MtG: Norin the Netdecked

Norin the Wary (decklist)

One of my most successful decks (judged solely by random people asking me about it and my label at the local game store as the Norin guy) stemmed from a thread at MTGSalvation.

Specifically, this masterpiece of a deck introduction by Gaka.  So yes, I netdecked.

For those unaware, netdecking is looking at refined decklists on the internet and copying them mostly or entirely card-for-card.  This doesn't guarantee victory for anyone, but some decks can effectively pilot themselves, so it can result in more victories.  Netdecking had (has?) a poor reputation because those doing so 'were uncreative,' preferring to win with known effective strategies, over their own personal designs.  

Anyhow, I netdecked Norin the Wary for Commander games, and it wasn't that I won as much as the deck worked and worked well. Lots of internal synergies and combinations to become greater than the sum of its parts.  

Most importantly, that Gaka thread explained WHY many cards are chosen or ignored.  I found the thread and built the deck back when it was only 30-ish pages, instead of the 120+ it is at today.  Even though Gaka no longer runs the thread, it has been taken over by someone as diligent, so Gaka's legacy lives on.

Those lessons were the best part of that thread, as they effectively taught me how to properly evaluate cards for a deck.  I still lean towards neat over best, but at least I now know the difference.  

For those unwilling to read all of it, the basic idea is to play Norin, and capitalize on his constant leaving and entering the battlefield.  Confusion in the Ranks and Genesis Chamber are probably the cards I most want to see when I play, so smart opponents kill these cards first.

At some point, the deck came apart for another red deck (I like monored - another sign of a filthy casual), but I recently rebuilt it.  The primer at MTGS has been discussing cards from recent sets, and I even went singles-shopping for some (and the best ones are $20-$40, so they were not purchased).

So Norin is back and likely to stay untouched, until I need some of the parts - or want to resurrect my Heartless Hidetsugu deck.  Given that two years had passed since I last tore down/built up decks, I don't see this happening any time soon.

See, I sold most of my cards, keeping enough to build and maintain only a small handful of decks, figuring if Commander is a game about single cards, my keeping more than one copy, or using the same card across multiple decks defeated the purpose.

It is too late to change that tune, as replacing the cards that I'd most likely float is prohibitively expensive.