Tournament was fun. I went a disappointing 3-4.
Burn 2-0
Manaless Dredge 0-2
Soldier Stompy 2-0
Grixis Reanimator 1-2
Belcher 2-1
Affinity(!) 1-2
Sneak and Show 1-2
I think the only change I will make is cutting the Liliana for a Bojuka Bog. Game 1 vs Dredge and Reanimator it would have done work. I had wanted to find space for it but could not. The Lili might be too important vs D+T though. I'm not sure.
The deck felt powerful, RNG missed my Leylines 2 rounds, and I think that of the top tier decks, Sneak and Show is probably the toughest match-up. I think I need Chalice on 1 plus aggressive land destruction to get there. I wish I had room for 2 Trinisphere in the board. With further testing vs. the Jace matchups, I may be able to swap the Spyglasses for 3balls.
Anywho, poor result, but I'm excited to have a list I like.
Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.
The same thing happens to me in many tournaments: I prepare for tier 1-2 decks, see a couple and then face a bunch of randoms. Of your 7 matches, only 3 of them are prevalent at all (I'm counting Burn because it has had a small uptick lately.) I faced not one, but *two* enchantress decks at my last legacy tournament (6 rounds.) Yay legacy right? It's not an indication of how good your deck is placed in the field, it's an indication of many people doing the same thing as you: playing something more fringe to gain an edge.
One small note about Living Wish: it's abysmally slow and requires a fairly high investment in resources. I think you'd be better off playing Crop Rotation or Entomb, maybe maindeck Maze of Ith, Tabernacle, and Karakas. Living Wish lets you handle just about anything, but slowly. Chalice gets you there but only if you draw it early. Looking at the metagame, there aren't really any other Chalice decks making any waves (save for Eldrazi, but that's a completely different animal.)
Brainstorm Realist
I close my eyes and sink within myself, relive the gift of precious memories, in need of a fix called innocence. - Chuck Shuldiner
Yeah, relying on the Mox Diamonds to have any play at all on turn 1 is a bit rough as well. I'm going to play this a bit more, but I think I will swap to a build designed to exploit Entomb soon. (I 2-1'd the local with it again last night, beating 4 color Shadow Delver Nonsense, and Miracles. I lost to D+T in a close 3 in the Finals) This list feels amazing vs Miracles. I can't quite put my finger on why, since some of my cards line up awkwardly, but it feels unstoppable.
Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.
Chalice is too much of a crutch I feel and if you aren't playing it t1, its pretty much a wasted card slot.
Plus, I like being able to "tutor" with cards like Entomb and Crop Rotation.
Having T1 plays like Thoughtseize aren't bad either...
Updated my list, added a Trophy and testing Vraska in the sideboard..
Since Deathrite is gone I may try two other cards in the Fatal Push slot... maybe 4th Mox and 2nd Bontu's or Liliana, Last Hope..
Lands (28)
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Bayou
3 Wasteland
3 Mishra's Factory
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Swamp
1 Buried Ruin
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Polluted Delta
1 Windswept Heath
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Forest
1 Barren Moor
1 Thespian's Stage
1 Dark Depths
1 Cabal Pit
Creatures (1)
1 Nether Spirit
Spells (22)
3 Smallpox
3 Life from the Loam
3 Hymn to Tourach
2 Thoughtseize
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Entomb
2 Fatal Push
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Bontu's Last Reckoning
1 Crop Rotation
1 Raven's Crime
1 Collective Brutality
Planeswalkers (3)
2 Liliana of the Veil
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
Artifacts (4)
3 Mox Diamond
1 Cursed Scroll
Enchantments (2)
2 Mirri's Guile
Sideboard (15)
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Assassin's Trophy
1 Pithing Needle
1 Damping Sphere
1 Coffin Purge
1 Garruk Relentless
1 Lost Legacy
1 Karakas
1 Crop Rotation
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Chains of Mephistopheles
1 Vraska, Golgari Queen
1 Ensnaring Bridge
Last edited by streetMage; 11-27-2018 at 05:33 PM.
Looking to get into pox. Can someone recommend a list that doesn't run the Chains, Void, or tabernacle.
Personally, and not intending to create any controversy here, I would steer clear of the Reid Duke lists in lieu of people who put up results and regularly test the deck. One such person on mtgtop 8 is Clayton Levi, who uses the non-Legends build you were inquiring about. Here is one of his lists which got 1st out of 29 players a few months back, which would probably be a good place to start:
https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=19133&d=320904&f=LE
24 LANDS
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Maze of Ith
4 Mishra's Factory
10 Swamp
4 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Wasteland
6 CREATURES
4 Bloodghast
1 Nether Spirit
1 Tombstalker
23 INSTANTS and SORC.
3 Dark Ritual
1 Fatal Push
4 Hymn to Tourach
3 Innocent Blood
4 Sinkhole
4 Smallpox
3 Thoughtseize
1 Toxic Deluge
7 OTHER SPELLS
2 Cursed Scroll
4 Liliana of the Veil
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
SIDEBOARD
2 Engineered Plague
2 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Pithing Needle
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Toxic Deluge
Using a contemporary, somewhat stock list like this will give you a good idea of how the deck plays at a baseline before you make specific changes. It's also not terribly expensive, at least as far as Legacy decks go.
Have fun poxing people to oblivion!
yeah 2nd the thing about not going too deep on Reid Duke. Dude did great with the deck once upon a time and he's obviously very intelligent and knows a lot, but I doubt he's played Pox for a while now. The Levi lists are solid. They're a little more aggressive thanks to the Bloodghast stuff, which is actually probably a good place to be with Pox tbh. You could also check out Adachi Ryosuke lists, and just swap some of the legends stuff for more removal/discard/wincons, as suits your meta. He's also a proven player, and the legends cards are rarely more than 3-4 cards on the list, it won't be a huge difference swapping them out.
Don't recall, Don't imagine, Don't think, Don't examine, Don't control, Rest
Brainstorm Realist
I close my eyes and sink within myself, relive the gift of precious memories, in need of a fix called innocence. - Chuck Shuldiner
Current Decklist:
Land (25)
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Maze of Ith
1 Seagate Wreckage
10 Snow-covered Swamp
4 Mishra's Factory
4 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Wasteland
Creatures (1)
1 Nether Spirit
Enchantment (1)
1 Nether Void
Artifact (5)
1 Crucible of Worlds
2 Cursed Scroll
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Phyrexian Totem
Planeswalker (4)
4 Liliana of the Veil
Instants (3)
3 Dark Ritual
Sorcery (21)
3 Innocent Blood
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Sinkhole
4 Smallpox
1 Bontu's Last Reckoning
1 Beseech the Queen
Sideboard
2 Zombie Infestation
2 Duress
1 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Leyline of the Void
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Pithing Needle
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Night of Souls' Betrayal
2 Liliana, the Last Hope
I do like Clayton's listings, but am not a fan of the Ghasts. Zombie Infestations and Cursed Scroll and Last Hope and Ensnaring Bridge and Seagate Wreckage are a match made in heaven. I can't remember where I got the skeleton for this list. *facepalm* Something of note, this build has a surprisingly strong match against Burn. Never thought it'd happen but there it is.
Three Lilianas to rule them all. One Pox to find them. Smallpox to bring them all and in the Sinkhole bind them!
Brainstorm Realist
I close my eyes and sink within myself, relive the gift of precious memories, in need of a fix called innocence. - Chuck Shuldiner
Hi Pox players, looooong time lurker, first time poster.
I am coming back into the meta after a year deployment and getting used to the SDT and DRS ban. I have had really positive results the past two weeks at various LGS's in the greater DC area with this monoblack list. Critiques, suggestions welcome!
3 dark ritual
2 cursed scroll
3 thoughtseize
2 inquisition of kozilek
2 innocent blood
1 fatal push
4 smallpox
3 sinkhole
3 hymn to tourach
1 chains of mephistopheles
2 ratchet bomb
3 LOTV
2 Last hope lili
1 Nether spirit
2 To the slaughter
1 Ensnaring bridge
1 Karn, scion of urza
11 swamp, 1 maze, 4 urborg, 4 factory, 4 waste
SB
1 Karn, scion of urza
1 obnixilis reignited
1 underworld dreams
1 ensnaring bridge
1 engineered plague
1 night of all souls betrayal
1 the abyss
2 collective brutality
4 surgical extraction
1 pithing needle
1 sorcerous spyglass
I am highly impressed with Karn. Chains does not interfere with his card advantage, and pooping out a token creature pumped by the mere presence a pithing needle, a cursed scroll, a ratchet bomb, and two activated mishra's factories has really closed out some grindy games. Against grixis and miracles, dude's a tank. 2 copies maindeck of to the slaughter has been a saving grace against the jace decks and chandra/koth moon crap, and the ratchet bombs have blown up opposing lillies in a pinch and wiped out chalices and scary big Endless Ones with ease.
Underworld dreams likewise is almost a maindeck card for me. I am seldom disappointed to draw it, whether against storm, control, or creature decks.
Overall, Lands does not appear as prevalent as it was when I last played in December 2017, and maybe it's mostly luck, maybe it's the excitement of playing again, but Pox feels pretty well positioned right now. I've gone 4-0, 3-1, 3-0, and 2-1-0 in the past two weeks at different stores. Hoping the run continues!
Hi,
Played a tournament in France with BG pOX with the list below, ~60 players and finish 3-4rd. The list is strong and has answered near everything.
Spells
4x ENTOMB
2x LIFE FROM THE LOAM
2x LILIANA OF THE VEIL
3x SMALLPOX
2x FATAL PUSH
3x ABRUPT DECAY
1x ASSASSIN TROPHY
1x MAELSTROM PULSE
1x GO FOR THE THROAT
3x HYMN TO TOURACH
1x INQUISITION OF KOZILEK
1x DURESS
1x LINGERING SOULS
1x NETHER SPIRIT
1x GOLGARI BROWNSCALE
2x MOX DIAMOND
1x SYLVAN LIBRARY
1x PERNICIOUS DEED
1x DARKBLAST
3x INNOCENT BLOOD
Lands
4x VERDANT CATACOMBS
3x BAYOU
1x BLOOMING MARSH (don't have the 4th Bayou yet)
1x WOODLAND CEMETERY
3x URBORG, tomb of Yawgoth
4x BARREN MOOR
2x SWAMP
1x FOREST
1x CABAL PIT
4x WASTELAND
1x MISHRA'S FACTORY
Sideboard
2x SADISTIC SACRAMENT
2x ENGINEERED PLAGUE (awsome)
1x CHOKE
1x LEYLINE OF THE VOID
1x COFFIN PURGE
1x KROSAN RECLAMATION
2x EXTIRPATE (should have been 1 of each - 1 surgical, 1 extirpate)
1x GOLGARI CHARM
1x RAVEN'S CRIME
1x AKUTA, BORN OF ASHES
1x DAMPING SPHERE
1x BONTU'S LAST RECKONING
Quick report
ROUND 1 vs DEATH & TAXES 2-0
gAME 1 : entomb searching darkblast made the whole game.
gaMe 2 : he can't find graveyard hate. Controlling the whole game.
ROUND 2 vs GRIXIS CONTROL 1-2
gamE 1 : the only problem is Jace, and I'm playing now Assassin Trophy and a Pulse. Also, the association of Nether Spirit and Golgari Brownscale make the life difficult for the blue Planeswalker if you can deal with their Gurmag (and with darkblast to deal with cheap creatures it's relatively easy for your Inoocent Blood or SmallPox to catch them). But my opponent didn't find his lands soon enough before I began loaming.
Game 2 : A lot of hate, and a TNN.
Game 3 : A BloodMoon and I can't find a swamp/Mox Diamond to cast Decay soon enough before dying. He had no pressure but two Snapcasters and I've named Merfolk on my Engineered Plague (probably because of game 2, damn!). Naming Human probably give me a lot more turns to find a black source.
ROUND 3 vs DEATH SHADOW 2-0
GamE 1 : Loam + Waste and my opponent did'nt find any threats.
Game 2 : My opponent made a mistake when he shuffled a Gurmag on top with a fetchland. I can get rid off a another one and a Death Shadow (with Nether Spirit). Just took one big hit from the shadow and managed to deal with his last points of life. Bad luck also for him, he milled two graveyard hate with a thought scour, but you need luck also in your tournaments ;-)
ROUND 4 vs UR DELVER 2-0
Game 1 : My opponent has drawn too many lands for what the deck want to do. Golgari Brownscale gave me also just enough life to survive (6 or 8 life). Deal with all his creatures, so I just feared Price of Progress.
Game 2 : Waste the first land and he didn't find another one soon enough.
ROUND 5 vs BR REANIMATOR 2-1
Game 1 : Double Chancellor revealed and win on the 3rd turn after reanimate in the same turn a Chancellor and Grisou. He discarded me the answers I had in hand.
Game 2 : He cast a discard spell, see a Krosan Reclamation but didn't read the whole text box (flashback). He want to reanimate Iona (which is game over for me), I flashback my Reclamation. Controlling the rest of the game especially with Sadistic Sacrament removing Iona and two Exhume (I can destroy the Animate deads with Decay in hand and he's now too low on life to cast Reanimate). I also destroy a Griselbrand in this game with GftT.
Game 3 : I cast a Mox early and an entomb in response to a discard spell to put a Coffin Purge in my grave, so I'm protected now against Iona or another early threat. I'm patient and wait for a fourth mana source to cast Liliana. Lingering souls tokens make little pressure, and he got a turn when he can reanimate a Chancellor and suddenly with only one mana open I can no more cast the Coffin Purge in my graveyard. He also exhume a Griselbrand. Hopefully I had a second Lili in hand, so I can make him sacrifice his two flying creatures and I win two turns after.
ROUND 6 vs MARDU AGRO-COMBO 2-0
Had to play this one to enter top8
Game 1 : He revealed a Chancellor at the opening :-/, again a tense game ? No, I cast a discard spell and see Young Pyromancer, Monastery Mentor, Lingering Souls and Entomb (my choice). Loaming find me everything (darkblast especially), I've wasted all but 2 basics. Easy game and really cool deck mixing good mardu cards like the ones mentionned before, cabal therapy and faithless looting. His reanimation targets are 4 Chancellor and an Elesh Norn. But his strategy is not good against me.
Game 2 : A Golgari charm destroyed all his board except for a Monastery Mentor. I played then an Innocent Blood. This play made the whole game. Again, loam + waste maKe his development difficult.
TOP 8 QUARTER vs MIRACLE 2-1
Game 1 : Fetch my basics soon to dodge B2B. Lot of discard spell, finish the game with a lonely Mishra's Factory. It's easier when he spend two cards to cast FOW, and lose 2 others to Hymn.
Game 2 : Raven's crime discard his whole hand, but he finds a Monastery Mentor. I make a big mistake when I cast a Golgari charm end step when one of the two tokens was a 2/2 (with a prowess trigger resolved). Could have been played better. My smallpox in hand is dead now. He finds another one and it's too pressure for me to answer. Deed was my only chance but didn't find it.
Game 3 : Pass a discard spell, see nothing but 2 preordain and a Council Judgment (my choice). Next turn cast Engineered Plague on Human (Snap & Monk) but he had drawn a FOW (ouch!!!). Okay, next turn Choke ;-). He played a Snap on nothing to put pressure and I didn't find anything but Sadistic Sacrament to remove 2 Jace and a Council Judgment. The lone Snappy put me to one life ! before I draw a Lili. Made a mistake when we both have only around 15 cards left in library when I flashback Lingering souls and he had an EE on 0 on board. Should have blown the EE first with Decay. In my head I can't lose because my library is bigger, but he played Surgical !... and extract me only two cards, which wasn't enough. Forget that I got a second Sadistic Sacrament left and this time I kicked this one for lethal !!! yeah. This game I've made the Ultimate of Lili three times sometimes just for one land ;-)
TOP 8 SEMI vs SLOW DEPTHS 1-2
Game 1 : A lot a discard spells from him let a Dark Confident survive few turns. Hopefully, a Lingering Souls cast with a Mox put some pressure after dealing Bob. Loam + waste blew up his lands but he managed to create a Marit Lage token. Smallpox to deal with it and he was just on two Mox Diamond and concede right after.
Game 2 : I wasn't sure about the identity of my opponent's deck (we don't look at decklists), I think first it was 4Color loam with thoughtseize and crop (maybe entomb) instead of the Chalices, so I side out all my discard spells (which is bad). Also a mulligan to 4 didn't help me a lot. Fight a little but too much grave hate and a early wasteland stopped me.
Game 3 : My own strategy played against me by my opponent. Managed to extract Thespian Stage, but the game gone deep and despite I was really behind, a fresh entomb find me Loam --but a second Surgical, after removing all my wastelands, exil all of them from my library. He also played a Ghost Quarter and an early Loam by his side let him recurse it and I concede when I lost my last lands on board ;;;;-)))))))
The other finalist was RUG Delver, so a nice match-up for me. Really regrettable!
Nice tournament, few changes are going to be made :
- find a Scrubland ;-)
- replace the GftT by an Assassin Trophy
- Questionning me about some toolbox lands like karakas and Bojuka Bog
- add a fifth fetchland (maybe instead of a Barren Moor)
- Lingering souls, even if I often cast it for only 2 tokens, is awsome, so a second copy is considered
- Great side-board, maybe cut a Sadistic but not sure, really good against some match-up. Damping sphere not sure about it, want something against ANT and Elfball without being tax myself (sphere of resistance).
Didn't regret any choice in the main, only the manabase had to be revisited.
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Awesome report and nice tech!!
Few recommendations:
-1 Entomb, +1 Crop Rotation: Crop Rotation is a good instant speed tutor for lands like Bojuka Bog and Karakas.
-1 Barren Moor, +1 Bojuka Bog: Bojuka Bog is good against gy decks, Lands and Storm.
-1 Wasteland, +1 Karakas: Putting the Karakas mainboard can help cast Lingering Souls and is better than adding the Scrubland since its good against Reanimator, SnT and Dark Depths etc... you can also fetch it with Crop Rotation.
-1 Inquisition of Kozelik and -1 Duress, +2 Thoughtseize: I think Thoughtseize is just better.
-1 Pernicious Deed, +1 Bontu's Last Reckoning or Toxic Deluge: Pernicious Deed is bad with Mox Diamond and can destroy Sylvan Library.
Other:
I would find room for at least 1x Liliana, the Last Hope (really good against DnT and Grixis) and one more Mox Diamond.
I think Lost Legacy is easier to cast than Sadistic Sacrament.
Just my two cents, I think I will add Lingering Souls to my BG Pox list too!
@streetMage :
The idea of adding a Crop is releavant if I considere Karakas & Bojuka. Probably test that technology a little, even if cutting the 4rth Entomb didn't seems great for me at first. Entomb is good in your opening against near every match-up, but I can search a Wasteland also with crop, so...
The thing is, that the match-up against Lands and Storm are gonna be solved more in game 2 & 3 with sideboard cards.
I can cut effectively a Waste if I play a Crop, that can be considere, yeah.
For thoughtseize, definitely not. Life points are too much relevant, what cards do you have in mind that inquisition or duress do not take and you absolutely want to remove from their hand ? Never face such a case until now (maybe Academy Rector), and I prefer be more conservative with my life. If it's just for FOW, I can turn around and force them to spend two cards. And now we have Assassin Trophy to deal with JaceTMS.
For pernicious, it was just to have something to control the game permanently just by having it on board. Bontu is in sideboard, toxic too much life to spend. Also deed deal with permanents other than creatures (equipment, vial, chalice, creepy enchantments...) Ok, it's slow, it's an old school card, and not synergystic with mox but you're playing loam, so loose a mox I think it's not really impacting.
Liliana last hope seems great because it's also a finisher. Darkblast do near the same and if fetchable with entomb, and second capacity of this Lili don't serve us at all. But I think she's good enough to find a slot somewhere, maybe in sideboard.
Major difference between Lost Legacy (I considere it a time) and Sadistic Sacrament is you can choose 3 "different cards" and that's huge. Against Miracles, taking the Entreat the Angels and two Jace is a big deal. Against Reanimator, different stuffs. Against Storm, game over. But you're right, the 3rd black mana to cast it isn't anecdotic and can be relevant. But I take that risk because you're gonna be reward more and the card is more impactful than Lost Legacy by a lot. Also, I'm on a BG list so just 1 Mishra, 1 Forest and Wastes if I don't draw an Urborg. I don't know if the card is so good enough to take two slots, but definitely don't add Lost Legacy as a replacement.
25 lands 2 mox seems good for me for as long I'm playing the deck. That said, a third one don't offense me.
And thank you very much for your thoughts about the list ;-) ! Always helpful to improve our approach of the list.
@Hardcore : a delightful reward for playing a weird card ;-)
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