Welcome back MTGers. I’m back and bringing another Budget take you could try out the next time you want to jam a little Magic around the kitchen table with some buddies. I had another blogger comment on one my posts where I basically dismissed Deadly Wanderings outright in one of my Crack a Pack postings. However, once it was pointed out to me that Deadly Wanderings could be a very powerful tool I decided to take a second look to see if I could brew something around it and see what I could do. A big shout out to chicamia3 for the inspiration…and while your at it check out her blog and see what she’s been up to.

The question I asked was: what sort of deck wants to maximize the impact of attacking with only a single creature at a time? The answer I got was a control deck. So, I set about trying to brew up a budget deck that might be able to maximize this sort of enchantment. With an eye towards including Deadly Wanderings and penchant for Budget decks I set about brewing up my deck.

Here’s the list

Deadly Dimir Wanderings- Standard Legal

Creatures: 10 Creatures

4 Prognostic Sphinx

4 Whirlwind Adept

2 Gurmag Angler

Spells:

4 Murderous Cut

2 Crux of Fate

2 Perilous Vault

2 Disdainful Stroke

4 Dissolve

2 Dissipate

4 Anticipate

2 Deadly Wanderings

2 Dig Through Time

2 Jace’s Ingenuity

Lands:

4 Dismal Backwater

4 Temple of Deceit

10 Islands

6 Swamps

This deck does exactly the sort of thing you want a control deck to do. It removes creatures, it counters their stuff, and resolves a threat that you are looking to ride to victory. The only real addition here is the addition of 2 Deadly Wanderings in an effort to maximize the impact of our solo creatures. It may not be fancy, bu this sort of build has proven time and time again to be deadly effective and get the job done.

The first criticism this deck is going to earn is plain and simply that the creature package is sub-optimal. Yes, I know. I’m 100% aware that Whirlwind Adept is really not up to par. Even Gurmag Angler isn’t really a great option. The Sphinx is totally outclassed by the various Dragons floating around the format. However, these are very reasonable options available in an effort to help keep the cost of the deck down. Whirlwind Adept packs Hexproof meaning that it can at least protect itself to some degree. The same can be said with the Sphinx. The Angler is just an undercosted beater once you Delve away your yard and is very budget friendly. While none of the creatures are flashy, they can put sizeable amounts of pressure on your opponent and get the job done with a little help.

Moving on, the spell package is really about as straight forward as you can make it for a control build. The spells all either draw you cards, kill stuff, or counter their things. That seems pretty reasonable and is a pretty basic template for a control deck.

The last spell to highlight is the namesake for the deck. Deadly Wanderings is a 5 mana enchantment that gives your creature +2/+0, deathtouch and lifelink so long as you control exactly 1 creature. This can single handedly turn a game around with any of the creatures in this deck. +2/+0 is pretty sizeable and can really pile on the damage for any of the creatures in the deck. Deathtouch grants your creature a form of quasi evasion because very few people are keen to block creatures with Deathtouch so there is a good chance your creature will sneak on through and take a healthy chunk from your opponent. The last piece is the Lifelink which is totally back breaking. Imagine attacking with the Whirlwind Adept for 6 points AND gaining back most of the life you just lost! That seems pretty doable and fairly realistic provided your control deck can survive long enough to get to the later stages of the game. There is just no doubt that your opponent will have a hard time racing you.

The lands are fairly simple but I do feel like I may not have enough to really make an effective control deck. The deck runs 24 land sort of as a generic starting point, but I can see myself losing a pair of Anticipates and going to 26 land. This seems like the more correct choice, but I’m not 100% sure and will need to test the deck out a little. I including the on colour Scry Lands because I can see no discernible reason NOT to include them, but if budget is my primary concern then I could opt for 4 Opulent Palace in place of the Temple of Deceit.

On the whole this looks like a solid starting point for a Budget deck or a Casual deck to use around the kitchen table. There are a few pricey items in amongst this list, but I feel like that the bulk of the deck is fairly reasonable and is unlikely to break the bank. I will certainly be brewing this up and seeing how it shapes up against my pals around the kitchen table.

Well, that’s all for me tonight guy. You have yourself a great MTG day and I’ll catch you guys a little later!

Bruce Gray

@bgray8791