CardShark Content - Vincent Lovaglio (2/5/2004)

Proteus Staff

Proteus Staff

Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: R Number: 230 Artist: Trevor Hairsine Text: 2U, T: Put target creature on the bottom of its owner's library. That creature's controller reveals cards from the top of his or her library until he or she reveals a creature card. The player puts that card into play and the rest on the bottom of his or her library in any order. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery.

has seen reasonable success in the Standard Metagame in combination with the powerful Goblin Charbelcher

Goblin Charbelcher

Set: Mirrodin Cost: 4 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: R Number: 176 Artist: Stephen Tappin Text: 3, T: Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a land card. Goblin Charbelcher deals damage equal to the number of nonland cards revealed this way to target creature or player. If the revealed land card was a Mountain, Goblin Charbelcher deals double that damage instead. Put the revealed cards on the bottom of your library in any order.

so I have decided to make this U/W Control based deck into a Mirrodin Block Constructed contedor.


First, after taking a quick look at the title of the article the deck is not Proteus Char

Char
	Set: Ravnica City of Guilds Cost: 3 Color: Red Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 117 Artist: Adam Rex Text: Char deals 4 damage to target creature or player and 2 damage to you.

belcher, it is Darksteel Staff (I come up with great names, don’t I). Why? I am using Darksteel Colossus

Darksteel Colossus
	Set: Darksteel Cost: 11 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Creature Rarity: R Number: 109 Artist: Carl Critchlow Power: 11 Toughness: 11 Text: Trample. Darksteel Colossus is indestructible (Destroy effects and lethal damage don't destroy it.) If Darksteel Colossus would be put into a graveyard from anywhere reveal Darksteel Colossus and shuffle it into its owner's library instead.

in place of the Goblin Charbelcher

Goblin Charbelcher

Set: Mirrodin Cost: 4 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: R Number: 176 Artist: Stephen Tappin Text: 3, T: Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a land card. Goblin Charbelcher deals damage equal to the number of nonland cards revealed this way to target creature or player. If the revealed land card was a Mountain, Goblin Charbelcher deals double that damage instead. Put the revealed cards on the bottom of your library in any order.

. Being that this seems to be a controversial choice, let me explain my position on this issue. Although the Goblin Charbelcher

Goblin Charbelcher

Set: Mirrodin Cost: 4 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: R Number: 176 Artist: Stephen Tappin Text: 3, T: Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a land card. Goblin Charbelcher deals damage equal to the number of nonland cards revealed this way to target creature or player. If the revealed land card was a Mountain, Goblin Charbelcher deals double that damage instead. Put the revealed cards on the bottom of your library in any order.

can be a one turn kill in combination with the Staff, you can rest assured that Mirrodin Block Constructed will see lots of artifact destruction because of Affinity’s dominance. So, the Darksteel Colossus

Darksteel Colossus
	Set: Darksteel Cost: 11 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Creature Rarity: R Number: 109 Artist: Carl Critchlow Power: 11 Toughness: 11 Text: Trample. Darksteel Colossus is indestructible (Destroy effects and lethal damage don't destroy it.) If Darksteel Colossus would be put into a graveyard from anywhere reveal Darksteel Colossus and shuffle it into its owner's library instead.

’ indestructible ability makes it a much better choice in the environment.


When designing a deck, I like to plan it by putting each of the cards into separate facets. In this deck I will include the Mana Base, Combo Pieces, Removal, Permission, and Card Drawing.


Mana Base: 23 Lands, 4 Talisman
Without any fetch/painlands in Mirrodin Block, the manabase for Staff must include 4 Talisman of Progress

Talisman of Progress
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 2 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: U Number: 256 Artist: Mike Dringenberg Text: T: Add 1 to your mana pool. T: Add W or U to your mana pool. Talisman of Progress deals 1 damage to you.

as both a form of acceleration and color fixing. The mana base should look as follows:
4 Talisman of Progress

Talisman of Progress
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 2 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: U Number: 256 Artist: Mike Dringenberg Text: T: Add 1 to your mana pool. T: Add W or U to your mana pool. Talisman of Progress deals 1 damage to you.

2 Ancient Den

Ancient Den
	Set: Mirrodin Color: Land Type: Artifact Land Rarity: C Number: 278 Artist: Rob Alexander Text: (Ancient Den isn't a spell.) T: Add W to your mana pool.

-Thirst

Thirst
	Set: Mirage Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: C Artist: Roger Raupp Text: When Thirst comes into play, tap enchanted creature.During your upkeep, pay U or bury Thirst.Enchanted creature does not untap during its controller's untap phase.

IGZvciBLbm93bGVkZ2U= fodder.
2 Seat of the Synod

Seat of the Synod
	Set: Mirrodin Color: Land Type: Artifact Land Rarity: C Number: 283 Artist: John Avon Text: (Seat of the Synod isn't a spell.) T: Add U to your mana pool.

-Thirst

Thirst
	Set: Mirage Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: C Artist: Roger Raupp Text: When Thirst comes into play, tap enchanted creature.During your upkeep, pay U or bury Thirst.Enchanted creature does not untap during its controller's untap phase.

IGZvciBLbm93bGVkZ2U= fodder.
10 Island

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

9 Plains

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

Removal: 8 Board Clear

Clear
	Set: Urza's Saga Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 7 Artist: Carl Critchlow Text: Destroy target enchantment.Cycling 2 (You may pay 2 and discard this card from your hand to draw a card. Play this ability as an instant.)

ers, 4 Creature Disrupt

Disrupt
	Set: Weatherlight Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Artist: Adam Rex Text: Counter target instant, interrupt, or sorcery spell unless its caster pays an additional 1.Draw a card.

ion
This list is pretty straightfoward with the inclusion of board sweepers and white removal.
4 Arrest

Arrest
	Set: Mercadian Masques Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: U Number: 4 Artist: Dan Frazier Text: Enchanted creature can't attack or block, and its activated abilities can't be played.

: White removal (though not very good) that can take down any creature. Very solid.
4 Solar Tide

Solar Tide
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 6 Color: White Type: Sorcery Rarity: R Number: 24 Artist: Dave Dorman Text: Choose one - Destroy all creatures with power 2 or less; or destroy all creatures with power 3 or greater. Entwine—Sacrifice two lands. (Choose both if you pay the entwine cost.)

: Mirrodin’s Wrath of God

Wrath of God
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 4 Color: White Type: Sorcery Rarity: R Artist: Quinton Hoover Text: All creatures in play are buried.

, although weak, will probably be used in all W/x Control variants.
4 Oblivion Stone

Oblivion Stone
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: R Number: 222 Artist: Sam Wood Text: 4, T: Put a fate counter on target permanent. 5, T, Sacrifice Oblivion Stone: Destroy each nonland permanent without a fate counter on it, then remove all fate counters from all permanents.

: The best board clearer in Mirrodin Block. It has even lived up to the hype it has been given in Type II.


Combo: 5 Pieces, 4 Tutors
4 Fabricate

Fabricate
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Sorcery Rarity: U Number: 35 Artist: Glen Angus Text: Search your library for an artifact card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.

: This card in essence gives you a total of 7 Proteus Staff

Proteus Staff

Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: R Number: 230 Artist: Trevor Hairsine Text: 2U, T: Put target creature on the bottom of its owner's library. That creature's controller reveals cards from the top of his or her library until he or she reveals a creature card. The player puts that card into play and the rest on the bottom of his or her library in any order. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery.

s so they must be used.
3 Proteus Staff

Proteus Staff

Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: R Number: 230 Artist: Trevor Hairsine Text: 2U, T: Put target creature on the bottom of its owner's library. That creature's controller reveals cards from the top of his or her library until he or she reveals a creature card. The player puts that card into play and the rest on the bottom of his or her library in any order. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery.

: Pretty much self explanatory.
2 Darksteel Colossus

Darksteel Colossus
	Set: Darksteel Cost: 11 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Creature Rarity: R Number: 109 Artist: Carl Critchlow Power: 11 Toughness: 11 Text: Trample. Darksteel Colossus is indestructible (Destroy effects and lethal damage don't destroy it.) If Darksteel Colossus would be put into a graveyard from anywhere reveal Darksteel Colossus and shuffle it into its owner's library instead.

: I included my reasons for including the Colossus over the Char

Char
	Set: Ravnica City of Guilds Cost: 3 Color: Red Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 117 Artist: Adam Rex Text: Char deals 4 damage to target creature or player and 2 damage to you.

belcher but the number of Colossi that I use might be controversial. I have chosen to play two instead of only one because if you find the only one in your opening hand without a discarder you are pretty much screwed.


Permission: 4 Hard Counters
4 Last Word

Last Word
	Set: Darksteel Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 23 Artist: Scott M. Fischer Text: Last Word can't be countered by spell or abilities. Counter target spell.

: I thought about using both Last Word

Last Word
	Set: Darksteel Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 23 Artist: Scott M. Fischer Text: Last Word can't be countered by spell or abilities. Counter target spell.

and Vex

Vex
	Set: Darksteel Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 36 Artist: Brian Snoddy Text: Counter target spell. That spell's controller may draw a card.

but after several games of testing, the card drawing that the opponent got from Vex

Vex
	Set: Darksteel Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 36 Artist: Brian Snoddy Text: Counter target spell. That spell's controller may draw a card.

caused me to cut them.


Card Drawing: 8
4 Pulse of the Grid

Pulse of the Grid
	Set: Darksteel Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 29 Artist: Wayne England Text: Draw two cards then discard a card from your hand. Then if an opponent has more cards in hand than you return Pulse of the Grid to owner's hand. Before lessons and laboratories there was intuition.

: I have been impressed wit this card. It is amazing against control and is still a good drawer against aggro.
4 Thirst

Thirst
	Set: Mirage Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: C Artist: Roger Raupp Text: When Thirst comes into play, tap enchanted creature.During your upkeep, pay U or bury Thirst.Enchanted creature does not untap during its controller's untap phase.

IGZvciBLbm93bGVkZ2U=: The best card drawer in Mirrodin Block Constructed. Just remember to discard unwanted Colossi and bring them back into your deck.


And there you have it folks. I hope that you enjoyed this article. After reviewing the first 3 decks, I felt that it was time for something a little more rogue. I hope that you guys appreciate it. Thanks. And once again, I love e-mail feedback for my articles.

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