Magic Deck Ideas

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Hey there, thought Id put up a new post about some deck design concepts. Share some insights or combos that have caught your eye. However, do not post any actual deck lists . . . need some level of originality around the tournaments. Or, do you have a deck that's having troubles with something . . . give us the scenario and let's see what we can come up with (chances are you're like me and can't always tell what should go and what should stay).

I'll admit that Im not a DCI sanctioned judge, but Ive been playing since 5th Ed and Mirage so Im hoping to be taken seriously at some level.

For those new to Magic, go to www.wizardsofthecoast.com.

For those who are lazy, here's a -VERY- basic description based on land type preferences (note, some lines come from the info packet of the fat packs, or starter packs):

Swamps - Black Mana, Skull representation. Focus: Death and disease. You dont care how you win, so long as you win and something is paying the price, be it you or the opponent. Main creature - Zombies

Islands - Blue Mana, Water Drop representation. Focus: Illusion and Trickery. You win by knowing something the opponent doesnt know . . . or win because you know what the opponent can do. Main creature - Wizards

Plains - White Mana, Sun representation. Focus: Purity and Healing. You win by outlasting the opponent and gaining life, or your army is so vast that little can stop it. Main creature - Soldiers/Knights

Forest - Green Mana, Tree representation. Focus: Nature and Life. Similar to white, but prefers to amplify the strength of its minions. Living large, and living longer. Main creature - Elves

Mountains - Red Mana, Fireball representation. Focus: Destruction and Chaos. Blow stuff up . . . doesnt matter who or what it is, just blow it all to hell. Main creature - Goblins

Now, when building a deck, you can use one color focus, or as many as you want. The better ones tend to utilize one to three colors, but there are ways to use four or more . . . but it gets complicated depending on the strategy you're aiming for. But always remember, in Magic, there is a way around everything . . . you just gotta find the card, or combination thereof, that will do it.

As an example, a deck i earned my name with was a reanimator. The design allowed me to discard cards, namely the biggest creatures in my hand or deck, then put them directly into play . . . trust me, the face your opponent will make in the face of 16 damage on turn 3 is quite classic.

Guess I'll start off with some considerations. First is: Do you wish to target yourself with your deck, or target your opponent. Targeting yourself means that you use spells and creatures solely to keep yourself alive. This includes walls, life gain spells/abilities/effects and other cards that improve the offensive abilities of your army. Targeting your opponent means just that: You want to burn him/her fast and hard. Their creatures die/returned/removed from the battlefield, spells that hit hard regardless your target, and creatures that are easy to pull out and just as nasty in numbers. Now, any color (or combination thereof) can be used to achieve either of these tactics. For example, a white deck is typically defensive (focusing on itself), however, it also has the easiest creatures to summon (many requiring less than 3 mana total). So even though you're gaining life, you have amassed a serious army by which to storm your opponent (green acts much the same way). Conversely, black would be a target opponent deal as it likes to steal life from your opponent, or cause his/her creatures to weaken and/or die. Now, here is something interesting . . . one could actually use these colors opposite for how they were designed. Black is excellent for targeting the opponent, but with things that drain life, or enhance the strength of your force (usually for a hefty price), or even regenerate some creatures (or bring back from the discard/graveyard) it can be a decent target self deck. This is just a beginner's level example, but the concept still remains relatively sound . . . the next thing you will have to do is answer the question, "Ok . . . how do i want to go about designing a deck with my way of winning?"

I have a number of decks at the moment. Most are casual though. I have a pretty good mill deck and a nice soldier deck that are standard tournament worthy. I just can't wait until October when Lorwyn/Shadowmoor rotate out.

There's nothing wrong with casual at all . . . but, everyone wants to see their deck make the opponent sweat. There's always room to change a deck. Granted, the deck that earned a name for me was outdated the after its first FNM tournament, which I got 3rd place (had some chance issues with the last opponent ><, but won 3/4 of my matches). I do have a few decks as well that will likely never see a tournament (i find they appeal to me aesthetically). But that doesnt mean I wont do what i can to improve them for a tournament someday.

That aside, which deck would you like to discuss and how would you like to improve it?

I'm pretty good right now with my decks. Until Zendikar comes out, I'm at a roadblock because I don't want to invest any time/money into Lorwyn/Shadowmoor and I think I have everything covered as far as Alara/M10 goes. I could use one more Elspeth for my soldier deck though

Well, take the time to use some of the cards that are leftover. A lot of these are given no credit because they either cost to much to play, or their ability sucks, etc. Those are the cards you should try to have fun with. One card that was downplayed was the Flame Wave (forgot the edition). Seven mana (4 red + 3) sorcery that deals 4 damage to all opposing creatures and players. That is a pretty steep card, but thats the beauty of it . . . no one expects it. There are ways to play that card, then add say a few storm capable cards (ones that copy themselves for each card played previously). Great way to clear the board and catch him/her off guard. Now, it probably wont make a tournament, but its worth while for the laughs. Remember, use cards from all your sets, not just the new ones. They have tournaments for those too and shouldnt be ignored (it still hold tightly to my Ravnica block decks, and even all the way back to Scourge). You dont have to go out and buy the new or old stuff . . . just experiment with what you have. Who knows, you might find a new card combo that would make your day and be the basis for a very interesting deck.

Here's my soldier deck:
Creatures:
Veteran Armorsmith x2
Veteran Swordsmith x2
Akrasan Squire x4
Knight-Captain of Eos x2
Aven Trailblazer x2
Captain of the Watch x3
Ranger of Eos x2
Aven Squire x4
Elite Vanguard x2

Enchantments:
Honor of the Pure x3
Oblivion Ring x4
Pacifism x2

Instants/Sorcerys
Divine Verdict x4

Planeswalkers:
Ajani Goldmane x4
Elspeth, Knight-Errant x1

Land:
Plains x25

My mill deck:

Creatures:
Nemesis of Reason x4
Wall of Denial x4
Wall of Frost x4

Enchantments:
Oblivion Ring x4

Instants/Sorceries:
Twincast x4
Path to Exile x4
Mirrorweave x2
Haunting Echoes x1
Traumatize x2
Negate x4
Mind Funeral x4

Planeswalkers:
Jace Beleren x2
Liliana Vess x2

Lands:
Drowned Catacombs x4
Glacial Fortress x4
Arcane Sanctum x4
Esper Panorama x2
Island x5
Plains x2
Swamp x4

Sideboard:
Doomblade x4
Tombscour x4
Sleep x2
Essence Scatter x2

Just a quick recap Bataar, i didnt want deck designs (or card lists) actually posted that way no one going through the internet can copy you. Trust me, its annoying going to an FNM tournament and 75% of the people there are using the same deck. Mainly wanted folks to post deck building questions and card combos they want to use or center the deck around.

Oh, almost forgot. For those posting about their cards of choice, please list the abilities associated with those cards or what the combo is supposed to do. Call me lazy.