TABLETOP TALES PRESENTS
MY M13 PRE-RELEASE
To check out my other decks, hit the link below:
This article serves two purposes: To share the nerd entertainment around with anyone who might find it interesting and, in this case, to share my experiences with my second pre-release.
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.
And here is a link to Comic Cellar's Website
I took part in the pre-release on July 8th, 2012, at The Comic Cellar. It was my second pre-release and, because I signed up late for this one, it cost me $30. For the entry fee, each player received 6 booster packs, from the M13 Core Set, and all the lands they need to make a 40 card deck. Then the player took part in 4 one-on-one matches, each a best of three rounds. There was a time-limit but, because of the small turn-out, we didn't need to worry about it. All result were put on record and the players with the best scors of the day got to split the prize, a box of packs.
As per usual, we each got one promo card, Xathrid Gorgon. We also each received 3 "pity" packs, rather than the usual 1, for showing up and a random deck box( example image above) courtesy of the store. All in all getting 9 packs, a promo, a deck box, and the chance to player with a bunch of cool people on a Sunday was well worth the admission fee.
Magic the Gathering 2013 Core Set is, of course, the yearly core set release from Wizards of the Coast and this set serves as glue that binds the format together, between one block and the next. M13 will replace M12 in Standard in the fall, but all M12 cards that are reprinted in Innistrad, M13, or the upcoming Return to Ravnica set will still be legal until those respective sets go out of standard next year.
Some of the cool mechanics and themes to look forward to returning with M13 are Exalted (Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.) and the overarching villain for us all to focus on, the three color re-print of the Nico Bolas Planeswalker card, opening up all kinds of multi-color madness even before Return to Ravnica's release.
My ending record is still even, with another two wins and two losses, and I didn't place near the top, but I had a great time. I definitely played against type and to discuss that let's look at...
As with my last pre-release, I didn't have any easy themes, but I focused on building bruisers to knock away my foes health, a splash of exalted, black/red removal to deal with flying and other annoying threats, and a splash of mill that worked in my favor.
Just letting you guys know, I just didn't have my a-game and had never ever played black-red before last Sunday. I know I made some serious mistakes in management (not enough creatures and too many spells) and next time I won't be making the same mistakes. I probably should've combo'd black with green like I originally set out to do.
The good news? I've already decided to redeem myself by building a black and either white/red exalted deck as my next project. Already for that fairy deck box and some orange card protectors.
Contains 40 Cards
And here is a link to Comic Cellar's Website
I took part in the pre-release on July 8th, 2012, at The Comic Cellar. It was my second pre-release and, because I signed up late for this one, it cost me $30. For the entry fee, each player received 6 booster packs, from the M13 Core Set, and all the lands they need to make a 40 card deck. Then the player took part in 4 one-on-one matches, each a best of three rounds. There was a time-limit but, because of the small turn-out, we didn't need to worry about it. All result were put on record and the players with the best scors of the day got to split the prize, a box of packs.
 |
| I got this cool fairy deck box. |
My ending record is still even, with another two wins and two losses, and I didn't place near the top, but I had a great time. I definitely played against type and to discuss that let's look at...
MY M13 PRE-RELEASE DECK:
BLACK-RED AGGRO!
As with my last pre-release, I didn't have any easy themes, but I focused on building bruisers to knock away my foes health, a splash of exalted, black/red removal to deal with flying and other annoying threats, and a splash of mill that worked in my favor.
Just letting you guys know, I just didn't have my a-game and had never ever played black-red before last Sunday. I know I made some serious mistakes in management (not enough creatures and too many spells) and next time I won't be making the same mistakes. I probably should've combo'd black with green like I originally set out to do.
The good news? I've already decided to redeem myself by building a black and either white/red exalted deck as my next project. Already for that fairy deck box and some orange card protectors.
Contains 40 Cards
CREATURES
(8 Creatures: 5 Black Creatures, 3 Red Creatures)
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? Here we got a pretty crappy card, but my creature pool was limited for red and black. As I said, I'd probably have been happier rolling with black/green but between listening to the advice more experienced players and wanting to do something really different, I had to work with what I had. I needed a decent red creature and Canyon Minotaur worked well within the limitation of the deck, a good fight partner with the moggs, and a decent target for enhancement. He's crappy but efficient enough for limited.
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? Giant Scorpion was a great example of a solid black creature I had in my stable. He is removal on a stick, can block and survive pretty good, and isn't an awful choice for an offensive creature.
Deck contains. 2.
Reasons? Here is one of the main reasons I wanted to play black; I got two Knights of Infamy, and one of them was holographic. This is going to be one of the cards I build my upcoming black deck around and it served me well, but it doesn't mesh well with mogg flunkies.
Deck contains. 2.
Reasons? This card is the key to my downfall. This is the reason I was told to play red and, to be honest, it didn't really pay-off. I can see there appeal in a goblin deck, but I didn't have the creature support to pull them off.
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? A fantastic drop for black in limited, that combos fantastically with exalted, and was a real work horse in game I won through brute force alone. Enchant it and equip it and swing away round after round.
NON-CREATURE SPELLS
(14 Non-Creature Spells: 5 Artifacts, 2 Black Enchantments, 2 Black Sorceries, 1 Red Enchantment, 2 Red Instants, and 2 Red Sorceries)
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? Enchant on Tormented Soul for maximum effect; this enchantment is crappy just about anywhere else, but in limited it worked to buff up my unblockable tormented soul for upped aggression and only costs me 1 life and a couple mana. Effective considering the lack of removal I encountered on sunday.
Deck contains. 2.
Reasons? An old favorite of my mine, I milled two of these babies and used them to stall out my opponent, and prevent myself from being milled effectively by opponents. A must have for life-gain and anti-mill, in my humble opinion.
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? A pile of crap, but necessary to fulfill my deck's need for removal and the life gain helps me stall my opponents.
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? And here we got a far more decent bit of removal/burn. Nuff said.
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? To compensate for a crappy monster suite, I threw in a Krenko's Command to basically add two more creatures to my stable. Nothing wrong with helping my flunkies out and setting up chump blocks with some tokens.
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? Nobody seems to like enchantments much, but Mark of the Vampire was the perfect fit for the deck. Attach it to Tormented Soul or Knight of Infamy and I've just got a beefed up, life-linking, unblockable or exalted killing machine.
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? I got a lot of rings and this was a perfect fit for my red creatures or, in a pinch, equipping creatures for a hasty attack.
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? Another piece of the Tormented Soul/Knight of Infamy strategy, considering the limited artifact removal, and how this pumps/prevents removal, it was a solid add-on.
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? And here is a card that I added after my first loss and never looked back. Sands of Delirium...is broken. It actually allowed me to mill out my opponent by slamming away mana every turn, which, even if it didn't completely mill out my opponent (which it did pull of for a win), it is devastating to anyone's strategy in limited.
Deck contains. 2.
Reasons? Trumpet Blast feels like it should've been more helpful but, looking back, I couldn't get two or more creatures on the battlefield long enough for this instant to come into play.
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? Another way to get a creature on the battlefield for cheap.
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? A very cheap and effective enchantment to beef up my creatures in limited and, if I'm luck with all the grixis running, allow me to get in for lethal damage with Tormented Soul.
LANDS
(18 Lands: 9 Mountains, 9 Swamps)
CONTAINS: 9
CONTAINS: 9
And that's it. Leave some recommendations and comments, as I take my adventure to build my first black deck. Suggestions?
