Monday, July 9, 2012

Sure, it's legal but is it fun?


Arcanis the OmnipotentKozilek, Butcher of Truth

I tested out the Arcanis / Eldrazi deck over the weekend in a few 1vs1 matches. The deck is not unbeatable, but there are a few issues with playing it.

Two of the main themes are Eldrazi (with Annihilator) and stealing creatures. The Eldrazi take a while to show up due to the high casting costs, so stealing creatures seemed like a good way to go as I was laying lands. The problem is that players don't want their creatures taken from them. It's not "fun." Neither is having to sacrifice permanents due to the Annihilator trigger. Since I play to have fun (not to win), that's two strikes against the deck. I have fun when everyone is having fun.

A third strike is that based on testing I feel compelled to add counter magic to protect my position once I get the Eldrazi out. It takes a while to set it all up, so having it all wiped away with a random sweeper isn't cool. But counter magic is also not "fun." Plus, it's not my style. I'm usually checking out the cool artwork and missing all of the opportunities for countering spells anyways. And I almost always tap out. :)

Blue can be a very frustrating color to play against. Between counter magic, bounce, and stealing creatures, it's difficult to advance your own plan against a blue deck. Maybe Eldrazi would be more fun to play against in a different shell. A black deck or red deck with Eldrazi might be more direct. But Annihilator is Annihilator, no matter what color the deck is.

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