Duel Decks- Knights vs Dragons: The Dragons Review (Part 2 of 2)
In our last review, I piloted the Knights to what felt to be a fairly well-matched tilt against the Dragons, but of course I felt I could only render full judgment when I had the chance to play things from the other side of the field. This worked out well as White Weenie is one of Jimi’s preferred archetypes (the other being Boros), and the Knights deck is right up her alley. We put the baby to rest, brewed up a kettle of tea and got down to the business of killing one another with cardboard. Here are the notes from this final engagement.
Whispers of the Muse: Robert F’s Phyrexia
It’s that time again! Whispers of the Muse is our occasional feature where a Lament reader looks for advice and suggestions from the community in building off of a precon deck. Today’s deck couldn’t come at a better time, with ‘Action’ being announced as New Phyrexia and a massive leak of cards giving everyone something to salivate over.
Robert F has found himself in possession of two copies of Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs the Coalition, and has this to say:
Deck: Phyrexia (Duel deck)
Restrictions: Anything goes, I am a casual player.
Extra Stuff: The set was on sale at my local hobby store, so I have two each of the Phyrexia and Coalition decks to work with. I play mostly multi-player, as well.I just want the deck to feel more refined, focused, and aggressive, although I do like the sacrifice effects and abusing Living Death.I have a bunch of cards from alara block/m10/zendikar block/m11, but most importantly, a playset of Abyssal Persecutors that I think would feel right at home in this deck.
Who has some thoughts for Robert on how to best craft his deck?
Duel Decks- Knights vs Dragons: The Knights Review (Part 2 of 2)
Enough talk- now that we’ve picked both decks apart and gone through their inner workings, its time to shuffle them up and deal a hand (or three). I’ve decided to pilot the Knights for this first foray into the conflict, while the Dragon deck will be steered by none other than Sam. Sam’s had plenty of experience with massive beaters, and a transition from Green to this Red deck is a pleasant one given the sheer volume of burn. We squared off for the customary three matches, and here are our notes.
Duel Decks- Knights vs Dragons: The Dragons Review (Part 1 of 2)
“They surround us, Great One. Their net grows tighter each day.”
Welcome back to our ongoing in-depth review of Duel Decks: Knights vs Dragons. In our last feature, we took a look at the Knights deck and determined that it was build as a hybrid tribal/White-weenie aggro-rush that looks to dominate the early game and deny the Dragons a chance to leave their dens. If there’s one thing those so-called heroes weren’t counting on, though, it’s the fact that the Dragons have not amassed their power without accumulating a few thralls and slaves friends and allies along the way. If the Knights were expecting to ride freely to the mouth of the cave and challenge the rightful inhabitant to combat, they are sadly mistaken.
They may indeed make it to the mouth of the cave… but only after being harried by Goblins, attacked by Humans and Elementals, engulfed in flame and assaulted by the very ground itself. By the time the first Dragon unfurls its leathery wings, the Knights should be so battered and singed that they’ll put up little resistance against the inevitable. And if facing up to nine Dragons (not counting the Fire-Belly Changeling) isn’t the inevitability of death, what is?
Duel Decks- Knights vs Dragons: The Knights Review (Part 1 of 2)
“Dragons, my liege. Hordes of them! Hurry, the sky blackens!”
And so begins our tale, the story of the latest tribally-themed Duel Decks to hit the shelves of our local gaming store. Within the small, unassuming box a mighty contest rages, pitting the tribe of the Knights against their immortal enemies- the Dragons. The Duel Decks series began with a similarly classic match-up of Goblins squaring off against Elves. Eighteen months later, we had our second non-Planeswalker themed release containing Angels and Demons. With 2010’s Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs The Coalition, though, the mould of the two mono-colour decks was broken, and the good news is that Duel Decks: Knights vs Dragons continues in much the same vein. Sure, you’ll find that the Dragons don’t deviate much from their expected mono-Red archetype, but as it turns out Green has as much to offer the Knights as White, and contained herein you find the best of both.
At its core, Knights offers little surprise and is about what you’d expect from the Knights: fast (and predominantly White) creatures, with a small minority of noncreature support cards. There can be little mistaking that this deck is built for the early game and starts on something of a clock. Fail to wrap up the Dragons deck before they can fully hatch, and the Knights’ prospect of victory drops precipitously.
Duel Decks- Elves vs Goblins: Goblins Deck Review (Part 2 of 2)
Sam’s sat a few reviews out in favour of Jimi, whose been most enthused about testing the decks we’ve reviewed, but even that enthusiasm couldn’t hold Sam back when she had the opportunity to helm the elves to victory. Sam’s love of Green rivals that of Ken Nagle’s, and like many a Green mage the evlen tribe is near and dear to her heart.
For my part, I was more than happy to slide behind the goblins, RDW being one of my favourite archetypes. With a fistful of burn, what could go wrong?
Here are the notes from our three matches.
Wizards Announces Duel Decks: Ajani vs Nicol Bolas
Wizards today announced what we all knew was coming- Duel Decks: Ajani vs Nicol Bolas. What may be a surprise is discovering which version of Ajani will be included in the deck: Ajani Goldmane or Ajani Vengeant. We won’t know for awhile, but in the meantime head on over to the mothership and take a look.
Duel Decks- Elves vs Goblins: Elves Deck Review (part 2 of 2)
With Mirrodin Besieged behind us and the Event Decks about to be released, playing a few games of Duel Decks: Elves vs Goblins seems like a throwback to a simpler time, and in that spirit Jimi and I join battle behind two of the game’s most ancient foes. We’ll be back with the Mirrans and Phyrexians soon, but for now, there’s an even older battle to be fought, an enmity that spans times and planes. The haughty elf. The scrappy goblin. Two decks, three games.
Here are our notes.
Duel Decks- Elves vs Goblins: Goblins Deck Review (Part 1 of 2)
The Elves deck did a very solid job of identifying the key themes that make up the flavour of their tribe. Elves have ties to nature- they get mana ramping. Elves work well together- witness cards like Wellwisher and Heedless One which care about the number of elves in play. Elves… well, you get the idea. But the pointy-ears already had their time to shine, now it’s time for them to move over and let the Goblins run amok!
Like Elves, the Golbins’ deck follows a very straightforward structure. There are twenty-nine creatures, and just as before the one exception is an insect creature type. This is rounded out by a small handful of noncreature spells and a couple of nonbasic lands (including one that’s tribe-specific). The foil premium rare is also a mirror (Ambush Commander versus Siege-Gang Commander, the latter of the two being much better known to contemporaries eyes due to its inclusion in some Jund Constructed builds)., and there are a small number of cards of the same cycle (for instance, Voice of the Woods and Skirk Fire Marshal). That said, both decks still retain a very unique flavour due to the heavy tribal themes.
Duel Decks- Elves vs Goblins: Elves Deck Review (Part 1 of 2)
They may be a fixture now, but in the lifespan of Magic: the Gathering, Duel Decks have only enjoyed a rather brief run. First appearing in 1997, for their inaugural launch product Wizards mined familiar territory and assembled decks of Goblins and Elves to battle one another (although the series’ history actually had earlier roots). The card pool was fully bloated with these creature types, particularly the Onslaught block and the then-brand-new Lorwyn set, and these were heavily tapped to construct the decks. This would begin the Duel Decks tradition of alternating non-planeswalker-themed sets.
For this deck, what you see is what you get, no tricks or hidden surprises here. You want elves? Howabout twenty-eight of them?
Ertai's Lament 