This article is about a strange little deck that went 5-0-2 in an Onslaught Block Constructed tournament. Pleasant reading!

A little history about the deck
Our local shop announced a Scourge-legal Onslaught Block Constructed tournament, with Scourge legal for it. I started to create two decks: An Astral Slide deck for me, and another for my brother. I had a whole week to playtest the second deck, and decided to see how blue really performs in the format. First, I paired it with Green, and failed to win a single game whenever I went second. But with Green/Blue, I found what blue cards were really good - I found that Discombobulate is just too slow, that the bounce in the format is not fast enough (or sometimes bounces back on you), and that removal is really important. But I was happy with the blue color, as it is a really strange choice for Onslaught Block.

And then I looked at my four Polluted Deltas, and at my Smothers, and at my Infests... It all started as a deck that utilized Soul Collector with Pemmin's Aura, and shifted to a more controllish version. I removed two-thirds of the Soul Collectors, as they seemed to be too slow. I played around with the actual amounts of removal and removal-like spells. I tested, and tested. Two days before the tournament, I was done. The deck was completed - and I was surprised to find that it was good. It beat Goblins, Zombies, Beasts,"The Claw," White/Green Vegetation, Mono White Control, Astral Slide, Elves, Soldiers...

Well, really, it does have a bad matchup against Astral Slide, but I found that it was good enough to win the tournament. Here is the deck list, with a little information about every card, most of the matchups, and sideboard strategies.

"Pain" (in Silence)
4 Polluted Delta
1 Lonely Sandbar
2 Barren Moor
9 Swamp
8 Island

4 Wall of Deceit
1 Bane of the Living
1 Soul Collector
2 Prowling Pangolin
2 Visara The Dreadful
3 Twisted Abomination
4 Choking Tethers
4 Complicate
3 Pemmin's Aura
4 Smother
3 Infest
3 Cruel Revival
2 Decree of Pain

Sideboard:
4 Artificial Evolution
2 Stabilizer
3 Unburden
1 Bane of the Living
1 Cruel Revival
2 Head Games
2 Decree of Silence

The deck is mana-hungry, but does not cast any spells before turn 2, so I think that three cycling lands are enough, as they can get you out of mana flood.

Wall of Deceit
The Wall. I still think that this is the best wall ever, as it proves to be really good at stopping early bleeding or early beatdown creatures. It survives almost everything - and with the morph tricks it has, it can kill some of the creatures in the format. A 0/5 on turn 2 is nothing for Goblins to laugh at. (Although Clickslither, Rorix, and Goblin Goon might have a brief chuckle... - The Ferrett)

Bane of the Living
This is the fourth Infest of the deck. After some testing, and finding that Infest is no good against some of the decks, and realizing that the deck has a great matchup against Goblins already, I replaced the fourth Infest with something that can kill bigger creatures at instant speed. It can also deal with Akroma.

Soul Collector
The original centerpiece of the deck, I slowly replaced Soul Collector after Soul Collector... Which left me with none in the maindeck. Then I lost a game against"The Claw" after sideboarding, as he brought Steely Resolve in. I did not have enough mana to Bane Rorix out... But I did have a morph, and BBB open. If it was a Soul Collector, I would have won that game. And against slower decks, it is really good with Pemmin's Aura on it. Also, it is 3/4 with evasion, and can block Exalted Angel.

Prowling Pangolin
I am really happy with this creature. It is 6/5 for five mana, and that's a great power-to-mana ratio - and the sacrifice possibility is never really an option with all the removal this deck runs. It can get scary really fast with Pemmin's Aura on it, swinging for ten a turn.

Visara the Dreadful
No deck can fare well without a Legend in it these days... And this is the Legend that only Jareth can stand against. Put a Pemmin's Aura on it, and it's a machine gun - U, you're dead.

Twisted Abomination
There used to be four, but after testing, I found that I cycled through extra Abominations a little too much. It can be a good beater, an eternal blocker, and it lives through an Akroma's Vengeance. It cycles to find early mana, and can be brought back with Cruel Revival. An all-around good creature.

Choking Tethers
In a format that is so aggressive, Choking Tethers is really good. It shuts down a whole attack for 3U, or stops the best creature the opponent has for 1U, drawing a card in the process. You can alpha strike your opponent with its help, and it stops Piledrivers and Akroma, Angel of Wrath.

Complicate
The only Counterspell that really does its job in the format - it stops early key cards like Explosive Vegetation, Goblin Goon, Exalted Angel, Akroma's Vengeance, Wing Shards, Undead Warchief, Akroma, Angel of Wrath and many others. It cycles late game if you need it to. It's one of the few direct answers to Akroma, Angel of Wrath.

Pemmin's Aura
What would you like today? Do you want a creature that reads,"U: Destroy target creature," or have an untargetable, flying 10/1 monster? This Aura makes it all happened, and a lot more. On Wall of Deceit, you can stop Akroma, Angel of Wrath; on Soul Collector, you can make your opponent think twice before attacking. It can make Twisted Abomination a blocker and attacker. If used properly, it can save your creature from Astral Slide. It can even serve as removal!

Smother
There are some decks that laugh at Smother. But most of the decks fear its power to negate a creature for the low cost of two mana. Goblins, Elves, Krosan Warchief, Morphs - it kills them all, and it's critical in the Goblins matchup. It's just too bad that Ravenous Baloth is four mana.

Infest
Most of the real aggro decks do not have a lot of three- or four-toughness creatures - and for those, you can double-Infest. But clearing the board of creatures early as turn 3 is important for the deck, since it wins in the late game.

Cruel Revival
When big creatures roam the land, Cruel Revival is your hope to survive. Silvos, Rogue Elemental, Canopy Crawler, Goblin Goon, Exalted Angel - every deck runs some sort of a big creature that Infest and Smother cannot handle. And you can bring Twisted Abomination back as part of the effect. Just perfect.

Decree of Pain
This is to handle the late-game hordes that beasts and zombies can produce. It also is a kill method against Legends, from Jareth to Akroma. It cycles, which can be used really nicely; whether it's a cantrip Infest, or an expensive but card-advantageous Wrath of God, it is all-around good card. And if you cast it, it means that you do not really need your creatures, so it is a little Skulltap.

Artificial Evolution
The tribes are all here, and this card is to ruin their game. Contested Cliffs, Unholy Grotto, Wirewood Lodge, Warchiefs, Ravenous Baloth... They all fall to the power of the Evolution. It can serve as effective land destruction, and make good creatures a lot worse. At the tournament, my brother changed the creature type of his Twisted Abomination to Wizard at the end of his opponent's turn, taking control of three Thoughtbound Primocs that way.

Stabilizer
Let's face it - this deck falls to second-turn Lightning Rift. The deck itself has a lot of cyclers, but some of them go out at sideboarding anyway if paired against Astral Slide.

Unburden
This proved to be a great discard spell for the format. It can discard important cards, or clear the way for Head Games. Late game it cycles, so it is never a dead draw. It helps a lot against Astral Slide, Mono White Control, The Claw, and can force White/Green Vegetation to discard Akroma.

Bane of the Living
Against decks like Beasts, Infest is no good. That is when the second Bane comes to help you. It is a way to deal with Akroma as well...

Head Games
Primarily for use against Astral Slide, this card proved to be good against Mono White Control, The Claw, and White/Green Vegetation decks as well, since it removes key spells out of their hand, then replaces them with something worse - like Silver Knight, Wirewood Elf, or Wall of Mulch.

Decree of Silence
It is really expensive to cast - but once you do it, it can be like taking three turns (or more) for eight mana. If both players are in topdeck mode, this can turn the tide strongly in your favor. Drop it when you have a way to deal with their creatures, or the table is clean, or they have to find a way to deal with yours.

My brother, Anton, had Visara and Silence in hand. He drops the enchantment, and Visara on the next turn. He was playing against a White/Green Vegetation deck. Well, Anton won that game, and after that his opponent showed him the card in his hand - Oblation. It would be the third spell, so it would have been countered. He used Ravenous Baloth and Silvos to try and force the spell, but Anton showed him the two Complicates he had.

After the card-by-card analysis, let's look at the matchups:

Goblins
One of the best matchups this deck has. In the early game,"Pain" is all about stall. Stall the game, until turn 6 or 7 and you have won. And this deck has all the tools to do just that: Smother, Complicate, Choking Tethers, Infest, Wall of Deceit, Bane of the Living, cycled Decree of Pain... Then drop a superior creature like Prowling Pangolin, Twisted Abomination, or Visara and win.

With Complicates, Smothers, and Choking Tethers this deck can handle even the best Goblin draw the opponent has.

Key Cards
Smother their Warchiefs, Infest everything else, Complicate Goblin Goon, Clickslither, or Sulfuric Vortex when going first, cycle Choking Tethers to tap down Blistering Firecat and Menacing Ogre. Use Wall of Deceit smartly - block early, try to flip-and-kill things when you can. Use Cruel Revival if a Goon survives. And if they drop the Vortex - race them! It is really possible, with all the removal, to race them with something like Prowling Pangolin, or even morphs, and use removal to keep the board clean. Try to evolve Goblin Piledriver so it gets +2/+0 for each other attacking Crocodile, or to make Goblin Warchief into Knight Warchief.

Sideboard:
-1 Cruel Revival
-1 Soul Collector
-3 Pemmin's Aura
+4 Artificial Evolution
+1 Bane of the Living

After sideboarding, they have really few options - They can try to bring some big creatures, like Rorix, Menacing Ogre, or Avarax in. If they do so, they will slow their deck, and you should win. They can try to be faster, but after sideboarding, you should be able to keep things clean. Try to always have at least 1U open in case they try to Threaten Visara - or at least be able to cycle Choking Tethers. It's best if you can Complicate it, obviously.

Zombies
Another good matchup, despite the dead Cruel Revival. Infest and Smother are enough for the early creatures - and Complicate, Decree of Pain and Visara will mop up the late-game ones. Place Pemmin's Aura on Twisted Abomination, as it is not likely that they will have a removal for that - unlike Visara, Soul Collector, or Prowling Pangolin, which all die to Call to the Grave.

Beware of Unholy Grotto. Infest the Warchief if you're able, and be careful what morphs you try to Smother.

Sideboard:
-3 Cruel Revival
-2 Smother
+1 Bane of the Living
+4 Artificial Evolution

Artificial Evolution really shines here - Undead Warchief? Okay, all Brothers get +2/+1 and cost one less to play. Unholy Grotto? Fine! For B, you can now put an Uncle Istvan from your graveyard on top of your library. Call to the Grave? Okay, we all must sacrifice a non-Gorgon creature at the beginning of our upkeep.

Keep Complicate for key cards you cannot answer right away - like Cruel Revival on your Visara, or Oversold Cemetery.

Beasts
This is a 50/50 matchup... At least it is before sideboarding. They have quick, big threats, like a 7/7 Canopy Crawler, Avarax, and Ravenous Baloth. They have big removal with Contested Cliffs. Try to kill, kill, and kill creatures, until the board is clean and you can drop something with Pemmin's Aura and untapped blue mana equal to the number of Cliffs they have. Resolving Visara with Aura and blue open is game for you.

Beware the mighty Crawlers! Decree of Pain is not that good against them, either. Infest makes you feel a little bit stupid, as does Smother if they do not have Warchief out.

Sideboard:
-3 Infest
-1-Soul Collector
-1 Smother
-1 Pemmin's Aura
+4 Artificial Evolution
+1 Bane of the Living
+1 Cruel Revival

After sideboarding, the matchup is strongly in your favor - you have a U answer for Cliffs. Let them pay for it, and then evolve it into something like... Lhurgoyf. Ravenous Baloth is of creature type Force, and needs to sacrifice Forces to gain four life. Krosan Warchief can regenerate Skeletons! And if someone controls more Walls than the other, he gains control of Thoughtbound Primoc. Another deck where Artificial Evolution shines!

Mono White Control
You can defeat this deck - you have answers for all their threats (except Akroma, Angel of Wrath) in the form of removal, and your threats are not easy to destroy. Akroma can be a real pain; Complicate her, keep her tapped with Choking Tethers, block her with Wall of Deceit with Pemmin's Aura. Hard-cast Decree of Pain and turn Bane of the Living face-up for 6BB to take care of her.

Eternal Dragon can be a little trouble - but if you get Pemmin's Aura, he is just not big enough. Beware of Wing Shards when attacking with a lone Twisted Abomination, and always keep at least B open with him out.

Sideboard:
-4 Smother
-3 Infest
-1 Soul Collector
-2 Wall of Deceit
+3 Unburden
+2 Head Games
+2 Decree of Silence
+1 Cruel Revival
+1 Bane of the Living

Expect them to sideboard things like Windborn Muse, White Knight, Wipe Clean, Stabilizer, or Ark of Blight. I have seen them all, and they just do not work as well they look.

After sideboarding, use Head Games to place creatures like Silver Knight, Deftblade Elite, and the sort, or just let them have their sideboard - Arks and the sort don't really work. Never let them have lands! If they brought Stabilizer in, help them out - place all of them in their hand! And if you happen to Unburden their hand down to one or two cards, and then Head Games, you win.

Dropping Decree of Silence after they Akroma's Vengeance everything is so nice - and if you happened to have Prowling Pangolin and Pemmin's Aura in hand? You win.

White/Green Vegetation and"The Claw"
I am going to talk about both decks as one, as your strategy against them is the same. Complicate their Explosive Vegetation, Smother elves, and cast Visara, The Dreadful, Prowling Pangolin, or Twisted Abomination with Pemmin's Aura for the win.

You can try to force some early damage with a morphed wall. Or, if you happen to draw Soul Collector, take control of Exalted Angel, Silvos, Rogue Elemental, Rorix, Bladewing, Kilnmouth Dragon and the sort, with the help of Cruel Revival and Decree of Pain.

Sideboard:
Your strategy after sideboarding is to disrupt their hand and just beat them down. Infest and Smother are not that good against them...

-3 Infest
-2 Smother
-4 Wall of Deceit
+3 Unburden
+2 Head Games
+2 Decree of Silence
+1 Cruel Revival

Dropping Decree of Silence against them is the same as against Mono White Control - you win. If the table is clean (and with all that discard and removal, it is not that difficult to achieve), you are about to play what you wish, and they have to waste spells just to remove the enchantment.

Expect"The Claw" to bring in Steely Resolve, which can be troublesome. If they do, try to counter Kilnmouth. All the other dragons you can kill by blocking with Pemmin's Aura out. Play the Disruption early, but not before having 2U open for their Explosive Vegetation.

Astral Slide
Well... We have come to this: Your most difficult matchup. First game, if they drop second-turn Lightning Rift, third-turn Astral Slide, you can say goodbye game. You use relatively few creatures to deal a lot of damage, and one Astral Slide can keep them all at bay. At least you can try to race - try to fool them into Sliding a creature, and if they are tapped out resolve Pemmin's Aura with at least UU open to protect it. You have a lot of dead cards in hand, and cycling some of them with that Rift out is not an option either. Sideboarding time...

-3 Infest
-3 Smother
-3 Choking Tethers
+2 Stabilizer
+3 Unburden
+2 Decree of Silence
+2 Head Games

With all that hand disruption and Stabilizer, having Counterspells to protect it from Akroma's Vengeance, you have a chance, but it's still not good. Your best bet is to leave them in topdeck mode - but even then, if you do not have Stabilizer, it can become tricky. Decree of Silence is there to extra-battle Akroma, Angel of Wrath and her Vengeance, as well as Wing Shards and late-game Lightning Rift. Head Games them into enchantments. We have tested this - if you place lands in their hands, they start to topdeck cycling quickly. If you place enchantments ... Well... Then they might topdeck into lands. Bane of the Living is just another beatstick. Beware the power of topdecking!

Well... Those are the matchups that I have tested. Against other decks?

• If they are creature decks, you should have no trouble - with all that removal...
• If you are facing control decks, all the disruption in the sideboard can come in.
• If you are facing tribal decks, make funny uses with Artificial Evolution!
• If you are facing combo decks, with the disruption, creature removal and counterspells you should be able to disrupt their game long enough for the kill.

And now... How the deck fared in the Onslaught Block Constructed tournament:

There were eighteen people at the tournament. (Well, there were really seventeen, so one of the workers had to play.) The deck breakdown:

• 3 Astral Slide
• 1"The Claw"
• 2 White/Green Vegetation
• 4 Goblins
• 2 Zombies
• 2 Mono White Control
• 3 Beasts
• 1 Elves

There were five rounds of Swiss, with a top 8 finals.

First Round: Christo, with"The Claw"
This was a good match. Both players kept their opening hands, and I won the die roll. He chose to go first.

Christo has Wirewood Elf on his second turn, which is met with Smother at end of turn. The next play is Explosive Vegetation, which gets Complicated, and then Prowling Pangolin comes down on my side. The next turn I play Pemmin's Aura on it, and I attack for six, keeping 2U untapped. He tries a Kilnmouth Dragon with the help of Goblin Clearcutter, and I let it resolve, only to Cruel Revival it on the next turn, keeping 1U open for a possible Rorix in his hand. He doesn't play Rorix, but Imperial Hellkite, and I send in Prowling Pangolin. On the next turn he plays Rorix, and tries to attack with both. I use Choking Tethers to tap all three creatures on his side, and attack for the final ten points of damage.

Sideboard:
-3 Infest
-3 Wall of Deceit
-2 Smother
+1 Cruel Revival
+3 Unburden
+2 Head Games
+2 Decree of Silence

I left some of the Smothers in as a way to deal with Wirewood Elf so that he doesn't accelerate into Explosive Vegetation going first.

And it was good that I did, as I Smothered a second-turn elf, but didn't have the Complicate for his Explosive Vegetation. Instead, I just cycled Twisted Abomination, and he had a 11/11 Kilnmouth Dragon, which I Cruel Revived. Next turn he plays Rorix; I swampcycle, then hard-cast Complicate. I cast unburden and after that, he has just a single card left in hand - Imperial Hellkite. He draws and casts a morph and a Dragon Mage. I Revivaled the Dragon Mage and use my last Smother to deal with the morph. On my turn, I cast Twisted Abomination and a morph. He draws and casts Steely Resolve. I attack for nine with Pemmin's Aura on the Abomination, and he casts another Steely Resolve. I attack for another nine; he draws and tries to Starstorm for eight on my turn, but I just Complicate it.

1-0

Second Round: Joan with Goblins
He started really fast, going first - Goblin Grappler, Piledriver, Warchief (which got Smothered), Goblin Goon (Complicated). I stabilized at five life, and played a face-down wall with 1U open in case of Blistering Firecat. But he had another thing in mind - Sulfuric Vortex. I tapped his Grappler, but next turn he just Shocked me to death.

For the second game, I was pretty sure he would bring Clickslithers and Avaraxes in, removing maybe Blistering Firecat; going first, I was certain I can win.

Sideboard:
-1 Cruel Revival
-1 Soul Collector
-3 Pemmin's Aura
+4 Artificial Evolution
+1 Bane of the Living

I started with Wall of Deceit, while he had Grappler, Grappler, Grappler. I Complicated his Warchief, and used Infest to clear the board of his side. He cast Clickslither, which I evolved (changing Goblins into Clerics). I played morph, with 1U open; he attacked and I blocked with the wall, and he Shocked it. The next turn he played Goblin Warchief and Piledriver, and I tapped 2BB to unmorph Bane of the Living. He was shocked - he did not expect this. Prowling Pangolin and Twisted Abomination joined my side, and I started to beat him. He had Carbonize to deal with the Abomination, but Prowling Pangolin was just too big. Two turns later, we were going into game three.

This game ended on my third turn, when I Infested the board clean. He had Goblin Warchief, Goblin Grappler, and Sparksmith. He missed his fourth land drop - and when he found it, I had Cruel Revival for Goblin Goon. Then he made the mistake of dropping Sulfuric Vortex, when holding only Menacing Ogre. He bid three; I bid five, then cycled Choking Tethers to slow him down. Next turn he tried Threaten on Visara, but that was also Complicated. After two Shocks and a hit from the Ogre, I killed him with the help of Infest, still at three life.

2-0

Third Round: Kalin with White/Green Vegetation
Kalin let me know that he did not expect me to get this far, and that he really did not feel that he had something in the board against me. I knew he had a third Akroma there, but I also knew that I had everything I needed to help me in my sideboard.

I won the die roll and went first. He didn't have Wirewood Elf, only Wall of Mulch (which faced down my Wall of Deceit) so I was able to Complicate his fourth turn Explosive Vegetation without much trouble. Then he played Ravenous Baloth, while I played Prowling Pangolin. He chose not to sacrifice Wall of Mulch and the beast, so I was pretty pleased. He played another Ravenous Baloth next turn, and on my turn I tapped six mana. He asked if it was Visara - but I said that it was an Infest. And another Infest.

I swing for two, and pass the turn to him. He uses Akroma's Vengeance to clear the board, and I just play a morph. Silvos next turn was met with hard-cast Complicate, and I play Pemmin's Aura on my morph and attack. He plays Exalted Angel - and next turn, when I attack with the morph, he blocks. After damage on the stack, I show him the morph - Soul Collector. I pump him to 2/5 and use Cruel Revival to kill the Angel and get back a cycled Abomination, and steal his Angel in the process.

Lucky for him, he topdecks Akroma's Vengeance. I play the Abomination, and pass the turn. I attack for five. I attack for five again, and after drawing two lands in a row, he finally topdecks Akroma - only to see me cycle Choking Tethers and attack him for the final points.

I know he brought the third Akroma in, as he played three in the second game. My sideboard:

-3 Infest
-4 Smother
-2 Wall of Deceit
+3 Unburden
+2 Head Games
+2 Decree of Silence
+1 Cruel Revival
+1 Bane of the Living

The second game, I fell to mana screw. I was holding two Cruel Revivals, but didn't have the mana to kill his Ravenous Baloths, which where beating me... And before I reached six mana, he had Akroma attacking!

The third game was more interesting. He used third-turn Explosive Vegetation to accelerate to turn 4 Silvos, Rogue Elemental, but I had Cruel Revival to stop him. The next turn he tried Akroma, Angel of Wrath... But I Complicated that too. I cast Unburden on his two cards left in hand and hit Exalted Angel and Oblation. Next turn, I play Prowling Pangolin, while he has only Ravenous Baloth to oppose me. I attack, and he uses Wing Shards.

Maybe he boarded them in; I did not notice anything like that game one.

So I sacrifice Prowling Pangolin, then play a morph and Wall of Deceit, having blue open. He plays another Baloth. I cast Decree of Silence to clear the way for Visara and Pemmin's Aura on her next. He plays another Baloth, which is countered, and I add another Pangolin to my team, and make him sacrifice all the Baloths he had with Visara. Next he plays a morph, which is again countered (it was Exalted Angel), and I attack. Next turn, he just plays a land. I am aware that he might hold Wing Shards as his sole card, so I just attack and pump Visara enough for the kill. He shows his card - Oblation. He had it when I cast Visara, but he had to break the Decree first. I show him the two Complicates in my hand and Choking Tethers.

3-0

Fourth round: Cristo with Beasts
We draw, but play the game. I beat him 3-1.

Fifth round: Georgi with Mono White Control
I draw with him too, and play the game. I beat him 2-0.

I am in!

Top 8:

• Dimitar Erinin - Astral Slide
• Anton Erinin -"Pain"
• Joan - Goblins
• Hristo - Beasts
• Plamen - Astral Slide
• Georgi - Mono White Control
• Pavel - Zombies
• Martin - Goblins

Quarterfinals: Plamen with Astral Slide
Well... this is the hardest matchup this deck has. If I was to fall, I would do that just now. I knew I really didn't have a lot of chances first game, as he started with second turn Lightning Rift, third turn Astral Slide. All I could do was to play a Wall and Prowling Pangolin... But he Slid my creatures, so that I cannot attack, and shoots me for two. He saves his Exalted Angel three times - two times from Cruel Revival and once from Decree of Pain, with which I killed another Exalted Angel and four of my creatures. Two turns later, I fall to the Angel and Lightning Rift. Sideboard time!

-3 Infest
-2 Smother
-3 Choking Tethers
-2 Wall Of Deceit
+2 Stabilizer
+3 Unburden
+2 Decree of Silence
+1 Cruel Revival
+2 Head Games

I left some of the Smothers in as a way to deal with morphs on his side. I bet he thought I removed them after boarding.

Well... This is much better! I answer his second-turn Rift with third-turn Stabilizer. From now on, we are playing Cat and Mouse; he knows he cannot kill me if he does not Akroma's Vengeance the Stabilizer, and I know that I have the counterspells to keep him from doing that. We all reach six mana, and I complicate his Akroma's Vengeance, and play Unburden next turn. He discards some cyclers, then tries to blow up the world again. I Complicate, untap, and cast Head Games - he shows me two more Akroma's Vengeances!!!

I place two Lightning Rifts in his hand, and play a Wall. He plays an Angel, which I Cruel Revival, bringing back my Abomination, and use Unburden to be able to seal the game next turn with Decree of Silence. He draws - it is a land. I play Decree of Silence, and before he can find even a second spell to break the Silence, I have Abomination and Prowling Pangolin. Two hits, and he is dead.

Third game, he once again casts second-turn Lightning Rift. This never ceases to amaze me - how can they always have second-turn Rift? I cast Unburden, in order to leave him without cycling, and do it again the next turn. He has just one card left in his hand, but I am at ten life already. I draw, and cast Stabilizer. He tries to Oblation it at my end of turn, but I just hard-cast Complicate. He draws, and it is Akroma's Vengeance. But it is not all lost - I still have three cards in hand to his zero. I cast Twisted Abomination; he has the Wing Shards. I cast Prowling Pangolin with Pemmin's Aura; draws Akroma's Vengeance. I cast Decree of Silence, and he gives up.

I should have used it a turn earlier. But it doesn't matter - I just won!

4-0-2

Semifinals: Georgi with Mono White Control
We played in the Swiss, so I know I can beat his deck.

He wins the die roll and goes first with Silver Knight, which I answer with Wall of Deceit. His third-turn morph was Smothered and his Dawn Elemental Complicated. He spends his fifth turn to cycle two Eternal Dragons, and I cast Prowling Pangolin. Next turn he hard-casts Exalted Angel, only to see it Cruel Revivaled. I attack for six.

Next turn, he brings back an Eternal Dragon and passes the turn. I attack, and he uses Wing Shards. I follow that up with a morph; he casts Pacifism on it, and Dawn Elemental. Next turn I cast Pemmin's Aura on my wall, which he makes a pacifist too, attacking me for five. On my next end of turn, he cycles Decree of Justice to put five soldiers into play, and I show him the face-down creature - Bane of the Living for 3BB. His Akroma was Complicated, and I cast Twisted Abomination and another morph. He casts Akroma's Vengeance right after bringing back Eternal Dragon. I regenerate and cast Visara The Dreadful on my turn, with Pemmin's Aura. He couldn't find anymore Akroma's Vengeance or Wing Shards, so Visara could tap and attack. Two turns later, we reach for our sideboards:

-3 Infest
-4 Smother
-2 Wall of Deceit
+3 Unburden
+2 Head Games
+2 Decree of Silence
+1 Cruel Revival
+1 Bane of the Living

This game was really quick - Third-turn Unburden, fourth-turn Unburden, fifth-turn Head Games.

He had cast fourth-turn Stabilizer - and after looking at my hand, I decide to place two Decrees of Justice in his hand. Let him suffer from his own Stabilizer! After the Head Games, I have a hand of Choking Tethers,

Head Games, Twisted Abomination, Pemmin's Aura, Visara the Dreadful, Polluted Delta, and an Island.

I cast Twisted Abomination next turn. He draws Pacifism. I cast Visara, the Dreadful, and he makes an Angel Token. I enchant Visara with Pemmin's Aura, kill the Token, and attack for six. He draws and casts Akroma's Vengeance, but I have Polluted Delta (I left it to be able to untap Visara and kill his other Angel Token), so I was able to regenerate Twisted Abomination. I draw my second Pemmin's Aura and attack for seven. He draws, and uses Wipe Clean to get rid of the enchantment.

Next turn I attack, and he cycles Decree of Justice for three tokens, which I tap with Choking Tethers to kill him. There was nothing he could draw that would save him, with my second Head Games in my hand, and having blue and black mana open (I could regenerate and make the Abomination untargetable).

5-0-2

My brother has just defeated Joan, and we were going to face in the finals.

I was tired of playing against him, so I dropped from the finals, and we took our twelve boosters from the tournament.

Some final words: We all were very happy that the deck I made went undefeated in this little tournament, facing almost all the Tier One and Tier Two decks in Onslaught Block Constructed. Surprisingly, it proved to be a good deck! Next time, when building a deck for an Onslaught tournament, do not pass on those Polluted Deltas - they are good outside of Psychatog!

Best Wishes:
Dimitar and Anton Erinin,
Bulgaria.