Magic: The gathering

(10 secrets to Deck-boulding)

If you're a seasoned Magic player with a suitcase full of rare cards, then an old fogie like me probably can't help you with MicroProse's computer adaptation; look to the vicious child prodigies that frequent card shops and tournaments for sage advice. But if the concept of "deck building" brings up images of Bob Villa with an armload of two-by-fours, then allow me to present you with Ten Commandments for honing your deck of cards in Magic: The Gathering.

1. Two colors are better than one
Single color decks are vulnerable to cards that targets particular colors or lands (if you want to see a grown man cry, slap a Conversion on his red deck). Although most of the beasties wandering Shandalar aren't equipped to shut down single color decks, there are other reasons to opt for something two-toned. Since each color has its own flavor, multi-colored decks combine the strengths of different colors and can compete with a wider range of tactics. There are great opportunities for creativity and you can be much more flexible adapting your deck to new cards and new situations. Also, there will be a wider range of anted cards available for your immediate use. If you're packing a blue deck, then your duels in Shandalar's swamps, plains, mountains, and forests are less likely to net the cards you want.
The price you pay for using multi-colored decks is the loss of focus. By spreading your resources over more than one type of mana, you risk getting stuck without the lands you need to play certain cards. If you're bold/foolish enough to use three colors, this is almost guaranteed. You can guard against this by including cards that generate different colors of mana: Birds of Paradise, Celestial Prisms, Sunglasses of Urza, Phantasmal Terrain, Untamed Wilds, Wild Growth, and the coveted Black Lotus are all particularly useful in multi-colored decks.

2. Distribution, distribution, distribution
If you were to pare down the Ten Commandments of deck building to three rules, these would be them. One of the first things a Magic player learns is the importance of distribution. The odds of getting a particular card into your hand depend on how many copies you have in your deck. Likewise, the odds of having a given card type in your hand depend on the percentage of that type in your deck. The standard distribution is one third lands, one third creatures, and one third "effects" (i.e., enchantments, sorceries, instants, interrupts, and non-creature artifacts). This can vary with deck type: "blast" decks that rely on fireballs or pumpable creatures can go as high as one half lands; tournament decks also tend to have higher percentages of lands. But "three thirds" is a good rule of thumb.
Note that this should be evenly divided when you're using two colors in your deck. If you're building a sixty card deck with two colors, it should break down as follows: 20 lands (10 color A, 10 color B), 20 creatures (10 color A, 10 color B), and 20 effects (10 color A, 10 color B). The Status button on the deck building screen is a handy way to keep track of your distribution.

3. Size counts...
...but not the way you're thinking. In the world of deck building, smaller is better. The fewer cards in your library, the higher the chance you'll draw the card you need into your hand. If, for instance, your strategy depends on a particular card, five copies of that card will statistically guarantee drawing it in your opening hand with a forty card deck. But with a sixty card deck, you'll need 7 and a half copies. Get the scissors.
You'll rarely go through your entire deck, especially in the earlier stages of the game when you and your opponent have only ten lives; in fact, most duels won't even see twenty cards. But in a smaller well-distributed deck, you can count on your important cards showing up. It's also easier to keep track of what cards are still in your library when you're playing with a small deck. Lastly, since smaller decks use fewer cards, they're easier to tune and adapt to particular situations.
This is probably the most difficult, but important, commandment to keep. You'll find yourself gathering all your favorite cards into a huge deck and then agonizing over which ones to remove. But if your approach deck-building from a mindset of "What twenty cards do I want to use in the next duel?" rather than "Which cards should I take out?", your task will be easier.

4. Speed kills...
...the other guy. You want to get your cards out quickly so they can get to work hurting your opponent. The best strategies come into play before your opponent can marshal resources to defend himself. Many decks aren't prepared to summon a creature until the second or third turn. This is a prime opportunity to get in a few quick licks early on. White decks are especially suited for this sort of thing with their cheap creatures, but green is ideal with its cheap creatures and mana boosting cards. Llanowar Elves, Wild Growth, and Untamed Lands can also speed green decks along to summon powerful creatures sooner. Dark Rituals have the same effect for black decks and the various Moxes add speed to any deck.
To further insure that you can get your cards on the table quickly, consider not using any cards that require more than one colored mana. These are just liable to sit in your hand while you wait for the second land of the required type. Also, don't get too attached to inflexible combos - be sure that your cards are useful even if the other half of an intended combo doesn't show up.

5. Quantity over quality
Along the same lines as the previous commandment, this is an argument in favor of cheap creatures. A common mistake among neophyte players is a fascination with the more powerful creatures. But even the toughest creatures are stymied by a 1/1 blocker and overwhelmed by a rush of 1/1 attackers. There's nothing wrong with one or two powerful creatures in a deck, but don't forget that a bunch of weenies offer the kind of safety you can find only in numbers.

6. Knowledge is power
Knowing what you're up against can be half the battle. Shandalar only has a handful of creatures, so it's not too difficult to keep track of what type of deck a creature uses. Consider jotting down a few notes about deck type during a duel; this way you'll be better equipped to decide whether to bribe or fight and you'll know who to trounce when you need certain card types.
More importantly, know your own deck. You should always have a pretty good idea of what cards are left in your library. Remember that you can check your graveyard at any time to see if a card has come and gone. There's nothing so frustrating as not being sure whether you have a certain card in your deck when you need it.

7. Don't forget the artifacts
Artifacts will get you through uneven mana distribution when you're using a multi-colored deck. If you get stuck with lands of one color and spells of another, artifacts can buy you valuable time. They're also good padding to even out distribution. For instance, blue decks can fall short when it comes to creatures, so a few artifacts will fill out your distribution nicely. With artifacts, you can tune a deck to make up for abilities your colors don't have (e.g., damage prevention, flying, regenerating creatures). Artifacts are also important for bypassing those pesky Circles of Protection and Wards when you're wandering through Shandalar's plains.

8. Look up
Don't neglect flyers. Those Scryb Sprites don't look like much until they start flying over your 3/3 blockers. Even if your deck doesn't include flyers to attack, ignore some means of blocking them at your own peril.

9. Be prepared
There's no telling what sort of annoying cards your opponent might have, so be prepared with one or more of those wonderful all-purpose cards that destroy permanents or enchantments (Fissure, Terror, Desert Twister, Tranquility, Disenchant). Blue decks, which can nip spells in the bud before they're even cast, are a great way to avoid unpleasant surprises. Also, it pays to have some means of countering continual damage effects. There's nothing like a handy Amulet of Kroog to counter a Wanderlust or Prodigal Sorcerer.

10. Tune often
Be flexible enough to adapt to certain situations and settings. It pays to tune your deck to combat a particular color when you enter a terrain type. When you go to liberate a town under siege, you'll know exactly what sort of creature you're facing. If you've kept notes on deck types, you can use this knowledge to your advantage in tailoring your deck. You'll have the same leg-up when you enter a dungeon, too, if you've taken the time to gather all three clues. And don't even think about going underground, where loss of life carries over from duel to duel, without some means of generating extra life (Spirit Link, Stream of Life, Drain Life, Throne of Bone, Wooden Sphere, etc.).

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