Hello everyone.
Magic was such a happy part of my childhood, and lately it has been so important to me to connect with the things that made or make me happy and positive.
What is your favorite aspect of Magic? This deck contains my three favorite things about the game:
- Decks that draw and play multiple ways (not reliant on a single card or combo)
- The full history of Magic (so, Legacy essentially for someone casual like me)
- Gold creatures (as a kid I thought gold cards were so bomb, and I was so biased to try and play with them)
At its core this is a deck that tries to create a sustainable infrastructure of "enters the battlefield" abilities that control the board, clearing the way for attacks. It has been a lot of fun to play with! The more I play the more I realize that some versatility could make it even more enjoyable for me!
CREATURES:
Mystic Snake
- One of my favorite cards of all time and the inspiration for the deck. As a kid when this came out I already thought countering was the most powerful thing in the whole game, but had an affinity for green which was typically devastated by it. Control and aggression all in one; a very perplexing duality that I think resonated with me as a kid - I was a wild typical child, but sought ways to find my center (like playing Magic).
Restoration Angel - A bit of old meets new here: what a cool way to use
Mystic Snake
over and over again. As I gravitated quickly to this card when it came out I really respected its versatility. It adds value to thousands of cards out there, and really makes Magic better as a whole.
Eldrazi Displacer - To me, this is an incredible engine if all you're interested in doing is flashing creatures - which is exactly what I hoped to exploit when putting this together! The need for specifically means pain lands like
Yavimaya Coast
and Adarkar Wastes needed to find a slot in the deck.
Eternal Witness - One of my favorite green cards, and super flavorful. I really liked this card because it embodied a great regenerative quality so aligned with green while adding value to so many situations where keeping options open is important. Eternal Witness is typically flashed in this deck to reclaim Counterspell, Remand, or Simic Charm. It also comes in very handy if an important creature is killed.
Birds of Paradise - I know I sound like a nostalgic broken record, but, again, one of my favorite cards of all time. And I actually really liked the 7th Edition artwork, too! Since the deck is having this mana source is helpful. I'm not sure if it is more efficient or safe to replace this with something like Wild Growth or Noble Hierarch
Kitchen Finks - I loved the Lorwyn era and especially love the Persist mechanic. In a way, it is sort of akin to the aim of the deck, which is to try and ensure the reuse of valuable ETB effects. Kitchen Finks needs to introduction these days.
Elvish Visionary - Depending on the situation, if a really strong network isn't quite set up on the board, drawing even a couple of cards can really turn things around. If Elvish Visionary gets blinked even twice in a game it has made a huge difference. A cost of is also very appealing for the deck's curve. Replacing it with Mulldrifter is tempting, but the really takes the tempo down.
SUPPORT SPELLS:
Supporting spells play two important roles:
- Control the board early through low-cost counterspells and protection
- Recyclable targets for Eternal Witness
Counterspell - Again, as a kid I thought this was the most anxiety-inducing card that someone could play against you. "My
Craw Giant
never had a chance, you butthead!". I'm curious to know what the consensus is these days around playing a pure Counterspell as opposed to something more creative like Cryptic Command or
Familiar's Ruse
. The low cost of usually means I can make a few control plays early while getting some fun creatures into play.
Remand - I had a tendency to splash blue back in the day if I wanted to a) draw cards or b) counter spells (oh, and c) lose friends who just wanted a chance to get Thorn Elemental out).
Mana Leak - A seemingly great way to ensure some early-game counters in a deck that is trying to quickly build a 3-color mana base. Missing a counter because you just don't have the colors available on turn 2 really takes the wind out of you sails when playing the deck.
Simic Charm - Perhaps the biggest surprise was how niche this card has felt in this particular deck. Its three options are exactly what I need at any given time: a)deal damage or pull off a combat trick, b)inadvertently counter any spell that tries to knock out one of the deck's creatures, or c) bounce any of the deck's creatures at instant speed to avoid death, being targeted by removal, or simply to trigger a helpful ETB effect at the end of an opponents turn. It is a great recycle target for Eternal Witness and allows for lots of options depending on what you need.
Strangely enough I have excluded Momentary Blink and still felt that the deck creates great opportunity without it. It was the first supporting spell I thought of and was definitely included in an early build of the deck. I removed to add what I felt would be a little more depth with Simic Charm.
Thanks for reading! It has been almost as much fun to write about the cards as it is to play with them. Any suggestions on how to make the deck function better, move faster, use more interesting cards that I've completely forgotten about?
Have fun out there,
VB
