Thursday 12 January 2012

Grave-Born

Grave-Born is the third in the Premium Deck series. It is a Re-animator deck, meaning it plays the majority of creature cards from the graveyard, rather than from your hand. You make ask, what is the point? Well, when it comes to playing cards from your graveyard, it means using spells rather than the creatures casting cost; which may be a lot cheaper.

I have played this deck about 5 times, and it has pulled through each time so far. Upon my first time of playing the deck, I had the best starting hand I have ever hand in my years of playing Magic: The Gathering. I was unable to use it though as I was playing against my cousin who had only been playing a week or so, and at this point it would have been completely unfair. This did sadden me, but life goes on.

So what makes this deck so good?

It is such a cheap deck to play! The spells required only cost the converted max of 4 to play. Being mana screwed shouldn’t be a problem, as I find pre-made decks are already mana heavy. 

My friend Kev likes to put a lot of cards from your library into your graveyard; well thanks mate, you’ve done  half of the work for me as that’s where I want to play my creatures from.

And if all goes to plan... you can dominate a game in your second go.

You also don’t have to rely purely on your own cards, if an opponent has something you like the look of in their graveyard, you have the option to “re-animate”, to steal it with. As such, there are many ways to get what you want into your graveyard with this deck.

“Buried Alive” and “Entomb” let you choose from your library and then put them into your graveyard, ready for your re-animate spells.




“Zombie Infestation”, “Last Rites”, “Sickening Dreams” and “Cabal Therapy” let you discard cards, so if you have a creature in your hand, it isn’t too late! You can still get it into the graveyard; “Sickening Dreams” can help you clear the battlefield before getting something nasty into play. 








To get your creatures onto the battlefield from the graveyard you must:

“Animate Dead”: this does get your creature a -1/-0, but if this is your second go it isn’t a problem. Trust me.


“Exhume”: Each player gets to put a creature into play from the graveyard, but if you play it early enough then they may not have anything to play.


“Diabolic Servitude”: now as long as this enchantment doesn’t get destroyed if your creature dies, “Diabolic Servitude” goes back to your hand to be played again.


“Dread Return”:


Creatures to re-animate: 

“Blazing Archon” - If you can get this out in your second go then you are dominating. 


“Inkwell Leviathan” - Good against Blue players and heavy spell users. 


“Sphinx of the Steel Wind” - Good if played later when you’ve already had a beating. Get some life back with its Life-link ability. 


“Crosis, the Purger” - Everyone loves a Dragon. 


“Terastodon” - If you have the right cards, a 9/9 on your second go, not bad. 


“Verdant Force” - Feel the need to up your defence with a 1/1 each turn? This is your guy. 


“Avatar of Woe” - Now if there are 10 creatures in total in ALL graveyards, it only costs 2 to get out, so you may be able to play from your hand. Tap, destroy target creature... Handy if something big is in the way.


Of course there are smaller creatures to keep you going if you aren’t drawing the right cards with handy discard abilities too.

A 10/10 deck design if you ask me, and I’d recommend anyone to give it a go. 

Deck List: 

Black Creatures 

Putrid Imp x2 
Hidden Horror x2 
Faceless Butcher 
Twisted Abomination 
Avatar of Woe 

Green Creatures 

Terastodon 
Verdant Force 

Blue Creatures
 
Inkwell Leviathan 

White Creatures 

Blazing Archon 

Multi Coloured Creatures 

Crosis, the Purger 
Sphinx of the Steel Wind 

Black Other 
Cabal Therapy 
Duress x3 
Entomb 
Reanimate 
Animate Dead x3 
Exhume x3 
Sickening Dreams x2 
Zombie Infestation 
Buried Alive x2 
Last Rites x2 
Diabolic Servitude x2 
Dread Return x2 

Land: 
Crystal Vein 
Ebon Stronghold 
Polluted Mire 
Swamp x21 

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