Watch List

The Long Beach event is coming up quickly. If you have not started already, you should probably think about building a deck. Let's see. The basics, at least 40 cards and no more than 3 copies of any card. Oh, you already knew that? OK, let's move on to some more advanced notes. You have to shuffle your deck at the beginning of the game. What, you knew that also? OK, let's move on to the serious stuff.

You already know the sets and how to build decks, so let's think a bit about what types of decks you will see at the tournament. All of the monocolor decks are viable. Several dual color decks are viable, most having green as one of the two colors. A multicolor low cost rush deck is also viable, but it requires a lot of work to balance it to be an effective contender.

There have been a number of discussions on decks in the forums, and the web savvy players have probably seen deck lists from some of the Japanese sites. I am not going to comment on what I feel are the best decks, but here are some of the cards you should watch out for.

Leon Howl, Flame Tempest - Be careful how many 3000 or less creatures you have out against red. These cards can sweep the board.

Shazoo - This can be a difficult card to attack into. Have a plan for this if you run into an opponent playing purple

Silent Wall - This card can be splashed in many decks. Always be wary of overextending mainly because of this, but also due to some Life gain effects as well.

Seven Shogun Desperado, Cobraiga - Be wary of keeping only one core on spirits when your opponent is playing purple. With core removal, you may be leaving yourself open to having the board swept. While you also have to worry about having exhausted spirits, which are vulnerable to purple, having low core is sure to make your spirits a target. Play cautiously and be careful not to overextend with a lot of spirits with only one core once your opponent is able to cast Desperado at 8.

Binding Woods - This card can be a game breaker if you are playing a single color deck. Think about it mostly against green, but it occasionally shows up as a splash.

"Flash" spirits - If you are playing against green, you should consider that your opponent might be able to play a surprise blocker against you if they have the core available. This can often result in you losing a spirit and the opponent now having a new attacker ready.

These are just some of the many cards to think about. Thinking about what your opponents can do to you will help you avoid nasty surprises.

Until next time.

Michael Elliott