Saturday, September 8, 2012

TABLETOP TALES: TEMPERED GLASS DECK!

TABLETOP TALES PRESENTS:
A DECK OF BLOOD & PORCELAIN: TEMPERED GLASS EDITION

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.

Its been a few months since I last shared this deck with you guys and I like showing small changes, occasionally, to show you how a few small cards can change the tempo of an already efficient and effective deck. Today's deck is the bloody result of fiddling around artifact creatures, phyrexian mana, and lots of cruelty. This is the main component:
Intro Pack: New Phyrexia, Life for Death, Cost: $13

Note: You can see the original deck list HERE.


I have probably spent about $10 dollars on singles for this deck (some of which don't even appear in the deck). MISCELLANEOUS COST: $10

TOTAL COST: $23

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 PHREXIAN MANA DECK:
BLOOD & PORCELAIN: TEMPERED GLASS
 To quote the decks initial premise:

"This deck follows theme including, but not limited to: artifact creatures, artifacts, and phyrexian mana. This deck is ultimately a Red/White artifact creature deck and I've taken the challenge of doing what I can with the cards limited to the mechanic and, more importantly, the cards limited to me.

[Excluded]

Also, 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. [Excluded] This version of my RW Artifact deck has gone through a lot of changes. It has been an Equipment Deck and a Myr Deck."

The changes to this deck are few, but I can proudly say there are effective or at least pretty damn interesting.

Please leave comments and suggestions.

Please leave comments.

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

 Contains 60 Cards
CREATURES
(19 Creatures: 19 Artifact Creatures, including 4 Red Creatures and 4 White Creatures)

Deck contains. 2.
Reasons? This mechanical cleric serves a couple of valuable purposes. It is a tougher artifact version of Blinding Mage with the added bonus of using Phyrexian Mana. He can slow your opponents gears to a fault by tapping beaters, creatures with terrible abilities, and allow you to get in that win hit by disabling one of your opponents blockers.

Update: I actually don't particularly like this guy, but he serves a rather useful niche of slowing down my opponent until I can put down the devestating five and six drops that make this deck kick.

Deck contains. 3.
Reasons? This nasty artifice hound comes in handy early game by being easy to cast, for 2, and having fire-breath (the ability to tap red mana for a +1/+0 until end of turn as many times as you like), and, even sweeter, can use that ability with phyrexian mana, allowing him to potential burn out your opponents life early for you to get the lead.

Update: Immolating Souleater tends to get the job done in the early game as a sufficient chump blocker that is, potentially, enough of a threat to make your foes think twice.

Deck contains. 3.
Reasons? This brutal decoration serves to keep your opponents at bay. He serves well enough as an immovable and indestructible wall against attackers for about as long as you need (unless they exile him). Even more useful is that, in a pinch, he can serve as a dastardly battering ram for when your opponent has nothing to block with or destroy him.

Update: Undoubtedly valuable to the tempo of this deck; Manor Gargoyle survives Phyrexian Rebirth and, in a pinch, can swing for some healthy damage or block a flyer.

Deck contains. 4.
Reasons? And here we have the furnace that you'll use to burn away your foe for good. A little expensive...well, except for the fact that you can cast it with Phyrexian mana and three tyrants are better than one.This dragon demands to be dealt with by your opponent but, combo'd with a Rage Extractor and he will be the last thing your opponent sees before everything he has turns to ashes.

UPDATE: Four is better than three and this guy always has a great entrance as, potentially, my favorite dragon and artifact creature.

Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? Our mana fix and creature fix comes in the form of this handy dandy Palladium Myr. He fits in pretty well and helps you get mana; not much else to say.

Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? This is blessed queen shall lead your army of porcelain soldiers to victory in the game of chess we call MTG. Yes, the card is squishy, and yes, its a little expensive, but it is one of the first Mythic Rares I ever got and I love the look on my opponents face when I play her. She works well in this deck because she can stall the game until she is destroyed or you get back enough life to get ahead and burn your opponent off of the face of the plane.

UPDATE:  And probably still one of my favorite cards; simple and elegant.

Deck contains. 4.
Reasons? This card is almost always a turn two and that kind of speed for a 3/1 with First Strike will get you the lead in the early game. It can kill most early game creatures and first strike gives it a survivability factor that is admirable. Bleed your foes fast and use their blood to grease the wheels of victory.

UPDATE: With two Tempered Steels in the deck, this card becomes a 5/3 or 7/5 first strike for a pittance. Bizarrely awesome!

Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? I wish I had 4 of these things. With four more of these, I would overwhelm my foes under steel claws and treads in a matter of a few brutal rounds of melee. These annoying early drops are devastating in an artifact deck. It almost always draws a quick destruction from my opponents and, to be honest, that's okay. Combo this bad artifact with a Voltaic Key to double the number of times you can add counters a round.

Update: So alone.

Artifacts, Enchantments, Instants and Sorcery
(19 Cards: 8 Artifacts, 3 Red Instants, 3 White Enchantments, 2 White Instants, 3 White Sorceries)

Deck contains. 2.
Reasons? So, I love this card. It fits well in this deck for a number of reasons, five to be exact: It is an artifact, it is pretty cheap for its effects, it gets you five life, it keeps you from losing from your opponent milling your deck to your graveyard, and it fits the theme of undeath.

UPDATE: It just gets better and better with age.

Deck contains. 3.
Reasons? Its Shock with the added bonus of doing double damage if you have a measly three artifacts sitting on the battlefield. Probably need a fourth. Burn your foes into nothingness.

Update: Always a fun card to use and always appropriate.

Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? This card is useful in most games and devastating in big games. It's arguable one of the best creature clearing cards in the deck. Blast the battlefield free of bodies and then collect the pieces to build a master piece. The abomination shall tear your opponents down limb from limb.

Update: Someimes you just want to make things fall apart and smash them back together.

Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? Living beyond death? That is certainly something I can get behind. I love to play this card when the chips are down. It pretty much affords you an extra 10 life when you have 0 life and, unless you're fighting an infect deck, can stall until you get back out of the ditch. If it becomes dangerous to live in unlife, I destroy it with a Solemn Life to get ahead.

Update: Beautiful.
Deck contains. 2.
Reasons?An easy way to get colorless mana and life? Oh and its an artifact? The best part is that it basically counts as a 1 1/2 mana for creatures running phyrexian mana! Delay, delay, delay, win.

Update: Love it, love it, love it. Thank the magic gods for ditching mana burn.

Deck contains. 2.
Reasons? And here is one of the workhorses of the deck, "the engine that both consumes and creates malice." It reward you for casting spells with Phyrexian mana in the cost, without forcing you to spend phyrexian mana. Ideally, you get two of these on the field and combo it with a Moltensteel Dragon to do two damage to your opponent for every time you pump his firebreath.

Update: Not as good as I thought, but this card can allow me to do a total of up to 36 damage to my opponent or their creatures. Building a phyrexian mana deck is not super easy by any accounts.

Deck contains. 2.
Reasons? A sorcery speed artifact and enchantment destroyer? For one extra mana? The only reason it flies in this deck is that it also gains you life and, in a pinch, that'll keep you ahead of your foes. Destroy their tools of destruction and consume.

Update:  Simply effective.

Deck contains. 2.
Reasons? A simply brilliant and game changing card that attracts removal (swell) and buffs up your creatures that are pretty top heavy to be more defensive and offensive at the same time. With this card, you can shape your porcelain and glass into weapons of mass destruction.

Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? Vigilance for a price; combo this bad boy with a Steel Overseer or any big creature for devastating effect. Turn back the gears and keep your toys at the ready.

Update: Combo with the talisman for fun.

Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? Another classic artifact that certainly isn't to be underestimated. Attach this to a Molten Steel Dragon for an unstoppable blaze for the win or a Platinum Angel for an untouchable queen for the checkmate.

Update: Its easy to see why this card is a fan favorite.

Deck contains. 2.
Reasons? It baffles me that this card is rated so lowly. I am sure there are better ways to get life back. Don't get me wrong. I'd love a better way to get life in this deck, but I am stretched for options. This card is cheap and, comboed with the elixirs, nets you 20 life for 10 mana and potentially will be recycled by the elixirs.

Update: Still baffles me why no one would want this card?

LANDS
( 22 Cards: 2 Others, 11 Mountains, 9 Plains)

 CONTAINS 2

 CONTAINS 11

CONTAINS 9