MY 2ND DRAGON'S PRE-RELEASE DECK
RED-WHITE-BLUE 'MERICAN DRAGON DECK
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This deck was something of a panicky mess to throw together-- I didn't finish putting the lands together until a minute or two into the first round and didn't sleeve until the first game. I chose Gruul as my guild and got Izzet as my secret guild. The only problem? My green creature pool was pretty unplayable.
So, I made due with the excellent red, blue, and white creature pool I had at my disposal, with the few rock-solid spells I had, and tried my best. In hindsight, I think I should have tried splashing some black because my orzhov, dimir pool was pretty strong and would've probably rocked faces.
Anywho, let's get to breaking down my second event's deck...
Here are links for the following sections:
Part 3: "HINDSIGHT IS 20/20 BUT..."
Part 4: Coming Soon?
Contains 40 Cards
CREATURES
(14 Creatures: 2 Blue, 2 Blue-Red, 3 Red, 4 Red-White, 2 White, and 1 White-Blue Creatures)
Reasons? This one drop is great because it is playable with red or blue mana and, in a pinch, gets buffed up by instants or sorceries. In retrospect, if I had played just red/blue he would've been fine, but I think I could've worked out a better creature for its slot.
Reasons? This value bear is pretty useless outside of limited but, in a pinch, a 2/2 body with a situational bonus ain't bad.
Reasons? In retrospect, I could've done more take advantage of this Minotaur. At worse, he is 5/3 body, which is no joke in this format. At best, he can net you 1/1 tokens with haste that, in this deck, can be buffed up into 4/4 dragons for a blow-out. Maybe I should've played more burn spells.
Reasons? This is a 2/2 in a pinch, but it's real usefulness comes in it's capability as a fireball you can crack at your opponent or a potential game-winning creature. He basically fits in this deck as a 2 for 1 value card.
Reasons? A 1/5 flying body can block most creatures in this format and, in a pinch, he can become a bomb that can end out games with a boost from bloodrush for the extra damage through the endzone.
Reasons? Speaking of bodies, Jelenn Sphinx is arguably even better with vigilance. She can hit, she can take hits, and she boosts my attackers. Suddenly, creatures that were 2/2 are 3/3s and that's no joke. This card makes my strategy of piling on weenies through Goblin Rally and the minotaur completely plausible.
Reasons? This guy is gonna see play in standard soon. He is a red giant growth in a pinch, but possibly valuable as an overpriced 3/3 body in a pinch.
Reasons? This guy would've been better if it was an entrance effect. As he is, his condition was too conditional. Still a 2/2 flyer is useful for pinch blocks and pecking away at your foe.
Reasons? I talked about this guy yesterday, but I dunno if he worked as well in this deck. Mana can be tight, but a 5/1 trick could also end out matches. What do you think?
Reasons? This definitely makes me reconsider how much blue I was splashing because I didn't have enough evasion to make her effect work-- still I think that, splashing blue, she was still a 2/2 with a decent conditional that could net me card advantage.
Reasons? This is a nasty card in the limited format-- 3/1 with first strike lets it kill most creatures in the format, but also gives it the evasion of flying to swing for damage every turn your opponent doesn't have an answer to Steeple Roc.
Reasons? This pretty much guaranteed a splash of white/red since I had three and they were rather strong. In later rounds, they remain valuable by becoming attacking 3/3 with Jelenn Sphinx. I wish I had a little bit more to buff them, though.
NON-CREATURE SPELLS
(9
Non-Creature Spells: 1 Artifact, 1 Blue Instants, 1 Blue Sorcery, 2
Blue-Red Instants, 2 Red Sorceries,1 Red-White Instant, 1 White Sorcery)
Reasons? Act of Treason turns your opponent's bombs into your bombs for an alpha strike against your opponent. I always play these when I have them in this format.
Reasons? This is the blow-out instant I got for blue and red! Dragonshift was a possibility that, for 7-mana, I could blow out the game with four or five 4/4 flyers and win the match with a big goofy grin on my face. And yet....how hard is it to get to 7 mana with these creatures? I should've used it more like a combo trick to deal lethal combat damage to creatures.
Reasons? Here is the one-two combo that makes Dragonshift even nastier. Play Goblin Rally and then next turn make them all 4/4 flyers right after you swing out for lethal damage. I can't see a problem with that.
Reasons? Once again, this spell is fine, but I don't think I had the evasion to make it work all the time. Still, I think it is worth it, tap two creatures, cipher onto flyer, hit, and you've got a nasty combo, amirite?
Reasons? The only keyrune I got between four return/gate packs and arguably one of the weaker ones, this card still got in some blows early game, mana fixed, and, in a pinch, could set up itself to become a dragon. I liked using it alot, actually.
Reasons? This is another card I feel like gave me some evasion, but wasn't strong enough on it's own. Perhaps, if it had been an instant, it would've been a lot better of a play. Heck, it would've been better if it cost one more and had cipher.
Deck contains. 1.
Reasons? I think my desire to play mindstatic might've been a little foolish. It's too slow, conditional, and I would've been happy with some cheaper, reliable, after the spell is played removal. Still, I got to use it enough times to where it wasn't a complete waste.
Reasons? Turn/Burn melts faces. It can kill two creatures after a block, it can kill one big creature for 5, it can do a lot of work. I wouldn't be shocked to see this in play in standard by the end of the year, and I know it'll see play in EDH and other formats.
Reasons? A great piece of removal that also nets you life. Nothing to sniff at in a format where gaining 7 life is a great turn.
LANDS
(17 Lands: 4 Forest, 4 Islands,6 Mountains, and 2 Others)
IDEAL 1ST HAND
And that's it. Leave some recommendations and comments, as I take my adventure to build my next deck. Suggestions?
