Welcome back this week as we get back into the Casual Competitive series with a look at multiplayer! As I was working to pack up as I head home for the summer, several of my friends were asking me about getting back to our summer multiplayer playgroup and giving me a list of some cards that they wanted me to keep an eye out for as I was packing up. That led me to thinking, what cards should people looking to spice up their multiplayer game?

Everyone who gets into any new format always has to put together a collection of cards for the format to really get into the game. With that in mind, I decided to start to put together list of cards that people can keep an eye out for without breaking their bank. So here we go: Ten Cards for Twenty Dollars!

Card #1 – Opportunity ($0.25)
So let’s start this off easy. Having cards in Magic is good. Having more cards is better. When we’re playing in multiplayer, you want leave your options open, giving you more flexibility (which I will discuss more later in this article). Costing just one more mana more than Tidings, this gives you a huge edge, allowing you to sit on this until you’re ready for it.

Running Total: $0.25


Card #2 – Rout ($2.21)
This is the perfect example of where being able to do things at Instant Speed is so much better than taping out on your turn. Rout, like Opportunity, allows you to simply have more options than playing the basic Wrath of God. This is just about the best situation. If your opponent is massing up creatures waiting for the kill, all you need to do is leave up and you don’t have to ever worry about it. Worried about having to lead up that much mana? That’s fine, you can just hold onto your other Instants like Opportunity and draw those cards at the end of your last opponent’s turn!

Running Total: $2.46


Card #3 Oblivion Stone ($2.21)
While not as sneaky as Rout, the “O-Stone” forces your opponent to make the decision: “How far do I have to push you before you’re going to pop it?” If they rush it, then they have their hand emptied, and all you’ve lost is the Stone. If they wait, then you can just stockpile your stuff with fate counters so they lose everything, and you keep all of your best stuff. If it really comes to it, then for you can drop it and pop it and just wipe everything.

Running Total: $4.67


Card #4 Blatant Thievery ($1.03)
Some cards are worth tapping out at Sorcery speed. Blatant Thievery is one of them. In a multiplayer game, the effect is going to be devastating. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this card played and not had everyone at the table immediately lean protectively over their cards. This takes creatures, takes those powerful artifacts and enchantments that your opponents have worked on getting out. It even snags planeswalkers just about ready to fire off of their ultimate ability. If worse comes to worse, you can grab a couple of Bounce Lands and suddenly be up with a huge mana advantage!

Running Total: $5.70


Card #5 Decree of Pain ($1.95)
Decree of Pain is a mixture between the game breaking Sorcery, and the Instant speed wipe that I was talking about, depending on what you want. Generally, in the early game, -2/-2 is going to be everything you need to keep the board under control, and when you get to the late game where the big fatties are all out on the table, that’s when you can just tap out to cast the Decree, refill your hand, and then move on with your day.

Running Total: $7.65


Card #6 Time Stretch ($0.93)
When I talk about cards that are worth taping out for, this is the ultimate example. If you look at the card, you can tell that Wizards made the card, and then decided to throw on a mana cost that is just too obscene to be paid for. What they didn’t seem to realize is that in multiplayer, you’re going to get to that mana, and then you are going to take three turns in a row, and then your opponents are going to be in some serious trouble.

Running Total: $8.58


Card #7 Sun Droplet ($0.91)
So you want to get to to cast that Time Stretch? You want to build up all of those resources to get to that point. So what do you do to stay alive? That brings us to Sun Droplet, one of the most irritating cards in multiplayer Magic. Say you’re playing in a four person game, that means that every five turns, you are able to completely regenerate your life. If you play some sweepers like I have already covered in the article, you should be able to keep the creatures off your back for long enough to get back there. The only real risk you face at this point is people getting so annoyed that they have to relentlessly pound you to kill you.

Running Total: $9.49


Card #8 Loxodon Warhammer ($1.70)
So let’s assume that you’ve kept your opponent under control with the previous seven cards. Let’s assume that you have survived, and have gotten some sort of advantage. So now what? We have to move on with our game and get down to killing our opponents. The Hammer is the king when it comes to getting it done. Throw it on your big fattie to give him the trample that you need to bowl your opponent over, or toss it on a little guy to chump or even trade and give you the life you need to get back in the game. The fact that you can just toss it in any deck playing creatures, and it’s going to help you out makes this card more than worth the $1.70.

Running Total: $11.19


Card #9 Luminarch Ascension ($0.98)
When it comes down to actually winning the game, Luminarch Ascension is one of the absolute most efficient ways to end the game. Getting the four counters on it shouldn’t be a problem, as in most games, you can drop this turn two, and have it online by turn four at the latest. to make a 4/4 flier is not bad by any means, and you can just unload them at your opponent until they drop.

Running Total: $12.17


Card #10 Grave Pact ($3.02)
So this card doesn’t factor into my general game plan of generating advantage, survival strategy, or game winning, but this card is so completely powerful that it’s just disgusting. All of a sudden people are scared to swing into your little Utility Creature, because it means losing the giant fatty that they are counting on to win the game with. Every time they kill your fatty, everyone else loses their guys too. Everyone is scared, and no one wants to touch you. Seems pretty good in my book!

Running Total: $15.19


Honorable Mention Gilded Lotus ($4.25)
So I made it to ten cards, and I still have close to five dollars left to spend! That brings me to my honorable mention: Gilded Lotus. Coming in under the $5 mark, this card is still rather expensive, and not as game breaking as the other ones that I have mentioned. However, that being said, almost every single deck I play wants to be running this. The mana advantage is amazing, which is something that is much underrated in multiplayer games. What it does is accelerate you out of your awkward mid-game. Otherwise, it lets you play that mid-game with so many more options, which as I’ve said before, is what is going to make or break your game in multiplayer.

So that’s it for this week! If you are looking to spice up your game and upgrade some of your multiplayer decks, keep an eye out for these cards in the dollar bins, or in some of your friends’ binders when you need that last dollar or two to level out your trade. But there is much more than just this list. Stop by the forums and give us your two cents on what you think some of the best multiplayer cards are out there! Until next week!

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Did Josh miss any cards? Talk it up in the forums!

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