Let me tell you, my friends, the story of a man, who once discovered existence of MTG Cthulhu...
This deck is that story - the story of a concept and pure fascination of creatures with incredible power, style and uplayable mana costs. I've spent quite a long time building it to that form, witch grants me with many spectacular battles, even more spectacular victories and - most important - even more "WTFZOMG?!" of my opponents.
The description below is also about cards I used to play in multiplayer games with my friends, not on the most effective duel strategy.
Firstly, as anyone can see, the main idea, reason, trick and point is...
Advantages - with a little bit of luck, you can put uncounterable gamebreaker for 8-11 mana in 4th turn for FREE.
Disadvantages - none. Totally. There are no other cards in the whole Magic (if I am no wrong) that would let you play things like Stormtide Leviathan for free, when their own mana cost is... [U].
one of several weaknesses of Leviathans, Krakens etc. and this deck itself is lack of flying. Obviously, that enchantment changes that, but even more important is HOW it does...
Advantages - cycling. Exchange a card, that will still work in your graveyard for a new one, using cycling as an instant. Then, when everyone foget's about it, stick it from graveyard to your 8/8 kraken FOR FREE. If it would be killed somehow, card goes back to graveyard. Dragon Wings
+
Quest for Ula's Temple
= flying gamebreaker with mad abilities for nothing. Most important - description, that says: "You MAY return it", so the choice if and when is yours.
Disadvantages - 2 mana spent to cycle it = no mana to save yourself with counterspell after that. The best thing to have it in opening hand.
Another thing to install in your opponent's minds, that attacking you is simply bad investment and mana waste. Furthermore, Scry is what we need here.
this card is to good to explain. Obviously, it works great with anything we put on the battlefield, but it was planned to make simple, quick combo with... Hatchling in first place. Kraken Hatchling
+
Ordeal of Thassa
= defender 0/4 for [U] in 1st turn, witch is not defender by type, so it can - and now will - attack and grow, allowing us to draw some cards. Little sweet Kraken 3/7 in 4th turn - pure perfection. Chics love that.
Advantages - if we've managed to put any Kraken (or Leviathan etc.) in the game, we can counter anything we want. No one will be able to pay 8 more to cast spell for 5, 4, even 2, even in 15th round. And EVEN IF he does and he will - well, there are still other counterspells on my hand.
Disadvantages - usless untill Kraken goes thanks to Ula or Hatchling grows thanks to Ordeal of Thassa.
Mwahahaahahaha!!! My [U][U] - your lost turn and broken dreams of Hellkite Overlord
+
Seething Song
combo.
not much of a removal, but always beautifull thing to do with expansive or annoying creature attacking you, especially with some enchants or counters on it. Opponent says "Meh - 2nd mainphase, I'm casting it again". I say -
Nullify
, Mwahahahahahaha!
Advantage 1 - Unsummon target mthrf*cker for free.
Advantage 2 - combo with
Nullify
for the very same mana that became untapped.
Mwahahahahahahaha!!!
The essence of controll.
Advantages - universal, not too expensive, scry (even if target spell will not be countered).
Disadvantage - not too cheap. Quite often 3 mana is all you can see in this deck for 5-10 rounds.
... Any questions?
Instant Whelming Wave.
With this deck, all your opponents will die to see you all tapped. Then they can finally do anything they wanted with your god-dammned-stormtide-leviathan! Or... they can't.
speaks for itself. One of main inspirations to create that deck.
2 mana for instant healing AT LEAST 1 each turn? And for most of the time it's more than 1, due to phrase "whenever a PLAYER".
No need to explain :)
Flying. 4/4. Another monster to draw in synergy with Ula. And the ability - another way to play biggies like Deniznen without paying their mana cost. Also another "kill me!" type of creature. I won't complain if my friends will waste their removals on him instead of krakens.
Besides being a God, Krupix gives us two incredibly powerful weapons. First - unlimited hand size. While waiting to play our mobs with Ula, we can sometimes face dire situation, when we have to discard one of our krakens. We don't want that. Second - mana. With this ability, we can finally play Krakens, even on five mana. Their converted mana cost is always made in at least 70% of colorless mana.
We don't need more than one of our landwalking, ublockable kraken attacking, espiecially on empty table. The same with defending, when swarms of enemy tokens are only things that could realy make us some troubles.
when I made my choices putting the best / ugliest / most beautifull in their epicness Krakens in the deck, I wanted to have as many of them, as possible. That is why there's only one of each type. Besides, I like to be suprised and thrilled by my deck as well as my opponents.
Advantages - nice defender, possible to play with relatively small mana base, simple rule of growing strong.
Disadvantages - unable to attack untill other mob makes other land an Island, very weak when played with Ula while having 3 Islands on the table.
I couldn't made up my mind about this guy for a long time. Finally, I tried him on one legacy tournament and the synergy between him and Unsummon or Denizen of the Deep is really good. Instant removal in addition to another Kraken-cute.
Advantages - 8/8, false hexproof, that makes your opponent focus on him and the moment he moves to use his removal on him and not on more important thing, like Stormtide. The rule with blocking it - all or nothing - is perfect quasi-removal for us, even if only once, and quasi-unblockable for any other Kraken attacking with Tromokratis.
Disadvantages - well, the hexproof is false.
there aren't many cards in this game as epic as this one. The Cthulhu himself enters the battlefield to make you the whitness of mass-suicide of your opponents.
Advantages-8/8. If you can activate his ability, tap all mana of target player and kill him untill he dies.
Disavantages - IF you can. 8 mana and Lorthos on table - never happened to me so far.
Advantages - (almost) nothing can attack, you or anything. Nothing can block it - no exceptions. 8/8. Put
Dragon Wings
from graveyard on it and smile widly to everyone.
Disadvantages - makes all lands [U]-duals... But what of it? Playing against blue - no diffrence. Playing against other - the same, no blue cards there. The only problem is that most of other Krakens here doesn't have islandwalk.
explained before, one-mana defender without defender with 4 toughness and potential to grow. Quality.
terrifying, isn't it? Good thing to get rid of unwanted auras puted on your mobs and good synergy with Scourge of Fleets.
if there's a Cthulhu, there has to be Nyarlathotep! And if anyone's playing with swooping deck - it has to be even more.
a little weaker cousin of Lorthos with similiar, torturing ability-monstrosity.
Advantages - if you can, he will become even more annoying than Lorthos. Witch means - everyone will do his best not to let that happen.
Disadvantages - once again: "IF you can"
Advantages - 6/6, trample, you decide how much bigger it will be. 12/12? 18/18?
Disadvantages - none, if you have at least 4 islands to play spells when Ula is working. If you do, you don't really need more Islands somwhere deep in your deck.
no reason to explain, the real king of Kraken deck aside with Stormtide Leviathan. What's more important - it's quite possible to cast it if Dimirs Gate will come. 6 mana for THIS?! Insane gamebreaker.
another "Mwahahahaha!" of mine. Suspend it's for 3 as an istant, no one can do anything with it. Anyone does anything else - 3-5 turns later comes unblockable, uncounterable killer 6/6. Have a nice day.
it's quite cheap and it's cute. That's enough.
unblockable, unless another 6/6 will be removed by it.
Advantages - islandwalk, combo with Stormtide.
Disadvantages - relatively weak, annoying terms of attack, but if you can cast it - you can play it.
have I ever mentioned the lack of flying here?
Scry has great synergy with Ula, especially when it's defender.
no, I haven't. And could I dare for more?
The main idea of this deck is not to be as deadly and boringly effective as it could be "by the book", with several times 4 cards granting few best effects I could choose among those cards. I think the concept of fun is clear and the deck as such is around 90% winner against enything my friends have with all varieties of styles, cards, combos etc. Instants and little creatures will give us the time needed to activate Ula. It's possible to play it effectively (or at least with pleasure) in duels, but the real power, point and fun is placed in multiplayer.
