Subject: deck for your concideration
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 15:35:36 -0700
From: thomas jackson <jumbodaklown@earthlink.net>
To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com

Hello !  In my fequent readings of the Dojo I have seen many
(unsucsessfull) attempts to create a deck around the extreamly powerful
card from Tempest: Bottomless Pit. I hope that this deck will help others
improve their "Pit"decks and learn a bit about negitive card stratagy.
 The Nietzsche Principal:

3 Bottomless Pit
3 NullBrooch
3 Ertai, Wizard Adept
                      (the lock)
4 Tradewind Rider
3 Man-o-War
4 Thrull Surgeon
3 Boomerang
                      (delay, remove problems)
3 Ensaring Bridge
                       (critter defence)
3 Impluse
3 Merfolk Looter
                        (library manipulation)
1 Cursed Scroll
1 Scaldling Tongs
                        (kill kill kill !!!)
2 Rootwater Diver
2 Volrath's Stronghold
                         (recursion)
4 Underground River
3 Gemstone Mine
1 City of Brass
2 Wasteland
6 Swamp
6 Island

side board
4 Chill
1 Null Brooch
4 Perish
 1 Cursed Scroll
3 Phrexian Frunace
2 Sky Diamond

The main problem with most decks based around the "pit" is the attempt to
use cards that will not be effective once both players are playing without
cards in hand (Stupor, Corrsion, Lobotomy) . Counter spells are also
ineffective as you can only hold them for one turn (I considered Bosium
Strip to solve this problem but it is just too mana intensive). This deck
can get back everything back except for land, Boomerang and Impluse, and
the casting costs on all the cards are relatively low so you should be able
to play your draw every turn; thus the "pit" has minimal effect on you.
How to play the deck:
       The Nietzche Principal is a lock deck. Once the opponent is only
able to play cards from the top of their deck and you have manna to
activate Ertai's ability will never be able to cast another spell.
       Thrull Surgon is very important and you should use his ability  as
soon as possible. Look at the opponent's hand to deternine what their
stratagy is and disrupt their game.
        Tradewind Rider, Man-o-War and Boomerang  buy you time till you get
the lock in place.
         The kill is easy and can be done without the lock  in place. All
the creatures have a power of 1 (excet Man-o-War) and can attack after you
draw your card. The Cursed Scroll and Scalding Tongs are primarily in the
deck to speed up the kill and are just fun to play.
Danger Alert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! beware of burn (add another Brooch!),
Armageddon (add another Brooch!), Living Death (add another Brooch!) and
Utabi Orangutan.

          There it is! Happy scrub hunting!     Thomas J.