archive - Greater than 60 !!

Sunday, June 12, 2005

I believe we are in a new age of Magic.


Dramatic huh :)



Anyways why? yes magic was in its golden age and silver age, died a few times, gone lame a few times (Homelands, Fallen Empires... but ya know what? those are selling for like 6 SGD??? per pack bleah)

Anyways I think deck contruction is going to change.

Nothing new, just the focus.


The 60 minimum.


We have always been taught to keep to the minimum, the reason for which is that it keeps the deck compact and the goal focused.

But that is where the sideboard becomes deadly, for when a strategy is focused, the better or more effective the silver bullet becomes.

This is not a silver bullet on a card for card basis (though sometimes it boils down to that), it is more of a strategy to strategy basis.

That alone is probably something worth writing about :)


But my point today is on deck size and strategy focus.


Magic has come a long way.

between Alpha and Alliances, the idea of redundency emerged.

8 knights.
8 up to 16 burn spells.
12 counterspells, 16 if need be.

Redundency for the base utility spells is a concept that has been around for awhile.

Redundency has also allowed decks to be more compact.

Weenies
burn
permission


what about combo?


tutors or drawers allow the combos to become more focused.

So whats all this about a larger deck?


Actually I am just rambling along :)

the thoughts are there but they are quite amorpheous at the moment.


I believe that with current redundency, it is possible to build a larger deck that is still consistent.

Why would I what to do that??


Well for starters, the focus currently is on a larger hand.

To have a larger hand you need to play slow.

Think defense and control.


legends nowadays have nice effects, but the fact that are legendary to me seem to speak of the idea that, rather than become the focal point of the deck they are in, they just add favours.

Much like painting.

just a drop of red paint in lotsa water allows a light translucent effect.

as opposed to a deep red, due to the high concentration of the original paint.


Thats what kamigawa is like to me, nothing bold and powerful. But just small light subtle effects, that when combined may produce more depth and power.

The big deck would be less focused, but have more subtle tricks. Much like the sensei who is in repose, ready to strike, not fast not hard, but sure and strong. Not winning now, but winning eventually.

Or since ROTS is on.. :) like the way of the Jedi as opposed to the Sith. Passion verses Wisdom. Fury verses Tranquility, Heart versus Mind etc etc etc you get the idea...


So here is my deck:


23 Plains
2 White Knight
1 Bushi Tenderfoot--Kenzo the Hardhearted
1 Eight-and-a-Half-Tails
2 Hand of Honor
1 Inner-Chamber Guard
1 Kiyomaro, First to Stand
4 Araba Mothrider
1 Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant
2 Eiganjo Free-Riders
3 Descendant of Kiyomaro
1 Konda, Lord of Eiganjo
3 Silver Knight
3 Hokori, Dust Drinker
1 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
1 Sensei Golden-Tail
1 Yosei, the Morning Star
1 Indomitable Will
1 Genju of the Fields
1 Reverence
1 Final Judgment
3 Glorious Anthem
2 Cage of Hands
2 Charge Across the Araba
3 Ghostly Prison
4 Presence of the Wise
1 Hail of Arrows
1 Shining Shoal
1 Scroll of Origins
1 Honden of Cleansing Fire
1 Reito Lantern
1 Eiganjo Castle
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All

// Sideboard:
SB: 1 Reito Lantern
SB: 2 Wonder
SB: 2 Island



The sideboard is a mishmash ignore it...


remember:

I am no pro, I dun really play that often, so i am an armchair strategist if you like :)

...

ARGGGHHHH you just wasted your time!!!


well I hope you haven't lol but I am the dude who posts the same poison deck every other year...


(I hear Ravinica is gonna feature poison... lets hope that rumour is true *fingers crossed*)



Any ways for this deck, as always: always survive the weenies, this deck can hold against standard weenie... the land is

surprisingly consistent...

I get about 2-3 land openings and it is rather consistent from there.

Due to the large number of 2/2s the goodness just keeps flowing.

Horoki allows the shut down of mana, no real strategy there, except for the ghostly prisons. Glorious anthem is important, genju for mad lifegain.

I realised when i looked at the epic cards, why Boseiju comes into play tapped... it is too good.. the tap is to give the opponent 1 turn to deal with it (assuming you are popping the bad-ass epic next turn).

....

the epics better be good


anyways, ways to gain life:
Shoal
descendants
Kiyomaro himself
Honden
Presence of the Wise


Reito lantern is to ensure the goodness keeps flowing, oh assuming no counters, your lanterns (if you have 2), will never be destroyed, not completely... one played will always be able to recycle one destroyed. That sounds really Yoda lol. Its the green in me lol.


This deck is still in the works, but notice the large number of 1 offs. I think this is a feature that is going to be more and more ubitiquous as magic grows


Anyways... I haven really tested this deck enough, I just know that it goldfishes alright... consistent mana etc etc

the crux of this post is that with a bigger deck, you can possibly be more subtle with your strategy, there are more byways.

Your deck may not kill as fast, but it may be able to take more in the long haul.

whatever... I am losing it lol

Anyways, I like the Tim Atens Rat deck as well

Life decks Urzatron vernal bloom blah blah... so many decks so little time


7:40 AM - add eprops - add comments - email it

Hmmm April 10th i declared the windows registry my enemy...

it is june the 12th and still the enemy resists, though now I can curb it but in the words of the two weird obsolete but very cool programs in Matrix reloaded, "We are getting annoyed"


My fault, i pray I can finish cleaning the registry soon.

I want to be good, i know that for a fact now.

In my sin i have descended the abyss and found it deep, in its pungent darkness, I realised i did'nt like it.

So now I know something about myself, I want to be good.

well thats a little philosopical BS for now :)

meanwhile a magic article!!!



6:25 AM - add eprops - add comments - email it

In terms of pack pulling it has been a great 2 days :)


of 6 packs:

Pithing Needle
Homura, Human Ascendant
Reverence (yes i like Reverence so there ;))
Kagemaro, First to Suffer (aka Kagemaro, Road to MBC)
Neverending Torment (how cool is that?)
Jiwari, the Earth Aflame (people say Arc Slogger is cooler, but hey thats like apples and oranges, granted 3/3 is rather small :()

Got 2 Hand of Cruelty and I finally notched my first hand of Honour, (this is my fifth HOC)

Some good, thank you Lord!


6:06 AM - add eprops - add comments - email it