{"ops":[{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Brothers of the mine rejoice!"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nAlright, I will write a real primer, not just song lyrics. \n\nFor a few years now, the two decks I play most often have been a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Kess, Dissident Mage"}},{"insert":" Poison/Proliferate Bracket 2 deck and a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Wilson, Refined Grizzly"}},{"insert":"/"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Flaming Fist"}},{"insert":" Voltron Bracket 2 deck with a lot of enchantments and equipment. Both are original brews. Not net-decked or copied from anyone else. I am very proud of my "},{"attributes":{"link":"https://archidekt.com/decks/20846381/maleficarum"},"insert":"Kess deck"},{"insert":". It's original and I haven't really seen anything else like it. It works well in bracket two because it is a pretty slow win-con. But for a bit now I have been continuously tweaking "},{"attributes":{"link":"https://archidekt.com/decks/17049746/buildabear_anime_protagonist"},"insert":"Wilson"},{"insert":" and it never felt very focused or well balanced. It had two commanders, was split between equipment and enchantment strategies, was still weak to removal, and often fell into the play pattern of knocking one person out of the game early and then having to rebuild after your commander got removed. It was also a two mana commander in green that didn't really feel like it wanted to ramp. Despite continuously upgrading the deck, Voltron as a strategy is just not all that strong despite the commander damage mechanic. I began debating whether or not I wanted to keep the deck together. \n\nThen previews for The Hobbit started coming out and I saw "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Dwalin, Weaponmaster"}},{"insert":". Hone counters seemed like a very interesting new mechanic and an opportunity to use a bunch of cards from Wilson to build a new and more focused deck. Plus, a 2 mana commander that only has 1 colored pip that is hybrid is seriously easy to cast. (It also didn't hurt that "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Beorn the Fierce"}},{"insert":" came out in the same set and I could build an entirely different bear deck if I wanted to.) Then when I started brewing Dwalin, it became very fun to build it as a semi-Dwarf-typal deck full of equipment. Dwarves have been around since Alpha, so they have a surprising amount of creature based utility, and they play well into equipment. I immediately liked this deck a lot, despite not often playing Boros. Black is my favorite color in MTG, and most of the decks I like tend to run in the Black/Rakdos/Grixis realm. \n\nI decided to shoot for a mid power Bracket 3 deck. Right down the middle. I picked game changers that were thematic rather than the most powerful for the colors. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ancient Tomb"}},{"insert":" with the Balin's Tomb printing, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Smothering Tithe"}},{"insert":" because Dwarves love treasure (and I already owned this printing,) and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"The One Ring"}},{"insert":" of course. I brewed the deck and started play testing it. It went through many iterations and I got it pretty darn strong, but I could feel myself falling back into the same feelings I had with Wilson, so I pulled it back a bit and leaned more into the theme. I swapped out some of the more efficient lands like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"City of Brass"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mana Confluence"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Spire of Industry"}},{"insert":" for things like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Dwarven Mine"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mines of Moria"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"The Lonely Mountain"}},{"insert":" that were more on theme. For a while, the deck only contained a single dragon, which was "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Smaug the Magnificent"}},{"insert":" for thematic purposes, but "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Magda, Brazen Outlaw"}},{"insert":" is in the deck and I already owned copies of "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ancient Copper Dragon"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Goldspan Dragon"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Hellkite Tyrant"}},{"insert":" so I figured I could bend the theme a little bit and include a couple more dragons. I've also included "},{"insert":{"card-link":"The Arkenstone // Seek the Heart"}},{"insert":" for theme. \n\nThe deck doesn't go super wide with tokens, but it does contain around 30 creatures, so you generally end up with a decent board state. Your primary strategy is to play creatures, equip them, turn them sideways, and try to win through combat damage. As you do so with your commander out, all your equipment gets bigger and bigger. If they remove your creatures, the equipment stays around. That being said, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Vandalblast"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Austere Command"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Cyclonic Rift"}},{"insert":" are about the worst spells you can see cast against you. \n\nYou've got a few other late game win-cons. You can drop "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Craterclaw Colossus"}},{"insert":" once you have a board state and do a pretty good impression of every green player ever. You've got around 30 cards that ramp in some way, most of them by generating treasures, so you can build up a bunch of treasures and other artifacts and then sacrifice five treasures to "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Magda, Brazen Outlaw"}},{"insert":" on the player ahead of you in turn order's end step to sneak out a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Hellkite Tyrant"}},{"insert":" and win on your upkeep. The fun one is that you can equip "},{"insert":{"card-link":"The Reaver Cleaver"}},{"insert":" to any creature with at least four power (like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Bruenor Battlehammer"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Dáin of the Ancient Halls"}},{"insert":", or any one of the included dragons) or pump the cleaver up with Hone counters, then if that creature has a free swing with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Aggravated Assault"}},{"insert":" in play, you will generate enough treasures to get infinite combat steps. Same thing if you are swinging with at least five Dwarves and Magda on the field. This also works if you are swinging with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ancient Copper Dragon"}},{"insert":" and rolling above a five. Basically any time you can generate at least five treasures on a swing with Aggravated Assault in play, you get another combat step and this can go infinite. Pair this with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Taunt from the Rampart"}},{"insert":" which guarantees no one can block and you clear the table. You get the picture. This is the only real \"infinite combo\" that I play in any deck. Even without the infinite combat steps, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Taunt from the Rampart"}},{"insert":" can be a game ending spell. It essentially gives you two turns of unblockable with whatever your board state is, and it forces your opponents to attack each other. \n\nAs for specific printings of cards, I like the book cover printings of "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Thorin, Mountain-king"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Gleaming Splendor"}},{"insert":" which is why I have included them here, but I haven't just chosen the most expensive printings of things. I prefer the base printing of "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Thorin Oakenshield"}},{"insert":" to the borderless one. I like the showcase frame art for "},{"insert":{"card-link":"The Arkenstone // Seek the Heart"}},{"insert":" more than the book cover art. Similarly I like the borderless artwork on "},{"insert":{"card-link":"The Lonely Mountain"}},{"insert":" more than the book cover artwork. I even chose the printing of "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Deflecting Swat"}},{"insert":" that has a bearded gentleman on it because he looks Dwarf-like to me. I specifically curated the printings shown here because they are the art that I prefer and wanted to have in my collection. Other than (ironically) the Dwarven Warriors, I've got all the Dwarvish language card printings in here. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"The Reaver Cleaver"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Arcane Signet"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mox Amber"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Treasure Vault"}},{"insert":" all present and accounted for. In fact if there is a LotR/Hobbit printing of a card, that was probably the printing I chose. \n\nAs I mentioned above, the deck could be better optimized. If I were making some improvements, I would absolutely run a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Teferi's Protection"}},{"insert":" over an "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ancient Tomb"}},{"insert":" for a game changer slot. There are probably many other improvements you could make, but I really like the deck as it currently plays and I enjoy how thematic it is.\n\nI really enjoyed brewing this deck, and once I was happy with how it was performing in play tests, I took apart Wilson and a went through some of my older collection and sold a bunch of cards online for store credit so that I could buy this deck in full. So for me, the budget for this deck and these printings specifically was not much of a consideration. I just made sure to get enough store credit to afford it. If you wanted to build it for cheaper, you absolutely could. I am no longer creating budget sections in my primers. They are way too difficult to keep up with, especially across multiple decks. Some standard budgetary recommendations that work for any deck: Swap to cheapest printings. Remove the game changers. Simplify the mana base with a bunch of basics and bump the total number of lands up to 38 or 40. Sort by price and then take out any card over $20. Check EDHRec and put in cheaper popular options and have fun. There is easily a version of this deck you could build for under $500. \n\n"},{"attributes":{"link":"https://moxfield.com/decks/srl5jrGLm0uDmCTjACn5sg"},"insert":"Moxfield Link"},{"insert":" if you want it. \n\nAnd now, back to the song.\n\nBrothers of the mine rejoice!\nSwing, swing, swing with me\nRaise your pick and raise your voice!\nSing, sing, sing with me\nDown and down into the deep\nWho knows what we'll find beneath?\nEquipment, Moxes, gold and more\nHidden in the mountain store\n\nBorn underground, suckled from a teat of stone\nRaised in the dark, the safety of our mountain home\nSkin made of iron, steel in our bones\nTo dig and dig makes us free\nCome on brothers sing with me!\n\nI am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole\nDiggy, diggy hole, diggy, diggy hole\nI am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole\nDiggy, diggy hole, digging a hole\n\nThe sunlight will not reach this low\nDeep, deep in the mine\nNever seen the blue moon glow\nDwarves won't fly so high\nFill a glass and down some mead!\nStuff your bellies at the feast!\nStumble home and fall asleep\nDreaming in our mountain keep\n\nBorn underground, grown inside a rocky womb\nThe earth is our cradle; the mountain shall become our tomb\nFace us on the battlefield; you will meet your doom\nWe do not fear what lies beneath\nWe can never dig too deep\n\nI am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole\nDiggy, diggy hole, diggy, diggy hole\nI am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole\nDiggy, diggy hole, digging a hole\nI am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole\nDiggy, diggy hole, diggy, diggy hole\nI am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole\nDiggy, diggy hole, digging a hole\n\nBorn underground, suckled from a teat of stone\nRaised in the dark, the safety of our mountain home\nSkin made of iron, steel in our bones\nTo dig and dig makes us free\nCome on brothers sing with me!\n\nI am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole\nDiggy, diggy hole, diggy, diggy hole\nI am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole\nDiggy, diggy hole, digging a hole\nI am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole\nDiggy, diggy hole, diggy, diggy hole\nI am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole\nDiggy, diggy hole, digging a hole...\n"}]}