3 Color Decks....all 10 of them!

[Killer Joe]

All the decks listed are 75 cards (no SB) as they are meeting the rules for the multiplayer group I play with called "The Multiplayer Magic League" at our monthly gaming group called GASP (Gaming Assoc. of Southwestern PA) that meets the second Saturday of each month at Legions Game store in Pittsburgh, PA
These decks are built 'specifically' for my metegame and would suck anywhere else.

The 10 three-color combinations:

W-U-B (See Akroma-Go below)
U-B-R (See UBR Nether-Go below)
B-R-G (See Jund below)
R-G-W (see Isochron Three-Deuce below)
G-W-U (see Justice League below)
W-B-R (see White Lightning below)
U-R-G (see Snake-Tongue below)
B-G-W (see Triad Control below)
R-W-U (see Red, Hot & Blue Control below)
G-U-B (see Gifts below)

Deckbuilding: My M.O. for building these 75 card three-colored decks always starts with the question: "What KIND of control deck do I want to play?" LOL!
Next is the color choice; I have learned to like MOST of the combination though I have yet to really warm up to blUe-Black-Green (I built a UBG Gifts deck a while ago and it "failed" because I built it poorly) and I just got liking Red-Black-White as I built an Isochron type deck and it was called "White Lightning" as the hero card was Lightning Helix and backed up with STP's and Lightning Bolts.
After I got that all figured out I then select the control type cards of my liking and they all seem to work but there are MY staples:
White - Disenchant-Pulse of the Fields-Ghostly Prison-Wrath of God-Swords to Plowshares-Akroma, Angel of Wrath
Blue - Counterspell-Capsize-Propaganda-Tradewind Rider-Fact or Fiction-Ice (from Fire//Ice)
Black - Demonic Tutor-Damnation-Syphon Soul-Kokusho
Red - Lightning Bolt-Flametongue Kavu-Fire (from Fire//Ice)
Green - Birds of Paradise-Gaea's Blessing-Sylvan Library-Abundance-Call of the Herd-Wall of Blossoms
Gold Cards - Terminate-Undermine-Absorb-The 3-colored Charm's-Lightning Helix-Mystic Snake
Artifacts - Ischron Scepter-Cursed Scroll-Null Rod

Next is the land. The most important part of my deck building. Since all of my 3-colored decks are 75 cards I almost always go 30 land (40% of the deck). In different combinations of Dual lands and the new pain dual lands I can come up with four of each kind like I have 2 Taiga and 2 Stomping Grounds or 1 Tundra and 3 Hallowed Fountain, I have 4 Tropical islands but there some duals I don't have even 1 copy like Bayou and Badlands.
Sample land build for say Blue-Red-Green
4x Taiga/Stomping Grounds
4x Tropical Island (since I have 4 of these I don't have to use the Ravnica Block UG dual lands)
4x Volcanic Island/Steam Vents
then 1 search land of the three combinations:
1x Misty Rainforest (Island or Forest)
1x Wooded Foothills (Mountain or Forest)
1x Scalding Tarn (Island or Mountain)

Usually I add a Reflecting Pool to the mix.

that's 16 so far with 14 slots left. Before I add the right mix of basic lands I add non-basics like Maze of Ith or Miren, the Moaning Well or Volrath's Stronghold or Shivan Gorge or Wasteland or Quicksand or whatever I need the best works with the deck I'm using. That's usually about 4 to 6 slots. The remaining slots I use for basic land with the correct ratio from the color make-up of my deck.

The idea behind the minimum 75 card deck rule was mine. At 60 cards my decks were seriously efficient and most of the other players LOVED BIG DECKS!!! So I came up with the idea to not only curb myself but to curb (at that time) the plethora of combo decks that were ending games within a few turns.

Story time: back in July of '04 (my 2nd time playing with this group) I played a 30 card deck since there was no deck limit for the league. Most of the players back then brought monster 150+ card decks and called themselves DANGEROUS (OMG, it was too funny but Mooseman can back me up on this). So in order for me to,...[ahem],....enlighten them, I had built this deck (it was red/green/blue elf flame) and it went off within a few turns. At that time it was the fastest a league game ever went (20 min). Did I mention about my FIRST time playing with them? Long story short; it was the LONGEST (10.5 hours) a game had ever went in the league at that time. I played my now infamous "RGW Seinfeld Deck" it was a deck about nothing, it didn't do ANYTHING. I had no win condition whatsoever. I didn't build the deck to win, I built it to Not to LOSE! LOL! I'm sick.

So that's why the decks are 75 cards and all is well with the world and especially since my nemesis (and Moosie's too at times) has moved away and doesn't play with us anymore.

 

[Mooseman]

Are you doing deck lists for all 10? If so, it would be cool to play them against each other.

 

[Killer Joe]

Yes I am!

 

[Mooseman]

Where are they?

 

[Killer Joe]

Since I wrote this I keep changing them around. I think i just stick the 'staple' cards I typically have in my decks

 

[Mooseman]

How about a few of your decks and we can try them against each other

 

[Killer Joe]

For GASP's January's MML game:

"Isochron Three-Duece” (RGW)
~Lands (25)
4 Forest
3 Plains
2 Mountains
2 Tiaigas
1 Stomping Ground
2 Plateau
1 Sacred Foundry
3 Savannah
1 Arid Mesa
1 Woodland Foothills
1 Windswept Heath
1 Keldon Necropolis
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Shivan Gorge
1 Kor Haven

~Spells (26)
4 Isochron Scepter
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Nourish (You gain 6 life)
4 Lightning Helix (3 damage/gain 3 life)
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Constant Mist (Fog w/Buyback)
2 Seal of Cleansing (enchantment version of Disenchant)
2 Seal of Primordium (same as above only green)

~Creatures (24)
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Canopy Spider (1/3 w/reach)
4 Temple Acolyte (1/3 CIP gain 3 life)
4 Wall of Blossoms (0/4 wall CIP draw a card)
2 Wall of Razors (4/1 wall w/first strike)
2 Wall of Diffusion (0/5 wall that can block creatures with Shadow)
2 Soul Warden
2 Essence Warden (same as above only green)
The only reason I even used the term Three-Deuce was that it's a 3 color deck and no card cost more than 2.
I won a 5 player game with this little gem and once again, I was LEFT ALONE for more than an hour when someone finally realized that I lots of cool schtuff in front of me like a Lightning Helix on Isochron, A Nourish (I gain 6 life) on an Isochron A sould warden, an Essence Warden, a buch of blockers and hand full of goodies and about 18 lands (with a Buyback FOG in my hand).

 

[Killer Joe]

Possibly my deck for February's MML game
I copy and pasted this stright from a post I made on the GASP website, I feel the need to not only list my deck ahead of time but to mention what the cards do, how I play the deck and how it can be beaten. These folks need all the help they can get since MOOSEMAN has abandoned us! LOL!

UGr Snake-Tongue

~Lands (29)
1x Faerie Conclave (makes blue mana but can also be a 2/1 flyer until end of turn for 1U)
4x Forest
3x Island
1x Misty Rainforest (search land for island or forest)
2x Mountain
1x Reflecting Pool
1x Shivan Gorge (colorless or pay 2R to deal 1 damage to all opp)
3x Steam Vents (Mtn & Island)
2x Stomping Ground (Mtn & forest)
2x Taiga (mtn & forest)
1x Treetop Village (makes green mana but can be a 3/3 creature with trample for 1G)
4x Tropical Island (island & forest)
1x Volcanic Island (Island & Mtn)
2x Woodland Foothills (search for Mtn or Forest)
1x Yavimaya Hallow (colorless or pay G to regen target creature)

~Creatures (19)
4x Birds of Paradise (mana producer all 5 colors)
4x Flametongue Kavu (4/2 when it comes into play it deals 4 damage to target creature)
4x Mystic Snake (2/2 with flash, when it comes into play it counters target spell)
4x Troll Ascetic (3/2 green creature with regen and can't be the target of spells or abilities that OPPONENTS control)
3x Winged Coatl (1/1 flyer with flash and deathtouch)

~Spells (27)
4x Call of the Herd (a green sorcery that produces 3/3 elephant tokens, it has flashback)
2x Capsize (bounce with buyback)
4x Counterspell
3x Electrolyze (deals 2 damage split any way you want and draw a card)
4x Fact or Fiction (to get what I need with YOUR help)
3x Hull Breach (a sorcery that destroys target artifact or enchntment or both)
1x Jayemdae Tome
1x Kraken’s Eye
4x Urza’s Rage (a red instant for 2R that deals 3 damage and is uncounterable; the kicker is 8R and then it deals 10 damage instead)
1x Wurm’s Tooth

The basic concept: To stop big threats using utility creatures like Mystic Snake (a 2/2 creature with flash that counters spell when it comes into play), Flametongue Kavu (a 4/2 creature that deals 4 damage to target creature when it comes into play), Winged Coatl (a 1/1 flying creature with flash and has deathtouch) and the Troll Acsetic (a 3/2 shroud creature that has regeneration). This way not only am I taking care of a threat but setting up a creature defense. What I can't take care of this way I use my spells; Counterspell, Capsize for bouncing threats, Electrolyze which deals 2 damage split anyway I want and I draw a card, too, Fact of Fiction to get what I want in a hurry, Hull Breach (a sorcery) allows me to destroy an artifact or enchanment or BOTH, and Urza's Rage (red instant that deals 3 damage and is UNCOUNTERABLE), this is OLD tech, it's a bit pricey but worth it in the long game as I can pay it's regular cost to deal 3 damage or py it's kicker {8R} in addition to it's regular cost {2R} for it to deal 10 damage to target creature or player. A game finisher if ever there was one.

How to beat it: you can't let up, it's a creature light deck and doesn't have the "classic" control cards like propaganda, wrath of god, and the likes so attacking early and often are KEY to defeating the deck. The deck was originally designed for dueling and I haven't changed much to make it multiplayer friendly so if the deck makes it down to 2 or 3 players left in the game, it's a near auto-win. The drawback to attacking the deck is that unless you are heavily armed with a weenie deck or plenty of creatures in the early game you leave yourself open to being attacked by other players.

 

[turgy22]

For the Isochron deck, what's the advantage of using the Seals instead of Disenchant / Naturalize? It seems to me that it would be better to have another scepter imprint option.

 

[Killer Joe]

Of course you're right, it would be be better. However, in our metagame and the personalities the SEALS are a constant reminder/warning NOT to play an enchanment or artifact. It's kinda like having a Torch in your hand when approaching creatures affected by light.
LOL!

....oh, and going with two of each makes them think I have EIGHT altogether,....*shrugs*,....I guess you'd ahve to be there to see if for real.

 

[turgy22]

Yeah, I know the dynamic in multiplayer is a lot different, regarding both threats and perceived threats. I was just curious if the impact of that dynamic was strong enough to offset the added synergy you'd get by utilizing another 2-mana instant.

 

[Mooseman]

You have to understand that most of the players there are either new or very casual and KJ has to put some limitation on himself or it would be a boring day....
Believe me, If he gets into the mid or late game, he'll win 80% of the time..... the other 20 is when I'm there or a few other players who are a bit intermittent...
Also the implied threat is very big in these games, I have seen him politic other players into doing his dirty work and he takes them out...
Even while I was pointing it out to them.... he can be that good and I hate him for it.....

 

[Killer Joe]

Schucks, it's what what I do, It's what-I-do....

 

[Killer Joe]

This is the "other" deck I might play at Feb's MML game. Again, this is copied and pasted right from the GASP's website.

UBW Akroma-Go

~Land (30)
1x Academy Ruins (add 1 colorless or pay 1U & tap to put artifact from your graveyard to the top of your library)
1x Flooded Strand (search for plains or island)
3x Godless Shrine (swamp & plains)
3x Hallowed Fountains (island & plains)
4x Island
1x Kor Haven (Tap: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool.
1W, Tap: Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt by target attacking creature this turn.)
1x Marsh Flats (search for swamp or plains)
1x Maze of Ith (a non-mana producing land that you tap so that target attacking creature untaps and doesn’t deal or receive damage)
1x Miren, the Moaning Well (Tap: Add 1 to your mana pool.
3, Tap, Sacrifice a creature: You gain life equal to the sacrificed creature's toughness.)
3x Plains
1x Polluted Delta (search for swamp or island)
1x Reflecting Pool (produces any color that any of your other lands can produce)
1x Scrubland (swamp & plains)
2x Swamp
1x Tundra (island and plains)
1x Volrath’s Stronghold (Tap: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool.
1B, Tap: Put target creature card from your graveyard on top of your library.)
4x Watery Grave (island & swamp)

~Creatures (11)
1x Akroma, Angel of Wrath (a white creature for 5WWW Flying, first strike, trample, haste, protection from black, protection from red.)
Attacking doesn't cause Akroma, Angel of Wrath to tap.
2x Kokusho, the Evening Star (a 5/5 flyer for 4BB when it goes to the graveyard all opponents lose 5 life, you gain life lost this way)
4x Shadowmage Infiltrator (1UB 1/3 with fear and when it deals damage to a player you draw a card)
4x Wall of Denial (a 0/8 flyer with shroud for 1UW)

~Spells (34)
4x Absorb (an instant for WUU counter target spell and you gain 3 life)
4x Accumulated Knowledge (a blue instant for 1U draw a card, then draw cards = to the # of this card in all graveyards)
2x Capsize (a blue instant for 1UU and buyback 3. It’s a buyback Boomerang)
1x Cursed Totem (an artifact for 2 that says, Players can’t play any creature abilities requiring an activation cost, i.e. if it has this “:” on it)
2x Damnation (a black sorcery for 2BB and it destroys all creatures and they can’t regenerated. A black Wrath of God)
1x Death Grasp (a sorcery for {X}WB it deals X damage and you gain X life)
3x Dismantling Blow (a white Disenchant-type instant for 2W and a kicker of 2U to draw two cards)
2x Dromar’s Charm (an instant for WUB that has: Choose one - You gain 5 life; or counter target spell; or target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn.
2x Fact or Fiction (Reveal the top five cards of your library. An opponent separates those cards into two piles. Put one pile into your hand and the other into your graveyard.)
2x Ghostly Prison (a white enchantment for 2W, creatures can’t attack you unless it’s owner pays 2 mana for each attacking creature. It’s a white version of blue’s Propaganda)
1x Null Rod (an artifact for 2. Players can’t play any artifact abilities requiring an activation cost. i.e. an artifact that has this “:”)
2x Propaganda (a blue enchantment for 2U, creatures can’t attack you unless it’s owner pays 2 mana for each attacking creature.)
2x Pulse of the Fields (a white instant for 1WW you gain 4 life and if an opponent has more life than you then you can return this back to your hand)
2x Rout (a white sorcery for 3WW it’s a wrath of god effect and can be played as an instant for an extra 2 mana)
4x Undermine (an instant for UUB that counters target spell and that spell’s controller loses 3 life)

The basic concept: No one attacks you, no one gets anything big on the table. This deck has a way to deal with just about anything played; if it can't be destroyed it can be countered and if it does hit the table it can be bounced and if all that fails for creatures then it'll cost an opponent heavy in the way of mana through Propaganda or it's white doppleganger Ghostly Prison. And if damage does get through the deck replenishes life through Pulse of the Fields or having Kokusho go off in which case all players will lose life. Wall of Denial, a 0/8 flying defender with shoud, is a big hurddle to leap over. Akroma or Death Wish are the game finishers.

How to beat it: This deck is SLOW!!!! Every turn damage is not dealt the deck grows stronger. It doesn't have mana problems (30 land in a 75 card deck makes mana available and plentiful in every opening hand). The lack of Ivory Mask makes the deck vulnerable to DIRECT DAMAGE. If this deck makes it to the mid-game it's going to be tough to beat it as it will have fully developed and it'll frustrate the metagame.

 

[Killer Joe]

I keep thinking about my mana base configuration and so I solidified it yesterday by buying the last couple of lands to make it complete ($50 for about 6 lands). But now I have the kind of land I want for all my 3 color decks.
Plains/Islands
3x Hallowed Fountains
1x Tundra
1x Flooded Strand

Islands/Swamps
4x Watery Grave
1x Polluted Delta

Swamps/Mountains
4x Blood Crypt <------3 of them new
1x Bloodstaind Mire

Mountains/Forests
2x Taiga
2x Stomping Ground
1x Wooded Foothills

Forests/Plains
1x Temple Garden
3x Savannah
1x Windswept Heath

Plains/Swamps
3x Godless Shrine
1x Scrubland
1x Marsh Flats

Islands/Mountains
3x Steamed Vents
1x Volcanic Island
1x Scalding Tarn <-------new

Swamps/Forests
4x Overgrown Tomb
1x Verdant Catacombs <--------new

Mountains/Plains
2x Sacred Foundry
2x Plateau
1x Arid Mesa

Forests/Islands
4x Tropical island
1x Misty Rainforest

Thats four [edit: 3 not 4] dual lands and the coresponding search land [edit: Scalding tarn & Verdant Catacombs]. [add: 2x Creeping tar Pit, essential for my control decks with blue and black in them]

 

[Mooseman]

$50 for about 6 lands.......Thats four dual lands and the coresponding search land.

$50 for 4 dual lands? DSeems like a great deal by itself.... Did you go to Drew's?

 

[Killer Joe]

Wait, this is what I got:
3x Blood Crypt
1x Verdant Catacombs
1x Scalding Tarn
2x Creeping Tar Pit

I went to Mr. Nice Guy Games

 

[Mooseman]

Oh.... That's better.

 

[Killer Joe]

BGW Triad Control - MML 75 Card Deck

Lands (30)
2x Forest
3x Godless Shrine
1x Kor Haven
1x Marsh Flats
1x Maze of Ith
1x Miren, the Moaning Well
4x Overgrown Tomb
3x Plains
1x Reflecting Pool
3x Savannah
1x Scrubland
3x Swamp
1x Temple Garden
2x Treetop Village
1x Verdant Catacombs
1x Volrath’s Stronghold
1x Windswept Heath

Creatures (15)
1x Angel of Despair
4x Eternal Witness
2x Kokusho, the Evening Star
4x Loxodon Hierarch
4x Wall of Blossoms

Spells (30)
1x Abundance
1x Constant Mist
3x Crime // Punishment
1x Death Grasp
2x Debtors’ Knell
4x Demonic Tutor
4x Ghostly Prison
2x Ivory Mask
4x Swords to Plowshares
1x Sylvan Library
3x Vindicate
4x Wrath of God

Again, the mana base is similar to the others 4 dual lands (mix of new and old) and the overall concept is CONTROL. Of all the three colored decks I've used over the past decade THIS has always been my favorite. This deck originally looked like "The Rock" deck and has evolved over the years to fit my particular play taste. It was the first NON-BLUE control deck I played and liked the way it felt playing it and totally allowed me to defend myself for always playing blue. I realized that control didn't always mean PLAYING blue.

 

[Killer Joe]

RWU Red, Hot & Blue 75 card deck MML 2011
(originally "RWU Miss America" with Lightning Angel as Miss America but she's too slutty for this deck now, lol)

~Lands (30)
1 Academy Ruins
1 Arid Mesa
2 Faerie Conclave
1 Flooded Strand
3 Hallowed Fountain
3 Island
1 Kor Haven
1 Maze of Ith
2 Mountain
3 Plains
2 Plateau
1 Reflecting Pool
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Shivan Gorge
3 Steam Vents
1 Tundra
1 Volcanic Island

~Creatures (0)

~Spells (45)
4 Absorb
4 Accumulated Knowledge
4 Counterspell
1 Cursed Totem
3 Dismantling Blow
2 Fact or Fiction
3 Fire // Ice
2 Ghostly Prison
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
1 Null Rod
3 Powerstone Minefields
2 Propaganda
2 Pulse of the Fields
4 Rout
2 Double Negative

The removal of creatures reall alows this deck to breathe. The Powerstone Minefields were prohibiting my creatures from attacking so out went the creatures but just in case they get zapped I at least still have the conclaves just in case.