WCB Vaults - MtG Deck: Recycler

Recycler

Hell's Caretaker and Nether Shadow cards

This was the combo that started it all...

Recycler was one of the first decks I created where I traded like a fiend to get the cards needed to make it with. It wasn't my first deck that I had made, and I had other decks that were far more annoying to play against, but it is the most (in)famous of my decks amongst those folks I played with on a regular basis.

I wish I had kept a list of the cards and how they have changed since I first put the deck together. It does not even closely resemble the original deck that I had put together initially. What started this deck was actually me getting a hold of a couple of Hell's Caretakers and using them along with Nether Shadows to retrieve my critters from the graveyard. By sacrificing the Nether Shadows, and their Ice Age cousins the Ashen Ghoul, I could get my other critters back on the board and eventually the Shadows and Ghouls recycled themselves.

I had initially made the deck with Rukh Eggs in mind, though I didn't have any to start with. The idea would be to pump out 4/4 fliers and with the Caretaker/Shadow combination. The initial colors were just black and red (white came later on when I realized that I needed a way to include the ability to Disenchant somehow.) I was able to get more Hell's caretakers with the release of Chronicles and I traded hard to get the Rukh Eggs (I actually had built the deck before I was able to get a hold of any of them - mostly using Blazing Effigies for sacrificial fodder at that point) and the Reycler was born!

These two critters are not only fun to play, but each played an important role in this deck's history.

Eventually I was able to get a hold of Khabal Ghouls and Diamond Valleys (I had two initially) but the deck was slow. Many of the cards that could easily sacrifice critters hadn't come along yet. As the deck evolved - with a great heaping thanks to Soldevi Diggers - I phased out the Nether Shadows and Hell's Caretakers in favor of 'digging' the cards back into my deck and using various reshuffling techniques like the Demonic Tutor, and Soldier of Fortune.

Still though, the deck relied heavily on getting cards that I could easily sacrifice my creatures to. Upon each new MtG set release, the first thing I would look for were cards that allowed me to do this. But not just any sacrificial card would do. I quickly found that I had to have cards that allowed me to sacrifice reactively - most sacrificial cards that were out at the time only allowed sacrificing during upkeep, or main phases which would hurt more than help usually. Being able to sacrifice in reaction to an opponent's actions are currently what Recycler is all about.

Two more important cards that played a heavy role in this deck, though the Digger is not as important anymore since I incuded a couple of Junk Trollers.

The one other card that has had a heavy impact on the way Recycler plays has been Gravepact. With one or more of those in play, sacrificing creatures begins to really hurt my opponent. Of course getting them out is a slow process, but once I have at least one, plus a Fountain Watch in play to protect them it certainly makes folks take note before they try any kind of action against the deck.

DECK STRATEGY TIPS: React! Don't initiate conflict unless you have to. The more time this deck has to build the harder it is to get rid of. Keep the graveyard clean - Digger or Junk Troll the cards back into the library as soon as you can. Use the shuffle-type cards to mix them all back in. Tutor for mana early on - Sol Ring is good, followed by dual lands. Mana shortage can kill this deck early on if you have a bad shuffle. Keep at least one Rukh egg on the board (and later keep a few lands in your hand if you can) since mass destruction spells can be hard to recover from. However, your opponent will think twice about a Wrath of God (or something similar) knowing that you'll be coming out of it with an automatic 4/4 flyer from the Egg at the end of his turn - in fact, later in the game keep a couple Rukh Eggs around if you can. The whole point is to get to a position where sacrificing your resources will hurt your opponent more so than it does you. Keep your Fountain watches safe if you can, they are what will keep cards like Gravepact in play.

I haven't kept up on Magic the last few sets. I bought a bit of Timespiral block, but that is about it. I'd like to eventually pick up the other old-school dual lands, and perhaps go through and revamp the mana curve a bit but I'm not keeping current with the game so I don't know the new cards at all. If anyone has suggestions of good cards I might want to include in this deck from any of the sets after the Time Spiral block please feel free to email me with ideas.