The major downfall of most decks in Magic these days is assumption. Assuming the opponent won't draw that land they need, so you tap out to play a threat. Assuming the opponent isn't holding a counterspell so you foolishly play a spell that is promptly countered. Assuming that if you attack, your opponent doesn't have any removal to slow the attack down. As the old saying goes:

"To assume is to make an *bleep* out of you and me"

Well, that's not exactly a good analogy here, but assumption can be your downfall.

Another assumption made quite oftenly is about Type 1. The assumption is that anyone with Power Nine cards will win, because they have a definite advantage over people without Power Nine. I can tell you, that statement is completely false. Sure, getting out a Mox on the first turn as well as your land is good, but if your other cards aren't any good, then you will lose, Power Nine and all.

I used to be one of the people who believed that, but when I played a certain match in a Type 1 tournament, I started doubting that.

I was playing a Necro deck, with a card in my deck worth no more than $10 (Masticore). I got paired up first match to a Zoo deck. He had 6/9 of the Power Nine in his deck (all but Mox Jet, Mox Pearl and Mox Emerald I think), not to mention all Beta Duals, BB Sol Ring, etc (stuff to make the deck even MORE expensive). I don't remember the match that well, since it was over a year ago, but I beat him first game and almost won the second game. I lost the match, but I assumed beforehand that I had absolutely no chance of winning, because he had expensive cards.

That statement became so obviously false to me yesterday, at the Type 1 tournament. I was playing Pox. Here's the deck for reference:

4 Pox
4 Dark Ritual
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Duress
4 Cursed Scroll
4 The Rack
3 Steel Golem
3 Funeral Charm
2 Spinning Darkness
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Zuran Orb
1 Mind Twist
1 Balance
1 Contagion

4 Scrubland
4 Mishra's Factory
1 Strip Mine
12 Swamp

Sideboard:

4 Chimeric Idol
3 Nevinyrral's Disk
2 Perish
2 Phyrexian Negator
2 Seal of Cleansing
1 Ivory Mask
1 Underworld Dreams

Taking a first look at the deck, you'll notice that the most expensive card in the deck is Scrubland, one of the least-used Dual lands. Second would probably be Underworld Dreams, in the sideboard.

Here's how my matches went:

First match (win) - Suicide Black
Second match (win) - Rebels
Third match (win) - Jank (loaded with P9)
Fourth match (loss) - Blue Skies
Fifth match (draw) - U/W control

I'm in the Top 8. Here's how it went:

First match (win) - Zoo (loaded with P9)
Second match (win) - Jank (loaded with P9, different deck than the first one I played)
Third match (loss) - U/W control (no P9, same person as the one I drew with)

I ended up second place, after walking over three decks filled with Power Nine. To be honest, their big expensive cards didn't help any of them at all. Both Jank decks I played I simply outplayed, using Cursed Scroll to kill all their creatures and walking in with discard and The Rack for the win. Zoo was hardly any different - I would Pox any of his Erhnams/Serendibs he got out, Spinning Darkness his Kirds, and simply move in for the kill.

I know I may be sounding a little hypocritical if you look at one of my past articles, but this is different. Sure, P9 can certainly help, but all the good cards aren't necessarily all $100+. I think Pox is a good deck, and it's not too expensive, so I made it.

So, until I find me some P9 and win all the time (), this is Tedman signing off.

__________________
*Tedman*:
MOTL Deck Help/Construction and Articles Moderator

Cereal Guru

King of the Ouphes

J/k

Side note: I played against DarkDamion's pox deck over apprentice, and I must say, that deck is strong.

__________________
Stinky cheese is still cheese.

Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died. - Stephen Wright

ICQ Number: 7801268

Email: mlava@flash.net

One of the best Magic: The Gathering sites

Beleieve me, Pox in type 1 is not as strong as you may think.

Sure, a non-p9 deck could possibly win against a deck with p9, but think of all the other variables you are ruling out? Player strength? Matchups? Random Luck? yeesh...

__________________
MOTL Trade Auctions & Sales Moderator

gh0stface's Reflist

Or atleast in my T1-area it's mainly zoo & keepercontrol there is being played, & pox have good chances against both! ESPECIAL Zoo-critter-stuff!

But Nether Spirit rocks in this deck!!!

Try it out

__________________
Gnu the Defender of Phelddagrifs
gnuen@sol.dk
ICQ: 76889001
My Refs

Asgaard

__________________
Stickdeath 4 life!

Also, I've got a turbo land deck together that Mox's actually slow down. It got me all the way to the top four without P9, I think that says a lot about the hype that P9 helps every deck...

__________________
Later,
ShadowDrifter

Contact me if you play Apprentice....
Email/AIM/ICQ/homepage at top toolbar...
Check out my sales list...ShadowDrifter's Magic Sanctum...

A set of Power 9 WILL NOT make your deck great. It WONT. When I begin constructing a deck, my first thought isn't "Ok, which moxes do I want to fit in." That kind of thinking is a great way to make a really bad deck. The way to build a deck in Type 1, if you have the Power 9, is to include the Big Blue first off, and then replace lands with the artifacts. Don't see them as necessities; The only card I automatically include, if I can, is my Ancestral. Other than that, P9 is 10th priority, after the first 3 rounds of playtesting, I start substituting it in to see what works and what doesn't.
Now then - With this attitude, why use it?
Simple. First off, Balance doesn't kill off Moxes. So you can Balance, sac all your lands to a Zuran Orb in response, and still have mana on the board to cast that Abyss. It also does help in fast mana, but to be honest, that comes in handy less often than you think. In fact, I've often found myself holding back a Mox, just so I can use the Library to draw a card. P9 does not make a deck good. 99% of the time, the deck is made by the player, and how that player uses his deck. Pox is an amazingly effective deck that, to be honest, I fear playing. Thankfully very few people around me have the playing skills to build or use one effectively Seriously...Don't fear the P9. If you have them, they can help your deck a lot, but to be honest, the probably are more intimidating that useful game-wise.

I mean, Jank in Type One? That's subpar, to be sure. Zoo that still uses Erhnams? Ugh, try coming into the current century, please. And somebody explain to me why Suicide Black, Rebel, and Blue Skies made it into a Type One tournament, please.

P9 doesn't win games. In fact, out of the entire P9, only Timetwister and Ancestral Recall have the potential to win a game on their own merits (decking). However, P9 used with a solid plan will, on average, beat the crap out of less expensive T1 decks. That's why P9 is included in all the top T1 decks. To use as an example:

2 Pyroblast
2 Gorilla Shaman
3 Kaervek's Torch
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Serendib Efreet
4 Kird Ape
4 Jackal Pup
4 Mana Drain
1 Chromatic Sphere
1 Channel
1 Time Walk
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Sol Ring
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Regrowth
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Black Lotus
3 Wasteland
1 Mind Twist
4 City of Brass
4 Taiga
4 Volcanic Island
2 Tropical Island
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
2 Mishra's Factory
1 Strip Mine

That's the deck that Trevor Blackwell was using at the Invitational this year. Putting aside the fact that this is a GOOD version of Zoo as opposed to the one using...ugh, it hurts to say...Erhnams, you can see that the P9 is used very effectively. Not only is the fast mana/card drawing used to set up early creature drops, but it also allows the player to provide quick protection for those threats. I'm currently playing a similiar deck, and I know from experience that first turn Mana Drains are amazing for it. Those Mana Drains are made accessible through the P9.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but a good deck build including the P9 will almost always have a large advantage over a good deck without. If you're looking for a cheap Type One deck, though:

4x Kird Ape
4x Skyshroud Elite
4x Gorilla Shaman
4x River Boa
2x Granger Guildmage
2x Whirling Dervish
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Incinerate
2x Fireblast
2x Gaea's Blessing
2x Emerald Charm
1x Regrowth
1x Wheel of Fortune
4x Taiga
7x Mountain
6x Forest
1x Strip Mine
4x Wasteland
4x Mishra's Factory

Works quite well, and it's pretty cheap, too.