Some time ago I read some article about EDH and it made me think once again. Any article actually does, there are plenty of them but as this one ended up in my mailbox I read it... Most articles actually talk about the very same problems. What is EDH about? What is a fun game to play? Do I want to win and if so how? And how all this can work in my playgroup? Each playgroup solves these 'problems' in different ways usually by limiting themselves somehow or setting up some kind of challenges.
EDH for me was a way to play cards I don't have the opportunity to play somewhere else and make them work. That did not mean that the cards had to be bad. I used to play mono black zombie control and mono blue control. No one ever complained. But the decks I usually played against were more of a german highlander style. No one would even wink after seeing a t2 Karn Liberated (if that would have existed at that time). As fun goes I like strange games and I like watching someone play a deck that works nicely. What is important for me too is that I actually get to do something. In the past I usually played rock decks or pure control so there was always something for me to do. As for winning goes..I guess I'm not the most inventive person, but I can see what certain cards do together and I choose the better ways how to kill someone even though I used to kill people with Gempalm Polluter because I found it cool back then. But I'm not someone who would kill the entire table with Exsanguinate (Cabal Coffers/Urborg).
Years later though we have so many more cards to choose from and so many powerful generals. So how to build a deck one that could be fun for me but wouldn't kill entire table at once? I actually have problems with that. Pretty soon I discovered that most people don't like when someone messes up their game. That was completely unknown notion for me. I used to disrupt my opponent's game all the time. My game plan usually got disrupted many times too and it was better card advantage/recursion that won the game. I started playing 'modern' EDH with Glissa, the Traitor. Anything from the graveyard could come back and the deck ran quite a lot of removal or answers to anything. These cards were primarily targeted removal and that was probably one of my first mistakes. It used to run some tutors but they weren't really important in this deck. It wasn't like....Mikaeus+Triskelion or any combo I could come up in this deck.
Later I added blue (I said good bye to my monoU deck for good). It was simply a rock deck...a deck full of good cards and that usually killed via Mindslaver/Academy Ruins. But that is something majority of the decks at that time ran. When EDH became more popular here and people were running into my deck it seemed that we were from two different worlds. Most people's decks weren't really doing much except playing some random creatures or cards that did not usually do much (did not have a great impact on the game). In my deck most cards were actually doing something. I started feeling kinda bad facing a 7/7 vanilla creature with my Grave Titan.
Some time later when playing some multiplayer games I saw that most people ramp and start actually doing something on turn 6 or more. I couldn't really understand that. Even though my decks were relatively slow I simply had to do something early game. But I played some games in which something really bad happened on t3-4. I played in few games in which one of my opponents played Bribery on t3 or t4. I usually had ways of dealing with the creatures but that wasn't considered as a good think and people did not really like me for that. Once I happened to counterspell Bribery on t3 and was yelled upon. I actually played my competitive 1-on-1 deck against some multiplayer decks and I warned everyone in advance but that's how it ended up. Not only I consider Bribery pretty mean but being yelled upon because I countered it (Force of Will) that's something I couldn't really understand. This was the end of EDH for me. At least I thought so...But as with anything Magic ...I came back.
In the meantime I sticked to French EDH. Something that was way closer to german highlander and something where I could actually build a combo deck and don't feel bad about it. But in the end different people come to EDH tournaments and those that come to have fun or play their game they just lose pretty badly not understanding what's going on.
If you are reading my blog you know that I joined a group that regularly meets on Tuesdays. For that I tried building few decks - Marath Pod, Prossh the Beast, Roon - Blink, Phelddagrif - turboland. All those decks though seem too powerful for the group. So what should I play? Two weeks ago I think I was told to build a different deck and take out Mindslaver out of my deck (I had it there because of 1-on-1 games I used to still play at that time. Because cards like Emrakul or Ulamog weren't usually good enough to kill my opponents). I have no problem taking out Mindslaver or any card messing up with multiplayer but building a new deck because people don't like it that's not something I'm prepared to do. This deck was not supposed to be any good or evil. I decided to keep the deck at home for a while and take a different deck with me next time. I had 3 different generals in mind Sydri, Sidisi and Sedris. It's been a really long time since I played Zombies so I started putting those together. The cards I put in the deck were mostly black and blue. One card was actually red...So I thought about it once again. There are cards I really wanted to try Empty the Pits and Sidisi. For that I would need some sac outlets, self mill etc. In the end I just couldn't decide what I want to do with the deck so I grabbed the cards and tossed them in a Epic Collection box (now I have written where they are...might come handy when I start looking for them^^). I grabbed Sydri from my bed and stared at her for a while. I always wanted some Karn deck but I wasn't really sure how to build it without making it....staxx like. I started writing down a list of cards but it was already Tuesday afternoon and I was supposed to leave soon for the session. So I put the found cards already aside and took out Prossh that changed a bit from the original 'grab the first 60 cards in jund colors'. After figuring out that the deck won't really be much casual I made it more combo. It had ramp, tutors, combo pieces, some necessary spot removal, Toxic Deluge and Prossh^_^. It did not really matter if there were any other creatures except combo pieces and mana dorks.
I took the deck in my hands and put all tutors aside. Then I took out half of mana producing one-drops. Instead of those I added 'mass removal' in the form of Black Sun's Zenith, Damnation, Grave Pact, Dictate of Erebos and card draw engine Skullmuncher, Underworld Connections, Graveborn Muse. The rest of the slots was taken by creatures that either bring some tokens into play or leave a token in play - Thragtusk, Wurmcoil Engine, Deranged Hermit, Nested Invader, Kozilek's Predator, Grave Titan, Sprouting Thrinax, Hornet Queen. I also added Skyshroud Claim so I would have yet another ramp spell...not one I would normally play. After all these changes my deck actually seemed ready for some kind of more friendly games.
I won all of the games. But I had a bit more fun than before. Most of the time I was holding combo pieces in my hand wondering if I should play them or not. During the games even without any obvious combos I was able to do something, have creatures in play (important) and draw enough cards not to end up mana screwed for example. So after these games I decided to finish my Sydri having something else in mind.
If someone would ask me what to play in an Esper artifact deck I'd list cards like Thopter Foundry + Sword of the Meek, Disciple of the Vault, Voltaic Construct, Voltaic Key + some big mana rock, Mycosynth Lattice, Liquimetal Coating, Karn, Memnarch, Planar Portal, Temporal Aperture, Darksteel Forge + Disk ... anyway I could go on but you get my idea. When I looked at my first Sydri list it looked like this but hell screw that.
After learning that many creatures is the way to go (and not be considered a big threat) I started adding creatures. I put some big creatures in the deck - Sharding Sphinx, Sphinx Summonner (meant to search for Enigma Sphinx), Enigma Sphinx, Filigree Angel and Steel Hellkite. After this I ran out of 'bad card' options so I added Wurmcoil Engine, Duplicant, Sharuum, Myr Battlesphere. In order to be able to play those cards I need some rocks...so even though I don't like those I added signets, talismans and some random bigger rocks - Gilded Lotus, Thran Dynamo, Sol Ring. I also added Mind Stone but that was a huge mistake^_~. More mana can be generated or creatures can be cheated into play somehow. Metalworker, Master Transmuter, Etherium Sculptor, Kuldotha Forgemaster, Chief Engineer, Grand Architect found their place in the deck. Next I needed some card advantage...Scarecrone, Baleful Strix, Vedalken Archmage, Trinket Mage, Sun Titan, Solemn Simulacrum. That was more or less it for creatures..Then I added some spot removal - Utter End, Vindicate, Path to Exile, Swords to Plowshares, Dispatch, Spine of Ish Sah. Then it was time for some fun cards or cards I wanted to use with other cards - Expedition Map, Trading Post, Unwinding Clock, Executioner's Capsule, Staff of Nin, Nihil Spellbomb, Open the Vaults, Roar of Reclamation, Hanna and both Tezzerets. The remaining slots were mostly filled in with card draw.
My deck was complete and I could try it out...I wasn't sure what it would be doing...and if I would like it. But playing many cards early and then doing something with them - sacrificing, putting them into play, getting them back from the graveyard etc...seemed fun. I could play with my artifacts all alone^_^
It was fun to play with Sydri today...erm yesterday so I'll keep the deck as is for the time being. I might do some changes later. So far I would probably (certainly) cut Mind Stone for something producing colored mana and cut some creature (Master of Etherium) for Sphinx Sovereign. That creature looks like it could do some crazy stuff and not be totally overkilling...Who the hell would be playing 6/6 flyer for 8 mana? If I manage it I will try to fit in a Dispeller's capsule as well...
I know that I did not really write much about the deck. But this post is more about changing the perspective and trying to delve into something else because that something else might actually be fun. I know that the 'problem' lies in me even though I know what it means to have fun and I like to see what people can do with their decks and I let them to a certain point. Noone wants to die without doing anything... But I always was good at knowing what cards are good and never saw a reason why not play them. But if other players are not prepared for them or they are not even prepared for interactions those cards can have...what should one do? Limit oneself I guess..but how? Magic being a really well designed game has a lot to offer with cards that are not stellar or other format staples. Even an all common deck can be a fun deck to play or a relatively good deck in general (UGw blink and UB control respectively that's what I have in mind). So here's probably the cheapest deck I produced so far...if not taking mana base in account this is worth 150USD. Twice less than my previous attempts^_~. (compared to the decks I usually put together worth 1500-2000USD - mostly because of mana base +/- 900USD)
Sydri is great general. She animates artifacts like Karn but allows to play cards that are not really that dangerous or mean and allows to play all those awesome Shards of Alara block cards. Master Transmuter is a card I like. I never thought that gaining 57 life would be cool or anything, but at least it's not Blightsteel Colossus or Sphinx of the Steel Wind. I personally don't have anything against those cards. People around me usually could easily deal with that so I had no problems playing it or facing it. But in this group...it's a huge problem. Not only they can't usually deal with it when they need to but most of these players aren't really prepared for a card like this (not to mention that it's not the nicest way how one can die...it certainly is better to die to ... animated Spine of Ish Sah^^). Triskelion is overkill with Sydri and I never expected to draw SO many cards with Vedalken Archmage. This is a card I wouldn't normally play because it would immediately die in games I was used to play. But here in multiplayer everything is possible^_^. Creatures stay in play for quite some time and one has time to build an interesting board...or have enough blue mana to animate opponents' equipments when someone plays Damnation^_^ After those few games I thought that Academy Ruins is cheating^^ (usually was holding it in my hand waiting for things to go awry...they didn't do). Now I feel bad for wanting to add Petrified Field (Academy Ruins). I might add Buried Ruin but hell with Academy Ruins. Anyway also this is the first deck I put together in which fetch lands don't do more than just fix the colors^_~. If I'd be adding another colorless land it will be High Market...in majority of the games I played I was missing a sacrifice outlet (I'm used to Thopter Foundry but since I don't have it in the deck I need something else to replace it...Trading Post is not enough^^)
So here's the first deck list I put together.
Sydri1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Vedalken Archmage
1 Myr Battlesphere
1 Grand Architect
1 Scarecrone
1 Chief Engineer
1 Master Transmuter
1 Duplicant
1 Sharuum the Hegemon
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Enigma Sphinx
1 Filigree Angel
1 Master of Etherium
1 Sharding Sphinx
1 Trinket Mage
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Metalworker
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Shimmer Myr
1 Baleful Strix
1 Etherium Sculptor
1 Triskelion
1 Sphinx Summoner
1 Kuldotha Forgemaster
1 Sun Titan
1 Myr Retriever
Instant [8]
1 Dispatch
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Path to Exile
1 Hinder
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Utter End
1 Swords to Plowshares
Sorcery [6]
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Merciless Eviction
1 Vindicate
1 Compulsive Research
1 Roar of Reclamation
1 Open the Vaults
Artifact [23]
1 Courier's Capsule
1 Mind Stone
1 Dimir Signet
1 Clock of Omens
1 Seat of the Synod
1 Unwinding Clock
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Spine of Ish Sah
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Executioner's Capsule
1 Ancient Den
1 Azorius Signet
1 Darksteel Citadel
1 Voltaic Key
1 Vault of Whispers
1 Trading Post
1 Expedition Map
1 Talisman of Progress
1 Staff of Nin
1 Talisman of Dominance
1 Sol Ring
Land [34]
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Mystic Gate
1 Temple of Enlightenment
3 Island
1 Underground Sea
3 Swamp
1 Phyrexia's Core
1 Arid Mesa
1 Celestial Colonnade
1 Temple of Deceit
1 Adarkar Wastes
1 Watery Grave
1 Command Tower
3 Plains
1 Caves of Koilos
1 Tundra
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Temple of Silence
1 Godless Shrine
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Underground River
1 Academy Ruins
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Marsh Flats
1 Flooded Strand
1 Scrubland
1 Polluted Delta
Planeswalker [2]
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
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