We're here today to talk about the new November Extended format. You see, the Extended season starts in a few weeks - and when it does, things get crazy. Extended has always been a carousel of rotating decks: One week, this deck is good. The next week, it's all metagamed against, and you need to be up on the new tech. Those that followed that path were playing Oath right after the Miracle Gro decks exploded onto the scene last year.

As the weeks go on, the format shifts. It makes for one of the best Pro Tour Qualifying seasons to play in, because just learning how to play your "Blue/Green Threshold" deck well - like in Odyssey Block - isn't going to be enough to push you onto the top of the pile.

Of course, this year the whole format is going to be in complete Chaos for the first few weeks. The format is brand spanking new! Dual lands gone, Mirage Block gone, Ice Age Block gone. It's a whole new world of cards to look at. This is when I feel alive for the writing scene. I can try and voice my opinions on the decks and cards you should be looking at.

Strategies, ideas, concepts, and general beliefs change when a format gets such a shift. Sitting back with your Junk deck riding on Swords to Plowshares, dual lands, and Tithe isn't going to work anymore. Those cards are gone. The ability to solidify your mana base is gone. This in turn makes decks of 3 or more colors much harder to build and use correctly.

What do we have for a basis to look at for decks? Pro Tour: Houston. Let me tell you a little secret. Those results are great to look at - but do you really think that will tell us all about the upcoming Extended season? It gives us a peek. The tip of the iceberg. We don't have three years of prior experience with this particular format, and don't have cards banned to tell us which decks we should play.

Last year, in 2001, the Extended Pro Tour spot was in New Orleans. The top 8 showed us some things we should be of note about. Here were the final standings for that tournament and what they played.

1^st - Kai Budde - Trix
2^nd - Tomi Walamies - Operation Dumbo Drop
3^rd - Jelger Wiegersma - Oath
4^th - Dave Humpherys - Reanimator
5^th - Anton Jonnson - Three-Deuce
6^th - Raphael Gennari - Secret Force
7^th - Darwin Kastle - Reanimator
8^th - Benedikt Klauser - Trix

Remember, this was in a format that only had a few modifications from some banned cards ù an existing format.

I know that Trix and Oath were pretty solid throughout the season as a whole. The rest of these decks though, either got metagamed right out of contention or something new came alone that made those decks obsolete. Sure, those decks were still played... But...

You see, the decks I saw from all over the place in top 8's and so on at local PTQs and worldwide PTQs consisted of a lot of decks not listed on that top 8.

• Miracle Gro and Super Gro
• Sligh
• PT Junk
• The Rock and His Millions
• Black/Blue/Green (BUG) Control

But coming out of that Pro Tour, the buzz was on Trix and Finkula. Trix soon found its arch-enemy in the form of Miracle-Gro based strategies. No one really saw this deck coming, or even gave it acceptance when it hit. But soon, it was everywhere and became the deck to beat. (It should be noted that not a single "Quirion Dryad" made day 2 of that Pro Tour.)

So we are left to ponder on what to play for the upcoming season. Here's the key, find out what is to be played, then build something that can completely maul it, and some of the other top decks. Enter the random Rogue deck strategy that turns mainstream. I know it will happen.

It is sure to happen: In fact, I guarantee it. A new format, and one tournament, a Pro Tour event mind you (which generally means, people taking less chances cause they want money and PT points) which all adds up to give us a few decks and a look at the format for the future.

Reanimator and Oath are the subtitled Decks to Beat. Oath may have some merit and staying power to it; I am not sure if the Cognivore is the best version, though, as Oath usually has many faces each qualifying season. Reanimator had a lot of buzz last year, too.... And by week 3 of the PTQ season, it was metagamed right out of the tournament scene. Everyone was packing some hate against it, or playing some deck that would wreck it. I bet you it happens again.

You see, Your Move Games can take a deck to a Pro Tour Event like Houston, or New Orleans, and play Reanimator to the top of the standings. No one there really had the appropriate hate for the deck and really wasn't prepared for it.

But Jimmy Burn Boy, playing at your local PTQ, will be packing some anti-Reanimator stuff that will drive you crazy. Then your round 2 opponent will hate you out also. You see, if it's expected to be a top deck, but centers around a single strategy, it's bound to be metagame against by the people who expect it to be there in sheer numbers.

Is Reanimator a bad deck because of this? No, Reanimator is an amazing deck! But, if everyone is either playing a deck that is favorable against it, or playing four to eight sideboard cards against that deck, it makes it difficult to play - because your strategy is being offset from the get go.

This is the time of the year when the internet is very valuable. A new format to work with. The deck ideas are endless. There are sure to be a lot of cards you need to search through your old common boxes, or ask the local store with singles, for. You will be checking each site, every day, looking for a new article about an Extended deck idea.

Though I have been disappointed recently. Every article out there is about Onslaught Limited, which the qualifying season is just about over with, or about Reanimator, Oath, or Psychatog in Extended. This doesn't help us brainstorm any ideas.

That's what I am here for though! Do you think I am really going to mull over the Oath deck and talk about how to play it right?

"Turn 2, play Oath, use it on the next turn if you can."

WOW! Now you know all about that deck! Most people understand how Oath decks work - and though it is still really great to see someone drop their opinions about it and all, we need more off-the-wall strategies discussed, or mutations of a deck discussed.

So what I am going to start off my Extended review season with is the deck I was playing around with for Pro Tour: Houston, in case I happened to qualify in a PTQ (which I didn't, sorry).

Let's give you my mind set first of all. I warm up the modem each time Extended season rolls around. Especially when I get a chance to work on a brand new format! I try to find out any tech I can from older decks and apply them to new ideas.

So, with Rath Cycle, Urza's Block, Masques' Block and so on to work with, I did a lot of reading.

You see, taking a look at what people played in those blocks, or in older Type 2 formats, can give you insight about the decks you could construct, when you consider the cards from the last three blocks (Invasion, Odyssey, Onslaught).

While this isn't the only way to get a new deck thought up, it sure does get your melon thinking. Sometimes, a deck was so strong in a block format and the following Type 2 season, that it is worth trying out a new version of that deck. Sometimes, you just need to look back and get some fresh ideas.

I am flipping through deck after deck, until I come across one of the decks I knew was very solid - mainly because I hated it.

Ugh! I hated that deck in block. I hated it in Type 2 also. I just hated it. Stupid, annoying, piece of junk deck, that always seemed to kick butt.

Let's think about it for a second though. It contained a bunch of free countermagic, utilized all resources, and could easily be applied to beating a lot of the upcoming ideas for decks.

Believe me, whenever a new format is formed, new Combo Decks and Control decks continue to spring up all over the place.

Skies can just wreck those types of decks, while not caring much for the heavy beatdown strategies and decks that are overly focused on their task (Tinker, for example).

So I got to thinking: I pulled out my older Skies cards, and started looking at my Troublesome Spirits. These cards were once good; man, that's hard to believe. You know, I never use these things. Heck, I never use most of the cards in the Skies design. Let's think about what we could do with the deck from other sets, and give it a shot.

The Skies deck way outperformed my expectations.

Here is the deck list so you can get a good look at what I was playing around with at first. I will soon provide the deck I ended up with:

Skies 2K3 test v.1
4x Cloud Sprite
4x Spiketail Hatchling
4x Rishadan Airship
3x Drake Hatchling
4x Troublesome Spirit
4x Chimeric Idol
4x Foil
4x Thwart
4x Gush
3x Opposition
4x Wasteland
18x Island

It sure does look a whole heck of a lot like a block deck, doesn't it? This is what I started with. Where I went from there was a long ways. Wasteland seemed obviously superior to Rishadan Port from the old deck, especially with the Troublesome Spirit thing going on.

Most of the old creatures still seemed pretty adequate, so I figured I would start with those. Man, does Chimeric Idol feel good to play or what! I've always thought that card was really cool; of course, I've always liked Jade Statue and Mishra's Factory.

Then I added Opposition. That card just always seems to end up dominating Type 2 every now and then, no matter what people do to it... This was an error in my decision making. This deck relies on having one or two creatures out, and working off that. Opposition is one of those types of things you like to have a lot of creatures out with.

So I turned Opposition into Rising Waters. I figured that card was pretty darn useful in block and in type 2 as a sideboard option - and with Winter Orb out of the format, thought you could catch some people with their pants down. It should be noted that when I was winning and in control pretty fully, Waters was the game finisher. When I was losing, and Waters was out, it wasn't helping the situation too much. It still seems like more of a sideboard card versus heavy control decks.

So I started to tweak what I had originally came up with for a deck. I looked to other sets more, and thought a lot more about the card choices. Thinking about what worked and what did not.

There was a lot of in-between time from where I got to, but this is where I ended up:

Skies 2K3
4x Cloud Sprite
3x Spiketail Hatchling
4x Rishadan Airship
2x Waterfront Bouncer / 2x Gilded Drake (not sure which I really want right now)
4x Troublesome Spirit
1x Morphling
4x Chimeric Idol
4x Curiosity
4x Gush
4x Foil
4x Thwart
2x Misdirection / 2x Boomerang (once again, undecided)
19x Islands
2x Lonely Sandbar (has merits, not sold on it yet for this deck)

First of all, it is 61 cards, in my usual fashion. I just had to have the Morphling in there, because I chucked in while I only could find two Spiketail Hatchlings, and it was amazing (because, well.... it's Morphling).

This deck has everything that I want but Disrupt.

The problems with this deck is things like Stompy and Sligh... But that's what the sideboard is all about! Chill and Submerge/Hibernation top the list of things to throw in, and other cards like Annul versus Oath continue the list. If Tinker is to be expected, Energy Flux is a good idea. Also, if Rebels ever do make a run for the title, good old Wash Out is never a bad idea.

I like playing turn 1 Lava Axe (Cloud Sprite, as dubbed by Seth Burn). I never envisioned it in Skies back then, but I do now. I drop it out, and my opponents are like whatever, that card isn't that good. Then I play a Curiosity on it on turn 2, and things start getting out of control as I now can have access to all the necessary counter magic and bounce that I will need to own the game.

Troublesome Spirit
While this costs four mana and is only a 3/4 flyer with a drawback, this is the guy that really puts the clock on your opponent. His four defense makes it a tough kill, and you tapping your land really doesn't bother you. Your counter spells and card drawing aspects are free. While it doesn't look a lot like a key card, this is. Those who played Skies back in Block or Type 2 know what I am talking about.

Foil and Thwart
Free counter spells. Sure, the alternate casting cost is a bit of a pain in the butt - but with the card drawing in this deck and the tempo you set the table with for beats, you don't really mind. The fact that these two counters can work so well together is an extra bonus. The whole key, though, is that you don't even have to care about ever tapping out for a spell, because your backup is free.

Gush and Curiosity
Card drawing is also key in this deck. It doesn't toss out a lot of "evil" threats or single game winners; the deck is all about dropping out some little annoying thing that goes way further than it should. In the meantime, you are drawing cards and playing your counter magic. Drawing those few extra cards for ammo for your counters, or just to get to them, is very key.

Waterfront Bouncer versus Gilded Drake
While both of these have uses versus the same deck (Reanimator), both have merits versus other ideas. Gilded Drake grabs that creature right now, and can always be bounced back to your hand - which makes it really good with Waterfront Bouncer. Waterfront Bouncer can stop things at any time, though; if your opponent is playing Angry Ghoul and they have an Anger in the graveyard, you are in trouble... But if Waterfront Bouncer is active, you got a way to save your hide. Gilded Drake is better versus Cognivore than Waterfront Bouncer, but Bouncer can touch things like Treetop Village. I'm really leaning towards the Bouncer, though, which can prove annoying for multiple creatures down the stretch.

Misdirection versus Boomerang
Boomerang is an old-school legend from the days of yore. It lends itself to us very handedly versus Angry Ghoul and against any permanent that we do not have a solution for. The ability to just save your skin versus some enchantment or something random - and we all know that randomness rules at PTQs, right? - is good. But Misdirection can act as that extra countermagic spell; you get into a counter war with a control deck, and you can throw Deflection into the mix, messing up everything. Also, the ability to send any spell to another target is a positive one too. Whether it's a burn spell or some form or targeted removal, you will always be glad to have this card nearby. I always liked Misdirection - and while it's currently in the deck, I'm leaning towards the utility of Boomerang.

Note: It's very important that Boomerang costs two mana. I would use things like Rushing River or Capsize if the cost wasn't an issue.

Lonely Sandbar vs. Island
To cycle or not to cycle? While playing a few of these really can bail you out in later game situations when you are trying to get to that final counterspell to seal the game, the Sandbars just don't act as an Island. Coming into play tapped isn't the problem, it's the fact that they can't be used as the Island part of Thwart and Foil's alternate casting cost. While I am not sure if this is enough at this current time to go without the cycling lands, I think I am going to keep myself to two Sandbars at most.

Rishadan Ports and Wastelands vs. Using them
I want to solidify the mana base, and the format ranges from decks that get hampered by mana disruption, to those that aren't bothered at all. That made them very questionable. I went away from them, and haven't found myself looking that far back.

The Cards That Didn't Make The Cut:
There were literally about thirty other cards I considered - many different counter spell types, from Mana Leak to Daze. Why no Daze and Spiketail Hatchling? Returning of a land can really damper your game plan of using the alternate casting costs of Foil, Thwart and Gush, and can slow you down a touch.

Here we go with a list of the cards I didn't end up using, but did think about and/or try out, and if I did use them, what they were pulled out for.

• Tradewind Rider
• Merfolk Looter (Waterfront Bouncer/Gilded Drake spot)
• Opt, Peek, and Brainstorm
• Fact or Fiction
• Rising Waters (became Curiosity, though it remains a possible MVP in sideboard)
• Opposition (see Waters)
• Drake Hatchling (wasn't potent enough)
• Temporal Adept
• Wash Out (more suited for sideboard)
• A lot of counterspells (Disrupt, Force Spike, Counterspell...)
• Voidmage Prodigy (okay, I thought about it, but it really doesn't fit at all)
• Sky Diamond (was an early thought to go with Waters)
• Wasteland/Rishadan Port (more Islands was just better, though Treetop Villages are a pain)
• Whispers of the Muse
• Capsize
• Rushing River

Vs. Oath
Generally, a deck idea like Skies just plain wrecks Oath. Once you drop in the Annuls, its all about you for the rest of the series. The Oath deck wants you to drop out lots of stuff and then recoup with a Pernicious Deed, netting card advantage. Well, Skies is all about using one or maybe two creatures at a time. Then, add in the fact that Chimeric Idol is very anti-Oath to begin with, and you are looking okay from the get-go. The ability to keep the counter war active without needing mana on your end available makes this deck a potent pain for Oath.

In the event that a Cognivore comes into play, it will probably be very, very large; all you need is to buy time. Bringing in Submerge could create enough tempo enough for you to defeat your opponent, and the Gilded Drake/Waterfront Bouncer spot comes in really handy here.

Vs. Reanimator and Angry Ghoul
Here is a matchup that can give you fits from time to time. While you have the tools in your deck to mess up their game plan, you don't always get them early - and then you find yourself staring at a Verdant Force or Sutured Ghoul. This is when the Boomerang spot shines for you instead of the Misdirections; Gilded Drake and/or Waterfront Bouncer can prove their weight in gold in this pairing almost every time.

The addition of sideboard cards versus the game can put you back in the saddle. Disrupt is good, and so is Force Spike, but not always what you need. Seal of Removal can prove to be very helpful, as it is tough to get rid of for them once you get it out. Remember, they are trying to attack your hand and/or resources, and a single Seal can reset all the problems that they were building up against.

These decks are a bit of a one-trick pony. Don't let that trick happen.

Vs. Sligh
This is your bad matchup. Believe me, when I say you need Chill, you need four of them in your sideboard. A Chill or two can really turn the tide in your favor... Though it's not a lost cause without them. They key to everything is being in control of the game, and not letting them. Having an answer for every one of their back breaking spells for you is how you win this match-up.

Misdirection shines here, along with Troublesome Spirit (since it's four toughness, and Fireblast isn't around).

Vs. Psychatog
I really don't know the results of this matchup, but I know this: This is, once again, the type of deck you want to play with the Skies deck every round. You sit there, doing very little, waiting to react to what they have in store. When their deck revolves around only a few things, you find yourself in the driver's seat from the start of the game.

The fact that your countermagic is free and theirs costs mana, makes you have the more potent spells. You don't have to sit back on mana and wait for the opportunity to back up your spell. You just act aggressive, attacking with your little flyers - and once your opponent goes for the 'Tog or other threat, react with the permission war, or appropriate bouncing methods.

Vs. The Rock and His Millions
Here is a match-up that favors you a little (like 55% to 45%). It's nothing to write home about, but it is something that you like to have on your side. The deal is that you need to have the answers for the problems. Pernicious Deed is very good - but remember, Skies doesn't unload four to seven cards in play at any time! Generally, they will be killing just a Spiketail Hatchling and a Troublesome Spirit, or something along those lines.

Stop Spiritmonger at all costs: That card is bad for you. Unless you have a Gilded Drake in your hand at the time and plan on taking the Spiritmonger, don't let him hit play. After sideboarding, with both Waterfront Bouncer and Gilded Drake, you may be able to stage a full-flight war in the midgame with their creatures!

Skies has all the tools to beat the Rock - but you need to know what to do correctly, make that right play, and be very cautious about everything. This is one of those matchups that you should really practice on, to make sure you can make the correct plays. Versus some of the other decks, you know what to expect and do: Remember, The Rock plays to a beat of a different drummer. Skies also seems to play its own game, keeping things out of balance for your opponent and severely frustrating them as you seem to always have answers and dropping out the key cards to kill them with.

Here's A Brief Synopsis Of How The Deck Runs For The First Few Turns:
Turn 1- Island, Cloud Sprite (LAVA AXE!)
Turn 2- Island, Spiketail Hatchling, attack with Cloud Sprite
Turn 3- Island, Chimeric Idol, attack with Hatchling and Sprite. At this point, you have either used the Foil in your hand for some key spell of your opponents or just cast a Thwart on your opponent's next turn.

Turn 4- Island (Replay via Thwart or Gush), Curiosity on Cloud Sprite. Attack for a card and some damage.
Turn 5- Island (Replay), Rishadan Airship, send with the beats.
Turn 6- By now the game is getting out of hand, you seem to have the answer to anything that matters, while you chop away at your opponent with measly little flying creatures. It will take a few more turns to get the victory on a good game, but the fact that you can just find a way around anything at this point makes you a lethal weapon.

Of course, all this happens when your opponent doesn't have something very powerful that you couldn't have taken care of. I have gotten the games where I have had four Islands, three Rishadan Airships, and three Troublesome Spirits. While rare, an Oath of Druids or a Pernicious Deed may be just enough to throw you off balance in those games and put you under their control.

The Mindset With Skies Versus The Field Right Now:
It's all about being the aggressor in a passive sort of way. Yes, I just said that, and it doesn't sound like it makes a lot of sense. You will understand more if you sat in the driver's seat of the deck.

You see, you are trying to attack every turn - always attacking. Winning with creatures in a kind of slow attacking fashion is your path to victory. But at the same time, you are sitting back, waiting for the important spell you need to bounce or counter to come out. Birds of Paradise and Yavimaya Elder don't count as important spells unless it is turn 8 and they have two land in play. Those are things you can just deal with in play. Take a little bit of attack damage... What's wrong with that?

Don't be a fool and overthink the real problems for you. Unless you feel really safe about your position from the start of the game, game 1, versus a Sligh deck, using Foil to counter Jackal Pup may not be a bad idea. It may not be a good idea either though... If you have a ground blocker (which many of the flyers can't do), you are probably better off taking a few damage, dropping the ground dude and spending your counter magic and cards on the following burn spell to be able to block.

The less you do, the more you are winning. If you can drop out a Rishadan Airship on turn 3 and ride that for as long as you can, casting a counter spell every so often to keep the problems out of the way, you will most likely win.

Taking chances with any deck is usually ill-advised; taking chances with this deck is borderline insanity! If you can sacrifice a Spiketail Hatchling to counter a Blistering Firecat, do it! Don't go and think,"Hey, I'll be at five after all is said and done; I could do a few more flying damage with the Hatchling!" More creatures will come; be on top of your game.

That's all for now; hopefully, you enjoyed my view of Extended Skies. Do I think it is a contender? Of course; that's why I built it, played it, and talked about it. Do I think it is one of the best decks? That I can't tell you - though I really feel that this deck isn't a random pile of junk.

Feel free to ask anything.

Jeremy Muir
Keiichibell@go.com
Special thanks to Borknagar for providing me with my title (and a good song)