John Cox
08-23-2012, 11:16 PM
The dream of an oath player is to play an oath on turn one off of a mox a forbidden orchard and have pitch counter protection. This is the deck that does that.
http://img.aegen.nl/DS/Serum%20Powder.jpg
History
Back when 4 copies of flash were legal there was a thread on the mana drain discussing whether serum powder should be used in Flash. Flash, much like oath, was a two card combo (Flash, and Protean hulk) the deck also ran pseudo protean hulks and pseudo flashes in its tutors. In the end no real verdict was reached and the thread died. However this put Serum Powder on my radar.
When Espresso Staxx (workshops with serum powder) hit the scene I decided I would try something similar in oath. At the time I didn't take it seriously because it just seemed way to good to be true. I consistently landed an oath on turn one or two and usually with some form of protection or disruption.
You can see the thread here http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=38963.0
Eventually I adapted Serum Powder to Vintage Ad Nauseam and then Legacy Belcher ( I had a lot of tournament success with Serum Powder Belcher). A few weeks ago I decided to try Serum powder Oath again and It's working better than ever.
Here's a list,
4 Forbidden Orchard
4 Oath of Druids
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Duress
4 Misdirection
4 Force of Will
4 Chrome Mox
4 Land Grant
4 Mental Misstep
4 Serum Powder
2 Griselbrand
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Tinker
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Ponder
1 Brainstorm
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Vault
2 Bayou
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Gaea's Blessing
The original idea was to make a Belcher version of oath with the only lands being orchards. I realized soon that i needed more green mana sources and that the odds of getting only non orchard lands if I had only 1-2 of them was in the 0-1% range so I added 2 Bayou.
Like wise when I started to add lands and the deck stopped being belcher I first put in rainbow lands but took them out and put land grant back in since it works so will with chrome mox. In testing I've had people concede when I cast Land Grant for it's alternate casting cost, because my hand was so terifying.
One thing to note, at the moment Chrome mox is working better than off colour power (when I play with power) due mainly to the fact that it's always on colour.
The creature suite looks weird but it actually a necessity for the shop match up. Basically if they get a duplicant on the table (imprinting your grislebrand) , you have a 50% chance of of knocking it out the next turn. If you don't oath into your second griselbrand. Then you get Blightsteel Colossus , that will block the smaller threats they already have, they'll draw some cards gain 7 life and lay 1-3 threats. on your turn you will defiantly get a griselbrand (killing they're duplicant) and they will have the threats they played last turn off of griselbrand and you'll have a blightsteel. you should win shortly.
They could draw a duplicant from the griselbrand before you oath, but it's just as likely you would draw a force of will from the griselbrand before they dupe it. in the end luck is involved.
Play style
This deck rewards little other than good mulliganing, your going to need a hand that can play an oath, an orchard and protect it. most of the time that won't be in your seven six or five cards. you'll need to have a feel for the cantrips in your hand and what your natural draws are going to be like (depending on how much, and what of your deck you've exiled the deck is going to preform differently).
Just goldfish a lot to get a feel. I recommend cockatrice.
Some points
When you have the right cards it's fairly straight forward resolve an oath, protect the oath. activate the oath, smash face, -win.
Griselbrand is not a combo card in this deck. He's a means of life gain and card advantage and Blightsteel Colossus is a tinker target.
Don't oath a second time if you have a Griselbrand on the table.
This deck has no real draw engine and really just loses tempo, if you haven't played an oath by turn three it's not going to happen.
Don't be afraid to use Serum Powder if a hand doesn't have both halves of the combo. The only time I would advise against serum powder is if there was a turn two Oath with no protection but a blue card. if you have less than that, powder away.
Don't be afraid of exiling your Oath targets I have never in the 80+ hours of play testing exiled all of my oath targets. I only exiled my tinker target a handful of times when it was relevant.
Demonic Consultation usually goes for any four of but if it's a matter of winning or losing feel free to go for anything.
http://img.aegen.nl/DS/Serum%20Powder.jpg
History
Back when 4 copies of flash were legal there was a thread on the mana drain discussing whether serum powder should be used in Flash. Flash, much like oath, was a two card combo (Flash, and Protean hulk) the deck also ran pseudo protean hulks and pseudo flashes in its tutors. In the end no real verdict was reached and the thread died. However this put Serum Powder on my radar.
When Espresso Staxx (workshops with serum powder) hit the scene I decided I would try something similar in oath. At the time I didn't take it seriously because it just seemed way to good to be true. I consistently landed an oath on turn one or two and usually with some form of protection or disruption.
You can see the thread here http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=38963.0
Eventually I adapted Serum Powder to Vintage Ad Nauseam and then Legacy Belcher ( I had a lot of tournament success with Serum Powder Belcher). A few weeks ago I decided to try Serum powder Oath again and It's working better than ever.
Here's a list,
4 Forbidden Orchard
4 Oath of Druids
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Duress
4 Misdirection
4 Force of Will
4 Chrome Mox
4 Land Grant
4 Mental Misstep
4 Serum Powder
2 Griselbrand
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Tinker
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Ponder
1 Brainstorm
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Vault
2 Bayou
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Gaea's Blessing
The original idea was to make a Belcher version of oath with the only lands being orchards. I realized soon that i needed more green mana sources and that the odds of getting only non orchard lands if I had only 1-2 of them was in the 0-1% range so I added 2 Bayou.
Like wise when I started to add lands and the deck stopped being belcher I first put in rainbow lands but took them out and put land grant back in since it works so will with chrome mox. In testing I've had people concede when I cast Land Grant for it's alternate casting cost, because my hand was so terifying.
One thing to note, at the moment Chrome mox is working better than off colour power (when I play with power) due mainly to the fact that it's always on colour.
The creature suite looks weird but it actually a necessity for the shop match up. Basically if they get a duplicant on the table (imprinting your grislebrand) , you have a 50% chance of of knocking it out the next turn. If you don't oath into your second griselbrand. Then you get Blightsteel Colossus , that will block the smaller threats they already have, they'll draw some cards gain 7 life and lay 1-3 threats. on your turn you will defiantly get a griselbrand (killing they're duplicant) and they will have the threats they played last turn off of griselbrand and you'll have a blightsteel. you should win shortly.
They could draw a duplicant from the griselbrand before you oath, but it's just as likely you would draw a force of will from the griselbrand before they dupe it. in the end luck is involved.
Play style
This deck rewards little other than good mulliganing, your going to need a hand that can play an oath, an orchard and protect it. most of the time that won't be in your seven six or five cards. you'll need to have a feel for the cantrips in your hand and what your natural draws are going to be like (depending on how much, and what of your deck you've exiled the deck is going to preform differently).
Just goldfish a lot to get a feel. I recommend cockatrice.
Some points
When you have the right cards it's fairly straight forward resolve an oath, protect the oath. activate the oath, smash face, -win.
Griselbrand is not a combo card in this deck. He's a means of life gain and card advantage and Blightsteel Colossus is a tinker target.
Don't oath a second time if you have a Griselbrand on the table.
This deck has no real draw engine and really just loses tempo, if you haven't played an oath by turn three it's not going to happen.
Don't be afraid to use Serum Powder if a hand doesn't have both halves of the combo. The only time I would advise against serum powder is if there was a turn two Oath with no protection but a blue card. if you have less than that, powder away.
Don't be afraid of exiling your Oath targets I have never in the 80+ hours of play testing exiled all of my oath targets. I only exiled my tinker target a handful of times when it was relevant.
Demonic Consultation usually goes for any four of but if it's a matter of winning or losing feel free to go for anything.