Free Foil Cessation

[Dune Echo]

TAG GUARD

Okay, I mentioned this elsewhere and so I'll post it here to make sure everyone sees it.

I am going to sponsor a "Break This Card" contest where the winner, choosen by the group as a whole (or anyone that votes), will win a free foil Cessation, Parch, or About Face.

First, I want at least 20 total articles. I'll accept a decklist and a good explanation as an article so that anyone can put in multiple entries.

Second, I want the card to obviously play a major role in the deck and for the whole deck to have synergy. However, I will accept theme decks as long as they're extremely on theme and workable.

Third, the card to be used in the deck has to be something that's not often used (yes, that's pretty broad, so feel free to stretch it a little). I'd prefer the cards that have a drawback that you have to work into the deck (like Indentured Djinn). Also, I'd like it to be limited in rares. I don't want to see a lot of Bargain, Replenish, and Masticores in these decks. Horn of Plenty is extremely acceptable.

Fourth, I want people to reply to this thread with cards you want to see played with but aren't used much. For instance, Lotus Blossom. How can you use this effectively? The card must be playable (Cornered Market and Security Detail are not playable IMO). The card can be anything you want to see in a deck.

Fifth, the creator's are free to post their decks in the Decks Section to get ideas and improvements.

Sixth, no rip-off's please. Crackdown already has dibs on the Abusing Task Force idea. However, I will accept decks that are different with a similar kill method as long as at least 60% of the deck is changed (not including lands).

The cards I'd like to see include:
Lotus Blossom
Indentured Djinn
Horn of Plenty
Dakkon Blackblade
Mercadian Atlas
Worry Beads
Monkey Cage

 

[Dune Echo]

TAG GUARD

Oh, yeah, and I'd really like people to list cards they would like to see broken. The ideas I had above were just examples of underused cards IMO.

 

[Apollo]

So we can use anything that's underused, huh? Should these be sent to you, or should we submit them as articles? And what is considered "heavy on the rares"? I have an Altar of Dementia deck that has 12 rares in it; is that "heavy on the rares"?

Apollo

 

[Zadok001]

Does Greater Good count as 'not often used?' It saw play in a few Replenish decks, and Wakefield worked it into some of has last decks, but it's generally not very popular....

"I think I'm streching here, whadda ya' say?"

 

[Dune Echo]

TAG GUARD

Apollo: It depends on what the rares are. I'm talking no Moxes, Masticores, Cursed Scrolls, Stroke of Genius, Phyrexian Negators, etc. A milling deck is almost expected to include rares in my opinion. I just want the decks to possibly be made by just about anyone.

All decks should be submitted to the CPA for the final draft.

And I would prefer to see things that are under-used but are good. Horn of Plenty is a great card for example when you have a lot of extra mana. My favorite deck uses Stone Calendar along with Horn of Plenty plus massive card drawing to make all my cards cantrips. I usually can out draw my opponent making the Horn's drawback negligible.

Zadok: You and I both know that your Greater Good decks just rock! Yeah, it's stretching it... a little bit though. I'll accept them as they are under appreciated, but I also did say that people can submit multiple decks as long as they're different ideas. (No submitting alternate versions of Greater Good! )

Mainly, I'm just trying to encourage people to submit some interesting, unique decks to our repository. I'd really like to see more things like Abusing Task Force in our Articles section. Articles will be graded on using something different and interesting, not how fast it can kill. I'm looking for things no one else has considered seriously because it's not tier 1 but is still interesting and fun to play.

Zadok and Crackdown have done both created a viable and interesting deck for the casual player and that's what I'm looking to see more of. I'm am quite willing to offer second and third place prizes if enough people show interest.

Use your favorite cards people. These decks don't have to be automatically viable in a given format or anything. Yes, they have to be good, but interesting too. I'd like to see some interesting ideas for everyone to use. Remember, I too dismissed Greater Good as unplayable and Zadok proved my totally wrong.

 

[Major Crime]

Have a look in the Decks area for my Thread titled Cursed Green.
It uses a card which is classed locally as "a good card, but I'd not play it." The card is Cursed Totem, Creatures pay not use activated abilitys, or words to that effect.

I decided it would work against all the rebel & merc' decks I was playing against as the tourny players in our group tested theiy new decks against us fun players.
The deck was built around the Cursed Totems yes I knew it is not clear. Remember this was first built to go against Rebel / Merc decks, which work on get creature, pay 2 or more get another creature, etc etc. Remember most of hte fetchers are only P/T 1/1 1/2 or maybe 2/2. so their first creatures are not great as blockers or attackers.
So my deck had to be able to get in early damage, or if I do get a Totem in second turn, I need tobe able to out P/T or out creature the other player, as we would be on a level footing, ie we both can only use cards from our hands & at normal costs, so hence the echo & fading creatures which give extra P/T for the echo's & extra creatures for their sive for the faders, 2/3 for one mana, which attacks three times.

The best turn 2 damage you can do is 8, 2/3 turn one, turn two 2 giant growths. Or more normal is get a Rancor & another 2/3 or a Pouncing Jag' (2/2).
All the creatures in the deck do not have activited abilities, or draw backs like wild dogs do, I've got hold of them by using Symbiouses (must learn to spell) (2 creatures get +2/+2 for 1G) turn for more than once. People tend to forget that you can boast up two creatures, so instead of only getting damage equal to what they gave you, they take +2 or +4 depending if they block, and you get the Dogs.

Cursed totem stops Masticores, but you then die to a 4/4 art creature, which does still eat their cards, so not all bad.
Mana Elves, so large green is stalled until at least turn 4 or five & then only 1 large creature a turn.
Spellshapers become expensive 1/1's, really good on the blue bounce deck ones, as they knew that the shaper could bounce the totem if the totem was not there!

 

[Dune Echo]

TAG GUARD

Anyone wanting to enter this contest needs to submit out under the Casual Articles section. If you would, title it: Contest Entry: <Deck Name>.

Major Crime: That's a good deck, but are you building around Cursed Totem as a way to hose your opponent if they use activated creature abilities? It seems like your deck is very metagame oriented and that's not what I'm looking for.

I'm looking for decks that aren't Tier 1 and win through something a little different, like slowly whittling away at your opponent's life total with Cyclone or something.

Here's an example of the type of deck I'm looking to see:

“Splintering Wind o’Rama”
Colors: White/Green
Created by: Stephen Laird
Description/Theme: Everything in your deck works well with Splintering Wind
Source: Library of Dominia

White:
1 Cessation
3 Enlightened Tutor
2 Juniper Order Advocate
4 Moonlit Wake
2 Noble Purpose
2 Wrath of God

Green:
2 Abundance
4 Fungusaur
2 Land Grant
2 Spidersilk Armor
4 Splintering Wind
2 Sylvan Library

Gold:
2 Asmira, Holy Avenger

Artifacts:
2 Eye of Yawgmoth
3 Skull Catapult

Lands:
6 Forest
3 Grasslands
7 Plains
4 Savannah
3 Thawing Glaciers


This deck wins by generating massive Splinter tokens while cushioning the damage they do. It's not a deck I've seen anywhere else and it works if it can keep from being disrupted.

I'm not worried if decks submitted in this contest can win against rebel decks or Ponza or Bargain. The entire idea is to create something new and different yet fun for someone to play with.

 

[Ed Sullivan]

Hey Dune, why not call the contest 'Break Stuff'? (yeah, I've heard that damn Limp Bizkit song too many damn times)

Everyone - make sure you submit it as an article.

 

[Dune Echo]

Hey everyone, due to the fact that I'm going to have less time to work on my contest starting next week, I need anyone that has any decks they want to submit for my contest to put them in NOW! This week is the last week of the contest and I will begin judging.

Remember, first place will get his/her choice of one of the four FOIL cards (I pay shipping).

Second gets a pick of what's left. Third gets to pick from what's left, and I'm considering adding a fourth place because there are some truly great deck ideas out under the Decks section.

So, everyone has limited time. Get them out there now! Good luck to everyone, you all have a very fair chance and this will be one of the hardest things I've ever had to judge.