FNM, Friday Night Magic. Whether it's to test out a new deck idea, to build up your Planeswalker Points, or to just hang out and play Magic with your friends, FNM is one of the main sanctuaries for the serious and casual player alike. I enjoy FNM for many reasons. I love the chance to see if my latest deck idea is worth the 40 minutes I put into it. It's a time to see friends and acquaintances I don't get to visit with much. Most of all, I enjoy the opportunity for some competitive play.

I do not claim, by any means, to be a great player. But, I have put in the time, and earned enough wins, to have even the most hearty young FNM player look at the pairing sheet, see my name, feel that churning in their tummy, and know that they have no idea what twisted kind of deck they will play against that round.

I take great pride in building or playing original decks for tournaments. More often than not, I get that pride knocked to the ground and spat upon by the many decks that are better built and far more profusely tested than mine. Werewolves supported by Manabarbs and Personal Sanctuary seem like a no-brainer, RIGHT?  A green/black deck highlighting Phyrexian Obliterator and Prey Upon seems like a recipe for success on any given Friday night. No?  How about an Unburial Rites, 5-color deck filled with Praetors and other mythic bombs that just can't be dealt with once they hit the table?  Mix in a few removal cards and you have a big bowl of WINNING!  Ok, maybe not.  But it really is fun to find out.  And sometimes, as the night draws on, I might eke out a surprise win, giving me something to brag about as I unsleeve my latest abomination of a deck, never to speak of it again.

Every once in a while, though, I strike gold.  Would you believe silver?  Currently, my favored FNM deck is a black & white creation I cobbled together when I noticed the current standard format was filling up with tokens.  Well, one step further back and I can admit it was an idea born of the pairing of Sun Titan and Liliana of the Veil.

These 2 cards just screamed to be played together.  I then went through the available black, white and artifact cards for standard and added the ones I thought would stand up well vs. tokens.  What I finally ended up with not only held its own against tokens, but seemed to fair very well against some of the more prominent and powerful decks in the format.

Creatures 4 Solemn Simulacrum 4 Sun Titan 1 Bloodgift Demon 1 Vengeful Pharaoh 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite Planeswalkers 4 Liliana of the Veil 1 Gideon Jura Sorceries & Instants 3 Unburial Rites 3 Dismember 3 Day of Judgment 2 Black Sun's Zenith

Artifacts & Enchantments 2 Ratchet Bomb 2 Curse of Death's Hold 4 Oblivion Ring Lands 3 Ghost Quarter 4 Isolated Chapel 9 Swamp 9 Plains

Sideboard 3 Witchbane Orb 3 Surgical Extraction 3 Despise 2 Mirran Crusader 2 Grand Abolisher 1 Curse of Death's Hold 1 Unburial Rites

What I ended up with is, more often than not, mistaken for Solar Flare. I have played entire matches with my opponent thinking I was mana screwed every game, not drawing any islands. This is a control deck that is focused on the Sun Titan and its ability to bring back threats from the graveyard.  But, it can survive and win without the titans.

One of the MVP's of the deck has been the Curse of Death's Hold.  I was enamored with this card when it first appeared. But, everywhere I turned it was being shot down because of its converted mana cost of 5. It's just too slow, I was told. This comment coming off a format where 15 cost creatures were around every corner. In a control deck, this was the card for me. While my initial intent was to shut down the token decks, the card proved valuable in many other match-ups. Just TRY to activate your Inkmoth Nexus when you have been cursed with such blackness! Snapcasters, Birds of Paradises, and Stromkirk Nobles alike fall before the inky darkness of this curse. It brings the almighty Titans to their knees, well within the reach of a well-timed Dismember.  And for all its fear-generating power, it stays on the table. Nary an enchantment removal is to be seen post sideboard in today's format. So, first game becomes much more difficult when the curse makes it into play.
Obviously, the deck has a great deal of removal. Oblivion Rings, Day of Judgments and Black Sun's Zeniths make sure that my opponent's threats stay out of my way. Dismembers add a little security with some instant spot removal, while Liliana and Gideon back you up with reusable creature destruction. Finally, the Ratchet Bombs are the ultimate form of token control?

The creature count is low in this deck. However, each one packs a punch and more than earns its place. Simulacrums play the role of card advantage. They are your second line of defense, after your rings. They accelerate you to Titan mana and get cards in your hand.  There are 3 “one-ofs” in the deck.  Each plays its own important part if drawn. The Bloodgift Demon plays twofold as card advantage and a large flying threat to your opponent's face! I threw the Vengeful Pharaoh in the deck on a lark, just to see what it could do.  It turned out to have great synergy with Liliana as a card you want to discard.  While you still take the damage from the attack, the Pharaoh is a nice back-up removal card for Inkmoth Nexus and can even be a deterrent against them attacking in the first place. The final “one-of” needs little explanation.  If Elesh Norn makes it into play, she causes so much trouble for your opponent, leveling their forces and fortifying mine.

But the alpha dog of my deck is the Sun Titan. It is with him that so many cards that are merely good become incredibly powerful. Ghost Quarter, combined with the Titan's ability becomes land destruction every turn.  Liliana, in your graveyard after decimating your opponent's hand and army, returns to play renewed with but a single attack.  Ratchet Bombs become token Gatling guns when combined with a Sun Titan.

Finally, Unburial Rites makes it possible to play so few creatures and still maintain a strong board presence. This card is so good against control decks. Whether they are countering your creatures or destroying them, Rites gives you up to 2 more copies of them. It has great synergy with Liliana also, giving you something to discard without losing any card advantage.

During my latest foray into a local gaming store I found myself in a small standard tournament.  It was time again to put the Black & White beast to the test on another Friday Night Magic....err...night. And well, to be totally honest, it was a Wednesday night. So… it sort of counts.

Round 1
My first match up was as young lad playing U/B control. The knowledge that many players play some odd stuff where I play magic kind of did me in this match.

Game one had me taking control pretty quickly and beating him down. He played a Consecrated Sphinx and a Frost Titan, both of which took one way trip into oblivion. Other than that, he milled me, a lot. But he wasn't fast enough and succumbed to a horrible Sun Titan rash.

Game two had me siding out a bit of my removal, putting in the Extractions and the Abolishers. However, he began decimating my graveyard with Extractions of his own and proceeded to sit back on counters and Nephalia Drownyards, milling me to defeat. Shame on me for not siding in the Witchbane Orbs.

Game 3 I brought in the orbs. In game two, I didn't see him play any creatures other than one Snapcaster Mage. I figured he was playing a U/B mill deck. Out came more removal. 15 minutes later and one palm securely on my forehead and I found myself the target of both Grave and Frost Titans coming across the table to say hi. Mistake made. Lesson Learned.

Round 2
My second round paired me up with a fellow castaway from the good ship “Victory.”  He was a guy I had played the week before. He was using a G/B infect deck then and was trying it out again this week. The first game had me taking a mulligan and keeping a 2 land hand with 2 plains, a Day of Judgment and an Oblivion Ring. I counted on drawing into land quickly. I did not and he quickly got me up to 7 poison counters. I was getting a bit worried until I drew my 4th land and cleared the board.  After that, Curse of Death's Hold took control of the game. The second game was not so harrowing with the CoDH coming down quickly sealing my victory.

Round 3
My final round put me up against G/W tokens. AHA! The very deck mine was created to beat. I wish I had something terribly exciting to say about this match-up. But Ratchet Bomb/Sun Titan makes token decks very sad. He had no way to get rid of the Bomb. So, he was eventually locked out both games. He did side in Witchbane Orb against me, effectively neutering Liliana.

My booty was 2 packs of magic gold, netting me a Laboratory Maniac and a Sturmgeist, putting me TWO steps closer to my new mono blue “Laborageist” deck!

One last thing you might want to take into consideration if you decide to play a deck like this.  I learned in an FMN last week that it is susceptible to any sort of fireball spell in a ramp deck. I was playing 2 separate matches versus Wolf Run Ramp and was in control of the board in both games of both matches, removing each threat as it came into play. Then they drew their Devil's Play or their Red Sun's Zenith. I was unable to do anything about it. Fireball killed me. That's why the Witchbane Orbs are in the sideboard now. Hopefully they can do the trick.

Another fun night of Magic playing done. I learned more about what my deck can and cannot do. I walked away with some knowledge, some cards, and the satisfaction of having a good time. And that's what playing the game is all about. So, until the next FNM or the games at your kitchen table, just remember to have fun, folks!

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