Expansion Highlander Draw-Go

Vintage

SadisticMystic

Creature (3)

• 1x Blightsteel Colossus
• 1x Memnarch
• 1x Snapcaster Mage

Land (25)

• 1x Faerie Conclave
• 4x Island
• 1x Island
• 1x Island
• 1x Island
• 1x Island
• 1x Island
• 1x Island
• 1x Island
• 1x Island
• 1x Island
• 1x Island
• 1x Island
• 1x Island
• 1x Island
• 1x Island
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Quicksand
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Seat of the Synod
• 1x Seat of the Synod
• 1x Strip Mine

Artifact (7)

• 2x Isochron Scepter
• 1x Isochron Scepter
• 1x Jester's Scepter
• 1x Pithing Needle
• 1x Sensei's Divining Top
• 1x Vedalken Shackles

Instant (23)

• 1x Brainstorm
• 1x Brainstorm
• 1x Brainstorm
• 1x Capsize
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Cryptic Command
• 1x Dissipate
• 1x Evacuation
• 1x Fact or Fiction
• 1x Fact or Fiction
• 1x Foil
• 1x Forbid
• 1x Force of WillGC
• 1x Force Spike
• 1x Mindbreak Trap
• 1x Misdirection
• 1x Rewind
• 1x Spell Burst
• 1x Stifle

Sorcery (2)

• 1x Tinker
• 1x Tinker

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Expansion Highlander is a potential variant format that's really hit the critical mass of being playable in the last couple years, with all these releases like Duel Decks and whatnot. I envision it as a Constructed format guided by two simple deckbuilding rules:

1. Limit one card per expansion symbol or lack thereof.
2. 60-card minimum with NO 4-of rule.

That's it. Rule 1 already takes care of the main reason why 4-of was instituted (to put an upper bound in place that prevents decks like 15-Mountain 45-Bolt, or 32-Lotus 27-Timetwister and a Kaervek's Torch, from ever wreaking havoc), so I figure that rule can just be scrapped to give Expansion Highlander that little unique edge to stand out as a format. It's legal, though probably not desirable, to run 16 copies of Stone Rain, tops among cards other than basic lands.

Sufficient testing in the format hasn't been done yet to come up with a ban list (or possibly a restricted list, given that you can currently play 5x Necropotence if you're a sufficiently avid collector). Right now all I have for certain is that the Vintage banlist is also banned here; basically Un-cards, ante cards, Chaos Orb , Falling Star , and Shahrazad . You can still use Unhinged basic land to fill out one of your land slots (which can be surprisingly scarce in this format, so you'll almost certainly want to use that one). Same with Unglued, but you don't want to use that because Unglued basics, unlike all the other cards in the set, lack expansion symbols (so it would have to count against your single-card quota that could otherwise be used for any of A/B/U/R/4/5).

Just to clarify, expansion symbols are colorblind. If you use a rare from Innistrad, that doesn't mean you can also pull an uncommon, common, or mythic from the same set. You only get one card from the set period, so make it count.

By my last count (as of Dark Ascension), there were 101 different expansion symbols usable in this format, including the null symbol. This includes every Duel Decks release; older box sets as far back as Beatdown, Battle Royale, and Deckmasters; the Chinese-only 5th Edition symbol; and all kinds of promo symbols that made it onto only one or a handful of cards: the Guru lands, book promos, DragonCon, Xbox...Suffice it to say, no deck will feasibly make use of every last one of the symbols. Fortunately you only need sixty of them, and with all these new sets and ancillary products coming out if only for you to grab another basic land from, the format gets more accessible practically by the month.

The limit of 1 card per expansion (plus whatever extra copies you might be able to scrounge up from ancillary and promo releases) really throws a dagger in deck archetypes that are built around mechanics whose key cards all come from the same few sets, like affinity or dredge. Slivers might almost be doable just because of how many sets they came back in, but I'm not going to try it right now. Instead I'm going for a time-tested favorite, at least among players that can be said to be "time-tested": monoblue control, this one with a significant artifact theme.

Now, Wizards has flat-out stated that they don't want decks like this existing anymore, and they rarely make cards that are still conducive to it. At least I can keep picking up the basic Islands from sets that have them. Two years ago, this deck was in a position where it was picking up cards like Steam Vents from otherwise worthless sets just because there wouldn't be enough lands without it. Monocolor decks had it a bit tougher because there would be off-color duel decks products like Elves/Goblins that were completely worthless, and not as much leeway for missing out on expansion symbols. However, we're getting to the point now where that shouldn't be much of an issue.

There are several sets where I have a choice between Counterspell and Brainstorm. I've opted for a 5-3 split between them, first because this is Expansion Highlander so that I "just can" play a 5-3 split, and second because Brainstorms ultimately might not be that useful: the only shuffle effects I have right now are a single fetchland plus the two Tinkers. It might even make sense to move it up to 6-2.

Being the kind of deck this is, it doesn't really need a win condition save for something pitiful after it has inevitability all locked up, but it has both Capsize and Memnarch engines to lock up just that. Repeatedly Capsizing my own Jester's Scepter could potentially work...but probably not. Letting a creature spell drop so I can play and use Vedalken Shackles is somewhat more likely. And if I think there's a sufficient window to drive it through, the Tinker for BSC plan is always there.

[EDIT] It seems TappedOut's database is missing a few sets, and/or the information about all the cards in certain sets. If you attempt to sort this list by set, you can take the duplicates and make the following amendments:
1 Brainstorm -> Commander
1 Counterspell -> Beatdown
4 Island -> New Phyrexia, M12, Phyrexia v. Coalition, Ajani v. Bolas
2 Isochron Scepter -> FtV Relics, "DCI" Promo
1 Seat of the Synod -> Planechase
1 Tinker -> FtV Exiled

Maybe this inspires you to make your own Expansion Highlander deck. With any luck, it'll be the next big format like Commander. For one thing, quite unlike Commander, here your deck actually can get a tangible benefit by tracking down more obscure versions of your cards!

Date added	13 years
Last updated	13 years
Legality	This deck is Vintage legal.
Rarity (main - side)	2 - 0 Mythic Rares 15 - 0 Rares 13 - 0 Uncommons 12 - 0 Commons
Cards	60
Avg. CMC	3.00