Scars of Mirrodin Sealed Deckbuilding, Part 2
October 18, 2010 Leave a comment
Let’s start by making this a little more organized.
Artifacts
Memnite
Accorder’s Shield
Nihil Spellbomb
Horizon Spellbomb
Panic Spellbomb
Vector Asp*
Iron Myr
Copper Myr
Culling Dais
Etched Champion
Etched Champion
Snapsail Glider
Barbed Battlegear
Sylvok Replica
Trigon of Infestation*
Trigon of Corruption
Myr Galvanizer
Myr Galvanizer
Venser’s Journal
Platinum Emperion
Black
Fume Spitter
Tainted Strike
Psychic Miasma
Dross Hopper
Dross Hopper
Blistergrub
Blistergrub
Moriok Reaver
Moriok Reaver
Ichor Rats*
Relic Putrescense
Instill Infection
Geth, Lord of the Vault
Exsanguinate
Green
Carapace Forger
Blight Mamba*
Blight Mamba*
Cystbearer*
Blunt the Assault
Blunt the Assault
Tel-Jilad Fallen
Slice in Twain
Molder Beast
Acid Web Spider
Red
Galvanic Blast
Goblin Gaveleer
Shatter
Shatter
Embersmith
Ferrovore
Ferrovore
Ferrovore
Vulshok Heartstoker
Blade-Tribe Berserkers
Blade-Tribe Berserkers
Melt Terrain
Blue
Twisted Image
Turn Aside
Plated Seastrider
Steady Progress
Steady Progress
Neurok Invisimancer
Argent Sphinx
Lumengrid Drake
Lumengrid Drake
Sky-Eel School
Scrapdiver Serpent
Quicksilver Gargantuan
White
Salvage Scout
Seize the Initiative
Myrsmith
Abuna Acolyte
Auriok Edgewright
Revoke Existence
Whitesun’s Passage
Loxodon Wayfarer
Loxodon Wayfarer
Loxodon Wayfarer
Kemba’s Skyguard
Vigil for the Lost
Elspeth Tirel
Razor Hippogriff
Land
Darkslick Shores
Blackcleave Cliffs
*Infect
Emphasis on cards that could possibly be maindeck quality. That cuts our list down to 51 “playable” – fringe or otherwise – cards for the deck. That should seem a lot less daunting than the original 90, and there are still a lot of conditional cards in there. Infect, for example, needs to be ruled in or out. Here are the cards with Infect:
Vector Asp
Blight Mamba
Blight Mamba
Cystbearer
Trigon of Infestation
Ichor Rats
Instill Infection
Cystbearer is really really good, and Blight Mamba will probably make a Green maindeck with or without an Infect theme, but overall this list is pretty weak. We’ll keep the Blight Mambas in mind, but the rest of the Infect cards will sit on the bench. Does Black or Green have enough maindeck cards to consider either?
Fume Spitter
Geth, Lord of the Vault
Carapace Forger
Blight Mamba
Blight Mamba
Tel-Jilad Fallen
Slice in Twain
Molder Beast
Acid Web Spider
Once again, these are the playable Black and Green cards. Geth, Lord of the Vault is a game-ending bomb, but there is literally zero support (Fume Spitter doesn’t count). Black is clearly out. Green has a few very solid cards – Carapace Forger could figure in quite nicely to a Metalcraft theme, Tel-Jilad Fallen is exceptional, Slice in Twain is solid removal, and both 5-drop Creatures are solid. However, having to dip into a color this shallow is not ideal. Let’s pass on Green for now and see what the other colors offer. First, what are the bombs? Are there any?
Elspeth Tirel
Geth, Lord of the Vault
From there, it’s up to you whether you include Myrsmith or Embersmith. Both will absolutely dominate the game unanswered, but it’s hard to consider a 2-drop 2/1 as a game-ending bomb. Elspeth Tirel however is an obvious choice. Planeswalkers are difficult enough to deal with in Limited, but her -2 ability is so good at protecting herself that her ultimate should happen more often than not. What is White offering?
Myrsmith
Auriok Edgewright
Revoke Existence
Kemba’s Skyguard
Elspeth Tirel
Razor Hippogriff
Is this enough for a maindeck color? Elspeth gives a late game option to end the game, and it’s perhaps correct to include some number of Loxodon Wayfarer in this category if the deck ends up in an Elspeth Tirel or bust situation. Auriok Edgewright is conditional on having enough Artifacts for Metalcraft, but a Grizzly Bear is his worst case scenario and that’s never all that bad. The rest of the cards here are quite solid, providing good flyers, Myrsmith, and Revoke Existence. White is a very likely maindeck color.
Galvanic Blast
Shatter
Shatter
Embersmith
Ferrovore
Ferrovore
Ferrovore
Blade-Tribe Berserkers
Blade-Tribe Berserkers
Red is going to make a splash, but it’s not clear yet whether it will do more. In any case, Galvanic Blast, both Shatters, and Embersmith are going to make the maindeck. Especially when paired with White and Myrsmith, Blade-Tribe Berserkers becomes an attractive possibility. Ferrovore might only be fringe playable, and it will only make the maindeck if there is either a gluttony of Artifacts or a dearth of playables in other colors.
Twisted Image
Steady Progress
Steady Progress
Neurok Invisimancer
Argent Sphinx
Lumengrid Drake
Lumengrid Drake
Sky-Eel School
Quicksilver Gargantuan
Blue is actually pretty deep in this pool. Twisted Image isn’t too exciting, though it cycles and could be a useful combat trick. Steady Progress is similar. The “meat” of Blue is found in Argent Sphinx, both Lumengrid Drakes, Sky-Eel School, and Quicksilver Gargantuan. Quicksilver Gargantuan may be big enough to be a bomb rare, but it’s still a 7-drop creature. Too often it will just copy an irrelevant ability or something subpar, and a 7/7 for 7 isn’t really beating the curve. Either way, it will make a Blue maindeck.
Without having looked at the Artifacts yet, White and Blue appear to be the deepest colors with Red offering an undeniable splash. However, after selecting our Artifacts, how many maindeck slots are we really going to be left with?
Memnite
Accorder’s Shield
Nihil Spellbomb*
Horizon Spellbomb*
Panic Spellbomb*
Iron Myr*
Copper Myr*
Culling Dais
Etched Champion
Etched Champion
Snapsail Glider
Barbed Battlegear
Sylvok Replica*
Trigon of Corruption
Both copies of Etched Champion, any on-color Myr, and any on-color Spellbombs are automatic inclusions. Sylvok Replica is extremely good, but it only works with Green. Snapsail Glider is an Artifact and a Creature, and this deck is hurting for both right now. Culling Dais is card drawing (albeit not directly), and with a deck as lackluster as what we’ve got so far, digging for Elspeth Tirel might be the best chance at winning. Finally, Trigon of Corruption might take Black mana to recharge, but it still works three times without (or more with Proliferate). If we’re going with the original plan of W/U/r, here are the cards that are in the maindeck so far.
Elspeth Tirel
Revoke Existence
Myrsmith
Galvanic Blast
Shatter
Shatter
Embersmith
Etched Champion
Etched Champion
Iron Myr
Horizon Spellbomb
Panic Spellbomb
Culling Dais
Snapsail Glider
Trigon of Corruption
With White as a maindeck color, you can add the following:
Kemba’s Skyguard
Razor Hippogriff
Out of 23 possible cards (~17/40 will be land), 17 have been accounted for. There are only 6 Creatures so far to go along with a number of removal spells and 8 Artifacts (plus Myrsmith). This deck definitely needs more Creatures. Here are the options:
Neurok Invisimancer
Argent Sphinx*
Lumengrid Drake*
Lumengrid Drake*
Sky-Eel School
Quicksilver Gargantuan
Memnite
Ferrovore
Ferrovore
Ferrovore
Blade-Tribe Berserkers*
Blade-Tribe Berserkers*
Auriok Edgewright*
*Metalcraft
It’s clear to me that we’re probably going to have to dip into Metalcraft to get playable Creatures. In this deck then, which are better: Blade-Tribe Berserkers or Lumengrid Drake and Argent Sphinx? That’s not a very fair comparison. Blue is clearly the choice here. Also, Memnite can be an automatic inclusion based on Myrsmith and Embersmith.
Memnite
Argent Sphinx
Lumengrid Drake
Lumengrid Drake
Sky-Eel School
Quicksilver Gargantuan
Out of the 7 slots we had available, only one remains.
Auriok Edgewright or Neurok Invisimancer or Barbed Battlegear or Accorder’s Shield?
First, do we want a Creature or an Equipment? All of these four cards are solid options. Perhaps some number of them should already be maindecked. We’re up to 12 Creatures now, which is fine. Auriok Edgewright can probably be the first to go. He’ll never be more than a 2/2 Double Strike. Neurok Invisimancer could potentially push through damage in a stalemate, and both Equipment have their uses.
Barbed Battlegear
Prior to adding the Blue, this would have been a different card. However, with Argent Sphinx, Lumengrid Drake, Sky-Eel School, Kemba’s Skyguard, and Razor Hippogriph, this deck now has quite a lot of 2+ toughness flyers.
Lastly, it’s time to figure out the manabase. Blue and White both have pretty demanding color requirements here. With 17 lands to work with, approximately 3 should be Mountains (to go along with Iron Myr), leaving 14 to assign. 7 Islands, 7 Plains balances the needs of both quite well. Argent Sphinx, Sky-Eel School and Quicksilver Gargantuan all want UU, but Elspeth Tirel, Khemba’s Skyguard, and Razor Hippogriph all do too.
Our final decklist then sits as:
Elspeth Tirel
Revoke Existence
Myrsmith
Galvanic Blast
Shatter
Shatter
Embersmith
Etched Champion
Etched Champion
Iron Myr
Horizon Spellbomb
Panic Spellbomb
Culling Dais
Snapsail Glider
Trigon of Corruption
Memnite
Argent Sphinx
Lumengrid Drake
Lumengrid Drake
Sky-Eel School
Quicksilver Gargantuan*
Barbed Battlegear
Kemba’s Skyguard
Razor Hippogriff
3 Mountain
7 Plains
7 Island
Which, of course, adds up to 41 cards. If I had to cut one of these, it may even be the Quicksilver Gargantuan. I wouldn’t be clamoring to add a Yavimaya Wurm to this deck. Okay, that may not be the fairest comparison, but it’s still a 7-mana 7/7 that doesn’t necessarily affect the board at all.
Thanks for reading! How would you build this deck? For every comment that has your own build in it, I’ll come up with an alternate build for this one. Would you play Blue? More Red? Green?
So, here is your pool. What do you build? What cards are you going to play no matter what? What colors would you lean toward? That’s what the Comments are for, please use them 
