Aernil
09-12-2010, 03:13 PM
General Idea
When the spoiling for Futuresight began a few years ago, I was looking through the spoiler an discovered 2 very nice cards I immediatly thought of as awesome as hell: Nihilith and Tombstalker
Well, I preordered both, and started to build a (at that time Extended) deck around both of them, still only able to play and test on MWS.
The core idea was to use a crapload of discard to empty your opponents hand, preferable with a suspended Nihilith, to get either a quick Nihilith or a quick Stalker on the field, and kill the opponent before he recovers.
Smallpox was added due to its ability to feed both Nihilith and Stalker, while basically destroying a turns worth of cards.
For further reading the original post from me on salvation: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=76081
(still quite arrogant at that time^^)
When the whole fancy stuff in Extended rotated out, I decided to try to port it to Legacy, where the idea was to play a little bit more consevative cards (like Smother instead of Innocent Blood) with a greensplash for the beloved Goyf and a higher focus on mana denial (Sinkhole).
The splash also enabled some good Sideboardcards, like Krosan Krosan Grip.
The List at that time:
// Lands
6 [UNH] Swamp
3 [ON] Bloodstained Mire
4 [TE] Wasteland
3 [ON] Polluted Delta
4 Bayou
// Creatures
4 [FUT] Tombstalker
4 [FUT] Nihilith
4 [FUT] Street Wraith
4 [FUT] Tarmogoyf
// Spells
4 [TSP] Smallpox
4 [MR] Chrome Mox
4 [FE] Hymn to Tourach
4 [US] Duress
4 Sinkhole
4 [ON] Smother
// Sideboard
SB: 4 [PLC] Extirpate
SB: 4 [SOK] Pithing Needle
SB: 4 [TSP] Krosan Grip
SB: 3 [MM] Snuff Out
It performed quite well, so I decided to build it (altough I've never been to a Legacy tournament nor expected to attend one in near future)
As I owned almost not a single card playable in Legacy, I decided to drop the splash and add Pox.
I rebuilt the deck from the basis of Nihilith, Tombstalker, Smallpox and now Pox with additional changes to support the Pox plan.
The deck performed OK, but I was still not satified running just 8 real winconditions.
But then Zendikar was released and this nice little fellow came along:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/Hard_Drugs_and_Hot_Luck/Bloodghast.jpg
So I made the current list:
// Lands
10 [UNH] Swamp
3 [ZEN] Verdant Catacombs
4 [TE] Wasteland
3 [ON] Polluted Delta
// Creatures
4 [FUT] Tombstalker
4 [FUT] Nihilith
4 [ZEN] Bloodghast
// Spells
4 [TSP] Smallpox
4 [MR] Chrome Mox
4 [IA] Pox
4 [OD] Innocent Blood
4 [FE] Hymn to Tourach
4 Sinkhole
4 [CHK] Sensei's Divining Top
// Sideboard
SB: 4 [PLC] Extirpate
SB: 3 [DK] Tormod's Crypt
SB: 4 [US] Duress
SB: 4 [ON] Smother
[B]Cardchoices
Tombstalker
Well, the beater #1 in this deck. It feeds from your graveyard, getting cheaper for the thing this deck does: blowing things up
Well, there has been said enough for Stalkers sake, so I think no further comment is needed.
Nihilith
The beater #2 of this deck.
While it seems like a real bad card, it usually does what it's supposed to to: Get fast on the field, and deal evasive damage.
Altough it's not a great topdeck, nor that good in matchups where you need you destroy something asap, he'll still is incredible fast.
In a format filled with Fetchlands and Cantrips, it's even without additional cards pretty fast on the field (altough you might want to ensure it doesn't get Plowed/Countered/Stifled/whatever'd)
It's also immune to Counterbalance.
Bloodghast
And finally the last beater.
It doesn't seem THAT good, but it clearly is.
Usually gets discarded to Pox and Smallpox, comes always back, protects Nihilith and Stalker from Smallpox, Pox and Innocent Blood, and post Pox swarms around any defense left.
It's hard to imagine, but that card just wins more games than Stalker or Nihilith.
Smallpox
Well, it is one of the stars in this deck: It kills creatures, destroys lands, forces to discard, removes 3 counters from Nihilith and makes your Stalkers 3 mana cheaper.
Also get's rid of any unpleasent creatures like Progenitus, Emrakul and other fatties.
Chrome Mox
Well, having more mana available post Pox is always good.
The card disadvantage is hardly an argument against it.
Pox
Probably the most powerful card in the deck.
It works the same way as Smallpox, but additionally ensures that you need less attacks to kill.
Innocent Blood
CMC1 removal that doesn't target and is mostly one-sided.
Hymn to Tourach
Disruption, -2 counter for Nihilith, enough said
Sensei's Divining Top
Ensures you get the cards you need while in topdeck mode.
Usually there to dig for gas. Also quite solid with fetchlands.
Because you empty your hand quite fast, always having one is really the thing you want, and multiples get either discarded or shuffled back.
Usually the first card to get borded out.
Metagame Slot
Sinkhole
If you expect more creatures, replace this slot with removal, when facing combo Thoughtseize/
[B]Sideboard
The Sideboard really depends on your Meta, but generally I'd suggest
Graveyardhate:
[CARDS]Extirpate and/or Tormod's Crypt
Additional discard (hoping to slow Combo)
Duress and/or Thoughtseize
and depending what you expect
Additional spotremoval (Smother/Deathmark, Snuff Out)
Sweepers (Perish/Infest/Engineered Plague)
or whatever else might help against decks you expect
==============================================================
Day of Disease
Born to Kill - Match Analysis
==============================================================
Zoo
This matchup really depends if you are able to get rid of their first tur drop.
If you manage that in time, you should be able to destroy their manabase before they burn you out.
Generally you should be able to remove anything dangerous and kill them in time.
In this matchup you really want an early Smallpox or Pox (Smallpox first turn on the draw if possible, and Pox asap)
Playing Pox may actually kill you, so you shouldn't play it if Zoo has more than 2 lands.
If you run additional removal, get them for G2 and 3
I wont give you totally utopical percentages, but I'd say the overall Matchup is
FAVORABLE
Merfolk
This is actually kinda hard.
The only valid targets for Wasteland are Mutavaults or their Wastelands, unless they splash.
Whatever they splash, we are happy about it.
The key here is keeping the Lords off the Table and don't get your important Spells countered.
Resolving an early Hymn or Smallpox/Pox usually is the most important goal, ensuring they can't swarm.
If you don't, you generally get overwhelmed by vast amounts of fish.
Board removal
EVEN
Counter-Top Bant / Threshold in whatever Colorcombination
Here DoD really shines.
You just have craploads of Must-Counters, and you generally have more brutal plays than them.
Usually you should be able to either keep them off UU, or just ignore Counterbalance and play Stalkers/Nihilith.
DoD is pretty much designed to win that match, so I'll say
FAVOURABLE
Storm Combo
Meh.
No really.
It's really about having Hymns and pressure or not.
If you have, you might be able to win, but that isn't sure either.
if you manage to chain Hymns, Duress/Thoughtseize and Poxes, you have a solid chance of winning.
Board in whatever you have, and hope you have a Mox in your hand.
UNFAVORABLE
Death and Taxes / other White Weenie
Well, should be easy.
Destroy their lands, kill their creatures, let them discard a bunch is the way of winning.
Luckily DoD does all the same time.
Try to not get your Creatures removed, and you should win with ease.
VERY FAVORABLE
Burn
Totally unwinnable.
Seriously; unless they get manascrewed and you have a good combination of Hymns and Smallpox, you're screwed.
Unless you run 8 additional discarders in your Sideboard, you are also pretty much f***ed G2 and G3.
VERY UNFAVORALE
Landstill
Let DoD do whatever it does, but meanwhile try to keep Factories off the table and win via Bloodghast.
Whatever you board in, it shouldn't matter much, you'll probably winn unless you either screw it up or you have real bad luck.
FAVORABLE
Vengevine Survival
Well, it's a coinflip if you win G1, but G2 and G3 should be yours if you are running 4 Extirpate in your Sideboard.
If they play Waterfront Bouncer, you should first get rid of it, then whatever's left.
EVEN- SLIGHTLY UNFAVORABLE
Random Kiddies
Suspend Nihilith, play Pox, discard Bloodghast, play Stalker, win.
Resolving Pox usually is a win^^
WIN
[B]This is essentially mono-black Team America, more than a slow Pox deck.
This is an aggressive deck, it's not Pox.
If you have to play Pox in defense, you do something terribly wrong.
This also explains the low landcount of just 20:
You really need 3 mana just once: casting Pox
This decks focus is on Tempo, so neither LftL, Top nor Crucible of Worlds are to be considered.
Edit:
This Primer is probably far from finished, expecially the Match Analysis.
Tomorrow I'll post a tournamentreport in the corresponding subforum
When the spoiling for Futuresight began a few years ago, I was looking through the spoiler an discovered 2 very nice cards I immediatly thought of as awesome as hell: Nihilith and Tombstalker
Well, I preordered both, and started to build a (at that time Extended) deck around both of them, still only able to play and test on MWS.
The core idea was to use a crapload of discard to empty your opponents hand, preferable with a suspended Nihilith, to get either a quick Nihilith or a quick Stalker on the field, and kill the opponent before he recovers.
Smallpox was added due to its ability to feed both Nihilith and Stalker, while basically destroying a turns worth of cards.
For further reading the original post from me on salvation: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=76081
(still quite arrogant at that time^^)
When the whole fancy stuff in Extended rotated out, I decided to try to port it to Legacy, where the idea was to play a little bit more consevative cards (like Smother instead of Innocent Blood) with a greensplash for the beloved Goyf and a higher focus on mana denial (Sinkhole).
The splash also enabled some good Sideboardcards, like Krosan Krosan Grip.
The List at that time:
// Lands
6 [UNH] Swamp
3 [ON] Bloodstained Mire
4 [TE] Wasteland
3 [ON] Polluted Delta
4 Bayou
// Creatures
4 [FUT] Tombstalker
4 [FUT] Nihilith
4 [FUT] Street Wraith
4 [FUT] Tarmogoyf
// Spells
4 [TSP] Smallpox
4 [MR] Chrome Mox
4 [FE] Hymn to Tourach
4 [US] Duress
4 Sinkhole
4 [ON] Smother
// Sideboard
SB: 4 [PLC] Extirpate
SB: 4 [SOK] Pithing Needle
SB: 4 [TSP] Krosan Grip
SB: 3 [MM] Snuff Out
It performed quite well, so I decided to build it (altough I've never been to a Legacy tournament nor expected to attend one in near future)
As I owned almost not a single card playable in Legacy, I decided to drop the splash and add Pox.
I rebuilt the deck from the basis of Nihilith, Tombstalker, Smallpox and now Pox with additional changes to support the Pox plan.
The deck performed OK, but I was still not satified running just 8 real winconditions.
But then Zendikar was released and this nice little fellow came along:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/Hard_Drugs_and_Hot_Luck/Bloodghast.jpg
So I made the current list:
// Lands
10 [UNH] Swamp
3 [ZEN] Verdant Catacombs
4 [TE] Wasteland
3 [ON] Polluted Delta
// Creatures
4 [FUT] Tombstalker
4 [FUT] Nihilith
4 [ZEN] Bloodghast
// Spells
4 [TSP] Smallpox
4 [MR] Chrome Mox
4 [IA] Pox
4 [OD] Innocent Blood
4 [FE] Hymn to Tourach
4 Sinkhole
4 [CHK] Sensei's Divining Top
// Sideboard
SB: 4 [PLC] Extirpate
SB: 3 [DK] Tormod's Crypt
SB: 4 [US] Duress
SB: 4 [ON] Smother
[B]Cardchoices
Tombstalker
Well, the beater #1 in this deck. It feeds from your graveyard, getting cheaper for the thing this deck does: blowing things up
Well, there has been said enough for Stalkers sake, so I think no further comment is needed.
Nihilith
The beater #2 of this deck.
While it seems like a real bad card, it usually does what it's supposed to to: Get fast on the field, and deal evasive damage.
Altough it's not a great topdeck, nor that good in matchups where you need you destroy something asap, he'll still is incredible fast.
In a format filled with Fetchlands and Cantrips, it's even without additional cards pretty fast on the field (altough you might want to ensure it doesn't get Plowed/Countered/Stifled/whatever'd)
It's also immune to Counterbalance.
Bloodghast
And finally the last beater.
It doesn't seem THAT good, but it clearly is.
Usually gets discarded to Pox and Smallpox, comes always back, protects Nihilith and Stalker from Smallpox, Pox and Innocent Blood, and post Pox swarms around any defense left.
It's hard to imagine, but that card just wins more games than Stalker or Nihilith.
Smallpox
Well, it is one of the stars in this deck: It kills creatures, destroys lands, forces to discard, removes 3 counters from Nihilith and makes your Stalkers 3 mana cheaper.
Also get's rid of any unpleasent creatures like Progenitus, Emrakul and other fatties.
Chrome Mox
Well, having more mana available post Pox is always good.
The card disadvantage is hardly an argument against it.
Pox
Probably the most powerful card in the deck.
It works the same way as Smallpox, but additionally ensures that you need less attacks to kill.
Innocent Blood
CMC1 removal that doesn't target and is mostly one-sided.
Hymn to Tourach
Disruption, -2 counter for Nihilith, enough said
Sensei's Divining Top
Ensures you get the cards you need while in topdeck mode.
Usually there to dig for gas. Also quite solid with fetchlands.
Because you empty your hand quite fast, always having one is really the thing you want, and multiples get either discarded or shuffled back.
Usually the first card to get borded out.
Metagame Slot
Sinkhole
If you expect more creatures, replace this slot with removal, when facing combo Thoughtseize/
[B]Sideboard
The Sideboard really depends on your Meta, but generally I'd suggest
Graveyardhate:
[CARDS]Extirpate and/or Tormod's Crypt
Additional discard (hoping to slow Combo)
Duress and/or Thoughtseize
and depending what you expect
Additional spotremoval (Smother/Deathmark, Snuff Out)
Sweepers (Perish/Infest/Engineered Plague)
or whatever else might help against decks you expect
==============================================================
Day of Disease
Born to Kill - Match Analysis
==============================================================
Zoo
This matchup really depends if you are able to get rid of their first tur drop.
If you manage that in time, you should be able to destroy their manabase before they burn you out.
Generally you should be able to remove anything dangerous and kill them in time.
In this matchup you really want an early Smallpox or Pox (Smallpox first turn on the draw if possible, and Pox asap)
Playing Pox may actually kill you, so you shouldn't play it if Zoo has more than 2 lands.
If you run additional removal, get them for G2 and 3
I wont give you totally utopical percentages, but I'd say the overall Matchup is
FAVORABLE
Merfolk
This is actually kinda hard.
The only valid targets for Wasteland are Mutavaults or their Wastelands, unless they splash.
Whatever they splash, we are happy about it.
The key here is keeping the Lords off the Table and don't get your important Spells countered.
Resolving an early Hymn or Smallpox/Pox usually is the most important goal, ensuring they can't swarm.
If you don't, you generally get overwhelmed by vast amounts of fish.
Board removal
EVEN
Counter-Top Bant / Threshold in whatever Colorcombination
Here DoD really shines.
You just have craploads of Must-Counters, and you generally have more brutal plays than them.
Usually you should be able to either keep them off UU, or just ignore Counterbalance and play Stalkers/Nihilith.
DoD is pretty much designed to win that match, so I'll say
FAVOURABLE
Storm Combo
Meh.
No really.
It's really about having Hymns and pressure or not.
If you have, you might be able to win, but that isn't sure either.
if you manage to chain Hymns, Duress/Thoughtseize and Poxes, you have a solid chance of winning.
Board in whatever you have, and hope you have a Mox in your hand.
UNFAVORABLE
Death and Taxes / other White Weenie
Well, should be easy.
Destroy their lands, kill their creatures, let them discard a bunch is the way of winning.
Luckily DoD does all the same time.
Try to not get your Creatures removed, and you should win with ease.
VERY FAVORABLE
Burn
Totally unwinnable.
Seriously; unless they get manascrewed and you have a good combination of Hymns and Smallpox, you're screwed.
Unless you run 8 additional discarders in your Sideboard, you are also pretty much f***ed G2 and G3.
VERY UNFAVORALE
Landstill
Let DoD do whatever it does, but meanwhile try to keep Factories off the table and win via Bloodghast.
Whatever you board in, it shouldn't matter much, you'll probably winn unless you either screw it up or you have real bad luck.
FAVORABLE
Vengevine Survival
Well, it's a coinflip if you win G1, but G2 and G3 should be yours if you are running 4 Extirpate in your Sideboard.
If they play Waterfront Bouncer, you should first get rid of it, then whatever's left.
EVEN- SLIGHTLY UNFAVORABLE
Random Kiddies
Suspend Nihilith, play Pox, discard Bloodghast, play Stalker, win.
Resolving Pox usually is a win^^
WIN
[B]This is essentially mono-black Team America, more than a slow Pox deck.
This is an aggressive deck, it's not Pox.
If you have to play Pox in defense, you do something terribly wrong.
This also explains the low landcount of just 20:
You really need 3 mana just once: casting Pox
This decks focus is on Tempo, so neither LftL, Top nor Crucible of Worlds are to be considered.
Edit:
This Primer is probably far from finished, expecially the Match Analysis.
Tomorrow I'll post a tournamentreport in the corresponding subforum