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By: dotstar, Dot Star
Oct 14 2010 2:25am
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Hi guys, back for a new article that is building a little in some ways on the last one (thanks to all who read/commented.  Had some nice feedback on MTGO also). 

After exploring a key area of any deck – that is the WIN Condition(s) and achieving them it is now time to look at the game and deck structure/planning into the flow that your deck has and how it maintains card advantage.  This topic is something I have been teaching our home stay student who is new to MTGO and is an important aspect to any successful deck/player.

Maintaining card advantage and at the same time game progression is difficult to balance  Card advantage is not necessarily achieved thru 2 for 1 or 3 for 1 draw spells.  Why?

Because resources are limited in several ways:

Card Drawing

Apart from the 7 Cards (or mulligan less) that you begin with, you are essentially drip fed cards off your top deck each turn.  On average that means in a 10 turn game without draw/card access aid you will see less than 1/3 your deck.  Not only that you are limited by what you draw.  If your cards cannot synergise and help your deck accel, or in some instances recover what can you do?  Sometime you plain old top deck luck out, - but that is part of the game too.  Luck of the draw.

"Resuffling is almost needed at times to correct the MTGO shuffler" ForestForestForestForestForestForestForestForest

Mana Base

Most decks require mana to function – a key component in playing cards.  And not just mana, – the right colours too.  As your first 3 turns alone are in a lot of cases limited (as 3 lands on average) it is important to look at what your deck can / does do in those turns.  Understand many decks waste these turns, whilst others can thrive on them.  Student Of Warfare is a prime example. I beat a guy in 5 turns with 2 of these.  The 2nd only cast turn 4.

 Student Of Warfare

"He beats the face of slow decks"

Card Playing

As the mana base is limited often a choice needs to be made about what cards and when to play them.  This also gets back to deck design as what is the point in Terroring the 1/1 chump your opponent has when you are heavily loaded with other mass wipe spells like Damnation, Martial Coup or Wrath of God.  The choice of when to play these is bout efficiency and effectiveness gained from each card.  Where possible most players will go for a 2 for 1 in card value plays.  This point also relates to usability of your mana curve.

"A Good Deck Does Something Every Turn To Further It's Goal"

Note managing these 3 areas are important and together they can allow for full domination if unchecked/matched by your enemy in the game state as you move forward.  A common example of this is the simple RDW type of deck.  They get a 2/x for 1 out as fast as possible 1st turn – use it’s efficiency to begin the task of the slow burn.  Notice a successful RDW tends to manage it’s mana well while playing/drawing and following their goal (aka Win Condition).  Many players hate RDW as they have little or no life gain in their deck, and too many idle plays/draws/turns over 1 – 5 - which is when the RDW deck is often  playing it’s hardest.   Card Advantage in this scenario is often given up in place of card use as the goal is achieveable given what they have designed into their deck (hopefully).

Also remember often your game can go beyond 5/6 turns.  It is no good if your deck ramps to turn 5 then burns out turn 6.  Often players refer to it as the Short Game and Long Game plan.  Control decks tend to be more focused long term and often their opponents lack of short term game allows them to exist.

How do you know if your deck has these elements?  And that you as a player are connecting them.  The  easiest way is to play other decks.  Card/player interaction is the essence of MTG.  Many people believe that the first thing they read on the net is the only/or best idea.  Not always.  You would be surprised the card interactions that occur simply because you let them.  Sure Trinket Mage + Sol Ring are always going to work well – but there are many people overlook.  Take for example Grim Discovery.  This card is a beauty.  Not only does it allow you to get 2 for 1 from your grave.  You could use it early game (if needed) as a way of mana fixing via returning your fetch land and refetching.  Naturally it is still a beast late game and also a great card to recover from a Blightning with.  Unlike a similar casting cost card Explore which is best early game, granted can still be equiv of cycled late game for 1G, but still is not progressing the game plan.  Understand Explore late game isn’t terrible – but cards like Harrow can be. 

I often play opponents who die with 4+ cards in hand simply because they focused on getting cards and not stopping me nor winning themselves.  Some decks carry 8+ pure draw cards.  I think in many scenarios that is overkill.  Cards like an old favourite of mine Chains of Mephistopheles can cripple a lot of drawing kind of decks as can Underworld Dreams as they create turns of lacked progression combined with loss of life/cards.  The beauty of MTG is there is so many aspects to interact with.

For a benchmark I use a simple B/R/G aggro deck as a opponent to test how new decks of mine hold up.  Knowing forewell just how much pressure this deck can put on a opponent (Turn 5 - 6 Avg wins) - it too can 'stress test' your deck tha it can progress the Win condition and at the same time deal with threats that it throws out.  It also is quite a efficient example of a deck that uses progression and card advantage.  I have even mananaged most times late game to handle a win simply beause of the even increasing pressure it places on the opponent thru Card Advantage and Game Progression.

 

BRG Benchmark Deck
Standard Aggro Deck For Testing
Creatures
3 Wall of Blossoms
2 Eternal Witness
4 Boggart Ram-Gang
4 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
14 cards

Other Spells
3 Exploration
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Explore
2 Kodama's Reach
4 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Consuming Vapors
4 Harmonize
1 Bituminous Blast
22 cards
Lands
1 Maze of Ith
1 Badlands
4 Bayou
7 Forest
4 Mountain
3 Raging Ravine
1 Taiga
3 Verdant Catacombs
24 cards
 
Boggart Ram-Gang

I have played this deck against many matchups and usually it is just simply too fast/efficient for other decks.  Notice this has the likes of Exploration Explore and Kodama's Reach which allow it to get a good pace of ramp.  It uses Bloodbraid Elf and Boggart Ram-Gang as hasty beaters which with a simple turn 1 Explore can both be out by turn 2 - creating a kind of instant clock.  This deck alternatively can ramp allowing it to outcast other decks.  At times I have churned thru 20+ more cards (and played) than an opponent. Often while they have to sit there and watch me with more creature, more life and/or more game presence.

I took this to the casual room to illustrate how well it's efficiency and progression in game plan dominates many decks which seem to lack focus.  I did some vids up for simplicity of the game replays.  They really illustrate how synergy can help.


Hopefully the vids are watchable enough and it helps to illustrate this idea of Card Advantge and Game Progression.  A syngery which is beautiful when it works.

9 Comments

Thnks mod for the edit by dotstar at Tue, 10/05/2010 - 20:00
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5

Just a note to the MOD who re-drafted it for me so I could edit the topic teaser. Thanks

I was a bit worried when I by JustSin at Thu, 10/14/2010 - 12:13
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I was a bit worried when I saw this posted because I have an article on Card Advantage I've been working on and hope to have finished soon, but I was glad to see this was about more then just that, some good thoughts and a cool deck

Guess card advantage is on by Raddman at Thu, 10/14/2010 - 12:20
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Guess card advantage is on the brain, just finished my article and submitted it this morning. I think the articles will co-exist just fine!

And btw, late game harrows aren't bad when valakut is on board, they actually make me smile!

what the crap you're writing by JustSin at Thu, 10/14/2010 - 16:22
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what the crap you're writing an article on card advantage too? think I have a great idea and it gets stolen from me lol

Not writing.......wrote and by Raddman at Thu, 10/14/2010 - 16:34
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Not writing.......wrote and already submitted lol. Funny thing is, I thought the same thing myself, no one has written about card advantage so maybe it's time for an article.

Mine is in simple terms, I'm sure yours will be just fine to submit as well. You always out do me anyways lol.

If I had more time mine would by JustSin at Thu, 10/14/2010 - 16:46
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If I had more time mine would have been submitted by now lol I was actually going to finish it up today (it's two parts) and submit the first part, why does it seem we're always thinking the same thing on articles? lol are you stalking me? reading my mind? either way I'm afraid...

Well my next articles will by Raddman at Thu, 10/14/2010 - 17:38
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Well my next articles will probably be updated versions of legacy card pricing compared to the last time I wrote on it (Feb or May, can't remember) and the other one will probably be some 2 man results from me playing Valakut Ramp and Mass Polymorph decks for standard. Hopefully neither of these things you plan on writing about lol.

Maybe it is a simple as great by dotstar at Thu, 10/14/2010 - 17:23
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5

Maybe it is a simple as great minds think alike. ;)

Glad to see important concepts of the game are appreciated/recognised by players. Card Advantage is an age old thing that often get forgotten by people who spend too much time thinking about a single card rather than deck synergy (and how much power overall it can provide).

Look forward to your guys articles. And thanks for the replies.

...dude! Another great by han solo at Mon, 10/18/2010 - 22:53
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...dude! Another great article! Really man, thanks for not going too far into bits and pieces. With the complexity of MTG it is quite nice to have a simple idea explained and demonstrated, rather than lost amongst jargon and card talk. Kudos bro. peace.