In search of the Death Cloud
Since returning to Magic in the last couple years, I've really appreciated the opportunity to go through the past event coverage archives that Wizards maintains. I'm fascinated by the decisions players made about optimal decks in the different constructed formats, be it the control-oriented nature of Pro Tour Yokohama or the way Gruul and Zoo decks blew through the field at Honolulu.
The deck breakdown coverage for Pro Tour Kobe 2004 addresses the quirky field that was Mirrodin block constructed in the days of Mirrodin, Darksteel, no Fifth Dawn, and no bannings within Block. Naturally, it was a field rife with Affinity and Green-Red, Red, or Green anti-Affinity decks, but it also had a few standouts, including Gabriel Nassif's second-place finisher TwelvePost, which did shockingly (at the time) well. Fascinating, right?
I was especially interested in this quote from the breakdown:
Death Cloud - 12
Poor Death Cloud. Such a big effect. So slow. Ben Stark's Affinity deck killed a Death Cloud deck on turn four despite being hit by Barter in Blood. On paper the deck looks very powerful, but it just doesn't seem to have the tools to survive the mid-game. Some players have tried augmenting it with some cheap red removal, but it might not be enough.
This led me to wonder...what was a Death Cloud deck from that format like?
We'll go over to the extended for the answer.