Subject: Fwd: Deck Date: Mon, 29 Dec 1997 00:55:39 EST From: CTH91082 To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com The Runt This deck "The Runt" bloomed from the rather popular Schnieder Pox, I constructed the Schnieder Pox and I liked it's mechanics and the flow of the cards. So I decided to make a variant, when I finished it contained no Pox, no cursed scrolls, no Steel Golems or Spheres so it is now pretty much my own deck, but I wanted to tell you where the deck came from. I think a large part of why I wanted to build this deck is because all of the great black removal spells the standard environment has to offer. And because of a couple of the versitile damage dealers. I also wanted to build a deck that beat Sligh and Bounce decks, that is about all I have seen for a while here in Hawaii. It can do well against Sligh and can beat the creature heavy Bounce deck, it does however have trouble taking down the counter heavy Bounce. I have won 2 small tourneys w/ it, I am playing it or close to it at Junior Super Series Western Division Championships Jan. 10th, I will write a tourney report if I am not too lazy. Well here is the deck...... BLACK (28) ARTIFACTS (2) (60 cards) 4xNekrataal 1x Wand of Denial 2xPillar Tombs of Aku 1xBottle Gnomes 2xEvincar's Justice 2xRain of Tears LANDS (22) 2xChoking Sands 3xWasteland 1xDesolation 1xUnderground River 4xDrain Life 2xRootwater Depths 4xSpinning Darkness 1x Reflecting Pool 2xDark Ritual 13x Swamps 4xDiabolic Edict 2xIslands 1xVamperic Tutor BLUE (8) 2xPropaganda 2xRootwater Hunter 2xWhispers of the Muse 2xMemory Lapse The Propaganda-Desolation combo is powerful but it is a situational combo because the Desolation can hurt me just as bad if it is played at the wrong time so there is only one desolation, Propaganda however is included mainly to work on it's own. So I drop the combo(if I have it, which isn't often w/ only 1 desolation) when I am ahead in land total by 2-3, I usually don't go looking for the combo with the tutor either. This deck deals out damage in small pieces as I try to hold on to the game using life-gaining cards like draine life and Spinning Darkness. The Gnome is a good anti-Sligh card but the supply was cut to 1 after these last two weeks of play testing, more important cards were added. Evincar's Justice is a great anti-Sligh card but I really have to have self control to take a little damage and wait until they are casting 2CC critters before I use them and gain more card advantage, when I get ahead in life I can also buy them back over and over to slowly give me the game. But unlike the Pox deck from which I based this deck on the game winner is often a big drain life protected by a memory lapse or a cast when opponent is tapped out. This deck may not work well for others who play faster mana curving creature based decks if you don't have a flexible style of play. This deck was molded to fit my style. Oh the Rootwater Hunters are not very solid or strong but they can take out some weenies or atleast disrupt a player's mana curve by forcing him to cast a DD spell on him, even though I built this deck to beat Sligh and Bouncy Blue it still does better against other deck types. I would put Firewalkers in in place of the Hunters but I am not brave enough to handle the UU part of the casting cost, even if I put 2 Undiscovered Paridise in the main deck. Oh, I try to veer away from too many non-basic lands with all the wastelands, choking sands, and land killing Dwarves running rampant in T2. SELF EXPLANITORY SIDEBOARD 3xPerish 2xChill 1xExtinction 3xHydroblast 3xKnight of the Mists 1xAnvil of Bogardan 2xUndiscovered Paridise -Charles Hildreth