Subject: 5 Rath Cycle Decks Date: Fri, 07 Aug 1998 13:31:39 -0900 From: Darrell Breese To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Greetings, With worlds and PT Rome Qualifiers coming up players have been testing ideas for Rath Cycle Constructed Decks. Locally several players have been testing theirs and they continually asked me if I had one. So I sat down and built one. . . then another. . . and another. . . and so on, until I had five sound decks assembled. In these five decks you will notice the absence of the standard Red (Sligh) deck, and the new Oath decks, this is due to others locally have these and I wanted to try something different. Thus I assembled the following five decks which I offer for all those interested in to examine and use as they prepare for future Rath Cycle Tourneys. Deck #1: "Control Freak" Blue ---- 2x Capsize (Bounce is a good thing) 4x Counterspell (Why not?) 3x Power Sink (See Above) 3x Forbid (See above) 2x Dismiss (Could be Mana Leak, but card draw is good) 3x Legacy's Allure (Gimme your critter) 2x Whispers of the Muse (Cards! Cards! Cards!) 2x Ephemeron (Beat down! And hard to kill) White ------ 3x Winds of Rath (And you just cast living death!) 3x Disenchant (Still a lot of good stuff even without scrolls) 3x Venerable Monk (Life/Beat down!) 3x Staunch Defenders (Life/Fat Beat down!) Artifacts --------- 3x Erratic Portal (Use on your 6 white critters!!! ) Land ----- 13x Islands (Wastelands are so good against this deck!) 11x Plains Sideboard ---------- 3x Torture Chamber (Best colorless damage left in cycle) 2x Warmth 2x Capsize 2x Allay (Combo Decks!) 2x Rebound (Not sure here, but I like the card) 1x Powersink 1x Legacy's Allure 1x Winds of Rath This is pretty much a standard control deck that loses life early and then controls the remainder of the game. The Monks and defenders provide defense and life, in addition to the combo with the Portal! Ephemeron Beat down! Deck #2 "Kill! Kill! Kill!" Black ----- 3x Diabolic Edict 3x Dauthi Horror 3x Dauthi Slayer 4x Rain of Tears 3x Dark Ritual 2x Dark Banishing Red ---- 3x Mogg Fanatic 4x Flowstone Flood 2x Aftershock 4x Stone Rain 2x Canyon Wildcat 3x Shock Artifact -------- 3x Bottle Gnome Land ----- 4x Wasteland 9x Mountains 9x Swamps Sideboard ---------- 3x Boil 2x Dark Banishing 2x Dread of Night 2x Ravenous Baboons 2x Torte Chamber 3x Shattering Pulse 1x Monstrous Hound This is a land kill deck with weenies for the beat down. It plays well if it gets land kill early, but if not you are in for a struggle. Loses to blue unless you go first and kill land! However it is consistent and has won a lot of games! Deck #3: "Counter/Sliver" Gold ----- 4x Crystalline Sliver 3x Victual Sliver Green ------ 4x Muscle Sliver 3x Wall of Blossom White ------ 2x Talon Sliver 3x Disenchant 2x Kor Chant Blue ---- 4x Winged Sliver 4x Mana Leak 3x Powersink 2x Whispers of the Muse Artifact -------- 2x Metallic Sliver Land ----- 2x Thalakos Lowlands 2x Skyshroud Forest 2x Reflecting Pool 2x Vec Township 7x Islands 5x Forest 4x Plains Sideboard ---------- 2x Cloud Chaser Eagle 2x Rebound 3x Chill 1x Powersink 1x Disenchant 2x Kor Chant 2x Propaganda Well, it is Rath cycle, and what would Rath Cycle be without a sliver deck? I have not tested this deck as I just built it last night. However, I played a similar deck in the standard environment prior to regionals and the deck was successful then. Pretty standard in it play, get crystalline and commence beat down. Deck #4: "Living Mess" Red ---- 4x Mogg Bombers (Did 72 points of damage with one of these!) 4x Raging Goblins 4x Mogg Fanatic 3x Goblin Bombardment Black ----- 4x Dauthi Horror 3x Dauthi Slayer 3x Vampire Hounds 4x Living Death 3x Carnophage Gold ---- 3x Acidic Sliver Artifact -------- 2x Mindless Automaton 2x Emmessi Tome (Discard the creatures!) Land ----- 3x Wasteland 8x Mountains 9x Swamps Sideboard ---------- 3x Boil (I really do not like blue, but I play it) 3x Shattering Pulse 3x havoc 2x Perish 2x Volrath's Dungeon 2x Maze of Shadows This deck plays much like the suicide black deck and can/does win without using the living death. One must play carefully against counterspells, but should win easily. Discard critters to Automaton for beat down and cards. Its ALIVE! Deck #5 "White Winnie!" White ------ 4x Cataclysm 4x Paladin En-Vec 3x Charging Paladin (Not Sure about these!) 2x Soltari Visionary 3x Warrior En-Kor 4x Knight of Dawn 4x Soltari Priest 4x Soltari Monk 4x Conviction 2x Kor Chant 3x Disenchant Artifacts --------- 3x Torture Chamber Land ----- 20x Plains Sideboard ---------- 3 Warmth 2 Light of Day 1 Disenchant 2 Cloud Chaser Eagle 1 Orim Samite healer 2 Avenging Angel 3 Staunch Defender I might put the defender into the main deck in place of the Charging Paladins. If I do this I would add winds of Rath and a torture chamber to the sideboard. This deck is strong, and plays well against everything. Sideboards need additional work to be tourney ready. Well there they are 5 Rath cycle decks ready for play. Good Luck! Darrell L Breese dlb@sinbad.net