{"ops":[{"insert":"Here's my November 2022 Story Deck!\nIn the spirit of Death Note, this deck focuses on the partnership of a murderous creation and his dark patron, with wincons built into sacrificing everything to an evil book for personal gain. \n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Armix, Filigree Thrasher"}},{"insert":" is our stand-in for "},{"attributes":{"link":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_Yagami"},"insert":"Light Yagami"},{"insert":" here, aggressively cleansing the opponents boards of \"undesirables\" with every swing. As you sacrifice more and more, he grows as a threat, and can take down ever bigger, more dangerous opponents. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sengir, the Dark Baron"}},{"insert":" as "},{"attributes":{"link":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryuk_(Death_Note)"},"insert":"Ryuk"},{"insert":" is the one really running the show though. For every life his partner takes, his own power grows, and he gets to sit back and enjoy until the opportunity to take control arises.\n\nFor the eponymous Death Note, we're going with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"The Book of Vile Darkness"}},{"insert":" as the perfect choice. It trades our lifespan for powerful effects and artifacts, then eventually grants the user \"godhood.\" "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Grimoire of the Dead"}},{"insert":" is a decent backup, a payoff for a life of murderous intent.\n\nThe miscellaneous Legendary creatures represent characters in the story, and accurately portray their roles within. The various Death Gods ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Erebos, God of the Dead"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Egon, God of Death // Throne of Death"}},{"insert":"), literal "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Shinigami"},{"insert":", are static beings who only benefit from the carnage, and thus lend us their abilities. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Massacre Girl"}},{"insert":" is a perfect transliteration of "},{"attributes":{"link":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misa_Amane"},"insert":"Misa Amane"},{"insert":", a brutal death dealer in her own right that is abusable for great benefit. Others come into focus more as our game plan evolves.\n\nAs to that game plan, like all stories, it starts out simple: kill whatever we find offensive, and keep ourselves safe. Light originally sees himself as an arbiter of targeted justice, curating a cleaner world. So too do we use our kill spells to keep the board clean in the early game, and allow ourselves to set up for any resistance. We \"take down names\" literally with effects like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"The Stone Brain"}},{"insert":" or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sorcerous Spyglass"}},{"insert":" to kill our opponents' momentum with the written word alone.\nOnce our opponents start to get wary, we have to start making sacrifices to keep our resources and stay inconspicuous. Light does this by allying with government authorities and his own archrival, L. Things like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Fain, the Broker"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Keen Duelist"}},{"insert":" or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Infernal Offering"}},{"insert":" do the same for us, showing our opponents that we act in good faith. The Monarch mechanic gives our opponents the illusion of the upper hand, (and mirrors the swelling ego of our would-be king of a commander.) Certain "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Black Market Connections"}},{"insert":" also help us along on our path to glory.\nOf course, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and at the end of the day, we want to win. Our protagonist eventually descends into madness and desperation as he is pursued, believing himself to be worthy of godhood. In this desperation he is willing to sacrifice literally anything to win, and such is our endgame. The deck is loaded with fragile Hail Mary win conditions that require enormous risk to pull off. Book of Vile Deeds rewards us with such power for tutoring up specific cards, and so our only ways to find them require us to rip our deck apart. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Plunge into Darkness"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Demonic Consultation"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Tainted Pact"}},{"insert":" do a great job of representing the desperate dig for answers, literally selling our soul as our enemies close in on us. If we're very VERY lucky, we can find our path to victory through such payoffs as "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Hatred"}},{"insert":" with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Profane Transfusion"}},{"insert":", or via ascension like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sheoldred, the Apocalypse"}},{"insert":". Of course, just as in the source material, you're likely doomed to fail, and just make enemies.\nBut hey, that's Magic for you.\n"}]}