Unusual Victory Condition

[Ephraim]

I've been beaten by damage, decking, and poison counters. I've seen decks that attempt to win by Batte of Wits. However, I've never seen anybody attempt to win with The Cheese Stands Alone. As it has been mentioned in two articles (at least that I've read) on Star City Games in the past month, I feel obligated to post my 'The Cheese Stands Alone' deck, Say Cheese

Win Condition (4)
4 The Cheese Stands Alone

Creatures (24)
4 Tragic Poet
4 Trained Pronghorn
4 Patrol Hound
4 Blood Vassal
4 Troubled Healer
4 Overeager Apprentice

Spells (8)
4 Renounce
4 Forbidden Ritual

Mana Sources (24)
15 Plains
9 Swamp

Like most combo decks, the deck only knows how to win one way, and that's with The Cheese Stands Alone. Trained Pronghorn and Patrol Hound do double duty, allowing me to empty my hand, when I go off and also providing crucial defense until I can drop the 5-casting-cost cheese stands alone. Blood Vassal and Overeager Apprentice provide acceleration and can help defend me, if I have spares on the table. Troubled Healer's mostly worthless; I'm looking for a replacement.

Renounce and Forbidden Ritual are the most important cards in the deck, next to The Cheese Stands Alone. It's possible for me to empty my hand without Trained Pronghorn or Patrol Hound. Getting rid of my permanents, selectively, is more difficult. One of these in my hand is absolutely necessary to win.

I need to hit 5, 7, or 9 mana (The Cheese Stands Alone, Cheese + Renounce, Cheese + Forbidden Ritual, respectively) really quickly. 24 lands helps me never miss a land drop. I am, in fact, considering simply replacing the Troubled Healers with yet more lands or with Dark Rituals.

[Kowal]

The true way to play this deck is with Academy Rector and Kaervek's Spite.

Coolest.victory.evar

[Jacob Orlove]

Cast The Cheese Stands Alone, in response cast Kaervek's Spite. Win.  :)

[Ephraim]

Feh, I have no Academy Rector, nor do I have any Kaervek's Spite. A man makes do with what he has. You have no panache and your souls are without poetry.

[Kowal]

Mise, I used to work at a goth club, I've been trying to rinse that poetry out of my soul for years.

Thank you, Clorox Bleach!

[CmdrSam]

I actually wrote an article on this very subject for StarCityGames a few months ago...

Your version would certainly be less irritating in a very casual environment since it doesn't go off so fast. It looks like fun to play. Do the Tragic Poets actually come in handy? They seem kind of out of place, but I guess you need something to soak up the Disenchants.

You could put in various tutors to replace the Troubled Healers.

Have fun,

--Sam L-L

[Ephraim]

The Tragic Poets have come in handy every once in a while. They are one-drops, which is not tremendously important, but it doesn't hurt, either. And yes, soaking up Disenchants is exactly what they do.