When me and 'the guys' get together we have our own homebrew casual format we play to even the playing field.
This format is a deck consisting of:
- 4 Rares (one of which may be a mythic)
- 11 Uncommons
- As many Commons as you would like
This was intended to make things more equal between the players who have heaps of cards and those who have spent less money on the gamw. I should mention that these limitations are to the main board. So you can have additional Rares etc. in the sideboard, just so long as when you sideboard you stick to the parameters of the format.
Around this I have created a Thing in the Ice
mill deck.
4 Rares
Thing in the Ice
. This card is one win condition. With a heap of cheap draw spells this should transform pretty consistently by turn 4 or 5. Clears the board and swings for 7. What isn't to like.
11 Uncommons
4 Sphinx's Tutelage the main win condition. Heaps of cheap draw spells in order to mill the opponent out.
2 Remand awesome counter spell early game to put opponent back on tempo + additional draw to find Tutelage or Thing. Not so good late game if opponent has enough mana to re-cast but can fuel Tutelage.
2 AEtherize the only mass removal I have/could find that is uncommon or less. Used to fog opponent for a couple of turns if they alpha strike.
3 Clash of Wills Fantastic soft counter spell, but can also be a one mana instant spell to transform Thing in the Ice.
25 Commons
4 Serum Visions part of the one mana draw spell selection. Fuels Tutelage and smooths out the draw.
4 Preordain part of the one mana draw spell selection. Fuels Tutelage and smooths out the draw.
4 Gitaxian Probe can be cast for 2 life, making transforming Thing easier, also helps me know what I need to play around and draws for more Tutelage triggers.
4 Negate part of the counter suite. Cheap and instant speed Thing flip.
4 Essence Scatter part of the counter suite. Cheap and instant speed Thing flip.
3 Ponder part of the one mana draw spell selection. Can be used also to shuffle the deck.
2 Treasure Cruise part of the one mana draw spell selection. With so many cheap spells I should be consistently casting this for 1 mana and getting 3 Tutelage triggers and refilling the hand.
