So, with all that in mind, I wanted to build a deck with just big mean creatures. None of this wimpy Llanowar stuff; skip the little guys and go for the big guys. Now, the problem with this strategy is it will get you killed in a duel, because you'll get swarmed to death or the control player will have you in a hammerlock before your 6/6 guys come out to play... So these deck ideas are best tried out in casual multiplayer games.

The other reason I wanted to build decks with Big Dumb Creatures is to take advantage of an obscure rare from the Invasion block. It's a green card that lets you draw cards without spending any mana, just from casting creatures - something you want to do anyway. Yeah, it's symmetrical, but you can put yourself in a position to benefit from it more than anyone else at the table. It's totally useless in Limited (especially in Invasion Block; it might move up to mediocre in Onslaught Block, which has a lot more fat) and not quick enough in Constructed to cut the mustard, so it gets relegated to casual play.

Give you another hint: It's an enchantment. Costs 2G.

Got it yet?

There's nothing terribly subtle about this card: you want to play with creatures of power four or greater. (Duh.) The trick is, you want to find ones that are relatively cheap - and there aren't too many of those, for obvious reasons. The other trick is putting up some early defense, so you don't get swarmed if someone gets off to a fast start. You can play with a couple creatures that won't trigger the Lair, or some other kind of disruption, or just hope that someone won't launch an all-out assault on you starting turn 2.

The last, although it sounds like a lame idea, works fairly well in large chaos games (with at least four players). Usually, people are pretty cautious for the first few turns, giving you a chance to get set up. You may get whacked by a creature or two, but these decks all play just fine if you're down five to eight life before you get rolling. The other nice thing about the Lair is it doesn't set off other players' radar, thereby making you a target, and because it can help other players, it usually won't draw removal until you've gotten your money's worth from it.

I've built three different decks around Kavu Lair, coming up with different ways to exploit big creatures. The first deck is the most straightforward.

The numbers of cards this deck is a little odd: Sixty-four cards. Yes, I know everyone and his brother claim your multiplayer deck needs to be sixty cards exactly, with as many four-ofs as possible. I don't always agree. The Lair and Fires are clearly the centerpoint of the deck, but I can fit in more variety by splitting the other cards up a little more, and with a slightly larger deck I can play a wider range of cards.

Playing this deck is simple and straightforward. HULK SMASH! You get a Fires or a Lair - or both, if you're lucky - out early, and start swinging with big creatures later. You may wish to mulligan any hand that doesn't have either a Lair or Fires, as the deck runs much better with one or the other in play. If you have both, play the Lair first as it makes you less of a target; a turn 3 Fires with no creatures out will guarantee your opponents will bring the smackdown.

This one's tricky. The idea here is to use the Giant (which draws out your opponents' lands), Wumpus (creatures) and Tempting Wurm to entice them to throw down tons of permanents, and then catch them off-balance by blowing up the world. Six reset buttons seems like overkill, but you want to make sure you draw into one - and in a pinch you may want to hit the panic button twice.

The Blastoderms are cheap and big, obviously, and can come out relatively quickly after the Big One drops. Okk is even cheaper, and actually doesn't suck in this deck; there are fifteen other creatures who can drag him along. The Penumbra Wurm is another expensive spell, but it has such powerful synergy with the resets that it's hard to leave it out.

A subtle point about the Tempting Wurm that I haven't seen many people pick up on: they're terrific in multiples. The first one is the one that draws out all your opponents' stuff; after that, they don't have much left to drop, so subsequent Wurms are often no worse than a Hunted Wumpus. Also, although the Tempting Wurm seems like it would be horrible in multiplayer, you'll often drop under the radar as more and bigger threats come out, and people will be well-disposed to you for letting them drop all that Free Stuff. Note that stack issues from thirty permanents hitting the table at once can cause some real headaches; be prepared for some lively rules arguments.

The Vineyards are in there as a mana source that will survive the big explosions. The Vineyard can be a little risky, but it helps you recover your mana after clearing the board - and if you've used the Wurm or Wumpus to empty your opponents' hands, they may well be stuck taking mana burn. They're a lot safer with a Lair out, since you're likely to draw into more things you can cast.

The trick with this deck is to figure out the best timing for setting off your big traps. Wait as long as possible to cast Jokulhaups or Obliterate. With a Vineyard in play, you can set up sequences like:

"Float eight mana, including two from the Vineyard, cast Obliterate, drop Havenwood Battleground, go."

Next turn:"Sac Havenwood Battleground, use Vineyard mana, play Blastoderm, go."

Or even:"Float six mana, cast Jokulhaups, use Vineyard mana, play Tempting Wurm...what? No one has any permanents left? Too bad. Go."

If you play this deck a lot, its effectiveness will drop off sharply; your opponents will say"Thanks for the Wurm gift" and pile on you, leaving you dead before you can snap off a Jokulhaups. Even so, it's still formidable as you can pretty reliably clear the board by turn 6, and often sooner with the sac-lands.

A Genesis in your graveyard makes Fling (or even better, the Cyclops) really scary, as the Flung creature will just be coming back again and again. The odd creature in here is the Wall of Razors, which is in here because it's so cheap; this deck is a little heavy on expensive creatures. It's pretty vulnerable, but a 4/1 first striker for two mana that triggers the Lair, and can deal four either coming or going, is worth playing. Especially because it will ward off most ground attacks, and as it's a wall it may not draw a lot of removal because it isn't an immediate threat. The Kavu needs no explanation; the Wurm hits very hard and lets you recur a fading Behemoth, a Kavu, or cheaply recast a Wall of Razors; and the normally lame Behemoth is terrific when it can hit for ten coming and/or going.

I've included three Pandemoniae instead of four because you really only want one in play. Two is suicidal; with several players in the game, you won't live to see your next upkeep with two Pandemoniae on the table. You'll want to be careful about when you play the Pandemonium; ideally, the turn before either the Behemoth or the Shivan Wurm would be best.

This deck obviously lacks fliers; you can add some dragons or Plated Spiders if you need a way to deal with them, but this deck has so much direct damage at its disposal with Pandemonium, Fling, and the Cyclops that you should be able to trade with any large flyer coming your way.

Now take up your Lairs, get ready to draw some cards, and remember...HULK SMASH!

* - The 3rd Edition of D&D is great. Wizards did a terrific job on it. But the 1st edition, especially the Dungeon Masters' Guide, where Gary Gygax's wandering prose reaches its apex, has a certain patchwork charm all its own. There's all sorts of weird and obscure rules in the 1E DMG that no one ever uses, and some really odd tables. There's even a Prostitute Table in the City Encounters appendix - no joke! You roll d100 to see if the skimpily-dressed woman beckoning your way is Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman or the medieval equivalent of a crack 'ho (an ergot 'ho?).

** - One of the original rules I never understood was"Clerics can't use edged weapons because they can't shed blood." I think a sword is a lot cleaner than smashing somebody's face in with a heavy weighted club, and I think killing someone with a mace would involve a fair amount of blood.

*** - Okk sounds like a character out of Dr. Seuss. Maybe it's because I'm the parent of a two-year-old who loves Dr. Seuss - but whenever I see Okk, a little rhyme pops into my head