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Thread: Ghostbusters

  1. #1
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    Ghostbusters





    This is a branchoff the "CIP deck" mentioned in the thread dedicated to it. I use the best enter-the-battlefield effect creatures available in the format's fast card pool to gain significant board presence and card advantage while minimizing the opponent's. Through the testing I have done, this deck is resilient to control and removal (eternal witness multi-recursion, ghostway, Sword of L+S creature recursion, Aether Vial), aggro strategies (wall of blossoms, STP recursion). My sideboard in this list can give me a very clear fighting chance against just about any combo deck. It never runs out of cards, and it can lay on a very quick beating.


    Creatures 23
    4 Wall of Omens
    4 Eternal Witness
    3 Flickerwisp
    4 Noble Hierarch
    1 Kor Skyfisher
    2 Stoneforge Mystic
    2 Qasali Pridemage
    3 Mangara of Corondor

    Spells 18

    4 Mental Misstep
    4 Swords to Plowshares
    4 Aether Vial
    3 Ghostway
    1 Sword of Feast and famine
    1 Sword of Fire and Ice
    1 Umezawa's Jitte

    Lands 19
    4 Windswept Heath
    4 Savannah
    4 Plains
    3 Karakas
    2 Forest
    2 Horizon Canopy

    Sideboard:
    2 Ethersworn Canonist
    2 Gaddock Teeg
    1 Kitchen Finks
    2 Tormod's Crypt
    2 Pithing Needle
    4 Leyline of Sanctity
    2 Wrath of God

    Card Explanations

    Wall of Omens/Wall of Blossoms
    Push aggro's clock far back until the point where they can't keep up. Absolute superstars in any matchup with creature threats. Also helps cycle through deck so 20 lands is never a problem, especially with hierarch.

    Eternal Witness
    Best green creature printed. Is the best creature in this deck, and will turn any game around. Counters and removal become very efficient in the face of E-wit, especially when you start getting a blink engine online. Honestly, this is why this deck works. You turn one STP into 3, or take back your Qasali Pridemage.

    Flickerwisp
    I would include it as a 4-of if the CMC curve wasn't so fragile with vial, but 3-of works just fine. Besides blink shenanigans, can exile problem permanents of opponents in clutch situations when a swing is needed. Vs affinity I have brought 9 power creatures down to 1 or 0 by resetting counters. Also hilarious to make vials worthless again. This is a card I really never hate seeing, because worst case scenario you use its CITP on something irrelevant, and get a great flier to carry equips. It also creates a good deal of CA with vial in response to removal. I once even blinked a jitte in response to an equip, and it won me the game.

    Kor Skyfisher
    2-CMC Flickerwisp with a strong evasive body. While the ETB trigger may seem like quite the drawback, it ends it being a boon 99% of the, either bouncing walls, or blinking in to save duals from wastes or mangara tricks. Besides that, flyers with equips are indispensable.

    Noble Hierarch
    Doesn't need much ex/planation. One drop G/W mana producer that pumps your attacker. This slot is flexible between hierarch or Mother of Runes, but I find Noble Hierarch much more useful. Exalted is also beautiful in this deck.

    Stoneforge Mystic
    A card with a price skyrocketing for a reason. In this specific deck, it not only gives us card advantage, but very specific card quality that we need. This deck packs 3 sword of X's, with protection from every color spread amongst them, as well as Jitte. a 2-of is plenty, because the deck is tutored out without problems.

    Qasali Pridemage
    One of the most useful creatures playable in legacy. If you are on this site, you know this. So what does it do in our case? Well, artifacts an enchantments can give this deck some problems it can't otherwise death with, [card]Vedalken Shackles[/card], for example, gives mangara real problems. This is a perfect solution on a great exalted body, recurrable by witness. Exalted is also great in this deck, often just a singleton equipped flier attacking.

    Mangara of Corondor
    This is the deck that Mangara belongs in. I rarely have to use mangara without tricks, and even when I do, I RFG a permanent that changes the game. Jaces, thopters, Counterbalance. Vindicate is a good card, but this is much much better when used in this deck. Matchups otherwise unfavorable and unwinnable

    Swords to Plowshares
    The most efficient removal. It's like the death star laser when you keep recurring with E Wit.

    Aether Vial
    Truly makes this deck shine. While great in any creature heavy deck, aether vial brings that and so much more to ghostbusters. Has innumerable uses, to name a few, uncounterable, flash speed, instant enough for mangara tricks or saving a permanent, getting past wastelands.

    Ghostway
    The deck's namesake. The bottom line is that it does retarded things and wins games. If you have two e-wits out, you can recur it and another card for continuous recursion, and if you have other blinkers and bouncers and cantrip wills, your opponents will often just concede.

    Sword of Light and Shadow/Sword of Feast and Famine/Sword of Fire and Ice
    These equips are not only the best in the game, but they provide protection from every color together, and can be tutored with mystic as I mentioned earlier for the exact protection you need.

    Umezawa's Jitte
    It's jitte, and I run SFM


    Sideboard Explanation
    My sideboard is built to shut down combo, and it does it really well. With 4 leylines, I can very consistently get it down for free with just one mulligan. Teeg and Canonist are there for additional problems for their combo, and the one echoing truth or similar spell they won't be enough to stop their combo from being shut down. Pithing needle has too many uses to name in this format, wrath is for emrakul/progenitus decks, as well as empty the warrens, and even just plain good interaction with ghostway for one-sided shenanigans.

    Matchup Analysis
    Ghostbusters

    Goblins
    Extremely Favorable
    85-15

    This is our easiest matchup. We shut their clock down, efficiently remove any real threats, and can tutor for pro-red, and recur anything we may lose without taking a breath. One advantage over zoo is vial, tutors and ringleader, but this deck still doesn't take much thinking in this MU.

    Sideboard: +1 Kitchen Finks +2 Wrath of God -2 Mangara -1 Ghostway

    Zoo
    Very Favorable
    75-25

    Zoo is probably GB's second easiest matchup. The scariest thing they can do is try to send removal for our witnesses and pridemage at vials/equips, but they just run out of steam too quickly to be a real thorn in our side

    Sideboard: +1 Kitchen Finks +2 Wrath of God -2 Mangara -1 Ghostway

    The Rock/Junk/some BGW loam
    Favorable
    65-35
    In these matchups, we do most of what the rock does except better. Discard can be pretty bothersome, but usually ends up as a losing proposition for them, since we habe witness/SoLS recursion. What ends up happening is they run out of hand against us in the removal fights, unless they have Bobs we can't deal with. Bob allows them to to be on a similar level with us when it comes to card advantage, though not quite and not without a life pricetag.

    Sideboard: +2 Tormod's Crypt (if loam is used) -1 Wall of Blossoms -Wall of Omens. Without loam, no SB.

    Merfolk
    Even
    50-50
    This is truly a matchup that can go either way. Walls are fantastic here. If you vial their lords, you have it in the bag. I often want them to use force of will when I have a 3-vial and witness, with a game-changing STP coming down, as its just a huge advantage for me. But I have to put it at 50-50 because even after a lot of testing, it's too hard to say either deck has the advantage, so 50-50 is a comfortable estimate.

    Sideboard: +2 Wrath of God 2 +1 Kitchen Finks -1 Sword of Feast and Famine -1 Stoneforge Mystic -1 Ghostway

    New Horizons
    Very Favorable
    75-25

    I've never lost to this matchup besides bad draws vs very good draws on opponent's part. I haven't tested it like I have other decks, so I will give it the benefit of the doubt.
    Last edited by perm; 05-03-2011 at 09:39 AM.
    I will make use of every tool that fate presents.

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    Re: Ghostbusters

    I like the idea a lot more than the other thread. What do you think of the red splash though? The deck looks pretty mid-range to me so Keldon Marauders seems out of place? Plus it weakens your mana-base for little payoff other than 1 Recruiter.

    I would suggest cutting the splash and adding 1-2 more SFM and a couple Mangara of Corondor.

  3. #3
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    Re: Ghostbusters

    I mainly have red for Duergar Guildmage TBH, which is just too much CA for me to resist, but I haven't tested it and it's probably suboptimal. But I suppose I have to, even though scoring a double destruction would be cool. THanks fo rthe advice, can't believe i overlooked mangara
    I will make use of every tool that fate presents.

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    Re: Ghostbusters

    What do you think of the new Leonin relic-warder? Possible switch for the guildmage, and it's cheaper.

    Also, something that might be spicy, a 1 of Pithing Needle/Phyrexian Revoker

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    Re: Ghostbusters

    The problem with relic-warder is that it cannot be used to take advantage of blink or bounce effects. It's worth considering though, maybe SB. Revoker seems subpar for maindeck
    I will make use of every tool that fate presents.

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    Re: Ghostbusters

    Relic-warder is like Mangara, as long as you have instant blink-ability he's like a 2/2 Naturalize. The reason I mention Revoker is because blinking allows you to morph his ability into addressing new board states. You can drop it naming Wasteland and then later switch it to Top or something.

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    Re: Ghostbusters

    Can't name wasteland with revoker...

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    Re: Ghostbusters

    Oh that's right, my bad. Not as good as I thought, definitely SB.

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    Re: Ghostbusters

    Quote Originally Posted by Jabari View Post
    Oh that's right, my bad. Not as good as I thought, definitely SB.
    Yah. If I flicker Leonin Relic-Warder in response to trigger, will I RFG one permanently then it will return and I will RFG one until it's out of play?
    I will make use of every tool that fate presents.

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    Re: Ghostbusters

    I believe that is how it works, which isn't necessarily as easy as the Hedge-Mage 2 for 1 but definitely do-able

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    Re: Ghostbusters

    Alright, worth a slot since I can tutor it in a bind. What does everyone think of Balancing Act or Wrath of God with ghostway? Seven mana combo so I am looking for cheaper alternatives
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    Re: Ghostbusters

    Maybe try cutting 1 Sofi and 1 Mangara for 2 Cataclysm. You can cast Ghostway during your opponents end step exiling them until your next end step so you'll be able to afford the combo without having 7 Land, just 4.

    That seems pretty insane actually, depending on how well it tests it you might be able to go for a full 4 Ghostway with 3 Cataclysm.

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    Re: Ghostbusters

    TBH I don't see an advantage of cataclysm over wrath of god
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    Re: Ghostbusters

    It basically nukes there team and land and all your creatures survive for the overrun, so while you both build up land again you beat down.

    Plus it can deal with threats other than just creatures.

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    Re: Ghostbusters

    But the destruction of other permanents is bilateral and they keep a creature and choose to keep any problem permanents for me
    I will make use of every tool that fate presents.

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    Re: Ghostbusters

    I only foresee this as a problem against Countertop, against goblins and fish you nuke their team and take our their ports/mutavaults. In relation to countertop hopefully you'll be able to utilize your cantrips and CIP effects enough to take care of whatever is left.

    For example if you were to run a list with Cataclysm I would suggest increasing the Relic-Warder count. That way you would be able to nuke whatever is left with either Mangara or Relic-Warder.

    Of course this is theoretical for the most part, if I can put the list together I'll try to test out Cataclysm and if you test out Wrath we can compare results.

    Edit: Also, I just realized the curve seems a little too crowded at 3 CMC = 14 Creatures are all fighting for the 3 drop spot, I still think Mangara should be trimmed to 2 maybe pushing Fauna Shaman to 4 or Relic Warder to 2.

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    Re: Ghostbusters

    Yah, I am considering living wish, but I doubt it is worth the not creature slot.

    Vexing Shusher and Relic Warder are my plan vs countertop tbh. I may even board them as 4 ofs. fortunately, a resolved vial gives CBtop a big headache.

    And I don't want to take fauna shaman to four, as having more than one or two down doesn't get me much at all.

    Changes: -Wrath of God, -1 Leonin Relic-Warde + Sword of Light and Shadow, +1 Stoneforge Mystic

    Enemy wraths are something I should be waiting to avoid, not my own to be honest. I am putting a wrath in SB, it just doesn't make enough sense maindeck.

    Two mystics is completely justified with four unique equips.
    I will make use of every tool that fate presents.

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    Re: Ghostbusters

    I agree with you on the Mystics 2 seems optimal, although (and I may be alone on this one) I think 2 Jittes is more valuable than either 1 Sols or Soff. One usually get's blown up somehow and against Fish it's good to have one to throw away.

    As for Wraths - I think that is a good point, you should be trying to avoid other wrath effects, but with all the E Wits and Fliskerwisps you can recover really well if you do get wrathed. Also with such a high curve I think at least 1 is necessary for the Affinity Goblins and Fish MU's. I personally am not a fan of 1 of's that can't be tutored for though - I still think 2 is the best number. If they stick a lackey turn 1 you're are gonna fall behind fast considering your only answer on the draw is 4 StP. Ratchet Bomb might suit you more - Personally I still like cataclysm - being a 2 drop it smooths out your draw and you can nuke the board at your disgression.

    In relation to Living Wish, if you do run them I think Fauna Shaman would be the easiest cut. That way you won't have to pitch anything and can still find your answers.

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    Re: Ghostbusters

    TBH Sword of Fire and ice may even be worse than the alternatives.

    Light and shadow gives me a gravedigger effect, and feast/famine gives me untap that I need for ghostways and replying bounced creatures. I predict their hate going towards my vials more so than equips, and one-ofs is the best I can do with a recurrable tutor. Updating sideboard in a minute
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    Re: Ghostbusters

    What do you think about Living Wish over Shaman's main?

    You aren't maindecking that many silver bullets and without vengevines it seems like card disadvantage. Living Wish gives you more flexibility maindeck I think.

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