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E-League Deck Clinic

Mystic Delusions
By Steve Cornelius (aka ACE__ ) July 20 2001

Gabe MacLeod wrote
"Hello, I have been tinkering with a few ideas for the new block enviroment, here is one that I beleive needs serious tuning. In my opinion it lacks in serious win conditions and it is a few black sources short of completion. My ideas were Llanowar Wastes and Phyrexian Scuta, but I wanted to see what your thoughts were."

Here's the original deck:

Darkbane

Mystic Delusions
10 Island
6 Forest
4 Yavimaya Coast
4 Salt Marsh
4 Undermine
4 Spite/Malice
4 Exclude
4 Probe
4 Disrupt
4 Fact or Fiction
4 Aether Mutation
4 Jungle Barrier
4 Mystic Snake
SB: 4 Dodecapod
SB: 4 Gainsay
SB: 3 Slay
SB: 2 Wash Out
SB: 2 Tsabo's Decree

My first thought when seeing this deck was that Scuta is not the way to go to win, mostly because it is way too easy to stop/destroy. Also I doubt that Aether Mutation is good in this environment, as few of the threats are big creatures. Also Probe is a sorcery so it doesn't really fit in the draw-go mold that the rest of the deck does (having discounted Aether Mutation). To start with replacing Aether Mutation with Repulse would seem obvious. Anyway here is Plan B:

Ace__s Version
7 Island
4 Swamp
1 Forest
4 Yavimaya Coast
4 Salt Marsh
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Undermine
4 Spite/Malice
4 Exclude
4 Disrupt
4 Fact or Fiction
4 Repulse
4 Jungle Barrier
4 Mystic Snake
3 Spiritmonger
1 Sunken Hope
SB: 4 Dodecapod
SB: 4 Gainsay
SB: 2 Crypt Angel
SB: 4 Wash Out
SB: 1 Tsabo's Decree

I think the Spiritmonger, although you'll have to wait a bit longer to play it than the Scuta, is a far more reliable way of getting the win. Sunken Hope goes so well with the Barrier and the Snake that I feel the deck should have one, but you'll want to sideboard it out when it will work for your opponent as well. I don't see a need to put Slay in the sideboard, as there aren't enough annoying (permanently) Green creatures out there at the moment. The synergy of Wash Out with the Snakes and Barriers is very cool and justifies increasing the number in the sideboard. The Crypt Angels will seriously mess with White decks and again fit well with the Snakes and Barriers. If the land destruction deck that came 2nd in London becomes more popular you'll probably want at least an Elfhame Sanctuary in the sideboard instead of Tsabo's Decree.

About the use of all 8 painlands I'd just say that the pain you'll take using them to be able to cast what you need to cast will be less than the damage you'd take from not being able to counter. Note that you now have more sources of black mana than green, but that this is in keeping with the number of their respective spells and the low cc of Undermine compared to the Snake and the Barrier.

I'd just like to mention that not only have I removed all the discard, but also I've not suggested Recoil. Discard is really dangerous at the moment, given the number of Dodecapods in use.

- Steve Cornelius

(Ace___ online)