Robot Viking

A pair of 5/5s with Haste and Trample on turn three? Yes please!

It’s probably been eight years since I played in a constructed format Magic tournament, but after discovering that there’s a thriving Friday Night Magic scene at a local game store, I decided to arm myself and wade once again into battle. But is it possible to be competitive without spending $80 on cards? We’ll see.

The thing that’s scared me away from Standard format for all these years was the perception that I’d have to buy two or three boxes of each set to build up a collection for deck building, and even then I’d probably have to pick up some key rares. But while chatting with some of the other players at the recent Conflux prerelease, they pointed out that they simply buy the single cards they need to build their constructed decks. Still, with some rares going for $10 each, my bank account was trembling in trepidation. I knew if I did this, I’d have to do it for  a minimal outlay.

Knowing absolutely nothing about the current tournament metagame, I hit the Wizards of the Coast message boards. I certainly wasn’t the only player looking for low-buck Type 2 deck ideas. After some thought, I decided I liked the Rush to War deck posted over at Subtraction Syndicate. Fast red and green warriors, and only one rare in the deck: Countryside Crusher. I could handle that.

Of course, I was always a rogue deck player, so I couldn’t possibly play a straight net deck and sleep at night. Plus, Conflux became Standard legal this week, so there was a whole new set of cards to consider. The first card I noticed was Goblin Razerunners. They’re warriors, so they’ll benefit from the Bramblewood Paragon, but their land-chomping ability would also fuel the Crusher. This adds another rare to the deck, but I figured I could still bring it in within budget. From there, I tinkered with the mix of creatures at the 1 and 2 mana casting cost levels, and the burn spells. I threw in a couple of Branching Bolts, but I’m not sure yet if the potential to hit two targets trumps the Wither of Puncture Blast. I tried increasing the number of 1 casting-cost creatures to increase the chance of a Conspired turn three Giantbaiting (two 4/4 attackers at minimum, 5/5 if I got the God draw and succesfully played the Bramblewood Paragon on turn two). That doesn’t leave any room for the Boggart Ram-Gangs, however, so some changes still need to be made.

Here is the current deck list (it’s four cards over – still some tinkering to do):

Lands
10x Forest
11x Mountain
1x Karplusan Forest

Creatures
2x Nettle Sentinel
2x Tattermunge Maniac
4x Wild Nacatl
4x Rip-Clan Crasher
4x Bramblewood Paragon
4x Boggart Ram-Gang
4x Countryside Crusher
3x Goblin Razerunners

Spells
4x Incinerate
4x Giantbaiting
2x Puncture Blast
2x Branching Bolt
3x Obsidian Battle-Axe

All told, I bought all eight rares and a bunch of uncommons (which were harder to come by than the rares) for about $30 (I already had an old Karplusan Forest). I think it’s a solid deck that will be competitive enough to be fun at Friday Night Magic. I certainly don’t expect to win or make Top 8 or anything, but if I can win some games and even a match or two, it will be worth the effort. I like that the deck doesn’t revolve around any single card – focus on the obvious threat of the Paragon, and you still might have a Conspired Giantbaiting coming. Deal with that and a juiced up Countryside Crusher or Razerunners can start wrecking you. The Battle-Axe allows for quick recovery from a Wrath of God (or a just a pile of burns or counters). And there’s always Incinerate.

Any ideas (especially for a sideboard)? We’ll see how I fare this Friday, assuming my mail-order Bramblewood Paragons arrive in time. Wish me luck.

Related posts:

1. Magic M12 Preview — Rune-Scarred Demon
2. On Bannings, and Why Magic is Like Auto Racing
3. Design a Duel Deck, Win Magic Loot
4. Crash Test Magic – Feathers of Mercy
5. Playing Constructed Magic On a Budget: Tournament Report