So I started this to see what fellow 2HG players like to use and discuss anything about it. I always build different decks for playing 2HG than I would use for 1v1. Not all people do that though, they just take what they normally use and run with it. This is fine, I am just different when it comes to this subject.

I do feel that there needs to be other game modes in Magic Duels, but who knows if they will ever show up. I used to play 4FFA with devil and some others, and was always loads of fun because we could make up our own ways of how it gets done, like only attack to the left until someone dies and so on. I also miss Planeswalker mode(think that's what it is called) where it was 3 vs 1 with the 1 getting an advantage over the others.

Anyways, here is the current deck I am using in 2HG. There are some other cards I coild be using that may make it better, but I also do not have everything unlocked as of yet. Now I had only lost 1 game while using it at first due to both me and my partner getting mana screwed, but then losses started coming more recently because of lousy partners. By this I mean not using instants at good times, still playing like its 1v1 and stuff.

2 mana
3xTelling Time
2xJust the Wind
3xDisperse
2xDisplacement Wave(not 2 mana technically, but it is where the game puts it at)

3mana
2xSphinx's Tutelage
3xHydrolash
2xBroken Concentration
3xGrip of the Roil
2xCalculated Dismissal

4 mana
4xInspiration
4xCountermand
2xBone to Ash

5 mana
2xConfirm Suspicion
1xJace, Unraveler of Secrets

6 mana
2xRise from the Tides


This deck started out for me because I wanted to use the last card on the list Rise from the Tides. That is also why there is nothing but instants and sorceries in there minus the few that are not. I may take out Jace, Unraveler of Secrets since he is a 1 of and doesn't see much play anyways.

Sphinx's Tutelage is there for the fun of it as an extra win-con if it needs to be(and has been already). But is is a card I may take out, but it is fun to mill one of the opponents with it. Displacement Wave also doesn't see a lot of play either so it may come out as well. It is there in case we get overwhelmed by the other team and can reset the board sort of. Plus it works great with all the token decks out there that I run into.

3 or 4xAlchemist's Vial were also in at the start when I first made it. I am thinking about putting it back in for the card draw and its sacrifice ability for the added control of the board. I actually do miss it being in there, so chances are it will go back in and replace Jace, Unraveler of Secrets and Sphinx's Tutelage.

So, comment, complain, post your own. discuss, whatever you like. its what it's here for.

The best deck in 2HG is Rakdos/Izzet/Grixis burn. Turn 4/5 kills all day long..

Turn 4 and 5 kills is, to me, for 1v1. I like a bit longer of a game if playing 2hg. And as stupid as this sounds, I have no idea what a rakdos/izzet/grixus deck is. I am in no way that into the lore of the game to know any of that.

I'd rather play a longer game too.. but the meta evolved. See.. people double down on turbo mill/control decks like yours.. and mill their opponents out by turn 6-8. So you combat this by playing decks that just burn the opponents out by going to the face with burn spells, Thermo-Alchemist, Alms of the Vein, Fevered Visions, etc. stuff like that.. so you can kill them before they mill you. Now people are playing Retreat to Kazandu trying to lifegain the burn decks out. Superfriends has always been there..

Rakdos = Red/Black
Izzet = Red/Blue
Grixis = Red/Black/Blue

thanks for the explanation. and I know you play on xbox one, but do you play 2hg much on there? now I have played against those colors quite a bit, but nothing that really burns or mills though.

also, as my card collection increases, my decks will evolve as well. I want more red cards so that I can make an old burn deck I had for 2hg.

For me, I like to play a support role in 2hg, in that I like to help my team mate win the game. I also don't like using "conventional" decks. mine isn't meant to be a mill deck, it just happenes to use it as a win con if opposing team can't do anything about it.

I play a ton of 2HG.. but it seems that Xbox has caught the Steam bug where two friends searching for a game together end up on the opposite team. Since Aether Revolt.. I haven't gotten a 2HG game on the same team with my friends. It sucks.

Also.. I hate it when people bring decks that don't do anything actively trying to win to a 2HG game. What if I draw nothing but land, or the wrong land? Now we're both F'ed. What of you get paired up with somebody of the same mindset?

when you say this, you mean you are both in a room together to start and then it puts on opposite sides? I only pick random partners cause I want the coins. I fair way better in 2hg than 1v1 atm. if I can get some kore cards I'm looking for, I can swing it to my favor a bit more for 1v1.

Yeah.. one guy invites the other, then we search for opponents.. and get put on opposite teams.

Here's that Rakdos list: viewtopic.php?f=61&t=16735

Both members load that thing up and it's GG before they knew what hit them.

I have a landfall deck that uses fetchlands with the Retreat enchantments from BFZ in an Abzan (White/Green/Black) control shell. Its a tad slow but generates a decent bit of life to keep you going. Haven't updated it for AER yet tho.

nice. I wanted to make a black/red, but I need more cards unlocked still to make it decent. the other types of decks I like to make and play with others that do it the same, are decks made only using common cards. get some fun games going with it.

use it for 2hg? also, fell free to put the decklist on here. just looking to se what people think and what they like to build and use for 2hg.

Yeah. It uses Retreat to Hagra and Cliffhaven Vampire, both of which get added value in 2hg.

I posted it a while ago here: http://forum.nogoblinsallowed.com/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=16846

Its the one titled "Landfall Life".

Really wish more people would put deck lists in here tbh. I know and get a lot of people use there regular versus decks in 2hg if they play it. I was more curious as to any builds that people may use that are different than their single player ones. Anyways, I made a mill deck for use in 2hg.

Again, feel free to say whatever, and be aware I make my decks with origins since as of this posting, I have all but 1 pack of origins, and only have the starter cards from any set that the story gives you. I have very few of SOI cards, so only a few are in the list. Originally I had this as a blue/green, but didn't like the way it played and was far less consistent than this. I changed a few cards around from my original list(hadn't posted it yet so will say what got switched after).

23 x Island
1 x Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
4 x Mist Intruder
4 x Alchemist's Vial
2 x Vessel of Paramnesia
3 x Telling Time
4 x Benthic Infiltrator
3 x Sphinx's Tutelage
4 x Artificer's Epiphany
4 x Inspiration
4 x Countermand
4 x Bone to Ash


This is what the deck is at the moment. I added the 4xMist Intruder's and the 4xBenthic Infiltrator's and took out the 4xFaerie Miscreant's, 3xRuned Servitor's and a single Talent of the Telepath.

I haven't gotten to play it again since I made the changes, but it should play out better for me. The Rogues were underwhelming at the one spot and I never really got to get more than 1 into play for its draw ability. I also didn't like the fact that the Artifacts let opponents draw cards as well. As for, Telepathy, I got it easily most games, but didn't get much out of it other than the milling of some cards, so it is gone as well.

I figure that Both Ingest creatures will fill a better role in exiling the cards and do damage if it gets through. I'm still not sure if I want to keep in Baby Jace in or not. I don't think I have gotten to play him yet. Haven't really needed to though from the way the deck has been working.

As beast says you need to put a 2HG deck that is going to compliment your partner. It may be that you play the deck that has a board presence early so lo early creatures whilst your partner has time to build mana for bombs. Or you look after the air whilst he controls the grounds. I imagine although you can put a supportive deck together it may not get well always with an opponents. What's worse though for 2HG imo is the lack of chat. You can get lucky with a random opponent that gets how your deck is supposed to work to get the win but easier when you can communicate and ensure the best team play.

that's all well and good when you get to pick your partner. you can build your decks around one another so they work virtuously seamless together. But I don't have a partner I get to play with, its almost always random. And it is not that hard to see what a persons deck is trying to do as long as you are watching.

that also is what the issue is, people not paying attention. Keeping a hand with only 2 mana, while the cards are 3 or higher and not of the same color. just real stupid things like that. I personally don't find it all that hard to play with a random person, its just them that does some stupid stuff to screw it up for the both of us.

I actually disagree with some of this. By complimentary, I don't mean one person has a bunch of early game while the other has lots of late game. I believe that is completely the wrong way to go about things. The reason why is because it's makes the game a 2v1. In the early game, it's 2v1 vs the guy with all the early game, then after he does his thing.. it's 2v1 vs the guy with all the late game. This is a recipe for losing.

It's better to have two decks designed to do the same thing, and go off at the same time. Like.. two decks both designed to mill, or two decks designed to burn, or two decks designed to control the early game and go off in the late game, or two decks designed to aggro opponents down before turn 5. This is how you win in 2HG. Two decks, one singular focus. There's more than one way to do this. Before.. a friend and I built decks that complimented by one of us having a deck with premium creatures like double strikers, vigilant dudes etc. and the other guy built a deck with auras to give haste, flying, trample, etc. and both had a little spot removal.

I find that izzet (blue/red) turbomill is probably the best for 2hg and lets you do some real 1v2 wins it's even better if you and your partner both go turbomill as their is no 2hg restrictions for having more than 4 cards of the same kind between two players. Since you mentioned you don't have the cards unlocked the main cards for the deck are 3 x sphinx's tutelage, 2 x oath of jace, 2x fevered visions, 4 x cathartic reunion, 4 x take inventory, 2 x fateful showdown, 2 x collective defiance. Those are probably the main cards you need for the deck and remember if you mill one guy you win the match so just double up and turbo mill for days .

Edit:

I also found that orzhov lifegain (white/black) / mardu multi targetting (red/white/black) was pretty good as well, since both have cards that hit both opponents each turn and slowly wittle them down. The downside is it doesn't have the speed of turbomill.

Burn is way faster than mill. Always easier to burn for 30 than it is to mill ~50.