<3
I still don’t know how I did it. How I convinced a whole bunch of people to actually play this weird format I created and to actually play a tournament at one of my old Local Game Stores: Magic United in Rotterdam. I used to be a real brewer: I loved to build weird decks, discover new cards, and try out different strategies. I wanted to create a real brewers paradise, so in those times before EDH hit the Netherlands, before Cube found it’s way to my heart, before all of that, I convinced a bunch of people to try out “Build your own Block on a budget”.
The rules were as follows: Choose a first, second and third set from different blocks. Then build a deck costing a maximum of 50 euros based on the prices on Magic United their website (there was no CardMarket back then, for us in the Netherlands Magic United was one of the prime websites to order our cards and check prices). I was very enthusiastic about this format and I got my friend and owner of Magic United also enthusiastic. So enthusiastic that he even agreed to organise a tournament in this format together with me.
I remember I built 2 decks. I built a Cloud of Faeries Storm deck and an UG Opposition deck. Because EDH was not hyped back then, there weren’t as many sets, everything still came in blocks, these rules worked. In the UG Opposition deck I needed mana elves and one of my mana elves of choice was you, Heart Warden. You are in the same set as Opposition, so you were an easy include.
My friend Timo also wanted to play the tournament but being the real spike he was, he just told me he wanted to borrow one of my decks because I probably spend way to much time designing decks (which I obviously did). He really liked the looks of your Opposition deck so I ran the Storm combo deck. We were both having a blast with these decks, and everyone was having a blast with their nice brews in this brewers paradise. Timo and I met in the finals, a great compliment for the decks I’ve built. I did beat Timo with the help of Frantic Search to be able to untap my lands in my upkeep so that I could combo off. But 20 years later I can’t really remember much of my Storm deck and I do remember playing this janky 2 drop common from Urza’s Destiny in the Opposition deck. That day I fell in love with you.
On the 3rd of January 2024 I fell in love with you again for the second time. That is the moment I added you to my Alles-2 Cube. You are so amazing in that Cube, a perfect Llanowar Elf. ‘Bolt the Bird’ doesn’t really work with you in this Cube, because it’s free to activate your draw ability. And in the late game when you are no longer needed for the mana, you sacrifice yourself in search for some much needed action. My dear friend Frank committed the other day when he saw you in the draft, ‘oh I really love Heart Warden in this Cube’. I couldn’t agree more.
With love,
Hanjo
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