My friend seems to think that one must spend a lot of money in order to run a strong deck. I am hoping to prove that that is not entirely true with this deck : built solely on commons that would typically be found in the 10 cent-per-card box at any local card shop.
I am hoping to be able to compete against a variety of decks, so the deck has to be versatile and consistent. I hope that you can help me reach these goals while respecting my two <<rules>> :
recommend only cards that cost less than 1$ per set (or 25 cents each)
recommend only cards that are common (rarity : black logos... not silver or gold) : )
Cards that were at one point common (like Kird Ape) are acceptable.
What do you think of Branching Bolt Thanks for all the help.
P.S. If you like the deck, build it for less than 5$. : )
I like the concept of an all-commons deck to prove your friend wrong! R/G is a great color combination to do that.
I think you have a great base for the deck, but it seems a little heavy on the pump spells -- you might well be better off replacing some pump spells with light burn like Lightning Bolt (preferably), Shock, or Lava Dart. Burn is more versatile since you can use it to clear the way for your creatures or hit your opponent on the head later in the game, while pump spells are more limiting.
I'm also not that fond of Intimidator Initiate and think you would be better off with something like Mogg Fanatic in that spot, since the Fanatic can attack, ping off key creatures your opponent has, or ping at his head in the endgame (and under 6th Ed. rules you you can sac him after damage is assigned in combat to do more damage, as I'm you may know).
My final point of advice is that you might want to consider adding more two-power one-drops (Ghazban Ogre, Wild Dogs, etc.) that can help speed up the pounding, since currently most of your creatures are fairly small if you don't pump them, but this is something that only playing with the deck and testing it against other decks can tell.
Good luck with your games!
Cheers,
--Kiwi
P.S. The previous poster is right about adding more land. You could also consider running 4 of Land Grant in place of 4 Forests to thin out your deck.
Thanks for the quick responses and positive feedback ChelloveckSkunk and Kiwi.
I added 1 Mountain and 1 Forest.
@Kiwi : I would like to be able to play staple cards like Land Grant/Mogg Fanatic/Lightning Bolt, but this deck has to run cheap commons (less than 1$ a playset). Lol, this was rule number 1 on the initial post. : )
Initially, I had Flame Rift in the deck, but that did not deal with blockers or attackers. I was considering Branching Bolt (as stated in original post), but it does nothing if the opponent does not run creatures. There is always Incinerate, but I find that 2 mana is a lot of just 3 damage. Is Shock my best option?
Also, what would you recommend that I remove from the deck? (besides the 2 Intimidator Initiate which have already been removed)
I removed the 4 Manamorphose in order to fit in a burn spell. (Blazing Salvo, Magma Spray and Dead/Gone are nice, but do nothing to creatureless decks). So far, I added Dead/Gone. Dead and gone is nice with Violent Outburst's cascade.
If you're going suuuuper budget, then I think your kird apes might be out. They were commons at one point in time, but I don't think I could get 4 for a dollar.
That's being really picky, though. I think this deck looks wicked. I've always been a strong believer that budget magic can and will win if an experienced player is at the helm.
I think I'd bring the creature count up and burn down, but that's just how I play. It makes you a little less vulnerable to removal.
Looking good, though.
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I'll be sad if people don't start calling The Chain Veil "Fleetwood Mac."
Depending on what kind of artifact and discard you are seeing you might consider Ancient Grudge because of the flashback. I run a similar deck but I use bloodbraid elf and wheel of fate so it may be more useful to me since I'm chucking it every now and again. As far as incinerate goes it is worth it for sure. A much better card than shock or branching bolt.
It's been a while since I last played Magic actively (just got back into it this summer), so I guess I didn't realize that the prices of Bolt and Fanatic had gotten that much higher. Are you sure you can't get Land Grant though? I just Googled it and lots of options showed up for less than $1.
You ask whether Shock is your best option here...normally I think I would say yes, except that I think in this particular deck Lava Dart might be even a little better, since you can potentially take out two blockers (if your opponent is heavy on creatures), or you can still do the 2 damage to the head (and lose a mountain, but that should be a negligible cost by the time you would be pointing burn at his head anyway), or, of course, you can split up the two options and take out a blocker while also dealing an extra point of damage to the head (something Shock can't manage). Of course, if you expect your friend to be playing mostly 2-toughness creatures, then go with the Shock.
Finally, if you are going to consider Ghazban Ogre / Wild Dogs / Mogg Conscripts or some of the other 'conditional' two-power one-drops, a complementary worthy consideration is Reckless Abandon, since it lets you sac these creatures once you don't need them (or they threaten to turn against you, can't attack, whatever), but you also get the benefit of the stronger one-drops early on.
"I can't draft objectively unless I am able to guarantee that I receive at least 3 rares. I am also better than most average/new players so I want to make sure that I get the best rares and they end up with worse ones. I care more about the monetary value of cards than actually playing the game for decent prizes."
4 Kird Ape
4 Skarrgan Pit-Skulk
4 Toxic Iguanar
4 Rip-Clan Crasher
4 Scab-Clan Mauler
4 Reckless charge
4 Colossal Might
4 Flame Rift
4 Reckless Abandon
2 Hull Breach
2 Smash to Smithereens
10 Forest
10 Mountain
I am hoping to be able to compete against a variety of decks, so the deck has to be versatile and consistent. I hope that you can help me reach these goals while respecting my two <<rules>> :
Thanks for all the help.
P.S. If you like the deck, build it for less than 5$. : )
other than that, this looks like a great example to prove to your friend. hope he gets what is coming to him
MY TRADING POST!
I play Standard and Draft at The Universe of Superheroes / The Wizard's Guild in Athens, OH.
I like the concept of an all-commons deck to prove your friend wrong! R/G is a great color combination to do that.
I think you have a great base for the deck, but it seems a little heavy on the pump spells -- you might well be better off replacing some pump spells with light burn like Lightning Bolt (preferably), Shock, or Lava Dart. Burn is more versatile since you can use it to clear the way for your creatures or hit your opponent on the head later in the game, while pump spells are more limiting.
I'm also not that fond of Intimidator Initiate and think you would be better off with something like Mogg Fanatic in that spot, since the Fanatic can attack, ping off key creatures your opponent has, or ping at his head in the endgame (and under 6th Ed. rules you you can sac him after damage is assigned in combat to do more damage, as I'm you may know).
My final point of advice is that you might want to consider adding more two-power one-drops (Ghazban Ogre, Wild Dogs, etc.) that can help speed up the pounding, since currently most of your creatures are fairly small if you don't pump them, but this is something that only playing with the deck and testing it against other decks can tell.
Good luck with your games!
Cheers,
--Kiwi
P.S. The previous poster is right about adding more land. You could also consider running 4 of Land Grant in place of 4 Forests to thin out your deck.
I added 1 Mountain and 1 Forest.
@Kiwi : I would like to be able to play staple cards like Land Grant/Mogg Fanatic/Lightning Bolt, but this deck has to run cheap commons (less than 1$ a playset). Lol, this was rule number 1 on the initial post. : )
Initially, I had Flame Rift in the deck, but that did not deal with blockers or attackers. I was considering Branching Bolt (as stated in original post), but it does nothing if the opponent does not run creatures. There is always Incinerate, but I find that 2 mana is a lot of just 3 damage. Is Shock my best option?
Also, what would you recommend that I remove from the deck? (besides the 2 Intimidator Initiate which have already been removed)
I removed the 4 Manamorphose in order to fit in a burn spell. (Blazing Salvo, Magma Spray and Dead/Gone are nice, but do nothing to creatureless decks). So far, I added Dead/Gone. Dead and gone is nice with Violent Outburst's cascade.
MY TRADING POST!
I play Standard and Draft at The Universe of Superheroes / The Wizard's Guild in Athens, OH.
They all tiny catches, but they should be under a quarter.
That's being really picky, though. I think this deck looks wicked. I've always been a strong believer that budget magic can and will win if an experienced player is at the helm.
I think I'd bring the creature count up and burn down, but that's just how I play. It makes you a little less vulnerable to removal.
Looking good, though.
You ask whether Shock is your best option here...normally I think I would say yes, except that I think in this particular deck Lava Dart might be even a little better, since you can potentially take out two blockers (if your opponent is heavy on creatures), or you can still do the 2 damage to the head (and lose a mountain, but that should be a negligible cost by the time you would be pointing burn at his head anyway), or, of course, you can split up the two options and take out a blocker while also dealing an extra point of damage to the head (something Shock can't manage). Of course, if you expect your friend to be playing mostly 2-toughness creatures, then go with the Shock.
Finally, if you are going to consider Ghazban Ogre / Wild Dogs / Mogg Conscripts or some of the other 'conditional' two-power one-drops, a complementary worthy consideration is Reckless Abandon, since it lets you sac these creatures once you don't need them (or they threaten to turn against you, can't attack, whatever), but you also get the benefit of the stronger one-drops early on.
Best Wishes,
--Kiwi
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