First is first, I dedicate this article to Danny, who inspired me to write
this.  He has all credit to the decklist, and is above all, a great guy to
be around.  The list, though is a butchered version of his deck, simply
because I never really did get to look at it (It still has the general idea,
though).  I'm going by memory here.
 
Well, I guess onward with the article!
 
Yes, we all cringed at what we get.  Heck, we sometimes even do things we
normally wouldn't do.  Yes, it's opening a stupid rare.  You can't use it on
a regular basis, and you can't trade it ŠŠ or at least not very well.
 
Some of us give these cards away.  Others throw them away.  Heck, a few of
us even burn them on the barbeque like me!  Still, they are there, and you
can't ignore them.
 
They pollute drafts, and they are invisible in constructed ŠŠŠ Or at least
that's what every one thinks.
 
Truthfully, these cards aren't as useless in constructed as many people
think.  A deck centered around these cards can be rather successful, and even
downright good, but still, the card is stupid.
 
I'll show you how to break some of these "crap" cards over the course of the
next few weeks, as the remaining days of my freedom before I return to
school dwindle away.
 
The first one is the dung of Apocalypse - Ice Cave.
 
Yes, Ice Cave!  The impossible enchantment that costs an astounding 3UU, and
when a spell is played, any player may pay that cards casting cost to
counter the spell.
 
CRAP in most peoples mind, but still useable.
 
First of all, your deck doesn't need to be all colors.  Yes a radical
statement for something like Ice Cave.  This deck is best blue and green,
with things such as Blastoderm and Gaea's Skyfolk.  But instead of running
things like Pain lands to cover both colors, Run things like Dust Bowl,
Forsaken City, and City of Brass as to cover all colors and to stop Kor
Haven, Rishadan Port, or even Keldon Necropolis.
 
This increases the potency of the deck by allowing you all colors and a way
of eliminating hazardous pain lands that help your opponent speed themselves
up.
 
Another key factor of this utterly odd deck is to have the ability to be at
least 3 to 4 turns ahead of your opponent mana wise.  This is why the deck
is type II, because Type II gives you the amazing HOODWINK!
 
For 1U, set them back a turn landwise, because for those of you who don't
know, Hoodwink is an instant that, as my friend Danny calls it, "Time Walks"
your opponent (Card text is return target enchantment, artifact or land to
it's owners hand.)
 
Another "Time Walk" card in Type II is Temporal Spring, which I'm sure
everyone knows about.
 
"Time Walk'ing" your opponent is only 0ne side of the triangle.  You need
accelerated mana, thus Birds and Llanowar Elves go in to the deck.  Then,
card drawing like Accumulated Knowledge, Fact or Fiction, or even Thieving
Magpie are a must.
 
Basically, choose two of these to put into your deck.
 
The way the deck is played it basically a combination of lockdown and
beatdown.  The mana advantage coupled with the card advantage is what you
want, and a lot of land is a must.  Mulligan's are in order for hands
without Hoodwink, Temporal Spring, or Card drawing.
 
So, to put that last sentence into a nut shell, if you have no bounce, and
no way of getting it, get rid of it.
 
It is also best to have another counter as back up, as to protect your
things, like Blastoderm, Skyfolk, and even Ice Cave.  Counterspell is really
good for this deck, but Prohibit is better for here because here's the
general thing that you'll be using the counter for is other counters, plus
with the number of non basics that have drawbacks, you shouldn't be wasting
your islands on counterspell, but on things like Fact or Fiction,
Accumulated Knowledge, and Hoodwink.
 
Also, just because this is an Ice Cave deck, doesn't mean Ice Cave is your
center piece.  Ice Cave is your Trump card after you set your position
up, and putting you in absolute control of the board.
 
Thus, I present you with the decklist:
 
Creatures (12)
4 Birds or Paradise
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Gaea's Skyfolk
 
Spells (24)
4 Hoodwink
4 Temporal Spring
4 Accumulated Knowledge
3 Fact or Fiction
2 Ice Cave!!!
3 Counterspell OR Prohibit (Which ever goes here, 4 goes of the other!)
4 Counterspell OR Prohibit
 
Land (24)
4 City of Brass
3 Forsaken City
3 Dust Bowl
1 Rath's Edge
1 Yavamaya Coast
6 Island
6 Forest

 

Now, the weakness's to this deck are quite clear, and unfortunately quite
common in type II - mono blue control decks.  Blue will have the mana to
break Ice Cave on it's own, and virtually deny you of your spells like Fact
or Fiction, and all of your cheap mono blue spells.
 
Fires might wind up too fast for this decks unfortunate cumbersome pace.
 
Another problem with this deck is that type II is that this deck can't win a
counter war without Ice Cave.  Which is unfortunate, but still this just
goes to show you that you can break Ice Cave in a generally 2 color deck,
let alone be broken at all!
 
Thanks for reading, and above all have fun with your playing and keep your
mind open, because one man's trash, as this article could show you, could be
one man's treasure.
 
Signing Out,
John Hornberg, the original "Happy Heretic" and Champion of the Stupid Rare!
 
Remember my E-Mail, promiseland85@hotmail.com, and I've changed my ways:  I
won't respond to everything, because sometimes, especially with the fact
that I have tennis lessons a lot of the time, I just have more pressing
concerns.  So, no offense meant if I don't give you a reply.