From: umfranzm@cc.umanitoba.ca (Jeff Scott Franzmann)
Subject: Single Card Strategies, Compilation 2 (Vol II,#1-10)
Date: 13 Jun 1994 07:06:37 GMT

Single Card Strategies-Compilation II (June 13th,1994)
Cards Included in This Compilation-Hasran Ogress, Millstone, Ironclaw
Orcs, Brass Man, Creature Bond (important additions made), Pestilence,
Lifetap, Sage of Lat-Nam (more important additions here), Kudzu, Wild Growth

Single Card Strategies was conceived of and created by Jeff Franzmann
(umfranzm@cc.umanitoba.ca). Go ahead and reproduce, replicate, distribute
and disseminate until your fingers fall off, but for the sake of his ego,
do try and cite the source. Thanks :)

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HASRAN OGRESS!-Yup. I am indeed speaking of the Arabian Nights beast woman
which will do 3 damage to you when she attacks unless you pay two mana.
Perhaps this little drawback is why folks don't seem to like using her
much, but I shall endeavour to explain why this wonderful little lady
shouldn't be so quickly ignored.
	First off, at a cost fo 2 Black Mana, the ogress, at 3/2, is one
of the best bang for buck cards around...where else are you going to get a
3/2 creature for a total of 2 mana? Ah, but the attack drawback...well
folks, there are several ways around this...
	Let's get rid of the obvious first shall we. Nothing on the card
about defence, and early in the game, a 3/2 blocker will scare off
anything your opponent can get out. Until more mana is on the table, there
isn't much your opponent can do to scare off of the Ogress in the early
stages. Of course, one can always pay the mana cost and get a few early
kicks at your adversary, but this early mana expenditure may prevent you
from playing cards you may need desperately later. If you're going to
spend the mana, weigh your options and the risk.
	Of course, the entire point in my writing this isn't to repeat the
obvious or the card text. That would be boring, and I'd get flamed for
wasting bandwith. There are numerous ways of getting out of paying that
mana, and here are a few of them...
	Turn the Hasran Ogress into a 4/3 Artifact creature with Ashnod's
Transmogrant...what will this do about the mana cost? Well, not only is
the Ogress more deadly than before, but you can use Reverse Polarity to
turn that damage into life points...nothing in the rules about playing a
black/white deck (which I did at one point).
	Of course, if you are playing a black/white deck, there are the
ever present Circles of Protection which can save your hide...although you
will still be expending a mana to charge that CoP:Black (don't bother with
the Transmogrant/CoP:Artifact combo, you'll still be expending 2 mana to
prevent the damage).
	Of course, there are other ways around the damage this little
angel can inflict, although the Transmogrant is the best one that comes to
mind (since this provides you with life as well...)
	Of course, late in the game, the two mana cost is really not all
that important, as mana tends to accumulate rather rapidly the longer a
game goes on. The Ogress then becomes all the more useful as a shock
troop. Stick Unholy Strength on her, make her a 5/3 beast of pain. For the
paltry sum of 2 Black Mana, the Hasran Ogrss is an excellent creature to
put into play.
	If one is looking for combinations of cards to use on the Ogress,
making it more of a danger, try the following. It will also rid you of the
worries of paying that extra two mana every time you want to attack with
her. In a Black/Blue deck, use unstable Mutation/and or Flight to make her
into a somewhat larger version of the Serendib Efreet...a 6/5 Flying
creature for one turn is nothing to sneeze at. Pay the mana, than leave
her to wither on defence. Or better yet, Unstable Mutation/Berserk her.
For two mana, you've created a 12/5 trampling horror. And for the total
cost of four mana. In an ideal situation, this combination could be
brought out on Turn four of a game...is there any other monster out there
that could do the same? I'd say taking 3 damage in exchange for inflicting
a possible twelve would be a fair exchange.
	At any rate there are probably a few more uses for the Hasran
Ogress which at the moment escape me...but of course, that's what
followups are for :)

	There we have it, the Hasran Cheerleader and why she can be an
effective tool in any black combination deck (I'd hesitate to stick her in
an only black deck though). If some of these uses seem rather obvious,
forgive me, but there are newbies out there who may not realize just how
obvious certain cards can be :)


MILLSTONE!-This particular card is the centrepiece of what I have come to
call my 'Bleeder' deck, a deck constructed to deny the opponent cards at
every oppotunity, and bury them when he does get them. I have enough of
them that I can stick three in my deck, for the uses of this handy little
mono-artifact transcend the simple 'discard two cards from top of
opponents library' type things...read on to discover how Millstone can
become a truly hideous card in any deck.
	The obvious use of Millstone is to whittle your opponents deck
down, hanging on long enough to see him run out of cards, all the while
hopefully denying him the useful ones. However, I, again, am not here to
point out the obvious or quote card text...mainly because that would not
only be boring but in violation of copyright laws :). So, what other
purpose can the Millstone serve?
	In conjuction with several other cards, Millstone aquires a deadly
nature which simply cannot be ignored. Consider the following combination
of cards...Millstone, Howling Mine. If your opponent is fond of Library of
Alexandria, you can force him to be rid of 3 cards every turn...better
yet, wait until your opponent plays the Library (ONLY if you know he has
it), and then bring out the MIne. Using these two cards together can
reduce a power deck to nothing in twelve turns...and that is quite
frightening. Keep in mind, it is never wise to play Library of Alexandria
yourself if you have this combination in mind :)
	Of course, in any 'Bleeder' deck, land destruction cards are a
necessity, and Millstone can prove of deadly use in this respect...in the
middle late stages of a game, destroy his lands, and start Millstoning
away...mana denial is a terrible, terrible thing to endure, and the
Millstone will like as not be tossing what little mana an opponent may
have left into the graveyard...ick. Of course beyond the strategic
elements of Millstone (when to use it and why, so and so forth) there are
other cards you can use in conjuction with it to make your opponent plead
for leniency...
Consider an opponent with Library of Leng and you with Millstone...a
creepy combination would be to force him to discard from his hand (with
any one of a number of cards...Mind Twist, a Black  card would be ideal,
choose to discard two...). The Library allows him to place those cards on
top of his library...where they are now Millstoned. Vicious. Natural
Selection could be used for this same purpose....look at the top three
cards, decide which is the biggest threat, but those two on top, Millstone
'em...
	Getting Millstone out early in a game with a 'Bleeder' deck can
also be viocus...start Millstoning as soon as possible, knocking off his
cards right and left while you Psychic Venom what he does manage to get
out...Cursed Land works nice too...the game could end up being short and
vicious...
	Another nice maneuver to pull with Millstone is to use Animate
Dead on creatures which have been Millstoned...not only did he never get
to even put that Shivan Dragon in his hand, now you've animated it and are
using it yourself...how poignant :).
	These are but a few of the uses one can find for the
Millstone...what with it being an uncommon and all, and many of the cards
it is useful in conjuction with also being uncommon, not everyone will be
able to pull these combinations off. For those of you who can't,
well...now you know what can be done against you, find a counter :)
	Tom Wylie (aahz@hal.com) clarified a certain point which should be
noted when you use the Natural Selection idea. The order this should be
done in is as follows-
	(1):Declare Millstone
	(2):Cast Natural Selection
	(3):Faste Effects & Resolution
	(4):Peek at Library
	(5):Grind away with the Millstone :)
	Larry Chatfield points out that the use of Island Santuary with
Millstone is a combination which should also be considered.


IRONCLAW ORCS!-That's right, the fools who refuse to touch anything with a
power greater than 1, rendering them next to useless for blocking duties.
And if a creature can't block, than half it's usefulness is gone, right?
Hmmm, well let's take a closer look (as always, starting with the obvious).
	Well, at a cost of 2 Mana, the 2/2 Iroclaw's are a pretty decent
attack investment early on in the game, but that really isn't anything too
special. Since they are pretty much useless on the defence, on emay as
well go ahead and have them attack every round that they are
able...blocking a 1/1 creature with them isn't nearly as helpful as doing
2 damage to your opponent.
	But there are other uses for the Ironclaw Orc beyond mindless
footsoldier. Beyond use as Stone Giant ammunition, sacrifice to the Lord
of the Pit and any other destructive use, the Ironclaw Orc's can put that
seeming detriment of not being able to block strong creatures to good use.
As mentioned by Robert Deloura (deloura@pmel.nedd.gov), Ironclaw Orcs will
refuse to block any of those nasty Lured creatures which can be such a
pain in the buttocks. While the utility of this tactic may seem limited,
it does keep a 2/2 attacker in the game, and one can always get a good
chuckle (well, an ironic chuckle at least...) as something god-like falls
to a lured basilisk but those Ironclaw's keep soldiering on...
	If one is playing a black/red deck, the Ironclaw's can be used in
conjuction with Weakness to prove useful yet again. Rater than blocking
something like Hill Giant or Moorish Cavalry or such with a creature that
could be better used in some other manner, Weakness it, then block it with
Ironclaw Orcs. While it takes up a card, it frees up your more powerful
creatures for other duties, like blocking those Ironroot Treefolk or Serra
Angels...
	In summation, the Ironclaw Orc is a nice little utility card...a
decent attacker, a wimpy defender, with a special ability which can
actually prove useful rather than a detriment in the right circumstances.
Sticking them in a deck should in no way be considered a waste of time.
Just think about it...For the price of 3 Mana, one can bring out a Holy
Strengthed Ironclaw Orc...they may not be able to defend, but on the
attack they're as good as anything.
	
BRASS MAN!-Well, as always, let's start off simpleand work our way up,
shall we? Hmmm...
	Well, perhaps the most obvious attribute of this little metal man
is the fact that it takes a paltry _1_ Mana to get him into play...where
else can you get a 1/3 creature for just one mana? There aren't many 1/1
creatures that cost 1 mana! Nevermind about that provisio stating that he
can't untap unless 1 mana is spent, that isn't very important right now :).
What is important is the fact that in the early stages of the game, the
Brass Man is as valuable to you as a Yotian Soldier (which costs three
times as much to get down)...why? He can block almost anything in the
opening stages of the game, of course. Getting him into play early on can
save you grief later on. 
	Next, equally simple, is the fact that the Brass Man is an
artifact creature, and on the attack can prove to be a boon early on in
the game...as for the 1 mana to untap...so what? Who doesn't have one
extra mana lying around after ten or eleven turns? Early in the game, he
has tremendous value as a defender...later on, when the mana is there for
you to use, attack at will...after giving him a Lance :), Firebreathing,
Holy Armour, Holy Strength or whatever else have you...he's an Artifact
Creature, so Terror can't touch him, and a simple Holy Armour will render
him immune to lightening bolts as well. 
	Pumping bonus cards onto a Brass Man early on is a good
investment, when you get right down to it...Holy Strength makes him 2/5,
which makes him a better investment even than a Hasran Ogress (that adds
up to a total of _2_ mana for a 2/5 creature). bettr yet...Unholy Strength
for a 3/4 creature at a total cost of _2_ mana...you can't find a better
deal anywhere else (well, I may find one later, and if I do, I'll tell you).
	There are more uses for this little beauty though, beyond what I
have mentioned. As with any artifact which has outgrown it's usefullness,
it can always be sacrificed to Atog or something else to provide power,
something which can never be overlooked. It gives the same power a single
Hive entity would at a fraction of the cost...sacrificing a 1 mana
artifact is much better than pumping 5 mana into something only to
sacrifice it. Better yet, put a few Reconstructions in your deck...feed
Brass Man to sumething, and Reconstruct it later...a 1/3 creature is
ALWAYS useful on the defence.
	Of course, there is always the old standby...when all else fails,
feed him to the Lord of the Pit :)


CREATURE BOND!-Another card which I would use simply for the art (Anson
Maddocks deserves some sort of award for the art he's done on
Magic...fantastic!), though the fact that it can prove incredibly useful
doesn't hurt either. As per usual, we'll cover the blatantly obvious, and
then move on to the more esoteric.
	Obviously, Creature Bond is an excellent card to use as a deterent
on your opponents more powerful card. He or she will be loathe to move
those Ironroot Treefolk against you will the danger looms of taking 5
damage. Beyond this simple, yet effective use though, there lie more
devious and cunning uses...
	First off, the following trick suggested by Larry Chatfield
(chat@starburst.umd.edu) will require a black/blue/white deck. The pure
elegance of the maneuver warrants the use of three colour cards
though...this might even be an excellent idea for a 5 colour deck as well.
Simple in execution (and mana cost as well) this will put your opponent in
tears, all the more so since it requires nothing but common cards. Holy
Strength, Holy Armour (or Unholy Strength if you wish) a powerful creature
possesed by your opponent after it has been Creature Bonded. Then Terror
it. Hideous isn't it? Consider...a 3/5 Argothian Treefolk of your
opponents, Bonded. It then receives Holy Strength and Holy Armour, with
just one Holy Armour activated...a puzzled opponent watches as you turn
the Treefolk into a 4/9+ (depending on how many plains you put into...)
creature from hell...and then screams in absolute horror as you Terror it.
The Bond does 9 damage to your opponent. 
	Better yet, paralyze the newly created creature, rendering it
useless to your opponent. This allows you to avoid any turns of fate
afforded by your opponent reversing the Terror by some means, allowing you
to wait until you can draw another instant kill card. Using Creature Bond
in the fashion goes beyond cruel...it's downright vicious. But ohhhh, what
fun :).
	The same thing is possible against monsters such as Colossus of
Sardia or Obsianus Golem...simply bond the creature, and then cast
Disenchant...those monsters you were previously fearing for your life over
are now more of a hinderance to your opponent than a benefit. Notice that
with Creature Bond, it's use is wide and varied in any colour deck.
Disenchant will destroy Artifact creatures, Terror anything but black and
artifact, and there is always Swords to Plowshares...
	A more cunning way to wreak havoc on an opponent with Creature
Bond is to useXenic Poltergeist to turn a powerful artifact of your
opponents into an artifact creature, cast Creature Bond, and then destroy
the artifact in one of several ways. Not only do you rid your opponent of
a potentially valuable artifact, but he takes the damage too. Picture
using this combination on Aladdin's Lamp....ouch.

	The Grim Reaper (scythe@stein.w.washington.edu) has several other
excellent suggestions regarding the use of creature bond. Creature Bond a
creature such as the Lord of the Pit, cast Ashnod's Transmogrant, turning
it into an artifact creature. And then, as first suggested by James Buster
(bitbug@netcom.com), Detonate the resulting Artifact Creature. A truly
devastating combination if ever there was one.
	The Grim Reaper also points out that placing Wanderlust on a
bonded creature can result in a tasty dilemma...the opponent doesn't want
that Wanderlusted creature hanging around, but simply can't afford to kill
it...the double bind is always a wonderful thing to place an opposing mage
in :).


PESTILENCE!-This little wonder of ablack card has so many varied uses,
it makes me wonder where to begin...I suppose at the beginning would be an
idea, so with the simple and mundane we shall start.
	Simply put, Pestilence is a decent card to use when you want to
clear out an opponent who has a lot of creatures in play, and you'd rather
take the damage from pestilence than whatever it is his beasts can dish
out...around these parts, I call Pestilence the Unholy Janitor for just
this reason.
	But there are better ways to utilize this card, and taking damage
upon yourself is by no means necessary. Consider...playing a Black/White
deck will enable you do all sorts of cruel things with the Pestilence
card. As Dan Reynolds (dan@chpc.texas.edu) suggests, use Piety to boost
your defenders before utilizing Pestilence...the damage you inflict on his
attacking creatures, combined with  Pestilence should  allow you to wipe
out a good portion of an attacking force while your Pietied defenders sit
back and bask in victory. Avoiding damage to yourself is as easy as
powering up a CoP:Black. Of course, if you're willing, absorbing the
damage in order to gain an advantage over your opponent is always an idea,
if not a risky one :)
	Pestilence can also be particularily brutal in a Black/whatever
deck stocked with feeding creatures. I speak of course of Khabal Ghoul,
Sengir Vampire, Scavenging Ghoul and whatever else may appear in
Legends...a good example of how best to use this comes from my own
experience. If you have a lot of Drudge Skeletons, Ornithopters and other
small time critters in play, as does your opponent, power up Pestilence to
two...pretty much wiping out half the table (in my case, it was eight
creatures total, both sides). Then put Khabal Ghoul into play, and end the
turn. Since eight creatures died, and Khabal Ghoul was out before the end
of your turn, you now have a 9/9 creature for your troubles. Scavanging
Ghoul can be rendered immortal by pretty much the same method. As for
Sengir Vampire, a different tact with Pestilence can be taken...
	Use your Vampire to attack if he has some sort of creature
defending which can block, but not kill it...a flying wall, or something
of the sort. Heali the Vampire by whatever means, or prevent damage to it
with whatever cards you may have. Then pump enough into Pestilence to kill
the blocking creature. The Sengir vampire will gain a +1/+1 for this,
something which is hard to do when your opponent knows to avoid blocking
the Vampre with wimpy creatures...
	
	An immeasurably cruel use for Pestilence comes along when you are
able to turn lands into 1/1 creatures via Kormus Bell, Living Lands,
etc...you can protect your own lands via Piety, Crusade or any other
increasing card you may have...pump one into Pestilence, and watch his
lands disappear...
	The same sort of tact can be used to rid yourself of pesky
artifacts and the like...Ivory Tower, Library of Leng, Black Vise, Throne
of Bone, Crystal Rod etc. etc. can all be turned into 1/1 Artifact
Creatures via Xenic Poltergesit...and then 1 mana into Pestilence will
destroy them all in one fell swoop...a rathe amusing thing to do to an
opponent witha 'Leech' deck indeed :).
	Butthere is even more to Pestilence than just this! Use it to get
your Fungusaur started, or use it as an end game strategy, pumping just
enough mana into it to execute your opponent while clinging to life yourself.


LIFETAP!-Granted, this card is Uncommon, but one of them is usually enough
in a deck to put a serious damper on any opponent's attempts to render you
incapable of functioning in Dominia. There are several reasons, which I
shall, of course, begin to discuss. OK, you know the routine, obvious uses
first, then the more obscure :)...so let us begin...
	The most blatantly obvious use for this card is simply to play it
against someone who delights in using a Green Weenie (Lots of Green Mana
and Monsters, nothing more) deck. Every single forest he taps (at least,
if I understand the card properly) grants you one more life, that much
more time to build a defence against the hordes of monsters he will no
doubt bring out. So? You say, it's just another version of Wooden Sphere,
or Throne of Bone, or Ivory Cup...not so gentle reader, for read on...
	Lifetap aquires a whole new usefulness in a blue deck when used
properly. Played early in a game, when the opponent has little mana out to
begin with, it can gain you those precious life points. However, with the
other cards of a proper Blue/whatever deck, it can be positively chilling.
Psychic Venom all lands except Forests, Phantasmal Terrain cards into
Forests, Stone Rain, Sinkhole etc any of his non-forest lands, do whatever
is necessary to force him or her to use those Forests. Every one tapped is
antoher Life Point. Icy Manipulator or Twiddle a forest in those
situations where you may need that point to survive...but there is more :).
	Use Power Sink liberally against his spells while you have Lifetap
in play, since it forces him to spend mana to try and counter it...and
every green mana is another life for you. Anecdotal evidence time for the
usefulness of Lifetap...
	I was facing off against a Green/White/Red Deck...six forests,
three mountains a plain in terms of land. I had Psychic Venomed both his
two mountains, and his plains had been Phantasmal Terrained into Forest.
His turn comes along, he taps the Mountain to Cast Lightening bolt...not
so fast...I cast Power Sink, pumping ALL my mana into it. He is FORCED (by
virtue of the card text) to tap all his land in order to try and prevent
the Power Sink from working. Lesse, Seven forests tapped gives me seven
life, the two Psychic Venoms give him four damage. As you can see, Lifetap
can be brutal in conjuction with other blue cards.
	Better yet, use Lifetap and Wooden Sphere together...every Green
Spell cast by an opponent will bestow upon you two life.
	Of course, there are other ways to force your opponent to tap his
forests, giving you a life point. The above are just a few reasons why
Lifetap can be such a deadly card when used.


SAGE OF LAT-NAM!-OK, get up of the floor and stop laughing, I'm really
serious about this card :). Folks have taken of late to slamming this old
geezer without due cause, and I am here to explain why, exactly, the old
fellow should not be relegated to bottom of your sock drawer. Let's start
with the basics, shall we?
	If nothing else, the guy makes excellent blocking material early
in the game at a cost of two mana for a 1/2 blocker. While nothing
spectacular, it'll keep those miserable little Goblin Raiders from poking
you every turn. And when he's outlived his usefulness, you can always feed
him to the Lord of The Pit.
	However, nothing is ever as simple as it seems, and I shall
explain to you why this gentle fellow should never be underestimated, as
he has been these past few days.
	In any blue deck with Steal Artifact, theSage can be a qwonderful
addition. Steal the poor fellows Obsianus Golem, then tap the Sage to rid
you of it and draw a card. In the later stages of a game, being able to
draw an extra card can be endlessly beneficial. And it gets rid of any
artifacts on his side of the table which he can use and you may not be
able to.
	Of course, there are other uses for the Sage beyond simply
stealing an artifact and making it go away. This card, combined with the
equally abused and maligned Drafna's Restoration can prove a useful
combintation, as I can attest. Having had my Colossus of Sardia
Disenchanted, my only other defence was a lowly Ornithopter, certainly not
enough to prevent his Craw Wurm from wreaking havoc. Sacrifice the
Ornithopter, use Resotration to get back my Colossus, and it's the very
next card I draw :). While not nearly as effective as a Raise Dead,
Animate Dead or other such means of recovering dead folk, it nonetheless
can prove endlessly useful in those tight situations. One more way to
recover dead beasties is always useful :).
	Of course, you can also use the more common ways of feeding
Artifact destroyers. Although I'm not sure on the rules basis for this
particular tactic, I believe it's possible to use the creatures from the
Hive to provide the Artifact for discarding.
	Better yet, use Ashnod's Transmogrant on your opponents biggest,
baddest monster, turning it into an artifact creature. Steal Artifact and
then either use Sage of Lat-Nam, or use the resulting horror again him or
her. Either way your opponent is going to be less than impressed with you :)

	These are just a few ways in which the supposedly useless Sage of
Lat-Nam can be utilized in a game .One must realize that while many of the
effects I have described can be achieved at less cost with single cards,
one isn't always going to have those single cards in hand, and it's nice
to have some variation when it's needed.
	I hope this has dispelled some of the notions that the Sage of
Lat-Nam is of utterly no use, and would appreciate any comments or
additions people may have about this particular card.
	An important addition to this particular card. As pointed out by
Stetler (kgb@netcom.com), using the Sage in conjuction with the Argivian
Archaeologist and an Ornithopter can provide the same effect as a Jayemdae
Tome, at half the mana cost. Use the Ornithopter, recover with the
Archaeologist, voila :)
	Tom Wylie (aahz@hal.com), the true Sage of Magic :), goes even one
better, suggesting the use of Aladdin as a source for Artifacts for the
Sage. I'd have to agree :)


KUDZU!-That's right. Most folks tend to avoid using this chap since
playing him on an opponents land pretty much guarantees the destruction of
one of your lands the very next turn. Not much of an incentive to put this
creeping horror into play(hmmm, interesting title for a card of it's
own...Creeping Horror...)
	At any rate, on to the defence of what I (and Dan
Reynolds too,
I'm not alone in this), feel is a truly wonderful little toy which simply
begs to be used...why you say? Read on :)
	In a pinch, Kudzu can be used to amplify a land destruction deck.
Along with the Psychic Venoms, Cursed Lands, Stone Rains and what not
(what a friend of mine calls 'Daves Deck of Land Destruction'). An
opponent on the receiving end of all of these will be loathe to tap that
Kudzu enchanted land, eevn if he/she knows that will allow the destruction
of one of YOUR lands.
	However, that alone as a use is hardly worth the casting
cost...bouncing land destruction, as you trade the thing back and forth,
destroyingthings left and right. Well, there are other, much more useful
uses for Kudzu than playing volleyball with it.
	Consider using Kudzu to destroy one of your own lands which has
become a hinderance. Tired of that Cursed Land ponging you every turn? Did
he phantasmal terrain one of your cards into a Swamp so he could Swampwalk
over with a Bog Wraith. Simple solution...Kudzu your own land :). This
allows you to choose one of HIS lands as the next target of the Kudzu,
while at the same time ridding you of a nuisance. Once his land is either
ignored or taken out due to the presence of Kudzu, use Tranquility to
clear it out of there (trimming the hedges, I call it, whenever an
opponent plays a Kudzu and I Tranquility it :))
	That isn't all...use Kudzu on his special lands as well. Chance
are that your opponent is not going to tap a Library of Alexandria with a
Kudzu on it, not if he has a chance to find a isenchant somewhere in his
deck. Kudzu, in this respect can buy you time...something which can be
invaluable in a duel.
	Using Kudzu on multilands is an even better idea, especially with
the upcoming release of Legends...someone has already addressed how
multi-lands are going to aquire new significance, I won't argue that here.
Simply put, a Kudzu will render a multi-land just as useless as it renders
a basic land. 
	What to do when your opponent DOES tap and land and puts Kudzu on
one of your lands? Not much you can do, I'm afraid...except cas tthat
Tranquility once he's tapped and destroyed his land :). Sure, you lose
Kudzu, but you tookk out one of his land (and maybe one of yours that was
causing problems as well), so was it really all that bad? Of course
not...3 mana to destroy a land is never a bad price to pay.


WILD GROWTH!-How can anyone denegrate this wonderous little gem? It's
simply one of the most useful commons I've ever encountered, and, of
course, I'm now going to tell you why :).
	Obviously, the most immediate use for Wild Growth is Fast Mana. If
you get a Forest Down first turn, with Wild Growth you can have three mana
by the second turn. This is the key to a Green Meanie deck. Get enough
mana down fast enough to get all those nasty green creatures in play
before your opponent can properly defend himself.
	A less obvious use for Wild Growth is on your opponents lands.
Huh? One word. Well, actually two. Mana Burn. Wild Growth is a key
component in my 'Bleeder' deck (Green/Black/Blue) for some very good
reasons. Picture it. He has lands coming out of his ears, but half of them
are Psychic Venomed or Phantasmal Terrained into things he can't use. With
what's left, place Wild Growth on them. If he has artifacts which can be
powered by any mana, place Artifact Possession on them. He either takes 1
dmg from mana burn, or 2 from the Possession. What if he plays Green
though? If it's late in the game, does it matter? I've had games where the
opponent has nothing in his hand save whatever he picks up. Play Wild
Growth in these late stages along with Mana Flare...a WIld Growthed land
is now providing three mana, something most opponents will have a hard
time dealing with. 
	There are, of course, drawbacks to using Wild Growth on an
opponents lands, the most obvious being that he or she may be able to use
that mana against you, or be able to use it period. This is why I
recommend you wait until the later stages of a game before using
it...you'll better be able to discern what kind of deck your opponent has,
and whether or not that extra mana will result in burn or not. Wild Growth
in my Bleeder Deck has proven useful on more than one occaison.
	Of course, that's probably the only strategy for WIld Growth which
HASN'T been espoused. Some other common uses, which make this card useful
are as follows...
	Use it to add to that Stream of Life (in any Green Deck, a Stream
of Life, with Plenty of Wild Growths's...add some Urza's Mana Flea Markets
(Towers+Plants+Mines) and you have a rather gruesome life total :)).
	Wild Growth can be a nice way to get that Force of Nature in play
earlier, helping to provide upkeep. Of course, an extra mana being
provided by a land can always be used to make a fireball or power sink,
spell blast, etc all the more deadly.
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Thanks to all the following folks who help make SCS what it is :)
Hi all. I just wanted to take time out to thanks all the following folks
for their followups, comments and suggestions for the Single Card Strategy
series I've worked on. If I've forgotten your name, please e-mail me and
I'll add for next time :)

Please continue to send me your suggestions, comments, criticisms and so
forth. I may not be able to respond to all my e-mail, but I will make the
attempt :). And your assistance is always appreciated.

So, kudos to the following folks and I hope you continue to enjoy the SCS.

Larry Chatfield			"Red Adept"		Patrick Kralik
Farn Wang			John F.Fogh		Robert DeLoura
Doug Tabb (Mayfair Games)	Vincent Saldell		John H. Jordan
Christopher Andrew		Dan Reynolds		Greg Cohoon
Lynn Richard Alxeis		Daneil Lefebvre		Drew Norris
Tom Wylie (all around cool guy) "The Grim Reaper"	Jesse Fuchs
Peter Donald			Nick Demmon		PHILIP
Jonathen Dean			Kurt Folkman		Tom Harris
Jeff Boes "Wizard of MUR"	Benjamin Drago		James Buster
Stewart Chao			Earl Cooley		Mike P.
Kevin Paul Craven		Ron Collier		Wendell Hicken
Eric R.Jablow			Andrew D.Bowen		Laidy Maigrey	
Michael Lerner			James Buster		Robert Stetler
Aaron Pilgrims

Thanks one and all :)

Sincerely,
Jeff Franzmann

	


	
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