Dump Truck

Today we are going to be focusing on decisions. As you are no doubt aware, games of Magic the Gathering are essentially games of decisions. Why and when you play what are how games are played. Not only that, but the decision of how a deck was made, or even why you decided to play it, are also factors. Today I am going to be talking about the former – why were some cards included while others were not. Oh, and why did I choose today’s deck? I actually have an extensive list of decks and deck ideas already written down. I just took a quick look at them and chose this one. Alright, let’s get started. Oh right, we’re talking about Dump Truck.

Playing a control deck like Dump Truck comes down to making choices, both in game and before it even starts. I know this is true of any deck/game of Magic, but I want to elaborate a bit on what I mean. I am going to introduce a Card vs. Card choice at the beginning of each paragraph, and then explain to you why I decided on each. Play along and see if you think it was the right choice, or if there was perhaps a card I had missed that might work better.

Wrath of God vs. Engineered Plague. The original decks that I read about played Wrath of God. I wasn’t really a fan of these, as the deck contains so few creatures and they are our only win conditions. Engineered Plague seemed like a great alternative as it wipes out weenie decks that try to overwhelm you early on. Engineered also costs 1 mana less to cast, which can be crucial against an aggro deck such as White Weenie.

Cabal Therapy vs. Hymn to Tourach. Now this was a hard choice to make. Hymn to Tourach does exactly what this deck wants to do – it can seriously disrupt their game plan while providing you with legitimate card advantage. Cabal Therapy can do this too, but is often used in pretty creature heavy decks to maximize its use. Along with being a possible turn 1 play, the results of my next decision also played a part in this one..

Mox Diamond vs. Land. This is more of a control deck than a tempo deck. Because of this, I didn’t find the inclusion of Mox Diamond to be necessary. Having access to more mana early on certainly has its uses in a control deck however, and it is definitely something to you may want to consider. What type of control deck you choose to play should ultimately decide on whether or not to include Diamond in your deck.

Mana denial vs. Not. Speaking of mana.. while not a card vs. card decision, another aspect I had to consider was whether or not to hit their mana sources. With Vindicate already in the deck, it might seem like an obvious choice. Why not add Wastelands and Stifles to the deck? Well, the main reason(s) I chose not to are the history of the deck and the direction I wanted to take with it. Mana denial control decks are certainly a viable choice, but that would take away from the strengths that Dump Truck decks already employ – their ability to generate card advantage. I decided to stay true to the Truck and not split the focus of the deck.

And there you have it, some of the choices I made in putting together Dump Truck. Despite these decisions however, there were other cards that I had thought about that I just didn’t find a place for. Cards such as Mesmeric Fiend, Hypnotic Specter and Gerrard’s Verdict were among these options, but simply didn’t make the cut. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have though, and of course, I encourage you to try it out and decide on your own. Happy Brewing!

Dump Truck

Land

4 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
4 Underground Sea

4 Tundra
1 Island
1 Swamp
1 Plains

Total: 20

Creatures

4 Exalted Angel
4 Meddling Mage
4 Shadowmage Infiltrator

Total: 12

Spells

3 Duress
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Force of Will
3 Counterspell
4 Vindicate
2 Engineered Plague
4 Swords to Plowshares

4 Brainstorm

Total: 28

Sideboard

1 White Knight

1 Black Knight

1 Silver Knight

2 Engineered Explosives

1 Duress

4 Orim’s Chant

4 Tormod’s Crypt

1 Aegis of Honor