Hello everyone!
Welcome to this week’s Fedger’s Furnace.
This time around, Mr Chris and I played a best-of-3 pack wars with Dark
Ascension booster packs. For those that
don’t know, pack wars is where you make a deck out of a single booster pack
plus 3 of each basic land without looking at what’s in the booster. Here’s how it went
Game 1
I mulligan once and then I get an excellent second
hand: I have a Pyreheart Wolf, Markov Blademaster, Soul Seizer, 2 mountains,
a swamp and a forest. From my experience
in pack wars, one is lucky to have two cards that you can play from your
opening hand. Not only can I play two
cards, but they both have an excellent synergy and one is my rare! Feeling confident I stick with it.
Turns 1-4
Chris wins the roll off and goes first. The first play of
the game comes on turn three when he plays a Warden of the Wall (after laying 2
Plains and a Mountain). My first play
is a pyreheart wolf on my third turn (after laying 2 mountains and a
plain). Turn 4 Chris lays a Forest and
Summons a Niblis of the Mist who taps my wolf.
Not to worry, he untaps on my next turn.
I opt to attack with the Wolf. Chris could block with both but would
lose his Niblis and give my wolf a +1/+1 counter so he lets it through for
one. I lay a swamp and play my rare;
Markov Blademaster.
Turn 5
Chris attacks with his Niblis for 2 and passes to me. I play and equip a Heavy Mattock to my
Blademaster making him a 2/2. I attack
with both of my creatures, Chris has no choice but to let them through since he
only has one blocker. The Blademaster’s
first attack pumps him in time for his second so when the dust settles Chris
has taken 6 damage (putting him on 13) and the Blademaster is a 4/4.
Turn 6
Chris’s turn 6 is a blank.
I attack with both creatures once more and Chris gang blocks my wolf
with his two defenders. The Blademaster
deal a whopping 9 damage to Chris (growing to a 6/6 in the process) and I opt
to damage the Niblis with my wolf. Both
creatures die, the only difference being that the wolf comes back, and in
greater power. At the end of turn 6 it’s
looking grim for Chris who is losing 18-4.
Chris’s next turn is a blank and with one creature remaining he’s unable
to block the next attack. One – nil to
me.
Game 2
Turns 1-3
Chris lays a plains and mountain on his first two
turns. I Evolving Wilds a swamp and then
play a Forest followed by a Dawntreader Elk on my first two. On turn three Chris plays an Island and gets
a Screeching Skaab out - milling his Silverclaw Griffin and a Forest. I attack with the Elk & Chris takes the
damage after which the Pyreheart wolf from game one makes a triumphant return.
Turn 4
Chris attacks with his Skaab and my wolf loyally blocks its
path. The Skaab dies and the wolf
returns as a 2/2. Chris taps 4 lands and
summons a Nearheath Stalker. On my turn,
I attack with both creatures for 4, taking Chris down to 14. I then add a Somberwald Dryad to the team.
Turn 5
Chris’s Stalker makes its way into the red-zone and I accept
the trade for my Dryad…except it’s not a trade and I forgot about the Stalker’s
undying ability – whoops! The stalker returns
as a 5/2. Chris adds a Drogskol Captain
to the proceedings which (unfortunately for Chris) does not have any fellow
spirits to buff. My turn to attack and I
hit Chris with both creatures again for 4, he’s on 10 now. I pass to Chris.
Turn 6
Chris targets my only island with a Scorch the Fields,
luckily the only card I need it for has flash so in response to Chris’ play I
cast Nephalia Seakite getting a quick use from the island before it is
destroyed. Chris then attacks with the
his stalker and I accept the trade for my Seakite. I hit Chris for another 4 with my creatures
(he’s on 6 now) and summon a Gavony Ironwright.
Turn 7
Warden of the wall, remember him? Chris summons him this turn. I activate the Elk’s ability in Chris’s turn,
adding a Mountain to my land reservoir in preparation for a Markov Blademaster,
which I cast on my turn.
Turn 8-10
Chris adds a Loyal Cathar to his board and passes to
me. I bust out a Screeching Skaab of my
own milling a Black Cat and Drogskol Captain then pass to Chris whose turn 9
is a blank. I decide that now is the
time to send my forces into the red zone and tap everything. Chris can only block one because of the
Pyreheart Wolf’s ability and he opts to take out the Blademaster. Meanwhile the Ironwright, the Skaab and the
Wolf take Chris down to 1 life. The
Loyal Cathar returns as a Unhallowed Cathar.
Chris can’t find an answer next turn and when my combat phase rolls
around he can’t stop my creatures coming in for lethal.
I win the set 2-0 – woot woot!
Fedger’s Thoughts
I definitely had the Lion’s share of the luck in these games. Mana fixing’s very helpful in this format and
I was blessed with an Evolving Wilds and a Dawntreader Elk. Also my rare was cheap and had great synergy
with the Pyreheart wolf included in the pack.
I won the third game thanks to this (but unfortunately failed to
hit record and thus couldn’t report on it).
Chris’s rare was a Fiend of the Shadows which he had in his
hand the first game but just couldn’t find the swamps to cast it.
Seeing the Markov Blademaster and the Pyreheart wolf work in tandem has made me want to create a red/black vamp deck similar to Carnival of
Blood. It would be filled with Vampires that get bigger
when they hit directly and the means to get them through the red zone
unhindered with the cards like Pyreheart wolf, removal, auras that give them evasion and a few Onyx Mages to make an opponent think twice about gang-blocking. I’ll put this idea on the back burner for a
while as the next three weeks of blogs will be dedicated to the playtest,
fiddling and re-playtest of Dark Ascension’s Dark Sacrifice.
I’ll see you then!
Fedger
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