Pseudeo Newb and the Quick new thing I learned about Deathrite Shaman

Quick new thing I learned about Deathrite Shaman

Plus Pack Rat Tokens


Arrgh so much stuff - so far behind.

This last weekend was Thankgsiving. I've been playing a lot because I'm fully integrated into our college's gaming club. I've been playing a 20$ pack rats deck that is more fun than many, may things and then I realized I needed to make a Pack Rat's token that actually had the rules on it so that I didn't have to remember an extra thing on the board unnecessarily.

Here's my token - feel free to share internet. I'm playing Pack Rats because I love adorable rodents, I'm just happy that WotC made me a card so that I can play ALL the rats in standard at one time and have a usable deck.

*Newb Note - because Pack Rat Tokens are full copies of Pack Rat they also have all of the same card text abilities of the original card - I made these tokens to make sure that I didn't forget that.

Sometimes it's strategic to use a pack rat token instead of an actual Pack Rat card when you are choosing to attack or whatever maybe you have something that buffs up tokens or something else that needs a non-token creature and the original card isn't hanging around to read the text off it. My final copy is an .AI file that has the word token on it.

I need to do this more often for two reasons - 1 is that it means my tokens do exactly what I need them to during the game and 2 I get to make my own art and use it in game.

Ok so here's the thing I learned about Deathrite Shaman. 

I've put together a Green and Black deck that is different than a tournament deck that runs three colors. I wanted to experiment with a few ideas and I play decks to learn specific cards or strategies rather than some other competitive goals. This one is for using ramp, learning how to play Deathrite Shaman and seeing if I can get past overly focusing on my early game by playing a deck that really doesn't have an early aggro( aggressive attacking) strategy.

Rules text Mana Cost:

Converted Mana Cost:

1

Types:

Creature — Elf Shaman

Card Text:

: Exile target land card from a graveyard. Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.

, : Exile target instant or sorcery card from a graveyard. Each opponent loses 2 life.

, : Exile target creature card from a graveyard. You gain 2 life.

So the mana symbol is hybrid mana - which means you can cast it using either of the colors in the little circle. 

The abilities in the ability text box are all mana activated tap abilities even though the first ability mana cost = 0

Because they require the card to tap and the card is a creature card the abilities are subject to summoning sickness = you can't use it unless you controlled it from the beginning of the turn OR you have a special effect on your board that gives it haste, which will let you use a creature card right away on the same turn it's cast or in your control. 

So here's what I know from journaling - my particular weak points with this card are going to be 

• losing track of one of the abilities as an option because there are three instead of two, I almost always miss/forget one of them

• remembering that because it's a mana activated ability I can use it at instant speed(any turn, any legal turn phase) instead of sorcery speed ( only your own main phase)

• making sure I remember that it's ANY graveyard not just mine that I can target to feed the card exile requirements

I was correct, playing this card in my new deck today I made all those mistakes even though I was aware I would make them in advance but here is the cool new thing I learned:

If my opponent is also playing a Deathrite Shaman ( which can happen more often than you think) and he uses his to target something like a swamp in my graveyard to make himself some blue mana, if I have an untapped Deathrite Shaman then I can tap it to target the same card and create the mana of my choice for myself

I can do this even if I don't use the mana.

This works because my response at instant speed resolves on the stack ( the timing element they use to sort card effects) before the opponents' Deathrite does so in effect  I use up and exile the targeted card in the graveyard before the first Deathrite gets to.

That Deathrite picked something that is no longer a legal target and can't pick a new one so it stays tapped but has no effect.

What does that sound like in play?

Opp - I target your swamp in your graveyard and tap Deathrite Shaman to make one blue mana
Me - In response I tap my Deathrite Shaman to target that same swamp and make a green mana that i can't use. If I can't have that swamp nobody can and you should picture my Deathrite Shaman threatening to pack up his toys and go home.

What really Happened:

Opp - I target your swamp in your graveyard and tap Deathrite Shaman to make one blue mana
Me- OK

Shenanigans with the one blue mana ensue

Opp- Pass turn
Me ( as I start to untap lands for my untap phase)
Opp - you know you can use your Deathrite Shaman to tap the same land right?
Me - Urgh?

The Opponent who is Nick-that-is-not-Mike then shows me how to do that now that his turn is over, but before the game is over. We are playing casually in the cafeteria and he has to remember that although I play much better than many of our current club members I am still really a newb. He's way better at intricacies of the stack than I am and I'm not good enough to necessarily just "see" things that way yet.

About two turns later he tries it again ( knowing that my distractability is high it's a fair tactic) and I do remember and take the proper course of action complete with reference to the pouting.

But even using it that way I will later lose the game because I forget that the first tap effect will let me generate mana that I need.

But that means that I was right to put this deck together. I learned a bunch of other things that made it clear I've had some skill loss on remembering triggers. So I played it with a few more opponents but now I need to put it away for a day or add some Rancors.

It's here in the journal so I don't forget that I learned it.