Once again I hear the clarion call.
Once again I answer the pleas of our tireless editor.
Once again I watch the prize go to someone else.
-Song of Edd, Canto 167

Looking through my binder at the Saviors cards, I see many good utility cards. I see combo pieces. I see parts of fish decks. I see something for everyone, from Vintage to Standard, from Timmy to Johnny to Spike. The trick is to adapt them to multiplayer.

In multiplayer, we look for big effects, or effects that affect all opponents. Many moons ago in the dawning days of Urza Broke, before everyone started drooling over Tolarian Academies and Windfalls, the casual players did a double take on Cackling Fiend: a 2/1 for 2BB that forces a discard, but on — gasp — everyone.

A couple of "everyone" effects existed — such as Anvil of Bogardan — but this one affected all opponents. This may have been the birth of R&D’s recognition of multiplayer. Soon, more and more cards were being printed - or in the case of the 6th edition Kismet, reprinted — with everyone else built in.

"Everyone else" is a powerful tool, deliciously put to use in multiplayer. This leads us to a card coming to a Vintage table near you (and perhaps even Regionals, considering they are virtually sold out here at SCG): Erayo, Soratami Ascendant.

Erayo requires four spells to be played in a turn to flip — not very difficult in a multiplayer game. Plus, she only has to be in play before the fourth goes on the stack to trigger. Once she flips, you will be hated. Not "you drank my last soda" hated. I mean "Get out of Bah-stun, you pinstriped Bah-stad" hated. I mean "My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die" hated.

I mean "Mike Long" hated. That's bad.

***Brief Aside***

Maro has opined that he’s voting Mr. Long into the hall of fame almost as a parallel to Ty Cobb. The glowing difference I point out is that Ty Cobb’s disreputable behavior was commonplace, no matter how vile, in his day and age. I would hope Mr. Long’s behavior isn’t indicative of the large mass of brass ring holders of Magic history. Besides, do we want to listen to the man who put One with Nothing into your booster pack?

***Point Made***

The trick to Erayo is to put her into a position where naught can be done about it. Thusly, we introduce Fish. For those who don’t follow Vintage, Fish was a budgetary deck that lived and died on cards like Spiketail Hatchling — in other words, on cheapo creatures that had a secondary control ability to disrupt your opponent’s strategy long enough to beat down with these weenies. Spike would be the player most likely to embrace this ideal.

Thus, I present —

Erayo, Soratami Ascendant Featured by Edd Black on 2005-06-19 As written about in http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/9921.html Print this deck!
Maindeck: Artifacts 4 Aether Vial Creatures 4 Grim Lavamancer 4 Ninja of the Deep Hours 4 Razorfin Hunter 4 Spiketail Hatchling Enchantments 4 Standstill	Instants 4 Brainstorm Legendary Creatures 4 Erayo, Soratami Ascendant Sorceries 4 Serum Visions Basic Lands 5 Island 3 Mountain Lands 4 Faerie Conclave 4 Ghitu Encampment 4 Shivan Reef 4 Stalking Stones	Stats: Average mana: 1.07 Average creature mana cost: 2.20 Average creature power: 1.20 Average creature toughness: 1.20 Deck Composition: Basic Lands: 13.33% Lands: 26.67% Creatures: 26.67% Artifacts: 6.67% Sorceries: 6.67% Instants: 6.67% Enchantments: 6.67% Legendary Creatures: 6.67%
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Here we have lots of cheap utility, removal, and creatures. This will enable us to flip Erayo in no time — by ourselves, if need be. An Aether Vial set to two lets us drop Erayo in after three spells have been played, and then follow up with a Brainstorm or Serum Visions to flip it. Standstill builds off the same "everyone else" principle, with no one wanting to pull the trigger while you set up because everyone will draw the cards, making everyone else sympathetic to your cause, until they see your master plan, you heartless bum. Razorfin Hunter and Grim Lavamancer plow the road, and the manlands finish the job.

Now, Spike may kneel before the Emperor and pledge his loyalty absolute and willingly destroy his friends and their innocent children — Master Spike! There’s too many of them, what do we do? Aaaaieeeeeeeeee! — but Johnny will have none of it. Johnny would rather be clever and pull Batman’s utility belt out of his bum to build a mini-deflector shield to entrap the Emperor.

So Johnny focuses on a couple of the resource denial cards; cards like Gnat Miser and Locust Miser, which cripple the hand size of each opponent. Nice as small hand sizes may be, Johnny still needs a way to close the deal. His setup man is a combo of Kuon, Ogre Ascendant, and Delraich. And never one to ignore The Really Big Spell ™, Johnny closes with Neverending Torment.

Kuon, Ogre Ascendant Featured by Edd Black on 2005-06-19 As written about in http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/9921.html Print this deck!
Maindeck: Creatures 4 Bone Shredder 3 Delraich 4 Gnat Miser 4 Locust Miser 2 Nether Shadow Instants 4 Dark Ritual 1 Vampiric Tutor	Legendary Creatures 3 Kuon, Ogre Ascendant Sorceries 1 Demonic Tutor 3 Forced March 3 Neverending Torment 4 Syphon Mind Basic Lands 20 Swamp Lands 4 Cabal Coffers	Stats: Average mana: 1.93 Average creature mana cost: 3.30 Average creature power: 2.10 Average creature toughness: 2.40 Deck Composition: Basic Lands: 33.33% Sorceries: 18.33% Creatures: 28.33% Legendary Creatures: 5.00% Lands: 6.67% Instants: 8.33%
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The premise is hand denial: Eliminate any resources they could hold on to, then pay the alternate cost of Delraich to flip Kuon. Cabal Coffers powers up multiple plays later on. Syphon Mind powers up your hand for Neverending Torment with which to eliminate any future resistance. Playing Forced March the turn before Neverending Torment clears the last resistance and provides a Mono-Black way to deck not just one opponent, but all of them.

Creating a combo to do something not in its color? So very, very Johnny.

(Haunting Echoes doesn’t count, as it only hits one player per casting).

We’ve dominated with evil and broken the color wheel, but Timmy wants a turn... and Timmy wants his fatties. Timmy also has secret Spike envy, so upon seeing Homura, Human Ascendant he loads his shorts with marshmallow fluff faster than if Lindsey Lohan’s top evaporated. Homura is a 4/4 who your opponents won’t want to kill, as upon his death all your creatures become Shivan Dragons. Most creatures don’t get bigger than that. A weenie goblin force that can rival the King’s Men upon their leader's death, these are cards for the Timmy in all of us.

Homura, Human Ascendant Featured by Edd Black on 2005-06-19 As written about in http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/9921.html Print this deck!
Maindeck: Creatures 4 Burning Shield Askari 4 Flametongue Kavu 4 Goblin Striker 4 Searing Spear Askari 4 Slith Firewalker Enchantments 2 Mana Flare	Instants 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Seething Song Legendary Creatures 4 Homura, Human Ascendant Sorceries 3 Earthquake Basic Lands 23 Mountain	Stats: Average mana: 1.75 Average creature mana cost: 3.33 Average creature power: 2.33 Average creature toughness: 2.00 Deck Composition: Sorceries: 5.00% Basic Lands: 38.33% Creatures: 33.33% Instants: 13.33% Legendary Creatures: 6.67% Enchantments: 3.33%
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Each creature has abilities that augment themselves enough in the early game, and make them sick enough in the late game. Homura can drop in as early as turn 4, and Earthquake cleans up the last resistance after Homura releases his Essence.

Delicious.

You can pick and choose the best multiplayer cards amongst those listed. As for me, I am trying to port Epic to Extended. As a little bonus for Timmy, Johnny, and Spike, I leave you with this dominating win condition combo built with a modern framework around a monster creature — which happens to port well into multiplayer.

Play Insidious Dreams to dump your hand to stack the top of your library as Undying Flames, Draco, Draco, Draco... Enjoy.

Yet again you have answered the call.
Yet again work solid, open to all.
Yet again, for your noble work, I dub the Secundus.
-Song of Ferrett, Canto 086