Whit3 Ghost
12-31-2007, 05:03 PM
The concept for this deck began while I was thumbing through the top Legacy decks at worlds, and noticed a very interesting BUW Trinket Mage/Tombstalker list. I liked its use of proactive discard over counterspells, something my team had used before in a deck known as Cajun Fish. Another thing that caught my eye was the use of Tombstalker as a 4-of. This required the use of 11 fetchlands, but it seemed to get the job done, allowing for multiple Demons in the mid-game. Now, after testing the original list, I found that I had a few problems with it’s construction. The Mage toolbox was cute, as was the small Enlightened Tutor engine, but neither feature seemed to do much other then look cool. I cut most of the chaff in the list for some more generic stuff, like 4 Exalted Angel, Ponder and the like. Now, after testing with Nihil, Wastedlife, Tacoscape and Emidln, I was finding the deck far too clunky and unable to handle things like early Tarmogoyfs and Geese and unable to out-lategame slowrolling control decks like Landstill. It appeared I was at an impasse, as my later versions seemed to regress from my progress with the original list.
Then, as all hope for my planned entry seemed lost, it struck me. EE, the only remaining piece from the original Mage/E-tutor toolbox was too slow. I quickly replaced it with Smother and upped my Vindicate count to four. All of a sudden, I was able to play control against agro strategies in the early game. I didn’t have to be afraid of my EE being answered before it became relevant or that I had to run out Angels before I could sufficiently protect them. Test games began to play out infinitely smoother.
This brings us to my current list:
// Deck file for Magic Workstation (http://www.magicworkstation.com)
// Lands
2 [ON] Bloodstained Mire
4 [ON] Flooded Strand
4 [ON] Polluted Delta
3 Underground Sea
1 Tundra
4 Scrubland
1 [6E] Plains (1)
1 [PT] Island (4)
2 [TE] Swamp (4)
// Creatures
4 [FUT] Tombstalker
2 [ON] Exalted Angel
4 [PS] Meddling Mage
3 [AP] Spectral Lynx
// Spells
2 Duress
4 [LRW] Thoughtseize
4 [FE] Hymn to Tourach (4)
4 [5E] Brainstorm
4 [AP] Vindicate
3 [ON] Smother
4 [IA] Swords to Plowshares
// Sideboard
SB: 1 [ON] Exalted Angel
SB: 1 Duress
SB: 3 [10E] Pithing Needle
SB: 4 [GP] Leyline of the Void
SB: 4 [7E] Engineered Plague
SB: 2 [6E] Serenity
[B][U]Card Choices and Explanations
[U]The Manabase
10 Fetchlands- These are crucial for supporting multiple Tombstalker in the early game. Although it makes me more vulnerable to Stifle, being able to grab basics on a whim as well as fix mana is crucial to the deck’s strategy. So far, life loss stemming from them has not been an issue. The rest of the manabase isn’t really worth discussing, duals to colorfix and basics to dodge Wasteland are all pretty much standard issue.
[U]The Creature-base
4 Tombstalker- I love this card. He laughs in the face of the increasing number of casting cost based removal in the format, and is a giant roadblock for decks packing Ghastly Demise as their only source of removal. The fact that he flies is crucial, as Lynx has the possibility of creating a very stalled ground.
Exalted Angel- This could go to a 3-of depending on a few factors, but I’m happy with her staying at 2 for now. She’s a complete bomb, but I don’t like running out a 3 mana 2/2 as my only threat early on.
Meddling Mage- This card has been really good with all the discard and is a house in more matchups then one would think. He stalls your opponents best card for at least a turn or he catches removal meant for your better creatures. He comes through in the clutch in the combo matchup as well.
Spectral Lynx- This slot was something I was skeptical about, but after testing him, I’m in love. Non-Swords removal can’t touch him and he blocks Goyf/Goose/Doran all day while you set up your game plan.
Spells
Brainstorm- This slot doesn’t need much explaining, it’s arguably the best card in Legacy and is an absolute house here along with the shuffle effects.
Thoughtseize- Another card which makes this deck incredibly powerful. The ability to proactively grab creatures is great and it gives the deck six near surefire turn one discard spells is fantastic.
Duress- Thoughtseize five and six. The life loss isn’t enough for a 3-3 split, against nearly everything, you’re going to wish you had Thoughtseize every time you open with Duress.
Hymn to Tourach- The right hook to the jabs of Duress and Thoughtseize. These can also occasionally win you games by themselves via manascrewing opponents, or stripping them of removal.
Swords to Plowshares- The best removal spell ever printed next to Tarmogoyf and there’s no need to splash green here.
Smother- I wanted a removal spell in my main colors. Due to the popularity of Threshold and Tarmogoyf in general, I’m running this over Ghastly Demise, but if Goblins ever experiences a major(and Goyf-less) resurgence, Demise might be brought back in. Smother also isn’t affected by Tombstalker which is a major plus.
Vindicate- Up there with Tombstalker and Thoughtseize as the best card in the deck. The ability to kill anything for a mere three mana is too good to overlook here. Relevant in every matchup. The choice to run the fourth over the third Duress was the best choice I could have made.
The Sideboard
The board actually fluctuates quite a bit, with roughly 7-8 slots subject to change per meta. If going into a large event, 2 CoP Red may be played over the 2 one-ofs depending on how fearful I am of Burn.
Leyline- Boarded in against decks reliant on the graveyard. I believe it’s superior to Extirpate because of its invulnerability to discard and the fact that you don’t have to leave mana open to use it.
Pithing Needle- Another pretty obvious choice, this guy is there for 3-4 different matchups ranging from Control, to Loam to Survival.
Engineered Plague- Obligatory Goblins hate goes here. Also, it’s your answer to Empty the Warrens.
Serenity- This is for random matchups like Stax, Eternal Garden, Affinity and Enchantress which play a lot of artifacts and enchantments and are more then likely going to overextend into it unless forewarned.
The Subjective Slots
Duress- Some matchups require more discard.
Exalted- Some matchups require more threats and or lifegain.
Matchup Analysis
Threshold (versions tested: Ugb with Counterbalance, more to come): This is a very good matchup for you, barring they don’t resolve and protect an early Counterbalance. Your discard and Vindicates make it very hard for them to accomplish this. You also run 11 answers to an on-board goyf, three recurring Fogs in Spectral Lynx, Mage chanting Goyf, eight pro-active discard spells and beaters of comparable size in Tombstalker and Angel. As an added bonus black splash lists have no surefire way of dealing with Tombstalkers.
-65-35
Goblins(Versions tested: Rw splash for STP): This matchup varies depending on what Goblins list was used. The lower the land count, the better the matchup for you as your discard and Vindicates will be even better.
Important Notes
– Don’t be afraid to attack over a little bit of pressure
– Save your Vindicates for land or Aether Vials unless absolutely necessary
– Mage on Goblin Warchief if you’re going in completely blind early.
– If they’re low on resources and you have business in hand, don’t be afraid to trade a Mage or Lynx with one of their guys.
– Watch out for random sideboarded tech such as Price of Progress
-60/40 to 40/60 depending on build.
Landstill(Versions tested: 4c and Ubg): Each build has its nuances but here’s the basic rundown. Lists that aren’t running white are much easier as they don’t have removal that can touch a Tombstalker. 4c is a bit more difficult as they have better removal and Monastary, which can be really dangerous. However, with the four color manabase, they become more open to Vindicate. You can also pick off manlands game one with Smother and Swords if they try to go agro with an open board and of course, your discard shines here.
60/40
TES: This matchup is about who draws what and who plays first. If they go off turn one on the play, it happens, so does drawing nothing but threats and disruption on your part. You need to have disrupted them by turn 2 on the play to have a realistic chance at winning. Occasionally you can get by with nothing but Hymns and Mages on the draw, but it would involve them having a slow, contract based hand.
50/50 to 45/55
Cephalid Breakfast- This matchup again comes down to a few key factors-:how fast their hand is, and what disruption did you draw. Again, first turn plays are crucial here and Mage is a back-breaker game one and a stall tactic game 2. Usually some early discard, backed up with Vindicates and removal will give you the W, but they have the possibility of countering your first disruption spell and going off in your face. The Goyf plan isn’t at all dangerous, as they can’t protect their guys nearly as well as Threshold can, and they have no way of permanently removing a Lynx, Angel or Stalker.
60/40
Agro Loam- The key to this matchup is them resolving Magus of the Moon (if they run it). You have to keep mana open for Swords/Smother or fetch basics. You have VERY few outs to resolved Magus if you didn’t fetch basics, so watch your back. Mage either Loam or Devastating Dreams depending on the board state. Lynx, Angel and Tombstalker all shine here because they’ll either gum up the ground or put your opponent on one hell of a clock. All of your removal can hit their guys, which is a positive. Vindicate is another crucial card in this matchup as it can keep them from resolving Assault, Dreams and sometimes even Loam.
50/50 maybe 55/45 which could go in either deck’s favor.
F.A.Q.
– Why play this over the other agro-control and black based disruption lists that are currently established such as Threshold, Fish or Deadguy?
Your advantages over Threshold include pro-active disruption in the form of discard, creatures roughly on the same scale as theirs, more removal and Meddling Mage for combo matchups.
The same holds true for Fish, except that your creatures are larger. As for Deadguy, you lose most of the LD strategy but gain larger creatures and better removal. Your manabase is also stabler and more efficient.
– Why splash Blue, BW is good enough.
BW, as nice as a 2c manabase would be, has no functional replacements for either Brainstorm or Meddling Mage, both of which have been exceptional in testing.
– Why not a Green splash for Tarmogoyf?
It seems to be overkill, and it also looks like it would put far too much strain on the manabase which really wants BBWU by turn 2.
– What makes your deck original?
It’s substantially different from the Trinket Mage/Stalker deck that it was based on, and has no functional counterpart in the Legacy format. Modern incarnations of Dump Truck, which this deck bares some resemblance to, all run a counter based disruption package instead of a heavy discard setup.
Special Thanks To
–Emidln, Nihil, Tacoscape and Bryant for testing and discussing the list with me.
–rsaunder, for his work on Deadguy Ale, without which, I prolly would be a lot worse while playing this deck.
–The rest of the BZK, especially Goobafish, for pointers on the list.
–Anyone who responded to a PM about testing.
–Katsuhiro Mori for developing the list which my entry was inspired by
http://wizards.com/magic/samplehand.asp?x=mtgevent/worlds07/legacydecks&decknum=48
TheDrunkDwarf for the name
One More Thing
I haven’t worked out a name I’m completely happy with yet and I’m definitely open to suggestions.
Then, as all hope for my planned entry seemed lost, it struck me. EE, the only remaining piece from the original Mage/E-tutor toolbox was too slow. I quickly replaced it with Smother and upped my Vindicate count to four. All of a sudden, I was able to play control against agro strategies in the early game. I didn’t have to be afraid of my EE being answered before it became relevant or that I had to run out Angels before I could sufficiently protect them. Test games began to play out infinitely smoother.
This brings us to my current list:
// Deck file for Magic Workstation (http://www.magicworkstation.com)
// Lands
2 [ON] Bloodstained Mire
4 [ON] Flooded Strand
4 [ON] Polluted Delta
3 Underground Sea
1 Tundra
4 Scrubland
1 [6E] Plains (1)
1 [PT] Island (4)
2 [TE] Swamp (4)
// Creatures
4 [FUT] Tombstalker
2 [ON] Exalted Angel
4 [PS] Meddling Mage
3 [AP] Spectral Lynx
// Spells
2 Duress
4 [LRW] Thoughtseize
4 [FE] Hymn to Tourach (4)
4 [5E] Brainstorm
4 [AP] Vindicate
3 [ON] Smother
4 [IA] Swords to Plowshares
// Sideboard
SB: 1 [ON] Exalted Angel
SB: 1 Duress
SB: 3 [10E] Pithing Needle
SB: 4 [GP] Leyline of the Void
SB: 4 [7E] Engineered Plague
SB: 2 [6E] Serenity
[B][U]Card Choices and Explanations
[U]The Manabase
10 Fetchlands- These are crucial for supporting multiple Tombstalker in the early game. Although it makes me more vulnerable to Stifle, being able to grab basics on a whim as well as fix mana is crucial to the deck’s strategy. So far, life loss stemming from them has not been an issue. The rest of the manabase isn’t really worth discussing, duals to colorfix and basics to dodge Wasteland are all pretty much standard issue.
[U]The Creature-base
4 Tombstalker- I love this card. He laughs in the face of the increasing number of casting cost based removal in the format, and is a giant roadblock for decks packing Ghastly Demise as their only source of removal. The fact that he flies is crucial, as Lynx has the possibility of creating a very stalled ground.
Exalted Angel- This could go to a 3-of depending on a few factors, but I’m happy with her staying at 2 for now. She’s a complete bomb, but I don’t like running out a 3 mana 2/2 as my only threat early on.
Meddling Mage- This card has been really good with all the discard and is a house in more matchups then one would think. He stalls your opponents best card for at least a turn or he catches removal meant for your better creatures. He comes through in the clutch in the combo matchup as well.
Spectral Lynx- This slot was something I was skeptical about, but after testing him, I’m in love. Non-Swords removal can’t touch him and he blocks Goyf/Goose/Doran all day while you set up your game plan.
Spells
Brainstorm- This slot doesn’t need much explaining, it’s arguably the best card in Legacy and is an absolute house here along with the shuffle effects.
Thoughtseize- Another card which makes this deck incredibly powerful. The ability to proactively grab creatures is great and it gives the deck six near surefire turn one discard spells is fantastic.
Duress- Thoughtseize five and six. The life loss isn’t enough for a 3-3 split, against nearly everything, you’re going to wish you had Thoughtseize every time you open with Duress.
Hymn to Tourach- The right hook to the jabs of Duress and Thoughtseize. These can also occasionally win you games by themselves via manascrewing opponents, or stripping them of removal.
Swords to Plowshares- The best removal spell ever printed next to Tarmogoyf and there’s no need to splash green here.
Smother- I wanted a removal spell in my main colors. Due to the popularity of Threshold and Tarmogoyf in general, I’m running this over Ghastly Demise, but if Goblins ever experiences a major(and Goyf-less) resurgence, Demise might be brought back in. Smother also isn’t affected by Tombstalker which is a major plus.
Vindicate- Up there with Tombstalker and Thoughtseize as the best card in the deck. The ability to kill anything for a mere three mana is too good to overlook here. Relevant in every matchup. The choice to run the fourth over the third Duress was the best choice I could have made.
The Sideboard
The board actually fluctuates quite a bit, with roughly 7-8 slots subject to change per meta. If going into a large event, 2 CoP Red may be played over the 2 one-ofs depending on how fearful I am of Burn.
Leyline- Boarded in against decks reliant on the graveyard. I believe it’s superior to Extirpate because of its invulnerability to discard and the fact that you don’t have to leave mana open to use it.
Pithing Needle- Another pretty obvious choice, this guy is there for 3-4 different matchups ranging from Control, to Loam to Survival.
Engineered Plague- Obligatory Goblins hate goes here. Also, it’s your answer to Empty the Warrens.
Serenity- This is for random matchups like Stax, Eternal Garden, Affinity and Enchantress which play a lot of artifacts and enchantments and are more then likely going to overextend into it unless forewarned.
The Subjective Slots
Duress- Some matchups require more discard.
Exalted- Some matchups require more threats and or lifegain.
Matchup Analysis
Threshold (versions tested: Ugb with Counterbalance, more to come): This is a very good matchup for you, barring they don’t resolve and protect an early Counterbalance. Your discard and Vindicates make it very hard for them to accomplish this. You also run 11 answers to an on-board goyf, three recurring Fogs in Spectral Lynx, Mage chanting Goyf, eight pro-active discard spells and beaters of comparable size in Tombstalker and Angel. As an added bonus black splash lists have no surefire way of dealing with Tombstalkers.
-65-35
Goblins(Versions tested: Rw splash for STP): This matchup varies depending on what Goblins list was used. The lower the land count, the better the matchup for you as your discard and Vindicates will be even better.
Important Notes
– Don’t be afraid to attack over a little bit of pressure
– Save your Vindicates for land or Aether Vials unless absolutely necessary
– Mage on Goblin Warchief if you’re going in completely blind early.
– If they’re low on resources and you have business in hand, don’t be afraid to trade a Mage or Lynx with one of their guys.
– Watch out for random sideboarded tech such as Price of Progress
-60/40 to 40/60 depending on build.
Landstill(Versions tested: 4c and Ubg): Each build has its nuances but here’s the basic rundown. Lists that aren’t running white are much easier as they don’t have removal that can touch a Tombstalker. 4c is a bit more difficult as they have better removal and Monastary, which can be really dangerous. However, with the four color manabase, they become more open to Vindicate. You can also pick off manlands game one with Smother and Swords if they try to go agro with an open board and of course, your discard shines here.
60/40
TES: This matchup is about who draws what and who plays first. If they go off turn one on the play, it happens, so does drawing nothing but threats and disruption on your part. You need to have disrupted them by turn 2 on the play to have a realistic chance at winning. Occasionally you can get by with nothing but Hymns and Mages on the draw, but it would involve them having a slow, contract based hand.
50/50 to 45/55
Cephalid Breakfast- This matchup again comes down to a few key factors-:how fast their hand is, and what disruption did you draw. Again, first turn plays are crucial here and Mage is a back-breaker game one and a stall tactic game 2. Usually some early discard, backed up with Vindicates and removal will give you the W, but they have the possibility of countering your first disruption spell and going off in your face. The Goyf plan isn’t at all dangerous, as they can’t protect their guys nearly as well as Threshold can, and they have no way of permanently removing a Lynx, Angel or Stalker.
60/40
Agro Loam- The key to this matchup is them resolving Magus of the Moon (if they run it). You have to keep mana open for Swords/Smother or fetch basics. You have VERY few outs to resolved Magus if you didn’t fetch basics, so watch your back. Mage either Loam or Devastating Dreams depending on the board state. Lynx, Angel and Tombstalker all shine here because they’ll either gum up the ground or put your opponent on one hell of a clock. All of your removal can hit their guys, which is a positive. Vindicate is another crucial card in this matchup as it can keep them from resolving Assault, Dreams and sometimes even Loam.
50/50 maybe 55/45 which could go in either deck’s favor.
F.A.Q.
– Why play this over the other agro-control and black based disruption lists that are currently established such as Threshold, Fish or Deadguy?
Your advantages over Threshold include pro-active disruption in the form of discard, creatures roughly on the same scale as theirs, more removal and Meddling Mage for combo matchups.
The same holds true for Fish, except that your creatures are larger. As for Deadguy, you lose most of the LD strategy but gain larger creatures and better removal. Your manabase is also stabler and more efficient.
– Why splash Blue, BW is good enough.
BW, as nice as a 2c manabase would be, has no functional replacements for either Brainstorm or Meddling Mage, both of which have been exceptional in testing.
– Why not a Green splash for Tarmogoyf?
It seems to be overkill, and it also looks like it would put far too much strain on the manabase which really wants BBWU by turn 2.
– What makes your deck original?
It’s substantially different from the Trinket Mage/Stalker deck that it was based on, and has no functional counterpart in the Legacy format. Modern incarnations of Dump Truck, which this deck bares some resemblance to, all run a counter based disruption package instead of a heavy discard setup.
Special Thanks To
–Emidln, Nihil, Tacoscape and Bryant for testing and discussing the list with me.
–rsaunder, for his work on Deadguy Ale, without which, I prolly would be a lot worse while playing this deck.
–The rest of the BZK, especially Goobafish, for pointers on the list.
–Anyone who responded to a PM about testing.
–Katsuhiro Mori for developing the list which my entry was inspired by
http://wizards.com/magic/samplehand.asp?x=mtgevent/worlds07/legacydecks&decknum=48
TheDrunkDwarf for the name
One More Thing
I haven’t worked out a name I’m completely happy with yet and I’m definitely open to suggestions.