MBC DECKS TO BEAT

Rebel WW (28 Top 8s - 5 Qualified)

4x Ramosian Sergeant
4x Fresh Volunteers
4x Steadfast Guard
1x Defiant Falcon
1x Ramosian Lieutenant
2x Defender en-Vec
4x Chimeric Idol
4x Seal of Cleansing
3x Ramosian Rally
3x Cho-Manno's Blessing
4x Parallax Wave
2x Mageta the Lion
1x Rath's Edge
2x Kor Haven
21x Plains

(Many variations on this)

The advantages of playing Rebel are numerous. But above all its points of strength lie in its searching ability (thus thinning out the deck much like Thawing Glaciers allowing you to get what you need quicker) and its high level of control (creature, artifact and enchantment elimination). White also has the added benefits of Ramosian Rally and Cho-Manno's Blessing not only to protect its creatures but to allow attacks that otherwise could be blocked.

Rising Waters (21 Top 8s - 5 Qualified)

4 Rising Waters
4 Waterfront Bouncer
2 Seal of Removal
1 Withdraw
4 Stinging Barrier
4 Ribbon Snake
4 Thwart
3 Daze
2 Counterspell
1 Foil
4 Gush
4 Eye of Ramos
22 Island
1 Rath's Edge

(Some versions include Massacres, Snuff Out, and Vendetta in place of Boomerang Spells and Eyes)

Rising Waters is a typical Blue Lockdown deck littered with counters and cheap creatures that slowly brings an opponents life down to zero. It is a deck that requires a lot of playtesting and skill in order to win because if the Rising Waters "soft lock" (as it is referred to) is broken then the entire deck can fall apart. However, once that level of skill is achieved, there is no stopping it.

Rebel Green - also known as W/G Rubin (20 Top 8s - 1 Qualified)

4 Fresh Volunteers
4 Ramosian Sergeant
4 Steadfast Guard
4 Blastoderm
4 Silt Crawler
4 Saproling Burst
4 Parallax Wave
4 Seal of Cleansing
4 Spidersilk Armor
11 Forest
13 Plains

(Some versions include one or two Stampede Drivers)

Rebel Green is an interesting deck to use. It encompasses not only the rebel search engine and white control but also large numerous green creatures to overwelm the opponent. Rising Waters fears the Rebel aspect of it while Rebels fear the Green part of it.

Aggressive Blue (14 Top 8s - 2 Qualified)

4 Cloud Sprite
4 Cloudskate
4 Counterspell
4 Daze
4 Drake Hatchling
4 Rishadan Airship
3 Seal of Removal
4 Thwart
2 Troublesome Spirit
4 Withdraw
21 Island
1 Rath's Edge
1 Dust Bowl

(This deck called Jolt Cola if includes Jolting Merfolk)

This deck has arial speed and can counter all your threats. With almost every deck in this format being slow and creature based it is a force to reckon with.

Green/Black Control (12 Top 8s - 1 Qualified)

4 Blastoderm
3 Spitting Spider
4 Thrashing Wumpus
4 Jolrael, Empress of Beasts
2 Avatar of Woe
2 Massacre
1 Reverent Silence
4 Forced March
4 Vine Trellis
4 Skyshroud Claim
4 Skull of Ramos
1 Horn of Ramos
12 Forest
11 Swamp

This deck is gaining immense popularity. It employs the famous green for overtaking opponents with "Fat" and to enable it to acquire a larger quicker mana base while using black as its method of creature removal.

Mercenaries (7 Top 8s - 2 Qualified)

4 Nakaya Shade
4 Spineless Thug
4 Cateran Persuader
4 Highway Robber
1 Delraich
1 Rathi Assassin
1 Cateran Enforcer
1 Notorious Assassin
1 Pit Raptor
1 Thrashing Wumpus
1 Rathi Fiend
1 Bog Smugglers
1 Rathi Intimidator
1 Rebel Informer
3 Haunted Crossroads
3 Cateran Summons
3 Rhystic Syphon
1 Rhystic Tutor
24 Swamps
1 Rath's Edge

Mercenary decks are losing popularity since they do not exhibit the strength that the Top Qualifying decks possess. The advantages of this deck are its speed and search engine. But it is its own search engine that is its disability. It is forced to search using high casting creatures and go down the chain to look for smaller Mercs. Rebels, on the other hand, uses a one or two mana searcher that can do so even quicker and bring in Rebels with better utility.

Black Contol (4 Top 8s - 2 Qualified)

4 Unmask
4 Thrashing Wumpus
3 Bog Elemental
4 Chimeric Idol
4 Complex Automaton
4 Snuff Out
4 Vendetta
4 Vicious Hunger
4 Dark Ritual
1 Rath’s Edge
1 Dustbowl
19 Swamps
4 Peat Bogs

Information to be added later.

Other decks to place top 8:

White control - 5
Roshambo - 3
Black White Control - 3
Green Red Beatdown - 2
Counter Burn - 2
Black Blue Nether Control
Counter Rebel
Rebel Mage (W/R)
Blue White Control -2
Red Control
Green Stompy
Goblin Mage
"Aggro" Waters
Red Burn
Unclassifiable Rogue Decks - 2

Olympic Style Nationwide PTQ Top 8 Decks

Using results from Salt Lake, Detroit, Eugene, Madison, San Franscico, Phoenix, New York, Wheeling, DC, Boston, Philadelphia
(3 points for Top 2, 2 points for Top 4, 1 point for Top 8 placing)

= Number of times a deck actually Qualified

Rebel WW: -------------- 7 Top 2s, 3 Top 4s, 10 Top8s - 37 points x 5

Rising Waters: --------- 6 Top 2s, 4 Top 4s, 6 Top8s - 32 points x 3

G/W Rubin: ------------- 1 Top 2s, 2 Top 4s, 11 Top8s - 20 points

Aggresive Blue: -------- 1 Top 2s, 3 Top 4s, 4 Top8s - 13 points x 1

Black Green Control: --- 2 Top 2s, 0 Top 4s, 3 Top8s - 9 points x 1

"Furious" Counter/Burn : 1 Top 2s, 0 Top 4s, 2 Top8s - 5 points

Black White Control: --- 0 Top 2s, 2 Top 4s, 1 Top8s - 5 points

White Control: ------------- 1 Top 2s, 0 Top 4s, 1 Top8s - 4 points

Mercenary: ------------- 0 Top 2s, 1 Top 4s, 2 Top8s - 4 points

Blue/White Control: ------------- 0 Top 2s, 1 Top 4s, 1 Top8s - 3 point

Control Red: ----------- 1 Top 2s, 0 Top 4s, 0 Top8s - 3 points x 1

Red/Green Beatdown: ---- 1 Top 2s, 0 Top 4s, 0 Top8s - 3 points

Counter Rebel: --------- 0 Top 2s, 1 Top 4s, 0 Top8s - 2 points

Counter Burn: ---------- 0 Top 2s, 1 Top 4s, 0 Top8s - 2 points

Nether Go: ------------- 0 Top 2s, 0 Top 4s, 1 Top8s - 1 point

Control Black: --------- 0 Top 2s, 0 Top 4s, 1 Top8s - 1 point

Unknown Contents: ------ 0 Top 2s, 2 Top 4s, 3 Top8s

This I a true gold mine for every PTQ player!
It seems that I inspirated you to do this...
(PTQ players should also have a look at my topic, which is also handling with this issue)

If you could add a list of your OVERBURDEN, this article would even get better...

__________________
Post by Christoph,
the trader in Germany with the most refs:
www.magictraders/reflists/Christoph.html"

__________________
What's an "eltdown"?

Jolraels controlled beatdown

creatures 18
3 jolreal empress
4 silverglade elementals
4 vine trellis
2 waterfront bouncer
2 squee goblin nabob
1 silverglade pathfinders
1 rootwater thief
1 dawnstrider

spells 19
4 brainstorm
3 ensnare
3 daze
4 counterspell
4 thwart
1 foil

lands 23
9 forests
4 plains
10 islands

Like I said at the beginning, there are many variants on each of these decks. But having no Dark Rituals in a Merc Deck depends on how you see the meta game. This one is mainly designed to combat decks that either counter or destroy anything you play. So by not having Rituals you give them two cards they have to try and get rid of. But is the choice in the end of the mage who employs them to see if including Dark Rituals establishes the necessary card advantage needed to overcome their local Metagame.

Magic1264