Shandalar enemy decks overhaul

[jiansonz]

Mind Stealer
Deck file: 0289.dck
Plays: Black and Blue
Life: 10/12/14/16
Frequent advantage: None in particular that strikes me
Frequent special reward: A duplicate card of your choice!
Special Ability: Mind Control (can choose to play with a copy of your deck)

Lots of stealing and graveyard-digging going on with this deck.

Original Mind Stealer deck:
.239 11 Swamp
.126 11 Island
.117 3 Hypnotic Specter
.220 4 Sengir Vampire
.286 3 Will-O-The-Wisp
.44 4 Control Magic
.234 2 Steal Artifact
.259 4 Unholy Strength
.227 2 Siren's Call
.162 1 Mind Twist
.183 2 Phantasmal Forces
.185 2 Phantom Monster
.69 2 Drain Power
.318 2 Fellwar Stone
.433 2 Junun Efreet
.3 2 Animate Dead
.860 2 Call from the Grave
.vNone
.458 3 Sindbad
.vBlack
.458 3 Sindbad
.vBlue
.458 3 Sindbad
.vGreen
.458 1 Sindbad
.144 1 Lifetap
.58 1 Deathgrip
.vRed
.458 2 Sindbad
.265 1 Volcanic Eruption
.vWhite
.458 2 Sindbad
.100 1 Gloom

"This U/B deck was another powerful foe because it ran, not only some of the best cards in its colors, but also in the format. It was not at the level of Sedge Beast or Blue’s Shapeshifter, but it was strong.

As you can see, the deck features some different cards. There is no question this is a control deck. Yet, it appears to prefer to steal resources rather than destroy them. There is no Terror here, or anything similar like Weakness. Instead, it is all about taking other cards. Animate Dead takes them from the graveyard, Steal Artifact and Control Magic from in play.

The first addition is the ubiquitous change to dual land. I pull the 2 Junun Efreet for 2 Amnesia, which is much more flavorful.

Call from the Grave is an Astral card in the game that costs 2B, a Sorcery: Put a random creature from a random graveyard into play under your control and take damage equal to its casting cost.

That makes it worse than Animate Dead by my accounting. You can prevent the damage with something like a CoP: Black. The randomness is too random for the cost.

I pull the Siren’s Calls. They don’t fit the deck thematically all that well, and they don’t fit mechanically. It’s not like the deck features Royal Assassins to kill the attackers or anything. I add two Doppelgangers, which seem to fit the deck pretty well all things considered.

Finally I pull one Unholy Strength for an Old Man of the Sea, who steals things, so he fits. And there we have the modified deck."


Good changes overall, but I strongly disagree with the Siren´s Call removal. I think that they do fit the theme (you mess with the mind of opponent´s creatures) and also mechanically (the deck has Vampires - cast Siren´s Call, have the Vampire block something smaller and and watch it grow).

I rarely have Siren´s Call in my own Shandalar decks because they do not work as intended. If I cast one in a situation where the computer wouldn´t normally attack, the computer "cheats" and does not attack, causing all non-attacking creatures to be destoyed. Normally, I may have killed some of them but some might have gotten through and some might have killed a blocker or two. However, Siren´s Call works fine in the computer´s decks.

In order to go with Abe´s additions while still keeping the Siren´s Calls, I remove the two Drain Power cards.

(Note that Sindbad has three functions in this deck:
- early defense
- drawing more lands (most of the deck´s powerful spells cost 4-6 mana)
- putting creatures in the graveyard)

Modified Mind Stealer deck:
.239 9 Swamp
.126 9 Island
.258 4 Underground Sea
.117 3 Hypnotic Specter
.220 4 Sengir Vampire
.286 3 Will-O'-The-Wisp
.44 4 Control Magic
.234 2 Steal Artifact
.259 3 Unholy Strength
.162 1 Mind Twist
.183 2 Phantasmal Forces
.185 2 Phantom Monster
.227 2 Siren's Call
.318 2 Fellwar Stone
.3 2 Animate Dead
.860 2 Call from the Grave
.292 2 Amnesia
.263 2 Vesuvan Doppelganger
.446 1 Old Man of the Sea

.vNone
.458 3 Sindbad
.vBlack
.458 3 Sindbad
.vBlue
.458 3 Sindbad
.vGreen
.458 1 Sindbad
.144 1 Lifetap
.58 1 Deathgrip
.vRed
.458 2 Sindbad
.265 1 Volcanic Eruption
.vWhite
.458 2 Sindbad
.100 1 Gloom

Test Gauntlet result: Lost 1st duel to Ape Lord

[jiansonz]

Morgane - the Great Druid (Green Wizard)
Deck file: 0095.dck
Plays: Green
Life: (30/35/40/45)-X (X is the number of green enemies you have killed during the game. X is capped at 10.)
Frequent advantage: Fungusaur (guaranteed on the higher difficulties)
Frequent special reward: Three different green cards of your choice

Original Morgane deck:
.91 22 Forest
.149 3 Llanowar Elves
.95 3 Gaea's Liege
.15 3 Birds of Paradise
.7 4 Aspect of Wolf
.121 3 Instill Energy
.147 2 Living Lands
.237 3 Stream of Life
.831 3 Untamed Wilds
.698 4 Killer Bees
.131 3 Jayemdae Tome
.146 2 Living Artifact
.262 2 Verduran Enchantress
.vNone
.409 3 Desert Twister
.vBlack
.142 2 Lifeforce
.409 1 Desert Twister
.vBlue
.253 2 Tsunami
.409 1 Desert Twister
.vGreen
.409 1 Desert Twister
.222 2 Shanodin Dryads
.vRed
.409 3 Desert Twister
.vWhite
.409 3 Desert Twister

"The archmagi decks are largely disappointing. These should be the best decks available in the color. Look how sad! Not only will I be adding some cards from the expansions, but I will also be sprucing this deck up and making it much better.

Let’s clean it up.

-3 Instill Energy
+1 Regrowth
+1 Ivory Tower
+1 Llanowar Elves

-3 Birds of Paradise – which don’t make sense in a mono-Green deck.
+2 Aswan Jaguar
+1 Faerie Dragon – these decks should have the Astral Cards where appropriate

-2 Verduran Enchantress – What enchantments are we even running?
+2 Desert Twister – Needs the color’s best removal

-2 Living Artifact – Because it sucks
+2 Sandstorm – A nice surprise

-2 Living Lands
+2 Island of Wak-Wak

-3 Stream of Life
+2 Ifh-Biff Efreet
+1 Berserk

-4 Aspect of Wolf – Not enough creatures
+2 Cockatrice
+2 Triskelion

Note that (on Wizard level - jiansonz' comment) this person will begin with a Sylvan Library in play already.

Now that’s a much better deck. It’s a nice little mono-Green control deck. I’m still not a fan of cards like Force of Nature, but I understand their purpose so I kept them in."

Again, there are differences between my list and Abe´s list for the original deck. Abe has a Mox Emerald, a Sol Ring and two Forces of Nature, none of which I have. Instead, I have an extra Jayemdae Tome and three Desert Twisters (in the vNone version).

So if I take Abe´s modified list and put the two Desert Twisters in the sideboard, I need to pull out one more card so that 57 remain in the maindeck. I choose an Island of Wak-Wak. It´s not like the deck lacks aerial defense now. Far from it.

Modified Morgane deck:
.91 22 Forest
.428 1 Island of Wak-Wak
.165 1 Mox Emerald
.230 1 Sol Ring
.503 1 Ivory Tower
.131 2 Jayemdae Tome
.149 4 Llanowar Elves
.95 3 Gaea's Liege
.89 2 Force of Nature
.868 2 Aswan Jaguar
.698 4 Killer Bees
.426 2 Ifh-Biff Efreet
.40 2 Cockatrice
.865 1 Faerie Dragon
.538 2 Triskelion
.831 3 Untamed Wilds
.202 1 Regrowth
.454 2 Sandstorm
.14 1 Berserk

.vNone
.409 3 Desert Twister
.vBlack
.142 2 Lifeforce
.409 1 Desert Twister
.vBlue
.253 2 Tsunami
.409 1 Desert Twister
.vGreen
.409 1 Desert Twister
.222 2 Shanodin Dryads
.vRed
.409 3 Desert Twister
.vWhite
.409 3 Desert Twister

Test Gauntlet result: Won 3 duels, then lost to Prismat

[jiansonz]

Necromancer (Black henchman)
Deck file: 0291.dck
Plays: Black
Life: (11/13/15/17)+X (Life increases over the course of the game. I´ve seen him with as much as 27 life)
Frequent advantage: Will-o-the-Wisp
Frequent special reward: Never gives any reward at all

Original Necromancer deck:
.239 22 Swamp
.55 2 Dark Ritual
.77 1 Evil Presence
.259 2 Unholy Strength
.68 2 Drain Life
.214 4 Scathe Zombies
.291 4 Zombie Master
.24 4 Bog Wraith
.268 2 Wall of Bone
.719 4 Lost Soul
.8 2 Bad Moon
.198 2 Raise Dead
.871 2 Necropolis of Azar
.3 2 Animate Dead
.600 2 Cosmic Horror

.vNone
.77 3 Evil Presence
.vBlack
.179 2 Paralyze
.246 1 Throne of Bone
.vBlue
.77 3 Evil Presence
.vGreen
.77 3 Evil Presence
.vRed
.77 3 Evil Presence
.vWhite
.77 3 Evil Presence

"This is supposed to be one nasty mother and it’s very…inconsistent. Why is Cosmic Horror here?

The only other zombie during this time was Drowned, from The Dark. I don’t think we want to splash Blue just to get a second Zombie, especially since that Zombie already has regeneration.

It’s obvious that this deck wants to get a large number of swampwalkers, and then Evil Presence one of your lands, and start swinging. It has maximized Zombie Masters, Bog Wraiths and Lost Soul. It also is rocking Necropolis of Azar for its swampwalking tokens.

I also agree that this deck should be packing Bad Moons. Since Zombie Master does not pump power/toughness, and you are trying to be unblockable, it makes sense to maximize your p/t.

-2 Dark Ritual
+2 Swamp

This seems like a deck that can benefit from more lands.

-2 Cosmic Horror
+2 Bad Moon

We should be increasing the deck’s value, not decreasing it. Cosmic Horror bogs it down. Bad Moon is great for it.

-2 Wall of Bone
+1 Demonic Tutor
+1 Contract from Below

This is supposed to be the second most powerful mono-Black deck that we are rocking. Let’s add a few power cards. Not many, but a few.

-2 Unholy Strength. It fits a bit, sure, but I want to add some real creatures, not walls or Cosmic Horrors.
+2 Sengir Vampire. Vampires are undead, which fits the Necro theme. They are also among the best creatures running, so we should be looking at making the deck a bit better, and they do so.

-2 Raise Dead. They do fit the deck, but I needed to find space for this next card badly
+2 Cyclopean Tomb. This is just the perfect card for this deck.

The result is a tweaked deck that focused more on the mission, adds some mana, and gives you a nice pair of finishers. "


Nah, this take on the deck isn´t really my cup of tea. The only changes I like are the removal of the Horrors and the adding of Demonic Tutor and Cyclopean Tomb. Taking away the Dark Rituals means that the Necromancer can not get a creature out before round 3, nor can it pull off an unexpedly large Drain Life to kill one of the critters you thought would be out of reach.

Vampires are not on theme, imo. This deck is about swampwalking, regeneration and gravedigging.

I also like Unholy Strength in it. Unblockable and regenerating creatures are a lot more scary with a sudden +2 power boost. In fact, I am going to add an Unholy Strength compared to the original deck.

-1 Swamp
+1 Mox Jet

Henchmen should have some power cards where appropriate.

Modified Necromancer deck:
.239 21 Swamp
.166 1 Mox Jet
.55 2 Dark Ritual
.259 3 Unholy Strength
.68 2 Drain Life
.214 4 Scathe Zombies
.291 4 Zombie Master
.24 4 Bog Wraith
.719 4 Lost Soul
.8 4 Bad Moon
.871 2 Necropolis of Azar
.3 2 Animate Dead
.77 1 Evil Presence
.62 1 Demonic Tutor
.54 2 Cyclopean Tomb

.vNone
.77 3 Evil Presence
.vBlack
.179 2 Paralyze
.246 1 Throne of Bone
.vBlue
.77 3 Evil Presence
.vGreen
.77 3 Evil Presence
.vRed
.77 3 Evil Presence
.vWhite
.77 3 Evil Presence

Test Gauntlet result: Won 5 duels, then lost to Centaur Shaman

[jiansonz]

Nether Fiend
Deck file: 0151.dck
Plays: Black
Life: 16/18/20/22
Frequent advantage: None in particular
Frequent special reward: First move in the next duel

Original Nether Fiend deck
.239 20 Swamp
.231 2 Soul Net
.243 4 The Hive
.3 4 Animate Dead
.171 4 Nether Shadow
.151 4 Lord of the Pit
.415 3 Erg Raiders
.16 4 Black Knight
.93 2 Frozen Shade
.508 4 Mishra's Factory
.433 2 Junun Efreet
.136 2 Kormus Bell
.547 3 Xenic Poltergeist

.vNone
.242 3 Terror
.vBlack
.336 3 Bog Imp
.vBlue
.242 3 Terror
.vGreen
.242 3 Terror
.vRed
.242 3 Terror
.vWhite
.242 3 Terror

"This deck is supposed to be one of the tougher Black foes you face, but, unfortunately….not so much. The Warlock can drop a Ritual into a Specter and just win. The Witch can Nevinyrral’s Disk and win. The Vampire Lord can drop a 2nd turn Sengir off a Mana Vault and just win. Even the Undead Knight can drop a bunch of cheap creatures, Bad Moon them up, and overpower you.

This makes the Black foes a bit more menacing than the other color’s foes.

However, the Nether Fiend bites off more than it can chew, and the result is a foe that is usually laughably defeated.

It’s obvious that the deck wants to run Lord of the Pit and then support it with Nether Shadow, The Hive and Kormus Bell. Then it uses things like Soul Net to gain life and whatnot. What this deck needs is a SERIOUS overhaul, because a lot of these cards…suck.

-2 Kormus Bell. This always winds up getting this deck killed. It loses a bunch of its creature to Pyrotechnics or Nevinyrral’s Disk or Pestilence or Fireball or Wrath of God or Holy Light or Earthquake etc.
+2 Khabal Ghoul – This is the perfect deck for this guy.

-2 Xenic Poltergeist. I assume this is to animate your Bell, Net or Hive to sacrifice to the Lord of the Pit, but it’s really janky.
+2 Necropolis of Azar

Here is what Necropolis of Azar does:
2BB
Enchantment
Whenever a non-Black creature goes to the graveyard, put a Husk counter on Necropolis of Azar. 5, Remove a Husk Counter: Put a Black Spawn token into play with swampwalk and a random power and toughness each between 1-3.

Now, this Astral card allows you to recycle creatures, which is great for the Lord of the Pit. Kill a Hive token or a Mishra’s Factory, and make some tokens for the Lord of the Pit. As opposing creatures die, you might get even more tokens.

-1 Xenic Poltergeist
-2 Junun Efreet. These are awful, and the upkeep hurts the mana base way too much. Too many times I’ve seen the poor AI upkeep this and not help itself.
+2 Tetravus
+1 Terror

The deck needs some removal, and I am starting to give it some. Tetravus is the perfect creature for this deck. Not only will it give you multiple creatures for the Lord of the Pit, but it will also work well with Necropolis of Azar. Now, I don’t know if, in 4th Edition world, you remove the counters off Tetravus and then put them back on again, it will put counters on the Necropolis of Azar or Khabal Ghoul. Sorry, my rules fu is not that strong. Still, I think we can all see the advantage in having Tetravus in this deck. It’s a great Animate Dead target, another flying beater, plus it works with both Necropolis and Lord of the Pit, even if it doesn’t outright combo with the Necropolis and Ghoul.

-3 Frozen Shade. I don’t know why every Black deck has to roll with either Frozen Shades or Carrion Ants. They aren’t that good. Plus, this deck wants to do a lot with its mana already, and this creates a tension with things like Necropolis and The Hive.
+2 Terror
+1 Erg Raiders

I do like the early beats this deck can offer, allowing it to develop and build into a nice powerful deck. Black Knight and Erg Raiders can keep defensive decks on the defense or counter aggro decks, while it slowly builds towards a solid deck."

Yeah, all good changes (although the computer still does not understand when it should take Tetravites off of Tetravus).

Modified Nether Fiend deck:
.239 21 Swamp
.231 2 Soul Net
.243 4 The Hive
.3 4 Animate Dead
.171 4 Nether Shadow
.151 4 Lord of the Pit
.415 4 Erg Raiders
.16 4 Black Knight
.508 4 Mishra's Factory
.435 2 Khabál Ghoul
.871 2 Necropolis of Azar
.534 2 Tetravus

.vNone
.242 3 Terror
.vBlack
.336 3 Bog Imp
.vBlue
.242 3 Terror
.vGreen
.242 3 Terror
.vRed
.242 3 Terror
.vWhite
.242 3 Terror

Test Gauntlet result: Won 1 duel, then lost to Centaur Warchief

[jiansonz]

Paladin
Deck file: 0175.dck
Plays: White, with a splash of Blue
Life: 12/14/16/18
Frequent advantage: Benalish Hero?
Frequent special reward: Ivory Cup

Original Paladin deck:
.188 18 Plains
.126 6 Island
.175 4 Northern Paladin
.283 4 White Knight
.13 2 Benalish Hero
.112 4 Holy Strength
.64 1 Disenchant
.200 2 Red Ward
.293 4 Angry Mob
.228 2 Sleight of Mind
.153 2 Magical Hack
.134 3 Karma
.33 2 Circle of Protection Black
.240 1 Swords to Plowshares
.782 2 Segovian Leviathan

.vNone
.153 1 Magical Hack
.228 2 Sleight of Mind
.vBlack
.240 1 Swords to Plowshares
.616 2 Divine Transformation
.vBlue
.153 1 Magical Hack
.228 2 Sleight of Mind
.vGreen
.153 1 Magical Hack
.228 2 Sleight of Mind
.vRed
.153 1 Magical Hack
.228 2 Sleight of Mind
.vWhite
.153 1 Magical Hack
.228 2 Sleight of Mind

"This deck uses the powerful White hosers of Northern Paladin, Angry Mob, Red Ward, White Knight, Karma, and Circle of Protection: Black and adds 3 each of Sleight of Mind and Magical Hack in order to give sits deck maximum flexibility. Let me tell you, seeing it Hack a Karma to Forests against your mono-Green deck is no fun.

I like where this deck starts. Sleight Knight was an old school deck that used Sleight of Mind on White Knight and other similar cards to great effect.

I don’t think the deck is focused enough, however, and that will be where I put most of my changes.

-2 Island
-2 Plains
+4 Tundra

For example, the deck is already hosing Black with Karma and Angry Mob. Why add Circle of Protection: Black?

-2 Circle of Protection: Black
+1 Circle of Protection: Green
+1 Circle of Protection: Blue

This gives you the ability to draw into a tool that can help against Green or Blue decks, rather than have all of your hate against two colors.

-3 Benalish Hero
+3 Rainbow Knights

I can’t believe this deck does not have Rainbow Knights, which are a perfect fit for the deck. This is one of the best Astral cards in the set, right up there with Aswan Jaguar and Necropolis of Azar.

Rainbow Knights
WW
2/1
When they come into play, they gain protection from a random color
1: First Strike
WW: Rainbow Knights gain +0/+0, +1/+0, or +2/+0 with a random chance for each.

They are really good. They also should be Sleight of Mindable.
No, perhaps this does not work because of the old 4th Edition card says "Change the text" of a card, and the Protection is not a text on the card, so maybe this does not work as intended, but my guess is that it does, plus it is a good card in its own right.

-2 Red Ward
+1 Magical Hack
+1 Sleight of Mind

When these are the core cards of your deck, you should have a full set of each, Red Ward is pretty crappy too. Red Ward a Northern Paladin, then Sleight it to Green and you’ve spent two cards to make a 3/3 Pro Green. That’s not game winning even against a mono-Green deck.

-2 Holy Strength
+2 Lifeblood

You have to add this card from Legends to your deck because it absolutely rocks.


Abe´s original deck list has only 59 cards in this deck, whereas I have 60. I have one less StP and Benalish Hero but instead have one more Sleight of Mind and 2 Segovian Leviathans.

I like to keep the little landwalking sidebranch. In order to make it a little more diverse, I change one of the Segovians to Righteous Avengers, even though the Avengers has got to be one of the worst cards ever when it comes to what you get for the mana cost. A 3/1 creature with one minor ability for 5 mana! But when you landwalk, power is the most important, and the Avengers are no worse than the Segovian in that regard.

Yes, there are many 'hose black' cards already, so I am all for changing the Circles of Protection to other colours. But one of them has got to be a CoP Red, as that colour is by far the most dangerous when it comes to direct damage. I am keeping the two Wards, but make them more diverse.

I can´t see how Lifeblood 'absolutely rocks'. You get the same effect (albeit against another colour) with Lifetap, for two less mana. But I skip the life gaining and take the landwalking creatures instead.

To fit everything I want, I take out a White Knight and an Angry Mob.

Modified Paladin deck:
.188 16 Plains
.126 4 Island
.254 4 Tundra
.175 4 Northern Paladin
.283 3 White Knight
.862 3 Rainbow Knights
.782 1 Segovian Leviathan
.774 1 Righteous Avengers
.112 3 Holy Strength
.64 1 Disenchant
.293 3 Angry Mob
.228 2 Sleight of Mind
.153 3 Magical Hack
.134 3 Karma
.240 2 Swords to Plowshares
.36 1 Circle of Protection: Red
.34 1 Circle of Protection: Blue
.284 1 White Ward
.105 1 Green Ward

.vNone
.153 1 Magical Hack
.228 2 Sleight of Mind
.vBlack
.240 1 Swords to Plowshares
.616 2 Divine Transformation
.vBlue
.153 1 Magical Hack
.228 2 Sleight of Mind
.vGreen
.153 1 Magical Hack
.228 2 Sleight of Mind
.vRed
.153 1 Magical Hack
.228 2 Sleight of Mind
.vWhite
.153 1 Magical Hack
.228 2 Sleight of Mind

Sideboard comment: Several cards in the deck are pro-Black or anti-Swamps, so the original sideboard against Black makes a lot of sense. Less Hack and Sleight needs, but instead make those 'tough vs. Black' creatures bigger.

Test Gauntlet result: Won 4 duels, then lost to Kiska-Ra

[jiansonz]

Priestess
Deck file: 0204.dck
Plays: White
Life: 6/8/10/12
Frequent advantage: Mesa Pegasus?
Frequent special reward: +(2-3)life in the next duel
Special ability: Mind Control (she can choose to play with a copy of your deck)

Original Priestess deck:
.188 23 Plains
.4 4 Animate Wall
.204 2 Reverse Damage
.108 3 Healing Salve
.128 3 Ivory Cup
.273 4 Wall of Swords
.545 4 Wall of Spears
.794 3 Spirit Link
.942 2 Pikemen
.642 2 Fortified Area
.13 2 Benalish Hero
.21 2 Blessing
.161 2 Mesa Pegasus
.28 2 Castle
.620 2 Elder Land Wurm

.vNone
.240 2 Swords to Plowshares
.64 1 Disenchant
.vBlack
.33 1 Circle of Protection Black
.64 1 Disenchant
.240 1 Swords to Plowshares
.vBlue
.34 1 Circle of Protection Blue
.64 1 Disenchant
.240 1 Swords to Plowshares
.vGreen
.35 1 Circle of Protection Green
.64 1 Disenchant
.240 1 Swords to Plowshares
.vRed
.36 1 Circle of Protection Red
.64 1 Disenchant
.240 1 Swords to Plowshares
.vWhite
.37 1 Circle of Protection White
.64 1 Disenchant
.240 1 Swords to Plowshares

"One of the earliest foes you might face serving White is The Priestess. You’ll find this deck to be interesting.

Say hello to the wall deck. This deck features Wall of Swords, Wall of Spears and Animate Wall and Fortified Area, plus cards that match the theme like Castle and Blessing. Lastly, it features some banding creatures that can swing or take the damage and a pair of Elder Land Wurm for holding the fort.

Each of the archmagi has one minion with the Lucky Charms, so we have that here with the Priestess. You will note the presence of Disenchant, Healing Salve, Reverse Damage and some other tricks, but no Swords to Plowshares in this deck. That’s funny, because this is arguably a deck where they would be in favor. A Priestess, with a card named after a Biblical passage, about going from war to peace, in a deck about Walls and defense – I think it’s a solid fit.

Some additional walls have been added, Specifically Wall of Light, the 1/5 pro black wall, and Living Wall, the 0/6 regenerating wall. Since this deck wants to swing with walls, walls with no power have less value. Therefore, I’m steering clear of Living Wall.

-2 Elder Land Wurm
+2 Wall of Light

Since we now have more walls, let’s finish rounding out the theme.

-1 Spirit Link
-1 Healing Salve
-2 Benalish Hero
+2 Wall of Light
+2 Fortified Area

Now we have a full set of Wall of Lights and Fortified Areas, making the deck ready for consumption."


Actually, my original decklist does include Swords to Plowshares (in the sideboards). To make room for the sideboards, I need to remove two cards from the maindeck. I choose two of the Walls.

Modified Priestess deck:
.188 23 Plains
.4 4 Animate Wall
.204 2 Reverse Damage
.108 2 Healing Salve
.273 4 Wall of Swords
.545 3 Wall of Spears
.794 2 Spirit Link
.942 2 Pikemen
.642 4 Fortified Area
.21 2 Blessing
.161 2 Mesa Pegasus
.28 2 Castle
.64 1 Disenchant
.844 3 Wall of Light
.128 3 Ivory Cup

.vNone
.240 2 Swords to Plowshares
.64 1 Disenchant
.vBlack
.33 1 Circle of Protection Black
.64 1 Disenchant
.240 1 Swords to Plowshares
.vBlue
.34 1 Circle of Protection Blue
.64 1 Disenchant
.240 1 Swords to Plowshares
.vGreen
.35 1 Circle of Protection Green
.64 1 Disenchant
.240 1 Swords to Plowshares
.vRed
.36 1 Circle of Protection Red
.64 1 Disenchant
.240 1 Swords to Plowshares
.vWhite
.37 1 Circle of Protection White
.64 1 Disenchant
.240 1 Swords to Plowshares

Test Gauntlet result: Lost 1st duel to Azaar

[jiansonz]

Prismat - Green Dragon
Deck file: 0992.dck
Plays: Green, White and Red
Life: 18/20/22/24
Frequent advantage: Faerie Dragon
Frequent special reward: Faerie Dragon

Prismat uses big mass damage spells that hurt everybody, then adds life-gaining effects to make up for the lost life. No creatures other than Onulets. Living Artifact may be a crappy card, but it works pretty well in this deck, especially if more than one get going.

It´s a well constructed deck. I see no reason to tinker with it more than the obvious.

Modified Prismat deck:
.164 2 Mountain
.188 2 Plains
.91 2 Forest
.189 4 Plateau
.241 4 Taiga
.212 4 Savannah
.165 1 Mox Emerald
.167 1 Mox Pearl
.168 1 Mox Ruby
.318 2 Fellwar Stone
.17 1 Black Lotus
.230 1 Sol Ring
.290 2 Wrath of God
.116 4 Hurricane
.75 4 Earthquake
.337 4 Inferno
.108 4 Healing Salve
.237 3 Stream of Life
.64 2 Disenchant
.490 2 Detonate
.146 4 Living Artifact
.204 2 Reverse Damage
.512 4 Onulet

Test Gauntlet result: Won 6 duels, then lost to Merfolk Shaman.

[jiansonz]

Queltosh - Red Djinn
Deck file: 0442.dck
Plays: Red, Blue and White
Life: 13/15/17/19
Frequent advantage: None in particular
Frequent special reward: Tempest Efreet

Queltosh' deck is constructed with the 'Highlander' principle - only one copy of each spell. More than most foes, his performace depends a lot on what draw he gets. He can be a nasty bugger, or he can be harmless.

I make a couple of changes:

-1 Candelabra of Tawnos (with the land fix, he shouldn´t need this)
+1 Mijae Djinn (this is the Red Djinn...)

-1 Brass Man
+1 King Suleiman (This is mostly so this card becomes a little easier to acquire, but it can also be seen as a nifty defense against some player decks)

He has few red spells. Let´s add a few more. With 24 lands and Land Tax, he should be able to handle a 62-card deck.

+1 Giant Strength
+1 Keldon Warlord

That ups his creature-based threat a bit.


vGreen sideboard modification (to make it more powerful):
-1 Reverse Damage
+1 Acid Rain

vBlue sideboard modification:
-1 Magnetic Mountain (how smart is this when you have half a dozen tapping blue creatures yourself?)
+1 Segovian Leviathan

vWhite sideboard modification:
-1 Flashfires (uh, you want to destroy some of your own lands?)
+1 Mountain Yeti (because I think it´s cool)

Modified Queltosh deck:
.126 4 Island
.188 4 Plains
.164 4 Mountain
.266 4 Volcanic Island
.254 4 Tundra
.189 4 Plateau
.417 1 Eye for an Eye
.942 1 Pikemen
.161 1 Mesa Pegasus
.221 1 Serra Angel
.794 1 Spirit Link
.283 1 White Knight
.1 1 Ancestral Recall
.44 1 Control Magic
.422 1 Giant Tortoise
.154 1 Mahamoti Djinn
.193 1 Prodigal Sorcerer
.817 1 Time Elemental
.462 1 Unstable Mutation
.18 1 Black Vise
.484 1 Clockwork Avian
.539 1 Urza's Avenger
.841 1 Wall of Dust
.82 1 Feedback
.84 1 Fireball
.710 1 Land Tax
.145 1 Lightning Bolt
.64 1 Disenchant
.859 1 Zephyr Falcon
.48 1 Counterspell
.191 1 Power Sink
.232 1 Spell Blast
.267 1 Wall of Air
.183 1 Phantasmal Forces
.83 1 Fire Elemental
.185 1 Phantom Monster
.243 1 The Hive
.649 1 Giant Strength
.436 1 King Suleiman
.135 1 Keldon Warlord
.442 1 Mijae Djinn

.vNone
.204 1 Reverse Damage
.616 1 Divine Transformation
.180 1 Pearled Unicorn
.vBlack
.293 1 Angry Mob
.134 1 Karma
.175 1 Northern Paladin
.vBlue
.782 1 Segovian Leviathan
.199 1 Red Elemental Blast
.52 1 Crystal Rod
.vGreen
.144 1 Lifetap
.288 1 Wooden Sphere
.552 1 Acid Rain
.vRed
.22 1 Blue Elemental Blast
.26 1 Burrowing
.36 1 Circle of Protection Red
.vWhite
.128 1 Ivory Cup
.730 1 Mountain Yeti
.64 1 Disenchant

Test Gauntlet result: Won 5 duels, then lost to Elvish Magi

[jiansonz]

Sainted One (White Wizard)
Deck file: 0021.dck
Plays: White
Life: (30/35/40/45)-X (X is the number of white enemies you have killed during the game. X is capped at 10.)
Frequent advantage: War Elephant (guaranteed on the higher difficulties)
Frequent special reward: Three different white cards of your choice

"Welcome to Citadel of the Sun. Or not..."

"When you assault the White castle, at the end you will face the White Archmagi – The Sainted One. Here is what is supposed to pass as the deadliest White deck of them all. Are you ready? I doubt it. If I had made you guess what card this deck was built around, would you have guessed Circle of Protection: Artifacts?"

Original Sainted One deck:
.188 22 Plains
.167 1 Mox Pearl
.230 1 Sol Ring
.17 1 Black Lotus
.510 1 Mishra's Workshop
.852 2 White Mana Battery
.221 2 Serra Angel
.181 2 Personal Incarnation
.283 3 White Knight
.862 3 Rainbow Knights
.21 2 Blessing
.10 1 Balance
.63 3 Dingus Egg
.481 4 Circle of Protection: Artifacts
.471 3 Armageddon Clock
.400 3 Bottle of Suleiman
.6 3 Armageddon

.vNone
.240 2 Swords to Plowshares
.64 1 Disenchant
.vBlack
.134 1 Karma
.33 1 Circle of Protection Black
.293 1 Angry Mob
.vBlue
.34 2 Circle of Protection Blue
.64 1 Disenchant
.vGreen
.35 2 Circle of Protection Green
.64 1 Disenchant
.vRed
.36 2 Circle of Protection Red
.45 1 Conversion
.vWhite
.37 1 Circle of Protection White
.64 2 Disenchant

"Okay, I just want to say, for the record, that I like this deck. It’s so janky I love it. Armageddon Clock for the win! However, the deck is a perfect example of scattered thinking.

For example, what is up with Dingus Egg and Armageddon again? This deck has 10 creatures. They thought Dingus Egg was better than Wrath of God? Plus, this deck is reusing the Dingus Egg/Armageddon trick from before, and not even as well with one less Armageddon. 2 Swords, 1 Disenchant, 2 Blessing, 2 Serras – this deck gets too scattered.

We need to make some serious overhauls. And that’s okay, because we can.

-2 Blessing
+2 Martyrs of Korlis

It’s not like there are a ton of targets for Blessing anyway. The Martyrs make this deck much better much quicker. Now you can absorb the damage from a Dingus Egg or Armageddon Clock.

-1 Circle of Protection: Artifacts
+1 Martyrs of Korlis

I wanted to balance this out a bit. There is value in having the CoP, but the Martyrs can block and are mana free.

-2 Personal Incarnation
+2 Serra Angel

Come on now, Personal Incarnation sucks.

-3 Dingus Egg
+3 Copper Tablet

It is simply more reliable. Plus, I’m about to pull the Armageddons anyway. This deck needs mana, badly. Its spells and abilities are expensive.

-3 Armageddon
+2 Swords to Plowshares
+1 Disenchant

These are very necessary.

-2 White Mana Battery
+1 Ivory Tower
+1 Library of Alexandria

Without Armageddon, the White Mana Batteries don’t seem to serve the same purpose. Ivory Tower is great for this deck since it seems like a slower deck. See also: Library of Alexandria

Another modification you could do is to pull some White cards for artifacts, then add the Urzatron. Pull the Knights and Serras, freeing up 10 spots. Then add Triskelion, Shapeshifter, Urza’s Avenger, Clockwork Beast, Clockwork Avian, Tetravus, Juggernaut, Su-Chi or something similar to the slots.

You could also add Blue to the mix and add Mox Sapphire, Copy Artifact, Time Walk, Timetwister, Ancestral Recall, Drafna’s Restoration or Reconstruction, Transmute Artifact, and so forth. For the day and era, there are a lot of good artifact creatures just below Serra/Sengir/Mahamoti/Shivan/Kird Ape level, which are themselves below Serendib Efreet/Hypnotic Specter level.

Another card you could add is Bottle of Suleiman. It makes you a 5/5 flyer or deals 5 to you, and you can absorb the 5 with CoP or Martyrs. You could also add Reverse Polarity, Conservator, Amulet of Kroog, Samite Healer, Eye for an Eye, Reverse Damage and Alabaster Potion."

It´s funny that Abe mentions Bottle of Suleiman, because it is already in the deck (3 copies). He even says so himself in his original list! I think he just forgot them somewhere, because there are only 57 cards in his modified list. That means there is space for them.

I keep one of the Personal Incarnations and add one fewer Serra Angel. No particular reason other than I like it, and that it would be weird not having him have at least one. It has always been the only Shandalar deck that had it.

To my disappointment, Martyrs of Korlis does not seem to work in the dueling secion of the game. Their ability simply does not kick in when it should. I have played one full Shandalar campaign with my modified decks, and I am pleased to inform you that Martyrs of Korlis does work in Shandalar. So for the file in the Playdeck folder, I skip the Martyrs. I am retaining a full set of CoP: Artifacts and I am adding 2 Veteran Bodyguard instead.

Modified Sainted One deck:
.188 22 Plains
.438 1 Library of Alexandria
.510 1 Mishra's Workshop
.167 1 Mox Pearl
.230 1 Sol Ring
.17 1 Black Lotus
.221 3 Serra Angel
.181 1 Personal Incarnation
.283 3 White Knight
.862 3 Rainbow Knights
.10 1 Balance
.481 3 Circle of Protection: Artifacts
.471 3 Armageddon Clock
.400 3 Bottle of Suleiman
.240 2 Swords to Plowshares
.64 1 Disenchant
.505 3 Martyrs of Korlis
.46 3 Copper Tablet
.503 1 Ivory Tower

.vNone
.240 2 Swords to Plowshares
.64 1 Disenchant
.vBlack
.134 1 Karma
.33 1 Circle of Protection Black
.293 1 Angry Mob
.vBlue
.34 2 Circle of Protection Blue
.64 1 Disenchant
.vGreen
.35 2 Circle of Protection Green
.64 1 Disenchant
.vRed
.36 2 Circle of Protection Red
.45 1 Conversion
.vWhite
.37 1 Circle of Protection White
.64 2 Disenchant

Test Gauntlet result: Lost 1st duel to Elementalist.

[jiansonz]

Saltrem Tor - Blue Djinn
Deck file: 0456.dck
Plays: Green, Blue and Red
Life: 13/15/17/19
Frequent advantage: None in particular
Frequent special reward: Mahamoti Djinn

Original Saltrem Tor deck:
.164 6 Mountain
.126 6 Island
.91 11 Forest
.15 3 Birds of Paradise
.649 3 Giant Strength
.281 2 Web
.462 3 Unstable Mutation
.201 2 Regeneration
.628 2 Eternal Warrior
.422 2 Giant Tortoise
.193 3 Prodigal Sorcerer
.604 3 Crimson Manticore
.94 2 Fungusaur
.247 2 Timber Wolves
.262 2 Verduran Enchantress
.851 2 Whirling Dervish
.227 2 Siren's Call
.44 2 Control Magic
.84 2 Fireball

Saltrem Tor uses a creature deck with an enchantment theme and some utility spells. He has Fungusaurs and an environment that they often thrive in.

Because of the extra Forests and Birds of Paradise, he was less prone to lack the needed coloured mana than the other original Djinni decks were.

In my obvious land fix, I remove more green than blue mana, to balance the mana base a bit.

Saltrem is traditionally known as the Green Djinn, but I think he is actually the Blue Djinn, because:
a) there is nothing green in his avatar
b) Saltrem is the djinn in blue dungeons and in the blue castle
c) his special reward is a blue djinn

Other than bringing in a rare blue djinn, I am going to add two other hard-to-get expansion cards, along with another subtheme. I am also going to splash a little white.

-2 Eternal Warrior
+2 Serendib Djinn

This deck has nothing that costs more than 4 mana, it has non-land mana (Birds of Paradise) and it has some good creature enchantments. Therefore, Serendib Djinn should be a good fit.

Now I want to add some stuff that lets you get rid of a Serendib Djinn that otherwise threatens to kill you or all your lands:

-1 Timber Wolves
-1 Prodigal Sorcerer
-1 Unstable Mutation
-1 Forest (22 mana lands and 4 Birds should be enough mana for a 60-card deck)
+2 King Suleiman
+2 Diamond Valley

Now, this deck can already steal stuff with Control Magic, and now that we have Diamond Valley, let´s add a guy that can repeatedly steal small critters and dump them in the Valley:

-2 Giant Tortoise
+2 Old Man of the Sea

With Giant Strength, Old Man can steal bigger creatures.

-1 Crimson Manticore
+1 Birds of Paradise (I think the deck now needs a full set of Birds)

The resulting deck is not a powerhouse (and the Enchantress card drawing subtheme got weaker, with only 11 out of the original 14 enchantments left), but it is deliciously quirky and a hoot to play.

Modified Saltrem Tor deck:
.91 1 Forest
.241 4 Taiga
.266 4 Volcanic Island
.252 4 Tropical Island
.254 3 Tundra
.189 2 Plateau
.212 4 Savannah
.410 2 Diamond Valley
.15 4 Birds of Paradise
.649 3 Giant Strength
.281 2 Web
.462 2 Unstable Mutation
.201 2 Regeneration
.193 2 Prodigal Sorcerer
.604 2 Crimson Manticore
.94 2 Fungusaur
.247 1 Timber Wolves
.262 2 Verduran Enchantress
.851 2 Whirling Dervish
.227 2 Siren's Call
.44 2 Control Magic
.84 2 Fireball
.455 2 Serendib Djinn
.436 2 King Suleiman
.446 2 Old Man of the Sea

Test Gauntlet result: Won 1 duel, then lost to Thought Invoker

[jiansonz]

Sea Dragon
Deck file: 0218.dck
Plays: Blue
Life: 12/14/16/18
Frequent advantage: None in particular
Frequent special reward: Extra food

Original Sea Dragon deck:
.126 22 Island
.427 2 Island Fish Jasconius
.279 2 Water Elemental
.218 4 Sea Serpent
.227 4 Siren's Call
.50 4 Creature Bond
.157 2 Mana Vault
.133 4 Jump
.184 4 Phantasmal Terrain
.782 4 Segovian Leviathan
.422 4 Giant Tortoise
.340 1 Leviathan

.vNone
.48 3 Counterspell
.vBlack
.48 3 Counterspell
.vBlue
.48 3 Counterspell
.vGreen
.144 1 Lifetap
.48 2 Counterspell
.vRed
.22 1 Blue Elemental Blast
.48 2 Counterspell
.vWhite
.48 3 Counterspell

"Let’s be honest, the theme of this deck is lousy. Even if you could guarantee your opponent would always have an Island out, Island Fish Jasconius still sucks. Sea Serpent is still expensive for a 5/5 creature with a disadvantage.

Look at the lousy mana for this deck. 22 Islands and 2 Mana Vaults. Ugh. Why is jank like Siren’s Call and Creature Bond cluttering an already bad deck with even worse cards?

This is old school bad. You just don’t see decks this bad anymore. This opponent is laughable.

Here are the good cards in the deck: Giant Tortoise, Counterspell, Water Elemental, Mana Vault. Understanding the theme, here are the cards on point: Sea Serpent, Island Fish, both Leviathans, Phantasmal Terrain.
We have to try and bring some respectability to this deck.

-1 Leviathan
+1 Island

Not in this deck. There is a Leviathan deck later with Twiddles and such. This is not the right time or place for Leviathan.

-4 Jump
+1 Counterspell
+3 Power Sink

If you are this big and able to attack freely, you don’t need to Jump in the air.

-4 Siren’s Call
+3 Island
+1 Power Sink

Siren’s Call? Seriously? This deck needs mana badly.

-4 Creature Bond
+4 Azure Drake

The theme of the deck is Sea Dragon, and the Drake is a small draconic creature. Drakes are closer than Sea Serpents. This gives you a more reliable creature to play."


Abe is pretty hard on the original deck. OK, so it was sucky and often really slow, but sometimes the stuff worked. I´ve had Serra Angels getting suprise blocked and killed when that Sea Serpent suddenly Jumped into the air! I also took heavy damage from it when Angel was Creature Bonded. Siren´s Call can also be quite useful, especially if the opponent uses annoying creatures that don´t attack, like Royal Assassin, Prodigal Sorcerer, Sorceress Queen, Verduran Enchantress, etc.

But OK, the deck needed those changes. I especially like the Azure Drake - very much on theme. That´s a great blocker for only 4 mana, and it can be a decent attacker, too.

The deck is now very heavy on counterspells, which means you often need to wait for it to be tapped out in order to cast something threatening.

Modified Sea Dragon deck:
.126 26 Island
.427 2 Island Fish Jasconius
.279 2 Water Elemental
.218 4 Sea Serpent
.157 2 Mana Vault
.184 4 Phantasmal Terrain
.782 4 Segovian Leviathan
.422 4 Giant Tortoise
.48 1 Counterspell
.191 4 Power Sink
.573 4 Azure Drake

.vNone
.48 3 Counterspell
.vBlack
.48 3 Counterspell
.vBlue
.48 3 Counterspell
.vGreen
.144 1 Lifetap
.48 2 Counterspell
.vRed
.22 1 Blue Elemental Blast
.48 2 Counterspell
.vWhite
.48 3 Counterspell

Test Gauntlet result: Lost 1st duel to Lord of Fate

[jiansonz]

Sedge Beast
Deck file: 0219.dck
Plays: Black and Red
Life: 10/12/14/16
Frequent advantage: None in particular
Frequent special reward: Extra gold

Original Sedge Beast deck:
.164 10 Mountain
.239 10 Swamp
.528 4 Strip Mine
.931 2 Dancing Scimitar
.261 4 Uthden Troll
.236 4 Stone Rain
.582 4 Blight
.321 4 Fissure
.415 4 Erg Raiders
.124 4 Ironclaw Orcs
.606 4 Cyclopean Mummy
.376 2 Diabolic Machine
.679 1 Immolation

.vNone
.280 2 Weakness
.679 1 Immolation
.vBlack
.425 2 Hurr Jackal
.679 1 Immolation
.vBlue
.280 2 Weakness
.679 1 Immolation
.vGreen
.280 2 Weakness
.679 1 Immolation
.vRed
.280 2 Weakness
.679 1 Immolation
.vWhite
.280 2 Weakness
.679 1 Immolation

"This B/R deck is another deck idea that implies a missing card; in this case, the missing card is Sedge Troll. In fact, all three of these decks predicted a new card to be added later. Why make Tusk Elephant White unless you knew about War Elephant coming down the road in the first expansion? Then Kird Ape and Sedge Troll are obviously inspirations for the last two enemies.

This is, flat out, one of the best decks you’ll face naked. Land destruction meets cheap creatures for a difficult foe. We’re going to make it even more difficult.

Badlands are an obvious addition. I pulled the four artifact creatures for 4 Sedge Trolls. I then pulled 2 Weaknesses and two Cyclopean Mummy for 4 Sinkholes. Ouch. More land destruction is hot. I wanted Lightning Bolt, but I can’t add them to every deck around. This deck chose not to run them, and I have to respect that."

Abe removed most of the cards in the sideboards. The Jackals in there were obviously meant to stop Black creatures from regenerating. The deck is now so fine-tuned and nasty that I think Jackals are not going to add anything. I am going to skip the Sedge Beast sideboards altogeher.

Modified Sedge Beast deck:
.164 8 Mountain
.239 8 Swamp
.9 4 Badlands
.528 4 Strip Mine
.261 4 Uthden Troll
.236 4 Stone Rain
.321 4 Fissure
.415 4 Erg Raiders
.124 4 Ironclaw Orcs
.606 2 Cyclopean Mummy
.679 2 Immolation
.226 4 Sinkhole
.219 4 Sedge Troll
.582 4 Blight

Test Gauntlet result: Won 2 duels, then lost to Kzzy'n

[jiansonz]

Seer
Deck file: 0069.dck
Plays: Blue
Life: 4/6/8/10
Frequent advantage: None in particular
Frequent special reward: First move in the next duel
Special ability: Can summon a Conjurer (so you get to fight him instead of the Seer)

Original Seer deck:
.126 22 Island
.69 3 Drain Power
.52 4 Crystal Rod
.48 2 Counterspell
.260 4 Unsummon
.859 4 Zephyr Falcon
.326 4 Ghost Ship
.462 4 Unstable Mutation
.817 2 Time Elemental
.534 3 Tetravus
.538 3 Triskelion
.502 2 Hurkyl's Recall
.514 3 Ornithopter

"This deck makes me wonder. What is the theme here? At first, it looks like cheap creatures with speed added, like Unstable Mutation. You’ve got the Falcons and Mutations and Thopter and then what? Hurkyl’s Recall? Tetravus? Triskelion? Time Elemental? Ghost Ship? Drain Power? What is the theme here? It honestly looks like a random selection of Blue cards.

The Seer is supposed to be one of the earlier foes that you face. I have no clue what the theme is. It’s got early plays, late plays, some Recall abuse, some big creatures, and random cards like Drain Power and Time Elemental. I understand the desire to have Lucky Charms in each color, but why is Crystal Rod in with the deck that has 13 artifacts (that number includes the Rods)?

Without knowing what the exact theme is, it gets hard to specifically make modifications or updates. I look at the list again. What is the connection? Flavor? Power level? Casting Cost? Type? Instants, Interrupts, Sorceries, Enchantments, Lands, Artifacts and Creatures are all in the deck. Zero, one, two, three, four, and six are represented in the casting costs. We have counters, bounce, flyers, utility creatures, life gain, mana production, regeneration, zero power creatures, and enchant creatures. However, we do not have any of those in high numbers.

It looks like this deck’s only theme is being a Cuisinart deck that features a ton of different things but does not focus on any. Okay then, let’s push that.

-2 Unstable Mutation
+2 Psionic Blast

Let’s add burn!

-1 Drain Power
-1 Unsummon
+2 Jayemdae Tome

Let’s add card drawing!

-1 Zephyr Falcon
-1 Ghost Ship
+1 Control Magic
+1 Steal Artifact

And let’s add stealing!

Okay, now we have a modified deck. I mean, if you really want to have a bunch of themes, let’s push that to its natural conclusion."


Interesting changes. I like them, but the question is if the Seer likes them? On the lowest difficulty, she´ll be half dead if she casts a Psionic Blast...although she has the Crystal Rods to help with that problem.

Modified Seer deck:
.126 22 Island
.69 2 Drain Power
.48 2 Counterspell
.260 3 Unsummon
.859 3 Zephyr Falcon
.326 3 Ghost Ship
.462 2 Unstable Mutation
.817 2 Time Elemental
.534 3 Tetravus
.538 3 Triskelion
.502 2 Hurkyl's Recall
.514 3 Ornithopter
.194 2 Psionic Blast
.131 2 Jayemdae Tome
.44 1 Control Magic
.234 1 Steal Artifact
.52 4 Crystal Rod

Test Gauntlet result: Won 3 duels, then lost to Centaur Shaman

[jiansonz]

Shapeshifter
Deck file: 0263.dck
Plays: Blue
Life: 16/18/20/22
Frequent advantage: Shapeshifter (usually (out of mercy?) making it 0/7, or 7/0 so it goes to the graveyard)
Frequent special reward: Shapeshifter, or a duplicate card of your choice!

Original Shapeshifter deck:
.126 20 Island
.508 4 Mishra's Factory
.260 4 Unsummon
.867 2 Power Struggle
.502 4 Hurkyl's Recall
.525 3 Shapeshifter
.519 4 Primal Clay
.157 3 Mana Vault
.318 2 Fellwar Stone
.300 3 Apprentice Wizard
.575 2 Backfire
.503 1 Ivory Tower
.462 4 Unstable Mutation
.539 3 Urza's Avenger
.538 3 Triskelion

"I like the artifact friendly deck that this provides. Blue is merely a backdrop to the power of this deck. Frankly, you could pull Blue out altogether and just substitute some other pieces.

However, since one of the expansions gave us some great cards for this deck, I can make some significant modifications both in terms of flavor and in terms of power.

Before we begin, we need to touch upon Power Struggle, one of the Astral cards. Here is what it does:

Power Struggle
Enchantment
2UUU
At the beginning of each player’s upkeep, that player exchanges control of random target artifact, creature or land he or she controls with random permanent of that type that an opponent controls.

The effect of this is that virtually every turn, you swap lands. It is single handedly one of the most annoying experiences you will ever face in Magic. In here, the value is that the new lands you get can still fuel artifacts, I suppose, but after my modifications, this is not going to fit as much. You’ll see. For now:

-2 Power Struggle
+2 Clone

This deck is the Shapeshifter deck after all. Let’s add some shifters!

-2 Backfire
+2 Vesuvan Doppelganger

And more shifters here too!
We’ve already made this deck better right there.

A lot of decks this level have one or two restricted cards in the deck, but none of the power ones. This is not the place for Ancestral Recall and Time Walk. You’ll note that the deck has Mishra’s Workshop and Ivory Tower, both great choices for the deck. I want to add Copy Artifact. It is the only cards that is both suitable mechanically and flavor-wise. However, I do not want to push the restricted card envelope too much.

-1 Ivory Tower
+1 Copy Artifact

I think the Tower is fine in this deck, but the Copy Artifact is just flat out better.

-2 Fellwar Stone
+2 Basalt Monolith

I don’t know how the AI will treat the Basalt Monolith, but unlike Mana Vaults, it won’t kill the AI.

-2 Urza’s Avenger
+1 Triskelion
+1 Transmute Artifact

I have no idea how well the AI would handle this, but it would be fun to find out. Triskelion makes a lot of sense here as a one of.

There is a ton of mana acceleration in this deck. 25 lands, including one that taps for three mana, two Basalt Monoliths, 3 Mana Vaults and 3 Apprentice Wizards. I feel three Wizards might be a bit too much.
We see Unstable Mutations in way too many decks, and they don’t make that much sense here, so I want to pull them.

-4 Unstable Mutation
-1 Apprentice Wizard
+1 Clockwork Avian
+1 Clockwork Beast
+1 Tawnos’s Coffin
+1 Tetravus
+1 Drafna’s Restoration

These cards add flavor and strength to the deck while also adding options for the AI."

My original list did not have Mishra´s Workshop, but it´s a card that should have been in the deck.

Modified Shapeshifter deck:
.126 20 Island
.508 4 Mishra's Factory
.510 1 Mishra's Workshop
.260 4 Unsummon
.502 4 Hurkyl's Recall
.525 3 Shapeshifter
.519 4 Primal Clay
.157 3 Mana Vault
.300 2 Apprentice Wizard
.539 1 Urza's Avenger
.39 2 Clone
.263 2 Vesuvan Doppelganger
.47 1 Copy Artifact
.11 2 Basalt Monolith
.538 1 Triskelion
.537 1 Transmute Artifact
.484 1 Clockwork Avian
.38 1 Clockwork Beast
.531 1 Tawnos's Coffin
.534 1 Tetravus
.491 1 Drafna's Restoration

Test Gauntlet result: Won 2 duels, then lost to Kzzy´n

[jiansonz]

Sorcerer
Deck file: 0192.dck
Plays: Red
Life: 6/8/10/12
Frequent advantage: Mons' Goblin Raiders
Frequent special reward: A duplicate card of your choice!

.164 20 Mountain
.158 4 Manabarbs
.101 4 Goblin Balloon Brigade
.930 3 Brass Man
.163 4 Mons Goblin Raiders
.394 3 Ali Baba
.425 3 Hurr Jackal
.360 4 Sisters of the Flame
.854 4 Winds of Change
.145 4 Lightning Bolt
.649 4 Giant Strength

.vNone
.679 3 Immolation
.vBlack
.679 3 Immolation
.vBlue
.679 3 Immolation
.vGreen
.679 3 Immolation
.vRed
.26 2 Burrowing
.679 1 Immolation
.vWhite
.29 1 Celestial Prism
.514 2 Ornithopter

"I’m not even sure what the Sorcerer’s theme is. Bad Red cards, perhaps? It looks like a lot of cheap one-drops, and then Manabarbs. It’s all weird. Why is a Brass Man in a Manabarbs deck? Let’s harden its theme.

I pull the Brass Men. I add 3 Ankh of Mishra.
I pull 4 Mountains for 4 Strip Mines.

Now the Sorcerer deck is obviously about playing the small stuff and hitting your mana. With Manabarbs and Ankh of Mishra doing the heavy lifting, the small creatures are included just to nip it for a hit or two, and then nip back out.

Now the Sisters of the Flame have a purpose, giving you mana that won’t deal damage to you. The Strip Mines make the deck much more powerful."

Well done, Abe. This works for me.

Modified Sorcerer deck:
.164 16 Mountain
.528 4 Strip Mine
.158 4 Manabarbs
.101 4 Goblin Balloon Brigade
.163 4 Mons's Goblin Raiders
.394 3 Ali Baba
.425 3 Hurr Jackal
.360 4 Sisters of the Flame
.854 4 Winds of Change
.145 4 Lightning Bolt
.649 4 Giant Strength
.5 3 Ankh of Mishra

.vNone
.679 3 Immolation
.vBlack
.679 3 Immolation
.vBlue
.679 3 Immolation
.vGreen
.679 3 Immolation
.vRed
.26 2 Burrowing
.679 1 Immolation
.vWhite
.238 1 Sunglasses of Urza
.514 2 Ornithopter

Sideboard vs. White comment: I know the Sorcerer is supposed to be a 'chump' opponent, but there is still no reason to give him the lousy Celestial Prism as a defense against Conversion when there is a much better card for that purpose.

Test Gauntlet result: Lost 1st duel to Vampire Lord