A blast from the past: Dancing Gnomes circa 1998: updated for casual 2008

[Media314r8]

// Lands
4 [10E] Terramorphic Expanse
6 [ON] Island (4)
8 [P3] Forest (1)
3 [PT] Swamp (3)
1 [7E] Plains (2)

// Creatures
4 [TE] Tradewind Rider
3 [ON] Ravenous Baloth
4 [CHK] Sakura-Tribe Elder
4 [DIS] Court Hussar
3 [ALA] Fleshbag Marauder
3 [UD] Yavimaya Elder
1 [TSP] Triskelavus
2 [TE] Dauthi Mindripper

// Spells
4 [TE] Corpse Dance
4 [TSP] Spell Burst
3 [FNM] Capsize
3 [EX] Memory Crystal

The basic idea is to use corpse dance with creatures that have sac effects to control the attack phase while using the 7 mana guys (who also work with dance) to accel into a tradewind control deck. Still considering whether to cut the impulsing from the bin hussar for the 2x chump blocker-creating paitaga viper, (as tokens also help with the 'rider plan) but I think hussar does what the deck wants to do in the early game- gives CA while looking for the combo pieces and sitting there with a fat ass to get you into the mid-game. Trik is an alternate win/tradewind token maker, but costs 2B+2 buyback+3 to make 3 flying fanatics, one of which has to sac itself to kill trike if you want to re-use him. After turn 4-6, you never have to do anything at sorcery speed, so capsize and spell burst work well with the crystal to play more of a control role late-game. Thoughts? Suggestions for creatures that play well with the theme and Dance?

[xsockmonkeyx]

http://resources.wizards.com/Magic/Cards/UZ/en-us/Card8808.jpg

[Mordel]

I just clicked on the thread title from the index and apparently forgot that people do post in the casual section more often than I think, sorry if the post seems harsh =/ I think some of the info in it is good for if you want to try to completely dominate other casual decks with another casual deck...especially the buried alive idea.

Dancing gnomes used necro if I recall, which that deck does not. Further more, it also had vampiric tutors and was mono black too if my memory does not fail me. The two last factors made it consistent and the first factor made it a competitor. Your suggested list will never be able to compete with decks that fill the tier one and two...likely tier three's ranks.

Run duals, fetches, shocks or painlands(depending on what your budget is like). Expensive spells that make you tap out require force of will or disruption to protect them.

Either way, I am not trying to sound like a complete asshole or anything, but if reanimator is sort of a "meh" deck and it boasts creatures that end the game in three turns or less sometimes and is fairly consistent, where on earth does that leave a deck that is almost entirely composed of utility dorks, a creature that appears in one upper-tier deck that is partially name after said card and it doesn't even run more than two in most cases([e]ATS)?

My best suggestion is make a buried alive deck with with nether ghosts, ashen ghouls and so forth and add newer discard cards and removal...along with the butt gnomes and a few copies of dance and a way to use the three life you gain each turn(no idea what off the top of my head).

If you don't have access to the right lands to make a multicoloured deck work, make a mono-coloured deck. Either way, decks that I see in this section are more often than not decks that can put up a decent fight against at least a few decent established decks in this format if refined and tuned-up...I don't see that happening with the deck posted really.

[Shabbaman]

Corpse dance + Composite golem + Tendrils :)

[Mordel]

Brain freeze might be easier to work though since the it can be cast off of the golemn's last gasp. I used to play a dancing golems deck in extended...it looked something like this:

7 Swamp
1 Flooded Strand
7 Island
4 Polluted Delta
4 Composite Golem
3 Corpse Dance
3 Intuition
3 Brain Freeze
3 Chrome Mox
3 Duress
4 Reanimate
3 Cunning Wish
4 Brainstorm
4 Careful Study
4 Vampiric Tutor
1 Chain of Vapor
2 Exhume

It was really fun, but I don't think it is worth reviving in 1.5, nor do I think it does in the direction that the thread's author is shooting for.

[wolfstorm]

Brain freeze might be easier to work though since the it can be cast off of the golemn's last gasp. I used to play a dancing golems deck in extended...it looked something like this:

7 Swamp
1 Flooded Strand
7 Island
4 Polluted Delta
4 Composite Golem
3 Corpse Dance
3 Intuition
3 Brain Freeze
3 Chrome Mox
3 Duress
4 Reanimate
3 Cunning Wish
4 Brainstorm
4 Careful Study
4 Vampiric Tutor
1 Chain of Vapor
2 Exhume

It was really fun, but I don't think it is worth reviving in 1.5, nor do I think it does in the direction that the thread's author is shooting for.


Seems like it would be tons of fun to play... Might have to try it some time.

[Media314r8]

I was thinking more along the lines of better creatures to replace the 1998 ones with. This is for casual play, and for those of you who have been playing solely legacy for too long, casual decks are meant for you to have fun with. If my opponent is not having fun, I'm not having fun, the deck may be a prison deck, but it is interactive as is, tendrils/brain freeze would not be interactive, it would be search for the combo until I win, gg, fancy another? ... (player lost/ IRL opponent belts you with dice for playing degenerative combo as 'casual.'

I'm replacing gnomes with baloth, as it's on color, efficient, and does what gnomes does, better. I'm also thinking of cutting trike for another mindripper, who is tits hot once you start getting rider/buyback capsize going.

I think that lifeline fits alright in this deck, but is slightly 'unfun,' as it will usually result in you getting all your lands in play, (elder) gaining nigh-infinite life, or doing 2 damage every turn for 3 colorless mana. It's also an artifact, which most casual decks pack answers for, while dance is a re-usable instant, and feels 'more fair.' A lifeline deck seems more fitting as:

4 lifeline
4 mogg fanatic
4 keldon marauders
4 emberwilde augur
4 sakura tribe elder
4 multani's acolyte
4 yavimaya elder
4 ghitu slinger
3 avalanche riders
2 triskillion

23 lands

and hinges on the verge of 'unfun' brokeness, but also loses much of it's potency if it's namesake artifact is destroyed. I like having a fair backup plan, ere my original deck.

I do appreciate the input, and I've already drafted that exact leyline deck in MWS, which I will test and likely use to justify finishing my playset of lifelines. Please remember that it's casual, and is meant to be fun for both players.

[xsockmonkeyx]

There is a local player in LA with a broken ass tier level Lifeline deck. I immediately thought of it when i saw what you were trying to do, because Lifeline is absolutely devastating if you build around it and can get it into play


it also loses much of it's potency if it's namesake artifact is destroyed. I like having a fair backup plan, ere my original deck.

True. Although you do have a chance to sac your stuff in response to "float" some lifeline triggers for EOT. If its your turn then you can replay Leyline if they didnt EOT you, and if it's their turn then you can play another Lifeline on your turn and not miss an end step with triggers.

Check out the Gatherer rulings for Lifeline. It has tons of errata and is a lot more broken than it appears at first, and it works for both players:

* 10/4/2004 If more than one creature is in play and all the creatures in play go to the graveyard at once, then all of them are returned at end of turn. This is because all "leaves play" triggers that check the state of the game do so at the time right before the card left play.
* 10/4/2004 It checks to see if there are any creatures in play controlled by any player at the time the creature is put into the graveyard. If there are, it will put the creature back even if there are no creatures in play at the end of turn.
* 10/4/2004 It fails to bring the creature back if the creature is not still in the graveyard at the end of turn.
* 10/4/2004 It works for all players and has errata to remove the "your graveyard" text.
* 10/4/2004 The creature comes back even if Lifeline leaves play after triggering, but before it resolves.
* 10/4/2004 If multiple creatures are coming back, they come back one at a time, not all at once. This is because Lifeline triggered once for each creature and set up a separate "at end of turn" effect for each.
* 10/4/2004 There is no way to get an infinite loop with this card. This is because "at end of turn" triggers that happen after you start dealing with this turn's "at end of turn" triggers will wait until the following turn to be played.

So: Wrath does nothing (if there is more than 1 creature), Pernicious Deed @ 5+ only kills Lifeline, stuff that dies during your end phase keep coming back. Its nasty.


I was thinking more along the lines of better creatures to replace the 1998 ones with.

Spike Feeder
Kitchen Finks
Mulldrifter
Shriekmaw
Ravenous Baloth
Imperial Recruiter
Wall of Roots
Body Snatcher
SuChi
Gilded Drake
Wall of Blossoms
Elvish Visionary

[jjjoness']

Eternal Witness is actually nice to play around the issue of Lifeline being destroyed. You simply get your Lifeline trigger, and even if they destroy Lifeline, Witness will get it back. Though Witness has a huge Drawback: it can't be sacrificed for Lifeline without an additional outlet.

[Mordel]

As far as I know, the '98 deck was mono black, ran necro and was actually a pretty good deck.

I seem to remember it being more or less strikingly similar to the other necro decks that ran duress, will, rituals, edicts, disk and corrupt/drain life...which by a casual player's standards would be chronically unfun to play against.

Okay, so I just googled it because I was really starting to wonder and I found this:

4 Island
4 Reflecting Pool
3 Rootwater Depths
4 Salt Flats
4 Swamp
4 Thalakos Lowlands


4 Bottle Gnomes
1 Cloudchaser Eagle
2 Dauthi Mindripper
1 Kezzerdrix
4 Manakin
1 Mawcor
3 Staunch Defenders
4 Tradewind Rider

2 Corpse Dance
3 Disenchant
4 Intuition
4 Living Death
4 Lobotomy

A block deck.

[Media314r8]

Spike Feeder
Kitchen Finks
Mulldrifter
Shriekmaw
Ravenous Baloth
Imperial Recruiter
Wall of Roots
Body Snatcher
SuChi
Gilded Drake
Wall of Blossoms
Elvish Visionary

only baloth and feeder have built in sac outlets, and baloth the superior IMO. the other guys would be RFG EOT by dance, the idea behind the deck is to get around that clause, by saccing hasty shadow guy to have your opponent pitch his hand, or block->sac for life, or block->sac for lands/draw. Also, with lifeline, the evoke creatures have some synergy with it, but look at my initial list for a lifeline deck: all the guys have a sac ability or echo- allowing re-use every turn or every other turn. I think witness probably deserves a spot in the lifeline deck, (if nothing more than to recover the lifeline or guys who died before lifeline) but not in dancing gnomes.

[xsockmonkeyx]

Yeah, well, you named all the good ones already. :tongue: I still think Feeder is superior. +2/+2 and an extra mana to play it doesnt really compare to the abillity to move counters IMO.

If you added a few Goblin Bombardment then you get a universal sac outlet/win con. Might be fun IDK.

[Media314r8]

no offense, but +1/+1 counters seems pretty useless/win more in a deck that plans on its critters bouncing in and out of the GY (the lifeline deck) or win more in a deck that wins by bouncing/discarding all its opponents permanents.

[Mordel]

If you really want to bounce every permanent your opponent has in a hurry, consider making a budget trade/awake deck.

[xsockmonkeyx]

no offense, but +1/+1 counters seems pretty useless/win more in a deck that plans on its critters bouncing in and out of the GY (the lifeline deck) or win more in a deck that wins by bouncing/discarding all its opponents permanents.

What is to be offended about? Its just magic.

Anyway I had the thought that Cabal Therapy would be pretty awesome in theory.

[Waikiki]

I've been toying with this deck for casual and this is what I came up with.

// Deck file for Magic Workstation (http://www.magicworkstation.com)

// Lands
4 [RAV] Golgari Rot Farm
4 [TO] Tainted Wood
9 [PT] Swamp (3)
6 [PT] Forest (3)

// Creatures
1 [RAV] Grave-Shell Scarab
2 [TE] Gravedigger
1 [ON] Doomed Necromancer
2 [RAV] Savra, Queen of the Golgari
3 [RAV] Vulturous Zombie
4 [TE] Bottle Gnomes
1 [UL] Phyrexian Plaguelord
2 [ALA] Fleshbag Marauder
2 [TE] Dauthi Mindripper
4 [CHK] Sakura-Tribe Elder
2 [ON] Ravenous Baloth
1 [LE] Seedborn Muse

// Spells
2 [OD] Malevolent Awakening
2 [TE] Corpse Dance
3 [TO] Dawn of the Dead
4 [RAV] Putrefy
1 [UD] Attrition

Dawn of the dead seems way better then corpse dance imo.