ensnaring deck

[bla]

Hi, new guy here.

I've been playing manalink for some time now, and I have to thank everybody involved for breathing life into an old game. You've done an amazing job. Kudos for all who worked or are still working on manalink.

After finally jumping into the latest manalink version (a bit overwhelming, with no magic experience other than duels of the planeswalkers) I started messing with the challenges. So far I've completed the first two and almost the third (I was on my way to victory on the LAST match when the game crashed ) and for both the first and third challenges I used the same deck.

The deck:
3 Plateau
1 Scrubland
3 Bloodstained Mire
2 Windswept Heath
1 of each color Mox
4 Mox Diamond
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Enlightened Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
2 Lightning Helix
1 Chandra Nalaar
1 Ornithopter
2 Phyrexian Walker
1 Worship
2 Feldon's Cane

Deck mechanic is simple: ensnaring bridge to stop all creature attacks combined with enlightened tutors to fetch it and eventually mana sources, to put it in game as soon as possible. Most of the cards have 0 casting cost so getting rid of the cards in my hand is fairly easy. Attack is done with chandra.
In the first challenge this was enough since I was able to lay the trap in the first or second turn and there was basically nothing to break it.

For the third challenge, decks are a bit more flexible so I decided to put a couple of other things:
I added worship to give the ornithopers and phyrexian walkers another use other than filling slots and have some sort of defense against burning. I also added a nice attack accelerator with isochron scepter + ligtning helix. The scepter had to be ditched in favor of a second helix since it proved way to unstable to finish the challenge, but when I managed to get it in game it was nice.

The deck is barely legal and putting one together with actual magic cards would be... expensive; but it seems to work.

Comments and criticisms are welcome.
So far the things that can ruin my day are disenchant and draw effects somewhat counterable with 4 bridges + worship with creatures and a lion's eye diamond for instant hand discard, but since I haven't managed to play online yet and the A.I. is not too bright...

[aww1979]

I think you just won "most boring deck of the year" award :p This must take FOREVER to play a match! I'm assuming you have Feldon's Canes in case you don't get Chandra early, but I think you only really need one of those. Maybe throw in a second chandra or some other win condition instead of one cane?

[bla]

Imagine doing the the final matches of the third challenge when the opponent starts with 30+ life. Ugh...

This is, so far, my "gets the job done in challenges deck". I have other nice decks but for the last match of the third chalenge (life is draining) I really need something that locks the game in the first round consistently - meaning my oppening hand has as to rely on something palpable, rather than wishful thinking combos and this decks usually pulls through, but yeah, it's boring :p , I never play with it outstide challenge mode.
And it's driving me crazy getting to the last matches in challenge only to be beaten by bugs...
But that's life

Concerning other winning conditions:
creatures are obviously a no go with the bridge, unless I used a orchish oriflame for the measly ornithopter and walkers... meh. I also thought of burning but, to keep the deck small and efficient I discarded that idea.
There is only one chandra because I can fetch it fairly easily with the tutors.
The canes are there because there are some annoying decks in the challenge that use howling mines and fountains of mythos. I lost some matches on account of the deck being small. It also helps if chandra gets killed.

[grinnin]

Suggestion: swap out the red for Black and use Sorin as a win condition

Also I'd definitely add Grafted Skullcap, Bazaar of Baghdad, and Balance. They're custom made for this deck.

[grinnin]

Here's a quick mockup of an alternate version. Definitely boring, but at least its pretty fast.

;M2- Ensnaring Confidant
;
;grinnin
;
;Blahblah
;1
;4th Edition
;

.965 4 Ensnaring Bridge
.1774 2 Grafted Skullcap
.613 2 Sorin Markov*
.349 4 Enlightened Tutor
.457 4 Mox Diamond
.165 1 Mox Emerald
.166 1 Mox Jet
.167 1 Mox Pearl
.168 1 Mox Ruby
.169 1 Mox Sapphire
.17 1 Black Lotus
.230 1 Sol Ring
.55 4 Dark Ritual
.216 4 Scrubland
.1635 4 Godless Shrine
.10 1 Balance
.240 4 Swords to Plowshares
.398 4 Bazaar of Baghdad
.1625 3 Marsh Flats
.369 1 Beacon of Immortality
.1723 4 Dark Confidant
.62 1 Demonic Tutor
.333 1 Vampiric Tutor
.331 1 Imperial Seal
.1017 4 Diabolic Tutor
.1718 1 Chrome Mox

[bla]

Those 3 cards seem nice grinnin. Both the skullcap and bazar could replace the lion's eye diamond although the cap's cost could pose a problem since a single extra card in the beggining of the game for which I don't have enough mana to cast can mess up the bridge's effect and lose me the game in the latter challenge matches.
I'd say, in general terms, if this wasn't a deck for challenges it would be faster. As it is I'm just thinking defense first.

Anyway, balance is always nice and I could see it working well. The dark confidant is also a good idea.
I don't use sorin on account of it supposedly not working well or something, but I also considered it, despite the extra cost which doesn't really fit the deck for challenge.

[aww1979]

I like the idea of using Sorin over Chandra a lot, but Dark Confidant in the same deck as Ensnaring Bridge? I don't think I'd do that, since they don't go very well together.

I'd try Path of Exile in place of confidant or diabolic tutor (since you have tons of tutors already and that one costs 4).

Sorin Markov works fine; I've used it a lot. The only thing is that the 3rd ability has been approximated; instead of controlling the opponent's turn, you 'only' get a Time Walk :p I've used that ability maybe once or twice; usually you win the game before then.

[bla]

Thanks for the tip on sorin.
I suspected the problem was with the final ability but never bothered to check.

The confident with the bridge is not so bad if you consider the case of 0 casting cost cards.

I'm having some ideas for small improvements with this sorin thing. (Y)

By the way, how do you get the card's description to appear on mouse over? There is a code preceding the card. Where do you get it? The csv file?

[aww1979]

You need to capitalize the words in the card name.

Ex: Black Lotus, black lotus

[bla]

Sorin Markov indeed
Coming with what I thought was a glitch warning in a buggy game was enough to put me off him for a long time, but no more.
No glitches with Sorin, and if there were glitches in the third ability I didn't need to use it anyway.

Challenge 3 completed! It was over so fast my computer didn't have time to crash.

Out the door went Chandra Nalaar, the 2 Lightning Helix, Worship, the creatures, 1 Feldon's Cane and the Lion's Eye Diamond
In came 4 Dark Ritual, Balance and 3 Healing Salve.

The irony:
-The Feldon´s Cane I kept saved my butt in the only game where Sorin was killed and I needed to get in back on the deck
-The Healing Salve which I put there just to fill slots in a hurry saved my butt in the 8th game when I couldn't stop 3 attacks
-Balance got rid of two Disenchant in the last game that could otherwise be used to kill Sorin twice, leaving me without attack, or knock out my bridges.

Thanks guys for all the tips guys.
Sometimes in some forums newcomers can be met by elitist behaviour or simply ignored. I've seen it happen before.
Seems here at manalink you have a good crowd. So kudos I guess

[aww1979]

Yeah, the manalink crowd is generally pretty good. We are also nicer when people are smarter :p If people are polite and show a willingness to learn, even if they don't end up taking the suggestions offered, I'm happy to help.