Behind the Scenes: A Couple of More Decks And A Side Quest

The Show-runner

So, another game, another couple of new decks. I have gone through a round of deck upgrades since he last time, but Mona's deck is unchanged and none of the new cards in Winter's showed up.

Before I get to the decks. Quick side quest: Guess the card! There was an attempt at an art description at towards the end of the next chapter. It's another hint about the Endgame. ID the card correctly, get 100 BP. Due by next publication push.

Myrkul Builds a Wall

The first deck is Myrkul, Lord of Bones. This one actually showed up on Week 3 of the previous season, funnily enough. Basically, this is one of my two legitimate Bracket 4 decks. This deck is a strange combination of an "aristocrats" and "enchantress" deck, where the goal is to sacrifice your creatures at key times to turn them into non-creature enchantments. The win-con is to assemble a variant of the Exquisite Blood / Sanguine Bond combo. Once a version of both enchantments are on the board (Sanguine Bond actually got cut for the Snek instead), any life gain effect on this decks end (or any life loss for an opponent) results in an infinite drain loop.

In this game, Esme got targeted for playing a Bracket 4 deck at a Bracket 3 table. Between that and a slow start (no real ramp drawn all game and the card draw didn't get to stick around long enough to pay off), she couldn't do much.

Commander:

• Myrkul, Lord of Bones

Creatures (42):

• Avacyn's Pilgrim
• Elvish Mystic
• Destiny Spinner
• Devoted Druid
• Dina, Soul Steeper
• Herald of the Pantheon
• Sakura-Tribe Elder
• Sanctum Weaver
• Starfield Mystic
• Sythis, Harvest's Hand
• Underworld Coinsmith
• Vizier of Remedies
• Weaver of Harmony
• Ayara, First of Locthwain
• Daxos the Returned
• Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
• Faeburrow Elder
• Grim Guardian
• Moon-Blessed Cleric
• Satyr Enchanter
• Setessan Champion
• Verduran Enchantress
• Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
• Woe Strider
• Wood Elves
• Agent of Erebos
• Archon of Sun's Grace
• Eidolon of Blossoms
• Enduring Tenacity
• Erebos, God of the Dead
• Foundation Breaker
• Savra, Queen of the Golgari
• Twilight Prophet
• Yenna, Redtooth Regent
• Bloodthirsty Conqueror
• Ghostly Dancers
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel
• Puppeteer Clique
• Shriekmaw
• Sidisi, Undead Vizier
• Athreos, Shroud-Veiled
• Razaketh, the Foulblooded

Instant (1):

• Swords to Plowshares

Sorceries (6):

• Exsanguinate
• Farseek
• Nature's Lore
• Idyllic Tutor
• Damnation
• Skyshroud Claim

Enchantments (13):

• Authority of the Consuls
• Blind Obedience
• Sterling Grove
• The Meathook Massacre
• Aura of Silence
• Enchantress's Presence
• Ghostly Prison
• Grasp of Fate
• Karmic Justice
• Binding the Old Gods
• Defense of the Heart
• Exquisite Blood
• Sphere of Safety

Lands (37):

• Woodland Cemetery
• Wooded Bastion
• Vault of Champions
• Twilight Mire
• Temple of Silence
• Temple of Plenty
• Temple of Malady
• Temple Garden
• Swamp (3)
• Sunpetal Grove
• Shineshadow Snarl
• Shattered Sanctum
• Scattered Groves
• Plains (3)
• Overgrown Tomb
• Nesting Grounds
• Necroblossom Snarl
• Miren, the Moaning Well
• Krosan Verge
• Isolated Chapel
• Indatha Triome
• Hall of Heliod's Generosity
• Grim Backwoods
• Godless Shrine
• Forest (3)
• Field of Ruin
• Fabled Passage
• Deathcap Glade
• Command Tower
• Canopy Vista
• Bojuka Bog

Ramos Lucky Charms

The other deck is the first Commander deck I built from scratch. I bought the Ur-Dragon pre-con when it came out and saw this weird robot dragon that did not really fit the deck all that well. I pulled it out of there and built it into something different. The deck toes the line between +1/+1 counters and modal spells. It is arguably my most fun control deck; the modal nature of my interaction means I need to choose the right mode at the right time.

In the game, Tyalangan kind of took advantage of Mona not understanding the game very well (seriously, Mona should have won. I played the rest of the game out after the scene and Mona had multiple chances to stop the combo, but didn't understand the game well enough to do so). The winning line was entwined Tooth and Nail into Mike and Walking Ballista (a better Trike). You can pull +1/+1 counters off of Walking Ballista to deal damage to the opponents, then Mike brings it back with a new +1/+1 counter. It Mona thought to kill Mike, she could have stopped it.### Commander:

• Ramos, Dragon Engine

Creatures (24):

• Walking Ballista
• Conclave Mentor
• Incubation Druid
• Winding Constrictor
• Anafenza, the Foremost
• Fertilid
• Plaxcaster Frogling
• Reyhan, Last of the Abzan
• Vorel of the Hull Clade
• Corpsejack Menace
• Crystalline Crawler
• Fathom Mage
• Forgotten Ancient
• Jodah, Archmage Eternal
• Marchesa, the Black Rose
• Master Biomancer
• Shalai, Voice of Plenty
• Spike Weaver
• Ivorytusk Fortress
• Kalonian Hydra
• Tanazir Quandrix
• Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
• Maelstrom Wanderer
• Progenitus

Instants (17):

• Dromoka's Command
• Rakdos Charm
• Silverquill Charm
• Vigorbloom Charm
• Abzan Charm
• Bant Charm
• Brokers Charm
• Crosis's Charm
• Esper Charm
• Ionize
• Jund Charm
• Prismari Command
• Quandrix Command
• Riveteers Charm
• Sultai Charm
• Treva's Charm
• Silumgar's Command

Sorceries (8):

• Farseek
• Cultivate
• Skyshroud Claim
• Bring to Light
• Merciless Eviction
• Rishkar's Expertise
• Seasons Past
• Tooth and Nail

Artifacts (7):

• Sol Ring
• The Ozolith
• Ozolith, the Shattered Spire
• Thought Vessel
• Chromatic Lantern
• Contagion Engine
• The Great Henge

Enchantments (6):

• Hardened Scales
• Innkeeper's Talent
• Simic Ascendancy
• Branching Evolution
• Brokers Ascendancy
• Leyline of Mutation

Lands (37):

• Zagoth Triome
• Windswept Heath
• Watery Grave
• Twilight Mire
• Temple of Mystery
• Temple of Malady
• Temple of Deceit
• Temple Garden
• Swamp (2)
• Sunken Hollow
• Stomping Ground
• Steam Vents
• Spara's Headquarters
• Sacred Foundry
• Reliquary Tower
• Plains (1)
• Pillar of the Paruns
• Overgrown Tomb
• Mountain (1)
• Krosan Verge
• Karn's Bastion
• Island (2)
• Inventors' Fair
• Hallowed Fountain
• Godless Shrine
• Gavony Township
• Forest (2)
• Flooded Grove
• Field of Ruin
• Fabled Passage
• Exotic Orchard
• Command Tower
• Breeding Pool
• Blood Crypt