D  E  C  K  B  U  I  L  D  I  N  G

by James Greenwell Deck Rumblings Lately, I've been trying to figure out what the general populace of the internet seems to think will be the dominant deck types in the post Fifth Edition Type II tournament scene. Well, the voting is close, but two decks seem to have the most activity. No, I'm not talking about Sligh and Necro, either. The two decks I seems to hear the most about are the green white "untouchables" deck and Mono green critter based decks. Why exactly are these decks being examined so thoroughly? Because the greatest net effect that Fifth will have on the tournament scene is a reduction of the effectiveness of one to one creature removal in both white and red. Wizards didn't eliminate one to one creature removal in either color, but they did weaken both colors' ability to deal with big fast creatures and swarms. Green obviously has the best mid range to large creatures based on casting cost. With the addition of all the nonland mana production available, you can generate some really nasty large creatures quickly. What green normally lacks is creature removal and disruption such as counterspells, land distruction, etc. Green also was weak in enchantment removal, until the release of the extremely versatile Emerald Charm. This one card can remove nastly global emchantments (i.e. Stasis), bring down a pesky flier on the spot so that it will conveniently fly smack into one of your large ground pounders, or untap a large ground pounder to suprise block your opponent's creatures. An all around fun card to use. How best to deal with the other weaknesses of mono green? Select creatures that are good unto themselves but are relentless in certain situations. Creatures like the Whirling Dervish, River Boa, Giant Mantis, and Jolrael's Centaurs compose a deck base which can really disrupt an opponents game by presenting him or her with "must deal with NOW" situations. Add Yavimaya Ants and an assortment of big green nasties such as Force of Nature, and you are ready to smack your opponent upside the head with a deck I call the "nasties". Green 3 Whirling Dervish 3 River Boa 3 Jolrael's Centaur         4 Wall of Roots 2 Rowen 3 Hurricane 2 Maro 4 Yavimaya Ants 3 Emerald Charm 3 Giant Mantis 1 Force of Nature 3 Elvish Archers 4 Giant Growth 2 Crumble   20 Forests P.S. next month, I'll examine the other deck I've mentioned, the "Untouchables" [ Back to April 1997 Table of Contents ] [ Back to Beyond Dominia ] Magic: the Gathering is a Registered Trademark of Wizards of the Coast