Masters II

This deck is a reprint of my father’s favorite deck from back when we played Shandalar together. His favorite color was black, and he loved his turn one Hypnotic Spector. Once he had stumbled onto the Spirit Link, it was almost an auto-include! Though the deck did come in a few varieties, sometimes including Royal Assassins or Nightmares, this was his jam.

During the early Covid shutdowns, when we rediscovered the magic of Magic, long hidden in the dark recesses of my closet, he asked that I remake this deck. We played many a game spanning three generations as we also taught my two sons to play, and this deck was his favorite to rock. Having defeated Arzakon with it, he felt it could handle anything!

I always told him it probably could not hold its own in the current meta. We simply know too much about how to make stronger decks now. However, he always believed in it, so I decided to run it here. At 83, with fading health, drained every more rapidly by caring for my ailing mother, he seemed to light up with word of each victory. Every tale of unholy strengthened black knights striking their enemies, of spirit linked vampires feeding on their foe’s blood, and of pesky Will-O’-the-Wisps holding their own forces helplessly at bay all seemed to pick up his spirits.

So thanks to everyone for a great tournament. Win or lose, this has been a blessing. It has given an old man some much needed moments of happiness, and perhaps one last time to tell me, “I told you so!”

Land Barons of Leng | RWG

"Sit atop your tall tower collecting taxes. /

Keeping orderly books is the praxis. /

Encourage farming not fighting, /

with occasional lightning. /

Only savages conquer with axes."

~ Landlord Guild Motto

Sindbad the Librarian

After years of sailing the seven seas, Sindbad retired to a quieter life of study. Reading the great tomes of his secluded library he learned the dark arts of necromancy which he coupled with his experience of traveling the world, and his encounters of legendary beasts and warriors of tin. It is now Sindbad's time, to come out of retirement and reign fear upon his enemies!