TABLETOP TALES: THE HAUNTED WURMWOOD DECK: MIRROR EDITION!

TABLETOP TALES PRESENTS:

THE HAUNTED WURMWOOD DECK: 
MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL!

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

ALL OF MY MTG ARTICLES!

This article serves to update my Grave Power build deck into Block-Constructed limitations; all of the cards in this iteration of the deck are strictly from the Innistrad Block  The real point of this article is to show how this deck is evolving for my goal to build a Innistrad Block deck and, eventually, a competitive standard deck.

 I had been hoping that Avacyn Restored would do something to help build this decks mechanics but, alas, that wasn't my luck. I've instead resorted to simplifying the deck and changing it up just a bit in a way that, mostly, simplifies it into a consistent machine.

Intro Pack: Dark Ascension, Grave Power, Cost: $13

Note: You can see the full decklist of the original to compare by clicking 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 HAUNTED WURMWOOD DECK:
MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL EDITION!

 Not much has changed and I can still quote the last article...mostly:

"The deck follows several themes including, but not limited to, : Treefolk, Wurms, Unblockable, and stealing power from beyond the grave. This deck is ultimately a G/Bl Self-Mill construction and, as this is not a popular mechanic, it has been a challenge to pull off.

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. This version of the deck only includes cards from the Innistrad Block and only includes cards I own physical copies of.."

The big changes, as aforementioned, were changing the creature pool and, in general, simplif

NOTE: This is the THIRD iteration of this deck. Please leave comments and suggestions on how to improve my deck. To compare it to different versions, check out the link at the top and you will find a summary of all my deck articles.

To read the rest of the article, hit "Read More" below.

TABLETOP TALES: "AVACYN, MAKE IT SO!" MTG DECK

TABLETOP TALES PRESENTS

He kind of looks like Cptn. Picard with the bald head.

"AVACYN, MAKE IT SO!" DECK

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

ALL OF MY MTG ARTICLES!

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 n a reasonable budget for a college student like myself.

Today's deck is my standardized version of my Avacyn Restored deck that has been combined with cards legal in the upcoming standard format (as in October Mirrodin and M12 will be kicked out standard). Green and white is my favorite color combination, being the combo of the first deck I ever built, and this deck is built around angels, the subject of the first intro pack I ever bought for M12. And its worth mentioning that I actually bought my first themed deckbox and playmat to go with this deck.

I spent about $13 on the Angelic Might intro pack (click this LINK to check out the deck list) and on other cards, ones specifically bought or traded for to build this deck, I've spent less but lets round it up to $10.

A fantastic intro pack. I can't recommend these enough to new players and newcomers to recent sets.

APPROX. EXPENSE: $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.

And here is a link to Comic Cellar's Website

Before I get into breaking down this version of the Avacyn deck (check the link at the top to see the index of other decks) I want to address something minor but serious. I haven't done a deck article in a couple months and my last MTG article in about a month because I've been busy working on my own custom card set, playing lots of retro games, and generally haven't had that many chances to play since my parent's bar opened and my circle of friends imploded. Expect a couple of Naya decks, possibly even a commander deck, to pop in the near future. And, as Return to Ravnica is just around the corner, you can expect a ton of articles in the fall, my Planeswalker pals, so chins up and let's dig into...

MY STANDARD WG ANGEL DECK

"AVACYN, MAKE ITS SO!" DECK

Not much has changed and I can still quote the last article...mostly:

"The deck was constructed in Standard, mostly with cards from Innistrad block & M12 (that were reprinted for M13). The decks themes include but are not limited to: angels, humans, mana-get, and flickering. It is a white-green affair, with white angels from M12 and Innistrad and humans from Innistrad. The white cards make up the muscle and removal and the green cards set up mana ramp and do a few other nifty tricks 

For those of you who don't know, flicker-effects are card effects that involve exiling one of your own cards and returning it to the field either immediately or at the end of the turn. The reason you would do this is to take advantage of cards with entrance effects or to remove negative counters, enemy enchantments, and other annoyances."

This version of the deck sets up a more uniform strategy, doesn't waste as many turns with getting me so much mana and nothing to do with it. This involved replacing several slow or inefficient cards with old standards and more of the beast that make this deck a real nuisance to deal with. Learn some mana math to help with building your decks, HERE.

As I always mention, I am just a casual player and I play with what I have available to me. Thanks for reading and please comment.

Please leave comments & suggestions.

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

MY MAGIC THE GATHERING ARTICLES!

Linked below are all of my Magic: The Gathering Articles. Every time that I make a new one I will link it in this article and I will link this article in all new magic articles. This will cut down on unnecessary clutter in my future mtg article. Thank you. 

WORD OF THE DAY! 7/1/12.

in absentia [in-ab-sehnt-shah]
adjective
1. In the absence of (something).

EX. I hate to use some somewhat obscure humor today, sorry non-MTG fans, but the magic fans will appreciate this and the web comic:

5 COLOR CONTROL WEB COMIC

You should definitely check it out if you're a magic fan for some magic game/backstory humor. But yeah, why was Sorin in absentia in the final act of the Innistrad story? He returns to his home turf Innistrad to, supposedly, discover what happened to the plane's goddess and his creation Avacyn, Angel of Hope. And he just sort of shows up, there is a new planewalker card for him, and then that's it?

This is a pretty ridiculous situation and really I wouldn't be surprised if they either forgot about him or plan on having something in the future tie back to Innistrad (it was a very popular bloc), but I just don't know...

He was the first planeswalker I ever pulled out of a booster.

WEEKLY ROUND-UP! 5/14-5/20/12.

WEEKLY ROUND-UP PRESENTS:

POKE-POLITICAL HUMOR WEEK!

7. WORD OF THE DAY! 5/17/12. Vindicator.

At this point, it would be completely pointless for me to tell you to go see The Avengers at your local cinema. I might even recommend it in 3-D, if this wasn't as common knowledge as how awful Adam Sandler is, possibly, a terrible scam artist on top of being the driving force behind a production company that puts out pure malevolent garbage every year. And it would be equally without purpose for me to declare that Pikachu is best rodent.

6. WORD OF THE DAY! 5/19/12. Buzz-Saw.

Alas, poor Woodman, you never had a chance. First, you were kind of a terrible idea. A wooden robot? Really?! Secondly, you're attacks are pretty useless. I've never heard of someone being killed by a flying leaf. And thirdly, and most importantly, how is a wood-based robot going to last ten seconds against a psychopath boy robot shooting buzz-saws?

5. WORD OF THE DAY! 5/15/12. Brutality.

I suppose that the pokemon experiences of Red/Blue are just so inexplicably branded in the minds of people in my age group that it is nearly impossible not to deign Satoshi Tajiri, Creatures Inc, and Game Freak to be diabolical geniuses.

4. MUSICAL MONDAY! PARRY GRIPP IS MADE OF INTERNETS!

Not much to say here. As usual, I listen to the previous weeks Musical Monday subject when I type these and Parry Gripp is just made of happy feelings.

3. WTF WEDNESDAY: THE ADVENTURES OF KIM JONG UN
 
"I am the morbidly obese one! Top doctors say his weight is ideal for his height and build!"

Thank you, North Korea.

P.S. Now, kindly liberate yourselves.

2. WORD OF THE DAY! 5/16/12. Recruitment.

 Think about it; Kanto is f'd up. 10-year olds, presumably nuisances, are expected to leave home and survive by enslaving monsters. Its a farce! Seriously, who wouldn't want to join Team Rocket? At least they're honest and evil, instead of whimsical, deceptive, and evil.

1. TABLETOP TALES: AVACYN: BATTLE CRUISER OPERATIONAL DECK!

Commons are the back bones of any good standard deck, especially in limited. Avacyn's Pilgrim is a card I want to have two of in my first hand every time I play this deck, alongside a forest. He'll help you hardcast those angels with ease and chump blocks in a pinch. Odds are, I'll probably tinker with this deck, take it back to standard, and take it to a Friday Night Magic event some time soon. As usual, I appreciate any advice and comments on my decks.

TABLETOP TALES: AVACYN: BATTLE CRUISER OPERATIONAL DECK!

TABLETOP TALES PRESENTS

AVACYN: BATTLE CRUISER OPERATIONAL!

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

MY FIRST DECK

AURAMONGER DECK

HAKUNA MATATA DECK

WURMWOOD DECK V. 1

WURMWOOD DECK V. 2

WURMWOOD DECK V. 3

BLOOD & PORCELAIN DECK

KING OF THE HILL DECK

MY FIRST PRE-RELEASE

AVACYN: BATTLECRUISER DECK V. 1

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 the angelic reconfiguration of my mono-white deck into a white-green deck with the Avacyn, Angel of Hope.

I spent about $13 on the Angelic Might intro pack (click this LINK to check out the deck list), $25 bucks for the Avacyn Pre-Release, and the other cards are either from my collection or from various trades/gifts, etc. I've bought one booster for Avacyn, since the pre-release, and a buck worth of cards, so we'll call that $5.

APPROX. EXPENSE: $43

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.

After taking part in Avacyn Pre-Release, a couple of Sundays ago, I knew what I wanted to do for my first new deck for summer break. First, I broke down my Auramonger deck, which I will probably rebuild at a later date, and began working on a standard Angel deck. I toyed around with a mono-white deck and a deck with a splash of green. For this iteration, I've splashed in some green and limited it to block constructed. If it doesn't live up to my expectations, I'll break it back down and reconstruct it based on the mono-white configuration. To see what that might look like, click the link below.

AVACYN: BATTLECRUISER DECK V. 1

With this in mind and the purchases described above, the result was...

THE WG ANGEL DECK:

AVACYN: BATTLE CRUISER OPERATIONAL!

The deck was constructed in Standard, mostly with cards from Innistrad block & M12. The decks themes include but are not limited to: angels, humans, mana-get, and flickering. It is a white-green affair, with white angels from M12 and Innistrad and humans from Innistrad. The white cards make up the muscle and removal and the green cards set up mana ramp and do a few other nifty tricks

For those of you who don't know, flicker-effects are card effects that involve exiling one of your own cards and returning it to the field either immediately or at the end of the turn. The reason you would do this is to take advantage of cards with entrance effects or to remove negative counters, enemy enchantments, and other annoyances.

As I always mention, I am just a casual player and I play with what I have available to me. Thanks for reading and please comment.

Please leave comments & suggestions.

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

WEEKLY ROUND-UP! 5/7-5/13.

WEEKLY ROUND-UP PRESENTS:

GORDON FREEMAN WEEK

7. WORD OF THE DAY! 5/10/12. Pancakes.

9/10 demonic spawn agree, pancakes are so righteous they stave off the slippery slope into Hell's mouth. The tenth individual is usually allergic to gluten.

6. WORD OF THE DAY! 5/13/12. Run-down

Have I mentioned the fact that this image may or may not represent our sponsor? What's that Captain Planet? More pizza rolls? Right away, sir.

5. WORD OF THE DAY! 5/9/12. Reincarnation.

Zelda: A Link to the Past is still my favorite Zelda game. Between the memorable dungeons, the challenging bosses, the awesome character designs, the incredible music, and the overall story, it just fills me with nostalgia. 

My only problem? My copy disappeared last summer...

4. WTF WED: SHEPHERD SMITH EXPLAINS IT ALL!

I don't often make political commentary but, when I do, I often turn my sights to Faux News.

3. MUSICAL MONDAY! NINTENDO A CAPELLA!

Remember, you all deserve to be loved. And you all deserve a Nintendo.

2. WORD OF THE DAY! 5/8/12. Wyrm/Wurm

I am definitely gonna be getting my Skyrim back on sometime soon. As soon as I finish up Skyward Sword and Arkham City.

1. TABLETOP TALES: AVACYN: BATTLE CRUISER ENGAGE DECK!

I don't think I express this often enough, but I really am happy that I can share my addictions- errr...hobbies with ya'll. I really have been digging the Innistrad Block and the angel deck I've been working on the last couple of weeks is a blast and really gives a good insight into the way my brain works. Enjoy picking my brain and enjoy the quotes caption all of the creature cards with.

TABLETOP TALES: AVACYN: BATTLE CRUISER ENGAGE DECK!

TABLETOP TALES PRESENTS

AVACYN: BATTLE CRUISER ENGAGE!

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

MY FIRST DECK

AURAMONGER DECK

HAKUNA MATATA DECK

WURMWOOD DECK V. 1

WURMWOOD DECK V. 2

WURMWOOD DECK V. 3

BLOOD & PORCELAIN DECK

KING OF THE HILL DECK

MY FIRST PRE-RELEASE

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 the angelic result of my attempts to make a mono-white deck with the Avacyn, Angel of Hope.

I spent about $13 on the Angelic Might intro pack (click this LINK to check out the deck list), $25 bucks for the Avacyn Pre-Release, and the other cards are either from my collection or from various trades/gifts, etc. I've bought one booster for Avacyn, since the pre-release, and a buck worth of cards, so we'll call that $5.

APPROX. EXPENSE: $43

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.

After taking part in Avacyn Pre-Release, a couple of Sundays ago, I knew what I wanted to do for my first new deck for summer break. First, I broke down my Auramonger deck, which I will probably rebuild at a later date, and began working on a standard Angel deck. I toyed around with a mono-white deck and a deck with a splash of green. For the moment, I've decided to go with the mono-white configuration. If it doesn't live up to my expectations, I'll break it back down and try splashing in some green. To see what that might look like, click the link below.

TABLETOP TALES DEBATE #1

With this in mind and the purchases described above, the result was...

THE MONO-WHITE ANGEL DECK:

AVACYN: BATTLE CRUISER ENGAGE!

The deck was constructed in Standard, mostly with cards from Innistrad block & M12. The decks themes include but are not limited to: angels, humans, vigilance, and flickering. It is a mono-white affair, with white angels from M12 and Innistrad and humans from Innistrad. The spells are mostly used for removal, buffing, and flicker-effects.

For those of you who don't know, flicker-effects are card effects that involve exiling one of your own cards and returning it to the field either immediately or at the end of the turn. The reason you would do this is to take advantage of cards with entrance effects or to remove negative counters, enemy enchantments, and other annoyances.

As I always mention, I am just a casual player and I play with what I have available to me. Thanks for reading and please comment.

Please leave comments & suggestions.

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

TABLETOP TALES! DECK DEBATE #1

TABLETOP TALES PRESENTS

DECK DEBATE #1

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

MY FIRST DECK

AURAMONGER DECK

HAKUNA MATATA DECK

WURMWOOD DECK V. 1

WURMWOOD DECK V. 2

WURMWOOD DECK V. 3

BLOOD & PORCELAIN DECK

KING OF THE HILL DECK

MY FIRST PRE-RELEASE

This article serves two purposes: To share the nerd entertainment around with anyone who might find it interesting and, in this case, to ask for YOUR HELP in figuring out how to take my next deck based on an intro pack.

I spent about $13 on the Angelic Might intro pack (click this LINK to check out the deck list), $25 bucks for the Avacyn Pre-Release, and the other cards are either from my collection or from various trades/gifts, etc. I've bought one booster for Avacyn, since the pre-release, and a buck worth of cards, so we'll call that $5.

APPROX. EXPENSE: $43

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.

After taking part in Avacyn Pre-Release, last Sunday, I knew what I wanted to do for my first new deck for summer break. First, I broke down my Auramonger deck, which I will probably rebuild at a later date, and began working on a standard Angel deck. The only problem? I cannot decide whether to go with a Monowhite Deck or splash some green for land get in a WG Deck. I'm going to my readers for some advice. I'm going to put the two potential decklists below and ask for your opinions. Some time next week, I'll post an article breaking down the resulting deck.

As I always mention, I am just a casual player and I play with what I have available to me. Thanks for reading and please comment.

TABLETOP TALES: MY FIRST PRE-RELEASE!

TABLETOP TALES PRESENTS

MY FIRST PRE-RELEASE DECK!

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

MY FIRST DECK

 AURAMONGER DECK

HAKUNA MATATA DECK

WURMWOOD DECK V. 1 

 WURMWOOD DECK V. 2 

WURMWOOD DECK V. 3

BLOOD & PORCELAIN DECK

THE KING OF THE HILL DECK

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 first 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.

I took part in the pre-release on April 29th, 2012, at The Comic Cellar. Taking part in the event cost $25. For the entry fee, each player was given 6 booster packs, for the Avacyn Restored set, and all the lands they need to make a 40 card deck. Then, the players would take part in 5 one-on-one matches in best out of three matches. There was a time limit and if the time runs out the players have five rounds of play to finish the game. If they fail to finish, the game ends in a draw. All results would be put on record and players with the best record would each get part of the prize pot, a box of cards. As a consolation prize, all of the "non-winners" received an intro-pack for their trouble, courtesy of the store.

This particular pre-release event was for the Avacyn Restored set. It is the third, final, and largest set in the Innistrad bloc. As part of the promotion, our event came with a cardboard Helvault and a set of "Achievement Cards".

In the story canon of Magic the Gathering, the Helvault is a large structure that contained Innistrad's angelic goddess Avacyn and the demon lord Griselbrand. Avacyn Restored is built around the theme of the demons and angels escaping the Helvault and peace/order being restored to Innistrad. As part of the event, we were each given these nifty achievement cards.

The achievement cards had a list of goals that, once accomplished, we  were told to check off. Once we reach a certain amount of goal's accomplished, we hand the card in, and a lock is taken off of the Helvault. It was all in good fun and I got to open a lock during my first game. After all 20 locks were taken off, the Helvault was broken open, and the innards were divided amongst the players. Each of us received a limited edition Avacyn Restored life dice, a Commander card of Avacyn, Griselbrand, the three legendary angels of the set, lovingly compared to the Powerpuff Girls, and double-sided tokens with angels on one side and demons on the other.

My ending record was a draw, two losses and two wins. I didn't place anywhere near the top, but I had a lot of fun. Now, that we've discussed the fun involved in the event, lets discuss...

MY AVACYN RESTORED PRE-RELEASE DECK:

WHITE / GREEN FLYERS

I don't have much to say in ways of themes with this one. The best cards I drafted were a grip of angels, some useful white/green humans, a pair of Wolfir Avengers and a lot of miracle cards. Now, let's see what cards I used out of the 90 cards I had to work with.

WEEKLY ROUND-UP! 3/26-4/1. High-Fashion Week

WEEKLY ROUND UP PRESENTS

HIGH-FASHION NOSTALGIA WEEK!

7. WORD OF THE DAY. 3/28/12. Coign of Vantage.

I found this amusing as both a humorous jab at the mishaps of drawing comics and the mishaps of people posting weird facebook pictures. I really miss reading manga and watching anime, but, between my plethora of other hobbies and school, this hobby has taken the greatest hit. Any recommendations of anime/manga to get me out of my funk?





6. TABLETOP TALES: THE HAUNTED WURMWOOD DECK, GRAVEYARD SHIFT EDITION

I decided to put up another detailed decklist of my wurmwood deck. The deck is really coming together to muster a Green-Blue Self-mill graveyard deck and my goal is to make it work with just cards from Innistrad block. If you have any comments or pointers, feel free to leave a comment.

I really have enjoyed the Innistrad block and am highly anticipating the release of Avacyn Restored.

5. WORD OF THE DAY. 3/27/12. Haute Couture.

"Check out the artist, Fab Ciraolo's blog, if you interested in seeing more nostalgic starscapes and patterned pastiches pulled across the veneer of childhoods abandoned."

4. WTF WEDNESDAY! MAMESHIBA: THE DOG-FACED BEANS OF KNOWLEDGE

"When you kiss, 200 million germs are spread between the two mouths in a second." -Mameshiba

3. WORD OF THE DAY. 3/31/12. Devestation.

So, apparently I think I'm a political satirist or something? Or maybe I just realized that I need at least one pokemon reference in every five articles or a house will fall on me? The latter would be quite unfortunate for me, the house, and the Kansas girl who would come out of it and steel my shoes. What? they were a gift from my mother?

2. WORD OF THE DAY.  4/1/12. Part. 1. Werewolf.

"The werewolf meeting came to a head, with the leader, Fido White-Wind making adorable "Berf brof ruff" noises and then another larger canine making an aggressively whiny, "whimper whine hmmm hmmm..." noise. Teenage girls can't even hold back their laughter at the ineptitude of the event."

1. WORD OF THE DAY.  4/1/12. Part. 1. Vampire.

" Edward bumped his stupid vampire head against the window at the side of the science classroom. Bella looked up, gormlessly, and sighed,"Damn, I want to have his half-demon baby." "