Check out this link to the MTGSalvation Wiki for a quick overview about psychographic profiles in Magic. What the heck is that? These are "types" players and what motivates them within the game.
I like U/B decks. I always have. The cards that have the right "feel" in both colors are awesome and I get to play with a boatload of my favorites in this deck. It's the Vorthos* in me. The deck, for example, has a little storyline that goes along with it. You see, Mirko is a rock star. I mean, just look at the guy. Nirkana Revenant and Sangromancer? Groupies. For sure. Playing the deck feels like putting on a huge show, with tons of card drawing, discarding, milling, and triggers. We play loud music and your brain goes to mush.
But, the deck is also a Melvin deck. The deck is designed to be a layered interaction of cards that I really enjoy playing. Consuming Aberration is an awesome card. It does exactly what a U/B card should do. It's strong, but in a way that is interesting and dynamic. Mesmeric Orb is a key card and oh so delicious. It's sinister. In all of my games, it has never been countered or destroyed (specifically). Yet, by the time the other players are stressing about how small their libraries have become, they often don't realize that simply tapping the lands to try to dig themselves out of the hole only digs them in deeper.
I'm not a Johnny, at least not in the strong "combo" sense. I do like playing with a deck that I designed, even though a lot of deckbuilding is just starting with a strong list of cards and going from there. And, I do like the way cards interact with one another. But, game-ending combos aren't really my style.
When I'm just flipping through cards, I'm a Timmy. The first things I look for in a new set are the big, flashy creatures. Just today, I saw an awesome low-budget Omnath deck and was tempted to put it together just for the raw green power. Genesis Wave for 30? Awesome. Why? Because I get all my monsters! For around $60, this deck would probably smash any of my decks in nine out of ten games. Green goodness. My Braids deck is really just a super-Timmy deck, except it uses the monsters that I really like to see (blue, artifacts, Eldrazi). But if green is your thing, check out Omnath.
Spike. Spike, Spike, Spike. I'm not a Spike, although there is a bit of a streak in me. I really enjoy the "playing" of the game, but I am not ruthless about winning. I don't care that the $60 Omnath deck would wipe the floor with me. I don't feel green, so I'm not going green. There are about five guys where I play that fall into this category, though. They show up every week with the same decks and usually combo everyone out. Just last week, Arcanis / Mind of Matter guy beat two tables to win the entire thing.
Out of spite, I built a 5c Control deck. You can see the basic deck list here. It is based on a deck from a forum post, here. I am fortunate to have been playing Magic for many years and have enjoyed it enough to hold only my cards the entire time. So, I have most of the "old" cards I need to put something like this together. I did. I tried it out. It's about as non-interactive as it looks and no fun to play or play against. Don't get me wrong. It "wins," but it doesn't win in style.
*I'm being liberal here with my interpretation of the Vorthos profile. My little story has nothing to do with the actual storyline behind Magic and Mirko, but that's not the point. The idea is that the deck is more than just a loose collection of cards. It's even more than a theme. I run Nirkana Revenant, for example, because she fits with my story, not because she fits with the deck.
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