HOLDER'S HEROES

I’ve learned a ton from the two National Tournaments I’ve been to in the past two years. The sad thing is that I thought I had learned the lesson of versatility in 2003, and then took a Choose-the-Blocker deck into 2004 thinking it could win. That was my only Offensive Strategy…except for the occasional Provisioned FBTN’s character.

Follow up:

As the story goes, in 2003, I took a Silver/Brown site deck to nationals with a pretty single-dimensional Brown defense that still did very well. When I played Eric Largent, my eyes were opened to how destructive Brown really was. Brown had more than just King Zedekiah/Dungeon of Malchiah! It had Korah and banding, and Gibeonite Trickery! There was a lot more, but those were particularly destructive. Eric ended up beating me 6-4…I think. In 2004, I take a great Crimson defense (great for Crimson), and the only Offensive strategy I had was Choose-the-Blocker. If it were not for my sites, I’d have been cleaned up even worse than I was.

So what does it take to build a great T2 deck? I’m glad you asked. I’m convinced that a versatile deck will go light years beyond a deck that has one or two super strategies! Instead of keeping 5 each of that one devastating combo that you love to play, keep 3 or 4 of each of the cards, and give yourself room for getting around that one Artifact or Fortress that can destroy your deck! Type 2 play may be about micro-strategy, but don’t settle for just one of the plethora of strategies out there. Let’s look at a couple of great examples…

First, you have the Choose-the-Blocker decks. This strategy is a little weaker with Angel Wars, but it’s still great! Take that great Provisions/Lamenting/King Amaziah and take out Lamenting. If you happen to be using Claudia/Ethiopian Treasurer/Obedience of Noah, take them out too! Try adding 5 Strong Angels and 3 Captain of the Hosts with a few Flaming Swords to your Provisions and a handful of Green characters! All of the sudden, you have the speed of FBTN’s with the destruction of Choosing the Blocker. Better yet, scrap the angels (I know…you never thought you’d ever hear me say that!), and add a purple offense. King David, Ethiopian Treasurer, Widow, Reach of Desperation and that mind-blowing Authority of Christ Promo with an added Esther Promo could do even more to the Provisions game. Imagine this…Provision Esther, choose your own large EC (*/8 or larger) and throw down Reach/AoC Promo to wipe out your opponent’s entire defense while choosing the blocker. If your opponent is playing Brown, Haman’s Plot is no good, either! All of the sudden, you’ve taken a few of the top Offensive cards in the game and reeked some serious holy havoc, especially since you know you’re holding King Zedekiah and Dungeon of Malchiah in your hand!

I know I’m giving you some big thoughts (especially if you’re relatively new to T2 play), but I’m not going to give you everything. These combos have much more potential, if you just start thinking outside the box of your favorite cards! If you want to see some really creative combos, join us this coming year at the T2, 2-player tables at Nationals! You’ll be amazed at what gets used, abused, recycled and repeated!

I’ve said all of the above, and I haven’t really talked about Defensive strategies. Come on…you don’t want me giving you everything, do you? Even if you did, I wouldn’t. There are many more things you can do in the game of Redemption©…as we all know, but don’t ever forget that important key word…“versatility”! If you do, you’re going to get beat. I’m living proof. However, if you make that deck do more, then you’re going to find success sooner rather than later. The most versatile deck may not have the greatest combos throughout, but it will almost always surprise your opponent. Now quit reading and go build another deck!