It was 2:28am. I was listening to old music like Judas Priest's "Victim of Change" and Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me"... and that's when it dawned on me – I should write this article already! What? Oh, yeah, of course! The Second Edition of what I can call my only outlet for my writing passion! Sure, I could write poems or stories, but I couldn't write how I beat face with a first turn suspend Rift Bolt, second turn Keldon Marauders, third turn Char, followed by a fourth turn Stormbind and then a Howling Mine to fuel the mighty enchantment! Ouch much? Most probably! However, this is the deck after sideboarding in between matches. Before that, I had access to Remands, Repeals, Rune Snags, and Cancels to control what my opponent could and could not play.

Oh, did your face twitch in confusion? I certainly hope so, because this is a Stormbind deck unlike any other. Yeah, it's based on Stormbind, and of course it has Green and Red. Alas, believe it or not, Green's just a splash and the real dominant colors are Blue and Red. To tell you the truth, I don't know if my deck's colors are original or not. Ah, but that won't stop me from showing you my new oddity. But before I do, I have a little story to tell.

Life is funny in its own ways, especially how destiny works so well with it. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I never found the deck; the deck found me. Right after my "How to keep an Idiot Busy" article was published here, I began to look everywhere for a deck that nobody would use in Standard. I spent many nights twisting and turning, racking my brain trying to come up with an idea. Around two or three weeks later, I was at a friend's house where we gather to play, and he took out an old promotional box. The box contained, to my astonishment, 8 Top decks from the 1996 Pro-Tour which was held at New York. I opened it, excited for the new ideas I was about to get. I searched through all the decks until I saw Mark Justice's deck. I had heard about him. I saw a video of him playing at another Pro Tour with ProsBloom. But there I was, holding his Stormbind Deck:

So I was set. It was between Mark Justice's deck and a similar Stormbind deck piloted by Eric Tam. Of course, I chose Mark Justice's as it was a bit more complicated than Tam's. Funny, though, how after I built my version and playtested it, I was scouting the MDV Deck Database when I found Justice's deck again. I will take this opportunity to say do not underestimate MDV's Deck Database. It has all kinds of decks, each divided by type and even color. Types range from Lite decks to Historical, so it has something for everyone. Just remember, if you are a Johnny player, a competitive gamer, a casual gamer, or even on a tight budget, there's a chance you'll find a deck there made just for you.

Now, on to the deck. Barring the color differences from Mark's deck and mine, you'll notice that he aimed for a very long and controllish game. This gave him enough time to set up his All-Star combination of Howling Mine and Stormbind that brought upon a slow and fiery demise for his opponent. Looking across the decklist, you'll quickly notice a lot of familiar control elements that were so notoriously known for their cheap and great efficiency, such as Swords to Plowshares, Winder Orb, and even Balance.

The Swords could remove any pesky creature for just one mana at instant speed. Winter Orb had the potential to lock an opponent entirely from the game. It was especially horrible when combined with Icy Manipulator, as you could tap the Orb, and when your untap step came you were able to untap all your lands comfortably. In addition, Icy Manipulators could tap Howling Mines in order to prevent your opponent from drawing extra cards. This, of course, was particularly helpful, because the last thing you want is your opponent being able to catch up with you.

Furthermore, Justice's deck had a splash of Red, which was most notably used for either cheap burn to the dome (Lightning Bolt) or massive, effective removal to clear the board from a weenie infestation (Earthquake). Now, reviewing all the cards I haven't mentioned, you'll notice that most of them are just metagame calls, like Detonate and Shatter. Others are for theoretical precautions; Feldon's Cane, Zuran Orb, and Jester's Cap for example. And two of the cards, Black Vise and Ivory Tower, just simply happen to have good synergy with Howling Mine. One helps you survive while the other provides an extra way to deal damage to complement the Stormbinds.

Now that that's out of the way, you can all see my Standard adaptation!

Wait, what? What was that? I have a horrible mana base? Oh, don't worry about it; I get opening hands with an Island, a Mountain, and a Forest more often than you think... at least more than half the time. How do I do it? Oh, please, I have the force with me. No, it's not cheating. That goes to show how much you know about the use of the force.

All jokes aside, this deck works interestingly well; and its mana base, though I admit and advise that Duals are better here, hasn't given me many problems at all. I have removal to deal with most creatures and/or further my opponent's damage intake before I drop Stormbind, and I have counters to prevent things from ever reaching the board, freeing up most of my burn spells to use on my opponent.

At first glance this deck works just like any other Counter-Burn deck, until it drops Stormbind and Howling Mine to cause excruciating amounts of damage, usually lethal. Then you have Giant Solifuge, the only creature in this deck, whose purpose is to exert pressure, deal repeatable damage, block an annoying creature, kill an annoying creature, and last but not least complement Stormbind. This deck also has a knack to play a toned-down tempo game using Remands and Repeals to stay ahead, protect Stormbind, or to maintain a clear board for Giant Solifuge to continue its rampage.

This deck has fared fairly well against Control decks and Aggro decks alike. In the Control match-ups you mostly direct the burn at your opponent's dome, and against Aggro the burn usually hits creatures. However, there came a time when the deck needed an extra push, and that's where the sideboard came in. I had a transforming sideboard that sided out the counters in favor of more creatures, which was oftentimes handy against Control match-ups. During my sideboarded games, however, I saw such an increase in its performance that I decided to make it a whole different deck. It's the deck that was capable of first turn Rift Bolt, second turn Keldon Marauders, third turn Char, and then finish them off with whatever else you have. Heck, I'll let you see for yourself

See? I found that this version was so much better than the last, especially since my metagame consisted of heavy Control. This version caught most of them with their pants down, mostly because they would end up siding out all their creature removal, like Wrath of Gods and Tendrils of Corruption. End of turn Sulfur Elementals caught them off-guard, as they were usually holding counters to stop the End of Turn Chars. What else is that it retains the Remands and Repeals so it can continue its tempo game, while beating down your opponent who is still trying to buckle his pants. We still can't discredit the Keldon Marauders' desire to support your need to hurt your enemies. I mean, he's a two mana 3/3 with the potential of dealing two to five damage to an opponent without breaking a sweat! If that is not mana efficient, I don’t know what is.

I don't know if you noticed, but I also played Riptide Pilferer. What does he do? I'll tell you just so you don't have to go searching through the spoilers:

Behold, a Control player's little nightmare. You drop down a Pilferer on the second turn and begin stripping their hand down to zero faster than you can say: "Every time Riptide Pilferer deals combat damage to you, you discard a card." I've really taken such a liking to it that it became my A1 Steak Sauce for sideboards that can support Blue. I mean, yes, it's that important. Alas, I do have Howling Mine which would render the Pilferer's effect counter-productive. In that case, don't even play the Mines while the Merfolk is wrecking your opponent’s hand. If you already have control of the board, don't help your opponent.

So, how about I give you tips on playing both decks? Yeah, you want that, don't you? Here you go, then:

Tips on playing Stormbind Control

1. Moderate your Counters - Use counters sparingly. Use counters on things you know you can't normally remove with burn. Such things include: noncreature, nonland permanents (ex. Faith's Fetters), untargetable creatures (ex. Silhana Ledgewalker), annoying creatures (ex. Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir), and creatures with a big behind (ex. Spectral Force).

2. Directing Burn – This is a complementary point to the one above. Direct your burn to critters that slipped past your counters. If there are none, hold your burn spells for your opponent. If you are afraid of counters, hold your burn back enough so you can later overpower your opponent with an outburst of Incinerates, Rift Bolts, and Chars. A neat trick I learned a couple of weeks back was that you can use your burn spells on a Control player's upkeep. That will make them think, and if they counter your burn spell, they will have to dedicate mana on their turn before they can cast anything.

Such action is something that a Control player should not be doing. Remember, decks like Dralnu du Louvre should always keep mana open to answer your threats on your own turn, not theirs. This means that most of the time, they might let a few burn spells slip on their upkeep in order to keep mana open. This is something Mike Flores suggested in his article. I gave it a try, and it works. You'd do well to test it.

3. Play Howling Mine only when Necessary - Playing Howling Mine means quite a few things, but let these be the most important reasons: You need to accelerate into counters or burn, you need to fuel Stormbind, or you need to draw into more lands. If you have none of these reasons to play it, then you should re-think and re-evaluate your board position and figure out if playing the Mines will benefit you.

Remember that these reasons are what break Howling Mine's symmetry, since you'll be the one who really reaps the benefits. I believe the Mines are underestimated, and the only reason it's rejected is because it makes people think too much.

4. The Mulligan is your Friend - I said it once, and I'll say it again: if you need to Mulligan because you have only one or two lands, do it! Don't risk yourself with a two-land hand even if you have a Howling Mine; it will only lead to losses in an FNM. Seriously, I learned my lesson, and when the time comes I'll surely be taking that Mulligan.

5. Searching for which Land - This might be one of the most important decisions you will have to make while playing this deck; which land to look for when you sac Terramorphic Expanse. Like most land-searching effects, it mostly relies on what you have in your hand. Alas, here it's a little different, because what happens if you draw a Stormbind and you looked for, say, an Island to help cast the counterspells in your hand? I know, because I've been there plenty of times. Funny, though, it's pretty simple.

When looking through your deck for a land, remember what you have in your hand. If you have a Howling Mine, you can probably risk getting one land over another. Something I've done is search for a Forest and play Howling Mine in hopes of drawing a Mountain or an Island, as that's what I have the most of. At times, it works, but other times, well, your opponent is pretty mean at cutting your deck. Another thing to consider is how reliant you are of a Stormbind at the moment. If it's really needed, then search for a Forest instead of an extra Island. If the answer is no, it's not really needed at the moment, you can probably take the risk and look for another Island to enable a Cancel. Most other times, if you need one more Mountain for a Giant Solifuge, then fetch up a Forest instead. Thanks to Giant Solifuge's flexible hybrid cost, you can play it with both Mountains and Forests.

Tips on playing Stormbind Aggro

1. Directing your Burn - This point is very close to the one from the Control version. There's a strict difference, though: the quality of your burn targets. Since you have more creatures, you can hope for your opponent to block them so you don't have to waste your burn on theirs. If you want to finish your enemies with your creatures, their own creatures will have to answer to the wrong end of your fiery spells. Now, playing against Control is a lot easier, as you mainly have one target. No more, no less. Unfortunately for him, it's the guy facing you down right across the table. Just remember this:

a) Against Control, the only thing that's supposed to get fired (all pun intended) is the guy across the table trying to beat you.
b) Against Aggro, your targets are your opponent or his creatures, depending on the way you want to win.

2. Playing Howling Mine - Much like the Control side of the deck, playing Howling Mine means that you need to fuel your Stormbind, accelerate into more burn or creatures, and/or you need lands. These are the only reasons why you should to play the Mines. However, it also depends on what deck you are up against. Playing against Aggro means that if you play the Mines, you will have to race even faster to the finish, because you will be giving your opponent access to more spells, and believe me, you don't want that. The Control match-up, however, should prove to be a lot more interesting. This is due to the fact that you are supposed to be able to win without having to play the Mines at all. If it comes to that, then you'll be able to handle him later on, because by the time you play the Mines he should already be within burn range.

Furthermore, there will be games where you'll need to play Howling Mine within the first few turns; don't be afraid to do so. This will happen often, and rest assured, it's not as bad as you think. It's not advised, but if it will provide you with the fuel you need, then it's a thumbs up.

3. My A1 Merfolk Steaksauce - Playing Riptide Pilferer means your metagame sees a lot of Control. This means that you will be playing the Pilferer as soon as possible. It is a real thorn in the side of the Control player, and none of them like losing cards to such a tiny creature. It pains them to have to decide between discarding a needed land or a needed counter. When A1 (its code name!) is on the field, you can hold back your burn spells and let it do all the work. You can even do the occasional first-turn Rift Bolt and curve into a second turn Pilferer, then start the mayhem. And on their third turn, Char them on their upkeep. It works, it's fun, and it's a real pain.

4. Repealing Permanents - Targets for Repeal are very scarce; they are sometimes creatures or annoying enchantments. This point is here to say that I made a mistake once and I don't want it to happen to you. During an FNM I was playing against a Blue/White Control deck that managed to get a Faith's Fetters on my Stormbind. I then drew into a Repeal, and because of my stupidity, I did not target my Stormbind. If I had done that, I would have gotten rid of the Fetters, replayed my Stormbind and won! But, I didn't. It was so bad, that I even forgot what I targeted instead.

Remember, Repeal can be used to do a variety of nasty tricks, like saving your own permanents from getting Fettered, removing blockers, un-Faith's Fettering permanents, getting Keldon Marauders to deal more damage, and even combat tricks. Right now it's so good because it even replaces itself, thanks to its cantrip effect! So, do not make stupid mistakes like me. Again, I implore you to think about your board position and think of all the things you can do to take maximum advantage of the Repeals that you so conveniently have four of.

5. Stormbind's Targets – This is a point I did not mention in the "Tips to playing Stormbind Control" section. Stormbind's targets are always the same in both versions of the deck, and it always varies upon the deck you are facing. Many decks have different win conditions. If it's creatures, you will have to Stormbind those creatures until you are at a comfortable enough position to target your opponent. If you’re up against a Control player, you almost always target the opponent, unless you are sure that his Aeon Chronicler will make short work out of you.

Against Combo decks, think about how to disrupt the combo; if you can't Stormbind the combo pieces then target your opponent. I say this because some combo decks rely on creatures. A good example of a deck of this nature is Project X, which uses a combination of Saffi Eriksdotter and Crypt Champion to achieve near-infinite life or infinite 1/1 flying tokens. The only way to disrupt this combo is by killing the Champion before Saffi ever gets to the graveyard, so Saffi won't get reanimated by the Champion.

Keep in mind that what you target with the Green/Red enchantment also depends on what you didn't counter and what you can burn, but don't have the spells to do so.

One more thing on this point before I sign out! Once you have Stormbind in play, try to hold on to the extra lands in your hand, as they will be fodder for your enchantment. Do not play them all willy-nilly. Just hold them back, and in case you really, really, really need them, play them. Otherwise, don't. The most expensive card in your deck costs four mana (Giant Solifuge), so you can keep only four mana on the board. Sometimes it's not bad to have at least six lands, as it really increases the amount of damage you can do at the end of the turn.

Well, this is it. I’ve had a lot of fun playing with both decks. They all had something different to bring to the table and people actually liked the interaction between Stormbind and Howling Mine. Many didn't like me using the artifact. Apparently, he who tries to use Howling Mine competitively in a deck that doesn't control your opponent's draws is a n00b. But when the deck just wins, then those same guys just drop their arguments and watch open-mouthed. Honestly, playing it just made me realize how much I love my Stormbinds. It quickly became my new pet card. For those keeping record for trivia, my pet cards are:

1. Howling Mine
2. Rites of Flourishing
3. Stormbind
4. Giant Solifuge

These are all for now, but I think Lorwyn might add one or two cards to this list! As always I encourage reader participation, so if you have anything to say, head down to the forums and tell me! Hope you enjoyed this month's article, so stay tuned for the next edition of: Random Knowledge, Random Decks!

Stay Hot,

LSoR

P.S: Stormbringer is a song from a very old band. If anyone can tell me which band it is, he or she gets a cookie... no, not a real one. If I had money, I could even send you a signed Land! Yay!

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Articles Spotlights from 2007:
Lorwyn Theme Week Intro & Schedule of Events
Blink And Bounce: Timing is Key
Going Blind: XCB Metagaming - A Prolonged Conclusion.
The Science of Magic: Genetic Engineering, Part Two.
Shifting Lineaments: Casual Metagaming (Pt. 2).
The Dungeon Of Malefict: Pure Evil!
Land Week Introduction & Schedule.
Combofusion: Legends Timeshifted.
One Card to Rule Them All: Coastal Piracy
Irrational Love: Chimeras. The Lego's of Magic.