On a regular basis, usually the first or second Friday of the month, our Knowledge Vault segment attempts to (somewhat satirically) Crack into the Vault of the best Old School 93/94 cards that you (probably) aren’t playing. This month, we unveil Banshee to prove to you that it’s more than just Farmer Joe under a bed sheet.
You might remember that last month’s $40 Erhnamgeddon list didn’t do so great. However, April went much better. After cutting the White for Red, my Erhnam & Burn ‘Em list went on to take Highest Unpowered at Hartfordfestivalen. Hot off of that finish, I took a swing at the NEOS April Monthly with essentially the same deck.
On the First Friday of every month, we (somewhat satirically) crack into some lesser-known Old School 93/94 cards with the intent to open a dialogue and encourage brewing. I’m sorry that this month’s was a little late, but I was busy preparing for Hartfordfestivalen.
Anyways, have you ever wanted to turn into a snake? If so, you’re in luck! This month’s Knowledge Vault is Metamorphosis. This card should.look familiar, because I briefly mentioned it in my article Old School Brawl – 93/94 Commander: Mana Dorks, Mana Rocks, and other Mana Acceleration and in [Old School Brawl] Rubinia Ssoulsinger: Brewing a Creature Theft/Sacrifice Combo Deck.
Within this article, you will find my tournament report, a $100 budget decklist, some Brawl coverage, some general tomfoolery, and many heartfelt thanks.
In my first Old School 93/94 on a Budget article, I boasted that you can play Old School, competitively, for just $40. During the NEOS Monthly Tournament series, I put that bold statement to the test. Now that the tournament is officially over, I can post the results, which are what you would expect: a meager 1-4. However, I won several games (4/13; a win percentage of 31%) against legitimate decks piloted by some of the community’s best players, including a finalist. More importantly, I had a ton of fun, and that’s what really matters. (“Some of the best games… that I’ve had in tournaments is when I’m at the middle or bottom tables where it really doesn’t matter… Everyone’s laughing and having a good time… and you wouldn’t be able to tell who won the game…” Andy Baquero, All Tings Considered, “Spike to Spice“ at 28:20)
The community’s response to last month’s budget article was amazing. Among the support were several requests for a budget Red deck (the only color left out of the article). As I brewed, a $40 budget version of Mono Red, that I felt confident in, proved to be a challenge. I couldn’t quite build Goblins or Sligh the way I wanted to with that much of a restraint on the budget. On paper, it looked really underpowered without Chain Lightnings or Blood Moons. If you have more room in your budget, DFB’s Goblins list is a great place to start. Ultimately, I chose to build U/R Burn for my next deck tech because I expect it should have a similar feel to Goblins, Sligh, and/or Suicide Blue. Additionally, U/R Burn itself is a top-tier deck.