Highlander keeper takes a Mox Jet in Bangor, ME

[Covetous]

Yesterday I held my second mox tourney in Bangor, Maine, as posted by Nataz (carter).  Twenty people showed up, packing a range of decks from which combo was conspicuously absent.  At the last minute, I lent my friend Dan Soucier my highlander concept deck (There Can Be Only One!), the idea of which I took from Jeff (SamiteHealer), plus many later edits by myself and others.  The deck is a 5c keeper deck that is total jank, and proves that keeper is a very strong deck because even a crappy version can win a 20-person unlimited proxy tournament.  Basically I designed the deck as a personal challenge--Can I build a semi-competitive deck using no more than one of any card?  Dan played the deck as a similar challenge--he had never even heard of the deck before he played it through 5 rounds and then a top 4.  He won versus FCG, goblin sligh, slivers, workshop slaver, GAT, drew vs. a second workshop slaver, and lost to gay-r fish.

Here's a list of this janky pile of cards:
Threats:
1 exalted angel
1 masticore
1 psychatog
1 decree of justice
1 morphling
Tutors and card draw:
1 merchant scroll
1 vampiric tutor
1 mystical tutor
1 fact or fiction
1 ophidian
1 skeletal scrying
1 impulse
1 ancestral recall
1 tinker
1 demonic tutor
1 mind's eye
Bombs and utility:
1 mind twist
1 yawgmoth's will
1 isochron scepter
1 cunning wish
1 time walk
Counters:
1 mana leak
1 prohibit
1 force of will
1 counterspell
1 misdirection
1 mana drain
1 duress (proactive counter)
1 annul
Removal:
1 gorilla shaman
1 vindicate
1 fire/ice
1 pernicious deed
1 swords to plowshares
1 balance
Mana:
1 mox pearl
1 polluted delta
1 tropical island
1 tundra
1 library of alexandria
1 mox ruby
1 sol ring
1 mox jet
1 windswept heath
1 city of brass
1 adarkar wastes
1 scrubland
1 island
1 plateau
1 undiscovered paradise
1 underground river
1 volcanic island
1 bloodstained mire
1 strip mine
1 underground sea
1 flooded strand
1 wasteland
1 mox emerald
1 mox sapphire
1 black lotus

sideboard:
1 stifle
1 hydroblast
1 blue elemental blast
1 red elemental blast
1 pyroblast
1 rack and ruin
1 diabolic edict
1 moat
1 flametongue kavu
1 powder keg
1 pyroclasm
1 rule of law
1 arcane laboratory
1 berserk
1 trinisphere

Okay, I know this deck will never be a tier-one deck or a deck that wins major events, but I like the concept and the deck is very fun to play.  Does anyone have any useful suggestions about how to improve the maindeck or sideboard without changing the highlander concept?  Thanks, and remember--next time we advertise a tourney all the way up in Bangor, you should come because a few hours' driving time could win you a Mox.  I mean c'mon--highlander actually won!  Don't you wish you showed up to play?

[Kowal]

I fail to sleep at night, and I blame you and Samite Healer.

The only explanation I can give is that it's impossible to play around a pile of cards that varied.  Sideboard and proper play is near impossible.

[rozetta]

You have green and no Regrowth. Shame Jayemdae Tome would have been fun as a tribute to old-school...

I bet the deck was a blast to play with that "toolbox" feel. Congrats on beating up on netdecks

[nataz]

The only explanation I can give is that it's impossible to play around a pile of cards that varied.  Sideboard and proper play is near impossible.

ugh, very much correct on both accounts.

I was playing slaver, and I knew from previous experience game one was not in my favor. He just had too much removal and too many counters for me to handle. I could never resolve a large spell (and it was impossible to play around ALL the different types of counters) and then I could never get an active welder to capitalize on the big men in the yard.

Game two is a different story because Bloodmoon should go a long way here...

or it should...

if they dont get a first turn mox monkey, and a hand full of mox for colored mana.

The deck is chock full of really powerful spells, and if it can just buy some time to get one off it really does stand a good chance of wining. I'm certainly not saying that this is a tier one deck, but its certainly not the worst thing in the world.

[CrazyCarl]

The deck wins because of the same reasons Revenge won:  Lots and lots of broken cards that synergize with each other.

1 ofs 4L

[Meddling Mike]

I fail to sleep at night, and I blame you and Samite Healer.

The only explanation I can give is that it's impossible to play around a pile of cards that varied.  Sideboard and proper play is near impossible.

Seriously, you remember your tourney at hadley where samite first ran highlander? People played around the drains and FoW's he didn't have all day and walked right into disrupt and mana leak. Even people who knew he was running highlander did that just out of pure habit, making the plays they've been making against keeper for years. It was really amusing to watch.

[Gandalf_The_White_1]

When you think about it, Keeper is practically highlander anyways.  The only cards it really consistently runs in high multiples is mana drain, fow, and duals.  These, although often viewed as the core of every keeper deck, are actually unnecessary because they so not truly define keeper.  Other decks run 4 mana drain and 4 fow, ex: slaver, hulk, EBA, and they are certainly not keeper.  Keeper is defined by the sheer number and variety of tools defined by it.  That is what allows it to "have no bad matchups" and deal with everything the metagame can throw at it- it's versatility.

So, I would just like to end by congratulating the players who skilfully piloted these piles to victory, Dan and Jeff; congratulations on total highlander pwnage.

Questions: 1: How pimp was the deck?

2: Did Dan write a tournament report

[nataz]

1. it had proxies lol, this was more of a WTF kinda thing as opposed to a hey look at my collection kinda thing.
2. no, but I can sum it up for you

turn one, played out lots of acceleration, tutor for ridiculous bomb card
turn two, play said bomb, or possibly counter something
turn three, precariously hang on to lead created by tempo boost of said bomb/counter of opp critical spell untill kill conditions arrive.
turn four, draw lots of cards to protect kill condition

Repeat four times, and then draw into finals
Repeat twice more

gg

say a prayer to the magic gods
collect your new (to you) mox jet

:-p

[Machinus]

With all the card diversity in this deck, why did you run merchant scroll and no brainstorm?

[nataz]

If I remember correctly I think brainstorm was cut only at the very end when trying to fit in green. It was an ok spell for digging up answers, but it’s not quite as potent as a real tutor in a deck with zero redundancy.

Scroll is in there to fetch a ton of different things, it’s a real tutor.

[theorigamist]

Speaking of zero redundancy, why don't people use [card]Tainted Pact[/card] in highlander?  It seems to make enough sense to me.

[Covetous]

I was wondering if anyone looked at the list and thought OMG this card should be cut for this other card.  The deck started as 4c (not green) but I added a deed last minute instead of a brainstorm (or something) because it's a huge bomb IMO.  Regrowth would be awesome, and I would also like to find a home for a shadowmage as well (this deck loves card draw--it makes the world go 'round).  Does anyone have any suggestions about cards that could be cut for the Regrowth?  I like the ability of this deck to find its answers--it's good at it considering that it's really janky for the most part.  I basically just saw how good this deck did in this specific tourney and took it to mean that 4c keeper/control/Bus must be REALLY good right now.  Anyway I'm not sure about tainted pact because this deck doesn't like to lose cards when they're removed from the game--what if you remove some critical card in the search for a temporary solution?  Then you'd be pissed.  Anyway the deck was no-proxy when I had it but Dan was missing 3 moxen when he played it, so it had 3 proxies (I didn't lend him my p10 cards).  Night's whisper (is that what it's called) would be very good here, like a mini skeletal scrying (which is a HUGE bomb also).  Any suggestions about how to fit in a whisper and a regrow?

[theorigamist]

what if you remove some critical card in the search for a temporary solution? Then you'd be pissed.

You get the choice to keep going or stop each card you see.  If you don't want something removed, then don't remove it.  If you decide to remove it, then you shouldn't be pissed that you did.

[Dr_Tongue]

Congrats on the Jet and kudos for the descriptive "jank pile" that reminds me of another pile that won because of the unexpected cards.

Good Luck with it.

[kl0wn]

Anyway I'm not sure about tainted pact because this deck doesn't like to lose cards when they're removed from the game--what if you remove some critical card in the search for a temporary solution?

The Highlander world champion disagrees. You should change your opinion immediately.

[Covetous]

I made several changes since I last posted the list.  I added regrowth, powder keg, brainstorm and night's whisper (well, once 5D becomes legal).  I cut the isochron (doesn't work with deed, win-more), ophidian (ditto), cunning wish (very slow, not needed) and annul (I liked this but it's useless versus a lot of decks).  The SB has also changed, but it's still in flux.  I added engineered explosives, and I might find a home for a razormane masticore (die aggro!).  Plus, I cut the 3sphere.  I'm considering a teferi's response in the MD or SB because this deck hates land D.  I also might put a viashino heretic in the SB because he's a bomb vs. workshop.  The diabolic edict will be removed from the SB, and so will the berserk.  I'll consider tainted pact, but I'm just not sure if it's needed.  Any further suggestions?  Thanks for the help.  Hopefully some of you will come to my Lotus tourney in Scarborough, ME on 7/10/04, at choose your own adventure games.  I don't remember if carter posted this tourney yet, but he damned will better.

[theorigamist]

If the deck is just silver bullets, win conditions and land, I would think you want as many tutors as possible.  I also can't imagine that 15 extra silver bullets are bad.  In other words, I can't understand why you would take out Wish in a deck that is definitely built for it.

Same goes for Tainted Pact.  In a deck where everything is a one-of, what possible objection can you have?  "I'm just not sure if it's needed" is hardly specific enough of a reason to not run a second Demonic Tutor.

[nataz]

jake,

that wish was one of the coolest things in the deck...

put it back in.

p.s.

Maine Lotus tourney post will be up later tonight, I was just finnishing up the details from alton!

peace