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Thread: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

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    [Primer/Deck] Belcher



    Legacy is a format of diversity, a format of extremes, & if you just want to focus on your goals, doing it with one of the more successful "turn 1 combo decks" in the format, because something about killing someone on turn 1 is just so much fun to pull off, then you've come to the right place. On a personal note, this was even my first Legacy deck.

    1) Playing Belcher, the ultimate goal
    2) Successful decklists & trends
    3) Card choices
    3a) Maindeck
    3b) Sideboard
    4) Recross the Paths Belcher (as written by FTW)
    5) Price guide
    6) Awesome links
    7) The previous belcher thread
    : http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...2-Deck-Belcher special thanks to Ewokslayer
    8) 20 Match ups

    1) Playing Belcher, the ultimate goal:
    Your goal as a whole, is to kill the opponent as fast as possible, there's no other way to put it into simpler words. More specifically however, your goal is to be able to produce 4-7 mana, & a kill condition.

    Mulligans. It all starts with the opening hand, the key cards to look for are:
    Goblin Charbelcher (4 mana to cast, 3 to activate, 7 total)
    Empty the Warrens (4 mana to cast, has storm count)
    Burning Wish (2 mana to cast, net an Empty the Warrens, totaling 6 mana overall)
    After that, you check for the number of remaining spells in hand & see the potential mana you can produce in order to cast one of those 3 above noted cards that are your kill conditions.

    -Example- Opening 7: Goblin Charbelcher Lotus Petal Rite of Flame Desperate Ritual Lion's Eye Diamond Tinder Wall Land Grant. Do you see how that's a turn 1 kill? Play Land Grant for free since you have no land in your opening hand, get the single land out of your deck & put it into play, also play the Lotus Petal & Lion's Eye Diamond, tap your land to play the Tinder Wall, then sac the Tinder Wall for 2 red mana, play Desperate Ritual, netting you 3 mana floating, then sac the Lotus Petal to cast Rite of Flame, netting you 2 more red mana, totaling 5, use it (4 cost) to play Goblin Charbelcher, then sac the Lion's Eye Diamond to produce 3 more, using the mana to activate the Belcher at your opponent for the turn 1 kill.

    Game 1's: Against most decks, if you are on the play, you will have no idea what your opponent is playing, the only potential help would come from lists that run Gitaxian Probe but aside from that, your on the play game 1's will often be a shot in the dark as to whether or not your opponent has Force of Will, however, that's about all someone will have if you're on the play, these will be the games you likely win the most, simply because the opponent will be likely unprepared.

    Game 1's on the draw, if they have turn 1 discard they have it, there's not alot you can do about that. As far as what they might have access to for countermagic, in addition to Force of will, look out for things like Daze Spell Pierce Flusterstorm Spell Snare etc, depending on what they're playing, which you'll get a hint as to what they're playing since they will likely play a land on the 1st turn like 99% of most decks in legacy.

    Playing around countermagic, the key number the opponent will likely be looking for is you trying to get to 4 mana, while they can hard counter Burning Wish & Goblin Charbelcher, they can't so easily hard counter Empty the Warrens, because of this, whenever you're against counter magic and have Empty the Warrens, remember they might even try to prevent you from even getting to 4 mana so you can't even cast it, since with it's storm it produces so many copies, so try to get to 3 mana before using a spirit guide for that 4th mana if you can. The other thing to remember against counterspell decks is that you can potentially "bait" them out, as an example, if you have a Lion's Eye Diamond in play, & you cast Burning Wish, they might burn a counter on your Wish because they know, you can still potentially remove a spirit guide from hand, dump your hand to the Lion's Eye Diamond, then have 4 mana & get an Empty the Warrens in which they will not be able to counter traditionally, because of it's storm count.

    Game 2 & 3's: A little tricker, depending on what you are up against, most of your "true" sideboard cards will be anti blue stuff like Xantid Swarm Pyroblast etc. Other times however, it's better to keep your focus & just go for the kill to take them out before their sideboard even becomes relevant. "Wishless" Belcher decks have a higher focus on this, speaking of which...

    Wishless build notes: If you decide to go this route, your goal is overall the same, however your deck should be looked at as a "48 card deck" (since Manamorphose, Gitaxian Probe, Street Wraith draw for "free") Out of those remaining 48 cards, 8 of them are business (Goblin Charbelcher, Empty the Warrens) or, 1 in 6. As far as the sideboard plan goes for these builds, the "wishless" plan remains all in, to just kill them as soon as possible, afterall, their sideboarded in cards are irrelevant if they're dead. This is the reason you see some Belcher decks with a 15 Island or 15 different Atogs sideboard.

    An intro Recommended article of popular demand by fellow Belcher posters
    When one looks at the successful finishes posted by Charbelcher decks in Legacy over the summer, something curious seems to be happening. Almost everyone is playing either 8 or 11 kill cards. No other option seems to be under consideration. Is one of those options better? Is there a reason why nobody has tweaked their deck to have 9 or 10? This article will follow my attempts to answer these questions and my quest to build the best Charbelcher deck ever constructed. Bear in mind that this is about building the deck more than playing it, so those with no understanding of how the deck functions will probably not get as much out of their time...
    For more: http://blog.mtgdeals.com/oarsman/reb...y-charbelcher/

    History:
    Since the making of Goblin Charbelcher it has been used in "turn 1 kill" decks, though more popular in type 1 / Vintage when it first came out, did you know the traditional lists back then were "2 land Belcher?" I was able to find these 2 decklists for Legacy dating all the way back to 2005 if you want to take your research that far: 6th place - Jay Palmer - Syracuse NY. & 15th place - Brian Lusk - Richmond Va. After that, I could find nothing at large scale Legacy events until the end of 2009, starting in this list below, when Belcher made it's 1st top 8 at the Starcitygames Open Series by a Cedric Phillips:

    2) Successful Decklists & Trends: from here http://www.starcitygames.com/pages/decklists/ & http://www.thecouncil.es/tcdecks/for...=Legacy&page=1
    2009:
    6th place - Cedric Phillips - SCG Philadelphia (147 players) 2 Land

    2010:
    8th place - Wilson Fisher - SCG Los Angeles (142 players) 2 Land
    16th place - Roger Fondren - SCG Los Angeles (142 players)
    9th palce - Lukas Parson - SCG Richmond (236 players) 2 Land
    11th place - Cedric Phillips - SCG Indianapolis (286 players) 2 Land
    4th place - Christian Valenti - SCG Atlanta (200 players) 2 Land
    6th place - Christian Valenti - SCG St Louis (193 players) 2 Land

    2011:
    8th place - Ben Perry - SCG Los Angeles (216 players)
    Printing of Mental Misstep in May
    0 decklists
    Banning of Mental Misstep in October
    1st place - Poggesi Luca - Dragonsleague/Tarmogeddon, Padova (125 players)
    14th place - Garett Young - SCG Indianapolis (290 players)
    10th place - Jared Coppage - SCG Nashville (169 players)
    12th place - Garett Young - SCG St Louis (277 players)
    7-0 Legacy portion - Christian Valenti - SCG Invitational Charlotte (316 players)

    2012:
    Winter:
    8th place - Kalle Sundberg - Finnish Legacy Champs 2011 (99 players)
    15th place - Ethan Walker - SCG Los Angeles (180 players)
    12th place - Eugeni Sánchez - 2º torneo Lliga Catalana (109 players)
    14th place - Joshua Miller - SCG Charlotte (153 players)
    11th place - Garett Young - SCG Memphis (94 players)
    10th place - Gerardo Fedon - SCG Tampa (141 players)
    Spring:
    6th place - Jonas Löb - Legacy Event in Maintal (127 players)
    13th place - Jacob Segmiller - SCG Phoenix (138 players)
    11th place - Slay Hughes - SCG Birmingham (141 players)
    13th place - Garrett Young - SCG Columbus (258 players)
    6th place - Geoffrey Moes - SCG Columbus (258 players) Wishless
    Summer:
    11th - Quinton Ewing - SCG Seattle (187 players) Wishless
    32nd place - Adam LeGear - GP Atlanta (905 players)
    7th place - Gerardo Fedon - GP Atlanta (905 players)
    2nd place - Corbin Rudnick - SCG St Louis (223 players) Wishless
    4th place - Joshua Wiitanen - SCG Las Vegas (223 players)
    20th place - Marek Vardzik - GP Ghent (1,345 players)
    2nd place - Branson Mitchell - SCG Denver (142 players)
    13th place - Marcus Knox - SCG Denver (142 players)
    4th place - David Soriano - 9º torneo Lliga Catalana, Barcelona (128 players)
    Fall:
    13th place - Jordi Vidal - LCL 2012 Octubre (131 players)
    10th place - Tyler King - SCG Indianapolis (204 players) Wishless
    5th place - Brian Guess - SCG New Orleans (91 players)
    13th place - Carl Hendricks - SCG Dallas (175 players)
    10th place - Zack Meza - SCG Las Vegas (169 players)

    2013:
    6th place - Ben Perry - SCG Columbus (325 players)
    26th place - Mike Augustine - SCG Columbus (325 players)
    2nd place - Griffin Hansen - SCG Atlanta (230 players)
    12th place - Mike Noble - SCG Edison (279 players)
    13th place - Tyle King - SCG Cincinnati (279 players) Wishless
    15th place - Anthony Bub - SCG Las Vegas (142 players)
    3rd place - Ben Perry - SCG Cincinnati (277 players)
    13th place - Jeff Stevens - SCG Cincinnati (277 players)
    5th place - Dustin Klopping - SCG Cleveland (234 players)
    15th place - Jeramiah Alton SCG Cleveland (234 players)
    4th place - Billon Sylvain - BoM 2-Bye Trial 2013 (114 players)

    2014:
    13th place - Kenneth Mangan - SCG Orlando (239 players)
    5th place - Julio Sanna - TeTe Open (113 players)
    19th place - Jeremy Chestnut - SCG Seattle (320 players)
    5th place - Yurien Seyssel - SCG Los Angeles (374 players)
    15th place - Zakk Meza - SCG Los Angeles (374 players)
    14th place - Charlie Edwards - SCG Knoxville (218 players)
    16th place - Eric Jones - SCG Knoxville (218 players)
    10th place - Daniel Brown - SCG Providence (302 players)
    6th place - Sonny Aparicio - SCG Vegas (232 players)
    6th place - Jesse Parnell - SCG Worcester (290 players)
    14th place - Zac Hicks - SCG Atlanta (263 players)

    2015:
    Day 1 undefeated - Ryuichi Shirakihara - GP Kyoto (1,943 players)
    6th place - Karl-Emil Drenck - Danish Legacy Masters (99 players)

    3) Card choices:
    3a) Maindeck:
    Kill conditions: (average #, when ran)
    Goblin Charbelcher (4, staple) Namesake card of the deck, play, target, even with 1 land in the deck it is almost always still lethal
    Empty the Warrens (3, staple) Your secondary kill condition, cast ritual effects, drop an army of 1/1's turn 1, then take your combat steps to victory
    Burning Wish (4, staple) With an Empty the Warrens in the sideboard, this is your other route of action in addition to the other 2 cards, your opening hand should always have 1 of these 3 cards in it.
    Recross the Paths Seen in a rogue version of the deck that placed top 32 in SCG Columbus in 2013, article in the "Awesome Links" section below by the same person that piloted it, Michael Augustine

    "Free" cantrips:
    Gitaxian Probe (4, staple) A cantripping "peek" at the opponents hand, increases storm count, & allowing you to see what they're holding/playing even from game 1 when you're on the play, while drawing a card for free
    Manamorphose (4, seen in multiple lists) A cantripping mana fixer, increases storm count, drawing a card for free, also a staple in "wishless" builds
    Street Wraith (4, seen in fewer lists) Seen mostly in "wishless" builds that have a focus on drawing more, since they don't run Burning Wish

    Permanent mana:
    Land Grant (4, staple) Gets you to your single land for free, also a secondary for Chrome Mox fodder.
    Taiga (1, staple) The 1 land in the deck, a Forces for Land Grant, & a Mountain for when revealed by Goblin Charbelcher, meaning you'll never have to flip more than 10 cards for lethal, & yes, if you reveal your entire library without a land coming up, it does that much damage.
    Chrome Mox (3-4, staple) Your only other recurring, permanent source of mana after your 1 land, also giving you a secondary use for some cards in hand, like when you have 2 Burning Wish for example. Also remember if it "rituals" for a 1 time use of 1 mana, sometimes it's better just to Mox it instead. Also not always a 4 of as it is card disadvantage.

    +1 mana:
    Simian Spirit Guide (4, staple) Free to cast from the hand, producing 1 red mana
    Elvish Spirit Guide (4, staple) Free to cast from the hand, producing 1 green mana
    (Always remember when the opponent knows what you're playing, they'll know you have access to Empty the Warrens, so they might try to counter your last ritual effect that attempts to get you to 4 mana floating, & if you're at 3 mana, they can't traditionally counter a Spirit Guide removed to produce mana, allowing you to Empty the Warrens with storm count, which also can't be traditionally countered.)
    Lotus Petal (4, staple) 0 to cast, producing any color
    Pyretic Ritual (4, seen in most lists) 2 to cast, producing 3 mana total, giving you an increase of +1 red, & +1 storm count
    Chancellor of the Tangle (4, seen in fewer decks)

    +1 mana, with a potential for +2 mana:
    Rite of Flame (4, staple) 1 to cast, potentially giving you +2 mana, if 1 is in the graveyard
    Tinder Wall (4, staple) 1 to cast, potentially giving you +2 mana, if you cast it off a Taiga or Chrome Mox, then wait for 1 turn, as a non traditional bonus, it can also be a blocker for a turn against things like, Goblin Lackey as an example
    Desperate Ritual (4, staple) 2 to cast, potentially giving you +2 mana for it's "Splice onto arcane", if you have 4 mana to cast, & 2 in hand
    Grim Monolith (4, seen in fewer decks) Mostly in older lists, 2 to cast, potentially giving you +3 mana, if you cast it & wait for a turn.

    +2 mana:
    Seething Song (4, seen in multiple lists) 3 to cast, producing 5 mana total, giving you an increase of +2 red, & +1 storm count

    +3 mana:
    Lion's Eye Diamond (4, staple) +3 mana to activate Goblin Charbelcher, or +3 mana when you Burning Wish for an Empty the Warrens. Cast Wish > sac Lion's Eye Diamond in response > +3 mana > get your card from the sideboard. (Just make sure you have mana from another source, or that 4th mana in your pool to cast that Empty the Warrens)
    Out of the "free cantrips" Gitaxian Probe is the most common over Manamorphose & Street Wraith, +1 storm count, +1 card, & access to information, being the opponents hand, on game 1 can sometimes be invaluable

    3b) Sideboard: (average #, when ran)
    More common wish targets:
    Empty the Warrens (1, staple) your 4th copy is always in the sideboard for a lethal wish target
    Goblin War Strike (1, seen in most sideboards) A burn spell based on the # of goblins in play, works well off of Empty the Warrens with a 2nd Burning Wish in hand
    Hull Breach (1, seen in most sideboards) Destroy an artifact (Like Pithing Needle) or an enchantment (Like Ghostly Prison) or both at the same time
    Infernal Tutor (1, seen in most sideboards) Emptying your hand for ritual effects means this is basically a Demonic Tutor for your deck, provided you have enough mana
    Pyroclasm (1, seen in most sideboards) 2 damage to all creatures in play, one of the best sweepers you can ask for with a mana cost of 2
    Reverent Silence (1, seen in most sideboards) "free" to cast, destroying all enchantments, like multiple Leyline of Sanctitys in play
    Shattering Spree (1, seen in most sideboards) Can destroy multiple artifacts in play, great against hate that is artifact based, as well as a use against match ups with lots of artifacts, like MUD, Stax, & Affinity if you are going slow & want to buy more turns
    Other possible wish targets:
    Diminishing Returns (1, seen in some sideboards) A potential draw 7, seen in mostly older belcher lists
    Cave-in (1, seen in few sideboards) "free" to cast version of Pyroclasm
    Tendrils of Agony (1, seen in some sideboards) Sometimes a secondary kill condition, 2 life per storm count
    Ignite Memories (1, seen in fewer sideboards) Though amusing against Show and Tell decks with Emrakul, the Aeons Torn & Griselbrands in hand
    Past in Flames (1, seen in some sideboards)
    Grapeshot (1, seen in fewer sideboards)
    Traitorous Blood (1, seen in fewer sideboards)

    Non Wish targets:
    Xantid Swarm (4, seen in most sideboards) Great against opposing Counterspell strategies, though keep in mind Swords to Plowshares & other cheap removal
    Pyroblast (4, seen in most sideboards) Also great against opposing blue decks
    Red Elemental Blast (2-4, seen in some sideboards) Sometimes people will 2/2 split the blasts
    Carpet of Flowers (2-4, seen in some sideboards) For opposing blue decks
    Autumn's Veil (3-4, seen in some sideboards) Can act similar to a counter & a Silence
    Guttural Response (4, seen in fewer sideboards)
    Mirri's Guile (3-4, seen in fewer sideboards)
    Leyline of Sanctity (4, seen in fewer sideboards)

    4) Recross the Paths Belcher:
    Quote Originally Posted by FTW View Post

    //precursor mana: 20
    4 Lotus Petal
    4 Chrome Mox
    4 Lion's Eye Diamond
    4 Elvish Spirit Guide
    4 Simian Spirit Guide

    //cantrips: 12
    4 Gitaxian Probe
    4 Street Wraith
    4 Manamorphose

    //further accel: 16
    4 Rite of Flame
    4 Tinder Wall
    4 Desperate Ritual
    4 Seething Song

    //Win: 12
    4 Goblin Charbelcher
    4 Burning Wish
    3 Recross the Paths
    1 Meditate

    //Sideboard: 15
    4 Xantid Swarm
    Empty the Warrens
    Recross the Paths
    Nature's Claim
    Pyroclasm
    Pyrokinesis
    Infernal Contract
    Shattering Spree
    Flame Slash
    Diminishing Returns
    Past in Flames
    Tendrils of Agony



    Who needs to play Goblin tokens?

    You guys have probably seen this version of Belcher before, but for those who haven't, here's an introduction.

    Recross the Paths lets you stack your deck however you want if you have 0 lands. Basically, it's uber-Doomsday. Instead of 11 ways to combo out, you now have 11 ways to Charbelch. Forget making 1/1 tokens that can be killed. Forget passing the turn. You just win now.

    Advantages of Recrossing:
    -less passing the turn
    -doesn't lose to creature hate
    -fewer "fizzle hands" (no multiple land grants; no multiple spirit guides + EtW FTL; can use Chrome Mox without imprinting a critical mana source; not wrecked by Stifle as explained below)
    -0 lands: Belcher never misses
    -better use of sideboard cards: you can set up 1-ofs postboard without needing to wish into them. you can also support non-sorcery answers.

    NOTE: You don't have to win with Recross. You can just win with the usual Belcher hand, and you can still Wish into Empty the Warrens if you want. But I'm only going to discuss the Recross paths to victory here since the others should already be well known.

    Like Doomsday, you want to resolve Recross the Paths with mana floating and cantrips in hand. The exact pile you set up depends on the cantrips you have and the extra mana, if any.

    BASIC BELCH KILL PILE:
    ----top of library----
    *Street Wraith (only if you need to win clash to get Recross back, for imprinting on Chrome Mox or w/e)
    *Setup1 (remaining mana needed to cast Meditate: LED, Manamorphose or Lotus Petal usually)
    Meditate
    LED
    LED
    Setup2 (usually an SSG/ESG/Petal/LED, but if you have extra mana floating this can be a hate-removal card like Cave-In or whatever)
    Street Wraith
    Goblin Charbelcher
    *LED (if you expect Stifle, no harm in a back-up LED to Belch again next turn. also good if opponent Spell Pierces/Dazes Belcher and you run out of mana)
    ----bottom of library----

    Each * represents an optional slot.

    Easy guide to setup 1:
    If you have 3 mana floating and 1 cantrip, setup1 = Manamorphose
    If you have 0 mana floating and 2 cantrips, setup1 = LED
    If you have 2 mana floating and 2 cantrips, setup1 = Street Wraith + Chrome Mox (better to save LEDs for other parts of the chain)
    If you have 1 mana floating and Rite of Flame in GY and 2 cantrips, setup1 = Rite of Flame + Manamorphose

    If you have less, you probably can't go off this turn and should set up a pass-the-turn pile (Wraith + LED on top of Meditate)

    Here's how some of the piles would play out.

    Example 1: you have 0 mana floating and 2 cantrips in hand after resolving Recross:
    LED
    Meditate
    LED
    LED
    Lotus Petal
    Street Wraith
    Charbelcher

    You cantrip once. Drop LED. Cantrip again, popping LED in response for UUU. Draw and cast Meditate. Drop LEDs and Petal. Cycle Wraith, popping for 7 mana in response. Draw and activate Charbelcher. If you only had 1 cantrip in hand instead of 2, you can make this a "pass the turn" pile.

    Example 2: you have RR floating, Chrome Mox in hand and only 1 cantrip
    Street Wraith
    Manamorphose
    Meditate
    LED
    LED
    Lotus Petal
    Street Wraith
    Charbelcher

    You win the clash off Recross (usually). Drop Chrome Mox, imprinting Recross, GRR in pool. Use cantrip to draw Street Wraith. Street Wraith to draw Manamorphose. Manamorphose to convert your mana into URR. Cast Meditate. Etc. Win.


    Example 3: you have 2 mana floating, only 1 cantrip, and Meditate stuck in hand
    Manamorphose
    Rite of Flame
    LED
    LED
    Lotus Petal
    Street Wraith
    Charbelcher

    Cantrip into Manamorphose, making UR and drawing Rite of Flame. Rite of Flame up to at least URR. Cast Meditate FTW.

    Contrary to what Griffin Hansen said, you don't auto-lose with Meditate in hand. You just can't use the LED+2cantrip set-ups.



    If you have fewer resources, you can still set up a kill in a few turns as a Hail Mary. Passing the turn 2 times and Belching immediately may actually not be worse than casting Empty the Warrens for 8-12 this turn.

    Example 4: you have 0 mana floating and no cantrips
    LED
    Gitaxian Probe
    Meditate
    LED
    LED
    SSG
    Street Wraith
    Charbelcher

    This involves passing the turn twice. But then, when you have LED and Probe, you can cantrip into Meditate, cast Meditate, and Charbelch FTW. This shows you can still set up a 2-turn win even with 0 resources post-Recross, making mulligans to 5-6 and playing through Daze not auto-losses. Keep in mind EtW takes at least 2 attacks to win so this "bad case" is not any slower. Also, with even one cantrip you only have to pass the turn once.


    Example 5: you have 0 mana floating and 1 Street Wraith. opponent has Thalia and Ethersworn Canonist but no other clock.
    SSG
    Seething Song
    Cave-In
    LED
    Gitaxian Probe
    Meditate
    LED
    LED
    ESG
    Street Wraith
    Charbelcher

    You pass the turn and take 4. Draw SSG. Take 4. Draw Seething Song. Street Wraith into Cave-In, pitch Seething Song and use SSG to cast Cave-In to kill the hatebears and any other dorks. Pass the turn. LED. Pass the turn. Probe into Meditate FTW. Yeah, yeah, it takes 4 turns. But it beats just losing to double storm hate.



    If opponent drops Needles or Revokers or has some other kind of protection from Belcher, you CAN set up convoluted piles with extra mana and extra card draw and Burning Wishes to find answers, but it's easier to just Tendrils them instead.

    BASIC TENDRILS PILE
    ----top of pile----
    *Street Wraith
    *Setup1
    Meditate
    LED
    LED
    Flex Slot
    Gitaxian Probe
    Manamorphose
    Manamorphose
    Manamorphose
    Burning Wish
    ----bottom of pile----

    Top two cards are as discussed earlier to set up Meditate. Crack LEDs for RRRGGG, Probe to see opponent's grip to ensure the coast is clear, cantrip to build storm count, converting to have at least 2 black mana, and then Tendrils with storm 10+. Note that Wish for Tendrils only takes 6 mana (2 LEDs) instead of the 7 for Belcher, so you have a flex slot for either more mana (to play around spell pierce/daze) or for an anti-hate card if you have the resources floating to cast it.


    If you need to Tendrils through Leyline or some other hate, you can make this pile:
    ----top of pile----
    *Street Wraith
    *Setup1
    Meditate
    LED
    LED
    LED
    Gitaxian Probe
    Burning Wish
    LED
    Lotus Petal
    answer card
    Manamorphose
    Manamorphose
    Manamorphose
    Manamorphose
    Burning Wish
    ----bottom of pile----

    Meditate into triple LED for RRRGGGBBB. Probe into Wish into Infernal Contract, drawing four with RRGG floating. Lotus Petal. Cast your answer card (Pyroclasm, Nature's Claim, Wish into something, whatever). LED for BBB, cantrip to build storm, Tendrils for 15+ storm.


    If you need to kill a Leyline AND win around Gaddock Teeg, the last pile works too, but Grapeshot might be easier.
    BASIC GRAPESHOT PILE
    ----top of pile----
    *Street Wraith
    *Setup1
    Meditate
    LED
    LED
    LED
    Gitaxian Probe
    Gitaxian Probe
    Gitaxian Probe
    Burning Wish --> Infernal Contract
    Seething Song
    Seething Song
    Manamorphose
    Burning Wish -> Hull Breach
    Manamorphose
    Manamorphose
    *Gitaxian Probe/Manamorphose
    Burning Wish -> Grapeshot
    ----bottom of pile----

    Make RRRGGGBBB with LEDs. After Infernal Contract, you have RRGG left. Double Seething Song up to RRRRRRRG, Wish into Hull Breach with RRRR left, cantrip some more, then Wish into Grapeshot for 20.


    If opponent has Needle/Revoker on LED or Null Rod or a Deed/EE@0 or some other artifact hate to stop you from using triple LED, you can do this:

    RITE OF FLAME PILE -- Needs +1 initial mana or 1 Rite of Flame already in graveyard
    ----top of pile----
    *Street Wraith
    *Setup1
    Meditate
    Rite of Flame/SSG
    Rite of Flame
    Rite of Flame
    Goblin Charbelcher (or 4 Manamorphose + Burning Wish + Tendrils)
    ----bottom of pile----

    Triple Rite of Flame = 7 red mana, the magic number. You just need an additional 1 red precursor mana. If you already cast 1 Rite of Flame before Recross the Paths, you don't need the extra mana -- you can just use an SSG to get started, your 2 Rites will conveniently net +5 mana up to 6, and then you can pick the Tendrils win. Also a nice way to beat Null Rod.


    Finally, I will post one pile of hilarity (Requiring slightly different deck configuration -- 1 Faithless Looting in SB and boarded in):

    The LOLpile:
    ----top of pile----
    *Street Wraith
    *Setup1
    Meditate
    LED
    LED
    LED
    Gitaxian Probe
    Burning Wish -> Infernal Contract
    Seething Song
    LED
    Faithless Looting
    Rite of Flame
    Rite of Flame
    Rite of Flame
    Rite of Flame
    Manamorphose
    Manamorphose
    Manamorphose
    Manamorphose
    Past in Flames
    Seething Song
    Seething Song
    Seething Song
    Desperate Ritual
    Desperate Ritual
    Desperate Ritual
    Desperate Ritual
    Burning Wish --> Answer card 1
    Burning Wish --> Answer card 2
    Answer card 3
    Answer card 4
    Lotus Petal
    Burning Wish
    ----bottom of pile----

    Alright, what in the hell's name is this monstrosity? First thing's first: close the blinds, because this is some hardcore masturbating.
    Meditate as usual, stack Probe and crack the LEDs for RRRGGGBBB.
    Wish into Infernal Contract and draw 4.
    Cast Seething Song up to RRRRRG.
    Faithless Looting, discarding 2 Rite of Flame.
    Flashback Faithless Looting discarding 2 Rite of Flame, with RG left.
    Manamorphose and crack LED for RRR (plus RR when Manamorphose resolves).
    Manamorphose some more.
    Draw into Past in Flames and cast it with R floating.
    Quad Rite of Flame and Seething Song up to 13 red mana.
    Manamorphose 4 times to draw 4 cards and filter your mana into whatever colors you want (making sure to create at least BBBBU).
    Cast the 3 Seething Songs up to 19 mana.
    Cast Meditate to draw 4, down to 16 mana.
    Cast Infernal Contact to draw 4, down to 13 mana.
    Cast quadruple Desperate Ritual, Splicing onto Arcane as much as possible. That should bring you to 23 mana if done correctly.
    Burning Wish for Pyroclasm to kill all hatebears. (19 mana)
    Burning Wish for Hull Breach or Shattering Spree to kill a bunch of hate permanents. (13-15 mana)
    Cast 2 more kill spells for the hell of it. (10+ mana)
    Flashback Past in Flames. (5+ mana)
    Flashback triple Seething Song and Quad Desperate Ritual for +10 mana. (15+ mana)
    Flashback some more kill spells. (5+ mana)
    Lotus Petal and pop for B.
    Flashback Probe into Burning Wish.
    Tendrils/Grapeshot with storm 57+

    You probably never need that pile ever. But if you want to kill a whole crapload of random protection and 5 players at once, who's to stop you?
    5) Price guide of more common Belcher cards: As of March 2013 (For the most current prices, click on the link of each card) High-Mid-Low according to http://magiccards.info/ & http://magic.tcgplayer.com/all_magic_sets.asp
    $50.00+ average:
    Lion's Eye Diamond $89.98 $71.97 $62.66
    Taiga (Revised) $79.98 $59.99 $54.17

    $20.00 to $50.00:
    Burning Wish $25.97 $20.90 $16.75

    $10.00 to $20.00:
    Chrome Mox $15.44 $13.91 $12.40

    $5.00 to $10.00:
    Infernal Tutor $8.23 $5.99 $3.43

    $2.00 to $5.00:
    Goblin Charbelcher $7.97 $4.13 $3.30
    Lotus Petal $4.49 $3.19 $2.46
    Street Wraith $4.47 $3.29 $1.95
    Elvish Spirit Guide $5.87 $3.88 $3.20
    Shattering Spree $3.99 $3.48 $2.49
    Xantid Swarm $4.10 $2.49 $1.95
    Rite of Flame $3.80 $2.36 $1.59
    Manamorphose $3.91 $2.89 $2.00
    Past in Flames $4.95 $2.42 $1.42

    $1.00 to $2.00:
    Seething Song $2.99 $1.81 $0.76
    Tendrils of Agony $2.32 $1.23 $0.53
    Carpet of Flowers $1.53 $1.00 $0.59

    $1.00 or less average:
    Empty the Warrens $1.53 $0.74 $0.38
    Gitaxian Probe $1.23 $0.52 $0.30
    Land Grant $1.19 $0.63 $0.36
    Simian Spirit Guide $1.22 $0.71 $0.42
    Tinder Wall $0.88 $0.26 $0.14
    Pyretic Ritual $0.78 $0.26 $0.08
    Desperate Ritual $1.95 $0.94 $0.65
    Pyroblast $1.07 $0.53 $0.30
    Red Elemental Blast $0.78 $0.26 $0.10
    Diminishing Returns $1.99 $0.56 $0.24
    Reverent Silence $0.69 $0.27 $0.09
    Pyroclasm $1.00 $0.36 $0.20
    Goblin War Strike $1.38 $0.30 $0.19
    Hull Breach $0.50 $0.32 $0.23

    6) Awesome Links: In relation to Belcher & Legacy
    Price trends of singles:
    http://www.mtgprice.com/sets/Mirrodi...in_Charbelcher

    Belcher articles/reports/etc:
    2013:
    http://starcitygames.com/events/cove...iffin_han.html Feature match, Belcher in the finals, SCG Atlanta (Griffin Hansen)
    http://legitmtg.com/competitive/stac...cks-on-stacks/ Article, Recross the Paths Belcher that made top 32, SCG Columbus (Michael Augustine)
    2012:
    http://www.eternalcentral.com/?p=3281 Podcast from Serious Vintage, covering Belcher. With Nat Moes, Geoff Moes & Josh Chapple.
    http://blog.mtgdeals.com/oarsman/reb...y-charbelcher/ Article, Belcher (oarsman/Joe Lossett)
    http://www.starcitygames.com/events/...orbin_rud.html Feature match, Belcher in the finals, SCG St Louis (Corbin Rudnick)
    http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazin...tl12/welcome#2 Feature match, Belcher in the top 8, Grand Prix Atlanta (Gerardo Fedon)
    http://www.gatheringmagic.com/andofe...time-to-belch/ Article, playing the Belcher deck (Ando Ferguson)
    http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazin...gpind12/day2#7 Deck Tech from GP Indianapolis (Nathan Connor)
    http://www.eternal-central.com/?p=2807 Tournament report, SCG Columbus top 8 (Geoffrey Moes)
    2011:
    http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...-A-long-Report Tournament report, SCG Los Angeles top 8 (everythingitouchdies/Ben Perry)
    2010:
    http://www.eternal-central.com/?p=659 Tournament report, Belcher in the finals, GenCon Indy 2010 (Matt Hazard)
    http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/l...arbelcher.html Deck Tech back when it was 2 Land Belcher (Cedric Phillips, Calosso Fuentes)

    Belcher decklist sources:
    Starcitygames.com Belcher decklists 2009-to-today
    http://www.thecouncil.es/tcdecks/tip...&format=Legacy

    Legacy metagame:
    http://www.starcitygames.com/pages/decklists/
    http://www.thecouncil.es/tcdecks/for...=Legacy&page=1
    http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...(started-2012)

    7) The previous Belcher thread: http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...2-Deck-Belcher started by Ewokslayer with about 6 years worth of Goblin Charbelcher information, starting all the way back in mid 2007. Special thanks Ewokslayer, & to all that took part in the discussion & helped fill the thread with valuable information over all this time.
    Page 65 has some discussion about Recross the Paths
    Last edited by feline; 11-23-2015 at 10:39 AM. Reason: Update
    Primary legacy deck High Tide primer

  2. #2
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    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    8) 20 Match ups: (Based mostly on decks that have performed with some level of consistent, higher placings since Return to Ravnica Legacy)

    00) Against all decks
    Pre sideboard: If you are on the play & it's game 1, there is really only 1 thing to watch out for, opposing Force of Will, aside from that, that's really it! As a bonus, you have the element of surprise, so it's not likely they will keep their hand based on Force of Will alone, because of that, you will win alot of game 1's simply because they will not know you're playing belcher, until you take your 1st turn, & kill them.
    If you are on the draw game 1, there is additional stuff to watch out for, they might do turn 1 discard against you, that can't really be stopped, but other than that, all you have to do is keep in mind if they have access to blue or not after they pass the turn, an single untapped Island can cast Spell Pierce Spell Snare Flusterstorm & though less likely, even the possibility of Envelop. Other cards in addition to Force of Will are Daze. This is something to remember whenever the possibility presents itself.
    Post Sideboard: As for game 2/3, you'll want to cut the weakest ritual effect, like pyretic ritual, or even gitaxian probe, once you know what you're opponent's playing, you can play games 2 & 3 like they have a more disruptive hand & play how you would play if you knew they had it anyway, however that requires being comfortable enough so if you prefer keeping in Gitaxian Probes, then cut Pyretic Ritual. You will largely be focused on the same goals, their sideboard increase will likely be in the form of disruption, discard if it's black, counterspells if it's blue, as well as other random stuff like Leyline of Sanctity. Your primary hated color to watch out for however is blue, so your true sideboard cards are going to focus on that, via Xantid Swarm & Pyroblast. Since you know what they are playing after game 1, if you play the remaining games with their worst countermagic in mind, you can take out the Gitaxian Probes to bring in some of your Blasts / Xantids, since taking out too much mana producing stuff will make you slower to go off, & against blue tempo strategies like RUG, you won't have a bunch of turns to sit & build up a hand. Even against slow blue control type decks, they will spend their turns picking up more & more countermagic, so you have to judge each individual game accordingly given the situation for when it is appropriate to do what. Also keep in mind, any deck has the potential to be running Mindbreak Trap when they don't have traditional ways to fight a fast combo deck, being that Mindbreak Trap is essentially "free" to cast.
    Other suggestions I have been informed of: Against opposing Wasteland from decks that will likely slow you down, a lesser known strategy is to have a 1 of Forest in the sideboard, bringing it in so you can play a land without having to worry about it being a 1 time use against Nonbasic land hate.

    As far as the specific match up's go, your ultimate goal remains the same, so I will focus more on what they will have as potential disruption against you.
    01) RUG (Disruption, Moderate-Heavy playtesting recommended, a more common match up)
    Pre sideboard: Cards to watch out for at all times Force of Will, if they're on the play Daze, Spell Pierce & Spell Snare, & Stifle against your storm trigger, or even Belcher activation.
    Post sideboard: Add Pyroblasts, as they have burn access, & unless you think you can "next level" them bringing in Xantid Swarms & think they will side out their burn, you don't want to play a Xantid Swarm only to have it get easily answered. They will likely bring in Pyroclasm in the form of Rough//Tumble, since it doesn't kill their flipped Delver of Secrets.

    02) Stoneblade (Disruption, Moderate-Heavy playtesting recommended, a more common match up)
    Pre sideboard: Cards to watch out for at all times Force of Will, if they're on the play, Inquisition of Kozilek, Spell Pierce, Thoughtseize, & possibly Engineered Explosives for 0. If they get to turn 2 or later, also Counterspell, Snapcaster Mage, Vendilion Clique, Wrath effects, a Batterskull gaining life, this is one of the most important match up's where you kill them as soon as possible, waiting it out will only become more difficult.
    Post sideboard: Add Pyroblast. Again, you might be able to "next level" them bringing in Xantid Swarms, but that's only if you suspect they would side out their Swords to Plowshares suspecting that you wouldn't bring Swarms in. 1 thing to note though, they might be forced to use a counterspell on an attempted Xantid Swarm, since their early removal is mainly just Swords to Plowshares. They will however, likely bring in more disruption in the form of increased discard & counterspells.

    03) UW control variants (Disruption, Moderate-Heavy playtesting recommended, a more common match up)
    Pre sideboard: Cards to watch out for at all times Force of Will, if they're on the play Spell Pierce & possibly Engineered Explosives for 0. If they get to turn 2 or later, they will set up miracle tricks with Terminus, possibly get a Counterbalance + Sensei's Divining Top lock going, and have access to more disruption in the form of Counterspell, Vendilion Clique. Whatever their kill condition is remains irrelevant like most decks, whether it's the Helm combo or Entreat for X 4/4 Angels, your goal is to kill them well before they get to that point.
    Post sideboard: Add Pyroblast. Unless you think you can "next level" them with Xantid Swarms like against other opponents with maindeck removal. 1 thing to note though, they might be forced to use a counterspell on an attempted Xantid Swarm, since their early removal is mainly just Swords to Plowshares. They will likely bring in more disruption in the form of increased counterspells.

    04) BUG decks Aggro, Midrange, Shardless, Control (Disruption, Moderate-Heavy playtesting recommended, a more common match up)
    Pre sideboard: Cards to watch out for at all times Force of Will (notice this is a trend against many Legacy decks), if they're on the play Daze from BUG aggro/tempo strategies, Thoughtseize from more BUG control strategies. Also never forget the potential for Spell Pierce, Inquisition of Kozilek, though I didn't see the latter on most higher placing BUG maindecks as of recent. If they get to turn 2 or later, Hymn to Tourach, also be aware of Deathrite Shamans ability to block a 1/1 without dying, and the potential to gain 2 life every turn, so make sure you make a big enough army if you're on the draw & they turn 1 play a Deathrite Shaman.
    Post sideboard: Add Xantid Swarm especially if you're on the play, their removal that is Abrupt Decay will be too slow, & if they tap out on their turn 2 to kill it because they're on the play, then they will be tapped out giving you a possible out to just go off with only Force of Will in mind. The more BUG aggro strategies might bring in Spell Pierce if none are maindecked, while any BUG deck has the potential to sideboard in more discard & counters to compliment what is maindecked already.

    05) Jund (Disruption, Light-Moderate playtesting required, a more common match up)
    Pre sideboard: If you're on the play, you should win this game by default. If they're on the play, they have turn 1 discard in the form of things like Thoughtseize and that's about it, also note if they play a Deathrite Shaman since it can block, take out a 1/1, not die, & potentially gain them 2 life a turn, so make sure your 1/1 goblin army is big enough. From their turn 2 they can also Hymn to Tourach, & from turn 3, potentially Maelstrom Pulse your 1/1 goblin army away, though most don't run more than 1 or 2 of these, & it's only a turn 3 or later play for them anyway.
    Post sideboard: There's no reason to bring in Swarms or Blasts here so you're basically the same deck. They will likely bring in more discard like Duress, and maybe Engineered Plague naming goblins, but they can't cast that until their turn 3 which could be too late.

    06) Dredge (Disruption, Light playtesting required)
    Pre sideboard: If you're on the play, you should win this game by default. If they're on the play, they have 1 out, Cabal Therapy, however, they likely won't know you're playing belcher on game 1, so they will likely spend their 1st turn doing what dredge does best, setting up their dredge cards.
    Post sideboard: There's no reason to bring in Swarms or Blasts here so you're basically the same deck. They might bring in Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite or Iona, Shield of Emeria as a Dread Return target, but that's too slow most of the time. The only other option they "might" have is to bounce Goblin Charbelcher with a Chain of Vapor, & if you can activate it the same turn you play it, then it doesn't even matter.

    07) Maverick (Light playtesting required)
    Pre sideboard: If you're on the play, you should win this game by default. If they're on the play, they will not even do anything relevant until their turn 2, which at that point would be a Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or Green Sun's Zenith for a Gaddock Teeg, but again, that isn't until their turn 2 or later.
    Post sideboard: There's no reason to bring in Swarms or Blasts here so you're basically the same deck. They might bring in more hate bears, but any of them will likely be too slow. This is also one deck that, since they have no access to discard or counterspell colors, might sideboard in Mindbreak Trap since it'd be their only out from their turn 0.

    08) Ad Nauseam storm decks (Combo, Disruption, Light playtesting recommended)
    Pre sideboard: This is one of the few decks that can actually race you, usually decided by a die roll. If you make an army of 1/1's & need a couple combat steps to win, they have the potential to combo out before that & actually kill you, or even making their own 1/1 army of goblins, so push for playing a belcher if you have it since they don't run Force of Will. If they're on the play, they might have access to cheap discard spells like Cabal Therapy, Duress, Inquisition of Kozilek, less likely Thoughtseize because of how Ad Nauseam works with life loss, they want as much life as possible. However whatever their discard is, if they have it they have it, & they will nail something from your hand regardless.
    Post sideboard: There's no reason to bring in Swarms of Blasts here so you're basically the same deck. They will likely remain largely unchanged post sideboard games as well since they to sometimes run Xantid Swarms & a bunch of Burning Wish targets. Again, this is a match up that is a race, & since you're both "super fast kill decks" it can literally come down to who win's the die roll if 1 person just combos out before the opponent, the key difference however is that TES & ANT type strategies have some disruption in the form of discard.

    09) High Tide (Combo, Disruption, Light playtesting recommended, however a less common match up)
    Pre sideboard: Cards to watch out for at all times Force of Will. If they're on the play, also potentially Flusterstorm, from turn 2 on, they can start Merchant Scrolling for more counters directly. They are a combo deck, but they're much slower, if they win, it will be through their counterspells.
    Post sideboard: Add Xantid Swarm for sure, you're fighting a mono blue deck (No removal, swords, burn, etc.) After that, your goal remains the same, kill them before they kill you, just always keep in mind that if they have an untapped mana, they have access to casting Flusterstorm, as one of the decks that will actually maindeck 2-3 of this card.

    10) UR Delver (Disruption, Light-Moderate playtesting recommended)
    Pre sideboard: Cards to watch out for at all times Force of Will. If they're on the play, also potentially Spell Pierce & Daze. Similar to the elements of RUG, UR Delver runs a cheap casting decklist with fast creatures & tempo disruption, but has more of a burn focus.
    Post sideboard: Add Pyroblasts, they run too much burn for Xantid Swarms. They might bring in their own blasts, but this is one of the few times where it might be Blue Elemental Blast instead of the Red ones, since they sometimes sideboard them, and you're playing a deck with red in it.

    11) Show & Tell variants (Combo, Disruption, Moderate playtesting recommended, a more common match up)
    Pre sideboard: Cards to watch out for at all times Force of Will. If they're on the play, also potentially Spell Pierce & Daze. This is another fast combo deck, off the namesake card Show and Tell which can actually benefit you, if you have a Goblin Charbelcher in hand, & they cast Show and Tell, you can just put it into play without worrying about it getting counterspelled, & then just activate it off of a Lion's Eye Diamond in play, or Lotus Petal, Tinder Wall, Spirit guides removed from hand, the Taiga or Chrome Mox, etc.
    Post sideboard: Add Xantid Swarms, they have little removal options so these will have to be counterspelled by the opponent to answer them. Even if they Show and Tell you can just drop it into play, if you have to swing into a blocking Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or whatever, doesn't matter, you're now "free" to go off because of the Swarms ability, & can just Belcher them right there. If you have to do it with actual storm count, if they go low enough off of a Griselbrand you might be able to just Burning Wish for a Tendrils of Agony if you run it as a 1 of and just kill them right there.

    12) Reanimator (Combo, Disruption, Light playtesting recommended)
    Pre sideboard: Cards to watch out for at all times Force of Will. If they're on the play, Daze & discard like Thoughtseize. They are a fast combo type deck, reanimating a creature from the graveyard with cheap spells, however your deck is faster, & you should have combo'd off before they do every time. Some decklists will maindeck an Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite though, so if you make an army of 1/1's, make sure they can get the job done fast, the more combat steps it takes to kill the opponent, the closer they are to reanimating and giving all your creatures -2/-2.
    Post sideboard: Add Xantid Swarms. If they weren't maindecking Elesh Norn, they are sideboarding it in for sure. They will also potentially bring in more disruption in the form of more 1 cast discard or cheap counterspells like Spell Pierce if it's in their sideboard. They may also bring in Echoing Truth for your 1/1 goblin army. The ultimate goal is the same, kill them, before they kill you, if you resolve a Xantid Swarm against this deck, all it takes is 1 swing with it and you will be on your way.

    13) Elves (Combo, Light playtesting required)
    Pre sideboard: This is another game that should be an easy win, by default anyhow. They are probably combo elves like most lists, but their combo is slower. The only potential out they may have is to destroy your Goblin Charbelcher with a Green Sun's Zenith for a Viridian Shaman, but that's too slow for what you're doing. If you make an army of 1/1's, they can also drop alot of creatures fast, though not as fast as 12 goblins on turn 1, also elf lists have adopted Deathrite Shaman so make enough of an army for that +2 life gainer that can also kill a 1/1 by blocking each combat phase. For the most part however, the match up should be in your favor. Also don't forget you can Burning Wish for a Pyroclasm at any time, one of the match up's where this really shines.
    Post sideboard: There's no reason to add Swarms or Blasts so you're basically the same deck. If they're running Deathrite Shaman, they likely have Bayous, and that gives them an out against combo in discard, so they might bring in Cabal Therapy since they have so many creatures to easily sac to it, maximizing useage of their Cabal Therapies on you. They're also a deck that might have Mindbreak Trap.

    14) Merfolk (Disruption, Light-Moderate playtesting recommended)
    Pre sideboard: Cards to watch out for at all times Force of Will. If they're on the play, Cursecatcher if they play it, & Daze. While most of their counters are "taxing" counters, it is very effective against a deck like belcher that is so full of ritual type effects for mana sources. If you don't want them to draw into a Force of Will, you can combo out asap, while if you see that they don't have a force in hand, but have access to taxing counters, then try to get a Tinder Wall into play, it's +1 mana on the combo turn, but +2 mana if you wait a turn.
    Post sideboard: Add Xantid Swarm since they won't likely have removal, though some random Merfolk decklists might run a couple Dismember it's not common and usually only a 2 of, never maxing out on a playset. They will likely bring in Spell Pierce for more counter, but that's about it, if you can get past their counters, which isn't as hard to do with access to a storm mechanic kill spell if you can get to the 4 mana to cast it, then you can steal the game even against a mono blue deck, though obviously, any deck that runs blue is going to give you the hardest time trying for your win.

    15) Goblins (Light playtesting required)
    Pre sideboard: This is a deck that has almost no interaction with you even after their 1st couple of turns, they are just not equipped to deal with your strategy, & this is another example of what for belcher decks is usually a "free win" The only exception, is if they are splashing black, which means they likely have some Duress or one of the other cheap 1 cast discard spells in their decklist, but that will be the extent of their disruption in those setups.
    Post sideboard: There's no reason to add Swarms or Blasts so you're basically the same deck. The only out they really have against you is potentially bringing in Mindbreak Trap, anything else is likely going to be too slow.

    16) Zombardment (Disruption, Light-Moderate playtesting recommended, however a less common match up)
    Pre sideboard: If you're on the play, you should win this game by default. If they're on the play, they have access to turn 1 Cabal Therapy & Thoughtseize, however with the element of surprise, not knowing what the opponent is playing, Cabal Therapies are definitely the weaker of the 2 discard options since it's second cast from the graveyard requires getting a creature into play, and even that can be just to slow for a turn 1 combo deck like belcher. Technically they also have access to Tidehollow Sculler, but it cost 2 to cast.
    Post sideboard: There's no reason to add Swarms or Blasts so you're basically the same deck. They "might" bring in additional discard from the sideboard, but that's about it, other than their discard options, they are just an aggro deck trying to kill you with Goblin Bombardment and combat steps.

    17) 12 post (Light playtesting required, however a less common match up)
    Pre sideboard: If you're on the play, you should win this game by default. If they're on the play, they might be maindecking Pithing Needle based on the list that won San Diego in January, but that's about it. They also run Show and Tell so they might drop a bomb early, but even if they do, you still get another turn, and there's no counter magic to play around so feel free to cast whatever you feel is the best course of action from turn 1. As far as their ramp goes, that is even slower than their cast Show and Tell plan.
    Post sideboard: You could technically add Xantid Swarms but it'd only be for 1 card, Flusterstorm. Based on the sideboard of that same list from San Diego, they might bring in Flusterstorm, Chalice of the Void or even Elephant Grass. They do have some outs with the Grass, Pithing Needle, Chalice if they get it early, & Flusterstorm if they get a turn with an untapped island in play, however you can still be faster than even all of that, with so many routes to just combo on turn 1, especially on the play, this is another match up that should be in your favor because they don't run Force of Will.

    18) Junk/The rock (Disruption, Light-Moderate playtesting recommended)
    Pre sideboard: If you're on the play you should win the game by default, if they're on the play they have access to turn 1 discard like Inquisition of Kozilek & Thoughtseize, but that's about it, late game they also have Maelstrom Pulse for your 1/1 goblin army, but that only becomes relevant if they have it, & live that long. Also note Deathrite Shaman's here, since they can prolong them long enough to actually do that, blocking & killing a 1/1 without dying itself, & potentially gaining them +2 life a turn to negate some of the damage, so again, make sure your army of 1/1's can go the distance accordingly, making as many as you possibly can.
    Post sideboard: There's no reason to add Swarms or Blasts here, so you're basically the same deck. They might bring in Hymn to Tourach if they aren't maindecking them already, but it costs 2 to cast, and their Pernicious Deeds & Green Sun Zenith'ing for a Gaddock Teeg costs even more, so really it will come down to who's on the play, & when they're on the play, if they even have any turn 1 interactions with you.

    19) Death & Taxes (Light playtesting required, however a less common match up)
    Pre sideboard: If you're on the play you should win this game by default. Even if they're on the play, a turn 2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or Phyrexian Revoker naming Goblin Charbelcher will just be too slow when you go off before that. This is another match up that should be in your favor & unless you have some bad luck, consider it one of another "freebies" because your opponent wasn't playing Force of Will or even any turn 1 disruption. As far as Stoneforge Mystic for a Batterskull, then putting the Batterskull into play a turn later, all that stuff is just too slow.
    Post sideboard: There's no reason to add Swarms or Blasts so you're basically the same deck. They might bring in Ethersworn Canonist to increase their hatebear count, but again, it costs 2 to cast, and that's still just not traditionally fast enough against a turn 1 combo deck that the majority of the time, combo's on turn 1.

    20) Belcher, the mirror match! (Light-Moderate playtesting recommended)
    Pre sideboard: If that happens, it's die roll time! How do we find out if our opponent is playing Belcher? They kill you before you kill them. 1 thing to note however, if Belcher deck #1 casts an army of turn 1 goblins, Belcher deck #2 can respond with a Burning Wish > Pyroclasm so even if you lose the die roll, you might actually be at an advantage if they go the 1/1 goblin route, only to learn you're playing Belcher as well.
    Post sideboard: Even sideboard games, the plan will largely be the same, kill or be killed, whoever is 1st will have an advantage, now not just because of Goblin Charbelcher but also because you will know what each other are playing, and playing into a Pyroclasm is much less likely
    Last edited by feline; 03-31-2014 at 11:06 AM. Reason: Update
    Primary legacy deck High Tide primer

  3. #3
    Taobotmox

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    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    That is an amzing primer so far. Well done.

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    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    Good work. I would suggest to mention Grim Monolith and Chancellor of the Tangle as possible maindeck cards, and Chancellor of the Annex , Mirri's Guile and Leyline of Sanctity as sideboard cards.

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    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    Quote Originally Posted by LeoCop 90 View Post
    Good work. I would suggest to mention Grim Monolith and Chancellor of the Tangle as possible maindeck cards, and Chancellor of the Annex , Mirri's Guile and Leyline of Sanctity as sideboard cards.
    For that matter, Guttural Blast is strictly better than Pyroblast because of its split mama cost for Elvish Spirit Guide and Chrome Mox.

  6. #6
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    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    Nice read. But what happened to the second land (Bayou)? Why was it played for a long time, and then suddenly disappeared?

  7. #7
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    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    The second land was taken out because things got to the point of being able to do everything required with just red/green sources, as well when Spoils of the Vault was ran, it was because Empty the Warrens had not come out yet, though that is even older tech. Basically it just comes down to the evolution of the deck, as time went on, more and more stuff came out from red to support it just being Black/Red, save for Gitaxian Probe & sometimes 1 of sideboard cards like Infernal Tutor.
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  8. #8
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    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    Great primer! Excellent information.
    How do you feel about putting Recross the Paths in the Kill Conditions section? It seems like there's only one guy who runs Recross, which is too bad because it's a very sweet build. Maybe it could see more play and refinement if it's more prominently featured.
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  9. #9
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    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    I will have to do research on exactly how that works, I remember seeing it and it's mostly obvious, but I'd want the notes to be correct, but right now I am working on updating the zoo primer, though if it helps I'm almost done with it, I'm on the very last part before I can say I've completed a 3rd primer in the past week, I think I've lost my mind to be enjoying doing this ha ha.

    In either case, it can easily be added to the kill condition slot, though it would be noted as a rogue strategy, I did link the article about the guy that played it and his article afterward, it was too unique not to put something up there, someone mentioned it in Reddit the other day and I remembered, so I immediately went & looked for anything I could find on it, luckily the guy who played it wrote that article so was exactly what I was looking for.

    -edit- Anyhow, for now, I noted it and put an emphasis that there's an article by the player himself as well ^.^
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  10. #10

    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    you may add this article learn how to play blecher and mulligan hands
    http://www.gatheringmagic.com/andofe...time-to-belch/

    and to sideboard add 1 forest on second game against wasteland, and made diference to cast xantid swarm in mid game

  11. #11
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    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    That Recross the Paths version is probably the most awesome Belcher list i've ever seen ^^

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    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    Quote Originally Posted by Viridia View Post
    That Recross the Paths version is probably the most awesome Belcher list i've ever seen ^^
    http://legitmtg.com/competitive/stac...cks-on-stacks/ Recross the Paths.
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  13. #13
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    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    since I seldom play this deck, what do you usually side out against miracle, rug and stoneblade?
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  14. #14
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    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    Well for me against those decks, after game 1 I know they are playing those decks, so I then play games 2 & 3 like they have force of will potential at all times so I don't really need to see their hand anymore, so I take out probes. If taking out a mana source is something you're more comfortable with, take out the weakest mana source, basically, Don't take out the Spirit guides, the Rite of Flames, Lotus Petals, Tinder Walls, stuff that's free or 1 to cast, but you could take out pyretic ritual, since between pyretic ritual & desperate ritual, desperate ritual can still do splice tricks and produce more mana under some conditions, while pyretic will always be 2 for 3, basically based on the previous lists, the 3 cards that are used the least but still used are manamorphose / seething song / pyretic ritual, so I'd lean toward those. One thing to note additionally however, if you're running Seething Song's you get 3 for 5, netting you +2 mana, so if you cut a ritual effect, it might be more beneficial to be running Seething Song's since you get more mana out of it, meaning you might be able to get by with one less ritual effect, so make the cut something that only produces +1, like pyretic ritual.
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  15. #15

    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    After more testing, this is what I am settling on (at least for now). This is my "WUBRG" Belcher list.



    Artifact: 18
    4x Chrome Mox
    4x Goblin Charbelcher
    2x Grim Monolith
    4x Lion's Eye Diamond
    4x Lotus Petal

    Creature: 12
    4x Elvish Spirit Guide
    4x Simian Spirit Guide
    4x Tinder Wall

    Instant: 12
    4x Desperate Ritual
    4x Pyretic Ritual
    4x Seething Song

    Land: 1
    1x Taiga

    Sorcery: 17
    3x Burning Wish
    3x Empty the Warrens
    4x Gitaxian Probe
    3x Land Grant
    4x Rite of Flame

    Side Board:
    1x Burning Wish
    4x Chancellor of the Annex
    1x Empty the Warrens
    4x Guttural Response
    1x Infernal Tutor
    1x Land Grant
    1x Pyroclasm
    1x Tendrils of Agony
    1x Trash for Treasure
    Last edited by Buckjunt; 06-04-2013 at 08:34 AM.

  16. #16
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    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    There is another article deconstructing Belcher to its primordial components and finding the most consistent set. Written by Joe Lossett
    http://blog.mtgdeals.com/oarsman/reb...y-charbelcher/
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  17. #17
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    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    oh hell yes I forgot about mtgdeals, though I didn't know Lossett went over Belcher, I know he knows his Legacy for sure, thank you, adding that right now.
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    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    Quote Originally Posted by Buckjunt
    The deck is different than most lists out there in a couple ways. No cantrips, no seething song, Monolith and chancellor are in the main.
    For the most part I agree with replacing seething song and Gitaxian Probe ( the only cantrip I'm running) with Chancellor and Monolith. Especially the second is very good because it gives you 3 mana if you wait a turn.
    The only issue I find with chancellor is that 8 spirit guides + 4 chancellors main deck sometimes make my storm count too small. Don't you have this problem ?

  19. #19
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    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    For myself I don't run chancellor it's just too narrow, confining you to turn 1 or it's just Mox fuel after that really, and I already have pleanty I can let go to a mox.
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  20. #20
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    Re: [Primer/Deck] Belcher

    Since people has stated interest in Recross the Paths it might be worth pointing out that it has been tested before Michael Augustine's list (by myself among others, and from my experience there's a fair few things he didn't mention in his article). Page 65 of the old Belcher thread contains some more piles/card choices/discussion for those interested.

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