What I'm Playing - 1

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What I'm Playing - Part 1

It's not uncommon to hear Magic Players tell you just how kick-butt their particular constructed deck is. In fact, this just about dominates the banter in between games during Friday Night Magic. I'm usually the one listening and occasionally piping in with a 'that's nice' or similar non-committal contribution.

I rarely detail to others exactly what cards or combos I have available to unleash upon my opponent. There are two-fold reasons for this . . .

1. I am always evolving my deck - either dropping or picking up cards for my line-up and adjusting their numbers, and

2. I would rather not have the person I am blathering to know all the tricks up my sleeve lest they know exactly what to side-board before our very first match game.

Anywho, today is the day I lift the hood off the engine, as it were, and lay bare all the ugliness that is my deck.

As I typically rotate two decks in and out of my casual games during FNM, this will be a two-part post.

Let me first introduce to you the unimaginatively-named 'Deathbringer' deck . .
(click to enlarge)

This deck currently consists of 61 cards mostly from Eventide with a dash of Shards of Alara thrown in >

Lands
11 x Swamps
11 s Plains

Creatures (in order of casting cost)
4 x Nip Gwyllion
4 x Tidehollow Sculler
4 x Nightsky Mimic
2 x Restless Apparition
2 x Stillmoon Cavalier
3 x Voracious Hatchling
1 x Divinity of Pride
4 x Deathbringer Leige

Other Spells (in order of casting cost)
3 x Beckon Apparition
4 x Edge of Divinity
4 x Batwing Brume
4 x Unmake

Sideboard
I am embarrassed to mention as it is currently a mess.

Before you start lobbing me with eMails concerning my choices, just know that I do not have that slippery creature known as 'Disposable Income' - I have had to feed it to my three kids and use its skin to clothe them.

Anywho, I'm fairly happy with the construction so far.











By turn two, I usually have an Edge of Divinity attached to a Nip Gwyllion giving me a decent 4/4 with lifelink. I try to get the Nightsky Mimic out as early as possible in order to start flying sorties with a pumped-up 4/4. As Tidehollow Sculler is a recent edition, the jury is still out - the plan here is to steal my opponent's best card be it removal or bomb and try to have the Sculler evade capture. Mr. Tidehollow also shares and lends in the benefits of all that is White and Black in this deck as well.











Speaking of removal, I rather enjoy the use of unmake. In my opinion, this card is much more satisfactory (and permanent) than Oblivion Ring. The only draw-back - it only works on my opponent's critters and leaves the rest of those pesky permanents. Also in the three-drop column is the very versatile Apparition Stillmoon Cavalier and it's not-so-superb Restless Apparition.













The four-drop column is a relatively lonely place - and for good reason - I cannot imagine any other critter willing to share space with a lion that has snakes for a mane. I will also attempt to get out the Voracious Hatchling as early on as possible and typically within the next turn, I have the four -1/-1 counters off of it.

In the last column, the five-drop creatures are a deck-set of Deathbringer Liege and a lone Divinity of Pride. Did I mention Deathbringer? This card is freaking fantastic. I cannot even begin to describe the swath of devastation it brings to the opponent's board. When this jolly, most tentacled of Horrors crashes the party, he also drops a +2/+2 for each of my other participating critters . . . it is then that the party is in full swing.













If you have any constructive criticism for this deck or suggestions for a sideboard, please leave a comment . . . just remember, I do not own a golden goose.

Stay tuned for my second 'What I'm Playing' installment.