Subject: Deck idea. Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1998 23:43:45 +0200 From: "Gareth Lewin" To: Hello Frank, please post this to the Deck workshop. I played this deck in the Reading (UK) PTQ on the 1st, but I don't remember much so I can't give a report. I will note that I did not make the top 8, due mainly to A) Bad luck, and B) being a nice guy ( I let someone take correct a mistake, which then cost me the game/match ). I am hoping that someone tweaks this, and gets a place in the PT with it, since we don't have PTQs here in Israel, and I doubt I will be able to go another PTQ soon... Anyway, here is the deck, comments afterwards. Noname G/B Bridge Deck ( Rath Constructed ) ( Feel free to call the deck Lewin-something :) ) Artifacts 4 Null Brooch 4 Ensnaring Bridge 3 Grindstone 3 Mox Diamond Total : 14 Green 4 Wall of blossoms 3 Spike Feeder 3 Spike Weaver 4 Eldamari's Vineyard Total : 14 Black 4 Bottomless Pit 4 Dark Ritual 4 Wall of souls Total : 12 ( Non-land : 40 ) Land 9 Swamp 8 Forest 2 Volrath's Stronghold 2 Wasteland Total : 21 61 cards in deck. Sideboard : ( Comment : I didn't have cards with me in the UK, and had to get what I could, and I left the SB till the last minute, so I will list two, what I used, and what I think should be used ) I used: 4 Dark Banishing 3 Stronghold Taskmaster 2 Tranquility ( Never used ) 1 Spike Feeder ( Just a filler, though I did use it ) 2 Dread of Night 3 Choke I would have used: 3 Dark Banishing 3 Stronghold Taskmaster 3 Dread of Night 2 Choke 1 Spike Weaver 3 Stronghold Surgeon. Now, the deck did very well against everything, though a mawcor with two curiosities on it was quite a problem, also Red gave me a run for my money And beat me ), but mainly due to Portcullis. Now, if the idea of the deck isn't obvious, here is a run down, the deck has basically two ways of winning before sideboarding, those are either mana burn from the vineyards ( Normally ) or by decking with the grindstone Remember, no blessings in Rath... ). Post-sideboard give another option Which SOMETIMES works pre-sideboard ) and that is critter beatdown, basically against a non-critter deck, the bridges and wall of souls come out, in come the taskmasters, the weavers and the doctors, which creates quite a formidable critter deck, without losing the main base of the deck. The bottomless pits are a very important part of the deck, and they can cause a lot of problems to blue decks, with that and a null brooch, blues only real way of winning is with tradewinds. Blue is probably the biggest problem for this deck, thus the large amount of sideboard against it Doctors, Banishings for tradewinds, and of course chokes ). In a few games, you will find yourself recursing a feeder or weaver ( with stronghold )and not doing much else ( More with the feeder ), while you whittle your opponents life with vineyards or deck them with the grindstones, don't worry about it, that was the idea. The wastelands are there against opponents strongholds ( Which can win that game for them ) and against stalking stones. My biggest problem with the deck is the land count, though with 4 dark rituals, 3 moxen and 4 vineyards, it isn't that bad, I am not happy with the moxen midgame, but they are essential for the first round. ( I had a game against a mono-blue that went : ) Him : Island Me : Forest, Mox for Swamp, vineyard, dark ritual bottomless pit. ( And I was holding a wall of souls ). Him : Um... Um, if someone wants to make this deck type II, that would be great, I am trying that, but pre-urza's it is not really possible, since uktabis kill this deck. Ofcourse, in type II I automatically remove the grindstones for scrolls. Oh, and post-urza's there is that new enchantment that removes critters from the graveyard.. That could be a problem, but not that big. That's about it. Feel free to send me mail about the deck, comments, ideas or questions, flames will be forwarded to /dev/null ( I wonder how many ppl actually know what /dev is :) ). Regards, Gareth Lewin