Lelouch32
02-15-2011, 03:19 PM
Mirrodin Besieged War League: Mirrans
By: Corlando
Hello and welcome readers to another fun edition of Cards n’Flux, the fun and insightful weekly column written by yours truly discussing the flavor, cards, and general awesomeness of Magic the Gathering. Last week we looked at the Mirrodin Besieged War League and the arsenal that Phyrexian players have at their disposal. This week we will be going to the other side and seeing what the native Mirrans are hoping to use as a rebuttal… my guess is that it involves a lot of yelling, pointing objects, and killing things. Let’s hop right in.
As I’m sure we all know, the Mirrans have two major weapons of choice to defend themselves Metalcraft and Battlecry. Metalcraft gives certain bonuses to creatures or spells if you control three or more artifacts. Battlecry is a creature ability that gives all other attacking creatures +1/+0 until the end of the turn. Out of the two of these, Metalcraft is definitely the weaker of the two due to the fact you can lose it by simply not having a third artifact. However, that did not deter me from still building a deck around it to show its potential to you today. I’ll also be showing you all my personal deck, Feudal Mastery, which has recently been upgraded with a few Battlecry cards. Both of these decks meet the criteria for the Mirrodin War League, but I regret the fact that both of these decks are on the expensive side. For that I am sorry.
The forces of Mirrodin stand with their backs against the wall. Everyday they lose more people to the dark powers of the Phyrexians, every battle they fight as if it were the last because for all they know… it could be. As such, the Mirrans have turned to a strategy where they use anything and everything to their advantage, using the very metal beneath their feet to craft victories wherever they can. Yeah that was kind of a weak intro, but anyway, this deck list below is for a deck I titled Mirrans Fight Back. Here is the list:
Creatures:
3x Palladium Myr
3x Spiraling Duelist
4x Etched Champion
3x Hellkite Igniter
4x Iron Myr
4x Memnite
Eqipment:
3x Darksteel Axe
Planeswalker:
3x Koth of the Hammer
Land:
23x Mountain
Spells:
4x Lightning Bolt/Galvanic Blast
3x Arc Trail
3x Concussive Bolt
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/mirran-fights-back/
As you can see this deck is centered on having multiple artifacts on the field at all times. Now this is not just because activating Metalcraft will give your Spiraling Duelist double strike, your Etched Champion protection from all colors, or your Concussive Bolt the ability to shutdown all of your opponent’s defenses. No, the main purpose of getting multiple artifacts out is to boost your Hellkite Igniter’s Firebreathing, artifact-based ability. I told you guys I’d build a deck around this jetpack-wearing dragon and so I did. I cannot tell you how consistently I’ve not only been able to get this guy out early, but be able to pump him to ridiculous degrees. The best part is, even if you only have two artifacts out, paying :mana1::manar: so your dragon can get +2/+0 is still a pretty decent pump. Once during playtesting, I put Hellkite Igniter down on turn five and swung for five. Then on my next turn, played a Concussive Bolt, locking down my opponent’s blockers, and I swung at him with a 17/5. Now that is pretty darn heavy.
Now this is not to say that I do not have reservations about the deck. No, no, that is definitely not the case. I, personally, do not like Metalcraft. It is sometimes very difficult in being able to maintain that third artifact. If your opponent has a simple bounce spell, or destroy target artifact spell, then you have the potential to lose all your bonuses and quickly go from being the offensive victor, to the defensive probably going to lose anyway guy. Plus, when you think about it, do you really get good bang for all your effort with Metalcraft? Sure there are some cards like Rusted Relic where you can get a 5/5 for :mana4:, Concussive bolt which deals 4 damage and locks down their blockers, and Ezuri’s brigade which gives you an 8/8 trampler for :mana2::manag::manag:. These cards are definitely not bad. However there is definitely more bad than good. Ardent Recruit, potentially a 3/3 for :manaw:, but how soon is metalcraft going to come online? Third turn? Fourth Turn? Plus the power of a 3/3 is often quickly dwarfed in most games, so drawing this guy late game is definitely not fun. Even Spiraling Duelist, the card that has the potential to be a real threat in this deck as at least 3/1 double striker, if not a 5/1 if you equip her with Darksteel Axe, can quickly become a plain 3/1 that dies to a mana myr. I’m not saying that Metalcraft should avoided at all costs, however I am saying there are far better abilities to base a deck around.
Speaking oddly specifically about abilities that would be much better to build around, we now turn to Battlecry, the newest weapon in the Mirrans arsenal. In case I have not expressed my opinion of Battlecry in my other articles, I love Battlecry. Just the idea of one creature, or seven if you structure your deck right, leading the way into battle, pumping all others to ridiculous proportions as they slam into the enemy defenses… awesome~! Anyway, the deck list I’m about to post is one of my personal decks and one I’ve been using for several months now. I recently upgraded it with a few Battlecry cards, making it even more effective than it was before… at least in my opinion. Here is the deck list:
Creatures:
3x White Knight
3x Leonin Skyhunter
3x Wall of Omens
3x Accorder Paladin
4x Hero of Bladehold
Spells/Enchantments:
2x Brave the Elements
4x Journey to Nowhere
2x Arrest
4x Honor of the Pure
3x Conqueror’s Pledge
2x True Conviction
Planeswalkers:
2x Ajani Goldmane
2x Gideon Jura
Lands:
23x Plains
Now this deck looks like it would be a little expensive to gather together, but to be honest I managed to get all of this through trading. It definitely took time, but the deck works pretty fantastically and I'm glad I took the time. Leonin Skyhunters might seem like an odd addition to this deck, but the thing is, Leonin Skyhunter is an awesome two drop because it has great evasion. Combine this with either Honor of the Pure or Accorder Paladin and you get a combo where you’re attacking for 3, in the air in early game. Combine the two together and you get a 4/3 flyer and a 4/2 on the ground. Definitely leads to big pain in the early game. However, the late game is where this deck really shines. Dropping a Conqueror’s Pledge 5th turn followed by a True Conviction on the sixth is very often game. Of course you could also drop Gideon and then swing with at least a 6/6 double striking, lifelink creature. There are just so many ways to hurt with this deck that it is almost unfair sometimes.
However, I will freely admit that this is not a perfect deck. Right now the total answer package is about 8 cards, including Gideon Jura. Brave the Elements is mostly used to punch through the last bit of damage as I give my army protection from my opponent’s colors. With only eight cards able to disrupt my opponent’s plans, it really comes down to hoping they do not have multiple threats and if they do, hoping you draw the right card. However the deck still functions really well and meets the War League’s requirements perfectly. If one of you likes this deck and decides to replicate or put your own spin on it, feel free to tell me how it all turns out and how effective the deck was.
And now we come to everyone’s favorite section the closing questions section:
1. What is your opinion of Metalcraft? Weak? Strong? Fun to build around?
2. What, in your opinion, is the worst Metalcraft card?
3. What do you think will happen if the Mirrans actually claim victory over the Phyrexians?
And that will bring us to our conclusion this week. I am sorry if this article just seemed like I was slapping deck lists up and running off, I did not mean it to be so. I hope you will all gain something from these decks, either a combo, a new idea, something. Anyway, hope you all have a good week and remember, “Etherium is limited. Innovation is not.” This is Corlando signing out.
By: Corlando
Hello and welcome readers to another fun edition of Cards n’Flux, the fun and insightful weekly column written by yours truly discussing the flavor, cards, and general awesomeness of Magic the Gathering. Last week we looked at the Mirrodin Besieged War League and the arsenal that Phyrexian players have at their disposal. This week we will be going to the other side and seeing what the native Mirrans are hoping to use as a rebuttal… my guess is that it involves a lot of yelling, pointing objects, and killing things. Let’s hop right in.
As I’m sure we all know, the Mirrans have two major weapons of choice to defend themselves Metalcraft and Battlecry. Metalcraft gives certain bonuses to creatures or spells if you control three or more artifacts. Battlecry is a creature ability that gives all other attacking creatures +1/+0 until the end of the turn. Out of the two of these, Metalcraft is definitely the weaker of the two due to the fact you can lose it by simply not having a third artifact. However, that did not deter me from still building a deck around it to show its potential to you today. I’ll also be showing you all my personal deck, Feudal Mastery, which has recently been upgraded with a few Battlecry cards. Both of these decks meet the criteria for the Mirrodin War League, but I regret the fact that both of these decks are on the expensive side. For that I am sorry.
The forces of Mirrodin stand with their backs against the wall. Everyday they lose more people to the dark powers of the Phyrexians, every battle they fight as if it were the last because for all they know… it could be. As such, the Mirrans have turned to a strategy where they use anything and everything to their advantage, using the very metal beneath their feet to craft victories wherever they can. Yeah that was kind of a weak intro, but anyway, this deck list below is for a deck I titled Mirrans Fight Back. Here is the list:
Creatures:
3x Palladium Myr
3x Spiraling Duelist
4x Etched Champion
3x Hellkite Igniter
4x Iron Myr
4x Memnite
Eqipment:
3x Darksteel Axe
Planeswalker:
3x Koth of the Hammer
Land:
23x Mountain
Spells:
4x Lightning Bolt/Galvanic Blast
3x Arc Trail
3x Concussive Bolt
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/mirran-fights-back/
As you can see this deck is centered on having multiple artifacts on the field at all times. Now this is not just because activating Metalcraft will give your Spiraling Duelist double strike, your Etched Champion protection from all colors, or your Concussive Bolt the ability to shutdown all of your opponent’s defenses. No, the main purpose of getting multiple artifacts out is to boost your Hellkite Igniter’s Firebreathing, artifact-based ability. I told you guys I’d build a deck around this jetpack-wearing dragon and so I did. I cannot tell you how consistently I’ve not only been able to get this guy out early, but be able to pump him to ridiculous degrees. The best part is, even if you only have two artifacts out, paying :mana1::manar: so your dragon can get +2/+0 is still a pretty decent pump. Once during playtesting, I put Hellkite Igniter down on turn five and swung for five. Then on my next turn, played a Concussive Bolt, locking down my opponent’s blockers, and I swung at him with a 17/5. Now that is pretty darn heavy.
Now this is not to say that I do not have reservations about the deck. No, no, that is definitely not the case. I, personally, do not like Metalcraft. It is sometimes very difficult in being able to maintain that third artifact. If your opponent has a simple bounce spell, or destroy target artifact spell, then you have the potential to lose all your bonuses and quickly go from being the offensive victor, to the defensive probably going to lose anyway guy. Plus, when you think about it, do you really get good bang for all your effort with Metalcraft? Sure there are some cards like Rusted Relic where you can get a 5/5 for :mana4:, Concussive bolt which deals 4 damage and locks down their blockers, and Ezuri’s brigade which gives you an 8/8 trampler for :mana2::manag::manag:. These cards are definitely not bad. However there is definitely more bad than good. Ardent Recruit, potentially a 3/3 for :manaw:, but how soon is metalcraft going to come online? Third turn? Fourth Turn? Plus the power of a 3/3 is often quickly dwarfed in most games, so drawing this guy late game is definitely not fun. Even Spiraling Duelist, the card that has the potential to be a real threat in this deck as at least 3/1 double striker, if not a 5/1 if you equip her with Darksteel Axe, can quickly become a plain 3/1 that dies to a mana myr. I’m not saying that Metalcraft should avoided at all costs, however I am saying there are far better abilities to base a deck around.
Speaking oddly specifically about abilities that would be much better to build around, we now turn to Battlecry, the newest weapon in the Mirrans arsenal. In case I have not expressed my opinion of Battlecry in my other articles, I love Battlecry. Just the idea of one creature, or seven if you structure your deck right, leading the way into battle, pumping all others to ridiculous proportions as they slam into the enemy defenses… awesome~! Anyway, the deck list I’m about to post is one of my personal decks and one I’ve been using for several months now. I recently upgraded it with a few Battlecry cards, making it even more effective than it was before… at least in my opinion. Here is the deck list:
Creatures:
3x White Knight
3x Leonin Skyhunter
3x Wall of Omens
3x Accorder Paladin
4x Hero of Bladehold
Spells/Enchantments:
2x Brave the Elements
4x Journey to Nowhere
2x Arrest
4x Honor of the Pure
3x Conqueror’s Pledge
2x True Conviction
Planeswalkers:
2x Ajani Goldmane
2x Gideon Jura
Lands:
23x Plains
Now this deck looks like it would be a little expensive to gather together, but to be honest I managed to get all of this through trading. It definitely took time, but the deck works pretty fantastically and I'm glad I took the time. Leonin Skyhunters might seem like an odd addition to this deck, but the thing is, Leonin Skyhunter is an awesome two drop because it has great evasion. Combine this with either Honor of the Pure or Accorder Paladin and you get a combo where you’re attacking for 3, in the air in early game. Combine the two together and you get a 4/3 flyer and a 4/2 on the ground. Definitely leads to big pain in the early game. However, the late game is where this deck really shines. Dropping a Conqueror’s Pledge 5th turn followed by a True Conviction on the sixth is very often game. Of course you could also drop Gideon and then swing with at least a 6/6 double striking, lifelink creature. There are just so many ways to hurt with this deck that it is almost unfair sometimes.
However, I will freely admit that this is not a perfect deck. Right now the total answer package is about 8 cards, including Gideon Jura. Brave the Elements is mostly used to punch through the last bit of damage as I give my army protection from my opponent’s colors. With only eight cards able to disrupt my opponent’s plans, it really comes down to hoping they do not have multiple threats and if they do, hoping you draw the right card. However the deck still functions really well and meets the War League’s requirements perfectly. If one of you likes this deck and decides to replicate or put your own spin on it, feel free to tell me how it all turns out and how effective the deck was.
And now we come to everyone’s favorite section the closing questions section:
1. What is your opinion of Metalcraft? Weak? Strong? Fun to build around?
2. What, in your opinion, is the worst Metalcraft card?
3. What do you think will happen if the Mirrans actually claim victory over the Phyrexians?
And that will bring us to our conclusion this week. I am sorry if this article just seemed like I was slapping deck lists up and running off, I did not mean it to be so. I hope you will all gain something from these decks, either a combo, a new idea, something. Anyway, hope you all have a good week and remember, “Etherium is limited. Innovation is not.” This is Corlando signing out.