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An introduction to Magic: The Gathering's Premodern: Elves, Goblins and Deadguy Ale

Andrea Mengucci gives us an introduction to Magic: The Gathering's Premodern format and provides a closer look at three decks: Elves, Goblins and Deadguy Ale.

Premodern is a community-created old-school format. According to premodernmagic.com, "Premodern is a community-created constructed format consisting of the sets from Fourth Edition to Scourge. A rule of thumb for the card pool is: all cards with the old frame printed between 1995 and 2003. In line with this idea, some cards that are dominant in other formats are banned in Premodern (e.g. Brainstorm and Force of Will) in order to leave room for other cards to prosper, and to make the format distinct from others."

You can find the full banlist here

Premodern isn’t as restrictive as Old School, and you can play cards with newer frame printings as well, making it relatively cheap since you don’t have to necessarily play Vindicate from Apocalypse and instead can use a reprinted variant. Also, even in most tournaments, the normally not legal gold-bordered cards from World Championship Decks as well as Collectors' Edition and International Edition cards are allowed. 

Of course, the format has several expensive Reserved List cards which can make certain decks rather expensive (like Gaea’s Cradle or Mox Diamond), but you can also find good decks for about just 50,00€, like this Orzhov Midrange deck more commonly known as BW Deadguy Ale. 

Deadguy Ale by Carlo Pierini | Top-8, 4Seasons Premodern
Creature
  • 4
    Exalted Angel
  • 4
    Hypnotic Specter
  • 4
    Nantuko Shade
Sorcery
  • 1
    Death Grasp
  • 3
    Duress
  • 3
    Gerrard's Verdict
  • 1
    Skeletal Scrying
  • 3
    Vindicate
Instant
  • 4
    Dark Ritual
  • 2
    Disenchant
  • 1
    Smother
  • 4
    Swords to Plowshares
Enchantment
  • 3
    Phyrexian Arena
Land
  • 4
    Caves of Koilos
  • 1
    City of Brass
  • 3
    Plains
  • 9
    Swamp
  • 3
    Wasteland
  • 3
    Tainted Field
Sideboard
  • 2
    Circle of Protection: Red
  • 2
    Diabolic Edict
  • 1
    Disenchant
  • 3
    Engineered Plague
  • 2
    Seal of Cleansing
  • 2
    Warmth
  • 3
    Withered Wretch
4 Exalted Angel
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This is a typical midrange deck with the powerful turn one play of Swamp, Dark Ritual and Hypnotic Specter, but it also has great answers like Swords to Plowshares and Wasteland. 

On my paper-focused YouTube channel Mengu’s Workshop, we played Premodern recently - and the two decks we chose were Goblins and Elves! 

Premodern Goblins by Tommaso Turchi
Creature
  • 4
    Gempalm Incinerator
  • 1
    Goblin King
  • 4
    Goblin Lackey
  • 4
    Goblin Matron
  • 4
    Goblin Piledriver
  • 4
    Goblin Ringleader
  • 1
    Goblin Sharpshooter
  • 4
    Goblin Warchief
  • 4
    Mogg Fanatic
  • 3
    Siege-Gang Commander
Instant
  • 3
    Naturalize
Land
  • 1
    Forest
  • 1
    Mossfire Valley
  • 4
    Karplusan Forest
  • 7
    Mountain
  • 3
    Rishadan Port
  • 4
    Wasteland
  • 4
    Wooded Foothills
Sideboard
  • 4
    Pyrokinesis
  • 4
    Hull Breach
  • 2
    Tormod's Crypt
  • 2
    Caller of the Claw
  • 2
    Anarchy
  • 1
    Naturalize
4 Gempalm Incinerator
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Goblins is very old-school. You’re playing Goblin Lackey, killing your opponent’s blockers and putting Goblin Ringleader and Siege-Gang Commander into play way ahead of schedule! 

My deck of choice on the other hand was Elves, and it was the deck I played at the 4Seasons tournament! 

Premodern Elves by Andrea Mengucci
Creature
  • 3
    Priest of Titania
  • 4
    Wirewood Symbiote
  • 4
    Quirion Ranger
  • 4
    Multani's Acolyte
  • 1
    Squee, Goblin Nabob
  • 1
    Nantuko Vigilante
  • 1
    Caller of the Claw
  • 2
    Masticore
  • 3
    Deranged Hermit
  • 4
    Fyndhorn Elves
  • 4
    Llanowar Elves
  • 1
    Tribal Forcemage
  • 2
    Wall of Roots
Artifact
  • 4
    Tangle Wire
Enchantment
  • 4
    Survival of the Fittest
Land
  • 14
    Forest
  • 4
    Gaea's Cradle
Sideboard
  • 4
    Wall of Blossoms
  • 1
    Spike Feeder
  • 4
    Naturalize
  • 4
    Call of the Herd
  • 1
    Tranquil Domain
  • 1
    Nantuko Vigilante
3 Priest of Titania
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My list is slightly different from the normal one, which tends to splash red for Anger to have a more explosive combo with Survival of the Fittest, that can win in one big turn with Kamahl, Fist of Krosa. 

I like a more midrange approach, playing Wall of Roots in the main deck to be more prepared for my opponent’s sideboard plan of Engineered Plague and to have my mana dork survive to cast Call of the Herd. 

I'm excited to play Premodern also because I love to collect cards and play with old beautiful versions. It’s an aspect of Magic that I like a lot and I miss the old border cards! Just look how beautiful my deck looks! 

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Andrea Mengucci

Andrea first learned Magic as a kid back in 2004 at probably one of the most peculiar places to find Magic: the beach. In his expansive Magic career, Andrea’s proudest moment in Magic was winning the 2015 Magic World Cup, representing his beloved homeland of Italy and marks, in his words, his first big achievement in Magic.