Battle of the Banned Decks, Part Deux!

[Smmenen]

Don't ask about the previous battle, becuase I won't tell you until the article is finished.

The Balance deck was awful, so we thought we'd do this again to try and find out for certain what the best deck of all time was.

DECK ONE:
Long

Revised List: 8/28/03
By Stephen Menendian

The Mana, a.k.a. 5 Lotuses, 8 Moxes(n), and 5 Rituals, and some land.
3 Chromatic Sphere
4 Lion's Eye Diamond
5 Moxen
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 Mox Diamond
4 Dark Ritual
4 Gemstone Mine
4 City of Brass
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Underground Sea

Setting up and protecting the Combo
4 Duress
4 Brainstorm

Cards that Fetch cards that win:
4 Burning Wish
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Demonic Consultation

Cards that Win:
1 Timetwister
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Windfall
1 Tinker
1 Mind's Desire
1 Necropotence
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
1 Memory Jar

Finisher:
1 Tendrils of Agony

Sideboard:

Finisher:
1 Tendrils of Agony

Engines:
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Diminishing Returns

Control Hoser:
4 Xantid Swarm

All Purpose Hoser:
1 Balance
1 Primitive Justice
1 Simplify
1 Hull Breach
1 Regrowth
1 Vindicate
2 Seal of Cleansing

DECK TWO:
GROATOG:
Main Deck
4x Psychatog
4x "Quirion Dryad
4x Force of Will
4x Misdirection
3x Duress
4x Gush
3x Sleight of Hand
4x Brainstorm
1x Ancestral Recall
1x Time Walk
1x Yawgmoth's Will
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Vampiric Tutor
1x Regrowth
2x Merchant Scroll
1x Fastbond
1x Mystical Tutor
1x Berserk
1x Cunning Wish
1x Mox Emerald
1x Mox Jet
1x Mox Sapphire
1x Black Lotus
4x Tropical Island
4x Underground Sea
4x Polluted Delta
1x Flooded Strand
1x Library of Alexandria

Sideboard:
1x Berserk
3x Submerge
3x Hurkyl's Recall
2x Smother
3x Naturalize
2x Blue Elemental Blast
1x Duress

DECK THREE:
BBS:

4 Morphling
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
4 Misdirection
3 Back to Basics
3 Powder Keg
4 Impulse
4 Fact or Fiction
3 Mana Leak
16 Islands
5 Moxen
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine

DECK FOUR:
TRIX
KAI BUDDE

4 Illusionas of Grandeur
3 Donate
1 Seal of Cleansing
1 Pyroblast
4 Necropotence
4 Dark Ritual
2 Demonic Consultation
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
1 Time Walk
4 Force of Will
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Timetwister
4 Duress
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Grim Monolith
3 City of Brass
2 Gemstone Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Badlands
4 Underground Sea
2 Underground River
SIDEBOARD
2 Hydroblast
1 Parallax Nexus
1 Wheel of Fortune
2 Abeyance
3 Pyroblast
2 Seal of Cleansing
2 Gorilla Shaman
2 Phyrexian Negator

DECK FIVE
DREAM HALLS
4 Dream Halls
3 Gaeas Blessing
1 Fastbond
1 Storm Cauldron
1 Braingeyser

4 Meditate
4 Ancestral Memories
2 Sift
2 Three Wishes
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Timetwister
2 Recycle

4 Intuition
2 Ancestral Knowledge

4 Abeyance
4 Force of Will
1 Disenchant

4 Mana Crypt
4 Lotus Petal
1 Sol Ring
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus
4 City of Brass
4 Tundra

DECK SIX:
Academy
We need a list with lots of Time Spirals

Maybe this one from the dojo?

http://www.classicdojo.org/d984/dk1.981005cbe.txt
        1 Library of Alexandria
        4 City of Brass
        4 Candelabra of Tawnos
Artifact Academy Combo
        4 Tolarian Academy
        4 Lotus Petal
        4 Mana Vault
        4 Mana Crypt
        1 Mox Ruby
        1 Mox Pearl
        1 Mox Jet
        1 Mox Emerald
        1 Mox Sapphire
        1 Black Lotus
        1 Sol Ring
        4 Hurkyl's Recall
Card Engines
        4 Time Spiral
        1 Braingeyser
        1 Timetwister
        1 Wheel of Fortune
        1 Ancestral Recall
        3 Prosperity
        1 Demonic Tutor
Kill
        1 Kaervek's Torch
Search any Utility
        2 Vampiric Tutor
        4 Force of Will
        2 Abeyance
        1 Regrowth
        1 Time Walk
        1 Disenchant

DECK SEVEN:
Jar
We need a list for this as well.

Pat Chapin:
7 SoloMoxen
4 Grim Monolith
4 Lion´s Eye Diamond
4 Lotus Petal
4 Mana Vault
4 Mana Crypt

4 City of Brass
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy

1 Abeyance
1 Defense Grid
3 Force of Will

1 Ancestral Recall
1 Braingeyser
1 Memory Jar
1 Stroke of Genius
1 Timespiral
1 Timetwister
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Windfall

1 Demonic Tutor
2 Vampiric Tutor
3 Tinker

1 Grining Totem
1 Hurkyl´s Recall
1 Magma Mine
2 Power Artifact
2 Yawgmoth´s Will
1 Time Walk

SB:
2 Abeyance
1 Balance
1 City of Solitude
2 Disenchant
2 Disrupt
1 FOW
1 Hydroblast
1 Mystical
3 Pyroblast
1 Tinker

That's what we have to work with so far.  Is there anything else we should consider?  A doomsday deck?

Help us find lists!

Steve

[carlossb]

TimeSpiral decks...?

Well, just take a look at the Duelist Invitational from 99
 

4 TimeSpiral (Candelabra/Academy deck)

Sturla Bingen

7 Solomoxen
4 Mana Crypt
4 Mana Vault
4 Lotus Petal
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Barbed Sextant
 
4 City of Brass
2 Underground Sea
1 Tolarian Academy

4 Time Spiral
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Twister
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Windfall
1 Stroke of Genius
1 Braingeyser
2 Brainstorm
2 Prosperity

1 Time Walk
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Capsize
2 Candelabra of Tawnos

1 Regrowth
1 Demonic Tutor
2 Vampiric Tutor

4 Force of Will
2 Abeyance
2 Arcane Denial
 

Sideboard
3 Pyroblast
2 Hydroblast
3 Emerald Charm
2 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Balance
1 Cursed Totem
1 City of Solitude
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Abeyance

From that Invitational, there´s also:

Hurkyl´s Recall + Recycle

Jon Finkel

7 SoloMoxen
4 Mana Vault
4 Mana Crypt
4 Lotus Petal

4 City of Brass
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Undiscovered Paradise
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Strip Mine   (to kill other Tolarians)

4 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Recycle

2 Prosperity
2 Time Spiral
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Timetwister
1 Stroke of Genius
1 Braingeyser
1 Windfall
1 Wheel of Fortune

1 Time Walk
1 Regrowth
1 Emerald Charm  (to untap Tolarian)
1 Kaervek's Torch
1 Gorilla Shaman
4 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor

4 Force of Will
3 Abeyance

 Sideboard
1 Balance
2 Gorilla Shaman
2 Emerald Charm
3 Hydroblast
4 Pyroblast
2 Duress
1 City of Solitude

---------------
I  fear my Dream Halls deck won´t last too much...

[TimeBeing]

No Minds Desire deck?

Didn't Oscar have a list in one of his articals...

Neo-Academy 2003, Max Joseph a.k.a. Westerdale, test deck, from e-mail
 Blue (29)
 4 Mind's Desire
 4 Hurkyl's Recall
 1 Ancestral Recall
 1 Time Walk
 1 Timetwister
 1 Time Spiral
 1 Frantic Search
 1 Windfall
 1 Mystical Tutor
 4 Force of Will
 4 Impulse
 4 Sleight of Hand
 2 Brain Freeze

Black (3)
 1 Demonic Tutor
 1 Vampiric Tutor
 1 Yawgmoth's Will

Green (2)
 1 Fastbond
 1 Crop Rotation

Red (1)
 1 Wheel of Fortune

Artifacts (14)
 1 Black Lotus
 1 Mox Sapphire
 1 Mox Jet
 1 Mox Emerald
 1 Mox Ruby
 1 Mox Pearl
 1 Mox Diamond
 1 Mana Crypt
 1 Lotus Petal
 1 Sol Ring
 1 Mana Vault
 1 Grim Monolith
 2 Candelabra of Tawnos

Land (11)
 1 Tolarian Academy
 2 Underground Sea
 4 City of Brass
 4 Gemstone Mine

[Kasuras]

What about a squirrel nest / earthcraft deck?  :lol:

I know the card was restricted because of the deck's "strength" in type 1.5, but still: this _is_ a battle of the banned decks after all.

4 Earthcraft
4 Squirrel Nest
4 Intuition
4 Impulse
1 Sylvan Library
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Hoodwink
1 Teferi´s Response
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
2 Misdirection
1 Regrowth
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Sol Ring
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Strip Mine
2 Wasteland
4 Tropical Island
4 Yavimaya Coast
4 Forest
6 Island

Sideboard
4 Roar of the Wurm
2 Tormod´s Crypt
1 Timetwister
3 Oath of Druids
2 Gaea´s Blessing
2 Morphling
1 Spike Weaver

http://www.morphling.de/reportarchiv.php?report=7

I'm sure this isn't the best version of the deck, and the deck will lose horribly in this battle but I think it will lose not as bad as the balance deck must have did.

Perhaps it's an idea.

And what about 4 entomb dragon.dec?


These decks aren't the best in line and long/academy will probably win the battle but competing for 4th (Since Gro-A-Tog has a good chance of getting 3rd.) could mean something too.

[alvin6688]

So, Smmenen, when will we get to see which is the 'bannedest' deck of all time?

[Smmenen]

Article is up.

I need a good Trix list.

[cssamerican]

I thought the article was a pretty fun read.

I accurately predicted fist and second; however, I was actually suprised that the deck that came in third finished above the decks in fourth and fifth. (Don't want to give it away before people can make their own predictions)

Next time could you play an updated Balance deck (Doesn't have to perfect)? Play it with today's rules so we can see if a deck based on Balance is as broken now as it was then. For decks this old I think it is the only way to gauge their potential power in modern Magic.

[VGB]

Next time could you play an updated Balance deck (Doesn't have to perfect)? Play it with today's rules so we can see if a deck based on Balance is as broken now as it was then. For decks this old I think it is the only way to gauge their potential power in modern Magic.

If you ask me, Kæeper would love a playset of Balances.  Then you can cut Misdirectable crap like Mind Twist and StP, and maindeck Burning Wish becomes hot.

[walkingdude]

Old decks were built fairly badly and old rules are far less fair (no Paris mulligan), these effects distort the results away from what you would get just evaluating the cards on pure power. An interesting way to run things would be to allow people to build any deck they wanted with the modern restricted lists but with any one card they wanted unrestricted. That would really show the power of the cards and strategies behind them rather than the evolution in magic theory.

If you do plan to continue going with battle of the banned decks consider trying one of the old LD decks with 4 strips 4 wastes and 4 black vises. Those would probably do a number on the control and aggro control decks, although combo would cause them trouble since I don’t remember what they had to fight it.

[cssamerican]

An interesting way to run things would be to allow people to build any deck they wanted with the modern restricted lists but with any one card they wanted unrestricted. That would really show the power of the cards and strategies behind them rather than the evolution in magic theory.

I would find this extremely interesting.

If you ask me, Kæeper would love a playset of Balances. Then you can cut Misdirectable crap like Mind Twist and StP, and maindeck Burning Wish becomes hot.

Probably not as much as Worldgorger Dragon designed with 4 Balances.