Subject:      Strategy: IA/AL-Constructed Part 1: Turbo-Rade
From:         Brick@ccmailer.wiwiss.fu-berlin.de (Daniel Brickwell)
Date:         1996/10/09

Hi,

I would like to share my test results, ideas, strategies, suppositions on the
IA/AL Decks I am not going to play. Any feedback is appreciated, feel free to
post! I am going to start with the infamous Rade Deck, as it:

1) Won PT 3
2) I expect a lot of people to play it at the qualifiers.
3) I am not going to play it at a qualifier.

I am also going to suppose that each of you knows the content of the deck if
you do not, you can look it up in the Duelist Sideboard of the last Duelist.
If you play the deck as it stands you will realize following weaknesses and
strengths:

Weaknesses:

1) Rade is vulnerable to Big Creatures.

This is not so bad in a IA/Al environment, because the big creature Decks
lose to Binding Grasp Counter Decks, but it is a fault you must realize.

Especially Dangerous are: Lhurgoyf, Goblin Mutant, Balduvian Horde, Yavimaya
Ancients, Witigoos, Pheldagrif and Karplusan Yeti ouch! Some of these are
incineratable, but some are just a pain. The Karplusan Yeti is in incinerate
range but a severe threat once out and running.

Solutions: I would put extra Giant Growths in the sideboard to deal with
other Rade Decks and or R/G Big Creature Decks. You can also think about
adding 1-2 big creatures to the deck or the sideboard.

2) The Radedeck is Manashort

Eventhough Rade did not get manascrewed at PT 3 enough to keep him from
winning atleast one other swedish player playing the same deck reported
severe mana shortages. Infact Fleischman could have won the first game of the
final, if he had kept Rade Mana short by killing the elf and Pillaging the
land. (Morale: Always kill the Elf/Lumberjack, always!) If you add land
though you will become more vulnerable to the slower control decks.

Solution: Natures Lore! (Thanks you, Steven Lil) Natures Lore can easily take
up the Urzas Bauble Slot. With this spell you can for 1G put an extra Forest
into play from your library. This raises the amount of Llanowar Elves in your
Deck from 4 to 8, but only 4 are Pyroclasmable. It also has the effect of the
Urzas Bauble of shortening your Library by 4 Spells, because you remove the
forests out of your library enabling you to draw non-land cards.

3) The Rade Deck is very vulnerable to a counter-protected Cop Green
especially one backed up by Thawing Glaciers.

Cop Greens without Counter Protection are not as much a threat as you can
remove the Cops before attacking with your hordes thus spelling doom for Mr.
R/W or R/W/g. Counters stop Essence Filter and Anarchy though and the thawing
Glacier ensures that enough land is available until tokens and gargoyles run
you over.

Solution: I would put one Essence Filter in the deck for presideboarding
twerps. Just to have one solution in the deck, and otherwise rely on the good
old Monsoon and Pyroblasts backed up by Essence Filter or Anarchy. You should
have your sideboarding strategy against Blue worked oput beforehand though as
you might want to sideboard 6-8 cards.

4) Everyone knows the Deck.

Solution: Play something different or change it so it is not recognizable,
see Necro.

Strengths:

Well the deck is strong, it won ey! It is:

1) Fast (when not manascrewed)

2) Strong in Card Qual. (Trades off 1:1, utlizes all its cards.)

3) Easy to play ("I just put out my spiders and hope for the best.") and
after several hours of tournament that can be quite an asset.

The Deck:

Data (and Lore)

4 Natures Lore
2 Lodestone Baubles

2 Giant Growth
2 Pyroclasm
1 Jokulhaups
1 Essence Filter
3 Pillage

4 Lanowar Elves
4 Insects
4 Woolly Spiders
3 Giant Trap Door Spiders
1 Yavimaya Ancient
1 Lhurgoyf
1 Storm Shaman

4 Incinerate
2 Lavaburst
3 Strombind

4 Karplusan Forests
7 Mountains
7 Forests

60 cards

Sideboard

Against other Rade Decks

2 Giant Growth
1 Zuran Orb
2 Yavimaya Ancients/Karplusan Yeti

Against Counter Decks

3 Pyroblasts
2 Monsoon

Against Cops/Outposts

1 Essence Filter
2 Anarchy
1 Pillage

Against limited victory decks

1 Jokulhaups

Hope this helped those poor souls who want to play a known deck. If you liked
this post tell me and I will continue the series.

Friendly Greetings,

Daniel