Subject: US/Type II Tradewind Rider/Fall Date: Fri, 02 Oct 1998 16:18:45 -0700 From: Wayne To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Ursa Saga/ Type II Deck Listing by Wayne A. Kvetkosky Tradewind Rider/Fall Sunder This deck uses several possible breakable cards from Ursa’s Sagaä, Windfall, (Sunder So good!!!), Umbilicus, Temperal Aperature, the Tolarian Acadamy (possibly the best Type I card, first turn couterspell with two moxen in play), and outmanuver for surprise value (works well for the final attach against an awakened defense). 60 Cards Main Deck Number of Cards Card Name Casting Cost Type 4 Tradewind Rider U3 Creature 4 Windfall U2 Sorcery 3 Sunder UU3 Instant 1 Umbilicus 5 Artifact 3 Bird of ParadiseG Creature 1 Disenchant W1 Instant 3 Keeper of Sky break G1 Creature 3 Llurgoyff GG2 Creature 4 Wall of Blossoms G1 Creature 2 Scroll Rack 2 Artifact 2 Capsize UU1 buyback 3 Instant 3 Awakening GG2 Enchantment 1 Temporal Aperature 5 Artifact 2 feldon’s Cane 1 Artifact 1 Citanul Flute 5 Artifact 1 Cataclysm WW2 Sorcery 1 Outmanuver RX Instant 1 Tolarian Acadamy - Land 2 Plain - Land 5 Island - Land 6 Forest - Land 2 Reflecting Pool - Land 2 City of Brass - Land 2 Skyshroud Forest- Land 15 Cards Sideboard 4 Mana Leak U1 Interrupt 2 Sonic Pulse R1 buyback 3 Instant 2 Cataclysm WW2 Sorcery 1 Absolute Law W1 Enchantment 1 Absolute Grace W1 Enchantment 4 Monk Realist W1 Creature 1 Scrivner U4 Creature Basic Deck Concept: Mana control, Win by large creatures with low casting cost, or by key card locks. The deck works much like a traditional Ernhamgeddon deck with a twist of Sunder at end of turn followed by Windfall. Even without the Windfall, if you have the tradewind lock with an Awakening on board you can return permanents on your turn and one on opponents turn. The Tradewind serves as creature control. There are 20 lands that produce manna not counting the Tolarian Acadamy and six manna producing creatures. The high casting cost creature selection work well with the Sunder Windfall theme of the deck. The Llurgoyf's get Buff when both yourself and opponent(s) discard Creatures from a windfall. The sideboard is not geared for any specific deck type since the new Type II environment or metagame hasn’t been fully defined. The buff creatures can sometimes beat a deck without the Sunder/wind combo's. Early game strategies: cast manna producing creatures Cast Llurgoyf if you have an Sunder and Windfall in your hand. Otherwise, do not cast your big creatures unless your life position requires you to do so defensively. The sideboard needs some serious reevaluation after the new metagame changes with Ursa’s Sagaä. Drawbacks/Strenghts of the Deck: * Card Drawing Ability: Very high: Scroll Rack, Windfall, Umbilicus (works great with Wall of Blossoms and other 187 creatures, turns into a 2 mana activation cost jayendae tome, and possibly can serve the winning damage when your opponent is without permanents to return), Temperal Aperature (works great with scroll rack), the scroll rack allows you to protect certain cards prior to casting Windfall. It appears that there is good card synergy. The Citanul Flute is just broken when you need to search for that Rider or Wall of Blossoms and to reshuffle your library after you scroll rack unwanted cards on the top of your library. * Life Gaining: Absent * Individual Creature Control: Tradewind/ Capsize * Marginally Vulnerable to flying decks (Four 1/4 fliers and three mana birds as blockers) * Vulnerable to shadow / Quick Kill Decks * Controls mana available for opponent. (with minimal impact to you since you time the mana deprivation activities) * Can withstand other manna denying decks (deck heavy with creature mana) * Unsure how to handle Living Death Decks other than controlling mana supply, Deck Improvement Ideas What enhancements can be made to make this deck tournament viable? How can the weaknesses of the deck be strengthened? Are any of the cards overkill (can you win with this deck concept without the "overkill cards, how often do these marginal cards really help? Are there more cost effective cards for the task in type II? Do you think the land mix/ types are sufficient for this multicolor color deck? There are better sideboard cards? What type of decks do you feel this deck would be weakest against? Cards under consideration that didn't make the deck: the disk (It just didn't feel right, even though it probably would work in the deck) Jokallhaups (like the disk, it didn't seem right for the deck, even though it probably would work in the deck) little red mana in deck Jalom Tome (went with scroll rack other card drawing mechanisms) Alter of dimentia (couldn't figure on what card to remove?) How many different ways can you design a deck to win? Deck out opponent with Windfall, with Gaes Blessing gone deck depletion may be viable again. Time Warp (too expensive to cast) Land Mix 13/21* lands can produce green 6/21 lands can produce white 12/21 lands can produce blue 4/21 lands can produce red 6/6 mana producing creatures can produce red/green/white 3/6 mana producing creatures can produce multicolor 4/21 lands are damage producing, could be an issue without a life gaining mechanism * of the 21 lands two are reflecting pools with its drawbacks and advantages. Spell Mix 16/39 nonland spells are green in main deck with 6/16 requiring two green 11/39 nonland spells are blue in main deck with 5/11 requiring two blue 2/39 nonland spells are white in main deck with 1/2 requiring two white 1/39 nonland spells are red in main deck with 0/1 requiring two red 6/39 nonland spells are colorless