CardShark Content - Adam Fischer (2/4/2002)

TITLE: PTQ Nice in Mountain

Mountain
	Set: Arabian Nights Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: C Artist: Douglas Shuler Text: Tap to add R to your mana pool.

View - 12th Place (February 2, Odyssey/Torment

Torment
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 2 Color: Black Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: C Number: 23 Artist: Paolo Parente Text: Enchanted creature gets -3/-0.

Limited)

I went down to the local Neutral Ground in Mountain

Mountain
	Set: Arabian Nights Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: C Artist: Douglas Shuler Text: Tap to add R to your mana pool.

View, CA, for the first
qualifier of the season for PT Nice. Although I didn't make top 8, I was
knocked out of contention by my good friend Jason Huang, and he ended up
winning the whole thing, so it wasn't a bad way at all to be knocked out. :)
Besides, I ended up getting an amateur price of a half-box of Torment

Torment
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 2 Color: Black Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: C Number: 23 Artist: Paolo Parente Text: Enchanted creature gets -3/-0.

.

As in all my Limited format reports, I will spend a lot of space discussing
how I constructed my sealed deck, followed briefly by how the matches went,
followed by some closing remarks. If any of you have requests for more
things you'd like to see or things you think I spend too much space on,
please just let me know.


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SEALED DECK CONSTRUCTION:
-------------------------

Here is the card pool I was given for the sealed deck portion of the PTQ:

NON-BASIC LAND (5):
Cabal Pit

Cabal Pit
	Set: Odyssey Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: U Number: 315 Artist: John Avon Text: Add B to your mana pool. Cabal Pit deals 1 damage to you. Threshold - B, Tap, Sacrifice Cabal Pit: Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn. (Play this ability only if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

Centaur Garden

Centaur Garden
	Set: Odyssey Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: U Number: 316 Artist: John Avon Text: Tap: Add G to your mana pool. Centaur Garden deals 1 damage to you. Threshold - G, Tap, Sacrifice Centaur Garden: Target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn. (Play this ability only if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

Crystal Quarry

Crystal Quarry
	Set: Odyssey Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: R Number: 318 Artist: Alan Pollack Text: Tap: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool. 5, Tap: Add WUBRG to your mana pool.

Tainted Isle

Tainted Isle
	Set: Torment Color: Land Type: land Rarity: U Number: 141 Text: T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool. T: Add U or B to your mana pool. Play this ability only if you control a swamp.

Timberland Ruins

Timberland Ruins
	Set: Odyssey Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: C Number: 330 Artist: Alan Pollack Text: : Timberland Ruins comes into play tapped. Tap: Add G to your mana pool. Tap, Sacrifice Timberland Ruins: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.

ARTIFACT (2):
Junk Golem

Junk Golem
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Creature Rarity: R Number: 300 Artist: Brian Snoddy Power: 0 Toughness: 0 Text: Junk Golem comes into play with three +1/+1 counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice Junk Golem unless you remove a +1/+1 counter from it. 1, Discard a card from your hand: Put a +1/+1 counter on Junk Golem.

Sungrass Egg

Sungrass Egg
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: U Number: 311 Artist: David Martin Text: : 2, Tap, Sacrifice Sungrass Egg: Add GW to your mana pool. Draw a card.

BLACK (15):
Afflict

Afflict
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 115 Artist: Roger Raupp Text: Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. Draw a card.

Cabal Surgeon

Cabal Surgeon
	Set: Torment Cost: 4 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Minion Rarity: C Number: 52 Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: 2BB, T, Remove two cards in your graveyard from the game: Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.

Carrion Rats

Carrion Rats
	Set: Torment Cost: 1 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Rat Rarity: C Number: 54 Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: Whenever Carrion Rats attacks or blocks, any player may remove a card in his or her graveyard from the game. If a player does, Carrion Rats deals no combat damage this turn.

Crippling Fatigue

Crippling Fatigue
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 58 Text: Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn. Flashback - 1B, Pay 3 life.

Dusk Imp

Dusk Imp
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Imp Rarity: C Number: 131 Artist: Edward P. Beard, Jr. Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: Flying.

Face of Fear

Face of Fear
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 6 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Horror Rarity: U Number: 134 Artist: Thomas M. Baxa Power: 3 Toughness: 4 Text: 2B, Discard a card from your hand: Face of Fear can't be blocked this turn except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures.

Fledgling Imp

Fledgling Imp
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Imp Rarity: C Number: 137 Artist: John Matson Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: B, Discard a card from your hand: Fledgling Imp gains flying until end of turn.

Gravegouger

Gravegouger
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Nightmare Horror Rarity: C Number: 62 Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: When Gravegouger comes into play, remove up to two target cards in a single graveyard from the game. When Gravegouger leaves play, return the removed cards to their owner's graveyard.

Morbid Hunger

Morbid Hunger
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 6 Color: Black Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 150 Artist: Eric Peterson Text: Morbid Hunger deals 3 damage to target creature or player. You gain 3 life. Flashback 7BB (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

Organ Grinder

Organ Grinder
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Zombie Rarity: C Number: 75 Power: 3 Toughness: 1 Text: T, Remove three cards in your graveyard from the game: Target player loses 3 life.

Overeager Apprentice

Overeager Apprentice
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Minion Rarity: C Number: 154 Artist: Ray Lago Power: 1 Toughness: 2 Text: Discard a card from your hand, Sacrifice Overeager Apprentice: Add BBB to your mana pool.

Rancid Earth

Rancid Earth
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 78 Text: Destroy target land. Threshold - Instead destroy that land and Rancid Earth deals 1 damage to each creature and each player.

Soul Scourge

Soul Scourge
	Set: Torment Cost: 5 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Nightmare Horror Rarity: C Number: 85 Power: 3 Toughness: 2 Text: Flying. When Soul Scourge comes into play, target player loses 3 life. When Soul Scourge leaves play, that player gains 3 life.

Strength of Lunacy

Strength of Lunacy
	Set: Torment Cost: 2 Color: Black Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: U Number: 86 Text: Enchanted creature gets +2/+1 and has protection from white. Madness B

Unhinge

Unhinge
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 87 Text: Target player discards a card from his or her hand. Draw a card.

BLUE (16):
Aven Fisher

Aven Fisher
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Soldier Rarity: C Number: 63 Artist: Christopher Moeller Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: Flying When Aven Fisher is put into a graveyard from play, you may draw a card.

Balshan Collaborator

Balshan Collaborator
	Set: Torment Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Soldier Rarity: U Number: 25 Text: Flying. B: Balshan Collaborator gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

Balshan Griffin

Balshan Griffin
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 5 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Griffin Rarity: U Number: 67 Artist: Wayne England Power: 3 Toughness: 2 Text: Flying 1U, Discard a card from your hand: Return Balshan Griffin to its owner's hand.

Cephalid Snitch

Cephalid Snitch
	Set: Torment Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Cephalid Wizard Rarity: C Number: 30 Power: 1 Toughness: 1 Text: Sacrifice Cephalid Snitch: Target creature loses protection from black until end of turn.

(x2)
Cephalid Vandal

Cephalid Vandal
	Set: Torment Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Cephalid Rarity: R Number: 31 Text: At the beginning of your upkeep, put a shred counter on Cephalid Vandal. Then put the top card of your library into your graveyard for each shred counter on Cephalid Vandal.

Churning Eddy

Churning Eddy
	Set: Torment Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 32 Text: Return target creature and target land to their owners' hands.

Dematerialize

Dematerialize
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 81 Artist: Mike Ploog Text: Return target permanent to its owner's hand. Flashback 5UU (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

Divert

Divert
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 82 Artist: Christopher Moeller Text: Change the target of target spell with a single target unless that spell's controller pays 2.

Hydromorph Gull

Hydromorph Gull
	Set: Torment Cost: 5 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Guardian Rarity: U Number: 40 Text: Flying. U, Sacrifice Hydromorph Gull: Counter target spell that targets one or more creatures you control.

Immobilizing Ink

Immobilizing Ink
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: C Number: 87 Artist: Darrell Riche Text: Enchanted creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step. Enchanted creature has ``1, Discard a card from your hand: Untap this creature.``

Repel

Repel
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 98 Artist: Terese Nielson Text: Put target creature on top of its owner's library.

Rites of Refusal

Rites of Refusal
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 99 Artist: Bradley Williams Text: Discard any number of cards from your hand. Counter target spell unless its controller pays 3 for each card discarded this way.

Skywing Aven

Skywing Aven
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Soldier Rarity: C Number: 47 Text: Flying. Discard a card from your hand: Return Skywing Aven to its owner's hand.

Scrivener

Scrivener
	Set: Exodus Cost: 5 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Townsfolk Rarity: U Number: 46 Artist: Heather Hudson Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: When Scrivener comes into play, you may return target instant or interrupt card from your graveyard to your hand.

Standstill

Standstill
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Enchantment Rarity: U Number: 102 Artist: Heather Hudson Text: When a player plays a spell, sacrifice Standstill. If you do, then each of that player's opponents draws three cards.

GREEN (13):
Diligent Farmhand

Diligent Farmhand
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Druid Rarity: C Number: 237 Artist: Gary Ruddell Power: 1 Toughness: 1 Text: 1G, Sacrifice Diligent Farmhand: Search your library for a basic land card, and put that card into play tapped. Then shuffle your library. If Diligent Farmhand is in a graveyard, Muscle Burst's effect counts it as a Muscle Burst.

Far Wanderings

Far Wanderings
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 125 Text: Search your library for a basic land card and put that card into play tapped. Then shuffle your library. Threshold - Instead search your library for three basic land cards and put them into play tapped. Then shuffle your library.

Gorilla Titan

Gorilla Titan
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 5 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Ape Rarity: U Number: 241 Artist: Heather Hudson Power: 4 Toughness: 4 Text: 4/4 Card Text: Trample Gorilla Titan gets +4/+4 as long as there are no cards in your graveyard.

Krosan Avenger

Krosan Avenger
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Druid Rarity: C Number: 247 Artist: D. Alexander Gregory Power: 3 Toughness: 1 Text: Trample Threshold - 1G: Regenerate Krosan Avenger. (Play this ability only if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

Moment's Peace

Moment's Peace
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 251 Artist: Rebecca Guay Text: Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn. Flashback 2G (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

Nantuko Calmer

Nantuko Calmer
	Set: Torment Cost: 4 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Insect Druid Rarity: C Number: 132 Power: 2 Toughness: 3 Text: G, T, Sacrifice Nantuko Calmer: Destroy target enchantment. Threshold - Nantuko Calmer gets +1/+1.

Rapid Elephant

Elephant
	Set: Garruk vs. Liliana Cost: 0 Color: Colorless Type: Creature Sub Type: Elephant Rarity: C Number: 3 Artist: Arnie Swekel Power: 3 Toughness: 3

Refresh

Refresh
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 264 Artist: Keith Garletts Text: Regenerate target creature. Draw a card.

Rites of Spring

Rites of Spring
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 265 Artist: Bradley Williams Text: Discard any number of cards from your hand. Search your library for that many basic land cards, reveal those cards, and put them into your hand. Then shuffle your library.

Seton's Scout

Seton's Scout
	Set: Torment Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Centaur Druid Rarity: U Number: 138 Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: Seton's Scout may block as though it had flying. Threshold - Seton's Scout gets +2/+2.

Simplify

Simplify
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Green Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 269 Artist: Greg & Tim Hildebrandt Text: Each player sacrifices an enchantment.

Still Life

Still Life
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Enchantment Rarity: U Number: 275 Artist: Matt Cavatto Text: : GG: Still Life becomes a 4/3 Centaur creature until end of turn. It's still an enchantment.

Woodland Druid

Woodland Druid
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Druid Rarity: C Number: 284 Artist: Rick Farrell Power: 1 Toughness: 2

RED (12):
Acceptable Losses

Acceptable Losses
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Red Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 172 Artist: Mike Ploog Text: As an additional cost to play Acceptable Losses, discard a card at random from your hand. Acceptable Losses deals 5 damage to target creature.

Barbarian Outcast

Barbarian Outcast
	Set: Torment Cost: 2 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Barbarian Beast Rarity: C Number: 92 Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: When you control no swamps, sacrifice Barbarian Outcast.

Barbarian Lunatic

Barbarian Lunatic
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Barbarian Rarity: C Number: 175 Artist: Ron Spears Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: 2R, Sacrifice Barbarian Lunatic: Barbarian Lunatic deals 2 damage to target creature.

Chainflinger

Chainflinger
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Beast Rarity: C Number: 181 Artist: Scott M. Fischer Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: 1R, Tap: Chainflinger deals 1 damage to target creature or player. Threshold - 2R, Tap: Chainflinger deals 2 damage to target creature or player. (Play this ability only if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

Crackling Club

Crackling Club
	Set: Torment Cost: 1 Color: Red Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: C Number: 93 Text: Enchanted creature gets +1/+0. Sacrifice Crackling Club: Crackling Club deals 1 damage to target creature.

Dwarven Grunt

Dwarven Grunt
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Dwarf Rarity: C Number: 185 Artist: Mike Ploog Power: 1 Toughness: 1 Text: Mountainwalk

RmllcnkgTemper

Temper
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 120 Artist: Matthew D. Wilson Text: Prevent up to X damage to target creature. For each 1 damage prevented in this way, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature.

Flash of Defiance

Flash of Defiance
	Set: Torment Cost: 2 Color: Red Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 99 Text: Players can't block with green and/or white creatures this turn. Flashback - 1R, Pay 3 life.

Hell-Bent Raider
Pardic Firecat

Pardic Firecat
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Cat Rarity: C Number: 211 Artist: Glen Angus Power: 2 Toughness: 3 Text: Haste If Pardic Firecat is in a graveyard, Flame Burst's effect counts it as a Flame Burst.

Scorching Missile

Scorching Missile
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Red Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 219 Artist: Don Hazeltine Text: Scorching Missile deals 4 damage to target player. Flashback 9R (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

Spark Mage

Spark Mage
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Dwarf Wizard Rarity: U Number: 222 Artist: Paolo Parente Power: 1 Toughness: 1 Text: Whenever Spark Mage deals combat damage to a player, you may have Spark Mage deal 1 damage to target creature that player controls.

WHITE (12):
Auramancer

Auramancer
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Wizard Rarity: C Number: 5 Artist: Rebecca Guay Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: When Auramancer comes into play, you may return target enchantment card from your graveyard to your hand.

Embolden

Embolden
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 22 Artist: Rebecca Guay Text: Prevent the next 4 damage that would be dealt this turn to any number of target creatures and/or players divided as you choose. Flashback 1W (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

Frantic Purification

Frantic Purification
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 6 Artist: Mark Brill Text: Destroy target enchantment. Madness W

Militant Monk

Militant Monk
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Cleric Rarity: C Number: 9 Artist: Mark Brill Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: Attacking doesn't cause Militant Monk to tap. T: Prevent the next 1 damage that would be dealt to target creature or player this turn.

Mystic Familiar

Mystic Familiar
	Set: Torment Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Rarity: C Number: 11 Artist: Edward P. Beard, Jr. Power: 1 Toughness: 2 Text: Flying. Threshold - Mystic Familiar gets +1/+1 and has protection from black.

Nomad Decoy

Nomad Decoy
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Nomad Rarity: U Number: 37 Artist: Pete Venters Power: 1 Toughness: 2 Text: W, Tap: Tap target creature. Threshold - WW, Tap: Tap two target creatures. (Play this ability only as long as seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

Patrol Hound

Patrol Hound
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Hound Rarity: C Number: 38 Artist: Daren Bader Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: Discard a card from your hand: Patrol Hound gains first strike until end of turn.

Pay No Heed

Pay No Heed
	Set: Torment Cost: 1 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 12 Artist: Adam Rex Text: Prevent all damage a source of your choice would deal this turn.

Pilgrim of Justice

Pilgrim of Justice
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Cleric Rarity: C Number: 40 Artist: Orizio Daniele Power: 1 Toughness: 3 Text: Protection from red W, Sacrifice Pilgrim of Justice: The next time a red source of your choice would deal damage this turn, prevent that damage.

Sacred Rites

Sacred Rites
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 44 Artist: Bradley Williams Text: Discard any number of cards from your hand. Creatures you control get +0/+1 until end of turn for each card discarded this way.

Second Thoughts

Second Thoughts
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 5 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 45 Artist: Ray Lago Text: Remove target attacking creature from the game. Draw a card.

Stern Judge

Stern Judge
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Cleric Rarity: U Number: 16 Artist: Mike Cavotta Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: T: Each player loses 1 life for each swamp he or she controls.

Now, everyone has his or her own process for building a sealed deck. What I
will do now is describe my particular process, using this card pool and
eventual deck as an illustrative example. I STRONGLY encourage you to take
the time to figure out how you would build the deck presented above before
you read further - that way, you will have something to compare. I do this
A LOT and find that it helps me out a lot. I don't claim that the result I
ended up with is the only way or even the absolute best way to build it, but
it did serve me pretty well. Also, please do feel free to email me at
adam_mba@yahoo.com with any questions or comments on my build - I always
appreciate the feedback and am willing to answer specific questions.

The steps I use in constructing a sealed deck are as follows:

1) Sort the cards by color.

2) Separate out the cards into 2 sets - playable and non-playable or
marginally playable (with some marginally playable cards being revisited if
more cards are really needed or to choose good near-sideboard options).

3) For the playable cards, separate them by creatures vs. non-creatures.

4) Choose 2 main colors and possible splash cards in the other colors.

5) Come to a final decision on the deck composition by laying out the cards
by mana cost, with creatures on the bottom and non-creatures on the top and
the cutting/adding cards as needed to come up with 22-23 cards. Ensure that
there are enough good early plays (e.g. cards costing less than 4 mana) that
I can either apply early pressure to my opponent or at least just stay
alive. Add mana and choose near-sideboard cards (e.g. cards most likely to
be sided in).


STEP 1:
-------
see above


STEPS 2 & 3:
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I considered the playable creature and non-creature cards to be as follows:

NON-BASIC LAND (4 non-creatures):
Centaur Garden

Centaur Garden
	Set: Odyssey Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: U Number: 316 Artist: John Avon Text: Tap: Add G to your mana pool. Centaur Garden deals 1 damage to you. Threshold - G, Tap, Sacrifice Centaur Garden: Target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn. (Play this ability only if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

Timberland Ruins

Timberland Ruins
	Set: Odyssey Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: C Number: 330 Artist: Alan Pollack Text: : Timberland Ruins comes into play tapped. Tap: Add G to your mana pool. Tap, Sacrifice Timberland Ruins: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.

Cabal Pit

Cabal Pit
	Set: Odyssey Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: U Number: 315 Artist: John Avon Text: Add B to your mana pool. Cabal Pit deals 1 damage to you. Threshold - B, Tap, Sacrifice Cabal Pit: Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn. (Play this ability only if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

Tainted Isle

Tainted Isle
	Set: Torment Color: Land Type: land Rarity: U Number: 141 Text: T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool. T: Add U or B to your mana pool. Play this ability only if you control a swamp.

ARTIFACT (1 non-creature):
Sungrass Egg

Sungrass Egg
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: U Number: 311 Artist: David Martin Text: : 2, Tap, Sacrifice Sungrass Egg: Add GW to your mana pool. Draw a card.

BLACK (6 creatures, 3 non-creatures):
Carrion Rats

Carrion Rats
	Set: Torment Cost: 1 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Rat Rarity: C Number: 54 Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: Whenever Carrion Rats attacks or blocks, any player may remove a card in his or her graveyard from the game. If a player does, Carrion Rats deals no combat damage this turn.

Dusk Imp

Dusk Imp
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Imp Rarity: C Number: 131 Artist: Edward P. Beard, Jr. Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: Flying.

Fledgling Imp

Fledgling Imp
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Imp Rarity: C Number: 137 Artist: John Matson Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: B, Discard a card from your hand: Fledgling Imp gains flying until end of turn.

Gravegouger

Gravegouger
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Nightmare Horror Rarity: C Number: 62 Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: When Gravegouger comes into play, remove up to two target cards in a single graveyard from the game. When Gravegouger leaves play, return the removed cards to their owner's graveyard.

Organ Grinder

Organ Grinder
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Zombie Rarity: C Number: 75 Power: 3 Toughness: 1 Text: T, Remove three cards in your graveyard from the game: Target player loses 3 life.

Soul Scourge

Soul Scourge
	Set: Torment Cost: 5 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Nightmare Horror Rarity: C Number: 85 Power: 3 Toughness: 2 Text: Flying. When Soul Scourge comes into play, target player loses 3 life. When Soul Scourge leaves play, that player gains 3 life.

Afflict

Afflict
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 115 Artist: Roger Raupp Text: Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. Draw a card.

Crippling Fatigue

Crippling Fatigue
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 58 Text: Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn. Flashback - 1B, Pay 3 life.

Morbid Hunger

Morbid Hunger
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 6 Color: Black Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 150 Artist: Eric Peterson Text: Morbid Hunger deals 3 damage to target creature or player. You gain 3 life. Flashback 7BB (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

BLUE (6 creatures, 3 non-creatures):
Skywing Aven

Skywing Aven
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Soldier Rarity: C Number: 47 Text: Flying. Discard a card from your hand: Return Skywing Aven to its owner's hand.

Aven Fisher

Aven Fisher
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Soldier Rarity: C Number: 63 Artist: Christopher Moeller Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: Flying When Aven Fisher is put into a graveyard from play, you may draw a card.

Balshan Collaborator

Balshan Collaborator
	Set: Torment Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Soldier Rarity: U Number: 25 Text: Flying. B: Balshan Collaborator gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

Scrivener

Scrivener
	Set: Exodus Cost: 5 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Townsfolk Rarity: U Number: 46 Artist: Heather Hudson Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: When Scrivener comes into play, you may return target instant or interrupt card from your graveyard to your hand.

Hydromorph Gull

Hydromorph Gull
	Set: Torment Cost: 5 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Guardian Rarity: U Number: 40 Text: Flying. U, Sacrifice Hydromorph Gull: Counter target spell that targets one or more creatures you control.

Balshan Griffin

Balshan Griffin
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 5 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Griffin Rarity: U Number: 67 Artist: Wayne England Power: 3 Toughness: 2 Text: Flying 1U, Discard a card from your hand: Return Balshan Griffin to its owner's hand.

Divert

Divert
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 82 Artist: Christopher Moeller Text: Change the target of target spell with a single target unless that spell's controller pays 2.

Standstill

Standstill
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Enchantment Rarity: U Number: 102 Artist: Heather Hudson Text: When a player plays a spell, sacrifice Standstill. If you do, then each of that player's opponents draws three cards.

Repel

Repel
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 98 Artist: Terese Nielson Text: Put target creature on top of its owner's library.

GREEN (6 creatures, 3 non-creatures):
Diligent Farmhand

Diligent Farmhand
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Druid Rarity: C Number: 237 Artist: Gary Ruddell Power: 1 Toughness: 1 Text: 1G, Sacrifice Diligent Farmhand: Search your library for a basic land card, and put that card into play tapped. Then shuffle your library. If Diligent Farmhand is in a graveyard, Muscle Burst's effect counts it as a Muscle Burst.

Seton's Scout

Seton's Scout
	Set: Torment Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Centaur Druid Rarity: U Number: 138 Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: Seton's Scout may block as though it had flying. Threshold - Seton's Scout gets +2/+2.

Krosan Avenger

Krosan Avenger
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Druid Rarity: C Number: 247 Artist: D. Alexander Gregory Power: 3 Toughness: 1 Text: Trample Threshold - 1G: Regenerate Krosan Avenger. (Play this ability only if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

Nantuko Calmer

Nantuko Calmer
	Set: Torment Cost: 4 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Insect Druid Rarity: C Number: 132 Power: 2 Toughness: 3 Text: G, T, Sacrifice Nantuko Calmer: Destroy target enchantment. Threshold - Nantuko Calmer gets +1/+1.

Rapid Elephant

Elephant
	Set: Garruk vs. Liliana Cost: 0 Color: Colorless Type: Creature Sub Type: Elephant Rarity: C Number: 3 Artist: Arnie Swekel Power: 3 Toughness: 3

Gorilla Titan

Gorilla Titan
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 5 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Ape Rarity: U Number: 241 Artist: Heather Hudson Power: 4 Toughness: 4 Text: 4/4 Card Text: Trample Gorilla Titan gets +4/+4 as long as there are no cards in your graveyard.

Moment's Peace

Moment's Peace
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 251 Artist: Rebecca Guay Text: Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn. Flashback 2G (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

Far Wanderings

Far Wanderings
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 125 Text: Search your library for a basic land card and put that card into play tapped. Then shuffle your library. Threshold - Instead search your library for three basic land cards and put them into play tapped. Then shuffle your library.

Refresh

Refresh
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 264 Artist: Keith Garletts Text: Regenerate target creature. Draw a card.

RED (5 creatures, 3 non-creatures):
Barbarian Outcast

Barbarian Outcast
	Set: Torment Cost: 2 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Barbarian Beast Rarity: C Number: 92 Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: When you control no swamps, sacrifice Barbarian Outcast.

Barbarian Lunatic

Barbarian Lunatic
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Barbarian Rarity: C Number: 175 Artist: Ron Spears Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: 2R, Sacrifice Barbarian Lunatic: Barbarian Lunatic deals 2 damage to target creature.

Hell-Bent Raider
Chainflinger

Chainflinger
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Beast Rarity: C Number: 181 Artist: Scott M. Fischer Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: 1R, Tap: Chainflinger deals 1 damage to target creature or player. Threshold - 2R, Tap: Chainflinger deals 2 damage to target creature or player. (Play this ability only if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

Pardic Firecat

Pardic Firecat
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Cat Rarity: C Number: 211 Artist: Glen Angus Power: 2 Toughness: 3 Text: Haste If Pardic Firecat is in a graveyard, Flame Burst's effect counts it as a Flame Burst.

RmllcnkgTemper

Temper
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 120 Artist: Matthew D. Wilson Text: Prevent up to X damage to target creature. For each 1 damage prevented in this way, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature.

Scorching Missile

Scorching Missile
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Red Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 219 Artist: Don Hazeltine Text: Scorching Missile deals 4 damage to target player. Flashback 9R (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

Acceptable Losses

Acceptable Losses
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Red Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 172 Artist: Mike Ploog Text: As an additional cost to play Acceptable Losses, discard a card at random from your hand. Acceptable Losses deals 5 damage to target creature.

WHITE (6 creatures, 2 non-creatures):
Patrol Hound

Patrol Hound
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Hound Rarity: C Number: 38 Artist: Daren Bader Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: Discard a card from your hand: Patrol Hound gains first strike until end of turn.

Mystic Familiar

Mystic Familiar
	Set: Torment Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Rarity: C Number: 11 Artist: Edward P. Beard, Jr. Power: 1 Toughness: 2 Text: Flying. Threshold - Mystic Familiar gets +1/+1 and has protection from black.

Nomad Decoy

Nomad Decoy
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Nomad Rarity: U Number: 37 Artist: Pete Venters Power: 1 Toughness: 2 Text: W, Tap: Tap target creature. Threshold - WW, Tap: Tap two target creatures. (Play this ability only as long as seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

Stern Judge

Stern Judge
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Cleric Rarity: U Number: 16 Artist: Mike Cavotta Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: T: Each player loses 1 life for each swamp he or she controls.

Pilgrim of Justice

Pilgrim of Justice
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Cleric Rarity: C Number: 40 Artist: Orizio Daniele Power: 1 Toughness: 3 Text: Protection from red W, Sacrifice Pilgrim of Justice: The next time a red source of your choice would deal damage this turn, prevent that damage.

Militant Monk

Militant Monk
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Cleric Rarity: C Number: 9 Artist: Mark Brill Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: Attacking doesn't cause Militant Monk to tap. T: Prevent the next 1 damage that would be dealt to target creature or player this turn.

Embolden

Embolden
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 22 Artist: Rebecca Guay Text: Prevent the next 4 damage that would be dealt this turn to any number of target creatures and/or players divided as you choose. Flashback 1W (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

Second Thoughts

Second Thoughts
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 5 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 45 Artist: Ray Lago Text: Remove target attacking creature from the game. Draw a card.

STEP 4:
-------
Unfortunately, the playable cards were spread fairly evenly across the
colors, which made choosing main colors particularly difficult. However, I
felt that Black and Green's cards were just a bit more solid on the whole,
plus they each had a good threshold land.

That left the choice for a splash color. Normally, I like to keep splashed
to 3-5 cards, but in this case, I looked at 4-7 cards since a) Green had two
mana fixers and b) there were only 18 playable cards in the two main colors,
and there were one or two cards that were weaker than the others. The 4-7
or so best cards in each potential splash color were:
BLUE: Skywing Aven

Skywing Aven
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Soldier Rarity: C Number: 47 Text: Flying. Discard a card from your hand: Return Skywing Aven to its owner's hand.

, Aven Fisher

Aven Fisher
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Soldier Rarity: C Number: 63 Artist: Christopher Moeller Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: Flying When Aven Fisher is put into a graveyard from play, you may draw a card.

, Balshan Collaborator

Balshan Collaborator
	Set: Torment Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Soldier Rarity: U Number: 25 Text: Flying. B: Balshan Collaborator gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

,
Hydromorph Gull

Hydromorph Gull
	Set: Torment Cost: 5 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Guardian Rarity: U Number: 40 Text: Flying. U, Sacrifice Hydromorph Gull: Counter target spell that targets one or more creatures you control.

, Divert

Divert
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 82 Artist: Christopher Moeller Text: Change the target of target spell with a single target unless that spell's controller pays 2.

, Standstill

Standstill
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Enchantment Rarity: U Number: 102 Artist: Heather Hudson Text: When a player plays a spell, sacrifice Standstill. If you do, then each of that player's opponents draws three cards.

, Repel

Repel
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 98 Artist: Terese Nielson Text: Put target creature on top of its owner's library.

RED: Barbarian Lunatic

Barbarian Lunatic
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Barbarian Rarity: C Number: 175 Artist: Ron Spears Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: 2R, Sacrifice Barbarian Lunatic: Barbarian Lunatic deals 2 damage to target creature.

, Chainflinger

Chainflinger
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Beast Rarity: C Number: 181 Artist: Scott M. Fischer Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: 1R, Tap: Chainflinger deals 1 damage to target creature or player. Threshold - 2R, Tap: Chainflinger deals 2 damage to target creature or player. (Play this ability only if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

, Pardic Firecat

Pardic Firecat
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Cat Rarity: C Number: 211 Artist: Glen Angus Power: 2 Toughness: 3 Text: Haste If Pardic Firecat is in a graveyard, Flame Burst's effect counts it as a Flame Burst.

,
RmllcnkgTemper

Temper
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 120 Artist: Matthew D. Wilson Text: Prevent up to X damage to target creature. For each 1 damage prevented in this way, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature.

, Scorching Missile

Scorching Missile
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Red Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 219 Artist: Don Hazeltine Text: Scorching Missile deals 4 damage to target player. Flashback 9R (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

, Acceptable Losses

Acceptable Losses
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Red Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 172 Artist: Mike Ploog Text: As an additional cost to play Acceptable Losses, discard a card at random from your hand. Acceptable Losses deals 5 damage to target creature.

WHITE: Mystic Familiar

Mystic Familiar
	Set: Torment Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Rarity: C Number: 11 Artist: Edward P. Beard, Jr. Power: 1 Toughness: 2 Text: Flying. Threshold - Mystic Familiar gets +1/+1 and has protection from black.

, Nomad Decoy

Nomad Decoy
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Nomad Rarity: U Number: 37 Artist: Pete Venters Power: 1 Toughness: 2 Text: W, Tap: Tap target creature. Threshold - WW, Tap: Tap two target creatures. (Play this ability only as long as seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

, Embolden

Embolden
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 22 Artist: Rebecca Guay Text: Prevent the next 4 damage that would be dealt this turn to any number of target creatures and/or players divided as you choose. Flashback 1W (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

, Second Thoughts

Second Thoughts
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 5 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 45 Artist: Ray Lago Text: Remove target attacking creature from the game. Draw a card.

The Blue had lots of potentially good cards to splash, even if the Gull had
double-blue in its casting cost. Red had the really good Chainflinger

Chainflinger
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Beast Rarity: C Number: 181 Artist: Scott M. Fischer Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: 1R, Tap: Chainflinger deals 1 damage to target creature or player. Threshold - 2R, Tap: Chainflinger deals 2 damage to target creature or player. (Play this ability only if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

and
RmllcnkgTemper

Temper
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 120 Artist: Matthew D. Wilson Text: Prevent up to X damage to target creature. For each 1 damage prevented in this way, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature.

and the decent Lunatic, but the other cards were mediocre.
White had some really good choices, but only the Decoy, Embolden

Embolden
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 22 Artist: Rebecca Guay Text: Prevent the next 4 damage that would be dealt this turn to any number of target creatures and/or players divided as you choose. Flashback 1W (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

, and Second
Thoughts were truly amazing. From this I thought it was clear that Blue was
the best choice as a splash color, with the Collaborator, Skywing Aven

Skywing Aven
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Soldier Rarity: C Number: 47 Text: Flying. Discard a card from your hand: Return Skywing Aven to its owner's hand.

, and
Repel

Repel
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 98 Artist: Terese Nielson Text: Put target creature on top of its owner's library.

being amazing, Standstill

Standstill
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Enchantment Rarity: U Number: 102 Artist: Heather Hudson Text: When a player plays a spell, sacrifice Standstill. If you do, then each of that player's opponents draws three cards.

often being insane, and the other choices
decent. Plus, I had the Tainted Isle

Tainted Isle
	Set: Torment Color: Land Type: land Rarity: U Number: 141 Text: T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool. T: Add U or B to your mana pool. Play this ability only if you control a swamp.

to help out with the Blue mana.


STEP 5:
-------
The final deck I came up with had a lot of ways to get damage through and a
nice mana curve and mana fixers:

BLACK:
Carrion Rats

Carrion Rats
	Set: Torment Cost: 1 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Rat Rarity: C Number: 54 Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: Whenever Carrion Rats attacks or blocks, any player may remove a card in his or her graveyard from the game. If a player does, Carrion Rats deals no combat damage this turn.

(I am still not entirely sure what I think of these guys, but
the did end up working pretty well)
Dusk Imp

Dusk Imp
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Imp Rarity: C Number: 131 Artist: Edward P. Beard, Jr. Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: Flying.

Fledgling Imp

Fledgling Imp
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Imp Rarity: C Number: 137 Artist: John Matson Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: B, Discard a card from your hand: Fledgling Imp gains flying until end of turn.

Gravegouger

Gravegouger
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Nightmare Horror Rarity: C Number: 62 Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: When Gravegouger comes into play, remove up to two target cards in a single graveyard from the game. When Gravegouger leaves play, return the removed cards to their owner's graveyard.

Organ Grinder

Organ Grinder
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Zombie Rarity: C Number: 75 Power: 3 Toughness: 1 Text: T, Remove three cards in your graveyard from the game: Target player loses 3 life.

Soul Scourge

Soul Scourge
	Set: Torment Cost: 5 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Nightmare Horror Rarity: C Number: 85 Power: 3 Toughness: 2 Text: Flying. When Soul Scourge comes into play, target player loses 3 life. When Soul Scourge leaves play, that player gains 3 life.

Afflict

Afflict
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 115 Artist: Roger Raupp Text: Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. Draw a card.

Crippling Fatigue

Crippling Fatigue
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 58 Text: Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn. Flashback - 1B, Pay 3 life.

Morbid Hunger

Morbid Hunger
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 6 Color: Black Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 150 Artist: Eric Peterson Text: Morbid Hunger deals 3 damage to target creature or player. You gain 3 life. Flashback 7BB (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

GREEN:
Diligent Farmhand

Diligent Farmhand
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Druid Rarity: C Number: 237 Artist: Gary Ruddell Power: 1 Toughness: 1 Text: 1G, Sacrifice Diligent Farmhand: Search your library for a basic land card, and put that card into play tapped. Then shuffle your library. If Diligent Farmhand is in a graveyard, Muscle Burst's effect counts it as a Muscle Burst.

Seton's Scout

Seton's Scout
	Set: Torment Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Centaur Druid Rarity: U Number: 138 Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: Seton's Scout may block as though it had flying. Threshold - Seton's Scout gets +2/+2.

Krosan Avenger

Krosan Avenger
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Druid Rarity: C Number: 247 Artist: D. Alexander Gregory Power: 3 Toughness: 1 Text: Trample Threshold - 1G: Regenerate Krosan Avenger. (Play this ability only if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

Nantuko Calmer

Nantuko Calmer
	Set: Torment Cost: 4 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Insect Druid Rarity: C Number: 132 Power: 2 Toughness: 3 Text: G, T, Sacrifice Nantuko Calmer: Destroy target enchantment. Threshold - Nantuko Calmer gets +1/+1.

Rapid Elephant

Elephant
	Set: Garruk vs. Liliana Cost: 0 Color: Colorless Type: Creature Sub Type: Elephant Rarity: C Number: 3 Artist: Arnie Swekel Power: 3 Toughness: 3

Gorilla Titan

Gorilla Titan
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 5 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Ape Rarity: U Number: 241 Artist: Heather Hudson Power: 4 Toughness: 4 Text: 4/4 Card Text: Trample Gorilla Titan gets +4/+4 as long as there are no cards in your graveyard.

Far Wanderings

Far Wanderings
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 125 Text: Search your library for a basic land card and put that card into play tapped. Then shuffle your library. Threshold - Instead search your library for three basic land cards and put them into play tapped. Then shuffle your library.

Refresh

Refresh
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 264 Artist: Keith Garletts Text: Regenerate target creature. Draw a card.

BLUE:
Skywing Aven

Skywing Aven
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Soldier Rarity: C Number: 47 Text: Flying. Discard a card from your hand: Return Skywing Aven to its owner's hand.

(this guy is easily one of the best common creatures in
Torment

Torment
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 2 Color: Black Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: C Number: 23 Artist: Paolo Parente Text: Enchanted creature gets -3/-0.

)
Aven Fisher

Aven Fisher
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Soldier Rarity: C Number: 63 Artist: Christopher Moeller Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: Flying When Aven Fisher is put into a graveyard from play, you may draw a card.

Balshan Collaborator

Balshan Collaborator
	Set: Torment Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Soldier Rarity: U Number: 25 Text: Flying. B: Balshan Collaborator gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

Hydromorph Gull

Hydromorph Gull
	Set: Torment Cost: 5 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Guardian Rarity: U Number: 40 Text: Flying. U, Sacrifice Hydromorph Gull: Counter target spell that targets one or more creatures you control.

Standstill

Standstill
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Enchantment Rarity: U Number: 102 Artist: Heather Hudson Text: When a player plays a spell, sacrifice Standstill. If you do, then each of that player's opponents draws three cards.

(went well with my 2 one-drops, and was only useless less than
20% of the time)
Repel

Repel
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 98 Artist: Terese Nielson Text: Put target creature on top of its owner's library.

LAND:
6 Forest

Forest
	Set: Oversize Cards Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: X Artist: Tony Roberts Text: T: Add G to your mana pool.

s
1 Centaur Garden

Centaur Garden
	Set: Odyssey Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: U Number: 316 Artist: John Avon Text: Tap: Add G to your mana pool. Centaur Garden deals 1 damage to you. Threshold - G, Tap, Sacrifice Centaur Garden: Target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn. (Play this ability only if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

1 Timberland Ruins

Timberland Ruins
	Set: Odyssey Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: C Number: 330 Artist: Alan Pollack Text: : Timberland Ruins comes into play tapped. Tap: Add G to your mana pool. Tap, Sacrifice Timberland Ruins: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.

5 Swamp

Swamp
	Set: Oversize Cards Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: X Artist: Tony Roberts Text: T: Add B to your mana pool.

s
1 Cabal Pit

Cabal Pit
	Set: Odyssey Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: U Number: 315 Artist: John Avon Text: Add B to your mana pool. Cabal Pit deals 1 damage to you. Threshold - B, Tap, Sacrifice Cabal Pit: Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn. (Play this ability only if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

1 Tainted Isle

Tainted Isle
	Set: Torment Color: Land Type: land Rarity: U Number: 141 Text: T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool. T: Add U or B to your mana pool. Play this ability only if you control a swamp.

3 Island

Island
	Set: Oversize Cards Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: X Artist: Tony Roberts Text: T: Add U to your mana pool.

s

I was only somewhat happy with this deck. It did have a nice mana curve
with two good mana-fixers, but the Blue splash was heavier than I'd like and
there was a lack of any true bombs or many REALLY strong cards. As I often
find myself doing in sealed deck, I went with 18 lands out of 41 cards, and
while it may seem like I could have made do with 17 lands in this deck, I
didn't want to take too much pain from the Garden and Pit and wanted to be
able to easily sacrifice them when needed. Plus, I could use extra land for
returning the Skywing Aven

Skywing Aven
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Soldier Rarity: C Number: 47 Text: Flying. Discard a card from your hand: Return Skywing Aven to its owner's hand.

, pumping the Collaborator, etc. I ran heavier on
the Green mana sources since I had two Green mana fixers. Also, even though
I had only 3 islands, I had as many as 7 Blue mana sources counting the
special lands and mana fixers, so I felt that was sufficient for the 6 Blue
cards (including one double-Blue card) I had.


WHAT WOULD I HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY?:
------------------------------------
Based on how the deck played, the only things I might have done differently
are:

1) Include Divert

Divert
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 82 Artist: Christopher Moeller Text: Change the target of target spell with a single target unless that spell's controller pays 2.

over Aven Fisher

Aven Fisher
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Soldier Rarity: C Number: 63 Artist: Christopher Moeller Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: Flying When Aven Fisher is put into a graveyard from play, you may draw a card.

:
The Aven Fisher

Aven Fisher
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Bird Soldier Rarity: C Number: 63 Artist: Christopher Moeller Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: Flying When Aven Fisher is put into a graveyard from play, you may draw a card.

is solid, but it is not a power card. Divert

Divert
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 82 Artist: Christopher Moeller Text: Change the target of target spell with a single target unless that spell's controller pays 2.

can either be
amazing or dead. It tends not to be that good against Green (all those
creatures) or White (instants either can't be Divert

Divert
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 82 Artist: Christopher Moeller Text: Change the target of target spell with a single target unless that spell's controller pays 2.

ed or can't be Divert

Divert
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 82 Artist: Christopher Moeller Text: Change the target of target spell with a single target unless that spell's controller pays 2.

ed
that effectively). However, Divert

Divert
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 82 Artist: Christopher Moeller Text: Change the target of target spell with a single target unless that spell's controller pays 2.

is often quite good against Black, Blue,
and Red. All that said, Divert

Divert
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 82 Artist: Christopher Moeller Text: Change the target of target spell with a single target unless that spell's controller pays 2.

is probably quite useful more often than not
and I did end up sideboarding it in about 70% of the time.

2) Include Moment's Peace

Moment's Peace
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 251 Artist: Rebecca Guay Text: Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn. Flashback 2G (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

over Refresh

Refresh
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 264 Artist: Keith Garletts Text: Regenerate target creature. Draw a card.

:
I'm not a huge fan of either of these cards, but my initial inclination was
to include Refresh

Refresh
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 264 Artist: Keith Garletts Text: Regenerate target creature. Draw a card.

since it can be cycled and is often card advantage.
However, with the increase in Black removal, Refresh

Refresh
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 264 Artist: Keith Garletts Text: Regenerate target creature. Draw a card.

isn't quite as good
anymore. Also, I had 9 creatures with some type of ´´evasion´´ so often I
could get damage through but defense was the problem. That said, Refresh

Refresh
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 264 Artist: Keith Garletts Text: Regenerate target creature. Draw a card.

did come in quite useful many times, so I'm still not entirely sure as to
the right call.



--------
MATCHES:
--------
As for the matches, here are some of the interesting highlights:

There were 61 players, which meant 6 rounds of swiss.

Round 1: WON. Game 1 I didn't draw any early plays, although I did drop an
8/8 Gorilla Titan

Gorilla Titan
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 5 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Ape Rarity: U Number: 241 Artist: Heather Hudson Power: 4 Toughness: 4 Text: 4/4 Card Text: Trample Gorilla Titan gets +4/+4 as long as there are no cards in your graveyard.

on turn 5. Unfortunately it got Repel

Repel
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 98 Artist: Terese Nielson Text: Put target creature on top of its owner's library.

ed and I died
shortly thereafter to his early pressure. Games 2 I won pretty easily.
Game 3 I was a bit worried as he had an active Painbringer

Painbringer
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Minion Rarity: U Number: 155 Artist: Pete Venters Power: 1 Toughness: 1 Text: Tap, Remove any number of cards in your graveyard from the game: Target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn, where X is the number of cards removed this way.

on the table with
5 cards in his graveyard even though I had a Rapid Elephant

Elephant
	Set: Garruk vs. Liliana Cost: 0 Color: Colorless Type: Creature Sub Type: Elephant Rarity: C Number: 3 Artist: Arnie Swekel Power: 3 Toughness: 3

out. Well, I
drew my Gravegouger

Gravegouger
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Nightmare Horror Rarity: C Number: 62 Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: When Gravegouger comes into play, remove up to two target cards in a single graveyard from the game. When Gravegouger leaves play, return the removed cards to their owner's graveyard.

and cast it, targeting the Scorching Missile

Scorching Missile
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Red Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 219 Artist: Don Hazeltine Text: Scorching Missile deals 4 damage to target player. Flashback 9R (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

and Morbid
Hunger in his graveyard. I thought he would either remove 2 other cards to
kill my Gravegouger

Gravegouger
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Nightmare Horror Rarity: C Number: 62 Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: When Gravegouger comes into play, remove up to two target cards in a single graveyard from the game. When Gravegouger leaves play, return the removed cards to their owner's graveyard.

and wait on my Elephant

Elephant
	Set: Garruk vs. Liliana Cost: 0 Color: Colorless Type: Creature Sub Type: Elephant Rarity: C Number: 3 Artist: Arnie Swekel Power: 3 Toughness: 3

, or that he would remove one of
those cards and the other three to kill my Elephant

Elephant
	Set: Garruk vs. Liliana Cost: 0 Color: Colorless Type: Creature Sub Type: Elephant Rarity: C Number: 3 Artist: Arnie Swekel Power: 3 Toughness: 3

and wait on the
Gravegouger

Gravegouger
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Nightmare Horror Rarity: C Number: 62 Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: When Gravegouger comes into play, remove up to two target cards in a single graveyard from the game. When Gravegouger leaves play, return the removed cards to their owner's graveyard.

, but I had to try something. Well, what he did was to remove
those 2 flashback cards and 2 others to kill my Elephant

Elephant
	Set: Garruk vs. Liliana Cost: 0 Color: Colorless Type: Creature Sub Type: Elephant Rarity: C Number: 3 Artist: Arnie Swekel Power: 3 Toughness: 3

! It turned out to
be a damage race, so getting rid of the Missile and Hunger was key.
1-0

Round 2: LOST. I don't remember too much of these games except that my
opponent just got me down too low too quickly so by the time I stabilized he
was able to either burn me out or push through and finish me off. I
probably would have won if I had had 5 more life in either game, but oh
well.
1-1

Round 3: WON. I won game 1 pretty easily. Game 2, I got out a few early
creatures and then a Gorilla Titan

Gorilla Titan
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 5 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Ape Rarity: U Number: 241 Artist: Heather Hudson Power: 4 Toughness: 4 Text: 4/4 Card Text: Trample Gorilla Titan gets +4/+4 as long as there are no cards in your graveyard.

with no cards in my graveyard! Well, he
held it off with a Tireless Tribe

Tireless Tribe
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Nomad Rarity: C Number: 56 Artist: Carl Critchlow Power: 1 Toughness: 1 Text: Discard a card from your hand: Tireless Tribe gets +0/+4 until end of turn.

and eventually Chainer's Edict

Chainer's Edict
	Set: Torment Cost: 2 Color: Black Type: Sorcery Rarity: U Number: 57 Text: Target player sacrifices a creature. Flashback 5BB

ed a
creature of mine to make the Gorilla smaller. Well, later on I drew my
Gravegouger

Gravegouger
	Set: Torment Cost: 3 Color: Black Type: Creature Sub Type: Nightmare Horror Rarity: C Number: 62 Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: When Gravegouger comes into play, remove up to two target cards in a single graveyard from the game. When Gravegouger leaves play, return the removed cards to their owner's graveyard.

and targeted my own graveyard to empty it and make the Gorilla
large again! Well, that pretty much finished him off.
2-1

Round 4: WON. There was a point in game 2 where we were in a damage race
and I was winning but then he cast Vengeful Dreams

Vengeful Dreams
	Set: Torment Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 21 Text: As an additional cost to play Vengeful Dreams, discard X cards from your hand. Remove X target attacking creatures from the game.

and just WRECKED me!
That card is truly amazing in Limited! Anyway, I won game 3 rather easily.
3-1

Round 5: LOST. This round I was matched up against my good friend Jason
Huang, who I play with all the time! :( Also, he's quite a good player and
had an amazing deck (we had already showed each other our decks at lunch).
I didn't feel too good about my chances in this match, but at least if I
lost it would be to Jason and he should then be able to make Top 8. Well, I
tried my best anyway but he totally smashed me. In fact, we played more
games for fun and I failed to win a single one out of the six games we
played. Jason had some real bombs in his deck, including Gurzigost

Gurzigost
	Set: Torment Cost: 5 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Beast Rarity: R Number: 126 Power: 6 Toughness: 8 Text: At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice Gurzigost unless you put two cards from your graveyard on the bottom of your library. GG, Discard a card from your hand: You may have Gurzigost deal its combat damage to defending player this turn as though it weren't blocked.

, Gorilla
Titan (combo!), Looter, Broker, lots of red removal including Volcanic
Eruption, and other good stuff. Oh well, I was out of contention for the
Top 8, but I kept playing to help Jason's tiebreakers and to go for an
amateur prize.
3-2

Round 6: WON. I don't remember too much about this one other than I won
relatively easily.
4-2

As expected, 4-2 wasn't good enough to get me in the Top 8, but I did end up
coming in 12th and getting an amateur prize of half a box of Torment

Torment
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 2 Color: Black Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: C Number: 23 Artist: Paolo Parente Text: Enchanted creature gets -3/-0.

.

I did stick around for the draft, though, to see how Jason would do.
Unfortunately they didn't let anyone watch the actual draft, but I did watch
the actual matches. Jason ended up drafting a deck that he didn't think was
all that great but others and I thought it was pretty good. It was GUb,
with the option of a good White splash in place of the Black. It had
several good threshold creatures, Think Tank

Think Tank
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Enchantment Rarity: U Number: 104 Artist: Jim Nelson Text: At the beginning of your upkeep, look at the top card of your library. You may put that card into your graveyard.

, and other ways to get
threshold, and some bombs including Upheaval

Upheaval
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 6 Color: Blue Type: Sorcery Rarity: R Number: 113 Artist: Kev Walker Text: Return all permanents to their owners' hands.

and Nostalgic Dreams

Nostalgic Dreams
	Set: Torment Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Sorcery Rarity: R Number: 135 Text: As an additional cost to play Nostalgic Dreams, discard X cards from your hand. Return X target cards from your graveyard to your hand. Remove Nostalgic Dreams from the game.

. Plus it
had Llawan, Cephalid Empress

Llawan, Cephalid Empress
	Set: Torment Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Cephalid Legend Rarity: R Number: 42 Artist: Mark Zug Text: When Llawan, Cephalid Empress comes into play, return all blue creatures your opponents control to their owners' hands. Your opponents can't play blue creature spells.

that just WRECKS any Blue-White deck.

Well, Jason ended up winning his quarter-finals and semi-finals matches and
the prize-splitting in the finals for the qualification to Nice. Now I'm
going to go continue to work on doing the same . . .

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