Planeshift Theme Deck #4 Scout (Casual)

Scout is a creature deck packed with surprises. It's not the fastest deck you'll ever play, but once you set up, you'll be hard to beat. Scout includes six Battlemages - when you pay their kicker costs, they become utility spells and creatures wrapped into one. Since the deck has so many versatile spells, you'll usually have the answers to problems your opponents try to make for you.

The Scout deck is primarily green to take advantage of the best mana-fixing cards. Red provides a touch of creature removal, and white tricks can really surprise your opponent. Running three colors allows Scout to include some really powerful multicolored spells, including Fleetfoot Panther and Rith's Charm.

Your top priority should be to have access to your three colors. After your mana is in place, you'll have lots of decisions to make. Should you play your Battlemages right away so you can apply some beatdown, or should you wait so you can pay their kicker costs? The answer depends on the game situation. If you're getting hammered by enemy creatures, you might need to play your Battlemages just to survive. In general, the best choice is to wait as long as possible. However, if you draw any Gating creatures, go ahead and play a Battlemage or two - you can always use the gating creature to return a Battlemage to your hand.

You should save your few direct-damage spells for creatures that could really ruin your day. Or try to fool your opponent into thinking his or her creatures will come out on top in combat, then use the red spells to turn the tables. Pollen Remedy and Gerrard's Command can also radically change the outcome of combat.