By Puschkin (Puschkin) on Saturday, July 14, 2007 - 01:09 pm:

I do have several ideas in my head for new decks. Some of them do only exist in my head and some of them are put together half way already. What I am asking you right now is some brainstorming on what cards to add. Do not state anything standard like mana producers or removal spells unless they have something special that makes them fit the theme. You don't have to complete the deck, all I am asking for is some ideas. It doesn't even have to be specific cards, you can also name mechanics or general concepts of cards that would fit.

The decks will be used in the following environment:

3-4 oldschoolers (including me) plus 1 guy with mostly newer cards. If we are 4 players, it’ll be 2-on-2 team play (no special rules except that you can block for your partner, blocking this way taps the blocker). If we are 5, we do play Pentagram (if the two guys opposite to you are dead, you have won) or Peasant Rebellion ( http://www.phyrexia.com/forum/messages/1/7723.html ). Most decks are controllish and slow, old staples and new fancy stuff is used equally plus some oddities from all ages. Combo decks that play solitaire for 5 minutes and then kill everybody are absent. 3 out of 5 people do have P9 cards, Mana Drains and stuff, all do have the less expensive goodies like Revised Duals. Everybody does have about 10 different decks at his disposal at any time.

Deck #3

Working Title: Twitch
Cards so far: City of Solitude, Rishadan Brigand, Rishadan Footpad

Description:
The deck is built around City of Solitude and cards that require my opponents to do something outside of their turns (which they can’t with CoS out). So far I just have the Rishadan guys to do the trick, rhystic spells would fit as well but I can’t decide yet which ones do fit the best.

What I need:
Ideas on rhystic spells and other cards and concepts that work with CoS. I would especially appreciate any card that doesn’t base on mana abilities (opposed to the rhystic spells and Rishadan guys), just for diversity. The deck should play pretty normal except for the CoS, I do not want to add any subthemes unless they are connected to CoS. The deck should have a max of 3 colours.

By Wicked Darkman (Wickeddarkman) on Sunday, July 15, 2007 - 03:09 pm:

This deck could also use the blue part of my silhana project!

By Homelands Bookie (Psycho) on Monday, July 16, 2007 - 08:05 am:

Rhystic Cave becomes a better City of Brass with CoS out. Rhystic Deluge is cute, and comboes slightly with Seizures, Rhystic Tutor is great and Rhystic Lightning is nice.

Nakaya Shade is a cheap shade, although it would push you heavily into black, Soul Strings is a double Raise Dead for 1B, Wild Might is brutal, but you'd need to play green. (Edit: Oh wait, City of Solitude...) Carrionette is nice as a critter and removal. Withdraw is a nice cheaper Undo, and it can be used on your own Pirates! Plague Fiend is a 1/1 Basilisk for 2 mana. Flay is the new Hymn, Lim-Dul's Hex bleeds everybody but you to death

Crystal Shard and Erratic Portal keep bouncing your Pirates and their blockers.

Blood Clock! You keep playing your Pirates while they keep paying life!

Phyrexian Tyranny can turn a Prosperity into a Weapon of Mass Destruction!

Stench of Evil with a Magical Hack?

Tariff with CoS becomes "Each opponent sacs his most expensive critter"

I think blue/black/green is your best choice of colors.

Drift of Phantasms and Perplex to find the City?
And that's all I can say about it.

By Bwm Wil Mindctrl (Bwm) on Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - 04:56 am:

Definetely withdraw, remember you can target an opposing creature and make the second target one of yours, completely ignoring the rhystic ability...

By Puschkin (Puschkin) on Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - 05:33 am:

WD:
Not in this case. They fitted in BBS because it was fast (for multiplayer) and aggressive and it slows the other players down with mana denial. This deck however ... if I used stuff like your creatures, I would run out of steam fast. While the opponents cannot interfere with my stuff, I also cannot interfere with theirs if it isn't my turn, so - I'd better have something with more punch that is good on it's own. Something along the line of Blastoderm. But do not worry about that part of the deck, I will always be able to flesh it out with ordinary attackers that match the needs of our playgroup. First I need ideas that work together with City of Solitude.

Rhystic Cave: Yeah, it does, but so far I am at two colours. I will include it once I add a third colour.

Rhystic Deluge: Its not cute, it's perfect! Why use Flood AND Storm Front if I can have both in one?

Rhystic Tutor and Lighting alone aren't worth the trouble of splahing a colour (and the Tutor is still strictly worse than Demonic Tutor)

Crystal Shard and Erratic Portal are also perfect for this deck, thx.

Blood Clock doesn't work. It is triggered for each player seperately during HIS turn (and even if not, paying 2 life for an upkeep is neither playing a spell nor playing an ability). I could still use it to bounce my Pirates but the others will have cards with CIP-effects as well and most likely nastier ones than mine.

Phyrexian Tyranny can indeed turn a Prosperity into a Weapon of Mass Destruction but this is true weather you have City of Solitude or not! I'll pass on this one, but thinking about it, I should add Memory Jar! They cannot use the cards at all

Stench of Evil is nice, I'll include it but without the Magical Hack.

Tariff will be in if I have more reasons to play white.

I might add Sterling Groves to fetch the Cities which means I will have white.

Withdraw: I'll keep it to the Portals and Shards.

By Homelands Bookie (Psycho) on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 04:52 am:

No Drift of Phantasms? You know they're great defense, being 5 thougness and flying and all? It's like the Fog Bank you never had!

By Puschkin (Puschkin) on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 10:52 am:

I don't have any cards of that block and the addition of Sterling Grove for fetching the Cities is a sure thing by now because I will have to dismantle an old deck anyway (running out of sleeves) and I decided to abandon my token-combo-deck that also runs City of Solitudes and Sterling Groves.

Drift of Phantasms is a nice suggestion nonetheless

By Nathan (N810) on Friday, July 20, 2007 - 10:04 am:

sleves...Sleves! we don't need no Stinking Sleves.

uh you forgot Rishadan Cutpurse, Rhystic Study.

Disruptive Pitmage ... not shure if this works
with City of Solitude, It would be awsome if it does. Sunken Field falls in this same category.

In the Eye of Chaos is a weird card i don't know if it's worth adding to this deck, but i thought it was worth mentioning.

Wild Might tourn into an awsome pump card in this deck.

By Puschkin (Puschkin) on Friday, July 20, 2007 - 04:00 pm:

I didn't forget the Cutpurse, I just not sure if I have to waste card slots on too many of those guys. I'll have 2 of the Brigands and 4 Footpads plus the Portals and Shards to bounce them. But I will add the Cutpurses if I don't find enough other cards to fill in the blanks.

Rhystic Study doesn't work. They can only play spells during their turn anyway and when it's there turn, they can pay the extra mana ;)

Same for the Pitmage and Sunken Field, I cannot use his ability when it's not my turn.

In the Eye of Chaos ... well, I will be short on instants anyway since I cannot play them in opponent's turn, so I will have mostly Sroceries. So I can use In the Eye of Chaos and punish the others for playing with instants. It's in.

Wild Might is indeed superb in this deck and will be in (although they are instants ;) )

By Nathan (N810) on Monday, July 23, 2007 - 12:42 pm:

Do you have enough for a deck list yet?

By Puschkin (Puschkin) on Monday, April 28, 2008 - 08:57 am:

Here's a news flash for my brainstorm party. Unfortunately I have gone lazy, I wish I would have WD's energy to write everything down. So, no decklists, just some news:
-------------------------------------------------

Played this a couple of times now. The deck was green, blue and white. Sterling Grove was essential, the Erratic Portals and Crystal Shards were workhorses. I had Vine Trellis for mana acceleration and defense. My offense consisted of some untargetable and/or unblockable big hitters, from Troll Ascetic over Blastoderm to Rhox and Multani. I also had two good old Lures. Funny thing how this card wins games. Just slam it on a random creature and attack with enough other creatures to bring him down. With City of Solitude out he can't do anything against that and his creatures can be as big and nasty as he wishes, they don't help, funny thing. The Counterbalance went into this deck. Yes, it's true, since Cunterbalance's ability is a triggered one, I was able to use it even under CoS!

You may notice that I am speaking in the past. That's because I have already begun to dismantle it. Why? Because it annoyed the hell out of my friends But unlike the BBS deck games aren't necessarily ovr quickly. Moreover, this deck is much easier disruptable. Without the CoS out it doesn't really do much. The Portals/Shards aren't working on the creatures that keep pounding me and the Footpads are just expensive 2/2s. I on't even have the coloured mana I need because my opponents pay mana every single time I activate the Rhystic Caves ... heck, they even treated me as if I have the CoS out even when I didn't. In one game, first they blew up my Portals, then they killed the Footpads even though they are harmless once the Portals are gone and beat me to death although neither a CoS nor Sterling Grove was anywhere near ... note that we were playing Pentagram and both my pseudo-partners were destroying my stuff!

Usually I would count this as a success. I mean, If I am the bad guy that everyone has to focus as soon as they recognize my deck then I have done something right^^ But in this case I count that as a failure because the deck depends too much on CoS to get rolling. I could work on that but somehow I don't really want to go on everyone's nerves with this anymore. I've prooved that I can bite and that's it, the CoS will get locked away in the binder for quite some time.