Magic 2014 DOTP Unfinished Business Deck Strategy

The Unfinished Business Deck was just recently introduced to the game in a downloadble deck pack that also includes the Bounce and Boon deck white deck. With Unifinished Business, you'll be relying on a range of powerful blue and black creatures to defeat your opponent, but most of the time your approach with this deck will involve throwing all such "good creatures" away, straight into your graveyard, only to bring them right back for a fraction of the cost.

Want to surprise your opponent with a 9/9 trample, flying creature on your second turn, ending the game a few turns thereafter? Use the no-tapping-necessary ability on your Putrid Imp to sacrifice Demon of Death's Gate for free and use either a reanimate or exhume on your second turn to bring him right back into the game.

Magic 2014 DOTP Bounce and Boon Strategy

Magic 2014 DOTP Bounce and Boon Strategy

What a crazy deck!  With the right build, this deck can't be beat!  Its all about the balance between - you guessed it - cards that have boons (or spells/abilities given when they enter the battlefield) and cards that can bounce these boon cards back into your hand, allowing you to play them again.  Most of the cards in this deck cost 4 or less, so around mid-game don't be surprised if you are playing 2 or 3 cards in a turn.

Sounds like a cool strategy, right?  Or does it just sound confusing?  If its the latter, don't worry:  that's what this article here was written to address.  Read on!

Strategy

This deck relies more on the quality of the build than the skill of the player.  That said, this deck does require some careful decision-making during play, perhaps moreso than most of the other decks released thus far (with the exception of the new blue and black deck).  Basically, you want to have a lot of cards that are inexpensive.  That's easy, given that most of the cards in this deck are inexpensive.  Think of your high-cost cards as knock-out hits; you can't be all KO punches, or you'd be a sitting duck for a couple of rounds.  The trick is to stack the right amount of cheap cards that have boons with the right amount of cards that send these cheap boons back to your hand.  You wind up healing yourself a lot, or tapping your opponents cards a lot, OR placing a *ton* of tokens on the board.... etc.

To avoid rambling, I'll get right to my suggestions for your build.  Assemble and play it!  Experience is everything!

Essential Cards

Most Essential:
Valor - Has first strike.  When placed into graveyard, all creatures have first strike.

Boons:
Stonehorn Dignitary - Oppenent skips next attack turn.
Lone Missionary - Heals for 4 when played
Kemba's Skyguard - Heals for 2 when played

Attended Knight - Has first strike, generates a 1/1 token
Solemn Simulacrum - Draw land when played, draw card when dies
Urbis Protector - places a 4/4 flying angel token on board when played
Blade Splicer - places a 3/3 Golem token on the board.  Golemn tokens have first strike as long as this card is on the board.
Kor Hookmaster - Tap an opponent's creature.  It doesn't untap during his untap phase for 1 turn.

Bounces:  ALL bounces return a card that is on the field to your hand.
Kor Skyfisher (flying, 2/3, costs 2)

Whitemane Lion (2/2, costs 2)
Emancipation Angel (flying, 3/3, costs 3)
 
Critical Hits:
Captain of the Watch - Places 3 2/2 soldier tokens on the board.  All soldiers have Vigilance (which is a lot of soldiers, most cards in this deck are).
Sun Titan - When played, allows placement of a card that costs 3 or less from the graveyard onto the battlefield.  Same when attacks.

Vital Enchants: 
Light from Within - Grants a +1/+1 to all creatures for every plains symbol in their cost.
Cathars' Crusade - Grants a +1/+1 to all creatures every time another creature enters the board under your control.
Proper Burial - Heals you for an amount equalling the toughness of a creature that you control (when it is killed).

My Deck Build:

Kor Skyfisher (x3)

Lone Missionary  (x3)

Blade Splicer

Emancipation Angel (x3)

Kor Hookmaster (x2)

Attended Knight (x3)

Kemba's Skyguard

Solumn Simulacrum

Restoration Angel

Dust Elemental (x2)

Valor (x2)

Stonehorn Dignitary (x2)

Light from Within

Proper Burial

Archon of Redemption (x2)

Cathars' Crusade (x2)

Duplicant

Sun Titan

Sunblast Angel (x2)

Captain of the Watch

Goldnight Redeemer

 

 

** Magic 2014 Duels of the Planeswalkers (Xbox) UPDATE INFO ***

2 NEW DECKS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE GAME!!!

Unfinished Business & Bounce and Boon

Check back soon for more info on how to use them!

Hunter's Strength Strategy on Magic 2014

Essential Cards for Hunter's Strength

Rancor - Low cost enchant, gives +2/0 and trample, and returns to your hand when enchanted creature dies

Green Sun's Zenith - Allows you to search for a card and place it on the field (always use for Predator Ooze or Vigor)

Predator Ooze - Has indestructible, which means it can only be killed by exiling or sacrifice.  Otherwise, it gains +1/+1 each time it attacks and +1/+1 each time a creature it deals damage to dies.

Beastmaster Ascension - Given the amount of creatures in this deck, the 7 counters this card requires to activate will be acquired in no time at all.  Once they are, every creature on the board that you control recieves +5/+5.  Game over.

Elephant Guide - Enchant that gives +3/+3, and when the enchanted creature dies a 3/3 elephant creature is placed on the board in place of it.

Oakenform - Basic enchant, gives a creature +3/+3

Master of the Wild Hunt - A hidden nuke; allow wolves to populate the field (so don't attack or block with this thing) - once they have, tap this card to have the wolves deal X damage to target creature, where X is their combined toughness.  The creature will also deal damage that will be divided among the wolves attacking.

Vorapede - An excellent creature:  has Vigilance, Trample and Undying.  Use it to attack and block without fear of losing it (the first time, anyway)
Overwhelming Stampede - Gives all creatures +X/+X and trample til end of turn, where X = the toughness of your toughest creature.  Yet another Game Over card, if you play it at the right time!

Rampaging Baloths - While there are two, your deck probably only needs one.  This card is 6/6, and places a 4/4 token on the board each time a land hits after the card is played.

Vigor - This card is one of the best in the deck.  Don't use it to attack or block unless you have to.  Any damage dealt to any other creature in your control is converted to +1/+1 counters per point of damage that would have been caused, making your creatures insanely powerful in just a few turns.

Protean Hulk - This card should be thought of as a card with *selective* undying - that is to say, the card can be killed, and when it is you can search for another card that costs 6 mana or less, rather than having the same card reappear on the board.  Is very useful when searching for a particular creature to end the game.

My Deck Build:

Rancor (x3)

Savage Summoning

Green Sun's Zenith

Prey Upon (x2)

Kalonian Tusker (x3)

Garruk's Companion (x3)

Nature's Lore (x4)

Predator Ooze

Leatherback Baloth

Beastmaster Ascension

Elephant Guide

Oakenform (x2)

Master of the Wild Hunt

Cudgel Troll (x2)

Bramblecrush

Vorapede

Overwhelming Stampede

Overrun (x2)

Rampaging Baloths

Vigor

Primeval Bounty

Garruk's Horde

Protean Hulk

Deadwalkers Strategy on Magic 2014

Essential Cards for Deadwalkers
Keep in mind, this deck is all about offense!

Gravecrawler - It can't block, but it's a cheap 2/1 that can be cast from the graveyard!

Bloodghast - Also can't block, but is a 2/1 that returns from the graveyard each time you place a land on the battefield.  It has haste if your opponent has less than 10 health.

Butcher Ghoul - Important in the early stages of the game because it has undying, and is therefore good on offense or defense, as it will return if it dies to defend another round.

Black Cat - Very important early and later on, as it forces your opponent to discard a card when it dies.  It counts as a zombie, and is only a 1/1 so it is easy to kill.

Lord of the Undead - Gives all Zombie creatures +1/+1, and can be tapped at a mana cost to return a zombie from the graveyard.

Geralf's Messenger - Vital to any strategy!  This card hits the board tapped, but deals 2 damage to your opponent when played.  It has undying, so when they do kill it, it comes back to life and deals 2 damage directly to your opponent another time!

Death Baron - Gives all zombie creatures +1/+1 and deathtouch.

Liliana's Reaver - Has deathtouch and places a 2/2 zombie on the board when it deals damage to your opponent; also causes them to discard a card when it deals damage to them.

Abattoir Ghoul - Has first strike, and will heal you when it kills a creature for the amount of toughness the creature had.  Minor HEALS!

Undead Warchief - Reduces zombie spell cost by 1 mana and gives all zombies +2/+1!

Endless Ranks of the Dead - Puts X 2/2 zombie tokens on the board, where X = 1/2 the number of zombies already on the board, rounded down.

Tendrils of Corruption - deals X damage to a creature and heals you for X, where X = the number of swamps you control.  HEALS!

Consuming Vapors - Forces your opponent to sacrifice a creature, and heals you equal to that creatures toughness.  Minor HEALS!

Veilborn Ghoul - Can't block, but is a 4/1 that returns to your hand each time you play a land.

Cruel Revival - Destroys a non Zombie creature and brings a Zombie back from your graveyard to your hand.

Grave Titan - costs 6, is a 6/6 and places 2 2/2 zombie tokens on the board when played and when it attacks.

Mikaeus, the Unhallowed - Most important because it gives all of your other non-human creatures +1/+1 AND Undying.  Also kills any human that attacks you and gives intimidate.

Zombie Apocalypse - Returns all Zombie cards from your graveyard to the battlefeld and destroys all humans.

Corrupt - Same as Tendrils of Corruption, but can deal damage to players or creatures.  HEALS!

Grave Betrayal - When a creature you don't control dies, this card returns it to the battlefield as a zombie with +1/+1 under your control at the end step of the next turn. 

Rise of the Dark Realms - Returns all creatures from all graveyards to the battlefield under your control.

Deck Build:

Gravecrawler (x2)

Diregraf Ghoul

Bloodghast

Butcher Ghoul (x2)

Black Cat (x2)

Doom Blade

Sign in Blood

Lord of the Undead (x2)

Geralf's Messenger (x2)

Death Baron

Grim Return

Liliana's Reaver

Abattoir Ghoul

Undead Warchief (x3)

Endless Ranks of Dead

Tendrils of Corruption (x2)

Consuming Vapors

Veilborn Ghoul

Cruel Revival (x3)

Grave Titan

Mikaeus, the Unhallowed

Zombie Apocalypse

Corrupt (x2)

Grave Betrayal

Rise of the Dark Realms

 

Avacyn's Glory Strategy on Magic 2014

The Avacyn's Glory deck is the deck that you unlock after completing the first level of the campaign mode.  This deck is a creature - reliant white deck that people tend to ignore because it's one of the first decks that you unlock in the game.  Make no mistake about these initial decks, however, or any deck, really; provided that you know the overall strategy for the deck and assemble it appropriately, they all stand a good chance of being a strong, competitive deck.  Some, however, are stronger than most.  This happens to be one of those.


The overall strategy that allows you to be effective with this deck centers on the number of creatures that you can field in a short amount of time.  There are cards that allow you to put multiple tokens on the field, and cards whose abilities rely largely on these tokens being placed in order for them to grow stronger as the game progresses.  Rather than ramble about the possible combinations, I'm just going to lay out the cards that you absolutely must have in your deck and describe how they work together in order to earn you a win.



 
Key Cards that Work Together
Champion of the Parish - This card costs one Plains and is initially a 1/1.  The important thing to note is that as a human enters the battlefield (and all of the cheap cards are humans), this card gets a +1/+1 counter for each.  This includes tokens.  As the first few turns progress, if this card remains on the board, you will quickly have a +4/+4 or more card at your disposal for use that only gets stronger the more time it spends on the board.  There are four of these cards in this deck.  They are so key to the way the deck works that you want ALL of them in your deck, as they are cheap and powerful.

Unruly Mob - This card costs 2, and starts as a 1/1.  When a creature that you control dies, this card gets a +1/+1, making it useful in the same way that the Champion card is.  Play it early, and don't be afriad to use tokens as meat shields.  That's all that they are - they serve to provide an early defense, and to make Champion card and the Unruly card stronger as they enter and leave the field.  There are two in the deck; include both in yours!

Gather the Townsfolk - This card costs 2 lands and places 2 1/1 human tokens on the board.  It is key to the strategy mentioned above.  There are four in this deck; include ALL of them in yours!
 
Mentor of the Meek - This card costs 3, and allows you to draw another card each time a creature with 2 or less power enters the field at the cost of an additional land.  DRAWING MORE CARDS IS ONE OF THE STRONGEST ABILITIES THAT ANY CARD CAN GIVE YOU.  That's why blue decks are so strong.  Given that most of the initial cards in this deck have less than 2 power, if this card is put on the field then you basically have the rest of your deck at your disposal.  There are two in this deck; include both in the deck that you build.

Thraben Doomsayer - This card also costs 3 lands, but allows you to put another 1/1 human token on the board each turn.

Increasing Devotion - This card costs 5 if cast from your hand, and puts five 1/1 human tokens on the board.  More importantly, you can cast it again from your graveyard for 9 mana and it places 10 1/1 tokens on the board.  Sensing a theme here?

 
Other Important Cards to Include:
Mikaeus, the Lunarch - What an awesome card!  Play him as soon as you have 2 lands and watch him go to work.  This card basically makes this deck 10x stronger.  Tap him to place a counter on him.  As long as he has at least 2 counters on him, tap him to remove one.  This gives the rest of your cards +1/+1.  You can repeat this cycle for as long as he is on the board.  That being said, don't use him to attack or block.  Just boost your cards as you can, for no mana cost, and enjoy!

Soul Warden - It's a good idea to have some heals in your deck, and this card heals plenty, given that you gain 1 life per creature that enters the battlefield.  I'd only recommend having one in your deck though, for luck.  Or whatever.

Thalia, Guardian of Thraben - Include this card in your deck!  She is basically one of the best rto block and as long as her attack is stronger than their defense, you don't have to worry about her getting taken out.  Second, and most importantly, she makes all non-creature spells cost 1 more mana to cast, effectively screwing over most blue and red decks. 

Honor of the Pure - This card gives all of your creatures +1/+1.  Mikaeus already does this to the nth degree, but it's good to have another booster card in their, once again, for luck.  I wouldn't put more than one in your deck though.

Angelic Overseer - Is the perfect defensive card!  As long as there is one human on the board, she is indestructible.  Don't use her to attack; just have her block the strongest creature your opponent attacks you with.  Unless there are no creatures on the board.  Then attack at will.

Geist - Honored Monk - Is as strong as the amount of cards that you have on the board, and also deploys two 1/1 spirit tokens.  Include both of these in your deck!

Avacyn, Angel of Hope - This deck is named for her for a reason.  Include her; if you get the chance, play her IMMEDIATELY.  She makes all of your cards indestructible, and effectively hands you the win!

Important Cards to Disable your Opponent:
Bonds of Faith - Use this to lock down non-human opponents in the same way that Pacify does. 

Fiend Hunter - Provides a little bit of defense, but don't block with him if you don't have to.  This card primarily traps one of your opponent's cards until it dies. 

Oblivion Ring - Does the same thing as Fiend hunter, but is an enchantment instead of a creature. 


Important Cards for Heals:
Elguad Inquisitor - Has lifelink, and also places a 1/1 token on the board when it dies.  It's also a human.  Include at least one in your hand, as it comes in handy (har har).

Seraph of the Dawn - Has lifelink and flying, and a relatively high defense.




Make sure to have 24 lands in your 60 card deck.  If you decide (for some strange reason) to use a deck with more than 60 cards, increase the amount of lands to whatever the game recommends when you click the left trigger in the deck manager; if you don't, you'll get landlocked fast.

As you play and unlock new cards for this deck, make sure that you visit the deck manager and remove the excess weight.  It is imperative that you keep your deck at a low number, no more than 65, if you want a fighting chance.  To understand why it is important to keep your card count low, visit our Starter's Guide.

Sword of the Samurai Strategy on Magic 2014

Sword of the Samurai Strategy on Magic 14

The Sword of the Samurai deck is the second-to-last deck in the Expansion campaign, and is currently one of the most popular decks in the game.  Unfortunately it's strengths are typically overlooked and mismanaged - thankfully that won't happen for you, because you've had the good fortune to stumble across this fine guide.  Read on to unlock the key strategy that makes the Samurai deck one of the most powerful decks in the game.

The Swords of the Samurai deck has a few things about it that you must understand in order to use it effectively.  Every card is not a samurai, but all samurai's counters scale when they block depending on their Bushido rank.  The best cards in this deck typically effect all of the Samurai creature types, as do the best equipment pieces, so you want to make sure to keep your samurai count high.  The second thing to understand about this deck is that it's true strength lies in acquiring and equpping it's equipment and enchantments.  There are four equipment cards that you need to have in your deck:  Umezawa's Jitte, Sword of Fire and Ice, Sword of War and Peace, and Oathkeeper.

Also include Stonehewer Giants in your deck, as they give you the ability to draw these equipments the turn after they are played and equip it for no mana cost.   

The order in which you should acquire and equip these is as follows:

1.  Oathkeeper - this grants a +3/+1 counter on it's equpiped creature, and as long as this card is equipped on a samurai, if they die they will be resurrected for no cost after immediately entering the graveyard, making this a very good card to attach to a blocker

2.  Umezawa's Jitte - this card only depends on it's equipped creature to deal damage - to anything, not just to the opponent.  When it deals combat damage, the card gains 2 counters.  You can use these counters to give creatures -1/-1 (if your opponent has a */1 or */2 creature, this makes it a nuke), give the equipped creature +2/+2 (which makes for great killing blows), or to give you 2 life for each counter on the card. 

3.  Sword of Fire and Ice - This card does not initially appear as useful as it really is.  Not only does it grant +2/+2 and protect the equipped creature from red and blue creature types; when the equipped creature deals damage to your opponent, the card deals another two damage to either the opponent or one of his creatures (making it another nuke), and allows you to draw a card!  Drawing cards at will is one of the most powerful abilities in this entire game, so this card is crucial. 

4.  Sword of War and Peace - Last, and least, is the Sword of War and Peace.  This card also gives +2/+2 and protection from red and white, and it also allows additional effects whenever the creature that it's attached to strikes your opponent directly - the card deals damage to your opponent equal to the number of cards he has in his hand, and heals you for the number of cards that you have in yours.


IMPORTANT EQUPIMENT NOTICE: DO NOT include any other pieces of equpiment from this deck in your 60 card deck.  They are not worth the space they take up.


BEST SAMURAIS TO INCLUDE:
Konda's Hantamoto
Arabia Mothrider
Indebted Samurai
Kitsune Samurai
Nagao
Takeo
Konda


IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL CARDS TO INCLUDE:
Lightning Helix - use to nuke creatures or opponent for 3 and heal yourself for 3
Masako - allows your cards to block even when tapped
Glory of Warfare - gives your creatures +2/0 or 0/+2 depending on whether or not it is your attack/defense turn
Balefire Leige - gives all creatures 1/1 for their color, and deals 3 damage to the opponent when you cast a red spell, and heals you for 3 when you cast any white spell
Zealous Conscripts - hits with haste and gives you a one-turn control over one of your opponent's creatures on the board.  Steal their strongest to turn the tide!
Yosei - this white dragon is a flier (which you have to capitalize on, given this deck's lack of them), and also taps your opponent's cards and makes them skip their attack phase.
Godo - this card allows an additional attack turn when it attacks, and when it enters the field allows you to place an equipment on the board as well
Myojin - this card is indestrucible (and eventually if he's in your deck you will play him - more often than you think) . . . as long as it has it's counter.  When the counter is removed, the creature remains, and ALL other creatures are destroyed. 


Difficulties in the Campaign

Believe it or not, as long as you adhere to this guide, there will be no difficulties in the campaign for this deck.  Aside from being one of the hyped OP expansion decks (in part with good reason), it allows for a strong defense and a decent attack early on, allows you to remove threats and heal with relative ease, and keeps your cards alive.  What more could you ask for?

As you play and unlock new cards for this deck, make sure that you visit the deck manager and remove the excess weight. It is imperative that you keep your deck at a low number, no more than 65, if you want a fighting chance. To understand why it is important to keep your card count low, visit our Starter's Guide.