Simplicity 2.0

by msquared on 03 November 2014

Main Deck (65 cards)


Sorceries (4)


Instants (13)


Enchantments (2)


Land (20)

Sideboard (21 cards)


Sorceries (2)

Instants (12)


Artifacts (2)

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Deck Description

Playing Magic 2013 on the Xbox, I took several bits of info from several different decks and thought it would make an interesting idea for a deck. A simple, straightforward, no frills deck that would be remarkably easy to play. No high casting spells, and it features relatively easy cards to get with lots of potential substitutes. This is the result of that chain of thought.

Key to the deck: Elixir of Immortality. What a great card. Simple, low cost, and with a HUGE upside. Not only do you gain life, which is nice, especially if you're not playing a white deck, but the extra effect of reshuffling your graveyard into your library for only 2 mana. The main reason this deck is so attractive to me, is that I play people who like to think their Mill-deck strategy is unbeatable. The Elixir makes that strategy worthless.

Next we have Howling Mine...which aids your strategy by constantly filling your hand...something necessary when relying on low-cost instants. With Howling Mine increasing your draws, the Elixir refilling your library, and with the HOPEFUL consequence of your opponent being forced to discard more and more cards, things are looking up.

8 counter spells in the deck (4 regular ones, plus 4 Mana Leaks, both serve the purpose and are useful at different times, I also included 4 Disrupt spells in the sideboard as alternates) puts your opponents off guard, and foils many of their "big effects", be they powerful sorceries or enchantments, or nasty creature summonings. The Unsummon cards are there to bounce back creatures that slip through your counter spells. (I included Boomerang on the sideboard as a replacement for Unsummon...if you typically face people who use creature-centric decks, Unsummon is the better option, but if artifacts or enchantments are the bigger threat, Boomerang is the better choice).

EDIT - I removed the unblockable creatures & the two Evos Isle Rings, since my playtest showed them to be less than useful...not useless, but the mill strategy of this deck worked better and the unblockable creatures ended up being used more as blockers to protect me, so why bother? I replaced them with three Sphinx-bone Wand cards, which will primarily be used to eliminate creature threats, but once they get big enough, they can be game enders. I also slid Brainstorm & Memory Erosion from the sideboard to the deck. Erosion plays into the mill strategy, Brainstorm is another useful low cost instant that fits the deck strategy. I also added Guard Gomazoa & Doorkeeper cards, both as a defensive measure, and to enhance the mill strategy. Lastly, I added Propaganda. I found that my opponents didn't like drawing all those extra cards just to discard them, so they tried valiantly to use every bit of mana getting stuff out of their hands...Propaganda should slow down any attempted attacks by making them decide whether they want to pay mana to attack me, or pay mana to empty their hands. Decisions, decisions.

Lastly, Sleight of Hand. An easily overlooked card, but one I have come to greatly appreciate playing on the Xbox. The card is very good at getting what you need into your hand, when you need it. Basically always giving you an extra card in your hand...and thanks to the Elixir, it's effects can be used again and again and again. It's a cheap way to get a little edge early in the game; and late in the game, a way to keep cards flowing into your hand. It won't win you any games on its own, but it will give you an edge when you need it most. (Brainstorm & Index are excellent substitutes for Sleight of Hand...the three in combination also work well, depending on what cards you own).

It's a deck that won't break the bank, and most players can easily get the cards necessary to make it work (or equivalent substitutes). It's not flashy, it won't put anyone in awe, but it's very efficient and I think...effective. Simplicity. EDIT - okay, it's not quite as cheap and easy as it was when I started, but it still is a rather simple deck to play.

Deck at a Glance

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Mana Curve

Mana Symbol Occurrence

043000

Card Legality

  • Not Legal in Standard
  • Not Legal in Modern
  • Legal in Vintage
  • Legal in Legacy

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