The Deck: Difference between revisions
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'''The Deck''' is a [[control deck]] created by [[Brian Weissman]]. <ref>{{NewRef|making-magic/deck-2014-02-17|The Deck|[[Mike Flores]]|February 17, 2014}}</ref> Fundamentally, it functions the same as modern control decks: gradually gaining card advantage while answering opposing threats, then playing a single large threat that is sufficient to win the game. However, historically it has been constructed using many single-copies of card drawing, deck searching and answer cards from every color. The result is a highly complex and variable deck, regularly said to be one of the skill intensive decks in the history of magic. Some players have even gone on to say that the deck contains no bad matchups, but only good matchups depending solely on skill of the player navigating it. | '''The Deck''' is a [[control deck]] created by [[Brian Weissman]]. <ref>{{NewRef|making-magic/deck-2014-02-17|The Deck|[[Mike Flores]]|February 17, 2014}}</ref> Fundamentally, it functions the same as modern control decks: gradually gaining card advantage while answering opposing threats, then playing a single large threat that is sufficient to win the game. However, historically it has been constructed using many single-copies of card drawing, deck searching and answer cards from every color. The result is a highly complex and variable deck, regularly said to be one of the skill intensive decks in the history of magic. Some players have even gone on to say that the deck contains no bad matchups, but only good matchups depending solely on skill of the player navigating it. | ||
The Deck used <c>Counterspells</c>, <c>Mana Drains</c>, <c>Red Elemental Blasts</c>, <c>Disenchants</c>, <c>Strip Mines</c> and <c>Swords to Plowshares</c> to trade on a one-for-one basis with the opponent's threats. Then, when the Weissman Deck had somewhat stabilized, he could use <c>Ancestral Recall</c>, <c>Braingeyser</c>, <c>Amnesia</c>, <c>Jayemdae Tome</c> or <c>Library of Alexandria</c> to gain card advantage. In the environment of the day, <c>Moat</c> usually spelled the end, as could a <c>Disrupting Scepter</c>. <c>Demonic Tutor</c>'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.) <c>Regrowth</c>, <c>Timetwister</c> and <c>Recall</c> gives the deck some resilience 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 <c>Serra Angel</c>, <c>Black Lotus</c>, <c>Tundra</c>, <c>Mox Emerald</c> draw, or something of the like. | |||
The Deck later evolved to use <c>Fireball</c> as a win condition instead of Serra Angel, when Weissman was having serious troubles dealing with <c>Necropotence</c> decks of the time. While previously objecting to the use of Fireball to render the opponent's creature removal useless, it was inevitable change to keep up with a changing game.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/19990224013740/thedojo.net/history/thedeck3.html "The Deck", Chapter II: Jan '96 - Aug '96]</ref> | |||
The following is Brian Weissman's original 1996 version.<ref>[http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/article.asp?x=sb20010607a Mike Flores "Finding the Tinker Deck", Sideboard]</ref> (Note that this version of the deck is not legal in any tournament format. For example, <c>Strip Mine</c> was later [[restricted]] in [[Vintage]].) | The following is Brian Weissman's original 1996 version.<ref>[http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/article.asp?x=sb20010607a Mike Flores "Finding the Tinker Deck", Sideboard]</ref> (Note that this version of the deck is not legal in any tournament format. For example, <c>Strip Mine</c> was later [[restricted]] in [[Vintage]].) | ||
<d title="The Deck by Brian Weissman"> | |||
<d title="The Deck by Brian Weissman, 1996"> | |||
Lands | Lands | ||
4 City of Brass | 4 City of Brass | ||
| Line 61: | Line 66: | ||
</d> | </d> | ||
The Deck | Although The Deck was designed for Vintage (i.e. [[Type I]] or [[Classic]]), its ideas and unique style of play complexity soon influenced decks in [[Standard]] (i.e. [[Type II]]). From December 1997-July 1998 many variants emerged. One of the earliest and most popular was [[Mike Donais]] 5-color Control deck, or "Donais U5C" for short. It arrived following the release of [[Tempest]] and was popularized on [[The Dojo]] and during the United States Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship. The core is a U/W Control deck supported by life-gaining/mitigating cards, targeted removal, card drawing and graveyard recursion (<c>Gaea's Blessing</c>). <c>Whispers of the Muse</c> replaced <c>Jayemdae Tome</c> as the card-drawing engine, <c>Wall of Blossoms</c> replaced <c>Swords to Plowshares</c> as a card advantage solution to single creatures and <c>Fireball</c> duel-functioned as a removal and game-winning condition. | ||
<d title="Donais U5C by Mike Donais, 1998"> | |||
Lands | |||
1 Adarkar Wastes | |||
1 City of Brass | |||
1 Flood Plain | |||
3 Gemstone Mine | |||
1 Quicksand | |||
4 Reflecting Pool | |||
1 Svyelunite Temple | |||
2 Thalakos Lowlands | |||
1 Undiscovered Paradise | |||
1 Vec Townships | |||
1 Wasteland | |||
1 Forest | |||
3 Island | |||
1 Plains | |||
Creatures | |||
2 Uktabi Orangutan | |||
4 Wall of Blossoms | |||
Instants | |||
4 Counterspell | |||
1 Disenchant | |||
4 Dismiss | |||
3 Dissipate | |||
4 Impulse | |||
4 Whispers of the Muse | |||
<d title="The Deck by Brian Weissman | Sorceries | ||
2 Fireball | |||
3 Gaea's Blessing | |||
3 Gerrard's Wisdom | |||
4 Wrath of God | |||
Sideboard | |||
2 Circle of Protection: Red | |||
2 Hydroblast | |||
2 Lobotomy | |||
1 Mangara's Blessing | |||
1 Null Rod | |||
1 Phyrexian Furnace | |||
2 Pyroblast | |||
2 Teferi's Realm | |||
2 Warmth | |||
</d> | |||
The popularity of Donais U5C quickly led players to target its unstable manabase, using <c>Wasteland</c>s, <c>Dwarven Miner</c>s and other cards that punished non-basic lands (e.g. <c>Price of Progress</c>). Responding to this, [[Cathy Nicoloff]] and Brian Weissman developed a version for the 1998 United States National Championships, called ''The 'T2' Deck''. It reduced the manabase weakness by limiting the amount of non-U/W spells, increasing colorless spells, and nearly-halving the number of [[nonbasic land|non-basic lands]]. | |||
<d title="The 'T2' Deck by Cathy Nicoloff & Mike Donais, 1998"> | |||
Lands | |||
2 Adarkar Wastes | |||
4 City of Brass | |||
2 Thalakos Lowlands | |||
1 Undiscovered Paradise | |||
9 Island | |||
7 Plains | |||
Artifacts | |||
3 Nevinyrral's Disk | |||
Instants | |||
4 Counterspell | |||
2 Disenchant | |||
3 Dissipate | |||
4 Impulse | |||
3 Power Sink | |||
4 Whispers of the Muse | |||
Sorceries | |||
2 Fireball | |||
2 Gaea's Blessing | |||
4 Gerrard's Wisdom | |||
4 Wrath of God | |||
Sideboard | |||
1 Disenchant | |||
1 Dissipate | |||
4 Legacy's Allure | |||
2 Lobotomy | |||
1 Nevinyrral's Disk | |||
1 Power Sink | |||
1 Rainbow Efreet | |||
4 Warmth | |||
</d> | |||
Though ''Magic'' has changed tremendously in the 20+ years since The Deck's creation, the ideas behind it still apply: a skillful pilot is required to navigate consistently against every possible matchup. Its matchups depend more on skill than nearly any other deck. In fact, when played correctly it could be said to have no unfavorable matchups, but rather only those that are favorable. | |||
In 2006, Weissman posted an updated version of The Deck. | |||
<d title="The Deck by Brian Weissman, c. 2006"> | |||
Lands | Lands | ||
3 City of Brass | 3 City of Brass | ||
| Line 133: | Line 228: | ||
1 Zuran Orb | 1 Zuran Orb | ||
</d> | </d> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
[[Category:Tournament decks]] | [[Category:Tournament decks]] | ||
Revision as of 09:04, 4 August 2018
The Deck is a control deck created by Brian Weissman. [1] Fundamentally, it functions the same as modern control decks: gradually gaining card advantage while answering opposing threats, then playing a single large threat that is sufficient to win the game. However, historically it has been constructed using many single-copies of card drawing, deck searching and answer cards from every color. The result is a highly complex and variable deck, regularly said to be one of the skill intensive decks in the history of magic. Some players have even gone on to say that the deck contains no bad matchups, but only good matchups depending solely on skill of the player navigating it.
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 resilience 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.
The Deck later evolved to use Fireball as a win condition instead of Serra Angel, when Weissman was having serious troubles dealing with Necropotence decks of the time. While previously objecting to the use of Fireball to render the opponent's creature removal useless, it was inevitable change to keep up with a changing game.[2]
The following is Brian Weissman's original 1996 version.[3] (Note that this version of the deck is not legal in any tournament format. For example, Strip Mine was later restricted in Vintage.)
Although The Deck was designed for Vintage (i.e. Type I or Classic), its ideas and unique style of play complexity soon influenced decks in Standard (i.e. Type II). From December 1997-July 1998 many variants emerged. One of the earliest and most popular was Mike Donais 5-color Control deck, or "Donais U5C" for short. It arrived following the release of Tempest and was popularized on The Dojo and during the United States Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship. The core is a U/W Control deck supported by life-gaining/mitigating cards, targeted removal, card drawing and graveyard recursion (Gaea's Blessing). Whispers of the Muse replaced Jayemdae Tome as the card-drawing engine, Wall of Blossoms replaced Swords to Plowshares as a card advantage solution to single creatures and Fireball duel-functioned as a removal and game-winning condition.
The popularity of Donais U5C quickly led players to target its unstable manabase, using Wastelands, Dwarven Miners and other cards that punished non-basic lands (e.g. Price of Progress). Responding to this, Cathy Nicoloff and Brian Weissman developed a version for the 1998 United States National Championships, called The 'T2' Deck. It reduced the manabase weakness by limiting the amount of non-U/W spells, increasing colorless spells, and nearly-halving the number of non-basic lands.
Though Magic has changed tremendously in the 20+ years since The Deck's creation, the ideas behind it still apply: a skillful pilot is required to navigate consistently against every possible matchup. Its matchups depend more on skill than nearly any other deck. In fact, when played correctly it could be said to have no unfavorable matchups, but rather only those that are favorable.
In 2006, Weissman posted an updated version of The Deck.