I have been fortunate enough to actually play and hear the actual ideas of Mark Tabbu, a smart and innovative Magic:the gathering player in Davao city. I have always appreciated the efforts of players that explore the strengths and uses of  potential cards that can be used in standard tournaments and  my friend Mark is always one step ahead in the evaluation of potential cards that can be friendly to your budget.

I would like to quote the 3 rules that Mark pointed out in building an effective Budget deck and I hope that you could also find his ideas effective and that we can all learn from his insights.

"Rule # 1

The Most expensive card or deck will not guarantee a win.

I started out with a mono-black control that was worth around 5,000 plus equivalent to this time with 2 rishadan ports, and I never got into top 8. The reason; I lacked the experience, and I still admittedly do make mistakes.

Rule # 2

Use the commons and uncommons as mortar, the rares only as accessories

Trust me, a certain card will run out soon if it is most sought after, more so if it is a rare or mythic rare card. So if it is most sought after, you might not even get the chance to even own one, even if you have the money to burn for these cards. there are a lot of other cards that can still be of use. So, the way I deal with this is I usually make a deck that revolves around a group of common cards or uncommon cards that I can easily make into a set. Building on a rare card will take time, luck, and a lot of money. Who knows how many booster packs you’d have to randomly buy just to set a rare card? How many booster boxes will you have to buy just to set a mythic rare card?! So, if you start building using the commons or uncommons, you’d be better off. So once the rare card comes along, then that will be the time you can add it to your deck. The same goes with the sought after card. I usually make a deck that revolves around a theme that is not reliant on the most sought after card.

Rule # 3

Break barriers

Do not stick with mainstream. Always try new and exciting formats or ways in constructing a deck. It might give you a chance to get to have a very powerful deck that is most unexpected. If you stick with mainstream, not only do you give your opponent the satisfaction that he sideboarded cards ready for your type of play, you would tend to close the meta-game. I could remember a time in Iloilo where everyone was playing ravager or hate decks, then I came on the scene with a mono-black greater harvester/deathcloud deck, of which they did not expect. Guess what? I won 3 weeks of FNM in a row just by carrying a deck so unexpected, so suicidal that they thought no one would use( Promise of Power for 10!). Also, I just came back on the scene just after a hiatus of a year and a half from Magic. "

- quoted from Mark Tabbu, simply the best… 

hmm.. I still used my Red Demigod Wins.. and like ton2, I modified it from last week’s fnm..

4 Demigod of revenge
4 boggart ram gang
4 ashenmoor gouger
4 figure of destiny
1 murderous red cap

4 puncture blast
4 incinerate
4 tarfire
4 lashout
4 flame javelin
____

Round One vs CB Abrau (Faeries) 1-2

Round Two vs mark Tabbu (White black edge) 2-0

Round Three vs Arnel Ang (Green-Black) 2-1

Lesson: Use pyroclasm not firespout!! dammit!.. hehe  

Congratulations, you have opened pandora’s box.. and with it, you don’t know what you have brought upon today’s setting. What you unleashed that laid forgotten and dormant for a very very long time…

What part of this phrase do you not understand?.. "In a space where there is no room. In a structure that was never built. Lies the Bryan that does not exist.." I have been holding that thing for a long time already and I believed I have something in that thing that I want to open, but for some reason I didn’t have the opportunity to open it, or maybe, fate did not let me open it because of the change that it may bring upon me, or in everything that involves me. 

When you had the opportunity to look at the thing, I noticed that I cannot trust you. You immediately grabbed the thing and opened it.. Activated it.. There was a part in me that kept telling my head that I wanted that thing because it holds information about my old mentor and for years I settled with that idea. But never has it occured to you that you ask yourself why I did not open the damn thing even though it is an arm’s reach from me everytday — yes, fate did not allow me to open it. Now that you opened it - fueled by your urge to recklessly open ug the graves of graves, I realized one thing. I cannot trust you. And the thing is actually meaningless to me. But it became an instrument for me to evaluate you. For all these years, you still want to uncover the dead in me and now you have!..

Everything there were actually proofs of how I was thankful about having people being there for me. No signs about my mentor — nothing in what I thought its value would be. Nothing. But eventhough the thing was meaningless in all of its contents, you have awakened something.. Something lying dormant and forgotten — perhaps it is better to leave the present as it is, to let things as they are. But your greed opened pandora’s box. And it awakened a negative energy in me — believe me, NEGATIVE, all of it. You want the dead, and you will have the buried. I think I just knew you better.. now, you took me for granted.. took for granted all good the good things I did, my considerations and my patience.. you still wanted to search deeply, deep into the darkness.. a glimpse of the unthinkable.. 

and now.. you shall be rewarded.. 

A glimpse of the last FNM card for this year.. and believe me it is a bomb!! it is a blast!!.. it is….

SHRAPNEL BLAST!!!. 

..

a pretty good card to be the last for this year’s series of friday night magic foil cards…

I got to invite some friends in yesterday’s fnm. I used my red deck wins deck. RDW was still very competitive at the moment and basically, I will try to summarize the performance..

 RDW: Demigod

Creatures                                        Spells: 

4 Demigod of Revenge                        4 tarfire              

4 Ashenmoor Gouger                          4 flame javellin

4 Boggart ram gang                           4 puncture blast

4 stigma lasher                                 4 lashout

4 figure of destiny                            LANDS: 24 mountains 

—- 

R1: vs black-white edge of the divinity

early game threats such as the 1/1 hag were burned at the time they were enchanted by edge of the divinity causing many 2 - 1 card disadvantage for the part of my opponent. Has been bothered my nightsky mimic since it becomes 4/4 flying so it would be good to puncture blast the sucker.  my advantage would be ashenmoor gouger and demigod of revenge since his shriekmaws and terrors could not stop them.  WIN 2-1

1-0

R2: vs green-black aggro

pretty much the same story for the other opponent, they have dead cards since i am using black creatures so they end up using  sideboard cards that pretty much doesn’t help them. WIN 2-0

2-0

R3: vs white exalted

I had problems at the early game since basically the opponent has early drop exalted creatures and the 1 to cast lifelink hag ate up my life. there was one instance when the life was 15 - 1 and I was the one with 1 life. The hero?.. figue of destiny.. I had six mana and the exalted flyer (suntail hawk) cannot do anything since i can pump my FOD into 8/8 flying first strike. Next draw, i got another FOD.. then the next draw i drew lastout to kill his flyers.. FODs attack and he’s forced to block with his other creatures. Next turn.. GG.. hehe WIN 2 - 0

3 - 0

R4:  Elf Warriors by Edward Ray Comidoy

g1: i thought i was having an acceptable opening hand with 5 lands and 1 puncture blast and 1 - i can’t remember - i was hoping to not draw lands in the next draws. 1st turn, he plays llanowas elves. I drew a mountain (sighs) plays the mountain and done. 2nd turn he plays a forest, attacks with llanowar and plays wren’s run vanquisher and reveals another vanquisher. OMG!.. i was at a real disadvatage. I drew another mountain (sighs again) and plays the mountain (still with 5 mountains in my hand). he then attacks vanquisher and llanowar, and plays wolf-skull shaman, and i casted puncture blast on the wolf-making shaman. next draw is another mountain (another sigh) plays the mountain and that’s it. he attcks and casts wren’s run vanquisher and bramblewood paragon. my turn, I drew a mountain (this time i cry not sigh.. hehe)   and that was already GG!.. i removed the stigma lashers and 1  land to try to add more anti-creatures.

G2: my turn to play.. but took a mulligan. the six-drawhand was annoying.. had decent early removals like tarfire and lashout but it had 2 demigod of revenge with only 1 land. I still played since i cannot afford to play with a hand size of 5, specially with a fast elf deck. so i played the mountain. his opening was similar - i knew it was similar.. he played a forest and llanowar.. i drew a mountain (phew! i was happy).. he played a forest ang AGAIN.. played a vanquisher and revealed another vanquisher (I was no longer happy — what’s this?? instant replay??).. i drew a demigod of revenge.. and i knew this is pretty much it (with little hopes of course).. his next turns?.. hmm pretty much playing as many elves as he can.. casting loxodon warhammer.. then plays overrun!.. yeah.. you’re right.. overrun?? nah!.. OVER KILL!!!!.. hehe

possible revisions : add incinerate to main board and add pyroclasms in the side board.. hehe hope to try again next week’s fnm, by the way, fnm stands for Friday Night Magic and it’s a dci sanctioned events so.. u get player rewards for it.. yipeeee.. hehe  

- 

special mention: my other  friend ( Bryan Jeffrey Borromeo ).. had a decent 2 -2 standing too.. so we were all happy yesterday. his SUPER HIGHLIGHT was when his opponent had a life total of 15, had 2 deus of calamity and 2 civic wayfinders. it was his turn with a spitemare in paly.. He casts a balefire liege thus making the spiteare 5/5.. he attacks spitemare  (opponent takes 5 damage — life down to 10).. mr. borromeo has a  naughty smile on his face.. with a green-black opponent (not his so loved blue with counterspells), he says "Disco disco " and dances a  Zohan kind of dance.. he plays a shock (2 + 3 damage from the liege.. life total down to 5).. he plays another shock and boom! 5 damage!..
absolutely NICE!!!

-

i finished third with a 3-1 standing and Edward (still his 3rd tourney) won as the champion and i was happy for him to experience being a champ. I was still happy since i still got prizes for being the 3rd placer.. yipee..

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Amazing cards that are very very useful in standard!.. You better oplay more FNM’s and other sanctioned events!!!

Great choice for the Magic:the Gathering team!