ello everyone, and welcome back to Building on a Budget, the column dedicated to building decks that cost 30 tickets or less using Magic Online. My name is Ben Bleiweiss, and I'll be your host for two of the next three weeks (I have a week off next week, and then I return for my final column). In last week's column, I continued the series where I take a random list of rares that all cost half a ticket or less, such as this one:

Adamaro, First to Desire	Ghitu Fire	Magnivore	Sensation Gorger
Aggravated Assault	Goblin Game	Magus of the Arena	Shah of Naar Isle
Akki Lavarunner	Goblin Goon	Magus of the Scroll	Shaman's Trance
Ashen Firebeast	Goblin King	Mana Clash	Shard Phoenix
Ashling the Pilgrim	Goblin Pyromancer	Mana Echoes	Shared Animosity
Ashling's Prerogative	Godo, Bandit Warlord	Mannichi, the Fevered Dream	Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked
Balthor the Stout	Grand Melee	Mass Hysteria	Shivan Dragon
Bedlam	Granulate	Master Warcraft	Shivan Hellkite
Ben-Ben, Akki Hermit	Gratuitous Violence	Megatog	Shivan Wumpus
Bend or Break	Grip of Chaos	Menacing Ogre	Shunt
Blazing Shoal	Hamletback Goliath	Mindblaze	Siege of Towers
Bloodfire Colossus	Hammer of Bogardan	Mindmoil	Skarrgan Firebird
Bloodshot Cyclops	Hammerfist Giant	Mine Layer	Skirk Alarmist
Boldwyr Heavyweights	Heartless Hidetsugu	Mogg Sentry	Skirk Fire Marshal
Bomb Squad	Heat Shimmer	Molten Firebird	Skyfire Kirin
Boom/Bust	Hell-Bent Raider	Mudhole	Soulblast
Borderland Behemoth	Hidetsugu's Second Rite	Myojin of Infinite Rage	Spiteful Visions
Breaking Point	Homura, Human Ascendant	Need for Speed	Stalking Vengeance
Breath of Fury	Hostility	Norin the Wary	Stand or Fall
Burning Sands	Hunted Dragon	Nova Chaser	Steamflogger Boss
Butcher Orgg	Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician	Obstinate Familiar	Stormscale Anarch
Callous Giant	Iizuka the Ruthless	Okk	Sunrise Sovereign
Clash of Realities	Impatience	Overmaster	Tarox Bladewing
Clickslither	Imperial Hellkite	Pact of the Titan	Tectonic Instability
Confusion in the Ranks	Impromptu Raid	Parallectric Feedback	Tephraderm
Cosmic Larva	Impulsive Maneuvers	Pardic Dragon	Thieves' Auction
Cragganwick Cremator	In the Web of War	Pardic Miner	Thoughts of Ruin
Crimson Hellkite	Incendiary Command	Patron of the Akki	Through the Breach
Decree of Annihilation	Inferno	Petradon	Thunderblade Charge
Deep-Slumber Titan	Insurrection	Possessed Barbarian	Thundermare
Detritivore	Ion Storm	Radiate	Tide of War
Din of the Fireherd	Ishi-Ishi, Akki Crackshot	Rage Reflection	Titan's Revenge
Djinn Illuminatus	Jaya Ballard, Task Mage	Rally the Horde	Torchling
Dragon Mage	Jeska, Warrior Adept	Rathi Dragon	Two-Headed Dragon
Dragon Roost	Jiwari, the Earth Aflame	Reckless Embermage	Tyrannize
Dragon Tyrant	Kaboom!	Reiterate	Undying Flames
Dwarven Bloodboiler	Kamahl, Pit Fighter	Relentless Assault	Unstable Hulk
Dwarven Shrine	Karplusan Minotaur	Reversal of Fortune	Valleymaker
Elemental Mastery	Karplusan Yeti	Rimescale Dragon	Vengeful Firebrand
Excruciator	Kilnmouth Dragon	Risky Move	Volcano Hellion
Fatal Frenzy	Knollspine Dragon	Rockshard Elemental	Volley of Boulders
Fervor	Knollspine Invocation	Rosheen Meanderer	Vulshok Battlemaster
Fiery Gambit	Kumano, Master Yamabushi	Ruby Leech	War Elemental
Final Fortune	Lava Hounds	Rukh Egg	Warp World
Flame Fusillade	Lavaborn Muse	Ryusei, the Falling Star	War's Toll
Flowstone Slide	Leyline of Lightning	Savage Beating	Wild Research
Form of the Dragon	Lightning Crafter	Savage Firecat	Wild Ricochet
Fortune Thief	Lightning Surge	Scoria Wurm	Wildfire
Fumiko the Lowblood	Living Inferno	Scourge of Kher Ridges	Word of Seizing
Furnace Dragon	Loafing Giant	Searing Wind	Words of War
Furnace of Rath	Mages' Contest	Sedge Sliver	Wort, the Raidmother
Fury of the Horde	Magma Giant	Seize the Day	Zo-Zu the Punisher

Run it through the random list generator:

Hostility 
Ben-Ben, Akki Hermit 
Reckless Embermage 
Ryusei, the Falling Star 
Decree of Annihilation 
Stand or Fall 
Furnace Dragon 
Shivan Dragon 
Mudhole 
Heartless Hidetsugu 
Wort, the Raidmother 
Overmaster 
Breaking Point 
Lightning Crafter 
Lavaborn Muse 
Karplusan Yeti 
Tide of War 
Relentless Assault 
Shard Phoenix 
Hammerfist Giant 
Rally the Horde 
Scourge of Kher Ridges 
Skarrgan Firebird 
Skirk Fire Marshal 
Through the Breach 
Shivan Hellkite 
Akki Lavarunner 
Balthor the Stout 
Tephraderm 
Vulshok Battlemaster
Cragganwick Cremator 
Wild Research 
Impatience 
Radiate 
Fervor

And end up with the following starting deck heyah!:

Immediately I can see that there are a few dead cards here (Wild Research without mana to activate it? Mudhole at all?), but random is random, and what color embraces randomness more than red? Still, I'm pretty sure that there are a few candidates here that are not long for the world, so with that in mind, I shuffled up (electronically) for Game 1!

Game 1: astateofdissipation (Poison Clone)

I end up trading a Reckless Embermage for a Vesuvan Shapeshifter, at which point astateofdissipation drops Swamp Mosquito, clones it twice, and backs them with double Swarmyard. Although I have a lot of creatures on the board, I am unable to outrace his ability to regenerate his Mosquitoes and then poison me to death.

Record: 0-1

Out: Impatience, Mudhole, Wild Research, Tide of War
In: 4x Jaws of Stone

I like the idea of having something to use with a lot of Mountains, and Jaws of Stone seems like a ton of fun for a mono-red deck—kind of like Volcanic Winds, but able to go straight to the head. I also have visions of being about to conspire it with Wort, for a good 12-14 damage to the head.

Game 2: resqueda (Black-Base Shrines Land Destruction)

Resqueda starts the game with an Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, then a Forest, and then drops two Spreading Algae on each of my first two lands. He then blows up one of my lands with Rancid Earth and proceeds to drop Honden of Cleansing Fire. I build up to six mana and start dropping creatures, the first of which (Reckless Embermage) dies to Porphyry Nodes. I drop Karplusan Yeti and Tephraderm, and resqueda answers with Honden of Life's Web.

I break through by ramping up to eight, allowing me to drop Wort, the Raidmother without having to lose my Mountain / Swamps to his Algae. When he drops another Porphyry Nodes, I play and conspire Jaws of Stone, hitting each of his tokens for one, and doming him for 12 damage, plus 10 from my attacking creatures. He gets two more blockers on his turn, but I have a second Jaws of Stone, and I am able to send 18 damage directly to his head, outracing his life gain and winning the game.

Record: 1-1

Game 3: electricmessiah (Black-White Lifegain)

Electricmessiah starts out with Soul Warden, and by the time I get my first play (Reckless Embermage), he's accelerated into back-to-back Beacon of Immortality, courtesy of Mind Stone and Orzhov Signet. He then drops triple Hissing Miasma and double Righteous Cause, and tops it off with a third Beacon of Immortality for good measure.

I start to get back into the game with a Shivan Hellkite, but it is shut down quickly with Faith's Fetters. I then drop Shivan Dragon, and start swinging for an upwards of 17 damage a turn (taking 3 damage each time I swing). I hit him five times with Shivan Dragon (for a total of around 100 damage), and then drop Wort, the Raidmother. This enables me to get back-to-back Jaws of Stone for 24 each, bringing electricmessiah back down to a manageable life range.

As I get stuck on 2 life (without any more chance to attack), I start pinging electricmessiah once a turn with my Embermage (once on his turn, and once on my turn), adding Lavaborn Muse for an extra 3 damage a turn against his empty hand. He gets a last-ditch Beacon to stave off death for a turn, but I am able to finish him off with Lavaborn Muse to seal a victory that was, at one point, 160ish life points away.

Record: 2-1

Game 4: Gotoblivion14 (Black-White Orzhov)

He starts with Order of the Stars on turn two, naming red. He then drops Shrieking Grotesque, puts Pillory of the Sleepless on my Lavaborn Muse, and puts Faith's Fetters on my Karplusan Yeti, sealing the game as the rest of the drops in my hand cost 6+ mana.

Record: 2-2

Out: Breaking Point, Akki Lavarunner, Fervor, Rally the Horde, Stand or Fall, Through the Breach, Vulkshok Battlemaster
In: 3 Wort, the Raidmother, 2 Lavaborn Muse, 2 Cragganwick Cremator

Yup, conspire + Jaws = dead opponents. I add in some more creatures that have done well for me so far, and take out some of the chaff from the deck.

Game 5: DrDelight456 (Blue-Red Spirits)

DrDelight456 drops Slumbering Tora, and I get Balthor the Stout, Lavaborn Muse, and Cragganwick Cremator (discarding Shivan Hellkite at random). He is forced to play defense, and activates his Tora with Kuro, Pitlord, but I have hit him for enough damage to win with my unblocked creatures.

Record: 3-2

Game 6: eightc (Enchantress)

Eightc starts with Verduran Enchantress and Unstable Mutation. I get down Cragganwick Cremator and then drop Shard Phoenix. Eightc gets Living Terrain, drops Simic Guildmage, and uses Persuasion on my Cremator. I block the Treefolk land on the attack (while eightc is down to one mana, and so can't move around the Mutation), and sacrifice the Phoenix to take care of the now-shrunk Enchantress and the Guildmage. I then drop Wort, the Raidmother, take a 10-hit from two attackers, and wipe out eightc's board with a conspired Jaws of Stone.

Eightc recovers with Troll Ascetic, Eternal Witness, and Persuasion on my Wort. I play Ryusei, the Falling Star, and it is put under Faith's Fetters. Eightc taps out to do this, and I Jaws of Stone my own Ryusei to take out eightc's board. Unfortunately, the game does not have a happy ending for yours truly, and a Centaur Glade the following turn pumps out more guys than I can reasonably handle.

Record: 3-3

Out: Ben-Ben, Akki Hermit, Balthor the Stout, Hammerfist Giant, Karplusan Yeti, Heartless Hidetsugu, Lightning Crafter, Overmaster, Radiate, Tephraderm, Skirk Fire Marshal, Reckless Embermage, Scourge of Kher Ridges
Add: 4 Oxidda Golem, 4 Blazing Shoal, 4 Akroma, Angel of Fury

I've had a few games that ended so far with a hugely conspired Jaws of Stone. So I decide to make the focus of the deck "Bang! You're dead!" I want cards that will destroy my opponent from out of nowhere. Blazing Shoal is a fun choice, because I already have a bunch of high-cost cards in my deck (4 Wort, 4 Jaws of Stone), so it will often pitch for +6 damage. I add in Akroma, Angel of Fury, because I can both play it early game (turn three), morph it (turn six), drop it steady (turn eight), or pitch it to Shoal (+8 damage). Oxidda Golem is another "Mountains matter" card to add to this deck, adding a bit of speed via haste.

Game 7: thordeer (Elves)

thordeer's turn one: Pendelhaven, Llanowar Elves
My turn one: Mountain
thordeer's turn two: Attack, pump to 2/3, Forest (18-20)
My turn two: Mountain
thordeer's turn three: Forest, attack, pump (16-20)
My turn three: Play Oxidda Golem, swing for three (16-17)
thordeer's turn four: Attack, pump, Forest, Heedless One (14-17)
My turn four: Mountain, attack with Oxidda Golem (14-14)
thordeer's turn five: Imperious Perfect, swing with Llanowar Elves and Heedless One (8-14)
My turn five: Swing with Oxidda Golem. After no blocks are declared, remove Akroma, Angel of Fury and Jaws of Stone from the game with two Blazing Shoals to pump Oxidda Golem to 17/2. Win.

Record: 4-3

Game 8: doch (Red-Blue ???)

Doch casts multiple cantrip-type spells, including triple Chromatic Sphere, double Manamorphose, double Reach through Mists, and double Ponder. I morph a third-turn Akroma, swing with it three times, drop Wort, the Raidmother, and then conspire Jaws of Stone for 14.

Record: 5-3

Game 9: Zyphre (Faeries?)

Zyphre starts the game with Seat of the Synod, and follows it with Mirrodin's Core. I am on the play, and drop a third-turn Oxidda Golem, swing in for three. On his turn three, Zyphre drops Reflecting Pool and Bitterblossom. On my turn four, I swing in, and pitch double Jaws of Stone to deal 15 damage, knocking Zyphre to 2, which becomes one on his upkeep due to his enchantment. Before he can die on his turn, I play Cragganwick Cremator, sending Hostility to the dome.

Record: 6-3

Game 10: lucasnj (Super-High Budget thingy)

Four shocklands, two Birds of Paradise, two Shadowmage Infiltrator, and an Umezawa's Jitte later, and this game is over. Don't mind not being budget; do mind seeing a deck like this in the casual room.

Record: 6-4

Game 11: DarkCyrus (White-Blue-Black Blink)

DarkCyrus starts with Phyrexian Rager, and follows with Aven Riftwatcher. I get face-down Akroma (Terrored) and Wort, the Raidmother. I then play Jaws of Stone, and I misclick, sending 7 damage to a creature, instead of 14 to his head. The next turn, I have Oxidda Golem with Blazing Shoal for 9 (removing another Wort from the game), but he has Momentary Blink on Aven Riftwatcher to stay alive. I stare helplessly at the Cragganwick Cremators in my hand, as I send him down to 1 life—and he drops double Riftwatcher the next turn with Momentary Blink backup to basically blow me back out of the game. It's not often I end up losing to a misclick, but in this case, 100% accurate.

Record: 6-5

Were I to keep evolving the deck, I would continue to focus on cards that can wipe out my opponent in a single turn—perhaps more Relentless Assault (which work well with Wort and with Blazing Shoal) so that my creatures are more often lethal in a single (set of) swings. I also might want some global sweepers, such as Pyroclasm, Sulfurous Blast, or the such, because X/1, X/2, and X/3 flying creatures seemed to give me trouble.

Wow, Ben hasn't had a poll in quite a long time. Did he forget to finish up the green deck evolution this week?   Of course not! Would he mention it in a poll if he did? Of course he did! I don't see it in this article! Given Ben's history, not only are we never going to see the green deck finished, but he'd skip the white deck evolution just to mess with us.

Next week: Guest Columnist!

Two weeks from now: My Final BoaB!