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Ever since the restriction/banning announcement on the first of January, 2004 Long was been hampered in its playing. Many
competitive T1 players were both overjoyed and upset at this news. However, a new deck would be born that would prove to live up to Long, and because of this it was named Squire.dec - as its creator would hope this would be the so called 'squire' to long and would one day over shadow it.
Like Long, Squire quickly adopted another name - Cunning Freeze - after the cards the deck focus' around. During
play testing this deck also earned another name from the creators friend. During one of the games it was matched against a 'Dutch Tendrils' deck - also commonly called TPS - The Perfect Storm. After a couple games he started to refer to Cunning Freeze as the TBS - The Better Storm. The creator thought it was amusing so the name stuck.
Win Cards:
Brain Freeze - The card the deck was named after, and like most storm cards it proves to be quite deadly. Since this card is an instant you would be able to play it in response to a dragon or TPS combo, it adds flexibility to the deck - win during your turn, or your opponents.
Tendrils of Agony - Sometimes you will not be able to get a large enough spell count to fully utilize Brain Freeze. This card is in here as an added bit of flexibility to help in those certain situations where it is called for.
Prevention and Protection:
Abeyance - The card of preference for this category. It prevents your opponent from playing spells, can be used during your turn and theirs, and finally its a cantrip. Protects you for that turn, can be used in response to many things and it helps draw the cards you may need.
Orim's Chant - A weaker version of Abeyance. True its casting cost is lower, however it does not cantrip. However, if your meta is overrun in aggro style decks you may want to opt for this card over others.
Xantid Swarm - Slower then the other two, and it can only be used during your turn. However, it is reusable.
Duress - If control is your style then this card will serve you perfectly
Tutors and Wishes:
Cunning Wish - The other card this deck is named for. It allows you to essentially wish for 15 different cards that lie in your sideboard. Often called
tool boxing - and this deck does it well.
Death Wish - Though you often use your life for drawing, you can use this to fetch anything in your sideboard, with this guy you would have no fear from Consultation or Pact, and you can put your powerful cards in the sideboard.
Burning Wish - Though this card is restricted, this card packs enough tutors and draws that it can make a decent showing. When handled properly it is the most potent wish of them all
(because of the cc and what you wish for with it.)
Enlightened Tutor - This tutor is often used for those variants that run enchantment heavy - Allows you to get such cards as Bargain, Fastbond, and Future Sight.
Mystical Tutor - Get anything from a Brain Freeze to a Dark Ritual, Ywin to a Draw 7. Used most often to get what ever card you need to finish the game off during your next turn.
Vampiric Tutor - Allows you to get anything you need - whatever it be.
Demonic Tutor - Works in the exact same way Vampiric Tutor does - you need something it will get it for you.
Demonic Consultation - Allows you to start off by getting whatever card you need. The cards that you loose due to this you would be able to wish back with Cunning Wish - The instants
at least.
Tainted Pact - Works in the same way Consultation does, and its draw back isn't really a factor in this deck as there are
a lot of one ofs.
Utility Cards:
Retract - Draw a bunch of artifacts, play them all, use them then return them to your hand and play them again. This will net you a high spell count for your storms and
a lot of mana for whatever spells you need.
Hurkyll's Recall - A higher casting cost spell that does the same job as Retract. However, it has an extra bonus - it can bounce your opponents artifacts, which can be
extremely annoying.
Yawgmoth's Will - Often called Ywin, this is arguably one of the most powerful cards in the game. Use your spells once, the use them again. Combine this with such cards as Retract or Hurkyl's Recall this can net you a fairly high spell and mana count.
Time Walk - Set up your next draw, then take another turn. Or, if that isn't your style just take another turn and increase your chance of winning before your opponent can do anything.
Fastbond - Allows you to play more lands per turn. Helps with the first turn bargain and getting the mana you need.
Future Sight - Combined with Fastbond this lets you sift really fast through your library.
Mind's Desire - Storm this up and you have a bunch of free spells at your disposal, doesn't get much better then that.
Draw:
Memory Jar - A draw 7. Draw 7's are important to this deck to get through your library as fast as possible to win as fast as possible.
Wheel of Fortune - A draw 7. Draw 7's are important to this deck to get through your library as fast as possible to win as fast as possible.
Timetwister - A draw 7 with a twist - it reshuffles your hand and library to your deck. Draw 7's are important to this deck to get through your library as fast as possible to win as fast as possible.
Windfall - A massive draw mechanic, when used right - if used in the early turns it is as good as any of the other Draw 7s.
Ancestral Recall - Three cards for one blue mana. The best draw card in the game.
Yawgmoth's Bargain - Lets you use your life to something useful - card advantage. This guy allows you to sift through your library extremely fast.
Necropotence - Pretty much the same as Bargain, just takes a turn longer and is cheaper. Its a trade off on which one you want first. However, Bargain has the potential for a turn one kill where Necropotence promises a turn two kill.
Brainstorm - Sift through your library. Its draw back is putting the cards back
on top of your library, which sometimes only slows you down.
Impulse - For one extra mana it digs further and you can put the other cards on the bottom of your library. True you may put a card you need later on the bottom of your library, but chances are you will draw it up later anyways.
Mana:
Dark Ritual - Excellent, unrestricted acceleration. Allows you to be able to play a draw enchantment turn one.
Chromatic Sphere - Mana filter with a cantrip, increases the flexibility of the deck.
SoLoMoxen, Grim Monolith, Mana Vault, Mana Crypt, Chrome Mox, Mox Diamond, Lotus Petal, Lion`s Eye Diamond
- All of the above restricted acceleration that can be bounced with Retract and its cousin. Greatly increases the speed of the deck.
Tolarian Academy - With the amount of artifacts this deck run, this land can pump out the mana - allows you to easily cast high cc spells.
Brass City, Gemstone Mine, Glimmervoid
- All of the above produce any color mana - each has its own price for this ability - Makes sure that the land you draw can be used for any spell.
The Sideboard:
Explained after deck list
The Deck:
Cunning Freeze - Squire.deq - TBS
-by Nyphe
Win:
1 Brain Freeze
1 Tendrils of Agony
Utility:
2 Retract
1 Hurkyl`s Recall
3 Cunning Wish
R Mystical Tutor
R Vampiric Tutor
R Demonic Tutor
R Demonic Consultation
1 Tainted Pact
R Yawgmoth's Will
R Time Walk
3 Abeyance
Draw:
R Memory Jar
R Mind's Desire
R Yawgmoth's Bargain
R Ancestral Recall
R Timetwister
R Wheel of Fortune
R Windfall
R Necropotence
3 Impulse
Mana Sources:
4 Dark Ritual
R Tolarian Academy
2 Glimmervoid
4 City of Brass
4 Gemstone Mine
R Chrome Mox
R Mox Diamond
R Sol Ring
R Mana Vault
R Grim Monolith
R Mana Crypt
R Black Lotus
R Lotus Petal
R Mox Pearl
R Mox Ruby
R Mox Jet
R Mox Sapphire
R Mox Emerald
R Lion's Eye Diamond
3 Chromatic Sphere
Side boarding Options:
**Remember these are just generic solutions, match to change your meta. Also that the following cards follow the build outlined above - so all cards will be instants.**
Rack and Ruin, Naturalize, and Oxidize - Certain artifacts are this decks main enemy, this is why the sideboard usually packs a fair number of artifact hate.
Orim's Chant, and Abeyance - Always a good idea to include at least one of these cards in your sideboard, this way you are able to wish for it if you absolutely need it.
Hurkyll's Recall, and Retract - As stated above, having at least on of these cards allows you to wish for them if you absolutely need it.
Swords to Plowshare - Helps against certain decks, can be used against Mask and Dragon. Remove an early threat so you last that one more turn to pull a win.
Ebony Charm and Krosan Reclamation - Since there are a fair number of decks that run graveyard utility, these cards can prove to be a great boon.
Stifle - You never know when this guys is going to be good. Can use it in response to a fetch land - or what ever spell you want.
Scattershot - With all the other storm cards in this deck, this is the perfect solution for a very fast aggro deck. Only should be used if aggro is a problem for you. If it is not this spot would better serve another card.
Frantic Search, Fact or Fiction, Intuition, Brainstorm, Skeletal Scrying, and Impulse - Sometimes you really just need extra draw. These cards will answer your call.
Hunting Pack - Sometimes there is nothing more satisfying then beating a mouthy
Timmy at his own game. Or sometimes you just feel like a Timmy win. Either way this guy helps you do that.
Flaming Gambit - With all the artifact mana and bounce this deck pacts you can use this mana for a quick easy burn.
Stroke of Genius - Very much like Flaming Gambit - generate huge quantities of mana and draw your deck or deck them.
Brain Freeze - Probably the most important card in your sideboard. Adds stability and a greater chance of getting your win condition.
Playing TBS:
The ideal hand would include a land, some artifact mana and a massive draw. This will allow you to start cycling through your deck sooner - thus winning faster. The longer the games goes on the greater the chance you will not be able to win. Ideal massive draw is bargain, once that hits play its almost certain that you win that turn. However draw 7s and a tendrils also works nicely. This deck was designed to be able to win multiple of ways, making it extremely hard to shut down.
Cards you want to watch out for are Sphere of Resistance, Trinisphere and CotV. These cards are the main reason for the massive artifact hate that this deck runs.
Matchups:
Combo - Well what can be said in a combo vs. combo match up except win faster. This is where cards like abeyance become extremely handy. Hit they with it during your turn so that you basically time walk yourself. Also you can cast Brain Freeze during there turn for a possible win - assuming the draw after it resolves - if not then you can just past your next turn and let them go.
Aggro - Ironically this class hurts the most - looking mostly at sligh - Generally when you play this deck out you end up with very little life left, so a simple burn can kill you. Watch your life carefully.
Control - Has really never been a problem for this deck as it is just to slow. Sure the can FoW and other things, but those just slow you down and add to your spell count. Once this decks momentum as begun to build it is fairly hard to stop. They do have a few things that can be of minor annoyance - but shouldn't affect you much.
Alternative Build:
Death's Tendrils
-by Nyphe
Win:
1 Brain Freeze
1 Tendrils of Agony
Utility:
2 Retract
1 Hurkyll's Recall
4 Death Wish
R Enlightened Tutor
R Mystical Tutor
R Vampiric Tutor
R Demonic Tutor
R Demonic Consultation
1 Tainted Pact
1 Future Sight
3 Abeyance
Draw:
R Memory Jar
R Ancestral Recall
R Yawgmoth's Bargain
R Wheel of Fortune
R Windfall
R Necropotence
3 Impulse
Mana Sources:
4 Dark Ritual
R Tolarian Academy
2 Glimmervoid
4 City of Brass
4 Gemstone Mine
R Chrome Mox
R Mox Diamond
R Sol Ring
R Mana Vault
R Grim Monolith
R Mana Crypt
R Black Lotus
R Lotus Petal
R Mox Pearl
R Mox Ruby
R Mox Jet
R Mox Sapphire
R Mox Emerald
R Lion's Eye Diamond
3 Chromatic Sphere
Sideboard:
R Fastbond
R Yawgmoth's Will
R Time Walk
R Mind's Desire
R Timetwister
1 Brain Freeze
1 Tendrils of Agony
2 Naturalize
1 Rack and Ruin
1 Oxidize
1 Orim's Chant
1 Ebony Charm
1 Retract
1 Stifle
Budget Version:
-irinicus85
4 Gemstone Mine
4 City of Brass
R Tolarian Academy
4 Ancient Tomb
1 Glimmervoid
2 Llanowar Wastes
3 Mossfire Egg
4 Darkwater Egg
4 Shadowblood Egg
4 Chromatic Sphere
4 Helm of Awakening
1 Future Sight
R Lion's Eye Diamond
4 Dark Ritual
R Sol Ring
R Lotus Petal
R Mana Vault
R Chrome Mox
1 Brain Freeze
1 Tendrils of Agony
R Memory Jar
R Wheel of Fortune
R Windfall
R Crop Rotation
R Mind's Desire
R Yawgmoth's Bargain
R Vampiric Tutor
R Yawgmoth's Will
R Fastbond
R Demonic Tutor
R Frantic Search
R Necropotence
R Enlightened Tutor
R Mystical Tutor
1 Brainstorm |
