h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

That went rather well.

This week I played six games and won five. My first win was against Michael, a friend of mine from college. He was also playing a Black/Red deck. I knew it was good (I’d given advise on modifying it) but he doesn’t have the cards to make it really good. The only card that really worried me was his Vampiric Dragon. He didn’t get it, and I won in about fifteen minutes. It’s worth noting that Michael worked out how to do the puzzle in the Torment Player’s Guide.
My second game was against Wayne. I got some very bad draws and lost. Well, that’s my excuse anyway. Wayne was also using a Black/Red to which he added four Flametongue Kavus. He burnt my nightmares for a 2-1 win.
My third game was against Luke. Luke got a Blue/Black deck and is in the process of completely changing it. He lost.
I then played two Black/White players. Both were 2-1 victories to me. One was using a Divine Sacrament white creature weenie deck and the other was using what can probably be best described as a resurrection deck. I overran one and used Chainer to steel a Whispering Shade from the other.
I also played a Green Black player. I don’t really remember this game, but I won it.

The problem with winning is that you end up not knowing what to change. My deck currently looks like this:

Main Deck

12 Swamp
9 Mountain
2 Tainted Peak

4 Firebolt
4 Stone Rain
1 Malevolent Awakening
1 Shades Form
4 Terminate

4 Nightscape Familiar
2 Barbarian Outcast
3 Mesmeric Fiend
1 Gravegouger
4 Petravark
2 Pardic Collaborator
3 Faceless Butcher
2 Soul Scourge
1 Chainer, Dementia Master
1 Petradon

Sideboard

2 Rancid Earth
1 Demolish
2 Pyromania
1 Caustic Tar
2 Flame Burst
1 Flaming Gambit
2 Temporary Insanity
1 Enslaved Dwarf
1 Barbarian Outcast
1 Slithery Stalker
1 Soul Scourge

There isn’t anything obviously bad in it. I don’t really like the Soul Scourges because they cost so much and don’t combine well with Malevolent Awakening, but I need something to deal with flyers. Black mana shortage was sometimes a problem during the games I played. I would also like to include Flametongue Kavus and Whispering Shades (everyone is using Swamps). Another Mesmeric Fiend would help to remove Protection from Red and Black stuff from people’s hands. Artefact creatures would be good for blocking once they got them out.

After much deliberation, here’s what I ended up with:

Main deck

13 Swamp
7 Mountain
3 Tainted Peak

4 Firebolt
4 Stone Rain
1 Malevolent Awakening
1 Shades Form
4 Terminate

4 Nightscape Familiar
2 Barbarian Outcast
4 Mesmeric Fiend
4 Petravark
2 Flametongue Kavu
2 Whispering Shade
3 Faceless Butcher
1 Chainer, Dementia Master
1 Laquatus’s Champion


Sideboard

1 Cabal Coffers
2 Pillage
1 Demolish
1 Caustic Tar
2 Temporary Insanity
4 Emblazoned Golem
1 Gravegouger
1 Slithery Stalker
2 Pardic Collaborator

Now if I could only get some more Malevolent Awakenings.