Khans of Tarkir Booster Box Unboxing - Part Two

The epic conclusion of Harry and Adam opening the Khans of Tarkir booster box!

Khans of Tarkir Booster Box Unboxing - Part One

Join Harry and Adam as they open a booster box and explore the new Magic set, Khans of Tarkir!

Part Two will be coming soon!

The Talk Box Presents: CONSPIRACY! - Part One, Pod Two

If you'd like to listen to the podcast featuring the drafting process, click here!

Pod Number Two: Chad, Matt, Jared and Morgan

In the pod containing Chad, Matt, Jared, and Morgan, the match escalated quickly and never slowed down, with flashy spells and big plays being made all over the place. Chad was playing Orzhov (white-black), Matt was playing Mardu (red-white-black), Jared was playing Jund (black-red-green), and Morgan was playing Izzet (blue-red). And now, decklists!

Chad's Orzhov

Matt's Mardu

 Jared's Jund

(Sadly we didn't get a photo of Jared's deck)

Morgan's Izzet

Before dice could even be rolled to see who went first, Morgan revealed his Power Play conspiracy, making him the player to start the game. The game began tame enough, with a few creatures played and a Tyrant’s Choice from Jared clearing the board early.

Eventually, Chad made the first big move, dropping a 15/15 Lurking Automaton that caused everyone’s chairs to shift unsettlingly towards him. The hidden agenda conspiracy of Secret Summoning allowed him to tutor up another one, and he eventually had two giant Automatons that threatened to end the game within a few turns. Luckily, Jared and Matt both had removal spells to respond to his threat, Jared casting a Tragic Slip and Matt casting an Assassinate.

As the game progressed, Jared kept his hand full with not one, but two Deathreap Rituals, benefiting from the mass amounts of removal getting slung around the table. Eventually, Jared drew enough cards and ramped enough mana to cast Phage the Untouchable, the next big threat to appear. With all combat drawn to a stalemate with Phage out, everyone began bolstering their defenses. Chad played multiple copies of Rousing of Souls, giving his opponents some diplomatic card advantage while he built up an army of 1/1 flying spirits. Matt kept himself protected with multiple defenders such as Vent Sentinel, Cinder Wall, and Pride Guardian, doing what he could to find an answer to this clogged board state.

Morgan was the one to break the silence, first casting a Dack’s Duplicate to copy Jared’s Phage. He immediately began swinging away to force blocks and build up +1/+1 counters with his copy’s dethrone ability. In the following turn, Morgan cast Mana Geyser to amass 16 red mana, all of which he filtered in to a multikicked Deathforge Shaman that instagibbed Chad, dropping him immediately to zero life.

With Chad and his army of spirits out of the way, the focus was now mostly between Jared and Morgan, each with a Phage and ready to strike for lethal. Jared was unable to draw a removal spell for Morgan’s, and Morgan dropped a Marchesa’s Smuggler, making his copied Phage unblockable and killing Jared. Meanwhile, Matt was busy durdling and pinging with his Vent Sentinels, hoping to draw into an answer. In a topdeck of the ages, Matt drew into the Assassinate that he then cast to kill Morgan’s Phage, and proceeded to ping him down with his Sentinels over the next few turns for the victory.

Overall, the game was chaotic and fun, and was finished much quicker than Pod Number One's game. Everyone got the chance to be a supervillain mastermind and make a big flashy play, and the consensus of the group seemed to be that the game was hilariously enjoyable.

Deck Tech: Chad's Child of Alara (EDH/Commander)

Hello everyone! Chad here, known by most as CaptainTempest and/or CaptainToaster, and welcome to the second edition of Deck Tech!

Today I'll be going over the Commander deck that I'm notorious for, Child of Alara. Though it isn't one of my oldest Commander decks, it has certainly proved itself worthy to be among the ranks of my top favorites. The other members of the Talk Box like to joke that I'm obsessed with boardwipes and casting spells at instant speed. Well, they're not really joking. It's true. At least with this deck, it's true. I was inspired to build it after discovering a list from rtsands45 on MTGSalvation.

Scary little fella, isn't he?

Child of Alara commands the helm of a ramp deck that plays a grindy control game, using the titular card as a consistent way to reset the board when things get too cluttered, or when I don't have as stable of a board state compared to other players. Since he's also a sturdy 6/6 with trample, it's not uncommon for me to swing into the red zone with him to rack up damage, though to this date, he hasn't killed someone by dealing 21. Child specifically has to be sent to the graveyard in order for its built-in boardwipe ability to work, which means that it wouldn't be sent back to the command zone for recasting, so I require ways to recur it. In addition, nonland permanents do not stick around with Child constantly clearing the field, so most permanents that are in the deck are either a.) indestructible, b.) benefit from dying, or c.) don't need to be on the field that long to be effective. I back this up with a lot of spells that draw cards and spells that 'X-for-1' in some way to provide card advantage. The biggest con to playing this deck is that if Child gets tucked or shuffled into my library somehow, the deck loses a majority of its staying power and is usually neutralized for the remainder of the game.

Here's the full list.

Now that you've gotten a basic picture, let's dive in and see some details about the 99.

LANDS:

Lands are the most important part of this deck. They're the only permanent Child of Alara doesn't destroy when it boardwipes, and as such provides great opportunities for utility lands to shine. Since I'm running all five colors, getting access to all five of them is vital. As such, I run a lot of nonbasic lands that can tap for multiple colors of mana. This is rather budgeted compared to most five-color decklists I've seen. I don't have the luxury to acquire sets of original duals and fetches, but I haven't had any issues with this current setup.

1-10: Hallowed Fountain, Watery Grave, Blood Crypt, Stomping Ground, Temple Garden, Godless Shrine, Steam Vents, Overgrown Tomb, Sacred Foundry, Breeding Pool

Since their reprinting in Return to Ravnica block, the ten shocklands became much easier to acquire. Thus, I was easily able to trade for a set of them to include in this deck. The fact that they have basic land types is vital, as they become searchable with my ramp spells.

11-16: Seaside Citadel, Arcane Sanctum, Crumbling Necropolis, Savage Lands, Jungle Shrine, Murmuring Bosk

Similarly to the shocklands, the tri-lands also seemed like an auto-include. People tend to forget the "sixth tri-land" Murmuring Bosk. Even if we're not running Treefolk, it still gets the job done. And its a Forest, so its searchable with some of my ramp spells.

17-21: Command Tower, Exotic Orchard, Reflecting Pool, Rupture Spire, Transguild Promenade

These lands are included since they can tap for mana of any color.

22-23: High Market, Miren, the Moaning Well

These allow us to sacrifice Child at the drop of a hat. They won't be destroyed from the ensuing boardwipe, and they also can be used to sac creatures that would otherwise be stolen or targeted.

24: Volrath's Stronghold

The best reusable way to reclaim Child from the graveyard, and generally one of the top lands in EDH. Sacrifice Child to either High Market or Miren, place it back on top of your library before your draw step through the Stronghold, then draw him, cast, and repeat as necessary.

25-26: Kor Haven, Prahv, Spires of Order

For those pesky Voltron generals and otherwise troublesome creatures, Kor Haven and Prahv do an excellent job of nullifying them.

27-30: Alchemist's Refuge, Bojuka Bog, Krosan Verge, Reliquary Tower

These four round off the remainder of my utility lands. Alchemist's Refuge is a superior Winding Canyons that allows me to cast anything I want at instant speed, Bojuka Bog is an EDH staple that can deal with problematic graveyard recursion, Krosan Verge is the only real "fetch" that I run in this deck, and Reliquary Tower is another useful EDH staple.

31-40: 2x Plains, 3x Island, 1x Swamp, 1x Mountain, 3x Forest

The last ten slots in my land count are basics, included in the increments that I need based on the majority colors of my spells.

SPELLS:

41-54: Coiling Oracle, Cultivate, Darksteel Ingot, Explosive Vegetation, Kodama's Reach, Mana Reflection, Mirari's Wake, Oracle of Mul Daya, Reap and Sow, Recross the Paths, Skyshroud Claim, Solemn Simulacrum, Urban Evolution, Wood Elves

The ramp package. Pretty standard in terms of spells, allowing me to get my basics out quickly and drop multiple lands a turn. Darksteel Ingot persists through Child's destruction. Oracle of Mul Daya allow me to "dig" through my library when paired with top-card manipulation like Darksteel Pendant and Jace, the Mind Sculptor. Skyshroud Claim and Wood Elves get some mileage, as they can hit shocklands. Mana Reflection and Mirari's Wake, despite being permanents and thus weak to Child, can fuel some backbreaking plays if left unchecked.

55-63: Aeon Chronicler, Conflux, Deep Analysis, Fact or Fiction, Mulldrifter, Sphinx of Uthuun, Steam Augury, Time Spiral, Wheel of Fortune

Drawing cards is another key piece of this deck. Aeon Chronicler is a great consistent engine while he's suspended. Conflux allows me to tutor up pretty much anything and everything I need. Everything else is just standard issue.

64-80: Annihilate, Bind, Decree of Justice, Decree of Pain, Dismantling Blow, Dismiss, Exclude, Into the Roil, Nihil Spellbomb, Overwhelming Intellect, Resounding Silence, Resounding Wave, Second Thoughts, Slice in Twain, Squelch, Teferi's Response, Twisted Justice

Cantrips! This is what I was really impressed by in rtsands45's build, and what inspired me to make my own. These cards can cycle and draw cards in addition to being awesome spells. Decree of Justice can win games just by cycling for X at the end of someone's turn, especially if I happen to have Mirari's Wake out. Resounding Silence and Resounding Wave can be used under effects that limit casting spells (I'm looking at you Teferi) via cycling, and can also be near uncounterable when cycled. Bind, Dismiss, Exclude, Overwhelming Intellect, and Squelch are all great counterspells, albeit situational ones. Teferi's Response in particular is really specific, but I guarantee you'll see some form of land destruction in a game from cards like Terastodon or Sylvan Primordial. I might consider including Scatter Arc if I can find room for it. Twisted Justice can also be used to sacrifice Child in the event that one of the sac lands is not available.

81-99: Akroma's Vengeance, Bound // Determined, Colossus of Akros, Constant Mists, Creepy Doll, Cyclonic Rift, Darksteel Colossus, Darksteel Pendant, Eternal Witness, Fracturing Gust, Gift of Immortality, Invulnerability, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Progenitus, Reiterate, Stuffy Doll, Time Stop, Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre, Wurmcoil Engine

Rounding off the rest of my spells are finishers, utility spells, and backup boardwipes. Darksteel Pendant is my budget replacement for Sensei's Divining Top, though I prefer the Pendant thanks to it being indestructible. Cyclonic Rift and Fracturing Gust are boardwipes that provide some advantageous virtual card advantage, and Akroma's Vengeance is a classic. Constant Mists and Invulnerability can protect me in combat situations similarly to Kor Haven and Prahv. Gift of Immortality is dirty in combination with Child, and Bound can be both a sacrifice outlet for Child as well as a way to return him to my hand. Big goofy creatures like Colossus of Akros, Darksteel Colossus, Progenitus, Ulamog, and Wurmcoil Engine stick around after Child clears the field. Creepy Doll and Stuffy Doll are the only creatures that I'm iffy about, but I haven't come across anything in my collection that can replace them as of yet. If I can get my hands on a Blightsteel Colossus, I guarantee that will replace one of them.

And that's the deck! It can a force to be reckoned with once it gets going, though it does have its downsides if it gets focused early or loses access to Child. I've certainly caused my share of headaches with this deck, and I imagine I'll only continue to do so as time goes on. Thanks for reading my first deck tech! I'm open to suggestions if there's a card you think could synergize well with my particular build. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below!

---

Chad Dominique
CaptainTempest of the Talk Box Podcast
Twitter: @cmdominique
Steam: CaptainTempest

Deck Tech: Adam's Selesnya Aggro (Standard)

 Hey guys! Welcome to the first edition of Deck Tech. This time we'll be looking at my Selesnya Aggro standard deck. Here is the list:

This is a pretty straight forward aggro deck I put together. The goal of the deck is to get enough creatures out to over run my opponent with damage. Using cards such as Phytoburst, Unflinching Courage and the two Ordeal cars allow me to pump up my creatures for more damage, as well as the Slaighterhorn for Bloodrush. Being a Selesnya deck, I have tokens, which Trostani, Call of the Conclave and Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage help me create. This is the second version of the deck, the first version doing pretty ok in a causal setting. I haven't played it at an FNM yet, so I'm not to sure how this works. I might take a few cards out for my UG deck, but we'll see. The great thing about being aggro, is the relative low mana cost of the cards, hopefully allowing me to get the upper hand.

Any comments, suggestions or praise for the deck? Let me know below. 

Magic: The Gathering Dragon's Maze Prerelease!

The Talk Box went to our local Dragon's Maze Prerelease! We went to Friendly Fire Game Center in Mansfield, CT. While there were 36 people originally signed up, I believe a few more came around midnight to join in the fun! Let's see how The Talk Box did:

Player: Adam (The MC)
Guild/Deck: Orzhov, BWG
Record: 0-3 (Dropped before 4)


Player: Ted (The Voice)
Guild/Deck: Golgari, UGB
Record: Dropped after 1 (lost to Harry)


Player: Harry (The Quiet Australian)
Guild/Deck: Dimir, RBU
Record: 2-2

Player: Pat (The Listmaster)
Guild/Deck: Gruul, RGB
Record: 2-2, Maze Champion!

So Gruul ended up winning the maze at Friendly Fire midnight, with Rakdos winning the next day's event. Here are some pictures from the night!

 Look at all the people!

 Gruul with the early lead.

 Round 2 Gruul win!

 Final few games.

 Intense! 

 Final round! 

Ooooo Ral Zarek!

Thanks to Dan at Friendly Fire for letting us hang out and take pictures!

Check them out on Facebook and their website!

Dragon's Maze Intro Packs: Azorius, Orzhov and Simic

The wait is over! The 5 Dragon's Maze Intro Packs have been revealed! How exciting! I'm going to look at the decks really quickly to see how they might fare. Lets start with the 3 guilds I play/have played and if I'd buy the decks.

Azorius

Little known fact: I used to love Azorius. This deck seems promising and might pique my interest. The main card is Lavnia of the Tenth. Detaining the living daylights out of your opponent is always great. She's great for a late game play if you want to just finish your challenger quickly, but that only works if you have an army to do it. Luckily, this deck comes with 22 creatures with some great abilities. There is plenty of detain in this deck. There are a total of 5 creatures with flying, so plenty of ways to get damage in. The 12 instants and sorceries that come with this deck are also pretty great. It comes with the fuse card Protect/Serve which allows you to bulk up a creature while making sure your opponent won't kill one of your other creatures. Pair it Lavnia and BOOM death to all who oppose you.

Totally might buy this deck. Better than the Azorius one from RtR.

Orzhov

Ahhhh Orzhov. The greediest of guilds. The main card is the lovely Tesya, Envoy of Ghosts. Protection from creatures? Check. Send all creatures that deal damage to you away? Check. Seems great to me! While you work to get Tesya out, there seems to be about a billion ways to gain life in this deck. Extort, Crypt Incursion, Riot Control. You just might gain more life than your opponents can deal with! This deck is just cruel. The fuse card Profit/Loss is included. It allows you to boost your creatures while diminishing your opponent's. So if you don't extort them to death, you can basically trample over your opponent.

Totally buying this at the prerelease. This deck is so mean I love it. 

Simic

I'm nicknaming this deck "Counters For All The People". Granted that's what's Simic is about in general but holy shit guys! Vorel of The Hull Clade basically adds counters to anything you have that may have some. Planeswalker needs some loyality counters? You got it! Need bigger creatures to trample your opponent? You got it! All the counters! Plus Sapphire Drake gives all creatures with counters flying. So basically you can get an army of flying creatures, some with trample to literally flatten out your challengers. Give/Take works wonders too! You can put 3 +1/+1 counters on a creature, then take all the counters of the same one or another creature and draw that many cards. Simic likes cards for some reason. Anyway, get this deck if you like to trample and control your opponents.

Would I buy this? Maybe just for some cards.

 

Check out the full decklists for these as well as the Radkos and Gruul decks here.

Anyway have fun and enjoy the Dragon's Maze! 

Dragon's Maze Spoilers Review!

It's that time of the year again folks. SPOILER SEASON! Here I'm going to review the lovely spoilers the kind folks at Wizard's put out for us! Here we go! 

The Maze

Here we have Maze's End, one of the new mythic rares. It's a land card with a win condition so fun stuff. It would work best in a 5 color deck with a lot of mana/gate fishing in it. Otherwise it's a kind of pointless card. But go for the win condition and BOOM! Victory.

Champions Ahoy!

Here we have the Gruul champion of the maze. We know that the 10 new intro decks will have the champions as the foil rares so this one should be pretty common.  This guy here, Ruric Thar, is quite the nasty guy.  He attacks each turn if able, which is great if you can bulk him up. Plus he has vigilance and reach so fun stuff kids. Also, his second ability takes care of those nasty spell decks like Izzet. So if you can get him out on turn 6 against a spell deck, you win.

Speaking of Izzet, here's Melek, the Izzet maze champion. He's going to be a great addition to any Izzet deck. Heck, I plan on getting the Izzet intro just for this guy. Get him out on turn 6 and you're playing cards like instants left and right. Plus when you play an actual instant or sorcery, you can copy it. So BAM. Victory is yours.

The Ral-Man Cometh

And here he is. Ral Zarek. The newest planeswalker. And I want him so much. Look at his abilities!

+1: Tap target permanent, then untap another target permanent.
-2: Ral Zarek deals 3 damage to target creature or player.
-7: Flip 5 coins. Take an extra turn after this one for each coin that comes up heads.
His plus 1 is great if you have some creatures to swing in with and you need to get rid of some blockers, but also works for tapping effects. His minus 2? Great for killing of low toughness creatures or dwindling down your opponent's health. And DO YOU SEE THE -7????  Five coins could mean 5 heads which means 5 extra turns. Five. Win baby win.

Fusion Time

 Look! New mechanic! Fuse takes the double cards we know and love and allows you to cast one or both halves! Which is awesome. I included Wear/Tear and Toil/Trouble above. Both are a single guild card. Wear/Tear is great because you can take out those pesky artifacts and enchantments in a single card. Toil/Trouble is great for torturing your opponents with your already torturous Radkos deck. But check this out:

 Beck/Call. A Simic and Azorius card. Could this be a hint at the new guild pairings? Or is this just a great combo for a 3 color deck? Looks great for a GWU deck. Throw some populate and BOOM! Cards and birds!

I can't wait to review the set as a whole soon! Keep an eye out for it!