Whereas Better Deckbuilding is the segment where I share decks that I've played, tested, and won with, Deck Files is more of a "How It's Made/Behind-the-Scenes" type deal where I'm going to take you through the methodical and somewhat erratic individual process by which I construct the decks that eventually become what you see in Better Deckbuilding. Hopefully, this will help give you a little more insight to how I plan, and how cards flow in and out of my decks as it finds shape and becomes the tasty, efficient, and effective finished product I like to share.
I began this segment unofficially last year with Animar, one of the crown jewels in my Deck Portfolio, but haven't really done much since. So it's time to dust off the cobwebs and talk about Magic's most unloved Invasion Dragon- Dromar, the Banisher.
I began this segment unofficially last year with Animar, one of the crown jewels in my Deck Portfolio, but haven't really done much since. So it's time to dust off the cobwebs and talk about Magic's most unloved Invasion Dragon- Dromar, the Banisher.
Unlike most of his fellow cycle-mates, Dromar's still stuck in the same ugly brown-gold border from whence he was made. Maybe it's because he is pretty ineffective and outclassed, as I mentioned last year when I featured him and his pals in my cycle review, (Bringin' It) Back From The Brink.
Shortly after, my playgroup decided it'd be fun to build around these guys, and I picked exactly who I said I would at that time- Treva.
However, after several months of unhappy themes and silly nonsensical lists, I asked for a trade. Most of my group's decks were already around, so I ended up working out a deal to get Dromar. And honestly, I was pretty excited and relieved. Even though he's not the cream of the crop, having uninhibited creative space, a "fresh canvas," is sometimes all we need to get going.
CONSTRUCTING THE DECK
The best way for me to begin building a deck is to get excited about a quality or interaction my Commander brings to the table. With Silvos, it was the artwork and the combination of Trample, Regenerate, and three green mana symbols in his CMC. With Doran, it was the challenge of making the True Defender deck and getting to play cards I actually thought were annoyingly underwhelming in better decks.
Still, I had to find a way to get excited about Dromar, a card which I felt very strange about trying to build around. Playing bounce effects seemed "too easy," and I already had an entire Bounce House made out of Blueberries for that (Decklist- The Braids-y Bunch), so decided to try something a little more engine-y. Flicker effects, combined with utility ETB creatures that I really hadn't gotten to play in a while, if not ever. Cards like Faceless Butcher, Conjurer's Closet, Palinchron, Akroma, Angel of Despair, Sin Collector, and Ghostly Flicker were useful for determining a tangible goal of this deck, which was being able to protect my stuff and create value out of their removal.
Often, the more things you can find to be excited about in a deck, the easier it is to build, and the more clear your plans become. Holding onto the hope that someone somewhere HAD to have made a better artwork for this definitely ugly looking card, I went to the Internet, and found this:
Now this was more like it. Between a tangible build-me-around mechanic and an art that helps Dromar demand a little more respect, it was easy to get a good first draft in.
THE FIRST TEST
I brought my Dromar deck to the shop a few weeks ago looking to get a decent game in against a non-Dragon metagame. I didn't want the deck to be ill-prepared, and it was important for my playgroup to see tangible progress in this project we've all been working on for months now.
The results, I felt, were pretty terrible. I had trouble keeping consistency, and was mauled pretty hard by timely counterspells and an unnecessary horde of Saprolings pumped by Mirror Entity.
I was bummed, but this is what happens in the process. Wanting to win and maintaining expectations are tough. My little ETB creatures were never going to beat down the way I wanted them to, and so the truth was that the deck was still searching for its identity.
RE-TOOLING
Whether it is because of my extensive experience in deckbuilding, or something entirely different, the results of the first in-game battle left me with the understanding that Dromar was still clearly lacking both the tangible and intangible qualities of the kinds of decks I like to build. Physically, the deck lacked real threats outside of Dromar, and the one time I'd casted him it scared the saproling player into attacking me, despite the fact that I'd done nothing throughout most of the game.
The deck also lacked sufficient stopping power. I didn't draw enough into relevant Wraths or counterspells, and so it was clear that I needed to change that. But more importantly, the figurative aesthetic wasn't right. Even though I was excited about the deck, and excited about the cards, it wasn't the "optimal" excitement I needed to make the deck better.
Sometimes, it's at this juncture that I like to put a deck away for a while, perhaps even take it apart. Instead, I took a quick look through my binders, pulling cards here and there that I thought might help fix the tangible, and added them to a stack I already had, and re-examining the deck for any other patterns, any cool little cards I'd put into the deck without thinking.
Turns out, I already had one. One of my friends had let me grab up a whole bunch of old bordered lands from Portal I, and I'd thrown them in the deck because I thought it would look cool, and it was.
In examining the mana base as a whole, I realized that I could substitute Terramorphic Expanse and Evolving Wilds for Mirage Fetches, and soon enough, the whole mana base had an old border. So why not the whole deck?
Turns out, I already had one. One of my friends had let me grab up a whole bunch of old bordered lands from Portal I, and I'd thrown them in the deck because I thought it would look cool, and it was.
In examining the mana base as a whole, I realized that I could substitute Terramorphic Expanse and Evolving Wilds for Mirage Fetches, and soon enough, the whole mana base had an old border. So why not the whole deck?
So I went back through my binders, pulling all the cards I'd want to play with old borders, took away the new Dromar art and re-replaced it with his old likeness, and voila! The Dromar deck has found its beginning.
THE LIST
At long last, we've arrived at the list. For the purposes of not making this post any more long-winded, I'll let you take a look at what's going on so far. Feel free to comment, and suggest ideas. Obviously, no deck is ever done, but this one is ready to get some more games in.
I'll continue to do an update on the deck's progress a couple more times. Hopefully it will only take me a couple more posts before it's fully finished.
Always interested to hear your thoughts.
Until then, Pass Turn.
-UL
