(EDITOR'S NOTE: We have not confirmed the nature of this bug, and it may already be patched. However, Judah's generally been pretty on top of things in the past, and even if the bug's been fixed in the past twelve hours - or worse yet, it doesn't work the way he thinks it does - it's still a pretty funny idea, at which point we'll move this to the humor section. If this turns out not to work, let us know, but we don't have twenty-five avatars to check it out - The Ferrett)
Wizards recently introduced Vanguard to Magic Online.
With only one server crash at 11 p.m. on the day the changes were uploaded, the initial release went off well compared to MODO's checkered release history. The introduction of Vanguard turned every single avatar owned by any account into a premium foil rare Vanguard card with new exciting abilities.... well, except for the "free" avatars available to everyone, which are considered non-tradable commons. Each account was issued the "free" avatars in a starter pack containing a bunch of 8th edition lands for filler, thus solving a problem many Magic Online newbies have faced - no land to construct their decks with.
Wizards is currently planning many Vanguard Premier events to celebrate this new functionality release. Hopefully, they will correct the issues that allow players to side in multiple avatars after the first game, then Death Wish for additional avatars. Or maybe the appropriate term is "exploits?" Depending on when this gets printed, the bug may have already been fixed.
Anyway, the point of this article isn't to make fun of how Wizards implemented Vanguard - so I guess it is going to StarCityGames! This is an intellectual exercise to show you how to win 100% of all games in the Magic Online open format. You see, when Wizards implemented Vanguard, they didn't cap the number of Avatars that could be used in the open format... and Avatar abilities stack. This means it is possible to make a deck that will win 100% of the time it wins the die roll. No BS. If you lose the die roll, you can still win against pretty much all non-Vanguard decks, and even decks that use only a few Vanguard cards.
In order to achieve this dubious distinction, we need to be able to do a large amount of damage on the first turn, since it is conceivable the opponent may also have a bazillion avatars just for the extra life.
Here are the avatar requirements for the deck:
- 1 Prodigal Sorcerer - Free Avatar (+1 card, +2 life, ability = Think Tank)
- 1 Goblin Warchief - Free Avatar (-5 life, attacking creatures get +1/0)
- 1 Seshiro, the Anointed - Participation Avatar (cheap) (+5 life - Conspiracy - you name elves)
- 1 Seshiro, the Anointed - Participation Avatar (cheap) (+5 life - Conspiracy - you name Saproling)
- 1 Erhnam Djinn -Free Avatar (-1 card, +3 life, Whenever you play a guy, you get a Saproling 1/1 token)
- 10 Elvish Champion Avatar - Participation Avatar (prob 7tix now) ( each is +1 hand,+1 life, start the game with 1/1 mana elf token in play)
- 7 Akroma, Angel of Wrath ( each is +1 card, +9 life) - Global Gift Avatar (very cheap) -- (Whenever a creature comes into play, it gets randomly two of these: Haste, First Strike, Pro Red, Pro Black, Vigilance, Flying, or trample) - note these may be replaced with other avatars that give +cards, but are the cheapest to get right now.
Combined together, these avatars start you at +17 cards, +83 life. Since the deck we are using is forty cards, we need another +15 cards; therefore, choose any fifteen additional avatars that give an extra card such as Akroma, Elvish Champion, Raksha, Etched Oracle, Eight-and-a-Half Tails, and Two-Headed Giant. I estimate the avatar requirement for the deck will cost you about 100-150 tickets if you don't have any at all. Keep in mind that none of the required avatars are really expensive, but because you have to get lots they add up.
With the Avatars, you will be drawing a 39-card opening hand. One card is left in the deck in case you draw first and lose the roll. The deck you will be using is based around the Affinity mechanic (surprise!).
How the deck works: name Saproling and Elf with triggers from the Seshiro Avatars. Play the Great Furnace and use it to play Mass Hysteria. The Elves that you started in play with now have Haste and may be tapped for mana. I don't think the Akroma Avatar triggers on your Elves, so the Mass Hysteria assures they will get haste.
At this point, check out how many cards are left in your opponent's open deck. If they are playing some other funky turbo Vanguard strategy, it may be they have seven cards or less left in their deck. Drop your three Moxes now, Imprinting the Shivan Zombies. Use one to Cabal Therapy them, naming Disrupting Shoal. If they use a Shoal, do it again. If they keep on Shoaling, tap those Elves for Mana and start flashing back Therapies until all their Disrupting Shoals are gone. You are allowed to use your Disrupting Shoals on theirs if you want. Finally, cast Wheel and Deal for the win (dumping a blue card on a mox for the blue mana), drawing the last in your deck while forcing them into library overload.
Okay, after you successfully Cabal Therapy their Shoals (except Blazing Shoal, they can keep that one), you should check out their life total and library size. If it is too large for the Wheel and Deal route, dump the Wheel and Deals on the other Moxen.
You need mana to start the chain for your affinity guys. You gotta kill with damage.
Cast eighteen free affinity guys, giving yourself eighteen Saproling tokens. Tap your elves to play two Coat of Arms. You should have at least forty-six creatures in play - ten avatar starter elves, eighteen saprolings, and the Affinity dudes. All of them have haste from Mass Hysteria (and probably Akroma Avatars, too), and they get +92/+92 each from the Coat of Arms. Attack with the team. Your guys get an additional +1/+0 from the Goblin Warchief Avatar, like they need it. You will be doing at least 3,402 damage (if all your guys were Frogmites; they could also be Myr Enforcers). Unless they bought a few thousand avatars, they are dead. Share a hearty laugh with your opponent, if they haven't scooped or lost their connection.
Adding money to the deck: if you want to push limitations, you can always add more Elvish Champion Avatars and an additional Coat of Arms. This forces people to spend a ridiculous amount of money on +life avatars to live through your attack.
The other area of attack they may use to foil you is playing additional copies of Disrupting Shoal. With the main configuration above, you should win through the mirror as you can Cabal Therapy past five copies of Disrupting Shoal, more than most people own or would play. If Shoal truly worries you, try Insist, then put out a Meddling Mage on Disrupting Shoal, using an elf for the green mana and moxen to generate the other stuff.
Overmaster before a Therapy isn't as good as just another Therapy. You could also use a Cranial Extraction on Disrupting Shoal, and hope they don't have a blue card that is four casting cost to pitch.
Basically, if you put in thousands of dollars into avatars and Disrupting Shoals with blue cards to pitch to them, you can buy your way into winning the mirror. It is far more expensive to disrupt the engine than it is to disrupt your disruption, since Chrome Mox is uncounterable as no 0cc blue cards exist. Be prepared to spend money like water. If you are seriously considering this, you are HARDCORE (caps deliberate).
Unlike real Type One, Magic Online Open doesn't make any bones about the route to victory. If you want it enough, you can buy it!
Have fun, and may your opponents not immediately concede when they see the deck you are using.
-- Judah Alt, Signing out
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