Did you consider Nighthowler? If not main board, then I would definitely think about sideboard as this guy could get big fast. Couple this with an evasive creature (Deathcult Rogue, Cloudfin Raptor, etc.) and baby, you've got a stew going.
EDIT: Okay, after minor testing (and I do mean minor) I have to say that nighthowler is AMAZING! Main board for sure; I personally cut Prognostic Sphinx to fit it in. Also, Bane Alley Broker was perfect for getting me the cards I needed, so I like this in conjunction with so many 2-ofs. I'm questioning a few of the spells though: Duress, Dimir Charm, and Warped Physique seem weak to me compared to other options.
I generally dislike mill decks, but this was pretty fun since milling them was not the way I planned on winning. I mean, I was swinging with a 20/20 Consuming Aberration and a 15/15 Returned Phalanx equipped with Nighthowler. What's not to love about that?!
Zwei:
My meta is incredibly heavy on removal, so yes Nighthowler is a good option to help combat that via it's bestow cost. However, it's not able to stop a lot one of the main enemies of the deck: Blood Baron. Prognostic is also one of the few cards that can nail planeswalkers consistently (they can't remove it, and it flies)
Duress is in the mainboard specifically to take out planeswalkers and sweepers. This deck has a really hard time with planeswalkers. A single resolved Elspeth, 5 drop Jace, Garruk or Ashiok and you will lose the game.
Dimir Charm and Warped Physique offer early removal and alternative utility late game. Valuable enough to have 2 of each.
And yes, Bane Alley is pretty nuts. It's weird, because no one really spends removal on it until it's too late and I've already traded in 2-3 excess lands for fuel.
Bane Alley Broker strikes me as being terrible. Far/Away and Dimir Charm seem too good not to play 4.
If Aberration is your win con why not 3-4?
TDK:
Bane Alley Broker serves as a budget Jace AOT, basically. During heavy playtesting against Tier 1.5 $350 decks last night, it was useful for filtering out excess lands or getting to more lands. Also, most decks don't identify it for the card filtering engine it really is, and don't remove it until after you have sculpted most of your hand. (It also blocks any of the pesky x/2 first strikers)
Far / Away is indeed awesome, and I may ramp up to 4 copies. Only issue is it's really only exceptional when you can play both sides, and I'm heavy into 5 drops as it is.
Dimir Charm isn't very good in my Meta. The creatures are too large for it most of the time, and most spot removal is instant speed. It really only stops mortars. The fateseal is negative CA, and sometimes will whiff hard. I think I have enough early drops and other spells to secure the early game.
Aberration is actually not the main wincon. It's vulnerable to almost every removal spell. The wincons are divided between 1) Lazav cloning a bomb like Aetherling, AOS, or Blood Baron/Obzedat. 2) Aberration being made unblockable. 3) Sphinx beats in the air + superior card filtering with Broker
Everyone's meta will vary, so tweaks would be recommended.
I've made a few changes, due to the fact if a Planeswalker such as Ashiok drops past my defense I have no way to deal with it and subsequently lose. Thus there is another Sphinx, less defenders, and Syncopate in the main board to stop Ashiok when I'm on the draw.
Blood Baron is also a huge problem. Syncopate and the extra Sphinx stop that, and also can stop Stormbreath as well. It's worthwhile to note that the scatters are in the mainboard specifically for Aetherling.
[U/B] MAKING MILL VIABLE IN CONSTRUCTED SINCE 2013
*** BACKGROUND ***
I realized something about mill. It's a ton of fun to play, and really frustrating for the opponent, but it's never really viable in standard constructed. Problem is, straight mill cards don't do anything to affect the board, and as such you tend to get crushed by opposing threats. So the way I figured out to make it work, is to use cards that have mill stapled onto them or have other functions in the deck like blocking or dealing damage. I also really think Lazav can be a fun card to have in a deck (plus he is the same price as a mcdonald's chicken sandwhich right now). Add in a control framework for removal and counterspells, and we have a good shot at making everything work out.
KEY CARDS & INTERACTIONS:
1) Rogue's Passage + Consuming Aberration: So you have this huge Aberration that get's chumped all day long. Solution? Unblockable.
2) Lazav, Dimir Mastermind + Dimir Charm: Arrange the top 3 cards however you like, leave them a land and drop their bomb in the graveyard for Lazav to impersonate.
3) Prognostic Sphinx + Bane Alley Broker: Swing with Sphinx, set up your draw then tap Broker and get what you need.
Sorry it's been a while, I've been pretty busy with my sales thread, and life in general to brew. However, I just put the finishing touches on my newest $10 build.
If you love themed decks, you will love how this one was built. It was done from the top down with a lot of the card choices. After I post the writeup you will understand)
I also promise I'll get 100% caught up on this thread. My apologies for falling behind.
*** *** *** ***
[W/U] AZORIUS DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES
*** BACKGROUND ***
When I designed this deck I decided to make playing against it like a visit to your local DMV (I don't know where all of you live, but mine are really bad). Even if the opponent comes prepared, this deck will throw so much bad customer service (blockers), red tape (counterspells) and fines (removal) that progress slows to a crawl and he/she spends most of their time standing in line or arguing with your staff (creatures). The goal is to stall them out until they scoop from boredom or you wipe them out painfully slow with an army of Sphinx.
KEY CARDS & INTERACTIONS:
Omenspeaker: "Your early attackers are valuable to us and will be ignored in the order they are declared"
Archaoemancer: "I understand you already paid the fine to cast your spell, but we don't show it on our records, so I guess one more spell gets countered or one more creature removed"
Prognostic Sphinx: "I know you are in a rush, and would like to use some of those removal spells in your hand, but scrying 3 every turn takes time and we are understaffed"
Elixir of Immortality: "I'm sorry you were so close to the end of this game, however we lost your paperwork and you will have to fill it all out in triplicate once again"
The deck is pretty simple. Just counter, remove and draw to stall the opponent out. Get a Sphinx out, then use it to grab more Sphinx, and keep swinging until they are dead. If you get a plate mail then equip onto any employee to quicken the clock...if you feel like it. It's more funny when you are sarcastic about it like you don't care about the opponent and are doing the bare minimum to get by until you can retire.
Hey could someone tell me what exactly Tempo and Midrange are? I'm currently brewing up a UBG thing, but i'm not sure which it is (plentiful low CC spels to keep your opponent at bay while you set up for your biggies at 4-6 cmc, including Zegana and shipbreaker Kraken)
A Tempo style deck is where you stay ahead of your opponent in board development via disruption or bounce and sometimes ride one threat to victory. Delver is a tempo deck, using cards like mana leak, vapor snag and such to protect the flipped 3/2 and swing every turn until your dead w/o you being able to answer it.
A Midrange style deck is usually built with the most efficient threats possible, and wins in the later turns of the game, but not too late. Examples of midrange would be Jund. It has some efficient early drops, but excels in the midgame where it usually wins by turn 7-9.
By the WoTC definition, there are like 5 different kinds of decks defined into midrange, such as ramp or other types. Main point, you win later than aggro, but earlier than control, that's the simplest way I see midrange defined as.
Here are some of the prices I got on various decks using TCG Player's mass product entry and cart optimizer (including shipping):
Red Deck Wins: $16
URW Control: $25
Assault From the Grave: $22
Flash of the Blade: $22
Ragin' Cajun Cows: $22
So shipping and price variance clearly makes a large difference.
However, if you can find some people or a shop in your area who has all of the cards you need and is willing to sell TCG low (as Shinbatsu mentioned), then you'd be all set.
By, the way, I really appreciate people taking the time to post their deck-lists on here. These are really high-quality decks given the prices!
You make a really good point and backed it up with some hard numbers, and as such I was super interested in trying it out for myself on my own deck. So I ran my BW deck and got this:
TCGplayer cart optimized value: $18.38
This was a real surprise to me. That's a far cry from $10.00! I dug a little deeper and it turns out the optimizer just goes for whatever is cheapest based on shipping + price. This leads to price anomalies because sellers who have low shipping jack up the card prices to compensate:
High Priest of Penance @ .79
Orzhov Charm @ .39
Orzhov Guildgate @ .14 (seriously?)
Read the Bones @ .24
Vizkopa Guildmage @ .34
Deathpact Angel @ .87
Gift of Orzhova @ .31
Ajani, Caller of the Pride @ 4.50
Sin Collector @ .34
Basic Lands were .06 ea + shipping!
Who would pay the above prices? If I tried to charge any of that on Market Street or in my playgroup I'd sell nothing. This brings up a really good point that I feel should be addressed:
Person A: New player, no playgroup, no LGS, no collection. Wants the deck shipped, and wants it now. Uses credit card + tcgplayer. Deck will cost $18
Person B: Looking for a budget deck. Sees the list. Decides he/she doesn't want to take any time to put the deck together. Uses credit card + tcgplayer. Deck will cost $18
Person C: Looking for a budget deck. Sees the list. Checks personal collection, asks friends, stops by LGS. Will build deck for $10 or close to it.
Because this is such a vital point, I felt it necessary to do a breakdown of how Person C (me) actually built the budget deck ran through the optimizer in real life. Note the following:
09 Plains @ .00 ea (Got these free)
10 Swamp @ .00 ea (Got these free)
04 Orzhov Guildgate @ .00 ea (Had these lying around from box opens, buddy has a ton I could have got for .25 / playset)
04 Thrill Kill Assassin @ .25 set (Bought these a few weeks ago from playgroup, cheap lousy uncommons no one plays)
02 High Priest of Penance @ .50 ea (Purchased from a friend at work)
02 Banisher Priest @ .25 (Traded a bulk rare worth .25 for 2x)
04 Sin Collector @ .50 set (Purchased from playgroup, buddy who opened a box + fat pack of GTC)
04 Alms Beast @ 1.00 set (Purchased from same friend selling me priests)
02 Deathpact Angel @ 1.00 both (Purchased from Alms beast/priest guy. It's a bulk mythic, easy to find)
01 Ajani, Caller of the Pride @ 3.00 (this guy isn't worth close to 4.50, I could not even sell this guy @ 3.75 for weeks and weeks on my sales thread. $3.00 is my cost, so he is $3.00. Pulled from my sales binder)
02 Smite @ .00 (got these for free, no one wants them)
02 Executioner's Swing @ .00 (got these for free, no one wants them)
04 Orzhov Charm @ 1.00 set (bought the playset from my mtg drinking buddy)
02 Read the Bones @ .00 both (got these from the prerelease, just lying around. Could have got free from my buddies fat pack or LGS sells for .05 ea)
04 Gift of Orzhova @ ??? (I had these lying around. Let's just say .96 / set since the LGS asks .24 ea around here)
here is the total: $8.46
took me about 1 week to get everything together
Thank you very much for bringing this up. I'm going to write a guide and have it put up below the main page that will outline tips and tricks to actually putting a deck together and coming in on target budget. This is really important stuff, and as such my apologies for the wall of text.
Hey shinbatsu, I noticed the Read the Bones you added to the list over the 5-cost Exile card. Great call, lol. When I was testing the deck out, it felt clunky, and by getting rid of some removal for some scry/draw, it felt a bit smoother.
I agree lol. You will love the latest update, it's even smoother.
Not trying to burst any bubbles, but I just wanted to point out that some these decks (the ones I looked at) are actually going to run you between $20 - $30 if you purchase the cards online (TCG Player). Obviously, they'll cost less if you already own some of the cards. $20 - $30 still a good price for a somewhat competitive deck, but it is definitely more than $10.
EDIT: I didn't see the "timestamp" clause in the "restrictions" section of the rules before I posted this.
No problem. I actually agree with you on that. Prices fluctuate daily, and as such no deck really stays at the same price for longer than a week it feels like lately.
Generally speaking, ordering all the cards from one vendor will still possibly end with you paying more than $10 due to shipping and price variance, but tcgplayer "low" is what you can generally expect to buy or sell cards at in market street on this site, which is why I used it as the metric for this challenge.
I'm speaking from experience as well, having 212 unique, 356 total sales on market street to date.
Plus, if you really wanted to build the deck most people will just pull from their own collections, and their playgroup. I know if I offered tcgplayer "low" for a card to anyone in my group they would gladly accept (most of them trade their cards into the LGS at buylist, which is like 50% of "low").
Any deck I've posted, I've built in real life prior to posting, and have done so at or below the posted cost. This is a mix of my about 20% my own collection, and 80% buying cards and trading with my playgroup to accomplish this.
I love playing control decks, and after the beating that was the last standard season by all kinds of wicked fast, cheap creature decks, I got fed up and put together something close to what you see below. The goal was rather than backpedal for the entire game trying to stabilize, was to match their drops turn for turn with tough blockers that could turn into game winning attackers when the time was right. If the ground gummed up, I would ramp into an overloaded Mortars and go all in for the win. The results were really impressive, and as such whenever I saw a Boros or Gruul deck in my playgroup, out came my trusty Izzet deck. This is the budget version, with some tuning coming from the new M14 and Theros sets.
KEY CARDS & INTERACTIONS:
1) Frostburn Weird, Nivix Cyclops, Fluxcharger: These guys are the bread and butter defending crew, because they are resilient.
2) Stalled ground game + Mizzium Mortars or Teleportal: The more the ground gets crowded the better. Overload either, then go HUGE for a massive pile of unanswered damage.
3) Goblin Electomancer: Ramps your spells, letting you cast Flames for 2 mana to wipe out their early offense. Also beats for 2 - 3 once their board is clear.
I gotta say I'm blown away at the sheer quality of the decks I'm seeing posted. It's hard to believe the level of decks people are brewing on just a $10 budget! If you got a $10 bill, no excuses not to pilot of of these creations at your FNM and see how many dreams you can crush! (don't forget to remind them they just lost to a $10 deck)
Don't forget to update your posts if things change due to playtesting!
(PS: I've made a small update to my deck as well, check it out)
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
BUDGET DECK BUILDER SINCE 93'
Modern ------------------------- WU Azorius Titan Midrange
Commander ------------------- WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
***Are you looking for cards priced below TCG NM "LOW" and with FREE SHIPPING? - Click HERE! for my sales thread - 485 Feedback 100% positive!***
This is the evolution of my old Orzhov deck. It's upgraded with new M14 cards and soon Theros cards. The object is to "combo" using Alms Beast to cause BACKBREAKING life swings. You can finish using Vizkopa Guildmage to do as much as a 21 point swing with a single attack! Combine this with efficient beaters and removal, and you are ready to steal some games. Remember not to be afraid to drop Gift on a Thrill-Kill or Priest if the opening is there and you think it's possible to connect a few times.
KEY CARDS & INTERACTIONS:
1) Vizkopa Guildmage + Alms Beast + Gift of Orzhova: This is where the deck gets it's name. You go from losing to winning, or winning to really winning with a single connect. We are talking +7 life for you and -14 life for them. In magical xmas land, have Ajani down and use his -3 for a OHKO.
2) Sin Collector: This guy is important. If you suspect removal, drop him first to check out their hand and get rid of their answer to your combo before you build Voltron.
3) Deathpact Angel: This is your plan B. A hard to deal with huge flying beater with SWEET artwork. Love it.
4) Orzhov Charm: Don't be afraid to use it's 1st mode to save your Gift'ed Alms Beast when necessary.
[SO YOU FOUND A DECK YOU LIKE AND WANT TO BUILD IT... TIPS AND TRICKS FAQ V1.0!]
...This is a highly recommended read...
So you found a deck you want to build and it's time to put it together. If you really wanted to, it's possible to whip out the credit card and hop on tcgplayer to purchase the entire deck. Don't be surprised when you check out if $10 becomes $18. Shipping is a real thing, most of all for multiple small sales from different vendors. Try out these steps to ensure you really can build these decks for a $10 bill:
1) Check your collection first
This one is self explanatory. Search your collection and get together any of the cards in the list. Use older prints if necessary. If a deck calls for a Doom Blade, don't be hesitant to use an M12 one.
2) Check with your playgroup
A lot of the commons and uncommons your buddies may just hand you for free. Some of this is real chaff that competitive players would leave on a table after drafting or opening packs so you may be doing them a favor taking those Omenspeakers off their hands. Everything else they may just trade with you.
3) Check your LGS
Now obviously you may not want to do this for the rares or money uncommons. However, scan their website or binder to see if some of the uncommons and commons, and even a few rares are for sale @ or less than tcgplayer "low". Sometimes you can score and if you use the website you can order online and pickup what you need. Don't forget that people frequent the LGS and may trade with you also (DO NOT GET RIPPED OFF, CHECK YOUR PRICES). If you trade down, sometimes you can get a premium.
4) Check Market Street
Shameless Plug. Don't forget there are a few sellers with bulk rares on their lists, or maybe you can ask while ordering more expensive stuff for your modern or unlimited budget standard deck for a few .25 rares as throw-ins. Don't be afraid to make offers as well. We sellers don't bite
5) BE PATIENT!!!
It takes time to put together a deck for the right price. If you are impatient, you will overpay and come in over budget. Get out to the LGS and talk to people, don't be afraid to make friends and to ask for stuff. Even your lands you can get for free usually from the draft box if you are new to the game and have no cards at all. I know people use guildgates for coasters sometimes. But take your time, and wait for your opportunities, and explore all your options.
*** All decks are 100% standard legal and ready to play RIGHT NOW! ***
Creator: [ Zephyr Scarlet ] Name:WURUWR Control Submitted: 9/23/13 Cost: $9.54 (Timestamp: 9/23/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10772791&postcount=5 Summary:Control Type - An incredible budget control build with all the classic control elements
Creator: [ Iplaywhite ] Name:WRRed/White Token Army Submitted: 9/26/13 Cost: $9.69 (Timestamp: 9/26/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10791870&postcount=16 Summary:Aggro Type - A deck that goes wide with lots of tokens, then goes in for a huge attack
Creator: [ Zephyr Scarlet ] Name:BRArise, my Master Submitted: 9/27/13 Cost: $9.93 (Timestamp: 9/27/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10797848&postcount=18 Summary:Combo Type - A demonic combo based deck that can kill you with the combo pieces themselves!
Creator: [ darksk8e245 ] Name:WBGWBg Extort Submitted: 9/27/13 Cost: $2.49 (Timestamp: 9/27/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10800641&postcount=19 Summary:Aggro Type - A really affordable deck that uses extort and creatures to grind the opponent down
Creator: [ Iplaywhite ] Name:BRChaos Erupts Submitted: 9/27/13 Cost: $9.78 (Timestamp: 9/27/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10801240&postcount=20 Summary:Aggro Type - A lightning fast deck whose sole purpose is to kill the opponent with massive early damage output
Creator: [ Zephyr Scarlet ] Name:WBRAngels & Demons Submitted: 9/29/13 Cost: $9.89 (Timestamp: 9/30/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10817318&postcount=27 Summary:Midrange Type - A solid midrange deck with powerful budget game enders and a framework that preys on the standard meta
Creator: [ Zephyr Scarlet ] Name:WRGNaya Zoo Submitted: 9/30/13 Cost: $9.87 (Timestamp: 10/1/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10825377&postcount=33 Summary:Aggro Type - An aggressive deck that uses the best budget early drops available to Naya along with burn to overwhelm the opponent
Creator: [ Darkninja107 ] Name:RGGruul Acres Submitted: 10/1/13 Cost: $9.12 (Timestamp: 10/1/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10830083&postcount=34 Summary:Ramp Type - A fast mana deck that ramps into huge fatties that will crush your opponents into the dust
Creator: [ Bad Mojo ] Name:BBlack Sucks (You!) Submitted: 10/2/13 Cost: $8.78 (Timestamp: 10/1/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10835630&postcount=37 Summary:Combo Type - A deck that revolves around Sanguine Bond and Whip of Erebos to kill in just a few massive life swings
Creator: [ chowdahrogansorah ] Name:UGSimic Monstrosities Submitted: 10/7/13 Cost: $6.79 (Timestamp: 10/7/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10869370&postcount=42 Summary:Midrange Type - A deck that goes big with early game control leading to monstrous results later in the game
Creator: [ ZServ ] Name:WRBudget Winning Wieners Submitted: 10/7/13 Cost: $9.97 (Timestamp: 10/7/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10875363&postcount=44 Summary:Aggro Type - A fast, hard hitting aggro deck featuring tricks with heroic and good matchups vs other aggro decks
Creator: [ Drowning ] Name:WRNivmagus Heroic Submitted: 10/9/13 Cost: $9.91 (Timestamp: 10/10/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10894348&postcount=47 Summary:Aggro Type - An aggro deck that abuses the interaction between heroic and nivmagus elemental coupled with burn and sweeper protection
Creator: [ Maclojack ] Name:WGSelsnya Aggro Submitted: 10/10/13 Cost: $8.42 (Timestamp: 10/10/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10897475&postcount=48 Summary:Aggro Type - A deck that uses bloodrush combined with early drops to pull off massive damage attacks
Creator: [ Zwei ] Name:UBGInfinite Spiral Submitted: 10/11/13 Cost: $9.31 (Timestamp: 10/12/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10906604&postcount=52 Summary:Combo Type - A deck that marks the true return of combo to budget standard by milling the opponents deck in one fell swoop
Creator: [ TawClaw ] Name:BNot an Ethical Merchant Submitted: 10/15/13 Cost: $9.94 (Timestamp: 10/15/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10936530&postcount=54 Summary:Aggro/Midrange Type - A deck that masses devotion and uses it for huge, game changing life swings
Creator: [ Realize ] Name:WUBlue / White Aggro Submitted: 10/16/13 Cost: $9.24 (Timestamp: 10/16/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10944245&postcount=58 Summary:Aggro Type - A deck that combines cheap and strong creatures with evasion and tempo to end the game quickly
Creator: [ Valdarith ] Name:WUHeroic Tempo Submitted: 10/21/13 Cost: $6.61 (Timestamp: 10/21/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10979243&postcount=59 Summary:Aggro/Tempo Type - A deck that utilizes quality heroic creatures with top cover to ride early threats to victory
Creator: [ Bad Mojo ] Name:BRRakdos Deck Wins Submitted: 10/21/13 Cost: $7.43 (Timestamp: 10/24/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=11006176&postcount=60 Summary:Aggro/Tempo Type - A rushdown deck with haste and evasion that ends the game in a speedy manner with overwhelming numbers
Name:URScientific Progress goes EXPLODE! Submitted: 9/26/13 Cost: $9.88 (Timestamp: 10/2/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10796691&postcount=17 Summary:Control/Midrange Type - A deck that matches aggro with tough blockers, locks the board then goes BIG for the kill!
Name:WUAzorius Department of Motor Vehicles Submitted: 11/1/13 Cost: $9.99 (Timestamp: 11/3/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=11063248&postcount=64 Summary:Control Type - A deck that exists to keep the opponent from getting anything done with denial, scry and removal!
Name:UBMaking Mill Viable in Constructed Since 2013 Submitted: 11/10/13 Cost: $7.01 (Timestamp: 11/11/13) Link:http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=11119637&postcount=72 Summary:Control Type - A deck that makes mill playable via spells that do mill + other functions along with threats that utilize milled cards.
"I'll show you the true meaning of cheap cards!" (and the true meaning of horrible MS paint skills)
--------------------
[INTRODUCTION - skip this if you want to get right to the action]
It's been a while...
WELCOME TO EPISODE III OF THE BUDGET DECK CHALLENGE! (RTR BLOCK + THEROS BLOCK)
As customary, this is where the newest "budget deck challenge" decks will be placed following the upcoming rotation. So let me ask you...
Are you frustrated with how expensive standard is? Do you thrive on challenge and uphill battles? Do you consider yourself a master deckbuilder even when faced with restrictions?
...well my friend, you have come to the right place. Do you have what it takes? Time to put your $10 where your mouth is and step up to the plate!
So how do you participate? Just read below. And yes, we are going back to our roots, and doing this on a $10 bill. This ain't supposed to be easy.
[RULES - yeah they suck but it's kind of necessary for a challenge...]
1. Deck must be Standard Legal: RTR / GTC / DGM / M14 / THS
2. Deck must be $10 or less using tcgplayer "low" as a metric (Lightly Played or better)
.......... This total includes the cost of your sideboard, if you have one
.......... Prices fluctuate, so be sure to Timestamp your deck to lock in prices
.......... Basic Lands = FREE (people just give them away)
3. Deck should be focused on being competitive, not casual
As long as you Timestamp your deck, it's legal even if prices go up the next day. However, if you mod the deck, you need a new Timestamp and you will no longer be legal if you are over the limit. Plan carefully!
[REQUIRED FORMATTING - so that everything looks real fresh and clean]
We need our builds to all look similar in formatting, so listen up. If your format meets the requirement in the spoiler tags, you get a highlight and a link on the main page. If not, you are still welcome to post, but no link.
*** BACKGROUND ***
Tell us about how you built this deck, and what it plans to accomplish. How does it win? What are the synergies, key plays, or anything else we need to know prior to making this deck and piloting it. Also note why you selected certain cards for the deck.
Feel free to add in an explanation for the sideboard, suggestions for people with more budget, and suggested other maindeck cards to use.
*** THE DECKLIST ***
TIMESTAMP: INSERT YOUR DATE AND TIME HERE (Deck completed, sleeved up and ready to play)
CURVE (0-1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6+): 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6
AVERAGE CMC: This is equal to total casting costs of all cards / number of total spells
TYPE: BDC10 ($10.00 LIMIT)
CURRENT COST: PRICE
REMAINING BUDGET: Remaining Budget
[RESOURCES - need inspiration? start here]
Yakusoku's Budget Guide to Standard - This guy has been around for a long time before I came to this board, and is the original budget deckbuilder. Great resource for all budgets!
Simon's Budget Guide to Playing on a Budget - An excellent thread with a ton of decks. Lots of variety, something for everyone and all play styles, even combo! Gotta check this one out!
[SPECIAL THANKS - gotta thank other people besides myself]
Thank you to everyone that follows the work of myself and everyone else in the budget forum.
Magic is an expensive game, and can be prohibitive at times. It's because of the regulars in the budget forum that everyone can enjoy magic at a competitive level, not just the rich kids. It's the regulars here that I learn from every day that help me to keep my game sharp.
Budget decks are part of standard. Be sure you remind your opponent of such as you grind his car payment deck into the dust.
AND DON'T FORGET TO READ THE FAQ BELOW THE DECK LISTINGS FOR GETTING STARTED!
Zwei:
My meta is incredibly heavy on removal, so yes Nighthowler is a good option to help combat that via it's bestow cost. However, it's not able to stop a lot one of the main enemies of the deck: Blood Baron. Prognostic is also one of the few cards that can nail planeswalkers consistently (they can't remove it, and it flies)
Duress is in the mainboard specifically to take out planeswalkers and sweepers. This deck has a really hard time with planeswalkers. A single resolved Elspeth, 5 drop Jace, Garruk or Ashiok and you will lose the game.
Dimir Charm and Warped Physique offer early removal and alternative utility late game. Valuable enough to have 2 of each.
And yes, Bane Alley is pretty nuts. It's weird, because no one really spends removal on it until it's too late and I've already traded in 2-3 excess lands for fuel.
BUDGET DECK BUILDER SINCE 93'
Modern ------------------------- WU Azorius Titan Midrange
Commander ------------------- WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
***Are you looking for cards priced below TCG NM "LOW" and with FREE SHIPPING? - Click HERE! for my sales thread - 485 Feedback 100% positive!***
TDK:
Bane Alley Broker serves as a budget Jace AOT, basically. During heavy playtesting against Tier 1.5 $350 decks last night, it was useful for filtering out excess lands or getting to more lands. Also, most decks don't identify it for the card filtering engine it really is, and don't remove it until after you have sculpted most of your hand. (It also blocks any of the pesky x/2 first strikers)
Far / Away is indeed awesome, and I may ramp up to 4 copies. Only issue is it's really only exceptional when you can play both sides, and I'm heavy into 5 drops as it is.
Dimir Charm isn't very good in my Meta. The creatures are too large for it most of the time, and most spot removal is instant speed. It really only stops mortars. The fateseal is negative CA, and sometimes will whiff hard. I think I have enough early drops and other spells to secure the early game.
Aberration is actually not the main wincon. It's vulnerable to almost every removal spell. The wincons are divided between 1) Lazav cloning a bomb like Aetherling, AOS, or Blood Baron/Obzedat. 2) Aberration being made unblockable. 3) Sphinx beats in the air + superior card filtering with Broker
Everyone's meta will vary, so tweaks would be recommended.
I've made a few changes, due to the fact if a Planeswalker such as Ashiok drops past my defense I have no way to deal with it and subsequently lose. Thus there is another Sphinx, less defenders, and Syncopate in the main board to stop Ashiok when I'm on the draw.
Blood Baron is also a huge problem. Syncopate and the extra Sphinx stop that, and also can stop Stormbreath as well. It's worthwhile to note that the scatters are in the mainboard specifically for Aetherling.
BUDGET DECK BUILDER SINCE 93'
Modern ------------------------- WU Azorius Titan Midrange
Commander ------------------- WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
***Are you looking for cards priced below TCG NM "LOW" and with FREE SHIPPING? - Click HERE! for my sales thread - 485 Feedback 100% positive!***
[U/B] MAKING MILL VIABLE IN CONSTRUCTED SINCE 2013
*** BACKGROUND ***
I realized something about mill. It's a ton of fun to play, and really frustrating for the opponent, but it's never really viable in standard constructed. Problem is, straight mill cards don't do anything to affect the board, and as such you tend to get crushed by opposing threats. So the way I figured out to make it work, is to use cards that have mill stapled onto them or have other functions in the deck like blocking or dealing damage. I also really think Lazav can be a fun card to have in a deck (plus he is the same price as a mcdonald's chicken sandwhich right now). Add in a control framework for removal and counterspells, and we have a good shot at making everything work out.
KEY CARDS & INTERACTIONS:
1) Rogue's Passage + Consuming Aberration: So you have this huge Aberration that get's chumped all day long. Solution? Unblockable.
2) Lazav, Dimir Mastermind + Dimir Charm: Arrange the top 3 cards however you like, leave them a land and drop their bomb in the graveyard for Lazav to impersonate.
3) Prognostic Sphinx + Bane Alley Broker: Swing with Sphinx, set up your draw then tap Broker and get what you need.
*** THE DECKLIST ***
TIMESTAMP: 11/11 @ 1225
9 Island
9 Swamp
4 Dimir Guildgate
1 Rogue's Passage
CREATURES - 16
2 Doorkeeper
4 Returned Phalanx
2 Duskmantle Guildmage
2 Bane Alley Broker
2 Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
2 Consuming Aberration
2 Prognostic Sphinx
2 Duress
2 Syncopate
2 Essence Scatter
1 Doom Blade
2 Dimir Charm
2 Warped Physique
2 Pilfered Plans
4 Psychic Strike
2 Grisly Spectacle
2 Far / Away
CURVE (0-1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6+): 2 / 17 / 8 / 4 / 6 / 0
AVERAGE CMC: 2.86
TYPE: BDC10 ($10.00 LIMIT)
CURRENT COST: $7.01
REMAINING BUDGET: $2.99
BUDGET DECK BUILDER SINCE 93'
Modern ------------------------- WU Azorius Titan Midrange
Commander ------------------- WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
***Are you looking for cards priced below TCG NM "LOW" and with FREE SHIPPING? - Click HERE! for my sales thread - 485 Feedback 100% positive!***
If you love themed decks, you will love how this one was built. It was done from the top down with a lot of the card choices. After I post the writeup you will understand)
I also promise I'll get 100% caught up on this thread. My apologies for falling behind.
*** *** *** ***
[W/U] AZORIUS DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES
*** BACKGROUND ***
When I designed this deck I decided to make playing against it like a visit to your local DMV (I don't know where all of you live, but mine are really bad). Even if the opponent comes prepared, this deck will throw so much bad customer service (blockers), red tape (counterspells) and fines (removal) that progress slows to a crawl and he/she spends most of their time standing in line or arguing with your staff (creatures). The goal is to stall them out until they scoop from boredom or you wipe them out painfully slow with an army of Sphinx.
KEY CARDS & INTERACTIONS:
Omenspeaker: "Your early attackers are valuable to us and will be ignored in the order they are declared"
Archaoemancer: "I understand you already paid the fine to cast your spell, but we don't show it on our records, so I guess one more spell gets countered or one more creature removed"
Prognostic Sphinx: "I know you are in a rush, and would like to use some of those removal spells in your hand, but scrying 3 every turn takes time and we are understaffed"
Elixir of Immortality: "I'm sorry you were so close to the end of this game, however we lost your paperwork and you will have to fill it all out in triplicate once again"
The deck is pretty simple. Just counter, remove and draw to stall the opponent out. Get a Sphinx out, then use it to grab more Sphinx, and keep swinging until they are dead. If you get a plate mail then equip onto any employee to quicken the clock...if you feel like it. It's more funny when you are sarcastic about it like you don't care about the opponent and are doing the bare minimum to get by until you can retire.
*** THE DECKLIST ***
TIMESTAMP: 11/3 @ 1213
9 Plains
11 Island
4 Azorius Guildgate
CREATURES - 8
2 Omenspeaker
2 Archaeomancer
4 Prognostic Sphinx
1 Elixir of Immortality
4 Syncopate
2 Celestial Flare
2 Essence Scatter
4 Azorius Charm
2 Divination
4 Detention Sphere
4 Render Silent
2 Aetherize
1 Haunted Plate Mail
2 Opportunity
CURVE (0-1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6+): 1 / 14 / 10 / 5 / 4 / 2
AVERAGE CMC: 3.08
TYPE: BDC10 ($10.00 LIMIT)
CURRENT COST: $9.99
REMAINING BUDGET: $0.01
BUDGET DECK BUILDER SINCE 93'
Modern ------------------------- WU Azorius Titan Midrange
Commander ------------------- WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
***Are you looking for cards priced below TCG NM "LOW" and with FREE SHIPPING? - Click HERE! for my sales thread - 485 Feedback 100% positive!***
A Tempo style deck is where you stay ahead of your opponent in board development via disruption or bounce and sometimes ride one threat to victory. Delver is a tempo deck, using cards like mana leak, vapor snag and such to protect the flipped 3/2 and swing every turn until your dead w/o you being able to answer it.
A Midrange style deck is usually built with the most efficient threats possible, and wins in the later turns of the game, but not too late. Examples of midrange would be Jund. It has some efficient early drops, but excels in the midgame where it usually wins by turn 7-9.
By the WoTC definition, there are like 5 different kinds of decks defined into midrange, such as ramp or other types. Main point, you win later than aggro, but earlier than control, that's the simplest way I see midrange defined as.
I hope that clears it up a bit.
Thanks!
BUDGET DECK BUILDER SINCE 93'
Modern ------------------------- WU Azorius Titan Midrange
Commander ------------------- WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
***Are you looking for cards priced below TCG NM "LOW" and with FREE SHIPPING? - Click HERE! for my sales thread - 485 Feedback 100% positive!***
You make a really good point and backed it up with some hard numbers, and as such I was super interested in trying it out for myself on my own deck. So I ran my BW deck and got this:
TCGplayer cart optimized value: $18.38
This was a real surprise to me. That's a far cry from $10.00! I dug a little deeper and it turns out the optimizer just goes for whatever is cheapest based on shipping + price. This leads to price anomalies because sellers who have low shipping jack up the card prices to compensate:
High Priest of Penance @ .79
Orzhov Charm @ .39
Orzhov Guildgate @ .14 (seriously?)
Read the Bones @ .24
Vizkopa Guildmage @ .34
Deathpact Angel @ .87
Gift of Orzhova @ .31
Ajani, Caller of the Pride @ 4.50
Sin Collector @ .34
Basic Lands were .06 ea + shipping!
Who would pay the above prices? If I tried to charge any of that on Market Street or in my playgroup I'd sell nothing. This brings up a really good point that I feel should be addressed:
Person A: New player, no playgroup, no LGS, no collection. Wants the deck shipped, and wants it now. Uses credit card + tcgplayer. Deck will cost $18
Person B: Looking for a budget deck. Sees the list. Decides he/she doesn't want to take any time to put the deck together. Uses credit card + tcgplayer. Deck will cost $18
Person C: Looking for a budget deck. Sees the list. Checks personal collection, asks friends, stops by LGS. Will build deck for $10 or close to it.
Because this is such a vital point, I felt it necessary to do a breakdown of how Person C (me) actually built the budget deck ran through the optimizer in real life. Note the following:
09 Plains @ .00 ea (Got these free)
10 Swamp @ .00 ea (Got these free)
04 Orzhov Guildgate @ .00 ea (Had these lying around from box opens, buddy has a ton I could have got for .25 / playset)
04 Thrill Kill Assassin @ .25 set (Bought these a few weeks ago from playgroup, cheap lousy uncommons no one plays)
02 High Priest of Penance @ .50 ea (Purchased from a friend at work)
02 Banisher Priest @ .25 (Traded a bulk rare worth .25 for 2x)
04 Sin Collector @ .50 set (Purchased from playgroup, buddy who opened a box + fat pack of GTC)
04 Alms Beast @ 1.00 set (Purchased from same friend selling me priests)
02 Deathpact Angel @ 1.00 both (Purchased from Alms beast/priest guy. It's a bulk mythic, easy to find)
01 Ajani, Caller of the Pride @ 3.00 (this guy isn't worth close to 4.50, I could not even sell this guy @ 3.75 for weeks and weeks on my sales thread. $3.00 is my cost, so he is $3.00. Pulled from my sales binder)
02 Smite @ .00 (got these for free, no one wants them)
02 Executioner's Swing @ .00 (got these for free, no one wants them)
04 Orzhov Charm @ 1.00 set (bought the playset from my mtg drinking buddy)
02 Read the Bones @ .00 both (got these from the prerelease, just lying around. Could have got free from my buddies fat pack or LGS sells for .05 ea)
04 Gift of Orzhova @ ??? (I had these lying around. Let's just say .96 / set since the LGS asks .24 ea around here)
here is the total: $8.46
took me about 1 week to get everything together
Thank you very much for bringing this up. I'm going to write a guide and have it put up below the main page that will outline tips and tricks to actually putting a deck together and coming in on target budget. This is really important stuff, and as such my apologies for the wall of text.
I agree lol. You will love the latest update, it's even smoother.
BUDGET DECK BUILDER SINCE 93'
Modern ------------------------- WU Azorius Titan Midrange
Commander ------------------- WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
***Are you looking for cards priced below TCG NM "LOW" and with FREE SHIPPING? - Click HERE! for my sales thread - 485 Feedback 100% positive!***
No problem. I actually agree with you on that. Prices fluctuate daily, and as such no deck really stays at the same price for longer than a week it feels like lately.
Generally speaking, ordering all the cards from one vendor will still possibly end with you paying more than $10 due to shipping and price variance, but tcgplayer "low" is what you can generally expect to buy or sell cards at in market street on this site, which is why I used it as the metric for this challenge.
I'm speaking from experience as well, having 212 unique, 356 total sales on market street to date.
Plus, if you really wanted to build the deck most people will just pull from their own collections, and their playgroup. I know if I offered tcgplayer "low" for a card to anyone in my group they would gladly accept (most of them trade their cards into the LGS at buylist, which is like 50% of "low").
Any deck I've posted, I've built in real life prior to posting, and have done so at or below the posted cost. This is a mix of my about 20% my own collection, and 80% buying cards and trading with my playgroup to accomplish this.
BUDGET DECK BUILDER SINCE 93'
Modern ------------------------- WU Azorius Titan Midrange
Commander ------------------- WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
***Are you looking for cards priced below TCG NM "LOW" and with FREE SHIPPING? - Click HERE! for my sales thread - 485 Feedback 100% positive!***
*** BACKGROUND ***
I love playing control decks, and after the beating that was the last standard season by all kinds of wicked fast, cheap creature decks, I got fed up and put together something close to what you see below. The goal was rather than backpedal for the entire game trying to stabilize, was to match their drops turn for turn with tough blockers that could turn into game winning attackers when the time was right. If the ground gummed up, I would ramp into an overloaded Mortars and go all in for the win. The results were really impressive, and as such whenever I saw a Boros or Gruul deck in my playgroup, out came my trusty Izzet deck. This is the budget version, with some tuning coming from the new M14 and Theros sets.
KEY CARDS & INTERACTIONS:
1) Frostburn Weird, Nivix Cyclops, Fluxcharger: These guys are the bread and butter defending crew, because they are resilient.
2) Stalled ground game + Mizzium Mortars or Teleportal: The more the ground gets crowded the better. Overload either, then go HUGE for a massive pile of unanswered damage.
3) Goblin Electomancer: Ramps your spells, letting you cast Flames for 2 mana to wipe out their early offense. Also beats for 2 - 3 once their board is clear.
*** THE DECKLIST ***
TIMESTAMP: 10/2 @ 1947
10 Island
10 Mountain
4 Izzet Guildgate
CREATURES - 16
4 Goblin Electromancer
4 Frostburn Weird
3 Nivix Cyclops
2 Spellheart Chimera
2 Fluxcharger
1 Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
2 Negate
2 Mizzium Mortars
2 Izzet Charm
2 Teleportal
2 Dissolve
2 Flames of the Firebrand
2 Essence Backlash
4 Turn / Burn
2 Thoughtflare
CURVE (0-1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6+): 0 / 16 / 9 / 4 / 6 / 1
AVERAGE CMC: 3.08
TYPE: BDC10 ($10.00 LIMIT)
CURRENT COST: $9.88
REMAINING BUDGET: $0.12
BUDGET DECK BUILDER SINCE 93'
Modern ------------------------- WU Azorius Titan Midrange
Commander ------------------- WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
***Are you looking for cards priced below TCG NM "LOW" and with FREE SHIPPING? - Click HERE! for my sales thread - 485 Feedback 100% positive!***
Don't forget to update your posts if things change due to playtesting!
(PS: I've made a small update to my deck as well, check it out)
BUDGET DECK BUILDER SINCE 93'
Modern ------------------------- WU Azorius Titan Midrange
Commander ------------------- WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
***Are you looking for cards priced below TCG NM "LOW" and with FREE SHIPPING? - Click HERE! for my sales thread - 485 Feedback 100% positive!***
*** BACKGROUND ***
This is the evolution of my old Orzhov deck. It's upgraded with new M14 cards and soon Theros cards. The object is to "combo" using Alms Beast to cause BACKBREAKING life swings. You can finish using Vizkopa Guildmage to do as much as a 21 point swing with a single attack! Combine this with efficient beaters and removal, and you are ready to steal some games. Remember not to be afraid to drop Gift on a Thrill-Kill or Priest if the opening is there and you think it's possible to connect a few times.
KEY CARDS & INTERACTIONS:
1) Vizkopa Guildmage + Alms Beast + Gift of Orzhova: This is where the deck gets it's name. You go from losing to winning, or winning to really winning with a single connect. We are talking +7 life for you and -14 life for them. In magical xmas land, have Ajani down and use his -3 for a OHKO.
2) Sin Collector: This guy is important. If you suspect removal, drop him first to check out their hand and get rid of their answer to your combo before you build Voltron.
3) Deathpact Angel: This is your plan B. A hard to deal with huge flying beater with SWEET artwork. Love it.
4) Orzhov Charm: Don't be afraid to use it's 1st mode to save your Gift'ed Alms Beast when necessary.
*** THE DECKLIST ***
TIMESTAMP: 9/29 @ 1235
9 Plains
10 Swamp
4 Orzhov Guildgate
CREATURES - 22
4 Thrill-Kill Assassin
2 High Priest of Penance
4 Vizkopa Guildmage
2 Banisher Priest
4 Sin Collector
4 Alms Beast
2 Deathpact Angel
1 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
SPELLS - 14
2 Smite
2 Executioner's Swing
4 Orzhov Charm
2 Read the Bones
4 Gift of Orzhova
CURVE (0-1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6+): 2 / 16 / 13 / 4 / 0 / 2
AVERAGE CMC: 2.81
TYPE: BDC10 ($10.00 LIMIT)
CURRENT COST: $8.69
REMAINING BUDGET: $1.31
BUDGET DECK BUILDER SINCE 93'
Modern ------------------------- WU Azorius Titan Midrange
Commander ------------------- WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
***Are you looking for cards priced below TCG NM "LOW" and with FREE SHIPPING? - Click HERE! for my sales thread - 485 Feedback 100% positive!***
...This is a highly recommended read...
So you found a deck you want to build and it's time to put it together. If you really wanted to, it's possible to whip out the credit card and hop on tcgplayer to purchase the entire deck. Don't be surprised when you check out if $10 becomes $18. Shipping is a real thing, most of all for multiple small sales from different vendors. Try out these steps to ensure you really can build these decks for a $10 bill:
1) Check your collection first
This one is self explanatory. Search your collection and get together any of the cards in the list. Use older prints if necessary. If a deck calls for a Doom Blade, don't be hesitant to use an M12 one.
2) Check with your playgroup
A lot of the commons and uncommons your buddies may just hand you for free. Some of this is real chaff that competitive players would leave on a table after drafting or opening packs so you may be doing them a favor taking those Omenspeakers off their hands. Everything else they may just trade with you.
3) Check your LGS
Now obviously you may not want to do this for the rares or money uncommons. However, scan their website or binder to see if some of the uncommons and commons, and even a few rares are for sale @ or less than tcgplayer "low". Sometimes you can score and if you use the website you can order online and pickup what you need. Don't forget that people frequent the LGS and may trade with you also (DO NOT GET RIPPED OFF, CHECK YOUR PRICES). If you trade down, sometimes you can get a premium.
4) Check Market Street
Shameless Plug. Don't forget there are a few sellers with bulk rares on their lists, or maybe you can ask while ordering more expensive stuff for your modern or unlimited budget standard deck for a few .25 rares as throw-ins. Don't be afraid to make offers as well. We sellers don't bite
5) BE PATIENT!!!
It takes time to put together a deck for the right price. If you are impatient, you will overpay and come in over budget. Get out to the LGS and talk to people, don't be afraid to make friends and to ask for stuff. Even your lands you can get for free usually from the draft box if you are new to the game and have no cards at all. I know people use guildgates for coasters sometimes. But take your time, and wait for your opportunities, and explore all your options.
BUDGET DECK BUILDER SINCE 93'
Modern ------------------------- WU Azorius Titan Midrange
Commander ------------------- WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
***Are you looking for cards priced below TCG NM "LOW" and with FREE SHIPPING? - Click HERE! for my sales thread - 485 Feedback 100% positive!***
Updated: 11/7/13
*** All decks are 100% standard legal and ready to play RIGHT NOW! ***
Creator: [ Zephyr Scarlet ]
Name: WUR UWR Control
Submitted: 9/23/13
Cost: $9.54 (Timestamp: 9/23/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10772791&postcount=5
Summary: Control Type - An incredible budget control build with all the classic control elements
Creator: [ |1loneviet1| ]
Name: R Dirt Cheap Dirty RDW
Submitted: 9/24/13
Cost: $8.90 (Timestamp: 9/24/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10780030&postcount=7
Summary: Aggro Type - A violent, lightning fast aggro deck that ends the game quickly
Creator: [ Zephyr Scarlet ]
Name: WBG Assault from the Grave
Submitted: 9/25/13
Cost: $9.91 (Timestamp: 9/25/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10782050&postcount=8
Summary: Midrange Type - A deceptively fast, synergistic reanimator/ramp deck
Creator: [ Something in the Way ]
Name: WUBRG Maze's End
Submitted: 9/26/13
Cost: $8.46 (Timestamp: 9/26/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10788897&postcount=9
Summary: Control Type - A deck that stalls, then pulls wins out of nowhere!
Creator: [ buckinbroncos ]
Name: WBR Ragin' Cajun Cows
Submitted: 9/25/13
Cost: $9.91 (Timestamp: 9/26/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10789372&postcount=11
Summary: Aggro Type - A minotaur themed deck with lots of heavy hitting bovines
Creator: [ Zephyr Scarlet ]
Name: WUG Flash of the Blade
Submitted: 9/26/13
Cost: $10.00 (Timestamp: 9/26/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10790034&postcount=14
Summary: Tempo Type - A deck that is always one step ahead of the opponent!
Creator: [ ahrizel ]
Name: RG Red/Green Aggro
Submitted: 9/26/13
Cost: $7.12 (Timestamp: 9/26/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10791717&postcount=15
Summary: Aggro Type - A deck that runs the enemy over with a flurry of burn and fast creatures
Creator: [ Iplaywhite ]
Name: WR Red/White Token Army
Submitted: 9/26/13
Cost: $9.69 (Timestamp: 9/26/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10791870&postcount=16
Summary: Aggro Type - A deck that goes wide with lots of tokens, then goes in for a huge attack
Creator: [ Zephyr Scarlet ]
Name: BR Arise, my Master
Submitted: 9/27/13
Cost: $9.93 (Timestamp: 9/27/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10797848&postcount=18
Summary: Combo Type - A demonic combo based deck that can kill you with the combo pieces themselves!
Creator: [ darksk8e245 ]
Name: WBG WBg Extort
Submitted: 9/27/13
Cost: $2.49 (Timestamp: 9/27/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10800641&postcount=19
Summary: Aggro Type - A really affordable deck that uses extort and creatures to grind the opponent down
Creator: [ Iplaywhite ]
Name: BR Chaos Erupts
Submitted: 9/27/13
Cost: $9.78 (Timestamp: 9/27/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10801240&postcount=20
Summary: Aggro Type - A lightning fast deck whose sole purpose is to kill the opponent with massive early damage output
Creator: [ Zephyr Scarlet ]
Name: WBR Angels & Demons
Submitted: 9/29/13
Cost: $9.89 (Timestamp: 9/30/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10817318&postcount=27
Summary: Midrange Type - A solid midrange deck with powerful budget game enders and a framework that preys on the standard meta
Creator: [ Zephyr Scarlet ]
Name: WRG Naya Zoo
Submitted: 9/30/13
Cost: $9.87 (Timestamp: 10/1/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10825377&postcount=33
Summary: Aggro Type - An aggressive deck that uses the best budget early drops available to Naya along with burn to overwhelm the opponent
Creator: [ Darkninja107 ]
Name: RG Gruul Acres
Submitted: 10/1/13
Cost: $9.12 (Timestamp: 10/1/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10830083&postcount=34
Summary: Ramp Type - A fast mana deck that ramps into huge fatties that will crush your opponents into the dust
Creator: [ Bad Mojo ]
Name: B Black Sucks (You!)
Submitted: 10/2/13
Cost: $8.78 (Timestamp: 10/1/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10835630&postcount=37
Summary: Combo Type - A deck that revolves around Sanguine Bond and Whip of Erebos to kill in just a few massive life swings
Creator: [ chowdahrogansorah ]
Name: UG Simic Monstrosities
Submitted: 10/7/13
Cost: $6.79 (Timestamp: 10/7/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10869370&postcount=42
Summary: Midrange Type - A deck that goes big with early game control leading to monstrous results later in the game
Creator: [ ZServ ]
Name: WR Budget Winning Wieners
Submitted: 10/7/13
Cost: $9.97 (Timestamp: 10/7/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10875363&postcount=44
Summary: Aggro Type - A fast, hard hitting aggro deck featuring tricks with heroic and good matchups vs other aggro decks
Creator: [ Drowning ]
Name: WR Nivmagus Heroic
Submitted: 10/9/13
Cost: $9.91 (Timestamp: 10/10/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10894348&postcount=47
Summary: Aggro Type - An aggro deck that abuses the interaction between heroic and nivmagus elemental coupled with burn and sweeper protection
Creator: [ Maclojack ]
Name: WG Selsnya Aggro
Submitted: 10/10/13
Cost: $8.42 (Timestamp: 10/10/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10897475&postcount=48
Summary: Aggro Type - A deck that uses bloodrush combined with early drops to pull off massive damage attacks
Creator: [ Zwei ]
Name: UBG Infinite Spiral
Submitted: 10/11/13
Cost: $9.31 (Timestamp: 10/12/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10906604&postcount=52
Summary: Combo Type - A deck that marks the true return of combo to budget standard by milling the opponents deck in one fell swoop
Creator: [ TawClaw ]
Name: B Not an Ethical Merchant
Submitted: 10/15/13
Cost: $9.94 (Timestamp: 10/15/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10936530&postcount=54
Summary: Aggro/Midrange Type - A deck that masses devotion and uses it for huge, game changing life swings
Creator: [ Realize ]
Name: WU Blue / White Aggro
Submitted: 10/16/13
Cost: $9.24 (Timestamp: 10/16/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10944245&postcount=58
Summary: Aggro Type - A deck that combines cheap and strong creatures with evasion and tempo to end the game quickly
Creator: [ Valdarith ]
Name: WU Heroic Tempo
Submitted: 10/21/13
Cost: $6.61 (Timestamp: 10/21/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10979243&postcount=59
Summary: Aggro/Tempo Type - A deck that utilizes quality heroic creatures with top cover to ride early threats to victory
Creator: [ Bad Mojo ]
Name: BR Rakdos Deck Wins
Submitted: 10/21/13
Cost: $7.43 (Timestamp: 10/24/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=11006176&postcount=60
Summary: Aggro/Tempo Type - A rushdown deck with haste and evasion that ends the game in a speedy manner with overwhelming numbers
BUDGET DECK BUILDER SINCE 93'
Modern ------------------------- WU Azorius Titan Midrange
Commander ------------------- WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
***Are you looking for cards priced below TCG NM "LOW" and with FREE SHIPPING? - Click HERE! for my sales thread - 485 Feedback 100% positive!***
Updated: 11/10/13
*** All decks are 100% standard legal and ready to play RIGHT NOW! ***
Name: WB Death in the Blink of an Eye
Submitted: 9/24/13
Cost: $8.69 (Timestamp: 9/29/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10772465&postcount=4
Summary: Combo/Midrange Type - A voltron combo deck with a solid curve and excellent disruption
Name: UR Scientific Progress goes EXPLODE!
Submitted: 9/26/13
Cost: $9.88 (Timestamp: 10/2/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10796691&postcount=17
Summary: Control/Midrange Type - A deck that matches aggro with tough blockers, locks the board then goes BIG for the kill!
Name: WU Azorius Department of Motor Vehicles
Submitted: 11/1/13
Cost: $9.99 (Timestamp: 11/3/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=11063248&postcount=64
Summary: Control Type - A deck that exists to keep the opponent from getting anything done with denial, scry and removal!
Name: UB Making Mill Viable in Constructed Since 2013
Submitted: 11/10/13
Cost: $7.01 (Timestamp: 11/11/13)
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=11119637&postcount=72
Summary: Control Type - A deck that makes mill playable via spells that do mill + other functions along with threats that utilize milled cards.
BUDGET DECK BUILDER SINCE 93'
Modern ------------------------- WU Azorius Titan Midrange
Commander ------------------- WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
***Are you looking for cards priced below TCG NM "LOW" and with FREE SHIPPING? - Click HERE! for my sales thread - 485 Feedback 100% positive!***
banner by shinbatsu --- Updated 11/10/2013
"I'll show you the true meaning of cheap cards!" (and the true meaning of horrible MS paint skills)
--------------------
[INTRODUCTION - skip this if you want to get right to the action]
It's been a while...
WELCOME TO EPISODE III OF THE BUDGET DECK CHALLENGE! (RTR BLOCK + THEROS BLOCK)
As customary, this is where the newest "budget deck challenge" decks will be placed following the upcoming rotation. So let me ask you...
Are you frustrated with how expensive standard is? Do you thrive on challenge and uphill battles? Do you consider yourself a master deckbuilder even when faced with restrictions?
...well my friend, you have come to the right place. Do you have what it takes? Time to put your $10 where your mouth is and step up to the plate!
So how do you participate? Just read below. And yes, we are going back to our roots, and doing this on a $10 bill. This ain't supposed to be easy.
[RULES - yeah they suck but it's kind of necessary for a challenge...]
1. Deck must be Standard Legal: RTR / GTC / DGM / M14 / THS
2. Deck must be $10 or less using tcgplayer "low" as a metric (Lightly Played or better)
.......... This total includes the cost of your sideboard, if you have one
.......... Prices fluctuate, so be sure to Timestamp your deck to lock in prices
.......... Basic Lands = FREE (people just give them away)
3. Deck should be focused on being competitive, not casual
As long as you Timestamp your deck, it's legal even if prices go up the next day. However, if you mod the deck, you need a new Timestamp and you will no longer be legal if you are over the limit. Plan carefully!
[REQUIRED FORMATTING - so that everything looks real fresh and clean]
We need our builds to all look similar in formatting, so listen up. If your format meets the requirement in the spoiler tags, you get a highlight and a link on the main page. If not, you are still welcome to post, but no link.
Tell us about how you built this deck, and what it plans to accomplish. How does it win? What are the synergies, key plays, or anything else we need to know prior to making this deck and piloting it. Also note why you selected certain cards for the deck.
Feel free to add in an explanation for the sideboard, suggestions for people with more budget, and suggested other maindeck cards to use.
*** THE DECKLIST ***
TIMESTAMP: INSERT YOUR DATE AND TIME HERE (Deck completed, sleeved up and ready to play)
CURVE (0-1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6+): 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6
AVERAGE CMC: This is equal to total casting costs of all cards / number of total spells
TYPE: BDC10 ($10.00 LIMIT)
CURRENT COST: PRICE
REMAINING BUDGET: Remaining Budget
[RESOURCES - need inspiration? start here]
Yakusoku's Budget Guide to Standard - This guy has been around for a long time before I came to this board, and is the original budget deckbuilder. Great resource for all budgets!
Simon's Budget Guide to Playing on a Budget - An excellent thread with a ton of decks. Lots of variety, something for everyone and all play styles, even combo! Gotta check this one out!
[SPECIAL THANKS - gotta thank other people besides myself]
Thank you to everyone that follows the work of myself and everyone else in the budget forum.
Magic is an expensive game, and can be prohibitive at times. It's because of the regulars in the budget forum that everyone can enjoy magic at a competitive level, not just the rich kids. It's the regulars here that I learn from every day that help me to keep my game sharp.
Budget decks are part of standard. Be sure you remind your opponent of such as you grind his car payment deck into the dust.
AND DON'T FORGET TO READ THE FAQ BELOW THE DECK LISTINGS FOR GETTING STARTED!
BUDGET DECK BUILDER SINCE 93'
Modern ------------------------- WU Azorius Titan Midrange
Commander ------------------- WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
***Are you looking for cards priced below TCG NM "LOW" and with FREE SHIPPING? - Click HERE! for my sales thread - 485 Feedback 100% positive!***