I hope everyone had a magical (or, as the case may be, Magical) holiday season. For me, it’s one of those “times of the year” where you can really forget about all the crummy stuff that goes on around the world and just focus on your loved ones, your friends, and the fact that suburban dads spent entire weekends putting up Christmas light displays so you can drive around and comment on them.

(We drove around looking for them and found one house that had synched their light display up to music, and was broadcasting the music over a radio airwave. I took video! It was great up until they started playing ‘Enter Sandman’ by Metallica. Then it went into full-blown dial-to-eleven AWESOME!)

I picked up some Magical items for Christmas courtesy of the wife and the HLP, some packs of Shards and some new sleeves (needed for my next PTQ, yikes), quality stuff all around. The missus really went out of her way to find me something that I could actually use (the sleeves, and a nice gift card to pay FNM entry fees) and it just goes on what I was saying last week: if you know your Magic player, getting gifts for them doesn’t need to be grossly expensive - you can get them something that they’ll really like for a minimal investment.

Speaking of PTQs… when the heck did Extended combo decks become so cheap?

Elves - Budget Deck of the Year?

(Well, it IS still December.)

This is really my first article-foray into Extended. I know there was an Extended PTQ season last year, as I played Aggro Flow and went a measly .500 at the one PTQ I managed to attend. But last year, it didn’t really seem like there were many budget options in Extended that made sense, whereas this year, there is one big “budget deck elephant in the room,” so to speak:

ELVES! An Extended deck, by Luis Scott-Vargas 1st place at a Pro Tour tournament in Berlin, Germany on 2008-11-02 As reported at http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/ptber08/t8decks Print this deck!
Maindeck: Creatures 4 Birchlore Rangers 4 Elves of Deep Shadow 4 Elvish Visionary 1 Eternal Witness 4 Heritage Druid 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Nettle Sentinel 1 Regal Force 2 Viridian Shaman 4 Wirewood Symbiote Instants 4 Summoner's Pact Sorceries 4 Glimpse of Nature 1 Grapeshot 3 Weird Harvest	Basic Snow Lands 9 Snow-Covered Forest Lands 4 Gilt-Leaf Palace 2 Overgrown Tomb Legendary Lands 1 Pendelhaven	Sideboard: 2 Thorn of Amethyst 1 Mycoloth 1 Nullmage Shepherd 2 Viridian Shaman 4 Umezawa's Jitte 4 Thoughtseize 1 Pendelhaven
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Rare Cost Summary (Minus Sideboard):
Regal Force ($1.00 x 1 = $1.00)
Summoner’s Pact ($5.00 x 4 = $20.00)
Glimpse of Nature ($12.50 x 4 = $50.00)
Weird Harvest ($1.00 x 3 = $3.00)
Gilt-Leaf Palace ($5.00 x 4 = $20.00)
Overgrown Tomb ($8.00 x 2 = $16.00)

OK, as “budget” decks go, this might look like a lot, but there are two important things to remember: One, the Green/Black lands are only in the deck to support the Thoughtseize in the sideboard (which you could pare out), and that Glimpse of Nature is only $12.50 due to this deck’s success, and that it was probably a dollar rare before that and you probably have some lying around somewhere, like I do.

Tomoharu Saito played a mono-green version that was even closer to a real “budget” deck:

ELVES! An Extended deck, by Tomoharu Saito 3rd place at a Pro Tour tournament in Berlin, Germany on 2008-11-02 As reported at http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/ptber08/t8decks Print this deck!
Maindeck: Creatures 4 Birchlore Rangers 4 Elvish Visionary 4 Heritage Druid 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Nettle Sentinel 1 Predator Dragon 1 Regal Force 1 Viridian Shaman 4 Wirewood Hivemaster 4 Wirewood Symbiote Instants 4 Chord of Calling 4 Summoner's Pact Sorceries 4 Glimpse of Nature	Basic Lands 16 Forest Legendary Lands 1 Pendelhaven	Sideboard: 2 Blasting Station 3 Thorn of Amethyst 1 Ethersworn Canonist 1 Goblin Sharpshooter 1 Orzhov Pontiff 1 Viridian Shaman 3 Fecundity 3 Gleeful Sabotage
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Rare Cost Summary (Minus Sideboard):
Regal Force ($1.00 x 1 = $1.00)
Predator Dragon ($2.50 x 1 = $2.50)
Chord of Calling ($5.00 x 4 = $20.00)
Summoner’s Pact ($5.00 x 4 = $20.00)
Glimpse of Nature ($12.50 x 4 = $50.00)
Pendelhaven ($2.50 x 1 = $2.50)

I really like the Chord of Calling option over the Weird Harvest in LSV’s deck; even though Weird Harvest can draw you into a larger number of creatures, Chord of Calling puts the creature directly into play… and with all the creatures this deck can generate, Chording out the big guns becomes a lot faster option. Not to mention, it’s capable of grabbing the sideboard “uncastables” as well.

My suggestion if you don’t have Glimpses? Well, there’s always Primordial Sage ($0.50). Now obviously the reason that the Sage costs fifty cents and Glimpse is over twelve bucks is because one is one mana and the other is six mana, but the Sage gives you the same ability on a recurring basis, meaning you don’t need to find another Glimpse if you stumble in the combo. It can also be Chorded out if you’re playing the Chord version (or searched up with Summoner’s Pact or Weird Harvest) -- and it’s not like the Elves deck is short on mana or anything.

I’d also include the Mirror Entity that seems to be becoming commonplace nowadays, as it enables your Wirewood Symbiotes to return themselves to your hand to be replayed, getting around the “use once per turn” on their ability.

Budget Elves! Featured by Dave Meeson on 2009-01-04 (Extended) As written about in http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/extended/16904_Tribal_Thriftiness_53_Cheap_Combos_for_Extended.html Print this deck!
Maindeck: Creatures 4 Birchlore Rangers 4 Elvish Visionary 4 Heritage Druid 4 Llanowar Elves 1 Mirror Entity 4 Nettle Sentinel 1 Predator Dragon 3 Primordial Sage 1 Regal Force 1 Viridian Shaman 4 Wirewood Hivemaster 4 Wirewood Symbiote	Instants 4 Chord of Calling 4 Summoner's Pact Basic Lands 16 Forest Legendary Lands 1 Pendelhaven	Stats: Average mana: 1.42 Average creature mana cost: 2.09 Average creature power: 1.60 Average creature toughness: 1.69 Deck Composition: Creatures: 58.33% Basic Lands: 26.67% Instants: 13.33% Legendary Lands: 1.67%
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Rare Cost Summary:
Regal Force ($1.00 x 1 = $1.00)
Mirror Entity ($3.00 x 1 = $3.00)
Predator Dragon ($2.50 x 1 = $2.50)
Primordial Sage ($0.50 x 3 = $1.50)
Chord of Calling ($5.00 x 4 = $20.00)
Summoner’s Pact ($5.00 x 4 = $20.00)
Pendelhaven ($2.50 x 1 = $2.50)

Replacing the Glimpses with Sages doesn’t decrease the critical number of Elves in the deck, which is something you DON’T want to do. Doesn’t hurt that he’s a fairly big body either, as it means he will survive most of the hate that players are bringing in against Elves, which means that if you DO stumble in your combo and have him out, it’s less likely that your opponent will be able to remove all your Elves PLUS the Sage before your next turn. Primordial Sage is also a “may” ability, so you don’t have to fear decking yourself - you know, if you do that sort of thing often.

Like U2 Said: Desi-i-ire

(What’s sad, and what will make my wife infinitely happy, is that when I came up with this title, I knew there was some famous-ish song called “Desire” and was kinda humming it in my head… and realized it was the Ryan Adams song “Desire” and not the U2 song.)

What I should have played last year, and what would have probably carried me to the same record in the PTQ I played but would have made me infinitely more happy, is Mind’s Desire. I come by my love of that particular six-mana spell honestly (unlike, I guess, some of OTHER six-mana-spells I love… Spelljack, I’m lookin’ at you) as I played a lot of Twiddle-Desire back when it was Standard-legal oh so many moons ago. The thing is, Extended is the ONLY format you can play four and make an actual combo out of it, and that’s only for the rest of this particular Extended PTQ season. I should have realized that last year and played it. Now I’m going to play it in this last remaining Desire-able PTQ come heck or high water.

Here’s where I’m starting: Cynic Kim’s list from Worlds.

3 Cascade Bluffs
3 Flooded Strand
2 Island
1 Mountain
3 Polluted Delta
4 Steam Vents

2 Chrome Mox
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Grapeshot
4 Lotus Bloom
4 Manamorphose
4 Mind's Desire
4 Peer Through Depths
4 Ponder
2 Pyromancer's Swath
4 Remand
4 Rite of Flame
4 Seething Song

Rare Cost Summary:
Cascade Bluffs ($4.00 x 3 = $12.00)
Flooded Strand ($20.00 x 3= $60.00)
Polluted Delta ($25.00 x 3 = $75.00)
Steam Vents ($8.00 x 4 = $32.00)
Chrome Mox ($20.00 x 2 = $40.00)
Lotus Bloom ($6.00 x 4 = $24.00)
Mind’s Desire ($2.00 x 4 = $8.00)
Pyromancer’s Swath ($2.50 x 2 = $5.00)

I like Desire as a combo deck because it SHOULD be inexpensive, and it was last year, when the manabase was comprised of Invasion sac-lands instead of the expensive Onslaught fetchlands. My recommendation for replacement is Crumbling Necropolis, the uncommon Grixis tri-land. You aren’t doing anything on turn one with the exception of Pondering, and so the comes-into-play-tapped-ness shouldn’t impact you at all. Bump Cascade Bluffs up to four (you need all the extra double-blue you can get) and add in an extra basic Island to help get around Blood Moon.

Kim’s version sports a Grapeshot plus Swath kill mechanism, which I’ve experienced in Dragonstorm. It’s okay, but without additional burn spells to “finish off” an opponent, I’m unsure of the reliability of the kill - and you can forget any comeback if your combo fizzles, as Swath will make you discard your hand at the end of the turn. I’d like to explore the inclusion of Tendrils of Agony for the “old school” kill, but I think that would twink the manabase even further towards fetchlands and Ravnica duals. So here’s my attempt at a budget version:

4 Cascade Bluffs
4 Crumbling Necropolis
3 Island
1 Mountain
4 Steam Vents

2 Chromatic Star
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Grapeshot
4 Lotus Bloom
4 Manamorphose
4 Mind's Desire
4 Peer Through Depths
4 Ponder
2 Pyromancer's Swath
4 Remand
4 Rite of Flame
4 Seething Song

Rare Cost Summary:
Cascade Bluffs ($4.00 x 4 = $16.00)
Steam Vents ($8.00 x 4 = $32.00)
Lotus Bloom ($6.00 x 4 = $24.00)
Mind’s Desire ($2.00 x 4 = $8.00)
Pyromancer’s Swath ($2.50 x 2 = $5.00)

I replaced the Chrome Moxen as well, as they’re the only real expensive thing left in the deck once you replace the manabase. Chromatic Star will get you the color you need when you need it, fetch you a card, and still be a decent Storm-turn play.

Aw, Conflux

Next week: Rumors are starting to trickle in about Conflux, which makes its debut in a few short weeks. As information comes in and the official previews start, what new and interesting things will Conflux bring? I want to start looking ahead as soon as possible!

Until next week…

Dave