Three Card Magic (3CM)

This is a very unique format for Magic. It completely changes how you think and play the game and how you will look at cards. I would love to start a forum league for this. Once a week someone will be the 'Host', the host sits out from playing that week and everyone playing PMs them their decks. The host then pairs up the decks and calculates how many games the players win or lose and then posts the results. The host then passes their position to the next host.

In this format, cards like Ancestral Recall, a card currently worth $900+, is useless, but Forget, a 75 cent card from Homelands is so good its banned in this format. Cards with draw backs like Boldwyr Heavyweights, Shah of Naar Isle, or Indentured Djinn have no drawback now. You have to rethink how certain cards work. Of course some cards become even better, Path to Exile becomes W 'Exile target creature.' making it far superior to Swords to Plowshares.

I'll quickly go over the rules, link to some posts that go deeper into the game, and then post my decks.

Rules:

Three Card Magic (3CM, also known as Three Card Blind/3CB) in a format in which you only have 3 cards in your deck. This means you start the game with those cards in your hand and you don't lose for being unable to draw a card. You still need mana to cast spells, so Black Lotus is VERY popular in this format. (if not a corner stone for most decks) Players play two rounds, one going first and the other going second. Timing is everything in this game, going first can be great for some decks while going second will be better for other decks. There is a banned list; cards like The Rack and any card that causes double-discard are banned because they are far to powerful in this format. You will find an extended list in the links below.

Other then all that, the game is still Magic. You have 20 life and your goal is to get your opponent to 0 life. Ties are possible; even if you have 20 life and your opponent has 19 or lower if neither player has a way to win the game ends in a tie.

Links:

Three Card Blind (Part 1)
Three Card Blind (Part 2)
Three Card Blind (Part 3)

Deck Examples:

City of Traitors + Jhoira’s Toolbox + Umezawa's Jitte = A 1/1 that can regen itself, get +2/+2, or regen your health. Lots to worry about when running this deck still ... Not my favorite pick for a deck

Karakas + Mana Tithe + Isamaru = A 2/2 for 1, if you go first you can counter, and Isamaru can blink

Lavaborn Muse + Black Lotus + Desert = 3/3 that keeps dealing 3 damage to an opponent, because of this it gets around Maze of Ith or anything else that may be keeping you at bay from attacking. Desert can pay for any upkeep cost that may float your way. Still need to worry about bounce and counters.

Isochron Scepter + City of Traitors + Raise the Alarm /or/ Lightning Helix

Anurid Scavenger + Black Lotus + Giantbaiting = 3 for a pro black 3/3 that will bounce your lotus from the discard to your deck which you then draw and use to get a 4/4 Haste Giant for the turn, attack for 7, sac the token, rinse, repeat.

So anyone game for this format? I'd really like to start playing this since I spend most of my time thinking up deck ideas. I'll be the host for the first game.

~Zuty

MidniteEffort wrote:Dark Depths + Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth + Vampire Hexmage

OH SHIT! Damn ... That is good ... You do take two turns to set up (land, turn, land, Vamp, sac, 20/20 LOLZ) so it gives your opponent (either going first or second) a chance to set up a bounce/counter if they are running one. If not, they are screwed. (Unless they run Anurd Scav + Lotus + Misguided Rage, but I think that may be to slow ...)

~Zuty

they're using that combo in Extended right now.

MidniteEffort wrote:they're using that combo in Extended right now.

I wouldn't blame them. Æther Snap is the only other option for removing counters, but obviously the Hexblade is better in all ways. A 20/20 flying unkillable token is something I would fear ... Esp if you get it that easy ...

~Zuty

Some more ideas I have been running in my head:

Great Sable Stag + Hickory Woodlot /or/ Dryad Arbor + Havenwood Battleground /or/ Hickory Woodlot = 3/3 for 3 that can not be countered (Dryad also gets around counter) and I have lands to pay for Tabernacle.

I am debating what lands to use for this.

Hickory Woodlot comes into play tapped with two counters, tap and remove a counter to add GG. When counters are gone, sac it.
Havenwood Battleground comes into play tapped, taps for G, and tap/sac for GG.
Dryad Arbor is a 1/1 that taps for G and costs nothing to play, but it can't tap right away.

I was originally going to use Vexing Bettle (3/3, can't be countered, goes up to 6/6 if opponent controls no creatures) with Lotus/Havenwood Battleground, but my opponent would just counter the Lotus and since I sac the Havenwood, I have no way to pay for a Tabernacle. So I dropped the idea of using Lotus since it can be countered even if my creature can't be.

~Zuty

Another one. Not to amazing.

Foil + Island + Nether Spirit = Counter with Foil by discarding the Nether Spirit and Island. Nether Spirit bounces back from the GY to play.

~Zuty