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tsabo_tavoc
09-01-2011, 10:36 PM
Legacy Berserk Stompy has always been on the edge of being competitive. Infect creatures gave this deck a strong push, but at the same time, Mental Misstep owns the deck. However, the number one problem for Berserk Stompy is spot removals. As a counter on storm enabler or tutor after some ritual chains, a spot removal after a full hand of pump spells makes the deck hardly able to recover. Blockers are less threatening, but they do put more stringent requirements on the number and quality (Trample) of pumps. Creatures with Hexproof and evasion are therefore highly valuable for Berserk Stompy, but there is only one attached with a fair cost: Silhana Ledgewalker. No Infect creatures have Hexproof, so Infect Stompy fights spot removals by counterspells. Noninfect versions can not rely on Ledgewalker and they play a large number of creatures, including big dudes like Kavu Predator.

Things are going to change. We get this guy from Innistrad:

Invisible Stalker
Creature - Human Rogue
1U 1/1
Hexproof, unblockable.

If we count in Green Sun's Zenith (GSZ), there are 12 evasive creatures now proof to hex. A new deck can be built without concerns for spot removals or blockers, what a relief! The legacy version of this deck is discussed here http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?21988-Deck-UG-Berserk-Stompy

Modern is a better home for this deck. We lose the namesake Berserk, the free pump Invigorate, the all-mighty Brainstorm, and that is it. On the other hand, there is no Wasteland, no Mental Misstep / Daze / Force of Will, what a friendly environment! Time for a decklist:

Mana
1 Breeding Pool
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
1 Watery Grave
1 Blood Crypt
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Scalding Tarn
4 Noble Hierarch

Threat
3 Silhana Ledgewalker
4 Invisible Stalker
4 Green Sun's Zenith

Pump
4 Tainted Strike
4 Assault Strobe
4 Might of Alara
4 Might of Old Krosa
2 Groundswell
1 Llanowar Augur

Other
4 Ponder
4 Preordain
1 Qasali Pridemage

Sideboard
4 Gladecover Scout
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Qasali Pridemage
5

Out of 21 mana, 11 creatures and 19 pumps, we want 3, 1, 3 of them respectively for the combo win. GSZ and Exalters serve multiple purposes while cantrips dig for any missing pieces.

4 Ponder / 4 Preordain: I have not settled on the number of cantrips. Thus far, 8 feels better than 4.

4 Tainted Strike / 4 Assault Strobe: 8 Berserks. Strike has an added +1/+0 and sniffs life gains. I have also tried Fatal Frenzy and Fling, but did not like any of them.

4 Might of Alara / 4 Might of Old Krosa / 2 Groundswell: +4/+4s. Working out the math, +3/+3 makes it hard to kill with 3 pumps. Alara has the potential to be +5/+5.

1 Llanowar Augur: Thanks Finn for the input. This is a mere +3/+3, but GSZ searches him.

11 Threat: should be enough unless against heavy discard / counter.

0 Dryad Arbor: You don't GSZ him, you GSZ Noble Hierarch.

11 Fetches / 6 Shocklands: see Groundswell, Might of Alara. I know, this hurts, but we are the aggressive combo deck.

4 Noble Hierarch: Acceleration is nice, but his pump is surprisingly relevant and solid: it makes GSZ a pump spell!

1 Qasali Pridemage: The only MD answer, say hi to Canonist, Spellskite and Blood Moon :tongue:.

SB 4 Gladecover Scout: Some decks do not have early blockers. 1 cc means less likely to be hit by discards or counters (this is Modern :laugh:). Slippery Bogle does the same.

SB 4 Inquisition of Kozilek: I don't know where it should come in, but this spell hits almost all the hates.

SB 2 Qasali Pridemage: More answers.

SB 5 blank: Seriously, without the knowledge of a meta, how would you construct a SB?

Hope you have enjoyed so far. Comments and criticisms, your playtests are very much appreciated:smile:

Maveric78f
09-02-2011, 03:00 AM
It looks (very) strong on the paper. Tell us more about the match-ups when you have the opportunity.

perm
09-02-2011, 09:18 AM
Do you REALLY need 5 color?

SpikeyMikey
09-02-2011, 09:24 AM
Do you REALLY need 5 color?

Yes because he runs Might of Alara.

My question is, why not the phyrexian mana pump spell in place of unstable mutation? Free spells speed up your kill.

perm
09-02-2011, 09:51 PM
Yes because he runs Might of Alara.
That's a pretty bad reason to run 5 colors

tsabo_tavoc
09-03-2011, 06:03 PM
It looks (very) strong on the paper. Tell us more about the match-ups when you have the opportunity.

I had 30 goldfishes and the average combo turn was 4.6. (I only pump on Hexproofers, not Exalters.) The result is pretty underwhelming and I am trying to shift it to turn 4. From my tests, proper mulligan, Noble Hierarch and Ponder are valuable for fast kill. I am going to test some Preordains.


Do you REALLY need 5 color?

The creatures are G and U, the Berserks are B and R. 4 colors are essential so that it makes Might of Alara natural. B, R, W are the splashes you only need on the combo turn. The mana base works without early nonbasic hates.


Yes because he runs Might of Alara.

My question is, why not the phyrexian mana pump spell in place of unstable mutation? Free spells speed up your kill.

There is a cost of Mutagenic Growth, 1 card. Land is not a problem on the combo turn (3-5), but the number of pump spells in hand is. I tested it, but it did not help to speed up.

Mr. Safety
09-12-2011, 04:03 PM
I don't think it needs 5 colors at all. Four at most, but 3 is possible.

Here are a few reasons:

Slippery Bogle
Brute Force
Unstable Mutation
Mutagenic Growth
Fatal Frenzy


This could easily be done in Grixis colors. Slippery Bogle isn't 'unblockable' like Silhana Ledgewalker, but it's blue. It may be heresy to suggest not playing green, but it oddly makes sense if you want to use blue...and as one poster said, your Berserks are in red (Assault Strobe and Fatal Frenzy).

If you feel you need green for Ledgewalker/GSZ, you can just use City of Brass I think. I think a better option would be to use the new flashback dude for :1::u: (can't remember the name) so you can set up your hexproof dudes with Unstable Mutation, play Mutagenic Growth for 2 life, play your flashback dude, flashback Mutagenic Growth for 2 life again, and if you have a spare :r:, play a Brute Force or Assault Strobe. GG.

tsabo_tavoc
09-13-2011, 06:16 PM
I don't think it needs 5 colors at all. Four at most, but 3 is possible.

Here are a few reasons:

Slippery Bogle
Brute Force
Unstable Mutation
Mutagenic Growth
Fatal Frenzy


This could easily be done in Grixis colors. Slippery Bogle isn't 'unblockable' like Silhana Ledgewalker, but it's blue. It may be heresy to suggest not playing green, but it oddly makes sense if you want to use blue...and as one poster said, your Berserks are in red (Assault Strobe and Fatal Frenzy).

If you feel you need green for Ledgewalker/GSZ, you can just use City of Brass I think. I think a better option would be to use the new flashback dude for :1::u: (can't remember the name) so you can set up your hexproof dudes with Unstable Mutation, play Mutagenic Growth for 2 life, play your flashback dude, flashback Mutagenic Growth for 2 life again, and if you have a spare :r:, play a Brute Force or Assault Strobe. GG.

How is it a GG? It was a 1/1 with +2/+2 from Mutation, +4/+4 from double Mutagenic Growth, and *2/*1 from Strobe, I count only 14 damage.

What is the problem with 5 colors, with 3 of which being splash colors? This format does not have Wasteland, land destruction starts at turn 3 (If your opponent Booms its own land, it starts at turn 2), and causes mana for a turn. The importance of colors is U > G >> R/B > W. G is not cuttable, because there are no +4/+4 spells in other colors and our creatures are 1/1s and do NOT have Infect. The 2 +4/+4 and 1 *2/*1 combo is far superior than the 3 +3/+3 and 1 *2/*1. Goldfish a few games, and it is very easy to figure it out.

Slippery Bogle is fine, but you have to use pumps to tackle each blocker, and the resource draining is not affordable. They are in the SB to bring in against noncreature decks. Even if you go the Attachment route, unstably mutated Bogle is still food for Llurgoyf.

I tested Fatal Frenzy and never found it useful. This and 2 +4/+4s require 5 mana, and this deck aims to drop 3 lands consistently and finish the battle before turn 4. Fling is better at 2cc, but does not add up with Assault Strobe or Tainted Strike. I tested it and did not like it. Snapcaster Mage is not good for this deck for the same reason Fatal Frenzy is bad.

Finn
09-13-2011, 10:41 PM
t_t, I have this built for casual. I don't have room because I play Berserk. But I always figured Fling was another form of "doubling effect" (along with Assault Strobe and Tainted Strike). Fatal Frenzy and Fork proved too expensive. You are the only other person I have seen building with this same philosophy. I also have to tell you that I started with Bogle, Zenith, Silhana, Hierarch, and some singletons like Llanowar Augur to make extra Zeniths not dead draws. I eventually abandoned most of the hexproofs in favor of Tarmos and Kiln Fiend which gets unbelievably large. The only thing you have to watch is to make certain you have sufficient trample effects.

It never worked well enough for me in Legacy for me to ever even start a thread. I hope it goes better for you in Modern.

tsabo_tavoc
09-13-2011, 11:23 PM
t_t, I have this built for casual. I don't have room because I play Berserk. But I always figured Fling was another form of "doubling effect" (along with Assault Strobe and Tainted Strike). Fatal Frenzy and Fork proved too expensive. You are the only other person I have seen building with this same philosophy. I also have to tell you that I started with Bogle, Zenith, Silhana, Hierarch, and some singletons like Llanowar Augur to make extra Zeniths not dead draws. I eventually abandoned most of the hexproofs in favor of Tarmos and Kiln Fiend which gets unbelievably large. The only thing you have to watch is to make certain you have sufficient trample effects.

It never worked well enough for me in Legacy for me to ever even start a thread. I hope it goes better for you in Modern.

Thanks for your insight. Llanowar Augur is the card to make GSZ omnipotent (mana, threat, pump)! I am replacing 1 Groundswell for it.

As Invisible Stalker will be released in Innistrad, we now have 12 Ledgewalkers (incl. GSZ), and trample effects are no longer required. Slippery Bogle is relegated to the SB for creatureless decks. This hopefully will rekindle your interest in the deck:)

Fling plays well with Berserk, but not with Tainted Strike/Assault Strobe. However, with 8 cantrips, I am content with 8 Berserk effects.

Maveric78f
09-14-2011, 04:30 AM
Can you describe how you play the deck exactly? It seems to me that a counterspell on any of your boosts ruins the kill. Post SB, Kill Fiend might be good against counterspell decks that are low on creature removal.

tsabo_tavoc
09-14-2011, 06:12 AM
Can you describe how you play the deck exactly? It seems to me that a counterspell on any of your boosts ruins the kill. Post SB, Kill Fiend might be good against counterspell decks that are low on creature removal.

Short answer: This is not Legacy, and counterspell costs mana, as does Wasteland.

It would be amusing to watch your opponents leaving 2 mana open (I spot few Spell Pierces) each turn, when you have a Walker/Stalker on the battlefield, only to have you assemble 4 mana and 4 pumps. The way to play the combo turn is having 1 extra pump spells for each 2 mana your opponent has. For the combo MU, where the opponent actually can afford to leave 2 open, you do not even need the extra pump but only 1 more mana, as their counter is Remand.

Of course, there is a backup plan when your hand is light on pumps. GSZ into Hierarchs to speed up the clock and it is easy to reach a point where 1-2 pumps are lethal (e.g., 3 Hierarchs+1 Might of Alara+1 Tainted Strike is a kill, much easier with Assault Strobe as the damage adds up.).

perm
09-14-2011, 06:43 AM
Why only 3 ledgewalker

tsabo_tavoc
09-14-2011, 07:06 AM
Why only 3 ledgewalker

Because I found 11 threats plenty and there are 8 cantrips. Ledgewalker is the worst threat if you ask me.

Maveric78f
09-14-2011, 07:35 AM
The Splinter Twin MU looks abysmal :
- Main deck Spellskites (often 4)
- 6/8 counterspells (4 spell pierce)
- 4 instant flying blockers (it hurts a lot when most of your boosts are sorceries)

It's a huge problem when you consider that it has just won the first and only big Modern tourney. A lot of people are going to play this deck.

tsabo_tavoc
09-14-2011, 08:33 AM
The Splinter Twin MU looks abysmal :
- Main deck Spellskites (often 4)
- 6/8 counterspells (4 spell pierce)
- 4 instant flying blockers (it hurts a lot when most of your boosts are sorceries)

It's a huge problem when you consider that it has just won the first and only big Modern tourney. A lot of people are going to play this deck.

Totally agree. I browsed the decklists again and found a number of Spell Pierces AND Dispels! Dispel just ruins the deck. Firespout can deal serious damage to the deck as well. The number one threat has to be the Spellskite. All these plus a combo turn similar to ours, abysmal MU.

Infect Shoal is a similar deck (1 threat + 2 cards for pumps + 1 protection as win cons, better in terms of speed), and its Splinter Twin MU is far from good.

tsabo_tavoc
09-19-2011, 12:59 PM
Now there is a permanent Berserk effect available.

Inquisitor's Flail 2
Artifact - Equipment
If equipped creature would deal combat damage, it deals double that damage instead.
If another creature would deal combat damage to equipped creature, it deals double that damage to equipped creature instead.
Equip 2

I would be all for it if the Equip cost was 1. But as it is, it is still decent. I am thinking about +2 Flail, -2 Ground Swell. However, Strobe and Strike are still too good to be cut and this deck had better keep the Domain strategy.

EDIT: Well, GSZ banned = thread killed.