You have until Sunday, February 17, 2013 @11:59 PM EST to submit decks.
Remember: you may submit a deck even if you haven't done so in Rounds 1 and 2.
Good luck to all!!
1) Main rules
- Any member of the MTGSalvation forums can submit a deck for the contest, including judges.
- This is "Casual". -> Only the cards banned in Vintage, silver bordered & celebration cards are banned. There is no Restricted list. It should be noted, however, that judges might not be impressed by overuse of “broken” cards."
2) Time
- Contestants have six days to build and post their decks for each round.
- Judges consult to select the top decks that will be judged for that round during the next two days.
- The next ten days, judges will test and rate the top decks.
- A ranking of the contestants’ scores will be posted and the winner of the round will be announced.
3) Judging
- There are three judges: Blackvise, Etched Chester, ExpiredRascals.
- In each round judges will rate up to five decks. The number of decks rated is equal to half the decks submitted (rounded up) or five, whichever is smaller.
- From the time the entry period in a given round ends, the judges have 48 hours to post a number of the decks they want to rate equal to the number of decks going to be rated plus one.
- From among the decks that received votes, those with the most votes will be rated.
- If votes fail to define the to be tested decks directly, in descending order decks with the most votes are locked in until more decks share their number of votes than there are places left for decks to be tested. From among those the remaining places will be chosen by dice roll (made by me with the dice-tag, #s assigned alphabetically).
- Each deck's judge-scores will be arithmetically averaged to determine its score for the round.
- Judges cannot rate their own decks.
- Judges are out-of-contest for the final-ranking.
- Judges are encouraged to add some comments as to why they chose a certain deck for rating or not.
- Judges are encouraged to add some comments as to why they gave a certain score to a certain deck.
- Judges are encouraged to add some suggestions how a rated deck could be improved.
Each judge awards up to 25 points to each tested deck he or she is allowed to rate, based on the following system:
Creativity/Originality: 0 to 5 points
How creative and original is your deck. Effectiveness/Card adherence: 0 to 5 points
How well does it use the selected card? Synergy/Tuning: 0 to 5 points
How well do the cards combine in the deck; elegance and card selection. Power/Capacity to win: 0 to 5 points
Can the deck deliver the goods? Interaction/Protection: 0 to 5 points
How well does the deck interact and deal with other decks. Format/Thematic: up to 2 points bonus(can't go over 25)
1 point for any format adherence other than Vintage & Legacy; 1 point for incorporation of theme/flavour.
Interpretation of this is up to the judges, individually.
4) Championship rules
- Six rounds will be played.
- To be included in the final ranking, a player has to gather scores in at least three of the six rounds. (If too few players meet this criteria, it will be lowered accordingly.)
- At the end of the season, the player within the final ranking having the highest arithmetical average of top 6 scores becomes the Champion. Example: RabidVacin participates in all six rounds, has his decks scored five times and gets f.e. 23 points each round. baldersmashed participates in three rounds, gets tested in two of these three rounds and gets twice 24 points. All other players have an average < 23. -> Despite having a lower average than baldersmashed, RabidVacin wins, because baldersmashed hasn't met the criteria of having at least three scores.
tl;dr:
For each round, a card is scheduled. Anyone can enter the contest and submit a deck using that card.
Contestants can post their decks during an entry period of six days. In the following ten days the judges (Casual staff) will elect the best decks submitted, to test and rate these decks. After (planned) six rounds the contest will have a winner.
Did I mention the prize for the Champ?
For those interested in the contest's history:
- The [official] CDCC 6 general discussion thread. - The current season's rounds: R0, R1, R2 - Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & CDCmC.
Credits for the contest banner go to perv90210.
Uncle it is, then. Too bad he lost his unique creature type in the reprint (honestly: what's wrong with Creature - Uncle-Istvan? WHYYYY?), else I'd totally build a deck that revolves around swinging with as many Uncle Istvans as possible.
So, what am I left with? A 4-mana 1/3 human (*grumble*) that doesn't take damage from creatures. So, despite his measly statline, he can pick a fight with whatever creature he feels like and, well, at least he doesn't lose, right?
What's it all about?
Get deathtouch. Fight stuff. Win. If you run out of opponents (or that other planeswalker dude doesn't play fair and brings a creatureless deck), you can also punch the sparring dummy.
Card choices?
Uncle and Doll don't mind a little fighting. Tracker sets up fights. Viper can either scare off early creatures or Bloodrush for emergency deathtouch. The equipments either give deathtouch or allow to pick fights (even the Doll can attack with the Hook equipped and challenge the opponent's biggest guy). Rampage either kills due to the boost or forces inconvenient blocks ('your team blocks my attacking Stuffy Doll'). Embrace rewards the winner of a fight with +1/+1 counters.
This deck is built around a pretty bad card. 4 mana for a 1/3 with a not-so-hot ability is hard to capitalize on. As such I decided to go more toward flavour than raw power. While the deck can win, it does it in a fun way that sets up a horror film.
Your opponent is the victim, relentlessly being chased by Uncle Istvan, a homicidal hermit with a big axe. Your opponent helplessly tries to run from his own death, dodging traps, snares, and trip wires only to find himself lost in Istvan's horrifying maze.
The insane Uncle seems to appear around every corner, how does he know this area so well? His powers must have been made through some darkpact. Your opponent may find a weakness in Istvan's dark shroud but believe me, the Uncle will not rest for long.
The general plan is to stick an Istvan, cover him in equipment that, flavour-wise, an insane hermit might collect over the years (with some exceptions) and profit from a removal suite, and strong defenses. If you happen to be up against a creature-light deck, the sideboard can be used to reduce flavour and increase survivability.
Changes: Cut the Soul Snares for more Path to Exile. I find that both work for flavour reasons, but Snare is super limited removal and a smart opponent won't attack into it. Added Sword of Vengeance for Vigilance and +2 power. Tried running Rainbow Vale instead of Contested War Zone as a way to give the opponent a non-basic land, but figured out pretty quickly that that doesn't work. Stuck with War Zone even though it doesn't fit thematically, it makes Istvan unblockable.
I initially tried to build a family reunion deck with cards that had brother, sister, mother, etc in their name but found it was too janky and took away from Uncle.
Well There is not much you can do with this guy I'm afraid. At least, nothing that someone else hasn't already beat me to. =/ That being said, this is a casual forum anyways, so I present to you, AUNTS AND UNCLES!
I wanted to use Pestilence in the deck, working around the lines that Uncle Istvan was the soul survivor of a plague, hiding away in his hut. Alas, Pestilence is not a creature, So I tried to find some other way to make a story.
This deck is that story. Uncle Istvan was a lonely traveler. Minding his own business, never really sticking his nose where it didn't belong. However, that all changed the day he stumbled on the Aunties Hovel. At first Mr. Istvan feared for his life as he gazed upon the Mad Auntie. She however, soon made her intentions clear. Now they are happily married, raising their children in the Boggart swamps, shouting in unison at kids to get off their lawn.
Deck contains 24 lands, 13 creatures, 22 spells and 1 artifact. I went with a more "all around" style to this deck. I used the contest card, Uncle Istvan, as more of a creature support card. He and the Wall of Shadows should be enough defense to fend off most, if not all, attacks. Hostility is more of a backup win condition and the red spells as a main one. Hope you guys like it!
Hmmm...So it seems that Istvan is a tough S.O.B. to build around. A fun Challenge though. This is my first submission into a contest like this!
Here's what i've got for ya:
Basically, the idea is to lure all of your opponent's creatures into blocking Istvan via the licid or the mask, and then Howl them to death! Meanwhile, the Revenant and Drana are there to support Istvan with either extra creature destruction, extra mana for the Howl, or extra damage while Istvan keeps the enemy troops busy and you don't have a howl in hand.
I tried to put things in the deck that an insane hermit might like, but I also tried to make it effective. The equipment and High Ground make an already irritating Uncle Istvan an even bigger headache. The Crypt Rats are Uncle Istvan's best friend. They wipe the board but don't effect him.
The rest of the deck provides ramp, card drawing, and oh yeah a win con. This deck can win several different ways, but the most frequent win con is the Sanguine Bond/Sorin's Vengeance combo.
It's rather difficult to get creative with a creature as a build-around-card...but I tried to do the best I can with it. I was originally playing around with Power/Toughness switchers in Red and Blue (ala Twisted Image, Mannichi, the Fevered Dream), but that left poor Uncle Istvan even more vulnerable to noncreature damage removal. So Doran it is. The deck's style is Pseudo-Defensive Aggro based around creatures that have more toughness than power. Turn 3 Doran into Turn 4 Uncle is no joke - a 3/3 pseudo-invincibile is much more scarier than a 1/3.
- Deathrite Shaman - Nice T1 drop with 2 toughness. The very definition of the defensive-aggro style. Remember that it targets any graveyard. Allows for occasional T2 Doran with Fetchlands.
- Birds of Paradise - Mana smoother/accelerant for T2 Doran, also can hit for 1 with it.
- Spellskite - Protection against removal. Fetch it with Congregation at Dawn. There are no blue mana sources except Birds and Deathrite Shaman, but you can activate this without mana anyway.
- Skinshifter - Super-versatile card that works even without Doran, but gets insane with it. Basically an 8/8 for 2-mana with Doran.
- Ohran Viper - Card advantage + pseudo-deathtouch makes for great defense and offense.
- Doran, the Siege Tower - The centerpiece that makes every creature in the deck better.
- Uncle Istvan - As with the other creatures, use it as defense or offense as you need it.
- Congregation at Dawn - Obviously for fetching the right combination of creatures (please don't use it if you don't have the mana to play those creatures...and it's not a good idea to depend on Birds/Deathrite Shaman to provide mana for 3 turns!). Also note that it is UP to 3 creatures.
- Vindicate, Maelstrom Pulse - Your removal, use conservatively.
- Profane Command - Versatile card that allows for final damage, removal, a way to salvage your creatures, or a way to get your creatures through.
- Ajani Goldmane - Mostly here for the Vigilance ability.
- Gideon Jura, Vraska the Unseen - The creatures in here make great defenders for Planeswalkers, so use them well.
- Murmuring Bosk - Please remember that this is a Forest, so you can use the Fetchlands to get it.
This is an optional sideboard. Use it only if you really feel like it. The deck doesn't really depend on these cards, but I like to showcase the full possibilities.
- Selesnya Charm - Is for decks that have creatures that are more powerful than yours, aka Power-5 and greater. Also as a method of providing trample if needed against chump blockers.
- Abrupt Decay - Is for control decks that run annoying cards like Propaganda/Ghostly Prison with countermagic backup.
- Consuming Vapors - Comes in against decks with creatures that have bigger toughness (although this will be rare...)
- Tree of Redemption - Is for against Burn decks.
- Ensnaring Bridge - For decks that swarm and attack faster than this deck.
- Avatar of Hope - Last resort against faster aggro decks.
I spent a while thinking about the direction I'd take that scary Uncle Istvan... so I decided to take to the land damage redirection and forced blockage... like constipation, SEVERE constipation, lol...
Here's the deck:
Uncle Istvan - The headliner & combos with some of the cards here Spiteful Bully - Combos great with all of the other 3 creatures, to either do nothing to Uncle, make Predator Ooze grow, or toss a free 3 damage from the Stuffy Doll Stuffy Doll - alternate win con... but doesn't steel the show from the Uncle Shaman en-Kor - turns any damage into creature damage for he Uncle to deal with Simulacrum - nets life, and combos with the Ooze or the Doll Putrefy/Mortify - removal and artifact/enchantment hate Pernicious Deeds - reset button, while allowing the Ooze to live through it Lure - Game winner by forcing all to block any of the 12 creature threats, letting the rest get through Demonic Tutor/Vampiric Tutor - Combo getters Venom - Great way to kill what was Lured... Harmonize - Card draw is very important when stream runs out Nemesis Mask - in case Lure isn't readily available Sensei's Divining Top - Just great to save a card in hand, set up a draw, etc... Arena - great way to continuously create Fights! Volrath's Stronghold - Bring back a lost creature
The duals and fetches are self explanatory, makes an easier mana base to work with
sykomike: You mention that Istvan is merely used as a "creature support card" in your deck, but the challenge of the contest is to build around him.
Symphonic: The "toolbox style" deck is a bit "all over the place". I see how you want to adapt the deck to your opponent's play style; unfortunately, a Jack of All Trades is a master of none, so to speak.
Teraparsec: You built the deathtouch deck that I expected to see for this contest.
My Votes:
Terparsec
PeterRiviera
Boone43
RabidVacin
Stoogeslap
DLink123
Symphonic – e-tutor for story circle invalidates the deck's purpose in most any match-up. That's not to mention that cho-manno and and commander eesha come pretty close to being strict upgrades over istvan in this deck. The deck would rather use non-istvans.
-spooky- – It felt like the flavour was built around the deck, not the deck around the flavour. It was a goblin deck plus Istvan.
sykomike – Istvan is being used as a four-mana roadblock in what is essentially a burn deck. The deck doesn't want him. It either wants something that comes down earlier or more burn/aggression.
Just got to say, you've definitely earned distinction as an MTGS hero
Quote from Stardust »
Because he's the hero MTGS deserves, and the one it needs right now. So we'll global him. Because he can take it. Because he's not just our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. An expired rascal.
Quote from LuckNorris »
ExpiredRascals you sir are a god-like hero.
Quote from Lanxal »
ER is a masterful god who cannot be beaten in any endeavour.
I can only speak for myself. I have one more deck to finish testing, one to start.
1) Real life has been getting in the way, and 2) the death of Cockatrice means I have to schedule a testing session with friends since woogerworks has very few users on the server.
I can only speak for myself. I have one more deck to finish testing, one to start.
1) Real life has been getting in the way, and 2) the death of Cockatrice means I have to schedule a testing session with friends since woogerworks has very few users on the server.
EDIT: I hope to have my scores up later tonight..
There is an alternate server as well if it helps. Generally has 20-40 people online. I'll send the ip through PM since I'm not sure of the legality of posting here.
Creativity/Originality: 3
Deathtouch equipment is the first thing I thought of. Opponents knew exactly what I was up to. Extra point for the fight aspect.
Effectiveness/Card adherence: 2
You get some points for sticking to Uncle Istvan, but the deck relied solely on him with little support. We was certainly able to pick fights with other creatures and win those battles, but he couldn't win the game.
Synergy/Tuning: 2
The equipment was cumbersome overall and the fight spells (Prey Upon and Pit Fight) just seemed out of place when all I really wanted was a Doom Blade. Uncle Istvan needed more pump and trample to actually do any damage; even when I was able to get rid of creatures, he just pinged away until he was removed. Making him bigger via instants, or perhaps giving him haste / shroud via Lightning Grieves would have been better than having to wait until turn 5 to actually use him.
Power/Capacity to win: 0
Can the deck deliver the goods? Unfortunately, no. I didn't win a single game. The equipment / fight tricks seemed like they should work, but it just cost too much mana. The deck wanted mana (4 cmc for Istvan practically makes him useless), so even something as simple as Birds of Paradise or Elves of Deep Shadow might have helped speed it up. Maybe even Charcoal Diamond.
Interaction/Protection: 2
Opponents knew what I was up to. All they had to do was Lightning Bolt / Lightning Helix / Go for the Throat. Stuffy Doll as a backup really was useless without a means to deal more damage to it, so it could not get anything done. By the time Istvan came out, opponents had enough to deal with him.
TOTAL: 9
Creativity/Originality: 4
Not entirely an atypical deck, but your flavor description was incredible!
Effectiveness/Card adherence: 5
Well....it only uses the selected card. That's where you gain five points. However, as the only creature that can only appear on turn 4...well, we'll talk about that in a moment.
Synergy/Tuning: 3
True, every card in the deck affects Uncle Istvan. It was nice to finally see some equipment in the form of Swiftfoot Boots to give Istvan hexproof. Yay, someone thought of that! Overall, I didn't feel like the equipment was "too expensive to manage", but . . . I didn't equip anything until turn 5. This was another deck that didn't use ramp. Uncle Istvan couldn't appear until turn 4. I couldn't do anything with him until turn 5. I like that you found Mark of Asylum as it kept Istvan protected from the common Lightning Bolt, but I found that when I didn't draw it, I wasted a Demonic Tutor on it. If, by chance, multiple Istvans were placed in the graveyard, Disturbed Burial was just too expensive to use multiple times (would have rather seen a few Raise Dead in here).
Power/Capacity to win: 2
The deck is just too slow to do anything. With the exception of Needlebite Trap (only effective early if an opponent gains life; otherwise just expensive to cast), it can't do anything until turn 5.
Interaction/Protection: 3
I certainly deals with enemy creatures, but the deck has little way to make a comeback against really aggressive decks or against board sweeps. I also found that I would have rather seen Ghostly Prison than Tangle Wire, as TW didn't help forever. Ultimately, one Uncle Istvan (even two) equipped up the wazoo posed no threat to an opponent.
TOTAL: 17
Creativity/Originality: 5 Tempting Licid was indeed an odd find, and you didn't go overboard with the equipment as many of the other round's entries did. I didn't expect to see Howl From Beyond in here.
Effectiveness/Card adherence: 3
Ultimately, Uncle Istvan's role in this deck is to "distract" the opponent's blockers while the heavyweights swing for big damage + Howl From Beyond. It's hard for me to discuss card adherence in that respect as Istvan played a nice role, but I wonder if cards like Maelstrom Pulse didn't already do that job. I found that Istvan was redundant here rather than vital, only he was an odd choice for a diversionary tactic where spot removal might have been fine.
Synergy/Tuning: 4
All the cards that work well together work better without Uncle Istvan (which is why you lose a point here). I didn't want him, I wanted everyone else. However, with your inclusion of early ramp in the form of Elves of Deep Shadow and later ramp in the form of Nirkana Revenant, the deck could actually do more than wait around for our Uncle. I would drop a Diabolic Intent or two for a Demonic Tutor and another land; I get the combination with Viridian Emissary, but the 1:1 ratio doesn't really work. I found myself with two Diabolic Intents in hand and nothing I was willing to sacrifice, so they're better off in a deck with token production or something.
Power/Capacity to win: 4
When I could get the Revenant/Howl combo going, the deck pounded some face. It wasn't always easy to do that, but there was enough to do in the deck to deal damage consistently.
Interaction/Protection: 3
The fact that you didn't overload the deck with equipment left us some room to deal with other decks. Maelstrom Pulse was a good inclusion. Since your ramp included only creatures, I found that opponents who hated those creatures made it difficult for you. You were pretty evenly matched with many decks, but you couldn't protect Istvan and you needed a few more non-creature spells.
TOTAL: 19
Creativity/Originality: 4
Despite some obvious choices, Crypt Rats was a fine idea, and I enjoyed using it when Uncle Istvan was equipped with Blade of the Blood Chief (clever combo!).
Effectiveness/Card adherence: 4
In the games I played, I didn't find Uncle Istvan cumbersome at all, as a) I could get him out turn 3 with a Signet in play, and b) you had enough in the deck to keep him around. As mentioned above, Blade of the Bloodchief + Crypt Rats was a sick way to clear a board and pump Istvan. Overall, I felt the deck did a good job of getting a clunky creature to work.
Synergy/Tuning: 3
Istvan puts on a good show in this deck, but he was hindered in a few ways. 1) Despite Demonic Tutor and Vampiric Tutor, the deck sorely needs some draw spells. It was easy for me to run out of cards and go into topdeck mode. Well of Dreams didn't work as well as it could have--it's a card that's great in a lifegain deck, but the lifegain here was secondary so the Well wasn't too effective. You probably didn't need 4 Basilisk Collars, either. However, Heavy Ballista armed with a Collar had some nice synergy, so I used it there rather than on Istvan himself.
Power/Capacity to win: 3
Discounting the overpowered / unmatched decks I faced on Cockatrice, this was a clever deck that didn't stampede to victory, but it wasn't shut out either. The best wincon (Sorin's Vengeance + Sanguine Bond) was effective and allowed Istvan + Ballista to do their jobs; your next best wincon (Istvan + Blade) worked well with Crypt Rats in play. However, with the limited Blades and Vengeance, it wasn't always easy to set that up.
Interaction/Protection: 4 Oblivion Ring was obvious, but it was definitely necessary for this deck to work. A Heavy Ballista with deathtouch helped keep creatures at bay. Still, Istvan & company easily died to removal, and something like Ghostly Prison might have come in handy. I would have also rather have seen instant removal over Death's Grasp.
TOTAL: 18
Creativity/Originality: 3
Aside from Predator Ooze, I wasn't surprised by much here. Lure + Venom is an old one, but a good one nonetheless.
Effectiveness/Card adherence: 3
It certainly uses Uncle Istvan, but Predator Ooze is the real star of the deck. In fact, Simulacrum was best used with Stuffy Doll, and Istvan took a back seat. Helped get rid of some of the peskier creatures, but with Putrefy / Mortify in the deck, our favorite Uncle didn't really need to be there.
Synergy/Tuning: 3
I'd give this more points if this wasn't an Istvan deck. I liked Simulacrum with Stuffy Doll and Predator Ooze, but the Ooze needed GGG and I rarely had that. For 4 mana and no ramp, I'd rather have Damnation or the like to clear the board for me. The Istvan tricks were all too darned expensive mana-wise; I ended up needing the mana to cast removal spells more often than not, so by the time Istvan hit the battlefield, he was sort of useless.
Power/Capacity to win: 2
I won when I started to ignore Uncle Istvan. He was a rare star.
Interaction/Protection: 4
You get the bonus points here for some clever tricks (unfortunately not involving Istvan). Pernicious Deeds was absolutely brilliant vs. token decks, and effective in removing bigger threats if I managed to go late game. The problem is that Istvan easily died to burn, so I would have liked to see him a) get on the field more quickly, and b) get some more protection.
Lesson of Round 2: Conjured Currency is a terrible card.
We're going in a new direction for Round 3.
You know that uncle who always makes holiday gatherings just a little bit awkward? Round 3 is dedicated to that strange uncle.
You have until Sunday, February 17, 2013 @11:59 PM EST to submit decks.
Remember: you may submit a deck even if you haven't done so in Rounds 1 and 2.
Good luck to all!!
1) Main rules
- Any member of the MTGSalvation forums can submit a deck for the contest, including judges.
- This is "Casual". -> Only the cards banned in Vintage, silver bordered & celebration cards are banned. There is no Restricted list. It should be noted, however, that judges might not be impressed by overuse of “broken” cards."
2) Time
- Contestants have six days to build and post their decks for each round.
- Judges consult to select the top decks that will be judged for that round during the next two days.
- The next ten days, judges will test and rate the top decks.
- A ranking of the contestants’ scores will be posted and the winner of the round will be announced.
3) Judging
- There are three judges: Blackvise, Etched Chester, ExpiredRascals.
- In each round judges will rate up to five decks. The number of decks rated is equal to half the decks submitted (rounded up) or five, whichever is smaller.
- From the time the entry period in a given round ends, the judges have 48 hours to post a number of the decks they want to rate equal to the number of decks going to be rated plus one.
- From among the decks that received votes, those with the most votes will be rated.
- If votes fail to define the to be tested decks directly, in descending order decks with the most votes are locked in until more decks share their number of votes than there are places left for decks to be tested. From among those the remaining places will be chosen by dice roll (made by me with the dice-tag, #s assigned alphabetically).
- Each deck's judge-scores will be arithmetically averaged to determine its score for the round.
- Judges cannot rate their own decks.
- Judges are out-of-contest for the final-ranking.
- Judges are encouraged to add some comments as to why they chose a certain deck for rating or not.
- Judges are encouraged to add some comments as to why they gave a certain score to a certain deck.
- Judges are encouraged to add some suggestions how a rated deck could be improved.
Each judge awards up to 25 points to each tested deck he or she is allowed to rate, based on the following system:
Creativity/Originality: 0 to 5 points
How creative and original is your deck.
Effectiveness/Card adherence: 0 to 5 points
How well does it use the selected card?
Synergy/Tuning: 0 to 5 points
How well do the cards combine in the deck; elegance and card selection.
Power/Capacity to win: 0 to 5 points
Can the deck deliver the goods?
Interaction/Protection: 0 to 5 points
How well does the deck interact and deal with other decks.
Format/Thematic: up to 2 points bonus (can't go over 25)
1 point for any format adherence other than Vintage & Legacy; 1 point for incorporation of theme/flavour.
Interpretation of this is up to the judges, individually.
4) Championship rules
- Six rounds will be played.
- To be included in the final ranking, a player has to gather scores in at least three of the six rounds. (If too few players meet this criteria, it will be lowered accordingly.)
- At the end of the season, the player within the final ranking having the highest arithmetical average of top 6 scores becomes the Champion. Example: RabidVacin participates in all six rounds, has his decks scored five times and gets f.e. 23 points each round. baldersmashed participates in three rounds, gets tested in two of these three rounds and gets twice 24 points. All other players have an average < 23. -> Despite having a lower average than baldersmashed, RabidVacin wins, because baldersmashed hasn't met the criteria of having at least three scores.
tl;dr:
For each round, a card is scheduled. Anyone can enter the contest and submit a deck using that card.
Contestants can post their decks during an entry period of six days. In the following ten days the judges (Casual staff) will elect the best decks submitted, to test and rate these decks. After (planned) six rounds the contest will have a winner.
Did I mention the prize for the Champ?
For those interested in the contest's history:
- The [official] CDCC 6 general discussion thread.
- The current season's rounds: R0, R1, R2
- Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & CDCmC.
Credits for the contest banner go to perv90210.
Thanks to GR @ Yavin IV Studios for the signature!
So, what am I left with? A 4-mana 1/3 human (*grumble*) that doesn't take damage from creatures. So, despite his measly statline, he can pick a fight with whatever creature he feels like and, well, at least he doesn't lose, right?
4 Uncle Istvan
4 Stuffy Doll
2 Wasteland Viper
2 Ulvenwald Tracker
Fighting gear
2 Basilisk Collar
4 Gorgon Flail
2 Grappling Hook
4 Pit Fight
4 Prey Upon
2 Predatory Rampage
To the victor go the spoils
2 Vampiric Embrace
Everything's better with card draw
4 Night's Whisper
The Ring
2 Arena
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
6 Forest
6 Swamp
What's it all about?
Get deathtouch. Fight stuff. Win. If you run out of opponents (or that other planeswalker dude doesn't play fair and brings a creatureless deck), you can also punch the sparring dummy.
Card choices?
Uncle and Doll don't mind a little fighting. Tracker sets up fights. Viper can either scare off early creatures or Bloodrush for emergency deathtouch. The equipments either give deathtouch or allow to pick fights (even the Doll can attack with the Hook equipped and challenge the opponent's biggest guy). Rampage either kills due to the boost or forces inconvenient blocks ('your team blocks my attacking Stuffy Doll'). Embrace rewards the winner of a fight with +1/+1 counters.
L1 Judge
4x Uncle Istvan
Artifacts: 12
1x Basilisk Collar
1x Bonesplitter
1x Inquisitor's Flail
1x Spidersilk Net
2x Swiftfoot Boots
1x Trailblazer's Boots
1x Sword of Vengeance
4x Tangle Wire
Enchantments: 3
1x Homicidal Seclusion
1x Mark of Asylum
1x Solitary Confinement
Instants: 10
1x Enlightened Tutor
3x Path to Exile
1x Vampiric Tutor
2x Go for the Throat
2x Needlebite Trap
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Disturbed Burial
1x Steelshaper's Gift
4x Sign in Blood
Land: 24
3x Cabal Coffers
3x Godless Shrine
4x Scrubland
4x Marsh Flats
1x Maze of Ith
1x Contested Warzone
5x Swamp
3x Plains
4x Relic of Progenitus
1x Mortify
3x Oblivion Ring
3x Leyline of Sanctity
4x Castigate
A bit about the deck and the card choices:
This deck is built around a pretty bad card. 4 mana for a 1/3 with a not-so-hot ability is hard to capitalize on. As such I decided to go more toward flavour than raw power. While the deck can win, it does it in a fun way that sets up a horror film.
Your opponent is the victim, relentlessly being chased by Uncle Istvan, a homicidal hermit with a big axe. Your opponent helplessly tries to run from his own death, dodging traps, snares, and trip wires only to find himself lost in Istvan's horrifying maze.
The insane Uncle seems to appear around every corner, how does he know this area so well? His powers must have been made through some dark pact. Your opponent may find a weakness in Istvan's dark shroud but believe me, the Uncle will not rest for long.
The general plan is to stick an Istvan, cover him in equipment that, flavour-wise, an insane hermit might collect over the years (with some exceptions) and profit from a removal suite, and strong defenses. If you happen to be up against a creature-light deck, the sideboard can be used to reduce flavour and increase survivability.
Changes: Cut the Soul Snares for more Path to Exile. I find that both work for flavour reasons, but Snare is super limited removal and a smart opponent won't attack into it. Added Sword of Vengeance for Vigilance and +2 power. Tried running Rainbow Vale instead of Contested War Zone as a way to give the opponent a non-basic land, but figured out pretty quickly that that doesn't work. Stuck with War Zone even though it doesn't fit thematically, it makes Istvan unblockable.
Multiplayer:
MonoBlack
Mono-Red
Cycling
Crush of Wurms
Zoo
Immortal Coil
Control
Reanimator
Mono-G
Cruel Ascension
Landfall
Esper Spirits/Tokens
Phantom Vigor
Not Explicitly Multiplayer:
Allies
Bant
Artifacts
'Tis a challenge, indeed.
Thanks to GR @ Yavin IV Studios for the signature!
And a good one at that!
I initially tried to build a family reunion deck with cards that had brother, sister, mother, etc in their name but found it was too janky and took away from Uncle.
Multiplayer:
MonoBlack
Mono-Red
Cycling
Crush of Wurms
Zoo
Immortal Coil
Control
Reanimator
Mono-G
Cruel Ascension
Landfall
Esper Spirits/Tokens
Phantom Vigor
Not Explicitly Multiplayer:
Allies
Bant
Artifacts
4 Uncle Istvan
4 Mad Auntie
4 Festering Goblin
1 Boggart Mob
4 Facevaulter
4 Knucklebone Witch
2 Weirding Shaman
4 Virulent Swipe
4 Warren Weirding
4 Dark Ritual
3 Basilisk Collar
2 Nemesis Mask
1 Arena
19 Swamp
I wanted to use Pestilence in the deck, working around the lines that Uncle Istvan was the soul survivor of a plague, hiding away in his hut. Alas, Pestilence is not a creature, So I tried to find some other way to make a story.
This deck is that story. Uncle Istvan was a lonely traveler. Minding his own business, never really sticking his nose where it didn't belong. However, that all changed the day he stumbled on the Aunties Hovel. At first Mr. Istvan feared for his life as he gazed upon the Mad Auntie. She however, soon made her intentions clear. Now they are happily married, raising their children in the Boggart swamps, shouting in unison at kids to get off their lawn.
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2 Lavaclaw Reaches
3 Mountain
3 Urbog Volcano
3 Swamp
3 Tresserhorn Sinks
4 Dragonskull Summit
3 Rakdos Guildgate
4 Wall of Shadows
4 Uncle Istvan
2 Hostility
2 Browbeat
3 Magma Jet
2 Rakdos Keyrune
2 Blightning
3 Incinerate
2 Seething Song
2 Dark Ritual
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Flame Burst
Deck contains 24 lands, 13 creatures, 22 spells and 1 artifact. I went with a more "all around" style to this deck. I used the contest card, Uncle Istvan, as more of a creature support card. He and the Wall of Shadows should be enough defense to fend off most, if not all, attacks. Hostility is more of a backup win condition and the red spells as a main one. Hope you guys like it!
~Syko
Here's what i've got for ya:
2x Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
4x Elves of Deep Shadow
3x Nirkana Revenant
3x Tempting Licid
4x Uncle Istvan
3x Viridian Emissary
3x Dark Ritual
3x Diabolic Intent
3x Harmonize
4x Howl from Beyond
4x Maelstrom Pulse
2x Nemesis Mask
Lands:
4 Forest
6 Swamp
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Twilight Mire
4 Woodland Cemetery
Basically, the idea is to lure all of your opponent's creatures into blocking Istvan via the licid or the mask, and then Howl them to death! Meanwhile, the Revenant and Drana are there to support Istvan with either extra creature destruction, extra mana for the Howl, or extra damage while Istvan keeps the enemy troops busy and you don't have a howl in hand.
Enjoy!
4x Uncle Istvan
2x Heavy Ballista
3x Crypt Rats
Sorceries (5)
1x Sorin's Vengeance
1x Demonic Tutor
3x Death Grasp
1x Vampiric Tutor
Enchantments (8)
3x Sanguine Bond
3x Oblivion Ring
2x High Ground
Artifacts (13)
1x Gorgon Flail
4x Basilisk Collar
4x Orzhov Signet
2x Blade of the Bloodchief
2x Well of Lost Dreams
2x Fetid Heath
4x Isolated Chapel
3x Marsh Flats
4x Plains
11x Swamp
I tried to put things in the deck that an insane hermit might like, but I also tried to make it effective. The equipment and High Ground make an already irritating Uncle Istvan an even bigger headache. The Crypt Rats are Uncle Istvan's best friend. They wipe the board but don't effect him.
The rest of the deck provides ramp, card drawing, and oh yeah a win con. This deck can win several different ways, but the most frequent win con is the Sanguine Bond/Sorin's Vengeance combo.
3 Windswept Heath
3 Verdant Catacombs
4 Bayou
3 Savannah
1 Scrubland
2 Murmuring Bosk
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Yavimaya Hollow
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Vault of the Archangel
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
2 Forbidding Watchtower
2 Congregation at Dawn
2 Vindicate
2 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Profane Command
Creatures 24
3 Deathrite Shaman
4 Birds of Paradise
2 Spellskite
4 Skinshifter
4 Ohran Viper
4 Doran, the Siege Tower
3 Uncle Istvan
Planeswalkers 4
2 Ajani Goldmane
1 Gideon Jura
1 Vraska the Unseen
4 Selesnya Charm
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Consuming Vapors
2 Tree of Redemption
1 Avatar of Hope
4 Ensnaring Bridge
- Birds of Paradise - Mana smoother/accelerant for T2 Doran, also can hit for 1 with it.
- Spellskite - Protection against removal. Fetch it with Congregation at Dawn. There are no blue mana sources except Birds and Deathrite Shaman, but you can activate this without mana anyway.
- Skinshifter - Super-versatile card that works even without Doran, but gets insane with it. Basically an 8/8 for 2-mana with Doran.
- Ohran Viper - Card advantage + pseudo-deathtouch makes for great defense and offense.
- Doran, the Siege Tower - The centerpiece that makes every creature in the deck better.
- Uncle Istvan - As with the other creatures, use it as defense or offense as you need it.
- Congregation at Dawn - Obviously for fetching the right combination of creatures (please don't use it if you don't have the mana to play those creatures...and it's not a good idea to depend on Birds/Deathrite Shaman to provide mana for 3 turns!). Also note that it is UP to 3 creatures.
- Vindicate, Maelstrom Pulse - Your removal, use conservatively.
- Profane Command - Versatile card that allows for final damage, removal, a way to salvage your creatures, or a way to get your creatures through.
- Ajani Goldmane - Mostly here for the Vigilance ability.
- Gideon Jura, Vraska the Unseen - The creatures in here make great defenders for Planeswalkers, so use them well.
- Murmuring Bosk - Please remember that this is a Forest, so you can use the Fetchlands to get it.
- Selesnya Charm - Is for decks that have creatures that are more powerful than yours, aka Power-5 and greater. Also as a method of providing trample if needed against chump blockers.
- Abrupt Decay - Is for control decks that run annoying cards like Propaganda/Ghostly Prison with countermagic backup.
- Consuming Vapors - Comes in against decks with creatures that have bigger toughness (although this will be rare...)
- Tree of Redemption - Is for against Burn decks.
- Ensnaring Bridge - For decks that swarm and attack faster than this deck.
- Avatar of Hope - Last resort against faster aggro decks.
R: Copypasta Sauce {Browbeat}
UR: Mana Cache , One Spell to Bind them All {Magnetic Theft}
UG: Epic Struggle , All-In-Poison {Metamorphosis}
UW: Planar Overlay , Decree of the Bailiff {Saprazzan Bailiff}
BG: Thought Gorger , Dark Chroma {Umbra Stalker}
UBR: Dwarven Shrine
WUBRG: Dissipation Field , Maelstrom Nexus
You should change that to Well of Lost Dreams, which I assume you meant over the similarly named Well of Knowledge.
R: Copypasta Sauce {Browbeat}
UR: Mana Cache , One Spell to Bind them All {Magnetic Theft}
UG: Epic Struggle , All-In-Poison {Metamorphosis}
UW: Planar Overlay , Decree of the Bailiff {Saprazzan Bailiff}
BG: Thought Gorger , Dark Chroma {Umbra Stalker}
UBR: Dwarven Shrine
WUBRG: Dissipation Field , Maelstrom Nexus
I spent a while thinking about the direction I'd take that scary Uncle Istvan... so I decided to take to the land damage redirection and forced blockage... like constipation, SEVERE constipation, lol...
Here's the deck:
4 Uncle Istvan
3 Spiteful Bully
3 Shaman en-Kor
3 Predator Ooze
3 Stuffy Doll
SPELLS
3 Simulacrum
2 Mortify
2 Putrefy
2 Pernicious Deed
3 Lure
3 Venom
3 Harmonize
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
2 Nemesis Mask
2 Sensei's Divining Top
LAND
2 Arena
1 Volrath's Stronghold
4 Bayou
2 Scrubland
2 Savannah
3 Verdant Catacombs
2 Marsh Flats
3 Swamp
3 Forest
2 Plains
Here's the blueprint (explanation)
Uncle Istvan - The headliner & combos with some of the cards here
Spiteful Bully - Combos great with all of the other 3 creatures, to either do nothing to Uncle, make Predator Ooze grow, or toss a free 3 damage from the Stuffy Doll
Stuffy Doll - alternate win con... but doesn't steel the show from the Uncle
Shaman en-Kor - turns any damage into creature damage for he Uncle to deal with
Simulacrum - nets life, and combos with the Ooze or the Doll
Putrefy/Mortify - removal and artifact/enchantment hate
Pernicious Deeds - reset button, while allowing the Ooze to live through it
Lure - Game winner by forcing all to block any of the 12 creature threats, letting the rest get through
Demonic Tutor/Vampiric Tutor - Combo getters
Venom - Great way to kill what was Lured...
Harmonize - Card draw is very important when stream runs out
Nemesis Mask - in case Lure isn't readily available
Sensei's Divining Top - Just great to save a card in hand, set up a draw, etc...
Arena - great way to continuously create Fights!
Volrath's Stronghold - Bring back a lost creature
The duals and fetches are self explanatory, makes an easier mana base to work with
Thanks man, I owe you one.
Judges will have their picks in the next few days.
Thanks to GR @ Yavin IV Studios for the signature!
Stoogeslap
DLink123
PeterRiviera
-spooky-
Boone43
RabidVacin
Why I didn't choose you:
sykomike: You mention that Istvan is merely used as a "creature support card" in your deck, but the challenge of the contest is to build around him.
Symphonic: The "toolbox style" deck is a bit "all over the place". I see how you want to adapt the deck to your opponent's play style; unfortunately, a Jack of All Trades is a master of none, so to speak.
Teraparsec: You built the deathtouch deck that I expected to see for this contest.
Thanks to GR @ Yavin IV Studios for the signature!
Terparsec
PeterRiviera
Boone43
RabidVacin
Stoogeslap
DLink123
-spooky- – It felt like the flavour was built around the deck, not the deck around the flavour. It was a goblin deck plus Istvan.
sykomike – Istvan is being used as a four-mana roadblock in what is essentially a burn deck. The deck doesn't want him. It either wants something that comes down earlier or more burn/aggression.
Body Count: GRRRUUUUUUUUUUU
إن سرقت إسرق جمل
Level 1 Judge
My Cube for use with 6th ed. Rules
Teraparsec ii
Symphonic i
PeterRiviera iii
-spooky- i
sykomike
Boone43 iii
RabidVacin iii
DLink123 ii
Stoogeslap iii
We are testing 5, so the 5th slot will be determined by die roll b/w Teraparsec and DLink123:
DLink123
Teraparsec
Round 3's entries to be tested:
Teraparsec
Stoogeslap
RabidVacin
Boone43
PeterRiviera
Thanks for all who entered, and we'll be up with the scores in 10 days!
Thanks to GR @ Yavin IV Studios for the signature!
Should have read "more than 10 days."
We're working on this, folks, so sit tight.
Thanks to GR @ Yavin IV Studios for the signature!
We were using Cockatrice.
Fortunately, there are a few other servers hosting it, so I'm able to use those for the remaining few days.
Thanks to GR @ Yavin IV Studios for the signature!
Multiplayer:
MonoBlack
Mono-Red
Cycling
Crush of Wurms
Zoo
Immortal Coil
Control
Reanimator
Mono-G
Cruel Ascension
Landfall
Esper Spirits/Tokens
Phantom Vigor
Not Explicitly Multiplayer:
Allies
Bant
Artifacts
I can only speak for myself. I have one more deck to finish testing, one to start.
1) Real life has been getting in the way, and 2) the death of Cockatrice means I have to schedule a testing session with friends since woogerworks has very few users on the server.
EDIT: I hope to have my scores up later tonight..
Thanks to GR @ Yavin IV Studios for the signature!
There is an alternate server as well if it helps. Generally has 20-40 people online. I'll send the ip through PM since I'm not sure of the legality of posting here.
Multiplayer:
MonoBlack
Mono-Red
Cycling
Crush of Wurms
Zoo
Immortal Coil
Control
Reanimator
Mono-G
Cruel Ascension
Landfall
Esper Spirits/Tokens
Phantom Vigor
Not Explicitly Multiplayer:
Allies
Bant
Artifacts
Deathtouch equipment is the first thing I thought of. Opponents knew exactly what I was up to. Extra point for the fight aspect.
Effectiveness/Card adherence: 2
You get some points for sticking to Uncle Istvan, but the deck relied solely on him with little support. We was certainly able to pick fights with other creatures and win those battles, but he couldn't win the game.
Synergy/Tuning: 2
The equipment was cumbersome overall and the fight spells (Prey Upon and Pit Fight) just seemed out of place when all I really wanted was a Doom Blade. Uncle Istvan needed more pump and trample to actually do any damage; even when I was able to get rid of creatures, he just pinged away until he was removed. Making him bigger via instants, or perhaps giving him haste / shroud via Lightning Grieves would have been better than having to wait until turn 5 to actually use him.
Power/Capacity to win: 0
Can the deck deliver the goods? Unfortunately, no. I didn't win a single game. The equipment / fight tricks seemed like they should work, but it just cost too much mana. The deck wanted mana (4 cmc for Istvan practically makes him useless), so even something as simple as Birds of Paradise or Elves of Deep Shadow might have helped speed it up. Maybe even Charcoal Diamond.
Interaction/Protection: 2
Opponents knew what I was up to. All they had to do was Lightning Bolt / Lightning Helix / Go for the Throat. Stuffy Doll as a backup really was useless without a means to deal more damage to it, so it could not get anything done. By the time Istvan came out, opponents had enough to deal with him.
TOTAL: 9
Not entirely an atypical deck, but your flavor description was incredible!
Effectiveness/Card adherence: 5
Well....it only uses the selected card. That's where you gain five points. However, as the only creature that can only appear on turn 4...well, we'll talk about that in a moment.
Synergy/Tuning: 3
True, every card in the deck affects Uncle Istvan. It was nice to finally see some equipment in the form of Swiftfoot Boots to give Istvan hexproof. Yay, someone thought of that! Overall, I didn't feel like the equipment was "too expensive to manage", but . . . I didn't equip anything until turn 5. This was another deck that didn't use ramp. Uncle Istvan couldn't appear until turn 4. I couldn't do anything with him until turn 5. I like that you found Mark of Asylum as it kept Istvan protected from the common Lightning Bolt, but I found that when I didn't draw it, I wasted a Demonic Tutor on it. If, by chance, multiple Istvans were placed in the graveyard, Disturbed Burial was just too expensive to use multiple times (would have rather seen a few Raise Dead in here).
Power/Capacity to win: 2
The deck is just too slow to do anything. With the exception of Needlebite Trap (only effective early if an opponent gains life; otherwise just expensive to cast), it can't do anything until turn 5.
Interaction/Protection: 3
I certainly deals with enemy creatures, but the deck has little way to make a comeback against really aggressive decks or against board sweeps. I also found that I would have rather seen Ghostly Prison than Tangle Wire, as TW didn't help forever. Ultimately, one Uncle Istvan (even two) equipped up the wazoo posed no threat to an opponent.
TOTAL: 17
Tempting Licid was indeed an odd find, and you didn't go overboard with the equipment as many of the other round's entries did. I didn't expect to see Howl From Beyond in here.
Effectiveness/Card adherence: 3
Ultimately, Uncle Istvan's role in this deck is to "distract" the opponent's blockers while the heavyweights swing for big damage + Howl From Beyond. It's hard for me to discuss card adherence in that respect as Istvan played a nice role, but I wonder if cards like Maelstrom Pulse didn't already do that job. I found that Istvan was redundant here rather than vital, only he was an odd choice for a diversionary tactic where spot removal might have been fine.
Synergy/Tuning: 4
All the cards that work well together work better without Uncle Istvan (which is why you lose a point here). I didn't want him, I wanted everyone else. However, with your inclusion of early ramp in the form of Elves of Deep Shadow and later ramp in the form of Nirkana Revenant, the deck could actually do more than wait around for our Uncle. I would drop a Diabolic Intent or two for a Demonic Tutor and another land; I get the combination with Viridian Emissary, but the 1:1 ratio doesn't really work. I found myself with two Diabolic Intents in hand and nothing I was willing to sacrifice, so they're better off in a deck with token production or something.
Power/Capacity to win: 4
When I could get the Revenant/Howl combo going, the deck pounded some face. It wasn't always easy to do that, but there was enough to do in the deck to deal damage consistently.
Interaction/Protection: 3
The fact that you didn't overload the deck with equipment left us some room to deal with other decks. Maelstrom Pulse was a good inclusion. Since your ramp included only creatures, I found that opponents who hated those creatures made it difficult for you. You were pretty evenly matched with many decks, but you couldn't protect Istvan and you needed a few more non-creature spells.
TOTAL: 19
Despite some obvious choices, Crypt Rats was a fine idea, and I enjoyed using it when Uncle Istvan was equipped with Blade of the Blood Chief (clever combo!).
Effectiveness/Card adherence: 4
In the games I played, I didn't find Uncle Istvan cumbersome at all, as a) I could get him out turn 3 with a Signet in play, and b) you had enough in the deck to keep him around. As mentioned above, Blade of the Bloodchief + Crypt Rats was a sick way to clear a board and pump Istvan. Overall, I felt the deck did a good job of getting a clunky creature to work.
Synergy/Tuning: 3
Istvan puts on a good show in this deck, but he was hindered in a few ways. 1) Despite Demonic Tutor and Vampiric Tutor, the deck sorely needs some draw spells. It was easy for me to run out of cards and go into topdeck mode. Well of Dreams didn't work as well as it could have--it's a card that's great in a lifegain deck, but the lifegain here was secondary so the Well wasn't too effective. You probably didn't need 4 Basilisk Collars, either. However, Heavy Ballista armed with a Collar had some nice synergy, so I used it there rather than on Istvan himself.
Power/Capacity to win: 3
Discounting the overpowered / unmatched decks I faced on Cockatrice, this was a clever deck that didn't stampede to victory, but it wasn't shut out either. The best wincon (Sorin's Vengeance + Sanguine Bond) was effective and allowed Istvan + Ballista to do their jobs; your next best wincon (Istvan + Blade) worked well with Crypt Rats in play. However, with the limited Blades and Vengeance, it wasn't always easy to set that up.
Interaction/Protection: 4
Oblivion Ring was obvious, but it was definitely necessary for this deck to work. A Heavy Ballista with deathtouch helped keep creatures at bay. Still, Istvan & company easily died to removal, and something like Ghostly Prison might have come in handy. I would have also rather have seen instant removal over Death's Grasp.
TOTAL: 18
Aside from Predator Ooze, I wasn't surprised by much here. Lure + Venom is an old one, but a good one nonetheless.
Effectiveness/Card adherence: 3
It certainly uses Uncle Istvan, but Predator Ooze is the real star of the deck. In fact, Simulacrum was best used with Stuffy Doll, and Istvan took a back seat. Helped get rid of some of the peskier creatures, but with Putrefy / Mortify in the deck, our favorite Uncle didn't really need to be there.
Synergy/Tuning: 3
I'd give this more points if this wasn't an Istvan deck. I liked Simulacrum with Stuffy Doll and Predator Ooze, but the Ooze needed GGG and I rarely had that. For 4 mana and no ramp, I'd rather have Damnation or the like to clear the board for me. The Istvan tricks were all too darned expensive mana-wise; I ended up needing the mana to cast removal spells more often than not, so by the time Istvan hit the battlefield, he was sort of useless.
Power/Capacity to win: 2
I won when I started to ignore Uncle Istvan. He was a rare star.
Interaction/Protection: 4
You get the bonus points here for some clever tricks (unfortunately not involving Istvan). Pernicious Deeds was absolutely brilliant vs. token decks, and effective in removing bigger threats if I managed to go late game. The problem is that Istvan easily died to burn, so I would have liked to see him a) get on the field more quickly, and b) get some more protection.
TOTAL: 15
Thanks to GR @ Yavin IV Studios for the signature!
Multiplayer:
MonoBlack
Mono-Red
Cycling
Crush of Wurms
Zoo
Immortal Coil
Control
Reanimator
Mono-G
Cruel Ascension
Landfall
Esper Spirits/Tokens
Phantom Vigor
Not Explicitly Multiplayer:
Allies
Bant
Artifacts