123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345689
Expansion Pack 2 Guide for Magic: Duel of the Planeswalkers
By: Snow_Crash_ aka Dancing Fool
Version 0.75 submitted 5/21/2010
Completed:
- Section I
- Section II
- Section III
- Section V
- Section VI
Still to come:
- Section IV (see section II for abbreviated strategies)
- Section VII (coming soon)
- Additional detailed explanations for the challenges
- Minor restructuring and fleshing out
Version 0.80 submitted 5/24/2010
Added:
- Section VII
- Detailed explanations for the Challenges
- Corrections, reformatting and restructuring
Still to come:
- Section IV (coming soon)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTRODUCTION
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As should be evident by the title, this FAQ is solely intended as a reference
guide for the second expansion pack of M:DotP. The original game and first
expansion have already been covered and won’t be mentioned here. This is a
work in progress and also my first FAQ, so try not to be too hard on me please
;), I hope you find it helpful. If you have any comments, please feel free to
email me at urbansamurai_ {at} hotmail [dot] com.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A NOTE ON CONCEDING
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would urge players to NOT give people bad rep for "quitting early" during
online matches. You may not be aware of the difference, but there actually is
no "quitting" in this game, only "conceding", which is fundamentally
different. When an opponent concedes, this counts as a win for you, so you
really have nothing to complain about. The vast majority of players will only
concede when they are certain that they cannot win the match anymore because
they don't want to waste their time and it saves YOU time as well. Ok, so you
might not be able to play that killer combo you got on your hand, but giving
someone bad rep over that is just unfair and poor sportsmanship. Please allow
me to reiterate: Conceding is an automatic win for the opponent and only
serves to save BOTH players a lot of time, so you really have nothing to
complain about.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. NEW FEATURES & FAQs
1. New Features
2. Frequently Asked Questions
II. CARD UNLOCK LISTS
1. Claws of Vengeance
2. Hands of Flame
3. Wings of Light
4. Teeth of the Predator
5. Thoughts of Wind
6. Eyes of Shadow
7. Ears of the Elves
8. Scales of Fury
9. Mind of Void
10. Cries of Rage
11. Relics of Doom
l2. Heat of Battle
13. Eons of Evil
14. Heart of Worlds
III SORIN MARKOV'S DECK DECKLIST
IV. NEW DECKS INTRODUCTION AND IN-DEPTH STRATEGY
1. Heat of Battle
2. Eons of Evil
3. Heart of Worlds
V. CHALLENGES
1. Garruk Wildspeaker
2. Garruk Wildspeaker
3. Nicol Bolas
4. Tezzeret the Seeker
5. Sarkhan Vol
VI. ACHIEVEMENTS AND AVATAR AWARDS
1. Everything at Stake
2. Last One Standing
3. Overflowing Harvest
4. T-Shirt
5. Card/Dragon Animation
VII. KNOWN BUGS & GLITCHES
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. NEW FEATURES & FAQS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. NEW FEATURES
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- 3 new unlockable cards for each of the previous decks (see II)
- 3 new playable decks (see II)
- 3 new Achievements (see VI)
- 2 avatar awards (see VI)
- 5 new challenges (see V)
- 8 new campaign battles
- 4 new co-op campaign battles
- 2 new planeswalkers to battle (Rhys the Redeemed and the new boss Sorin
Markov)
- A new Xbox LIVE game option (Xbox LIVE Party). This allows you to see what
everyone in your party is currently doing in the game. It will display the
game mode they are currently playing and their life total. The option does not
seem to have any useful functionality beyond that, although this might be
useful for hosting tournaments. However, it is now also possible to invite
your entire party into your lobby by simply pressing the left trigger.
- A new option setting (Auto Resolution). This will make spells and triggered
abilities resolve much faster. It is turned on by default and recommended.
- The ability to trigger abilities which can be activated more than once
multiple times at once. This is done via selectable numbers, just like with
spells like Blaze.
- Numbers indicating the amount of lands of each colour on the battlefield,
once they start overlapping.
- Lots of new loading screen artwork!
- Longer loading times.
- A whole host of new glitches with the new spells (see section VII).
- It is now also possible to buy full unlocks for all the original and EP1
decks from the Xbox marketplace at a cost of 80 MP per deck. Full unlocks are
not available for the 3 new decks.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: How do I unlock Sorin Markov's vampire deck?
A: You can't. Just like you couldn't unlock the Eons of Evil deck of the
previous boss, Nicol Bolas, in EP1, you can't unlock Sorin Markov's deck in
EP2 either. It is likely that it will be unlocked in the next expansion, just
like Nicol Bolas' deck was unlocked in this expansion.
Q: I can't beat Sorin Markov in the campaign mode, what should I do?
A: See section VI, under the first achievement.
Q: Is it finally possible to truly play Two-Headed-Giant games online, meaning
that the two players on each team don't need to use the same console?
A: The answer to that, unfortunately, is "no".
Q: Is it possible to customize your decks more now by removing more than just
the unlockable cards?
A: Again, the answer unfortunately is "no".
Q: How do I complete the Overflowing Harvest achievement?
A: See section VI.
Q: How do I unlock the avatar awards?
A: See section VI.
Q: How did you manage to get the decklist for Sorin Markov's deck?
A: I milled him over and over with Mind of Void and wrote down the cards in
his graveyard and playing field. Please note that I eventually managed to mill
him down to 0 cards in his library and hand and that my list is therefore 100%
accurate. If you think there is a mistake in it, you are wrong, sorry, no
offence intended :).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
II. CARD UNLOCK LISTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. CLAWS OF VENGEANCE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Lightning Helix (Instant, WR)
Lightning Helix deals 3 damage to target creature or player and you gain 3
life.
2. Kor Sanctifiers (Creature - Kor Cleric 2/3, 2W)
Kicker {W}
When Kor Sanctifiers enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, destroy target
artifact or enchantment.
3. Titanic Ultimatum (Sorcery, WWRRGGG)
Until end of turn, creatures you control get +5/+5 and gain first strike,
lifelink, and trample.
Summary:
Perhaps because it was quite weak to start with, CoV got some very good new
cards. Lightning Helix is a cheap and versatile, excellent spell. Kor
Sanctifiers is a decent creature and doubles up as some much needed utility,
both at great mana efficiency. Titanic Ultimatum is an extremely powerful
spell that is likely to win you the game. However, unfortunately even Titanic
Ultimatum still doesn't make the deck as a whole worth playing.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. HANDS OF FLAME
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Goblin Artillery (Creature - Goblin Warrior 1/3, 1RR)
{T}: Goblin Artillery deals 2 damage to target creature or player and 3 damage
to you.
2. Claws of Valakut (Enchantment - Aura, 1RR)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+0 for each Mountain you control and has first
strike.
3. Goblin Chieftain (Creature - Goblin 2/2, 1RR)
Haste
Other Goblin creatures you control get +1/+1 and have haste.
Summary:
Since the new Heat of Battle deck kind of makes this one obsolete, they seem
to be trying to turn it into more of a goblin deck. With very limited success
though. Goblin Artillery is not a great card at all, it can be useful but is
very situational. Claws of Valakut is really good, as the combination of a
high power boost and first strike is quite deadly. Goblin Chieftain is a very
strong card and fits the deck well, but at the end of the day, two more
goblins are not going to suddenly turn the deck into a proper goblin deck.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. WINGS OF LIGHT
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Excommunicate (Sorcery, 2W)
Put target creature on top of its owner's library.
2. Kor Sanctifiers (Creature - Kor Cleric 2/3, 2W)
Kicker {W}
When Kor Sanctifiers enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, destroy target
artifact or enchantment.
3. Baneslayer Angel (Creature - Angel 5/5, 3WW)
Flying, first strike, lifelink, protection from Demons and from Dragons
Summary:
WoL got some pretty decent unlocks, although none of them are terribly
exciting or add anything new to the deck. Excommunicate and Kor Sanctifiers
are both useful and fit the deck well, while Baneslayer Angel is a very
powerful creature at a mere 5 mana. Especially when you consider that many of
the most powerful creatures in the game are dragons and demons.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. TEETH OF THE PREDATOR
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Primeval Light (Sorcery, 3G)
Destroy all enchantments target player controls.
2. Bestial Menace (Sorcery, 3GG)
Put a 1/1 green Snake creature token, a 2/2 green Wolf creature token, and a
3/3 green Elephant creature token onto the battlefield.
3. Beastmaster Ascension (Enchantment, 2G)
Whenever a creature you control attacks, you may put a quest counter on
Beastmaster Ascension.
As long as Beastmaster Ascension has seven or more quest counters on it,
creatures you control get +5/+5.
DECK CHANGES:
Removed: Wyrm's Tooth
Added: Karplusan Strider
Summary:
On average, the TotP unlocks are pretty solid, though not all that great
either. Primeval Light is a useful addition to a deck that, for some reason,
never had any Naturalizes to start with. Considering its mana cost, Bestial
Menace isn't all that great though. Beastmaster Ascension can be a pretty
powerful card, if you can get out early enough that is.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. THOUGHTS OF WIND
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Into the Roil (Instant, 1U)
Kicker {1}{U}
Return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand. If Into the Roil was
kicked, draw a card.
2. Divination (Sorcery, 2U)
Draw two cards.
3. Sphinx of Lost Truths (Creature - Sphinx 3/5, 3UU)
Kicker {1}{U}
Flying
When Sphinx of Lost Truths enters the battlefield, draw three cards. Then if
it wasn't kicked, discard three cards.
Summary:
There isn't really much to say about the ToW unlocks. They are all pretty
average, fitting the deck well, but falling well short of being terribly
exciting. Into the Roil is essentially another Boomerang and Divination a
cheaper Tidings. Sphinx of lost Truths is not bad, but you would almost never
want to cast it without paying the kicker cost and at 7 mana, it is quite
costly.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. EYES OF SHADOW
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Hideous End (Instant, 1BB)
Destroy target nonblack creature. Its controller loses 2 life.
2. Cunning Lethemancer (Creature - Human Wizard 2/2, 2B)
At the beginning of your upkeep, each player discards a card.
3. Xathrid Demon (Creature - Demon 7/7, 3BBB)
Flying, trample
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice a creature other than Xathrid
Demon, then each opponent loses life equal to the sacrificed creature's power.
If you can't sacrifice a creature, tap Xathrid Demon and you lose 7 life.
Summary:
The EoS unlocks may appear pretty cool at first sight, but under closer
inspection they are actually not that great. Hideous End is basically another
Terror but you can never have too many of those (unless you are playing
against black), so no complaints there. The Cunning Lethemancer is highly
situational. Keep in mind that you have to discard as well! You'll seldom
want to play it unless you've got one or two Megrims out or no cards in your
hand. The Xathrid Demon is an extremely double edged sword, it can just as
easily end up losing you the game as winning it. You should never play it
against decks that have a lot of burn/creature removal, as one Pyroclasm or
Earthquake or two Incinerates/Terminates can easily mean Game Over for you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. EARS OF THE ELVES
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Nissa's Chosen (Creature - Elf Warrior 2/3, GG)
If Nissa's Chosen would be put into a graveyard from the battlefield, put it
on the bottom of its owner's library instead.
2. Elvish Eulogist (Creature - Elf Shaman 1/1, G)
Sacrifice Elvish Eulogist: You gain 1 life for each Elf card in your
graveyard.
3. Immaculate Magistrate (Creature - Elf Shaman 2/2, 3G)
{T}: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature for each Elf you control.
Summary:
EotE really got the short end of the stick when it comes to unlocks, probably
because it already was one of the strongest decks in the game. There isn't
even a single new card in there. Nissa's Chosen is just another Elvish Warrior
with a useless ability and I don't even know what to say about them deciding
to put another Elvish Eulogist in there. Immaculate Magistrate almost makes up
for the previous two unlocks, being a very strong card. It's not exactly
terribly exciting though.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. SCALES OF FURY
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Beast Hunt (Sorcery, 3G)
Reveal the top three cards of your library. Put all creature cards revealed
this way into your hand and the rest into your graveyard.
2. Scarland Thrinax (Creature - Lizard 2/2, BRG)
Sacrifice a creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on Scarland Thrinax.
3. Vampiric Dragon (Creature - Vampire Dragon 5/5, 6BR)
Flying
Whenever a creature dealt damage by Vampiric Dragon this turn is put into a
graveyard, put a +1/+1 counter on Vampiric Dragon.
{1}{R}: Vampiric Dragon deals 1 damage to target creature.
Summary:
SoF got some great unlocks, except for Beast Hunt, anyway. It is a very
situational card that can end up biting you in the butt just as much as it can
be helpful, plus it doesn't even fit the deck very well. I would even consider
taking it out. Scarland Thrinax is great because it finally gives you
something to do with all those tokens the deck can generate. Remember that
it's an instant ability, so you can boost him after blockers have been
declared or sacrifice creatures to him your opponent is about to destroy
anyway. The Vampiric Dragon is just awesome, a very powerful card indeed!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. MIND OF VOID
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Tome Scour (Sorcery, U)
Target player puts the top five cards of his or her library into his or her
graveyard.
2. Dispel (Instant, U)
Counter target instant spell.
3. Planar Cleansing (Sorcery, 3WWW)
Destroy all nonland permanents.
DECK CHANGES:
Removed: Persuation x2
Added: Counterbore x2
Summary:
The MoV unlocks are actually a bit better than they might appear at first.
They fit the deck really well and while Tome Scour and Dispel may seem kinda
weak, you have to take into account that they only cost a measly one mana.
From a mana-efficiency viewpoint, they are actually excellent cards. Planar
Cleansing is debateable. While it's a very powerful card at just 6 mana for
what it does, it's also quite situational, as it destroys your walls and
Memory Erosions as well. However, it is not that uncommon for some decks to
amass a creature presence that is too plentiful for your walls and counters to
handle and it such situations Planar Cleansing is really going to save your
life. It's usually a good idea to only play as many permanents as you have to
when you got it in your hand already. This way you can play it with abandon
and simply put out some more permanents afterwards, which your opponent might
not be able to do.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. CRIES OF RAGE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Goblin Balloon Brigade (Creature - Goblin Warrior 1/1, R)
{R}: Goblin Balloon Brigade gains flying until end of turn.
2. Colossal Might (Instant, RG)
Target creature gets +4/+2 and gains trample until end of turn.
3. Stonebrow, Krosan Hero (Legendary Creature - Centaur Warrior 4/4, 3RG)
Trample
Whenever a creature you control with trample attacks, it gets +2/+2 until end
of turn.
Summary:
CoR is a bit of a mixed bag, but on the whole got some rather good cards.
While Goblin Balloon Brigade is utterly useless, I have no idea what they were
thinking, Colossal Might and Stonebrow are excellent cards that fit the deck
very well. Stonebrow obviously has great synergy with the Bramblewood Paragons
and Colossal Might adds to that as well and is a great little surprise card in
itself. As for the Goblin Balloon Brigade, I wouldn't even bother putting that
in the deck.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. RELICS OF DOOM
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Executioner's Capsule (Artifact, B)
{1}{B}, {T}, Sacrifice Executioner's Capsule: Destroy target nonblack
creature.
2. Font of Mythos (Artifact, 4)
At the beginning of each player's draw step, that player draws two additional
cards.
3. Master of Etherium (Artifact Creature - Vedalken Wizard */*, 2U)
Master of Etherium's power and toughness are each equal to the number of
artifacts you control.
Other artifact creatures you control get +1/+1.
DECK CHANGES:
Removed: Fountain of Youth, Onyx Goblet
Added: Leonin Scimitar x2
Summary:
While the RoD unlocks aren't quite as bad as the EotE unlocks, they certainly
aren't any more interesting or exciting. Executioner's Capsule is basically
yet another Terror, although if you get it out early against a deck not
capable of destroying artifacts, you might just deter your opponent from
playing any good creatures at all. If he does play a good one, there is a fair
chance he's got an even better one in his hand. Font of Mythos is alright, but
if the deck really needed another Howling mine is questionable. Master of
Etherium is great, of course, but again not terribly exciting.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. HEAT OF BATTLE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Act of Treason (Sorcery, 2R)
Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap that creature. It
gains haste until end of turn.
2. Heat Ray (Instant, XR)
Heat Ray deals X damage to target creature.
3. Wall of Fire (Creature - Wall 0/5, 1RR)
Defender
{R}: Wall of Fire gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
4. Inferno Elemental (Creature - Elemental 4/4, 4RR)
Whenever Inferno Elemental blocks or becomes blocked by a creature, Inferno
Elemental deals 3 damage to that creature.
5. Pyroclasm (Sorcery, 1R)
Pyroclasm deals 2 damage to each creature.
6. Quest for Pure Flame (Enchantment, R)
Whenever a source you control deals damage to an opponent, you may put a quest
counter on Quest for Pure Flame.
Remove four quest counters from Quest for Pure Flame and sacrifice it: If any
source you control would deal damage to a creature or player this turn, it
deals double that damage to that creature or player instead.
7. Dragon's Claw (Artifact, 2)
Whenever a player casts a red spell, you may gain 1 life.
8. Blaze (Sorcery, XR)
Blaze deals X damage to target creature or player.
9. Vicious Shadows (Enchantment, 6R)
Whenever a creature is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may have
Vicious Shadows deal damage to target player equal to the number of cards in
that player's hand.
10. Insurrection (Sorcery, 5RRR)
Untap all creatures and gain control of them until end of turn. They gain
haste until end of turn.
11. Magma Rift (Sorcery, 2R)
As an additional cost to cast Magma Rift, sacrifice a land.
Magma Rift deals 5 damage to target creature.
12. Dragon's Claw (Artifact, 2)
Whenever a player casts a red spell, you may gain 1 life.
13. Torch Slinger (Creature - Goblin Shaman 2/2, 2R)
Kicker {1}{R}
When Torch Slinger enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, it deals 2 damage
to target creature.
14. Blaze (Sorcery, XR)
Blaze deals X damage to target creature or player.
15. Flame Wave (Sorcery, 3RRRR)
Flame Wave deals 4 damage to target player and each creature he or she
controls.
Summary:
HoB is a pretty straightforward burn deck. It has enough burn to kill off most
to all of your opponents key creatures and still has some to spare to use on
him. This is supplemented by creatures with burn abilities. You'll obviously
want to try to use the creature-only burn spells on them and save the general
ones for your opponent. This deck is all about using your burn spells
optimally. You really have to think about which creatures to burn, when to
burn your opponent and which spells to use and which ones to save. Cards to
remove are, as always, the two Dragon's Claws and also Vicious Shadows, as
it's too expensive in the first place and by the time you can cast it, your
opponent is likely to have no cards in his hand anyway. For in-depth
strategies, see section IV (coming up).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. EONS OF EVIL
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Vein Drinker (Creature - Vampire 4/4, 4BB)
Flying
{R}, {T}: Vein Drinker deals damage equal to its power to target creature.
That creature deals damage equal to its power to Vein Drinker.
Whenever a creature dealt damage by Vein Drinker this turn is put into a
graveyard, put a +1/+1 counter on Vein Drinker.
2. Zombify (Sorcery, 3B)
Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
3. Countersquall (Instant, UB)
Counter target noncreature spell. Its controller loses 2 life.
4. Goblin Outlander (Creature - Goblin Scout 2/2, BR)
Protection from white
5. Deathbringer Thoctar (Creature - Zombie Beast 3/3, 4BR)
Whenever another creature is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you
may put a +1/+1 counter on Deathbringer Thoctar.
Remove a +1/+1 counter from Deathbringer Thoctar: Deathbringer Thoctar deals 1
damage to target creature or player.
6. Undermine (Instant, UUB)
Counter target spell. Its controller loses 3 life.
7. Terminate (Instant, BR)
Destroy target creature. It can't be regenerated.
8. Merfolk Looter (Creature - Merfolk Rogue 1/1, 1U)
{T}: Draw a card, then discard a card.
9. Traumatize (Sorcery, 3UU)
Target player puts the top half of his or her library, rounded down, into his
or her graveyard.
10. Rorix Bladewing (Legendary Creature - Dragon 6/5, 3RRR)
Flying, haste
11. Act of Treason (Sorcery, 2R)
Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap that creature. It
gains haste until end of turn.
12. Zombie Outlander (Creature - Zombie Scout 2/2, UB)
Protection from green
13. Shadowmage Infiltrator (Creature - Human Wizard 1/3, 1UB)
Fear
Whenever Shadowmage Infiltrator deals combat damage to a player, you may draw
a card.
14. Hidden Horror (Creature - Horror 4/4, 1BB)
When Hidden Horror enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless you discard a
creature card.
15. Nicol Bolas Legendary (Creature - Elder Dragon 7/7, 2UUBBRR)
Flying
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice Nicol Bolas unless you pay
{U}{B}{R}.
Whenever Nicol Bolas deals damage to an opponent, that player discards his or
her hand.
Summary:
EoE is essentially a re-animator deck. The idea behind it is to discard your
big creatures on turn 3 or 4 with a Hidden Horror or Grixis Battlemage, then
use Zombify to put them straight into play on turn 4 or 5. You can actually
manage this more often than you might think, but even if you don't, it has
some other tricks up its sleeve. It contains a fair amount of creature removal
and even 2 counter spells. Deathbringer Thoctar and Vein Drinker are extremely
powerful cards for continuously killing off your opponents creatures and
building up combos with. Be wary of the demons though, you should almost
always chose one of the other big creatures to Zombify over them. Especially
Xathrid Demon is an incredibly risky card that is as likely to lose you the
game as to win it. It should never be played against decks with lots of
burn/creature removal, as one Pyroclasm or Earthquake is likely to spell Game
Over for you. Cards to remove are the Merfolk Looter and Traumatize. You don't
really need the looter with 4 Battlemages already in there. As for Traumatize,
in this deck it's actually not meant to be played on your opponent's library
(which would be pointless) but your own to get creatures to Zombify! However
this is a very risky approach that can hurt as much as benefit you and I would
not recommend it. You might also want to remove the two Outlanders, although
at only 2 mana for a 2/2 creature with protection, they are not without merit
and also make excellent demon fodder. For in-depth strategies, see section IV
(coming up).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14. HEART OF WORLDS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Cliff Threader (Creature - Kor Scout 2/1, 1W)
Mountainwalk
2. Marsh Threader (Creature - Kor Scout 2/1, 1W)
Swampwalk
3. Nimbus Wings (Enchantment - Aura, 1W)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+2 and has flying.
4. Frontier Guide (Creature - Elf Scout 1/1, 1G)
{3}{G}, {T}: Search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the
battlefield tapped. Then shuffle your library.
5. Harrow (Instant, 2G)
As an additional cost to cast Harrow, sacrifice a land.
Search your library for up to two basic land cards and put them onto the
battlefield. Then shuffle your library.
6. Oran-Rief Recluse (Creature - Spider 1/3, 2G)
Kicker {2}{G}
Reach (This creature can block creatures with flying.)
When Oran-Rief Recluse enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, destroy
target creature with flying.
7. Grazing Gladehart (Creature - Antelope 2/2, 2G)
Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may
gain 2 life.
8. Baloth Woodcrasher (Creature - Beast 4/4, 4GG)
Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, Baloth
Woodcrasher gets +4/+4 and gains trample until end of turn.
9. Windborne Charge (Sorcery, 2WW)
Two target creatures you control each get +2/+2 and gain flying until end of
turn.
10. Great Sable Stag (Creature - Elk 3/3, 1GG)
Great Sable Stag can't be countered.
Protection from blue and from black
11. Divine Verdict (Instant, 3W)
Destroy target attacking or blocking creature.
12. Oran-Rief Recluse (Creature - Spider 1/3, 2G)
Kicker {2}{G}
Reach (This creature can block creatures with flying.)
When Oran-Rief Recluse enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, destroy
target creature with flying.
13. Recumbent Bliss (Enchantment - Aura, 2W)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can't attack or block.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may gain 1 life.
14. Baloth Woodcrasher (Creature - Beast 4/4, 4GG)
Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, Baloth
Woodcrasher gets +4/+4 and gains trample until end of turn.
15. Emeria Angel (Creature - Angel 3/3, 2WW)
Flying
Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may
put a 1/1 white Bird creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
Summary:
HoW is a landfall deck that revolves around strengthening your creatures by
playing multiple lands per turn through the use of spells like Harrow or
Revolving Wilds. What a lot of people don't realize is that you can even cast
some of these spells, like Harrow or the Frontier Guide's ability, on your
opponents turn. While most of the time you are probably better off using them
during an attack, you can really catch an opponent off-guard with an
unexpected block because most people just don't expect you to play land on
their turn. While it can be beneficial to play your Harrows early if you got a
lot of small creatures on your hand, you are usually better off saving them
for when they are going to make a difference, i.e. when you have creatures
out that benefit from multiple landfall or during an opponents attack. Playing
them just to get another land out tends to waste a lot of their potential.
Revolving Wilds should always be saved up unless you are really mana-screwed.
Cards to take out are the Marsh and Cliff Threader, as they are simply too
match-up dependent. Unless you are playing red or black, you'll always rather
draw a Steppe Lynx, Fledgling Griffin or Snapping Creeper, and even if you do
play them, you'd probably still do. For in-depth strategies, see section IV
(coming up).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
III SORIN MARKOV'S DECK DECKLIST
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Guul Draz Vampire x3 (Creature - Vampire Rogue 1/1, B)
As long as an opponent has 10 or less life, Guul Draz Vampire gets +2/+1 and
has intimidate.
2. Pulse Tracker x4 (Creature - Vampire Rogue 1/1, B)
Whenever Pulse Tracker attacks, each opponent loses 1 life.
3. Vampire Lacerator x2 (Creature - Vampire Warrior 2/2, B)
At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life unless an opponent has 10 or
less life.
4. Child of Night x4 (Creature - Vampire 2/1, 1B)
Lifelink
5. Blood Seeker x2 (Creature - Vampire Shaman 1/1, 1B)
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, you
may have that player lose 1 life.
6. Vampire Nighthawk x4 (Creature - Vampire Shaman 2/3, 1BB)
Flying
Deathtouch
Lifelink
7. Vampire Nocturnus x3 (Creature - Vampire 3/3, 1BBB)
Play with the top card of your library revealed.
As long as the top card of your library is black, Vampire Nocturnus and other
Vampire creatures you control get +2/+1 and have flying.
8. Malakir Bloodwitch x2 (Creature - Vampire Shaman 4/4, 3BB)
Flying, protection from white
When Malakir Bloodwitch enters the battlefield, each opponent loses life equal
to the number of Vampires you control. You gain life equal to the life lost
this way.
9. Anowon, the Ruin Sage x1 (Legendary Creature - Vampire Shaman 4/3, 3BB)
At the beginning of your upkeep, each player sacrifices a non-Vampire
creature.
10. Disfigure x4 (Instant, B)
Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn.
11. Feast of Blood x2 (Sorcery, 1B)
Cast Feast of Blood only if you control two or more Vampires.
Destroy target creature. You gain 4 life.
12. Hideous End x2 (Instant, 1BB)
Destroy target nonblack creature. Its controller loses 2 life.
13. Disentomb x2 (Sorcery, B)
Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
14. Sanguine Bond x1 (Enchantment, 3BB)
Whenever you gain life, target opponent loses that much life.
15. Swamp x24 (Basic Land - Swamp)
Summary:
SMD is a straightforward vampire deck that is unique in this game because it's
a finely tuned 60 card deck that is almost at a tournament standard (except
for the lack of Bloodghasts and an ability to make sure a black card is at the
top of your deck). As such it is very hard to beat and completely wipes the
floor with all of the other decks. For this reason it is very unlikely that it
will be unlocked in the next expansion without being heavily nerfed. Please
note that I managed to mill Sorin down to 0 cards in his hand and library to
make this list. It is therefore 100% accurate.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV. NEW DECKS INTRODUCTION AND IN-DEPTH STRATEGY (COMING SOON)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. HEAT OF BATTLE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Strategies:
Notable cards and combos:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. EONS OF EVIL
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Strategies:
Notable cards and combos:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. HEART OF WORLDS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Strategies:
Notable cards and combos:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
V. CHALLENGES
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. GARRUK WILDSPEAKER
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mild spoiler hints:
Disable "Simplified Targeting" in the game settings to be able to cast
negative spells on your own creatures.
Step by step walkthrough:
- Play Swamp.
- Equip Blade of the Bloodchief on Vampire Nighthawk.
- Play Feast of Blood on Giant Spider.
- Play Disfigure on Ruthless Cullblade
- Play another Disfigure on second Ruthless Cullblade
- Attack with Vampire Nighthawk.
Explanation:
The key card to this challenge is Sanguine Bond, which effectively doubles all
damage done by the Vampire Nighthawk, since he has lifelink. It will also do 4
damage to Garruk when playing Feast of Blood on his Giant Spider, which you
need to do to remove the only blocker he has capable of blocking the Vampire
Nighthawk. He is now at 16 life, meaning you need to get the Vampire Nighthawk
to 8 power to kill him. You can achieve this by equipping the Blade of the
Bloodchief on him and killing three creatures, including the Giant Spider.
But you do not have enough mana to kill 2 more of your opponents creatures
with the spells in your hand. The only way to do it is to cast the Disfigures
on your own creatures, who have a low enough toughness to be killed by them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. GARRUK WILDSPEAKER
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mild spoiler hints:
Using two cards in your hand, you can turn Maro into a truly frightening
Beast! Then you just need to find a way of getting that damage past Garruk's
Duskdale Wurm.
Step by step walkthrough:
- Play Selective Memory and remove all cards.
- Play Treasure Hunt.
- Play Forest.
- Play Primal Frenzy on Maro.
- Attack with Maro.
Explanation:
You can first remove all non-lands from your library by playing Selective
Memory and then play Treasure Hunt to draw your entire library, since there
are now only lands left in it. This will turn Maro into a mighty 31/31
creature. Since you did not play a land yet, you can use one of all those
forests you just drew to play Primal Frenzy on him. This gives him the trample
ability, which means that even if Garruk blocks with his Duskdale Wurm, he
will still take 12 points of damage, just enough to kill him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. NICOL BOLAS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mild spoiler hints:
It's impossible to solve this challenge by just looking at the visible cards.
You'll have to take a look at your library with the cards at your disposal.
Also, this challenge cannot be won by conventional means. You'll have to use a
very unique method of ending the game to beat it.
Step by step walkthrough:
- Play and use Evolving Wilds, taking any land.
- Play Excommunicate on Phage the Untouchable.
- Play Brainstorm, keeping Polymorph and putting any two cards back.
- Play Polymorph on Darksteel Colossus.
Explanation:
You will solve this challenge by forcing your opponent to bring Phage the
Untouchable into play directly from his library through the use of Polymorph,
which will cause him to lose the game. However, Polymorph is the 4th card in
your library and you do not have enough mana to draw it with Tidings. So you
need to use Evolving Wilds first to remove the land in front of it. Polymorph
is now the 3rd card in your library and you can draw it with Brainstorm,
leaving you enough mana to solve the challenge. The only way to know this is
to first play Tidings on your library and then restart the challenge. Now you
can play Excommunicate on Phage, thus making sure that it will be brought into
play when you cast Polymorph. You need to cast Polymorph on the Darksteel
Colossus because it is indestructible. If you try to cast it on any other
creature, Nicol Bolas will destroy it with the Executioner's Capsule, making
Polymorph fizzle.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. TEZZERET THE SEEKER
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mild spoiler hints:
The key to this challenge is not which cards to play, but WHEN to play them.
Step by step walkthrough:
- End your turn without doing anything.
- End your turn without doing anything. Do NOT play Lorthos.
- At the end of Tezzeret's turn, play Lorthos.
- Play Island.
- Attack with Lorthos, tapping eight of Tezzeret's Islands.
- AFTER the tapping has resolved, play Unsummon on Platinum Angel.
Explanation:
This is another challenge that can't be solved on the first try, this time
because you do not know what Tezzeret holds in his hand. He has an
Excommunicate and a Cancel, which means that Lorthos is useless to you if
played by normal means. Tezzeret will either Cancel it or have an opportunity
to use Excommunicate on it before it can attack. But he can't Cancel it if
brought into play by Quest for Ula's Temple, as it was not technically cast.
He also can't use Excommunicate on it during your turn, as it is a Sorcery.
All of this does you no good if you play Lorthos via QfUT at the end of YOUR
turn though, as it will have summoning sickness and Tezzeret can simply
Excommunicate it on his next turn before it can attack. However, if you bring
it into play at the end of HIS turn, it won't have summoning sickness anymore
at the start of your turn and you can attack with it. Now you just need to get
rid of the Platinum Angel by casting Unsummon on it. But you already know that
Tezzeret will simply Cancel it, so you have to attack with Lorthos first and
use his special ability to make sure that he won't have enough mana to do so.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. SARKHAN VOL
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mild Spoiler hints
This challenge contains a lot of red herrings. You need to find and play the
one creature that will allow you to kill Sarkhan outside of combat.
Step by step walkthrough:
- Play Summoner's Pact, taking Seedbare Muse.
- Use the Elvish Piper to bring Seedbare Muse into play.
- Play Eladamri's Call, taking Plated Geopede.
- Play Plated Geopede.
- End your turn.
- When Sarkhan Vol attempts to play Blaze, stop the timer.
- Play Harrow, sacrificing a TAPPED land and taking two mountains.
- Stop the timer again and play another Harrow, sacrificing and taking any
land.
- Wait for the Harrows to resolve and sacrifice Khalni Heart Expedition once 3
counters are on it, taking any land.
- Wait for all the landfall effects to resolve, until Plated Geopede reaches
13/13, and quickly stop the timer again.
- Play Fling, first targeting Sarkhan Vol and then using Plated Geopede.
Explanation:
There are actually two ways to solve this challenge, the one I'm using is
slightly more complicated. You could also skip the first two steps and simply
bring the Plated Geopede into play with the Elvish Piper. This will leave you
enough mana to kill Sarkhan on your turn. It's a lot less hassle, but also
less interesting. This is actually one of the easiest challenges to do if you
use the simple way, they should have given you 2 less mana, then my method
would be the only possible solution. Anyway, with 7 mana available, all you
have to is get the Plated Geopede, play it and then pump it to 13/13 using the
two Harrows and Khalni Heart Expedition. If you only sacrifice tapped lands,
you'll still have 2 left over to cast Fling and thus do 13 damage to him -
easy. With only 5 mana at your disposal, you would not be able to cast all the
required spells on your turn, therefore you would need the Seedbare Muse to
untap all your lands on your opponents turn and play them then.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VI. ACHIEVEMENTS AND AVATAR AWARDS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Everything at Stake: Defeated Sorin Markov in the single-player campaign
(Expansion 2)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorin can be quite a tough opponent to beat, since his deck so much better
constructed than any of the playable decks. You will need a hefty dose of luck
to beat him, so expect it to take a few tries. The best deck to use is
probably HoB, even when it's not fully unlocked. Just burn all his key
creatures, like Vampire Nocturnus and Vampire Nighthawk, and burn him with
anything you can spare. Alternatively you can try burning all of his creatures
and finishing him off with your own. WoL, or EotE can work pretty good as
well, but are more reliant on getting their killer combos out. WoL has lots of
decent flying blockers, Holy Days, Pacifys and life gain to stall him. Then
you just need to draw a Mass Calcify and finish him off. Voice of All and
Paladin en-Vec are also very useful, since they have protection from black.
EotE can work extremely well if you manage to get more elves out then he has
vampires and play a Coat of Arms. It also has useful creature removal against
his key creatures, but is weak to his flyers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Last One Standing: Won a 3- or 4-player Xbox LIVE match.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This one is pretty self explanatory, just play 3-player matches until you win
one. They tend to be easier to win than 4-player matches. Good decks to use in
3 Player matches are WoL, EotE, EoS, SoF or TotP. To get this easily, just
invite 2 friends into a player match and have them concede.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Overflowing Harvest: Put 8 lands onto the battlefield in one turn.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This one is pretty tough to achieve during a normal match, but luckily there
is a much simpler way of doing it. Simply play the last challenge, it has
everything available you need and will give you the achievement. First play
the two Harrows in your hand, sacrificing TAPPED lands and taking mainly
forests. Then sacrifice the Khalni Heart Expedition. Then cast Summoner's Pact
and take an Eternal Witness. Bring it into play using the Elvish Piper and
return a Harrow to your hand. Then just play the Harrow and voilà, achievement
unlocked. If you do not have access to challenge 5 yet, you might also try
playing a player match against a friend with hand size 9 using HoW. Just keep
on drawing cards until you have an Evolving Wilds and enough Harrows or
Farhaven Elves/Kor Cartographers and the mana to play them in one turn. Having
the deck fully unlocked helps, but is not necessary.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. T-shirt avatar award
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a black t-shirt with a white planeswalker logo. It is unlocked after
fully unlocking any three decks in the game.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Card/Dragon animation avatar award
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This will cause your avatar to display a loop animation in which he plays
around with some Magic cards, then throws them onto the ground. Next a small
dragon will rise from the cards, fly around your avatar's head and then pick
up the cards and fly away with them. It is unlocked after fully unlocking any
six decks in the game.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VII. KNOWN BUGS & GLITCHES
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Very noticeable decline in the intelligence of the AI. It has become pretty
common for the AI to cast spells in a way that makes no sense at all and
choose attackers/blockers very poorly. This is most noticeable on the lowest
AI setting but, reportedly, also happens on the higher settings.
- All the demons in EoE share the same sacrifice. So if you have 2 demons out,
sacrificing one creature will satisfy both of them. This means if you
sacrifice one creature with Xathrid and Unx out, you will deal damage and gain
a zombie. You can also sacrifice Unx to himself and will still trigger
Xathrid's ability. Sacrificing one creature with 2 Unx out will give you two
zombies.
- Kicking Into the Roil during an online match will cause the game to freeze
up.
- Playing challenge 2 with the console language set to non-English will cause
the game to crash. You can finish the challenge by setting your console
language to English.
- Dealing damage to an opponent who has Dread in play with a Flamekin Spitfire
will not destroy Flamekin Spitfire.
- When multiple landfall abilities trigger on multiple creatures, the game
will sometimes miss applying all the landfall abilities correctly.
- Private slots can be taken up by random people.
- It is possible to counter the Great Sable Stag with Cancel.
- Amassing a lot of counters or tokens in Two-Headed-Giant mode can cause the
game to crash.
- When blocking an attacker with multiple blockers, the game will sometimes
start syncing up and freeze momentarily, after which one or more blockers that
were already on their way to the graveyard will suddenly return to play.
CREDITS
Psykechan and The Deadpool for posting the EP2 changes to the original decks
PMan5215 for pointing out the possibility of unlocking the Overflowing Harvest
achievement during challenge 5.
ThermalStone and WingspanTT for providing me with a blueprint on how to
structure this FAQ and formulate a legal disclaimer.
Rokil, WeiPhoenix, Tetsuigardm, Psykechan, ThermalStone, NateTR, Ogogin and
NewMoonShadow for posting bugs and glitches.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER
Copyright 2010 Snow_Crash_ aka Dancing Fool
This guide may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for
personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise
distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on
any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited,
and a violation of copyright.
