Lab Report 044: Deckbuilding With a Sting in the Tail

So it’s my birthday, and I’ve been thinking about what my decks feel like when I play them. Somewhere along the line, I realized the perfect image to represent how I build and play Magic: The Gathering decks… is a scorpion.

Yep. A scorpion.

Let me explain.

The right claw? That’s the creature base. The obvious threat you see across the table. “Oh, cool—big stompy beasties, maybe some tokens, nothing I can’t handle,” you think.
The left claw? That’s the spells. Removal, recursion, maybe a board wipe or two. You know I’m packing something spicy, but you might feel like you’ve got a read on me.

And then, wham!
That tail strike comes over the top.
That’s the real finisher. Maybe it’s Approach of the Second Sun. Maybe it’s Triumph of the Hordes. Maybe it’s a combo so obscure you’d need an archaeology degree to recognize it. But it hits, and if you weren’t ready, you’re toast.

That’s how I love to build—layers of threat, surprise, and just enough misdirection to keep you guessing.

That said… I’m not trying to be that guy at the table. I play for the joy of the game. I try to make the fun play, not just the fastest path to victory. I love a clever win more than a quick one. You won’t always see the sting coming—but I’m usually laughing right along with you when it lands.

So here’s to scorpion-style deckbuilding, birthday reflections, and bringing a little poison-tipped joy to every table I sit at.

~ MaD SaXXon, Tibalt’s Apprentice

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