Get the MTG
Interactive Encyclopedia
from Amazon.com

First, my apologies for the extreme delay, many things in personal life
have bogged down my responses.
This deck was sent in to me by John Hornberg. It's a comboesque deck based
around killing your opponent quickly with fast mana, Ashnod's altar, and
ghitu fire. He also requested a low amount of PS in the deck.
Unfortunately, with combo decks there are not lots of viable options
without obscene access to rares. First let's take a look at some of his
card choices:

> Lands (21)
> 4 Rith's Grove

Good but slow, pain lands would be faster, and with a combo deck
faster=better.

> 2 Shivan Oasis
> 2 Elfhame Palace

Same for these as well.

> 7 Forest
> 3 Plains
> 3 Mountain
>
> Creatures (14)
> 4 Llanowar Elves
> 3 Quirion Elves

Again birds are cheaper, thereby faster.

> 4 Thornscape Apprentice
> 2 Cinder Elemental
> 1 Rith, the Awakener

Rith would be a nice surprise to spring on an unsuspecting someone who
thinks your all combo. The apprentice seems to be there to slow people
down. But why do that when you can just win instead? Cinder Elemental is
too expensive to see any use.

> Sorceries and Instances (12)
> 1 Enlightened Tutor

Cheap tutor effects add consistency and versatility. Run 4.

> 2 Saproling Symbiosis

Nice for combo setup, unfortunately only really useful after a basket goes
off. And then less than useful
enough.

> 1 Worldly Tutor

Too few creatures to tutor for.

> 4 Ghitu Fire

Nothing like X to the head, eh?

> 4 Rith's Charm

Debatable. 3 Tokens is good, though there is a better PS card if you can
get a hold of it...

> Enchantments and Artifacts (12)
> 3 Saproling Cluster

The combo of Cluster, Altar doesn't automatically win. So the new version
focuses more on a different combo, with
this one synergistically kept in at one of's.

> 1 Fires of Yavimaya
> 1 Natural Emergence

A definite possibility in this version, unfortunately not good in mine.

> 4 Ashnod's Altar

Cut to one.

> 1 Phyrexian Altar

Useful too keep combo going if you drew a sick hand, other than that not
good enough.

> 1 Planar Portal

Way too expensive. At 6 Mana a combo deck best kill someone, or do
something amazing *horrible attempt at foreshadowing*

> 2 Snake Basket

Allows you to do broken things with other cards in deck. Have 4.

> Sideboard
> 4 Kyren Legate
> 2 Arms Dealer
> 2 Aura Shards
> 1 Light of Day
> 1 Rushwood Legate
> 1 Cho Arrim Legate
> 1 Moonlit Wake
> 1 Spidersilk Armor
> 1 Meekstone
> 1 Kismet

I'm not as good with sideboards as I would like to think. I would advise
against playing any goblins in your sideboard. In any deck. Ever.

John noted difficulties with consistency, and sometimes he was just plain
outraced. The combo as it stood had only one defensive mechanism, 1/1 guys,
and acceleration was limited to Elves, and combo artifacts. A good combo
deck will do one of two things: Be incredibly consistent, or make up for it
with an alternate plan. In Type 2 a consistently abusive combo isn't
around(to my knowledge), but this can be made up for with Jokulhaups. It
doesn't kill most of your combo components and combos well with several
other cards in the deck. The new version focuses on abusing Jokulhaups. I
present my new version which does have a few Planeshift cards in it :(

        4 Enlightened Tutor

Basis of deck.

        4 Saproling Burst

Good during a 'Haups, as early defense mechanism, or with altar mana
acceleration.

        4 Overabundance

If you can run them this helps the deck immensely. If you can't get them
then Run the Rith's Charms instead.

        4 Jokulhaups

Who doesn't want to blow stuff up?

        4 Snake Basket
        1 Ashnod's Altar
        1 Saproling Cluster

Combo stuff.


        1 Elfhame Sanctuary

Recovery after 'Haups

        1 Fires of Yavimaya
        1 Seal of Cleansing

Just in case.

        3 Ghitu Fire

Who explains Ghitu Fire?

        4 Llanowar Elves
        4 Birds of Paradise

If you can get birds do so. They help you get 3 mana turn 2 consistently.
If not then Quirions will have to do.

        5 Mountain
        7 Forest
        4 Karplusan Forest
        4 City of Brass
        4 Brushland

Faster more painful mana base. It shouldn't matter if opponent is dead.
John mentioned it may be difficult to acquire 12 rare lands. If so you can
run the Invasion Duals and Rith's Groves, the deck will just be slower.

Who would expect combo in Type 2? Who plays combo in Type 2? How many
emails with broken deck concepts can I get a week? All these questions will
be answered when you email me with details of how many 1/1 creatures you
got into play at once...