Magic: The Gathering

[The Pumpkin King]

If I could one day manage to go to one of the gatherings, wherever they may be (and assuming I am invited), I'd definitely bring my cards too!


I already have a decklist of what's my baby of sorts (R/G Survival), so I'll post a second deck.

This one is Type 2 legal (until Ravinca comes out)

Land!

6x Island
6x Plains
4x Cloudcrest Lake
4x Blinkmoth Nexus

Tools!

4x Proteus Staff
4x Vedalken Shackles
2x Raise the Alarm

Countermagic!
4x Mana Leak
4x Hinder

Card Draw!
4x Thirst for Knowledge
3x Inspiration

Mana Acceleration!
3x Chrome Mox
4x Wayfarer's Bauble

Board Clearers!
2x Oblivion Stone
4x Wrath of God

Kill!
1x Darksteel Colossus
1x Goblin Charbelcher

The deck works by creating a token via Raise the Alarm, stealing a creatire via Shackles, or animating a Blinkmoth Nexus, and then using Proteus Staff to go through my entire library to bring out the Darksteel Colossus for the kill. If the Colossus is somehow dealt with, I can use Proteus Staff again to stack my deck (It scans through the whole library, and then I put my entire deck "on the bottom of my library in any order" to put all my lands on bottom, everything else on top, with the Goblin Charbelcher on the very top for the kill.

Other than that, it's pretty standard U/W control, with that kill condition

It worked better when Onslaught was legal and I had Flooded Strands in place of Cloudcrest Lakes, as the 4x Bauble and 4x Strand was really, really good deck thinning, giving me virtual card advantage through that.

Card Choice Explanation

Vedalken Shackles: Tech. It's both removal, and a Staff condition. With Staff, it abuses the difference between "owner" and "controller", as, if I use Staff on a Shackled creature, it goes to the bottom of its owner's library, but since at the time of the activation I was the controller, I search through my library for a creature.

Mana Leak and Hinder: Standard Type 2 counterbase. When ONS was legal, I had Condescend in Hinder's place. I like Hinder more, but Condescend's Scry was nice.

Inspiration: I know what you're thinking. What the hell?! It's card draw at instant speed, and the second best instant speed card draw other than Pulse of the Grid. And I've tried Pulse. And it sucks. Thirst for Knowledge trumps both. The two blue in the CC hurts, and its back-into-your-hand thing never, ever goes off.

Thirst for Knowledge: Not only is this savage card draw, but if I accidentally draw my Colossus, I can discard it to Thirst and the Colossus's affect shuffles it back into my library! Multi-usage. Mmmm...

Chrome Mox: In control? Yeah. Powers out turn 1 countermagic online, and allows for a quicker Staff activation.

Wayfarer's Bauble: Really, really, really good. I mean, really good.



Sideboard!
2x Pulse of the Fields
3x Ghostly Prison
3x Scrabbling Claws
3x March of the Machines
2x Sacred Ground
1x Duplicant
1x Sundering Titan


The sideboard is tuned back when Affinity dominated the meta. Not so much the case anymore, so it'd undergo changes.

Card Choice Explanation

Pulse of the Fields: Makes Aggro Hurt. Seriously. The only good lifegain is repeatable, abusable lifegain, and in this case, many aggro decks simply can't outrace Pulse. Stalls until victory.

Ghostly Prison: Another stall tactic. Aggro sucks when it can't attack!

Scrabbling Claws: Because U/G Crystal Witness hates me.

March of the Machines: Virtual endgame for Affinity. Prison, March, Wrath, GG.

Sacred Ground: I Hate R/G Land Destruction.

Duplicant: Hate versus other Colossus decks, and certain Tooth and Nail builds. Pop out Colossus, slide in Duplicant. Activate Proteus Staff on it once a turn to remove a creature from the game on their side once per turn.

Sundering Titan: Hate versus other Tooth and Nail builds that Duplicant doesn't cover. Same instructions for usage as Duplicant. Proteus Staff it once a turn to send everyone's landbase to hell, unless they're running plenty of nonbasics. I have Mox and nonbasics to cover for it, but other people might not. For Tooth builds that like basic landfetch over Urzatron/Cloudpost.

I played this in States, and was in the top ten, but when I faced Affinity for the 5th (!) time in a row, I decided to drop because it was boring me and the big prize payout sucked. It did rail on Affinity so effeciently I beat it 4 out of those 5 rounds.

[Fist and Faith]

NY in August, Jem!!

Well, I just lost against a guy who tried a couple of different decks against me. One was an Elf deck, the other was... I don't know what it was. Blue and Red, though.

Anyway, mine has a very simple concept. Strip Mine is the key. Of course, that's restricted, so my deck also has a Crop Rotation (also restricted), 4 Sylvan Scrying, and 4 Reap & Sow. In the second game, we went at least eight turns - and that's after the seven cards I had in my hand - without getting Strip Mine or any of the NINE searchers for it!!! That's just the way my life works. Things like nearly every traffic light being red. People have even commented on it before I mention my luck with lights.

But I digress.

The rest of the deck is Crucible of Worlds, so I can use Strip Mine again after it's in the graveyard, and Fastbond (restricted) and Azusa, Lost but Seeking, so I can destroy more than one of my opponent's lands each turn. But before I set that combo up, if I ever manage it, I have a Regrowth (restricted) and 4 Reclaim, as well as 4 Ice Storm and 3 of either Thermokarst or Winter's Grasp.

And then there's Terravore, to get stronger each time I destroy a land. Heck, I even destroyed a few of my own lands to pump him up in one game! I also have 4 Worldly Tutor, to find Azusa and/or Terravore.

[duchess of malfi]

If I could one day manage to go to one of the gatherings, wherever they may be (and assuming I am invited), I'd definitely bring my cards too!

EVERYONE is invited to ALL of the get togethers. The next one in the USA is in New York state in August. The Brits are planning something, too.

Just keep checking in the "General SRD Discussion" forum for details.

[Fist and Faith]

Erm Yes, you too, PK. Sorry. For some reason, I thought you were from somewhere other than USA, so didn't imagine you'd come to NY in August. But after duchess posted, I found your post in Summoning. Not that there aren't other countries closer than you (one, anyways), but at least you don't need a passport.

[The Pumpkin King]

I'd love to go! I'll try to make plans and see if I can find the time, but since it's so early in the year, I'm pretty sure that will be a reality.


But yeah, I live in Alabama! And no, I lack a southern accent.

[Gadget nee Jemcheeta]

I'm in cleveland ohio... it would be so interesting to meet some of you people. I know how it would go though, I'm -so- bad with names, I'll get people confused... oh well.

Can I have an address where I might be going to, the hotel or whatever if that's where it is, so I can get some distances and see what would be involved? And the dates, there's enough time still before it comes up that I might actually be able to go.

Excitement! Intrigue!

Edit: Although as far as magic goes, you guys both play more competitively than I do I think. I used to play type I and type II, and sealed and draft and all that... but these days it's mostly fun theme decks. I had the coolest Questing Pheldagriff deck once....

anyway, Fist, those magic card/covenant pictures are so hilarious...

[The Pumpkin King]

I both play competitively and creatively.

and for fun a lot too, but, well

I simply don't netdeck anything. I try to take an archetype of my own design and make it viable versus what everyone else is playing.

I wouldn't be so competitive if I didn't have this tendancy to try the absolute hardest and do my absolute best at everything I do. O.O

[Gadget nee Jemcheeta]

Which is why I make the ABSOLUTE funniest ABSOLUTELY most thematic deck. you should see my sparkcaster KAVU deck. Kavu lairs give me a card everytime a creature power 4 or greater comes into play... got the flametongues in there, sparkcasters bounce in and deal a damage to a player, then bounce something out (usually a sparkcaster)
Fires of yavimaya gets in there to make the flametongues and sparkcaster's potent... then I have the kavu apprentice or whatever to make the kavu's cheaper....

All kavu goodness! 0% playable competitively


Edit: Of course, I'm one of the guys that NEEDS a legend in every deck to act as figure head leader. Legend chosen based on most appropriate in theme... with a default for every color. If there isn't another one that fits perfectly for Red, for instance, I always use tahngarth the minotaur hero or whatever his name is. He's a 4/4 that doesn't tap to attack, 1 red 1 colorless, tap to deal his power to target creature, that creature deal's it's power back.

Why this card?

Well, one time I was stoned and up against a white deck that had 4 serra angels (shock) and I became obsessed with the idea of this Serra angel flying through the sky minding her own business, when Tahngarth LEAPS into the air and lands on her back. Raining Minotaurs and Angels!

....
.......
err, right.

[The Pumpkin King]

Hahahaha.


The most casual deck I have the moment is this strange U/R pinger-type deck.

Which is still pretty degenerate actually, if I can get out a Horsehoe Crab or Brass man and pop a Quicksilver Dagger to it. Tap, 1 damage to opponent, draw a card, pay a mana, untap, rinse and repeat.

but yeah, standard affair. 4x Prodigal Sorcerer, 4x Razorfin Hunter, 4x Vulshok Sorcerer, etc....

It has the habit of being either strangely good, or really, really bad, as it's about the least subtle deck on Earth.

[edit] You're making me want to pop a Kamahl, Pit Fighter in it. XD

[Gadget nee Jemcheeta]

Exactly!!

It would be really dumb in terms of making it effective, right? But just imagine how your enemies would TREMBLE before the wrath of Kamahl!

[The Pumpkin King]

Exactly!!

It would be really dumb in terms of making it effective, right? But just imagine how your enemies would TREMBLE before the wrath of Kamahl!

It's funny 'cause it's both thematically correct, and even though it's inconsistant, it contributes to a win.

Maha!

It appeals to my Spike tendancies even while being silly!!

-----

BY THE WAY

By "Spike"...Mark Rosewater, and the Magic team at Wizards of the coast determiend there are three different types of Magic players, and various combinations of such.

Timmy: Loves big creatures, big effects, and doesn't care if he wins or loses so long as that he gets to pull off his really big, flashy effect. To Timmy, a card is good if it's big, expensive, and creates a game-shattering effect. Krosan Cloudscraper is a great example of a Johnny card.

Johnny: Loves to combo. Is the most creative of the three player types, and doesn't care so much about winning, so long as, when he does win, it's by using his flashy combo he made himself, however janky it might be. To Johnny, every card has a use; every card has potential. Intruder Alarm is a great example of a Johnny card.

Spike: Loves to win. Isn't as creative as Johnny but has the most skill determining the maximum effectiveness of every single card in his deck, and is a master at refining an established decktype. Spike decks tend to be what you see in tournaments: Tried, tested, well-oiled machines designed to win in the most effecient way possible. To Spike, only the most effecient cards on the highest-end of the power-curve are truly useful. Big and flashy means nothing if he can win before the opponent can do the big, flashy thing. Troll Ascetic is a great example of a Spike card, as is Arcbound Ravager.


I'm personally a Johnny/Spike. I like to do my own thing and be creative, but I also like refining my decks to their absolute peak of effeciency. I'm competitive, but I only enjoy winning if it's winning on my terms; not the terms of a deck I got off the internet.

[Fist and Faith]

Maha!

Amanda?

[The Pumpkin King]

...Amanda?

[Gadget nee Jemcheeta]

Johnny: Loves to combo. Is the most creative of the three player types, and doesn't care so much about winning, so long as, when he does win, it's by using his flashy combo he made himself, however janky it might be. To Johnny, every card has a use; every card has potential. Intruder Alarm is a great example of a Johnny card.

That's me, right there. Oh yeah. Everycard has a use, even if it's a useless use that will make me lose a game :)

Unless of course it's been exactly duplicated for cheaper...

[Fist and Faith]

Amanda is a show on Nickelodeon. She's maybe 12, and hilarious. One character she plays in skits has problems with her social skills. Among other things, she's always yelling, "MAHA!" Sort of a laugh.

[The Pumpkin King]

Amanda is a show on Nickelodeon. She's maybe 12, and hilarious. One character she plays in skits has problems with her social skills. Among other things, she's always yelling, "MAHA!" Sort of a laugh.

Oh, THAT. My sister used to watch that when she..uh..wasn't 17. Haha. I imagine she still does.

She watches Nick Jr. still....

In any case, I still haven't seen the particular skit. I just enjoy making silly noises.

[Metal-Demon]

Scrye Magazine is your best choice, available wherever magic is sold.

Online, you can try www.magictraders.com/pricelists/

I'll go thru my cards on the weekend and let you all know what I've got.