"Thoughts of the Wind" Deck Guide
for: Magic: the Gathering Duels of the Planeswalkers (XBLA)
by WiNGSPANTT
-=TABLE OF CONTENTS=-
---------------------
(Use your browser's search function to quickly find each section)
[#ABOUT] About this Guide
[#INFOS] About the Author
[#HSTRY] Version changes history
[#PLAYS] Playing the Deck
[#RM] The Right Mindset
[#TD] The Tough Decisions
[#DG] Draw. Go. Pray.
[#HW] Do Your Homework
[#SW] Strength in Weakness
[#WD] When in Doubt, Lie
[#SCENE] Gameplay Scenarios
[#CARDS] Card Analysis
[#CR] Creature Spells
[#NC] Non-Creature Spells
[#UN] Unlockable Cards
[#MATCH] Deck Match-ups
[#TP] Teeth of the Predator
[#HF] Hands of Flame
[#WL] Wings of Light
[#ES] Eyes of Shadow
[#SF] Scales of Fury
[#EE] Ears of the Elves
[#CV] Claws of Vengeance
[#TW] Thoughts of the Wind
[#AD] Artifacts of Destruction
[#TERMS] Glossary
[#ABOUT]
-=About this Guide=-
--------------------
This guide is intended to explore some of the nuances of the mono-Blue deck
"Thoughts of the Wind" one of the unlockable decks for Duels of the
Planeswalkers. This guide is not intended to teach you how to play Magic
(Duels has an excellent tutorial, as well as a Mentor Mode for this) or what to
do every turn with every creature. Instead, the guide focuses on this deck's
specific mindset, single card analysis, and deck-by-deck match-ups against the
default Duels decks. Because Thoughts of the Wind is a soft control deck, it
can be very difficult to play effectively for newer players or any player
inexperienced with Blue decks. By the end of the guide, you should have a
better idea of when to play the majority of cards in Thoughts of the Wind, as
well as how to survive long enough to win in a variety of scenarios.
[#INFOS]
-=About the Author=-
--------------------
WiNGSPANTT is a long-time PC and console gamer, as well as a Magic: the
Gathering veteran since 1997. When he's not making Spy Lesson video tutorials
for Team Fortress 2 (YouTube channel: WiNGSPANTT), he is usually writing,
acting, or promoting Life in a Game, a videogame parody show he co-created and
co-wrote.
You can learn more about WiNG (who plays the villain) and watch all episodes of
Life in a Game at www.lifeinagame.com. You can also contact WiNG with feedback/
questions about this guide or Life in a Game at wingspantt {at} gmail [dot] com
Any donations via PayPal may be made to the same address and are greatly
appreciated.
This guide is for personal, non-commercial use only and is the sole copyright
of its author. You may not sell this work, and you may not edit, modify, or
claim ownership without the written consent of its author. You may distribute
hard copies of this guide if printed and bound in its entirety and if
distributed non-commercially with no claims of authorship.
[#HSTRY]
-=Version Changes History=-
---------------------------
06.23.09 v1.00 First version uploaded to GameFAQs
06.24.09 v1.01 Spelling corrections and clarifications on some words
06.25.09 v1.02 Moved Wall of Spears into its correct position as a creature
06.27.09 v1.03 Spelling corrections and moved some sentences for clarity
[#PLAYS]
-=Playing Thoughts of the Wind=-
--------------------------------
[#RM]
-=The Right Mindset: Card Advantage, the Clock, and You=-
(Please note that this and all strategy sections primarily address multiplayer
strategy. A computer opponent is far too dumb for some of these tactics to be
relevant.)
Why should you play Thoughts of the Wind? Its creatures are mediocre at best.
There are no huge, game-winning sorceries, and no flashy life-gain or nasty
auras. Well, ask yourself one question: Do I enjoy knowing that my opponent
hates me and the very air I breathe? If the answer is yes, then welcome to the
hilarity that is Thoughts of the Wind.
Thoughts of the Wind, like many mono-Blue decks, is a thinking man's deck,
designed to function and thrive only when the value of every card (both yours
and those of your opponent) has been weighed as carefully as possible. You will
not have the luxury of an extra 15 life gain buffer, or of being able to attack
with a monstrously bloated trampling creature, just to see what the defending
player does. You will be fighting tooth and nail (no Magic pun intended) to
halt incoming threats, establish air superiority, and create an annoying,
anger-inducing soft lock on your opponent's deck.
And every now and again, you'll be laughing as you Cancel your foe's desperate
attempt to have a meaningful turn.
If you are tired of grinding the CPU to unlock cards, this will not be a major
concern for Thoughts of the Wind. With the exception of Thieving Magpie, there
are no outstanding unlockable cards for the deck, meaning you can immediately
start earning your chops as a Blue mage as soon as you've won the deck. While I
recommend two or three Magpies in your final deck, they are certainly not
necessary for victory in the easy-to-moderate deck match-ups.
[#TD]
-=The Tough Decisions: Making the Call=-
The first thing you must accept when playing Thoughts of the Wind is that you
will win the majority of your games at less than 8 or 9 life. In fact, you will
often find yourself winning at under 4 life. Why is this the case? Without
effective creatures or removal, you will be forced to take a lot of early game
damage long enough to stall the opponent. Though you have a large amount of
countermagic and other defensive options, most will be best served late in the
game or against specific, non-creature threats. For instance, holding back
Deluge when your opponent Giant Growths his 5/4 creature to 8/7 and attacks may
hurt, but your conservative play will pay off when Overrun hits the table
several turns later. Likewise, casting Boomerang on an Elvish Champion just to
counter it is good, but bouncing it during combat to destroy the now-tiny
attacking elves with your blockers is more efficient. Making calculated and
conservative plays like this is the key to gaining card advantage, which will
put you in a better position to swing the game in your favor once your opponent
taps out or empties his/her hand.
Card advantage and careful calculation is extremely important to Thoughts of
the Wind because you simply can't counter everything. You must find ways to
make your cards count MORE than your opponent's cards because, in the end, you
will have a handful of options while your foe is crossing his/her fingers and
playing spells and land off the top of the deck. Just by having more cards than
your opponent, you have a constant air of power and the ability to bluff
confidence. Your opponent will always be asking themselves if the next card
played will actually ever see the light of day. By fostering that confusion and
by milking your resources for maximum card advantage, you can make your enemies
second guess themselves into making bad plays... or no plays at all.
At every single decision point, whether it's your turn or theirs, you must ask
yourself these questions:
-When an opponent casts a spell: "If I allow this card to be played, will I
lose the game? What will my clock be? (see Glossary: The Clock)"
-When an opponent attacks you: "If I do not block, or only partially block,
how many turns will I survive at this rate? (your Clock)"
-When you're choosing attackers: "If I attack with these creatures, in how many
turns will I kill my opponent at this rate? (their Clock)"
-When you have bounce spells: "If I wait to use this card, will I take more
damage? Will I have a more permanent solution by then?"
-When you are playing permanents: "If I play this card, will I be able to
protect it? Will playing this card change either of our Clocks?"
-When using a panic button card: "Will using this card now prevent more damage
than if it were used later? How will it affect my Clock?"
-When your opponent is ending his/her turn: "Did I learn anything about his/her
strategy or cards in hand? What are possible threats next turn?"
If you're not asking yourself these questions, there is no way you can expect
to consistently win with Thoughts of the Wind or any other reactionary/control
deck. This is because the key to winning with such a deck is to correctly guess
what the real threats are and neutralize them while ignoring all the temporary
threats.
[#DG]
-=Draw. Go. Pray=-
Classic mono-Blue control decks have often been called "Draw-Go" decks because
it's not uncommon for the player to untap, draw, and pass priority in the
hopes to counter every single card played by the opponent next turn, every
turn. Although you'll certainly have similar turns, you must always remember
that Thoughts of the Wind is not a tournament-level deck with two dozen
counterspells. You will be forced to play creatures both to protect yourself
and to cut down your opponent's clock.
Because you will be relying on creatures, you will often have very tough
decisions to make. If you tap out to cast a 3/2 Snapping Drake, it could
easily be Shocked at the end of your turn, followed by a nasty Seismic Assault
you no longer have the resources to counter. However, if you don't cast it, you
leave yourself vulnerable to a small army of 1/1 creatures that are doing 4
damage to you a turn, putting you on a 5 turn clock or worse. What is the
correct play?
In most cases, the correct play will depend on your land and the number of
cards your opponent has in hand. Assume, for the sake of argument, at any
given time that 1/3 of your opponent's cards are useless, 1/3 are minor
threats, and 1/3 are major threats. If your opponent has 5 or 6 cards, you need
to ask yourself if you're in a position to shut down 1 or 2 major threats. If
you are, then you cannot play the Drake, as your opponent is more than likely
to cast the threat, at which point you can counter it. But what about the 1/1
creatures?
As long as you have enough time on your clock that you can formulate a plan
with the cards in hand, don't sweat minor threats. If you can play a land next
turn and have enough extra mana to protect you and/or your drake, you'll be
fine, because you can easily whittle down the 1/1s via attrition. Most players
will stop attacking with them altogether (putting your clock at infinity,
barring any burn draws by your opponent). Sure, you might be left at three
life, but it's better than letting a Seismic Assault through that you'd have no
way to address once in play.
Granted, you cannot (usually) know what threats your opponent has. But if you
use the 33/33/33 rule you will usually be able to stop the cards that would end
your game.
[#HW]
-=Do Your Homework=-
As it stands, there are only eight decks in Duels of the Planeswalkers, and if
you hope to play Thoughts of the Wind effectively, you must be familiar with
all the cards in your opponent's deck. For instance, playing a Wall of Spears
on turn 5 with Negate and Cancel in hand and two lands untapped would be a
fairly safe play against Hands of Flame. The same play against Wings of Light,
however, would be suicidal, as odds are the White mage is packing an Angel or
Mercy or a Serra Angel. Letting either of these flyers through will completely
destroy your offense and put significant pressure on your defense. By
familiarizing yourself with each deck, you can more accurately calculate when
it is safe to take initiative. Or, you can use this information to bluff your
own threats at times you know you're more likely to be in trouble.
The same goes for your own deck. If your ideal play could get ruined by a
Wrath of God, and there is only one creature card left in your deck, it's
probably not best to take the risk if you can't counter the Wrath. While you
can't really control what cards you draw, you can make educated guesses about
how unlikely your savior spell is to show up. Got seven ways to take out that
2/2 bear? Let him hit play. Sure, you can't KNOW you will draw any of them, but
if you're only on a 10 turn clock, odds are you'll find some kind of viable
option.
[#SW]
-=Strength in Weakness=-
Blue's number one weakness is how slow it is. That means you'll be taking a
beating early on, and that your primary goal is to lock down your opponent
mid-game. Your opponent knows this, and, in most cases, will do everything
possible to damage you quickly before you can set up a real defense. While this
means you will often recover at low life (or just flat-out lose), you can also
use this to your advantage. By emptying their hands quickly, your enemies are
playing into your game. They're giving themselves fewer and fewer surprises,
fewer unknowns to keep from you. If you've got two counters and an Unsummon
against an opponent with only one card in hand, the odds they can increase
their momentum further are quite low. You concern will be to stall their
offense and easily shut out any REAL threats they play. By assigning
conservative blocks and eating damage, you'll be stocking cards in hand that
will quickly leave your opponent topdecking while you're planning three or four
turns in advance.
[#WD]
-=When in Doubt, Lie=-
Because Duels is an online game, bluffing is more powerful than in real life.
Your opponent cannot watch your eyes, read your posture, or distract you with
questions (well, they can, but you can mute them). But do not get bluff-happy.
Bluffs only work for one turn at most, and won't be convincing until you've
gotten good enough at the deck to really act. Additionally bluffs do NOT work
against bad players. If you have reason to believe your opponent is fairly new
to Magic, odds are he's not spending enough time thinking about your hand to
care if you have a real Cancel or not. However, in many situations, including
those when you're under a two or three turn clock, there are several things
you can do to bluff more effectively:
-As long as you have enough land, keep one or two extra land in your hands at
all times.
-Do not play cards that will not help your clock (an extra Wall when they have
a single 1/1, etc)
-When your opponent plays any spell, stop the clock (hit X). Take 2-3 seconds
to pretend you are considering a counter.
-Stop the clock on worthless spells even when you DO have a counter. It may
trick the opponent into thinking you have none when you let spells resolve.
-Even if you have only one option (say, attack with Cloud Sprite), take extra
time to appear to be weighing multiple options.
-Using panic button cards like Deluge and Evacuate later not only prevents
more damage, but may also trick your foe into thinking you have no such cards
-If you're playing a card that doesn't help your clock, try to leave 2 or 3
land open to bluff a counter or bounce trick.
-Feel free to use the microphone to mumble to yourself as if you are pondering
counter options or otherwise confuse your opponent.
-Unless you're a professional actor or poker player, don't expect your
microphone skills to work that well otherwise.
The ultimate goal of the bluff in Thoughts of the Wind is not to win the game,
but to stall for time as you look for a real way to win. Note that bluffs on
your final turn usually do not work, as almost all players will (rightfully)
assume you're bluffing in order to forestall certain doom. Still, it can't hurt
at that point.
[#SCENE]
-=Gameplay Scenarios=-
----------------------
In this section of the guide, I present several hypothetical game scenarios and
consider the best possible play for Thoughts of the Wind. Keep in mind that
these examples are designed to provoke your analysis of the deck, and not meant
to be carpet strategy for all similar situations. All scenarios assume it's
your first main phase unless otherwise stated. Note that, in keeping with the
rest of the guide, I have omitted life totals in favor of the Clock for each
player. Keep this in mind for your own experiences in difficult situations.
Scenario # 1
Your notable cards in play: 3 Island
Your notable cards in hand: 2 Cloud Sprite, 1 Wall of Spears,
1 Remove Soul
Your life clock: 18 turns
Opponent's notable cards in play: 1 Raging Goblin, 3 Mountain
Opponent's number of cards in hand: 5 cards
Opponent's clock: Infinite
Best play:
Although it is tempting to play Wall of Spears (which will automatically put
you on an infinite clock), don't rush to do so, for two reasons. First is that
playing the Wall will put your most important card out first, and with 5 cards
in hand, your opponent is likely to have enough burn to kill it either
immediately or within a draw or two. Second you must consider Hands of Flame
has many turn 3, 4 and 5 drops that could instantly reduce your clock to 4 or 5
turns.
By playing a single Cloud Sprite (not both), you will put your opponent on a
finite clock, while leaving two mana open to cast Remove Soul if need be on a
nasty larger creature. Although it's possible the threat won't be a creature,
you don't have any options to deal with an enchantment or artifact, and any
burn aimed at you right now won't put you in grave danger. Additionally,
playing the Sprite may force the Red player to burn it, after which you can
make the exact same play next turn. Now, your opponent could be on half the
clock you are unless they remove your Sprites.
When they do, play the wall. By then you will have the mana to cover your Wall
(assuming you didn't use Remove Soul yet) and you will have either cut Red's
clock down or baited out his/her burn. You will have also stalled for options
while your opponent is emptying theirs.
Scenario # 2
Your notable cards in play: 1 Thieving Magpie, 1 Wall of Spears,
4 Island
Your notable cards in hand: 1 Persuasion, 1 Tidings, 1 Deluge
Your life clock: 2 turns
Opponent's notable cards in play: 2 Troll Ascetic
Opponent's number of cards in hand: 2 cards
Opponent's clock: 9 turns
Best play:
Since you cannot steal the Troll Ascetics, the only cards that can save you are
another Wall of Spears, Evacuation, or just praying the opponent plays a bigger
creature you can Persuade and use to block. Do not consider using the Magpie to
chump, since doing so will gain you only one turn and yield no real solutions.
It's possible Green has a Giant Growth, but most players would have used it by
now to take out your wall and double their rate of damage. Your best bet is to
attack, and see what you draw. If you draw a creature or spell, you should save
it and cast Deluge right before your opponent declares attack. Then you can try
again next turn.
If you draw a land, your only real option is to play it and cast Tidings. Yes,
you're leaving yourself completely open, but if you don't cast it, the odds
you'll come across a solution next turn (assuming you have one) aren't that
great. If the opponent plays Overrun or Giant Growth, you didn't have a way
to stop it anyway. Assuming you live, you will have drawn five extra cards by
next turn, hopefully with at least one way out of the bind.
When your clock's at 1, remember that chumping with Magpie will net the same
effect as attacking (you get to draw one more card) but that attacking also
cuts your opponent's clock into the red zone. Additionally, you'll get cards
right now instead of at the beginning of the next turn. That could make all the
difference if your draw is Evacuation or another Deluge.
Scenario # 3
Your notable cards in play: 2 Air Elemental, 2 Snapping Drake,
1 Wall of Spears, 7 Island
Your notable of cards in hand: 1 Phantom Warrior, 1 Remove Soul,
1 Wall of Spears, 1 Island
Your life clock: Infinite
Opponent's notable cards in play: 1 Serra Angel, 3 Angel of Mercy,
1 Soul Warden, 10 Plains
Opponent's number of cards in hand: 2 cards
Opponent's clock: Infinite
Best play:
Against Wings of Light or other flyer heavy decks, it's not uncommon to end up
in large flyer stalemates. Attacking for either side would yield in unfavorable
trades (since the blocking player has more control). The real problem for you
is that Phantom Warrior is pretty much the only thing in your deck that can
break through that defense. And even if you do, it will take a fairly long time
given Wings of Light's lifegain abilities. Still, you should play it
immediately to get that piddling damage going and put White on a clock.
The only cards your opponent can possibly use to stop Phantom Warrior are
Pacifism, Wrath of God, or Mass Calcify, all of which are cards you can't
counter right now. Mass Calcify would, frankly, spell your instant doom and
probably put you on a 1 or 2 turn clock. Wrath of God, though possible,
probably wouldn't benefit your opponent until he/she could draw a couple
creatures to follow it up with (and it's unlikely White's stocking creatures
now as it would have been prudent to play them earlier). Pacifism is therefore
the only real threat to Phantom Warrior.
Although you can't protect Phantom Warrior, just play it. You'll have 4 lands
left untapped, allowing you to use Remove Soul if needed, but more importantly
allowing you to bluff a Cancel, Negate, Put Away, or Boomerang. Yes, it's very
likely a Pacifism will be coming eventually, but consider this: there are four
different answers to Pacifism in your deck: Boomerang, Unsummon, and Evacuate
to remove the Aura (though Evacuate would have to be weighed carefully),
another Phantom Warrior to replace the Pacified one, and Memory Erosion to
offer an alternative win condition. Hoping for one of these isn't the best
option, but it's not a vastly unlikely option either. And of course, there's
always the chance you'll draw countermagic before your opponent plays Pacifism,
assuming it's not already in hand.
Scenario # 4
Your notable cards in play: 1 Phantom Warrior, 1 Wall of Spears,
1 Memory Erosion, 5 Island
Your notable of cards in hand: 1 Remove Soul
Your life clock: 1 turn
Opponent's notable cards in play: 1 Elven Eulogist, 1 Elvish Champion,
1 Rhys the Exiled, 6 Forest
Opponent's number of cards in hand: 1 card
Opponent's clock: 5 turns (after Rhys' ability resolves)
Situation: It is the opponent's turn and he's attacking with everything. You
must assign blockers.
Best play:
The odds of winning this game next turn are extremely low unless you topdeck a
miracle like Persuasion or Air Elemental. It's also possible your opponent has
a Giant Growth, in which case you've lost the game outright. The fact that each
of his creatures has a highly annoying ability doesn't help.
First of all, assigning Wall of Spears to block Elvish Champion will enable the
Wall's first strike to remove Champion's +1/+1 buff before normal combat damage
is dealt, so that blocking assignment is probably your safest bet. What about
Phantom Warrior? Your best option is probably to block the Eulogist for two
reasons. First, if you block Rhys, you will just force your opponent to
sacrifice Champion to regeneration Rhys, when the champion wasn't going to kill
your wall anyway, and leaving you with only your wall. With one turn on the
clock and one blocker to two attackers, you will lose. If you block the
Eulogist, you will force your opponent to use her ability and remove all
sacrifice targets for Rhys.
Yes, with a Memory Erosion in play and this late into the game, it's possible
Green will gain 15 or 20 life. However, you have no choice. If you leave your
opponent with only Rhys in play, he cannot safely attack, putting you back on
an infinite timer. And if he does attack, you can block knowing he has a
Growth. Sure, you'll lose your wall, but you can trade your Warrior with Rhys
turn after that. Having one Remove Soul means you can hopefully deny Rhys his
ability while also keeping your clock wound up. From here on out, though,
you're both topdecking.
[#CARDS]
-=Card-by-Card Analysis=-
-------------------------
Here I've broken out every card in Thoughts of the Wind, both default and
unlockable, with thoughts on best uses and overall value to winning with
the deck.
[#CR]
-=Creature Spells=-
Cloud Sprite (4 in deck; 1/1 Flying, can only block Flying)
Cheap and nearly useless on defense, play the Cloud Sprite first turn and don't
lay off the attack, unless doing so would be suicidal. Early game Cloud Sprites
can easily net you four or five free damage. They can also make disposable
chump blockers against Angels and Dragons. That said, if your opponent has a
strong air defense, consider holding out on continually playing Sprites. Having
one in hand is useful if your opponent decides to cast Wrath of God, or if you
are forced to discard a card late-game.
Cloud Elemental (1 in deck; 2/3 Flying, can only block Flying)
Although relatively cheap for a flyer, keep in mind Cloud Elementals can't
block ground creatures, so only play it when you're in an offensive position,
or when your opponent has an airborne threat in play. You won't draw this card
often, so don't plan your strategy around it. Just treat it like a beefed up
Cloud Sprite.
Snapping Drake (4 in deck; 3/2 Flying)
Though plentiful and intimidating in many cases, Snapping Drakes are relatively
expensive. For four mana, you get a creature that, at best, trades for a low-
tier Angel and, at worst, for a Grizzly Bear. Play Drakes cautiously, when they
are instrumental to defense or for when you have an opportunity to push damage
through. Don't be surprised, however, when you consistently lose them to Shock
and other cheap removal. Snapping Drake will otherwise be a key part of your
end-game offense.
Air Elemental (2 in deck; 4/4 Flying)
Though a powerful 4/4 creature, the Air Elemental shouldn't be played until
you are prepared to protect it, usually with an extra two or three land open
(seven or eight total) for emergency Boomerang or Cancel use. If you're still
on the defense, consider attacking with every flyer other than Air Elemental.
Holding him back will make your opponent wary of attack. Once you have the
means to shut down his/her defense, feel free to lay down the 4-damage beats.
Phantom Warrior (2 in deck; 2/2 Cannot be blocked)
It's no secret, Phantom Warrior's strength lies in its unblockable ability.
When facing a nasty defense (or even another Blue deck) you can continually
pressure your opponent with 2 damage a turn. Don't forget, however, that
Phantom Warrior can block if need be (2 free damage isn't worth much if he
could be blocking 3 damage from three opposing 1/1 creatures). Because Phantom
Warrior is pretty much unstoppable without direct removal, don't feel pressured
to get it out early. Once it is securely in position, the game is yours.
Wall of Spears (4 in deck; 2/3 Defender, First Strike)
Wall of Spears is, to put it bluntly, instrumental to stalling the game against
the majority of other decks in Duels. As a 2/3 creature with first strike, one
of these walls can hold off half the creatures in the game, including Troll
Ascetic, with no problem. Two or three Walls of Spears can shut down an entire
ground-based offense. If you're finding yourself overwhelmed with smaller
creatures early on, don't hesitate to play a Wall of Spears on turn 3.
Remember, however, that since it is a defensive creature, you should probably
keep it in hand until your opponent has a ground-based opposition. Wall of
Spears works particularly well against Eyes of Shadow, since it can block
creatures with Fear.
[#NC]
-=Non-Creature Spells=-
Boomerang (2 in deck; Instant)
Boomerang has so many uses, it's hard to express how good it is. Use it to
remove blockers, or attackers. Use it to bounce your opponent's second turn
land, effectively wasting their first turn. Use it to save your own permanents
from destruction, or to bounce an enchanted enemy creature (thus wasting the
enchantment and re-applying summoning sickness). Use it to bounce a permanent
you can't handle, only to Cancel it when it's re-played. You can also attack
with a creature, Boomerang it, then recast it so it can block. However, that
strategy is risky and is only to be used in the most dire low life-total
situations. Boomerang is best used to disrupt attackers (negating opponents'
well-laid plans) or at the end of the opponent's turn, when it's too late for
them to re-play whatever you just sent back to his/her hand. If you Boomerang
a token creature, it will be destroyed. All counters on bounced permanents are
also lost.
Unsummon (2 in deck; Instant)
Unsummon is identical to Boomerang, except it only costs one mana and only
works on creatures. Due to its low cost, you can play a creature like Thieving
Magpie at five land, leaving one open to Unsummon in case your opponent decides
to zap your precious investment. That said, if you have both Unsummon and
Boomerang in hand, always use Unsummon first if your target is a creature.
Otherwise, their applications are nearly identical for both offensive and
defensive purposes.
Evacuation (1 in deck; Instant)
Not unlike Wrath of God, Evacuation will clear all creatures in play, returning
them to their owners' hands. Save Evacuation for your opponent's biggest
attack. You'll ruin their momentum, as well as force them to spend mana they
didn't think they'd need to use, replaying their critters. You can also use
Evacuation to save your creatures from threats like Wrath of God, and since the
enemy loses all his/her forces too, you'll be relatively safe. If you are
planning to use Evacuation, you can also attack with all your creatures that
can't be blocked. To your opponent, it will look like a suicide move. When he/
she counter-attacks to punish, Evacuate. Keep in mind that Evacuation will
destroy all token creatures and auras, and remove all counters.
Deluge (2 in deck; Instant)
Since Thoughts of the Wind has no offense-capable ground creatures, Deluge is a
completely defensive card. When your opponent ends his/her first main phase,
and the counter is ticking down before attackers are declared, you can cast
Deluge to effectively shut down his/her entire ground-based offense. Tapped
creatures, including those with Vigilance, cannot attack. Keep in mind, tapped
creatures can't use tap-activated abilities either. You can thus use Deluge at
the end of your opponent's turn to reduce his options for tap-activated
abilities during your turn. Just as with Holy Day and other "panic button"
cards, save Deluge for as long as you can. In most cases, the longer you wait
to use it, the more damage it will prevent.
Cancel (4 in deck; Instant)
Counter target spell. Though the effect is powerful and simple, there is a lot
of finesse in using Cancel and other counterspell cards. Before using Cancel,
always ask yourself "Will letting this spell through cost me the game?" If the
answer is no, you probably should save Cancel for later. Whenever possible,
play your turn leaving enough mana open for Cancel or another counterspell
effect. Even if you don't have a Cancel in hand, your opponent doesn't need to
know that, and may waste crappy spells in an attempt to trick you into
using Cancel.
Negate (2 in deck; Instant)
Like Cancel, Negate is a powerful and instant way to rain on your opponent's
parade. Unlike Cancel, however, it only works on non-creature spells. That
said, if you have both Cancel and Negate in hand, use Negate for major non-
creature threats, as Cancel can be saved for later, when you have more land or
when a creature threat emerges. Again, always ask yourself if you really need
to counter this spell to win before using Negate. You can also tap out to two
open lands when the board position is such that no new creature could possibly
threaten your victory. This allows more aggressive plays.
Remove Soul (2 in deck; Instant)
Like Cancel, Remove Soul can send the nasties to hell before they see the light
of day. Unlike Cancel, however, it only works on creature spells. That said, if
you have both Cancel and Remove Soul in hand, use Remove Soul for major
creature, as Cancel can be saved for later, when you have more land or when a
non-creature threat emerges. Again, always ask yourself if you really need to
counter this spell to win before using Remove Soul. You can also tap out to two
open lands when the board position is such that only a new creature could
possibly threaten your victory. This allows more aggressive plays.
Memory Erosion (1 in deck; Enchantment)
With only one copy in Thoughts of the Wind, Memory Erosion is not a card you
can count on often. However, if you are able to play it early on, do so. By
constantly "milling" away at your opponent's deck, you not only reduce his/her
mid-game options, but also expedite their doom, as a player who runs out of
library cards instantly loses the game. That said, if you get Memory Erosion
late-game, the odds it will mill your opponent to death are low. Using it in
conjunction with Evacuate, however, may force your opponent to pick and choose
which creatures to re-play.
Persuasion (1 in deck; Aura - Enchant Creature)
There are times when the best option is to counter a bloated creature. There
are other times when the best option is to steal it. Although you can't rely
on Persuasion for defense (as you only have one in the deck), when it comes up,
save it for the heavy hitters. Every deck in Duels has at least one giant,
mean, nearly-unkillable monster, and now you can own it. You can also use
Persuasion to steal cheaper creatures, thus removing a blocker, but do this
sparingly. Keep in mind that you can always Boomerang Persuasion back to your
hand if an incredibly juicy new target hits the field, or if your stolen
baddie is about to die. Don't tap out for Persuasion unless you can protect the
creature you're stealing.
Tidings (2 in deck; Sorcery)
Make no mistake, drawing four cards is a powerful effect, especially mid-game
when many decks are relying on top-deck luck alone to find answers to major
threats. That said, Tidings is expensive at five mana and risky as a Sorcery.
Only cast it if you have extra mana for protective instants, or if you have
absolutely no options available (i.e. if Tidings and an Island are the only
cards in your hand). Remember that you must discard to 7 cards at the end of
each turn, so don't cast Tidings if you're just going to have to ditch half the
treasures it gives you.
[#UN]
-=Unlockable Cards=-
--------------------
-=Creature Spells=-
Mahamoti Djinn (1 unlockable; 5/6 Flying)
An extremely powerful and undercosted flyer, Mahamoti Djinn is still fairly
expensive at six mana. In most cases, casting him will leave you completely
vulnerable, and saving him till end-game will not usually put you in a better
position than most other flying creatures would. I do not recommend using this
card unless you are playing against Wings of Light or Scales of Fury, where
having a meaty flyer would be particularly valuable.
Thieving Magpie (4 unlockable; 1/3 Flying, Draw card on unblocked damage)
It's relatively cheap, it flies, blocks most creatures in the game, and doubles
the rate you draw cards. If nothing else, add two or three of these birds to
your deck the second you unlock them. You will quickly realize their utility,
as you draw two or three cards to every one your opponent pulls. This means
more frequent counterspells, more reliable land draws, and more threats your
opponent has to answer every turn. Adding all four magpies may be a risk, as
hitting a glut of them instead of land may stymy your mana curve. But ignoring
this creature is not an option for Thoughts of the Wind, unless you know you're
going up against a slew of flyers that can easily block it.
Denizen of the Deep (1 unlockable; 11/11, Evacuates creatures you control)
Eight mana. Let me say that again: eight mana. Will Denizen wreck your
opponent? Maybe. Will Denizen wreck your own defense? Definitely. While
certainly imposing, Denizen of the Deep is too expensive and situational to add
to Thoughts of the Wind. By the time you have the mana to cast him, you will
have too many creatures to make it worthwhile, and as meaty as he is, he has no
Trample and no self-preserving abilities. Sure, you could follow Evacuation
with Denizen (with a net zero loss) but the odds of drawing that combo are low.
Leave Denizen in the sideboard.
-=Non-Creature Spells=-
Kraken's Eye (4 unlockable; Artifact)
Playing a Kraken's Eye on turn two will net you dozens of life. Playing one on
turn nineteen? Not so much. Although Kraken's Eye may bolster your stalling
game, the ultimate goal of Thoughts of the Wind is to move away from stalling
and change over to air beats offense. I recommend adding zero to the deck,
unless it's for the mirror match.
Counterbore (1 unlockable, Instant)
Counterbore is both powerful and expensive. For five mana, you not only counter
a spell, but you also remove all copies of that spell from your opponent's
deck, effectively neutering that strategy. While Counterbore is not a bad card,
the majority of major threats in Duels only exist as one-of or maybe two-of
copies in most of the decks. The odds you'll see more than one Godsire or
Blightning is low. Also consider that most of the threats you'd love to use
Counterbore on (such as Troll Ascetic or Incinerate) come out much sooner than
Counterbore. Leave this one out of the deck, except perhaps against another
Thoughts of the Wind deck. Since a blue-blue mirror match will tend to be drawn
out and defensive, removing all copies of Cancel or Snapping Drake from the
game may give you an advantage.
Flashfreeze (2 unlockable, Instant)
Extremely good against Red and Green. Extremely bad against everything else.
I think the parameters for the inclusion of this "hose card" speak for
themselves.
Put Away (1 unlockable; Instant)
The odds you will ever re-draw the card you get to shuffle back into your deck
with Put Away are low. Costed at four mana, Put Away is too slow to stop early
threats. I wouldn't generally recommend this card except in the blue-blue
mirror match, where every counterspell counts, and where you'll have a chance
to retrieve cards you previously lost to your opponent's countermagic.
Mind Spring (2 unlockable; Sorcery)
Like a Blaze for Blue, Mind Spring lets you pay as much mana as you want to
draw as many (or as few) cards as you desire. Though certainly powerful, I
question the utility of adding Mind Spring to a deck with two Tidings and up to
four Thieving Magpies. At three mana, you're basically paying to get the card
you would have drawn if you didn't add Mind Spring to your deck. At five mana,
Mind Spring is strictly worse than Tidings. At six or more mana, Mind Spring is
strictly worse than Flow of Ideas. Thus Mind Spring is only really useful in
the flexibility it offers. I recommend you only include Mind Spring in place of
Thieving Magpie. And I only recommend removing Thieving Magpie against flyer-
heavy decks like Wings of Light or in the mirror match.
Flow of Ideas (1 unlockable; Sorcery)
Similar to Mind Spring, Flow of Ideas is a powerful card-drawing engine,
netting you one card for every Island you control! However, at six mana, Flow
of Ideas is prohibitively expensive and will probably arrive too late in the
game against many decks. I only recommend Flow of Ideas in tandem with Mind
Spring as replacements for Thieving Magpie in the mirror match, where slow
plays and big draws will pay off.
[#MATCH]
-=Deck match-up Strategies=-
----------------------------
[#TP]
-=Vs. Teeth of the Predator=-
Biggest threats: Elvish Piper, Loxodon Warhammer
Biggest weakness: Only win condition is ground-based combat damage
Teeth of the Predator is a traditional Green "Stompy" deck, relying on brute
force, speed, and overwhelming numbers to beat you into submission. Its larger
creatures are huge beasts that will easily trample over your defenses, and the
smaller creatures can be readily boosted with powerful Auras and Instants to up
their threat level. That said, it's a straightforward deck with little strategy
other than "Smash!" and "Smash more!" If you can gain control mid-game,
you're golden.
The first thing you should realize is that your Wall of Spears can neutralize
almost every creature in the deck, and two Walls can force desperate plays from
your opponent. Whether you have a Wall or not, be prepared to take an early
game beating as you attempt to establish control. Do NOT counter or bounce any
creature that isn't putting you at five or fewer turns of effective life.
Don't worry about countering any life-gaining spells, as your opponent's life
will be irrelevant if you play your deck correctly. In general, you should be
marshaling sky forces and walls while negating only the biggest threats, such
as Troll Ascetic, Overrun, Loxodon Warhammer, and Elvish Piper.
Troll Ascetic is a nuisance because you can't bounce him, making any pump-
effect targeting him a lethal hazard. Overrun is clearly a nasty situation, but
it can be bypassed with any countermagic, as well as Deluge and Evacuation.
Loxodon Warhammer effectively gives your opponent the ability to change any
creature into a nasty beast; if you can't counter it, it will effectively ruin
your game until you are able to Boomerang, them counter it. Finally, Elvish
Piper will, if allowed into play, completely destroy your ability to counter
creatures, as well as give your opponent the ability to cast huge creatures as
an instant for only one mana.
Get your flyers into position and weigh the momentum of the game. If you can
end the game in your favor in fewer turns, press the attack. Thieving Magpies
will all but guarantee your win, as Teeth of the Predator only has one
(nonlethal) way to block your birds. In all other instances, however, keep in
mind that Green has a lot of nasty combat tricks to punish an overzealous
offense or a safe block. Keep a Negate or Cancel ready to punish game-winning
Giant Growths. And remember you can Boomerang/Unsummon a creature to infuriate
a player attempting to enchant that creature. If you have Evacuation, try to
lure your opponent into a large, committed attack, then punish. This is a
fairly good match-up for Thoughts of the Wind.
[#HF]
-=Vs. Hands of Flame=-
Biggest threats: Pyromancers, Seismic Assault, Furnace of Wrath
Biggest weakness: Weak goblins that are easily ignored
Although it' may be too early to tell, I believe Hands of Flame is easily the
weakest deck in Duels. The goblins that make up most its offensive force are
all tiny and easily shut down by a single Wall of Spears. Its instant and burn
spells, though decent, are too few in number to be a major threat to the
player, and the ones that are (Lava Axe, Enrage) are late-game cards that are
easily Canceled or Negated. Though the deck features some larger creatures as
unlocks, these are, again, late-game threats for which you will have plenty
of answers.
In general, the biggest problem Hands of Flame poses are its recurring-damage
permanents. Prodigal Pyromancers can tap at any time to do one damage to you
or any creature, an obvious problem when Thoughts of the Wind is full of tiny
critters and relies on long-term stalling. Cinder Pyromancers copy this skill,
but untap whenever a Red spell is played, which can quickly result in major
losses. Seismic Assault, if allowed to hit the table, will allow the Red player
to circumvent your counters and chuck land for two damage at any time. And
Furnace of Wrath will double all damage dealt, which is obviously against your
favor in the majority of situations.
Outside of these cards, however, Hands of Flame poses little threat. The puny
goblins do negligible damage and are easily shut down. The deck only features
crappy and late-game flyers, meaning you can get in tons of free air strikes.
Cast Cloud Sprites to draw out direct damage spells (forcing your opponent to
waste them), and don't worry about your health unless you're approaching 5
life. In general, if you can take out the threats outlined above, you should
have no problem stalling long enough to lock down your opponent and win. This
is a very good match-up for Thoughts of the Wind.
[#WL]
-=Vs. Wings of Light=-
Biggest threats: Glorious Anthem, Pacifism, many flyers
Biggest weakness: No dangerous combat tricks to worry about
I'll get this out there right now: a duel against Wings of Light is going to be
painful. This multi-tiered White deck has a strong ground and air game, with
tons of flyers and life gain that will all but remove your hopes to apply any
pressure whatsoever. Although your Walls of Spears can easily control the
deck's ground creatures, this advantage disappears if you allow a single
Glorious Anthem to hit the table, since it boosts all of your opponents'
creatures by +1/+1. If two Anthems are in play, your creatures will struggle
to stay away from the bright light at the end of the tunnel. Even if you're
able to prevent these buffs from hitting the table, you will have many other
problems to contend with.
Hawks, Angels, walls, and flying mystical lions (?!). Unless you have extreme
luck, you won't be poking through with Magpies or Sprites. Even your strongest
flyer, the Air Elemental, is only barely stronger than Wings of Light's
weakest Angel. Your best offensive hope may lie in Phantom Warrior or
sideboarding in a Djinn. But no matter what air force or ground force you put
together, you can expect Pacifism to ruin your day. What good is an 11/11 that
can't attack, or a Wall of Spears that can't block? You will soon have an army
of knights and flyers in your face. Meanwhile, your opponent may have well over
40 life. Although you might have counters on hand, Wings of Light has so many
cheap, disposable cards, its wielder can easily bait your counters out all day,
then follow up with real threats.
Against Wings of Light, you will have to play extremely conservatively,
countering only the largest, most obvious threats, such as Glorious Anthem,
Pacifism, and Reya Dawnbringer. Glorious Anthem is particularly dangerous
because the second it's in play, all of your calculations on safe blocks and
attacks go out the window. You will be forced to take a lot of up-front damage,
because it is simply not worth tapping out to cast a creature, only to have it
Pacified. Save Boomerang for removing blockers or resetting Glorious Anthem. If
you have to, you can bounce an Angel of Mercy, but by doing so you're basically
giving your opponent six or more free life. Aggravated yet?
If that's not bad enough, a missed Voice of All with Protection from Blue will
all but guarantee your loss as it attacks and blocks with impunity. It is
imperative that you hold out for end-game moves and save your counters for the
major threats outlined above. Even if you establish control, it could be dozens
of turns before you claim victory, due to the large life-gain bonuses Wings of
Light enjoys. Needless to say, this is a bad match-up for Thoughts of the Wind,
and a particularly annoying one at that.
[#ES]
-=Vs. Eyes of Shadow=-
Biggest threats: Underworld Dreams, Ravenous Rats, Royal Assassin
Biggest weakness: Weak flyers with no dangerous abilities
What does Blue love more than anything else? Why, cards, of course. Then you'll
be pleased to know that Eyes of Shadow is basically going to corner, torture,
and murder the one thing you love more than anything else. Sound fun? Yeah, I
didn't think so. Though a painful, uphill battle, Thoughts of the Wind's fight
against this Black deck should be winnable as long as you measure your options
carefully at every stage of the game.
Eyes of Shadow is designed to deny you options by forcing you to empty your
hand. While this would be bad for any deck, Thoughts of the Wind, like most
control decks, relies heavily on stockpiling panic-button cards for use at the
best moment. When you have to lose those options earlier, you will be in a bad
position when a real threat hits the table. Mind Rot and, yes, Ravenous Rats,
will give your opponent a card advantage by emptying your hand, and Megrim and
the Rack will punish you for failing to refill it. It is imperative that you
keep one or two disposable cards (such as Cloud Sprite, Island or Unsummon) in
your hands at all times in the event you must discard. The Eyes of Shadow
player WANTS you to Cancel such cards, ensuring the next discard effect
empties your hand of your panic-button gems. Keep as much land open as you can
to circumvent this pressure.
Much like the match-up with Hands of Flame, your real worries should be sources
of recurring damage and pressure. Underworld Dreams will damage you every time
you draw a card. (!) It should be granted that this enchantment will put you on
a very short timer, especially if you're keen on Thieving Magpies or any other
draw engine cards. Don't hesitate to Boomerang and Cancel or Negate Underworld
Dreams or Megrim, as Boomerang will only hurt you if saved for use on Ravenous
Rats or Nekrataal.
Aside from a handful of defensive creatures, Eyes of Shadow has no real answer
to a full-out air squadron. Its own flyers are easily blocked, countered, or
stolen, and its Fear-based evasion creatures can be stopped by your Walls. For
this reason, your main route to victory is air superiority, not lock-down
control. Get a large number of flyers out, and don't hesitate to throw counters
and bounce spells to protect them from Terror and other removal, as odds are
you won't be able to save your Cancels from a constant barrage of discard
effects anyway. Try to dance around Underworld Dreams and the Rack as much as
possible (assuming you couldn't counter or bounce them). A duel against Eyes of
Shadow is a bad (but close) match-up for Thoughts of the Wind.
[#SF]
-=Vs. Scales of Fury=-
</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
Biggest threats: Blightning, Dragon Roost, Rampant Growth
Biggest weakness: No real threats other than massive, terrifying dragons
Yes, you read that right. One of the biggest threats in Scales of Fury is
Rampant Growth. Why? Because when you're starting second and your opponent
drops a Dragon Roost while you're tapped out with three lands, you're in
trouble. This flying beats deck features several very nasty dragons, as well as
a lot of mana acceleration and smoothing to ensure these winged lizards take to
the skies quickly. Much like with Teeth of the Predator, you'll have to bite
the bullet on early damage from relatively wimpy creatures and leaving options
open for handling your opponent's overgrown fire geckos.
If you let a Dragon into play and you don't have a way to bounce or steal it,
you've probably lost the game. It will single-handedly shut down your offense
and/or provide unsettling damage every turn that you'll be forced to chump
block or take to the face. If you let Dragon Roost into play, you have about
two turns to lose it or to win the game, since its existence all but guarantees
a stream of 5/5 flying monsters. The fact that Scales of Fury features more
that seven direct removal spells means that chump blocking may not even be an
option. Coupled with early-game Blightnings, you could have very few answers
for an increasingly scaly problem.
Don't let a Dragon into play. The other creatures in the deck are largely a
joke, so if you can survive with a single Wall of Spears for a while, do so.
Tapping out will lead to disaster. When you're more certain of your position,
you can start dropping flyers into play, baiting removal with the crappier
creatures (read: Sprites) first. Don't bother countering these attempts, as
your more valuable Magpies and Phantom Warriors will be worth protecting.
Needless to say, if you're able to use Persuasion on a non-token dragon, you
will probably win. This is a close match-up for Thoughts of the Wind which will
rely heavily on your management of land resources.
[#EE]
-=Vs. Ears of the Elves=-
Biggest threats: Gaea's Herald, Immaculate Magistrate, Coat of Arms
Biggest weakness: Weak creatures' over-reliance on cumulative effects
Don't worry. It's just elves.
Actually, you should be pretty worried. If played correctly, Ears of the Elves
has the ability to completely overrun you. And that's without even playing
Overrun. That's because, much like the popular Sliver decks, Ears of the Elves
is constructed to give its user bonuses the more elves there are in play. And
since every creature in the deck is an elf, with some granting the ability to
summon even more elves, things can get our of control quickly.
Outright, most of the creatures in the deck are harmless with your standard
Wall of Spears/stalling defense. However, much like Wings of Light when a
Glorious Anthem hits play, there are several key cards you must shut out if
you wish to maintain an advantage. For instance, Gaea's Herald makes all
creature spells UNCOUNTERABLE. Coupled with Immaculate Magistrate, which can
exponentially grant +1/+1 counters to any creature as an instant, Gaea's Herald
can ensure creatures get into play and get nasty, quickly. Coat of Arms grants
all creatures a bonus for sharing creature types with others, but since your
opponent's deck is all elves, his/her pointy-eared bastards will be pumped
+8/+8 while your Snapping Drake will be lucky to catch a +2/+2 bonus.
If you can shut out these key cards, Ears of the Elves is not a significant
threat. Your Walls of Spears can hold out against all but its biggest
creatures, and Ears has no way to block your flyers other than throwing its
scant removal spells around. Thieving Magpies can quickly give you enough
answers to handle every major threat, as well as free damage. You can otherwise
shut out the elves with well-timed Deluge use, Evacuation if need be (which
will also destroy all those pesky +1/+1 counters and tokens) and Negates to
tide-turners like Overrun and Essence Drain. And since the commonly-cast
Elvish Champion grants all elves Forestwalk, if you're able to cast Persuasion
on a larger creature, you'll have access to a powerful, unblockable creature
that Ears of the Elves cannot remove (as its removal is either damage based or
works only on non-elves). This elf deck is an okay (but very close) match-up
for Thoughts of the Wind.
[#CV]
-=Vs. Claws of Vengeance=-
Biggest threats: Woolly Thoctar, Bull Cerodon, Godsire
Biggest weakness: Three-color mana requirements can slow deck down... maybe
What most decks in Duels lack is extremely efficient creatures. Creatures that,
when played the turn they're available, are vastly superior to the standard 1/1
chump blocker. Well, Claws of Vengeance didn't get the memo, and from turn two
on you'll be dealing with a slew of hard-to control creatures. Woolly Thoctar
will give you elevated blood pressure the second it hits play. Staring down a
5/4 creature on turn three isn't pleasant, knowing you'd need at least two of
your turn three creatures to take it out. Things only get worse from there.
Bull Cerodon is a nasty 5/5 with Vigilance and Haste, and Godsire is an 8/8
that can tap to create 8/8 tokens. And it has vigilance.
All of the other creatures are equally efficient, though less scary, so you
will be on the defense immediately. Bouncing lands with Boomerang may stifle
your opponent's ability to meet mana requirements, but that's only so much
stalling. In order to win you will have to land a Magpie as soon as possible to
begin drawing cards like a madman. Unlike against other decks, you can't really
gain card advantage with your walls, so you can only hope to stall for enough
counters to keep the larger creatures at bay. Double block if you have to kill
things, but don't expect to have a lot of life if/when you regain control. You
may be forced to win via flying damage and stalling/bouncing/chump blocking.
However, these routes may get marred by cards like Pacifism, and Incinerate.
Think of this deck as a cross between Teeth of the Predator and Wings of Light.
You will have to make careful blocking and countering choices, and will need to
keep options available for the bigger guys. Your best bet may be bluffing,
forcing your opponent into baiting with worthless cards, thus buying you time.
This is a very tough match-up for Thoughts of the Wind.
[#TW]
-=Vs. Thoughts of the Wind (mirror)=-
Biggest threats: Phantom Warrior, Kraken's Eye, all countermagic
Biggest weakness: Slow and mana-intensive
For the mirror match, it's pretty simple: whoever gets more land or manages it
more efficiently will win. For this reason, it is vital that you have a strong
starting hand with three or four Islands. If you have the option to use
Boomerang on the opponent's Island turn two, do it. Even a single turn's tempo
loss can spell doom when it comes down to who starts off on the best foot.
This is ultimately because whichever player has enough mana to cast a spell AND
counter a spell in one turn will have a massive advantage. Any turn your
opponent taps out is a turn you should be smiling from ear to ear. Any turn
your opponent runs out of cards is a turn you should be planning your route
to victory.
Straight up, the most useless card is now Wall of Spears, since Thoughts of the
Wind has no blockable, ground-based creatures. If you draw one, don't play it.
For all your opponent knows, it's a Cancel or Persuasion. This also means that
flyers are no longer superior, since you have identical forces, and most of the
creatures' power/toughness ratios favor a defensive stance against other
flyers. Thus, Phantom Warrior becomes the most important card in the deck,
since getting one into play first means a guaranteed win unless it's bounced
or Persuaded. Do anything you can to land a Phantom Warrior onto the field and
keep it there.
I have previously indicated that Kraken's Eye is a bad card. It is. However, if
your opponent has one or (heaven help you) two in play, it's going to be a very
long game. Life totals could easily top 60 or 70. I don't advocate countering
this card (unless it's with Counterbore on the first one played), but do not
underestimate its impact. If you know for a fact you'll be in the mirror match,
you might as well drop a couple into your deck for the same reason. Memory
Erosion also becomes even more powerful, since protracted counterspell wars
will quickly mill your opponent's deck, leaving you with more tactical options
and a bonus win condition. It will also dissuade your opponent from "baiting"
you with throwaway spells. If you can play Memory Erosion safely, do it (but
don't rush; it's not necessary).
Because you will be facing many counters, it's imperative that you leave extra
mana and "bait" as often as possible. This means casting something disposable
(say, an Cloud Elemental) to lure a Cancel, then casting your "real" threat,
perhaps a Phantom Warriors or Memory Erosion. It's also more important than
ever to stock extra cards in your hand for bluffs, which will force your
opponent to bait you, wasting mana on cards you can't even counter. Whenever
you have the advantage, press it and hope for the best. Obviously, this is a
tough, but even match-up.
[#AD]
Vs. Artifacts of Destruction (NPC deck only)
Biggest threats: Master of Etherium, Platinum Angel, Shard Sphinx
Biggest weakness: Terrible, shamefully bad AI
Tezzeret the Seeker: a powerful planeswalker, the end-game boss, and... a total
joke? Well, victory against Tezzeret is largely a matter of luck of the draw.
But don't expect Tez to use the (many, many) cards he'll draw wisely. If you
can remove a few key cards you can apply enough creature pressure to
handily win.
Tez uses artifacts, and tons of them. Nearly every non-land card in his deck is
an artifact. And, much like the Ears of the Elves deck, his is constructed to
give maximum advantage for artifact-heavy play. Master of Etherium, for
instance, gets +1/+1 for each artifact in play, and Shard Sphinx creates Flying
1/1 tokens whenever an artifact damages you. His deck is full of cheap
artifacts with a large variety of abilities, most notably Howling Mine, which
increases the cards drawn by each player by one. With two or three on the
table, things can get a bit... cardy.
You'll notice right away that Tez' creatures are almost all cheap flyers or
meaty ground troops, making your job a tad difficult. Luckily for you, Tez is a
complete moron. He is unable to devise strategies other than "play artifacts
and attack" so it is relatively easy to scare him out of attacking, just by
having a couple blocking creatures out. True, Master of Etherium can be scary,
but if you are able to counter or bounce it (or both) your creatures should
have the advantage. Because Tez is so in love with Howling Mine, you will have
a contant supply of cards with which to address his bigger threats, and the AI
is too dumb to reasonably assess your biggest threats.
A simple trick you can do to gain an early advantage against Tez is to abuse
Howling Mine. Let's say Tez plays Howling Mine, granting extra cards to
everyone. Fair, right? Well, when your turn begins, you get a free extra card.
Now Boomerang the Mine. Next turn, Tez will waste his time re-playing it. Now
it's your turn, and you draw two cards. By now, you've gained two "free" bonus
draws while the computer's gotten none and wasted two turns casting the same
spell twice. Granted, you can't always make this play, but when you can, do so.
If Tezzeret is able to land a Master of Etherium into play, you will have no
choice but to bounce it or steal it. It will quickly become a 10/10 or larger
monster. Likewise, a Platinum Angel is a large flyer that makes it impossible
for you to win (it literally has an ability that prevents your victory). As
long as you can handle these two creatures, Tez will be too stupid to beat you.
This is a relatively good match-up for Thoughts of the Wind.
[#TERMS]
-=Glossary=-
------------
This Glossary is intended to define some terms used in this guide for those who
are newer to Magic: the Gathering. This Glossary is not intended as a
substitute for the Duels of the Planeswalkers Tutorial or for the official
rules of Magic: The Gathering. Words in quotes are words that are defined in
other places in this Glossary.
-Bluff: Just like in poker, Magic is a game of calculated risks. Bluffs make up
a large part of the experience against an opponent. If he/she believes you have
a Cancel, will he/she cast an important card? If you attack in a manner that
appears suicidal, your may intimidate the opponent into letting the damage
through. It is said in Texas Hold'em "The best play is the play you would make
if you knew what cards your opponent has." Try to make such plays, and try to
prevent your opponent from making them by keeping extra lands and cards
available at all time. Bluffing is especially important for Thoughts of the
Wind, since it relies heavily on punishing, reactive abilities. Keep in mind
that bluffing is harder when you have fewer cards in hand or against the Duels
computer AI, which does not respond to bluffs at all.
-Bounce: To return a permanent to it's owner's hand. Bouncing can be either
defensive (protect a creature from death) or offensive (remove a defender
before it blocks). There are so many applications for bouncing, it would be
impossible to list them all. Just ask yourself, "What card would my opponent
really NOT want back in his/her hand right now?"
-Broken: Any card or card combination that is deemed too powerful to be fair.
Many broken cards are banned or restricted by Wizards of the Coast after their
release proves catastrophic. Some broken cards allow easy "infinite" combos, or
are simply so powerful they force every deck in the "metagame" to use that card
or directly counter it to win.
-Burn: Any instant or sorcery spell used solely to inflict damage. The vast
majority of burn cards are Red, even spells that have nothing to do with
"burning" something with fire.
-Card Advantage: Ultimately, Magic is a card game and as such, the player with
more cards is generally in a better situation. More cards means more options,
but it also means less uncertainty. It means you can formulate plans more that
one turn in advance, as well as intimidate your opponent with hidden tricks.
Card advantage specifically refers to making choices and plays that leave you
with more cards than your opponent. For instance, you choose to attack with an
Air Elemental knowing full well your opponent would need to block with all
three of his flyers to kill it. Although you will lose your best flyer, he/she
will lose all his flyers (or take massive damage). Your opponent loses many
ptions in that trade, whereas you only lose one. This is like casting
Evacuation after your opponent has cast two Overruns and attacked with twelve
2/2 token creatures. Your single card has erased at least two of his turns,
three of his cards, and dozens in mana and damage. Card advantage is also why
Thieving Magpie is such a good card. If Magpie attacks even once, it has
already replaced itself in your hand. The longer it is in play and attacking,
the more options you gain.
-Chump/Chump Block: A blocking assignment that is intentionally suicidal. Chump
blocks are usually desperate decisions meant to forestall large amounts of
damage. Any creature without Trample can effectively be chump blocked by a
single 0/1 creature. Because chumps have no chance to kill the attacker, it's
best to wait as long as possible before chump blocking.
-The Clock: This is not a common term in Magic, but one used by me to describe
a way to think about combat damage. If one player has one or more creatures
that can't be blocked or are not prudent to block, his/her opponent is
essentially on a clock. At 20 life, a 1/1 puts you on a 20 turn clock. A 4/4
puts you on a 5 turn clock. An 11/11 puts you on a 2 turn clock, etc. The
concept of the clock is important because it forces you to consider how quickly
you must neutralize a threat in order to win. It also allows you to judge your
relative odds of winning in combat damage "trades." If your opponent has an 8/8
creature and you're at 17 life, you're on a 3 turn clock. But if you have a 3/2
flyer and he/she's at 5, you have the advantage. Don't let specific numbers
scare you. Always ask yourself who has more turns on the clock, and make
decisions that ADD time to your clock or SUBTRACT time from the opponent's
clock. For instance, if your opponent is at 2 life, and is on a 2 turn clock,
playing another creature is not likely to decrease that player's clock unless
you expect he/she may remove one of your creatures from play.
-Concede: To give up the game to your opponent. At the time of this guide's
writing, there is no way to concede in Duels, which probably contributes to
the high rate of rage-quitting. Conceding in traditional Magic is common when
an opponent establishes a "lock" or when one knows there is no way any topdeck
can save him/her.
-Control: Thoughts of the Wind is a good example of a light control deck. A
control deck's aim is to put its opponent's deck in a position where all of
its plays are irrelevant. This can be accomplished via defense and
countermagic, as in Thoughts of the Wind, or with a variety of other
strategies, such as perpetual discard effects that force a player to topdeck
all plays.
-Countermagic/counterspell: Any instant or ability that negates another instant
or ability directly. The archetypal card Counterspell is the mold for all such
effects.
-Deck/Decked: To be "decked" is to lose the game by failure to draw from the
Library. This is usually the result of "milling" but can also occur in
exceedingly long, defensive games.
-Drop/Drops: A "drop" is a planned play on a given turn. For instance, you
might say "Thoughts of the Wind doesn't have any good turn two drops" to
indicate there are few viable plays for the deck on the second turn. Drops
usually refer to permanents.
-Infinite: There exist certain card combinations which can result in infinite
mana, damage, life, turns, or tokens/counters in Magic. So far, no such
combinations exist in Duels, and they are unlikely to be implemented for
obvious balance reasons. When a deck "goes infinite" it usually signifies the
opponent's immediate or inevitable loss unless he/she is able to counter or
negate the infinite combo immediately. Rules state that for all "infinite"
variables, the "infinite" player must actually choose a number, and cannot
simply say "I have infinite life" or "I deal infinite damage to you." In this
manner, it is possible that a player with 8 trillion life might be dealt 8
trillion and 1 damage by a player who later goes infinite. Some infinite
interactions will break the game rules and immediately end the match in a
stalemate.
-Lock: A lock is established when one player has gained "control." A soft lock
is one which makes the majority of the opponent's draws and plays irrelevant
(i.e. all combat damage is negated). A hard lock is established when it is
physically impossible for the opponent to win the game with any draw or play.
Many control and combo decks are focused on establishing one of these types
of locks.
-Manascrew: Manascrew refers to being placed in a bad board position due to
drawing too few land. It's imperative that you only take a starting hand with
three or more land to help avoid getting manascrewed. Keep in mind that the
more land you begin with, the less likely you are to draw land later on. The
opposite of manascrew is mana flood.
-Metagame: The metagame is the current climate in Magic that refers to the most
commonly used decks and strategies in competitive play. For all intents and
purposes, there is no metagame in Duels, but one may evolve as hidden card
combos, deck strategies, and DLC decks/features emerge.
-Mill: Milling refers to forcing a player to put any number of cards from the
top of his/her library into the graveyard. The term gets its name from
Millstone, an artifact from early Magic which performed this task. Although
Milling does not directly hinder your opponent's gameplay (as he/she's still
drawing random cards), it decreases the options that player has over the course
of a long game, and may even lead to "decking." A player who cannot draw a card
(because his/her library is empty) loses the game.
-Ping: Any ability of a permanent (usually a creature) that deals 1 damage to a
creature or player. Prodigal Pyromancer is a good example of a creature with a
pinging ability.
-Pump: Any ability that allows a creature to increase its own power, toughness,
or both. Pump can also refer to Giant Growth effects used on creatures in a
similar manner.
-Sac: Short for sacrifice, it is common to sac a permanent to fuel a sac
ability if that permanent would otherwise be destroyed. "I'll block, then sac
him to regenerate this Legend."
-Stompy: A deck designed to win by aggressive use of large creatures in combat.
Stompy usually refers to Green decks.
-Strictly Better: A card is strictly better than another when it is identical
except for one notable attribute. For instance, Flying Men is strictly better
than Cloud Sprites because it's identical, but has no restriction on blocking
creatures without flying. Negate is not strictly better than Remove Soul
because their utility depends on the circumstance.
-Tapped out: Having all lands tapped, with none available for use. Being tapped
out is generally a vulnerable state, not only because you're unable to react to
your opponent's plays, but also because your opponent knows there is little you
can do to stop his/her tricks. For this reason, it's best to play instants and
instant abilities during your opponent's turn, and not your own. It will force
any reaction from your opponent to potentially leave them tapped out, right
before you take your turn and untap.
-Timmy/Johnny/Spike: These terms refer to three common types of Magic player.
Timmy is the player who is obsessed with the grander Magic cards like huge
creatures and spells with enormous effects. He likes winning with huge damage,
drastic attacks, and big surprises. Johnny is the player who is obsessed with
card interaction and prefers carefully planned and executed combos to win
duels. He likes winning with special combos he carefully planned, or by pulling
off particularly obscure card tricks. Spike is the player obsessed with
efficiency and winning at any cost, and will play any deck or strategy proven
to win. He enjoys winning knowing he played his best.
-Topdeck/Topdecking: Topdecking means you're either out of cards in hand, or
out of useful cards in hand, and are effectively improvising strategy based on
what you draw off the top of the deck. Obviously, this is a highly vulnerable
state and should be avoided when possible. Even if you are topdecking, it's
wise to keep one card in hand (even a useless extra land) so your opponent
doesn't know how desperate your situation is. "Topdeck" can also mean "a lucky
draw from the top" such as drawing Wrath of God as your only card the turn
before you would have died.
-Trade hits: Trading hits can either refer to back-and-forth all-out attacks,
or 1:1 blocking that destroys both blocker and attacker.
-Win Condition: A deck's win condition is its intended way to beat the opposing
deck. For many decks, the win condition is creature-based combat damage. For
Hands of Flame, there exists "ping" and "burn" win conditions in addition to
creature combat. Thoughts of the Wind relies on evasion creatures to deal
lethal damage. The deck also has a weak "mill" win condition. Having more than
one win condition makes your deck more versatile and less likely to get shut
down by one defensive strategy.
