by Mishra Planeswalker

Created on: September 24, 2010

Elspeth vs Tezzeret is the latest installment in the series of Magic: The Gathering Duel Decks.  These decks are ready-to-play out of the box, and are legal in the Legacy format.  Individual cards from the decks are legal in any format that they would otherwise be legal in.  The decks have an MSRP of $19.99, but often sell for slightly more due to the power level of the cards included.  

The Elspeth deck is based around the popular planeswalker Elspeth, Knight-Errant.  A cornerstone of standard decks for years, this powerful card is seeing play in many extended and even legacy decks.  Her deck is mono-white, with a loose emphasis on the soldier class of cards.  The Elspeth deck contains many other fan favourite cards, such as Crusade and Swords to Plowshares, both of which sport stunning new artwork.  In addition, Catapult Master and Loyal Sentry join the ranks of Elspeth as the 3rd and 4th rare cards in the deck. 

Elspeth’s deck is a classical aggro deck, which play a large number of efficient, cheap creatures complemented by a suite of removal and pump spells.  The gameplay will often involve the white mage emptying their hand relatively quickly before the opponent can stabilize and mount any sort of defense.  With such a fast start, it only takes a few well-timed spells to finish of your opponent’s life total.

The Tezzeret deck is based around the diabolical planeswalker Tezzeret, the Seeker.  Tezzeret is a vilian known for his love of artifacts and power, both of which are packed into his deck.  This mono-blue deck emphasizes all the cool tricks one can perform with an abundance of artifacts on the battlefield.  Joining Tezzeret are classic cards Mishra’s Factory and Thirst for Knowledge, cards which have been played to great tournament success in every format they have been legal in.  These cards also sport new art, which is especially nice in the case of the Factory, which has not been mass-produced with the post 8th edition frame.  The rare cards that join Tezzeret are Pentavus, Master of Etherium, and Triskelion.

This set of decks is a great addition to any Magic: the Gathering collection.  New players will love the exciting and balanced experience the decks provide, while experienced veterans will enjoy the new art and powerful planeswalkers.  Regardless, Elspeth vs Tezzeret is something any Magic player will enjoy.

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