Original Inquest Set Battle (1997)

[Matt]

Back in 1997, Inquest did a "Battle of the Sets" article. I scanned it for Alfred, and figured you guys might want to see it too. Enjoy.

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/9217/boc1sx6.jpg
http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/2890/boc2jo1.jpg
http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/4739/boc3qy7.jpg
http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/3884/boc4az4.jpg
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/9280/boc5qo4.jpg
http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/3061/boc6fa6.jpg

[Crankster]

The decks they built are flabbergastingly bad. What's with all the one-off good cards?

[Matt]

That's just what deck construction was like in those days. The theory was that you had to have an answer in your deck SOMEWHERE to everything - hence the Tranquility in Arabian Nights. Also, the logic went, you would only want to play with the best versions of cards available: why would you ever play Incinerate over Lightning Bolt? Use those slots to play the best Disenchant effect instead! It never occurred to a lot of people to just play ALL of the (good) versions of a card - to play 4 Bolts AND 4 Incinerates AND 4 Chain Lightning. Some of the one-ofs were restricted, like the AQ Workshop, Candelabra, Ivory Tower, and Feldon's Cane.

And lastly, Inquest editors just aren't very good.

[Zherbus]

Thanks for posting this... brings me back

[zeus-online]

Hmm this is really weird, just about every "Best card in the deck"/MVP is not a 4-off...? What kinda twisted logic is that? 

/Zeus

[policehq]

I'm interested to know how our members would have built the decks differently, using those rules.

What card, combo, or strategy would anyone else have focused on?

-hq

[Dr. Sylvan]

Didn't they do this again some time not too long after Saga? I believe a friend had it and I read it, back before I even had the expansion sets' historical chronology memorized. Obviously Saga won, something like 19-1, being the only standalone set which could make a broken combo deck by itself---at the time it was very mind-expanding just to hear that such a deck was possible.

[zeus-online]

Hmm wonder what set would win today?

I think it would be Urza's (All the usual suspects) vs. Mirrodin (Ravager affinity) vs. Ice age (Necropotence!)

..But is it set or block? if its just the sets ice age would loose 'cause of lack of fow

/Zeus

[Illissius]

MTG Salvation has been running Battle of the Sets tournaments for a while now, iirc the usual winners include Antiquities (Mishra's Workshop), Urza's Saga, Mirrodin, Torment, and Apocalypse.