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Grave Harvest.

Description of deck by it's author (quoted):
So I was perusing my binder. I haven't built too many decks recently. I'm also waiting for my three Mirrodin boxes to arrive - and of course, I can't wait. Some of these Mirrodin cards really bring back memories. Maybe, just maybe, there is a spot for them in some old deck.

And then I come across some old Mirage cards in my deck stock. The light switch flips on, and I realize that I have a fun, old, underused deck just waiting for me. And it can be remodeled and repainted for a new era.

Everybody has their own different tastes when it comes to deckbuilding. For me, I really love refurbishing old decks. I can then play these decks around the table. They may not be the most streamlined deck possible, but they are rooted in an older, successful deck, so they have an advantage. Plus, they are a lot of fun.

The Mirage card that tweaked my memory is Tombstone Stairwell. Take a second to click on that link, because I recognize that most of you will not remember what Tombstone Stairwell does. There are a couple of things to note. First of all, although the Stairwell is old, you can see that StarCityGames prices it pretty low... So you can pick these up cheaply. That's important.

Secondly, the rulings are important. You can stack the Cumulative Upkeep and Tombspawn creation in any order. Simply put the Upkeep on the stack first, then the spawning. You can get the tokens. Now, they'll die if you choose to forgo paying the upkeep, but you'll have them for a second or two if you have something to do with them....

The third thing to note is a bit of errata. Although the original didn't consider artifact creatures as worthy of sending Tombspawn, the new version does. Therefore, you can play with artifact creatures, which is a very good thing, as you will see.

Now, there are a few crazy other things about the Stairwell. It is an Enchant World, so there can be only one such enchantment in play at a time. If someone else plays an Enchant World, then this one goes. Therefore, you can never have two out - and in the rare event that someone plays a The Abyss or Concordant Crossroads, you'll have to sacrifice it. Additionally, its cumulative upkeep requires a black mana, so you'll need a black-heavy deck for this to work in.

Now, let's look at a couple of particularly tasty Mirrodin cards: Dross Harvester and Mesmeric Orb.

Now, I am sure that they didn't look at Tombstone Stairwell when they printed Dross Harvester... But with the Dross Harvester, obscene things can be done. The Harvester has a lot going for it. While the Stairwell is a four-drop, the Harvester comes down on turn 3. That means its ability will occur as soon as the Stairwell begins. It also means you have a three-drop available: Swing, block, whatever.

But the real talent in the Harvester lies in its ability to gain two life per creature that dies. That's great, because the creatures the Stairwell makes are all 2/2 guys who will therefore deal two. You can recover from your opponent's attack very quickly. So, while you swing with a bunch of speedy zombies, you will also be gaining enough life that your opponent will not be able to effectively counter your attack.

Simply put, Dross Harvester breaks the symmetry of Tombstone Stairwell.

Now, how do you get creatures in your graveyard quickly at the beginning of the game? Meet your two-drop: Mr. Mesmeric Orb.

The Orb should send two cards to your graveyard in turn 3, and at least three cards on turn 4, and at least four cards by turn 5. If you played a Tombstone Stairwell on turn four, then during your upkeep, you would have at least nine cards from the Orb. Note that the Orb causes you to mill cards when you untap - before you put upkeep abilities on the stack.

So, you can slowly begin milling your library, and using those creatures milled to fuel your Tombstone. All the while, your Dross Harvester keeps you alive by giving you life from the dying Tombspawn.

I have my three key cards. What else do I want?

I would like to have some graveyard removal. If I can nuke my opponent's graveyard, then I am all set. The best card for this is, of course, Tormod's Crypt, so I'd like some Crypts. If I can't muster up a Harvester, or if it gets killed, then I need some way of keeping myself alive.

I'm also going to need a lot of creatures; cheap creatures that I can play as defense but will also stock the Stairwell.

And lastly, I want another winning condition besides attacking... And the Mesmeric Orb gives it to me. I can deck my opponent, or burn them out, using two sacrifice effects from Tempest - Goblin Bombardment and Altar of Dementia.

With a Goblin Bombardment out, each Tombspawn can be sacrificed for an additional point of damage. Both the Bombardment and the Altar are playable on the second turn, in case I don't get a Mesmeric Orb. The Bombardment can also help keep opposing creatures off the board. You can also sacrifice creatures to gain life to the Harvester.

The Altar of Dementia has several of the same advantages, but must be used more carefully. Early, the Altar can be used on yourself to further stock your graveyard. Then, after several turns under the Orb, and with a lot of Tombspawn tokens, you can deck your opponent. This provides an alternate means of death; you don't want to autolose to Worship and a Protection creature, or Wellwisher, a gazillion elves, and Steely Resolve.

There's no need to play many of these cards. Two of each should suffice. The Altar might help out in a pinch if you can't get the Mesmeric Orb, and the Bombardment can help the race if you don't get a Dross Harvester.

Remember, under a Stairwell, your opponent gets to attack first, and you have to survive the initial assault.

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by Abe Sargent @ www.starcitygames.com

MILL: Mesmeric Orb - Tombstone Stairwell / Altar of Dementia [GROUP]