[budget] developing The Rock

[Mast3rR0b]

Hi all! First poster here, though i have been following this forum for quite a long time.

Now i've decided to take my casualish Dead Guy Ale and use its shell to build a decent Rock deck.

For many reasons i do not want to sink too much money in this deck, so i'm posting here, asking for help and suggestions.

Do note that my budget is in the 60 - 70 $ range, and that i would highly prefer to not spend more than 10$ for a single card.


That being said, here is the ideal list i am trying to build:

Lands ////// 21

4x Terramorphic Expanse
2x Evolving Wilds
2x Tainted Wood
1x Tainted Field
5x Forest
4x Swamp
3x Plains

Creatures ////// 18

4x Birds of Paradise *
4x Dark Confidant
4x Stoneforge Mystic *
4x Knight of the Reliquary **
2x Eternal Witness

Spells ///// 23

4x Duress
4x Hymn to Tourach
4x Vindicate
2x Maelstrom Pulse *
2x Pernicious Deed *
4x Swords to Plowshares
1x Umezava's Jitte
1x Batterskull *
1x Sword of body and mind *



*not owned
** i just own 2 of them


62 cards total. I'm thinking about dropping the 2 deeds (see my above statement about singles prices), but i still feel the deck needs some form of mass removal. Maybe sb Engineered Plague ?

As you can see, i run mostly basics with expanse and evolving wilds as pseudo-fetches, because i do not own any dual land and just few fetchlands.

So birds of paradise are in the list because they are cheap and they help fix my manabase. Right now the 3 tainted lands are in over other choices like painlands because i'm running Bob, and i fear i may end up losing too much life. I'm open to any kind of suggestion here.

Another choice i'm not completely sure about is the SFM package (note that i only own a card of that); though i think it should be great, are there good alternatives to run?

What are your thoughts about mass removals? Should i run them/which ones?

On the sideboard: i was thinking about running a couple of Gaddok Teeg, some graveyard hate, krosan grip, engineered plague and maybe some burn/sligh counter.




Every kind of help or suggestions will be much appreciated, thank you in advance!

[2Rach]

With your budget you'd be much better off trying to make your Deadguy deck as competitive as possible. Get the Mystic package(Mystics, Batterskull, SBM) and then get those new BW lands in ISD. That should be around $70.

If you do go Rock, the build you have doesn't needs Birds of Paradise. The only thing you're really ramping into is Deed and sometimes Batterskull. Nor do you have a good enough mana base to make turn one BOP consistent. Just add more lands, something your curve needs anyway, but seeing as how you have no dual lands, will be needed.

I wouldn't run Knight either. If you can't search for Maze or Karakas, the utility is immensely decreased, and there are other beaters that can do what you want.

Six Vindicates and two Deeds are to clunky, need lower drops.

Either way, to me the priority should be the Stoneforge package since it's great in either Deadguy, Junk, or other decks Mystic is good in. Then go after the mana base. Going for fetches, maybe 1 or two shocks in your colors. I suggested the M10 enemy lands because they're a bit cheaper, but you'll get MUCH greater bang for your buck if you toss in an extra $12 per playset and make them Marsh Flats or Verdant Catacombs. Isolated Chapel is about $6 and Marsh Flats is $9, Woodland Cemetery is $6 and Verdant Catacombs is $9.

[Mast3rR0b]

Thanks for your reply 2Rach.

Yes, i'm quite sure i'll go after SFM & Co. first.

I feel KotR is quite strong even with this sub-optimal manabase, what would you replace it with?


I agree on the 6 vindicates - 2 deeds thing; i already said i'm gonna drop the 2 deeds, and maybe i can switch out the 2 pulses for a couple of 2cmc cards. Maybe some edict effect?