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ZMMM$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$7MMM77777777IOIIIIIIIIIIII?IIIIIIIII7777777$$$$$MMM$. .ZMMN$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$77$7777777777IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII7777777$$$$DMMZ.. .$MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMZ ZMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM$. .+++++++++++++++++++++===================~~~~~~~~~===========+++++++,. ...... ......... ................................................ .. Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014 Walkthrough/Strategy Guide by CanadaGuy6 (Corbin Hartwick) =========================================================================== TABLE OF CONTENTS [TBFC] =========================================================================== *NOTE: I've made little codes here so that you can quickly skip to the section you want by using the "Find" function ("Ctrl + F" on P.C.s or "Command/Apple + F" on Macintoshes) in your browser. Version History.................................................[VRHS] Author's Greeting...............................................[ITDT] Welcome to Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014!.....................[WLCM] General Tips and Tricks.........................................[TPTR] Decks, Decklists, and Strategies................................[DKSG] Guardians of Light......................................[GDLG] Firewave................................................[FRWV] Masks of the Dimir......................................[MKDM] Hunter's Strength.......................................[HTSR] Avacyn's Glory..........................................[VCGL] Mind Maze...............................................[MDMZ] Enter the Dracomancer...................................[TTDM] Deadwalkers.............................................[DWKS] Chant of the Mul Daya...................................[CTMD] Sliver Hive.............................................[SVHV] Promotional Cards & Codes.......................................[PMCC] Walkthrough.....................................................[WKTG] Main Campaign...........................................[MCPG] Prologue - Chandra's Test.......................[CDTT] Planeswalker Stage..............................[PWSG] Garruk Wildspeaker......................[GRWS] Jace Beleren............................[JCBL] Chandra Nalaar..........................[CDNL] Ajani Goldmane..........................[JNGM] Liliana Vess............................[LLVS] Stage 1 - Innistrad.............................[NSTD] Encounter 1 - Moorland Zombies..........[MLZB] Encounter 2 - Skirsdag Cultists.........[SDCT] Encounter 3 - Angry Mob.................[NGMB] Duel - Sigismund........................[SGMD] Stage 2 - Zendikar..............................[ZDKR] Encounter 1 - The Teeth of Akoum........[THKM] Encounter 2 - Rival Expedition..........[RVXP] Encounter 3 - Survive the Roil..........[SVTR] Duel - Girundar.........................[GRND] Stage 3 - Shandalar.............................[SDLR] Encounter 1 - Jailbreak.................[JLBK] Encounter 2 - Weather the Storm.........[WTTS] Encounter 3 - Eloren Bramble............[LRBB] Duel - Ess-Nelek........................[SNLK] Stage 4 - Alara.................................[ALRA] Encounter 1 - Rumble in the Jungle......[RBJG] Encounter 2 - Goblins in the Pass.......[GLPS] Encounter 3 - Survive the Volcano.......[SVVC] Duel - Krufa............................[KRFA] Stage 5 - Ravnica...............................[RVNC] Encounter 1 - Gruul Raiding Party.......[GLRP] Encounter 2 - Simic Clones..............[SMCN] Encounter 3 - Sewers....................[SWRS] Duel - Zorislav.........................[ZRSV] Stage 6 - Kaldheim..............................[KDHM] Final Duel - Ramaz......................[FRMZ] Revenge Campaign........................................[RVCP] Duel 1 - Sigismund..............................[RVSG] Duel 2 - Girundar...............................[RVGR] Duel 3 - Ess-Nelek..............................[RVSN] Duel 4 - Krufa..................................[RVKF] Duel 5 - Zorislav...............................[RVZS] Duel 6 - Garruk Wildspeaker.....................[RVGW] Duel 7 - Jace Beleren...........................[RVJB] Duel 8 - Chandra Nalaar.........................[RVCH] Duel 9 - Ajani Goldmane.........................[RVJG] Duel 10 - Liliana Vess..........................[RVLV] Final Duel - Ramaz..............................[RVRM] Sealed Campaign.........................................[SLDC] Sealed Format Tips..............................[SDTP] Sample Sealed Deck..............................[SSDD] Sealed Duels....................................[SLDL] Ajani's Sealed Deck.....................[JNSD] Jace's Sealed Deck......................[JCSD] Liliana's Sealed Deck...................[LLSD] Chandra's Sealed Deck...................[CDSD] Garruk's Sealed Deck....................[GRSD] Challenge Campaign......................................[CHCP] Challenge 1 - Command the Dead..................[CMTD] Challenge 2 - Gird for War......................[GDFW] Challenge 3 - Battle Tactics....................[BTTT] Challenge 4 - Blood is Life.....................[BDSL] Challenge 5 - Defeat the Troll..................[DFTT] Challenge 6 - Sliver Strike Team................[SSKT] Challenge 7 - Go Berserk........................[GBSK] Challenge 8 - Near Death........................[NRDT] Challenge 9 - Get a Grip........................[GTGP] Challenge 10 - Sliver Infiltration..............[SVNF] Credits and Thanks..............................................[CDTS] Contact Me......................................................[CTCT] Legal Disclaimer................................................[LGDC] =========================================================================== VERSION HISTORY [VRHS] =========================================================================== 7/4/2013 - Version 1.0; the initial form of this guide. Everything except promotional card unlocks, suggested decklists, and the Revenge Campaign is complete. 8/7/2013 - Version 2.0; promotional card unlocks, suggested decklists, and the Revenge Campaign are all complete. Also, there is a spiffy new header. =========================================================================== AUTHOR'S GREETING [ITDT] =========================================================================== Greetings to all! My name is Corbin Hartwick (a.k.a. CanadaGuy6 or other variations of it), and this is my second video game guide. I've been a frequent user of sites such as "GameFAQs" for a number of years, and decided that it was high time to give something back to the community. Last year, I wrote a walkthrough and strategy guide for Magic: The Gathering's Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013, and after getting a considerable amount of guide-writing experience, positive feedback, and constructive criticism, I decided to try my hand at writing a guide for this year's installment of the Duels of the Planeswalkers franchise. I've been playing Magic: The Gathering on and off for about 13 years now, and while I'm not the most competitive player in the world, I know most of the ins and outs of the game, as well as a variety of basic and advanced strategies. If you have any praise, constructive feedback, constructive criticism, or you want to feature my guide on your site, feel free to drop me a line; my e-mail is in the "Contacts" section. Otherwise, I hope this guide helps you play and enjoy the game, and maybe become a better Magic: The Gathering player yourself. =========================================================================== WELCOME TO DUELS OF THE PLANESWALKERS 2014! [WLCM] =========================================================================== Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014 is the fourth installment (or fifth, if you count that game made by Microprose/Atari back in 1997-1998) in a series of arcade simulations of the world's first and most enduring collectible trading card game, Magic: The Gathering. You play the role of a "planeswalker", a powerful magic-user with the rare ability to teleport between different dimensions - called "planes" of existence - within the Multiverse. However, there are monsters, heroes, villains, and even other planeswalkers who are jealous of your gifts, and who would challenge your supremacy. Using tricks, tactics, and sometimes just good old brute force, you must find ways to overcome those who would oppose you. As you conquer your enemies, you will unlock knowledge of new and deadly spells to add to your arsenal. This edition of Duels of the Planeswalkers follows the story of Chandra Nalaar, a planeswalker whose aptitude for red magic allows her to summon creatures of lava and flame, and cast spells that wreak fiery destruction upon her foes. Some time ago, she was informed by a mysterious planeswalker named Ramaz that there was an ancient scroll hidden on the plane of Kephalai that contained both a treasure map and a powerful fire spell. The map led Chandra to the plane of Zendikar... but she did not find any treasure. Instead, she became entangled in an ancient prophecy that resulted in the awakening of a race of magic-craving monstrosities known as the Eldrazi. Why would Ramaz want such a thing to happen? Chandra doesn't know, but she intends to find out... and make Ramaz pay for tricking her into making a potentially apocalyptic mistake. Can you help Chandra find and take revenge upon her dangerous and manipulative nemesis? =========================================================================== GENERAL TIPS AND TRICKS [TPTR] =========================================================================== - If you're new to Magic: The Gathering, read the "How to Play" section and play the "Tutorial", both in the "Help and Options" menu. You can also access the "Tutorial" levels at the beginning of the game. - If you're an advanced player, try playing around with some of the settings in the "Help and Options" menu. There are certain situations when being able to take extra time to think or targeting players or creatures that the game normally wouldn't let you target can actually be beneficial. - If you find yourself struggling, whether with a certain deck or in general, try decreasing the difficulty level. That way, you can more easily unlock the cards you need to improve your deck (and, on "Mage" [Easy] difficulty, get hints about how to play more strategically). Once you feel that you've got your deck figured out and configured the way you want it, turn the difficulty level back up and see how you fare against more challenging opponents. - When building your deck, try to keep your card count close to the minimum of 60 cards. The more cards you have in your deck, the less chance that you will draw the ones you need in a timely manner. - Try to keep a good balance in your deck between creatures and other types of spells. While creatures are usually very important in that they help you damage your opponent as well as defend yourself, they won't always be enough to help you deal with the threats that your opponents throw at you. The right non-creature spells can help you get your best creatures out faster, help out your own creatures, or take out your opponent's creatures so that your own creatures don't have to do all of the heavy lifting. - When possible, play cards in your deck that can generate "card advantage"; that is, they can give you more assets on the battlefield or limit your opponent's assets while using up fewer of your resources. One example is cards that generate creature tokens, since they usually allow you to summon multiple creatures while using up only a single card. Another example is cards that can damage, destroy, or otherwise debilitate multiple (or all) creatures, such as "Flamebreak", "Mutilate", and "Sleep". While some of these cards may put your own creatures in danger, they may also turn a game around if your opponent has you badly outnumbered. - Conversely, try to avoid playing cards in your deck that can easily let your opponent get "card advantage". A good example of this is "aura" enchantments that provide a benefit to your own creatures (such as "Divine Favor"); while some have powerful effects, they are destroyed when the creature they are attached to leaves the battlefield. This often means that all your opponent has to do is block your enchanted creature with a big enough creature of their own (or one with the "deathtouch" ability) - or cast a spell that destroys or exiles your enchanted creature - for them to take care of two of your cards with only one of their own. - Partial exceptions to the above point include "equipment" cards, as well as "aura" enchantments that negatively affect your opponent's creatures. While "equipment" cards behave similarly to "aura" enchantments, they usually stay on the battlefield if the creature they are attached to leaves the battlefield, allowing you to re-use them. Meanwhile, playing "aura" enchantments that negatively affect your opponent's creatures (like "Pacifism") will often neutralize your opponent's threats, and maybe also make your opponent waste time and resources trying to deal with them. - On a related note to the "card advantage" discussion, when possible, play cards in your deck that will immediately affect the battlefield when cast. This usually means a creature to attack or block with, or a spell or enchantment that will hamper or destroy an opponent's card(s). There's almost nothing worse than facing a horde of opposing creatures and drawing a card like "Mind Rot" which, while it depletes your opponent's hand, does little to help you defend yourself against cards already on the battlefield. - Take advantage of your creatures' special abilities when you can. Creatures with abilities like "flying", "deathtouch", "reach", and "first strike" can make it difficult for your opponent to attack or block effectively, letting you more easily implement your plans. =========================================================================== DECKS, DECKLISTS, AND STRATEGIES [DKSG] =========================================================================== There are ten different playable decks in Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014. Five use only one colour of magic, and are associated with each of the main planeswalkers in this game. The other five are each associated with a different plane of existence within the Multiverse. Like in Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013, each deck is rated on a scale of one to five - with one being weak and five being strong - on four key deck characteristics. They are as follows: CREATURE (SIZE) - This is an average measure of how strong the creatures in the deck are, in terms of their power (attack) and toughness (defence) ratings. (DECK) SPEED - This is an indicator of how fast the deck can assemble the assets that it needs to win. Decks with high ratings here can usually cast (and attack with) several low-mana-cost creatures very quickly, while decks with lower ratings may need to try to stall the opponent a little until they can start casting their best spells. (DECK) FLEXIBILITY - This is an indicator of how good the deck is at dealing with a variety of opposing strategies. Decks with high ratings here usually contain many cards that can destroy or otherwise neutralize an opponent's threats, while decks with low ratings may need to stick tightly to their core strategy and simply push on through. (CARD) SYNERGY - This is an indicator of how well the spells in the deck work together and help each other out. Decks with high ratings here usually contain lots of spells or creatures that give bonuses to each other or form beneficial combinations, while decks with low ratings usually contain spells that are good on their own but do not necessarily support each other well. I will list the decks in the order that they appear in the "Deck Manager" menu (not necessarily the order in which you unlock them), along with their ratings, a general strategy for how to play the deck effectively (at least until you start unlocking cards), and a list of cards in the deck. I have also included, for each deck, a list of the 30 cards that you can unlock for that deck, in the order in which you can unlock them. I have also included the six cards that you can unlock with promotional codes. Finally, I have included recommended decklists for playing the deck strategically (at least for normal, one-on-one games; you may need a few tweaks here and there when playing a multiplayer game). Most of them are my own personal decklists, but some are from other readers. They are only recommendations; your choices and play experiences may vary, so use what works for you. Also note that it is what I think the deck should look like after all of the extra cards have been unlocked, so some of the cards that you unlock along the way might still be useful in fully unlocking the deck, but not as much so once the deck is done. ~NOTE~ Only "Hunter's Strength" is available from the beginning of the game. The other nine decks are unlocked by defeating the character that corresponds with that deck in the Main Campaign (including Chandra Nalaar in the Prologue). ~END NOTE~ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- GUARDIANS OF LIGHT (AJANI'S DECK) [GDLG] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- STATS CREATURES: * * SPEED: * * * FLEXIBILITY: * * SYNERGY: * * * * * STRATEGY For white mages like Ajani Goldmane, true victory lies not in defeating an enemy, but protecting your allies and the innocent. With a little magic, however, they can be strong enough to take care of themselves! As such, this deck specializes in "aura" enchantments, which can offer a boost to a specific card on the battlefield... or sometimes disable it instead. "Spirit Mantle", "Griffin Guide", and "Armored Ascension" protect your creatures while giving them abilities that let them surge their way through enemy defenses and assault your opponent directly. "Divine Favor" and "Celestial Mantle" strengthen your creatures while reinforcing your life total. And "Pacifism" and "Serra's Boon" hamper your opponent's creatures; you can also use "Serra's Boon" to give a stat boost to your own creatures, if that seems like the more beneficial decision. Many of the creatures in the deck, such as "Kor Spiritdancer", "Auramancer", "Nomad Mythmaker", "Ajani's Chosen", and Totem-Guide Hartebeest" interact well with "aura" enchantments, giving you bonuses for casting them, finding new ones, or recycling used ones. The other creatures are swift and honorable warriors, preserving your life, shrugging off wounds and exhaustion, or laying low your opponent's forces with superior tactics and divine fury. Channel the strength of your conviction, and strike down all who would dare harm the righteous! DEFAULT DECKLIST LANDS (25) 25 Plains CREATURES (20) 3 Ajani's Sunstriker 3 Blade of the Sixth Pride 1 Kor Spiritdancer 2 Auramancer 1 Nomad Mythmaker 2 Skyhunter Skirmisher 1 Ajani's Chosen 1 Dawn Elemental 1 Healer of the Pride 1 Seasoned Marshal 1 Totem-Guide Hartebeest 2 Dawnstrike Paladin 1 Admonition Angel OTHER (15) 1 Lifelink 1 Divine Favor 2 Pacifism 2 Spirit Mantle 1 Griffin Guide 2 Serra's Boon 2 Staff of the Sun Magus 1 Armored Ascension 1 Divine Transformation 1 Indestructibility 1 Celestial Mantle UNLOCKABLE CARDS Sigil of the Empty Throne Divine Favor Seasoned Marshal Auratouched Mage Mesa Enchantress Pacifism Armored Ascension Kor Spiritdancer Three Dreams Angelic Destiny Seraph of the Sword Divine Favor Guardian's Magemark Mesa Enchantress Totem-Guide Hartebeest Daybreak Coronet Idyllic Tutor Pacifism Aura of Silence Final Judgment Evangelize Pariah Idyllic Tutor Unquestioned Authority Armored Ascension Retether Guardian's Magemark Kor Spiritdancer True Conviction Purity UNLOCKABLE PROMOTIONAL CARDS Nomad Mythmaker Seraph of the Sword Angelic Destiny Kor Spiritdancer Daybreak Coronet True Conviction SUGGESTED DECKLIST LANDS (23) 23 Plains CREATURES (25) 3 Ajani's Sunstriker 3 Blade of the Sixth Pride 3 Kor Spiritdancer 2 Auramancer 2 Mesa Enchantress 2 Nomad Mythmaker 2 Skyhunter Skirmisher 1 Ajani's Chosen 1 Dawn Elemental 2 Seraph of the Sword 2 Totem-Guide Hartebeest 1 Admonition Angel 1 Purity OTHER (12) 4 Pacifism 1 Griffin Guide 2 Angelic Destiny 3 Armored Ascension 1 Sigil of the Empty Throne 1 Final Judgment --------------------------------------------------------------------------- FIREWAVE (CHANDRA'S DECK) [FRWV] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- STATS CREATURES: * * * SPEED: * * * FLEXIBILITY: * * * * * SYNERGY: * STRATEGY When you're a red mage like Chandra Nalaar, subtlety is overrated. All of the carefully-planned schemes in the world are useless if you're nothing but a smoldering crater. This deck is designed to do that to your opponent and their creatures as quickly as possible. Spells like "Searing Spear", "Flames of the Firebrand", "Chandra's OUtrage", and "Cone of Flame" will raze your opponent's creatures with damaging gouts of fire; "Disintegrate" and "Pillar of Flame" can even damage creatures right out of existence! Even creatures like "Goblin Arsonist" and "Bloodpyre Elemental" get in on the creature-blasting fun! Without creatures to defend them, your opponent will be helpless before your fast and furious minions. "Crimson Mage", "Torch Fiend", "Regathan Firecat", and "Fire Elemental" will make your opponent feel the heat with high power levels and aggressive abilities such as "haste". And your "phoenix" creatures not only provide a hard-to-block aerial assault via their "flying" abilities, but also have ways of returning to the battlefield or your hand from the graveyard. Rise from the ashes, and incinerate your foes! DEFAULT DECKLIST LANDS (25) 25 Mountain CREATURES (23) 3 Goblin Arsonist 2 Crimson Mage 3 Torch Fiend 2 Chandra's Phoenix 4 Pilgrim's Eye 2 Regathan Firecat 1 Firewing Phoenix 2 Bloodpyre Elemental 2 Fire Elemental 1 Magma Phoenix 1 Skarrgan Firebird OTHER (12) 1 Disintegrate 2 Pillar of Flame 1 Searing Spear 1 Flames of the Firebrand 2 Staff of the Flame Magus 2 Chandra's Outrage 1 Cone of Flame 2 Lava Axe UNLOCKABLE CARDS Inferno Lava Axe Staff of the Flame Magus Kiln Fiend Fire Servant Flamebreak Grim Lavamancer Fireshrieker Furnace of Rath Inferno Titan Wild Guess Seismic Assault Kiln Fiend Grim Lavamancer Sulfuric Vortex Fireshrieker Flames of the Firebrand Browbeat Flame Slash Chandra's Spitfire Disintegrate Final Fortune Kiln Fiend Fire Servant Reverberate Final Fortune Sulfuric Vortex Stalking Vengeance Fireshrieker Hostility UNLOCKABLE PROMOTIONAL CARDS Relentless Assault Furnace of Rath Slith Firewalker Stormblood Berserker Cyclops Gladiator Flame Wave SUGGESTED DECKLIST LANDS (24) 24 Mountain CREATURES (23) 3 Goblin Arsonist 2 Grim Lavamancer 2 Crimson Mage 1 Slith Firewalker 1 Stormblood Berserker 3 Torch Fiend 2 Chandra's Phoenix 2 Regathan Firecat 1 Cyclops Gladiator 1 Firewing Phoenix 2 Fire Servant 1 Magma Phoenix 1 Inferno Titan 1 Skarrgan Firebird OTHER (13) 1 Flame Slash 2 Pillar of Flame 1 Searing Spear 1 Wild Guess 1 Browbeat 1 Flamebreak 2 Flames of the Firebrand 1 Seismic Assault 2 Chandra's Outrage 1 Cone of Flame --------------------------------------------------------------------------- MASKS OF THE DIMIR (ZORISLAV'S DECK) [MKDM] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- STATS CREATURES: * * SPEED: * * * * FLEXIBILITY: * * * * SYNERGY: * * STRATEGY The plane of Ravnica is almost completely covered by a giant city. Its politics revolve around ten guilds of magic-users that form a loose coalition, but openly compete against each other for power and influence. The Dimir Guild uses blue and black magic to fuel its acts of espionage: spying, assassination, and sometimes even mental manipulation. Cards like "Ravenous Rats" and "Mind Rot" knock cards out of your opponent's hand, while the likes of "Chittering Rats", "Vedalken Dismisser", and "Time Ebb" send cards back to the top of your opponent's deck, preventing them from drawing new threats. Meanwhile, "Surveilling Sprite", "Thought Scour", and "Divination" draw you extra cards, and "Dimir Guildmage" can not only draw you cards, but discard your opponent's cards as well! "Last Gasp" and "Sleep" keep your opponent's creatures under control, while creatures with the "flying" ability sneak by your opponent's defences for a difficult-to-stop assault. Knowledge is power - especially when you have it and your enemies don't! DEFAULT DECKLIST LANDS (25) 10 Island 11 Swamp 4 Terramorphic Expanse CREATURES (20) 4 Dimir Guildmage 2 Ravenous Rats 2 Surveilling Sprite 3 Chittering Rats 4 Moroii 1 Necropolis Regent 3 Vedalken Dismisser 1 Vengeful Vampire OTHER (15) 3 Thought Scour 4 Last Gasp 2 Divination 1 Mind Rot 1 Time Ebb 1 Sleep 1 Beacon of Unrest 2 Illusionary Armor UNLOCKABLE CARDS Mindleech Mass Lobotomy Ravenous Rats Illusionary Armor Sleep Mark of the Vampire Threads of Disloyalty Treasure Hunt Archaeomancer Evil Twin Consult the Necrosages Vengeful Vampire Illusionary Armor Dire Undercurrents Lobotomy Threads of Disloyalty Fool's Demise Archaeomancer Guardian of the Ages Avatar of Will Slate Street Ruffian Shadow Slice Smog Elemental Hands of Binding Mental Vapors Diluvian Primordial Stolen Identity Dinrova Horror Countersquall Doomsday Specter UNLOCKABLE PROMOTIONAL CARDS Shadowborn Demon Colossal Whale Spinal Embrace Reins of Power Evil Twin Ghastlord of Fugue SUGGESTED DECKLIST LANDS (25) 9 Island 12 Swamp 4 Terramorphic Expanse CREATURES (23) 4 Dimir Guildmage 3 Ravenous Rats 2 Surveilling Sprite 3 Chittering Rats 1 Slate Street Ruffian 1 Doomsday Specter 2 Evil Twin 3 Moroii 1 Ghastlord of Fugue 1 Shadowborn Demon 1 Dinrova Horror 1 Necropolis Regent OTHER (12) 4 Last Gasp 1 Consult the Necrosages 2 Divination 1 Time Ebb 2 Sleep 1 Beacon of Unrest 1 Stolen Identity --------------------------------------------------------------------------- HUNTER'S STRENGTH (GARRUK'S DECK) [HTSR] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- STATS CREATURES: * * * * * SPEED: * * * FLEXIBILITY: * * SYNERGY: * STRATEGY Green mages like Garruk Wildspeaker believe in the inevitable supremacy of nature and its laws. As such, they live by a code where only the fittest will survive, so you better have a tough body, good instincts, and maybe a few strong friends to rely on. That's where this deck comes in. Many of its creatures have very good stats for the amount of mana they cost; who needs tricky abilities when you have muscles galore? Of special note are "Gloomwidow" and "Sentinel Spider" with the "reach" ability, which helps you defend against creatures with the "flying" ability (which few green creatures have). And the two aces, "Garruk's Horde" and "Regal Force", are not only strong creatures themselves, but also help you summon more of your feral friends faster and run roughshod over your opponent! With few abilities of their own, though, your creatures will have to rely on your other spells for support. "Prey Upon" and "Hunt the Weak" take advantage of your creatures' raw physical strength to bully weaker opposing creatures into submission; this is especially useful on creatures with annoying abilities. "Nature's Lore" brings more "Forest" cards to the battlefield, giving you access to more natural resources sooner, while "Bramblecrush" offers utility in being able to destroy any card that isn't a creature. Finally, "Oakenform", "Enlarge", and "Overrun" buff up one or all of your creatures for a final ferocious assault! DEFAULT DECKLIST LANDS (24) 24 Forest CREATURES (18) 3 Garruk's Companion 3 Kalonian Tusker 3 Gloomwidow 2 Sacred Wolf 2 Cudgel Troll 3 Sentinel Spider 1 Garruk's Horde 1 Regal Force OTHER (18) 3 Prey Upon 2 Nature's Lore 2 Oakenform 2 Staff of the Wild Magus 2 Bramblecrush 2 Hunt the Weak 2 Enlarge 2 Overrun 1 Primeval Bounty UNLOCKABLE CARDS Master of the Wild Hunt Wurmskin Forger Staff of the Wild Magus Revive Rancor Overrun Enlarge Leatherback Baloth Eternal Witness Primalcrux Predator Ooze Living Hive Savage Summoning Regal Force Eternal Witness Elephant Guide Rancor Prey Upon Bramblecrush Rampaging Baloths Nature's Lore Brawn Fangren Firstborn Overwhelming Stampede Biorhythm Beastmaster Ascension Bellowing Tanglewurm Rancor Nature's Lore Craterhoof Behemoth UNLOCKABLE PROMOTIONAL CARDS Protean Hulk Fauna Shaman Rampaging Baloths Pulse of the Tangle Decree of Savagery Vigor SUGGESTED DECKLIST LANDS (24) 24 Forest CREATURES (26) 1 Fauna Shaman 3 Garruk's Companion 3 Kalonian Tusker 2 Eternal Witness 3 Gloomwidow 1 Leatherback Baloth 2 Sacred Wolf 1 Brawn 2 Cudgel Troll 1 Fangren Firstborn 1 Master of the Wild Hunt 1 Bellowing Tanglewurm 2 Sentinel Spider 2 Rampaging Baloths 1 Regal Force OTHER (10) 4 Prey Upon 3 Nature's Lore 1 Pulse of the Tangle 1 Overrun 1 Overwhelming Stampede --------------------------------------------------------------------------- AVACYN'S GLORY (SIGISMUND'S DECK) [VCGL] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- STATS CREATURES: * SPEED: * * * * FLEXIBILITY: * * SYNERGY: * * * * * STRATEGY On the plane of Innistrad, humans are beset on all sides by every manner of nightmarish adversary imaginable: zombies, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, heretics, and even demons. But they manage to survive thanks to their tenacity, solidarity, and a secret weapon: a host of guardian angels, led by the archangel Avacyn. This deck harnesses this union of heaven and earth to lay a righteous thrashing on your opponent! The main strategy of this deck is having strength in numbers. Some cards in the deck can put multiple creatures onto the battlefield at once, such as "Gather the Townsfolk", "Geist-Honored Monk", and "Voice of the Provinces". Other cards become more powerful when you put more creatures - especially "human" creatures - onto the battlefield, such as "Champion of the Parish", "Mentor of the Meek", "Goldnight Commander", and "Angelic Overseer". But this deck's true power comes from its creatures who stay brave even in the face of certain death. Creatures like "Doomed Traveler", "Elgaud Inquisitor", and "Requiem Angel" can bring themselves or others back from death as ghostly soldiers, while creatures like "Selfless Cathar", "Unruly Mob", or "Elder Cathar" can strengthen themselves or your other creatures through acts of martyrdom. Finally, cards like "Fiend Hunter", "Path to Exile", and "Oblivion Ring" can smite any monstrosity that stands in the way of your devout army. DEFAULT DECKLIST LANDS (25) 25 Plains CREATURES (25) 1 Champion of the Parish 2 Doomed Traveler 2 Selfless Cathar 3 Thraben Valiant 2 Unruly Mob 2 Elder Cathar 2 Fiend Hunter 1 Mentor of the Meek 1 Midnight Guard 2 Elgaud Inquisitor 2 Goldnight Commander 1 Angelic Overseer 1 Geist-Honored Monk 1 Requiem Angel 1 Voice of the Provinces 1 Archangel OTHER (10) 2 Hallow 2 Path to Exile 3 Gather the Townsfolk 1 Honor of the Pure 2 Oblivion Ring UNLOCKABLE CARDS Mikaeus, the Lunarch Angel's Mercy Seraph of Dawn Gather the Townsfolk Honor of the Pure Champion of the Parish Seraph of Dawn Thraben Doomsayer Angelic Overseer Avacyn, Angel of Hope Thalia, Guardian of Thraben Champion of the Parish Ring of Three Wishes Mentor of the Meek Fiend Hunter Baneslayer Angel Seraph of Dawn Bonds of Faith Increasing Devotion Devout Invocation Soul Warden Grand Abolisher Restoration Angel Hallowed Burial Elite Inquisitor Deathless Angel Martyr's Bond Thalia, Guardian of Thraben Soul Warden Twilight Shepherd UNLOCKABLE PROMOTIONAL CARDS Sunblast Angel Baneslayer Angel Path to Exile Knight of the White Orchid Dearly Departed Devout Invocation SUGGESTED DECKLIST LANDS (23) 23 Plains CREATURES (25) 3 Champion of the Parish 1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch 1 Elite Inquisitor 1 Grand Abolisher 1 Knight of the White Orchid 1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben 3 Fiend Hunter 2 Mentor of the Meek 1 Thraben Doomsayer 2 Goldnight Commander 1 Restoration Angel 3 Seraph of Dawn 2 Angelic Overseer 2 Baneslayer Angel 1 Sunblast Angel OTHER (12) 3 Path to Exile 1 Bonds of Faith 4 Gather the Townsfolk 2 Honor of the Pure 2 Oblivion Ring --------------------------------------------------------------------------- MIND MAZE (JACE'S DECK) [MDMZ] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- STATS CREATURES: * * SPEED: * * * * * FLEXIBILITY: * SYNERGY: * * * * STRATEGY For blue mages like Jace Beleren, wars are truly won not on the battlefeld, but in the mind. Your tactics may be nothing more than a bluff, but as long as your opponent believes they are real, you have the upper hand. Take this deck, for example. Many of its "illusion" creatures force you to sacrifice them when they are targeted by a spell or ability (including your own), but have high stats for minimal mana costs. In addition, many have the "flying" ability, making them difficult to block. Some even can't be blocked at all! Cards like "Unsummon", "Claustrophobia", "Frost Breath", and "Disorient" will keep your opponent's creatures befuddled and out of your way, while cards like "Cancel" and "Dream Fracture" foil your opponent's key plays. Finally, with cards like "Phantasmal Image", "Draining Whelk", "Jace's Mindseeker", and "Roil Elemental" copying, stopping, or stealing your opponent's cards, your opponent's worst enemy will be themselves! DEFAULT DECKLIST LANDS (25) 25 Island CREATURES (21) 1 Jace's Phantasm 3 Phantasmal Bear 3 Gossamer Phantasm 1 Phantasmal Image 2 Blind Phantasm 3 Illusionary Servant 2 Phantom Warrior 1 Phantasmal Dragon 2 Phantom Beast 1 Draining Whelk 1 Jace's Mindseeker 1 Roil Elemental OTHER (14) 2 Unsummon 1 Cancel 3 Claustrophobia 2 Divination 1 Dream Fracture 2 Frost Breath 2 Staff of the Mind Magus 1 Disorient UNLOCKABLE CARDS Lord of the Unreal Cancel Unsummon Gossamer Phantasm Aether Figment Veiled Sentry Phantasmal Image Halcyon Glaze Lord of the Unreal Chronozoa Draining Whelk Phantasmal Image Aether Figment Lord of the Unreal Veiled Sentry Phantasmal Image Lord of the Unreal Unsummon Halcyon Glaze Krovikan Mist Ovinize Twincast Leyline Phantom Incursion Specialist Illusory Angel Wistful Thinking Aetherplasm Counterspell Ovinize Omniscience UNLOCKABLE PROMOTIONAL CARDS Mind Control Sphinx of Magosi Counterspell Mirror-Mad Phantasm Force of Will Temporal Mastery SUGGESTED DECKLIST LANDS (23) 23 Island CREATURES (24) 3 Phantasmal Bear 4 Gossamer Phantasm 1 Krovikan Mist 4 Lord of the Unreal 4 Phantasmal Image 3 Illusionary Servant 2 Phantom Warrior 1 Chronozoa 1 Phantasmal Dragon 1 Jace's Mindseeker OTHER (13) 4 Unsummon 3 Claustrophobia 2 Divination 2 Frost Breath 1 Force of Will 1 Mind Control --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ENTER THE DRACOMANCER (KRUFA'S DECK) [TTDM] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- STATS CREATURES: * * * * SPEED: * * FLEXIBILITY: * * SYNERGY: * * * * STRATEGY The plane of Alara was once a series of five sub-planes, each with one dominant style of magic and two other, related styles of magic. The sub-plane of Jund was dominated by red magic, but also contained green and black magic. These three styles of magic combined to create a savage, primitive world where it was every living thing for itself, and if you weren't a predator, you were prey. Few predators can match the strength, cunning, and savagery of dragons, so this deck harnesses these reptilian kings to grant your opponent a fiery death from on high! Cards like "Borderland Ranger" and "Cultivate" help you get access to the lands you need to summon your strongest creatures; "Igneous Pouncer" and "Valley Rannet" can also be discarded and replaced with land cards early in the game, or cast normally as strong creatures once you already have enough lands. "Dragonspeaker Shaman" even reduces the mana cost of all of your "dragon" creatures! Meanwhile, "Tukatongue Thallid" and "Dragon Fodder" provide weak creatures that can attack and defend early in the game, then serve as sacrificial fodder to power up your creatures with the "devour" ability. "Jund Charm" is a useful spell that can empty a player's graveyard, damage all creatures, or permanently power up a creature. And "Soul's Fire" blasts an opponent or one of their creatures for damage equal to the power rating of one of your own creatures. With a flight of draconic allies at your back, you'll show opponents who's at the top of the food chain! DEFAULT DECKLIST LANDS (24) 3 Swamp 11 Mountain 6 Forest 4 Terramorphic Expanse CREATURES (21) 4 Tukatongue Thallid 2 Borderland Ranger 2 Dragonspeaker Shaman 3 Hellkite Hatchling 2 Gorger Wurm 1 Flameblast Dragon 2 Igneous Pouncer 1 Predator Dragon 2 Valley Rannet 1 Volcanic Dragon 1 Hellkite Overlord OTHER (15) 4 Dragon Fodder 4 Cultivate 2 Jund Charm 4 Soul's Fire 1 Sangrite Surge UNLOCKABLE CARDS Form of the Dragon Torrent of Fire Dragon Fangs Borderland Ranger Sangrite Surge Crucible of Fire Predator Dragon Hellkite Hatchling Maelstrom Pulse Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund Dragon Roost Dragonspeaker Shaman Crucible of Fire Torrent of Fire Jund Battlemage Dragonspeaker Shaman Maelstrom Pulse Ogre Battledriver Dragon Breath Broodmate Dragon Consume Strength Torrent of Fire Banefire Bloodbraid Elf Dragonlair Spider Spellbreaker Behemoth Artifact Mutation Maelstrom Pulse Penumbra Wurm Dragon Broodmother UNLOCKABLE PROMOTIONAL CARDS Explosive Vegetation Crucible of Fire Savage Twister Dragon Roost Kilnmouth Dragon Dragon Broodmother SUGGESTED DECKLIST LANDS (24) 4 Swamp 10 Mountain 7 Forest 3 Terramorphic Expanse CREATURES (22) 4 Tukatongue Thallid 3 Borderland Ranger 4 Dragonspeaker Shaman 1 Jund Battlemage 1 Bloodbraid Elf 1 Ogre Battledriver 1 Spellbreaker Behemoth 2 Gorger Wurm 1 Broodmate Dragon 2 Dragon Broodmother 1 Flameblast Dragon 1 Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund OTHER (14) 4 Dragon Fodder 1 Savage Twister 1 Consume Strength 3 Cultivate 2 Jund Charm 3 Maelstrom Pulse --------------------------------------------------------------------------- DEADWALKERS (LILIANA'S DECK) [DWKS] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- STATS CREATURES: * * * * SPEED: * * FLEXIBILITY: * * * SYNERGY: * * * STRATEGY When you're dealing with black magic, necromancers - those who can summon and command the undead - come with the terriory. Liliana Vess is one of the most powerful ones, and this deck shows off some of her favourite minions: zombies. For one thing, zombies like to kill things. Creatures like "Black Cat" and "Fleshbag Marauder" can force your opponent to discard cards or sacrifice their creatures, while creatures with "first strike" or "deathtouch" can sometimes destroy opposing creatures regardless of how strong they are. "Doom Blade" and "Tendrils of Corruption" will let you take the slaughter into your own hands if your horde of corpses needs a bit of help. For another thing, zombies don't like staying dead. "Gravecrawler", "Bloodghast", "Butcher Ghoul", and "veilborn Ghoul" all have ways of rising out of your graveyard and shambling back into your hand or onto the battlefield. "Cruel Revival" brings a "zombie" creature back to your hand from the graveyard while destroying an opposing creature, and "Grim Return" can revive a creature that was sent to the graveyard during the same turn to fight for you again... even if it belongs to your opponent! Finally, where there's one zombie, there are usually more. "Liliana's Reaver", "Grave Titan", and "Endless Ranks of the Dead" can create "zombie" creature tokens, allowing you to bury your opponent under an avalanche of cadavers! DEFAULT DECKLIST LANDS (26) 26 Swamp CREATURES (19) 2 Diregraf Ghoul 1 Gravecrawler 3 Black Cat 1 Bloodghast 2 Butcher Ghoul 2 Walking Corpse 2 Fleshbag Marauder 2 Abattoir Ghoul 1 Liliana's Reaver 1 Veilborn Ghoul 1 Grave Titan 1 Nightmare OTHER (15) 3 Doom Blade 2 Sign in Blood 1 Grim Return 1 Soul Bleed 2 Staff of the Death Magus 1 Endless Ranks of the Dead 2 Tendrils of Corruption 3 Cruel Revival UNLOCKABLE CARDS Zombie Apocalypse Shrivel Vial of Poison Cruel Revival Farbog Boneflinger Gravecrawler Geralf's Messenger Lord of the Undead Endless Ranks of the Dead Mikaeus, the Unhallowed Gravecrawler Staff of the Death Magus Corrupt Reanimate Nightmare Geralf's Messenger Quest for the Gravelord Corrupt Lord of the Undead Rise of the Dark Realms Undead Warchief Grave Pact Exhume Mutilate Vampiric Tutor Death Cloud Consuming Vapors Grave Betrayal Undead Warchief Death Baron UNLOCKABLE PROMOTIONAL CARDS Demon of Death's Gate Grave Titan Reanimate Zombie Warchief Gravespawn Sovereign Nightmare SUGGESTED DECKLIST LANDS (24) 24 Swamp CREATURES (23) 2 Diregraf Ghoul 3 Gravecrawler 2 Butcher Ghoul 2 Walking Corpse 1 Death Baron 2 Fleshbag Marauder 2 Geralf's Messenger 2 Lord of the Undead 1 Liliana's Reaver 3 Undead Warchief 2 Grave Titan 1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed OTHER (13) 1 Vampiric Tutor 3 Doom Blade 2 Sign in Blood 1 Consuming Vapors 1 Mutilate 2 Tendrils of Corruption 3 Cruel Revival --------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHANT OF THE MUL DAYA (GIRUNDAR'S DECK) [CTMD] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- STATS CREATURES: * * * * * SPEED: * FLEXIBILITY: * SYNERGY: * * * * * STRATEGY On the plane of Zendikar, rich deposits of mana and priceless ancient artifacts are protected not only by fearsome creatures and perilous traps, but also seemingly by the land itself! However, these defenses also keep an ancient race of magic-craving monstrosities, the "Eldrazi", imprisoned. With this deck, you can let these gargantuan horrors loose and crush your opponent in a cataclysmic rampage! As mentioned, "Eldrazi" creatures are enormous mana-eaters, so you're going to need to put a lot of lands onto the battlefield so you can summon one. Cards like "Exlpore", "Farhaven Elf", "Oracle of Mul Daya", "Primeval Titan", "Khalni Heart Expedition", and "Rampant Growth" will help you do just that. Some of the other cards in the deck will help defend you by giving you bonuses whenever you put a land onto the battlefield. "Grazing Gladeheart" increases your life total, while "Sporemound" creates creature tokens that can block your opponent's attacks. If things start looking bad, use "All is Dust" to clear the battlefield of threats. Once you summon an "Eldrazi" creature or two, the true destruction begins! All "Eldrazi" creatures have the "annihilator" ability, which forces your opponent to sacrifice their cards whenever one attacks! Plus, many of them have other powerful abilities. "Artisan of Kozilek" brings another creature back from the dead when you summon it, "Pathrazer of Ulamog" forces your opponent to block it with at least three creatures (or else not block it at all), and "It That Betrays" turns the cards that your opponent sacrifices into resources for you! Finally, there's "Eldrazi Conscription", an "aura" enchantment that can turn a weak creature into a colossal destroyer, or just supercharge one of your "Eldrazi" creatures into a one-monster wrecking crew! DEFAULT DECKLIST LANDS (25) 25 Forest CREATURES (21) 1 Vastwood Hydra 4 Farhaven Elf 4 Grazing Gladehart 2 Oracle of Mul Daya 2 Sporemound 1 Primeval Titan 2 Pelakka Wurm 2 Ulamog's Crusher 1 Artisan of Kozilek 1 Pathrazer of Ulamog 1 It That Betrays OTHER (14) 3 Explore 4 Khalni Heart Expedition 4 Rampant Growth 2 All Is Dust 1 Eldrazi Conscription UNLOCKABLE CARDS Primeval Titan Bountiful Harvest Woodborn Behemoth Into the Wilds Explore Oracle of Mul Daya Eldrazi Conscription Terastodon Fierce Empath Scute Mob Green Sun's Zenith Eye of Ugin Bountiful Harvest Into the Wilds Rites of Flourishing Artisan of Kozilek Pelakka Wurm Woodborn Behemoth Vengevine Elvish Piper Tangle Exploration Vigor Tangle Elvish Piper Summoning Trap Plow Under Terastodon Exploration Tooth and Nail UNLOCKABLE PROMOTIONAL CARDS Harmonize Avenger of Zendikar Green Sun's Zenith Summoning Trap It That Betrays Dramatic Entrance SUGGESTED DECKLIST LANDS (25) 25 Forest CREATURES (23) 1 Scute Mob 4 Farhaven Elf 1 Fierce Empath 4 Grazing Gladehart 3 Oracle of Mul Daya 1 Vengevine 2 Woodborn Behemoth 2 Primeval Titan 3 Pelakka Wurm 2 Terastodon OTHER (12) 2 Green Sun's Zenith 3 Explore 3 Rampant Growth 1 Harmonize 2 All is Dust 1 Tooth and Nail --------------------------------------------------------------------------- SLIVER HIVE (ESS-NELEK'S DECK) [SVHV] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- STATS CREATURES: * * * * SPEED: * * FLEXIBILITY: * SYNERGY: * * * * * STRATEGY "Slivers" are a unique race of insectoid creatures that share a collective consciousness. Individual species have evolved in accordance with potential roles to be filled within the collective, as well as encountered organisms whose abilities could help fulfil those roles. However, differences between species are quickly mitigated when several gather in close proximity, as their telepathic links allow them to share abilities with each other. One "sliver" alone may be fairly weak, but a group of different species fighting together can create a versatile and almost unstoppable force! This deck's supporting spells are really its only complex piece of strategy; use "Rampant Growth" and "Cultivate" to find lands that correspond to the colours of mana that you need, use "Shock" and "Path to Exile" to deal with your opponent's creatures, and "Hive Stirrings" to put more "sliver" creatures onto the battlefield. The deck's creatures, on the other hand, are pretty straightforward: they all give "sliver" creatures you control a combat-related ability. Since all of the creatures in the deck are "sliver" creatures, they not only get their own ability, but also share it with all of your other creatures! The one thing I will say is to prioritize creatures that give stat boosts, since these bonuses can accumulate, while other abilities cannot (i.e. multiple instances of abilities such as "first strike" and "trample" are redundant). DEFAULT DECKLIST LANDS (24) 6 Plains 7 Mountain 7 Forest 4 Terramorphic Expanse CREATURES (21) 2 Striking Sliver 3 Predatory Sliver 3 Steelform Sliver 3 Blur Sliver 3 Sliver Construct 1 Bonescythe Sliver 2 Battle Sliver 1 Thorncaster Sliver 1 Megantic Sliver 2 Groundshaker Sliver OTHER (15) 2 Path to Exile 3 Shock 3 Rampant Growth 4 Cultivate 3 Hive Stirrings UNLOCKABLE CARDS Megantic Sliver Indestructibility Fiery Justice Battle Sliver Faith's Fetters Bonescythe Sliver Bifurcate Predatory Sliver Indestructibility Shared Animosity Path to Exile Armageddon Lifeline Blur Sliver Wild Pair Thorncaster Sliver Faith's Fetters Lifeline Mirror Entity Survival of the Fittest Indestructibility Armageddon Bifurcate Unflinching Courage Fiery Justice Faith's Fetters Lifeline Savage Beating Wild Pair Titanic Ultimatum UNLOCKABLE PROMOTIONAL CARDS Thorncaster Sliver Coat of Arms Titanic Ultimatum Megantic Sliver Unflinching Courage Shared Animosity SUGGESTED DECKLIST LANDS (24) 8 Plains 6 Mountain 6 Forest 4 Terramorphic Expanse CREATURES (22) 2 Striking Sliver 4 Predatory Sliver 4 Blur Sliver 1 Mirror Entity 3 Steelform Sliver 2 Bonescythe Sliver 3 Thorncaster Sliver 3 Megantic Sliver OTHER (14) 3 Path to Exile 1 Survival of the Fittest 2 Cultivate 2 Fiery Justice 3 Hive Stirrings 3 Faith's Fetters =========================================================================== PROMOTIONAL CARDS AND CODES [PMCC] =========================================================================== If you go to the "Extras" menu from the main menu, there should be an option called "Promotional Unlocks". If you select it, and then press the "Enter Code" button (the "X" button on the XBOX 360), you can input special codes. They will each unlock one special card for each deck. TRCKSC ------ GUARDIANS OF LIGHT: Nomad Mythmaker FIREWAVE: Relentless Assault MASKS OF THE DIMIR: Shadowborn Demon HUNTER'S STRENGTH: Protean Hulk AVACYN'S GLORY: Sunblast Angel MIND MAZE: Mind Control ENTER THE DRACOMANCER: Explosive Vegetation DEADWALKERS: Demon of Death's Gate CHANT OF THE MUL DAYA: Harmonize SLIVER HIVE: Thorncaster Sliver GKSNDR ------ GUARDIANS OF LIGHT: Seraph of the Sword FIREWAVE: Furnace of Rath MASKS OF THE DIMIR: Colossal Whale HUNTER'S STRENGTH: Fauna Shaman AVACYN'S GLORY: Baneslayer Angel MIND MAZE: Sphinx of Magosi ENTER THE DRACOMANCER: Crucible of Fire DEADWALKERS: Grave Titan CHANT OF THE MUL DAYA: Avenger of Zendikar SLIVER HIVE: Coat of Arms DWNNDR ------ GUARDIANS OF LIGHT: Angelic Destiny FIREWAVE: Slith Firewalker MASKS OF THE DIMIR: Spinal Embrace HUNTER'S STRENGTH: Rampaging Baloths AVACYN'S GLORY: Path to Exile MIND MAZE: Counterspell ENTER THE DRACOMANCER: Savage Twister DEADWALKERS: Reanimate CHANT OF THE MUL DAYA: Green Sun's Zenith SLIVER HIVE: Titanic Ultimatum FTHPTH ------ GUARDIANS OF LIGHT: Kor Spiritdancer FIREWAVE: Stormblood Berserker MASKS OF THE DIMIR: Reins of Power HUNTER'S STRENGTH: Pulse of the Tangle AVACYN'S GLORY: Knight of the White Orchid MIND MAZE: Mirror-Mad Phantasm ENTER THE DRACOMANCER: Dragon Roost DEADWALKERS: Zombie Warchief CHANT OF THE MUL DAYA: Summoning Trap SLIVER HIVE: Megantic Sliver PRSTTT ------ GUARDIANS OF LIGHT: Daybreak Coronet FIREWAVE: Cyclops Gladiator MASKS OF THE DIMIR: Evil Twin HUNTER'S STRENGTH: Decree of Savagery AVACYN'S GLORY: Dearly Departed MIND MAZE: Force of Will ENTER THE DRACOMANCER: Kilnmouth Dragon DEADWALKERS: Gravespawn Sovereign CHANT OF THE MUL DAYA: It That Betrays SLIVER HIVE: Unflinching Courage RSNGSN ------ GUARDIANS OF LIGHT: True Conviction FIREWAVE: Flame Wave MASKS OF THE DIMIR: Ghastlord of Fugue HUNTER'S STRENGTH: Vigor AVACYN'S GLORY: Devout Invocation MIND MAZE: Temporal Mastery ENTER THE DRACOMANCER: Dragon Broodmother DEADWALKERS: Nightmare CHANT OF THE MUL DAYA: Dramatic Entrance SLIVER HIVE: Shared Animosity =========================================================================== WALKTHROUGH [WKTG] =========================================================================== Phew! Now that we're done with the deck rundowns, let's start playing the actual game! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- MAIN CAMPAIGN [MNCP] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Main Campaign is divided into six stages, each representing a plane of existence from the Magic: The Gathering universe. There are two kinds of levels in each stage: "Encounter" and "Duel". "Encounter" levels are games against opponents that play the same cards in (roughly) the same order every time. In doing so, they help you gauge how your deck will hold up against certain strategies. Unlike in Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013, "Encounter" levels in this game are mandatory; you must win against each one to progress. "Duel" levels are regular games against characters who can guide you towards Ramaz, and their corresponding decks. Their strategies will not be as predictable, so you will have to learn to adapt to changing play conditions. Each time you win an "Encounter" or "Duel", you will unlock a new card for the deck that you used. Also, each time you clear a stage for the first time (except for the Prologue), you can unlock a new "Duel" level of your choice in the Planeswalker Stage (more on that below). :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: PROLOGUE - CHANDRA'S TEST :: [CDTT] :: :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Chandra may be young, but she's not totally naive. She knows that if you're going to help her track down and take revenge on Ramaz, she'll need to make sure that you can handle yourself in a fight. All you have is the "Hunter's Strength" deck at this point, but fortunately, it's a good match-up if you play your cards correctly. While she has creatures with nasty abilities and damage-dealing spells to back them up, your creatures outclass hers in terms of brute force. The key to this duel is to pay attention to how many lands Chandra has untapped and how many cards she has left in her hand. If she has lands available and cards in her hand, she might be able to hit one of your creatures with a damage spell, so it's better to just cast another creature, or do nothing (other than attack if it's profitable, of course). If she exhausts her lands casting another spell, however, that's your opportunity to use a spell to strengthen one of your own creatures, and/or have it beat up one of Chandra's creatures. Defeating Chandra here unlocks the "Firewave" deck, as well as the first stage of the Main Campaign. But once we get there, before we do anything, let's take a bit of a detour to the... :::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: PLANESWALKER STAGE :: [PWSG] :: :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::: "Duel" levels against other planeswalkers are somewhat separate from the main storyline in this edition of Duels of the Planeswalkers, and so they have their own special stage, which you can access from any of the stages in the Main Campaign (go to the icon in the lower right that says "Planeswalker Duels"). Each time you clear a stage from the Main Campaign for the first time, you can choose one "Duel" level in the Planeswalker Stage to unlock, and then face that opponent whenever you want. So whenever you clear a stage, be sure to come back here and unlock another opponent! Defeating Jace Beleren, Ajani Goldmane, or Liliana Vess for the first time also unlocks their respective decks, so you might want to unlock those three first in order to give yourself more options going forward. GARRUK WILDSPEAKER [GRWS] ------------------ Garruk's deck is available from the beginning of the game, so you should have a pretty good idea of what it can do. It has high-stat creatures that can become even stronger with the use of support spells, allowing him to pummel you and your creatures in battle. You will want to rely on ways to eliminate his creatures that do not involve damage or lowering their stats, such as destroying them, exiling them, returning them to his hand/deck, keeping them tapped, or making it so they cannot attack or block. Creatures with the "flying" ability are also handy, since Garruk has few ways to defend against them. "Mind Maze" and "Avacyn's Glory" are both well-suited for this battle, though "Deadwalkers" and "Masks of the Dimir" can work too. JACE BELEREN [JCBL] ------------ Jace's deck uses many "illusion" creatures that not only have strong stats for their mana costs, but also often have abilities that make them difficult to block. Fortunately, many of them also have a glaring weakness: they are sacrificed whenever they are targeted by any spell or ability (even if it is otherwise beneficial). Two things will help you in this "Duel": being able to deal with creatures that have the "flying" ability, and using lots of spells and abilities that can target creatures. "Firewave", with its "phoenix" creatures and damage spells that can target multiple creatures at once, does both of these things extremely well. You can also use "Guardians of Light" or "Hunter's Strength" and use your support spells on your opponent's creatures instead of your own, thereby forcing them to be sacrificed. A modified version of "Sliver Hive" might also work for this reason. Defeating Jace for the first time unlocks the "Mind Maze" deck. CHANDRA NALAAR [CDNL] -------------- You encounter Chandra's deck early in the game, so you should be familiar with its strategy. She uses high-power creatures with aggressive abilities, and uses damage-dealing spells to clear the way for her fiery onslaught. The best answer is to use a deck whose creatures are too strong to damage away, forcing her to engage them directly in combat, where you will likely have the upper hand. "Chant of the Mul Daya", "Enter the Dracomancer", and "Hunter's Strength" are all good choices. AJANI GOLDMANE [JNGM] -------------- Ajani's creatures are pretty weak on their own, but with all of the support cards in his deck, any one of them can become a threat without much warning. It is difficult to destroy his creatures by damaging them or lowering their stats, so try exiling them or disabling them instead. "Avacyn's Glory", "Masks of the Dimir", and maybe also "Deadwalkers" should give you the edge. Defeating Ajani for the first time unlocks the "Guardians of Light" deck. LILIANA VESS [LLVS] ------------ Liliana's deck is tricky, in that it combines a number of different strategies. It destroys your creatures, re-uses creatures that have already been destroyed (including your own), and can even swarm you with creature tokens. Your best bet is a high-synergy deck that can swarm your opponent without having one or two key creatures being destroyed be a major setback. Decks that can exile or disable opposing creatures, instead of destroying them, are also an asset. "Avacyn's Glory" seems like a good choice, but "Guardians of Light" or "Sliver Hive" should also work. Defeating Liliana for the first time unlocks the "Deadwalkers" deck. ~NOTE~ If you haven't cleared the first stage yet, there's not a lot you can do here at this point. If that's the case, all we can do is get on the ground and begin our hunt for Ramaz! Just make sure to come back after completing each stage to unlock a new opponent and strengthen your decks! ~END NOTE~ :::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: STAGE 1 - INNISTRAD :: [NSTD] :: :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::: ENCOUNTER 1 - MOORLAND ZOMBIES [MLZB] ------------------------------ This deck uses "zombie" creatures and various cards that support them. It starts out with low-stat creatures such as "Diregraf Ghoul", "Walking Corpse", and "Ghoulraiser" (the latter of which can recover a "zombie" creature from the graveyard). It will then try to overwhelm you with creature tokens via "Endless Ranks of the Dead", while it summons stronger creatures such as "Rotting Legion" and "Unbreathing Horde". Eventually, it will cast "Army of the Damned", putting a huge number of creature tokens on the battlefield. Both "Firewave" and "Hunter's Strength" can win, but you need to be aggressive and take out as many opposing creatures as you can, either by targeting them with damage spells or fighting them in combat. Since the ability of "Endless Ranks of the Dead" depends on your opponent already having creatures on the battlefield, the fewer creatures you allow them to have, the more difficult it will be for them to swarm you. ENCOUNTER 2 - SKIRSDAG CULTISTS [SDCT] ------------------------------- This deck makes heavy use of the "Shadowborn Apostle" creature, which may have low stats, but can be used in any quantity in a deck. Also, when there are six on the battlefield at one time, they can be sacrificed to summon a "demon" creature. In this case, that is "Shadowborn Demon", which is a strong creature that destroys another creature when it enters the battlefield! There are two ways to deal with this "Encounter" with the decks you have now. With "Firewave", the strategy is much the same as it was against the last "Encounter": destroy your opponent's creatures whenever you get the chance, even if it means losing your own, as you should eventually be able to summon creatures or cast damage spells powerful enough to either deal with "Shadowborn Demon" or take out your opponent before the demon appears. With "Hunter's Strength", you should play a bit more conservatively, summoning only a few creatures to defend yourself with, and then once "Shadowborn Demon" appears, start going all out and using your support cards to boost your creatures to the point where they can deal with the demon. ENCOUNTER 3 - ANGRY MOB [NGMB] ----------------------- This deck uses "human" creatures and support cards. Key cards to watch out for are those that get stronger when your opponent has low life (such as "Gather the Townsfolk" and "Thraben Doomsayer"), as well as those that get stronger when your opponent has more creatures on the battlefield (such as "Kessig Malcontents" and "Burn at the Stake"). Also be careful of cards that can deal non-combat damage (such as "Somberwald Vigilante" and "Vigilante Justice"), as well as the deck's namesake, "Unruly Mob", which gets a permanent stat boost every time another creature your opponent controls dies. The strategy here is much the same as it was in the previous two "Encounter" levels, so both "Firewave" and "Hunter's Strength" can handle this fight. The important thing is to pay attention to how many creatures your opponent has on the battlefield, how strong your opponent's creatures get, and how much life your opponent has remaining. I actually think "Hunter's Strength" has an easier time here, because its powerful creatures don't have to worry so much about getting damaged to death or facing opposing creatures that can gradually become stronger. DUEL - SIGISMUND [SGMD] ---------------- Sigismund's strategy is similar to the last "Encounter", in that he uses lots of "human" creatures and abilities that support them when they enter the battlefield or are killed. However, he has stronger spells to deal with your own creatures, and powerful "angel" creatures that will swing momentum in his favour if he is given enough time to summon them. Still, it's probably best to stick with "Hunter's Strength" and be aggressive, forcing Sigismund into unfavourable combat situations before he can sufficiently organize his army. Defeating Sigismund here for the first time unlocks the "Avacyn's Glory" deck, one "Duel" level of your choice in the Planeswalker Stage, and the next stage of the Main Campaign. :::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: STAGE 2 - ZENDIKAR :: [ZDKR] :: :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::: ENCOUNTER 1 - THE TEETH OF AKOUM [THKM] -------------------------------- This deck uses "equipment" cards, artifacts that can be attached to creatures to give them beneficial abilities. Expect to see the likes of "Adventuring Gear" and "Trusty Machete". In addition, the deck uses "kor" creatures that get bonus abilities when they have "equipment" cards attached to them, such as "Kitesail Apprentice" and "Kor Duelist". While strong on offence, this deck's creatures are rather weak on defence, so use "Firewave", "Avacyn's Glory", or "Deadwalkers" (if you have unlocked it) to indirectly take out your opponent's creatures. Without creatures, their "equipment" cards will be all but useless. ENCOUNTER 2 - RIVAL EXPEDITION [RVXP] ------------------------------ This deck uses "ally" creatures, which give themselves and each other bonuses when one enters the battlefield. Try to take out the first creature, "Hada Freeblade", as quickly as possible, since it will get stronger whenever your opponent summons more creatures. In general, just worry about the creatures that give or get permanent stat boosts (such as "Akoum Battlesinger" and "Tuktuk Grunts", or those that can damage your creatures (such as "Murasa Pyromancer"). I find that "Hunter's Strength" does well here, as it has strong creatures that can match your opponent's ones in combat without being easily destroyed, and has spells that take advantage of your own creatures' strength to pick off your opponent's weaker creatures. "Firewave", "Avacyn's Glory", or "Mind Maze" (if you have unlocked it) may also work. ENCOUNTER 3 - SURVIVE THE ROIL [SVTR] ------------------------------ This deck uses red spells that all have something to do with earth. It has three main spells: "Roiling Terrain" destroys your land cards, and also makes you take damage equal to the number of land cards in your graveyard. "Earthquake" deals a variable amount of damage to all creatures that do not have the "flying" ability, as well as all players. And "Spire Barrage" damages a creature or player equal to the number of "Mountain" cards that the caster controls. The key here is to use a deck that can field creatures that are strong overall without needing to spend lots of mana. "Hunter's Strength" should be able to do this, but "Mind Maze" (if you have unlocked it) also works really well, especially since it has a lot of creatures with the "flying" ability that can avoid being damaged by "Earthquake". DUEL - GIRUNDAR [GRND] --------------- Girundar's main strategy is to cast spells that put more lands onto the battlefield. His low-stat creatures either help with this or get bonuses from it happening, such as padding his life total or clogging up the battlefield with creature tokens. Once he has a sufficient number of lands, he can start casting "Eldrazi" creatures, which are not only very strong statwise, but also often have powerful abilities, like forcing you to sacrifice your own cards whenever one attacks! This "Duel" is pretty much a race against time, so use as fast a deck as possible and clear out creatures that provide extra defence for Girundar (such as "Grazing Gladeheart" and "Sporemound"). Unless you have unlocked "Mind Maze", "Avacyn's Glory" is probably your best bet. Defeating Girundar here for the first time unlocks the "Chant of the Mul Daya" deck, one "Duel" level of your choice in the Planeswalker Stage, and the next stage of the Main Campaign. :::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: STAGE 3 - SHANDALAR :: [SDLR] :: :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::: ENCOUNTER 1 - JAILBREAK [JLBK] ----------------------- This "Encounter" has good news and bad news. The good news is that your opponent starts with only 10 life, and you start with a creature already on the battlefield. The bad news is that "Gargoyle Sentinel" has the "defender" ability, so it can't attack (although you can pay mana to swap the "defender" ability with the "flying" ability for a turn), and even if it could, the "Prison Term" enchantment attached to it won't let it. Oh, and you only have nine turns to win (but luckily, that only counts YOUR turns). Besides the fact that your opponent can attach "Prison Term" to a different one of your creatures as soon as it hits the battlefield, it will also cast "Haunted Guardian" as an effective defending creature, along with the likes of "Faith's Fetters", "Spectral Prison", and "Arrest" to stop your creatures from attacking. "Avacyn's Glory" can work, as you will likely be able to quickly summon more creatures than your opponent will be able to stop. "Mind Maze" (if you have unlocked it) may also work, since your creatures will either sacrifice themselves when the get an enchantment attached to them (destroying the enchantment), or shrug off your opponent's spells with the "hexproof" ability (provided you have unlocked a few cards). If that all seems like too much fuss, you can always just try using "Firewave" and throw damage spells directly at your opponent. ENCOUNTER 2 - WEATHER THE STORM [WTTS] ------------------------------- This deck starts with "Aether Storm" on the battlefield, an enchantment that prevents either player from casting creature spells. However, either payer can voluntarily lose 4 life to destroy it. The deck's main avenue of attack is the spell "Cursed Land", which attaches to one of your lands and drains 1 point of life from you every turn. Your opponent will try to keep your creatures off the battlefield as much as possible with spells such as "Last Gasp", "Time Ebb", "Into the Void", and "Befoul". Your opponent may also cast additional copies of "Aether Storm" if the first one is destroyed. A good strategy is to use a fast deck that can summon more creatures than your opponent can deal with, and/or a deck that can put creatures onto the battlefield without actually casting them (e.g. through creature tokens). "Avacyn's Glory" is good at this, but so is "Deadwalkers", if you have unlocked it. Again, if either of those strategies don't work, just switch to "Firewave" and toss damage spells at your opponent, and you won't even have to worry about "Aether Storm" at all! ENCOUNTER 3 - ELOREN BRAMBLE [LRBB] ---------------------------- This deck uses "plant" (and "fungus") creatures, many of which get bonuses when a land enters the battlefield. "Wall of Vines" provides defence (even against creatures with the "flying" ability), "Vinelasher Kudzu" gets a permanent stat boost with every land your opponent plays, "Snapping Creeper" gives all of your opponent's creatures the "vigilance" ability when they play a land, and "Sporemound" creates "saproling" creature tokens whenever your opponent plays a land. Your deck needs to be able to deal with both strong creatures and multiple creatures, and make sure they stay off the battlefield and don't stick around to keep using their abilities. "Vinelasher Kudzu" and "Sporemound" are the biggest threats, so destroy them quickly. "Hunter's Strength" or "Deadwalkers" (if you have unlocked it) should do fairly well, though "Mind Maze" (if you have unlocked it) may also work. DUEL - ESS-NELEK [SNLK] ---------------- Ess-Nelek doesn't have many sneaky tricks in his deck, but his army of "sliver" creatures give each other bonus stats or abilities when they're on the battlefield together, so they're difficult to deal with. You have to be careful which creatures you choose to destroy; usually, you should go after the ones that provide stat boosts, but that may change depending on the situation. On the other hand, Ess-Nelek doesn't have many ways to get rid of your own creatures besides fighting them in combat, so a strategy that might work is using a deck with strong creatures that can hold the line until you get enough power on the battlefield to deliver a knockout blow. "Hunter's Strength", "Chant of the Mul Daya", or "Mind Maze" (if you have unlocked it) should serve your needs. Defeating Ess-Nelek here for the first time unlocks the "Sliver Hive" deck, one "Duel" level of your choice in the Planeswalker Stage, and the next stage of the Main Campaign. :::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: STAGE 4 - ALARA :: [ALRA] :: :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::: ENCOUNTER 1 - RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE [RBJG] ---------------------------------- This deck uses creatures that create "saproling" creature tokens when they die; mainly, "Tukatongue Thallid" and "Sprouting Thrinax". Eventually, it will cast "Thorn-Thrash Viashino", a creature with the "devour" ability and the potential to gain the "trample" ability. It gains a permanent 2-point stat boost for every creature that is sacrificed to it when it enters the battlefield, so it could be a big problem! If you can match your opponent's swarming tactics, though, this "Encounter" shouldn't be all that difficult. "Avacyn's Glory", "Deadwalkers" (if you have unlocked it), or "Chant of the Mul Daya" do this well. "Guardians of Light" (if you have unlocked it) may also work, in that you will likely be gaining life faster than your opponent can damage you, since most of their creatures are pretty weak. ENCOUNTER 2 - GOBLINS IN THE PASS [GLPS] --------------------------------- This deck uses "goblin" creatures. It starts out with "Goblin Mountaineer", which has the "mountainwalk" ability to let it hit you directly if you control a "Mountain" card. It then casts "Dragon Fodder", putting two "goblin" creature tokens onto the battlefield. It follows up with "Goblin Roughrider", a fairly strong creature, and then "Goblin Chieftain", which gives all of your opponent's "goblin" creatures a temporary stat boost and the "haste" ability. Like the last "Encounter", you simply need to keep pace with your opponent's swarming tactics, so use "Avacyn's Glory", "Chant of the Mul Daya", or "Deadwalkers" (if you have unlocked it). Again, you should have a pretty easy time here. ENCOUNTER 3 - SURVIVE THE VOLCANO [SVVC] --------------------------------- This deck starts off with an unassuming "Goblin Mountaineer", but things will escalate quickly after that. Your opponent will cast fast and powerful volcano-based creatures like "Lava Hounds" and "Fire Elemental", while attempting to keep your own creatures off the battlefield with damage spells such as "Magma Spray", "Volcanic Hammer", and "Volcanic Geyser". You're going to want a deck that has strong defensive creatures, as well as maybe a way to pad your life total (so your opponent can't just sling a damage spell at you as a finisher). "Chant of the Mul Daya" works pretty well, but so does "Hunter's Strength" or "Guardians of Light" (if you have unlocked it). DUEL - KRUFA [KRFA] ------------ Krufa's deck starts off rather slow, but it can field some very dangerous creatures if given enough time and resources. Don't worry too much about the low-stat creatures; Krufa will likely sacrifice them anyway to the "devour" abilities of the stronger creatures. Just worry about taking out the strong creatures, and keeping your own creatures on the battlefield. It's also a plus if your deck has ways to handle creatures with the "flying" ability. "Avacyn's Glory" or "Hunter's Strength" are good bets, but so are "Deadwalkers" or "Mind Maze" (if you have unlocked them). Defeating Krufa here for the first time unlocks the "Enter the Dracomancer" deck, one "Duel" level of your choice in the Planeswalker Stage, and the next stage of the Main Campaign. :::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: STAGE 5 - RAVNICA :: [RVNC] :: :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::: ENCOUNTER 1 - GRUUL RAIDING PARTY [GLRP] --------------------------------- This deck takes advantage of the "bloodthrist" ability, which gives a creature a permanent stat boost if it enters the battlefield after an opponent has taken damage during the same turn. Your opponent will start with "Goblin Fireslinger", a low-stat creature whose ability can indirectly damage you each turn. On following turns, your opponent will use the ability of "Goblin Fireslinger" to damage you, then cast a creature with the "bloodthirst" ability. First is "Scab-Clan Mauler" (be careful; it has the "trample" ability), followed by "Bloodscale Prowler", "Gorehorn Minotaurs", "Ghor-Clan Savage", "Skaargan Firebird" (be careful; it has the "flying" ability and an ability that lets your opponent recover it from the graveyard), and finally "Petrified Wood-Kin" (which cannot be negated, can't be targeted by instant spells, and gets a permanent stat boost equal to the total amount of damage you've taken during the turn)! Your opponent will be depleting your life total and summoning strong creatures quickly, so you need to either match their strength and keep your life total up, or else just quickly eliminate your opponent's creatures as they come. "Hunter's Strength", "Guardians of Light", or "Mind Maze" (if you have unlocked the latter two) should work for the former strategy; "Firewave" or "Deadwalkers" (if you have unlocked it) should work for the latter one. ENCOUNTER 2 - SIMIC CLONES [SMCN] -------------------------- Besides the "Surveilling Sprite" it casts near the beginning of the "Encounter", this deck relies on two main spells. The first is "Biovisionary", a creature whose ability causes its controller to win the game at the end of their turn if they control four or more copies of it. The second is "Clone", a creature that enters the battlefield as a copy of any other creature on the battlefield. Your opponent also uses the "aura" enchantment "Followed Footsteps", which creates a creature token that is a copy of the creature it is attached to at the beginning of your opponent's turn. Your opponent will usually use their copying abilities to try and win with the ability of "Biovisionary", but be careful, because they may also use those abilities to copy your own creatures! Your best bet is a deck that can reliably keep your opponent's creatures off the battlefield and doesn't mind fighting against itself too much. "Avacyn's Glory" and "Firewave" are both great at this, but "Hunter's Strength" or "Deadwalkers" (if you have unlocked it) should also work. ENCOUNTER 3 - SEWERS [SWRS] -------------------- This deck uses "rat" creatures. It starts with "Muck Rats", then "Ravenous Rats" (which forces you to discard a card when it enters the battlefield), and then it will continually cast "Relentless Rats". This creature gets a stat boost equal to every other copy of itself on the battlefield, so don't let your opponent summon too many at once! The ability to get rid of your opponent's creatures in a timely manner, or at least match them in combat, is a must. "Firewave" is excellent at doing this, but "Avacyn's Glory", "Hunter's Strength", or "Chant of the Mul Daya" may also work. DUEL - ZORISLAV [ZRSV] --------------- Zorislav's creatures generally aren't that tough, but they have a bunch of nasty abilities that can mess with your hand and deck. He also uses a number of annoying support spells that weaken and stall your creatures until he can find a creature strong enough to wallop you with. Basically, you just need to watch out for his creatures with the "flying" ability, and have a good balance of weaker and stronger creatures to keep Zorislav guessing as to what he should use his support spells on, and when. "Firewave", "Avacyn's Glory", and "Enter the Dracomancer" are all good here. Defeating Zorislav here for the first time unlocks the "Masks of the Dimir" deck, one "Duel" level of your choice in the Planeswalker Stage (you should be able to unlock them all by now), and the final stage of the Main Campaign. :::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: STAGE 6 - KALDHEIM :: [KDHM] :: :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::: FINAL DUEL - RAMAZ [FRMZ] ------------------ It's time for more good news and bad news, with two points each. The first bit of good news is that this fight is a two-on-one, with both you and Chandra facing Ramaz together. The other piece of good news is that you start with 30 life instead of 20. The first bit of bad news is that Ramaz starts with 40 life. The other piece of bad news is that your life total is shared with Chandra, but you both count as separate players. Why is this bad news, you ask? It's because Ramaz has spells in his deck that affect multiple players at once. So if he casts a spell that steals your cards, he gets to steal from each of you. And if he casts a spell that damages all players, it damages both you and Chandra separately, meaning that your shared life total drops twice as fast! Okay, time to talk strategy. Ramaz's deck reflects his persona of a crazy, prophesizing hermit. Expect to see cards that reference prophecy, madness, or animism, such as "Harmonize", "Mad Prophet", "Master of the Wild Hunt", "Prophetic Bolt", "Desperate Ravings", or "Fool's Demise". He tends to make the same first few plays all the time, starting with "Exploration", then "Harmonize", then "Master of the Wild Hunt". The latter is a dangerous creature that can clog up the battlefield with creature tokens and then use them to wipe out your own creatures. Also be careful of "Flame Slash", which is a low-mana-cost spell that does a significant amount of damage to one creature; and "Earthquake", which does a variable amount of damage to all creatures without the "flying" ability and all players. As mentioned above, you and Chandra count as separate players, so you both take the damage from "Earthquake" towards your shared life total. Many of Ramaz's spells, such as "Mad Prophet", "Prophetic Bolt", and "Desparate Ravings" allow him to replace cards in his hand or deck that he doesn't want with ones that he does, and then cast spells from his graveyard with the "flashback" ability. One such card is what appears to be his trump card, "Crush of Wurms", which puts three very strong "wurm" creature tokens onto the battlefield at once! Also beware of "Blatant Thievery", which allows Ramaz to steal any card that you or Chandra has on the battlefield! You have a choice of two angles here: you can simply protect Chandra and have her try to take down Ramaz single-handedly (which is entirely possible), or you can take a riskier aggressive approach and try to defeat Ramaz before he can use "Crush of Wurms" or damage you to death with "Earthquake" and "Prophetic Bolt". If you take the first approach, you're probably going to want to use "Guardians of Light" (and unlock it first, if you haven't already). Many of its spells either increase your life total or give creatures the "flying" ability, which are both really handy against Ramaz. "Gravecrawlers" (if you have unlocked it) may also work for this strategy, since its creatures don't like staying dead, and it has a few cards that can recover your life total. If you take the more aggressive approach, having creatures with the "flying" ability is a must. "Mind Maze" (if you have unlocked it) is great for this tactic, because the self-sacrificing abilities of its "illusion" creatures shuts down "Prophetic Bolt" and "Blatant Thievery" (i.e. for the former, Ramaz doesn't get to manipulate his deck because the spell misses its intended target and gets negated; and for the latter, Ramaz merely kills your creature instead of stealing it). "Avacyn's Glory", with its "angel" creatures, and "Enter the Dracomancer", with its "dragon" creatures, should also work. If all else fails, you can give Ramaz a double dose of Chandra and use the "Firewave" deck and its "phoenix" creatures. Good luck! If and when you manage to defeat Ramaz, congratulations! You have completed the Main Campaign and have now unlocked the Revenge Campaign! Now you get to do this whole thing over again, except it's harder this time! Aren't you lucky? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- REVENGE CAMPAIGN [RVCP] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Basically, the Revenge Campaign is a redux of the Main Campaign, with two major differences. First of all, there are no "Encounter" levels; there are only "Duel" levels, where you will face the opponents from the Main Campaign in the same order. The other difference is that your opponents will have better cards in their decks and employ better strategies. These strategies are actually quite a bit different from the ones used in the Main Campaign, so you might have to try some alternate strategies to make it through. I recommend unlocking as many cards as you can for as many decks as you can, to give yourself as many options as possible for crafting your counter-strategies. Just clear each "Duel" level to advance to the next one. DUEL 1 - SIGISMUND [RVSG] ------------------ Sigismund and his legion of stalwart "human" creatures are back, and they've brought more of their angelic protectors. He has a lot of ways to exile your creatures to clear a path for his army, and some new "angel" creatures to enhance his game in the air. Of note are "Baneslayer Angel", which is very powerful statwise and has a ton of special abilities for a low mana cost, and "Sunblast Angel", which is somewhat weak in terms of stats but can destroy all tapped creatures when it hits the battlefield. You're going to need the ability to wipe out hordes of low-stat creatures quickly and efficiently, along with perhaps a way to combat creatures with the "flying" ability. "Firewave" and "Enter the Dracomancer" are your decks of choice, though "Deadwalkers" or "Sliver Hive" might also work. DUEL 2 - GIRUNDAR [RVGR] ----------------- Girundar sticks with the "Eldrazi" theme of his deck, which now contains the legendary land "Eye of Ugin". This not only decreases the mana cost of his "Eldrazi" spells, but also allows him to get any "Eldrazi" creature out of his deck. Be aware that "All is Dust" counts as an "Eldrazi" spell, so if "Eye of Ugin" is on the battlefield, Girundar might be able to wipe the battlefield clean with only 5 mana available! Despite this, you should probably stick with a deck that can field creatures as quickly as possible and not give Girundar a chance to stabilize his life total or battlefield presence with cards like "Grazing Gladeheart" and "Sporemound". "Mind Maze" or "Avacyn's Glory" ought to give you a relatively easy win here. DUEL 3 - ESS-NELEK [RVSN] ------------------ Ess-Nelek has added a bit more variety to his deck this time around. He'll still cast spells like "Shock", "Path to Exile" and "Faith's Fetters" to keep your creatures at bay while setting up his army of "sliver" creatures. However, a notable addition to his deck is the creature "Mirror Entity", which counts as any type of creature (including a "sliver") and can modify the stats of all of Ess-Nelek's creatures, depending on how much mana he pays. With all of the other bonuses that "sliver" creatures give each other, this ability can create an unstoppable force at will, so take out "Mirror Entity" as quickly as you can! Balance speed, strength, and the ability to take out key creatures with a deck like "Hunter's Strength", "Deadwalkers", or "Enter the Dracomancer", and you should be fine. DUEL 4 - KRUFA [RVKF] -------------- Krufa has brought some new "dragon" friends to the party, and also a few new tricks. Watch out for "Maelstrom Pulse", which can wipe out any copies of pretty much any card on the battlefield! Also be aware that he may cast "Bloodbraid Elf", a creature that has somewhat low stats, but has the "haste" ability (which lets it attack right away) as well as the "cascade" ability, which immediately gives him a free spell that costs 3 mana or less! In terms of dragons, he has at least two new additions worth mentioning. "Dragon Broodmother" may have somewhat low stats, but it creates a "dragon" creature token at the beginning of every turn, including your turns! These tokens not only have the "flying" ability (which is problematic in and of itself), but also the "devour" ability, meaning they can sacrifice Krufa's weaker creatures to strengthen themselves! Then there's the legendary "Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund", which has the "flying" and "haste" abilities, gives all of its controller's other "dragon" creatures the "haste" ability, and steals and untaps all "dragon" creatures when it hits the battlefield! You're going to want a deck whose creatures can withstand mass damage spells and can deal with strong creatures with the "flying" ability. "Masks of the Dimir" or "Hunter's Strength" should do okay. DUEL 5 - ZORISLAV [RVZS] ----------------- Zorislav's deck doesn't have too many noticeable changes; it still uses low-stat creatures and support spells to defend himself and stall you by messing up your hand and deck, then goes for the kill with high-stat creatures that have the "flying" ability. If you can deal with creatures that have the "flying" ability, and field creatures that don't lose too much of their utility by being sent back to your hand or deck, you'll have a good chance. "Sliver Hive", "Firewave", or "Avacyn's Glory" ought to see you through. DUEL 6 - GARRUK WILDSPEAKER [RVGW] --------------------------- Garruk's horde of wild animals is as brawny as ever. A notable new addition is "Vorapede", which has rather high stats for its mana cost, has the "vigilance" and "trample" abilities, and has the "undying" ability, so even if it dies, it just comes back stronger! He still likes to use support spells that strengthen his own creatures or take advantage of their bulk to bully your own, so you're going to want a deck that can match his own creatures in combat while keeping your life total in a safe place. Having creatures with the "flying" ability also helps, since the only creatures Garruk has that can defend against them are "Gloomwidow" and "Sentinel Spider". "Guardians of Light" and "Deadwalkers" should work well here, but "Enter the Dracomancer" may do okay too. DUEL 7 - JACE BELEREN [RVJB] --------------------- Jace has a few new mind-bending wizardries to support his army of phantoms. A key new creature is "Lord of the Unreal", which strengthens all of its controller's "illusion" creatures and gives them the "hexproof" ability, so you can't take them down with targeted spells or effects. If he gets this creature out, eliminate it with extreme prejudice. He also now has "Mind Control", which steals any creature on the battlefield. Beyond that, his deck is mostly the same combination of support spells that stall and disable your creatures while his strong but unstable "illusion" creatures use their tricky abilities to slip past your defenses. A deck that can deal with creatures that have the "flying" ability and/or has lots of targeted spells or effects that either have low mana costs or target multiple creatures at once should shatter Jace's deck of smoke and mirrors. Use "Firewave", "Avacyn's Glory", or "Sliver Hive" for best results. DUEL 8 - CHANDRA NALAAR [RVCH] ----------------------- After her first defeat at your hands, Chandra vowed that she would never underestimate you again. Apparently, she's a woman of her word. She has brought her full arsenal of damage spells to this fight, from "Pillar of Flame" to "Flames of the Firebrand", from "Cone of Flame" to "Disintegrate". She also has her usual posse of high-power creatures, and quite a few of them have the "flying" ability, including her "phoenix" creatures and the deadly "Flameblast Dragon". You'll have to time your plays carefully to avoid being surprised by Chandra's damaging salvos, but be careful not to be too patient and let your life total get too low, or Chandra will start ignoring your creatures and send her firepower directly at you! High-toughness creatures that can deal with creatures with the "flying" ability and/or keep your life total stable are best here, so use "Guardians of Light", "Hunter's Strength", or maybe even "Chant of the Mul Daya". DUEL 9 - AJANI GOLDMANE [RVJG] ----------------------- Ajani has an unshakable faith in his allies, and it shows in how he has re-tooled his deck for your rematch. He has not only brought his usual complement of powerful "aura" enchantments to reinforce his champions of light, but even more of his creatures, like "Kor Spiritdancer", "Mesa Enchantress", "Nomad Mythmaker", "Auramancer", and "Totem-Guide Hartebeest" keep his hand stocked with cards. That means more creatures for him to summon, and more "aura" enchantments to turn his initially weak creatures into superpowered avengers. You'll need a way to reliably keep Ajani's creatures off the battlefield, where he can't enchant them or make use of their abilities. This means having ways to take out multiple small support creatures at once and having a few aces in the hole to deal with creatures that become too strong to take down with damage or stat-lowering. You might also want some ways to deal with creatures that have the "flying" ability. "Deadwalkers" or "Enter the Dracomancer" seem like good bets, but "Avacyn's Glory" may work as well. DUEL 10 - LILIANA VESS [RVLV] ---------------------- You can't keep a good zombie down, or so they say. Liliana has added some new minions to give her droves of undead some serious synergy. The likes of "Death Baron", "Lord of the Undead", and "Undead Warchief" will make even her lowliest cadavers tough to take down. Not to mention Liliana still has plenty of spells that destroy and drain the life out of your creatures, along with some that allow her to trade her life total for extra cards or the ability to manipulate her deck. And, of course, quite of her creatures, like "Veilborn Ghoul", "Bloodghast", and her new "Geralf's Messenger" just don't like staying dead. Exiling her creatures prevents them from reviving, so that is probably the best strategy. You may also want a deck that won't be hobbled too much by losing a few key creatures, either because it can field lots of creatures quickly anyway or has ways of reviving them. "Firewave" and "Avacyn's Glory" are both good choices, but "Enter the Dracomancer" or "Masks of the Dimir" can work as well. FINAL DUEL - RAMAZ [RVRM] ------------------ The rematch against Ramaz is rather similar to when you fought him during the Main Campaign: it's a two-on-one with Chandra as your partner, and you start with a shared life total of 30 while Ramaz starts with a handicap of 40 life. Ramaz also tends to use most of the same cards: "Exploration", "Earthquake", "Harmonize", "Mad Prophet", "Prophetic Bolt", and "Master of the Wild Hunt". So that basically means you need to be careful of spells and abilities that can cause widespread damage to both you and your creatures (especially creatures without the "flying" ability), steal your cards, allow Ramaz to draw cards or manipulate his deck, or allow Ramaz to use or re-use cards in his graveyard. The main difference this time around is that Chandra has a MUCH better deck at her disposal, and you likely do, too. Still, the same strategies will likely work. "Enter the Dracomancer" is almost a perfect matchup, in that it has ways to counter most of Ramaz's trump cards. Its creatures with the "flying" ability avoid "Earthquake", "Jund Charm" can empty Ramaz's graveyard and prevent the use of the "flashback" ability, "Maelstrom Pulse" deals with "Crush of Wurms" by destroying all three "wurm" tokens it creates at once, and if Ramaz uses "Blatant Thievery" to steal a "dragon" creature, just summon "Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund" and steal it right back! Besides that, creatures with the "flying" ability and the toughness to survive against Ramaz's big threats, or the ability to shut down Ramaz's big threats before he uses them, are the key to winning. Therefore, "Mind Maze" and "Guardians of Light" are likely your two best backups. "Firewave" or "Masks of the Dimir" might also work. If you manage to defeat Ramaz here, congratulations! You have completed the Revenge Campaign! If you haven't already, try to complete the Challenge Campaign. You can also try to unlock all of the cards for each deck, try playing one of the many multiplayer variations, or try the Sealed Campaign. If that's not enough for you, try playing against the world in an online match! =========================================================================== SEALED CAMPAIGN [SLDC] =========================================================================== "Sealed" is a variation of Magic: The Gathering, and one of my personal favourites. Instead of playing with a pre-built deck, you open a certain number of "booster packs" (14 random cards with 10 commons, 3 uncommons, and 1 rare or mythic rare) and build a deck of 40 or more cards out of what you get. Since you're making a deck with random cards, it will be much harder to implement a consistent strategy. However, there are a number of tricks that can help you build an effective deck. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- SEALED FORMAT TIPS [SDTP] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - A good general ratio is to have 23 spells and 17 lands. This strikes a good balance between having enough spells to win with and having enough lands available when you need to cast them. - If you're trying to decide what cards should or should not go in your deck, follow the "B.R.E.A.D." formula. This tells you generally what cards you should be looking to include in a deck, in order from first to last: "bombs", "removal", "evasion", "aggression", "damage". - A "bomb" card is one that has a large and usually immediate effect on the battlefield while having a reasonable mana cost (and power/toughness, if a creature) and few or no drawbacks. It usually does two or more of the other jobs lower on the list. Take, for example, "Flameblast Dragon". It costs 6 mana for a creature with 5 each of power and toughness ("aggression"), it is difficult to block because it has the "flying" ability ("evasion"), and whenever it attacks, you can damage a creature or player of choice ("removal"/"damage"). - A "removal" card is one that can take your opponent's cards off of the battlefield, or at least make it so they aren't threats. This means destroying them, forcing them to be sacrificed, exiling them, or returning them to their owner's hand or deck. Creatures can also be "removed" by damaging them to destruction, lowering their toughness to less than 1, or making it so they can't attack or block (keeping them tapped can also sometimes accomplish this). Prioritize cards that can "remove" creatures, since they are usually the most important cards in that they normally can both attack you and defend your opponent. - An "evasion" card is a creature that has an ability that makes it difficult for your opponent to deal with, or a card that gives a creature such an ability. Usually, this means an ability that makes a creature difficult to block, such as "flying", "fear", "intimidate", "protection", or "can't be blocked". However, it can also mean an ability that makes a creature difficult for your opponent to efficiently get rid of, either in combat ("first strike", "double strike", "deathtouch") or with other spells ("shroud" or "hexproof"). - An "aggression" card is almost always a creature with a reasonable mana cost for its power and toughness, usually costing between 1 and 5 mana. "Reasonable" usually means having power and/or toughness ratings that are equal to or higher than (or occasionally not more than 1 or 2 lower than) its mana cost. Ask yourself: assuming that the creature doesn't have any other abilities, do you think the amount of power and/or toughness it has is worth the amount of mana you are spending to cast it? Then look at its abilities, and ask: do its abilities have a large enough impact on the game to warrant spending extra mana for lower stats? Or, if it seems like you're getting a bargain, does it have a drawback that makes playing it too risky? One final note: be careful about using creatures that cost 1 mana and have only 1 power and toughness each. Unless they have an ability that can have a significant impact on the game (like "Goblin Arsonist" and its "removal" potential or "Doomed Traveler" and its ability to replace itself with a better creature), they usually aren't worth putting in your deck. - A "damage" card is, well, exactly what it sounds like: a card that helps you reduce your opponent's life total, but not much else. Reducing your opponent's life total is usually how you will win games, but creatures and flexible "removal" spells (once that can damage a creature OR a player) are usually more consistent. "Lava Axe" is a good example; it damages your opponent, but it can't eliminate their creatures or give you any of your own. They can be good in an aggressive deck that aims to end games quickly, but usually you will have better options available. - Try to stick to two main colours of magic when building your deck. While using only one colour of magic will increase your deck's consistency, you will usually end up sacrificing power and versatility by playing spells that are not very reliable or have little impact on the game. Conversely, if you try to branch out into too many colours, your deck might be filled with powerful spells, but it will usually be difficult to find the right kinds of lands to cast them with in a timely manner. - With that said, it is sometimes advisable to use a technique called "splashing": constructing your deck with the majority of cards split between two colours of magic, and then including two or three powerful spells of a third colour (along with a few of the appropriate lands needed to cast them). Since you won't be running many lands that provide coloured mana for these spells, though, make sure they don't require too much coloured mana to use. For example, "Doom Blade" and "Assassinate" are both great cards to "splash", since they are powerful "removal" spells and only require one black mana each (the other mana can be any colour). In contrast, "Murder" is also a powerful "removal" spell, but it is difficult to "splash" because it requires two black mana, which is difficult to access reliably if you are only using two or three "Swamp" cards in a deck. - Pay attention to the mana costs of your spells. If you include too many low-mana-cost spells, you will likely sacrifice the power you need to break through your opponent's defenses or deal with their key spells. On the other hand, if you include too many high-mana-cost spells, you run the risk of getting stuck with a hand full of spells that you can't cast, while your opponent plays out their hand and runs you over before you can do much. In general, it's good to have a few spells that cost 1 mana, a large amount that cost 2 or 3 mana, a few that cost 4 mana, even fewer that cost 5 mana, and only one or two that cost 6 mana or more. - Pay attention to the number of coloured mana symbols on the mana costs of your cards; this will help you estimate the correct proportion of different lands that you should use. For example, if the cards in your deck use a total of 17 black mana symbols and 6 white mana symbols, a good balance would be 11 "Swamp" cards and 6 "Plains" cards. Depending on how many cards you have that require multiple mana of a single colour (for example, "Xathrid Demon" requires 6 mana to cast, but at least 3 must be black mana), you may want to tweak this ratio a bit. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- SAMPLE SEALED DECK [SSDD] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'll use my first Sealed Campaign slot as an example of how to build a sealed format deck, with a pack-by-pack breakdown using the "B.R.E.A.D." formula, as well as some general comments for the pack. To get a sense of what colours of magic I'm looking at, I will list in brackets next to each card a letter that corresponds to the card's colour: (W) - White (U) - Blue (B) - Black (R) - Red (G) - Green (C) - Colourless (artifact or land) Fingers crossed... let's see what we get! :::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: PACK ONE :: :: :: :::::::::::::::::: BOMB (none) REMOVAL Hunt the Weak (G) Act of Treason (R) EVASION Black Knight (B) Tormented Soul (B) Bloodhunter Bat (B) Tricks of the Trade (U) Suntail Hawk (W) AGGRESSION Briarpack Alpha (G) Ravenous Rats (B) DAMAGE Rampant Growth (G) Pillarfield Ox (W) Earth Servant (R) Stave Off (W) Diabolic Revelation (B) OVERALL It looks like green and black are my strongest colours so far. I was disappointed that the rare, "Diabolic Revelation", wasn't a "bomb" level spell, but I have a potential "removal" spell in "Hunt the Weak", two solid "evasion" creatures in "Black Knight" and "Bloodhunter Bat", two really solid "agression" creatures in "Briarpack Alpha" and "Ravenous Rats", and I wouldn't mind playing "Diabolic Revelation" (depending on how good my deck is at defending) or "Rampant Growth" (to go through my deck quicker and get the right lands that I need). :::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: PACK TWO :: :: :: :::::::::::::::::: BOMB (none) REMOVAL Void Stalker (U) Condemn (W) Disorient (U) EVASION Tormented Soul (B) Bloodhunter Bat (B) Phantasmal Dragon (U) AGGRESSION Regathan Firecat (R) Gravedigger (B) DAMAGE Sign in Blood (B) Stave Off (W) Mark of the Vampire (B) Duress (B) Staff of the Wild Magus (C) Terramorphic Expanse (C) OVERALL Ugh, another rare that isn't a "bomb". Still, "Void Stalker" serves as "removal", and I got another notable blue spell in the "evasion" card "Phantasmal Dragon". "Condemn" is a useful "removal" spell for white magic. Black continues to be my strongest colour; another "Bloodhunter Bat" is useful, "Gravedigger" gives me one creature on the battlefield and one in my hand, and "Sign in Blood" is a useful spell that can give me extra cards or finish off a weakened opponent. "Terramorphic Expanse", like "Rampant Growth" from the last pack, is a welcome addition as both a way to get through my deck quicker and access the right lands sooner. :::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: PACK THREE :: :: :: :::::::::::::::::: BOMB Protean Hydra (G) REMOVAL Act of Treason (R) Disorient (U) Solemn Offering (W) EVASION Trained Condor (U) Griffin Sentinel (W) Tricks of the Trade (U) AGGRESSION Young Pyromancer (R) Striker Sliver (R) Kite Shield (C) DAMAGE Rampant Growth (G) Staff of the Mind Magus (C) Goblin War Paint (R) Terramorphic Expanse (C) OVERALL Wow... some good red spells in this pack. "Act of Treason", "Striker Sliver", and "Young Pyromancer" are all good for "removal" and "aggression". The thing that really caught my eye, though, is that I finally got a "bomb" level card in "Protean Hydra". "Trained Condor" and "Griffin Sentinel" are decent "evasion" creatures, and "Kite Shield" is a useful defensive "equipment" card. "Rampant Growth" and "Terramorphic Expanse", again, are useful as deck-thinners and mana-fixers. :::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: PACK FOUR :: :: :: :::::::::::::::::: BOMB (none) REMOVAL Destructive Force (R) Pacifism (W) Turn to Frog (U) Solemn Offering (W) EVASION Duskdale Wurm (G) AGGRESSION Goblin Tunneler (R) Young Pyromancer (R) Regathan Firecat (R) Bonebreaker Giant (R) Brindle Boar (G) DAMAGE Giant Growth (G) Divination (U) Oakenform (G) Stave Off (W) OVERALL And I thought red spells were good in the last pack... look at all those under the "aggression" heading! "Duskdale Wurm" and "Brindle Boar" are both decent green spells, "Divination" is the notable blue spell (for drawing extra cards for a low mana cost), and "Pacifism" is a great "removal" spell for white magic. :::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: PACK FIVE :: :: :: :::::::::::::::::: BOMB Djinn of Wishes (U) REMOVAL Windstorm (G) Assassinate (B) EVASION Charging Griffin (W) Faerie Invaders (U) Tricks of the Trade (U) AGGRESSION Giant Scorpion (B) Ravenous Rats (B) Scroll Thief (U) Archaeomancer (U) Leonin Scimitar (C) Garruk's Packleader (G) DAMAGE Rampant Growth (G) Taste of Blood (B) OVERALL Both blue and black magic got some great spells in this pack! For blue, "Djinn of Wishes" is a "bomb" card that has "flying" and can let you cast extra spells with its ability, "Faerie Invaders" is a decent "evasion" creature, and "Scroll Thief" and "Archaeomancer" serve both as decent defensive creatures and ways to get more cards or re-use spent ones. Meanwhile, black got a great "removal" spell with "Assassinate", and "Ravenous Rats" and "Giant Scorpion" to provide offence and defence, respectively. "Garruk's Packleader" is a great green spell that provides a strong creature AND a way to draw extra cards (something that green magic has trouble with), and "Rampant Growth"... well, we've been over that one. Finally, "Leonin Scimitar" is an all-around efficient "equipment" spell. :::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: PACK SIX :: :: :: :::::::::::::::::: BOMB Angelic Destiny (W) Sleep (U) REMOVAL Shock (R) Assassinate (B) Unsummon (U) Condemn (W) Plummet (G) Solemn Offering (W) Switcheroo (U) EVASION Faerie Invaders (U) AGGRESSION Regathan Firecat (R) Deadly Recluse (G) DAMAGE Divination (U) OVERALL Lots of "removal" spells in this pack. "Angelic Destiny" and "Condemn" are both extremely powerful spells, but I don't think I have enough good white spells to justify using them. This was another pack of strong spells for blue magic, with the powerful "Sleep" and "Unsummon" for "removal", an "evasion" creature in "Faerie Invaders", and some utility in "Divination". Red got a key "removal" spell in "Shock", and another "aggression" creature in "Regathan Firecat". Black's only card in this pack was the "removal" spell "Assassinate", while the only really useful spell that green magic got was the "aggression" creature "Deadly Recluse". :::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: COMPLETED DECK :: :: :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::: Right away, I knew that I didn't have enough good white spells to choose that colour, so that was out. Sadly, it didn't seem like I had enough green spells to use as my main colour, nor were the cards I had powerful enough to serve as a support colour, so "Protean Hydra" was forced to stay on the sidelines. That left blue, black, and red magic. My two strongest cards were blue spells, those being "Djinn of Wishes" and "Sleep". I also had some decent "evasion" creatures in "Faerie Invaders", "Phantasmal Dragon", and "Trained Condor", as well as some "removal" in "Void Stalker" and "Unsummon", and some "card advantage" in "Divination", "Scroll Thief", and "Archaeomancer". I thought about playing my red spells to complement my slower blue spells with "aggression", but in the end, I couldn't pass up the "removal" and "card advantage" that my black spells offered. Two copies of "Assassinate", "evasion" creatures in "Black Knight" and "Bloodhunter Bat", and "card advantage" in "Gravedigger", "Sign in Blood", and "Ravenous Rats" tipped the scales. "Leonin Scimitar" rounded out the deck as an efficient creature booster. LANDS (17) 8 Island 7 Swamp 2 Terramorphic Expanse CREATURES (15) 1 Black Knight 2 Ravenous Rats 1 Void Stalker 1 Giant Scorpion 1 Scroll Thief 1 Trained Condor 1 Archaeomancer 2 Bloodhunter Bat 1 Gravedigger 1 Phantasmal Dragon 1 Djinn of Wishes 2 Faerie Invaders OTHER (8) 1 Leonin Scimitar 1 Unsummon 1 Sign in Blood 2 Assassinate 2 Divination 1 Sleep --------------------------------------------------------------------------- SEALED DUELS [SLDL] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The actual Sealed Campaign consists of six "Duel" levels. The first five are against each of the five main planeswalkers, in a random order, and the sixth is a rematch against a random one of them. All of them use variants of their own decks that are based on the 151-card set used for the Sealed Campaign. That is, they only use cards from the set that match their own colour of magic (except for artifacts), which is kind of unfair because they get increased consistency without sacrificing much power. There really isn't a specific strategy that you can use against any of them, since you can only use the cards that you opened (as opposed to using a specific deck, like in the Main Campaign). The best you can do is be aware of their general capabilities, and plan your plays accordingly. When you clear the first, third, and fifth "Duel" levels for the first time, you will acquire an additional "booster pack", so you can swap out cards that you don't like and add in ones that you do. Good luck! AJANI'S SEALED DECK [JNSD] ------------------- When playing against Ajani, be prepared to deal with creatures that are strong defensively, such as "Sentinel Sliver", "Fiend Hunter", "Pillarfield Ox", and "Dawnstrike Paladin". His biggest threats, though, are his creatures with the "flying" ability, such as "Charging Griffin", "Serra Angel", and "Aegis Angel". Be aware that he may also use a couple of tricks to sneak attacks through (such as "Mighty Leap" or "Master of Diversion") or protect himself and his creatures (such as "Pacifism" or "Safe Passage"). Finally, he has "Day of Judgment" in his deck, which destroys all creatures, so be careful about how many creatures you put on the battlefield at once. JACE'S SEALED DECK [JCSD] ------------------ Jace's creatures generally aren't that tough, but many of them have the "flying" ability and/or other nasty abilities that can slowly give him the edge... or the element of surprise! Keep an eye on how many lands Jace leaves untapped during your turn; if you're not careful, you'll run one of your creatures right into an "Unsummon", "Essence Scatter", "Turn to Frog", or "Faerie Invaders". Also be careful of "Switcheroo", which can let Jace swap one of his weaker creatures with one of your stronger ones. Jace may even combine it with "Unsummon" to get his own creature back! His most dangerous common creature is probably "Harbor Serpent"; since it has the "islandwalk" ability, be sure to save a way to deal with it if you're using blue magic, or it will swim right past your creatures and bring a tidal wave of pain! LILIANA'S SEALED DECK [LLSD] --------------------- Liliana is a tough opponent, in that she has plenty of ways to destroy your creatures with either her spells or her creatures with the "deathtouch" ability. She also has some very strong creatures with the "flying" ability, such as "Vampire Nighthawk", "Sengir Vampire", and "Nightmare". Her ability to use spells like "Rune-Scarred Demon" or "Sign in Blood" to get extra cards out of her deck, and "Gravedigger" or "Rise from the Grave" to re-use destroyed creatures is also a pain. You may want to treat this "Duel" like one against Jace's sealed deck: pay attention to how many lands Liliana leaves untapped and how many cards she has in her hand, and see if you can bait her into wasting her destructive abilities on your lesser creatures before summoning your stronger ones. CHANDRA'S SEALED DECK [CDSD] --------------------- Chandra's deck contains lots of creatures that are strong on offence and have aggressive abilities for support, such as "first strike" and "haste". The likes of "Goblin Shortcutter", "Regathan Firecat", "Marauding Maulhorn", and "Bonebreaker Giant", combined with the odd damage or stat-boosting spell, will have you scrambling to defend yourself. Fortunately, most of her creatures are rather weak on defence, so try to use creatures that are just strong enough to knock out hers, and then summon your aces once her onslaught peters out. She has a few dangerous creatures with the "flying" ability, such as "Firewing Phoenix", so watch out for those, too. GARRUK'S SEALED DECK [GRSD] -------------------- Garruk's deck has strong creatures, and lots of them. With the likes of "Rumbleback Baloth", "Briarpack Alpha", and "Yavimaya Wurm", his creatures will keep your hands full in combat. Not to mention that he likes to strengthen them even more with support spells like "Oakenform", "Giant Growth", and "Hunt the Weak". Creatures with the "flying" ability are useful, since green creatures have a difficult time defending against them, but beware of "Deadly Recluse" and "Plummet". This "Duel" will be a test of how well you can strategize in combat, as well as how wisely you choose the targets and timing of your "removal" spells. =========================================================================== CHALLENGE CAMPAIGN [CHCP] =========================================================================== "Challenge" levels, sometimes called "duel puzzles" after their Yu-Gi-Oh! counterparts, are a new twist on playing Magic: The Gathering strategically. They thrust you into (what is assumed to be) a game already in progress, and tell you that you must win the game in a set number of turns (usually only one or two). Therefore, you must think very carefully about which spells to cast, which abilities to activate, which creatures to attack with, and when all of these things should be done. I suggest that you first try to complete these puzzles by yourself, but if you get stuck, here are the solutions. Note that clearing a "Challenge" does not unlock a new card for the deck you are currently using. It sucks, I know, but that's the way it goes. We wouldn't want to make this game too easy, now, would we? CHALLENGE 1 - COMMAND THE DEAD [CMTD] ------------------------------ 1) Cast "Unnatural Predation" targeting "Grave Titan". 2) Enter your Combat Phase. 3) Attack with all of your creatures. CHALLENGE 2 - GIRD FOR WAR [GDFW] -------------------------- 1) Cast "Golem-Skin Gauntlets". 2) Cast "Trusty Machete". 3) Cast "O-Naginata". 4) Equip "Golem-Skin Gauntlets" to any "Silvercoat Lion". 5) Equip "Trusty Machete" to the same "Silvercoat Lion". 6) Equip "O-Naginata" to the same "Silvercoat Lion". 7) Enter your Combat Phase. 8) Attack with all of your creatures. CHALLENGE 3 - BATTLE TACTICS [BTTT] ---------------------------- 1) Enter you Combat Phase. 2) Attack with all of your creatures. 3) When your opponent decides on blockers, stop the timer and cast "Might of Oaks" on the "Runeclaw Bear" that was not blocked. CHALLENGE 4 - BLOOD IS LIFE [BDSL] --------------------------- 1) This challeng begins with you being attacked by "Rumbling Baloth" and "Yavimaya Wurm". 2) Block your opponent's attack with both "Markov Patrician" and "Child of Night", making sure that at least one creature blocks "Rumbling Baloth". 3) When it becomes your turn again, skip to your Combat Phase. 4) Attack with "Gloomhunter". CHALLENGE 5 - DEFEAT THE TROLL [DFTT] ------------------------------ 1) Cast "Doom Blade" targeting "Cudgel Troll". 2) Enter your Combat Phase. 3) Attack with "Barony Vampire". CHALLENGE 6 - SLIVER STRIKE TEAM [SSKT] -------------------------------- 1) Cast "Predatory Sliver". 2) Cast "Bonescythe Sliver". 3) Enter your Combat Phase. 4) Attack with all of your creatures. CHALLENGE 7 - GO BERSERK [GBSK] ------------------------ ~NOTE~ As far as I know, the only way to fail this challenge is to not deal any damage at all. Your creatures with "hexproof" or "shroud" are guaranteed an attack, but the method below is a way to get the "Heavy Hitter" achievement by dealing over 200 damage. ~END NOTE~ 1) Play a "Forest". 2) Cast "Mossbridge Troll". 3) Cast "Instill Energy", choosing to enchant "Mossbridge Troll". 4) Cast "Quirion Ranger". 5) Cast "Khalni Hydra". 6) Enter your Combat Phase. 7) When your opponent activates the ability of "Trip Noose" targeting "Primalcrux", stop the timer, activate the ability of "Mossbridge Troll", and choose to tap "Primalcrux". 8) When your opponent activates the ability of "Trip Noose" targeting "Mossbridge Troll", don't do anything at this point. 9) When your opponent activates the ability of "Trip Noose" targeting "Khalni Hydra", stop the timer, activate the ability of "Mossbridge Troll", and choose to tap "Khalni Hydra" and either "Heedless One" or "Multani, Maro-Sorcerer". 10) When your opponent activates the ability of "Trip Noose" targeting "Baloth Woodcrasher", stop the timer, activate the ability of "Mossbridge Troll", and choose to tap "Baloth Woodcrasher" and either "Heedless One" or "Multani, Maro-Sorcerer" (whichever one you didn't tap earlier). 11) Stop the timer, activate the ability of "Mossbridge Troll", and choose to tap "Dungrove Elder". 12) Stop the timer again, activate the ability of "Mossbridge Troll", and choose to tap "Drove of Elves". 13) Stop the timer again and cast "Berserk" targeting "Mossbridge Troll". 14) Stop the timer again and activate the ability of "Instill Energy", OR activate the ability of "Quirion Ranger" targeting "Mossbridge Troll", and return one of your "Forest" cards to your hand (they are all tapped by this point, so just pick any one). 15) Attack with "Mossbridge Troll" for 210 damage. Ouch. CHALLENGE 8 - NEAR DEATH [NRDT] ------------------------ 1) This challenge begins with you being attacked by "Fangren Firstborn", "Primordial Hydra", a "Wolf" creature token, and an "Elephant" creature token. 2) Have "Basandra, Battle Seraph" block "Primordial Hydra", and then have your other two creatures block any two of your opponent's other creatures. 3) After deciding on blockers, stop the timer, activate the ability of "Basandra, Battle Seraph" given to it by "Scourge of the Nobilis" (pay a red or white mana to increase its power by 1 for the turn), and choose to activate it ONCE. 4) At the beginning of your next turn, the ability of "Near-Death Experience" will activate, winning you the game. CHALLENGE 9 - GET A GRIP [GTGP] ------------------------ 1) Cast "Stave Off" targeting "Vulshok Refugee". 2) When the ability of "Stave Off" activates, choose "white" as the colour to give "Vulshok Refugee" protection from. 3) Cast "Pyroclasm". 4) Enter your Combat Phase. 5) Attack with "Vulshok Refugee". CHALLENGE 10 - SLIVER INFILTRATION [SVNF] ---------------------------------- 1) Cast "Virluent Sliver". 2) Cast your other "Virluent Sliver". 3) Cast "Crib Swap" targeting "Darksteel Gargoyle". 4) Cast "Brainstorm". 5) When the ability of "Brainstorm" activates, choose to put any two of "Homing Sliver", "Tidal Surge", or "Blightsteel Colossus" back on top of your deck (i.e. any two cards EXCEPT for "Protean Hulk"). 6) Activate the ability of "Quicksilver Amulet" to put "Protean Hulk" onto the battlefield. 7) Activate the ability of "Culling Dais" to tap it and sacrifice a creature in order to place a charge counter on it. 8) When the ability of "Culling Dais" activates, choose to sacrifice "Protean Hulk". 9) When the ability of "Protean Hulk" activates, choose to put "Predator Dragon" onto the battlefield. 10) When the ability of "Predator Dragon" activates, choose to sacrifice both of your "Virluent Sliver" creatures. 11) Enter your Combat Phase. 12) Attack with both of your creatures. =========================================================================== CREDITS AND THANKS [CDTN] =========================================================================== I would like to thank the following people and groups for helping to make this guide possible: - Richard Garfield, for creating Magic: The Gathering. - Wizards of the Coast (and their parent company, Hasbro), for keeping Magic: The Gathering going strong for 20 years and counting. - Stainless Games and Microsoft Studios, for helping Wizards of the Coast create Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014. - People on the Wizards Community Forums (and elsewhere) for posting spoilers for this game; it helped me get this guide out faster by letting me do a significant amount of writing ahead of time. - Kurtis Born for providing me with some cool ASCII art for a header. - Danny Diaz for providing me with most of the promotional unlock codes. - My grade 8 friends, for getting me hooked on Magic: The Gathering to begin with. - My good friend and Magic: The Gathering mentor, "magicmagic38", for helping me to not suck so much at this arguably difficult and complex game. :-p - The staff and patrons of Dungeon Comics, my local game shop, for providing friendly service, lots of laughs and stories, and (most of all) a convenient place to practice playing Magic: The Gathering. - GameFAQs (and other sites like it), for being the nice folks that they are and allowing people to freely store and share information about their favourite video games. - You, dear reader, for reading this guide and making sure that all of my hard work was not in vain. =========================================================================== CONTACT ME [CTCT] =========================================================================== If you would like to suggest changes or additions to this guide, ask for my permission to do something special with this guide (as outlined in the "Legal Disclaimer" section below), or even just drop a few lines of praise for all of my hard work, I can be reached at the e-mail address below: [email protected] ^ | (that's an underscore there, Shift + hyphen [ - ]) Please help me out by putting a relevant description in the subject line of your message (something like "RE: Your DOTP 2014 Guide") so I don't mistake it as junk mail or a virus carrier and have it deleted. Also, if your e-mail DOES accidentally end up in my junk pile (which, unfortunately, has happened on a few occasions), a relevant subject description can help me recover it and respond to it. Also on that note, please be aware that spammers, flamers, trolls, etc. will have their messages deleted and their addresses blocked. You have been given fair warning. =========================================================================== LEGAL DISCLAIMER [LGDC] =========================================================================== Yeah... I gotta do it... *ahem*... This document was created in 2013 and was authored by (and is the property of) CanadaGuy6 (Corbin Hartwick). It is not to be modified in any way by anyone other than the author, except those with the express written permission of the author to do so. If it is reproduced under any circumstances other than for personal, private use, full attribution must be given to the author. Also, any use of this guide for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited. It may only be placed on web sites that have the author's explicit permission, which currently include: - www.gamefaqs.com - www.neoseeker.com - www.supercheats.com - www.cheatcc.com - www.cheathappens.com - www.cheats.de It may not otherwise distributed publicly, without express written permission from - and full attribution to - the author. Violation of any of these terms is a violation of copyright protections on this guide, and can result in criminal charges being filed against you. So yeah, to translate that from "legalese": feel free to read this guide, print it out, and share it with your friends. Just please don't change it unless I specifically give you permission to do so. Also, please don't change or outright copy it and then claim that it is your work and not mine, and DEFINITELY don't try to sell this guide to anyone (although hopefully they won't be stupid enough to buy it and will realize that I have put it up on the Internet for free). I have spent a lot of time and energy making this guide, and expected no reward other than the personal satisfaction of giving back to a gaming community that has given me so much over the years. So please, don't rip me off. If you think that this guide should be changed in any way, please e-mail me your suggestions, or else write your own guide. Also, if you want to put this on another web site, or display this in any sort of public place, please ask for my permission first, and make sure that it is clear that this guide is my work and nobody else's (except, of course, for the people credited in the "Credits and Thanks" section). Thank you.