Eternal Daydreamzzz

by DP

As the three people that read this know, my main format is Legacy, and I plan to use this spot to arrange my thoughts on whatever decks I'm developing.

To begin, let me admit that if I hated fun and cared only about flying elbow-first through opponents like a rally car through a crowd of spectators, I'd build one of the many Threshold variants.

Let me explain:

Everyone going to Grand Prix: Chicago knew the main deck to beat would contain Tarmogoyf, Brainstorm and Force of Will.

Granted, there is a whole spectrum of such decks; Tempo Thresh with Bolts, CounterTop Thresh with Swords, Team America, Ugx Dreadstill, baseruption, Goyféd Landstill variants, It's The Fear, etc. Regardless, they all plan to kill you with unfair fat while burying your dreams of having land, resolving spells and basically playing Magic.

My point being, everyone going to Chicago knew their deck had to drop buckets of neurotic cats on said match-up's face while it slept. But ultimately, what won was simply the same deck, plus tuned for the mirror.

Tangeant on Nassif's build: If you're already running a low curve and Divining Top, it's probably a mistake Not to play Dark Confidant. And what's better than killing the other guy's Tarmogoyf? Stealing it with Sower and Shackles, that's what. Take a hint from Extended, cha!

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is, because I am the main Legacy player I know, it does not make sense to just build the established best deck, choke-slam all takers and call it a day. I would have no takers, and therefore no fun!

Instead I have to vary my repertoire, so I can attract casual interest from my friends without ruining Sunday afternoon - which is basically what you're doing when you Crucible-Wastelock a suffocating opponent already flailing under Counterbalance.

I like to think this steady churn of decks makes me a better player; it forces me to examine off-beat builds that can randomly top 4 a Grand Prix, like Dragon Stompy. And it causes wise investments: I picked up my set of Tombstalkers at $3ish because I wanted to play Pox. Now it turns out they have wider applications and their value is spiking, but I am already armed. Thank you, random jank, for steering my collection in useful directions!

Regrettably, there is a downside to all this. It is the Danger of Cool Things. That is, the allure of trying to accomplish awesome plays, but at the expense of consistency, versatility and general practicality.

It is, after all, a slippery slope from weird-but-good decks to weird-and-silly-but-ultimately-suboptimal decks. I consider this the fine line between Dreadstill, which is no joke, and Thresh variants with Natural Order for Progenitus, which is cute but not much of an improvement on the established build.

Not to say that cool, goofy builds never win - they can, especially when thrown like a grenade into an unsuspecting meta. But let's face it: While it's awesome to trap a man with a White Stax shell, then kill him with Leyline of the Void/Helm of Obedience, there is a reason I saw that deck at a low table in Chicago.

So, what you can expect from this space is my investigation into what is simply rad, and what is rad and actually wins.

Some previews of decks I'm building:

Zur the Enchanter fetching Steel of the Godhead, Oblivion Ring and Pernicious Deed. Support: FOW, Confidant, Swords.

Mono-blue Ninja Faeries. Sample, ideal opening:
Turn 1: Island, Ponder, go.
Turn 2: Island, Cloud of Faeries, Standstill, go.
Turn 3: Ninja of the Deep Hours, ¡IHATEYOU!, go.
Turn 4: Profit.

-Dan