On the world of Theros, mortals have long worshipped the gods in the starlit sky. Many wars have raged across the plane, amongst man and minotaur, satyr and centaur, mortal against mortal.
But these are strange times on Theros. The stars have begun winking out in the sky, and new ghostly images replace them. For the first time in millennia, a new god has appeared, and wages war on man and god alike. Some follow this strange new being with fanatical devotion, but many others now stand up to fight for their very existence, raging not at each other any longer, but at the heavens themselves.
And they are not alone. Another stranger has arrived in Theros... not a god, though she carries a weapon forged by them. She leads humans from across the plane in their new war, and has led them to victory in many battles. It is rumored that she is a champion destined to defeat this new usurper in the stars. But when it comes time for mortal to face immortal, who will emerge victorious? The fate of the entire plane rests on the outcome....
This is half of a new Duel Deck I have cooked up. (The other half, highlighted by Xenagos, is here: http://www.mtgvault.com/jre47/decks/duel-deck-xenagos-vs-elspeth).
Just like Wizards' Duel Decks, this is centered around one mythic and features primarily Modern-legal cards with some older ones mixed in (which, if printed, would get the new, current border and in some cases updated art as well). It also sticks to just a handful of rares and tends to go with a lot of one-ofs among other cards, with a small handful of key cards that may get multiple copies (and even then, usually only two). Also, unlike Event Decks and other feature decks from Wizards, Duel Decks lack sideboards. I tried very hard to keep with all those restrictions here... believe me, if this were your more typical constructed deck, it would look a lot different!
The mythic is obviously Elspeth, and the rares are Precinct Captain, Captain of the Watch, Spear of Heliod, Launch the Fleet, and Nykthos. Not much in the way of money-makers, but very thematic. This deck is about amassing a large force of Soldiers, beefing them up, and throwing them into battle... which happens to be Elspeth's speciality. You'd almost think I planned that.... ;-)
Xenagos' deck, you'll notice, can get a lot of creatures out quickly as well, and it also has a number of cards that deal low but widespread damage to your creatures. Hence the boosting (Intangible Virtue, Veteran Armorsmith and Swordsmith, Phantom General, Spear of Heliod, etc.) and also the first strike from Rhox Pikemaster and Archetype of Courage. Yes, Xenagos' forces can get massive power boosts out of nowhere, but your Soldiers should be ready to answer with equal force. It makes for a nice race to see who can get there first, though!
In that and many other ways, I tried very hard to make these decks really counter each other well. They both have the same number of rares and uncommons. And if you compare the two decks, you'll see that there are many cards that really mirror each other. For example:
Thunder Totem & Gruul Keyrune
God-Favored General & Satyr Nyx-Smith
Archetype of Courage & Archetype of Aggression
Nyxborn Shieldmate & Nyxborn Rollicker
Riot Control & Respite
Crusader of Odric & Yavimaya Kavu
Solemn Offering & Destructive Revelry
Coordinated Barrage & Roar of the Crowd
New Benalia & Temple of Abandon
...and others.
Anyway, I had a lot of fun creating these decks. I have a few more Duel Deck ideas I'm kicking around, but if you like this and have other suggestions, please throw them out there and I'll see what I can do!
I appreciate any feedback you can provide here, good or bad. Anything I can improve? Any gaping holes that you see? How about the balance? Useful comments will get you +1 rep points and a virtual slap on the back. :-P Thanks for reading...hope you like it!