Showdown #33: Nestled in Tokens
Showdown
Spootyone
16 January 2015
1870 views
Showdown #33: Nestled in Tokens
16 January 2015
1870 views
Showdown #33: Nestled in Tokens
Hello all and welcome back to Showdown! Are you all as excited for FRF as we are? Because we're pretty stoked. I'll admit though, I'm a bit afraid of Jeskai strategies as they seem to have been given a gift from the gods in the form of two cards most of you are probably already tired of hearing about: Monastery Mentor and soulfire grandmaster. Those two cards are gross. And if you don't believe me, I recommend watching the VS. video between Brad Nelson and Brian Braun-Duin (note: this is only available to those with SCG premium. Sorry!)
Last week Kaveth took his UW Heroic deck for a spin against a Sultai Control/superfriends deck and, surprisingly, Sultai came out on top. This week is Kaveth's turn to be the community deck player. So without further ado, I present potter2003 and his Mardu Tokens deck! I will be running a Naya Planeswalker brew I've been experimenting with. Let's get to the techs.
Deck Tech With Spootyone
This list I have here is a newer brew from me that I felt a bit forced into when I started experimenting with a Naya Midrange deck. The more I looked at things, the more I wanted to play Sarkhan...and Ajani...and Elspeth..and eventually it hit me that I should just go all Superfriendsy and get it over with.
The core of the deck is one most of you should be familiar with by now. I have caryatids and coursers. I have Hornet Nest as well to discourage temur or other aggro decks from attacking into me early on, and to discourage abzan from trying to trigger raid. The rest of my deck is comprised of the "win cons" and the "control elements"
The control elements of this deck are simply burn spells and wraths. Lightning Strike seems fine right now with abzan aggro and sidisi being everywhere, and it's also good against Heroic which can be a tough matchup for any slower deck. Stoke the Flames is nice to have on hand for creatures like Brimaz, King of Oreskos, Butcher of the Horde, and Stormbreath Dragon. Anger of the Gods is a token, sidisi, and Hornet Queen wrath. End Hostilities is an everything else wrath. Anger of the Gods also combos well with my nests, since I still get three insects afterwards.
My win cons are, of course, my planeswalkers. Xenagos can be a creature engine when necessary and can pump out mana for his friends when he needs to. Elspeth and Sarkhan can both win the game on their own. And Chandra and Ajani are card advantage engines. I lastly have Stormbreath Dragon. The dragon is a means of hedging against Heroic a bit as well as a means of just...winning. Stormbreath seems fairly well-positioned right now regardless of the murderous cuts, in my opinion.
Now, for this matchup. I think that Anger of the Gods is my single best card for it. I will need to wipe his board early and wipe it of many threats. Once I can stabilize, I should be okay, but I really need that early wrath.
4x courser of kruphix 2x hornet nest 3x stormbreath dragon 4x sylvan caryatid 4x lightning strike 2x stoke the flames 2x battlefield forge 2x blossoming sands 4x forest 4x mountain 2x plains 2x rugged highlands 2x temple of abandon 2x temple of plenty 2x windswept heath 4x wooded foothills 2x ajani, mentor of heroes 1x chandra, pyromaster 2x elspeth, sun's champion 2x sarkhan, the dragonspeaker 3x xenagos, the reveler 2x anger of the gods 3x end hostilities sideboard: 1x hammer of purphoros 3x genesis hydra 2x reclamation sage 2x banishing light 1x chandra, pyromaster 2x nissa, worldwaker 1x anger of the gods 3x glare of heresy
Deck Tech With Kaveth
The deck I chose here is pretty straight forward Mardu. In the past FNM’s I have attended Mardu has always presented a challenge for me and by UW Heroic ways. I have a bit of a bittersweet appreciation for Mardu and what it does. I am looking forward to seeing how the other side of the table feels.
Naya Midrange is what I am up against here and I feel like it is going to be a race. One thing I have experienced when playing against Mardu is that there are very few situations where the Mardu player can be forced on their hind legs in a racing situation – I am expecting the lines of play to be very straight forward here.
As for the things I am concerned with. Spootyone’s deck is operating off of a ramp shell, there is a possibility that I can be outclassed in board state prior to getting in the lethal damage. I am hoping to rely heavily on cheap efficient creatures, removal and other generic Mardu good stuff (Butcher of the Horde).
1x battlefield forge 2x bloodfell caves 2x bloodstained mire 3x caves of koilos 4x mountain 3x nomad outpost 1x plains 2x scoured barrens 1x swamp 2x temple of malice 1x temple of triumph 2x wind-scarred crag 3x chained to the rocks 4x bloodsoaked champion 2x butcher of the horde 2x goblin rabblemaster 3x monastery swiftspear 4x seeker of the way 2x utter end 2x stoke the flames 2x raise the alarm 1x deflecting palm 4x crackling doom 1x despise 3x hordeling outburst 1x ajani steadfast 1x elspeth, sun's champion 1x sarkhan, the dragonspeaker sideboard: 2x banishing light 1x brain maggot 2x deflecting palm 3x erase 3x glare of heresy 2x hushwing gryff 2x raise the alarm
Game 1
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Spootyone wins the die roll. I keep an opening hand of mountain, Battlefield Forge, Windswept Heath, Lightning Strike, Anger of the Gods, Xenagos, the Reveler and Ajani, Mentor of Heroes. This is quite a good hand -- especially since it has an anger already. |
Kaveth keeps his opening hand of 2Monastery Swiftspear, Butcher of the Horde a Crackling Doom, Temple of Malice, Scoured Barrens and a Nomad Outpost; seems reasonable enough albeit a bit slow. |
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S1: Draw: None I play a Battlefield Forge and pass. |
K1: Draw: Nomad Outpost Hoping for a bit more gas moving forward, but the plan is fairly straight forward here. Temple of Malice revealed a Raise the Alarm which I left on top, more fuel for butcher when the time comes. |
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S2: Draw: Forest Mountain, pass. |
K2: Draw: Raise the Alarm Nomad Outpost into Monastery Swiftspear, which is hit by a Lightning Strike before damage. Pass. |
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S3: Draw: Hornet Nest Oooo....spicy. I play the nest and pass. |
K3: Draw: Elspeth, Sun's Champion I respect the Hornet Nest here. Scoured Barens gaining 1 (21) and passing is my play here. Looking for an untapped land off the top to get some quick value out of Butcher of the Horde. 20/21 |
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S4: Draw: Battlefield Forge I play the forge and then Xenagos, making a token. I attack for two and pass, and at EoT Kaveth plays Raise the Alarm. 20/19 |
K4: Draw: Utter End No real clear plays here. I play the Nomad Outpost and leave up Crackling Doom mana looking for some value before Butcher of the Horde next turn. |
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S5: Draw: Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker I go to combat and swing for 2. Second main, I take one and play Anger of the Gods, which wipes the field and leaves me with three insect tokens. I then plus my Xenagos to make 3 mana, play my fetchland to go get a forest, and then tap out to play Ajani, mentor of heroes, which I plus to put a counter on each of my insects. Pass. I didn't play Sarkhan in order to play around Crackling Doom. 17/17 |
K5: Draw: Seeker of the Way I don’t see a path out of this. Concede. |
Spooty wins game 1
Sideboarding with Spootyone
Out: 2x Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
In: 1x Anger of the Gods, 1x Chandra, Pyromaster
That...felt a bit one-sided. It wasn't until we started playing that I realized just how much this opposing deck needs Bile Blight, simply because it couldn't beat a small handful of Insect tokens. The deck seems like it needs a little bit of tuning before this will be a solid matchup.
Going into the sideboard game(s), I feel my changes are simple. I need to bring in my third copy of Anger of the Gods, and I would like my second copy of Chandra, Pyromaster. I can take out my two Ajani, Mentor of Heroes to do this since they are generally not great in an aggro matchup. Hopefully this is less painful.
Sideboarding with Kaveth
Out: 3 Chained to the Rocks, 1x Elspeth, Sun's Champion, 1x Deflecting Palm
In: 2 Banishing Light, 2 Raise the Alarm, 1 Glare of Heresy
The plan is simple. Trying to be quicker and more versatile with this next game; I will be on the play.
Game 2
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Kaveth keeps an opening hand of Temple of Malice and Caves of Koilos, 2 Hordeling Outburst, Seeker of the Way, Glare of Heresy and Raise the Alarm. I have a bit of a curve going on. Will be keeping. |
I mulligan a semi-good hand that is missing green mana. I keep a hand of Blossoming Sands, Mountain, Sylvan Caryatid, 2x End Hostilities and Xenagos, the Reveler. Ehhh...good enough, I hope. |
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K1: Draw: none Temple of Malice tapped, scrying a Seeker of the Way to the bottom. Really need to hit my land drops here. |
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K2: Draw: Crackling Doom Drew into Crackling Doom, Really do need the land drop soon. Playing Caves of Koilos and casting Raise the Alarm taking 1 (19) into a turn 3 Seeker of the Way or Glare of Heresy assuming no lands show up. |
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K3: Draw: Monastery Swiftspear Still looking for that land. I play the Monastery Swiftspear, and attack with all my creatures. Caryatid blocks the swiftspear and 2 damage is taken. |
S3: Draw: Hornet Nest I play my courser and reveal a caryatid. classic. Pass. |
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K4: Draw: still looking for that land Drew into Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker. I can’t afford to attack here without the third land. Pass. |
S4: Draw: Sylvan Caryatid I reveal another Xenagos. Eh. I play the second caryatid to set up my next turns and pass. |
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K5: Draw: Butcher of the Horde The joke isn’t funny anymore. I suppose I could pretend to have a lightning strike here and swing in against his Courser of Kruphix. Holding 5 non-creature spells in hand leads me to believe that the trade isn’t worth it. Pass. |
S5: Draw: Xenagos, the Reveler I reveal a forest and play it off the top. This reveals another nest. I play xenagos, plus him, and then tap out to play the first nest. pass. |
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K6: Draw: Wind-Scarred Crag Drew my third land, Wind-Scarred Crag. Played it and passed, hoping again for an untapped land so I can play Butcher of the Horde and kill his Xenagos, the Reveler, flying over his Hornet Nest. Sounds a bit like game 1. |
S6: Draw: Hornet Nest I reveal a Sarkhan. I plus my xenagos (I'm just going to try to ultimate him, I guess). I use the mana to play another nest and pass. |
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K7: Draw: Swamp Drew Swamp, played it to cast Butcher of the Horde, sacrificing a soldier token to give him haste. Swinging in to kill his Xenagos, the Reveler to which he immediately eats a Stoke the Flames. Pass. |
S7: Draw: Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker I reveal a wooded foothills and play it, revealing a Stormbreath Dragon. I plus Xenagos and use the mana to play Sarkhan, which I plus and attack for 4 with. Pass. |
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K8: Draw: Bloodsoaked Champion I guess my play here is that, and Hordeling Outburst for some hopeful momentum going into the final turn of the game. |
S8: Draw: Stormbreath Dragon I reveal a mountain and play it. I ultimate my Xenagos (because why not) to get 6 lands and a caryatid....wow. I play them all and reveal anger of the gods from the top. I then play and plus my other Xenagos to play a Stormbreath Dragon. I use the remaining mana I have to monstrous the dragon and deal 5 damage to Kaveth, and I swing in with the dragon and Sarkhan, dealing lethal. |
Spooty Wins the Match!
Afterthoughts
Spooty: With all respect to potter2003, this was a bit of a blowout.
The biggest obvious problem with this matchup with that the submitted deck had little to no way to get past Hornet Nest or Insect tokens. While this isn't explicitly a problem, the reason why the deck COULDN'T get past it was due to the exclusion of a black removal staple: Bile Blight. I'm not sure the reasoning for not running the card, but it should be said that if this deck had bile blight things could have gone much differently, as there would have been a way to get rid of the early blocker and continue on.
I think the mana curve needs to be lowered a bit, here. I don't see many reasons for the slew of walkers. I think that if any walker should be included that it should be Sorin, Solemn Visitor. he's going to gain much more life than an Ajani Steadfast would and is a much cheaper and more synergistic card than Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker. I think Butcher of the Horde needs to be upped as it is also incredibly powerful and is the reach a deck like this needs.
Overall, I think this deck needs a bit of refining for it to be competitive. The mana base needs to be made to suit an aggro deck by having less tapped lands and more untapped ones. The curve needs to be lowered to support the archetype, and the removal spells need to be able to be effective on earlier turns, since that's when things are going to be getting in the way for a deck like this. The sideboard could also use a bit of help. Cards like Brain Maggot could simply be another Despise or Thoughtseize. Deflecting Palm is probably just not necessary. Etc.
Kaveth: I don’t really understand the point of black mana in this list. Granted, Butcher of the Horde is the card I was expecting to do a ton of work, overall it felt like the splashing of black just muddled an otherwise polished R/W Tokens list.
I think more lands are necessary or at least a sizable chunk of high CMC cards such as Utter End and all of the planeswalkers should be removed. It felt absolutely wrong to have a hand full of 3, 4 and 5 drops with only 2 or 3 lands on the field after keeping what should have been reasonable hands in both games.
Beyond that, a single Hornet Nest shouldn’t be a complete show stopper for an aggro deck. Its appearance in game 1 was troubling which turned absolutely back breaking after the Anger of the Gods resolved. Game 2 it was less Hornet Nest and more Courser of Kruphix preventing profitable attacks. The fact is that large toughness creatures shouldn’t be a problem for a deck.
I think that Bile Blight, or other cheaper non-creature spells would be reasonable here to enable prowess on Monastery Swiftspear and Seeker of the Way, deal with Hornet Nest cleanly and offer opportunities for combat tricks with larger creatures such as Courser of Kruphix, Siege Rhino, or anything else that could attempt to gum up the ground game. Additionally, more copies of Butcher of the Horde are an absolute must as well for all of the reasons I mentioned above.
Lastly I feel Chained to the Rocks should be removed entirely unless the mana base is completely revamped to allow for easier mountain access. In both games I never saw a single Mountain which proves counter intuitive to the 3 copies of Chained to the Rocks mainboard.
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$5.00 = You will receive a personal thank you and mention in the next article I release!
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$25.00 = In addition to the deck analysis, I will run a 5-game playtesting match between your chosen deck and any other of your choice, be it your own, a pillar of the format, or even one of my own creations! Afterwards, I will provide you with a detailed synopsis of how things went, and give my opinions and suggestions about the chosen deck. This will be in addition to the notation in the next article.
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HolyFalcon says... #2
Thanks for the feature! Taking your tips into consideration, I'm going to rebuild my deck a bit when I get home. I have access to more butchers, but I think Elspeth is too good of a token gen to remove. Sarkhan is a nice 4/4 flier, but he can easily be removed by sac effects. Probably going to be replacing him and something else for those bile blights you recommended. I like Ajani for his -3, but I see how sorin does it better with his +1. Already redoing the land base in my head, almost got it worked out. As for brain maggot, I guess I'll replace it with a thoughtsieze and see how it performs, but now I don't get to use my super cool maggot promo :( Anyways, thanks again for the feature!
January 16, 2015 3:43 p.m.
Thank you very much for taking the loss in stride and paying attention to the information provided, Potter2003. :) I'm glad you enjoyed.
January 16, 2015 3:56 p.m.
I submit
GB Killer Constellation Playtest
Standard
SCORE: 0 | 0 COMMENTS | 94 VIEWSand
SIMIC MONSTERS Playtest
Standard
SCORE: 0 | 0 COMMENTS | 138 VIEWSJanuary 16, 2015 4:06 p.m.
Nice showdown, like always. I'm really liking all the different decks you are bringing in, since I've always had a soft spot for superfriends. The double mana screw was really painful there for the Mardu tokens, wishing I could have seen how it would hold up with proper land drops.
Anyways, here's my Naya Alesha, Who Smiles at Death deck I submitted last week, with a full sideboard this time, and a better name --
Alesha and the Stingers - Naya Rock Band Playtest
Standard*
SCORE: 3 | 5 COMMENTS | 446 VIEWSHope you guys like it. Can't wait to see next week with all the new FRF cards!
January 16, 2015 8:47 p.m.
Great Article as always Guys!
I'd like to submit my deck
The Savage Frontier Playtest
Standard*
SCORE: 13 | 7 COMMENTS | 2021 VIEWSIt is a budget deck but plays very well in my experience. Hope you like it!
January 16, 2015 9:31 p.m.
zephramtripp says... #7
MonoRed Aggro Playtest
Standard
SCORE: 1 | 3 COMMENTS | 123 VIEWSAn aggro list that I have had some good times with. It may not be that good.
January 16, 2015 10:50 p.m.
Potter2003 - I agree with Spootyone about some of the problems of the deck, namely the mana base. Solving it will also solve your inclusion of Bile Blight or not. White can solve the same Hornet Nest problem with Banishing Light or Chained to the Rocks, but I don't know if you can play Chained to the Rocks and Bile Blight in the same deck.
Are you base Rwb or base Brw? The addition of Thoughtseize and the one drop Bloodsoaked Champion seem to suggest you're base black, so Bile Blight and Murderous Cut are good there.
You also probably shouldn't be playing Scoured Barrens or Temple of Malice in an aggro deck - max out on Caves of Koilos first. That said, thanks for submitting and letting me read that article!
January 17, 2015 3:24 p.m.
January 18, 2015 12:45 a.m.
SevynnthDimension says... #10
Hey Spootyone, I liked the article (wish there was music for your head though). Good job as always, anyway here's my submission. It's an aggro based Temur deck that's working a lot better than my old GUR Face.
This is my GUR Face! 2 | FRF Aggro Edition Playtest
Standard*
SCORE: 7 | 14 COMMENTS | 887 VIEWSThanks,
-SD
January 18, 2015 6:39 p.m.
HolyFalcon says... #11
I now present......MY FINAL FORM
You Wanna Go? | Mardu Aggro | Semi-Tokens Playtest
Standard*
SCORE: 8 | 8 COMMENTS | 1294 VIEWSJanuary 18, 2015 8:59 p.m.
Spootyone, is it ok if we include FRF cards in this submission? Most of my standard decks have been edited to include them seeing as release is so soon...
The next Showdown article won't be released until after release, but I'm not sure how long it takes you to write and format them. Maybe you do the actual games early on, and take a while to do the write-up.
Just wondering! Great games, though it does suck that the Mardu deck just couldn't deal with Hornet Nest.
January 19, 2015 12:23 a.m.
TheHroth: Thank you for reminding me! Yes, all submissions can certainly include FRF cards from here on out.
January 19, 2015 2:51 a.m.
Awesome, thanks! I'll decide which deck to submit when I get home tonight then.
January 19, 2015 7:53 a.m.
Blisterdark says... #15
January 19, 2015 9:35 a.m.
My stupid phone wont let me link it, but I have a deck based around Dark Deal in my profile. Its pretty fun, check it out.
January 19, 2015 1:22 p.m.
Programmer_112 says... #17
I'd like to submit
Jeskai Counterburn Playtest
Standard*
SCORE: 1 | 3 COMMENTS | 111 VIEWS. It's not perfectly tuned, but I think it's a pretty good example of what Jeskai will look like in the coming Standard. The sideboard is mostly deck-specific hate, although I did finish off the playset of Rabblemaster there, for when Stoke needs to be Convoked.
January 19, 2015 7:52 p.m.
Ok, I couldn't decide what deck to submit so I made a new one.
Possibly Good Waste Not Deck Playtest
Standard*
SCORE: 1 | 2 COMMENTS | 54 VIEWSFRF Standard is gunna be fun.
January 19, 2015 11:35 p.m.
doriboncore says... #19
Here is my submission, Mardu Warrior Tribal.
Mardu Warrior Black/Red/White Deck Playtest
Standard*
SCORE: 3 | 2 COMMENTS | 1019 VIEWSJanuary 20, 2015 9:49 a.m.
Great article guys!
Spootyone I have been using Hornet Nest since its release and have loved it.
You know what else I'd love? You guys using my Sultai Devotion deck in your next article =D I have recently acquired the last few cards I needed and now feel the deck is the best it can be.
Share the Wealth Playtest
Standard*
SCORE: 3 | 1 COMMENTS | 194 VIEWSJanuary 20, 2015 4:40 p.m.
Hey Spootyone and Kaveth, I have a new build I'd like y'all to take a look at. :) I've never constructed Jund before, and I'd like some feedback on it if you have some time. Also, it is my next submission for the Showdown:
Behold the Power of the Nightfury! Playtest
Standard*
SCORE: 4 | 12 COMMENTS | 564 VIEWSJanuary 20, 2015 9:48 p.m.
Hickorysbane says... #22
Another great article followed by another slew of submissions. Keep up the good work guys.
Hardcore Heroes Playtest
Standard
SCORE: 1 | 0 COMMENTS | 383 VIEWSJanuary 21, 2015 10:14 a.m.
Chachamara says... #23
Hiya! I've been really into your articles over the past couple months. Love the new direction you're taking with it.
Recently, I constructed a deck I found here on TappedOut (credit given in the description), but I ended up modifying it quite a bit, cutting several planeswalkers and adding card draw. I've played with it quite a lot on Cockatrice and it's been a blast, and I think you guys would enjoy it as well. I hope you'll consider giving it a shot.
Breakfast Cheese Playtest
Standard*
SCORE: 0 | 0 COMMENTS | 15 VIEWSJanuary 21, 2015 10:29 a.m.
burghurkhang says... #24
I took tokens in a completely different direction:
Abzan Spirits(Fate Reforged edition) Playtest
Standard*
SCORE: 6 | 6 COMMENTS | 284 VIEWSJanuary 22, 2015 12:38 a.m.
CommanderOfBolas says... #25
It has been a while since I have submitted a deck, so here it is, my current standard deck
Siegeing the Day Playtest
Standard*
SCORE: 0 | 0 COMMENTS | 98 VIEWSJanuary 22, 2015 1:57 p.m.
I submit
R/G Aggressive Midrange Playtest
Standard*
SCORE: 1 | 5 COMMENTS | 193 VIEWSThis my first submission.
January 22, 2015 6:44 p.m.
I'd like to submit
and
I've been brewing way too much for FRF but i'll probably just play these two decks because I have most of the cards for them. They aren't exactly tier 1 but they are really fun.
January 22, 2015 7:42 p.m.
Sweet article just found it so I thought I would give it a go.Sidisi's Horde
January 23, 2015 11:19 a.m.
alexthegreat38 says... #29
I'm not sure if this is too late, but I'll submit my new look at FRF Temur Aggro --
Temur Reforged Playtest
Standard*
SCORE: 2 | 3 COMMENTS | 572 VIEWS
Spootyone says... #1
I need to emphasize the criteria for deck submissions, as it's going to help us choose in the future. Please, if you submit a deck, pay attention to these when choosing.
1.) The deck must be Standard-legal. We are not versed in Modern right now and it would be wrong of us to pilot a Modern deck and claim to know what we were doing.
2.) The deck must have a 15-card sideboard. In an effort to remain fair, both decks need to have the ability to sideboard -- even if it's poor. Please make sure the deck has a sideboard. If you have unique SB choices or choices in general that would not be easy to comprehend, please explain them so we can know what we're doing with your deck.
3.) Do whatever you can not to limit your creativity and skill. This means don't allow cost to become an issue. If you don't own the cards IRL, it's fine. Having less good cards in the deck means bias during the match when the card is only there for monetary reasons. NOTE: If you create a Budget deck for the purposes of it being so, that is different and is fine. But please note the distinct differences between budget-building and (for example) only having one copy of Thoughtseize or Siege Rhino because that's all you currently own.
Apart from these stipulations, go nuts in deck building! But please, make sure these rules are followed when submitting so that we don't have to shoot down a perfectly fine deck just because it has a 3-card SB or because it's playing Aven Skirmisher as a proxy for Wingmate Roc.
Thank you and enjoy!
January 16, 2015 2:43 p.m.