HDC 001: UB Bloodchief

The challenge: "I want you to build a deck in which no card has a converted mana cost greater than four.  The deck must run Jace Beleren, not JtMS, and win off of Jace's ultimate ability.  With the exception of Trinket Mage, you may not run creatures which do not have an ability that mills the opponent."

Now, this is interesting indeed.  The obvious way to build the deck is to use Hedron Crab and Halimar Excavator/Rite of Replication.  However, since I can't use Traumatize or any of the game's clones, I just felt like it wasn't going to work.

No, if I am going to win off of Jace Beleren's ultimate, it won't be through mill.  Well, that's always an option, but in this case, I'm going to win via one of my favorite pieces of tech as of late- Bloodchief Ascension.

You see, Bloodchief's ability when a card is put into an opponent's graveyard from ANYWHERE.  In other words, I get to drain two life for each card I make my opponent mill.  Play a land?  Take six of Hedron Crab.  Decimator Web?  Take 14.  Attack with something on a Sword of Body and Mind?  Take at least 22.  Trigger Beleren's ultimate?  Take 40.

The plan becomes simple.  I use Wind Zendikon, Trinket Mage, Chimeric Mass, Creeping Tar Pit, and Decimator Web to get Bloodchief online, and once that happens I simply win the game.

The deck:

Creatures (8)

• 4 Hedron Crab
• 4 Trinket Mage

Spells (29)

• 4 Bloodchief Ascension
• 4 Wind Zendikon
• 1 Everflowing Chalice
• 1 Brittle Effigy
• 2 Chimeric Mass
• 4 Sign in Blood
• 3 Go for the Throat
• 1 Doom Blade
• 3 Sword of Body and Mind
• 3 Jace Beleren
• 3 Decimator Web

Lands (23)

• 4 Drowned Catacomb
• 4 Creeping Tar Pit
• 3 Tectonic Edge
• 4 Island
• 4 Swamp
• 2 Misty Rainforest
• 2 Verdant Catacombs

Estimated Value: $150

Not too shabby.  For the first challenge, I've worked with some heavy restrictions, but I used what I had available and built something that's surprisingly playable.  And it's in a modest price range to boot.

For more information on the Horrible Deck Challenge, check out this page.