Subject: Decks ("Griffaclysm" 3-CW), Dojo Date: Wed, 09 Sep 1998 11:22:16 +0100 From: David Sutcliffe To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Griffaclysm By David Sutcliffe This is a 3-colour White Weenie I have been running (outside of tournaments - the metagame where I am isn`t helping this one at the moment) for around a month, and it has proven very succesful. At heart it is an everyday Cleric/Armour deck, but it has a number of unique additions that make it particularly powerful against heavy control decks such as Draw-Go, Forbiddian, Counter Moose and so on. It is also strong against other creature decks (this really does enjoy playing against White Weenie and Spike Green), so if you are facing those every week then this might be the deck for you (too many Living Death/Oath decks for this to go past the last-8 in a tournament near me). Griffaclysm can be very, very fast, it can also sustain offense into the mid game past it`s opponents mass destruction, and even decisively break late game creature stalemates if they develop. The Creature Base Attack decks rely, more than on any other element, on a successful creature base with which to produce early threats. Griffaclysm plays an attack force designed not to be blocked, mainly by Shadowing, but the deck also carries Landwalkers and Flyers. 4 Soltari Priest 4 Soltari Monk (pound for the pound the most efficient attacking creatures in Standard) 3 Soltari Champion (yes, I know about the Visionary and Paladin, and I am monitoring the performance of the Champions, but so far they have done well. Even so, this is probably a matter of taste, and in some regions the Visionary is sure to be the better bet) 4 River Boa (these swing the deck heavily against blue. The regeneration is good Vs Weenies, as well as against those pesky Nev`s Disks. Adds up to another 4 unblockable creatures Vs blue. Against control they are added beatdown, against other weenie decks they can critically slow their offense while your shadows hit them back. The option would be White Knight or Warrior En-Kor, neither of which worry blue overmuch, and would be taken down by sideboarded Knight Of The Mists) Board Control All the best weenie decks take control of the board (why do you think Red Sligh does so well - it can remove defenses with ease, while Black has by comparison always struggled without a gimmick such as Hymn/Hyppie, Necropotence, Buried Alive or Hatred). 4 Man O War (the best card I can splash in to help my deck retain the momentum Vs other speed decks, Griffaclysm can be fast, and often the Man O War makes the difference simply by setting my opponent back a turn.) 1 Uktabi Orangutan (the Orangutan has traditionally been used in these decks to break up Disks and Scrolls, but the Scroll has disappeared along with Red Sligh, at least for now, and with the River Boas I have a natural immunity to the devastating Disk, so only the one Orangutan) 3 Aura Of Silence (much better than Disenchant, although most White Weenies will play as many as 8 Disenchant/Auras I think that is way over the top. Yes - the Oaths and Survivals are a pain, but you lose too much speed by playing mass artifantment removal. Better to put the Visionaries in before finding space for more Disenchants). 3 Cataclysm (easily one of the most disruptive cards ever designed, this will make all the difference against Survival/Death decks either before or after the Living Death. This has become a staple in White Weenie, but I will tentatively claim that nobody is using it as devastatingly as I am with this deck - see below for more details) 3 Mana Leak (since Forgotten Orb, and later Counter Sliver, the power of a sprinkling of countermagic to secure a Weenie horde has become common knowledge, it is also essential disruption against combos and defensive decks, although if you are running in a weenie area it might be interesting to try replacing them with Interdicts, just to see how they do) Gimmicks 3 Empyrial Armor (I think by now this has officially replaced Crusade as the White creature booster of choice, as devastating and effective as Hatred. This deck can get one on a Priest by turn 2 - before the Blue deck even has enough mana to counter, and this is a certain win) 2 Mistmoon Griffin (this is my Rogue Card for this deck - something to break the plans of my opponent. This has a number of uses in the deck - firstly it is a flying creature, rounding out my selection of evasion abilities. With a Mistmoon, Boa, and Soltari, it is impossible for the Blue player to Legacy Allure`s any creatue and use it to block another. The Griffin also provides protection against the big mass removal spells like Wrath Of God, often Griffaclysm has pushed it`s opponent low on life by the time they can Wrath, and getting a Soltari back immediately after the Wrath is enough to finish them off. But the best trick is coming up. Raise you hand if you remember GargleHaups - come on, don`t be ashamed to own up ... well now you can play it again thanks the marvel that is Griffin tech. Cast Cataclysm, put the Griffin into the graveyard last, smile knowingly as one of the creatures you just sacrificed leaps back into play, giving you a 2-1 advantage over your opponent, giggle uncontrollably as you point out to your opponent that the creature coming into play is a Man O War, giving you a 2-0 creature advantage when you each have only a single land down. This combination is guaranteed to break a creature (ie. Spike Weaver) stalemate late on, and the 4-point beatdown you are able to deliver from then on is enough to quickly win the game before he recovers). 2 Wall Of Roots (Regenerate your Boas! Cast creatures - then Mana Leak on your opponent`s turn! Play early Cataclysms! It even blocks creatures! This amazing all-purpose wall can be yours for as little as $1G.95! Order now to ensure prompt delivery!) 2 Mox Diamond (speed, first turn Soltari can give you valuable momentum, second turn Empyrial Armor can be lethal, save them after a Cataclysm, use them to avoid Steel Curtain, then Orangutan them with your own creature when you forget they are there ;-) Land Land, eh, - you can`t live with it, you can`t live without it... 2 City Of Brass 2 Undiscovered Paradise 3 Gemstone Mine 3 Adarkar Wastes 3 Brushland 9 Plains Sideboard The sideboard is easily as important as the main deck of 60 cards. It is crucial to identify what the local threats are and counter them effectively, but only you know what you are going to play against. As such any Sideboard is purely academic, although I would advise anybody building a sideboard to look beyond simple colour hosers and attack the mechanics of the deck, as you can see the sideboard below plays only a single Boil for colour hosers of any kind. So here is my academic sideboard (for against a region with heavy Oath of Druids, White Weenie, mono-Blue, and Survival/Living Death). 1 Disenchant 2 Afterlife (Vs Oath - let them keep a creature) 1 Soltari Visionary 1 Cataclysm (Vs Living Death) 1 Field Of Souls (Vs Wrath, Living Death, `Haups) 2 Sleight Of Mind (Vs WWeenie, Dread Of Night) 1 Whim Of Volrath (Vs WWeenie) 2 Knight Of The Mists (Vs WWeenie) 1 Uktabi Orangutan 1 Boil (Vs Oath, Blue - unexpected) 2 Jinxed Idol (Vs Oath, maybe Vs Living Death to fill graveyard) David Sutcliffe, M.O.B. Team Member and Deck Wizzard - "It`s Just A Game!"