You don't need to calculate the final PTs or score, just your individual results. The scoring conventions are outlined in the rules at the bottom of this post. If there are any difficult or controversial matchups, please highlight these in some way and provide a brief note in your post.
5 Card - Backbuild Inevitability
Backbuild: Players exchanges hands before the start of each match. A hand must enable the player of that hand to win both games of a match against a specified hand or specified hands. Ignore rule 3.1.
Players begin with an emblem that reads "At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, if that player has started at least 100 turns, he or she loses 1 life."
Entrants must submit a deck that can beat (6-0) an opponent with 0-5 blank cards that doesn't lose life from this emblem.
(You could assume the deck has an emblem that reads "You don't lose life from emblems your opponents controlled since the start of the game" or something)
(The test deck still has the emblem that will eventually kill you) Deck Size: 5 cards Additional Bans: None. (Please be sure to review the ban list at the end of this post though)
1. Overview
2. Game Rules
3. Deck Construction Rules
4. Entry
5. Perfect Hand Magic League
6. Scoring
7. Variant Format Rules
1. Overview
Perfect Hand Magic (PHM) is a competitive strategy game for two or more players. It can be played using pencil and paper; however, it's most commonly played via online forum. To play the game, each player secretly chooses a specified number of Magic cards which form that player's hand. Once all players have chosen hands, the hands are revealed and scored.
The object of the game is to choose the hand that will score the most points. The score for each hand is determined by the result that it would achieve if it were used to play two games of Magic – one match – against each competing hand; the rules for these theoretical games are covered in Section 2 – Game Rules. During each theoretical game, the theoretical player of each hand employs the strategy that will maximize the score for his or her hand, taking into account the strategy of his or her opponent.
A hand scores 3 points for each game that it would win, 0 points for each game it would lose, and 1 point for each game that would end in a draw. However, a hand scores only 2 points for any match that would have a symmetrical result, regardless of whether the result would be two drawn games or a win for each hand.
The composition of a hand is limited only by a short banned list and a few restrictions on the game states that it can enable; these restrictions are covered in Section 3 – Deck Composition.
2. Game Rules
2.1. Except for the changes described in these rules, games follow the rules for a normal game of Magic.
2.1a. Changes to the Comprehensive Rules or the Oracle text of a card take effect at the following times:
i. Changes that would take effect during the prerelease for a set take effect during the first round for which cards from that set may be submitted instead.
ii. Changes that would take effect at any other time take effect during the first round for which those rules have been in effect since the start of the round instead.
2.1b. Ignore any part of an instruction that isn't covered by these rules or the rules of Magic.
2.2. A player's opening hand contains that player's chosen cards.
2.3. Players' libraries begin the game empty.
2.3a. A player doesn't lose the game as a result of being unable to draw a card.
2.4. A cost or effect that would produce a random result produces the result that least benefits the player who paid that cost or the owner of the source of that effect instead.
2.5. Each player is the starting player for one game in each match.
2.6. Players know the identities of all face-down cards and cards in hidden zones, and players know which decisions have been made by other players.
2.7. If a game would continue indefinitely, then the game is a draw.
2.8. If a loop containing at least one optional action would be repeated indefinitely during a turn, then any player may propose a number of times for that loop to repeat instead. If a player does, then each other player may propose a different number and the loop is repeated for the greatest number of times proposed instead. No player is required to make a choice that would end a loop that crosses multiple turns.
2.9. Cards can't be brought into the game from outside the game.
3. Hand Construction Rules
3.1. A player may not choose an opening hand that could enable that player to achieve any of the following results before an opponent's second turn would begin, such that that opponent could make no sequence of decisions that would not result in at least one of these results:
i. win the game
ii. take an infinite number of turns
iii. cause a card to leave an opponent's hand.
Ignore this rule in the following cases:
3.1a. That player's hand would be legal if that player's opponents' cards had no rules text.
3.1b. That player's hand would be legal if that player's opponents had no maximum hand size.
3.1c. That player could achieve one of these results only during a game that was restarted after an opponent's second turn had begun.
3.1d. All cards that would leave an opponent's hand during the resolution of an effect would be put onto the battlefield by that effect.
3.1e. All cards that would leave an opponent's hand during the resolution of an effect would be in that opponent's hand once that effect resolved.
3.2. A hand may contain any number of copies of any card legal in Vintage.
3.2a. An unreleased card is treated as though it's legal in Vintage if it will become legal in Vintage upon release and if the release notes for the set that contains that card were published prior to the start of the round (See rule 4.1).
3.3. A hand may not contain any cards on the PHM Banned List.
4. Entry
4.1. A player plays a round of PHM by submitting a list of his or her chosen cards to the PHM moderator.
4.2. A player may change his or her hand until the posted deadline.
4.2a. If a player submits an illegal hand, then the moderator will try to notify that player to change his or her hand prior to the deadline. If the hand is discovered to be illegal after the deadline – or if the player does not submit a new hand – then the moderator may either disqualify that hand or replace it with a similar hand, in which any cards causing that hand to be illegal have been removed or replaced.
4.2b. The moderator also will try to notify a player if that player's hand doesn't enable that player to win the game against any possible hand.
4.3. A player may name his or her hand. If that player doesn't, then the PHM moderator may name it. The PHM moderator may also rename a player's hand at his or discretion.
5. Perfect Hand Magic League
5.1. PHM League play consists of four rounds of PHM.
5.2. Each round, a player earns League points according to the following formula:
League Points = Points Scored / Number of Opponents x 100 (rounded to the nearest integer)
5.3. The player with the most League points at the end of League play is the PHM League winner.
5.3a. If multiple players have the most League points at the end of the League, then the PHM moderator may allow those players to play additional rounds until only one of those players has the most League points or until a specified number of additional rounds have been played.
6. Scoring
6.1. A table of match results is posted at the end of each round. Each row lists one player's results against each other player. A player's points and League points are tallied at the end of his or her row.
6.2. A player may earn bonus League points as specified by the PHM moderator.
6.3. Each player is responsible for determining the match results for his or her hand.
6.3a. Players are encouraged to determine or verify additional match results.
6.3b. An undetermined match result is counted as a loss for both players in that match.
6.3c. A player may challenge any result until the moderator announces that the result is final.
7. Variant Format Rules
7.1. Perfect Hand Magic has been played with hands containing between one and seven cards. Additionally, the Game Rules and Deck Construction Rules have been adapted to create hundreds of variant formats. Five commonly-played variants are described in Sections 7.3-7.7.
7.2. The rules of a variant format overwrite any other applicable rules.
7.2a. Some variant formats generate continuous effects. A continuous effect generated by a variant format is treated as having the earliest timestamp within a layer or sublayer. If continuous effects generated by multiple variant formats would apply in the same layer or sublayer, assign timestamps to those effects in the order that the variant formats are listed in the rules or name of the round.
7.2b. Some variant formats require a player to make some number of decisions in addition to or instead of submitting a hand. A player's submission must comply with the Hand Construction Rules, taking into account any decisions made at this time.
7.2c. Some variant formats require players to make decisions "before the start of each game". For these decisions, follow the "Active Player, Nonactive Player order" rule, replacing "active player" with "starting player".
7.3. Land Rule Variant.
7.3a. This is the basic land rule (LR). Any player may play a basic land or basic snow land of the subtype of his or her choice from outside the game any time he or she could normally play a land. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.3b. This is the extra land rule (ELR). Any player may play a basic land or basic snow land of the subtype of his or her choice from outside the game any time he or she could normally play a land. Any player may play an additional land on each of his or her turns from his or her hand. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.3c. This is the draw land rule (DLR). If a player would draw a card from an empty library, that player puts a basic land or basic snow land card of the subtype of his or her choice from outside the game into his or her hand instead. The starting player doesn't skip the draw step of his or her first turn. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.4a. Only cards contained in sets legal in the named format may be submitted.
7.5. Life Rule (LF).
7.5a. If neither player would win otherwise, then the player who maintains the higher life total wins the game.
7.5b. A player must choose an opening hand that enables that player to win both games of a match against at least one legal hand, irrespective of rule 7.5a.
7.6. Backbuild.
7.6a. Players exchanges hands before the start of each match. A hand must enable the player of that hand to win both games of a match against a specified hand or specified hands. Ignore rule 3.1.
7.7. Bonus Points.
7.7a. A player earns bonus points if his or her hand meets specified requirements.
PHM Banned List
The following cards are automatically banned in all Perfect Hand Magic League rounds unless otherwise specified by the round rules. Each round may have an additional banned list that extends beyond, but always includes, these cards.
Land Rule Banned List
"Land Rule" is the most common variant for PHM, and thus a separate ban list has been developed to allow for easier moderation. The following cards are banned in Perfect Hand Magic League rounds when a Land Rule is used. There will be a reminder of this on the round rules.
Is the desire to make a deck that can basically kill itself at will, but can actually win if needed?
EDIT: Still having trouble figuring this one out. What's to stop me or my opponent from doing nothing? Or is the goal to make a deck that can win, and try my hardest to win with my opponents deck, so I want my deck to be slower then there's... ugh this is really messing with my brain.
EDIT 2: I guess I'm having trouble seeing the difference between "Making myself lose" and "winning as slow as possible"
basically, the deck is still played optimally and tries to win. you want it to be very bad at winning.
the most common backbuild strategies are 1) to be very slow, 2) to be easily disruptable, or 3) to almost kill yourself in the process of winning.
maybe even a combination of the three.
A somewhat common theoretical way to force your opponent to play the aweful cards you chose is to use the legendary land cycle Tolarian academy, Gaea's Cradle, Serra's Sanctum, Phyrexian Tower, Shivan Gorge. Whoops, not the last two...
Anyway, an example:
Great Furnace / Peat Bog / Relic Bane / Serra's Sanctum / Sunhome Enforcer
You win by casting a Sunhome enforcer, and to do so, you have to cast relic bane to get mana from the sanctum. Now obviously this isn't optimized, but it shows you what can be done.
Note that if my deck included a way to suicide (say 2 Taigas and a final fortune), you simply wouldn't play that card while you beat me down with the bear, and I'd still lose.
For that matter, Taiga / Taiga / Forest / Grizzly Bears / Final Fortune is an objectively worse hand to submit than mono Bear, because there might be a scenario where Final Fortune helps you win the game.
A very simple version of the "almost kill yourself" variant is Sulfuric Vortex and mana sources. You'll beat the test deck easily, but you'll be at 2 life when you do.
There's also the 5-card requirement. Sometimes you don't want to use all five cards, but you still have to submit a full 5 cards. People typically use "the hockey puck" Darksteel Relic or Evermind to fill out an otherwise complete hand. They function as dead cards. They are _almost_ as dead as the "blank card"s that the test deck uses. In other backbuild rounds, there are test decks that are a little more developed than this round's test deck, so another tactic is to look like the test deck as much as possible.
I put together the most horrible, crappiest, most useless pieces of cardboard you've ever seen for a deck. It was an abomination. It can still beat the test deck, as is required, but only barely and its otherwise crap. I mean, if this thing wins a single game, I'll be surprised. It's horrid. Oh and guess what? I tricked the moderator into thinking it was your entry. LOL. Good luck trying to win with it. It's legal, and I know you're goina play your heart out trying to win with it, but there's no hope.
Now: Return the favor. Give me a deck that's horribly slow, ensuring my opponents will crush me. Or give me something suicidal that makes sure I lose if my opponent can deal even 1 damage to me. Or give me something that loses if my opponent can play a spell. Make the deck you're building for me so horrid that no matter what kind of crap I give you, what you give me is even worse.
Of course, instead of just you and I trading, everyone will be trading with their opponent each round, but that breaks the illusion here. Just think about making Feyd the worst deck possible. He forgot to enter last week, so he deserves a horrible deck that can't win. I want you to get truly medieval on me and make the deck so horrible I want to quit magic for such things even being possible. Just make sure it can still beat the test deck (in general: win before turn 119).
its all theoretical. matches are scored based on each player playing optimally with perfect information.
so, more directly, we dont actually play anything, just think about which SHOULD win.
Mana Crypt + Jeweled Amulet to cast Astral Cornucopia. Mana Crypt to cast Contagion Clasp. Use proliferate to scale Astral Cornucopia. Use that plus other stuff to cast Thieve's Auction. As long as there are an even number of permanents on the field, he can leave the Mana Crypt for the opponent, which then starts dealing 3 damage a turn to them.
07 Madmanquail : dealzzz
City of Brass / City of Brass / Orzhova, the Church of Deals / Rushwood Grove / Evermind
Quite a simple entry i suppose. It takes 61 turns to store up 60 green mana on the grove, and then taps church 20 times. Each activation results in a net 1 damage to each player. The city of brass triggers use the stack which means I don't take damage until after the church activation, so on the final activation I will win on 2 life, with 2 damage incoming on the stack
07v09 3-3 I can't do anything without all four permanents. You can't win if I play a land. I play a land, then neither of us does anything. It comes to a split.
At some point, we both start losing life due to the round rule. You wait until you're down to 5 life, then start playing cards. If I play nothing, you win four turns later (3 counters on Grove, activate on my turn when we're both down to 1 life and kill me). If I play Crypt, I just die, because I take 18 damage from Crypt before I can cast Auction.
For reference, the exact sequence that my hand uses to win is:
Turn 1: Mana Crypt, Jewelled Amulet, put a counter on Jewelled Amulet
Turn 2: 17 life, Astral Cornucopia (1 counter)
Turn 3: 14 life, Contagion Clasp, put a counter on Jewelled Amulet
Turn 4: 11 life, activate Contagion Clasp (2 counters on Astral Cornucopia)
Turn 5: 8 life, activate Contagion Clasp (3 counters on Astral Cornucopia)
Turn 6: 5 life, put a counter on Jewelled Amulet, activate Contagion Clasp (4 counters on Astral Cornucopia)
Turn 7: 2 life, cast Thieves' Auction, opponent gains control of Mana Crypt if there is an even number of permanents on the battlefield
I thought someone else might use Argothian Wurm / Shivan Wumpus, which is why I tried very hard to not play lands.
In the end, I chose the hand I did for the following reasons:
- If an opponent controls a permanent, I can't set up my win condition.
- Because I control Mana Crypt, my opponent has a specific window where it's safe to play any permanent, even a Mana Crypt.
- The hand deals 18 damage to itself as part of the set up, meaning that I can't cast Thieves' Auction shortly after the round rule comes into effect, which can let an opponent start sequences in that time frame.
- All the mana sources charge, meaning that Eureka / Hypergenesis don't let me bypass damage from Mana Crypt.
- The hand plays no lands and must lead with Mana Crypt, meaning that it can't necessarily beat Argothian Wurm / Shivan Wumpus / Desecration Elemental / Standstill.
Commentary
huge week with a lot of entries. and some very interesting stuff. i love backbuild.
Next week's format will be 6 Card Basic land.
Calculate Your Row Now
Please submit your score row in the following format:
X | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 | PT | Points
1 | X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
You don't need to calculate the final PTs or score, just your individual results. The scoring conventions are outlined in the rules at the bottom of this post. If there are any difficult or controversial matchups, please highlight these in some way and provide a brief note in your post.
Backbuild: Players exchanges hands before the start of each match. A hand must enable the player of that hand to win both games of a match against a specified hand or specified hands. Ignore rule 3.1.
Players begin with an emblem that reads "At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, if that player has started at least 100 turns, he or she loses 1 life."
Entrants must submit a deck that can beat (6-0) an opponent with 0-5 blank cards that doesn't lose life from this emblem.
(You could assume the deck has an emblem that reads "You don't lose life from emblems your opponents controlled since the start of the game" or something)
(The test deck still has the emblem that will eventually kill you)
Deck Size: 5 cards
Additional Bans: None. (Please be sure to review the ban list at the end of this post though)
The Entries
1Artscrafter : Viper Out
Leechridden Swamp / Jwar Isle Refuge / Forbidden Orchard / Phyrexian Arena / Wall of Vipers
Wins turn 24 at 1 with arena trigger on the stack
2Bubblecat2 : great minds
Hive Mind / Summoners Pact / Hall of Gemstone / Fountain of Cho / Fungal Reaches
Wins turn 13
3Convoy_Avenger : maggot tubes and the flow of lava
Flow of Maggots / Lava Tubes / Saltcrusted Steppe / Heroes' Reunion / Evermind
Wins turn 125
4Feyd_Ruin : squandered soldier
Centaur Garden / Cabal Pit / Squandered Resources / Eureka / Flailing Soldier
Wins turn 13
5Grumsh : rhystic pinnacle
Rhystic cave / helix pinnacle / darksteel relic / darksteel relic / darksteel relic
Wins turn 102
6HerziQuerzi : Chancy memories
Memory's Journey / Memory's Journey / Lotus Bloom / Flaming Gambit / Mana Confluence
Wins turn 91 with 4 health
7Madmanquail : dealzzz
City of Brass / City of Brass / Orzhova, the Church of Deals / Rushwood Grove / Evermind
Wins turn 81 at 2 life with two city of brass triggers on the stack
8MechanicalMech : pot of fear
Rainbow Vale / Rainbow Vale / Rainbow Vale / Rainbow Vale / Desecration Elemental
Wins turn 7
9Mogg : going once
Abyssal Persecutor / Druids' Repository / Hypergenesis / Lotus Bloom / Thieves' Auction
10Nerdyjoe : helix cave
Rhystic Cave / Helix Pinnacle / Evermind / Evermind / Evermind
Wins turn 102
11Piato : mantivault
Rainbow Vale / Rainbow Vale / Flailing Manticore / Mana Vault / Evermind
Wins turn 9
12Rush_Clasic : revolt
Teferi's Isle / Lotus Petal / Lotus Petal / Eureka / Nature's Revolt
Wins turn 23
13xStormaggedonx : reaves
nomad stadium / nomad stadium / charcoal diamond / flesh reaver / evermind
14tidalslimshady : trokin evil
Festival of trokin / Teferi's isle / Mage ring network / Gemstone array / Lurking evil
15Tarox Bladewing : oblate hard
Aven Shrine / Wheel of Sun and Moon / Gold Myr / Remote Farm / Oblation
Wins turn 22
16Tomsloger : dream halls
tabernacle at pendrell vale / forbidden orchard / helix pinnacle / dream halls / argentum armor
Wins turn 104
17WhammeWhamme : stone rain
Chancellor of the Tangle / Mana Vault / Mana Vault / Gilded Lotus / Veteran Brawlers
Wins turn 6
1. Overview
2. Game Rules
3. Deck Construction Rules
4. Entry
5. Perfect Hand Magic League
6. Scoring
7. Variant Format Rules
1. Overview
Perfect Hand Magic (PHM) is a competitive strategy game for two or more players. It can be played using pencil and paper; however, it's most commonly played via online forum. To play the game, each player secretly chooses a specified number of Magic cards which form that player's hand. Once all players have chosen hands, the hands are revealed and scored.
The object of the game is to choose the hand that will score the most points. The score for each hand is determined by the result that it would achieve if it were used to play two games of Magic – one match – against each competing hand; the rules for these theoretical games are covered in Section 2 – Game Rules. During each theoretical game, the theoretical player of each hand employs the strategy that will maximize the score for his or her hand, taking into account the strategy of his or her opponent.
A hand scores 3 points for each game that it would win, 0 points for each game it would lose, and 1 point for each game that would end in a draw. However, a hand scores only 2 points for any match that would have a symmetrical result, regardless of whether the result would be two drawn games or a win for each hand.
The composition of a hand is limited only by a short banned list and a few restrictions on the game states that it can enable; these restrictions are covered in Section 3 – Deck Composition.
2. Game Rules
2.1. Except for the changes described in these rules, games follow the rules for a normal game of Magic.
2.2. A player's opening hand contains that player's chosen cards.
2.3. Players' libraries begin the game empty.
2.4. A cost or effect that would produce a random result produces the result that least benefits the player who paid that cost or the owner of the source of that effect instead.
2.5. Each player is the starting player for one game in each match.
2.6. Players know the identities of all face-down cards and cards in hidden zones, and players know which decisions have been made by other players.
2.7. If a game would continue indefinitely, then the game is a draw.
2.8. If a loop containing at least one optional action would be repeated indefinitely during a turn, then any player may propose a number of times for that loop to repeat instead. If a player does, then each other player may propose a different number and the loop is repeated for the greatest number of times proposed instead. No player is required to make a choice that would end a loop that crosses multiple turns.
2.9. Cards can't be brought into the game from outside the game.
3. Hand Construction Rules
3.1. A player may not choose an opening hand that could enable that player to achieve any of the following results before an opponent's second turn would begin, such that that opponent could make no sequence of decisions that would not result in at least one of these results:
Ignore this rule in the following cases:
3.2. A hand may contain any number of copies of any card legal in Vintage.
3.3. A hand may not contain any cards on the PHM Banned List.
4. Entry
4.1. A player plays a round of PHM by submitting a list of his or her chosen cards to the PHM moderator.
4.2. A player may change his or her hand until the posted deadline.
4.3. A player may name his or her hand. If that player doesn't, then the PHM moderator may name it. The PHM moderator may also rename a player's hand at his or discretion.
5. Perfect Hand Magic League
5.1. PHM League play consists of four rounds of PHM.
5.2. Each round, a player earns League points according to the following formula:
5.3. The player with the most League points at the end of League play is the PHM League winner.
6. Scoring
6.1. A table of match results is posted at the end of each round. Each row lists one player's results against each other player. A player's points and League points are tallied at the end of his or her row.
6.2. A player may earn bonus League points as specified by the PHM moderator.
6.3. Each player is responsible for determining the match results for his or her hand.
7. Variant Format Rules
7.1. Perfect Hand Magic has been played with hands containing between one and seven cards. Additionally, the Game Rules and Deck Construction Rules have been adapted to create hundreds of variant formats. Five commonly-played variants are described in Sections 7.3-7.7.
7.2. The rules of a variant format overwrite any other applicable rules.
7.3. Land Rule Variant.
7.4. Sanctioned Magic Format Variant.
7.5. Life Rule (LF).
7.6. Backbuild.
7.7. Bonus Points.
PHM Banned List
The following cards are automatically banned in all Perfect Hand Magic League rounds unless otherwise specified by the round rules. Each round may have an additional banned list that extends beyond, but always includes, these cards.
Acceleration
Channel
Fastbond
Flash
Show and Tell
Disruption
Pact of Negation
Chancellor of the Annex
Force of Will
Leyline of Anticipation
Trinisphere
Lands
Ghost Quarter
Strip Mine
Wasteland
Win Conditions
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
Barren Glory
Laboratory Maniac
Magus of the Moon
Meddling Mage
The Rack
Vampire Hexmage
Land Rule Banned List
"Land Rule" is the most common variant for PHM, and thus a separate ban list has been developed to allow for easier moderation. The following cards are banned in Perfect Hand Magic League rounds when a Land Rule is used. There will be a reminder of this on the round rules.
Acceleration
Black Lotus
Disruption
Balancing Act
Energy Field
Time Walk
Win Conditions
Beacon of Creation
Maralen of the Mornsong
Nezumi Shortfang
Red Sun's Zenith
White Sun's Zenith
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Yeah. Page 2 of the Peekaboo round is where the updated rules were posted.
EDIT: Still having trouble figuring this one out. What's to stop me or my opponent from doing nothing? Or is the goal to make a deck that can win, and try my hardest to win with my opponents deck, so I want my deck to be slower then there's... ugh this is really messing with my brain.
EDIT 2: I guess I'm having trouble seeing the difference between "Making myself lose" and "winning as slow as possible"
the most common backbuild strategies are 1) to be very slow, 2) to be easily disruptable, or 3) to almost kill yourself in the process of winning.
maybe even a combination of the three.
Anyway, an example:
Great Furnace / Peat Bog / Relic Bane / Serra's Sanctum / Sunhome Enforcer
You win by casting a Sunhome enforcer, and to do so, you have to cast relic bane to get mana from the sanctum. Now obviously this isn't optimized, but it shows you what can be done.
A very simple version of the "almost kill yourself" variant is Sulfuric Vortex and mana sources. You'll beat the test deck easily, but you'll be at 2 life when you do.
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/forum-games/forum-magic/599213-perfect-hand-magic-30-02-5-card-strawman-some
This was an example of the "match the test deck" gone horribly wrong. But in general, it's a fine strategy.
Now: Return the favor. Give me a deck that's horribly slow, ensuring my opponents will crush me. Or give me something suicidal that makes sure I lose if my opponent can deal even 1 damage to me. Or give me something that loses if my opponent can play a spell. Make the deck you're building for me so horrid that no matter what kind of crap I give you, what you give me is even worse.
Of course, instead of just you and I trading, everyone will be trading with their opponent each round, but that breaks the illusion here. Just think about making Feyd the worst deck possible. He forgot to enter last week, so he deserves a horrible deck that can't win. I want you to get truly medieval on me and make the deck so horrible I want to quit magic for such things even being possible. Just make sure it can still beat the test deck (in general: win before turn 119).
No longer staff here.
Do we each evaluate our own deck vs others or do we actually play it out somehow?
so, more directly, we dont actually play anything, just think about which SHOULD win.
So it can beat the test deck, assuming the test deck is doing nothing, and it losses to everything else, that's the goal, right?
Just be sure it can win against a deck that takes no actions whatsoever.
No longer staff here.
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy
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Mana Crypt + Jeweled Amulet to cast Astral Cornucopia. Mana Crypt to cast Contagion Clasp. Use proliferate to scale Astral Cornucopia. Use that plus other stuff to cast Thieve's Auction. As long as there are an even number of permanents on the field, he can leave the Mana Crypt for the opponent, which then starts dealing 3 damage a turn to them.
I believe 7-9 should be 6-0 in my favor.
At some point, we both start losing life due to the round rule. You wait until you're down to 5 life, then start playing cards. If I play nothing, you win four turns later (3 counters on Grove, activate on my turn when we're both down to 1 life and kill me). If I play Crypt, I just die, because I take 18 damage from Crypt before I can cast Auction.
For reference, the exact sequence that my hand uses to win is:
Turn 1: Mana Crypt, Jewelled Amulet, put a counter on Jewelled Amulet
Turn 2: 17 life, Astral Cornucopia (1 counter)
Turn 3: 14 life, Contagion Clasp, put a counter on Jewelled Amulet
Turn 4: 11 life, activate Contagion Clasp (2 counters on Astral Cornucopia)
Turn 5: 8 life, activate Contagion Clasp (3 counters on Astral Cornucopia)
Turn 6: 5 life, put a counter on Jewelled Amulet, activate Contagion Clasp (4 counters on Astral Cornucopia)
Turn 7: 2 life, cast Thieves' Auction, opponent gains control of Mana Crypt if there is an even number of permanents on the battlefield
Two other hands that I considered were:
Eureka / Mana Crypt / Shivan Wumpus / Talisman of Unity / Tigereye Cameo
and
Abyssal Persecutor / Druids' Repository / Hypergenesis / Lotus Bloom / Thieves' Auction
I thought someone else might use Argothian Wurm / Shivan Wumpus, which is why I tried very hard to not play lands.
In the end, I chose the hand I did for the following reasons:
- If an opponent controls a permanent, I can't set up my win condition.
- Because I control Mana Crypt, my opponent has a specific window where it's safe to play any permanent, even a Mana Crypt.
- The hand deals 18 damage to itself as part of the set up, meaning that I can't cast Thieves' Auction shortly after the round rule comes into effect, which can let an opponent start sequences in that time frame.
- All the mana sources charge, meaning that Eureka / Hypergenesis don't let me bypass damage from Mana Crypt.
- The hand plays no lands and must lead with Mana Crypt, meaning that it can't necessarily beat Argothian Wurm / Shivan Wumpus / Desecration Elemental / Standstill.
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy