SEARCH
Please hold while we load your cart... Please hold while we load your cart...
Advanced Search
Deck Builder
MY ACCOUNT

Email:

Password:
Note: You will need to have cookies enabled on your browser to log into StarCityGames.

STORE CATEGORIES

Everyone Benefits When Dorks Win

Edd Black

By Edd Black
05/20/2005

The trick to three good multiplayer enchantments is to make sure they don’t hand you a Wile E. Coyote-style umbrella as the opponents' rocks are about to come falling down upon you. You know them: they're enchantments that scream, “I don’t want to play in this game anymore, so send all of your ‘I hate you’ cards my way!” Enchantments like the banned-from-consideration Pernicious Deed (which only stinks because that means the most Scandalous of Mongers is on his way shortly). Therefore you need enchantments that fall into one of three categories: "Everyone Benefits," "Dork Hosers," "I Win."

Everyone Benefits, A.K.A. But I’ll Still Win
The most famous of "Everyone Benefits" enchantments is Mana Flare. However, no one trusts all those mountains, as basic math indicates this is bad.

Mana Flare + Mountains = X Spell
Mana Flare + X Spell = I was stupid and I let you kill me

However, Champions of Kamigawa was kind enough to continue with its repair of the color wheel by providing us with Heartbeat of Spring. Without sources of red, people do not fear the Mana Flare as much, especially as they will benefit from it first. In a multiplayer game, a turn 3 Heartbeat of Spring should not cost you the game – barring that one dork playing any variant of the Tolarian Academy/Mind over Matter deck who now fires off a Time Spiral (but hey, you wanted a reason to kick him back to the Pokemon tables anyway).

The inherent trick is utilizing the Heartbeat of Spring to win you the game. Keeping in mind the nature of Kamigawa, and in homage to the Pro Tour: Philadelphia, here’s a deck that won’t be showing up at a table one near you anytime soon.

Heartbeat of Spring
Featured by Edd Black on 2005-05-15
As written about in http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/9670.html
Print this deck!
Maindeck:

Creatures
4 Hana Kami
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder

Enchantments
4 Heartbeat of Spring

Instants
2 Nourishing Shoal
3 Shining Shoal
2 Soulless Revival
2 Wear Away


Legendary Creatures
2 Konda, Lord of Eiganjo
2 Myojin of Cleansing Fire
3 Myojin of Life's Web
2 Oyobi, Who Split the Heavens

Sorceries
4 Kodama's Reach
2 Time of Need

Basic Lands
11 Forest
10 Plains
1 Swamp

Legendary Lands
1 Eiganjo Castle
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
Stats:
Average mana: 2.15
Average creature mana cost: 4.88
Average creature power: 3.06
Average creature toughness: 3.65

Deck Composition:
Basic Lands: 36.67%
Instants: 15.00%
Legendary Creatures: 15.00%
Enchantments: 6.67%
Legendary Lands: 3.33%
Creatures: 13.33%
Sorceries: 10.00%



Download this deck in
Apprentice format!
  Download this deck in
Magic Online Text format!

The premise is simple: accelerate, play big fatty, dominate. When playing multiplayer, people tend not to have a problem losing to fatties — plus, Green and White don’t scream "threat." Usually, in my multiplayer group, the targeted colors are Blue, Black, and then Red. White and Green have a very soothing effect, plus having seven indestructible creatures doesn’t hurt. These creatures can also be fed to the shoals until you can set up, and the Hana Kami helps facilitate reach acceleration and feeds Oyobi.

Dork Hoser: A.K.A. "We’re Not Losing To That Crap Again"
Every group has one: The guy who plays the annoying combo we all hate. And if I'm that guy, I'll win some games because you’ll scoop. You’ll scoop because you won’t want to finish the game, and I have thus asserted my Alpha Dorkness for a moment of joy in my poor pathetic lonely unhygienic life.

Now I’m going home to cry myself to sleep.

I am going to focus on one of these janky play styles: Lifegain.

The most hated card in our playgroup (before being dumped for Stasis/Kismet/Chronatog/Glacial Chasm or any combination thereof) was Wellwisher.

Wellwisher was not bad by itself. However, when Onslaught came out, everyone played with those damned things. Everyone had elf decks. These games were endless, as life totals reached into the thousands. Timberwatch Elves didn’t matter, as they were on both sides, so blockers would cancel out attackers. We didn’t get a solution until Scourge.

Praise be to Allah for Sulfuric Vortex.

I dominated several tables at last year's Regionals with a main deck Vortex, as it shut out Sun Droplets and Pulse of the Fields, and any other janky life gain deemed to be able to handle Skullclamp/Arcbound Ravager decks. Needless to say, it saw insta-action versus all these cursed elves. The trick is to turn that two damage a turn into an advantage – because a ten-turn clock is too slow. I would recommend this.

Sulfuric Vortex
Featured by Edd Black on 2005-05-15
As written about in http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/9670.html
Print this deck!
Maindeck:

Creatures
3 Fledgling Dragon
4 Kyren Sniper
4 War Elemental
4 Warmonger

Enchantments
4 Sulfuric Vortex

Instants
4 Fling
4 Incinerate
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Shock


Sorceries
2 Jokulhaups

Basic Lands
19 Mountain

Lands
3 Barbarian Ring

Legendary Lands
1 Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep
Stats:
Average mana: 1.67
Average creature mana cost: 3.47
Average creature power: 1.73
Average creature toughness: 1.73

Deck Composition:
Basic Lands: 31.67%
Instants: 26.67%
Legendary Lands: 1.67%
Sorceries: 3.33%
Creatures: 25.00%
Lands: 5.00%
Enchantments: 6.67%



Download this deck in
Apprentice format!
  Download this deck in
Magic Online Text format!

The premise is obvious: Sulfuric Vortex will be kosher to everyone, right up until the War Elemental hits the table. The Kyren Sniper will get snickers, but it enables the War Elemental. Zappy will keep weenies off your butt or plow the road, and Warmonger builds a big elemental.

Fling finishes the player who tries to Terror/Swords to Plowshares/Fireball the War Elemental. The Barbarian Rings either plow road or enable Elementals. The Shinka feeds the faint echo of “it kills Horobi” still bubbling in my blood (does Ponza need a Shinka? What will Kumano, Master Yamabushi attack into that has a toughness of four? I’ve judged games lost because a player drew Shinka over a mountain, and instead of winning right there, lost because of the Legendary Rule).

Granted, red usually is a "kill me first" color, especially mono-red; however, stopping life gain will net you some allies for a couple of turns, and that’s all it needs.

I Win, A.K.A. "I Should Have Won $20 For The Last Contest"
Everyone loves toying with the “I win” condition. The inherent problem is the “I win” condition is virtually (from a practical standpoint) eem-poss-eee-bley. Take The Cheese Stands Alone (hereafter referred to as The Cheese). The Cheese has an easy to understand win condition. If the Cheese is in play, and I have neither cards in hand nor permanents in play besides the Cheese, then I win (and if done at Regionals, become an urban legend – allegedly). Therefore we need to deal with the three components of the win:

The Cheese in play
No cards in hand
No other permanents in play

The inherent problem is sacrificing is usually Black or Red, and pitching requires the Spellshapers from Mercadian block or some other such fiddle faddle – except R&D didn’t fix the color wheel en masse until 8th Edition. We can do the whole thing mono white (mono silver if people want to whine about artifacts).

The Cheese Stands Alone
Featured by Edd Black on 2005-05-15
As written about in http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/9670.html
Print this deck!
Maindeck:

Artifacts
4 Isochron Scepter
4 Meekstone
2 Reito Lantern

Creatures
4 Academy Rector
3 Patrol Hound
3 Tireless Tribe

Enchantments
4 Ghostly Prison
2 The Cheese Stands Alone


Instants
2 Ethereal Haze
2 Holy Day
4 Renounce
4 Swords to Plowshares

Basic Lands
18 Plains

Lands
2 Thawing Glaciers

Legendary Lands
2 Phyrexian Tower
Stats:
Average mana: 1.35
Average creature mana cost: 2.50
Average creature power: 1.30
Average creature toughness: 1.70

Deck Composition:
Artifacts: 16.67%
Basic Lands: 30.00%
Lands: 3.33%
Enchantments: 10.00%
Instants: 20.00%
Creatures: 16.67%
Legendary Lands: 3.33%



Download this deck in
Apprentice format!
  Download this deck in
Magic Online Text format!

Thankfully, the honkey-esque nature of the early color wheel lets us build this monstrosity. The first time I played this, no one knew what hit them. You hide behind walls of Ghostly Prisons, Meekstones, and Scepter/Swords or Scepter/Honky Fog. Scepter/Swords is very effective, as people are generally not opposed to gaining massive amounts of life. The Reito Lanterns fix the situation if The Cheese somehow ends up in your graveyard. The Thawing Glaciers thin out the deck.

The Renounce clears your side of the board. The Academy Rector gives you an alternate method to get The Cheese into play. The Phyrexian Tower gives you a way to kill your Academy Rector if you desire to toy with your opponents.

Me: You might as well give up Magic. I’m putting my Cheese on the table, openly stating I do not fear your ability – or lack thereof – to stop me. Since you’re going to quit in shame, can I have your cards?

Them: go yourself you mother . (edited by that durned MTGO filter).

Me: So is that a no on the cards?

Edd
(hopefully $20.00 richer this time)


StarCityGames.com
5728 Williamson Road N.W, Roanoke, VA, 24012
Phone: (540) 767-GAME (4263)
Online Customer Support Hours: 10am-6pm EST Mon-Fri;
Store Hours & Info: Check out our Facebook page
Fax: (540) 265-0544
Contact Us!

All content on this page (c) 2011 StarCityGames and may not be reproduced whole without consent.

Refund/Return Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms and Conditions

Magic the Gathering is TM and copyright Wizards of the Coast, Inc, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. All rights reserved.
StarCityGames.com - Always Buying!
Get SCGMobile for your iOS device!
PREMIUM
Financial Value of Avacyn Restored StarCityGames.com Premium Article!

Get the Ascension Deckbuilding Game on StarCityGames.com!
Get Next Level Magic by Patrick Chapin
Tha Gatherin featuring Bill Boulden AKA Spruke & Patrick Chapin the Innovator
Get Next Level Magic by Patrick Chapin
EVENTS
Magic the Gathering Events
Buy, sell and trade with StarCityGames.com at each of these upcoming events!

05/26/12 - 05/27/12
Nashville, TN

StarCityGames.com Open Series

06/02/12 - 06/03/12
Columbus, OH
at Origins

StarCityGames.com Open Series

06/09/12 - 06/10/12
Worcester, MA

StarCityGames.com Open Series

06/15/12 - 06/17/12
Indianapolis, IN

StarCityGames.com Open Series featuring Invitational

06/23/12 - 06/24/12
Detroit, MI

StarCityGames.com Open Series

06/30/12 - 07/01/12
Seattle, WA

StarCityGames.com Open Series

FORUMS
If it's happening in Magic: the Gathering, it's being talked about in our forums! Join, and share your thoughts with the rest of the Magic: the Gathering community!

Magic: the Gathering discussion forums

GAME CENTER
  • When in southwest Virginia, visit the Star City Game Center!

    Star City Game Center
    5728 Williamson Rd.
    Roanoke, VA 24012
    Ph: (540)767-4263
    [Info & Pics!]
RESOURCES
MAGIC ARCHIVES
CONTACT US
StarCityGames.com is proud to be a Wizards of the Coast Authorized Internet Retailer