Eddie Lives - Straight Blue - MFFA

[loco-b]

Ok. So this deck really needs some work. But I haven't found the right combination yet. I usually pull this deck out when playing with 4 or more people. As a little more background we usually play with the 32 Scrye magazine Avatar cards(drawn at random before the round). Most players end up with a larger starting hand size. This is what the deck feeds off.

Eddie Lives
4 Portant 4 Anvil Of Bogardan 4 Vision Skeins 4 Iron Maiden 4 Words Of Wisdom 4 Ebony Owl Netsuke 4 Black Vise 4 Propaganda 4 Standstill 4 boomerang 20 Island

The deck is based around opponents having a larger hand size and keeping it that way. Iron Maiden and Black Vise are key. Good synergies include casting a Standstill followed by a Vision Skeins or a Words of Wisdom. Propaganda helps avoid the rush. Boomerangs keep big monsters or ugly enchantments in your opponents hands. Ideas? Critisizms? Would love to hear it. I usually am the biggest target on the table by turn 3 unfortunately. The guys I play against hate this deck.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Final Deck.

Eddie Lives
\\Land - 20 14 Island 4 Forsaken City 2 Tolarian Academy \\Creatures - 4 4 Kami of the Crescent Moon \\Spells - 16 3 Stasis 3 Propaganda 4 Boomerang 4 Snap 2 Upheaval	\\Planeswalker - 2 1 Jace Beleren 1 Tezzeret The Seeker \\Artifacts - 18 3 Ebony Owl Netsuke 3 Anvil Of Bogardan 4 Black Vise 4 Howling Mine 4 Iron Maiden

I had a chance to play this last weekend. MFFA killer! I felt as though I had slapped the guys in the face with this one. We laughed about it after the round but this deck really had the entire table on lock down. Couple of really cool tricks within the deck. Pretty quick win condition too!

[Neuromancer]

Clearly you need some more survivavility then: Sun Droplet and Winter Orb will make sure you stay alive for long enough (the Orb with Propaganda is a huge deterrent). If you gonna take this route, you will need extra lands and some artifact mana to make sure you can actually play stuff. Another option worth exploring (but that I have never really tried) is Mana Breach.

This sort of deck begs for adding red because red offers Sudden Impact, Runeflare Trap, Adamaro's Gaze and Adamaro, First to Desire, plus red removal.

[shaitan666]

Howling Mine, Font of Mythos, Kami of the Crescent Moon and Jace Beleren all come to mind.
I personally don't think you need Vision Skeins, Words of Wisdom or Boomerang if you use these cards.

Most importantly, Neuromancer is right, you need survivability. Your best option in my opinion would be: Bottled Cloister + Ensnaring Bridge. The combo will keep you safe, but if you think it's too hard to pull, or the cards are too expensive, you can always try some Fog Banks and see if they're enough to keep you safe.

[Neuromancer]

I'd keep the Boomerangs just because of the utility they provide. Cloister + Ensnaring Bridge is a good option, but that would leave him helpless in other player's turns (thus opening himself wide to getting disrupted). Against one player the risk isn't that big, but against multiple opponents it can be very dangerous.

[loco-b]

The only problem is contained within the text of the Iron Maiden. It states "at the beginning of each opponents upkeep" I've actually tried Howling Mine's in here. They end up drawing the extra cards but either discard down to normal hand size or end up playing the extra's. This is why the Vision Skeins and Words Of Wisdom are handy. I can play these right before the end of my turn or before an opponents turn that posses a threat. The only survivability is the propaganda. Usually the guys avoid me with their creatures by the time i have the Prop out. I like the idea about the ensnaring bridge though. That might serve purpose if i can get rid of my own hand.

what about Withdraw's? More suviveability as well.

Or a Forced Fruition as a dagger. I just don't like the high casting cost. It seems that whenever we play 4 or more player multiplayer usually by the time round 5-6 comes around someone has the game locked down or already has the win.

Come to think of it. That Forced Fruition might work better in a Megrim Deck.

I've lost several time's to "fluctuator" or "elf ball" like decks in round 2-3.

Three posts in a row by the same user merged. Please read the rules and avoid double and triple posting. There is an edit button which is great for adding additional information to your original post. Thank you.

-Streetz

[Neuromancer]

Originally Posted by loco-b

The only problem is contained within the text of the Iron Maiden. It states "at the beginning of each opponents upkeep" I've actually tried Howling Mine's in here. They end up drawing the extra cards but either discard down to normal hand size or end up playing the extra's. This is why the Vision Skeins and Words Of Wisdom are handy. I can play these right before the end of my turn or before an opponents turn that posses a threat. The only survivability is the propaganda. Usually the guys avoid me with their creatures by the time i have the Prop out. I like the idea about the ensnaring bridge though. That might serve purpose if i can get rid of my own hand.

Null Brooch does that easily . Your reasoning for not adding Howling Mine is flawed, since they can still play the extra cards you gave them on their turn (no matter when you play Vision Skeins and Words of Wisdom). Both of these spells are one-shot deals, whereas the Mine keeps feeding them extra cards. If you don't want them to play the cards you give them, you need a way to hamper your opponent's mana production, that's why I suggested Winter Orb. (Stasis is the top choice, but if you play that you'll lose all your friends and probably get beaten up by the end of the session )

[loco-b]

come to think of it.... I do have a full playset of Stasis'.

I actually just threw my set of Static Orb's into my Cthino's Wizards deck. So how do I get around the Stasis then?

[shaitan666]

Actually, I was thinking of the interaction of Howling Mine with Anvil of Bogardan (which you're playing 4 of), your opponent won't discard, will end up with lots of cards and hurt by the Maidens and Vises.
Neuro, I don't think it matters much whether he's defenseless during opponent's turns, look at his deck, he's got pratically no instants that would be important to play on your opponent's turns (read: counterspells), that's also why I suggested removing the boomerangs.
I still think it's important to lock down creatures completely, as they are this deck's most obvious bane.

[loco-b]

Hmm. Love the idea of taking out the Anvils and replacing them with Howling Mine.

Maybe i should take out the Portants and replace those with Withdraw. And yes the one thing that has killed me everytime i've lost is, Aggro.

[Old Fogey]

I don't know what will help you avoiding getting killed on Turn 2 or Turn 3, outside of Force of Will, but Evacuation seems good for Turn 5, if you use more lands. I'd hate you also if you played this against me!

[loco-b]

Force Of Will < Expensive card I haven't had moneys for untill recently. You better believe ill be picking myself up a playset of these soon.

I'm going to revamp it a little tonight. I'll repost what changes overnight. I've actually got a few idea's floating.

[shaitan666]

Originally Posted by loco-b

Hmm. Love the idea of taking out the Anvils and replacing them with Howling Mine.

Maybe i should take out the Portants and replace those with Withdraw. And yes the one thing that has killed me everytime i've lost is, Aggro.

Noooo, the trick here is playing the Mines AND the Anvils (that way your opponents can't discard when they hit 8 or more cards)!

Ok, I came up with a deck based on what we have up to now:

loco'b's Straight Blue
//Lands 20 Island //Creatures 4 Kami of the Crescent Moon //Spells 3 Anvil of Bogardan 4 Iron Maiden 4 Ebony Owl Netsuke 4 Black Vise 4 Propaganda 4 Ponder 4 Howling Mine 3 Jace Beleren 2 Upheaval 4 Stasis

Here's the thing, you use the Mines, Kami and Jace to keep your opponent's hand full. You Stasis them to ensure nothing is cast (thus hand size is not reduced and they are harmless to you). Anvil makes them unable to discard, it's a pretty strong win condition for few mana. If that tactic fails, you can always wait until you have 7 or 8 mana, tap them all, let 1 or 2 mana float and cast Upheaval, making your opponents' hand gigantic and use the floating mana to cast one or two Black Vises, killing them good. If your defense is still faulty, you can always combo Spellbook and Energy Field.

[Neuromancer]

If you're gonna play Stasis (be aware that nooone will want to play with you again), you might as well pack some Forsaken Citys to keep the Stasis around.

[loco-b]

I actually used Shaitans setup for the deck...

LOL! This deck is hilarious! I tried it against an Oath of Druids deck. By round four I had an Iron Maiden, Anvil, and One Howling Mine out. Turn five I locked down with Statsis. That was end of game. He conceeded. I did however take out two Jaces And Replaced two islands with 4 Forsaken cities.

I had upheaval in my hand but I just couldn't help but think about the 6 casting cost.

So here's what I have put together.

Eddie Lives
\\Land 18 Island 4 Forsaken City \\Creatures 4 Kami of the Crescent Moon \\Spells 3 Stasis 3 Propaganda 4 Boomerang 2 Standstill 3 Twiddle 2 Upheaval	\\Planeswalker 1 Jace Beleren \\Artifacts 3 Ebony Owl Netsuke 3 Anvil Of Bogardan 4 Black Vise 4 Howling Mine 4 Iron Maiden

This deck is Nasty.

All you need out in order to win on a One Vs. One,

1 Howling Mine or Kami,
1 Anvil Of Bogardan'
1 Iron Maiden and
1 Stasis

Get you're Iron Maiden, Ebony Owl, and Anvil's out. Support it with a howling mine or a kami. The boomerangs help keep those ugly Enchantments or Artifacts in their hands while you setup for a Standstill followed by stasis, and it's just about impossible for them to do anything but watch their life total diminesh and their hand size grow. They might get Lands out based on how much they draw due to Howling mine's or Kami, but they won't be able to do much with stasis on the table. If they are able to get creatures out You're propaganda nullifies or Upheaval takes them all away.

I only stuck One Jace in there because I've always been the lucky one to draw all my repeat Legends, or Planeswalkers in my opening hand. The Ponders will allow you to sort through your upcoming cards although with how much you draw I still couldnt find much use for them.

LOCKDOWN!

[shaitan666]

Pretty cool! I still don't think you need the Standstills, what with all the drawing that'll be already going on and all. Plus I don't get why you're playing Twiddle. o.O
Apart from that, looks great! If you think you can get by with just one Jace that's cool, but remember, if you play him on turn 3, he's very killable.