Staple type cards

[adrirodr]

Hello,

I just recently got back into magic - I stopped playing after chronicles was released. I know the Mirrordin block quite well, but was hoping for some help with the sets in between Ice Age and Mirrordin. Could you guys let me know what cards are usually staples in your decks? I use blue, black and red and artifacts of course. I have all of my old stuff like P9, arabian nights and Legends. Thank alot!!!

Adrian

[SimpleHiker]

I would advise to read all the primers and articles located on the main page on themanadrain.com. I would also check out the new Vintage July 2004 decks to beat at starcity.com

Also check out this post by Ric quoting some unknown person talking about buying power. Buying P10

As a new returning player I also went through my collection with a inquest seeing which vintage cards were higher in price. This helped me refit my trade book and point me in the right direction to do some card searches to see why are specific card was desired. Was the card desired by collectors, casual players or tourney players?

[rozetta]

Wow, that's a long time ago! I missed about 3 years of magic and that was hard enough, especially since one of those years was the Urza block. Definitely do look at the recent decks to beat as already instructed. Also take a look at the current restricted list - there are a fair number of cards you might want to pick up from there.

It then depends on what sort of decks you want to play. If you have the Workshops, you should pick up things like Mindslavers and Goblin Welders, for instance. Pretty much every powered deck runs 4 Brainstorm and 4 Force of Will, if you don't have those. If you already have duals, power and the like, you'll find that updating your collection for the current times won't be too expensive, since even the most powerful restricted cards that have come out since Chronicles are $10 cards nowadays, and there are a lot of staples which are uncommon or even common, depending on what deck you want to build.

Good luck with your search!

[Ric_Flair]

Given the shallowness of the Vintage cardpool this question is actually not that hard to answer.  For a more complete list go to any of Dr. Sylvan's articles on Star City.  If you don't want to do that here is a good list of "staple" like card from each set, Ice Age through Mirrodin.  NOTE:  Get any card on the restricted list printed since then too.  They are automatics.

Ice Age Block:
Necropotence
Demonic Consultation
Swords to Plowshare
Incinerate
Force of Will (THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CARD TO GET)
Gorilla Shaman
Elvish Spirit Guide

Mirage Block:
Fireblast
Gaea's Blessing
Mystical Tutor
Vampiric Tutor
Enlightened Tutor
Lion's Eye Diamond
Gemstone Mine
Null Rod (VERY IMPORTANT)
Phyrexian Dreadnought
Necromancy
Viashano Heretic
Dwarven Miner
Aura of Silence

Tempest Block:
Wasteland (ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT CARD)
Cursed Scroll
Jackal Pup
Survival of the Fittest
Lotus Petal
Intuition
Ancient Tomb
Volrath's Shapeshiter
Illusions of Grandeur
Plaugebearer
Mogg Fanatic

Urza's Block (ABU part 2):
Yawgmoth's Will (FIRST OR SECOND INDIVIDUAL CARD I WOULD GET)
Yawgmoth's Bargain
Tinker
Phyrexian Negator
Duress (VERY IMPORTANT)
Goblin Welder (AMAZING IF YOU HAVE WORKSHOP)
Memory Jar
Rack and Ruin
Faerie Conclave
Cloud of Fairies
Frantic Search
Tolarian Academy
Crop Rotation
Metalworker
Karn, Silver Golem
Donate
Hidden Gibbons

I will finish the post later.  I have to run.  It is odd because we think of this as a format of old cards and that is just not the case.  If you could only make a deck with pre Ice Age cards, it will lose to a deck of post Ice Age cards.  The ABU stuff is great, but it is about 10-15 cards, AN is 1-2 cards, and Legends is like 3 cards at best.  So much of the format is from Ice Age on, and a lot of it is from Odyssey on.  It is really surprising.

[SimpleHiker]

Ric, this is going to be a great information post for newbies and returning players. This post is begging to be linked into the previously quoted information and be made into a sticky or a getting back into T1 primer.

Do you know who made the original post about buying T1 cards so they can get credit if the message is edited to current prices?
Also the list of cards your posting could also be improved by listing what decks the card is in, them maybe ultimately linking the name to deck primers and such.

This TMD lurker may have to get off his but and do some editing tomorrow and throw together some useful information.

SH

[Dr. Sylvan]

Discussion of the cards played between the end of 2003 and April, 2004 in Type One Top 8s (at the end is a list of all the cards' appearance frequencies).
Part 1: http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/expandnews.php?Article=7373
Part 2: http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/expandnews.php?Article=7482

May, 2004 metagame commentary with links to the decklists of the largest available Top 8s.
http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/expandnews.php?Article=7516

The "Decks to Beat" list that I maintain on StarCity.
http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/expandnews.php?Article=6182

Anything else? :) Welcome to TMD!

[The M.E.T.H.O.D]

Phil YOU ARE A MACHINE!!

[Marton]

Here is the list I use personally. I was thinking about posting this on a new thread someday once I sort some of the stuff around. This lsit s not the short list of staple cards, but more like a list of cards that could be considered when I build a deck. The 'top sections' of each category should point out obvious staples. I will also point out that some cards might seem out of place, but those that are are generally in the 'last section' of the category which regroups all the remaining (think: scrub-like) cards. For example, chain of vapor isn't a mana accelerant by itself, but in some cases I could see it being used that way (bounce your moxes and sacrifice your lands).


*** MANA ACCELERANTS ***

black lotus
mox sapphire
mox jet
mox ruby
mox emerald
mox sapphire
mana crypt
mana vault
sol ring
grim monolith
mox diamond
chrome mox
lotus petal
dark ritual
lion's eye diamond
elvish spirit guide
tolarian academy
mishra's workshop
ancient tomb
city of traitors

mana drain
channel
birds of paradise
candelabra of tawnos
fastbond
voltaic key
gilded lotus
gaea's cradle
crop rotation
cabal ritual
tinder wall
orcish lumberjack
krark-clan ironworks
lake of the dead

fastbond
exploration
cabal coffers
tinker
goblin welder
goblin lackey
su-chi / cathodion / myr moonvessel
seething song
energy tap
culling the weak
burnt offering
sacrifice
songs of the damned
eladamri's vineyard
llanowar elves
fyndhorn elves
priest of titania
high tides
retract
hurkyl's recall
chain of vapor
helm of awakening
thran dynamo
thran turbine
ashnod's altar
blinkmoth urn
frantic search
vedalken engineer
mind over matter


*** TUTORS ***

demonic tutor
vampiric tutor
demonic consultation
tinker
mystical tutor
enlightened tutor
lim-dul's vault
intuition
cunning wish
burning wish
living wish
entomb
crop rotation
academy rector

spoils of the vault
plunge into darkness
sylvan scrying
merchant scroll
survival of the fittest

doomsday
tainted pact
rhystic tutor
steelshaper's gift
natural order
buried alive
fabricate
transmute artifact
reshape
artificer's intuition
wordly tutor
eladamri's call
sterling grove
(trinket mage)
(goblin recruiter)
(goblin matron)
land grant
tithe
diabolic intent


*** DRAW CARDS / SEARCH/CYCLE ***

ancestral recall
timetwister
wheel of fortune
windfall
memory jar
yawgmoth's bargain
necropotence
brainstorm
thirst for knowledge
standstill
fact or fiction
skeletal scrying
library of alexandria
intuition
accumulated knowledge

deep analysis
diminishing returns
time spiral
bazaar of baghdad / squee, goblin nabob
survival of the fittest / squee, goblin nabob
land tax / scroll rack
compulsion
skullclamp
gush
frantic search
impulse
opt
serum visions
sleight of hand
careful study
curiosity
future sight
sylvan library
braingeyser
stroke of genius
night's whisper
meditate
thoughtcast

howling mine
horn of greed
vedalken archmage
argothian enchantress
verduran enchantress
enchantress's presence
recycle
concentrate


*** CUNNING WISH TARGETS ***

red elemental blast
pyroblast
fire / ice
vampiric tutor
mystical tutor
demonic consultation
intuition
berserk
misdirection
chain of vapor
artifact mutation
naturalize
oxidize
skeletal scrying
stifle
rack and ruin

blue elemental blast
hydroblast
hurkyl's recall
gush
frantic search
crop rotation
urza's rage
firestorm
fireblast
orim's chant
abeyance
stroke of genius
swords to plowshares
disenchant
dismantling blow
merchant scroll
annul
coffin purge
ebony charm
vindicate
accumulated knowledge
fling

capsize
shadow rift
rushing river
fork
starstorm
shattering pulse
pyrokinesis
burnout
mogg salvage
lim-dul's vault
recoil
smother
terminate
argivian find
aura blast


*** BURNING WISH TARGETS ***

balance
regrowth
tendrils of agony
diminishing returns
mind twist
yawgmoth's will
decree of justice

cataclysm
earthquake
wrath of god
shatterstorm
pulverize
deep analysis
pillage
pyroclasm
gaea's blessing
hull breach
simplify
primitive justice
relearn
argivian restauration
ritual of restauration
perish


*** WHITE ***

balance
swords to plowshares
decree of justice
wrath of god
land tax
exalted angel
disenchant

enlightened tutor
replenish
humility
cataclysm
serenity
orim's chant
abeyance
moat
seal of cleansing
aura of silence
worship
armageddon
solitary confinement
dismantling blow
karma
academy rector

dust to dust
crusade
argivian find
ritual of restauration
karmic justice
story circle
circle of protection: red
rule of law
sphere of law
wing shards
savannah lions
icatian javelineers
mother of runes
auriok glaivemaster
deftblade elite
serra zealot / tundra wolves
ramosian sergeant
lin sivvi, defiant hero
silver knight
white knight
longbow archers
leonin skyhunter
order of the white shield
order of leitbur
whipcorder
soltari priest
soltari monk
auriok steelshaper
true believer
skyhunter cub
serra angel
auriok salvagers
tithe
blinding light
empyrial armor
life burst
steelshaper's gift
aura blast
aura fracture
ray of revelation
sacred ground
serra avatar
eternal dragon
pacifism
arrest
leonin abunas


*** BLUE ***

ancestral recall
time walk
force of will
misdirection
mana drain
counterspell
tinker
timetwister
windfall
mystical tutor
cunning wish
brainstorm
thirst for knowledge
fact or fiction
standstill
chain of vapor
stifle
mind's desire
intuition
accumulated knowledge

deep analysis
gush
impulse
opt
serum visions
frantic search
careful study
sleight of hand
compulsion
diminishing returns
future sight
blue elemental blast
hydroblast
chill
daze
meditate
braingeyser
stroke of genius
back to basics
hurkyl's recall
retract
merchant scroll
donate
illusions of grandeur
thoughtcast
teferi's response
embassador laquatus
time spiral

arcane laboratory
dream halls
mind over matter
circular logic
mana leak
annul
forbid
prohibit
desertion
disrupt
dismiss
condescend
dissipate
foil
thwart
power sink
morphling
serendib efreet
mahamoti djinn
traumatize
brain freeze
upheaval
treachery
control magic
curiosity
flying men
spiketail hatchling
cloud of faeries
voidmage prodigy
suq'ata firewalker
psionic blast
aquamoeba
wonder
man'o war
ophidian
aether burst
merfolk looter / thought courier
waterfront bouncer
propaganda
copy artifact
time warp
interdict
fabricate
transmute artifact
reshape
artificer's intuition
volrath's shapeshifter
rootwater thief
rebuild
energy flux
energy tap
high tides
trinket mage
vedalken archmage
vedalken engineer
capsize
boomerang
memory lapse
recall
diplomatic immunity
shrieking drake
intruder alarm
scrivener
seal of removal
gilded drake
tradewind rider
shadow rift
rushing river
echoing truth
stupefying touch
whispers of the muse
concentrate
rush of knowledge
palinchron
relearn
argivian restauration
ancestral knowledge
divert
sigil of sleep


*** BLACK ***

yawgmoth's will
yawgmoth's bargain
necropotence
demonic tutor
vampiric tutor
demonic consultation
dark ritual
mind twist
duress
hymn to tourach
skeletal scrying
chains of mephistopheles

entomb
buried alive
animate dead
dance of the dead
necromancy
the abyss
nether void
tendrils of agony
sinkhole
phyrexian negator
nantuko shade
unmask
icequake
rancid earth
rain of tears
planar void
engineered plague
cabal therapy
coffin purge
ebony charm
withered wretch
disciple of the vault
night's whispers

doomsday
plunge into darkness
spoils of the vault
tainted pact
rhystic tutor
haunting echoes
living death
recurring nightmare
diabolic edict
chainer's edict
contagion
snuff out
vendetta
smother
consume spirit
drain life
underworld dreams
gloom
zombie infestation
perish
dystopia
infest
reanimate
culling the weak
cabal ritual
sacrifice
burnt offering
songs of the damned

bad moon
hypnotic specter
carnophage
sarcomancy
flesh reaver
hatred
wall of souls
black knight
knight of stromgald
order of the ebon hand
juzam djinn
phyrexian scuta
dauthi horror
dauthi slayer
skittering skirge
nekrataal
faceless butcher
befoul
choking sands
mesmeric fiend
nightscape familiar
krovikan horror
reanimate
sutured ghoul
graveborn muse
undead warchief
plaguebearer
exhume
diabolic intent


*** RED ***

lightning bolt
chain lightning
incinerate
wheel of fortune
grim lavamancer
goblin welder
squee, goblin nabob
burning wish
gorilla shaman

rack and ruin
flametongue kavu
fireblast
fork
blood moon
price of progress
slith firewalker
jackal pup
goblin cadets
mogg fanatic
kird ape
dwarven miner
dwarven blastminer
goblin tinkerer
seal of fire
kaervek's torch
worldgorger dragon
shivan hellkite
shrapnel blast

pyrostatic pillars
red elemental blast
pyroblast
goblin lackey
goblin piledriver
goblin recruiter
goblin ringleader
goblin warchief
goblin sharpshooter
goblin matron
gempalm incinerator
raging goblin
skirk prospector
siege-gang commander
mogg flunkies
goblin lookout
anger
earthquake
starstorm
pillage
stone rain
molten rain
fling
goblin grenade
reckless abandon
reckless charge
flame rift
flaring pain
anarchy
shattering pulse
pyrokinesis
firestorm
orcish lumberjack
scald
sulfuric vortex
slice and dice
atog

seething song
aether flash
burnout
viashino heretic
meltdown
shatterstorm
pulverize
overload
mogg salvage
goblin vandal
scrap
crash
blood lust
fiery temper
violent eruption
urza's rage
hammer of bogardan
skizzik
ball lightning
blistering firecat
browbeat
breaking point
petravark
avalanche riders
magma jet
primitive justice
sneak attack
mogg maniac
ancient runes


*** GREEN ***

survival of the fittest
birds of paradise
naturalize
oxidize
rancor
regrowth
crop rotation
berserk
elvish spirit guide

oath of druids
living wish
tinder wall
eladamri's vineyard
xantid swarm
quirion dryad
wild mongrel
basking rootwalla
arrogant wurm
roar of the wurm
llanowar elves
fyndhorn elves
priest of titania
werebear
quirion ranger
channel
root maze
land grant
hidden gibbons
hidden guerillas
skyshroud elite
fastbond
exploration
troll ascetic
river boa
rogue elephant
genesis
sylvan library
ice storm
thermokarst
winter's grasp
creeping mold
earthcraft
caller of the claw
wall of roots
vine trellis
erhnam djinn
verdant force
plated slagwurm
food chain
ground seal
viridian shaman
viridian zealot
uktabi orangutan
city of solitude
natural order
eternal witness

sylvan scrying
giant growth
wordly tutor
seeker of skybreak
bloodline shaman
timberwatch elf
wellwisher
concordant crossroads
recycle
hystrodon
gigapede
spike weaver
spike feeder
blastoderm
phantom centaur
silvos, rogue elemental
holistic wisdom
argothian enchantress
verduran enchantress
enchantress's presence
gaea's blessing
call of the herd
drop of honey
scryb sprites
wild dogs
elvish scrapper / scavenger folk / elvish lyrist / druid lyrist
tangle
seal of strength
moment's peace
compost
terravore
tel-jihad justice
simplify
bind
sylvan safekeeper
seeds of innocence
carpet of flowers


*** GOLD / SPLIT CARDS ***

fire / ice
pernicious deeds
psychatog
lim-dul's vault
artifact mutation
meddling mage

hull breach
stormbind
fires of yavimaya
terminate
armadillo's cloak
recoil
razorfin hunter
sliver queen
vindicate

squee's embrace
goblin legionnaire
frenetic efreet
sterling grove
eladamri's call
goblin trenches
spiritmonger
phantom nishoba
undermine
mirari's wake
shadowmage infiltrator


*** ARTIFACT ***

black lotus
mox sapphire
mox jet
mox ruby
mox emerald
mox sapphire
mana crypt
mana vault
sol ring
grim monolith
mox diamond
chrome mox
lotus petal
null rod
memory jar

lion's eye diamond
candelabra of tawnos
voltaic key
krark-clan ironworks
skullclamp
chalice of the void
trinisphere
sphere of resistance
tangle wire
smokestack
metalworker
mindslaver
arcbound ravager
powder keg
nevinyrral's disk
sword of fire and ice
tormod's crypt
goblin charbelcher

chromatic sphere
barbed sextant
cursed scroll
isochron scepter
black vise
ivory tower
the rack
engineered explosives
damping matrix
gilded lotus
mind's eye
grafted skullcap
null brooch
scroll rack
su-chi / cathodion / myr moonvessel
helm of awakening
thran dynamo
thran turbine
ashnod's altar
blinkmoth urn
time vault
lightning greaves
mask of memory
defense grid
sundering titan
platinum angel
memnarch
triskelion
duplicant
karn, silver golem
bosh, iron golem
frogmite
myr enforcer
ornithopter
phyrexian walker
shield sphere
arcbound crusher
arcbound worker
darksteel colossus
sculpting steel
juggernaut
su-chi
masticore
razormane masticore
crucible of worlds
zuran orb
winter orb
ankh of mishra
illusionary mask
phyrexian dreadnought
solemn simulacrum
genesis chamber
ensnaring bridge
pyrite spellbomb
aether spellbomb
staff of domination
tsabo's web
serrated biskelion

portcullis
soul foundry
coat of arms
empyrial plate
cranial plating
howling mine
horn of greed
myr retriever
myr servitor
grid monitor
phyrexian war beast
darksteel forge
serum powder
urza's bauble
possessed portal
razor golem
tangle golem
genesis chamber
welding jar
jester's cap
grinning totem


*** LANDS ***

tolarian academy
library of alexandria
bazaar of baghdad
mishra's workshop
strip mine
wasteland
glimmervoid
city of brass
gemstone mine
ancient tomb
city of traitors

underground sea        / dual land UB
volcanic island        / dual land UR
tropical island        / dual land UG
toundra                / dual land UW
taiga                  / dual land RG
bayou                  / dual land BG
badlands               / dual land BR
savannah               / dual land WG
scrubland              / dual land BW
plateau                / dual land RW
polluted delta         / fetchland UB
flooded strands        / fetchland UW
wooded foothills       / fetchland RG
bloodstrained mire     / fetchland BR
windswept heath        / fetchland GW
island                 / basic land
swamp                  / basic land
mountain               / basic land
forest                 / basic land
plains                 / basic land
underground river      / pain land UB
shivan reef            / pain land UR
yavimaya coast         / pain land UG
adarkar wastes         / pain land UW
karplusan forest       / pain land RG
llanowar wastes        / pain land BG
sulfurous springs      / pain land BR
brushland              / pain land GW
caves of coilos        / pain land BW
battlefield forge      / pain land RW

mishra's factory
faerie conclave
treetop village
gaea's cradle
reflecting pool
undiscovered paradise
maze of ith
thawing glaciers
dustbowl
petrified fields
lake of the dead
rishidan port
cloudpost
urza's tower
urza's power plant
urza's mine
darksteel citadel      / artifact
seat of the synod      / artifact
vault of whispers      / artifact
great furnace          / artifact
tree of tales          / artifact
ancient den            / artifact
kjeldoran outpost
cabal coffers
barbarian ring
pendelhaven
thran quarry

glacial chasm
riftstone portal
yavimaya hollow
phyrexian tower


hope this proved helpful.

-marton

[Jacob Orlove]

The following cards of yours are questionable, at best:

candelabra of tawnos
voltaic key
gaea's cradle
orcish lumberjack
krark-clan ironworks
lake of the dead

cabal coffers
cathodion
seething song
energy tap
culling the weak
burnt offering
sacrifice
songs of the damned
eladamri's vineyard
llanowar elves
fyndhorn elves
priest of titania
high tides
retract
helm of awakening
thran dynamo
thran turbine
ashnod's altar
blinkmoth urn
vedalken engineer
mind over matter

entomb

spoils of the vault
plunge into darkness
sylvan scrying

doomsday
tainted pact
rhystic tutor
steelshaper's gift
natural order
buried alive
fabricate
reshape
artificer's intuition
wordly tutor
eladamri's call
sterling grove
(trinket mage)
tithe
diabolic intent

careful study
braingeyser
stroke of genius
thoughtcast

howling mine
horn of greed
vedalken archmage
argothian enchantress
verduran enchantress
enchantress's presence
recycle
concentrate

urza's rage
fireblast
orim's chant
abeyance
stroke of genius
dismantling blow
vindicate
fling

capsize
shadow rift
starstorm
shattering pulse
pyrokinesis
burnout
mogg salvage
terminate
argivian find
aura blast

cataclysm
earthquake
wrath of god
shatterstorm
pulverize
pillage
pyroclasm
hull breach
simplify
primitive justice
relearn
argivian restauration
ritual of restauration
perish

wrath of god
cataclysm
orim's chant
abeyance
moat
aura of silence
worship
armageddon
solitary confinement
dismantling blow
karma

dust to dust
crusade
argivian find
ritual of restauration
karmic justice
story circle
circle of protection: red
rule of law
sphere of law
savannah lions
icatian javelineers
mother of runes
auriok glaivemaster
deftblade elite
serra zealot / tundra wolves
ramosian sergeant
lin sivvi, defiant hero
silver knight
white knight
longbow archers
leonin skyhunter
order of the white shield
order of leitbur
whipcorder
soltari priest
soltari monk
auriok steelshaper
true believer
skyhunter cub
serra angel
auriok salvagers
tithe
blinding light
empyrial armor
life burst
steelshaper's gift
aura blast
sacred ground
serra avatar
eternal dragon
pacifism
arrest
leonin abunas

careful study
braingeyser
stroke of genius
retract
thoughtcast
teferi's response

arcane laboratory
dream halls
mind over matter
forbid
prohibit
desertion
disrupt
dismiss
condescend
dissipate
foil
thwart
power sink
morphling
serendib efreet
mahamoti djinn
traumatize
upheaval
treachery
control magic
psionic blast
man'o war
ophidian
aether burst
merfolk looter / thought courier
propaganda
copy artifact
time warp
interdict
fabricate
reshape
artificer's intuition
rootwater thief
energy tap
high tides
trinket mage
vedalken archmage
vedalken engineer
capsize
boomerang
memory lapse
recall
diplomatic immunity
shrieking drake
intruder alarm
scrivener
seal of removal
tradewind rider
shadow rift
whispers of the muse
concentrate
rush of knowledge
palinchron
relearn
argivian restauration
ancestral knowledge
divert

hymn to tourach
entomb
buried alive
the abyss
nether void
sinkhole
phyrexian negator
nantuko shade
icequake
rancid earth
rain of tears
withered wretch

doomsday
plunge into darkness
spoils of the vault
tainted pact
rhystic tutor
haunting echoes
living death
recurring nightmare
consume spirit
drain life
underworld dreams
gloom
zombie infestation
infest
reanimate
culling the weak
sacrifice
burnt offering
songs of the damned

bad moon
hypnotic specter
carnophage
sarcomancy
flesh reaver
hatred
wall of souls
black knight
knight of stromgald
order of the ebon hand
juzam djinn
phyrexian scuta
dauthi horror
dauthi slayer
skittering skirge
nekrataal
faceless butcher
befoul
choking sands
mesmeric fiend
nightscape familiar
krovikan horror
reanimate
sutured ghoul
graveborn muse
undead warchief
exhume
diabolic intent

chain lightning
incinerate

fireblast
fork
price of progress
slith firewalker
jackal pup
goblin cadets
mogg fanatic
kird ape
dwarven miner
dwarven blastminer
goblin tinkerer
seal of fire
kaervek's torch
shivan hellkite

raging goblin
mogg flunkies
goblin lookout
earthquake
starstorm
pillage
stone rain
molten rain
fling
goblin grenade
reckless abandon
reckless charge
flame rift
flaring pain
anarchy
shattering pulse
pyrokinesis
orcish lumberjack
scald
sulfuric vortex
atog

seething song
aether flash
burnout
shatterstorm
pulverize
overload
mogg salvage
goblin vandal
scrap
crash
blood lust
fiery temper
violent eruption
urza's rage
hammer of bogardan
skizzik
ball lightning
blistering firecat
browbeat
breaking point
petravark
avalanche riders
magma jet
primitive justice
sneak attack
mogg maniac
ancient runes

rancor
eladamri's vineyard
llanowar elves
fyndhorn elves
priest of titania
werebear
skyshroud elite
rogue elephant
genesis
ice storm
thermokarst
winter's grasp
creeping mold
earthcraft
wall of roots
vine trellis
erhnam djinn
viridian shaman
viridian zealot
uktabi orangutan
city of solitude
natural order

sylvan scrying
giant growth
wordly tutor
seeker of skybreak
bloodline shaman
timberwatch elf
wellwisher
concordant crossroads
recycle
spike feeder
blastoderm
phantom centaur
silvos, rogue elemental
holistic wisdom
argothian enchantress
verduran enchantress
enchantress's presence
scryb sprites
wild dogs
elvish scrapper / scavenger folk / elvish lyrist / druid lyrist
tangle
seal of strength
moment's peace
compost
terravore
tel-jihad justice
simplify
bind
sylvan safekeeper

hull breach
stormbind
fires of yavimaya
terminate
armadillo's cloak
vindicate

squee's embrace
goblin legionnaire
frenetic efreet
sterling grove
eladamri's call
goblin trenches
spiritmonger
phantom nishoba
undermine
mirari's wake
shadowmage infiltrator

candelabra of tawnos
voltaic key
krark-clan ironworks
skullclamp
sword of fire and ice

barbed sextant
cursed scroll
isochron scepter
ivory tower
the rack
cathodion
helm of awakening
thran dynamo
thran turbine
ashnod's altar
blinkmoth urn
bosh, iron golem
ornithopter
phyrexian walker
shield sphere
arcbound crusher
arcbound worker
sculpting steel
zuran orb
winter orb
ankh of mishra
aether spellbomb
staff of domination
serrated biskelion

portcullis
soul foundry
coat of arms
empyrial plate
howling mine
myr retriever
myr servitor
grid monitor
phyrexian war beast
darksteel forge
urza's bauble
possessed portal
razor golem
tangle golem
welding jar
jester's cap
grinning totem


karplusan forest       / pain land RG
llanowar wastes        / pain land BG
sulfurous springs      / pain land BR
brushland              / pain land GW
caves of coilos        / pain land BW
battlefield forge      / pain land RW

treetop village
gaea's cradle
reflecting pool
thawing glaciers
lake of the dead
rishidan port
cloudpost
urza's tower
urza's power plant
urza's mine
tree of tales          / artifact
ancient den            / artifact
kjeldoran outpost
cabal coffers
barbarian ring
pendelhaven
thran quarry

glacial chasm
riftstone portal
yavimaya hollow
phyrexian tower

Those are all cards that you're almost 100% guaranteed to never actually need. The rest you might conceivably want, although there are plenty that I left out that you can get by perfectly well without.

[Ephraim]

Jacob, did you actually mean to leave Frantic Search on that list? It's no Ancestral Recall, but I wouldn't put it on the never useful list. Granted, Madness isn't a top deck, right now, but a lot of decks use their graveyards as a resource.

[Marton]

Lol, the list would have been shorter if you actually listed the cards which are tournament-level (the reverse of what you did). Actually the idea with my list is that each category has sections within it (notice the occasional spaces). Everything not in the top 2 sections are very likely to be bad cards compared to the other ones. Generally I don't check the last sections, but sometimes just in case I'm looking for new ideas I might take a peek. Generally each sections beyond the first are all junk cards, but *could perhaps* see some play in a very special deck.

[Jacob Orlove]

Jacob, did you actually mean to leave Frantic Search on that list? It's no Ancestral Recall, but I wouldn't put it on the never useful list. Granted, Madness isn't a top deck, right now, but a lot of decks use their graveyards as a resource.

It wasn't supposed to be on the list--if Marton only listed each card once, my job would have been much easier, but FS appears like 3 times.

If I'd taken only the tournament-level cards, then there would have been a bunch that weren't there but did belong. I just wanted to advise him what cards weren't worth bothering with. He'll have to decide what deck(s) he wants to build to figure out what he actually wants.

[Ric_Flair]

I have decided not to updated the original post, in light of the...um...comprehensive nature of the big post.  Instead I am going to try to prune things down to the barest essentials.

ABU
1 each Power
1 Berserk
*4 Illusionary Mask
*4 Sinkhole

Arabian Nights
1 Library of Alexandria
4 Bazaar of Baghad
*4 Kird Apes
*4 Serendib Efreets

Antiquities
4 Mishra's Workshop

Legends
4 Mana Drains
*1 The Abyss
*1 Moat
*4 Chain Lightning

Dark
*Maze of Ith

Revised
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Sol Ring
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Regrowth
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 REB
4 BEB
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Dark Ritual
1 Balance
1 Fastbond
1 Mind Twist
4 of each blue dual
*4 Taigas
*4 Bayou
*4 Scrubland

Fallen Empires
*4 Hymn to Tourach

Ice Age Block (Ice Age, Alliances, Homelands)
*1 Merchant Scroll
4 Force of Will (#1 card to get)
1 Necropotence
1 Demonic Consultation
*4 Incinerate
2 Gorilla Shaman
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
*4 Tinder Wall
*2 Illusions of Grandeur
4 Brainstorm (HUGELY IMPORTANT these days)

4th Edition
*4 Ball Lightning
1 Strip Mine
4 Mishra's Factories
*4 Hypnotic Specters
4 Animate Dead
1 Channel
1 Mana Vault

Book Cards
1 Mana Crypt
 
Mirage Block
*4 Fireblast
*2 Gaea's Blessing
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
*1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
4 Gemstone Mine
4 Null Rod (#2 card to get)
*4 Phyrexian Dreadnought
*4 Necromancy
*4 Ophidian

Tempest Block
4 Wasteland (3rd most important card)
4 Survival of the Fittest
*4 Cursed Scroll
*4 Jackal Pup
1 Lotus Petal
2 Intuition
4 Ancient Tomb
*4 Volrath's Shapeshiter

Urza's Block
1 Yawgmoth's Will (1st individual card I would get)
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
1 Tinker
*4 Phyrexian Negator
4 Duress
4 Goblin Welder  
1 Memory Jar
4 Rack and Ruin
4 Faerie Conclave
4 Cloud of Fairies
1 Frantic Search
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Crop Rotation
4 Metalworker
1 Karn, Silver Golem
4 Smokestack
*2 Donate
4 Hidden Gibbons
1 Grim Monolith
*2 Morphling (oh how the mighty have fallen)
1 Windfall
1 Frantic Search
1 Time Spiral
4 Academy Rector

Masques Block
4 Squee
4 Tangle Wire
3 Misdirection
4 Acculumated Knowledge
4 Daze
4 Spiketail Hatchling

Invasion Block
1 Fact or Fiction
4 Pernicious Deed
4 Meddling Mage
4 Flametongue Kavu
4 Quirion Dryad
*3 Vindicate
3-4 Fire/Ice (Great card and lots of fun)

Odyssey Block
3 Psychatog
3 Cunning Wish
1 Burning Wish
4 Wild Mongrel
4 Basking Rootwalla
4 Arrogant Wurm
4 Grim Lavamancer
*1 Chainer's Edict
4 Cabal Therapy
*4 Nantoko Shade
*3-4 Withered Wretch
3-4 Buried Alive
4 Worldgorger Dragons
3-4 Skeletal Scrying
4 Standstill
*3-4 Stupefying Touch
2 Wonder

Onslaught Block
4 of each blue fetch land (These are also among the first cards I would acquire)
4 Wooded Foothills
2-3 Decree of Justice
4 Exalted Angel
1 Mind's Desire
2 Tendrils of Agony (required for combo)

Mirrodin Block
4 Oxidize (Very good card, pick it up right away)
1 Platinum Angel
4 Thirst of Knowledge
3 Mindslaver (This is an amazing card)
1 Pentavus
4 Goblin Charbelcher
4 Arcbound Ravager
4 Skullclamp
4 Glimmervoid
1 Duplicant
3 Sundering Titan
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Trinisphere
*4 Serum Vision
*4 Night's Whisper
*1 Chrome Mox
*4 Disciples of the Vault
*4 Myr Enforcer
*4 Arcbound Worker
*4 Great Furnace
*4 Seat of the Synod
*4 Vault of Whispers

*Denotes possibly obsolete or narrowly useful cards.
NOTE:  The decklist of FCG, while good is pretty much exclusively used in that deck only, so I omitted those cards.

If you had every one of these cards you would be competitive in any Vintage environment with a huge number of decks.  Decks like Sligh and Sui are definitely obsolete, but some of the pieces are just too useful to pass up (Lightning Bolt).

Certain cards have been staples for their abilities:

Countering:
Force of Will
Mana Drain
Misdirection

Draw:
Brainstorm
Skeletal Scrying
Thirst for Knowledge
Sometimes Standstill

Combo Finishes:
Goblin Charbelcher
Tendrils of Agony

Discard:
Duress
Cabal Therapy (in Rector Combo)

Finisher Creatures in Control:
Psychatog
Goblin Welder
Exalted Angel

Lock pieces:
Trinisphere
Smokestack
Tangle Wire

Spot removal:
Fire/Ice
Oxidize/Rack and Ruin
STP (with a more visible role because of Cunning Wish)

The typical deck uses a configuration of mana largely dependent on fetches in combination with duals.  The configuration is as follows:

Non basic hate heavy environment:
4 fetches
4 Duals of major color and 1st minor color
3 Duals of major color and 2nd minor color

or

5 fetches
4 Duals of major color and 1st minor color
3 Duals of major color and 2nd minor color
2 Duals of major color and 3rd minor color
Though this arrangement is sorta silly in a heavy hate area

Less hate
5 fetches
4 Duals of major color and 1st minor color
4 Duals of major color and 2nd minor color

or

5-6 fetches
4 Duals of major color and 1st minor color
4 Duals of major color and 2nd minor color
3 Duals of major color and 3rd minor color

The benefit of fetches, besides color consistency is a draw like combination with Brainstorm.  This ability makes increasing the fetch number highly attractive.  So whenever you can, and your deck plays Brainstorm, go for more fetches (within reason).  Also usually play at least 1 basic land of your primary color for random hate reasons.

The land configuration leads to a discussion of the second most important card slot set in your modern Vintage deck--the draw engine.  Every deck needs either a draw engine or a lock engine or both if it is to succeed.  Here are the major draw engines:

4 Brainstorm/X Fetches
4 Accumulated Knowledge/2-3 Intuition
3 Skeletal Scrying/Exalted Angel
4 Thirst of Knowledge/High priced artifacts/Goblin Welder
4 Standstill/Cloud of Faeries/Man Lands
Draw 7s/Acceleration

These are really the core of modern control and aggro control decks.  GAT has experimented, inconclusively at this early stage, with Serum Visions and Night Whispers.  

Also decks tend to play far more Moxen and acceleration now to either go off early, set up a lock early and in a one sided fashion, or keep up with decks doing either of those things.  Mishra's Workshop has become hugely important as have off colored Moxen and the now cherished Mana Crypt.

That is about it.  I hope it helps.  And welcome back.

[Mixing Mike]

Dark
*Maze of Ith

Blood Moon