BYOB - The return

[Mundungu]

I learned in the last minute that a shop nearby is running a Build your own Bloc tourney next sunday.

So I have five days.

Rules summary, for those not familiar :
Choose any cards from the following card pool.
Any one big expansion since and including Ice Age.
Two small expansions since and including Alliance.
NO BANNED CARDS.

Geeze.
That's a lot to consider. I run over the invitational reports, but don't know if they had any further restrictions than the one I have.

My feelings are to abuse some of the best cards of various sets, but being limited to 3 sets imposes more restrictions than it would first appear.

Keeping in mind that most of my card pool is Saga onward (I go as far as Mirage but Mirage - Tempest cards are still in a box 4000 miles from here..) I am putting thougths in building either an Academy deck or accelerated blue.

(under the condition that I manage to get 3 more academies !)

First shot, Academy. (I will note if I am restricted in the number of cards I actually own by an HO - have only X).

Saga
4 Tolarian academy - ho1
4 Stroke of Genius
1 time spiral - ho1
3 voltaic key - ho3
4 worn powerstone
4 windfall
4 turnabout
4 counterspell
4 rewind

Legacy
4 Grim monolith

Destiny
4 Metalworker
4 powder keg

18 Islands

The problem is that it lack some lower costs artefacts.

The accelerated blue would be extremly similar with :
Saga
4 Tolarian academy - ho1
4 Stroke of Genius
1 time spiral - ho1
3 voltaic key - ho3
4 worn powerstone
4 windfall
4 turnabout
4 counterspell
3 Morphling

Legacy
4 Grim monolith
Stronghold
4 Mox diamonds
18 Islands

What do you think ?
I 'll need some good sideboarding but i hope to make the decks so fast that a SB would be not so important.

I also need a back up deck in case I cant get a hold on the 3 academies.

Dont hesitate to criticise as I had very little time to think about it yet.

Apart from my actual decks, what would YOU be playing ?

 

[Spiderman]

Did Capt. Caveman do this or was it you previously (which is what is meant by "The return"...) Maybe the previous BYOB threads can help(?)

 

[Mundungu]

Well there was a thread from the capt. a while back but it was only limited to 3 predetermined sets.

http://www.magic-singles.com/cpa/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4690

But while searching - again - for it I now found that one :

http://www.magic-singles.com/cpa/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4725

which pretty much answers many of my questions for alternate decks, even though if most of the decks posted turn around Rath block and older, which means quite hard for me to build.

However there is no moention whatsoever of a potential Academy deck. So pls help me with that one.

Also a little distinction here is that you can use only one of the "big" expansions. No Tempest/saga

as many cards as you want from any of the 3 chosen sets (4 copies of the same card max of course)
Hopefully that is clear enough.

Thanks

 

[Spiderman]

I pretty much stopped playing after Rath. Hopefully someone else can hook ya up.

 

[Captain Caveman]

If you go to the Random Block Constructed &/or the B.Y.O.B thread(s)you'll find a ton O`decks. JohnO, Gizmo, galtwish,
as well as several other creative CPA members posted a lot of good ideas.

or

You can go to the igaming site and find some B.Y.O.B decklist.

good luck,
Caveman

 

[Mundungu]

But not much comment on a potential Academy deck or on mostly Post Rath deck

 

[Istanbul]

Heh. If nothing is banned, Exodus + Urza's Legacy + Tempest = A fairly effective Rec/Sur deck.

 

[Riva Iron-Grip]

i would be playing discard. seeing as tho right now, that is my best deck. it is mono black. invasion really helped with this deck, plus tempest, and fallen empires. i got all the discard cards i had, and then picked the ones that were the cheapest. it is fast, and deadly. here is the combo i LOVE to use. 2 megrims in play+3 mindstab thrulls=instant kill. the deck has like 20 mana, or maybe 15. but it can play on usually 2 or 1. i have a phyrexian alter which helps there. the point is to get out the weenies that can regen. then sac them for the mana, and bring stuff out. discard would be evil with a BYOB. just my thots

 

[Sammy Dead-O]

Do the small expansions have to be a first and a second from each block...e.g. Visions and Exodus or Stronghold and Prophecy?

Assuming they do...well, actually, assuming either way...my thoughts almost always go to weenie/beatdown decks when tourneys like this come up. White Weenie could probably be built pretty nicely from Tempest (the Soltaris, Cursed Scroll, Disenchant), Stronghold (the en-Kors), and Weatherlight (Empyrial Armor, Abeyance, Aura of Silence). Exodus would also be helpful, with Paladin en-Vec, Soltari Visionary, Soul Warden, and Cataclysm.

Post-Rath, have you thought about Stompy? Maybe Saga, Legacy, Prophecy: Albino Troll, Pouncing Jaguar, Wild Dogs, Elvish Lyrist, the Hidden enchantments, Gorilla Warrior, Symbiosis, Rancor, Blanchwood Armor, Might of Oaks, Silt Crawler, Chimeric Idol, Wild Might, Pygmy Razorback, maybe even Mungha Wurm. Not much that would be too hard to get ahold of if you don't have it now. Anyway, I'd give the beats a look.

 

[Sammy Dead-O]

...Vintara Snapper would also work well in that Stompy.

 

[John`O]

Academy US-UL-EX
4 Voltaic Key
4 Grim Monolith
4 Spellbook
2 Claws of Gix
4 Windfall
4 Stroke of Genius
4 Time Spiral
2 Memory Jar
2 Tinker
4 Frantic Search
3 Mind Over Matter
2 Power Sink
4 Tolarian Academy
16 Island

Probably could be quite a bit better,
but building this is probably more fun than actually
playing it ?
Other combo decks are possible e.g. NecroDonate.
Control Necro probably ok as well
as you can play Consult and Orb.


John

 

[Mundungu]

Yeah, what about a bargain deck ? I wonder.

Geeze, it is just too many possibilities.

Although right now I am more and more looking into accelerated blue (considering my card pool).

I am almost certain that there would be some kind of hatred, countersliver and pros bloom decks around.

So my deck must be quick quick quick.

 

[Mundungu]

After some heavy trading at the tuesday magic night at the local shop I have managed to bring up most of the necessary cards (yes we have a very healty andnumerous Magic community here)

4 Academy
4 stroke
3 mind over matter
3 time spiral

I also thought that adding city of traitors (exodus) might bring some acceleration.
Also Forbid seems like a good card for the deck.

Here is what I have come up with so far, based mostly on John O's list (I marked the chages with an !) :
Saga/legacy/Exodus

!3 Voltaic Key
4 Grim Monolith
4 Spellbook
2 Claws of Gix
!3 Windfall
4 Stroke of Genius
3 Time Spiral
2 Memory Jar
2 Tinker
4 Frantic Search
3 Mind Over Matter
2 Power Sink
!2 Forbid
!2 turnabout

4 Tolarian Academy
14 Island
2 City of traitors.

I have been playing gold fish for about 10 games, but it was like 1 am, so I will have to refine my findings and keep on goldfishing some more.
However I found that too often for my taste the combo is really slow to come up.
Most of the cards are very mana intensive, and sometimes there isnt mana enough to play the key spells, or the mana is there but not the key spell.

I will however work on fine tuning it some more. Johm, any ideas welcome.

To follow the other treck of accelerated blue I think I would go Saga/Legacy/Stronghold:

3 Voltaic Key
4 Grim Monolith
4 Mox diamond
2 Claws of Gix
4 Stroke of Genius
3 Time Spiral
1 Memory Jar
2 Tinker
4 Frantic Search
4 Power Sink
2 turnabout

!3 morphling
!3 evacuate
!1 phyrexian colossus

4 Tolarian Academy
14 Island
2 City of traitors.

Thoughts and comments more than welcome.

 

[Mundungu]

Ok it seems that this is more of a monolgue than constructive discussion but here is the deck that I have so far.

I have shifted to accelerated blue US/UL/AI

4 Tolarian academy
2 faerie conclave
14 islands

4 grim monolith
3 voltaic key
2 claw of gix
4 shield sphere
2 memory jar
1 phyrexian colossus
1 soldevi digger

3 morphling
4 cloud of faeries

3 force of will
2 power sink
2 time spiral
3 stroke of genius
2 tinker
3 frantic search
2 turnabout

In the SB I think about goodies like :
Noetic scale
Soldevi digger
Mishra's helix
hibernation
douse
more counters

The addition of shield spheres and FOW makes the deck much quicker to respond.

so far it looks good although evacuation was great main deck while using Stronghold.

 

[Thallid Ice Cream Man]

You say no banned cards, but which banned list are you using? Academy might be banned still.

 

[Sammy Dead-O]

Originally posted by Mundungu
I run over the invitational reports, but don't know if they had any further restrictions than the one I have.

I think that at the last Invitational, anyway, they couldn't play with any cards banned or restricted in any format.

Originally posted by Mundungu
Ok it seems that this is more of a monolgue than constructive discussion but here is the deck that I have so far.

Sorry...I tried, but I know very little about Accelerated Blue, so I don't know what to say at this point.

I have been thinking about the tournament in general, however, and it seems to me that those who use a set like Tempest with a lot of color hosers (Chill, Warmth, Boil, Perish, maybe more) could end up with a huge advantage post-sideboard. Granted, your deck will have the countermagic to fight it, but it could pay off to have access to those staple cards. It's worth thinking about, anyway.

 

[Mundungu]

Sammy : no banned or restricted cards whatsoever.
So Academy is perfectly fine.
I have added gustha's scepter main deck which seems to be a good addition.