Hi Guys,
There were a few extra Death & Taxes tidbits that didn’t make it in to the show notes for Episode 26.
Firstly the name:
Death and Taxes – The most-referenced deck in terms of, “Legacy deck names are stupid,” this deck began its life on the Legacy boards of mtgsalvation.com, and was created by a player with the handle “Finn.” From Finn’s original post, dated August 31, 2006:
“’Taxes’ refers to the disruption provided by the choice of tricks, as you can delay or even ‘turn off’ elements of your opponent’s strategy while your creatures deliver damage. The specific taxes you levee can be arranged to suit your metagame, and should be tailored for it.”
So, the name specifically refers to the taxing effect of the disruptive creatures in the deck (which at one time included Glowrider), and the creator (who is also known for naming a deck “Dirt”) decided to use a common phrase that’s tangentially related as the mantle for the deck. It has nothing to do with “There’s three things guaranteed: Death, Taxes, and White Weenie.” That was a misconstrued adaptation added to the deck later on.
Decklist
4 Wasteland
4 Rishadan Port
10 Plains
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Horizon Canopy
3 Karakas
4 Mother of Runes
4 Thalia, Gaurdian of Thraben
4 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Phyrexian Revoker
2 Serra Avenger
2 Mirran Crusader
3 Flickerwisp
3 Mangara of Corondor
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Aether Vial
1 Umezawa’s
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Batterskull
Sideboard
2 Enlightened Tutor
2 Rest in Peace
1 Manriki Gusari
2 Disenchant
1 Serenity
2 Cataclysm
2 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Meekstone
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Oblivion Ring
Newer Cards
Spirit of the Labyrinth and Brimaz, King of Oreskos have been popping up in decklists every now an again. Spirit can restrict the ability of combo decks to cantrip, and makes brainstorm practically useless. However, it can be quite fragile given the high density of creatures that trade with (or just plain beat) it in combat. Brimaz is a 3 mana threat that acts in the “beef” role. Again, if Tarmogoyf or similarly-sized creatures are on board, then Brimaz can be out-classed. But on an empty board, or when pressuring planeswalkers, then the extra tokens can be helpful.
If you’ve played with these cards, let us know how you’ve found them.
