Welcome back, friends! It's feeding time here in the dungeon, and the beasts are becoming restless. Unfortunately, the creatures here feed on death and decay, so some . . . sacrifices . . . must be made. First up, we have a ravenous pack of wolves. They aren't too picky about what they eat, as long as it's not dice, coins, or scraps of paper. To properly Feed the Pack, something must die.

Luckily for you, the wolves will be eating a meal of chilled vegetables today. The only thing we'll be killing here is a few plants. We'll start with an appetizer of Traproot Kami. These creatures are imbued with the power of the Forest, and they become more delicious the more Forests you have access to.

Wall of Roots continues the meal, providing a bit of extra mana here and there . . . at a price. Vine Trellis will give you mana as well, and you may even find a grape or two.

When a Vine Trellis grows beyond control, it becomes an Overgrown Battlement. This beefy barricade will often double your mana, easily giving you enough to Feed the Pack as early as turn four.

Wall of Tanglecord may seem dry—and perhaps a little rusty—but it's actually a surprisingly good source of vitamins and minerals. Of course, that may be due to all the birds and other flying creatures ensnared in its grasp.

Wall of Ice is a bit bland, but very filling. It provides a great supplement to the nice variety of plants we have here. Tree of Redemption is similarly unappetizing, especially with all the hangings that go on there, but sometimes quantity is more important that quality, and this thing is big. If you're willing to sacrifice a bit of your blood to use as fertilizer, it can grow to even more massive proportions.

Sometimes, the wolf pack wanders off, and you're left with a whole pile of food and nothing to do with it. That's why we have a few Primordial Hydras to take care of the leftovers. They'll take what you give them and just keep growing, doubling in size every day. And if the wolves come back, you could always just feed the Hydra to them. I'm sure they'd appreciate it.

Here's the deck all put together:

“Eat Your Vegetables”

• Creatures (32)
• 4 Overgrown Battlement
• 4 Primordial Hydra
• 4 Traproot Kami
• 4 Tree of Redemption
• 4 Vine Trellis
• 4 Wall of Ice
• 4 Wall of Roots
• 4 Wall of Tanglecord

• Spells (4)
• 4 Feed the Pack

• Lands (24)
• 24 Forest

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Mikaeus, the Unhallowed is the new guy down here, so he's been put in charge of keeping a few of the more ravenous residents in good health. Carrion Feeder needs flesh to feast upon, and with Mikaeus's help, Spike Feeder can provide it. With undying, the Spike can come back from the grave again and again, feeding both you and the Carrion Feeder. Of course, a well-fed Carrion Feeder is an extremely effective tool for smashing faces.

Sakura-Tribe Elder and Explosive Vegetation are excellent ways to ramp up your mana, letting you cast Mikaeus that much sooner. Explosive Vegetation is particularly effective, jumping you straight up to 6 mana when you cast it. Sakura-Tribe Elder can also soak up a bit of damage before it dies, helping to keep you alive until you assemble the combo.

Worldly Tutor and Diabolic Tutor help find the combo quickly, making sure your life total is arbitrarily large long before your opponent has a chance to kill you. Go for the Throat also helps keep you alive, dealing with the biggest threat at the table for only 2 mana. Perhaps the best tool for ensuring your continued survival is Spike Weaver, who can stop every creature at once . . . at least for a few turns.

Asceticism protects the combo from removal, making sure your opponent doesn't have a chance to stop you. It can even protect your creatures from a board sweeper provided you have a few mana open.

After adding in some lands, the deck should look something like this:

"The Other Mike"

• Creatures (18)
• 3 Sakura-Tribe Elder
• 3 Spike Weaver
• 4 Carrion Feeder
• 4 Spike Feeder
• 4 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed

• Spells (18)
• 4 Go for the Throat
• 4 Worldly Tutor
• 4 Diabolic Tutor
• 4 Explosive Vegetation
• 2 Asceticism

• Lands (24)
• 5 Forest
• 7 Swamp
• 4 Golgari Rot Farm
• 4 Vivid Grove
• 4 Vivid Marsh

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To better test the merits of these decks, we'll pit them against each other in the pit and watch the carnage unfold.

Round 1

The Pack starts off with a turn-one Traproot Kami, while Mike casts a Worldly Tutor to find Spike Feeder. The Pack has a Wall of Tanglecord on turn two, while Mike does nothing. Turn three shows nothing from The Pack, while Mike casts another Worldly Tutor—this time for Carrion Feeder. The Pack then casts Tree of Redemption, while Mike has a Diabolic Tutor.

Turn five has another Tree of Redemption from The Pack, and an Explosive Vegetation and a Carrion Feeder from Mike. Vine Trellis and another Tree of Redemption roll out for The Pack, and Mike lays down a Spike Feeder. The Pack casts a 4/4 Primordial Hydra, but Mike has Mikaeus, the Unhallowed for ten billion life and a concession.

Round 2

Neither side has a play on turn one, but The Pack has a Wall of Roots on turn two, and Mike has a Sakura-Tribe Elder, finding him an extra land. The Pack has a Wall of Ice on turn three, and Mike has a Worldly Tutor for Mikaeus, the Unhallowed. The Pack brings out a Vine Trellis, and Mike casts a Diabolic Tutor. Feed the Pack comes out next turn, and Wall of Ice turn into seven Wolves. Mikaeus hits the field, and it's a race to see who can win it first. The Pack smashes in for 14, but Mike assembles the combo and gains a few million life.

Round 3

The Pack starts out with a Traproot Kami, and Mike has a Worldly Tutor for Carrion Feeder. Vine Trellis ramps things up for The Pack on turn two, as does Sakura-Tribe Elder for Mike. Tree of Redemption comes down on turn three, and another Sakura-Tribe Elder hits play along with Carrion Feeder.

Overgrown Battlement and Wall of Ice reinforce the defenses, and Explosive Vegetation ramps up the land count. Feed the Pack comes down, and Tree of Redemption swaps toughness for life. It transforms into a whopping twenty Wolves at end of turn. Mike tries to assemble the combo, but is still 1 mana short, and he’s devoured by Wolves.

Although The Pack managed to regain some honor, Mike takes home the trophy, winning two of the three games! Join us back here in the dungeon in two weeks when we'll take the Dark Ascension to the upper levels of this ancient labyrinth.