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-humans-vs-vampires) ***
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 a Vampire herself: the powerful Olivia Voldaren, who can present real problems for the Human side right away. But she's not unstoppable: the opposing mythic, Angelic Overseer, can take her down easily, as can Selesnya Charm if she gets too greedy or a variety of anti-Vampire kill spells. Grin if you resolve her, certainly, but don't immediately think she seals victory.
The rares are Stromkirk Noble, Captivating Vampire, Bloodline Keeper, Markov Blademaster, Kalastria Highborn, Blade of the Bloodchief, Graven Cairns, and Stensia Bloodhall. Solid, but 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 Vampires quite lethal.
As with the Human deck, there are a few of these Vampires that can grow rapidly. Olivia is obvious. Havengul Vampire grows as the bodies start piling up, which is likely with the numerous kill spells at your disposal. Stromkirk Noble is a real terror, being unblockable by practically the entire opposing deck. And like the Noble, many of these Vampires get bigger whenever they connect with the player for combat damage, which is likely when you factor in the intimidation passed around by Shadow Alley Denizen.
Or just boost your entire army with Captivating Vampire, Keeper, and Stromkirk Captain... especially if you manage to get five or more Vampires in to play!
In trying to balance these decks against each other, I found that the battle for first strike is probably huge. The pair of Stromkirk Captains can quickly give the Vampires big leg up, but the Humans can quickly overcome with first strikers of their own, especially Archetype of Courage who can shut the Vampires' first strike down right away. And while you have many spells that directly kill opposing creatures (and some darn powerful ones, especially for a pre-constructed deck like this), the Humans have a number of ways to deflect and survive those spells. This could very much be a chess match...which is really what Duel Decks SHOULD be, right? 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!