[Deck] Battle of Wits

[TheBirdMan]

I posted this deck in the new and developmental forum a while back and it seemed to get a good response so I am trying it here. It can consistently drop Battle 4th turn without disruption but does not have too big a problem if there is.

The Deck: 240 Cards

Creatures: 35
4 Academy Rector
4 Xantid Swarm
4 Exalted Angel
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Sakura Tribe Elder
4 Shadowmage Infiltrator
4 Wall of Blossoms
2 Darksteel Colossus
1 Carrion Feeder
1 Magus of the Disk
1 Auramancer
2 Eternal Witness
1 Harmonic Sliver

Artifacts/Enchantments: 30
4 Battle of Wits
4 Pernicious Deed
4 Defense of the Heart
1 Worship
1 Ivory Mask
4 Urza’s Bauble
4 Mishra’s Bauble
4 Sterling Grove
4 Lotus Petal

Spells: 82
4 Vindicate
4 Enlightened Tutor
4 Mystical Tutor
4 Worldly Tutor
4 Eladamri’s Call
4 Diabolic Intent
4 Brainspoil
4 Duress
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Wrath of God
4 Fact or Fiction
4 Impulse
4 Intuition
4 Brainstorm
4 Limdul’s Vault
4 Orim’s Chant
4 Serum Visions
4 Dark Ritual
4 Gaea’s Blessing
4 Bound / Determined
1 Infernal Tutor
1 Angel’s Grace

Lands: 92
4 Tropical Island
4 Underground Sea
4 Tundra
4 Bayou
4 Scrubland
4 Savannah
4 Windswept Heath
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
4 Wooded Foothills
4 City of Brass
4 Forbidden Orchard
4 Gemstone Mine
4 High Market
3 Brushland
3 Adarkar Wastes
3 Llanowar Wastes
3 Underground River
5 Plains
5 Island
5 Swamp
5 Forest

Sideboard:
3 Angel’s Grace
4 Tormod’s Crypt
4 Chill
4 Pithing Needle

Card Choices:
Obviously there are too many to talk about but I’ll try the more questionable ones.

Exalted Angel/ Darksteel Colossus: Basically the decks secondary win conditions. Primarily with defense of the heart, Exalted angels are just amazing with one on board, why not 2 these are mainly better when you don’t have defense of the heart and you cant get battle out. The Colossi are also amazing in quantities of 2.

Bound/Determined: Used mainly to get Battle into play and secondary card allows me to sac rector and/or get something back to my hand.

Dark Ritual: Great with first turn transmute Brainspoil but also good for speeding up casting battle.

Vindicate: Probably one of the most important cards in the deck. I search for this almost as much as Battle in order to win a game.

Ivory Mask: Mostly for burn which is as fast as I am so if plop this out, its faster than battle to cast and it may as well say I win against burn.

Orim’s Chant: Helps get Battle out against counter or it can stop them from killing me with a final attack when Battle is already out.

Baubles: These just cycle through my deck, that about all.

Sideboard: I don’t know what the heck goes in there except angel’s grace so I just put some standard sideboard cards.



Matchups: More testing needs to be done for a decent matchup section.

[rsaunder]

Matchups: Unfortunately some of these have not been played since I do not own all these cards but do get to play this on occasion, but I hope to change that soon.

Solidarity: I honestly never played the match but if you can mill 220 cards 5th turn with 4 gaea’s blessings and an Angel’s Grace plus 3 in Board then my hats way off to you.
% 90/10

Goblins: Speed wise, goblins has an advantage, plus wasteland but it’s not impossible with a well timed wrath or deed.
% 40/60

Threshold: Again another match I haven’t played but I have played against forbidion which runs way more counter and such, but I just made them run out of counter (I also have crypts in board). Seems like a good match up though so id say
%55/45

Iggypop:
Definitely faster, sadly another match not played but I definitely would give them the edge.
%30/70

Aluren: I don’t know if anyone plays this anymore but it’s a tie, we both are just as fast and its game over when we go off so id give it;
%50/50

I’ll be sure to put more matchups as they are played.Perhaps you just ought to say that "More testing needs to be done"?

Why DSC as an alternate win condition? Angel I can see, but seriously, this guy's just going to be a dead card 9/10 times in there. Why the singleton infernal tutor?

[Bane of the Living]

It seems completely worthless to run a sideboard at all. The first thing I would do is add some wishes to the deck. Probably Living and Burning?? You could probably use Divining Top since you have so many shuffle effects.

It would be cool to have a serious BoW deck here. If there is sucha thing.

[TheBirdMan]

I tried wishes and Top but they seemed to slow the deck down so additional search was added and darksteel can't really be dead if you draw it 1/125 of the time :-P.

[rsaunder]

and darksteel can't really be dead if you draw it 1/125 of the time :-P.Man, this post will be pointless...

Yes, the chance of pulling it on your first topdeck is 1/125.

How about your first hand, though? 2/250
+2/249
+2/248
+2/247
+2/246
+2/245
+2/244

And it gets worse if you like, draw or something:rolleyes:

Has it ever come into handy? Why not something like SSS or something that doesn't well, cost 11...