Source: Inquest #20 (Dec 1996), p.33; author: Jeff Hannes

Fourth Place (5-3)

"With the inclusion of Elixir of Vitality, Mirage gives black / red decks something they sorely needed - an effective way of gaining life.  Combine this with a ton of direct damage, incedibly annoying flanking knights and some funky new rares and you've got the makings of a pretty tough deck.

The goal is simple: blow your opponent away with Incinerates, Torches, Drain Lifes and the Hammer and hope you kill them before they kill you.  The flankers supply you with a steady source of damage early in the game.

Set MVP: Infernal Contract.  Four cards for three mana is huge, even with the stiff penalty that Infernal Contract comes with.  Usually the life loss wasn't even an issue.  After filling up its hand, Mirage was usually able to follow up with an Elixir of Vitality or a Drain Life.  When the games were close, the Infernal Contract gave Mirage the edge it needed to ensure victory."