but I also note that when you have an empty hand and need to draw a usefull card or die...you don NOT want to see Dark Ritual breathing in your face..trust me...too many black decks fizzle out this way.) Megropox --------------- 4 Cursed Scroll 3 Spinning Darkness 1 Stalking Stones 3 Quicksand 1 Mind Peel 1 Mox Diamond 2 Charcoal Diamond 2 Ensnaring Bridge 3 Steel Golem 4 Megrim 2 Evincar's Justice 4 Diabolic Edict 4 Funeral Charm 3 Coercion 4 Stupor 4 Pox 16 Swamps Total:61 cards Sideboard ---------------- 3 Perish 3 Dread of Night 4 Bottle Gnomes 3 Nevinyrral's Disk 2 Dark Banishing Comments-The decks real dammage comes from the scrolls and Megrims.Only two Ensnaring Bridges are in the deck because they are drawn more frequeently than neccessary.Deystroy their card engine then go for kills or protection.A good deal of the decks success comes from the way it is played.(i.e-drawing counterspells for more dangerous spells.)Only one Mind Peel made the deck because it serves no dual utility (like Funeral Charm).Granted it can be bought back..but if you have enough land to cast buyback cards,your deck is not doing it's job.The Golems serve primarily as defense and a Disenchant target.If they waste one on a golem....they will surely pay for it later in the game.16 forms of discard and 29 ways to control creatures is a serious power deck.The deck functions VERY well against all forms of decks.(Granted...Bottle Gnomes must be sided in against Sligh and Necro.)More Diamonds(Mox or Charcoal) can be added for mana and the Golems could aslo be dropped for a more offensive version,but this base idea has been playtested and is severely effective. Flunkysligh-Oh boy...that's original...Sligh..whoopie!Laugh if you will,but the new Sligh can consistently kill on turn four, people.It's massive damage and quick creature base make it a tool of destruction against slow or unprepared decks.Though it only variates slightly(ironic..haha)from its original predecessor,it still shows an even more optimal performance.Sligh will beat any deck with mana screw 99% of the time.Sligh will beat any non-pro based deck 90% of the time.Sligh will beat all other decks first game 75% of the time.Sligh will burn,burn,burn your opponents to a crisp.(Just ask Dave Price:)Congrats Dave...lovely commentary Chris:))This is not just a burn deck...it WILL show up at your local tourney and you WILL die to it if you blow it off.Pay attention folks...or it's your funeral. Flunkysligh ------------------ 4 Mogg Fanatic 4 Mogg Conscripts 4 Mogg Flunkies 4 Fireslinger 2 Canyon Wildcat 4 Ball Lightning 4 Incinerate 4 Kindle 4 Fireblast 4 Cursed Scroll 1 Fanning the Flames 4 Wasteland 18 Mountain Total:61 cards Sideboard: ---------------- 3 Anhk of Mishra 4 Pyroblast 1 Firestorm 2 Shatter 3 Havoc 2 Boil Comments-Flunkysligh is about serving beatdown.What about Shock?!What about Shock?!Well,granted it can handle a large creature base and it is cheap...it's damage is not nearly as cumulative as Kindle's.Thus Kindle makes the cut and Shock stays in the Limited format.:)The Flunkies and Conscripts are hardly an argument.Beat!Beat!Beat!The deck just dishes out too much damage to quickly to deal with.Burn their creatures when they will block.Burn them second.Utilize the creature damage before it is removed.This also allows the scrolls to do their dirty work as well.It seems I am a believer in only single buyback spells:)The one Fan is their as a suprise card and a finisher in some cases.Well you can sack mountains if you like,but an early flames in hand can help bolster your beatdown finale. The sideboard is based in blue hosing and white smashing.The Firestorm usually comes in against weenie/first strike decks.The A of Mishra usually allow for non red damage to annoy your opponent before you fry him.....thus another disenchant target as well.As noted earlier , these decks have ALL been playtested and provide serious tournament competitiveness.I suggest toying with them. Monoblue "Loop"-Intruder Alarm,Intruder Alarm,everyone wants to abuse Intruder Alarm.I've seen some pretty decent decks built around this card(or Awakening) based in green,but it's monblue counterpart is truly strong.The green versions(with or without blue) are too combo dependent and do not provide a strong deck base without the Alarm.Thus.....we use the monoblue flying beatdown version.This deck is also a deck that came out of testing with a serious star of approval.It is mana dependent(as are all blue decks) and generally saves it's counterspells for Geddons alone.This will generally diffuse any threat to the deck,as Tradewinds can hose out the Orb locks provided by G5C.The deck does not rely on the Alarms and can easily win without it.....check it out...you might enjoy it. Monoblue"Loop" ------------------------- 18 Island 2 Quicksand 2 Winding Canyons 3 Sapphire Medallions 4 Impulse 1 Capsize 3 Intruder Alarm 4 Dissipate 4 Counterspell 2 Suq Ata Firewalkers 2 Waterspout Djinn 4 Tradewind Rider 4 Cloud Elemental 4 Ophidian 4 Man-O-War Total:61 cards Sideboard: --------------- 3 Chill 4 Hydroblast 2 Disrupt 2 Binding Grasp 4 Propoganda Comments-The deck is a seriously strong blue based Bounce deck.The single Capsize(aka 1 mandatory buyback..haha) provides some additional early or late game removal.Why not Shrieking Drake?It serevs no dual utility(Yet again.)It is turn 4 and I am staring down a miraculous 7/7 Maro...do I want to bounce a Drake to my hand or send Maro back to happyland?You be the judge.:)As noted earlier only 3 Alarms make the deck as well.This makes the deck more tourney worthy and less combo dependent.(This is a goooooood thing.Can you say good?I knew you could.)The Tradewinds,M-o-W,Firewalkers,and anything create the loop for mass bouncing or poking away evil targets(opponent included).The Medallions allow for this to be done more efficiently.This deck is much more competitive than its earlier counterparts due to each card having a more concentrated purpose than "untapping my mana birds six thousand times to cast an infinite Alabaster Potion."(Note this is Jeff Donais' favorite extended card...hahaha) The sideboard is used to slow the red sligh assaults long enough to get your cards in play.Chill does so with a rather fond efficiency.The rest of the sideboard goes to creature control.When playing against mass removal..save your counters!Geddons and Disks get countered...not Black Knights or River Boas.(or Alabster Potions for that matter.) MulchoMatic-Everyone wants to ditch cards....into their graveyard that is.What has Wizards done?Cards that utilize empty hands.....cards that make you want to deplete your library....people actually using Giant Strength:)(The end is apon us my friends!Repent!Repent!)The engine of Mulch,Gaea's Blessing,and Scroll Rack is a nasty little machine.It is the new type II recurssion at it's finest.The creatureless variants are rather powerful,but I suggest using its full utility with the appropriate spells.The deck that follows has not been tested as greatly as the last three,but still has performed well enough to share with the rest of Frank's Dojoites. Mulch-o-Matic -------------------- 4 Mulch 4 Gaea's Blessing 2 Sylvan Library 2 Pursuit of Knowledge 2 Enlightened Tutor 3 Marble Diamond 2 Moss Diamond 4 Scroll Rack 3 Armageddon 4 Gerrard's Wisdom 4 Wrath of God 3 Maro 2 Endangered Armodon 3 Disenchant 1 Aura of Silence 7 Plains 6 Forests 2 Brushland 1 Undiscovered Paradise 2 Quicksand Total:61 cards Sideboard ------------------ 3 Choke 3 Mangara's Blessing 2 Aura of Silence 2 Cop:Red 2 City of Solitude 2 Cop:Green 1 Disenchant Comments-This deck is an exercise in card economy.The combo of Sylvan and Pursuit is BROKEN!And if you have a wisdom in hand or even drawone...the results are outstanding.The combo of Mulch-Blessing-Rack gets you a new hand to work with and a recycled Library as well.The Maros come out as huge 7/7s when timed right.Wraths and Geddons keep the fireld clean until you can setup a maximized self serving play environment.The way this thing works is crazy,but it is totally functional.(Not to mention horribly fun to play.)I've seen people Geddon 7 times in one game for mana control!The deck is a nasty prisonesque monster with a green beatdown kill. The sideboard just maximizes its power against other deck types.Blue decks seem to give it the most problems,thus the sideboard gears towards this.Red is little to no problem if you can squeeze of the early Wisdom.This deck is a playable but improvable idea. Those are just a few of the Standard decks I'm working on...I could talk for hours about extended as well...but thats a horse of a different color.I just love sharing this stuff with everyone else.Let's face it...Hawaii is no Magic Mecca.(Mark tries,but it's so damn hard.)I have helped a couple of Juniors qual so far for Super Series events(Even though I can seem to make it past a semi final in a qual myself) so I love to give my 2 cents on decks.Enjoy the decks,and serve up some beatdown come April first. Comments and insults are welcome:) See you at the next Pro Tour Dave Bull Team Island Magic DBull19002@aol.com