Evil will always triumph.. because good is dumb. That was the tone that rainy March evening as Robby from MTGColorPie and I cracked open the latest Duel Decks.  Anxious and excited to be holding the cards days before anyone else on the planet, we decided to test these decks the only way we knew how- by pitting them against one another in a duel to end all duels.  Phyrexia vs. the Coalition may not have any foil planeswalkers;  it doesn’t contain the normal tribal elements you’ve come to expect and it certainly doesn’t limit itself to a measly two colors.  No, this newest addition to the Duel Deck line is a different breed entirely.  Oh, yes there is that classic Good vs. Evil feel, and you certainly won’t be disappointed with the rares.  But the real star of the Dominarian show is the nostalgia dripping off of every card in the set.  Whether it’s a newly re-framed Gerrard Capashen or the foil (now Mythic) Phyrexian Negator these decks bring both old and new players back to Magic’s flavor epitome.

But how do they fare against one another?  Robby (mtgcolorpie) and I played a few games just days before Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. the Coalition became available to the general public.  The following video is a summary of our experience: (check out the complete deck lists here if you haven’t already!)

Reinhart: “So.. there you have it.  The decks were almost perfectly balanced and…. wait.. no… It cant be!  I thought you weren’t a planeswalker! I thought you were dea…”

Lord Yawgmoth: “You thought what exactly, Reinhart?”

“I… I… sire.. your worship.. my lord… I tried my best to represent the forces of Phyrexia!  The Coalition was stronger than we anticipated and… and… they had three legendary dragons!  And that swashbuckling “hero” was at it again… and…”

“Spare me the excuses, planeswalker.   You were armed with my Phyrexian Negator, my Phyrexian Processor and my Phyrexian Arena.  You even managed to drudge up two copies of my favorite spell, Dark Ritual, and yet, you dishonor us with defeat, Reinhart.”

“But your highness!.. You are surely misinformed…  I managed to keep the Coalition at bay!  We split the match at two games to two!  Phyrexia can still hold it’s head high and lives to fight another day..”

“Correct.  Phyrexia’s fate does not hinge on the foolishness of one general alone.   But for you, Reinhart, there will be no more fights, and subsequently, no more days.”

*pathetic whimpering* “You can’t!  You just can’t!  I have a wife and three cats and… Rise of the Eldrazi is coming out in less than a month!  I have so much to live for… please!…”

*Flashes of energy, light and sound erupt around Reinhart.  His vision blurs and he awakes to find himself in the Blind Eternities, with certain Silver Golem..*

Karn: “Get up.”

*Reinhart ungracefully staggers to his feet*

“Karn…  I mean… Urza?… but…”

“My identity matters not.  Reinhart- You are a small, opportunistic, shadow of a man.   I have spared your life for reasons much larger than your pathetic life on that “Terran” plane you cling to.  I am giving you exactly one chance to redeem yourself.  You will fight for the Coalition henceforth.  Use whatever meager magical skills you posses to bring peace to Dominaria, and lay waste to Yawgmoth’s armies.  The next time you pick up a deck, it will be a rainbow colored, legendary dragon filled, Gerrard-loving, theme deck.”

“Death First!…  ….just kidding, I guess I could give that a shot.  Can I still play my Vampire deck?”

*Karn planeswalks into the ether, shaking his head at Reinhart- both as an answer to his question, and in general distaste for the soul he just spared*

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If you still haven’t seen the complete deck lists you can do so here.  Need to buy this this thing right now?  Head over to your local card shop and lay down the 20 bucks before they’re all gone or end up costing double like other duel decks have done!  With the reserve list changes, it’s going to be harder to get your hands cards like Phyrexian Negator ever again.  If you’re more of an online shopper I’ve taken the liberty of gathering some prices / places that carry the Duel Deck:

CoolStuffinc – $17.99 + $10 shipping UPS (discount if using rewards program)
CardKingcom – $19.95 + $4.82 shipping USPS
StarCityGames – $19.99 +$8.41 shipping UPS
Troll and Toad - $19.99 +$6.48 shipping UPS
ChannelFireball – $18.99 +$8.65 shipping UPS
MTGMintCard, AbuGames and MTGfanatic were not selling DD:PvC at time of publish.

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Thanks for reading/watching!    I’d also like to take this opportunity to wholeheartedly recommend MTGColorPie.com for your MTG article reading needs.  If you like the things you’re reading here, you’ll like the stuff he’s doing there (though probably not QUITE as much.. I mean.. let’s be honest here).    If you liked the video than you have Robby to thank for %100 of it’s production.  I contributed the raw star power whilst Robby did most of the heavy lifting.  You should also check out his other site over at 99EDHProblems.com.  If you’re into EDH, then this is the only site I know of that is completely focused on that format.  He does more of his amazing video work on that page.

Like this article? Try these:

1. Phyrexia vs. The Coalition Deck Lists and Turian Chat
2. Duel Deck Musings: Elspeth Vs. Tezzeret
3. GM Mailbag: Questions from the Multiverse