By Jared_Carthalion (Cheesemaster) on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 04:40 am:

Hi. I'd considered to make up a guide for newbie players to give them some basic tipps about Deck Help and a lot of cheap and good staple cards for a lot of decks. additions, recommendations?
do you think it would be useful for 2th?


To all new players who want put up a decklist in phyrexia:
1.Read this primer: http://www.friedenhagen.dyndns.org/puschkin/primerphyrexia.htm

Many unexperienced magic players come here to search for deck help which is very good.
It is however a bit fustrating to give the same deck helps over and over.
So here are some common recommendations for new players they should definetly consider for a
deck of the appriopiate color I don't want to repeat each answer:

These Recommendations are mostly for Casual - normal magic decks you don't want to use of tourneys.
underlined cards are tourney-legal

WHITE
Card Name: Disenchant
Edition: Alpha - 7th. Many expansions.
Mana Cost: W1
Type & Class: Instant
Card Text: Destroy target Artifact or enchantment.
Rarity: C
-- Staple. Use at least 2 or 3 of these in any white deck you play. the best card to destroy art./enchantments

Name: Seal of Removal
Edition: Nemesis
cost: W1
Type: Enchantment
Text: Destroy target Artifact or enchantment.
Rarity: C
-- See disenchant. the best alternative to it as it is easier to reccur but can't been played as a response.

Card Name: Devout Witness
Edition: Mercadian Masques
Mana Cost: W2
Type & Class: Creature - Spellshaper
Pow/Tou: 2/2
Card Text: W1, T: Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
Rarity: C
-- See disenchant. the third no-brain way to destroy artifacts/enchantments. repetetive, but you loose a card in the process and your opponent can take care of these very easy.

Sorrily, most other cards to destroy artifacst/enchantments in white are worse, so theres normally no reason Not to play these.


Card Name: Pacifism
Edition: 6th-8th and a lot of Expansions
Mana Cost: W1
Type & Class: Enchant creature
Card Text: Enchanted Creature can't attack or block.
Rarity: Common
--The base class of white creature stallers. good and well priced.

Card Name: Cessation
Edition: Urzas Legacy
Mana Cost: W2
Type & Class: Enchant Creature
Card Text: Enchanted Creature can't attack. if cessation is put into a graveyard from play, then return it to your hand.
Rarity: C
-- for a very defensive, creature light deck this might be a nice alternative as it is hard to deal with this spell. maybe not cheap enough.

Card Name: Arrest
Edition: Mercadian Masques (Uncommon), Mirrodin
Mana Cost: W2
Type & Class: Enchant Creature
Card Text: Enchanted Creature can't attack, block or use abilities that require an activation cost.
Rarity: C
-- I would call this superior to good ol pacifism as it can handle nearly any creature on the board. holds the creature useless on the board, well-priced and efficent.

BLUE
Card Name: Counterspell
Edition: Alpha - 7th
Mana Cost: UU
Type & Class: Instant
Card Text: Counter target spell.
Rarity: C
-- The best counterspell ever for a _normal_ player. Only better are "Force of Will" from Alliances and "Mana Drain" from Legends. A no-brain in mono blue and most 2 color decks with blue.

Card Name: Mana Leak
Edition: SH, 7th, 8th
Mana Cost: U1
Type & Class: Instant
Card Text: Counter target spell unless its caster plays 3.
Rarity: C
-- Unlike force spike, which sucks most of the time, Mana Leak is an allround good card. count how much time you have 3 or more mana often and you know what i mean. playable in nearly all decks with blue, but they loose power in Multiplayer as games tend to stall.

Card Name: Accumulated Knowledge
Edition: Nemesis
Mana Cost: U1
Type & Class: Instant
Card Text: Draw a card and draw a card for each accumulated knowledge in all players graveyards.
Rarity: C
-- If you get 4, they are great. One of the best blue card drawers. Usable in all kinds of decks with blue.


Black
Card Name: Dark Ritual
Edition: Alpha - 5th, Tempest, Mercadian Masques
Mana Cost: B
Type & Class: Instant
Card Text: Add BBB to your mana pool.
Rarity: C
-- Good acceleration for fast Black decks. there most times a no-brainer.


Card Name: Dark Banishing
Edition: 6th-8th, Mirage, Tempest
Mana Cost: B2
Type & Class: Instant
Card Text: Destroy target nonblack creature. Can't be regenerated.
Rarity: C
--Good trusthworthy black destruction. Once terror was better, but since mirrodin I'd recommend to use 1-2 in each black deck. But for this one, there are a lot of alternatives, though.

Card Name: Diabolic Edict
Edition: Tempest
Mana Cost: B1
Type & Class: Instant
Card Text: Target player sacrifices a creature.
Rarity: C
-- One of the best destructors ever. In a black deck with lots of creature destruction, this is king. If you bring down your opponent to only one creature, this is an unpreventable way to destroy ANY creature in Magic. Untargetability and Protection from black don't help, as regenarition or nearly anything else. kills also indestructable darksteel creatures.

RED
Card Name: Incerate
Edition: 5th, IA, Mirage
Mana Cost: R1
Type & Class: Instant
Card Text: Deals 3 damage to target creature or player. A creature damaged by incerate can't regenerate this turn.
Rarity: C
-- Red no-brain burner. Worse than lightning bolt, but still top notch and more easy to get.


Card Name: Blazing Salvo
Edition: Odysee
Mana Cost: R
Type & Class: Instant
Card Text: Deals 3 damage to target creature unless that controls has Salvo deal 5 damage to him/her.
Rarity: C
-- I would call this a considerable card for lightning bolt in a fast red deck. I mean a really fast deck so that your opponent can't afford to give 5 life away easily. biggest downside: doesn't work against noncreature decks, makes this card much worse than incerate.


Card Name: Shatter
Edition: Mirrodin, Alpha-8th and many other
Mana Cost: R1
Type & Class: Instant.
Card Text: Destroy target artifact. Buyback 3 (You may pay 3 in addition to its casting cost. If you do, put it as a part of the spell cost in your hand)
Rarity: C
-- A strictly better shatter. Might be the bane for mirrodin decks, but is expensive.


Card Name: Scrap
Edition: Urzas Saga
Mana Cost: R2
Type & Class: Instant
Card Text: Destroy target artifact. Cycling 2.
Rarity: C
-- another good artifact destructor. because some casual players don't use artifacts this hold more variety. but for now i recommend shattering pulse because of mirrodin.

Card Name: Keldon Vandals
Edition: Urzas Destiny
Mana Cost: R2
Type & Class: Creature - Barbarians (?)
Pow/Thou : 4/1
Card Text: When Keldon Vandals comes into play, destroy target artifact. Echo (Play this cards casting cost during your next upkeep after it came under your control or sacrifice it)
Rarity: C
-- a kind of red viridian shaman. better than scrap if you use no artifacts because this is always a 4/1 overcosted Body even if your opponent plays no artifacts. if he plays, this is strictly better as a 2 for 1 advantage.


GREEN
Card Name: Lwanowar Elves
Edition: Alpha-7th
Mana Cost: G
Type & Class: Creature- Elves
Pow/Tou: 1/1
Card Text: T: add G to your mana pool.
Rarity: C
-- Lwanowar are the best elves in mono green. cheap, also attackers and mana acceleration. only outmatched by the too costly birds of paradise.

Card Name: Vine Trellis
Edition: Mercadian Masques, 8th
Mana Cost: G1
Type & Class: Creature - Wall
Pow/Tou: 0/4
Card Text: T: add G to your mana pool.
Rarity: C
-- a substitute for your defensive non-elf green deck. good and hard to destroy mana acceleration that can act as a blocker. a substitue for the old 0/4 wall that let you draw a card when it came into play.

Card Name: Rancor
Edition: Urzas Legacy
Mana Cost: G
Type & Class: Enchant Creature
Card Text: Enchanted Creature gains +2/+0 and trample. If rancor is put into a graveyard from play, then return it to your hand.
Rarity: C
-- arguably the best card of Legacy. Heavily undercosted for a strong effect and indestructable, this is a no-brainer for 75% of your green creature decks. Might be hard to get, though. even if he's common.


Card Name: Giant Growth
Edition: Alpha-8th, Ice Age
Mana Cost: G
Type & Class: Instant
Card Text: Target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
Rarity: C
-- a good card to start with. there a so many alternatives that you really needn't it, but it is still nice and easy to get.
common Substitutes: Symbiosys (UZ), briar shield (WL). look them up for example in findmagiccards.com

Card Name: Naturalize
Edition: Onslaught, 8th
Mana Cost: G1
Type & Class: Instant
Card Text: Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
Rarity: C
-- a green disenchant. same goes for this one, but it is a must-have. unlike white, there are no alternatives providing the same variety at that cost.


ARTIFACTS

Card Name: BoneSplitter
Edition: Mirrodin
Mana Cost: 1
Type & Class: Artifact - Equipment
Card Text: Equip 1. Equipped creature gets +2/+0
Rarity: C
-- For green, a worse rancor. for all other colors, esp. white an very cheap and reliable boost that makes a lot old enchantments seem worthless.

By Ward Poulisse (Bwm) on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 06:45 am:

Hmm, I don't totally agree, for one, because tourney-legal is just bad to say... Black Lotus is tourney-legal in T1

For second:

White staples:
Disenchant (and friends), there are a couple of cards on par with the ones you named, like Wax/Wane, Aura Blast, Aura Fracture, Dismantling Blow, Vindicate, Orim's Thunder, completely depending on the deck you're playing and your metagame though...
Cessation isn't really useful, probably add Kirtar's Desire instead...
ADD SWORDS TO PLOWSHARES!!!

BLUE
Impulse, Brainstorm, Capsize, Exclude, Hoodwink, there are so many cards missing in the blue side...

Black
HYMN TO TOURACH

RED
Add Lightning Bolt, remove Blazing Salvo, it's outright sucky, add Mogg Fanatic, Gorilla Shaman, Reckless Charge, Shattering Pulse if you really hate those artifacts

GREEN
Green, not much to add, as it's not really my color, try Revive/Regrowth though

Artifacts
Zuran Orb? Lotus Petal might be a worthfull mention

MULTICOLORS
a complete color you forgot, Invasion block isn't that long ago, is it??
Fire/Ice, Recoil, Fires of Yavimaya, Quicksilver Dagger, the Bears from Apoc and from Invasion, GoblinSoldier-guy has extra mention, Soul Link, Armadillo Cloak

Lands:
Well, just to make it all complete, most non-basic lands are strictly inferior to Basics anyways, but you might want to mention the following:
Mishra's Factory, Taplands from Invasion, Hickory Woodlot and Sandstone Needle (which are definetely not that bad)


I had a half-written primer about this too, but I have never finished it, I'll look if I can find it...

By Jared_Carthalion (Cheesemaster) on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 07:12 am:

I knew it needs a lot of overwork, i had made it up in half an hour because I wanted to wait for peoples reactions before I write a complete thing with lots of analysis. your suggestions seem very good to me and I'll add them soon. Also I'd try to bring up commons, but most the uncommons you mentioned are also very useful and easily to achieve, but I'll not mention Mishra's factory because those are hard to find. shattering pulse was mentioned, but by an error I named it "shatter" making the whole thing a bit confusing.

Maybe i should sort the cards in under-titles like "Artifact/enchantment"-control and so, sorted by usefullness.

tourney-legal will off course be changed in current Type II (with regulary updates)
I'll make up with a lot of more work after some more people give their statements if such a thing could be useful.

thanks for you comments!

By Mortanius (Karonasservant) on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 10:00 am:

Name: Seal of Removal
Edition: Nemesis
cost: W1
Type: Enchantment
Text: Destroy target Artifact or enchantment.
Rarity: C
-- See disenchant. the best alternative to it as it is easier to reccur but can't been played as a response.

Thats Seal of Clensing, Seal of Removal is the Blue Seal.

Some Gold cards, lke Terminate would be handy, and so would in Artifacts Isochron Specters.

Chainers Edict for Black is just as good as Diabolic Edict, because of flashback, sure it's a sorcery and all but it's still good.

Red - Flametoungue Kavu, 4 mana for a 4/2 which blows up a creature (most the time) is good.

Green - Overrun, nuff said

Blue - Seal of Removal

White - Glorious Atham (however it is spelt) and Second Sunrise?

By (Direxion) on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 11:57 am:

some of the mentioned cards dont seem too great... even for newbies...

dark banishing? never liked it.
arrest/cessation - eh...
keldon vandals?
bonesplitter - mirrodin cards sound dumb

but yah its a good idea what ur doing, and with the help of others, it could become a good primer.

o and im not suckin up, but w/e bwm says is usually right :P

By The Dritex (Xdritex) on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 12:25 am:

Don't just stop at seal of cleansing, all the seals in Nemisis are good. You can plop tehn down when you have the extra mana, and then let them sit there and make others think twice about what they do if the seal can be used against them; they become cards the other players have to try and plan around.

By Jared_Carthalion (Cheesemaster) on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 02:51 am:

I don't think the blue seal isn't good anymore. even at higher cost, i find aether spellbomb better because of its cycling ability.
I'd rank them the following:
Seals:
White
Red
-----
Black
-----
Green
Blue

I'm not sure about the black one, but in green, I'd use rather weatherlights briar shield.

I'll take out cessation, but whats not good about arrest? It takes down nearly any creature, and it isn't as vulnerable as other enchant creatures as you play it not on yours.

Dark Banishing might be right, but it is strong for a new player as they mostly play big creatures. I'd recommend terror or expunge, but it is mirrodin block now and there are no much budget alternatives, and dark banishing is also T2.

and the keldons are not that bad. many times you trade them for an attacker or at least some shock effect so that you don't pay echo. They are budget and unlike gorilla shaman easy to get and cheap to use.

I added bonesplitter because it is just good and a no-brainer.

which edition a card is in didn't count, but i honestly used only few cards from ON, OD and IN block because I never played them. thats also the reason why I forgot multicolored spells.

By I lovepenis on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 01:26 pm:

hey secksies

By Homelands Rules! (Psycho) on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 07:04 pm:

By Homelands Rules! (Psycho) on Sunday, November 13, 2005 - 07:44 am:

What the hug! This thread nec is by far the oldest, filtiest, sickest thread nec by far!

By ApocalypsePrime (Jestergoblin) on Sunday, November 13, 2005 - 03:03 pm:

*BAMF!*

What the hell? Honesty. I thought threads this old would have been archived. I'll need to break out the IP finder for this one.

Psycho gets +9 to activation skills, +3 to font skills.

THIS IS MY SPHERE.

By Homelands Rules! (Psycho) on Monday, November 14, 2005 - 05:28 am:

Yay!

By Evincar (Nightmare) on Monday, November 14, 2005 - 01:37 pm:

shi... I noticed it, then I had a powercut.

And then I forgot about it?!

AGH!