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BMoor's Magic The Gathering Deck Garage
Who ever heard of WANTING
your opponent to gain life?
July 9, 2007

I think today's "contestant" got a little excited about E-mailing me.  I'll bet he'll be even more so when he sees I've called him to "come on down" into the main grease pit to have his deckworked on.
Howdy Bmoor! Or should I say ahoy?  You know what, I"ll combine the two... Ahowdy Bmoor!


     When i read your deck fixes, I always tend to think of you as an online Bob Barker (except younger).  You know, you take lucky contestants and give them new shiny decks.  So i figured, "Heck, why don't I give it a try". 

      The idea of the Green/Red deck isn't the traditional burn and stomp your opponent into the ground.  The idea is to get my kavu predators out on the field early, and use my grove of the burnwillows to play other spells.  Now you may be thinking "but... grove of the burnwillows lets your opponent GAIN life".  But truly the benefit is all mine as it gives my kavu +1/+1 for each 1 point of life they gain.  I also use healing leaves to turn him from a 2/2 trample on turn 3 to a 5/5 trample.  Cards like brute force and stone wood invocation help in the destruction.  Other combos are using the Raiders morph ability with my Reckless wurm or using the lightning axe to get that big baddie out for cheap.

    The problem is, I think the deck is going in too many directions.  I tend to have trouble with decks that have large flying creatures (turn 2 and 3 suspended errant ephenmerons and riftwing cloudskates) or decks that kill all my creatures while dropping bombs... i.e. mono black. I also don't think there is nearly enough burn to stop an onslaught of late game cards or to finish off an opponent for his last points of damage.  There are also some cards I think could be upgraded, so If you can help me, realize that money is not an issue.  I'd like the deck to stay in the TSB if possible,  as I hope to use it as a standard deck when Ravnica rotates out (even though that is awhile away).  But if you find there are too many good cards to fill in with Ravnica block... that is ok as well.

Thank you for your time and rock on my man!


Creatures: 17

2x Radha, Heir to Keld
2x Imperiosaur
3x Kavu Predator
2x Nessian Courser
1x Tarmogoyf
2x Uktabi Drake
2x Gathan Raiders
3x Reckless Wurm

Instants/Soceries: 20

1x Harmonize
3x Healing Leaves
2x Search for Tomorrows
3x Stonewood Invocatoin
2x Brute Force
3x Lightning Axe
3x Rift Bolt
3x Dead/Gone

Lands: 23
Forest: 12
Mountain: 9
Grove of the Burnwillows: 2
Well, I definitely see what you mean when you say your deck is too "unfocused".  You say your deck's strategy is to throw down an early Kavu Predator, then make it grow and grow with Grove of the Burnwillows and Healing leaves.  But you only have 3 Predators!  Only two Groves, and 3 Healing Leaves?  As I've said a few times before: if your deck is built around a card or cards, you need full playsets of said cards or you just won't draw them often enough to make the deck work.  There's no reason for Radha, Heir to Keld to be in this deck.  Yes, she's a good card too, but she's for another deck.

So, let's begin by pulling out everything that's not about Kavu Predator beatdown.  That means almost all of your creatures, sadly.  Of what you've got, we'll leave in only the Predators, Gathan Raiders, and Reckless Wurm.  Gathan Raiders is a good enough card that you'll likely want it, and Reckless Wurm fits in well with my other nefarious plans.

After adding in a fourth Predator, let's have two or three (or even four) Stonebrow, Krosan Hero.  He's a 4/4 trampler that gives a +2/+2 boost to all trampling creatures when he attacks.  And the Predator has trample!  Guess what, so does Reckless Wurm!  Are you picking up on a pattern?  There's more than one way to pump a Predator, you know.  After that, a few more trampling creatures couldn't hurt, and by my count we've got four slots left if you add four Stonebrow, so let's try Barbed Shocker.  He messes up anything your opponent was holding back, especially with haste too.

Now we move on to your noncreature spells.  Sadly, there isn't much in Time Spiral block that forces your opponent to gain life.  And so I ask, where's the Justice?  Of course I refer to Fiery Justice.  You did say you weren't sure if you had enough burn, and Fiery Justice is 5 points of it that you can split up however you like.  And it gives your opponent 5 life.  With a Predator on the table, how grateful do you think they'll be?  And it's Red and Green... and White.  You'll have to splash for it I'm afraid.  Maybe a few Horizon Canopy, or some Prismatic Lens?  I'd take out Dead//Gone first, and then maybe replace a Rift Bolt.  Search for Tomorrow can find a Plains pretty easily as well.

And after that, I'd just like you to find room for one or two more Harmonize if you can, since it's... well, it's Harmonize!  Need I say more?

Until next time, this is BMoor, reminding you to help control the pet population; have your pet spayed or neutered.  Good night!
 


 


 

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