Subject: The Kenny Deck Date: Mon, 01 Dec 1997 14:22:15 -0600 From: AARON SOUDERS To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com ***Another Chilling Report from the Service Master*** Well, the month of December has fallen upon us, and Germany looms in the near future. So, what do I do? That's right, come up with a new Type II Deck. (Hey, I need something to play ante with, right?) Allow me to explain the creation of this deck. It started out with a discussion at Chicago Pro Tour with Scott (please, for the love of GOD, don't call him cowboy) Little about how Ertai/Pox/Necratog was going to be a really good deck. So I put it together, kept tweaking and tweaking, until the Ertai's and the Poxes and the Necratogs were out. (Huh?) Strange things happen when you tinker with decks. Anyway, I started to notice a very powerful, yet underrated card that had entered Type II with Tempest, even though we were exposed to it already with Portal. Gravedigger. Gravedigger, when in combination with other "187" creatures, can give you multiple uses out of Nekratalls, Knights of the Mist, and Man-O-Wars, while also giving you another shot with the Ophidian (yum). Gravedigger can also work as a variant of Llanowar Sentinel, except you can take your time with this one. If you have three Gravediggers in the graveyard, you can cast the one in your hand to grab one in the graveyard. Cast him to get the other one, and then get the other one. Two gravediggers, cast only when the other is in the graveyard, can actually produce some weird infinate creature lock, much like the Ashen Ghouls and Nether Shadows of Pre-Tempest Buried Alive. (Kick ass) Plus, remembering the days of Mirv-Light tourneys and the PT Chicago qualifiers, the power of Necromancy was obvious, if not explicit. Although you still get some rogue decks, Type II at this moment is horridly creature based, so you will probably get to steal the occasional goods from your opponent (I got a Maro once, with 3 ophidians on the table. heh-heh), plus just gives you another Nekratall shot or restart a Gravedigger cycle if one got countered or stupored. So, the gravediggers went in, and other creatures that were not just creatures to attack with (like a Maro or a Knight), but had an alterior purpose to be played, and the birth of the Kenny deck arose. Why is it called the Kenny deck? Simple. Ever watch South Park? (Oh my God, they killed Kenny! You Bastard!) It seems that everything in this deck gets killed about eighty-two times, but the fuckers just keep coming back!! (Just like Kenny!) So, add the creatures, take the extra room to add disruption, and you have the deck. Allow me to elaborate. The Kenny Deck -------------------- 8 X Swamp 8 X Island 4 X Underground River 2 X Reflecting Pool 4 X Abyssal Gatekeeper 4 X Nekratall 4 X Gravedigger 1 X Necrosavant 3 X Man-O-War 3 X Suq-Ata Firewalker 3 X Ophidian 3 X Stupor 3 X Necromancy 4 X Counterspell 2 X Dissapate 2 X Lobotomy 3 X Nevinrhayl's Disk Sideboard: ------------- 4 X Hydroblast 3 X Knights of the Mist 2 X Seasinger (yea, that's right) 2 X Zur's Weirding 2 X Ertai's Meddling 2 X Perish -------------------------------------------------------- Breakdown: 61 Cards Total 22 Land (36.06% ratio, or 2.52 land per seven cards) 22 Creatures (with 3 animators) 11 Disruption spells & 3 Global Destruction spells -------------------------------------------------------- CARD SPOTLIGHTS: A)Abyssal Gatekeeper: I originally considered these for the sideboard, but realized that against the fast decks, like Jackal Pup Sligh or G5C, I was gonna need these guys in full force. With my deck, I could care less if a creature dies, because chances are it will come back, and this lets me deal with Centaurs, Maros, and other fatties. Quite the combo with a firewalker out, and also, against lesser players, acts as a wall until they get out a creature they are comforatble getting rid of. Also is marvelous against the Pro-Black world, that Mr. Nek can't get rid of. Rapidly becoming one of my favorite cards. B)Necrosavant: At one point, I had three of these in the deck, but realized the mana content was way too high, so he is by his lonesome now. The savant can kill a Nekratall in play so that I can grab him from the graveyard and 187 something else. Very crucial in late game. C)Suq-Ata Firewalker With all the shadows, knights, and Pup Sligh decks, this guy is insanely good. He gives a mild road to victory, as it seems you never attack in this deck w/o ophidians or the Savant, and completely shuts off Sligh. Fanatics, Pups, Wildcats, and Ball Lightning all shudder at the power of the Suq-Ata. Plus, if you get two out, Pup Sligh is dead, as now Orcs, Conscripts, and Sandstalkers are also Suq-Ata food. D)Seasinger: Although only a sideboard card, a lot of people question the validity of it's usage. I think it is insanely good. With discarding and counter-magic within the deck, I can hold a blue player to minimal counter action, and can grab those capsises when I need them. This leaves their Ophidians and Waterspouts as a road to victory. Uh-uh. Seasinger does the job, and keeps coming back for more, like everyone else in this deck. E)Zur's Weirding In a counter-discard deck, it almost made the deck standard, but I found it hurt too much against red decks, which is one of the predominant types `round here. This card laughs at Prosperous-Bloom, and helps achieve a minor, if not major lock, once you've set off a disk and dumped their hand through Stupors or Lobotomies. It's a very controllish deck, and takes some time to get used to, but it has a splash of everything to control the enviroment. I've considered a few other cards, such as Dregs of Sorrow, Mind Warp, Mindstab Thrull, or Bone Dancer, but haven't got around to finding room for them. I'm still not totally convinced if the Man-O-War's have a place in this deck. As always, comments and suggestions are always readily welcomed from the Gathering public. Aaron "Shazam!" Souders -Atlanta Pro Tour Juniors Champion -DCI Certified Level III Judge -Certifiable Master of Ser-VICE!! "Follow your dreams. You can achieve your goals. I'm living proof. Beefcake. BEEFCAKE!!" -Eric Cartman- p.s. Coming Soon: The New Type II Version of Jooky! and the Mainz Chronicles, Shazam style. ;-)