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(sorry to Zvi M., i know the title
is a ripoff of 'my Fires")

Well, its now time to make my return to Pojo, so
start the fanfare and roll out the carpet! Or not. Any
way, I've been meaning to write something for this
site for a while now, but hadn't gotten around to it
until now. I originally was planning to do something
on Invasion drafting, but that would be like beating a
dead horse, as everyone and their brother has written
IB Draft article for the net. So I settled for and
article on Blue Skies (which I now believe is the best
Type 2 deck in the format, instead of the previously
mentioned Blue/White Control). On Saturday, I'm
heading up to Atlanta with friends to attend a JSS,
using this deck (and if you would, kind benevolent
editor, extend the tournament deadline until then, I
would be most grateful), so you can expect some kind
of report then. So, to start this off, ill give you
the deck list.

4 Troublesome Spirit
4 Rishadan Airship
4 Thwart
4 Foil
4 Brainstorm
3 Spiketail Hatchling
3 Rising Waters
3 Daze
3 Sky Diamond
3 Chimeric Idol
2 Air Elemental
2 Misdirection
1 Washout

21 Island

Sideboard:
4 Submerge
3 Disrupt
2 Washout
2 Withdraw
2 Seal of Removal
1 Misdirection
1 Spiketail Hatchling

Here is a brief explanation of some of the more
'questionable' choices.

1) Main deck Rising Waters. You see, when I first
built this deck, it was 100% copied straight from the
net, the deck from Chicago. It had Waters in it. I
really like the idea, as it can throw a kink into any
deck, especially after they tap out for something
(even better if you counter it). It also really hurts
Rebel White- the search mechanic becomes slowed
singnifigantly.
2) No main deck washout. Whasout is...well, its a good
card. But, when I see 4 getting main decked, I have to
wonder- how much of that is chaff? I really couldn't
find room for more than 2 at most, and I really didn't
want to run that many. It mainly because you don't
usually cast more than 1, which usually ends the game
fairly fast. Sure, it can be nice to slow Fires, turn
4, but I just don't think more are needed.

3) Main deck Misdirection. Yes, Lil' Missy is a great
card. There are enough targeted spells to make this
worth it. Orim's Chant YOU. Ghitu Fire YOU. Urza's
Rage THAT. Assault THAT. Bounce HIM. In addition, it
makes a nice counter/counter. You know, misdirect that
counter onto the Misdirection.

4) Daze. I've seen a lot of ragging on Daze recently.
I even did some of it myself. But now I realize that,
if against nothing else than Fires, it is great. It
totally wrecks the mana curve. Fires really doesn't
want to cast turn 4 Blastoderm, and most of the time,
they cast them on turn 3. Perfect target for Daze. So
are turn-4 Saproling Bursts and Shivan Wurms. Even if
you don't want to return the land, its still easy to
hard cast.

5) No Rishadan Port. Well, the simple answer is that I
simply don't have any, and the only person I know how
does have them is playing them in this tournament.
Still, they have bad synergy with 10 main deck cards,
so it really doesn't feel as bad as it might.

I honestly believe Skies is the best deck in the
format. Is mine the best version? Probably not. There
is no 'best' version of a deck, outside of a certain
metagame. This is highly shifted to beat Fires. But if
Rebels is big around your area, don't be afraid to
make changes- maybe more main deck Washouts. Whatever
you can think of.

Now, a look at the matchups.

Against Fires, you have a slight advantage. About
55/45 (depending on how they've tweaked the deck) in
your favor. After sideboarding, depending how it is
configured, could end up with them in 55/45 advantage,
or you could swing up to 60/40. Some Fires decks run
merely Simmon to deal with fires- they usually  are
the ones you get big advantages against. However, some
may run Kavu Chameleon, Gaea's Harold and Boil. Still,
they are containable. Kavu Chameleon seems to have
fallen out of favor, and Gaea's Herald hasn't proven
to be very big. Still, you can deal with those- daze
heralds, bounce Chameleons. Usually, they'll have 2-4
Simmons and 2-4 Boils, so that's what you should
really expect. It usually comes down to "Who's the
better player here?" With some of "Who's the luckier
player here?." This also holds true against Red Zone,
for the most part.
You should almost always beat Blue White control. Its
about a 75/25 favored matchup. This is because if you
get an Airship or Spirit down, which is possible if
you get decent counter power, they have no real way to
deal with them, except Blinding Angel- which generally
gets countered. As well, you should win counter wars,
as most of yours are free, and they usually aren't
able to cast more than 3 counters in one shot, if even
that many.
Finally, we come to the third major matchup. Rebels.
The most important thing about rebels is, COUNTER
RAMOSIAN SERGEANTS! I don't care what you have to do,
COUNTER THEM!!! An active sergeant is a death
sentence, and the only guy who can get you out is
Rising Waters. Waters can bog them down sufficiently
that you can run over a few Archers and Gliders and
eventually win. Even then, its usually gets close. For
sideboarding, side in all 3 Wash Outs, as they are the
next best thing to the Waters. Still, it remains a
close matchup. I would say they have the advantage
55/45 before sideboard, but if you run my wacky
sideboard, you usually end up with a 57.5/42.5
advantage. Still, how good of a player is still very
relevant, as is with Skies.
I cant stress enough the importance of play test. The
more you play the deck, the more you learn about it
(which is true with any deck), and knowing this deck
and how to play it perfectly is extremely important.
When played perfect, it usually wins. And yes, even a
few bad plays can cause you to loose. I've been
practicing for weeks, primarily for upcoming
Regionals, and I know when I get there, I will know
how to play my deck. If your going to play Skies, know
how to play it. To be honest, its really not the best
deck to bring to Friday Night Magic, as you really do
need to know how to play it well to be successful at
it. I cant possibly tell you how to play it- it must
be learned through playtesing and experience.

Well, I leave you with those thoughts. As always, my
E-mail is captainsimian99@yahoo.com  . If you have the
urge to kill me, destroy my property or attempt to
mate with any member of my family, please, have
yourself committed to the nearest local insane asylum.
If you would like to join the religion that worships
me, simply e-mail me at iamagulliblefool@yahoo.com.
Ill set you up with the needed information you need
from there.