This week, I'm coming to you with a deck built for casual play. I know many of you are gearing up for your local Set Championships or maybe just finished yours, depending on the date this is published.

I find the best time to let loose and play around with a non-meta deck is right now, in this little sliver of time just before a new set release and the first tournament where the upcoming set is legal. Too many people (especially in MTG) only use this time to scour the spoilers and see if any new card needs to be slipped into their current Tier 1 deck. Many of those players find their old deck slipping to Tier 2 and don't realize it because they didn't open themselves up to possible change. Meanwhile, the player with an open mind plays around with some crazy ideas, stumbles into the next big thing, buys cards while they're cheap, and gathers the W's from their net-decking buddies. The only downfall is trying to prove you played the deck before it was "the deck to play."

I am not forecasting that the deck at the end of this article is the deck of the future. It's just an explanation of how I built a deck to a casual theme, and it ended up better than expected.

It started with a buddy of mine, Tony. He deserves a true shout-out for being a guy who is always creating a cool mix just because it's cool. He doesn't seem to have any real need to win the game if his deck does that cool thing. Magic used to build for players like Tony; they called them "Johnny." Now they only build for "Spikes," in my opinion, but that's a different topic.

Anyway, Tony was getting frustrated with the Sisu on Ice deck that floods the current meta and set out to find cards that were immune to its heavy removal suite. The deck he came up with and played at our most recent League Day was pretty good against both Sapphire/Steel Control and Ruby/Amethyst bounce. There weren't any Sisu/Ice Block decks in the room, so he didn't get a chance to try it in action against that deck, but it did frustrate Madam Medusa - The Boss, which is similar, though on a smaller scale.

His deck starts with some typical ramp with Gramma Tala - Storyteller and Mickey Mouse-Detective. Even a turn one Pawpsicle makes you think he is playing a normal meta. But then he inks a Dewey - Showy Nephew, and you know it's Tony behind the wheel. To be fair, my final build that I am sharing with you doesn't include any Ducks, but I'm not as crazy as Tony. I believe he calls them the "Exodia" of Lorcana.

So, what does he ramp to? That's the interesting part. He plays many Sisu-immune cards that are game-changers when played ahead of their expected turn. From the simple Mufasa - King of the Pride Lands to the beat stick that is Simba - Fighting Prince. He even uses the anti-item Beast - Hardheaded instead of the more popular Benja - Guardian of the Dragon Gem, which is the same color but is removed by Sisu - Empowered Sibling.

During one of the games, we discussed how many of his most powerful cards were cats. In fact, another player said he should call the deck "Cat and Mouse" since Mickey Mouse was used to ramp to a Simba in that game. Tony immediately pointed out his deck had Ducks and some non-cat or mice characters. I did notice that many of the other cards are female characters and joked about the "cat lady" next door. (Honestly, there is a cat/book boutique immediately next door to The Game Shoppe.)

My deck below leaves out the ducks, but the ladies are important. Jasmine - Queen of Agrabah is a crazy good healer. Aurora - Dreaming Guardian also keeps us safe while bringing in the debate of whether or not to include a lower-cost Aurora. Another debate happens with Jasmine since she would want Rajah - Royal Protector nearby. The character art that looks most likely to be a "cat lady" is Gramma Tala, whom we already mentioned. Tony also has a protective cat as well. Beast - Selfless Protector may not be Sisu-proof, but he laughs as you play a Grab Your Sword.

By the way, don't tell her, but I am also calling Tinker Bell - Giant Fairy a "cat lady." Here is my list:

You Say "Cat Lady" Like It's a Bad Thing | Dan Eckstein

• Characters (39)
• 1 Rajah - Royal Protector
• 1 Simba - Returned King
• 1 Simba - Rightful Heir
• 2 Aurora - Regal Princess
• 2 Mickey Mouse - Trumpeter
• 2 Mufasa - King of the Pridelands
• 3 Aurora - Dreaming Guardian
• 3 Beast - Hardheaded
• 4 Beast - Selfless Protector
• 4 Gramma Tala - Storyteller
• 4 Jasmine - Queen of Agrabah
• 4 Mickey Mouse - Detective
• 4 Simba - Fighting Prince
• 4 Tinker Bell - Giant Fairy

• Actions (5)
• 2 Fire the Cannons
• 3 Smash

• Songs (12)
• 2 And Then Along Came Zeus
• 3 Grab Your Sword
• 3 How Far I'll Go
• 4 One Jump Ahead

• Items (4)
• 4 Pawpsicle

Hopefully, this inspires you to go ahead and grab that crazy mix and shuffle it up. You never know, you might be the first to lay claim to the next Sisu on Ice. Just be sure to give it a cool name for us article writers.

P.S. Ravensburger, if you're reading this, when are we going to see Aristocats? My daughter is a HUGE Marie fan.