# Magic: The Gathering Advice thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 13, 2002, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-the-gathering-advice-thread/136625 "2002-11-13T21:30:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-the-gathering-advice-thread/136625/21 "2002-11-15T19:19:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\*One warning, by the way, with an all-blue, no-creature deck: If your opponent has a Mishra’s Factory, he’ll wipe the floor with you. \*\* Why can’t I use a Boomerang effect on it while it’s a creature? Sure, I can’t steal it like a full-time creature, but I can deal with it other ways. With the 1-land-per-turn and 4-copies-of-a-single-card limits, I don’t see the factory as that damaging. Of course, it’s still hard to win, but other than that…😉 ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-the-gathering-advice-thread/136625/22 "2002-11-15T20:24:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Saltire \* > \*\*Why can’t I use a Boomerang effect on it while it’s a creature? Sure, I can’t steal it like a full-time creature, but I can deal with it other ways. With the 1-land-per-turn and 4-copies-of-a-single-card limits, I don’t see the factory as that damaging. Of course, it’s still hard to win, but other than that…😉 \*\* Well, you can, but he’ll just play it again. Instead of Boomerang, then, try Capsize. It’s similar, but you can pay _buyback_, which let’s you put Capsize back in your hand instead of the graveyard, so you can keep it out of play. Or play a copy or two of Political Trickery, which lets you trade lands. Oh, and for blue direct damage? Go with the original. Psionic Blast. For 2U, you deal 4 to any target, and 2 to yourself. Remarkably good for Blue. Heck, nowadays, it wouldn’t be bad in Red. – Justin ---
**Author:** ![Jaakko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@Jaakko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaakko)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-the-gathering-advice-thread/136625/23 "2002-11-15T21:48:17Z")
Bazaar of Wonders used to be hot, but it just can’t compete with Odyssey’s [Haunting Echoes](http://spoilers.mtgnews.com/card.php?cid=29956). A R/B or U/B control deck built around this can be quite infuriating. But my all time favourite is the Pox deck: First turn: Dark Ritual, Chimeric Idol Second turn: Duress, Black Vise, attack for 3 Third Turn: Pox, attack for 3 It’s hard for an opponent to recover from a start like that. ---
**Author:** ![Jaakko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@Jaakko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaakko)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-the-gathering-advice-thread/136625/24 "2002-11-15T21:49:53Z")
The Rack, not Black Vise. :o ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2002, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-the-gathering-advice-thread/136625/25 "2002-11-16T00:24:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mtgman \* > \*\*Jeebus! For some of us that would be a big box! Honey, we’re going refrigerator shoppin’. > > Enjoy, > Steven \*\* To expand a bit, I have for years and years had my own version of this: [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/bb33](http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/bb33) it’s a blast! ---
**Author:** ![Jerevan\_Somerville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@Jerevan\_Somerville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jerevan_Somerville)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2002, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-the-gathering-advice-thread/136625/26 "2002-11-16T00:57:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KKBattousai \* > \*\*That’s scary. At worst, **AudreyK** and I would have to buy a new pair of shoes. 🙂 \*\* Yeah, really. . . I already _had_ bought a pair, and just use that box. But you know, when people play cards that let them pick up your deck and take out whatever cards they like – like Jester’s Cap – you might as well just play a grab-bag deck! > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by The Peyote Coyote_ > Mind Bomb (4th Edition)… forces your opponent to take three points of damage or discard a card for each point of damage. A dweeb player will throw his cards away. A good player is going to be down three life. … and the other direct damage spells I use are all green, rather than red. I might throw in a couple of red, depending on my mood as I said earlier (read: depending on the opponent) but generally I tried to stay away from Big Red in making the creatureless deck. Red is just too easy, and not very interesting. So, for direct damage I use: Sandstorm (1 pt to all attacking creatures); Hail Storm (2 pts to all attacking creatures, 1 to me and all creatures I control – ha!); Hurricane (‘X’ to each creature with flying and each player). These can be particular devastating when several are played at one time. To keep me looking young and vibrant: Natural Spring (G), Essence Bottle (A), Fountain of Youth (A). Reins of Power, to take over opponent’s creatures. Spellbook, so that I can hold onto cards until the time is right. (Not good if an opponent has Black Vise.) To give me enough of a mana pool quickly: Wild Growth, Harrow, Rampant Growth. And for purely defensive capabilities: Fog, Constant Mists (both negate damage of attacking creatures, the latter has a buy-back); Evacuation (all creatures return to owners’ hands). The basic idea is to keep my life total above my opponent(s), and deliver the _coup de grace_ with Hurricane. I’d like to think that there’s certain Darkovan quality to this deck. ---
**Author:** ![Jerevan\_Somerville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@Jerevan\_Somerville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jerevan_Somerville)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2002, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-the-gathering-advice-thread/136625/27 "2002-11-16T01:07:18Z")
**Max** , very interesting column – and idea! The mind boggles. (btw – Ritual of Subdual is one of my favorite cards) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-the-gathering-advice-thread/136625.md?page=1)