CardShark Content - Will Rivera (4/7/2005)

Everyone figured Eternal was dead after Onslaught

Onslaught
	Set: Exodus Cost: 1 Color: Red Type: Enchantment Rarity: C Number: 92 Artist: Paolo Parente Text: Whenever you successfully cast a creature spell, tap target creature.

rotated out of Standard. Julien Nuijten

Julien Nuijten
	Set: Promotional Other Rarity: P Text: Magic Pro Tour Player Card, 2004 World Champion

, unfortunately for me, I had discovered just how good this deck was only two weeks before then, and I hadn't even seen it's full potential because I didn't have the money to put it that for, nor did I want to because all of the most expensive cards were just about to rotate out. But for two weeks I dominated the tournament scene, and my unwillingness to let go grew. Finally, it cycled out, and I was forced to drift to other control decks.

Extended season rolls around, and I'm bombarded with articles about how wide-open and diverse the format is. I can't help but put together the deck again, but I had to do research on all the other cards I could use, as well as the other decks around. I heard about Goblins and Affinity, neither of which I was afraid. I read up on Scepter Chant, Tog and Madness. Combo-decks, Reanimator, and Combo-Reanimator decks were, no doubt, a problem, but I dusted off Eternal Slide and tuned it as best I could to combat them. And I tuned, and I tuned, and I twisted, and tested, and I tuned some more afterward. By NO means is this Tier 1 or even Tier 2, but as a Rogue deck, it can kick its share of butt. In casual-play it's almost unstoppable if you tune it correctly. Here's what I ended up with for serious play:

//Land
5 Forest

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

5 Plains

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

4 Tranquil Thicket

Tranquil Thicket
	Set: Onslaught Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: C Number: 326 Artist: Heather Hudson Text: Tranquil Thicket comes into play tapped. T: Add G to your mana pool. Cycling G (G, Discard this card from your hand: Draw a card.)

4 Secluded Steppe

Secluded Steppe
	Set: Onslaught Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: C Number: 324 Artist: Heather Hudson Text: Secluded Steppe comes into play tapped. T: Add W to your mana pool. Cycling W (W, Discard this card from your hand: Draw a card.)

4 Windswept Heath

Windswept Heath
	Set: Onslaught Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: R Number: 328 Artist: Anthony S. Waters Text: T, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice Windswept Heath: Search your library for a forest or plains card and put it into play. Then shuffle your library.

2 Nantuko Monastery

Nantuko Monastery
	Set: Judgment Color: Land Type: land Rarity: U Number: 142 Artist: Rob Alexander Text: T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool. Threshold - GW: Nantuko Monastery becomes a 4/4 green and white creature with first strike until end of turn. It's still a land.

//Creatures
4 Wall of Blossoms

Wall of Blossoms
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Wall Rarity: U Number: 75 Artist: Heather Hudson Power: 0 Toughness: 4 Text: (Walls cannot attack.) When Wall of Blossoms comes into play, draw a card.

4 Eternal Witness

Eternal Witness
	Set: Fifth Dawn Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Human Shaman Rarity: U Number: 86 Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: Whenever Eternal Witness comes into play, return target card from your graveayrd to your hand.

(What the deck gets half its name from, FYI)
4 Eternal Dragon

Eternal Dragon
	Set: Scourge Cost: 7 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Dragon Spirit Rarity: R Number: 12 Artist: Justin Sweet Power: 5 Toughness: 5 Text: Flying. 3WW: Return Eternal Dragon from your graveyard to your hand. Play this ability only during your upkeep. Plainscycling 2

//Enchantments
4 Astral Slide

Astral Slide
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Enchantment Rarity: U Number: 4 Artist: Ron Spears Text: Whenever a player cycles a card, you may remove target creature from the game. If you do, return that creature to play under its owner's control at end of turn.

(What the deck gets the other half its name from)
//Spells
4 QWtyb21hJ3MgBlessing

Blessing
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: R Artist: Julie Baroh Text: W: +1/+1

4 Renewed Faith

Renewed Faith
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 50 Artist: Dave Dorman Text: You gain 6 life. Cycling 1W (1W, Discard this card from your hand: Draw a card.) When you cycle Renewed Faith, you may gain 2 life.

4 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.

2 QWtyb21hJ3MgVengeance

Vengeance
	Set: Portal Second Age Cost: 4 Color: White Type: Sorcery Rarity: U Artist: Keith Parkinson Text: Destroy any one tapped creature.

2 Wing Shards

Wing Shards
	Set: Scourge Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 25 Artist: Darren Bader Text: Target player sacrifices an attacking creature. Storm

2 Gilded Light

Gilded Light
	Set: Scourge Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 16 Text: You can’t be the target of spells or abilities until end of turn. Cycling 2

1 Naturalize

Naturalize
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 275 Artist: Ron Spears Text: Destroy target artifact or enchantment.

1 Disenchant

Disenchant
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Artist: Amy Weber Text: Target enchantment or artifact is destroyed.

//Sideboard
3 Viridian Shaman

Viridian Shaman
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Elf Shaman Rarity: U Number: 139 Artist: Scott M. Fischer Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: When Viridian Shaman comes into play, destroy target artifact.

3 Repopulate

Repopulate
	Set: Urza's Legacy Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 111 Artist: Una Fricker Text: Shuffle all creature cards from target player's graveyard into that player's library.Cycling 2 (You may pay 2 and discard this card from your hand to draw a card. Play this ability as an instant.)

2 Gilded Light

Gilded Light
	Set: Scourge Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 16 Text: You can’t be the target of spells or abilities until end of turn. Cycling 2

2 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Sacred Ground

Sacred Ground
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Enchantment Rarity: R Number: 112 Artist: Terese Nielsen Text: Whenever an effect controlled by any opponent puts a land into your graveyard from play, put that land into play.

1 Naturalize

Naturalize
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 275 Artist: Ron Spears Text: Destroy target artifact or enchantment.

1 Disenchant

Disenchant
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Artist: Amy Weber Text: Target enchantment or artifact is destroyed.

But now that Extended season is over, I can wind down again for casual play.

//Land
5 Forest

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

5 Plains

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

4 Tranquil Thicket

Tranquil Thicket
	Set: Onslaught Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: C Number: 326 Artist: Heather Hudson Text: Tranquil Thicket comes into play tapped. T: Add G to your mana pool. Cycling G (G, Discard this card from your hand: Draw a card.)

4 Secluded Steppe

Secluded Steppe
	Set: Onslaught Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: C Number: 324 Artist: Heather Hudson Text: Secluded Steppe comes into play tapped. T: Add W to your mana pool. Cycling W (W, Discard this card from your hand: Draw a card.)

4 Windswept Heath

Windswept Heath
	Set: Onslaught Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: R Number: 328 Artist: Anthony S. Waters Text: T, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice Windswept Heath: Search your library for a forest or plains card and put it into play. Then shuffle your library.

2 Nantuko Monastery

Nantuko Monastery
	Set: Judgment Color: Land Type: land Rarity: U Number: 142 Artist: Rob Alexander Text: T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool. Threshold - GW: Nantuko Monastery becomes a 4/4 green and white creature with first strike until end of turn. It's still a land.

//Creatures
4 Wall of Blossoms

Wall of Blossoms
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Wall Rarity: U Number: 75 Artist: Heather Hudson Power: 0 Toughness: 4 Text: (Walls cannot attack.) When Wall of Blossoms comes into play, draw a card.

4 Eternal Witness

Eternal Witness
	Set: Fifth Dawn Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Human Shaman Rarity: U Number: 86 Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: Whenever Eternal Witness comes into play, return target card from your graveayrd to your hand.

4 Eternal Dragon

Eternal Dragon
	Set: Scourge Cost: 7 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Dragon Spirit Rarity: R Number: 12 Artist: Justin Sweet Power: 5 Toughness: 5 Text: Flying. 3WW: Return Eternal Dragon from your graveyard to your hand. Play this ability only during your upkeep. Plainscycling 2

2 Mystic Enforcer

Mystic Enforcer
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Multicolor Type: Creature Sub Type: Nomad Mystic Rarity: R Number: 290 Artist: Gary Ruddell Power: 3 Toughness: 3 Text: Protection from black Threshold - Mystic Enforcer gets +3/+3 and has flying. (You have threshold as long as seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

//Enchantments
4 Astral Slide

Astral Slide
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Enchantment Rarity: U Number: 4 Artist: Ron Spears Text: Whenever a player cycles a card, you may remove target creature from the game. If you do, return that creature to play under its owner's control at end of turn.

//Spells
4 QWtyb21hJ3MgBlessing

Blessing
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: R Artist: Julie Baroh Text: W: +1/+1

4 Renewed Faith

Renewed Faith
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 50 Artist: Dave Dorman Text: You gain 6 life. Cycling 1W (1W, Discard this card from your hand: Draw a card.) When you cycle Renewed Faith, you may gain 2 life.

4 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.

2 QWtyb21hJ3MgVengeance

Vengeance
	Set: Portal Second Age Cost: 4 Color: White Type: Sorcery Rarity: U Artist: Keith Parkinson Text: Destroy any one tapped creature.

2 Wing Shards

Wing Shards
	Set: Scourge Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 25 Artist: Darren Bader Text: Target player sacrifices an attacking creature. Storm

2 Gilded Light

Gilded Light
	Set: Scourge Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 16 Text: You can’t be the target of spells or abilities until end of turn. Cycling 2

//Sideboard
4 Viridian Shaman

Viridian Shaman
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Elf Shaman Rarity: U Number: 139 Artist: Scott M. Fischer Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: When Viridian Shaman comes into play, destroy target artifact.

2 Gilded Light

Gilded Light
	Set: Scourge Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 16 Text: You can’t be the target of spells or abilities until end of turn. Cycling 2

2 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Disenchant

Disenchant
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Artist: Amy Weber Text: Target enchantment or artifact is destroyed.

2 Naturalize

Naturalize
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 275 Artist: Ron Spears Text: Destroy target artifact or enchantment.

2 Sacred Ground

Sacred Ground
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Enchantment Rarity: R Number: 112 Artist: Terese Nielsen Text: Whenever an effect controlled by any opponent puts a land into your graveyard from play, put that land into play.

1 Wing Shards

Wing Shards
	Set: Scourge Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 25 Artist: Darren Bader Text: Target player sacrifices an attacking creature. Storm

TIP FOR THOSE ON A BUDGET: Though you'll HAVE to cough up the money to buy Witness for this deck, 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.

and Wall of Blossoms

Wall of Blossoms
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Wall Rarity: U Number: 75 Artist: Heather Hudson Power: 0 Toughness: 4 Text: (Walls cannot attack.) When Wall of Blossoms comes into play, draw a card.

can easily be replaced by Rout

Rout
	Set: Invasion Cost: 5 Color: White Type: Sorcery Rarity: R Number: 34 Artist: Ron Spencer Text: You may play Rout any time you could play an instant if you pay 2 more to play it.Destroy all creatures. They can't be regenerated.

and Sakura-Tribe Elder

Sakura-Tribe Elder
	Set: Commander Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Snake Shaman Rarity: C Number: 169 Artist: Carl Critchlow Power: 1 Toughness: 1 Text: Sacrifice Sakura-Tribe Elder: Search your library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.

.

First off, if you have never played Eternal Slide before, the object of the deck is to control the board with cards like 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.

and QWtyb21hJ3MgVengeance

Vengeance
	Set: Portal Second Age Cost: 4 Color: White Type: Sorcery Rarity: U Artist: Keith Parkinson Text: Destroy any one tapped creature.

, while ´´sliding´´ (the term used when you cycle a card and remove a creature with Astral Slide

Astral Slide
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Enchantment Rarity: U Number: 4 Artist: Ron Spears Text: Whenever a player cycles a card, you may remove target creature from the game. If you do, return that creature to play under its owner's control at end of turn.

) out attacking creatures to keep them from hitting you, while sliding out Eternal Witness

Eternal Witness
	Set: Fifth Dawn Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Human Shaman Rarity: U Number: 86 Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: Whenever Eternal Witness comes into play, return target card from your graveayrd to your hand.

and Wall of Blossoms

Wall of Blossoms
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Wall Rarity: U Number: 75 Artist: Heather Hudson Power: 0 Toughness: 4 Text: (Walls cannot attack.) When Wall of Blossoms comes into play, draw a card.

to continuously recur their CIP (come-into-play) effects. This deck isn't simple though, and as with any deck, it requires lots of practice.

TIP: Cycling can be done at instant-speed and isn't a spell, so if you want to cycle something for no reason and you're not looking for anything in particular, do so at the end of your opponent's turn. Also, if you have a spell that is an instant, such as Renewed Faith

Renewed Faith
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 50 Artist: Dave Dorman Text: You gain 6 life. Cycling 1W (1W, Discard this card from your hand: Draw a card.) When you cycle Renewed Faith, you may gain 2 life.

, use it as one at the end of your opponent's turn, unless you want to save it as a trick or to slide something later. Don't feel bad if you have to use it

Here's why I picked the cards I did and tips on how to use them:

-Secluded Steppe

Secluded Steppe
	Set: Onslaught Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: C Number: 324 Artist: Heather Hudson Text: Secluded Steppe comes into play tapped. T: Add W to your mana pool. Cycling W (W, Discard this card from your hand: Draw a card.)

/Tranquil Thicket

Tranquil Thicket
	Set: Onslaught Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: C Number: 326 Artist: Heather Hudson Text: Tranquil Thicket comes into play tapped. T: Add G to your mana pool. Cycling G (G, Discard this card from your hand: Draw a card.)

-
These were chosen because the cycling lands from Urza

Urza
	Set: Vanguard Type: Creature Sub Type: Character Rarity: X Number: 7 Artist: Mark Tedin Power: -1 Toughness: +10 Text: 3: Urza deals one damage to target creature or player.

's Saga cost 2 to cycle. In that sense, these are generally easier to use and you can slide out more things if you can pay less for them.

If you have an opening hand with lots of land some of these, put down a land, and cycle these at the end of their turn. If you have a mediocre hand with 1 or 2 basic/fetch-lands (a land that taps and searches for one of two basic-land types; Windswept Heath

Windswept Heath
	Set: Onslaught Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: R Number: 328 Artist: Anthony S. Waters Text: T, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice Windswept Heath: Search your library for a forest or plains card and put it into play. Then shuffle your library.

is the only fetch-land in this deck) and nothing you want to cycle on Turn 1, then put down one of these first because you'll have nothing to do anyway, and then next turn you can use it normally.

-Windswept Heath

Windswept Heath
	Set: Onslaught Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: R Number: 328 Artist: Anthony S. Waters Text: T, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice Windswept Heath: Search your library for a forest or plains card and put it into play. Then shuffle your library.

-
Helps get you the land you want and will thin-out the deck (making sure you don't draw into basic-land in the middle of the game) at the low cost of 1 life. You've got 20 points, don't be afraid to spend them if you'll win. It doesn't matter how close you are to death if your opponent is dead first.

If you have an opening hand with a lot of land, play this first so it will help get the rest of your land out of the deck. You can use its ability at instant-speed, so you might want to use it at the end of your opponent's turn, which will allow you to make the right choice in picking what kind of land. You'll typically want to search for a Forest

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

, because you can use the Eternal Dragon

Eternal Dragon
	Set: Scourge Cost: 7 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Dragon Spirit Rarity: R Number: 12 Artist: Justin Sweet Power: 5 Toughness: 5 Text: Flying. 3WW: Return Eternal Dragon from your graveyard to your hand. Play this ability only during your upkeep. Plainscycling 2

to plainscycle. If you have a hand with only a little land and this, you'll want to wait on playing the Heath's ability, because thinning out the deck of land will lower the chances of drawing some right now while you need it.

-Nantuko Monastery

Nantuko Monastery
	Set: Judgment Color: Land Type: land Rarity: U Number: 142 Artist: Rob Alexander Text: T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool. Threshold - GW: Nantuko Monastery becomes a 4/4 green and white creature with first strike until end of turn. It's still a land.

-
Great because it can get around counter-magic, Arcane Laboratory

Arcane Laboratory
	Set: Urza's Saga Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Enchantment Rarity: U Number: 60 Artist: Stephen Daniele Text: Each player cannot play more than one spell each turn.

, and Orim's Chant

Orim's Chant
	Set: Planeshift Cost: 1 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 11 Artist: Kev Walker Text: Kicker W (You may pay an additional W as you play this spell.) Target player can't play spells this turn. If you paid the kicker cost, creatures can't attack this turn.

, and it's a 4/4 first striker. Sacred Ground

Sacred Ground
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Enchantment Rarity: R Number: 112 Artist: Terese Nielsen Text: Whenever an effect controlled by any opponent puts a land into your graveyard from play, put that land into play.

has actually protected it once or twice too.

Cycle a lot of cards to get threshold, and then activate this. Easy to use.

-Wall of Blossoms

Wall of Blossoms
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Wall Rarity: U Number: 75 Artist: Heather Hudson Power: 0 Toughness: 4 Text: (Walls cannot attack.) When Wall of Blossoms comes into play, draw a card.

-
A great card in general because it generates no card disadvantage, and sliding out once or twice will fill up your hand QUICK. It will also stick around to block annoying critters.

If your opponent attacks and blocking will kill it, simply block, put combat damage onto the stack, and slide it out. Your opponent's creature will be blocked, your wall will still be alive, and you'll have an extra card in hand at the end of your turn when it returns to play.

-Eternal Witness

Eternal Witness
	Set: Fifth Dawn Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Human Shaman Rarity: U Number: 86 Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: Whenever Eternal Witness comes into play, return target card from your graveayrd to your hand.

-
You either love her because you play her or hate her because you can’t. This is the reason why the specific deck-type was built and the reason why it can be so hard to beat. She's a staple in just about any green deck and a very powerful uncommon. Returns whatever cards you need, and you can slide her out to keep returning cards you need.

Use her just like the wall. If you want to attack and then block next turn, you can swing, slide her out before the end of your turn, and she'll return to play untapped and you can get back your cycling card.

-Eternal Dragon

Eternal Dragon
	Set: Scourge Cost: 7 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Dragon Spirit Rarity: R Number: 12 Artist: Justin Sweet Power: 5 Toughness: 5 Text: Flying. 3WW: Return Eternal Dragon from your graveyard to your hand. Play this ability only during your upkeep. Plainscycling 2

-
This is one primary win-condition of the deck. Cycle it anytime to get the land you need to play it, return it and cycle it again for more land or to deal with attacking threats. 5/5 Flying that can recur itself. Doesn't get much better than that.

Don't forget to return it during your upkeep. It will win games. If they counter it, keep returning it and playing it. Eventually they'll run out of counters and you can commence the beating. You can do the same tricks with this as you can with the other creatures.

-Mystic Enforcer

Mystic Enforcer
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 4 Color: Multicolor Type: Creature Sub Type: Nomad Mystic Rarity: R Number: 290 Artist: Gary Ruddell Power: 3 Toughness: 3 Text: Protection from black Threshold - Mystic Enforcer gets +3/+3 and has flying. (You have threshold as long as seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

-
This is my favorite win-condition of this deck. Cycle a lot and play this down as a 6/6 Pro-Black Flying. It's game defining. I used to hold it as a sideboard card against black decks, but I realized it was just too good in this deck to keep out of some games.

Use it just like the others. Just keep cycling and it'll get big.

-Astral Slide

Astral Slide
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Enchantment Rarity: U Number: 4 Artist: Ron Spears Text: Whenever a player cycles a card, you may remove target creature from the game. If you do, return that creature to play under its owner's control at end of turn.

-
The reason this deck works. It's the staple.

When you play it, try to aim for having 4 lands in play, leaving one free to cycle something and slide out an opposing creature or something of your own. If you want to use QWtyb21hJ3MgVengeance

Vengeance
	Set: Portal Second Age Cost: 4 Color: White Type: Sorcery Rarity: U Artist: Keith Parkinson Text: Destroy any one tapped creature.

, slide out your Witness, play QWtyb21hJ3MgVengeance

Vengeance
	Set: Portal Second Age Cost: 4 Color: White Type: Sorcery Rarity: U Artist: Keith Parkinson Text: Destroy any one tapped creature.

, and at the end of turn Witness will return and you can get back your Astral Slide

Astral Slide
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Enchantment Rarity: U Number: 4 Artist: Ron Spears Text: Whenever a player cycles a card, you may remove target creature from the game. If you do, return that creature to play under its owner's control at end of turn.

.

-QWtyb21hJ3MgBlessing

Blessing
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: R Artist: Julie Baroh Text: W: +1/+1

-
Not too much to this card, it's more like something just there for cheap-cycling sake. I rarely use it to protect creatures, but when I do it's to swing for the win or to protect my Witness from a random kill-card or maybe a creature.

Always use this IN RESPONSE to something else. Wait for them to try and Terror

Terror
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 2 Color: Black Type: Instant Rarity: C Artist: Ron Spencer Text: Buries target creature. Cannot target black creatures or artifact creatures.

your creature, and then play it so that their spell is countered upon resolution. If you play it before they play their kill-card, they can respond by playing their kill-card and your Blessing

Blessing
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: R Artist: Julie Baroh Text: W: +1/+1

will have done nothing.

-Renewed Faith

Renewed Faith
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 50 Artist: Dave Dorman Text: You gain 6 life. Cycling 1W (1W, Discard this card from your hand: Draw a card.) When you cycle Renewed Faith, you may gain 2 life.

-
Great card. The life gain will win some games, and you don't need to hard-cast it for an effect, which is also good.

If your opponent attacks with a 2/something and a big creature, you can cycle this, slide out the big creature and then gain 2 life (thus canceling out the 2 damage from the smaller creature). It's like nothing ever happened.

-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.

-
A big-effect card, and of course defines many games.

Not much to using this, just wait until you think you need it or until your opponent doesn't have any creatures or tricks up his/her sleeve. If you have creatures in play that won't be blocked, attack with them, and then play this during your second main-phase. You can also slide out your creatures, play 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.

, and then they'll return to play and your opponent will have nothing.

TIP: Remember, cycling and sliding can be done at instant speed! If you play 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.

or QWtyb21hJ3MgVengeance

Vengeance
	Set: Portal Second Age Cost: 4 Color: White Type: Sorcery Rarity: U Artist: Keith Parkinson Text: Destroy any one tapped creature.

and you forget to slide out your creatures, you can RESPOND to the Wrath or Vengeance

Vengeance
	Set: Portal Second Age Cost: 4 Color: White Type: Sorcery Rarity: U Artist: Keith Parkinson Text: Destroy any one tapped creature.

by cycling to slide out your creatures, saving them from your own play-mistake.

-QWtyb21hJ3MgVengeance

Vengeance
	Set: Portal Second Age Cost: 4 Color: White Type: Sorcery Rarity: U Artist: Keith Parkinson Text: Destroy any one tapped creature.

-
Same as Wrath, a big-effect card and will define a few games. Costs 6, but you can cycle it away if you don't need it. Will wreck Affinity and other artifact decks, as well as Enchantress, but in casual it's just another good control card.

Use it just like you would 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.

, or cycle it.

-Wing Shards

Wing Shards
	Set: Scourge Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 25 Artist: Darren Bader Text: Target player sacrifices an attacking creature. Storm

-
This is an explosive card against aggressive decks. If you have to, you can always cast something on their turn to help it storm. Usually they'll play things though, making it work even better than it needs to. Will get around protection and a creature that can’t be targeted. One funny story is when my opponent played at least five or six draw spells, and then fed all the cards in his hand and graveyard to his Psychatog

Psychatog
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Multicolor Type: Creature Sub Type: Atog Rarity: U Number: 292 Artist: Edward P. Beard, Jr. Power: 1 Toughness: 2 Text: Discard a card from your hand: Psychatog gets +1/+1 until end of turn. Remove two cards in your graveyard from the game: Psychatog gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

, attacking for 21. I used Wing Shards

Wing Shards
	Set: Scourge Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 25 Artist: Darren Bader Text: Target player sacrifices an attacking creature. Storm

and he signed off in embarrassment.

Just play it in response to them declaring attackers. Easy.

-Gilded Light

Gilded Light
	Set: Scourge Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 16 Text: You can’t be the target of spells or abilities until end of turn. Cycling 2

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Will save you against Combo decks, Cranial Extraction

Cranial Extraction
	Set: Champions of Kamigawa Cost: 4 Color: Black Type: Sorcery Sub Type: Arcane Rarity: R Number: 105 Artist: Dave Allsop Text: Name a nonland card. Search target player's graveyard, hand, and library for all cards with that name and remove them from the game. Then that player shuffles his or her library.

, Persecute

Persecute
	Set: Urza's Saga Cost: 4 Color: Black Type: Sorcery Rarity: R Number: 146 Artist: D. Alexander Gregory Text: Choose a color. Look at target player's hand. That player discards all cards of the chosen color.

, and any form of discard. Discard HURTS this deck. Cranial Extraction

Cranial Extraction
	Set: Champions of Kamigawa Cost: 4 Color: Black Type: Sorcery Sub Type: Arcane Rarity: R Number: 105 Artist: Dave Allsop Text: Name a nonland card. Search target player's graveyard, hand, and library for all cards with that name and remove them from the game. Then that player shuffles his or her library.

HURTS. Can also help some against Burn, and, if necessary, can be cycled to get rid of a creature or to slide out Witness for something.

Just use this like QWtyb21hJ3MgBlessing

Blessing
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: R Artist: Julie Baroh Text: W: +1/+1

.

-Viridian Shaman

Viridian Shaman
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Elf Shaman Rarity: U Number: 139 Artist: Scott M. Fischer Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: When Viridian Shaman comes into play, destroy target artifact.

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Good against random artifacts and great against Affinity. Not good against Scepter-Chant.

Use it like any other creature, you can attack, slide it and block next turn. When you slide it and it will return to destroy another artifact, which is very effective.

-Repopulate

Repopulate
	Set: Urza's Legacy Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 111 Artist: Una Fricker Text: Shuffle all creature cards from target player's graveyard into that player's library.Cycling 2 (You may pay 2 and discard this card from your hand to draw a card. Play this ability as an instant.)

-
Good against Reanimator and anything having to do with the graveyard. In multiplayer you're likely to deck yourself, because you'll keep cycling. If you Wrath away your creatures, you can repopulate yourself to keep from decking. You'll draw into a Witness and then you can return the Repopulate

Repopulate
	Set: Urza's Legacy Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 111 Artist: Una Fricker Text: Shuffle all creature cards from target player's graveyard into that player's library.Cycling 2 (You may pay 2 and discard this card from your hand to draw a card. Play this ability as an instant.)

.

Play the Repopulate

Repopulate
	Set: Urza's Legacy Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 111 Artist: Una Fricker Text: Shuffle all creature cards from target player's graveyard into that player's library.Cycling 2 (You may pay 2 and discard this card from your hand to draw a card. Play this ability as an instant.)

in response to them playing their Reanimation spell, so it will be useless. Easy.

-Circle of Protection: Red-
If you play white, you play COP: Red. There's not much else to it. Every time you don't run it, you'll wish you did. Every time you don't draw into that life-gain, that Wrath, that blocker or that removal, you'll wish you had this card. Just run two on the side as a precaution.

Just make sure to use mana that you're not going need for something else. Simple concept.

-Disenchant

Disenchant
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Artist: Amy Weber Text: Target enchantment or artifact is destroyed.

/Naturalize

Naturalize
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 275 Artist: Ron Spears Text: Destroy target artifact or enchantment.

-
Both are in here because they're basically the same card and because the deck runs even numbers of both colors. Great general removal for things you can't or don't want to deal with. Any experienced Magic player would agree that it's a good card against the field.

Remember, it's an instant, so it's probably best you use it on their turn or at the end of their turn, unless it's something that might wreck you if you allow them to untap or draw another card.

-Sacred Ground

Sacred Ground
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Enchantment Rarity: R Number: 112 Artist: Terese Nielsen Text: Whenever an effect controlled by any opponent puts a land into your graveyard from play, put that land into play.

-
This is in here because an early Sundering Titan

Sundering Titan
	Set: Darksteel Cost: 8 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Creature Rarity: R Number: 146 Artist: Jim Murray Power: 7 Toughness: 10 Text: When Sundering Titan comes into play, choose a land of each basic land type, then destroy those lands. When Sundering Titan leaves play, choose a land of each basic land type, then destroy those lands.

is absolute EVIL for this deck. So is Armageddon

Armageddon
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 4 Color: White Type: Sorcery Rarity: R Artist: Jesper Myrfors Text: All lands in play are destroyed.

or any kind of general land-destruction.

If they destroy your land and it's untapped, you could tap it in response and the mana will ´´float´´ in your mana pool. The land will then return to play untapped, so you can use it again. Remember to use the mana before the end of the phase so you won't lose life due to mana burn.

For the rotating of Extended, not much will change other than the inclusion of Sakura-Tribe Elder

Sakura-Tribe Elder
	Set: Commander Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Snake Shaman Rarity: C Number: 169 Artist: Carl Critchlow Power: 1 Toughness: 1 Text: Sacrifice Sakura-Tribe Elder: Search your library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.

s in place of Wall of Blossoms

Wall of Blossoms
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Wall Rarity: U Number: 75 Artist: Heather Hudson Power: 0 Toughness: 4 Text: (Walls cannot attack.) When Wall of Blossoms comes into play, draw a card.

, which isn't too bad at all because it will allow a third-turn 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.

if necessary or a third-turn Astral Slide

Astral Slide
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Enchantment Rarity: U Number: 4 Artist: Ron Spears Text: Whenever a player cycles a card, you may remove target creature from the game. If you do, return that creature to play under its owner's control at end of turn.

with a land free for cycling. I'm not sure what else to predict for the new metagame though, but I'm sure this deck will have a much better chance in succeeding there than now. It really wasn't a good time for Control decks to come in without a set metagame to test against.

Other cards I considered include:

-Sakura-Tribe Elder

Sakura-Tribe Elder
	Set: Commander Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Snake Shaman Rarity: C Number: 169 Artist: Carl Critchlow Power: 1 Toughness: 1 Text: Sacrifice Sakura-Tribe Elder: Search your library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.

-
Great card. It'll block and you can sacrifice it for the land on the way. Will allow for 4 lands on turn 3, which is sometimes necessary. The only reason I didn't include it is because Wall of Blossoms

Wall of Blossoms
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Wall Rarity: U Number: 75 Artist: Heather Hudson Power: 0 Toughness: 4 Text: (Walls cannot attack.) When Wall of Blossoms comes into play, draw a card.

allows me to draw extra cards and fill my hand much faster, and stayed around to block. Elder does thin the deck of land, though. I like them both.

-Plow Under

Plow Under
	Set: Urza's Destiny Cost: 5 Color: Green Type: Sorcery Rarity: R Number: 117 Artist: Edward P. Beard, Jr. Text: Put two target lands on top of their owner's library.

-
Land-and-card denial is powerful AND annoying. It's even worse in this deck, because you continuously slide Eternal Witness

Eternal Witness
	Set: Fifth Dawn Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Human Shaman Rarity: U Number: 86 Power: 2 Toughness: 1 Text: Whenever Eternal Witness comes into play, return target card from your graveayrd to your hand.

, getting back the Plow Under

Plow Under
	Set: Urza's Destiny Cost: 5 Color: Green Type: Sorcery Rarity: R Number: 117 Artist: Edward P. Beard, Jr. Text: Put two target lands on top of their owner's library.

and use it again and again. You just have to hope you they don't have a shuffle effect. I didn't use it in my casual build because it was a bit TOO annoying to my opponents, and with a lack of control decks in Extended, I decided it wouldn't help me too much.

-Rude Awakening

Rude Awakening
	Set: Fifth Dawn Cost: 5 Color: Green Type: Sorcery Rarity: R Number: 92 Artist: Ittoku Text: Choose one - Untap all lands you control; or until end of turn, lands you control become 2/2 creatures that are still lands. Entwine 2G

-
A good win-condition for this deck, but I removed it from my deck lists because it was pretty slow and not really that fun in casual.

-Decree of Justice

Decree of Justice
	Set: Scourge Cost: 5 Color: White Type: Sorcery Rarity: R Number: 8 Artist: Adam Rex Text: Put X 4/4 white Angel creature tokens with flying into play. Cycling 2W When you cycle Decree of Justice, you may pay X. If you do, put X 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens into play.

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Unlike Rude, having 12 4/4 Angels out is really cool and fun for casual, but I ended up removing these for the fact that it was slow and didn't help in many Extended match-ups.

-Anurid Brushhopper

Anurid Brushhopper
	Set: Judgment Cost: 3 Color: Multicolor Type: Creature Sub Type: Beast Rarity: R Number: 137 Artist: Arnie Swekel Power: 3 Toughness: 4 Text: Discard two cards from your hand: Remove Anurid Brushhopper from the game. Return it to play under its owner's control at end of turn.

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A really good creature that can save itself without Astral Slide

Astral Slide
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Enchantment Rarity: U Number: 4 Artist: Ron Spears Text: Whenever a player cycles a card, you may remove target creature from the game. If you do, return that creature to play under its owner's control at end of turn.

, but it's more of an early aggressive creature than a big finisher. Most of the time you'll have Astral Slide

Astral Slide
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 3 Color: White Type: Enchantment Rarity: U Number: 4 Artist: Ron Spears Text: Whenever a player cycles a card, you may remove target creature from the game. If you do, return that creature to play under its owner's control at end of turn.

out anyway and using the Anurid's ability is just card disadvantage.

-Lull

Lull
	Set: Urza's Saga Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 267 Artist: Terese Nielsen Text: Creatures deal no combat damage this turn.Cycling 2 (You may pay 2 and discard this card from your hand to draw a card. Play this ability as an instant.)

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Another good card, but I thought this deck had a good enough match-up against aggressive creature decks so it didn't really matter to add this in.


Thanks for reading, and until next time, may your opponent's creatures repeatedly hit nothing but air.

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