The Deck

The Deck is a control deck created by Brian Weissman. It functions on the same premise as modern control decks: gradually gaining card advantage while answering opposing threats, then playing a single large threat which is sufficient to win the game.

This is the version he ran in 1996. (Note that this version of the deck is not legal in any tournament format, as Strip Mine was later restricted in Vintage.)

The Deck by Brian Weissman

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• Text
• MTGO
• Apprentice
• OCTGN
• decklist.org

Lands (21)

4 City of Brass

4 Island

1 Library of Alexandria

3 Plains

3 Strip Mine

4 Tundra

2 Volcanic Island

Artifacts (11)

1 Black Lotus

2 Disrupting Scepter

1 Jayemdae Tome

1 Mirror Universe

1 Mox Emerald

1 Mox Jet

1 Mox Pearl

1 Mox Ruby

1 Mox Sapphire

1 Sol Ring

Creatures (2)

2 Serra Angel

Enchantments (2)

2 Moat

Instants (17)

1 Ancestral Recall

2 Counterspell

4 Mana Drain

2 Red Elemental Blast

4 Disenchant

4 Swords to Plowshares

Sorceries (7)

1 Demonic Tutor

1 Amnesia

1 Braingeyser

1 Timetwister

1 Time Walk

1 Recall

1 Regrowth

Sideboard (15)

2 Red Elemental Blast

2 Circle of Protection: Red

2 Dust to Dust

1 Zuran Orb

1 Balance

2 Blood Moon

1 Tormod's Crypt

2 Mana Short

1 Amnesia

1 Feldon's Cane

The Deck later evolved to use Fireball as a win condition instead of Serra Angel, when Weissman believed playing a truly creatureless deck would gain him an even larger advantage as all anti-creature cards in the opponent's deck would become "dead draws."

Basically, the deck used Counterspells, Mana Drains, Red Elemental Blasts, Disenchants, Strip Mines and Swords to Plowshares to trade on a one-for-one basis with the opponent's threats. Then, when the Weissman Deck had somewhat stabilized, he could use Ancestral Recall, Braingeyser, Amnesia, Jayemdae Tome or Library of Alexandria to gain card advantage. In the environment of the day, Moat usually spelled the end, as could a Disrupting Scepter. Demonic Tutor's use is fairly self explanatory, but it is important to note how it streamlines the deck since it justifies having fewer copies of silver bullet cards. (That is, specific solution cards.) Regrowth, Timetwister and Recall gives the deck some resiliance if unexpected things happened. A final strength of The Deck of course, is its sheer volume of "broken" cards (generally considered to be quite overpowered). Sometimes it could "just win" by getting a Serra Angel, Black Lotus, Tundra, Mox Emerald draw, or something of the like.

Though Magic has changed tremendously in the 11 years since this deck's creation, the fundamentals behind The Deck still apply. It requires a skillful pilot to win consistantly against everything that Classic has to offer, but it has no terrible matchups and many that are extremely favorable.

For those interested, this is an exact list of The Deck that Brian is using now.

The Deck by Brian Weissman circa 2006

Download/Export

• Text
• MTGO
• Apprentice
• OCTGN
• decklist.org

Lands (21)

3 City of Brass

1 Island

2 Polluted Delta

1 Flooded Strand

1 Library of Alexandria

1 Strip Mine

4 Wasteland

1 Tundra

4 Volcanic Island

3 Underground Sea

Creatures (3)

2 Gorilla Shaman

1 Morphling

Artifacts (8)

1 Black Lotus

1 Crucible of Worlds

1 Mox Emerald

1 Mox Jet

1 Mox Pearl

1 Mox Ruby

1 Mox Sapphire

1 Sol Ring

Instants (22)

4 Brainstorm

1 Cunning Wish

1 Fact or Fiction

1 Mystical Tutor

1 Vampiric Tutor

1 Skeletal Scrying

1 Stroke of Genius

1 Ancestral Recall

4 Mana Drain

4 Force of Will

1 Red Elemental Blast

2 Swords to Plowshares

Sorceries (6)

1 Demonic Tutor

1 Mind Twist

1 Yawgmoth's Will

1 Balance

1 Time Walk

1 Regrowth

Sideboard (15)

1 Blue Elemental Blast

1 Circle of Protection: Red

1 Darksteel Colossus

1 Tinker

1 Fire/Ice

1 Disenchant

2 Pyroblast

1 Red Elemental Blast

1 Skeletal Scrying

1 Shattering Pulse

2 Gorilla Shaman

1 Diabolic Edict

1 Zuran Orb