Ketchup-Mayo

Welcome to another post ;)

I'd like to show you my favourite Multiplayer/Highlander deck: Ketchup-Mayo! When you play highlander (if you're not familiar with it) you're allowed to play only one copy of each card except basic lands. You play only one game, so a sideboard isn't necessary - but that means that artifact and enchantment hate should be packed in the maindeck. In a multiplayer game, aggro decks are a bad choice, because you'll probably die to your 2nd enemy after you've killed your first one. At least if you're not playing an all-vs-all, with this type of multiplayer I'm not that familiar. so, our playgroup sees rarely an aggro deck, but Aggro-control isn't that uncommon - all you need is a backup plan for the late-game, e.g. a genesis in the grave.

Time for the decklist:

RW control a.k.a. Ketchup-Mayo

// Lands
7 [CHK] Mountain
1 [RAV] Boros Garrison
1 [TSP] Flagstones of Trokair
1 [BOK] Gods' Eye, Gate to the Reikai
1 [RAV] Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
8 [7E] Plains
2 [UNH] Plains

// Creatures
1 [PLC] Magus of the Arena
1 [AP] Goblin Legionnaire
1 [RAV] Firemane Angel
1 [FD] Silent Arbiter
1 [MR] Duplicant
1 [TSP] Greater Gargadon
1 [TSB] Avalanche Riders
1 [LE] Akroma, Angel of Wrath
1 [ON] Exalted Angel
1 [CHK] Kami of Ancient Law

// Spells
1 [FD] Beacon of Destruction
1 [JU] Browbeat
1 [TSP] Rift Bolt
1 [CHK] Hanabi Blast
1 [DIS] Seal of Fire
1 [FD] Magma Jet
1 [TSP] Sulfurous Blast
1 [OD] Balancing Act
1 [RAV] Boros Fury-Shield
1 [MR] Awe Strike

1 [TSP] Restore Balance
1 [4E] Swords to Plowshares
1 [CHK] Sensei's Divining Top
1 [DS] Darksteel Pendant
1 [IA] Zuran Orb
1 [RAV] Boros Signet
1 [TSP] Word of Seizing
1 [AP] Squee's Embrace
1 [RAV] Lightning Helix

1 [TSP] Wheel of Fate
1 [TSP] Sudden Shock
1 [CHK] Yamabushi's Flame
1 [8E] Wrath of God
1 [6E] Disenchant
1 [CHK] Ghostly Prison
1 [RAV] Faith's Fetters
1 [4E] Balance
1 [PLC] Dawn Charm
1 [BOK] Terashi's Grasp

[Gameplan I]
Stall the game, play a fatty, win.

[Gameplan II]
stall the game, suspend a gargadon, play one of the 3 balances, sac everything, win.

[Gameplan III]
Burn the sh*t out your opponents. Works at its best if your opponents fighting each other.

As you see, I have 3 different ways to win and even if my [gameplan I] looks solid, my fatty often dies quite fast. most of the time I win with the gargadon-combo. Our games take a lot of time, so I can wait for my combo pieces to wreck my opps afterwards.

But of course, there are some problems:
Problem I
Counterspell. "I sac everything to gargadon and play with the mana in pool a balance -", "counterspell". Thats the worstcase, but it happens seldomly and I'm always aware of untapped islands*. Of course counterspell wrecks all my fatties too. But hey, they can't counter everything... or can they?

Problem II
Graveyard-strategies. This is really a problem of ketchup-mayo. With the current deck, I'm unable to hate they're grave and a glory or genesis in the yard is back-breaking. GY-recursion is extremely strong in multiplayer and I feel that my deck need some cards to abuse this as well. suggestions?

Problem III
Bounce. This is just a problem of the gargadon gameplan. I play only 21 lands, and sometimes a bouncespell could kill me.

Problem IIII
A 2/1 shadow pro-red creature. quite hard to handle, but possible *sigh*

Now it's your turn, do you like the deck?

Lastly I want to add a marvellous finishing move in a highlander-duel against my old friend alex:
We seesaw some turns until he turns a stronghold overseer and a morph sideways, with me at about 13 life while he's at 11. The overseer alone couldn't kill, so he morphs up a liege of the pit. that's right, a 7/7. and I haven't got anything on the table. Luckily, I've got the perfect answer and enough mana. I tap my Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion and give his liege doublestrike. And I'm smiling.

think about it, why should I do that?



right,

I've got Boros Fury Shield in Hand.
Man, that game was fun.

Thats enough for today,

/wave




*now