Single Card Strategies-Compilation I (June 5th,1994/Rv. Oct 13th/1994)

CRUMBLE				(RV)-New notes and combinations added
RUKH EGG			(AN)-New notes and combinations added
PSYCHIC VENOM			(RV)-New notes added
PHYREXIAN GREMLINS		(AQ)-
REVERSE POLARITY		(RV)-
PHANTASMAL TERRAIN		(RV)-New notes added
ORCISH MECHANICS		(AQ)-
PIETY				(AN)-

Single Card Strategies was conceived of and created by Jeff Franzmann
(umfranzm@cc.umanitoba.ca). Go ahead and reproduce, distribute and
disseminate till your hearts content, but for the sake of his ego, do try
and cite the source. Thanks :)
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CRUMBLE!-Crumble is, perhaps one of the best artifact busting cards around
when you're playing against 'Mox Mavens', and those who choose to replace
land with that ever annoying little artifact. Not only is it common (I must
have over twenty of 'em...), it is very effective...Mox costs nothing to
put down, so when you Crumble it, the poor sod doesn't even get the benefit
of life points. This tactic is equally useful against artifacts such as
Fountain of Youth and Dark Sphere, even the Ornithopter.
	One Magi I had the opportunity to confront opponent seemed to posses
a near endless supply of Ornithopters, which he delighted in giving
Holy/Unholy/Firebreathing too at every opportunity. Stopped using it once
I crumbled a few :)...all those flyers, down in flames, without even a life
point to even out the deal. Of course, Crumble can be equally useful against
other artifact oriented decks, though you will be giving your opponent life
points in the process.
	Placed in a Green deck, with plenty of Streams of Life, you
can even start Crumbling major artifacts (giving the opponent life),
without worrying too much. The occaisonal stream should keep you on par
with your opponent. In lieu of Streams, Crumble your own artifacts, once 
they cease to serve a purpose. Is your Colossus of Sardia under the 
influence of Demonic Torment? Crumble it for 9 life. While hardly a
sporting way to go, such a tactic can provide you with needed life in a bad
situation.
	Consider the possibilities of Crumble in conjuction with spells
such as the Tablet of Epityr and Soul Net as well. Crumbling your own
Colossus of Sardia for 9 life is fine...but activating the Tablet and
Soul Net will result in an extra 2 life as well. Should the situation
warrant, it is indeed something to consider

RUKH EGG!-I used to utilize a red/black spellbook on a variety of occasions,
and the Rukh Egg was a requirement...nay, it was so necessary I had three
of them in the book. For such a simple creature, it was an absolute joy to
use, and for many reasons :).
	Bring it out early in play, and use it to block any creature your
opponent cares to throw at you, it doesn't matter, you want that little
baby to die to get that wonderful 4/4 Flying Creature. Many were the game
where it never went to the graveyard, but my opponent, on seeing it come
into play, would hesitate to attack with anything lest he damage the Rukh,
allowing me to place it in the graveyard...
	The idea about Firebreathing a Rukh and using a Stone Giant to
throw the creature is wonderous, I don't know why I didn't think of it myself.
(credit where credit is due, this idea provided by Philip
[kpcraven@artsci.wustl.edu]. Very nice idea indeed...)
	Of course, there are many other ways this Common, simple card can
be used to confusticate and bebother your opponent. In my Black/Red Deck,
if it was late in the game, I would often pump 3 Mana into Pestilence,
clearing much of the table, and brining the 4/4 Flying Rukh mutant into
play. Most flying cratures possessed by my opponent would be gone with the
Pestilence...those that weren't, well, I'd pump the necessary mana into
Pestilence before sending Rukh to the Graveyard. Most times, while this
would give me damage as well, brining a 4/4 flying into the game at this
late stage was the deciding factor (did it twice, worked rather well.
	Of course, as with any other card, there are many other, simple
uses for the Rukh. Attack, defence, so on and so forth, but t has valuable
use as a deterrant (gee, if I attack, I give him a 4/4 Flying) and when
finally 'killed', valuable use as a,killer (4/4 anythings are always nice).
	There are even worse ways of bringing the Rukh into play (worse in
the sense that your opponent will simply not appreciate them). Consider
sacrficing the Rukh to either a Life Chisel or even the Lord of the Pit.
Used to pay a sacrifice cost, the Rukh goes to the graveyard and provides
the benefits of a 4/4 creature.
	Well, Erik Jablow (erjablow@cais.cais.cam) had another rather
frightening use for the Rukh Egg. Imagine the fear and terror involved in 
facing a Rukh Egg which has been endowed with Unstable Mutation...eeps 
indeed. Worse, consider a Rukh with Bloodlust. Easily killed by any
blocker (something which most folks will not want done), and a 7 power
attacker. Damned if you do, and damned if you don't...
	There are even more ways one can use the Rukh to deadly effect.
Chain Lightning your own Rukh Egg, killing it, and then direct the damage
to your opponent. Blazing Effigy and Berserk are two other methods of
utilizing the Rukh as an attacker and killing it at the same time. While
it may be a waste, some situations mahy warrant the use of Lure on the
Rukh. And when combined in an attacking or defensive band, all the
damage can be redirected to the Rukh. There isn't a single creature in
existence which provides so much utility in its own death :).

PSYCHIC VENOM!-That's right, you all know how wonderful this is, but it is
soooo useful I just had to run on and on about it's virtues. I stuck all
four of mine in my spellbook, for the simple reason that it is a truly
wonderful, elegant, cheap spell to use....
	Early in the game, if you pull one into your hand, it can be
devastating. Against a rather bothersome Mage, I had him crippled by turn
two...he had two lands, a forest and a mountain, and I had Venomed his
forest...most of his lands were green...he couldn't play anything, 'cause
he kept putting down more Mountains...hee hee, I had him down to 8 Life
before he finally decided to take the damage and start putting down some
Green creatures to try and get back into the game...
	Of course, there are more subtle uses for Psychic Venom. My
personal favourite is using it against that cursed, wretched Library of
Alexandria...what a way to stop the abuse of that card, by Venoming it, I
don't care if he can get an extra card every turn anymore, as long as he
takes two damage while doing so. This use also applies to all the other
nasty specialty lands of which people so often complain. As the spell
indicates, the tapping of land is enough to trigger it's power. Hence, it
becomes useful against lands such as the Maze of Ith and Diamond Valley,
whether or not they provide mana.  
	Of course, this little spell is also wonderful to use against the
Urza Mana Flea Market when it finally comes into playe (Urza's Tower,
Urza's Mine, Urza's Power Plant)...putting it on the tower makes your
opponent think twice about tapping it for that extra mana, and if you have
more than one Venom, you can render those cards next to useless...I don't
know a single player who doesn't think twice about tapping a land that has
been venomed...
	Another use for Venom is rather cruel...saving them up, and
waiting until your opponent puts something like Force of Nature into
play...then Venoming as many Forests as you can. Hmmmm...either pay the
upkeep and take damage, or not pay the upkeep, and...well, you get the
idea :).

PHYREXIAN GREMLINS!- From the depths of Phyrexia, they come for vengeance.
As creatures, they are ever vulnerable to Tim's. the whims of the fireball,
Pestilence, and other such disasters. Even this, however, doesn't stop the
guys from being incredible in their utility.
	For one thing, having them in hand not only puts a creature on the
table for you, but allows you to finally take swipe at things like Ivory
Tower and Library of Leng (an opponent of mine delights in these two cards
in particular). Tapping one of these cards with the Gremlin is more than
worth it, since the opponent then spends time, mana and thought trying to
get rid of those Gremlins, freeing you to do other more destructive things.
	Of course, in a black/red deck, the Gremlins can aquire even more
frightening capabilities...Unholy the little guys, and you have a capable
monster which can wreak havoc after it finishes tying up any one of a
number of artifacts....
	Again, the Gremlins tapping artifact ability cannot be
understated. The look of grief and anguish on an oppenent who has spent 9
mana to untap the Colossus of Sardia, only to have a filthy little 1/1
creature tap it again is priceless :).
	Philip (kpcraven@artsci.wustl.edu) noted that another excellent use
for the Gremlins is to use it to tap Artifact creatures which are blocking
the route of attack (i.e. Living Wall). Another excellent use indeed.
The most insidious use of Phyrexian Gremlins is when used in
conjuction with Artifact Possession, though...it's so elegantly simple yet
effective. I Possess your Artifact, I tap it, I untap Gremlins....if he
untaps his artifact, he is open to more damage from Possession, or he can
keep it tapped and useless for the duration. And if he untaps it, you
always have Gremlins ready to do their little deed again. Lovely :)
	

REVERSE POLARITY!-If your opponent relies heavily on an artifact spellbook
this card is not only a necessity, but a bane to him as well. Personal
Experience-there is nothing more satysfying than having an opponent attack
with his Collossus of Sardia & Obsianus Golem, tapping his Rod of Ruin,
and you with an Armageddon Clock (4 Counters in play). He knows you're up
to something when you let it all through. And then you play Reverse 
Polarity...hee hee! Instead of losing the game, you're up a
total of, lesse 13-17 Life Points, and two of his most powerful Artifact
Creatures are tapped :)
	Of course, you'll seldom have ideal situations like this, but the
utility of this card should be obvious. If you are playing anyone who uses
artifact creatures a lot, this is a necessity.
	A more subtle use for Reverse Polarity is when you are using
damaging Artifacts yourself. Copper Tablet, Ankh of Mishra, any Artifact
that damages a player who puts new cards in play, etc...using a few
Reverse Polarity's to offset the loss of life can prove to be a life saver
late in the game.
	As previously mentioned, use of the Armageddon Clock can be quite
useful, especially with Reverse Polarity in hand. You can allow the Clock
to build up to obscene damage, but as long as you have a Reverse Polarity or
to, you can place yourself a few steps ahead of your opponent. The same
pretty much goes for any artifact which does damage to both players.
	Of course, Reverse Polarity serves you best when you keep it in your
hand, and draw your opponent into attacking you with all his Artifact goodies.
In my particular deck, it works quite well, since I have all the Circles of
Protection (including Artifact...he doesn't know it yet though :))...with
all the circles down, he felt confident that attacking with Artifact
Creatures was the way to go...boy was he wrong :).

PHANTASMAL TERRAIN!-Where shall I begin in my attempt to sing the praises
of this wonderful enchantment? Probably at the beginning, with the obvious uses
for the spell which most folks are no doubt already aware of.
	Well, the simplest use for Phony Terrain (as it's called around
here) is using it against an opponent early in the game, denying him mana
of a sort he uses much of. Turning forests into swamp if he uses a green
deck, swamp into mountains if it's a black deck, etc. etc. However, this
particular use ignores some of the more elegant possibilities of the card.
	One of the better ideas I've seen comes from Drew Norris
(dnorris@acpub.duke.edu).  Phony Terrain can wreak havoc on a blue deck
which is rife with cards such as Dan Dan, Sea Serpent or Island Fish
Jasconious...any creature which needs islands in play on either side to
function. Phony Terrain those islands, or, if you don't want to face IFJ
(I know I usually don't), and have nothing to counter the beastie, Phony
Terrain your own islands into something which you can still use.
	Rob Vines (rvg9691@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu) points out that an excellent
use for Phony Terrain is to render those specialty lands some
opponents delight in using utterly worthless. Irrigate Deserts, flood
the Library of Alexandria, ruin the Taiga, all can be done with this
card. The Maze of Ith in particular will find itself hosed to quite some
degree.
	Another use (one I myself love using, and mentioned by Drew as
well), is turning an opponents land into something which your landwalking
creatures can bowl over with ease...I had a blue/black deck once, whereas
a regular opponent of mine refused to play black (his loss). I also had a
Bog Wraith. What to do...well, Phantasmal Terrain that Forest of his
(being used to provide upkeep for Force of Nature at the time) into a
Swamp...he is in sudden trouble, as he no longer can pay upkeep on both
FoN and some artifact (can't remember what off hand), and now has to deal
with a Swampwalking Bog Wraith...and what a wasted card for him, since he
doesn't play black.
	Of course, the upkeep denial trick is antoher use for Phantasmal
Terrain. Use Phantasmal Terrain to knock out lands which are being used
either to provide upkeep, or turn that Shivan Dragon or Dragon Whelp into
something which just should not exist (Mountains into Swamps is always a
wonderful thing to do to an opponent). In this manner, the effects of
cards such as Pestilence or Firebreathing can be lessened by turning his
'powering' lands into something of negligable value and use to him. If you
know what colours an opponent plays, the card becomes doubly useful.

ORCISH MECHANICS!-Yup, you heard me correctly...Orcish Mechanics, the card
that will do a paltry two damage for the seemingly high cost of an
Artifact...but is this really so high a price to pay? We shall see...
	Of course, the most obvious use for Orcish Mechanic is to
sacrifice an artifact to it and do the two damage late in the game, as
part of some mad scramble to annhilate your opponent before he reduces you
to little more than a smoking heap of spells and rubble. Fine and dandy
all, but what of the other uses for this 1/1 little boy of death and
destruction?
	Daniel Lefebvre (cabfl59@vax2.concordia.ca) points out the one of
the best uses of the Mechanic is to use the Hive to feed it...if one
possesses the Hive, this is truly a useful idea, since you can do 2 damage
for the price of five mana...not to bad in the late stages of a game.
In any Red Deck (Red/whatever for that matter), one should find at
least two of these spells for a simple reason...having two in play at once
allows for some interesting strategic play...follow me if you will...
	Being a 1/1 Creature, few players consider it an active threat on
the attack, and will commit lesser creatures to blocking it...at most a
2/2, maybe a 2/3 or 3/3 if he/she plays a power deck. Fine...attack with
one of the Mechanics, and once the block is declared sacrifice yourself an
artifact to the other one, placing the damage on whatever you may find
blocking the first one (unless it is being blocked by a 1/1 of
course...then just put the damage on your opponent). For the price of an
Orcish Mechanic, this will rid you of anything from A Grizzly Bear to
perhaps Atog or a War mammoth...small price to pay if you are trying to
open up your opponent to attack. This same tactic will work even if you
have but one Mechanic in play, as long as you have some other instant
damage dealing card in play (Lightning Boly works fine with the
Mechanics...attack with the Mechanic and any blocking creature of up to
*/4 will find itself launched into the great beyond).
	Of course, the Mechanic does not have to sacrifice itself to be of
use...the ability to do 2 damage for the cost of an artifact can also be
endlessly beneficial by itself. In any long, drawn out game, if you have
more than six artifacts in your deck, you will find that one or two are
probably no longer serving a purpose...ammo for the Mechanics pure and
simple. Of course, this is a simple and rather obvious use for the Orcs,
but there are others...
	In a Red Deck, the ability to inflict hideous amounts of damage on
an opponent in any one turn is a given...Disintigrate, Fireball, Lightning
Bolt, and so on. Adding the Mechanics into the mix is just another way of
saying,"You sir/madam, are screwed". The use of Mechanics in conjuction
with the damage dealing spells mentioned above will allow you to take out
some truly annoying cards. Lightning Bolt aquires an all new purpose as
it, along with the Mechanics can take out the following nasties...Serra
Angel, Ironroot Treefolk, Argothian Treefolk, Obsianus Golem....any
creature of up to 5/5 for that matter will be destroyed for the cost of an
artifact and the Lightning Bolt...small price to pay all things considered.

PIETY!-This little Instant has lots of uses which make it a card worth
shoving into your deck, not the least of which is the sudden boost it can
give to your defensive line. See your opponent squirm in horror as he/she
realizes their Force of Nature can't get through after, laugh in delight
as a lowly Merman stops a rampaging War Mammoth...or do one of the following.
	As mentioned above, the most obvious use for this card is quick,
"gee, I hope I survive this round so I get a chance, feeble though it may
be, to pull a card I need" defence. As an Instant, it can be played once
your opponent has declared an attack, or even afterwards to make an
opponent think twice about attacking you that round. There are other uses
for Piety, however, which may not be immediately obvious.
	Another use for Piety emerges in the event you have a card such as
Siren's Call, or anything that forces an Opponent to attack or direct
their anger against a particular target (False Orders comes to mind...I'm
sure there are, or will be other, such cards in the future...). Piety will
enable you to keep your feeble cards from being toasted as your opponent
is drawn in for the attack, freeing up your biggies to attack him while
his defence is tapped and helpless. Piety ensures that cards which may or
may not have survived such a forced attack will live to serve as fodder
another day.
	Of course, Piety can also be a wonderful card to stick in your
deck when facing off a Black Bleeder. I'm speaking of course about a deck
containing things like Scavenging Ghoul, Sengir Vampire and Khabal Ghoul
(I myself had such a deck...it was not a happy thing). Those 1/1's which
you feared to put out lest they become ammunition for your opponent can
now be used for quick, short attacks with little fear of being annihilated
to feed an undead army. Even a lightning bolt won't work against a card
which, at least temporarily, has become 1/4.
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