Yes, the title is oddly confusing, I’ll get to that later. It’s been a whirlwind week of Magic previews that has been keeping my blood pumping and I am utterly extatic to both have a day off next friday to travel to Fundee that little bit earlier and to be playing in the Zendikar Prerelease at Highlander Games on saturday. They also have my copy of Shadows of the UK in and I should have some pennies to spend on excess boosters and hopefully a Zendikar Theme deck or two, but that’s next week…So let’s get this started with the card of the week!
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Card of the Week
So when Zendikar rolls around in less than a month, there are two decks (in addition to a revamp on my current Standard Legal decks) that I aim to build. The first is a brand new Vampire aggro deck and the second may very well be a 5-coloured Ally deck. Sure, they couldn’t fit Adventurer on the type line, but there’s just a huge flavour of WoW going on in these cards (look! A Hunter! :D) and they’re very
Sliverly to boot. This guy’s really balanced for being in the high cost range. Simply by putting him into play you get a 2/2 and a 3/3 and you get any additional Ally triggers on that turn.
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Lern Them Some Magic
First a comment regarding
Last week’s Article. The Lithgow writes:
Looks like allot of fun, I would definetly love to just mess with folks day during a multiplayer game, the chance of winning is so slim you might as well just have as much fun as possible 
2 questions: No1 (noob question) you keep mentioning “one-off, two-off” etc is this the turn in which you can use them? or am I missing something more potent?
No2: can you give a good example of a strong control deck? I like the idea of some of the cards you have, bouncing spells back on people and negating spells to ruin there plans, but I have no idea how you would put a strong deck together in that way…would it be lots of instants with a few key creatures? or what?
Answer #1:
Ok, so when I say 1-offs and 2-offs 3-offs I’m refering to how many copies of a card would be in a deck. 1-off = a single copy and so on. And when I say “playset” I’m refering to a 4-card set of a single card.
Balancing the amount of copies of a card frees up slots and keeps the deck balanced. For example, it would generally be a bad idea to use 4 copies of a Legendary permenant in a deck because if you drew a second one, and had one in play, you couldn’t play it. (though I suppose that’s a lame example for reasons only an essay could explain)
In general, my rule for card amounts go like this:
4-Off: You’d never not want to draw this, e.g. Lightning Bolt
3-Off: Cards you’d only want to see a couple of times per game, somewhat high costed, 4-converted cost or more. Includes Legendary Permenants. E.G. Syphon Mind.
2-Off: You’d only ever want to see a single copy in any game you play. since you should go through 1/3 to 1/2 your deck in a general game, your likely to only see one. Like Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth.
1-Off: Extremely Hard to cast card, or can be tutored from the deck with several other cards. Could be highly situational. Like Prince of Thralls.
But that doesn’t take into account either how many of a single card I can get my mitts on (rarity), or when we’re talking about a peice of a combo - which are generally 3-4 offs no matter their cost or rarity.
Answer #2
Control and Aggro come part and parcel. Generally the best way to explain it is with “Threats” and “Answers”.
Consider that “Threats” are cards that help you win games, like Baneslayer Angel or Fireball.
Also Consider that “Answers” are cards that stop cards your opponent wants to play. Like any Counterspell card or Wrath of God.
Now, Aggro decks are chock full of “Threats” to overwhelm the opponent, usually in the speediest way possible. They might have some “Answer” cards to get through some walls on the way to getting your life total to zero.
Control decks are a polar opposite. They contain mainly “Answer” cards that aim to prevent an aggro or combo deck from getting their shit together. There would be few threats in a Control deck, usually Mid to High costed, and usually have some kind of twist to them to get to their opponents life totals.
But then there are also cards that are both Answers and Threats like Avatar of Woe - that “answers” creatures with her ‘tap to destroy target creature’ ability, and has a “threat” built in with her 6/5 power and toughness and Fear.
For Reference Combo decks borrow from both concepts, but build round their combo to assure it happens with as little fuss as possible. I might write about a combo deck in the future for funsies, and I’ve found and played some nasty ones in my time.
The Nosh also writes:
…Which brings me to a question: In Magic, do you die when you reach 0 health? Or can you play instants and abilities to counter the effect. We faced this example today.
I had Tainted Sigil out on the field and about 6 or 7 health to my name. Iain had a flying creature hitting me for say 8 damage. I die, right?
- Nosh
So this certain situation requires a bit to do with the stack, and the general flow of combat. The way the combat step works goes like this:
1 - Declare that the combat is actually going to happen.
2 - Players get a chance to play instants and activated abilities beginning with the active player (the active player is the person who’s turn it is).
3 - The attacker declares what creatures are going to be attacking and what player/planeswalker they will be attacking and taps them to show that they are attacking, then abilities that have “whenever this creature attacks….” activate.
4 - Players get a chance to play instants and activated abilities beginning with the active player.
5 - Defending player/players assign blockers.
6 - Players get a chance to play instants and activated abilities beginning with the active player.
7 - Combat damage is now assigned appropriately and abilities that have “whenever this creature deals combat damage…” trigger, and stuff like Lifelink and Deathtouch.
8 - Cleanup, dead stuff goes to the graveyard and dead players pack up and go home.
Since the epic M10 rules changes, Damage does no longer begin a stack and just happens instead. Your last chance to activate Tainted Sigil would have been in step #6. As to when a player loses the game - you lose whenever you are at Zero or less health, and the current stack resolves - though the second part only applies outside of step 7 and 8 of combat as I have outlined above.
Furthermore, there are some pretty funky situations that Tainted Sigil presents, which may be confusing you further, assuming that you or any player hadn’t lost life earlier in the turn. If you were still alive at the end of the combat step, when the active player goes into his second main phase, you could certainly activate Tainted Sigil to regain the life you lost during the combat step and any other lost this turn. Under the old Pre-M10, the Sigil is technically better, as you can wait til you hit zero after combat damage has stacked, then respond with the sigil to go back up again.
I hope that answers your questions dudes, if you’ve got any more (and you probably will after this post) don’t be afraid to drop them in the comments. This goes for anyone infact. Onto the main attraction….
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History and Concept
The Concept of a “Flash Bears” deck stem from a single card - I should show it to you.
Yes, it is simply a
Bear that has
Flash. But then there is the deck that surrounds it. Back in the days of Timespiral - the Glorious days of timespiral - I remember seeing builds of the deck pop up on the Official Standard Forums. Sadly, the deck never cut the mustard enough to register in the minds of the mainstream Spikes.
Basically what the deck aims to do is play as much as possible at instant speed to throw your opponent off-game. Naturally the perfect mate for the Flash Bear was the Counterspell, and it quickly became a blue-green control deck. But I never saw lists for the deck (now lost in the depths of the internets) that catered beyond Standard or Block Constructed. But I didn’t care, I was absorbed in the Standard environment of Timespiral and Ravnica, building 4-5 colour Masterpiece decks that I wished of making non-proxy versions of. But Flash Bears has been in the back of my mind ever since.
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I did actually manage to build something halfway resembling Flash Bears at the end of the Ravnica/Timespiral standard environment. It revolved around the Vesuvan Shapeshifter + Brine Elemental Combo, and I ran it in Blue/Green instead of the usual Blue/White. Mainly the Green was their for my access to Simic Sky Swallower as a finisher and a bunch of cards to accelerate my mana out into a quicker combo. The deck ruled for a small while, I played it in a couple of local tournaments, but sadly fell into disrepair due to Ravnica’s rotation out of standard and the rise of the Dragonstorm decks of the time.
So what I’m going to do is build the deck that I’ve been wanting to build for a very long time. And we’re going to do it with the help of some older cards, going back about as far as the Oddesy block. I’m sure for some of you, the concept is still up in the air, so let’s move onto the Card Pool, and that’ll maybe make things be a bit more apparant.
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Card Pool
The deck’s main contents are creatures that can be played at instant speed, counterspells, and some small portion of support cards. UG isn’t a common combination of colours, so there might be some weird cards in the mix. Some cards may also appear to not work at instant speeds, and I’ll do my best to explain how they can.
Flashy Creatures
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Ashcoat Bear
The fresh prince of Flash Bears, straight up Instant speed Grizzly Bear.
Briarthorn
3/3 for 4 mana with flash, that’s not bad in itself. Throw in a giant growth effect and an alternate cost of 2 mana to Evoke - this dude’s got it all. Strong contender if the deck needs a Giant Growth-esque effect.
Cloudthresher
7/7 ’spider’ with a mini-hurricane attached for as little as 6 mana. Yes please. 2-off max.
Draining Whelk
A potential Finisher in the deck, but does rely on your opponent somewhat to bring the pain with a moderately costed spell. A bit of a waste if he’s just countering a lightning bolt.
Gluttonous Slime
I doubt I’d ever use this. Don’t think the deck would have an extra boost of tech due to creatures hitting the ‘yard. Also don’t think I’d have enough creatures out to devour to maximum effect.
Havenwood Wurm
Costs too much, Cloudthresher is better.
Inspired Sprite
I don’t really want a Faerie subtheme in the deck - because then I’d just be playing faeries, and I can neither afford that or aim to be the kind of douche that would play that fucking imba tribe. Wizards however are another deal altogether.
Mystic Snake
Bear and a no-hassle counterspell all in one. 3-off minimum.
Plaxmanta
Bear with a bolted on demi-counterspell. Don’t like that he dies if I don’t play him with some green mana.
Scryb Ranger
Not bad for an early game flyer. But the extra untapping ability is rather costly, and I never want to return a land to my hand whilst playing this deck.
Spellstutter Sprite
Again with the faeries, but it does have a built in counterspell. mini-mini-manaleak on it’s own, but I don’t want to play Faeries.
Tangle Spider
Would never play this over Cloudthresher.
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Teferi is the Pimp of Flash decks. His first ability isn’t much, especially in a deck where mostly everything is already flashable. His strength (some may argure his imba-ness) comes from his second ability, which isn’t worded particularily well in my opinion. Firstly Teferi makes it so that your opponent can only play a spell during his first and second main phases during his turn - so this stops most combat trickery and doing weird combo stuff during the rest of the game phases. Beyond that you have to look at where in the stack can he use a sorcery: Only at the beginning. This matters in that your opponent cannot continue to stack spells within a single stack, or even use counterspells to counter this decks arsenal of counterspells. 3-off for sure.
Trapjaw Kelpie
Persist is a cool ability, but a 3/3 for 6 mana with no extra evasion abilitiy isn’t worth it.
Vedalken Æthermage
I think it’ll be a long time before I see any slivers, but it does also effect Changelings. It’s the Wizardcycling that has me hooked. Tutors for Teferi, Venser, and even Sage’s Dousing as you’ll see later.
Venser, Shaper Savant
Not really a counterspell, but he does “counter” the uncounterable, and has a built in boomerang. Would run a single copy anyway due to Legendaryness.
Voidmage Husher
Another Wizard. Counters activated abilities instead of spells, 4 mana is a high cost, but her reusableness might earn her a spot.
Winged Coatl
JESUS FUCK A FLYING SNAKE! Liking the Deathtouch on this. Shame that it doesn’t have a higher power/toughness for that 3-mana cost.
Flashy Creatures (That Aren’t Actually Creatures)
(There aren’t alot of cards I could use if I didn’t include instant-token generators. So call me a cheater if you will lol)
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Beast Attack
Probably the best of the lot. 5 mana for a 4/4 with flash is good, but the Flashback ability (and with appropriate cost to match) lets you use this twice, and as a card can always be discarded without fear of it being totally unusable later on.
Elephant Ambush
The flashback cost is rather extravagant for a simple 3/3. I’d rather wait a turn and use a Beast Attack (both of these cards are from the Oddesy set too, which makes me wonder what the designers were thinking)
Flash Foliage
It’s the cantrip that really puts it on the potential list. However is pretty useless against decks that don’t aim to kill you with creature battles. Auto-in if it made a 2/2, but it doesn’t.
Gilt-Leaf Ambush
Potentially kills two creature in combat without question. Clash is a bit of a gamble however. Would use this instead of flash foliage, due to it making two tokens instead of one.
Gloomwidow’s Feast
Green usually doesn’t get alot of straight up creature destruction without touching on red or black. I’d keep this in the sideboard however.
Hunting Pack
I already have something that costs less that makes a 4/4 beast. But the Storm effect is interesting enough - opponent plays spell, I counter it, play Hunting Pack, and that’s three 4/4 beasts.
Pongify
I could use this to turn an annoying Baneslayer Angel into something more managable, or, to make one of my own creatures into something more useful, or on one that is has an impending death to technically counter the effect.
Reach of Branches
Has reusability like Beast Attack, but a 2/5 takes longer to win games for you than a 4/4. Do still like this card however.
Scatter the Seeds
3 Creatures for 5 mana is a dream in some decks, and the Convoke on this card does make it more playable. However I’d rather use the next card if I was after some Saprolings.
Sprout Swarm
For 5 mana, or some mana and tapping some of my own creatures, or tapping 5 creatures - I get a 1/1 saproling, but I can do it turn after turn after turn due to the Buyback cost (which can be covered via a convoke).
Vitality Charm
Makes a creature on the first turn of the game. Also can make one of my creatures a bit bigger and tramplier. And the big finale is that is can gladly regenerate the beasts I make with Beast Hunt or a lone Plaxmanta.
Counterspells
(I figure that I’m going to have to have about 20-25 counterspells in the deck, luckily some of those will be accounted for with Mystic Snake and his Bretheren. But when you need something a little cheaper, or a little more punchy, these Counterspells do the do.)
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Broken Ambitions
I keep hearing good things about this counterspell, but I’ve never had the chance to sling it. My worrys lie with the X in the cost, which depending on the turn of the game and the size of the spell may ruin my chance to flash a couple of bears into play.
Cancel
3-mana, counter target spell. No fuss, but no extra reward.
Cryptic Command
It’s practically a Blue Wrath of God and I have been thinking about Deconstructing my Merfolk deck when Standard Rotates in October. 3-off at most, if the deck can handle the Mana cost.
Delay
Cheap counterspell, but does give it to your opponent three turns later. I’d rather it never come back at all.
Discombobulate
There are better 4-mana counters, but none of them let you stack the deck.
Dream Fracture
I’ve heard things about this card too, along with Broken Ambitions. But I think I’d rather have my opponent empty their hand as fast as possible, and refilling it isn’t really an option.
Essence Scatter
Cheap and effective against Aggro decks. Sideboard atleast.
Familliar’s Ruse
Potentially returns a Mystic Snake or a Venser for a second shot at fame, but utterly useless in the early game, and the UU cost is a bit heavy.
Hinder
Hinder used to be “the shit” back in the day, until they printed cancel it was the cheapest counterspell we had. Rather good against black decks that have a taste for ressurection. Or to time walk you a turn in the late game - so you know what’s coming.
Logic Knot
Shame that the Delve doesn’t take care of the coloured cost, if that were the case I’d run a 2-off for sure. Otherwise pretty useless.
Mana Leak
Mana Leak and Hinder used to be the fucking A-Team, and I was really after them back in the day. I’ve got like three playsets that are currently without deck. That isn’t without reason however.
Pact of Negation
I always run a 1-off Pact of Negation no matter what counter deck I build. It can really save asses sometimes, or allow me to cast a flashy creature without worrying about mana.
Quash
I’m a big supporter of Quash, but it’s inability to target Planeswalkers, Creatures or Artifacts make it pretty lame. Into the Sideboard it goes.
Remand
Without a doubt my favourite counterspell of all time. Even one of my most favourite magic cards of all time. Fucking win in the early game - less so later on, but still useful if the opponent taps out for something big. 4-off.
Rewind
There’s some magic tech surrounding this card in this deck. Using a rewind counters, then untaps the lands to let me continue casting counters, or more likely drop a Flash Bear at the end of turn. Add in a land that makes more than one mana per tap and then we’re cooking with gas.
Rune Snag
Mana Leak’s little brother that get’s all the attention. Works better than ‘leak because it scales as the game goes on. 4-off please.
Sage’s Dousing
It’s the cantrip that makes this card so good, like Remand, counters then replaces itself in your hand with a card draw. 3-off at most due to it’s Wizard-bound nature. Can be tutored with Vedalken Æthermage.
Trickbind
The split second is nice, but since we’re running green we might as well use the next card instead….
Voidslime
Counters anything. Spells, Triggered Abilities, Activated Abilities. All covered. 3-off at most due to it’s heavy colour requirements.
Mana Fixing & Land
(it’s a green deck so why not. And I’m going to need a boost if I want to counter spells and play creatures on the same turn - the problem lies with doing this at instant speed too.)
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Breeding Pool
Green/Blue dual land, that I happen to have 2 copies lying about doing nothing. Don’t want to be too heavy on the “into play Tapped” lands since I’ll most likely need every scrap of useable mana on every turn. Alteast with the Ravnican land I can have them untapped at a price.
Simic Growth Chamber
Mostly here due to it’s psynergy with Rewind. But I don’t like how I’d end effectively losing 2 land for a turn in the process. Might try a couple of them for the time being, experimentally.
Flooded Grove
Win! Dual Land that comes into play untapped. Shame they cost £3 a pop - and I don’t have any lying about.
Seaside Citadel
Again with the tapping, but it does cover all the bases.
Harrow
Good sources say that this is going to be reprinted in Zendikar. I tend to believe them. Can be done at instant speed and can fix coloures like a motherfucker. Shame about it killing a land in the process. On the plus side it does put the two land into play untapped for use in the same turn.
Search for Tomorrow
YES, this is a sorcery, but it’s Suspend ability can be played at any time, like Cycling. Excellent in the early game, less so later on.
Simic Signet
Does solve alot of problems. But it doesn’t have the speed. We’ll see how the deck plays first before I go putting this in.
Faerie Conclave/Treetop Village
I don’t want to have to spend mana to attack with these on my turn when I need the mana during my opponent’s turn. And they come into play tapped. Good land otherwise - this is just th wrong deck for them.
Other Mentionables
(I think the deck can hold an additional 4 slots to creatures that don’t currently flash, but will with Teferi. Either super-awesome cards, or brilliant in the late game. Also covered in this section: instants that don’t Counter Spells or give me Land or Tokens)
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Simic Sky Swallower
One of my most favourite creatures of all time. Shroud, Flying and Trample on a 6/6 body - with a reasonable cost of 7 mana. This dude is fucking win, and by the time he could be played, I should have a Teferi out letting me flash him in. 2-off max.
Lorescale Coatl
No Flash makes him fail. But otherwise an amazing UG card. Worth a Mention.
Murkfiend Leige
Could be Fun, especially alonside a Sky Swallower. But he costs a bit much (I’m talking $$$)
Arcanis the Omnipotent
Really win in the lategame, just to give my 4 cards a turn. 1-off max maybe.
Nulltread Gargantuan
5/6 on turn 3, or later bounces a Mystic Snake for reuse. No flash though, so I’m doubtful.
Overbeing of Myth
Sitting in a similar Spot as Arcanis. Slightly cheaper, and allows for extra cards and acts as a potentially amazing attacker. Maybe.
Wistful Selkie
If only you had flash you’d be perfect.
Shielding Plax
Simply another UG card I like, but I doubt the deck would ever need it, especially with a Simic Sky Swallower heading up the assault.
Snakeform
Makes things die to a 2/2 bear, and does replace itself in my hand. Sideboard against Aggro? It’s a possibility.
Mystical Teachings
Searches for… Pretty much anything in the deck. At a point I was really considering splashing a swamp or two just to cover the flashback cost.
Chord of Calling
Can find any creature in the deck, and at instant speed. So it fetches cards that there are few copies of, and if it finds a mystic snake, still lets him counter. GGG might be a bit heavy as an extra cost, but the Convoke more than lightens the load. In the deck for sure.
Cytoshape
Makes a bear into a Darksteel Colossus, or inversely a Colossus into a Bear. Interesting combat trick, but I don’t think the deck would need it.
Think Twice
There are few instants out there that just outright give you cards. This is one of them, but needs to be Flashbacked at some point in the game to get any good reward out of it. Good to play on the side, but I would make sure to play counterspells first.
Quicken
I mention it for the flavour. I’ve always liked this card, but never found a deck to use it in. I dream of instantly casting a Wrath of God and drawing a card, but there aren’t any Sorceries in the deck that need this. Again, just mentioning it for the flavour.
Piracy Charm
It’s a blue Funeral Charm, and still retains it’s Black philosophy. Kills weenies, boosts bigger creatures, grants Islandwalk in the rarest of situations, and forces a discard - hopefully when your opponent has a wittled hand. Highly considering this card.
Unsummon
Almost a counterspell in it’s own right. Very good at slowing down aggro decks. Sideboard for sure, but we’ll see with testing.
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Version 1’s Counterspell count, or rather “Answers” currently sit at 23, that’s including Mystic Snakes. I think that’s maybe a bit high, but some playtesting will help answering that question. I have faith in every counterspell except for Sage’s Dousing, I’ll try it out for the moment, but Broken Ambitions might take it’s place. I don’t think there are enough creature in the current build either, along with sources of card advantage - there are pleanty of Cantrips for drawing, but there isn’t a straight up “Draw X Cards” spell I can rely on.
The sideboard should help streamline the deck towards aggro or control depending on how the first game goes. The Gilt-Leaf ambushes should deal with super-aggro decks that slip in faster than my counterspells can work, or up the creature count for some aggro of my own, the same goes for the Chord of Calling. The additional cloudthresher sits their waiting to face an opponent with alot of flyers.
I can’t really give a play-by-play on how the deck should work, the reason being that it’s manuvers depend wholly on what my opponent is up to. The basic strategy is to always have mana for counterspells as much as possible, and play every other spell during your opponent’s end step, but to also be weary during that time to allow for extra counterspelling to get rid of spot removal or counterspells from the other side of the table. Hopefully after a while your opponent should be topdecking every turn, so you only need to worry about countering a single spell a turn, after that - bring the pain with a Sky Swallower. Also, on a lucky draw, a Search For Tomorrow should be played at the end of your opponents first turn.
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So that’s all I can really give you right now on Flash Bears. In a couple of weeks I should have seen this deck (and some of the other’s I’ve built) in action and Zendikar will be completely spoiled or actually released. Expect then a return to all my previous decks as I adress their various problems and update them with this new fabulous Set that is about to be cracked open.
But next week I’ll be updating what was my first truly succesful deck, watch as I make several Pacts with several Demons all at once, and hopefully bring alot more flavour than I have in previous weeks. Until then: How quickly does a Flash Bear shit in the woods?
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Like what you saw? Want to Contribute? Then please send me your ideas, requests, or your experiences testing the decks that I’ve posted. I’ll be happy to cook up just about anything I’m asked, in any format - All I need is a decklist or an idea to start things off. Remember that I’m not building competative decks here, I’m aiming for the fun and functional, or even the most buget of decks. email me at themissingnin@hotmail.com or leave a comment on this post (please remember that if you email me, please make it clear in the subject line what you’re emailing me about, or else I will kill it with my mighty delete button, and if you leave a comment on the site and it doesn’t appear immediately, know that it’s probably been picked up by the wordpress filter and I will approve your comment asap). Also, the more I’m sent the more I’ll have to talk about! ‘Nin Out!
Nothing but a man
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September 28th, 2009 by /images/author.gif)
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