MtG : 5CB : Round 1 over. Round 2? [3 Decks Entered]

[dethwing]

If you don't know much about the card game MtG, then this thread is not going to help you much. Sorry, but I figure I'll be honest. Anyone is free to play though.

Five Card Blind (5CB) is an online-only format that focuses on deck construction and meta-gaming rather than strategy, tactics, and luck. I could explain in detail, but it would be better just to give the link and then a few comments.

http://mtgsalvation.com/1038-five-card-blind.html

In brief, you select five cards from the history of magic. Any five cards you want with the exception of the 10 cards listed in the link. Want to play 4 black loti? Go for it! Want to run other pieces of the power 9? Be my guest!

Then, every deck that is submitted is compared agaisnt every other deck, both going first and second. That's it. There's no randomness, no worry about making the right play: Because perfect play is ASSUMED.

Here's a nice resource for finding that niche card for your deck:
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Advanced.aspx

I'm going to play as well, I've already got my deck. To enter, just PM me the 5 cards that you want to play.

Dead line: Monday, July 27th. Questions? Feel free to fire away.

[Antrax]

5 card blind? Whatever happened to 3 card blind? Foil Island Nether Spirit to the win!
_________________
After years of disappointment with get rich quick schemes, I know I'm gonna get rich with this scheme. And quick!

[dethwing]

Bah, that's a mize deck and most people won't accept decks that can only draw. I'll do a 3CB if there's interest, but I think 5CB is more fun.

[Antrax]

Most likely you're right, but I don't know any 5cb decks offhand
_________________
After years of disappointment with get rich quick schemes, I know I'm gonna get rich with this scheme. And quick!

[dethwing]

Well, you're supposed to come up with the decks yourself with trail and error. But if you want to be lazy, the link provides at least 7 top quality decks that can be played.

[MNOWAX]

Did someone say MtG 5CB tournament? i thought i heard osme one say that!
_________________
The Man The Myth The Legend
MNOWAX

[dethwing]

Some one did! Get on it!

[Cordelia]

I'll play, but how long do I have to figure out my deck?

[dethwing]

I set the deadline tentatively for next monday. If people are still mulling over their choices I'll let it go longer.

I'll take deck changes too. If you send an illegal deck I'll let you know. Or if you just suddenly come up with a better card choice.

[dethwing]

I've got one entry so far, but it wasn't legal. Since it's kind of burried on the link, and you may not have read the entire thing, I'll say it again here:

1. Your deck may not win against any deck before your 3rd turn.

Lotus / Louts / Lotus / Channel / Fireball

Is illegal, for instance.

2. Your deck may not cause the discard agaisnt any deck of more than 1 card before your 3rd turn.

Lotus / Thoughtseize / Thoughtseize / Any 2 other cards

Is illegal, for instance.

But so is Swamp / Swamp / Swamp / Swamp / Cabal Therepy! [Since if your opponent had multiple cards of any kind, you could knock out more than 1]

The purpose of these rules is to prevent the game from devolving to degerante combos ruining the format.

[Antrax]

Oh. Thanks for clarifying, I sort of assumed it was a 5 card version of 3cb, and was trying to decide between various combos
_________________
After years of disappointment with get rich quick schemes, I know I'm gonna get rich with this scheme. And quick!

[dethwing]

Still just the one entry aside from my own. Are folks still mulling over their options?

[Cordelia]

I'm still mulling.

[Scurra]

Yes, I want to enter but it's harder than it looks (at least if I don't just want to enter one of those "standard" decks.)
_________________
_{still Quiz Olympiad champion. Must get a life.
New definitions: COFFEE - someone who is coughed upon}

[dethwing]

Here's the deck I submitted on my first go on the website mtgsalvation:

[Spoilered in case you don't want to see it]

Black Lotus / Ajani Vegneant / Karakas / Leyline of Singularity / Argivian Find

I came in 8th out of 57th with it.

[dethwing]

Two entered. I'll extend the deadline a few days to see if anyone else is interested.

[Antrax]

I'm with Scurra. Still waiting for a flash of inspiration. Hmm... flash and inspiration, you say...
_________________
After years of disappointment with get rich quick schemes, I know I'm gonna get rich with this scheme. And quick!

[dethwing]

Well, take your time then. Not much point in running a 5CB with 3 decks

[Antrax]

Bah, I made a deck and then found out it's illegal
_________________
After years of disappointment with get rich quick schemes, I know I'm gonna get rich with this scheme. And quick!

[dethwing]

Well, I'll just wait for Scurra then. That will give us 5.

[Cordelia]

5 is a good Magic number

[Scurra]

OK, will get an entry in very soon (within hours, I mean.) Sorry for the hold-up.
_________________
_{still Quiz Olympiad champion. Must get a life.
New definitions: COFFEE - someone who is coughed upon}

[dethwing]

Like I said it's not a problem. Take your time.

[dethwing]

Here you go!
(1) Dethwing: Ajani Vengeant / Tundra / Black lotus / Daze / Chain of Vapor
---Combines powerful control cards with a win condition that can lock lands out of the game.

(2) MNOWAX : Black lotus / Black Lotus / Assault-Battery / Panoptic Mirror / Dryad Arbor
---Clever use of the split cards, and a 2nd win condition is useful.

(3) Cordelia : Dark Depths / Dust Bowl / Maze of Ith / Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale / Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
---Pretty solid 5-land build. Dropping a land for something like thoughtseize would give you a bit more game
on the play.

(4) Antrax : Foil / Island / Nether Spirit / Daze / Misdirection
--- The 3 free-blue spells. All that's missing is commandeer. Here's the problem: You still have no way
to deploy your nether spirit if your opponent does nothing! Also : Man lands = Problematic.

(5). Azorius Chancery / Karakas / Mishra's Factory / Prodigal Sorcerer / Worship
--- Very interesting combination of cards. Worship is nice, as you can react to damage by turning on your factory.

[dethwing]

Oh and: What was the karakas for without leyline?

It actually DOES matter though! It helps you edge out Cordellia, since you can bounce the mairt lage when it appears [Hellllllo, Legendary Token!]

[Antrax]

...the decks are known before the game? I had missed that
_________________
After years of disappointment with get rich quick schemes, I know I'm gonna get rich with this scheme. And quick!

[Scurra]

The Karakas without the Singularity was for a potential semi-mirror (since they cancel each other out) without actually having to give up a slot to the Leyline myself. On reflection, that was probably a mistake.
_________________
_{still Quiz Olympiad champion. Must get a life.
New definitions: COFFEE - someone who is coughed upon}

[dethwing]

Antrax: It's the same rule set as in 3CB, so I assumed you knew, sorry.
Anyway, I did say that no luck was involved and perfect play from both sides is assumed.

Is there any interest from you 4 in trying this again? The really fun part about 5CB [in my opinion at least], is metagaming. That is, trying to predict the common strategies. You all see what kind of deck won this one. If we ran it again, would it win again? Or would an anti-ajani deck win? Or an anti-anti ajani?

[Antrax]

Nah, if I'd remembered it I wouldn't have submitted a deck that's 100% reactive. It's basically guaranteed not to win
But sure, I'll give it another go.
_________________
After years of disappointment with get rich quick schemes, I know I'm gonna get rich with this scheme. And quick!

[Cordelia]

Hmm, it was close with deck 5 though. A real neck and neck when I'm on the play!
Maze / Factory
Urborg / Azorius
Dark Depths (9) / Factory, Prod
Dust Bowl, activate (Maze&Factory) / Ping (19)
Tabernacle, Dark (8) / Ping (18)
Dark (7) / Ping (17)
Dark (6) / Ping (16)
Dark (5) / Ping (15)
Dark (4) / Ping (14)
Dark (3) / Ping (13)
Dark (2) / Ping (12)
Dark (1) / Ping (11), Karakas
Bowl (Tabernacle & Karakas), Depths (10) / Ping (10)

And dethy, it's not the problem of the legendary token. It's the problem of the legendary LAND. Dust Bowl gave me play room around Karakas...so long as there wasn't impending doom on the other side as well! They call him...Tim.

[dethwing]

But marit lage doesn't have haste. He can wait till you actually crack it open before playing karakas, then bounce your not-so-indestructible token. Or maybe you're trying to say something else and I'm totally missing the point. Which is possible.

[Cordelia]

He can NOT play Karakas if I have Dust Bowl out...or I kills it.
Actually, I was thinking Karakas was "target Legendary permanent" instead of creature...nevermind, I actually Kill his deck playing first. I can remove a counter as an instant (eot), so as long as he doesn't play Karakas, I can win. If he DOES play it, I Dust Bowl it long before I remove the last counter for Marit. See?

[dethwing]

But if you don't kill one of the first two lands, then he gets priority when he plays karakas, and can play worship.

Hmm...this is trickier than I thought, because he can't play the mage if you kill his 2 mana producer. And he can't keep the mage alive AND pay for worship.

But he can still play worship, and then use mishras factory to stay alive whenever you attack.

I think it's a double draw now actually.

[dethwing]

Oh wait, dustbowl can be used twice. This is complicated.

[dethwing]

Ok, you definately win going first. On your 4th turn, you can bowl his 2-mana land before he gets to 4 mana to play worship. After that, as you say it's over, as you'll reach critical mass before tim kills you.

I think the other way is a draw, but I need to look at it some more.

[dethwing]

It's a draw the other way for sure. Follow my logic....

1. Factory
1. Urborg (Or maze, or tabernacle, or bowl. Doesn't matter the order of your first 4)

2. Chancery, bouncing factory
2. Another land.

3. Factory. Does NOT play tim yet. If he does, the next turn he can't afford to keep it alive AND play worship.
3. Another land [as long as one of the 3 is tabernacle]

4. Karakas, Worship
4. Bowl. What do you bowl? If you don't kill the chancery, he drops tim next turn, and you can't kill it. It would cost you too much to kill all 3 of his lands, so he'll be able to afford tabernacle. Worship gurantees he won't die, so your hands are tied here. You bowl chancery. What do you sac? You need to keep maze of ith, else his factory will race you. Seem tabernacle is least useful at this juncture.

5. He's now stuck with an unplayable tim, karakas, and factory.
6. Dark depths. Now, you can blow one more thing and still have enough mana to crack depths. If you don't kill karakas, he can boucne marit laige.
If you don't kill factory, he can turn it alive whenever you try to kill him. You're stuck, draw.

4-1 Cordellia.

[Cordelia]

If all I do is hit the Karoo land first, then I Maze of Ith the Factory for 9 turns while I remove counters from Dark Depths. If Karakas is in play, I kill it, take 2 damage from Factory for one turn, then pop Dark Depths. I think I win on the draw too... The key really to that match up is that you can't play a land as an instant, but you can remove the last counter from Dark Depths as an instant.

[dethwing]

But once he gets worship in play, the factory can be activated in reponse to your attacking, and the damage won't kill him.

[dethwing]

You have to kill the bounce land that turn, or he gets tim in play, and will never lose.

[Cordelia]

Ah, right, forgot the Worship was in play...silly card. :D