EDH

Would you folks be interested in seeing some EDH decks (or Commander, as they're now called)?  I've built a few more budget builds but I didn't know if there would be interest in seeing them.  Barring a no, I'll plan to post one later this week.  Just tell me.

Until next time, play on.

Token Rebirth

Kuldotha Rebirth has hit some serious popularity in Standard, but what about around the casual table?  Here's my list:

4 Goblin Bushwhacker
3 Goblin Chieftain
4 Goblin War Driver
4 Mogg War Marshal
4 Signal Pest

4 Dragon Fodder
4 Kuldotha Rebirth
4 Mogg Alarm
4 Panic Spellbomb
4 Quest for the Goblin Lord

4 Great Furnace
14 Mountain
3 Darksteel Citadel

Basically, it's a goblin-token deck that runs artifact lands for the Rebirths.  I've messed with it and seen quite a few hands that resolve about four or five tokens on turn three and follow that up with a lord or massive swing due to a Quest.  It's a fun and explosive build that's enjoyable to play, though still slightly luck-reliant.

Until next time, play on.

This is madness!!!

So I was messing around on Gatherer recently and I stumbled across a few Madness cards.  I whipped up a decklist in BG but it seemed to be missing something...so I added red and now the deck has some serious oomph.

3 Arrogant Wurm
4 Basking Rootwalla
4 Greenseeker
2 Kris Mage
2 Notorious Assassin
4 Reckless Wurm
4 Wild Mongrel

4 Dark Withering
3 Fiery Temper
3 Roar of the Wurm
4 Strength of Lunacy

4 Evolving Wilds
5 Forest
5 Mountain
5 Swamp
4 Terramorphic Expanse

The early game is the hardest part.  Your 4/4 tramplers are powerhouses in the mid-to-late game but fast decks will blow you out of the water before you stabilize.  Kris Mage is kind of an antidote to that; I sideboard in two more against fast decks.

This deck works by abusing combat tricks.  Consider this:
T1:  Fetchland
T2:  Untapped land, Wild Mongrel
T3:  Untapped land, wait.  The opponent goes to swing, discard a Wurm to your Mongrel and the opponent is now attacking a 3/3 and a 4/4.  You kill two attackers (if there are that many) and then the game goes on.  However, you're now up two cards and a few points of damage.  That's crucial to winning with this build.

The important thing about madness combat tricks is to keep the opponent guessing.  You might flash in a Wurm, you might just hold on to it and take a hit, to make it all the more damaging on the next turn.  This deck requires the mind of a control player but the mindset of an aggro player, if you ask me.

Until next time, play on.

Currently Arming: Steel

Today I've got another slightly more expensive deck than usual to share.  I've been gathering cards for this deck on my own.  I plan to buy the few cards I'm missing at the nearest opportunity.  It's basically a Tempered Steel deck I made quite a while ago, a few days after Signal Pest was spoiled.  The Pest occupies the spot for the fourth tribal lord.

4 Court Homunculus

4 Frogmite

3 Master of Etherium

4 Memnite

4 Ornithopter

4 Riddlesmith

4 Signal Pest

4 Steel Overseer

4 Tempered Steel

4 Thoughtcast

4 Ancient Den

4 Cloudcrest Lake

1 Island

2 Plains

4 Seat of the Synod

3 Sejiri Refuge

3 Thalakos Lowlands

It's really explosive and can win as early as turn 3, though it usually wins around turn 5-6.  The manabase is really bad but tapped lands hurt me a lot and I don't have access to and other untapped duals (like Seachrome Coast).  Those would be awesome though.

Until next time, play on.

American Control

Red, white, and blue.  It means a lot for countries (note the flags of France, the US, and Britain, among others) but can also mean something in Magic.

Lightning Angel is a classic example of the idea that the more colors a card has, the more powerful it can be.  I like the card, so I decided to throw together a control deck around Lightning Angel.

3 Crackleburr
4 Izzet Guildmage
4 Lightning Angel
4 Minister of Impediments
3 Numot, the Devastator
3 Spiketail Hatchling
3 Stun Sniper

4 Disenchant
4 Flame Slash
4 Spell Pierce

4 Evolving Wilds
5 Island
6 Mountain
5 Plains
4 Terramorphic Expanse

You can substitute Rakavolvers in place of Numots if you don't have them sitting around, both work fine.

Until next time, play on.