By Mark Pinder

Many of us like to pimp our decks, be they Foils or Foreign Cards they can give you additional pleasure when playing. My long term ambition had been to play a completely Foreign Deck. This was the deck that I built and how it performed.

Well it was a strange feeling, here I was in Grimsby Magic Club looking over my deck and wondering how well it would fare, it would be quite different tonight as Sam was going to be running our weekly event and I’d be actually playing at the club I’d helped build up over the past couple of years. Sam is from Grimsby but also attends Nottingham Trent University where he also runs Magic and we’d been discussing for a while Sam running an event in Grimsby as it would be beneficial for us both, he would get additional players for his WPN record and I’d get the opportunity to play.

So onto the deck I was going to play tonight, well you could say the cards are going to follow a bit of a theme but its not a turbo charged theme deck or “Faeries” the deck was named “The Foreign Legion”.

The first criteria for the cards making the deck where that they had to be non-English versions of the card. After my recent trip to Nationals and GP Brighton I’d come home with two boxes of Russian M10 (which equated to virtually a playset of uncommons, a playset of commons and a plentiful supply of rares), six Asian drafts at the Grand Prix side events and a considerable amount of trading. After looking through my cards I decided the best way to go forward would be Mono White Control.

22        Plains

2          Gargoyle Castle

3          Baneslayer Angel

2          Captain of the Watch

4          Plumeveil

4          Kitchen Finks

2          Stillmoon Cavalier

2          Wall of Reverence

2          Reveillark

4          Runed Halo

4          Path to Exile

3          Planar Cleansing

1          Hallowed Burial

1          Martial Coup

4          Oblivion Ring

Sideboard

1          Ajani Goldmane

3          Honor of the Pure

2          Knight of the White Orchid

2          White Knight

4          Elite Vanguard

3          Harm's Way

Tokens

Yes, even the tokens were in foreign languages J

The sideboard being an aggro transformation if pushed for time to win the third game or felt I needed to race an opponent.

I get to play Michael Wentworth-Shields withhis Black Green rock deck which is brimming with removal and can come out of the traps at a rapid pace. Michael is one of our younger members and used to play at the Louth Club I used to visit, however, he now comes to Grimsby where he will have a better test of his skills. Michael is not overawed no matter who he plays and is the player we think is most likely to win a PTQ in the future at the club.

Game One sees Michael send his Putrid Leech into battle only to see it crash into a Plumeveil but pumps it up to trade. I reel in horror when my turn five Baneslayer Angel is met with an end of turn doom blade. Things are looking quite rough but a second Baneslayer Angel puts the match firmly back on my side and a win a couple of turns later.

Game Two is an epic battle with removal flying in both directions but finally a Deity of Scars tramples over for the win as Michael cannily triggers the regeneration shield to up his creatures power and toughness.

Game Three, sat on four land with time running out I’ve battered Michael down with my aggro start and Ajani Goldmane to increase my beaters power and toughness. I’ve two Baneslayer Angels in hand when Michael casts Talara’s Bane to remove one and increase his life total. Still I am on four land unable to play the other Baneslayer Angel and Michael has got out a Deity of Scars and a Lord of Extinction. My side has a Runed Halo naming each of the cards and I am hanging on as if my life depended upon it. Michael woots as he top decks and casts Maelstrom Pulse targeting one of my Runed Halo’s and consequently removing the second as well. It is an alpha strike and young Michael has a much deserved win.

And I am due to face Josh Howell, Josh has been coming since the early part of the year to Grimsby and has matured into an accomplished player locally winning the Louth Alara Reborn Pre-Release defeating resident pro Tom Duignan along the way to that trophy.

Game One and I’m pretty nervous about this paring and when turn one sees a Noble Hierach go, turn two Shorecrasher mimic and turn three Rafiq of the Many, its is pretty much GG at that point and I’m dead the next turn.

Game Two and this time things are not so bad as I am able to draw removal and hold Josh at bay but then comes the key play of Martial Coup to take out his entire field when well into single figures of life. The five soldiers batter their way to victory.

Game Three sees Stillmoon Cavalier and Kitchen Finks beat down as I Path to Exile his threats but I also manage to resolve a Baneslayer Angel, the game finishes rather quickly after that.

The third round and Annette Suddaby is my opponent, I’ve played Annette in a few events including Lincoln and when it comes to Constructed I’ve managed so far to be her worst nightmare as she has not yet managed to beat me.

Game One and I know this is going to be a hard match up and I am so right as Putrid Leech follows Boggart Ram Gang follows Bloodbraid Elf and things are not looking good for me. Then comes the shocking misplay from borrowing her boyfriends deck and not reading the cards, Bituminous Blast targeting my lonely Reveillark and she pulls into Lightning Bolt, Annette ponders for a while, the room goes still as we’ve three observers of the match and she announces the Reveillark is already dead so shuffles the lightning bolt with the land to the bottom of the deck. I breathe a sigh of relief and at that point Annette immediately realises she has done something wrong . Being a local event I tell her and she shrugs it off. A couple of turns later she casts lightning bolt and I am down to three life (Yes, I should be dead at this point, phew !). However, my luck is changing as I have a Plumeveil to block and then play a Wall of Reverence, end my turn gain 4 and I’m stabilising though with no threats. Eventually though Baneslayer Angel appears and swings in for the victory and my life total rockets.

Game Two sees plenty of Runed Halo’s on my side and a rather casual attitude towards them after my round one experiences to Malestrom Pulse. After the match Sam comments “Weren’t you worried about another pulse ?” to which I replied “No, as Mike doesn’t own any so as far as I am aware he hasn’t any in the deck !”. Two Baneslayer Angels die to Terminate just proving that the card may be good but it is only good when it is still in play ! However, Captain of the Watch comes out with his buddies and they manage to keep the board in check until out comes my Reveillark and Stillmoon Cavalier to evade for the victory.

I am now hoping the pairings are on my side. If I can meet the unbeaten Michael Schofield with his Cascade Warrior Giant Baiting I’m in with a chance. I get the pairing I want, Mike is also interested by the match up as he had meta’d for aggro and has to face the only deck designed to take out creature decks.

Game One and I see why Mike hasn’t lost a game as he plays Bloodbraid Elf, cascades into giant baiting which he conspires to whack me around the head. However, it is the old favourite of Plumeveil and Wall of Reverence that allow me to stabilise my life total. Then it becomes interesting when I manage to cast Captain of the Watch and then play him again next turn so I have 3/3 vigilant soldiers on my side of the field. I then become the beatdown and turn the game around.

Game Two and the horror of the building on a budget deck comes to life. Nettle Sentinel turn one, Bramblewood Paragon turn two followed by Giantbaiting conspired for 2 5/5 tramplers and then next turn Bloodbraid Elf into two more Giantbaiting silliness. Ok, that’s turn four and I’m dead L

Game Three and everything depends upon this game. Mike again is dropping creatures and I am drawing Path to Exile and Oblivion Rings to take away his threats. However, out come the Runed Halo’s to make his Boggart Ramgang’s and Bloodbraid Elves impotent but nothing we can do about the Giant Tokens but at least I’ve been pathing away the Bramblewood Paragon’s to keep his threats manageable. I manage to draw Baneslayer Angel and Mike draws into a second removal spell and a Flame Javelin followed by Lightning Bolt take her out. However, I’m still drawing into gas and resolve a second Angel which flies over for the win.

I’m delighted to see my name on top of the standings but it was not without some luck on my part and poor old Mike Schofield slipped to third place. It was also nice to Mike H and the Foreign Jund deck go 3-1 losing only once to predominately mana issues but with the feedback that the deck needed to get some Putrid Leech’s as the two drop would have made his life much easier.

The Foreign Legion deck is still together and the Reveillark’s have already left as a third Captain of the Watch (German) makes the cut and my Chinese Elspeth arrive a day after the event. After rotation things will become interesting as lose the Runed Halo, Kitchen Finks, Still Moon Cavalier and Plumeveil which is a sizable chunk of the deck but Day of Judgment would be an excellent fit.

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