[quote name='JStryke']Perhaps I should have specified on my question. Now, not having being a regular MTG player, I may be wrong in thinking that the minimum deck is 60. Regardless, if they are limited, it seems that posting decklists would be limited. But seeing as they were (and still 60, at least from the first two I saw), it seems you can actually change the decks this time around? I don't expect full customization, but I remember in the first one, I recall only being able to add cards, but not able to take them away. It seems you actually can edit the decks this time around though? Obviously limited in the card pool though.[/QUOTE]
Each deck has about 65-66 cards that you are able to take in/out as long as you stay within the confines of 60 - 100 cards. If it's a non-Basic Land card, it is able to be taken out. The only thing you cannot edit is the amount of Basic Land in each deck. Most decks will either force you to use 24 or 25 Land, depending on the mana curve at the top of the screen (in the deck manager).
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Here's a few notes (and my personal ratings) that I said I would make about each of the decks, so that it's pretty clear why I'm choosing certain cards over others:
Garruk's Pack Instinct
Without the inclusion of a deck similar to Magic 2012's Ancient Depths, this deck is the go-to ramp deck of the game. You're not exactly going to be ramping into huge 11/11 game-breaking creatures like last game, but you should very easily be able to out-pace your opponent and play much higher value creatures than them each and every turn. Because you're able to play many spells like Nature's Lore, Cultivate, Primeval Titan, and Boundless Realms, it's important to have spells like Howl of the Night Pack, Wildheart Invoker, and Rampaging Baloths in the deck to capitalize off all this extra mana. This deck is one of only three in the game (so far) that kind of defy the mana curve theory - which is usually true of all ramp decks.
To explain what I mean, use this example: on Turn 2, you cast Nature's Lore, now giving you a third Forest. On Turn 3, you cast Cultivate, giving you a fifth Forest (assuming you played a Forest this turn) and a sixth one in-hand. On Turn 4, you now have six Forests in play and you cast Primeval Titan to net you two more Land, putting you at eight total Land. You've effectively doubled the amount of Land in play that your opponent has at this point.
In this example, which admittedly isn't too far-fetched considering how the deck is built, it's clear that the deck is not meant to "curve out" like normal Magic decks should. You're not particularly looking to play three-drops on Turn 3, four-drops on Turn 4, and five-drops on Turn 5 (etc.) like you are in most of the other decks; you're looking to play four-drops on Turn 3, or six-drops on Turn 4. This fact diminishes the importance of having a nice balance of spells in each mana slot, and it's what makes your mana curve look much more "mountainous" than the typical bell shape.
Ratings:
Creature Size - 5/5
Deck Speed - 4/5
Deck Flexibility - 3/5
Card Synergy - 3/5
Jace's Dream Puppets
So, in this installment of Duels of the Planeswalkers, they finally decided to add the classic Mill strategy to the mix. For those unaware, the strategy of a Mill deck is simple: jam a ton of spells into your deck that force your opponent to put cards from the top of his library into the graveyard, and continue to do so until he's out of cards (which, of course, is an automatic win condition in the game). While the obvious strengths of a deck such as this include being incredibly difficult to actually counter (especially when they have creatures on board that mill, enchantments that mill, artifacts that mill, and spells that mill - all on the same turn), there are also glaring weaknesses in the deck that need to be addressed especially if you are going to win against an aggressive deck. Cards such as Into the Roil, Crippling Chill, Sleep, and Mind Control, while not being part of a mill strategy, are vital to the deck's success. I really wouldn't blame others for wanting to put Unsummon in the deck, to add to that point. Despite these cards having a major impact in dealing with various threats on the board, keep in mind that for each spot you give to a "bounce creature/permanent" spell or a "tap creature" spell, that is one less spot you are devoting to the overall mill strategy. Thanks to Jace's Phantasm you actually have a viable win condition other than just milling someone out, but there's so much removal in the game that it's unlikely to be the go-to option to get you there. Remember that cards like Howling Mine and Font of Mythos not only speed up the process of your mill strategy, but also potentially give your opponent more ammo to deal with your multiple threats. It's likely that one in every eight to ten wins should come off the back of actually killing your opponent with damage, but I can't see that percentage being any higher than that. This is arguably the most narrow of decks, since it's mill or be killed all the way.
Like Garruk's deck, this also falls under the grey area of the mana curve theory. In fact, your deck should ultimately end up looking almost like the perfect diagonal decline, starting high up in the 1-mana slot and rapidly descending all the way down to the 5-mana slot. I personally do not play anything that costs more than five mana in the deck, simply because I do not think that you have that kind of time with the deck and because the expensive cards in the deck are all creatures (something that I believe you should be winning with
that encounter with the Primordial Hydra deck. Took me over an hour to beat it, and that was with the fire deck.
