Curious if anyone knows about formats where there are no creatures allowed, or other spells that produce creatures or turn into creatures. Literally just a Wizard's duel between two spell casters. I suspect it wouldn't be as much fun as Magic is, the creatures are part of the main appeal, but I'm very interested in how the format would be "solved" for the best style decks. Would it just be a bunch of different Burn decks with some level of Control to muddle up their opponent's spells? Heavier emphasis on alternate win conditions? Interested in this more as a thought experiment than a real format.
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Considering Green, and to a lesser extent white are colors heavy with creatures, and don't have many other ways to win games, I would imagine all the decks would be blue and/or red.
Honestly now that I think about it, what non-red non-creature cards can win you the game?
Considering Green, and to a lesser extent white are colors heavy with creatures, and don't have many other ways to win games, I would imagine all the decks would be blue and/or red.
Honestly now that I think about it, what non-red non-creature cards can win you the game?
Black still has its direct damage spells like consume spirit and corrupt. Free-Spell Necro and creatureless mono-black decks have had tournament success in the past. Pox and shrieking affliction/the rack would also be an option for black.
I think White has options with Test of Endurance and there are the mill strategies, which end up in Blue and Black. So I really think Green may be nearly unplayable, but potentially splashing for card draw?
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I'm very interested in how the format would be "solved" for the best style decks. Would it just be a bunch of different Burn decks with some level of Control to muddle up their opponent's spells? Heavier emphasis on alternate win conditions? Interested in this more as a thought experiment than a real format.
Cards like Negate and Spell Pierce get major value in a creatureless format.
Enlightened Tutor + cantrips lets you assemble relevant toolbox answers to react to the board.
Counterbalance lock helps keep Storm and Burn in check.
Leyline of Sanctity protects you against Burn and a lot of combos.
Engineered Explosives + Academy Ruins lets you continually blow up annoying nonland permanents.
Rest in Peace shuts off graveyard engines (like Loam).
You can then either win with Rest in Peace + Helm combo or through Jace ultimate. Planeswalkers are OP without creatures to attack them! Planewalkers are VERY OP when you have Leyline of Sanctity to prevent direct damage too.
Basically you Wish or Intuition for Loam and then abuse Life from the Loam + cycling lands to draw cards and dump lands onto the battlefield.
Burn out the opponent with Seismic Assault or recurring Punishing Fires+Grove of the Burnwillows.
Avoid dying to damage thanks to Glacial Chasm and/or Zuran Orb. Chalice of the Void also helps shut down Burn, storm combo, discard decks, and control or combo decks using cheap cantrips.
Intuition lets you search for degenerate packages involving some combination of Life from the Loam, Crucible of Worlds, Academy Ruins, Glacial Chasm, Zuran Orb, Engineered Explosives, cycling lands (depending on what you need at that stage in the game).
Underworld Dreams has historically punished slow control decks and spell-based decks. This is an aggro version, where you force both players to draw lots of cards and then kill opponent with Dreams/Visions triggers, cheated out Runeflare Traps, and/or Molten Psyche.
Also, decks like SpiralTide and TES and ANT could be ported directly from Legacy.
"I cannot tune a harp or play a lyre, but I know how to make a small city great." - Themistocles
Honestly now that I think about it, what non-red non-creature cards can win you the game?
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test of endurance and battle of wits or mill strategies All work.
Black still has its direct damage spells like consume spirit and corrupt. Free-Spell Necro and creatureless mono-black decks have had tournament success in the past. Pox and shrieking affliction/the rack would also be an option for black.
Any non-token producing planeswalkers that can end the game would also be viable I imagine. Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Koth of the Hammer and Ajani Vengeant, maybe a few others.
And I imagine Maze's End would be huge too.
Edit: Storm and Goblin Charbelcher decks would need to be muzzled.
"I cannot tune a harp or play a lyre, but I know how to make a small city great." - Themistocles
"I cannot tune a harp or play a lyre, but I know how to make a small city great." - Themistocles
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"I cannot tune a harp or play a lyre, but I know how to make a small city great." - Themistocles
Tendrils of Agony, Goblin Charbelcher, Brain Freeze, Grapeshot, Helm of Obedience, Illusions of Grandeur, Sorin Markov (set life to 10, then ping for 2 every turn), Barren Glory, Underworld Dreams, Liliana's Caress, The Rack, Seismic Assault, Conflagrate, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Mindslaver, Maze's End
Basically, I think combo would be the best win condition. Storm would get nuts if you don't have to worry about winning before creatures attack you.
Format would probably be:
Aggro - (Burn, Loam Assault)
Combo - (Storm, 2-card combos)
Prison - (Pox Rack, Windfall Megrim Dreams, Creatureless Enchantress+Words of War)
Control - (Superfriends, UW CounterTop+Helm/RiP)
4 Force of Will
4 Brainstorm
4 Spell Pierce
3 Enlightened Tutor
3 Ponder
3 Negate
//Planeswalkers: 3
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
//Permanents: 14
3 Sensei's Divining Top
3 Counterbalance
2 Rest in Peace
1 Detention Sphere
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Helm of Obedience
2 Leyline of Sanctity
4 Flooded Strand
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Tundra
2 Island
2 Plains
1 Mistveil Plains
1 Academy Ruins
1 Underground Sea
1 Marsh Flats
2 Hallowed Fountain
Classic Control deck.
Cards like Negate and Spell Pierce get major value in a creatureless format.
Enlightened Tutor + cantrips lets you assemble relevant toolbox answers to react to the board.
Counterbalance lock helps keep Storm and Burn in check.
Leyline of Sanctity protects you against Burn and a lot of combos.
Engineered Explosives + Academy Ruins lets you continually blow up annoying nonland permanents.
Rest in Peace shuts off graveyard engines (like Loam).
You can then either win with Rest in Peace + Helm combo or through Jace ultimate. Planeswalkers are OP without creatures to attack them! Planewalkers are VERY OP when you have Leyline of Sanctity to prevent direct damage too.
4 Mox Diamond
3 Tranquil Thicket
3 Forgotten Cave
3 Wooded Foothills
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
3 Taiga
1 Tropical Island
1 Volcanic Island
1 Glacial Chasm
1 Alchemist's Refuge
2 Barbarian Ring
1 Academy Ruins
4 Burning Wish
3 Life from the Loam
4 Intuition
4 Punishing Fire
//Permanents: 15
4 Exploration
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Seismic Assault
1 Zuran Orb
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Crucible of Worlds
//Wishboard: 15
1 Life from the Loam
1 Devastating Dreams
1 Hull Breach
1 Reforge the Soul
1 Conflagrate
1 Rootgrapple
1 Creeping Mold
1 Void Snare
1 Joyous Respite
1 Multani's Decree
1 Dosan's Oldest Chant
1 Shattering Spree
1 Vandalblast
1 Banefire
1 Lava Axe
Basically you Wish or Intuition for Loam and then abuse Life from the Loam + cycling lands to draw cards and dump lands onto the battlefield.
Burn out the opponent with Seismic Assault or recurring Punishing Fires+Grove of the Burnwillows.
Avoid dying to damage thanks to Glacial Chasm and/or Zuran Orb. Chalice of the Void also helps shut down Burn, storm combo, discard decks, and control or combo decks using cheap cantrips.
Intuition lets you search for degenerate packages involving some combination of Life from the Loam, Crucible of Worlds, Academy Ruins, Glacial Chasm, Zuran Orb, Engineered Explosives, cycling lands (depending on what you need at that stage in the game).
4 The Rack
4 Shrieking Affliction
//Spells: 27
4 Duress
3 Raven's Crime
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Wrench Mind
4 Smallpox
4 Pox
4 Liliana of the Veil
//Lands: 25
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Wasteland
19 Swamp
(maybe green splash for Loam and Pernicious Deed)
Pretty straightforward. Empty the opponent's hand and let them die to Rack effects.
4 Duress
4 Unmask
4 Dark Ritual
4 Reforge the Soul
4 Runeflare Trap
2 Molten Psyche
4 Howling Mine
4 Underworld Dreams
4 Spiteful Visions
//Mana: 26
4 Sphere of the Suns
4 Graven Cairns
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
6 Swamp
4 Vault of Whispers
4 Badlands
Underworld Dreams has historically punished slow control decks and spell-based decks. This is an aggro version, where you force both players to draw lots of cards and then kill opponent with Dreams/Visions triggers, cheated out Runeflare Traps, and/or Molten Psyche.
Also, decks like SpiralTide and TES and ANT could be ported directly from Legacy.