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Parallel Lives (Of Myr and Men)
by Daniel Kenmar (The D.K.)

 

Wow. It's been a while.

In case some of you don't remember me, I've written three articles for PureMTGO. Of course, that was about a year and a half ago. You see, I decided to take a bit of a break from Magic. It had literally gotten to the point where it consumed my life. If I wasn't working or sleeping, I was either on MTGO, PureMTGO, mtg.com, or messing with my physical cards. I left little to no time for my wife, family, or church. (Yes, I'm a Christian. Don't judge me and I won't judge you. ) My friend asked me to pick the game back up, and after some deliberation, I decided that as long as I could moderate myself, I could play again.

So I booted up my old MTGO client, downloaded the massive update, and immediately realized how far behind I was in Standard. I scrounged up 12 tickets and went to work trying to find a good cheap rare to build around. Innistrad and the Scars block surprised me with how few crazy rares were available in them. Finally, I found one that just seemed too fun to pass up.

 

 

Sure, it's just Doubling Season minus one mana without the counter doubling, but there were so many ideas floating through my head for token generators. You have the creatures who replace themselves with Spirits from Innistrad. There's Endless Ranks of the Dead for the Zombie lovers. You also have cards that make token copies of other cards. But since I wanted to run Intangible Virtue, I decided G/W would be the best color combination. Eventually, I settled on one of my favorite creature types to go with Parallel Lives. Myrs.

Myrs are one of the least expected creature types to build a deck around, much less Myr tokens. Yet, time after time, people with decks much more expensive than mine conceded to 3 dime-rares. I went through a ton of decklists, but with some advice from a player named Lanrock, I settled on this final list. Individual card explanations can be found after the list.

 

 

 

 

 

Parallel Lives: The namesake card for the deck. It creates double the amount of tokens that would normally be made, making cards like Master's Call that much more powerful.

Intangible Virtue: This card is just too awesome to not run. This makes all my puny 1/1 Myr tokens into much more formidable 2/2s with vigilance. Sure, I'd have loved to run Tempered Steel as well, but I just didn't have enough tix to pick them up.

Myr Turbine: This card surprised me. Sure, it's a permanent token generator, which is great for Parallel Lives. But its real power lies in its combination with Myr Battlesphere. Once I had 5 Myr tokens, the second effect created absolute chaos and caused most opponents to concede as soon as they saw the aftermath.

Myr Battlesphere: This card is also unexpectedly awesome. When I have a Parallel Lives, it creates eight tokens on its own. But the great thing is how Myr Battlesphere and the tokens it creates can be used to bring in the other copies from the deck with Myr Turbine, putting a ton of tokens on the field. Plus, the attack ability is also very useful. It can deal the 20 damage straight to the opponent without even having to get through, just as long as you have the tokens untapped.

 

 

Palladium Myr: This card helps ramp up to the more expensive cards earlier on, like being able to play Myr Battlesphere from my hand on turn 5. I simply salivate at the thought of "Turn One Plains; Turn Two Forest and Intangible Virtue; Turn Three Sunpetal Grove and Palladium Myr; Turn Four Plains and Parallel Lives; Turn Five Forest and Myr Battlesphere."

Thopter Assembly: While not a Myr card per se, it fits the theme of artifact tokens and would mesh well instantly with Tempered Steel once a playset could be obtained. Plus, the ability to create 10 or more flyers in a single turn is just awesome. It also covers the fact that there are no flyers among the Myr.

Master's Call: Often times, this card was extremely useful. Playing it after the opponent declares attackers can lead to a lot of unexpected results for your opponent. Plus, four tokens for 3 mana at instant speed just rocks.

Dispatch: Let's face it, I'll have Metalcraft a lot. This is just amazing for spot removal.

 

 

Phyrexian Rebirth: If you read my old articles, you know how I often mention there's a card I regret using in every deck I make. Phyrexian Rebirth is it this time. While it's awesome to have mass removal if things go awry, the tokens it created just never seemed to actually help out. I would definitely take these out in favor of Tempered Steel once I get enough tix.

Sunpetal Grove: These things are down to about half a ticket a piece?! How long was I out of the game again?! I couldn't pass them up since they were so dang cheap.

Plains: Need mana please.

Forest: Ditto.

 

Now I'll go through the first fifteen games I played with the final decklist. I'll provide a detailed description of some of the more interesting games.

 

Game 1 vs. sosjuya (G/B Empires Aggro)

Sosjuya gets out a Crown of Empires, which I think is awesome. I'd love to see the whole set working together myself. (Possibly an idea for the future? Possibly foreshadowing? ) I play Intangible Virtues on turn two, which is always nice. Copperhorn Scout comes out to play from sosjuya's hand while I continue building mana. An Elvish Archdruid shows up, and I cast Master's Call at the end of his turn. I get out Parallel Lives and prepare for the insanity. But before the madness can ensue, I get to meet a Primeval Titan. I push out a Myr Turbine while he plays Caged Sun for green and Throne of Empires. Then Primeval Titan comes for my face. I generate two tokens with Myr Turbine and triple block to take down the Titan. My last Myr token smacks sosjuya for 2 before I drop a second Myr Turbine. Sosjuya drops Garruk Relentless and makes a Wolf token, then passes back over to me. I activated the second ability of one of my Myr Turbines to bring in Myr Battlesphere along with eight Myr tokens. Sosjuya concedes after I activate the other Myr Turbine.

 

1-0

 

 

Game 2 vs. Verdanos (White Weenie Artifact Aggro)

This one was over so quick, I didn't stand a chance. This game fully demonstrated how weak the deck is to extremely fast aggro decks. By the time I hit three mana, I'm sitting at 10 life staring down two Vault Skirges and a Memnite all pumped by a Tempered Steel. I died next turn after dropping my fourth land with no creatures to play.

 

1-1

 

 

Game 3 vs. Okiron (G/B Gutter Grime)

Okiron gets a nice aggro going on with two Viridian Emissary and a Typhoid Rats, but I manage to stabilize with Master's Call, Parallel Lives, and Phyrexian Rebirth. A couple more Master's Calls put me in the driver's seat. He gets two Gutter Grimes and a Lumberknot, but I get a Myr Turbine out. I stall long enough to get 5 Myrs and bring out Myr Battlesphere from my deck. I do it again on my own turn and tap all my Myr tokens to Myr Battlesphere's ability to deal 15 instantly and win a very hard fought battle.

 

2-1

 

 

Game 4 vs. LDX (R/B Vampire Aggro)

LDX gets a 3/3 Stromkirk Noble and a Curse of Stalked Prey by the time I drop a Palladium Myr. I use Phyrexian Rebirth, but LDX uses Doom Blade on my Horror token and gets out another Stromkirk Noble and a Child of Night. I get out a Myr Turbine, and play another Phyrexian Rebirth to try and stabilize again. He gets out a Child of Night afterwards, and I'm able to get a Thopter Assembly out and make the tokens. LDX concedes after mistakengly attacking into my 3/3 Horror token with his Child of Night.

 

3-1

 

 

Game 5 vs. operator65 (U/G Splinterfright)

I get out an Intangible Virtue, and operator65 plays Merfolk Looter. I continue to build mana while he plays Splinterfright. He whittles me down a fair amount with those two before I play Phyrexian Rebirth after drawing an Intangible Virtue a turn earlier. He plays Armored Skaab and I slam down a Myr Battlesphere. I Dispatch his Skaab and he Fogs my attackers. I take he didn't draw anything good, since he conceded during his next main phase.

 

4-1

 

 

Game 6 vs. woginohana (B/W Tokens)

I get nothing good to play while he gets out plenty of things like two Midnight Hauntings, a Doomed Traveler, and a Roc Egg. I die the turn before I would've been able to use Phyrexian Rebirth.

 

4-2

 

 

Game 7 vs. Nelosoy (B/W Tokens)

Nelosoy gets a Skirsdag High Priest out and I play a Parallel Lives. He plays Oblivion Ring on my Parallel Lives. I put out a Myr Turbine as he continues to build his army with Doomed Traveler and a pair of Swiftfoot Boots. A second Myr Turbine followed by a Master's Call lets me activate the Turbines' second abilities pulling a Myr Battlesphere out. Nelosoy plays Sever the Bloodline on my Myr tokens and I drop another Myr Battlesphere from my hand. After he flashes his Sever the Bloodline back on my new Myr tokens, I bring in the other Myr Battlesphere from my deck. I drop the last Myr Battlesphere and drop him from 20 to 3 in one swing. He has nothing other than a Gideon's Avenger and passes back over to me. I finish him off with Myr Battlesphere's attack ability.

 

5-2

 

 

Game 8 vs. dicekey (U/B Infect?)

He wastes little time playing a Phyrexian Digester and enchanting it with Dark Favor. I don't draw a creature or anything that can stall for just one more turn, when I'd have been able to play Phyrexian Rebirth, so I die to poison on turn five.

 

5-3

 

 

Game 9 vs. ubernashwan (B/U Zombies)

I get an early Intangible Virtue and come face to face with a Mind Rot the following turn. I'm packing a Thopter Assembly and Myr Battlesphere and have plenty of lands, so I just throw out Battlesphere and a Plains. He plays Endless Ranks of the Dead, cueing to me the we'll be in for a big token game. Thankfully, I have the upper hand once I drop Parallel Lives on my fourth turn. He plays Gravedigger and I play Master's Call to make 4 2/2s for 3 mana at the end of his turn. He Night Terrors one of the Thopter Assemblies out of my hand. He plays Cellar Door and I finally drop Thopter Assembly. He's got nothing to stop my Myr from killing him on my following turn and just passes back over to let me finish him off.

 

6-3

 

 

Game 10 vs. PvtSnafu (Liquimetal Land Destruction)

This one was bittersweet. While I love the idea, it's just so aggravating to play against land destruction, even if it is creative and unique (at least to me). Regardless, he gets out a Liquimetal Coating and proceeds to turn all my lands into artifacts and promptly destroys them as quickly as I can put them down. The most I get out is a Palladium Myr before finally falling. Kudos to PvtSnafu on such a brutal land destruction deck, but man... That's just not fun to play against.

 

6-4

 

 

Game 11 vs. potato1683 (Red Aggro?)

Potato1683 gets stuck on one mana with nothing but a Reckless Waif, while I push out Palladium Myr and a Myr Turbine. I drop a Myr Battlesphere a turn later. He never can draw another mana and concedes.

 

7-4

 

 

Game 12 vs. MrAlizarin (G/R Gutter Grime)

MrAlizarin plays Llanowar Elves and Viridian Emissary before I can play Palladium Myr. I'm thrown for a loop when I see him play Parallel Lives. I don't have one myself yet, but I do play Myr Turbine. Gutter Grime and Primeval Titan hit the field on the other side. MrAlizarin concedes as soon as I drop Myr Battlesphere and activate Myr Turbine's second ability to fetch another one.

 

8-4

 

 

Game 13 vs. Nelosoy (B/W Tokens)

Nelosoy takes me on again with his tokens deck, dropping Doomed Traveler on turn one and an Intangible Virtue on turn two. I play Palladium Myr and use it and the four lands I have to drop two other Palladium Myrs next turn. He plays Skirsdag High Priest and I push out a Parallel Lives and Myr Turbine in the same turn thanks to my Palladium Myrs. Apparently this was all Nelosoy needed to see to be reminded of our first game, since he conceded immediately.

 

9-4

 

 

Game 14 vs. moryy (U/R/B Proliferate)

I mulligan down to 5 cards and see a Ratchet Bomb pop up on the other side. (FYI, Ratchet Bombs are rough on token decks. Popping one with no charge counters kills all tokens that aren't copies of regular cards.) I'm this close to conceding, but decide to stick it out. Good thing too. I play Palladium Myr and he eats a -1/-1 counter from Contagion Clasp. I play a Myr Turbine and Palladium Myr dies next turn once he proliferates the -1/-1 counter with Tezzeret's Gambit. I'm stuck at four mana but thankfully he's not doing much. He blows up his Ratchet Bomb at 5 to take out my Turbine and I continue to whittle down his life with my Myr tokens. He Volt Charges one of my tokens, but I play Master's Call to keep the army stocked for the moment. Jace, Memory Adept planeswalks his way to moryy's side of the board, so I send my tokens at the Blue Meanie. I draw Intangible Virtue and get back to chipping away at moryy since doesn't seem to have much left to play. I finally hit six mana and cast Thopter Assembly, but it gets Mana Leaked. After casting Tezzeret's Gambit next turn and seeing what he gets, he concedes.

 

10-4

 

 

Game 15 vs. Pandawarking (U/G Self-Mill?)

Pandawarking casts a couple of Mulches before I finally drop Parallel Lives. That one eats a Bramblecrush so I cast a second one. I then put out a Myr Turbine. Pandawarking plays Snapcaster Mage and plays his Bramblecrush again using Mage's ability, targeting my Parallel Lives again. I drop a third Parallel Lives on my turn. I chip away at his life total with my Myr tokens created by Myr Turbine and cast my fourth Parallel Lives, leaving two on the field at once. Once I cast Intangible Virtue and go to bring in Myr Battlesphere using Myr Turbine's second ability, Pandawarking concedes immediately.

 

11-4

 

 

After those first fifteen games, I played another eleven games and went 6-5 in those games, leaving me with a 17-9 record overall.

So there you have it. While Myrs Live Parallel Lives is certainly a fun deck with a very good win factor (or should I say, make your opponent concede factor), it isn't without its flaws. The deck dies outright to most forms of heavy aggro. But in games where it is given enough time to set up, it's very hard to stop, thanks mainly in part to Myr Battlesphere's interaction with Myr Turbine and its attacking ability which allows it to deal lethal amounts of damage without even having to get through directly. The deck costs about 8 tix overall making it ridiculously affordable.

If you have any extra money to put in, I'd suggest a playset of Tempered Steel to take the place of the Phyrexian Rebirth. Also, Elspeth Tirel works great with token decks thanks to her last ability that kills everything but tokens and lands. I'd also recommend Gavony Township to beef up your massive army of tokens even further.

That's all for today folks! Next time, I take on the role of an Emperor and hope to rule with an iron fist! Or at least rule my opponents with an iron fist.