I admit it, I'm an Eagle Scout. I never really wanted to do Scouts, it was my dad's idea. There were a lot of fun things in Scouts, but also a lot of things that I never really enjoyed. Still, I tackled it with gusto, doing very well in just about every aspect.

Boy Scouts was a decent-sized chunk of my life way back in the yonder days. I know that scouting is no longer en vogue. Urban areas have very few troops, attendance is diminishing, and a lot of people have given boy scouts some grief over their interpretation of policies.

Despite all of that, Boy Scouts have always stood for honor, decency, and maturity. In fact, I believe that Boy Scouts taught me some of the basic truths in life were more than church-related. Treat everybody with respect. Live life with kindness. Be prepared for any eventuality.

I was thinking about building a spelunking theme deck. Spelunking is essentially climbing into and out of caves and adventuring around them. Thinking about spelunking brought me to remembering my scouting days, which brought me to merit badges and"Voila!" I had an article idea. Sometimes it really is that easy.

Let's take a look at five decks inspired by Boy Scout Merit Badges. Each of these decks is designed to be halfway decent, and yet also gives plenty of room to the theme, and not competition. I hope that you enjoy them!

First Aid
One of the first merit badges that most scouts earn is First Aid. As a scout rises in rank, various merit badges are required. First Aid is the first required merit badge as you go up in rank. Now, I haven't been in or around scouting in ages, so maybe that's changed, but still, First Aid is a vital part of any scout's training.

4 Bandage
2 Heal
4 Healing Salve
2 Alabaster Potion
2 Daru Healer
2 Femeref Healer
2 Samite Healer
1 Orim, Samite Healer
1 Atalya, Samite Master
2 Master Healer
2 Hallowed Healer
2 Faith Healer
1 Medicine Bag
1 Elixir of Vitality
2 Healer's Headdress
1 Convalescence
1 Lifeblood
1 Safeguard
1 Test of Endurance
1 Greater Realm of Preservation
1 Peace of Mind
1 Warmth
23 Plains

This is ultimately a Test of Endurance deck, using Atalya, Lifeblood, Peace of Mind, and other cards to gain the life necessary to win. This deck will likely not win through any other method besides boring your opponent to death, which, come to think of it, would be a pretty interesting deck building challenge.

Small-Boat Sailing
Ahh, the boating merit badges. Rowing, Canoeing, Motorboating, and good old fashioned Small Boat Sailing. Boy Scout summer camps thrive around lakes, ponds, and oceans everywhere.

4 Sailmonger
2 Neurok Hoversail
1 Wind Sail
1 Hanna, Ship's Navigator
1 Skeleton Ship
1 Skyship Weatherlight
1 Predator, Flagship
1 War Barge
1 Armored Galleon
1 Coastal Piracy
2 Windscouter
2 Kukemssa Pirates
2 Reef Pirates
2 Saprazzan Outrigger
2 Ghost Ship
2 Rishadan Airship
2 Metathran Transport
2 Metathran Aerostat
2 Pirate Ship
2 Merchant Ship
2 Living Airship
4 Coastal Tower
4 Yavimaya Coast
4 River Delta
12 Island

Here you have a bunch of boats, ships, galleons, and pirates. You have several legends, like the classic Skeleton Ship, Hanna, Predator, and the Weatherlight. Look for help in getting in hits with Pirates and Merchant Ships with War Barge or Neurok Hoversail.

Camping
Good ol' camping. What would Boy Scouts be without camping? Girl Scouts, probably. One of the required merit badges on the path to Eagle Scout, camping is a quintessential skill for outdoorsmen all over the world. I wonder what a Magic camping deck would look like?

4 Tinder Wall
4 Jungle Patrol
4 Bounty of the Hunt
4 Master of the Hunt
2 Skyshroud Ranger
2 Quirion Ranger
2 Norwood Ranger
4 Elvish Ranger
4 Tracker
4 Gamekeeper
2 Viridian Longbow
2 Fyndhorn Bow
1 Daru Encampment
1 Ghitu Encampment
20 Forest

Lots of camping going on here. The Jungle Patrol makes little campfires while Tinder Walls are like lean-tos. You have several other people at home in the woods, like trackers, rangers, and hunters. You need to eat, so you hunt for food (Bounty, Master) with your bows. If you want to activate the Ghitu Encampment, look to Jungle Patrol or Tinder Wall for Red mana.

Wood Carving
In addition to wilderness skills, the Boy Scouts also have a lot of craft oriented skills; Woodwork, Leatherwork, Metalwork, Basketry, Model Design and Building, and Wood Carving. Wood Carving seems to be the easiest to build a deck around.....

1 Acidic Dagger
3 Orcish Lumberjack
3 Goblin Clearcutter
3 Utopia Tree
2 Singing Tree
1 Nemata, Grove Guardian
1 Verdeloth the Ancient
2 Yavimaya Scion
2 Yavimaya Ancients
2 Argothian Treefolk
2 Blachwood Treefolk
2 Heartwood Treefolk
2 Redwood Treefolk
2 Ironroot Treefolk
2 Wormwood Treefolk
2 Cradle Guard
2 Weatherseed Treefolk
1 Treefolk Seedlings
1 Heart of Yavimaya
18 Forest
6 Mountain

This is pretty much your standard treefolk deck with a Dagger and a few Red creatures tossed in. Watch out for the anti-synergy between the Lumberjacks/Clearcutters and Treefolk Seedlings. The Acidic Dagger represents your wood carving knife, in case you were wondering.

Farm Mechanics
Hardly sounds like a fun deck, right? Farmers are definitely not on the same level as soldiers and orcs, isn't that true? Right? These farmers might have something to say about that.

4 Diligent Farmhand
4 Elvish Farmer
4 Thallid
4 Thallid Devourer
2 Feral Thallid
1 Night Soil
2 Farmstead
4 Plow Under
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Reap and Sow
1 Reap
1 Volrath's Garden
2 Reclamation
11 Forest
11 Plains
1 Remote Farm

Of these five decks, the Farm Mechanics deck may end up being the best, but who knows? Thallid goodness gives you your creature base, and you have land destruction and tempo with Reap and Sow, Reclamation, and Plow Under. Swords to Plowshares is your generic creature kill.

There are over a hundred merit badges that you can build decks from. Plus, there are thousands of additional methods to spur your own imagination. Good luck finding and building the quirky deck!

Until Later,
Abe Sargent