A decent week in magic

Exsanguinate Kills: 11            Mass Polymorph Scoops: 5



So for those that care I built System C.A.I., a Five Color Planeswalker deck meant to change from turn to turn. I know mentioned a Proliferate themed deck a while back that has been undergoing tweaks ever since now we arrive at the final stages. Tweaks were tough to remove things, and add in important pieces or more pieces that became important. Much like the five color predecessor the deck runs a ton of two-up and three-up.

Planeswalkers: 7

Lilliana Vess x2
Chandra Nalaar x2
Elspeth Tirel
Venser, the Sojourner
Jace Beleren


Creatures: 2

Triskelion x2


Spells: 29

Contagion Clasp x3
Contagion Engine
Inexorable Tide x2
Steady Progress x2
Lux Cannon x2
Chimeric Mass
Everflowing Chalice x4
Golem Foundry x3
Chimeric Mass
Lightning Bolt x2
Galvanic Blast x2
Revoke Existence x2
Exsanguinate x2
Mox Opal
Elixir of Immortality

Lands: 22
Mountain
Plains x2
Island x3
Swamp x3
Blackcleave Cliffs
Darkslick Shores x2
Drowned Catacomb
Dragonskull Summit
Glacial Fortress x2
Seachrome Coast x2
Glimmerpost x3

This deck seems almost schizophrenic at times not deciding on a definite path to victory, but having one none the less. What are those options? Well ultimately  a few are swing in with creatures, one being Chimeric Mass having made it into a fattie. Alternatively we make perpetual creatures off the Foundries, which can be amazingly hard to keep up with. Triskelion also turns into a decent fattie. Should we not get any of those there's always Exsanguinate to not only gain life, but cause players to lose life, and not target them. Exsanguinate is a real star here, with proliferate and Chalice we make it to insane amounts of mana fairly quickly it also doesn't target the players making any of the few player gains shroud outlets worthless against it; last it causes loss of life which is tougher to prevent since most cards look for damage. Whoa 10 Mythics that's a little excessive. I pulled most of those from boosters, hence one Mox Opal. Lux Cannon is a real Haymaker in this deck, the amount of proliferation leaves the cannons always having counters and usually firing every turn. Venser? Yes; Vess and Jace give me the cards I need for whatever, Chandra kills most threats, and Easily wipes away the opposing board of bodies Venser. Well Venser resets our friends to starting loyalty if needed. Well never the less deck works, now to play something else and give this a break I've overplayed it. Its beginning to gain a reputation that will soon leave me unable to play since no one wants to face me with it.


Update: -1 Elixir of Immortality +1 Emrakul of the Aeons Torn.

Kill Fiend

So someone may have told you, not me for sure, that Kiln Fiend has a turn three kill in Standard. How is that possible? Well Kiln Fiend gets +3/+0 until end of turn for each instant or sorcery you play, currently this works in R/U using Distortion strike for +1/+0 and unblockable plus his +3/+0 from himself. So then island, island, mountain, Kiln Fiend, Distortion Strike, Distortion Strike, Assault Strobe, and Kiln Fiend hits for an unblockable 12 Doublestrike by just turn three the second Distortion Strike can be any instant or sorcery. I like this flavor it is very delicious, but we need our own twist on this one. Looking at Magic's website, dorky as I am, I show qualities of R/U/B mages that shall be a new theme. So we shall splash in some Black.


Creatures: 4
Kiln Fiend x4

Spells: 36
Tainted Strike x4
Distortion Strike x4
Assault Strobe x4
Lightning Bolt x4
Arc Trail x4
Diabolic Tutor x4
Virulent Strike x4
Foursee x4
Disentomb x4

Land: 20
Mountain x6
Swamp x6
Island x6
Terramorphic Expanse x2

So Kiln Fiend is the only creature as such the win condition, but with four tutor and Disentomb we basically have 12 copies. We also have options the game ends on turn three or higher by either a huge swing, or poison from Tainted Strike. The deck is fragile but then what deck isn't; besides this one isn't intended to compete but to catch some cocky jerk off guard. Feel free though to alter it to compete.

Faith Fettered Dreams

The past ten months have been fairly great, at least by my standards; considering my job, and lack of financial backing to do much of anything that bar is fairly low. I'll level with ya this was never the intent I had for this, but I find myself without a place to go to say anything. Now I've never liked my job, well since the first week, life since then did nothing but stagnate. Being a teen it was OK I had money to pay for my car, and my phone (which I was forced into because of the car). I eventually got a girl twice, I am not a smooth talking machine nor confident. I graduated without trying, and got accepted to DeVry (quit laughing now) breezing through college life continued the downfall, I had a decent job was working toward a better job had a Fiancee merely steps away from being married and in a decent job. Karma from something must have caught the fuck up with me, she left me and crushed I switched to school online, and moved home. Some shit fell through with funding and the school dropped me. I had my job as a sales guy for the "R" Us corporation back (surprise, fuck you blog policy) which meant I couldn't afford rent my car or anything almost. Shit still went south, from there I end up on a couch for a couple months trying to get together money for a place to stay, and one I could afford; I was expecting to have to shakedown the roaches for rent. Luckily to a place I could afford, with a roommate a nice place. Then life did exactly as it did now, nothing. I couldn't stand it, the only reason to wake up in the morning was to go to work, after work there was nothing. No lustrous life of any sort, no person looking forward to my return, hell not even a pet (which would starve on my pay, I know I did). I turn around and go back to school, now at Westwood college. Half of life was great, I also reconnected with MTG. I've never been a drug user, if that statement doesn't say it then nothing will, I realize though mine are different; they come in a foil package nine or 15 at a time. I find my job to be holding me down, I've spent a day doing nothing at all and felt I've done more than in a four hour shift at work. I can't escape it either my school doesn't get in the way of work not beginning at 6pm, but the lack of real experience is stepping in the way of any real progress. I don't have many ambitions anymore, in fact I'll name three the only I want. I want to ship one title, be invited to states, or higher for magic, and place in regionals for YGO. I know the steps, getting there is the issue. After recapping the past quarter of my life here, I don't see any of these happening, hell my father who is alway so "proud" of me didn't even bother telling me he's getting remarried. I was hoping that typing all this would help, I might feel a little better. An hour and a distracted half later all I want to do is play cards to try and cheer myself up. I now find myself knowing why addicts do it, don't get me wrong I still criticize my "best friend" for his. Don't worry we'll be back to our regularly scheduled program tomorrow. After reading turn three Kiln Fiend, I'll use him to turn three infect.

Wha'ts red and green and goes 60mph?

A deck I don't have, ask CPA13 about 'Frog in a Blender'. What resides on the Naya shard, and is a pain to outrace? Naya Totem, the name needs work, is a deck I threw together a few months back when I was going to attend a local FNM since I had nothing else going on. 30 mins. later the deck performed fairly well despite being outside the original plan. The deck was based off an extended deck from Jacob Van Lunen using Kor Spiritdancer, the change was from Bant to Naya and from eight creatures to 12. A main reason for the change in shards was Uril, The Mist Stalker; but also the lack of need for the slight control of Spreading Seas or Mesa Enchantress. Looking through my auras I knew my curve would be off, and slightly high though like almost all of my decks of the time turn three was were it began to live. One of the secondary heavy hitters of the deck came as a surprise having not seen anything like this before Aura Gnarlid, now he quickly buffed as the only creature on board; then he waltzed by the opponents defenses with his high power giving pseudo unblockable. A little down the road came a couple tweaks the curve went up to six adding Sun Titan, and Bear Umbra. Now I was invited to FNM again between terms at school, and the deck needed tweaking to bring it to T2 losing eight cards. Two Naya Charms, Three Elvish Visionary, Two Path to Exile, and Uril, The Mist Stalker.

Creatures: 12
Sun Titan
Darksteel Sentinel
Copperhorn Scout
Blight Mamba x2
Kor Spiritdancer x3
Aura Gnarlid x4

Spells: 23
Mammoth Umbra x2
Bear Umbra x2
Hyena Umbra x2
Journey to Nowhere x2
Ascetism x2
True Conviction x2
Lightning Bolt x3
Boar Umbra x4
Canopy Cover x4

Lands: 25
Sunpetal Grove x3
Terramorphic Expanse x3
Mountain x5
Plains x7
Forest x7

Turn four, as deep as that is, be ready to be nailed for eleven even if the Spiritdancer doesn't stick earlier only being three-up; Gnarlid comes to me every game. There isn't much finesse to this deck as there is in Proliferate, Naya Totem is Spiketastic hit 'em hard hit 'em fast. Gnarlid is your best stick and best on turn three, followed on turn four with Hyena Umbra and or Boar Umbra. Since then I have considered adding a second  or even third Copperhorn which adds a fake Serra's Blessing. I've heard True Conviction is not good in T2, but the card isn't needed if the opponent is alive on turn six anyway it is time to speed this game up. Darksteel Sentinel  seems out of place, but fights trample also takes ahold of my deathtouch problem. Happy Hunting.

The game goes on.

Proliferate has been undergoing tweaks trying to find a balance currently sitting at a 50% win rate performing well only to fall apart in the following match. The deck is in need of draw spells, but could also use an increase in mana though I'm finding it tough to cut spots for extra mana. Adding in Sphinx-Bone Wand did great justice, but what else does it have now. I went two up on Chandra Nalaar added Jace Beleren, and Liliana Vess. Chandra Replaces Triskelion able to deal bigger amounts to creatures sooner, and gaining slowly off players. Jace allows three consecutive turns of an extra draw, unless we have a clasp on field in which Jace becomes draw every turn; should we get silly with the proliferate he may of may not mill twenty from an opponent. Liliana will allow a perpetual tutor should we murder enough creatures we can steal them from graves. Even better is trying to get ahold of the cards in Scars making this deck work, so what do we cut to add in Lox Cannon, I'll cross that bridge once I get there, but wtf 4 for an artifact to add charge counters to it then remove three and destroy a permanent; Bolas Planeswalker on a  stick. In other news new parts of The Darkness should be going up today, and making progress in finishing the games in my library I haven't yet polished to perfection. After thinking about the money I wasted on my tabletop collection I thought it might be time to use them spending so much of my brain already on MTG it seemed a great bit to use for a campaign in Mage: The Awakening so in work is a story of planewalkers whose spark ignites to save the multiverse from a great evil.

Grumble grumble grumble infect grumble

So I was expecting poison to be an issue, but getting poisoned twice in five minutes seriously? I've lost to some pretty annoying strategies, but they never made me wanna leap across a table. First Strike on deathtouch was bad enough. I'm still going to consider infect an asset in T2 for withering down things and fighting indestructibility so thursday, yes a day early, I manage to blow 110 picking up a full box of Scars. I got a bunch of things I was after, and a bunch I wasn't. I managed a Koth of the Hammer, he's a people person just ask Venser. So what did I build then?

Creatures: 9

Ichorclaw Myr x2
Steel Overseer x2
Triskelion x2
Ornithopter x3

Spells: 31

Contagion Engine
Inexorable Tide
Mox Opal
Comet Storm
Ratchet Bomb
Lightning Bolt x2
Galvanic Blast x2
Revoke Existance x2
Grasp of Darkness x2
Steady Progess x2
Rusted Relic x2
Exsanguinate x2
Elixir of Immortality x2
Contagion Clasp x3
Golem Foundry x3
Everflowing Chalice x4

Lands: 20

Serjiri Refuge
Blackcleave Cliffs
Seachrome Coast
Glimmerpost x3
Swamp x3
Plains x3
Island x4
Mountain x4


I really do like Proliferating the deck needs to four up on tide but i cam across an amazing solution while joking about, Sphinx-Bone Wand; one bolt later Bone Wand is dealing a ton of damage. After testing though Golem Foundry performed exceptionally well making perpetual creatures; it'd almost be worth running extra Precursor Golems to Might of the Masses a couple times or be a jerk and Tainted swipe them. After all who said that creatures need infect, or poison naturally. The deck does need draw though easily dumping a hand onto the field. All in the same though unless meeting a counter or milling easily reloads from the elixir for five life gained, and a full deck.