Their struggle goes back centuries, with countless losses on each side. Their long war for survival has pitted brother against brother, some living... and some lying somewhere between life and death.
Humans have long held out against their unliving enemy, learning not only how to fend off their attacks under cover of darkness, but how to becomes the hunters themselves, with clerics, soldiers, knights and others all uniting to hold back the tide, vanquish their foes, and keep their loved ones from being ripped away from them...and coming back as the enemy.
Their enemy consists of former family and friends, now corrupted beyond redemption and hungry for more bloodshed... literally. Vampires suck the life out of their human prey and add them to their own ranks, mercilessly eliminating any who refuse to give up the fight... and their humanity.
Hunter and prey, dusk until dawn, for millennia. Who will emerge victorious? That, planeswalker, is up to you....
Having a blast with my ever-growing list of Duel Decks. (Click the "Duel Deck" tag under my profile to see the rest. So far I have Elspeth vs. Xenagos, Strength vs. Numbers, and Karn vs. Tezzeret.)
*** (The opposing deck is here: http://www.mtgvault.com/jre47/decks/duel-deck-vampires-vs-humans) ***
Just like Wizards' Duel Decks, these Duel Decks are 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 actually not a Human, but fits right in with them as a perfect commander of sorts: Angelic Overseer, who's practically unkillable as long as at least a single Human patrols the battlefield alongside her (which should be pretty much all game with this deck). The rares are Champion of the Parish, Mayor of Avabruck, Riders of Gavony, Deranged Outcast, Thraben Doomsayer, Marshal's Anthem, Gavony Township, and Sungrass Prairie. None are exactly "chase" rares--one big reason I included so many compared to most other Duel Decks--but all fit beautifully together and really make these Human weenies into an able fighting force.
This deck can pretty quickly produce a mass of smaller creatures, but is equally capable of beefing up a couple big ones, like an early Champion of the Parish, Experiment One, or Daru Stinger. (Fun fact: even though he wasn't printed this way, Stinger is a Human and his Amplify works with other Humans too, not just Soldiers.) Others like Deranged Outcast and Elder Cathar can make one or more creatures large later in the game. And Hamlet Captain and Mayor of Avabruck can spread the strength around to all your Humans, as can hiding out in the Gavony Township.
Boost them even further with support from your pro-Human enchantments and equipment, many of which are quite anti-Vampire as well!
In trying to balance these decks against each other, I found that the battle for first strike is probably huge. On the Vampire side, a pair of Stromkirk Captains can be real trouble. In this deck, Chieftain en-Dal can pass conditional first strike around, but the real game changer is Archetype of Courage, who can really seal the deal for you if you can keep him alive. Similarly, a number of protection spells (mostly instants) and Bonds of Faith help fend off some really powerful kill spells in the Vampire deck. One side CAN certainly get way out ahead with smart play and/or lucky draws, but in general they should both have answers to each other. As you compare and contrast the two decks, tell me... how'd I do with the balance?
I appreciate any feedback you can provide here, good or bad. Anything I can improve? Any gaping holes that you see? Useful comments will get you +1 rep points and a virtual slap on the back. :-P Thanks for reading...hope you like it!