Okay, that headline is a bit of a misnomer since not all allies are human, but a large number are and the point is not to profile (and as comedian Ron White tells us, profiling is wrong) but rather to give an evocative description. Anyone whose ever played a Sliver deck knows that Slivers in themselves are less than overwhelming creatures, until they get together for a Sliver party, then all hell breaks loose. Allies are similar in a lot of ways. Alone they seem weak and useless, but when they begin to feed off eachh other they can become more than the sum of their parts. There are some important strategy tips to keep in mind though.When they first came out I, like may other players, glossed over them. They are mostly low power and toughness. Agadeem Occultist, Harabaz Druid and Hada Freeblade all start their existence as 0 power creatures. Even Murassa Pyromancer and Kazuul Warlord, two of the ‘heavies’ as allies go come in at 3/2 and 3/3 respectively. All in all they see like yawners on the surface, seemingle destined for a chump block somewhere down the line. Another factor that may have kept them off the radar for so many players is the way they are spread across all five colors (6 if you count the Stonework Puma artifact creature), and multiple creature types.
A funny thing happens when they get together though, suddenly the numbers go up, the affects multiply and those nothing creatures with no discernible future are smiting your opponent like the fist of the almighty. There are some good tips on playing an Ally deck and I’m going to share the ones I’ve learned along the way.
1. You have to be patient.
Do not jump the gun. Those of you who like to get in there and mix it up ASAP will have to learn to resist that urge. Allies are a mid to end game deck type. At the outset your creatures will be weak and few. In that state they will not do much of anything. Playing an Ally deck is all about developing your side of the battlefield and that takes some time.
2. Learn to take a hit.
Refer to tip #1. The urge to chump block and hold off damage is going to be overwhelming, and when you can block and take out the attacking creature at the same time that urge is going to be overwhelming. Don’t do it. You’re going to take damage in the early part of the game in most instances. If you’re very lucky your opponents deck will take some time to develop giving you time to build, but red burn decks and control decks will agitate you in the beginning. Suck it up and wait.
3. The more the merrier.
You are going to need a lot of allies. This is one deck where your creatures far outweigh other spells. In a typical deck I might run 18 or 19 creatures and 19 other spells with the other 22 cards being land. My Ally decks typically have 24 to 28 creatures. There are two resons for this. For one, the Allies themselves are providing many of the functions that those other spells would typically. Like Raise Dead? How about Agadeem Occultist who lets you raise dead every turn? Big fan of Glimpse The Unthinkable or CARDNAME? Halimar Excavator does the same job repeatedly and in ever increasing amounts. How about artifact destruction? Tuk-Tuk Scrapper not only pulls a Shatter every time an Ally enters the battlefield under your control, he gives a nice jolt of life damage to your opponent as well. The thing is you need plenty of them so that when they are Doom Bladed, Assassinated, etc, and they will be, you can replace them. And make sure that plenty of them are weenies, one, two and three drop creatures so that you can get going early and keep going later.
4. Pay attention to mana…its important!
Mana is going to be very important since you are going to be playing a five-color deck, if you want to win. Having tried innumerable combinations of two and three-color Ally decks, I’m here to tell you that a five color deck is the most reliable version I’ve found. Each color has Allies that offer your deck something it needs. Because of that fetch lands like Terramorphic Expanse and Evolving Winds, and dual lands are very important for when you need that one color of mana that you’re just not drawing. Additionally, pay very close attention to your mana curve and balance your basic lands accordingly. A good choice for some of the non-creature spells. I use four copies of Cultivate in the deck to fetch multiple lands as needed.
5. Be aware of the ‘magic moment’.
There are going to be times during the game when you just want to start swinging wildly. There will be times when you feel the icy hands of doom circling your neck. There will be several times when you are ready to throw in the towel. Resist these notions. There will come a moment when suddenly you feel the momentum start to carry your deck along, when suddenly its you putting your opponent on the defensive, and when you know the other guy is the one feeling those icy hands around his throat instead. That’s the ‘magic moment’. Once it hits you have to be relentless and merciless. Hold out for it and you will be surprised at the seemingly impossible comebacks you make on a regular basis.
6. The secret weapon.
The best secret weapon I’ve found, and one that has on many occasions caused my opponent to concede the game as soon as he made an appearance, is Venser The Sojourner. Once he’s in play you can use him to re-activate any of your ally’s abilities for free. Simply exile the ally of your choice and then voila, his ability, and the abilities of every other ally you control get fired off again.
In a nutshell, you need to be patient, willing to take some initial damage, able to consider the order you play your spells and the order you put the effects on the stack, and one last thing that hasn’t been mentioned, but needs to be, you have to consider when to take a mulligan and be willing to do it multiple times if necessary. If your initial draw doesn’t allow you to start building right from turn one its unlikely you’ll ever catch up to your opponent. Once you’ve developed those skills though, you will be amazed at the devastation these lowly creatures can wreak when they get together.
No comments:
Post a Comment