Subject: [DECK] TSE Static Buyback Date: Wed, 09 Sep 1998 15:19:28 -0600 From: Scott To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com 1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890 TSE Static Blue is very similar to a deck i've been working on. They both have some of the same mechanisms to control the game. But I believe that TSE Static Buyback addresses the weaknesses of this type of prison. 4 Static Orb 4 Propaganda 4 Memory Crystal 4 Mind Games 4 Intuition 4 Whispers of the Muse 4 Counterspell 4 Forbid 2 Capsize 1 Wayward Soul 25 Islands 2 Capsize 4 Dissmiss 3 Chill 3 Wayward Soul 3 Rebound I can already hear it: "4 Memory Crystals, are you nuts?!? Everyone and their dog will be all over you like white on rice with their own buybacks!" "Do you actually believe you can win one game, nevermind a match, with a single Wayward Soul?" First of all, Suicide Black, Sligh and Recurring/Survival don't generally have any buybacks. Tradewind/Awakening and U/W Grindstone both use buybacks and are also both the most difficult for this deck to deal with. Tradewinds bounce your permanents at will and Awakening renders Static Orb powerless. Humility on the table equals loss and Grinding the Wayward Soul, also a loss. Playing this type of deck has always meant that there are simply a few "must counter" spells. Armageddon, City of Solitude and Abeyance are "must counter" spells for most blue control decks. These are simply replaced by the afore mentioned cards. Capsize can help control these problems after the fact. As far as opposing buybacks, play your Memory Crystal smartly. Only put it down once you're ready for the lock. You'll also have to counter buybacks whenever possible. The sideboard should help with this. The reason for the Memory Crystals is quite simply a quicker lock. Mind Games, the reason why this lock works, costs a measly UU with buyback. The sooner you get the lock, the sooner you control the game. Which brings me to the 4 Intuitions. Faster lock = faster control. After you achieve the lock you'd rather draw an Island than another copy of one of your lock cards. Intuition decreases the percentage of lock cards and thereby increases the percentage of land cards left in your deck. This brings me to the mana base. 25 Islands. Wasteland-proof. With Mind Games costing UU you want as many straight blue mana as possible. This deck is ridiculously powerful once the real lock is acheived. During their upkeep, tap whatever they untapped, Forbid any instants they might have, tap whatever they put down, during their discard tap the Static Orb and Whisper as much as possible. Until you get the Wayward Soul or won't have enough time to kill them with the Wayward Soul if you had it. If they're at 20 (quite likely) you must have at least 7 cards left in your library when you cast Wayward Soul, if you intend to kill them. If you have less cards left then you simply run them out of cards by placing the Wayward Soul back onto your library in response to your draw. Your buybacks win you the game now. If you run out of cards to buyback Forbid, simply Capsize land to bring you back to 7 cards in hand. It also helps to Capsize all their land, that way they can only cast things that cost 1 and only during their main phase (barring Lotus Petal, Mox Diamonds). This deck can and does beat Sligh consistently. Go for the Propaganda asap, counter Fireslingers, Goblin Bombardments and Seismic Assaults. Suicide Black counter Hatred (no s**t sherlock) and feel free to Mind Games without buyback on a creature with a spinal graft. Your life total is a resource also. A win with 1 life is the same as a win at 20 life. Early game is dangerous for the control player, but hopefully you emerge with 5-8 life. When you are very close to complete control (total shutdown of opponent) you might be better off to eat that Shock than chuck a Forbid and maybe not get another. I've won many games with 1 life left. The first time I built this deck I had 4 Thumbscrews for the kill. They work, but took up too much space. I also had 4 Mana Leaks and 4 Powersinks. The extra mana abilities of these work quite nicely with Static Orb, but in a long game (quite likely) Forbid is just too powerful to ignore. I've considered going to Grindstones, but I'd likely want to put in at least 3, that is too much space and they are also more mana intensive than either Thumbscrews or Wayward Souls. The Sideboard could probably use some work as I haven't tried it out yet. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions for it or the deck. Please e-mail me sdolman@telusplanet.net with any thoughts or ideas. "The only problem with being a pessimist is that you're never happy when you're right!" - Sir Reginald (aka Scott Dolman)