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Shandalar 2.0
Challenge: 1-5
Unlocks: (Goblin Welder)
Description: opponent starts the game with specific challenging cards in play
NavigationChallenge Index - Archive for Set 1


Please discuss this Challenge here!

OK, now that I'm finally done with Lich, I'm back to my Tinker/Blightsteel Colossus/Angel deck. In this challenge, I've gotten to the last round at least 3 times, but every time I've not been able to draw well enough to get my combo out. I'm not finding the other rounds very hard, so I need to improve whatever I can do to make it more likely to get a good first turn on round 10 (i.e. get out Platinum Angel or Blighsteel Colossus).

Here's what I have so far:
.126 15 Island
.466 2 Memnite
.1706 2 Master of Etherium
.1879 1 Etherium Sculptor
.1216 4 Seat of the Synod
.1351 1 Tinker
.537 1 Transmute Artifact
.1208 2 Cathodion
.782 1 Blightsteel Colossus
.1308 2 Platinum Angel
.169 1 Mox Sapphire
.230 1 Sol Ring
.334 4 Personal Tutor
.17 1 Black Lotus
.312 1 Ponder
.955 1 Wurmcoil Engine
.249 1 Time Walk
.1 1 Ancestral Recall
.1758 1 Show and Tell
.1317 2 Phyrexian Walker
.725 1 Mirror Universe
.173 1 Nevinyrral's Disk
.248 1 Time Vault
.1550 1 Voltaic Key
.165 1 Mox Emerald
.166 1 Mox Jet
.167 1 Mox Pearl
.352 1 Mystical Tutor
.168 1 Mox Ruby
.499 1 Brainstorm
.1717 2 Force of Will
.1891 3 Echoing Truth

Got rid of all the fat and lowered my card count to 40, which is apparently allowed on this challenge, and finally beat it. The end result is very similar to aww1979's "Boring Angel" deck, except with some Phyrexian Walkers and no Preordain's.

The lone Mirror Universe actually saved me in the round where the comp starts with two Ivory Towers, since I was dealt Blightsteel Colossus in my hand, got my Show and Tell countered, got out my Platinum Angel but couldn't deal more damage than the Towers healed. Good thing I quickly only had 1 health and eventually picked up my Mirror Universe That was the only round I actually needed my Platinum Angel - "Boring Blightsteel" would be a more appropriate name for this deck, since that's how I won 9 out of 10 rounds.

Anyway, with a stripped down, Mox'ed up deck like this the challenge only took two or three tries, since with decent luck you can get out a tutor for Tinker on your first turn on round 10, and get out your Colossus on turn 2 for the win.


.126 11 Island
.1351 1 Tinker
.782 1 Blightsteel Colossus
.1308 1 Platinum Angel
.169 1 Mox Sapphire
.230 1 Sol Ring
.334 4 Personal Tutor
.17 1 Black Lotus
.312 1 Ponder
.249 1 Time Walk
.1 1 Ancestral Recall
.1758 1 Show and Tell
.1317 2 Phyrexian Walker
.725 1 Mirror Universe
.173 1 Nevinyrral's Disk
.165 1 Mox Emerald
.166 1 Mox Jet
.167 1 Mox Pearl
.352 1 Mystical Tutor
.168 1 Mox Ruby
.499 1 Brainstorm
.1891 4 Echoing Truth
.894 1 Mana Crypt

Just want to report that HornofAmmon's deck played like a charm for me and took me to win the challenge as soon as I got a 1st turn play on round 10.

(I just put a 2nd Ponder in in place of Brainstorm. Just because Ponder is a sorcery so I could tutor for it in case I needed it -- but I actually had no need for doing that).

Thanks HornofAmmon!

How do you beat the honden?

I got destroyed Round 10 got my Platinum angel out and I couldn't tell how they destroyed her.

Honden of Infinite Rage probably deals 4 dmg to your Platinum Angel. I used Lightning Greaves to protect it.

No challange whatsoever with this deck, just need to study what creature you need for what round and try to mulligan a reanimate hand

;reanimator
;
;User
;User E-Mail
;22/11/2012
;1
;4th Edition
;

.55 4 Dark Ritual
.1526 4 Entomb
.1528 2 Buried Alive
.3 4 Animate Dead
.5866 4 Putrid Imp
.11595 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
.11336 1 Platinum Emperion
.10571 1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
.1423 1 Lotus Petal
.17 1 Black Lotus
.166 1 Mox Jet
.239 9 Swamp
.3762 4 Exhume
.3240 2 Reanimate
.1609 1 Angel of Despair

I think the last round of the challenge is bugged (maybe it's from a recent update?). If the computer wins the toss, he activates the 5 hondens on his first turn.. starting the game with 3 cards after your draw, 15hp, 5 honden and 8 damage worth of creatures on opponent's board on round 1 is just unbeatable, which makes the challenge kinda frustrating after reaching thrice round 10 and seeing the computer win the toss thrice.. (even a turn 1 oath makes you die on his next turn. With 3 cards you can only hope for an ancestral recall that gives you enough card to show and tell an emrakul or something like that, but even that probably wouldn't save you, and platinum angel would get killed by the rage honden).

Went the reanimator route and just tweaked the creature choices a bit to always have an answer to a given stage.

Kederekt Leviathan is the quiet hero here because it just dominates the final round unless you can grab an Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite or a life linker. Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur and Griselbrand are probably the least used but still fun.

Also since on most round the AI take a lot of hits (often 40+ life) Sheoldred, Whispering One is a great long plan for controlling the board and getting more threats out via Buried Alive.

(Note currently Kederekt Leviathan crashes the game if you use Animate Dead on it)

Swamp x12
Marsh Flats x4

Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite x1
Iona, Shield of Emeria x1
Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur x1
Sheoldred, Whispering One x1
Griselbrand x1
Putrid Imp x4
Angel of Despair x1
Platinum Emperion x1
Sphinx of the Steel Wind x1

Animate Dead x4
Buried Alive x4
Exhume x4
Reanimate x2 (low life early on makes this a risky choice)
Demonic Tutor x1
Dark Ritual x4
Entomb x4 (Careful: currently alphabetizes your library and can flood you. Hence the fetch lands to shuffle.)
Vampiric Tutor x1

Black Lotus x1
Lotus Petal x1
Mox Jet x1
Mox Pearl x1
Mox Sapphire x1
Mox Ruby x1
Mox Emerald x1