I have a submission for the no-rares deck section. I know that Innistrad has largely been passed over in favor of RTR block cards, but I built this yesterday and I found it strangely...satisfying. It's nothing special, but if you have someone wanting to come play Magic for the first time, this is a pretty simple and nicely themed deck.
As I said, it's very simple. Obviously, the spell section needs work (adding Searing Spear, Thunderbolt, etc), and the creature base isn't exactly perfect, but it runs well. It doesn't fidget around with a lot of this and that, it's pretty much play a creature, turn it sideways, if something gets in your way try to get rid of it or just steamroll over it. Dark Favor and Vampiric Fury are helpful to help you clamber over blockers. Dark Favor onto a Bloodcrazed Neonate and if they have no blocker turn three can net you a nice 5 damage, which then allows you to put a counter onto it.
Rakdos, by comparison, feels faster than this, and probably does more damage sooner, since with a Rakdos deck you swing for 4 points of damage on turn 2, and with RDW or Gruul you can probably swing for 8. But if you don't have much except a lot of commons and a few uncommons, this isn't a bad deck to throw together.
I know we had a thread that was like this, but in your guide could you single out which decks are best for beginners, or take one deck for a beginner and prioritize cards for them
I actually like this idea. "professionals" need to realise a beginner player cannot just always "jump" into playing Control/combo/infinite stack/top 8 decks for their first games..(Storm perhaps?).
Key interaction is Nivix Cyclops and any instant or sorcery. With Rush of Blood you can do massive amounts of damage, as much as 20 unblockable with five open mana. The trick:
1) Cast Artful Dodge on Nivix Cyclops. Announce +3/+0 trigger.
2) Attack.
3) Before combat damage, cast a 1 cmc spell from your hand. Announce +3/+0 trigger.
4) Cast Rush of Blood from your hand. Put the +3/+0 trigger on top of the stack. When Rush of Blood resolves, Nivix Cyclops will be a 20/4 creature.
Key interaction is Nivix Cyclops and any instant or sorcery. With Rush of Blood you can do massive amounts of damage, as much as 20 unblockable with five open mana. The trick:
1) Cast Artful Dodge on Nivix Cyclops. Announce +3/+0 trigger.
2) Attack.
3) Before combat damage, cast a 1 cmc spell from your hand. Announce +3/+0 trigger.
4) Cast Rush of Blood from your hand. Put the +3/+0 trigger on top of the stack. When Rush of Blood resolves, Nivix Cyclops will be a 20/4 creature.
I've been thinking about this deck. I don't think Augur works. He's a budget sub for Snapcaster, but Augur can shuffle away one of your needed and rare threats. That third spot needs to be another threat or defense. Judge's Familiar for a controlish take? Delver of Secrets?
The list I really like has Guttersnipe (uncommon) and Boros Charm for protection or doublestrike. On a dodgy cyclops you're talking 7 to 10 power unblockable doublestriker.
But the three color mana bases are so bad for us here in budgetland, aggro especially. Yakusoku, any thoughts on that?
@goldenj: check out Travis Woo's latest article on ChannelFireball.com. His budget U/R list is a blast to play. He eschews Delver in favor of Burning Vengeance and Guttersnipe.
VERY soon. I am working on it right now. I'm actually contemplating some really big changes, so it's going to be more than a standard new set update that includes some new cards into pre-existing decks.
As suggested earlier, I would like to do a section geared towards very new players. I would like to include a deck section using only RTR block + M14 cards. I would like to update some of the deckbuilding sections that use old examples.
And I am thinking of switching over towards a model of total price for a deck, rather than a cap per card.
I think it might accommodate players who have X dollars to spend on a deck more while also allowing for decks which have a few expensive cards, but are otherwise mostly cheap (think Gruul aggro with 4 Stomping Ground, but almost no other expensive cards).
If anyone has any other suggestions or comments, now is the time to do it while I'm fixing everything else.
Interesting Izzet Blitz list... what do you think of Young Pyromancer as a potential engine in that deck?
This deck can win in multiple ways - unblockable, Nivix Cyclops, Burning Vengeance or Guttersnipe triggers, and just plain burn to the face, but Young Pyromancer is much harder to get damage to go through.
I think its place is in a rdw deck that is much more burn-oriented than the current format allows. There aren't 12-16 burn cards that you'd run in a mono-red deck right now. Searing Spear and Pillar of Flame are about it, with Mizzium Mortars replacing Pillar of Flame against midrange decks.
The new Junk Acrats deck really needs Varolz to be able to control morbid for tragic slip, high priest and blood artist, 6-8 sac outlets are ideal. I don't really understand the Smiters and I would make the swap there, they are about the same price, sub $5, so I don't see why not.
Awesome decks as always~
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BBBB mono black midrange RRRR mono red aggro GWGW selesnya aggro
This is sweet, I really like this thread. i quit recently but still want to play with friends and local tourneys. Could the control decks feature opportunity as a pseudo revelations? They just seem very linear in the idea of blow up stuff and play a fatty and do not have much Card advantage.
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top 100 SCG Sacramento
1st place GPT Seattle
1st place GPT Anaheim
This is sweet, I really like this thread. i quit recently but still want to play with friends and local tourneys. Could the control decks feature opportunity as a pseudo revelations? They just seem very linear in the idea of blow up stuff and play a fatty and do not have much Card advantage.
Possibly, but there are two problems with trying to replace Sphinx's Revelations with a non-X spell:
Sphinx's Revelations can be more or less depending on your situation and Sphinx's Revelations gains you life and draws you cards.
I'll consider it, but I think that Supreme Verdict already gains you card advantage and you don't necessarily need to draw tons of cards - just stay alive long enough to land Aetherling and win.
@SimonWhite - I was just concerned that Varolz is both legendary and much smaller than the Smiter. I'll consider Varolz.
you rarely burn a revelation in those decks for under 6 mana unless you have one in hand anyways. It gives the decks a little more depth. Obviously the lifegain is huge but we do not have that either way. im gonna be playing opportunity in my list and think it is the optimal choice at this stage.
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top 100 SCG Sacramento
1st place GPT Seattle
1st place GPT Anaheim
Hey guys! My wife and I are getting back into competitive magic in a couple months and were thinking of picking up a budget deck for now to start playing around and re-learning the rules. (We're quick learners!)
I was looking at the Ravnica Block + M14 decks posted and I really want to play control. Would the UWr or UWb be more powerful in general? Just by looking at the cards I think the UWr deck will do better overall, but I'm just theory-crafting... I'd really appreciate your guys input!
TLDR:
1) Would the UWr or UWb deck be better for budget if building the Ravnica Block + M14 decks posted in the Original post?
2) If the budget was a a bit more like say ($20) what would you do to improve the deck chosen in my 1st question?
First, I want to say a couple things, I'm not trying to be rude, I have loved these threads since you first started doing them and the quality is as good as ever but I do have a couple things I have noticed which I think could help.
If I'm not helping or you think I am being rude I'll be off on my own way but I really do mean the best, every time I have the time to update my article I don't because this, is and has always been enough of a valuable resource.
Lets start from the top,
<20 rdw might be better in a dynacharge shell, but that is up to the pilot and deckbuilder to be honest. There is no reason you couldn't play the dynacharge version on 20 bucks.
<20 gw aggro would rather have any other card than Avacyn's Pilgrim, in a deck that curves at 2 an accelerator has virtually 0 value.
<20 ur delver 24 lands is probs too many for curving at 3, as well as you want to play as few lands as possible so you flip him more like last seasons list running 17-19. can't do that anymore but 20 should be fine.
<50 zombies there is no reason to play only zombies since there is no direct zombie lord, the only creature that pushes creature type matters is Gravecrawler and I have played him in decks with as low as 12 zombies, himself included and always been fine. I suggest looking into other 2 drops, maybe Scrivener and Knight of Infamy, Butcher Ghoul and Highborn Ghoul aren't really that good/aggressive. Rakdos Cackler is also very very good in this deck. 12 drops makes for many games go land dude, land dude dude, that demands an answer or lose.
<50 izzet blitz, I love this twoo deck and have played a lot of the UWR version from DGM to M14. I'd play the 4 armed for sure, best card in the list, as well as swap the burning vengeance for the delvers. Twoo plays dream twist and a couple off color feeling of dread in his budget version (and only 3 BV), this version only has 8 flashback spells.
I'm not going to talk about control decks because the maindecks in those are so up to the deckbuilder to match what they think is good and what they think the deck should be doing, just look at Gerry Chapin MattCosta and other control loving pro players, lists never look anything a-like.
Loving the Junk Acrats deck, I see you decided on Varolz, I bet it plays a lot smoother. Sin Collector is very good.
<100 Junk Rites might want a couple Shadowborn Demon, but you might not want to card those in because they are suspect to price jump when someone finally finds out that it's just the next Black Thundermaw, that card is nuts. (Although currently 5...) More mana guys over souls is also much better without hoof. Should shoot for 7-8 mix the m14 m13 and pilgrim ones.
<100 hexproof having played a lot of hexproof, and hating every minute of it, but still, I have come to think non-hexproof guys just don't belong in there. I was playing Preditor Ooze for a while as a pretend hexproof but tragic slip and UW charm are a beating, what I would suggest doing is going to 22-20 lands and cutting smiter and adding a couple Ascended Lawmage as well as Curiosity. That card makes the 1 drop in any non-aggro matchup, they can't deal with the sear advantage you are getting drawing 2 a turn starting on turn 2. Without curiosity scout is pretty bad unless your hand is the nut.
<100 BW humans, this is what I am playing now, (well now it has red as well, but it's basically AJ's deck still.) BW is still very good and I would certainly say it might be one of the best bang for your buck decks right now. I mean how much has mutavault even really done? What I do notice gone from your list though is Gather the Townsfolk, in this deck I would probably cut souls before I cut gather, very explosive with Champion, as well as you combine them with either artist or the necromancer and your opponent basically won't be able to wrath, ever. I would also think about adding some virtues, but not too many, you never want to draw 2.
Sorry to put this all on you, but I just wanted to try to help. Thanks for the stellar content all these years.
- Simon
EDIT: Lovin' the decklist links as well, super helpful.
I did not think your post is rude and makes some good points, some of which I agree with and some which I do not. I will take some time to think about this and make some changes, accordingly.
I always welcome ideas, even if I don't agree with them.
There's a line from a television series, Sports Night which I think is quite applicable here.
Isaac has to dress down one of his employees who disagrees with him about something, but doesn't voice his opinion, so Isaac tells him, "I've learned - if you're dumb, surround yourself with smart people and if you're smart, surround yourself with smart people who disagree with you."
Hey guys! My wife and I are getting back into competitive magic in a couple months and were thinking of picking up a budget deck for now to start playing around and re-learning the rules. (We're quick learners!)
I was looking at the Ravnica Block + M14 decks posted and I really want to play control. Would the UWr or UWb be more powerful in general? Just by looking at the cards I think the UWr deck will do better overall, but I'm just theory-crafting... I'd really appreciate your guys input!
TLDR:
1) Would the UWr or UWb deck be better for budget if building the Ravnica Block + M14 decks posted in the Original post?
2) If the budget was a a bit more like say ($20) what would you do to improve the deck chosen in my 1st question?
I think the UWr deck is more powerful right now.
If you have more money, get more shocklands - Hallowed Fountain, Sacred Foundry, or Steam Vents. The lands is the weakest point of the deck and ideally you'd be running 12 shocklands, the full set of all three UW, UR, and RW lands.
12 Swamps
3 Vampire Interloper
4 Bloodcrazed Neonate
4 Markov Patrician
4 Rakish Heir
2 Night Revelers
4 Bump in the Night
4 Vampiric Fury
4 Fires of Undeath
2 Dark Favor
As I said, it's very simple. Obviously, the spell section needs work (adding Searing Spear, Thunderbolt, etc), and the creature base isn't exactly perfect, but it runs well. It doesn't fidget around with a lot of this and that, it's pretty much play a creature, turn it sideways, if something gets in your way try to get rid of it or just steamroll over it. Dark Favor and Vampiric Fury are helpful to help you clamber over blockers. Dark Favor onto a Bloodcrazed Neonate and if they have no blocker turn three can net you a nice 5 damage, which then allows you to put a counter onto it.
Rakdos, by comparison, feels faster than this, and probably does more damage sooner, since with a Rakdos deck you swing for 4 points of damage on turn 2, and with RDW or Gruul you can probably swing for 8. But if you don't have much except a lot of commons and a few uncommons, this isn't a bad deck to throw together.
I actually like this idea. "professionals" need to realise a beginner player cannot just always "jump" into playing Control/combo/infinite stack/top 8 decks for their first games..(Storm perhaps?).
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Augur of Bolas
4 Nivix Cyclops
Spells (28)
4 Mizzium Skin
4 Artful Dodge
4 Thought Scour
4 Desperate Ravings
4 Think Twice
4 Izzet Charm
4 Rush of Blood
4 Izzet Guildgate
9 Island
7 Mountain
Key interaction is Nivix Cyclops and any instant or sorcery. With Rush of Blood you can do massive amounts of damage, as much as 20 unblockable with five open mana. The trick:
1) Cast Artful Dodge on Nivix Cyclops. Announce +3/+0 trigger.
2) Attack.
3) Before combat damage, cast a 1 cmc spell from your hand. Announce +3/+0 trigger.
4) Cast Rush of Blood from your hand. Put the +3/+0 trigger on top of the stack. When Rush of Blood resolves, Nivix Cyclops will be a 20/4 creature.
I've been thinking about this deck. I don't think Augur works. He's a budget sub for Snapcaster, but Augur can shuffle away one of your needed and rare threats. That third spot needs to be another threat or defense. Judge's Familiar for a controlish take? Delver of Secrets?
The list I really like has Guttersnipe (uncommon) and Boros Charm for protection or doublestrike. On a dodgy cyclops you're talking 7 to 10 power unblockable doublestriker.
But the three color mana bases are so bad for us here in budgetland, aggro especially. Yakusoku, any thoughts on that?
Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici.
His has heavy reliance on snapcaster and the mana base. Always the manabase!
UWGbant flashGWU
UBdimir mill-controlBU
VERY soon. I am working on it right now. I'm actually contemplating some really big changes, so it's going to be more than a standard new set update that includes some new cards into pre-existing decks.
As suggested earlier, I would like to do a section geared towards very new players. I would like to include a deck section using only RTR block + M14 cards. I would like to update some of the deckbuilding sections that use old examples.
And I am thinking of switching over towards a model of total price for a deck, rather than a cap per card.
I think it might accommodate players who have X dollars to spend on a deck more while also allowing for decks which have a few expensive cards, but are otherwise mostly cheap (think Gruul aggro with 4 Stomping Ground, but almost no other expensive cards).
If anyone has any other suggestions or comments, now is the time to do it while I'm fixing everything else.
UWGbant flashGWU
UBdimir mill-controlBU
UWGbant flashGWU
UBdimir mill-controlBU
This deck can win in multiple ways - unblockable, Nivix Cyclops, Burning Vengeance or Guttersnipe triggers, and just plain burn to the face, but Young Pyromancer is much harder to get damage to go through.
I think its place is in a rdw deck that is much more burn-oriented than the current format allows. There aren't 12-16 burn cards that you'd run in a mono-red deck right now. Searing Spear and Pillar of Flame are about it, with Mizzium Mortars replacing Pillar of Flame against midrange decks.
Awesome decks as always~
RRRR mono red aggro
GWGW selesnya aggro
1st place GPT Seattle
1st place GPT Anaheim
Possibly, but there are two problems with trying to replace Sphinx's Revelations with a non-X spell:
Sphinx's Revelations can be more or less depending on your situation and Sphinx's Revelations gains you life and draws you cards.
I'll consider it, but I think that Supreme Verdict already gains you card advantage and you don't necessarily need to draw tons of cards - just stay alive long enough to land Aetherling and win.
@SimonWhite - I was just concerned that Varolz is both legendary and much smaller than the Smiter. I'll consider Varolz.
1st place GPT Seattle
1st place GPT Anaheim
I was looking at the Ravnica Block + M14 decks posted and I really want to play control. Would the UWr or UWb be more powerful in general? Just by looking at the cards I think the UWr deck will do better overall, but I'm just theory-crafting... I'd really appreciate your guys input!
TLDR:
1) Would the UWr or UWb deck be better for budget if building the Ravnica Block + M14 decks posted in the Original post?
2) If the budget was a a bit more like say ($20) what would you do to improve the deck chosen in my 1st question?
If I'm not helping or you think I am being rude I'll be off on my own way but I really do mean the best, every time I have the time to update my article I don't because this, is and has always been enough of a valuable resource.
Lets start from the top,
<20 rdw might be better in a dynacharge shell, but that is up to the pilot and deckbuilder to be honest. There is no reason you couldn't play the dynacharge version on 20 bucks.
<20 gw aggro would rather have any other card than Avacyn's Pilgrim, in a deck that curves at 2 an accelerator has virtually 0 value.
<20 ur delver 24 lands is probs too many for curving at 3, as well as you want to play as few lands as possible so you flip him more like last seasons list running 17-19. can't do that anymore but 20 should be fine.
<50 zombies there is no reason to play only zombies since there is no direct zombie lord, the only creature that pushes creature type matters is Gravecrawler and I have played him in decks with as low as 12 zombies, himself included and always been fine. I suggest looking into other 2 drops, maybe Scrivener and Knight of Infamy, Butcher Ghoul and Highborn Ghoul aren't really that good/aggressive. Rakdos Cackler is also very very good in this deck. 12 drops makes for many games go land dude, land dude dude, that demands an answer or lose.
<50 izzet blitz, I love this twoo deck and have played a lot of the UWR version from DGM to M14. I'd play the 4 armed for sure, best card in the list, as well as swap the burning vengeance for the delvers. Twoo plays dream twist and a couple off color feeling of dread in his budget version (and only 3 BV), this version only has 8 flashback spells.
I'm not going to talk about control decks because the maindecks in those are so up to the deckbuilder to match what they think is good and what they think the deck should be doing, just look at Gerry Chapin MattCosta and other control loving pro players, lists never look anything a-like.
Loving the Junk Acrats deck, I see you decided on Varolz, I bet it plays a lot smoother. Sin Collector is very good.
<100 Junk Rites might want a couple Shadowborn Demon, but you might not want to card those in because they are suspect to price jump when someone finally finds out that it's just the next Black Thundermaw, that card is nuts. (Although currently 5...) More mana guys over souls is also much better without hoof. Should shoot for 7-8 mix the m14 m13 and pilgrim ones.
<100 hexproof having played a lot of hexproof, and hating every minute of it, but still, I have come to think non-hexproof guys just don't belong in there. I was playing Preditor Ooze for a while as a pretend hexproof but tragic slip and UW charm are a beating, what I would suggest doing is going to 22-20 lands and cutting smiter and adding a couple Ascended Lawmage as well as Curiosity. That card makes the 1 drop in any non-aggro matchup, they can't deal with the sear advantage you are getting drawing 2 a turn starting on turn 2. Without curiosity scout is pretty bad unless your hand is the nut.
<100 BW humans, this is what I am playing now, (well now it has red as well, but it's basically AJ's deck still.) BW is still very good and I would certainly say it might be one of the best bang for your buck decks right now. I mean how much has mutavault even really done? What I do notice gone from your list though is Gather the Townsfolk, in this deck I would probably cut souls before I cut gather, very explosive with Champion, as well as you combine them with either artist or the necromancer and your opponent basically won't be able to wrath, ever. I would also think about adding some virtues, but not too many, you never want to draw 2.
Sorry to put this all on you, but I just wanted to try to help. Thanks for the stellar content all these years.
- Simon
EDIT: Lovin' the decklist links as well, super helpful.
RRRR mono red aggro
GWGW selesnya aggro
I always welcome ideas, even if I don't agree with them.
There's a line from a television series, Sports Night which I think is quite applicable here.
Isaac has to dress down one of his employees who disagrees with him about something, but doesn't voice his opinion, so Isaac tells him, "I've learned - if you're dumb, surround yourself with smart people and if you're smart, surround yourself with smart people who disagree with you."
I think the UWr deck is more powerful right now.
If you have more money, get more shocklands - Hallowed Fountain, Sacred Foundry, or Steam Vents. The lands is the weakest point of the deck and ideally you'd be running 12 shocklands, the full set of all three UW, UR, and RW lands.
4 Augur of Bolas
4 Krenko's Command
3 Molten Birth
4 Goblin Electromancer
4 Past in Flames
4 Reforge the Soul
2 Burn at the Stake
2 Izzet Charm
4 Faithless Looting
4 Sulfur Falls
1 Izzet Guildgate
2 Island
10 Mountain
I think it's under $100 even with the manabase.