Saturday, February 11, 2012

MIXED BAG. TABLETOP TALES: WURMWOOD DECK

TABLETOP TALES PRESENTS:

THE WURMWOOD DECK

To check out my other decks, hit the links below:



This article serves two purposes: To share the nerd entertainment around with anyone who might find it interesting and, in this case, to prove how taking the theme of an intro pack, especially a more recent intro pack, can not only make a passable deck, but also a powerful and fun deck.

Today's deck is a brand-spanking-new construction made from an intro pack and about twenty cards either bought, traded, or pulled from older purchases. As an early draft of a concept, you can expect to see a better achieved form of my themes in the future. Here is the main component:



Intro Pack: Dark Ascension, Grave Power, Cost: $13
Note: You can see the full decklist of the original to compare by clicking HERE.


17 Individual Cards, Cost: $10


You can find Magic Cards in super stores (Ex. Walmart, Target) but the best place you can buy your cards, meet other players, and play in events is at your local comic book store or hobby shop. I buy most of my cards at The Comic Cellar. Here is a link to its Google Maps location at 3620 Austin Peay Highway #2 Memphis, TN 38128.

Without further ado, with these purchases, I built...

THE WURMWOOD DECK
The deck follows several themes including, but not limited to, : Treefolk, Wurms, Flight, and stealing power from beyond the grave. As I only try to build and present decks that I can afford, this deck is still in a prototype phase, and I hope you will be able to enjoy it. An example of changes I'd like to make would be to stick a Tree of Redemption in here, but, and its a decent but, he is currently serving time in my aura deck. Also, this deck includes cards from others set but I think Avacyn Restored might have some nifty blue and greens that I can add in to make it a completely Innistrad limited deck.

Please leave comments.

To check out the contents of the deck, click "READ MORE" below.



 Contains 60 Cards.
CREATURES 
(22 Cards: 6 Blue, 16 Green Cards )
IT CLAIMS ITS PREY- LIVING, DEAD, CONSTRUCT, MAGIC, AND EVEN LAND.
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? Acidic Slime is a standout for a couple of reasons. I consider cards of this kind to be living sorcery. Sure, a 2/2 for seems paltry, even with Deathtouch, but add in this Ooze's focused destructive power and when he takes out your opponent's big bad artifact or enchantment, he will usually take as many creatures as he can in its wake.

DEATH COMES FAST AND UNSEEN IN THE FOREST!
Deck contains. 2.
Reasons? This is a great card to play when your opponent swings at you with something nasty. You Flash this baddy as an instant, destroy the charging foe, and, if he is destroyed in the process, he adds another beast to the graveyard and, therefore, a +1/+1 to all the critters that feed off the graveyard's rotting matter.

"A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king, and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm." -Hamlet, William Shakespeare
Deck contains. 3.
Reasons?  3/5 Wurms that make my deck so nasty had to include this grave-digging critter. He is a simple beast that grows with time. With each card dumped from the library and each creature you lose to wear and tear, Boneyard Wurm just gains more potential. Pair him with some interesting enchantments and he becomes a devastating beast of the Wurmwood.

THE PILOT BIRD LEADS THE FLOCK TO THE BEST FEED.
Deck contains. 2.
Reasons? This nifty lifter is another card I've been keeping an eye on. Rather than using blue as a control/negate suite, I instead chose to play around with the plethora of flight themed cards that have gotten progressively more interesting with the last few sets. Chasm Drake is a nifty 3/3 Flying for 5 but, add in the bonus of hitching your other monster's a ride directly to your opponents life and the benefits become clear of flying Air-Chasm Drake.

" Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. "
-Dylan Thomas
Deck contains. 4.
Reasons? This card is just brilliant in this deck. He is a 2/2 for 2 that sacrifices for land. This is awesome. Not only does it get you all the mana you need for the big beasties and spells, but it also adds to your graveyard.

FEED THE WORMS AND FILL THE MORGUE!
Deck contains. 2.
Reasons?  This card is a pretty simple filled that works by dumping a card out of your library and ramping your mana. Its a tad weak and dumping can be risky but its biggest flaw is that it contracts the theme of a haunted Wurmwood.

NOM! NOM! NOM!
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? I started collecting worms a few weeks ago and traded some black cards for this big boy.Why is he my wurm of choice for the moment? Simple. His powers are weird and are pretty much design3e to make other player's think twice. He can't take combat damage, he eats everything that stumbles foolishly into his path, and leaves nothing but death in its wake. The only thing that CAN take him out are special spells and abilities. I think most opponents are going to be taken aback by the this Hungry Hungry Hippo of a card.

"There is no immortality but a tree's love." -The Last Unicorn
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? By the time I'm ready to put this bad boy on the field, I've already for six or so monsters in my graveyard, and it only costs me 2 mana to put this on the field. Then, I'll get this tree to flying and swing harder than the Whomping Willow.

"They come with fire, they come with axes... gnawing, biting, breaking, hacking, burning. Destroyers and usurpers, curse them." -Treebeard, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Deck contains. 2.
Reasons? Another perfect fit to the theme of this deck. This card is deceptively fun and easy to play. At the moment, its pretty powerful against most human and sacrifice decks because every time my opponent sacrifices a monster, Lumberknot gets bigger. Hexproof keeps him from getting killed off early and then I just gotta get him to grow up nice and big so I can launch him at my foes.

"The Ents are going to war." -Treebeard, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? Check out Bonewurms threatening big brother. For another mana you get trample and an ability that is bound to put more creatures in your graveyard and, therefore, make Splinterfright even bigger. The only downside? You gotta be careful not to burn your deck out so one of these big boys is enough for now, I think.

"Next morning, Ichabod's hat was found, and close beside it, a shattered pumpkin..." -The Adventure of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Deck contains. 2.
Reasons? I loathed allowing those Deranged Assistants in the deck (but I needed some low cost blue until I can find some replacements) but I had no trouble finding a place for Tower Geist. A flying 2/2 for 4 mana would be garbage but. you had on that nifty little draw two and discard and the spirit keyword (which is pretty strong right now), he fits perfectly into the haunted Wurmwood. Expect the next iteration of this deck to have more spirits and expect it to be called, "The Haunted Wurmwood."

  "The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
  And burbled as it came!"-Jabberwocky, Lewis Carroll
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? It's not often I do this but I had to pick up a Vorapede for about 6 bucks. I just love everything about this card! It's a five mana drop that's a 5/4 with Vigilance and Trample! Then, he has undying which makes your opponents Doomblades and other burn cards terribly inefficient at dealing with Vorapede. Make this critter fly and he is more terrifying than most dragons I've encountered, especially at this efficient cost.

Enchantments, Instants and Sorcery
(18 Cards: 3 Blue Enchantments, 2 Blue Instants, 3 Green Enchantments, 4 Green Instants, 6 Green Sorceries)

SEED. FEED. SOW. GROW. REPEAT.
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? This card is pretty awesome for mana ramp. The only real downside is that it doesn't quite match the theme. I might swap this out with another mulch if I find any difficulty getting more cards in my graveyard but for a two color deck, especially with a need for green mana, this card is pretty useful.

BONE MARROW IS GOOD FOR YOU.

Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? A lot of people would probably snub this card, but, with this deck, its far too useful. The first time I used it, I was getting pummeled, but played this and immediately flashed it back for 24 health! I wouldn't be surprised if I found myself picking up another one of these bad boys soon.
Sometimes you need a hand.

Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? This is a really nifty card and I can possibly imagine picking up another one. I've got to keep testing this deck and seeing how it runs. It is conceivable that I could put another card int his deck cuz your hand can empty out pretty fast. This deck is all about finding the right balance between filling your graveyard without burning out your deck.

I SAW A FLYING FOREST! HONEST!
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? This card can be simply devastating. A token deck can wipe their opponents out if they get ten or so 1/1 or even better 2/2 flying up and over their opponent's creatures. It matches the theme of this deck by getting my trees and wurms in the air.

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF.


Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? Conclusion? I need another one of these for this deck. Not only does it save some cards from the grave and restock my library....it has flashback! I'll definitely be picking up another one of these in my next trip to the Comic Cellar.
MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MULCH!
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? Thematically? This card is superb. But it is pretty inferior to Cultivate which both guarantees you two lands and allows you to play one. Furthermore, putting to many of these in my deck could burn it out. Don't get me wrong, if I find my graveyards need to fill faster, I'll be putting more of these puppies in my deck.
OLD STANDARDS GROW BETTER WITH AGE.

Deck contains. 2.
Reasons? The general consensus on this set's Naturalize is that its art is way better than the core set's crappy glass bauble art and that the flavor text is a lot of fun. This is one of the most decent removal cards in the set because it has always been one of the most decent removal cards in the game. I find it difficult to imagine a Green deck without two of these classics.
EVEN PLANESWALKERS SHOULD RECYCLE.

Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? This is another card that I plan to track down more of at the Comic Cellar. It goes pretty good in just about any Green deck, and I think it fits in thematically with this deck. It gives you a second chance when your opponent removes and burns your cards. Definitely not to be underestimated.
MY MAGIC IS STRONGER!
Deck contains. 1. 
Reasons? Put this baby on Ghoultree and you've got a 20/20 on the field. End of explanation for why its not only great mechanically but its great thematically. Feeding on spirits for growth is awesome!
"The church looks down on binding spirits into armor, but now I can look down on them." -Dierk, geistmage

Deck contains. 2.
Reasons? I am buying two more of these next time I got to the comic cellar. I have a thing for enchantments, especially auras, and this one is a doozy. +2/+2 with Flying for two? A Blue flying aura that isn't a piece of crap? PINCH ME! Put these on your Lumberknots or Vorapede and you've got a force that can dodge most combat and block most combat.
  
FISHING FOR LUMBER!

Deck contains. 2.
Reasons? This is a great way to get those creatures out of your deck when you need them but, thanks to its flashback ability, I am not so sure if I need two in here. This card's only drawback is that it can burn your mana out of your deck if you don't use it carefully.
BIBBITY BOPPITY RIBBITY ROPPITY!
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? This card comes in handy in a pinch when your opponent is using some annoying creature with Deathtouch or the like. Turn your creature into a froggy with your spooky magic, crush him, mush him, and keep on going.
DOUBLE DOUBLE TOIL AND BUBBLE!

Deck contains. 3.
Reasons? This card doubles the power and toughness of your Boneyard Wurms and Splinterfrights. It is almost always guaranteed to give you a +1/+1 but even better it give your monsters anywhere from a +1/+1 to a +10/+10. This adds to the incentive to get monsters in your graveyard and makes those Boneyard Wurms terribly attractive and useful.

LANDS
( 20 Cards: 6 Blues, 12 Greens, 2 Others)

Contains 2

Contains 12

Contains 6

IDEAL FIRST HAND!