My Precioussss.....

I've invested in 'The One Ring' card (#380, foil).

Bought one copy solely for the trading purpose.

This card is powerful in play and iconic in art and meaning (it's famous and admired, precious thing with great power; leads it's owners to decadency and corruption).

I think it's destined to raise in price, unless Wizards of the Coast ban it from Modern and/or EDH formats. Going to wait for about 20 years and see the price change. Wish me luck if You can. :)

Until then it's safely secured in a card binder, in a protective foil.

If I earn a lot, part of it will be spent on Buddhism & Wicca.


... am I Gollum? >.>

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The card is powerful on it's own, but there are powerful combos with other cards as well - life-prolonging protection from everything every turn, and/or near infinite resources draw.

For Example:

[Paper] Warrior Within, a Deck.

I am collecting my 3rd paper deck named 'Warrior Within'.

This would be a Modern format deck, but because of using 'Swords to Plowshares', 'Githzerai Monk' & 'Soltari Monk' it's Legacy format :( .

This deck is too weak to be used in competitive play, it's a 'Theme Deck' created for Art purposes.
(for Art style that i am creating - 'Art of Magick & Light').

It has a few of counters to black magick:
- 4x Hand of Honor,
- up to 4x Soltari Monk,
- 1x Karma.

A few of flying units are possibility as well:
- up to 4x Githzerai Monk,
- up to 4x Sky-Blessed Samurai.

Main themes are:
- Monks, Samurai & their Weapons,
- Light & Enlightenment (Light from Within),
- Honor (Honor of the Pure),
- Peace (Swords to Plowshares),
- Karma, the Law of Cause & Effect. (evil that you do will return to you; good that you do will return to you as well),
- Spiritual Travels (Weatherlight).

It will take a longer while to collect all cards.

(some will arrive in 2nd half of april, but most should be here earlier - in march).

As for today, most important cards that i consider include:
- Holy & Honorable Warriors, Monks and Samurai - including Monastery Mentor & Takeno, Samurai General,
... but also: Imperial Oath,
- Artifact Equipment, Weapons - Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho, Ancestral Katana & Ninja's Kunai,
- Light From Within,
- Honor of the Pure,
- Weatherlight,
- Swords to Plowshares,
- Karma,
- Disenchant.

... there's more of cards to consider too.

[MTGO, Paper] Izzet Storm, a Deck.

This is a nice deck playble in the Modern format. Well, in theory at least - most of Modern decks have answers to Storm decks in their sideboard/mainboard.

Cost me about 18 TIX on Cardhoarder, which is about 25 USD.

Also, i've a Paper (non-digital) version of this deck, far more expensive. Need to reduce my spendings. :(

Playing this deck is about building Storm with mana generation and draw card spells, then finish opponent with a 'Grapeshot' spell (or: 'Empty the Warrens').

Goblin Electromancer and Baral help to lower mana-cost of spells, making it easier to execute the 'victory sequence'.


Deck is as follows:

 

There's one very good card for most of Modern-format decks, including this deck.

It's called: 'The One Ring', and it's very expensive.

I've read that most Modern-format games last 5-10 turns, and 'The One Ring' fits well within this 'timing'.


While i have 2x Paper version of 'The One Ring' (lucky draws in booster packs), the MTGO (digital) version is waaaaay overpriced.

i DON't want to buy MTGO version of 'The One Ring', as it's overpriced and probably will decline in value with time.

Please do not nag me to buy it, i don't want such expenses.


So, i have a 2x of 'The One Ring' in 'maybeboard'.

[MTGO] 'Jeskai Alliance', a Deck.

It's a legacy white-red-blue deck, in the colors of the Flag of France.


White, Clear Light as Light of Enlightenment, Red as Flames of Love, Blue as Mind-Sea.


In Buddhist Meditation (Meditation on Buddha), there are three colours and three mantras associated.

White, Clear Light - as in development of the Body - is related with OM Mantra.

Red Light - as in development of the Speech - is related with AH Mantra.

Blue Light - as in development of the Mind - is related with HUNG Mantra.


In Buddhism, development of Body, Speech and Mind are Holy Practices.


It's Light Magick, for when we don't want to feel dirty, for when we want to stay away from Black Magick.

Black Magick won't defeat us easily, because of Celestial Purge and Karma cards in sideboard.

Is a White Magick Spell cast with evil intent in Mind truly a White Magick Spell? How about hypocrisy?


... we can Meditate and Ponder, at least. ;)


That is, it's Light Magick that won't give much of quarter to the Darker Arts, anyway. ;)


On the Island, Monks and Wizards live in seclusion they both need - Monks meditate, wizards do experiments in their Sanctums.

Under the Mystic Monastery built on the Mountains, in flooded caves live Chasm Skulkers - Kraken Monsters in the cages. They are kept there for the case when approaching ship has to be attacked from below.

Jeskai Monks & Fighting Jeskai Yogins - known together in many other worlds as 'Akashic Brotherhood' - found famous, legendary flying ship - Weatherlight. They use it mostly for the travels, for when they need to go from island to the continent and back safely.

 

[MTGO] 'Darefire' Deck in Action, Part 12.

/ article in construction. /


Duel 1/1.

[MTGO] 'Mana Party - Vampires' Deck in Action, Part 1.

/ article in construction. /


... there is a software bug that affected replay film in 3rd duel of this match.

... i won this duel and match, anyway.


Duel 1/3.




Duel 2/3.




Duel 3/3.

[MTGO] 'Mana Party - Vampires' Deck Solitaire, Part 1.

/ article in construction. /

Deck Idea: 'Mana Party'.

... i am so addicted to MTGO and MTGA ... i couldn't resist writing this idea for others.

... i hope it won't ruin me financially and not only.

... i am losing hope as well.


'Mana Party':


a Red/White/Green Deck.

... perhaps deck's colours will change, perhaps more blue ... so far green is most important ... still,

... it has potential for 5 colours, not sure about colorless.

... it can suprise opponent with a lot of mana sources, played in a very short time.

Red as flames of Artful Love,
White as Light, as Light of Love, as Enlightenment,
Green as nature, not only human nature,
... Blue as Mind, as oceans, as seas, ..., mind can also love, in buddhism mind is in heart chakra, not in head.
Black as Protection, Impermanence, Emptiness. Even impermanence is impermanent, even Emptiness won't last.


... important cards:

- Telepathy / pl: Telepatia / - does this card do anything worthwhile? well i think so, as 'information is key to strategy',
- Lightning Bolt / pl: 'Błyskawica' /,
- Bazaar of Baghdad / pl: 'Bazar Bagdadu' / - a 'Golden Cage', luxuries that enslave,
- Wheel of Fortune / pl: 'Koło Fortuny' / - also luxury & competition - for 'rich',
- Serum Powder, not only for mulligan, ... related with 'truth serum' & other 'interrogation methods', ... ;),
- City of Brass / pl: 'Miasto z Mosiądzu' /, source of pain and mana,
- Swords to Plowshares / pl: 'Przekuć Miecze na Lemiesze' / - punishment for abuses,
- Diaochan - Artful Beauty / pl: 'Diaochan - Artystyczna Piękność' /, a human advisor,
- Birds of Paradise / pl: 'Rajskie Ptaki' /, locked in a 'Golden Cage',
- Azusa - Lost but Seeking / pl: 'Azusa - Zagubiona Poszukująca' /, a human monk advisor from Kamigawa,
- Prismatic Omen / pl: 'Pryzmatyczny Omen /, ... land & mana transformation enchantment ... it can also make 'bazaar of baghdad' able to create coloured mana ... how much in 'main deck', how much in 'reserves' ?,
- Once Upon a Time / pl: 'Dawno, Dawno Temu' /, ... can speed up searching for lands/creatures,
- Null Rod / pl: 'Różka Wyzerowania' / ... metagame in Vintage uses a lot of mana-giving artifacts ... so we use this knowledge to attack the most standard approach to Vintage.
- Guardian Beast / pl: 'Bestia Strażnicza / ... to protect Null Rod.


... winning condition:

- Vampires Tribe.


... questionable considerations:

- Black Lotus / pl: 'Czarny Lotus' /, a symbol of feminine protecting qualities, along with wisdom, perfection, purity, gentleness & power.
- Force of Will - counterspell/counterplay interaction tool, but ... do we have 'non-strict blue affinity', enough of blue cards and/or blue mana sources ? ... card draw counts, as well,
- Ancestral Recall - a tribute to history, tradition, saints ... card draw ... and still a blue card,
- Time Walk - related with kalachakra & time-related esoterics, ... extra turn, card draw, and still a blue card,
- Glasses of Urza - it's still advantage to 'know yourself, know enemy', especially in 'counterplay' - not only 'counterspell', 'force of will', etc.,
- Notion Rain - matrix-related Art, cost efficient card-draw-search, also black-ish / blue-ish ... but still a pain, as well.

... sideboard:

- Leyline of the Void / pl: 'Linia Mocy Pustki' / - denying enemies access to karma from beyond death, worse reincarnations, reducing means to put in graveyard as well ... not only living beings, but also phenomena - not only artifacts, instant spells, etc., ...
- Disenchant - 'disillusionment', breaking arcane, breaking enchantment bonds - also between living beings - not only in form of 'crusade' enchantment ... still terrible karmic backslash potential when abused too much.

...


   

      

   

       

       

     



--

Winning Condition: Vampires Tribe ... Vampires 'just work well enough, anyway'.


           

           

     





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Questionable considerations:

                   


--
Sideboard:

   


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An Example Deck #1:

[MTGO] 'Jeskai Alliance' Deck Solitaire, Part 1.

/ article in construction. /

Demonstration of a combination of Chasm Skulkers with Jace, the Mind Sculptor.

Also works with Brainstorms / with or without Isochron Scepter /, and with Dack Fayden.

Shuffling cards after drawing and putting something at top of library is also nice, as is ability to discard library's top with Dack Fayden.

[MTGA] 'Eternal Thirst', a Deck.

/ article in construction. /

It's a standard-format, MTGA Vampire Tribe deck.

From default 'Eternal Thirst' Deck it differs a little - used some nice cards i got from plays, and a few of common and uncommon wildcards.

 

[MTGO] 'Jeskai Alliance' Deck in Action, Part 7.

/ article in construction. /


... sometimes it's better to not be too paranoid about mass-destruction spells - to risk putting more creatures on the battlefield, to pressure on opponent.

This time fearlessness & speed won over too much of caution, as can be seen in Duel 3/3.


Duel 1/3.




Duel 2/3.




Duel 3/3.