The Casual Gamer

One of my favorite challenges is to build a competitive deck that is cheap. A few weeks ago I was talking with Hunter Mayes, one of our regular FNM players. He mostly plays red with either a side of black or green. He wanted to test out blue. I figured why not whip up a deck idea that costs less than ten dollars to build. Then he could try it out and it would cost him less than an intro deck to put it together. Probably less since most of the cards are probably in a junk pile. 

This deck will be a good taste of what it is like to play blue. When I started playing Magic The Gathering in 1994 I was a blue player. I always liked that blue was all about tricks. It's a color made to play on your opponents turn and a color that can shift the entire board drastically with a simple combo. Both of which I wanted feature in this deck.

When Journey Into Nyx was announced I knew I wanted to make a Battlefield Thaumaturge deck. His ability to make a spell one less mana for each creature it targets has some interesting possibilities. My favorite card to use with it is Curse of the Swine. It becomes a two casting cost card that turns every creature you want into a 2/2 boar. That's strong.

Even stronger is all those boar tokens have a converted mana cost of 0. That means you can cast a Ratchet Bomb and sac it to remove every token on the board. That leaves the battlefield open for attacks. This is why I used cards that gave draw from damage to refill my hand with more fun spells. 

Below is the deck list and in the end the cost was less than $10.00 on TCGplayer.com. Again most of these cards are in people's junk boxes. The Ratchet Bombs and Thaumaturge might be the only cards not in there.

Pig Bomb

Creatures: 19

3 Vortex Elemental
4 Battlefield Thaumaturge
4 Scroll Thief
2 Stealer of Secrets
4 Thassa's Emissary
2 Mnemonic Wall

Spells:18

4 Gridlock
4 Curse of the Swine
4 Ratchet Bomb
4 Frost Breath
2 Pull from the Deep

Lands:23

23 Island

The deck looks fun to play. It accomplishes what I wanted for a blue tester deck. It can play heavy on the opponents turn with cards like Gridlock and Frost Breath. Plus it has a quirky combo to drastically shift the game. 

It also spawned a more expensive deck idea that I've named Boar Bomb. This one I am really excited about. If I was playing this deck I'd build pig bomb first and learn to play that. Then upgrade to this deck.

Boar Bomb

Creatures:18
4 Lagonna-Band Trailblazer
4 Battlefield Thaumaturge
4 Nyx-Fleece Ram
4 Scroll Thief
2 Thassa's Emissary

Spells:21

4 Glimpse the Sun God
4 Gridlock
4 Launch the Fleet
4 Curse of the Swine
3 Ratchet Bomb
2 Pull from the Deep

Lands:21

4 Hallowed Fountain
11 Island
6 Plains

This deck is set up to handle a lot more and be more effective when the board is in your favor. A little less draw but cards like the Ram and Trailblazer can handle a lot of early game rush. Plus they can block boars, which makes Swine an even stronger spell. Fleet is a kill spell when the board is open to spawn an army. The rest stays the same.

We've got a lot going on this week for Magic. Monday we kick off our Commander Mondays. We'll have casual commander play going on with sign up at 3:30 and matches at 4:00 PM. This event will run until 7:00 PM each Monday. Then Thursday we have booster draft with sign up at 6:30 PM and the draft at 7:00 PM.

Friday is our first double FNM with 19 and Under Friday Night Magic having sign up at 3:30 PM and matches at 4:00 PM. This will be three rounds and wrapping up around 6:30. We will then have sign up for our all ages FNM with matches for that beginning at 7:00 PM. Entry for both events is $5.

Finally on Sunday we have our 8th Edition charity draft. There are twelve open spots. If we have more than twelve interested there will be a drawing for the spots. Each person in the draft will pay a $20 entry fee. All entry fees will be donated to the Hospice House of Mid-Michigan at Sparrow in the memory of Suzanne Bonjour. We will also include any other donations that people wish to give. 

Hope to see everyone this week for at least one of our events.

Chris' Annual "What They Should Do" NFL Mock Draft

I'm a nerd. I'm a comic book nerd. I'm a Magic the Gathering nerd. I'm also a huge draft nerd. Football, Basketball, and Fantasy Football drafts are my favorite things. Every year I release this first round NFL mock draft where I play the GM for each team. This mock draft will probably never happen. Yet this is how it should happen.

Let's put the Texans on the clock!

Pick 1 - Houston Texans - Jadeveon Clowney - DE

If Houston doesn't grab Clowney then it is because somebody offered a ton of picks and their first born. No matter who picks here this should be the player. He's a true once in a generation player with talents never seen before at his position. If work ethic is the biggest concern then JJ Watt will make all the Texans fears go away.

Pick 2 - Tampa Bay Bucs - Sammy Watkins - WR

The Rams are great at the draft and they need a lineman. There are three good LT in the draft. They can move back to get one of them plus value. The Bucs want a WR to go with Vjax. Tampa Bay will probably give up their 7th pick plus a 2nd and a 4th to move up. It might cost them a 1st next year instead of the 4th if there are multiple interests from teams. Watkins makes Tampa one of the most dangerous young offenses in the game.

Pick 3 - Jacksonville Jaguars - Blake Bortles - QB

Jags would love to move this pick. Too bad the two players worth trading up for go at 1 & 2. Jacksonville will grab the QB they need to build their franchise around. Bortles is easier to sell to the coaches and owner than Johnny Football.

Pick 4 - Cleveland Browns - Greg Robinson - LT

Browns need a QB but they have tons of picks. They'll address that later. An elite LT is a must to win in this league. They have a stud WR and TE. Now they need a guy to keep their future QB healthy. Robinson is the best tackle and probably the 2nd best player in the draft.

Pick 5 - Oakland Raiders - Mike Evans - WR

Oakland likes over hyped wideouts. They should take a LT or Mack here. They won't. Wouldn't be shocked if they went way off the board for this pick. Evans will be some teams #3/4 WR in 4 years.

Pick 6 - Atlanta Falcons - Jake Matthews - LT

Keep Matt Ryan from getting rushed and the Falcons win. Matthews does that. Welcome back to the playoffs ATL.

Pick 7 - St. Louis Rams - Taylor Lewan - LT

Rams get the left tackle they need and grab some picks from Tampa Bay. Jeff Fisher likes players with a nasty streak. Lewan is a more talented Richie Incognito. 

Pick 8 - Minnesota Vikings - Derek Carr - QB

The Vikings will get a QB here. They wanted Bortles. If Johnny Football was over 6 feet tall he'd be the pick. The vikes draft carr and then sign his brother to play back up. His arm makes this pick sellable to the fan base, especially with Patterson to throw to.

Pick 9 - Buffalo Bills - Eric Ebron - TE

Buffalo is all about upside and potential. CJ Spiller and EJ Manuel are shining examples of this. Ebron could be the best TE in the league in 4 years. He also could be Heath Miller. Not a bad pick but not work the 9th pick.

Pick 10 - Dallas Cowboys - Johnny Manziel - QB

Jerry loses his mind with each pick that Manziel falls. He finally sells out to the Lions. He trades their 16th pick, a 3rd, and a 5th to move up to grab the ultimate ticket seller. Tony Romo throws an interception.

Pick 11 - Tennessee Titans - Khalil Mack - OLB

Titans kinda want a QB and could use a CB, but Mack drops right into their lap. The beer flows freely in the war room.

Pick 12 - New York Giants - Aaron Donald - DT

Giants like to replenish the D-Line as the solution to all their problems. Donald is the best DT in the draft. Not sexy but it works.

Pick 13 - St. Louis Rams - Ha Ha Clinton-Dix - S

Rams got their LT. Now they get to grab Ha Ha as a luxury pick. He'll help push the Rams into a top 5 defense.

Pick 14 - Chicago Bears - Justin Gilbert - CB

Bears wanted Aaron Donald. They need a CB to stop all the great wideouts in their division. They take Gilbert over Dennard because his ball hawk skills are more attractive to the Bears def style.

Pick 15 - Pittsburgh Steelers - Darqueze Dennard - CB

Steelers don't know how Dennard fell to them but they are excited. Probably the best fit between player and team in the draft.

Pick 16 - Miami Dolphins - Zack Martin - OT

Lions get screwed by their trade back by losing out on their top three targets. They decide to double down. Dolphins want Martin to sure up their O-line. Dolphins give DET the 19th pick and a 3rd rounder.

Pick 17 - Baltimore Ravens - Odell Beckham Jr. - WR

Flacco needs targets and Beckham is that kind of target. Ravens get their real #1 option.

Pick 18 - NY Jets - Kyle Fuller - CB

Rex likes defense. He loves to draft it. Jets need a lot of help but Fuller is the last elite CB left on the board. Best player available rule takes effect here.

Pick 19 - Detroit Lions - Calvin Pryor - S

Lions fear losing out on a top tier secondary player. Pryor will lay wood and probably pick up some fines for it. He'll fit in perfect.

Pick 20 - Arizona Cardinals - Ryan Shazier - OLB

This pick has been a no brainer for weeks. Shazier probably already owns an apartment in Phoenix. 

Pick 21 - Green Bay Packers - CJ Mosely - ILB

Packers fill a need. Mosely is a solid Bama linebacker. He'll be a fan favorite for years.

Pick 22 - Philadelphia Eagles - Brandin Cooks - WR

Super fast, runs great routes, and is amazing after the catch. Plus Coach Chip used to watch him burn the Ducks in Pac 10 play. DeSean Who?

Pick 23 - Kansas City Chiefs - Marqise Lee - WR

KC needs weapons. They should grab a QB. Lee will be a good Steve Smith style receiver. 

Pick 24 - Cincinnati Bengals - Morgan Moses - OT

Cinci needs O-line help. Moses will be the last gift the team gives Andy Dalton.

Pick 25 - San Diego Chargers - Anthony Barr - OLB

He plays down the road at UCLA. He is the pass rusher they need in a division with less than fleet footed QBs. He'll play well with T'eo. 

Pick 26 - Dallas Cowboys - Dee Ford - DE

The Browns get the QB they want in Tony Romo. They give up the 26th pick but get a conditional 2015 5th rnd with Romo in return. Dallas gets a speed rusher to replace Ware and sell out their games as Manziel is announced the starter.

Pick 27 - New Orleans Saints - Bradley Roby - CB

Off the field issues be damned. The Saints see talent first. Roby will start game 1 and could be the rookie of the year. He also could be the best player in prison.

Pick 28 - Carolina Panthers - Cody Latimer - WR

With Steve Smith gone then the Panthers need to fill one spot ahead of all others. Latimer is the most solid receiver in the draft. He does everything well and nothing great. At worst he'll end up the teams #2 wide out in 3 years.

Pick 29 - New England Patriots - Jason Verrett - CB

Patriots enjoy value for their picks. Verrett is undersized but plays bigger than he is. He is the kind of player that thrives in New England. The best get better.

Pick 30 - San Francisco 49ers - Stephon Tuitt - DE

Aldon Smith is one more mental breakdown from being banned from the league. Tuitt is a backup plan that could be a true stud. His motor keeps him from being a top 10 player. 49ers will fix that.

Pick 31 - Denver Broncos - Joel Bitonio - OT

Denver needs to protect the QB. Bitonio can play all five position on the O-line. He'll plug where needed and his effort will make him a locker room favorite. This pick benefits the man who will replace Peyton more than it does Manning this year.

Pick 32 - Seattle Seahawks - Allen Robinson - WR

Percy Harvin showed why the Vikings traded him last year. He's talented yet can't stay on the field. Golden Tate is a Lion. The Seahawks grab Robinson to help Wilson with a HUGE target. Great dump and run receiver. His size will help when Wilson gets flushed from the pocket.

***

That's my 2014 NFL Mock Draft. Again the draft won't probably go at all like this but it should. Enjoy and remember that we draft Magic The Gathering each Thursday night with sign up at 6:30 PM.

Thanks,

Chris

The Casual Gamer

It's almost time to Journey Into Nyx!

The spoilers have all been released and one of the most interesting cards to come out is Athreos, God of Passage. His ability and casting cost make him one of the most powerful cards to be released in the block. He doesn't do damage with his ability but takes life. That means his damage can't be prevented. In a black/white weenie deck he quickly forces your opponent into a lot of tough decisions.

I for one had one thought when I first saw Athreos and that thought was that he created a perfect match for Purphoros.

In my mind these two are the power couple of Magic the Gathering. When working together they make a weenie deck something to truly deal with. Damage when you enter and lost life when you die (or rebirth for 2 damage). That means to deal with a basic 1/1 from entry to attack to death you could hang 6 damage with a little engine that could. Finally we feel the true power of Mon's Goblin Raiders. (You've played this game too long if you get that joke)

Why even play anything but creatures. I haven't tossed a deck together yet but 24 lands, 6 gods, and 30 low casting cost creatures sounds like fun to me. The thirty creatures don't even matter. Just grab ones that die easily. That is why I call this deck idea, "The Suicide Squad".

The only problem is that Athreos is already sitting at roughly $30 and Purphoros is quickly climbing towards $10. To run 3 and 3 will end up costing you close to $120 just in gods. Even with thirty cheap creatures and land you're still dropping close to $125 for a deck. Not a price tag this casual gamer is comfortable with. Then again my birthday is coming soon and price tags get fuzzy around that time.

Until then I am still working on my land destruction deck. Last week I had talked about Junk Jund and gave a bare bones alpha deck list. As you'll see a lot usually changes between Alpha and Beta deck construction.

Earth Day Is Cancelled 
(Name Under Review)

Creatures: 15

4 Elvish Mystic
4 Satyr Hedonist
3 Voyaging Satyr
4 Ember Swallower

Spells: 22

3 Magma Jet
3 Mizzium Mortars
4 Bramblecrush
4 Demolish
4 Desecration Plague
2 Peregrination
2 Frenzied Tilling

Lands: 23

10 Forest
13 Mountain

Sideboard: 15

2 Fog
2 Pithing Needle
2 Ratchet Bomb
3 Scouring Sands
2 Mindsparker
4 Peak Eruption

As you can see I've dropped the black from this deck and decided to streamline it with just green and red. That causes less mana problems in the early game and the introduction of Desecration Plague made black very expendable. I've also started to fill in the gaps with the deck to help deal with any issues that might arise.

The main focus is of course on land destruction. The earlier the better. In a perfect world your first four turns go like this:

Turn 1 - Forest into Mystic
Turn 2 - Mountain into Hedonist
Turn 3 - Mountain into Swallower
Turn 4 - Forest, sac hedonist, and monster Swallower.

That's a 7/8 attacking on turn 4 as your opponent watches three lands go bye bye. You lose three lands too, but luckily you've got enough mana producers to keep you at 2 mana with the ability to roll out more quickly.

The sideboard is built to help against certain matches. If somebody plays any red then sideboarding Peak Eruption is a must before game two. Ratchet Bomb takes care of token decks for 2 mana and Needles stop heavy planeswalker decks. I like Mindsparker to spank on control decks.

Again this deck will have holes. It also has a price tag more comfortable than The Suicide Squad. The Mizzium Mortars are the highest priced card in the deck and those should only run about $4. Even with sideboard nobody should pay more than $25-30.

It's now time to actually put this deck together and begin play testing. Keep checking back for future blogs to follow the progress of this deck (and it's new name).

Until then remember we have our Prerelease tournament this weekend. Currently 20 of the 48 slots have been reserved. You can preregister by stopping into the store. The tournament sign up starts at noon and deck construction begins at 1:00 PM SHARP. First prize will get a booster box of Journey Into Nyx and each player is guaranteed to win a booster pack of Journey Into Nyx. Entry is $25.

Can't wait to see everyone this Saturday as we finally take a Journey Into Nyx!

Nerdageddon Grand Opening Press Release

Nerdageddon Celebrates Grand Opening Weekend with Superhero/Villain Costume Contest, Free Comic Book Day, and release of 64^th Magic the Gathering Expansion

Brighton, Michigan – Nerdageddon Comics Cards and Collectibles – www.nerdageddon.com - is excited to celebrate our new store, new community, and wonderful customers. Beginning at 3pm on Thursday, May 1, 2014, you are invited to kick off grand opening festivities at Nerdageddon – 117 East Grand River Avenue, Brighton, Michigan 48116. Thursday, channel your inner superhero or villain, and the best costume will win great prizes (Judging begins at 3:30pm, winner announced at 6pm). On Friday May 2, Nerdageddon will release the 64^th expansion of Magic the Gathering, Journey Into Nyx. And on Saturday May 3, Nerdageddon will host our first Free Comic Book Day. As a Gold Level retailer for the event, Nerdageddon will proudly offer a wide variety of the most popular comic book titles for FREE to our customers on that day.

“Despite the brutal winter, Nerdageddon has been extremely fortunate that so many people have patronized our store,” says Shalini Karnani Bonjour, Nerdageddon’s Director of Awesome. “The support is truly amazing. We’ve been able to hire two part-time employees and double our inventory since opening in January. This three-day grand opening celebration is the official announcement that we are happy to be in beautiful downtown Brighton and look forward to a long and successful future serving all of the area’s ‘nerd needs’.”

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Thursday May 1, 2014

3pm – Costume Contest Begins

3:30pm – Ribbon Cutting with Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce
Enjoy complimentary refreshments and superhero balloon sculptures by Tim Thurmond “The Balloon Sculptor”

6pm – Costume Contest Winner Announced

Friday May 2, 2014

12noon – Magic the Gathering’s 64^th Expansion – Journey Into Nyx
Available For Purchase – Booster boxes, Booster Packs (3 for $10), Fat Packs, Intro Decks, and Singles

6pm – Friday Night Magic Booster Draft (Entry fee $15. Sign up at 6pm. Draft begins at 7pm)

Saturday May 3^rd, 2014
12noon – FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (while supplies last)

About Nerdageddon Comics, Cards, and Collectibles:

Website: www.Nerdageddon.com - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nerdageddonccc - Twitter: @nerdagedddonccc - email: nerdageddonccc@gmail.com; Shalini@nerdageddon.com; Chris@nerdageddon.com - address: 117 E. Grand River Ave. Brighton, MI 48116 – phone: (810) 522- 6185

The Casual Gamer

There is always one card during spoilers that just sparks my creative juices. That's a good and a bad thing. Especially when you discover that card just before you go to bed at night. Needless to say Eidolon of the Great Revel is now responsible for one sleepless night. 

This week has been a big spoiler week for Journey Into Nyx. The already revealed three gods and a green/white Ajani have made jaws drop around the shop. As I was relaxing in bed I decided to check the spoiler sites again just incase a new god had been revealed. The Eidolon happened to be the new reveal for the evening. 

At first most bashed this card because it has a bad synergy with red burn. I mean who is play 4+ mana burn? Nobody wants to drop a three point lightning strike only to get two back in the face from your very own private dancer. Yet to me this was the card I had been looking for to fit in with a deck mechanic that has been a favorite of mine since I started playing MTG: Land Destruction.

The thing about land destruction is that it is pricey. There really isn't a land destruction spell that costs less than 4. That kind of price tag just doesn't fit in most 1-2-3 burn decks. It also plays to what Lex Luthor from Superman the movie said about the importance of land. He was going to blow up half of California and kill Lois Lane because of land. Land is the most important card in Magic the Gathering.

People always ask when coming to the store what cards I am looking to buy or trade for. The easiest answer is land. Scry lands, Shock Lands, Fetch Lands, Dual Lands, and all the crazy lands in between. No matter how much this game changes it all comes back to one card that holds it all together, land.

So after sitting up, rocking a baby back to sleep, and sitting up some more I came up with what I call Junk Jund. This is the foundation I am using for my deck design to start the build for Eidolon. This deck is playable in standard and costs less than ten dollars to build. You should have most in your junk boxes at home.

Junk Jund

Creatures: 15

4 Elvish Mystic
4 Satyr Hedonist
4 Voyaging Satyr
3 Ember Swallower

Spells: 22

4 Lay of the Land
3 Bramblecrush
4 Demolish
3 Gild
4 Destroy the Evidence
4 Frenzied Tilling

Lands: 23

10 Forest
8 Mountain
5 Swamp

Yup, pretty basic. Yet this is how I like to deck build for future sets. I like to see how glue cards work. This deck will have it's teeth with Eidolon and a few more cards, but the true basis of the deck is here and that is fast land destruction.

For the Eidolon to truly work you want to keep your opponent below three mana production. For most that will be land. The first step is getting your land destruction out by turn three. Then begin ticking down your opponent's land count.

My MVP of this deck is Destroy the Evidence. In land destruction this card is pure money. It's five mana and it takes two lands out of your opponent's deck plus mills a few cards on the way. It also takes away your opponent's next land draw with the second land dump. That little ignored fact is huge in land destruction.

Ember Swallower is an interesting card. A 4/5 for four is nice. Make him a monster and he wipes three lands. That hurts you, but if you put your opponent at 0 lands on turn 5 with a 7/8 to deal with that is a game changer. Plus with mana rampers like Mystic, Voyager, and Hedonist dropping three of your own lands shouldn't hurt as much. 

I enjoy Gild for removal because exile works well to take care of gods. Bramblecrush is good for land removal and planeswalker removal. Demolish is the staple for land removal. You should be able to play it on turn 3 to begin land control. 

By no means will this deck go win a PTQ, but it is a good start to what I hope will end up being a strong tournament deck. Even better is the current price tag. It allows me to feel better about plugging in about 40-50 dollars in money cards down the line. 

Keep checking the blog for updates on play testing. There is going to be a ton of spoilers coming over the next few days. Fingers crossed for a big land destruction spell. Follow us on Facebook as we talk about the spoilers daily. 

Finally circle April 26th, 2014 on your smartphone as Nerdageddon hosts our first prerelease. Entry will be $25 and first place will get a booster box of Journey Into Nyx. Other prizes will be determined by the amount of players. Sign up begins at noon and deck construction starts at 1:00 PM. We'll have door prizes through out the day.

Now I'm off to throw this junk together. Enjoy spoiler week!

The Casual Gamer

The good news this week is that Nerdageddon Comics, Cards, and Collectibles officially achieved “Core Store” status with Wizards of the Coast. This means we can hold Friday Night Magic, Pre-Release Tournaments, and Game Days starting April 1^st, 2014. We also will have buy-a-box promos and from the vault cards. We’re very excited.

With all this I have been thinking a lot about my deck. As a casual gamer I find myself torn between two decks. The one I actually play with and the one I wish I played with. Most people would think that owning your own comics and cards store would mean you get to play with any card. The thing is most of my “good” cards are sitting on display in the store.

I tend to build my decks on a budget. It adds a challenge and allows me to be more creative. If you’re running on a budget then you’re probably not net decking. That means funky theme decks with a twist.

The deck I’m actually building is a mono-black deck with a shared relationship between the heroic, devotion, and bestow mechanics. It is made to use heroics for early game with enchants and bestow to grow for huge devotion drops by turn 6+. Here’s a look:

Deck: Big Black Beats

Creatures: 22
4 Tormented Hero
4 Pack Rat
3 Spiteful Returned
4 Agent of the Fates
2 Herald of Torment
2 Erebos, God of the Dead
3 Gray Merchant of Asphodel

Spells: 15
3 Deviant Glee
4 Bile Blight
3 Dark Favor
2 Doom Blade
3 Scourgemark

Lands: 23
3 Rakdos Guildgate
20 Swamp

If you’re wondering, the total cost for this deck is roughly $37.83. That is magic on a budget. The heavy cost in the deck is Erebos and the rats. Those six cards make up 75% of the cost of the deck. It’s best when building a budget deck to have some higher priced cards. My rule is to try to get 10% of my deck worth about 75-80% its total value. To make a competitive deck, even one under 40 dollars, you still need a few big cards.

I am finishing this deck currently as I hunt down the pack rats. Once it is together I will develop a sideboard with testing.

The best starting hand has a Tormented Hero and a few enchants. He can be a big force on turn two with a dark favor. A 5/2 can put pressure on early. It also will make a target for removal by your opponent. That isn’t bad as I’d rather have removal wasted here than with Agent of Fates.

Agent of Fates helps keep the board clear while also using enchants to build a monster. The bestow in the deck triggers heroics while also adding more to the devotion count or providing early game creatures if needed.

I would be looking to drop merchant by turn 6. Hopefully a tormented hero has scored a hit early as in digital testing I was able to drop a merchant for 10 on turn 6. A 5/2 hero on turn two has the ability to bring an opponent under 10 before it is dealt with.

There are holes in the deck. Yet I see why mono-black devotion is a popular deck. If you have forty dollars, and want a puncher’s chance, then big black beats is a good deck.

That is the deck I am actually playing. If money wasn’t an issue then mono-blue devotion would be the deck I would be building. I’ll let you look before I explain:

Deck: Master Bomb

Creatures: 21
4 Vortex Elemental
4 Frostburn Weird
4 Nightveil Specter
3 Thassa, God of the Sea
4 Master of Waves
2 Purphoros, God of the Forge

Spells: 16
2 Curse of the Swine
4 Cyclonic Rift
2 Disperse
4 Fated Infatuation
2 Voidwalk
2 Stolen Identity

Lands: 23
15 Island
2 Izzet Guildgate
2 Mountain
4 Steam Vents

It has similar card break down to my black deck. Both run twenty three lands and run more creature spells. The real difference is the price, as Master Bomb will run about $196.27.

The basis for this deck is Master of Waves. I love this card. I want to just overload the board with elemental tokens.

This build is meant to get out defensive creatures like the weird and vortex. Both are great early game blockers and the vortex is a fun trick during any phase of the game. The specter is a staple of blue devotion. The same goes for Thassa to help fish out your master of waves.

You want to drop the master as early as possible. Even if it drops with only 2-3 blue devotion on the board you still want it out. Once the master is on the board it opens up a creature advantage and allows for the spells like Infatuation, Voidwalk, and Stolen Identity to reach full effect.

Infatuation puts a copy of Master on the board for more tokens and helps keep the tokens alive when you phase out the master with voidwalk to create even more tokens. I personally like to toss my ciphers on Thassa then use her ability to make her unblockable to trigger ciphers for either voidwalk, stolen identity, or both.

The deck has a low mana curve and the potential for a large force of huge elementals once the master of waves and it’s copies give out bonuses.

I’d like to put this deck together, and I may try to get a piece here or piece there, but if you swing by the shop you’ll probably see me flopping cards from my black devotion deck. Maybe someday I’ll get Master Bomb sleeved and out for a test.

This week at Nerdageddon we’ll be doing a booster draft on Thursday night. On Friday is Standard Constructed FNM. Both events have sign ups at 6 and start at 7. Please try to be to the store by 6:55 to ensure you can play in the events.