"The Deck"

The Deck

"My take" by Mason Loring Bliss, as of November 1997

Mana Production
4 City of Brass
7 Island
3 Plains
1 Black Lotus
3 Lotus Petal
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring

Card Drawing
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Timetwister
1 Time Walk
1 Gaea's Blessing
1 Regrowth
1 Braingeyser
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Jayemdae Tome
1 Library of Alexandria

Offense
1 The Rack
1 Jester's Cap
1 Tormod's Crypt

A Lock
2 Disrupting Scepter
1 Amnesia
4 Mana Drain
2 Counterspell

Defense
3 Blood Moon
1 Moat
1 The Abyss
2 Swords to Plowshares
3 Disenchant
1 Balance
1 Ivory Tower
1 Cursed Totem

Sideboard

1 Serra Angel
1 Jester's Cap
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Mirror Universe
1 City in a Bottle
1 Wrath of God
1 CoP: Red
1 Zuran Orb
1 Divine Offering
1 Mana Web
1 Interdict
2 Hydroblast
2 Pyroblast

If your web browser supports colour, then the cards that show up in light green, above, are restricted to one each per deck in Type I.

This deck is based on the original design by Brian Weissman. The original deck isn't viable any more in the current Type I scene, mainly because of Gorilla Shaman (Mox Monkey!) and Wasteland. Quick Bolt decks can kill The Deck rather easily once they've stripped away The Deck's mana resources. This version of The Deck attempts to nullify the threat of Bolt decks with two general-purpose hosers: Cursed Totem and Blood Moon. Under Blood Moon, all of your opponent's Strip Mines and Wastelands become mountains. Further, once a Cursed Totem hits the table, your opponent's Mox Monkeys, Dwarven Miners, and Frenetic Efreets become far less useful. Once a reasonable defense is laid out, the deck functions as a traditional Weissman deck, obtaining a Scepter lock and putting out The Rack to finish the game.
Against another Weissman-style or Maysonett-style control deck, The Deck has to start fearing Jester's Cap. Tormod's Crypt can also cause headaches. Adequate sideboarding ought to lessen these problems, however - after all, we have our own Caps and Crypts, which are slow in winning, but capable of winning all by themselves. Also, it's probably worth assuming that your opponent is going to sideboard out at least some creature defense after the first game. Hey, Serra!
This version of The Deck is still being developed. The sideboard in particular needs work, and I'm contemplating ways to make the deck better against Jester's Cap. Also, the main deck wants more counter magic. Ideas are welcome - mail me!

The Deck	"My take" by Mason Loring Bliss, as of November 1997
Mana Production 4 City of Brass 7 Island 3 Plains 1 Black Lotus 3 Lotus Petal 1 Mox Emerald 1 Mox Jet 1 Mox Pearl 1 Mox Ruby 1 Mox Sapphire 1 Sol Ring	Card Drawing 1 Ancestral Recall 1 Timetwister 1 Time Walk 1 Gaea's Blessing 1 Regrowth 1 Braingeyser 1 Demonic Tutor 1 Mystical Tutor 1 Enlightened Tutor 1 Jayemdae Tome 1 Library of Alexandria Offense 1 The Rack 1 Jester's Cap 1 Tormod's Crypt	A Lock 2 Disrupting Scepter 1 Amnesia 4 Mana Drain 2 Counterspell Defense 3 Blood Moon 1 Moat 1 The Abyss 2 Swords to Plowshares 3 Disenchant 1 Balance 1 Ivory Tower 1 Cursed Totem

Sideboard
1 Serra Angel 1 Jester's Cap 1 Tormod's Crypt 1 Mirror Universe 1 City in a Bottle	1 Wrath of God 1 CoP: Red 1 Zuran Orb 1 Divine Offering	1 Mana Web 1 Interdict 2 Hydroblast 2 Pyroblast
If your web browser supports colour, then the cards that show up in light green, above, are restricted to one each per deck in Type I.
This deck is based on the original design by Brian Weissman. The original deck isn't viable any more in the current Type I scene, mainly because of Gorilla Shaman (Mox Monkey!) and Wasteland. Quick Bolt decks can kill The Deck rather easily once they've stripped away The Deck's mana resources. This version of The Deck attempts to nullify the threat of Bolt decks with two general-purpose hosers: Cursed Totem and Blood Moon. Under Blood Moon, all of your opponent's Strip Mines and Wastelands become mountains. Further, once a Cursed Totem hits the table, your opponent's Mox Monkeys, Dwarven Miners, and Frenetic Efreets become far less useful. Once a reasonable defense is laid out, the deck functions as a traditional Weissman deck, obtaining a Scepter lock and putting out The Rack to finish the game. Against another Weissman-style or Maysonett-style control deck, The Deck has to start fearing Jester's Cap. Tormod's Crypt can also cause headaches. Adequate sideboarding ought to lessen these problems, however - after all, we have our own Caps and Crypts, which are slow in winning, but capable of winning all by themselves. Also, it's probably worth assuming that your opponent is going to sideboard out at least some creature defense after the first game. Hey, Serra! This version of The Deck is still being developed. The sideboard in particular needs work, and I'm contemplating ways to make the deck better against Jester's Cap. Also, the main deck wants more counter magic. Ideas are welcome - mail me!