2001)

It's me, it's me, the Wookie, and it's time once again for another jaunt down the twisted back alleys of my corrupted mind. This time I am in somewhat of a dilemma, what deck does yours truly play in IBC? Well, to make things a little bit easier, I have narrowed my search down to two decks. Kowal.dec (that goofy U/B/g control deck) and Go-Mar. Do I play with Islands and Vindicates, or the APA of the IBC block in the form of Spiritmonger and Pernicious Deed. Decisions, decisions, what is a Wookie to do? Well, I'll tell you what, I am going to compare and contrast these two decks for you, the loyal reader (and for myself as well) and hopefully by the end of this article we (or at least I) will have reached a conclusion about which is the predominate control deck in everyone's favorite format.

Now, lets kick this off the way every good Magic article should - with deck lists of course! First on the listing block is Kowal.dec

4:Mystic Snake
4:Undermine
4:Pernicious Deed
4:Repulse
4:Exclude
4:Prohibit
4:Fact or Fiction
4:Nightscape Familiar
3:Spiritmongers
4:Salt Marsh
4:Yavimaya Coast
4:Llanowar Wastes
7:Islands
4:Swamps
2:Forest

Sideboard:
4:Plaguespitters
4:Gainsay
2:Washout
2:Jungle Barrier
3:Disrupt

First off, this list is a little bit different from Kowal's original list. The Vodalian Zombies have become Nightscape Familiars due to the regeneration ability of the familiar, especially useful after a deed or to hold off an opposing monger, and the fact that he makes already good cards like Repulse, Exclude, Mystic Snake, and Fact or Fiction phenomenally cheap to cast. I believe that by adding the Nightscape Familiar to the mix over the Zombies raises the power lever of the deck just enough to warrant playing with a shaky mana base.

Second, my testing partner and I have made a few slight changes to the Sideboard. The Dodecapods and Tsabo's Decree's were removed in favor of Washout and Disrupt. Washout helps with problems like Voice of All, R/G decks in general, and the infamous Meddling Mage (sort of). The Disrupts are stealing tempo straight from the hands of all the tempo deck junkies out there. So far in testing, no one single play has proven to be more effective in advancing this deck's agenda than disrupting a turn three Temporal Spring, Rushing River, Repulse, or Vindicate. This card so far has more than warranted its inclusion in the Sideboard for this deck and proves time and time again to be priceless.

Now, with this deck as with every other, there are some glaring strengths and weaknesses to this deck. Kowal.dec is extraordinarily powerful against creature based decks, and in the control match up, the deck has a possible 23 different counters, not including bouncing snakes. Pernicious Deed just wrecks house against a wide array of popular decks, and Spiritmonger is just a beast (no pun intended). However, the trade off for being able to play so many good spells is a mana base that is volatile at best. Running three colors to start can be a risky proposition, however, when a deck demands double of one of those colors by the third or fourth turn, a mana base can become extremely taxed.

Well, now that we have covered the basics of Kowal.dec, it is time to move on to the Potent Go-Mar. This deck has a power level that is indeed quite high and a broader base of counters than the Kowal deck. Well, enough pre-decklist analysis, here is the dadgum list.

4:Spectral Lynx
2:Dromar, the Banisher
4:Absorb
4:Dromar's Charm
2:Exclude
2:Repulse
4:Rout
4:Vindicate
2:Lobotomy
1:Yawgmoth's Agenda
4:Fact or Fiction
2:Death Grasp
4:Coastal Tower
4:Salt Marsh
4:Cave of Koilos
3:Dromar's Cavern
4:Island
5:Plains

Sideboard:
4:Meddling Mage
4:Gainsay
3:Distrupt
4:Repulse/Rushing River

Well, now that we have a pretty little decklist, let the carnage begin. This list is pretty close to a generic list, with the differences being that some players opt to drop the Repulses and Excludes for Undermines, and some players like to have Meddling Mage in their creature base. This deck is extremely potent at this point in the IBC season, and should remain to be throughout the remainder of this season. A deck that can, and usually does, pack 12 hard counters in an environment that is unusually devoid of them is a statement in and of itself.

So far in testing, Go-Mar has played exceptionally well. The deck tests at least 50/50 with all of the other major archetypes, and of some of the more popular decks just roll to this monster of control. The reason for this is simple, counter things that can't be Routed away, and Vindicate just about anything else that survives. However, the problem with this strategy is that the deck is somewhat draw dependent. Fact or Fiction helps, however, bad draws just seem to plague this deck, and keep it from being a truly environment defining deck. The mana base in Go-Mar is significantly more smooth than the base in Kowal.dec, however, with 8 lands that come into play tapped, and usually 3 Dromar's Cavern's the mana can be quite slow in this deck. Often, you will find yourself tapped out on turn 2 or 3 and you haven't even played a spell yet. The sheer power level of the cards in Go-Mar allows for this slower but more consistent mana base, however, you have to be careful in deciding when to Paris and when not to with this deck.

Now that we have a list for each deck and analysis for each as well, lets move on to the comparison and contrasting of the decks in question. Both decks set out to do one thing; counter crucial spells, and keep the board clean with mass removal. Kowal.dec goes about doing this with counters such as Undermine, Mystic Snake, and Prohibit. Kowal also uses Pernicious Deed, and Repulse to keep the board clear of opposing threats. This base of counters and board control is quite effective in keeping the opponent under control, and often times frustrating the utter poo out of them. Go-Mar on the other hand uses more hard counters than the aforementioned Kowal.dec. With 12 pure counters, Go-Mar has the ability to say no at an alarming rate. Undermine, Absorb, and Dromar's Charm are all excellent counters and provide the Go-Mar player with a variety of options. Rout, Dromar's Charm (again), and Vindicate all help to clear the board and to keep it clean. The power of the tools at the disposal of the player who chooses to play Go-mar is impressive, however, those spells do require a great amount of mana investment, so beware of the almighty mana screw.

Both Kowal.dec and Go-Mar bring their own strengths and weaknesses to the table. Kowal has a great board sweeper in the form of Pernicious Deed, and an equally impressive finisher in Spiritmonger. Go-Mar on the other hand uses several different spells to keep the board clean. Rout and Vindicate pack a one-two punch that can often times leave the opponent punch drunk. For all of it's hard work, Go-Mar gets one of the sexiest finisher's in IBC; Dromar, the Banisher.

Wow, that was a lot of analysis, comparing, and contrasting of those two decks, however, I personally am no closer to a decision. I hope that you, the loyal reader, can help sway my decision one way or the other. Right now, though I am as indifferent as one can get. I need some help.

Here is my simple challenge to you, the reader. What deck do I play, and
why?

Anybody who feels compelled to respond please feel free to e-mail me at
bigwukmike@hotmail.com

Well, till we meet again, it has been fun.

Peace
-Wookie
Team Smite

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