Before I describe my day, the deck I built this morning.
Thrun's Mana Ramp City
20 Forests
1x Chimeric Mass
1x Decimator Web
3x Essence Scatter
2x Mind Sculpt
1x Mirrorworks
2x Naturalize
1x Nature's Spiral
1x Order of Nylea
1x Overrrun
1x Praetor's Counsel
1x Quest for Ancient Secrets
1x Quest for Renewal
1x Reviving Melody
1x Strata Scythe
1x Sword of Body and Mind
1x Wurmcalling
1x Ancient Silverback
1x Avenger of Zendikar
1x Bellowing Tanglewurm
4x Birds of Paradise
2x Elvish Mystic
1x Ezuri's Archers
1x Gaea's Liege
1x Gemhide Sliver
4x Llanowar Elves
1x Sylvan Caryatid
1x Talara's Battalion
1x Thrun, the Last Troll
So I took advantage of my decks breaking up trying to put an EDH one together to allow myself to completely rip apart my standard deck. Most of this is stuff you've seen in previous decks before. I think the only new ones are Essence Scatter (counter creature spell) and Gaea's Liege (a Time Spiral mythic where power and toughness when defending are equal to number of forests you control, and power and toughness when attacking are equal to number of forests opponent controls.. and you can tap Gaea's Liege to make any land a forest.)
I didn't think this deck was going to be very good at all, and when I got to campus and Fellow Instructor said he wanted to duel me with his nasty Sliver deck. I warned him that it was a crap test deck, but he didn't care and wanted to play it anyway.
Oh, a couple of notes. I said hello to Robbie, but he was busy with Yu-Gi-Oh, and that's a game I know for sure I have no interest in. Then I spotted Pip and Fellow Instructor on the other side of the room, so made my way there, whereupon I found out Pip spent $22 on a commander card that, frankly to me, is not worth that much at all. Yes, it's a one drop (one mana cost), and it has elf-making abilities, but it's tapped every use, making it a very slow build. This will become significant later. At the moment, I was just dumbfounded that he spent that much money. Java was there, too, but he was busy at another table.
So anyway, Fellow Instructor's challenge...
Game 1 - vs Fellow Instructor
He crushed me. I got out mana galore, but had no spells to cast, and the slivers of his red/green deck absolutely railroaded me. At this point, I was thinking my initial instincts were right, and the Mana Ramp City was indeed crappy.
Pip then asked if we could 3 way, which we were both cool with. During the ensuing 3 way, this strikingly pretty girl showed up and apparently was going to be back later to talk trade/buy with Fellow Instructor. I was going to introduce myself because I heard Lathum screaming in my head, "Talk to her, you pussy! Man up!" buuuut I didn't, even though my mouth opened to say something, and she saw me looking at her, so I'm sure I looked quite stupid, like a giant fucking Izuldefish.
Anyway, on to the game.
Game 2 - 3 way vs Fellow Instructor and Pip
The usual saw of Pip being a complete non-factor in 3 player games applies here. He says he's won a couple of 3 player games, and I believe him, but it has to be through a fast Jace's Phantasm run, because otherwise, he only survives past the first one out if other players ignore him. Which they'll sometimes do, because he's so weak.
Fellow Instructor got mana screwed - no mana in his opening hand, but he felt adventurous and loved his opening hand. Problem being, the mana screw continued. Finally, he started coming back. I'm sitting there at 7 mana with Avenger of Zendikar out with 5 plants, and I'm looking in fairly decent shape, but Fellow Instructor's starting to sliver ramp.
And then I get another land drop. Never mind the 1/2 plants, that brings out your friend and mine... Praetor's Counsel. Fellow Instructor and Pip both swear, because it's pretty much game over when that happens.
Sure enough, it was, though by this point, Pip had milled me down so much that I tapped a Bird to bring in Quest for Ancient Secrets to prevent my getting milled out. It ended up largely academic, but still.
Game - 3 way vs Fellow Instructor and Pip
I can't remember exactly what I had out - Ancient Silverback and some mana sources, plus one or two other things. Drove of Elves maybe as a 4/4? Anyway, I attack Pip with the Ancient Silverback and the Drove I'm pretty sure it was. Pip blocks with Wall of Frost, and I Overrun to kill the Frost. Fogbank is out there too and blocks the other one. Unfortunately that meant the Silverback was frozen the next turn even with Wall of Frost gone, but still.
Fellow Instructor I hadn't attacked because he had a couple nasty slivers out, including one that granted deathtouch as I recall. Next turn, I drop Bellowing Tanglewurm. This naturally means Pip is finished whenever I decide to take care of. Fellow Instructor is cool with this because all he needs is a green mana.
Until Pip mills two Forests.
Long story short, I wiped out Fellow Instructor, one turn shy of his finally getting a forest to combat the Tanglewurm's Intimidate.
Pip, of course, was an easy finish after that.
Following this game, a guy who'd been at the table and was working on making a black/white deck who I'll call Jace (he was fairly new to Magic) asked if we could four way. Naturally, no problems, so off to the races we go.
Game 3 - 4 way vs Fellow Instructor, Jace, and Pip
We follow what is an unwritten rule of this particular Magic playing community, which is to leave new players alone in a multi-way game - for the true newbies, so they can have the fun of staying in the game as long as possible and learn by watching how other people's decks plays out; and for new to the other players newbies, to see how this new arrival's deck works (I've had this latter courtesy extended to me on more than one occasion since joining the group).
Jace actually hangs back for much of the early game. Fellow Instructor is slowly building, and I very quickly realize I'm in a situation where I can have some fun. Turn 1, Bird of Paradise. Turn 2, Strata Scythe, exiling a forest. When the others at the table read what Strata Scythe does, it's a collective swearing situation. (Exile a land. For every other land of that type on the battlefield, attached creature gets +1/+1).
Recall, if you will, that Fellow Instructor was playing red/green, and forest is the land that grants my Bird +1/+1.
*Then* on top of that, a turn later, Ordeal of Nylea on the Bird. +1/+1 counter every time the Bird attacks, and when it hits 3 +1/+1 counters, sac Ordeal to bring two basic land cards into play tapped.... which of course feeds right into the Strata Scythe.
So I work on Pip until Fellow Instructor starts his Sliver ramp. Then, I switch to him and get him down to 11 life. My next turn, my Bird is now a 9/10, and I attack again. Fellow Instructor goes to move his life total to 2.
"Wait," I say with a grin. "Tap tap tap tap tap... aaand Overrun."
"....Shit."
Pip comes back from making a phone call, "What happened?"
"...He overran me."
"Damn."
Pip was an easy squash, and when I go to turn on Jace, I'm sitting at 12 life through various attacks, mostly by Fellow Instructor.
Just when I think I have Jace finished off (he had 2 creatures out by this time, Undercity Informer and another one I forget the name of - tap for colorless mana any time a spell is cast, and each opponent loses 1 life, and Jace gains that much life), he pulls Elixir of Immortality. 5 life and he's still alive.
Next turn, he casts a card that gives him 3 life for every creature in my graveyard, and he survives for yet *another* turn. In fact, it took two turns to finally finish him off, but that was damn heroic on his part the way he kept fending me off.
Found out after the game the reason he played so passively was because he had a 6 land opening hand, and decided to roll with it (he was playing black/white, by the by), hoping he could pull his Angel to stop my rampaging Bird of Paradise.
At this point, Fellow Instructor says he's done playing and is going to discuss transactions with some people at another table. Jace, Pip, and I decide to 3 way.
Oh, and during this game, the girl came back, and I was once again going to introduce myself, and she even said, "What's going on here?" and Jace was like, "He's winning pretty easily right now." Perfect opening and I didn't say anything because I was studying the fucking field.
Game 4 - 3 way vs Jace and Pip
I drop a Bird of Paradise first turn, and Turn 2, Sword of Body and Mind. Pip swears, because Pip knows he's done. So I start cheerfully swinging and doing 2 damage, milling for 10 cards.
A turn or two later, Strata Scythe again, which made my Bird a 4/5 because I had 2 forests out (this is what I would have for a large portion of the game. I keep attacking and milling Pip, and I'm starting to get excited now because I'm going to finally mill his ass out if he doesn't get Elixir of Immortality.
WHICH HE DOESN'T, AND I FINALLY MILL HIM OUT!
...But he'd stopped paying much attention to the game because Merchantess, a girl with a massive Magic collection who has a side business in trading and selling cards came back, and he was looking through her blue cards, so he was like "Yeah, whatever, don't really care right now. I'm looking at cards."
I'm going to damn sure remind him Monday though.
Anyway, to Jace. He's got some stuff out, but nothing that worries me. I build up finally mana wise to where I'm able to bring out Bellowing Tanglewurm, but it was already pretty much over before then, especially since I'd gotten Quest for Renewal going long before. Jace had a hard time grasping the concept of not being able to attack creatures directly like in Yu-gi-oh, because he kept trying to Mardu Hateblade my mana sources, and I'm like "Nope. Sorry man, but only players and planeswalkers."
So that was an easy win, too, and a SECOND VICTORY FOR BIRD OF PARADISE!
Yeah, I'm that jazzed up. As I've said before, I *love* Bird of Paradise. If I could get a playmat of it, I would. ....Oh wait, evidently there's one on eBay. Guess I'll go bid on it!
Back to the cards, Pip was complaining that he really wanted Lord of Atlantis and a few other cards, but didn't have the money. And the girl was trying to work something out to where she would hold it for him and they'd figure out a meeting time with payment next week, but the logistics were proving difficult. And Pip was just like "Guh, it's so hard to find this card!"
If it is or not, I don't know. All I know is, I myself hadn't seen one in literal years. So finally I asked her how much everything together was, and she said, "4.25." I looked at Pip and said very calmly, "Will you pay me back on Monday?" He said he would, so I bought the cards for him, and insisted he pay me back Monday. We'll see if he does or not.
Then as I was briefly looking through her green cards before class (Jace was putting together a red/green deck to challenge me but I was running out of time), and saw some interesting cards - the one that takes away hexproof from opponent creatures and grants hexproof to yours. But the mana cost on it was like 8 or 9, so I held off for now, especially since it's a card that's in current rotation.
And then my eye fell on Bellowing Tanglewurm, which is fast becoming one of my favorite cards. Asking price was a quarter, so I took out Gaea's Liege, which is too slow anyway, and put in my second Bellowing Tanglewurm.
Pip did not look pleased at the change.