Revising my old Equilibrium deck.

[Purple_jester]

I've decided to tweak around my Bounce deck. The old version contained Somnophore and Tradewinds to help with the lockdown, but I'm trying out something different, using 4 Equilibrium instead of 3 in the old version.

Here's my current deck list, using some of the newer cards:
Mana:
18 Island
3 Mishra's Factory
1 Sol Ring
2 Sky Diamond

Spells:
4 Equilibrium
4 Counterspell
4 Mana Leak
2 Force of Will
2 Seal of Removal
2 Sigil of Sleep

Creatures:
4 Stinging Barrier
3 Darting Merfolk
3 Gilded Drake
2 Serendib Efreet
2 Ribbon Snake
2 Waterfront Bouncer
2 Spiketail Hatchling

This deck revolves entirely around Equilibrium. Most of the creatures cost no more than 2 mana to bring into play allowing maximal use of Equilibrium. The Darting Merfolk can be sent back to the hand to repeatedly use Equilibrium, and they're great insurance against non-targetable meanies like Blastoderm. The Gilded Drakes are to take control of my opponent's creatures. Then I simply send them back to my hand with Equilibrium.

I was also thinking of perhaps using creatures like Man-o-war. Any other suggestions on variations on the spell or creature base? I do NOT want to use any of the P9, so please no comments like "Where's the Ancestral Recall" or "Put in a Timewalk". Thanks!

 

[rakso]

I always figured that Equilibrium could do well in a Merfolk weenie deck, along with maybe Coastal Piracy and Unstable Mutation.

In this deck, maybe you should swap out the 3 mana and more inefficient weenies for older flyers. Spindrift Drake is one that isn't so bad and isn't expensive, either. Some other stuff like Sigil of Sleep is probably unnecessary already, as I think you'll want Equilibrium only to slow the opponent without trying to completely take control as I doubt you can with this kind of deck.

 

[Duel]

... But Gilded Drake has, I believe been Errata'ed. Don't yell at me, I hate it, ruined two decks I have. Can't be used with equilibrium unless you have two in you hand, and are casting one at a time. So, if you play them, run 4.

 

[Purple_jester]

Duel, is this the Errata that it can't be the target of Equilibrium by putting itself into play?

That's why there are a lot of other weenies in the deck. The Gilded Drake is mainly for controlling nastier creatures, like Masticore or Morphling. I can then minimize the damage of giving my opponent the Drake by bouncing it with Equilibrium at a later time (or on the same turn, if I have enough mana), with another creature like the Merfolk.

And Rakso, what inefficient weenies are you talking about exactly? The Bouncers and the Snakes? Believe me, if I had more than 1 Spindrift Drake, I'd use it. But I don't have any. Any other substitutes? And what should I replace the Sigils with?

 

[Duel]

how about spitting drake, for recurrance, or Thalakos Seer (underused card) for card advantage and damage.

 

[Purple_jester]

Hmm... Don't you mean Shrieking Drake? The Spitting Drake is the overcosted red drake. Can the Shrieking Drake return itself to your hand using its own ability? If so, then it would work better than Darting Merfolk! Then my next problem would be where to obtain 2 or 3 of them...

The Talakos Seer seems like a great idea as well! Thanks! I have to find a few of those as well...

 

[Duel]

yes, that's what I mean. shrieking drake. Sorry. And yes, same with Man-o-war, but it costs 3.

 

[Killer Joe]

I always did like Equilibrium, however, I once had a deck called, "FaeriEquiLuren" meaning that it had Cloud of Faeries/Equilibrium/Aluren.
4x Equilibrium
4x Aluren
4x Cloud of Faeries
4x Ghitu Slinger
4x Wall of Blossoms
4x Counterspell
4x Mana Leak
4x Forbid
2x Bone Shredder
2x Vulnerable Monk
2x Spike Feeder
2x Spike Weaver
8x Island
8x Forest
4x Skyshroud Forest
It worked great in 5th Ed. rules and sucked in 6th Ed. rules. Oh, well, se la vie.

 

[Purple_jester]

Your Faeriequiluren seems like a great deck! Combining it with Equilibrium is a great way to offset the penalty of your opponent being able to use it! Why did it suck under 6th edition rules?

And, just to confirm, does anyone have the EXACT errata on Gilded Drake? It would help a lot since I plan to get at least 3 and I don't want to abuse them. Just what makes them unusable to themselves with Equilibrium? Duel said that the Drakes had the errata, and NOT Equilibrium.

Thanks again for any information.

 

[Spiderman]

From http://www.crystalkeep.com:

Gilded Drake
Color=Blue
Type=Creature - Drake
Cost=1U
US(R1)

Text(US+errata): 3/3, Flying. ; When ~this~ comes into play, choose one - sacrifice ~this~; or exchange control of ~this~ for target creature an opponent controls. If you don't make the exchange, sacrifice ~this~. This ability can't be countered. [WotC Rules Team 00/01/11]

This effect is targeted, so Protection from Color will prevent targeting if Protection from Color exists when the ability would be announced. Once the ability is on the stack, adding Protection from Color will not counter the ability but the exchange will not take place since the target is illegal and you sacrifice this card on resolution. [bethmo 00/02/02]
If the chosen creature to exchange is not in play at resolution, then sacrifice this card. [D'Angelo 00/01/16]
Note - Also see Comes Into Play Abilities, Rule E.3.

For bonus, here's Equilibrium

Equilibrium
Color=Blue
Type=Enchantment
Cost=1UU
EX(R1)

Text(EX+errata): Whenever you play a creature spell, you may pay {1} to return target creature to its owner's hand. [Oracle 99/05/01]

You can pay for the triggered ability (see Rule A.4) once each time a creature spell is played. [D'Angelo 98/06/25]
Triggers when the spell is announced, which is before responses to that spell can be announced, and always before the creature it triggers on is put into play. You cannot use Equilibrium on the creature being played. [D'Angelo 99/06/01]
A creature spell is any "Creature" or "Artifact Creature" spell. [D'Angelo 96/06/01] Older cards of type Summon are also creature spells.

 

[Purple_jester]

Gildded DRake requires a creature to be exchanged or it has to be sacrificed. No surprise there. I was expecting the card to have that errata already.

Then I read the 6th ed rulings on Equilibrium. The effect occurs before the creature that triggered it enters play. Oh, well. I'll have to work around that little problem.

 

[Spiderman]

I answered you! We just posted at the same time...

 

[Purple_jester]

Thanks Spidey. The comprehensive reply is always, always appreciated.

Considering it came from someone who shares a name with my favorite superhero AND happens to be my senior, I'm quite flattered.

 

[dw51688]

You are so nice and normal purple!

 

[Spiderman]

Wow, Spidey's your favorite superhero too? You're the second to say that this week... woo-hoo!

 

[Purple_jester]

I've loved Spiderman since high school, when I could finally afford to buy comics on my own. Being female, I have a different mindset from the "coolness-action" meter that boys seem to appreciate. As such, I only found two titles appealing: X-men and Spiderman.

Spidey (or Peter, as I prefer to call him) is the most human superhero I know. No grandiose lofty ideals. No overwhelming save-the-world complex. Just trying to use his abilities to help in whatever way he can, because he feels responsible. More importantly, Peter's such a nice guy. A gentleman, compassionate, and sensitive. He has feelings which are very believable.

I remember the part of the series when Aunt May died. I cried when I read that comic. Do you think that's funny, that I could gush over a comic like I would over a tragic romance novel? It broke my heart to see Peter so sad. And yet, he got over it. It took time, but that's what makes him and the comic so real. 100%, he's Stan Lee's best creation.

Sigh. Mary Jane is SUCH a lucky woman. I'm soooo jealous.

Oh, and thanks for the compliments, Dw. Appreciated as always.

 

[Spiderman]

Such great sentiments! I think because he is such a "solo" character, he's been able to develop such a bond with the readers as you describe.

Of course, I also liked him because he wears red (my favorite color) and his powers just seemed cooler than most of the other heros, no matter what the comic universe (I also liked the FF because of their human foibles and individual powers). He also has FUN doing his thing; his one-liners are just great and really fit him.

Depending on whoever's writing him, the plot can be great or slightly cheesy/confusing (I left right during that whole "clone" thing because of Magic) but the human characteristics are always there.

Whether he was the shy, nerdy high-schooler (who you would NEVER have thought to marry MJ) to the confident free-lance photographer (he still does that, right?), he will always be my favorite superhero.

Boy, this drifted off-topic! So to prevent Ed from moving it <ahem> how's your deck coming?

 

[Purple_jester]

Well, I think I might be able to nail down 1 or 2 Spindrift Drakes, but I wish I could get 4. Because of the Equilibrium errata, I'm definitely limiting the Gilded Drakes to 3. Wish I had better 1 cost blue weinies than that stupid Cloud Sprite. If they let Scryb Sprite, a GREEN creature, exist, then WHY won't they make a perfect blue equivalent?!

I'm currently mulling over putting in 1 or 2 Walls of Tears, but my pal thinks that's overkill. There's also the option of putting in a few Man-o-wars (again the possbility of overkill). I've tried several combinations of the creature base, and can't seem to get the proportions right. The only creatures I'm positive of using right now are Stinging Barrier, Gilded Drake and Spindrift Drake (once I get my hands on a few).

Do you have any practical suggestions? Cloud of Fairies? Ribbon Snakes? Coral Merfolk?

The test versions all worked well. In general, once I had an Equilibrium and a Barrier with Sigil in play, the creature lock was almost perfect. The only time it doesn't work are with creatures with comes-into-play abilities like Ghitu Slinger and Bone Shredder. Those things are countered and NOT bounced, of course.

 

[Gizmo]

Try adding some Glowing Anenomaes.

Currently the deck has a strong engine but no way to really make it bite against a deck that doesn`t depend on creatures. Possibly adding stuff that would hinder your opponent`s land would be a good plan. Maybe Pirates, but I think the Anenomae is more certain to work.

I also think that a mono-blue version is rather limitina bout creature choice you could make. For instance isn`t Yavimaya Granger a perfect addition? It lets you thin land into play so you can run even more loops of the Equilibrium combo.

 

[Whimsical]

I'm no expert at deck tuning (considering my skills lean more on Corporation deck construction for Netrunner and L5R decks in general ... THOSE decks I can critique fully) ... but your comment about Scryb Sprites had me laughing.

There IS a blue version of that little bugger, Purple dahling. I believe they call it "Flying Men". 1 Blue mana and poof ... instant 1/1 flyer.

The deck looks dandy ... but that's just my inexpert Magickese opinion. <looks decklist over> Ummm, drop a Stinging Barrier and sub in another Mishra? Four walls that run for 4 mana seem a bit overkill ... maybe those Man o' Wars you mentioned? Ophidians would be lovely ... card advantage and all that jazz. Oh, yes. Capsize would work wonders here ... I think.

I loved Spiderman btw. Too bad he had to ditch the ultra-cool symbiote and have Venom lay his grubby paws on it...

[Edited by Whimsical on September 12th, 2000 at 03:18 PM]