001
Click card to see backside !
Vampires Theme Deck Card | Illus. | | | Rarity | | | Color | | | Source | InQuest #15 magazine addition | 1996-07 | | Info | SPOTLIGHT
VAMPIRES
THEME DECK FOR MAGIC: THE GATHERING
"Condemned to eternal night, they are the damned lords of darkness and decay. Masters of the vermin of the Earth, abominations in the face of the Lord, they are the children of the tomb, the wurdalak, the nosferatu ... the vampire."
The InQuest Chronicles
DECK COMPONENTS
CREATURES 1 Darkness LANDS
1 Baron Sengir 4 Dark rituals 1 Arena
4 Bog Rats 1 Drain Life 2 Badlands
1 Grandmother Sengir 1 Gaseous Form 2 Castle Sengirs
3 Lightning Bolts 1 City of Brass
4 Krovikan Vampires 1 Ray of Command 2 Strip Mines
4 Sengir Vampires 2 Shatters 3 Sulfurous Springs
4 Vampire Bats 9 Swamps
1 Veldrane of Sengir ARTIFACTS 1 Underground River
1 Nevinyrral's Disk 2 Underground Seas
SPELLS 1 Sol Ring
3 Blood Lusts
1 Dance of the Dead
VAMPIRE PRO TIPS
You should be able to drop a weenie or rat on your first turn. If you've got a choice, drop a rat. You'll probably need your mana for something on your next turn and the bats need mana to cause damage.
Think Granny Sengir's not a useful member of society? Think again. Not only can she piff away annoying 1/1s, but if you find your Sengir Vamp goin' head to head with a Serra, knock that pesky angel down to a 3/3 and watch your Sengir pump up to a 5/5.
Not only can a Blood-Lusted Bog Rat suddenly find itself dishing out five points of damage, 'Lust can work just as well on your opponent's creatures. Got a Shivan headin' your way? Lust 'im to a 9/1, follow with a Lightning Bolt (or a -1/-1 courtesy of Gran'ma Sengir), then wave bye-bye to the pretty dragon.
Nevinyrral's Disk: the only way to get rid of enchantments. Use it wisely.
Gaseous Form, while always amusing to play ("I give your Ernham Djinn gas..."), is pretty versatile. Facing a creature that you can't get rid of? Either make him incapable of dealing damage or put it on one of your own creatures as an undefeatable blocker (though we suggest slapping it on his creature).
Baron Sengir: No big tip here. Just get him out and kick ass.
MAGIC: THE GATHERING IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF WIZARDS OF THE COAST, INC. INQUEST, INQUEST SPOTLIGHT AND THE INQUEST LOGO © & WIZARD PRESS. |
| 002
Click card to see backside !
Minotaurs Theme Deck Card | Illus. | | | Rarity | | | Color | | | Source | InQuest #16 magazine addition | 1996-08 | | Info | SPOTLIGHT
MINOTAURS
THEME DECK FOR MAGIC: THE GATHERING
"Half the myth is false. Though fearsome in appearance, minotaurs are honorable peaceful souls. Provoking or insulting one, however, proves the rest of the myth as truth: you mess with the bull, you get the horns."
The InQuest Chronicles
DECK COMPONENTS
CREATURES 3 Disenchants LANDS
4 Anaba Shamans 4 Fireballs 4 An-Havva Townships
4 Anaba Spirit Crafters 1 Hurricane
1 Jokulhaups 3 Islands
4 Hurloon Minotaurs 1 Regrowth 2 Land Caps
4 Labyrinth Minotaurs 4 Soul Barriers 1 Maze of Ith
8 Mountains
ARTIFACTS 1 Plateau
SPELLS 4 Didgeriddos 1 Strip Mine
4 Ζther Storms 1 Sol Ring 1 Veldt
1 Balance 1 Zuran Orb 3 Volcanic Islands
MINOTAURS PRO TIPS
Ζther Storms and Soul Barriers are your priority as far as choosing what cards to get into play.
The Didgeriddo is clutch, but don't cast it until you're ready to use it meaning you should have three free mana (as well as a Minotaur in your hand) when you cast this sucker. That way you can use the artifact at least once if it gets toasted.
Speaking of minotaurs, bring them into play on your opponent's turn (remember, it's a fast effect). That way your li'l bovine friend is all set for the attafck and your mana's all nice and vertical.
Odds are, your opponent will get some creatures into play. Maybe you couldn't draw an Ζther Storm, he's playing speed creaturs or you just suck at Magic. Don't sweat it. Between Fireball and Hurricane, most critters'll be flash-fried or blown away.
If you've got Jokulhaups or Balance in your hand, let your opponent build up while you drop Barriers and Storms. Then wipe everything clear with Balance or hit the Jokulhaups reset button, neither of which affects your creature-crippling enchantments!
Not that this has anything to do with the deck, but how much fun is it to say Didgeridoo? Go ahead, say it ... see?
MAGIC: THE GATHERING IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF WIZARDS OF THE COAST, INC. INQUEST, INQUEST SPOTLIGHT AND THE INQUEST LOGO © & WIZARD PRESS. |
| 003
Click card to see backside !
Faeries Theme Deck Card | Illus. | | | Rarity | | | Color | | | Source | InQuest #17 magazine addition | 1996-09 | | Info | SPOTLIGHT
FAERIES
THEME DECK FOR MAGIC: THE GATHERING
"Creatures of grace and beauty, the faerie folk weave their magics to protect and nurture their woodland home. hough elusive, mayn are the tales of the faerie folk cleansing the realm of those that defile nature and her laws."
The InQuest Chronicles
DECK COMPONENTS
CREATURES 2 Disenchants LANDS
2 Argothian Pixies 1 Forbidden Lore 3 Aysen Abbeys
3 Faerie Nobles 4 Giant Growths 11 Forests
4 Scryb Sprites 2 Power Sinks 4 Islands
4 Sea Sprites 4 Unstable Mutation 1 Pendelhaven
4 Willow Faeries 1 Winter Blast 2 Strip Mines
3 Willow Priestresses 2 Tropical Islands
ARTIFACTS
SPELLS 1 Icy Manipulator
1 An-Havva Inn 1 Zuran Orb
1 Desert Twister
FAERIES PRO TIPS
Nothing, and we mean nothing, is more dangerous than an unstable aferie. Just drop one of the li'l fellas out, and on your next turn, slap as many Unstable Mutations on his butt as you can. Then just watch the most frightening Scryb Sprites on the planet go to work.
The Willow Priestress is doubly neat. Not only can she bring out surprise faeries on your opponent's turn (as surprise blockers or to get a faerie ready for next-turn attack without tying up your mana), but that li'l protection-from-black stunt she's capable of can put a big hurtin' on Pestilence, Terror, Drain Life or some other black rudeness.
Don't forget about the special abilities of the faeries in this deck. Aside from the above Willow Priestress/protection-from-black trick, block even the mightiest mechanical monstrosities with the Argothian Pixie's "protection from artifact creature" and stymie a Shivan with a Sea Sprite's protection from red.
Combine Pendelhaven with the land that Forbidden Lore enchant, and watch a 1/1 faerie become an instant 4/4 Sengir killer. Hey ... make is a 4/4 Sengir killer with protection from black, thanks to a helping hand from the Willow Priestress! Take that, Vampire boy!
You've only got two Power Sinks, so save 'em for something nasty like Pyroclasm or Wrath of God.
MAGIC: THE GATHERING IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF WIZARDS OF THE COAST, INC. INQUEST, INQUEST SPOTLIGHT AND THE INQUEST LOGO © & WIZARD PRESS. |
|
|
004
Click card to see backside !
Primates Theme Deck Card | Illus. | | | Rarity | | | Color | | | Source | InQuest #18 magazine addition | 1996-10 | | Info | SPOTLIGHT
PRIMATES
THEME DECK FOR MAGIC: THE GATHERING
" I had been studying them for weeks. their primitive culture, their tribalistic rituals, their crude means of communications. What fascinated me the most was the flame of intelligence I could catch glimpses of in their eyes, a flame hat often made me wonder; was I watching them ... or were they watching me?"
The InQuest Chronicles
DECK COMPONENTS
CREATURES SPELLS ARTIFACTS
4 Barbary Apes 2 Bestial Furies 1 Sol Ring
1 Gargantuan Gorilla 3 Giant Growths 1 Whalebone Glider
3 Gorilla Berserkers 1 Gorilla War Cry
2 Gorilla Chieftains 4 Guerilla tactics LANDS
1 Gorilla Pack 2 Hurricanes 2 Strip Mines
2 Gorilla Shamans 1 Lure 4 Karplusan Forests
4 Kird Apes 2 Primitive Justices 4 Taigas
1 Surge of Strength 8 Snow-covered Forests
1 Tranquility
1 Wheel of Fortune 5 Mountains
PRIMATE PRO TIPS
The key to winning with this dck is to come out fast and furious. Ten of the monkeys can be played within the first two turns, so you should be able to get some early damage. If you get off to a really fast start, use the Giant Growths to increase your damage. If your attack slows down, you can finish off your opponent with a Hurricane.
Don't wait around to cast the Bestial Furies and Gorilla War Cry. These cards are cantrips, made to replace themselves, so use them early. It doesn't do any good to hold a Bestial Fury in your hand while waiting for the "perfect" target.
We couldn't resist to put a Lure in the deck ... you know what it's for. Slap it on a Gorilla Berserker and do some serious damage.
The deck doesn't have much defense against flying creatures, but one effective stopper is a flying Gorilla Chieftain (and you thought that only happened in the "Wizard of Oz"). Use the Whalebone Glider to give yourself a 3/3 flying, regenerating blocker.
Gargantuan Gorilla: This big guy can give you the game, but he can also take it away from you. Make sure you're in a position to handle him for a few turns when you bring him into play. If you don't need King Kong's help, don't enlist him.
MAGIC: THE GATHERING IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF WIZARDS OF THE COAST, INC. INQUEST, INQUEST SPOTLIGHT AND THE INQUEST LOGO © & WIZARD PRESS. |
| 005
Click card to see backside !
Zombies Theme Deck Card | Illus. | | | Rarity | | | Color | | | Source | InQuest #19 magazine addition | 1996-11 | | Info | SPOTLIGHT
ZOMBIES
THEME DECK FOR MAGIC: THE GATHERING
" I was travelling through the Canbo swamp when I came across the creature, one of the walking dead. It paused on wahtever mission its master had sent it upon ... and just looked at me. In that brief moment when our eyes met, I didn't feel fear, revulsion, or hate. Only pity. For when I peered into its eyes, I saw that this creature knew what it was, and worse yet, what it once had been.
The InQuest Chronicles
DECK COMPONENTS
CREATURES SPELLS LANDS
1 Balduvian Dead 2 Bad Moons 1 Lake of the Dead
4 Gangrenous Zombies 4 Dark Rituals 3 Sulfurous Springs
2 Drain Lives 17 Swamps
4 Legions of Lim-Dul 2 Evil Presences
3 Lim-Dul's Cohorts 2 Feasts of the Unicorn
2 Scathe Zombies 3 Feast or Famines
4 Zombie Masters 1 Infernal Darkness
1 Oath of Lim-Dul
1 Pestilence
2 Phyrexian Boons
1 Pox
2 Stenches of Decay
ZOMBIES PRO TIPS
In the style of true zombie horror flicks, this deck is about offense, offense, offense. There's no way to get rid of artifacts, no way to get rid of enchantment. Just keep sending those zombies in to rend your opponent's flesh until there's nothing left to chew on or there's nothing left to chwe with.
Use a Zombie Master with Evil Presence to make your army of undead unstoppable.
Then grind your opponent into his grave with Phyrexian Boons and Feasts of the Unicorn.
Once you've got a lot of mana, plop down the Oath of Lim-Dul to accelerate your card-drawing so you can get zombies out every turn. However, if your opponent is using a lot of direct damage, you may want to hold back on casting the Oath.
Unless you really need extra creatures, don't put more than one Zombie Master into play at a time. Their effects arent cumulativfe, and if you need to fire off a Pestilence or Gangrnous Zombie, you don't want to lose all your lords.
Don't be afraid to use Lake of the Dead and Dark Rituals for a huge Pestilence to end the game. So what if the damage is enough to kill you and your opponent you were already dead to begin with...
MAGIC: THE GATHERING IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF WIZARDS OF THE COAST, INC. INQUEST, INQUEST SPOTLIGHT AND THE INQUEST LOGO © & WIZARD PRESS. |
| 006
Click card to see backside !
Giants Theme Deck Card | Illus. | | | Rarity | | | Color | | | Source | InQuest #20 magazine addition | 1996-12 | | Info | SPOTLIGHT
GIANTS
THEME DECK FOR MAGIC: THE GATHERING
"They're big. really, really big."
The InQuest Chronicles
DECK COMPONENTS
CREATURES SPELLS ARTIFACTS
1 Bone Shaman 1 The Brute 1 Sol Ring
1 Craw Giant 2 Crumbles
1 Frost Giant 2 Fireballs LANDS
4 Hill Giants 3 Giant Growths 4 Karplusan Forests
2 Karplusan Giants 3 Giant Strengths 10 Snow-covered Mountains
4 Stone Giants 1 Hurricane
4 Tinder Walls 4 Lightning Bolts 7 Snow-covered Forests
3 Tor Giants 1 Pyroclasm
1 Two-Headed Giant of Foriys 1 Regrowth
1 Tranquility
GIANTS PRO TIPS
There's not a heck of a lot to this deck. Big creatures, some direct damage, some defense. For the most part, start cranking out the behemoths as soon as possible and then go on a rampage.
Stone Gaint: It's a card not so many people use, but a 3/4 for only four mana, he's a real bargain. And don't forget about that nifty special ability. Slap a Giant Strength on him and you'll be able to hurl just about anything. A well-timed Hurricane followed by a catapulted Karplusan Giant can easily win you the game.
When pumping up the Karplusan Giant, try and hold back one snow-covered land. This way, if your opponent tries to Bolt it or Incinerate it during his turn, you'll be able to booster your Giant's toughness up to four.
The Tinder Walls are thjere for mana, not for defense. Use them as soon as you can to get a Giant into play. All of the Giants can attack, and they're better blockers than the Walls.
Yeah, the Bone Shaman's special ability is pretty stupid, but hey, he's a 3/3 creature and he's a giant. Gotta problem with that?
If you're in need of some serious defense, try the Two-Headed Giant with the Brute. You'll be able to stop just about anything coming your way (as long as it isn't flying), and your two-brained big boy will stick around to keep pounding any weenies taht try and wander over your way.
MAGIC: THE GATHERING IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF WIZARDS OF THE COAST, INC. INQUEST, INQUEST SPOTLIGHT AND THE INQUEST LOGO © & WIZARD PRESS. |
|
|
007
Click card to see backside !
Elementals Theme Deck Card | Illus. | | | Rarity | | | Color | | | Source | InQuest #21 magazine addition | 1997-01 | | Info | SPOTLIGHT
ELEMENTALS
THEME DECK FOR MAGIC: THE GATHERING
"Many are the sorcerers foolish enough to belive that they are the source of the magic, that they are the ones accomplishoing the dazzling feats of skil. They are wrong. The true power lies in the earth. And in the fire. And in the air. And in the water. There, the elements that comprise all there is, is where magic is most pure. And the most dangerous."
The InQuest Chronicles
DECK COMPONENTS
CREATURES SPELLS ARTIFACTS
3 Air Elementals 3 Blue Elemental Blasts 1 Sol Ring
3 Earth Elementals 1 Vexing Arcanix
3 Fire Elementals 3 Chaoslaces
2 Krovikan Elementalists 2 Earthquakes LANDS
1 Elemental Augury 7 Islands
3 Storm Elementals 3 Lightning Bolts 8 Mountains
1 Time Elemental 3 Red Elemental Blasts 3 Sulfurous Springs
3 Water Elementals
3 Thoughtlaces
1 Wheel of Fortune
ELEMENTAL PRO TIPS
What would an Elemental Deck be without Elemental Blasts? Cross-blasting is an effective (although costly way) to destry any permanent or counter any spell. Just 'Lace the offending spell or land and then blast it away with the opposite color Elemental Blast.
Another way to eliminate your opponent's key permanents is with the Time Elemental/Wheel of Fortune Combo. Use the Elemental at the end of your opponent's turn, use it again during your turn, and then fire off the Wheel to send theose offending permanents back to the graveyard. Take that, Blinking Spirit!
Elemental Augury: There are a ton of uses for this card. The simplest is to keep a card your opponent needs from ever getting to the top. However, don't forget to use the Augury on yourself as well to get the best card every turn. With the Vexing Arcanix, you're really raring to go. You can knock off your opponet's best spells (unless he's lucky enough to guess them) or help yourself with an extra card draw.
One of the nce things about Elementals is that they're BIG" If you're homing in on the win, don't be afraid to try and seal it by using a three-or-four-point Earthquake to pick off your opponent's blockers. If you've got a Fire or Water Elemental that you want to protect for the attack, make 'em flying with the Krovikan Elementalist and then send 'em in for the kill.
MAGIC: THE GATHERING IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF WIZARDS OF THE COAST, INC. INQUEST, INQUEST SPOTLIGHT AND THE INQUEST LOGO © & WIZARD PRESS. |
|
