i really like this draft plan just because once you start droping threats its normally game over pretty quick, and their isn't any real danger in the first 2 turns anyways.
a good basic creature stats in lorwyn are very low 3cc for a 2/1, 4cc for a 2/2. and the giant game plan just trumphs this easy. i feel the hardest part is picking which other tribe to use to support the giants in cause you don't see enough, Kithkin or Goblin are the best options.
i normally pick goblins because of Mudbutton Torchrunner and Adder-staff Boggart(i almost allways win the clash with the high number of the average giant cc) and tarpitcher is really good as well.
as far as how i came to this to be my mana base
12 blue sources
8 black sources with 4 contingensy based sources
9 red sources
if your playing a heavy faerie build (for what ever reason) then you could run the comes into tapped if you don't have a faerie duel,Secluded Glen but im not so i don't or i would just runFrost Marsh which i don't.
it is a painfull mana base for sure ticking off about 1-2 life every turn after 3. but i kill on 5 or 6 habitualy so it hasn't hurt to bad.
Rune Snag-this card as much as some people don't like to include it in their aggro build, is the best answer this deck can have for Damnation. i've played about 50 games with this deck(im at work as i type look at the hour!!i get off at 7am all day to play?) so far, about 20 against B/U teachings. overall 13-7 in favor of B/R/U madness, in my notes i have marked at least 6 games that i stopped a turn 4 Damnation, all of which i won(of the 6). ironically i have noted 7 matches that a turn 4 Damnation resolved, also ironic is that i lost all 7 of those games.(the other 7 i won, 4 came from those great games in which your looters only seem to pull up Fiery Tempers or Reckless Wurms, and the other 3 i won on the back of miss plays on my opponets part)
the grand point is that i won matches off of Rune Snag, its very hard to regain the advantage over a deck like teachings once it is lost. Raise your hand if you ever had a controll player down to 9 or less and then suddenly turn 5 rolls around and they are at 14?
i would like to take out about 3land to put in 3 creature or other spell, im not sure which yet. Might be Telling Time draw and a top deck fix works good for me. Call to the Netherworld to pull back tombstalkers or oorna's prowlers that die'd or had to be discarded when no madness cards could be played.
OH science be praised hippieipis, thank you for pointing out the most obvious inclusion. adder-staff bogart is a dud in consturcted as his ability is only going to ever happen about 20-30% of the time, how is this compared to the 50-60% predicted earlier....land makes up on average about 1/3 of your deck, with the clash machanic land's are either a loss or a draw. you are running about 8 cards with 1cc,21 cards with 2cc,5 with 3cc,4 with 5cc, 3 with 6cc...who do you think you are going to beat in a clash? you will tie or lose 60-70% precent of all clash encounters in arrgo, 2/3's of your deck have a cc of 2 or less!
i actually read all of the thread just ithcing to tell of boggart sprite-chaser, oh well. In my testing boggart sprite-chaser is a 2/3 flyer 70-80% of the time, why is this? because you actually have a larger degree of controll over his text box then any clash card. you can run about 8-12 effective(for their cost/utility) faerie's 8 of which cost 1. even if you do not have a faerie out when you play him at least he can chump block 1 drops without going to the graveyard.
speaking of graveyards Tombstalker is great in this deck. a regular drop on turn 4 for me most games. on a side note if you run the delve cards alongside
adder-staff boggart your chances of winning a clash impove about 15% altho it is still to random to be good.(clash will only ever be good with some type of scry/harbinger effect to ensure you win, in which case it wouldn't be worth the effort as no clash card is worth that much deck space).
im at work right now so forgive me if my deck list are a little off
i haven't realy finished testing all the new lorwyn stuff but my american madness deck is looking to weak compared to the bulkier R/B/u options. and yes lighting angel is good in this deck on turn 4 i am usally attacking with looter/reckless wurm/ lighting angel 8 damage ouch.
also if your choose any other counterspell other than rune snag for this deck then i would like to know why. it is one of the only cards that gets better if you throw extras away.
out of all of the cards i have on this list i feel that infiltrator il-kor is the worst to run, i was running drifter il-dal and i think i would either go back to that or try to fit in 3 gofy's altho i would need to readjust my mana base a bit.
the lone urza's factory has won me a good hand full of controll match ups with all of the card filltering that i do i will almost allways be able to find mine and get it online before my opponent.
i am feeling like i might want to splash a 3rd color tho.
R/U/b
pro's-allied to both base colors, more madness, easy many fix with unborg or river of tears/graven caverns ,and more shadow creatures
con's-????difficult to fit????
U/R/w
pro's-lighting angel,rebuff the wicked,serra's avernger,monmentary blink, and duel land is reliable enough
con's- no madness,no strong incentive to filter threw deck.
U/R/g
pro's- Gofy....,Kavu predator,duel land least
con's- no madness,
here are some deck list that i have from my drafts(i am that lame to write down draft decks)
2xAxgrinder Giant
3xBlind-Spot Giant
1xChangeling Berserker
2xHillcomber Giant
4xLowland Oaf
2xMudbutton Torchrunner
2xStinkdrinker Daredevil
1xThundercloud Shaman
1xLash Out
1xNeedle Drop
2xPollen Lullaby
2xTarfire
9xplains
8xmountain
deck 2
1xAxegrinder Giant
3xBlind-Spot Giant
1xGiant Harbinger
2xHillcomber Giant
1xLairwatch Giant
2xLowland Oaf
3xStinkdrinker Daredevil
2xPlover Knights
3xGiant's Ire
1xLash Out
1xNeck Snap
1xNeedle Drop
1xCrush Underfoot
9 of each mountains and plains
i really like this draft plan just because once you start droping threats its normally game over pretty quick, and their isn't any real danger in the first 2 turns anyways.
a good basic creature stats in lorwyn are very low 3cc for a 2/1, 4cc for a 2/2. and the giant game plan just trumphs this easy. i feel the hardest part is picking which other tribe to use to support the giants in cause you don't see enough, Kithkin or Goblin are the best options.
i normally pick goblins because of Mudbutton Torchrunner and Adder-staff Boggart(i almost allways win the clash with the high number of the average giant cc) and tarpitcher is really good as well.
the base i've been running for my b/r/u is
4xRiver of Tears
4xShivian Reef
4xSulfurous Springs
2xUnderground River
3xTerramorphic Expanse
2xIsland
2xSwamp
1xMountain
as far as how i came to this to be my mana base
12 blue sources
8 black sources with 4 contingensy based sources
9 red sources
if your playing a heavy faerie build (for what ever reason) then you could run the comes into tapped if you don't have a faerie duel,Secluded Glen but im not so i don't or i would just runFrost Marsh which i don't.
it is a painfull mana base for sure ticking off about 1-2 life every turn after 3. but i kill on 5 or 6 habitualy so it hasn't hurt to bad.
Rune Snag-this card as much as some people don't like to include it in their aggro build, is the best answer this deck can have for Damnation. i've played about 50 games with this deck(im at work as i type look at the hour!!i get off at 7am all day to play?) so far, about 20 against B/U teachings. overall 13-7 in favor of B/R/U madness, in my notes i have marked at least 6 games that i stopped a turn 4 Damnation, all of which i won(of the 6). ironically i have noted 7 matches that a turn 4 Damnation resolved, also ironic is that i lost all 7 of those games.(the other 7 i won, 4 came from those great games in which your looters only seem to pull up Fiery Tempers or Reckless Wurms, and the other 3 i won on the back of miss plays on my opponets part)
the grand point is that i won matches off of Rune Snag, its very hard to regain the advantage over a deck like teachings once it is lost. Raise your hand if you ever had a controll player down to 9 or less and then suddenly turn 5 rolls around and they are at 14?
i would like to take out about 3land to put in 3 creature or other spell, im not sure which yet. Might be Telling Time draw and a top deck fix works good for me. Call to the Netherworld to pull back tombstalkers or oorna's prowlers that die'd or had to be discarded when no madness cards could be played.
i actually read all of the thread just ithcing to tell of boggart sprite-chaser, oh well. In my testing boggart sprite-chaser is a 2/3 flyer 70-80% of the time, why is this? because you actually have a larger degree of controll over his text box then any clash card. you can run about 8-12 effective(for their cost/utility) faerie's 8 of which cost 1. even if you do not have a faerie out when you play him at least he can chump block 1 drops without going to the graveyard.
speaking of graveyards Tombstalker is great in this deck. a regular drop on turn 4 for me most games. on a side note if you run the delve cards alongside
adder-staff boggart your chances of winning a clash impove about 15% altho it is still to random to be good.(clash will only ever be good with some type of scry/harbinger effect to ensure you win, in which case it wouldn't be worth the effort as no clash card is worth that much deck space).
im at work right now so forgive me if my deck list are a little off
R/U/w a.k.a. american madness
4xlooter il-kor
4xbonded fetch
4xreckless wurm
4xlighting angel
3xsoltari preist
4xfiery temper
4xincinerate
4xpsionic blast
4xrune snag
2xdisintegrate
4xnimbus maze
4xbattlefeild fordge
4xshivan reef
3xterramorphic expanse
4xisland
3xmountain
1xplain
i haven't realy finished testing all the new lorwyn stuff but my american madness deck is looking to weak compared to the bulkier R/B/u options. and yes lighting angel is good in this deck on turn 4 i am usally attacking with looter/reckless wurm/ lighting angel 8 damage ouch.
also if your choose any other counterspell other than rune snag for this deck then i would like to know why. it is one of the only cards that gets better if you throw extras away.
B/R/u
4xlooter il-kor
2x bonded fetch
4xmerfolk looter
4xoona's prowler
4xreckless wurm
3xtombstalker
4xfiery temper
4xincinerate
4xpsionic blast
4xrune snag
23 land.
haven't finished my new R/U/B deck yet as their are so many more possiblities.
creatures
4xlooter il-kor
4xbonded fetch
4xreckless wurm
3xepochrasite
3xmaelstorm djinn
3xinfiltrator il-kor
non-creature spells
4xunstable mutation
4xfiery temper
3xpsionic blast
3xsnap back
3xdelay
land
1xurza's factory
12xisland
8xmountain
out of all of the cards i have on this list i feel that infiltrator il-kor is the worst to run, i was running drifter il-dal and i think i would either go back to that or try to fit in 3 gofy's altho i would need to readjust my mana base a bit.
the lone urza's factory has won me a good hand full of controll match ups with all of the card filltering that i do i will almost allways be able to find mine and get it online before my opponent.
i am feeling like i might want to splash a 3rd color tho.
R/U/b
pro's-allied to both base colors, more madness, easy many fix with unborg or river of tears/graven caverns ,and more shadow creatures
con's-????difficult to fit????
U/R/w
pro's-lighting angel,rebuff the wicked,serra's avernger,monmentary blink, and duel land is reliable enough
con's- no madness,no strong incentive to filter threw deck.
U/R/g
pro's- Gofy....,Kavu predator,duel land least
con's- no madness,