Whoever said an all morph deck wouldn't work was an idiot.

Yes, you heard me correctly. An all-morph deck. An idiot.

No, I'm not taking cheap shots at someone I don't know because I feel like it: I have proof. An all-morph deck can work - and it can work wonders. It just needs to find the right format to reign supreme.

What format, you ask? Why, Standard-Legal Commons, of course!

For those who aren't familiar with the Standard-Legal Commons format, I'll clue you in. It is a Constructed format, and the only cards that are legal are commons found in the Standard listings. Think of it as an Onslaught Block and Mirrodin Block Draft put together, only with a lot more consistency.

With Mirrodin still quite new to everyone out in the world, many who play the format rely on their Onslaught Block Limited favorites to carry them to victory. It's not a bad idea, either. 'Smith Family Robinson is out in full force, and Elves that tap to do amazing things are still being seen. Many find out that Sparksmith and Goblins plus Wellwisher and Elves equals creature control at a very cheap cost... At least, that's what I saw staring at me for most of the day. Of course, there's that one guy who plays something definitely unusual, just because he can.

That was I last Sunday, and here's my partner in crime. (Well, at least in surprise)

"Nice Surprise"
B/U/R/W Morph

Lands (24)
2 Forgotten Cave
6 Island
2 Lonely Sandbar
6 Mountain
6 Plains
2 Secluded Steppe

Creatures (24)
3 Bonethorn Valesk
4 Echo Tracer
4 Skirk Marauder
4 Frontline Strategist
3 Mistform Seaswift
3 Daru Sanctifier
3 Zombie Cutthroat

Other Spells (12)
3 Backslide
3 Renewed Faith
3 Rush of Knowledge
3 Spark Spray

Sideboard (15)
3 Foothill Guide
3 Lightning Blast
3 Riptide Biologist
3 Shaleskin Plower
3 Voidmage Apprentice

My morph deck and I had a blast on Sunday, with our activities ranging from taking down an all goblin offensive to totally annoying those darned R/G Goblin/Elf players to seemingly no end. With a deck that can run four colors of cards, it's feasible to see that you really can't decide on whether or not that morph is a Skirk Marauder or a Frontline Strategist. This was the case with my three opponents on Sunday. Some managed to do well in the match, while others didn't fare so well, despite strong card strategy.

So enough about how fun the tournament was to compete in and the deck was to play - let's get down to the match results.

Round 1: 4-Color Morph vs. Armed Goblins
My opponent for this match was a guy with whom I had been teamed with in a randomly selected Team Sealed tournament the last time we saw one another. His name was Sasha or something, but I'm not exactly sure. Shows how much I pay attention to my teammates.

But in any case, the two of us were on good terms for the match, and we begin.

Game 1:
I see what his deck is packing in a few short turns, as he drops a few Goblins and keeps swinging. I take minimal early damage until I drop a morphed creature and the swinging stops. He drops an Equipment card on the table, and I don't take a second look at it, because I figure I'll find out soon enough. It's a Banshee's Blade, but I find out that it's quite a pain in the rear as the game progresses. Stupid me, with no green for artifact destruction.

We continue the game, and he gets to see what a few of my morphs as we go along. I pay a little more life that I end up being unable to afford for my 3/4 Zombie Cutthroats and he gets a clean shot for the win.

Game 2:
Morphs all the way, baby. I keep up beats with a Zombie Cutthroat and morphs, with Strategists getting flipped to Fog all of the oncoming damage. Echo Tracers bounce Sasha's only Goblin Striker to his hand, and more damage ensues. Sasha manages to get a powered-up equipment card, but stalls on the creatures to equip with. A ha! The drawback of those stupid equipment cards. I play my ninth land, and stare at Sasha's six life with a smile. I have a face-down Skirk Marauder in play and another in hand. I swing with the morphed Skirk Marauder, and Sasha has no creatures to block, going down to four. I pay a red, white, and blue, unmorph the Skirk Marauder - Sasha's down to two. I pay another red, white, and blue, play a face-down Skirk Marauder. Nothing from Sasha. I then pay a final red, white, and blue, unmorph my Skirk Marauder, and deal the final two damage for the win. Whoo hoo!

Sasha shows me his hand afterward, revealing four Goblin War Strikes. Yeah, Goblins in play would have helped with that hand, Sasha.

Game 3:
Basically similar to the other two games, early Goblin drops meet with early morphs. We start getting a crowd, as people are waiting to see who they play in the next round, and Sasha has played that annoying Equipment card again. Then, an unexpected turn of events occurs. One of the spectators takes a second look at the equipment, and points out that Banshee's Blade is an uncommon, and thus illegal. No wonder I had such trouble with it. I am definitely not familiar with Mirrodin cards, so I didn't see any problem right away.

The card in question broke the rules of the format, and the tournament organizer (who was watching along, too) called for the game's end and awarded me the game and the match. I wouldn't have guessed Sasha would have played with an incorrect card, seeing as how well he and I teamed up the last time we'd met. Oh well, people surprise you sometimes.

4-Color Morph: 2-1

Extra Notes:
Well, I find out after the match that Sasha was chatting with the tournament organizer, Lyle, about what they'd see today. Lyle, an advocate for morphs and other lunacy, mentions that people may play morphs - but Sasha says,"No one's going to play morphs. They'll be playing Goblins or Elves."

I was glad to be the one to prove him wrong.

We clean up our cards, and I head off to the other side of the area to meet my next opponent.

Game 1:
This match is where my deck changed from funny to annoying. My opponent was playing a fast-paced deck chock-full of Elves and Goblins, and I only had limited burn in Spark Sprays and Skirk Marauders to keep the numbers down. As the game progresses, I'm down to a few creatures, and stave off the imminent fatal blow by unmorphing Frontline Strategists.

Darned Timberwatch Elves and Sparksmiths. I scoop as I draw a final card, which doesn't help.

Game 2:
Same thing as game one, only that the Frontline Strategist draws are really on my opponent's nerves. My life total slowly climbs down, and I manage to go three turns with doing nothing but playing a Frontline Strategist face down and morphing during my opponent's turn. I scoop when I draw a Rush of Knowledge with nothing in play, and that's it for this round.

Extra Notes:
So, I finally see why Sasha said Elves and Goblins work in Commons. He was dead-on with that statement - unlike his one about morphs.

I find out that there's still another round to go for me, and I spend some time waiting for the new round to begin by playing a friendly game with a total stranger. Magic's such a great game in that it can bring people who would never meet one another in any other circumstances together. I grab my trusty Onslaught Beast Deck, recently improved with newly-acquired Ravenous Baloths, and start playing. First turn he drops a mountain, and second he plays a swamp, surprising the heck out of me. He's playing his version of a black/red cycling-based control deck, but that doesn't stop me from dropping a few Avaraxes and Canopy Crawlers to pummel him for a win. We begin a second game, and I stall on three mountains for a few turns until I draw and play a Tranquil Thicket. Next turn, I drop a 9/9 Canopy Crawler, to our mutual amazement.

Then, of course, I hear that the next round is beginning for me, and so I have to call the game off and continue on with the tournament. Man, I could have had some fun with that 9/9 Crawler. He said he would have had me with two Decree of Pains in hand, but I really doubt he could have done something with them before he was smashed for twenty. Anyway, back to the tournament.

Game 1:
My opponent this match is Lyle, the tournament organizer, and kindred spirit of morphs and capable multicolor decks. He's playing something similar to my second round opponent, but as the match goes on, I see he's splashed black for a few spells. None of that matters first game, as I concede to the 'Smith Family Robinson kids with a Wellwisher and Elves giving him life. I managed to shoot down one of the Sparksmiths, but the others kept coming.

Game 2:
Same as the first, I concede to the onslaught of Elves and Goblins. This time, I see that he splashed black for Reaping the Graves, which makes little difference when he played it because he had the game won already.

4-Color Morph: 2-5

Extra Notes:
He was a nice guy, and allowed me a chance to keep my dignity and allow me to end the game on my terms. He tells me once I've been eliminated that I'm not supposed to use a sideboard. I figured that since it was Constructed that I'd bring a 'board, but I guess that's just something else I learned. I found at least someone else I can relate to when it comes to the obscure, which makes the experience all the more enjoyable.

Well, in retrospect, the guy who said that all-morphs wouldn't work had a least some reason as to why. My morphing control deck couldn't keep up with the quickness of the Goblins and Elves. Oh well - there's always next time. And next time, they had better beware the combination of black and green.

So, if you happen to have a chance to participate in such a tournament, by all means, take it. It's a great way to keep up your Limited skills, as well as your Constructed. That and you'll never know if that morph deck you have swimming around in your head will do you any good.

See ya around,
Keith Hampton
remi_437@hotmail.com