Here's a blast from the not so distant past.  Wizards of the Coast likes to hand out deck ideas with the release of each set, but most serious players decide not to use them. For instance, how many Rhystic cards do you see floating around? Withdraw? That may just about be it.  This doesn't mean that they are bad ideas, just that pros pick Yawgmoth's Will and Tolarian Academy over all those Opal sleepers.

Thank goodness most of us aren't pros.

Like my brother. One of the few times I've convinced him to get to a local tourney, I patched up his mono-White sleeper deck. It had some nice tricks, but thanks to lack of cards, it really wasn't that good unless your opponent was playing will lots of little creatures. Needless to say, he wound up playing against all creatureless lock decks, leaving lots of enchantments to stare menacingly at his opponent.

Lesson: If you strategy isn't working, make sure you have a backup plan. Then make a new deck.

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My Deck
White:
3 Opal Caryatid
2 Opal Champion
3 Opal Gargoyle
1 Opal Archangel
1 Opal Titan
1 Voice of Grace
1 Sanctum Custodian
3 Benalish Lancer
3 Shackles
2 Angelic Page
2 Pegasus Charger
1 Reya Dawnbringer
Green:
1 Nomadic Elf
3 Quirion Elves
1 Wordly Tutor
1 Natural Spring
1 Femeref Archers
1 Llanowar Elite
Red:
2 Fireball
2 Kaervek`s Torch
Artifacts:
1 Moss Diamond
1 Grinning Totem
2 Dragon Blood
Gold:
4 Armadillo Cloaks
Land:
15 Plains
10 Forests
1 Elfhame Palace
This deck is a modified version of The Sleeper deck out of Urza's Saga. It runs fairly well with a few problems please help. John
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Oh yeah, baby, this is straight up Urza's Preconstructed deck material. Don't fear this deck does have a chance, it's just going to pull from some past decks to give it a real boost.  The best Opal is Titan. Barring artifact creatures, or sneaking things like Chimeric Staff, Chimeric Idol, and the Legacy Man Lands, you get a pro-color 4/4. This is big stuff here buddy.

Another card that should be in an Opal deck is Opalescence. This card makes all your sleepers into creatures that put pressure on your opponent until they either have to cast creatures, leaving you with a bigger army, or kill them all off, in which case you cast Replenish or Crystal Chimes.

Another fun trick is Argothian Enchantress and Worship. Not only does the Enchantress less you draw cards for each Enchantment you cast, it's untargetable meaning without a card like Wrath of God or Massacre, it's not going anywhere meaning you live forever with Worship in play.

Armistice is a card we will NOT be using, even though it is a 5/5 creature under Opalescence; it's still a bad card. Speaking of bad cards, the best part of this deck is that when an enchantment is useless, you can just play it, and with ArgothBabe in play, you just dig deeper into the deck.  Hobble gets insane when you neutralize their creature, draw two cards and let them Disenchant Hobble. That's four for one card advantage for three mana. Granted, Disenchants are probably saved for bigger things, but who cares? It sounds good when you read it.

Opal or Your Life

3 Seal of Cleansing
4 Opal Titan
1 Opalescence
3 Worship
3 Opal Acrolith
3 Hobble
4 Opal Caryatid
1 Light of Day

4 Enlightened Tutor
2 Replenish (or Crystal Chimes)

4 Argothian Enchantress
3 Wordly Tutor
4 Blastoderm

4 Marble Diamond

Land:
1 Serra Sanctum
11 Plains
5 Forests
4 Elfhame Palace
3 Treetop Village

The land is high because all of your important cards cast four or more, and you want them out soon as possible. Notice the nice trick of Light of Day.  Not only do you get a 4/4 clock; your Zombie friends get a vacation. Granted, there are four other colors, that's why there's just one copy.

Blastoderm is in there for two reasons. One, he's just that good. Two, you opponent will want to start casting blockers, and if he doesn't, go ahead and beat him up for that. This deck does not want to see Rebels, since searching doesn't trigger your sleepers.

Sleepers is a fun deck. Don't be surprised when a deck schools you, but don't give up either. It's a heckuvalotof fun to play, and the satisfaction of beating someone with cards they were eager to give up is wonderful.

Until the NAACP calls for the removal of the color White, and the restoration of Black Make Mine Magic

Kevin Williams
Kevin@pojo.com



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