Home Made Dual Decks

[JJ]

So I have an idea to make a duel deck range. One in each colour. Leave it mono colour for beginners to play.

Each needs a theme and a base to work around.

As it stands this is what I am thinking:

Green - Squirrels. Deranged hermit may make an appearence and squirrel mob as a one of bomb or similar.
White - Hawks. Ranger of Eos can rock up in here and maybe things like Honor of the pure...
Black - Rats. Just a Craptin of rats.
Red - Goblins. Everyoen loves goblins. Warren instigator and a lord style thing.
Blue - Crabs. Hedron crab and horseshoe crab seem like good building blocks for a deck.

Add in some simple utility lands (swarm yard for balck and green for instance) and maybe some minor artifacts... I think that it should make an interesting set of 5 decks to play with against each other.

So - What I want to do is start designing these 5 decks. If anyoen has any ideas as to what you would want to see in them (remember potentially newer players: so nothing crazy! nothign crazy expensive either!) to fit the themes?

I think each deck needs to have a coat of arms for instance as a common starting point. Trying to minimise the 4 of's on rares etc. due to cost and also to make sure the whole deck is used. So 1 of's may appear suboptimal - but that is deliberate (think the actaul duel decks wizards makes).

[fatolaf]

Sounds like a great idea, I remember there being so many good goblin and squirrels cards around the last proper time I was playing , Invasion block and 7th Ed...
Can't remember the names (no shock there) that was the good era for squirrels...

Never seen many crab cards, must look these up

[Steve H]

Awesome idea! I'd be tempted to go Cats for the white deck as there's been some cool options over the years it seems...

It may be a bit too recent but Thassa's Emmissary from Theros is a very playable Crabby

[JJ]

Decks so far...

Squirrels

Creatures   

Deranged hermit   2
Nut collector   2
Squirrel Mob   2
Squirrel Wrangler   2
Arbor elf   4
Krosan Beast   1

Spells   

Squirrel nest   3
Chatter of the Squirrel   4
Acorn Harvest   3
Druids Call   3
Naturalise   2
Plummet   2
Overrun   1
Giant Growth   2

Artifacts   

Coat of Arms   1
Acorn Catapult   2

Lands   

Swarmyard   2
Forest   22

[JJ]

Hawks

Creatures   

Squadron Hawk   4
Suntail Hawk   4
Ranger of Eos   2
Welkin Hawk   4
Aven Warhawk   2
Aven Squire   2
Judges Familiar   2
Aven Brigadier   1

Spells   

Battle Screech   2
Honour of the Pure   4
Day of Judgement   1
Swords to Ploughshares   2
Disenchant   2
Soulcatchers' Aerie   2
Oblivion Ring   1

Artifacts   

Coat of Arms   1

Lands   

Plains   24

[JJ]

Faeries

Creatures   

Scion of Oona   3
Spell Stutter Sprite   2
Cloud Sprite   4
Cloud Seeder   2
Sprite Noble   2
Zephyr Sprite   4
Phantasmal Image   1
Cloud of Faeries   4

Spells   

Negate   2
Essence Scatter   2
Inundate   1
Ponder   2
Counterspell   1
Preordain   2
Echoing truth   1
Cyclonic Rift   2

Artifacts   

Coat of Arms   1
   
Lands   

Island   22
Faerie Conclave   2

[JJ]

Goblins

Creatures   

Gobline Balloon Brigade   2
Gobliln Bushwhacker   2
Goblin chieftan   2
Goblin Fireslinger   2
Goblin Lackey   2
Goblin Lookout   1
Goblin Ringleader   1
Goblin Vandal   1
Goblin Wardiver   2
Mogg Warmarshal   2
Siege Gang Commander   1
Raging Goblin   4
Stingscourger   2

Spells   

Goblin Grenade   2
Lightning Bolt   2
Boggart Shenanigans   1
Goblin Caves   1
Goblin offensive   1
Goblin warrens   2
Volcanic fallout   2

Artifacts   

Coat of Arms   1

Lands   

Mountains   24

[fatolaf]

I am going to build that squirrel deck...

Might put up my (if I remember it) great Cats/Bats and Rats deck from M13 and Innistrad days

[jackhoneysett]

Might of Oaks would be cool in that squirrel deck, just for the cute picture! (I'm thinking of the Urza's Legacy version!)

[JJ]

RATS!

Creatures   

Drainpipe Vermin   2
Muck Rats   4
Pack Rat   2
Rabid Rats   2
Rotting Rats   2
Swarm of Rats   2
Typhoid Rats   3
Dirty Wererat   2
Nezumi Graverobber   1
Ravenous Rats   2

Spells   

Lab Rats   2
Duress   2
Damnation   1
Doomblade   2
Sign in Blood   2
Mind Rot   2
Bad Moon   2

Artifacts   

Coat of Arms   1

Lands   

Swamp   22
Swarmyard   2

[JJ]

Ok so I might proxy these up. Then it will be some testing to maek sure they are on somewhat even footing in 1 v 1 matchups.

I am already thinking the weakest is white, but with that much flying, it will be an issue anyway.

So, what is the best UK based store for obscure singles?

[Steve H]

I use Troll Trader cards and Magic Madhouse... TT tends to be cheaper but MM tends to have far better stock levels.

[fatolaf]

Of you have the time, go for auction based cards on Ebay, much cheaper than buying direct

[JJ]

Odds of finding old coomons are slim though

[JJ]

If I were to build these in cockatrice - would people be keen to playtest for me? Can tune it much faster if it is more than just me playing!

[Guillaume]

I'll playtest cockatrice, I think having coat of arms in every deck doesn't fit the theme of individual duel decks, also every duel deck released by Wotc is based around a cheap legendary creature or cheap planeswalker (I'm not suggesting stupid things like krenko or clique).
(As in maybe Ib halfheart for the red deck perhaps) also if I may venture some changes, I'm not sure volcanic fallout is the best card for a goblin deck and the white deck seems very week. I was thinking more like rebels for white (with a one of Lin siivi to make it actually good but not ridiculous)  (also squadron hawks is broken in the most casual sense of the word) I'll comment more when I'm off my phone and can actually see what I'm doing


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[JJ]

Yeah already saw the CoA faux pas.

I think I can probably afford to put in a whispersilk cloak to each deck though it is a major game enger...

White does seem weak, but with swords and DoJ it can sweep well - it's search abilities help it along well to recover from them. The other option of cats is a good one - rebels seem too strong as they all search far too well and the card advantage form that is huge. I have a pauper legacy b/w rebel deck... that is just horrible to play against. It just spams dudes at the end of the opponents turn then you kill them...   

[Guillaume]

i suppose ur right about rebels, but i still think there should be a centerpiece card for each deck

[Guillaume]

also coa is way more powerful in the squirrel and white deck than in the others (because of token spam and squadron hawks/ranger) and whispersill cloak seems a bit redundant in these decks as there isnt really anything big enough to make use of it.