Subject: ZERO RESOURCES Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 18:24:55 -0400 From: "Alan M. Newman" To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Hey Frank! You know I've always been a great fan of "Challenge" decks, decks which are put together to accomplish a certain well-defined task and to win consistently while doing so. A real "Challenge" deck may not be exactly Tier One, but a *good* "Challenge" deck is as close to Tier One as it gets. Here's one I've been playing around with for a couple of months. With the Mirage cycle on expiration mode (only two months to go!), I've decided that I can give up this little gem for the world to see, explore and to have some fun with. Zero Resources has actually won a local tournament, facing Suicide Black and Sligh along the way. The defined task is to bounce *everything* on the other side before casting the Ephemeron for the kill. The deck plays much differently than typical Capsize or Tradewind decks, relying on Limited Resources to ensure that your opponent cannot get past the mid-game. Typically, an LR is played when you begin with 4 land, relying on your next few draws to get you up to 6 mana before your opponent can get to five. Many times, LR is not played until you have 7 mana on your side, tapping out before sacrificing land. When the sac decisions are made, you Capsize/Buyback one of your opponent's lands and then lay another land. It is now 6 to 4 in lands and the game is nearly over. For each new land you draw, you capsize one of his and play another. Of course, if the deck can't survive to the mid-game, it can't win. The Propaganda and the Mana Chains are designed to keep your opponent as tied up as possible, without doing too much early damage. The Impulses will help you find a Propaganda or a Dream Tides. The Amber Prisons are mainly there to lock down your opponent's land, but they can also be used to lock down Green critters under the Dream Tides, or to stifle a real threat, like a Tradewind Rider. Why the Feldon's Cane? Good question, since this is the first deck I've played in two years with a Cane. Reason why is simple. If you are Impulsing for a needed Prop and get one along with the Ephemeron, you *must* ditch the Ephemeron, right? Early on in the Zero Resource design effort, I had a similar situation, dumping the Ephemeron to the bottom, where I would definitely have run out of cards before the Ephemeron did his 20 damage. Although my opponent conceded this particular game with "zero resources" on his side of the table, the point was clear. The Cane is insurance and one slot could easily be spared. Threats? Of course there are threats. Disenchants, Counters, Tradewinds, etc. It won't win all the time. *Nothing* does. ZR will win most of the time and totally humiliate the opponent in the process. And it's a real challenge to play - the deck does not play itself! It will require some intense thought. ZERO RESOURCES *Critter Control* 4 Propaganda 2 Dream Tides 4 Mana Chains *Permanent Control* 3 Amber Prisons 4 Limited Resources *Utility & Control* 4 Mana Leak 4 Boomerang 4 Capsize 2 Disenchant 4 Impulse 1 Feldon's Cane *Kill* 1 Ephemeron *Land* 15 Islands 2 Plains 4 Adarkar Wastes 2 Gemstone Mines Al "Papa Bear" Newman Oldest Scrub at the US Nationals :-p