"If we have learned nothing else, we have learned to survive." - Mystic elder
How to win by playing with yourself. Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer is almost more powerful as a political piece than what his abilities actually offer. On one hand he is a nuclear deterrent, threatening to turn Malignus into a giant golden elemental turd. On the flip side you could just as easily offer to lock up someone's cannon fodder so they may draw a card. Either way the target is off your back and you get to watch the mess unfold as the hate is thrown around the table, always missing you. In a perfect game the last words your opponents will say are, "Oh shit..." as they realize you sat too quite for too long and now you've won. It's a pillow fort but you're hiding inside with a can of pepper spray waiting for someone to peak through the cracks.
Play With Yourself To Win
There are four win conditions in the deck. Two cost 4, one costs 5 and one 6. They are designed to be independent of other players and thus more reliable.
Azor's Elocutors: The pinnacle of your pillow fort. It takes 6 turns to win making it one of the shortest turn based wins.
Felidar Sovereign & Test of Endurance: Two life total based wins, one creature and the other an enchantment with realistic life goals. 40 life for the Sovereign and 50 for Endurance.
Now my personal favorite.
Mechanized Production: It is the jalapeno popper of win-con wrapped in utility. It copies an artifact each of your upkeeps. If you are lucky enough to get 8 of the same one... you win! But wait, there's more! It's not eight of the enchanted artifact, it's eight of ANY artifact. So bring on the Pentavites and Myr. Pentavus & Myr Battlesphere are useful cards to start with. Now add Anointed Procession, Wake the Reflections or Rootborn Defenses and you shouldn't have any problem getting eight artifacts with the same name.
Or build a bigger better pillow.
Slap it on Norn's Annex and make it really painful to attack. Or better yet an indestructible artifact. This also works great with:
Life Gain, Card Draw and Combos
Since you'll be playing with yourself you need to keep the action going. You have the plays to win, now you just need the life, cards and mana.
Rhystic Study: Keeping with the theme of making your opponents pay to play this also makes them think twice.
Combos FTW
Deadeye Navigator + Great Whale or Peregrine Drake: Mana from the sea and sky. A commonly known infinite mana combo. This has more applications than I care to cover so use your imagination.
Vedalken Orrery & Leyline of Anticipation: The theme is play with yourself and these cards enable just that. If your win conditions are met why play cards earlier than needed? This allows you to drop your win-con cards at the beginning of the last opponents end step. Got 50 life? Play Felidar Sovereign & Test of Endurance before your upkeep. Your soon to be ex-friends won't know what hit em.
The Wall, The Chains and a Can of Pepper Spray
Hold the door! No really, keep em out. Many of these are pillow fort staples and some are just personal preference. Here is a breakdown and why.
Norn's Annex: Opponents would rather not pay life or mana to attack. This makes them choose.
Sphere of Safety: Increases the attack cost by the number of enchantments you have out.
Propaganda: Costs attacker 2 for each creature. They have to really want to attack you.
Ghostly Prison: Again, costs the attacker 2 per attacking creature.
Windborn Muse: 2 to attack but this time the source is a creature. 2/3 with flying but she is more of a utility. Throw some Lightning Greaves on her and tell her to look pretty.
Kami of False Hope: A great 1-cost card to play diplomat or defend yourself. Simply sacrifice and prevent all combat damage.
Soul Snare: More of a psychological wall but effective.
Magus of the Moat: A great way to shut down non-flyers. Again he is a creature so he is more vulnerable.
Or
Blazing Archon: Well, now no creatures can attack you. Definitely park some Swiftfoot Boots on this cat.
Now, let's get creative.
Fog Bank / Guard Gomazoa / Dawn Elemental: They all have one thing in common. They take no damage. How do I turn them into a bigger wall than they already are? Pariah's Shield. Now you don't even have to block!
To add insult to injury put Pariah's Shield on the Stuffy Doll. Let someone forget they are the target of voodoo magic and blow themselves up attacking you. Or use it as leverage to take out another player. Either way someone will be suprised.
Spell Damage
While Pariah's Shield falls into this category it is not the only tool in the box.
Purity: Never forget those nasty direct damage cards. With this flying elk thing you gain life instead of taking spell/ability damage. This will effectively remove you as a target and benefit you when some deals global damage.
- Side note: If you get bored target yourself with Stuffy Doll + Pariah's Shield when Purity is in play. The result is hilarious loop of infinite life gain when you take damage. (I need a ruling on this one)
Selfless Squire: How about we prevent ALL forms of damage and turn them into +1/+1 counters. And we do it as a surprise! This is a great card to keep up your sleeve when some starts getting ornery and attacks you full force. He also pairs nicely with Deadeye Navigator for a 2-mana prevent all damage and keep him growing!
Harsh Judgment: This isn't as versatile but once you've established who the threats are you can persuade them not to use direct damage against you.
Remember counterspells are your friend and we will cover those separately.
Lockdown
Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer: 2-mana and tap. Lock down any creature of your choice.
Darksteel Mutation: Pesky commanders on the board? Turn them into a 0/1 beetle.
Prison Term: One of my favorite lockdowns because of the political power it comes with. You can move it for free to creatures that enter the battlefield. Maybe save the entire table some heartache.
Weight of Conscience: This is a great card to threaten with. Enchanted creature can't attack BUT if the player gets feisty you can exile the creature. This keeps the utility of the creature directed away from you.
Spectral Grasp: For 2 you can keep creatures off your back and directing hate to others.
Swords to Plowshares: Its a trade. 1-mana, exile creature and give the owner life equal to it's power. Not ideal but cheap.
Oblivion Ring: Versitile spot removal.
Kirtar's Desire: 1-cost and target creature can't attack.
Revoke Existence: Specifically for artifacts and enchantments but good spot removal.
Delay
Turn to Frog: A temporary play designed as a back up. The bonus is the creature loses all abilities and that can be useful.
Blind Obedience: I love Haste, when it's mine. So if I can't have it, no one can. Cards enter tapped.
Frozen AEther: Calm your tits. Everything comes in tapped. A bit more expensive but still good to have.
Frost Titan: Tappity TAP! With a built in counter spell. He also pairs well with Deadeye Navigator.
Rush of Ice: 1-cost tap.
Skyline Cascade: A land that taps a creature.
Suppose someone is stupid enough to attack you, every group has that one idiot that has to poke the hibernating bear. Here are a few surprises to ruin their day.
Mirror Strike: When someone tries to jump over the wall and Voltron you with a 40/40 this is both beautiful and unexpected. You can one shot someone for just 4 mana.
Reverberation: Just like Mirror Strike but for sorceries. Take the spell and throw it back in the caster's face.
The Passive-Aggresive Response
The ablative armor of your fort is counterspells. Spot removal is always a problem and this addresses just that. In addition you need to be able to shut down aggresive players when you become the target of their affection.
Arcane Denial: Counterspell that allows you to draw a card. Use cautiously as your opponent gets two.
Cancel: Straight up Counterspell.
Desertion: One of my favorites. Counter and place the spell under your control.
Utility Box
In an active games you are going to burn a lot of spells and probably lose some creatures along the way. This portion of the deck is dedicated to keeping you in a playable position.
Sun Titan: This keeps your graveyard in play. As lockdowns get removed you can use the Sun Titan to bring them out and attach them as you see fit. (Rule 303.4) He also pairs nicely with Deadeye Navigator for this purpose. This keeps your wall up and opponents creatures down.
Back from the Brink: If spot removal has been an issues or you've discarded a creature this will keep them in the game.
Copy Enchantment: So many uses. I won't list them all.
Mesa Enchantress: There are 20+ enchantments. Let's draw some cards.
Halimar Depths: Scy 3
Shelldock Isle & Windbrisk Heights: Unique cards that let you play a card for free under certain conditions.
Your Help
Before I build this I need some advice. There isn't a lot of life gain. This is an issues as I need it for two win-cons.
Is populate worth it? I like Mechanized Production for the utility and win. But should I let it work on it's own?
I tried to keep the cost to $10 or less per card.
Any other suggestions are appreciated.
