Thanks for sharing your list! Since you had success with the list, I had some questions:
1. There are only 4 win conditions maindeck, and 1 sideboard. Is closing out a game ever a problem for you? Or do you simply find win conditions easier with tutors?
2. I see you only run two planeswalkers. Do you not consider Liliana of the Veil that important?
3. When exactly do you board in Akuta, Born of Ashes?
Hi Brad,
Ok, :
-1 : Closing out a game never be a problem in any game, even against Miracles where I sided out both Nether Spirit and the Brownscale because of STP. The thing is dredging Loam bring you naturally your threats in the gyard and you always find them. Also, you have Entomb to find them. Against all the match-up that didn't run white for STP, Nether Spirit and the Brownscale are efficient enough. Remember that you also run Cabal Pit and Darkblast so even a Gurmag don't stay long in defense when you have controlled the board. 4 life per turn is what you want, you just have to combine 2 threats.
-2 : It's weird to say that Liliana of the Veil is not THAT important, in fact it's half true. Think a time of playing a third, but I really think that in my list, two is the right number. Someone make me considere a Liliana last hope in sideboard and it's probably a good card to test. I can only add that, after playtest a lot, most of the time you want a Liliana when you've already controlled the board and not before. So you don't need to have one in your opening. You're also running 3x SmallPox that make quite the same effect. I think it's not an error to play a third, I just think it's not an absolute necessity or auto-include.
-3 : Akuta is here to add some pressure against deck like ANT where controlling just the hand isn't good enough. You have to add more pressure until they assemble combo pieces. So I bring it in against combo match-up like ANT, Sneak&Show and Reanimator. Also, it's not bad against non-white Jace deck like Grixis Control (with entomb you can surprisingly kill a Jace). Probably I bring it in also against MUD match-ups and Burn. The big problem sometimes is that it requires you to have more cards in hand than your opponent the time you want to reanimate it, so you have to considere keeping more lands in hand and/or dredging loam-cast loam to have a ~full grip. If you have a better card to advise, I take it ;-) (Centaur Vinecrusher isn't one of them ;-)
++
There is also Rot Farm Skeleton which does a similar thing, but I don't have any experience with Loam versions so I'm not sure which would be easier to return
Rot Farm Skeleton
2BG Plant Skeleton
4/1
Rot Farm Skeleton can't block
2BG, Put the top 4 cards of your library into your graveyard: Return Rot Farm Skeleton from your graveyard to the battlefield. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Four mana is a lot. I toyed with it in EDH where mana is opulent, but in Legacy while you're playing Smallpox it's not exactly efficient. I tried Gigapede, which doesn't require any mana to get back, but was still hard to cast at five mana. Undead Gladiator was actually decent because it had an alternative use as a cycler, but a slower clock.
One of my favorite interactions for BG Pox is Eternal Witness + Unearth. It's just so good! Abysmally slow as a clock though.
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
I usto run 2x Bloodghast as my free creature option.. pretty good at closing the game where you'd want Akuta imo...
Bloodghast is the easiest way, it just somehow a lit bit weak to add pressure if you only bring one to the battlefield. I have to reconsidere my entire strategy (turn it more agro-control and plaiying at least three bloodghast, which is a way to explore), but if I want to keep this deck a straight control/prison deck, I'm probably try to find at least a 3-power creature that can be fetch with entomb.
Akuta seems per default the best option, but Undead Gladiator is probably a bullet to test also, it has some nice capacities sygergizing with the rest of the list, maybe a lit bit slow (wait for the upkeep and pay 1B, then cast it).
I considere also playing three Tarmos in the sideboard.
Hi all,
long time lurker here.
Playing mono-b-pox causaly since long time, when chimeric idol was used in this deck.
I wanted to share this with you guys, because i got much information from here and also mtgsalvation. But there is no pox thread anymore. I dont know why, it disappeared one day. Otherwise, i assume you are interested in reports. So, here it its.
Today i played my first official Tournament at a LGS nearby. There were four rounds played.
It was really fun and i went there not expecting anything good results, but getting some experience in real life playing (foreign peoples).
I practised and experimented alot with my list in the past few weeks (online). I have to say, that i do not have this expensive cards and im a kind of oldschool guy. So i mention cards i use, which see likely no play in maindecks:
2x Ratchet Bomb
4x Pox
1x Spyglass
I know, big pox is not used nowadays, but in my testings against actual metagem decks, it was like a MVP, because when this resolved, it won me the game most of times (play it alongside Lilianas). In combination with mishras, bloodghasts or netherspirit, the delve guys and some other disruption you can often kill enemies before they can stabilize their game. Ratchet Bomb in main ist a result for chalices and other cheap stuff, you can wipe away.
I do not exactly recognize every step of the games, because i was really nervous at first and it was for me really exhausting too.
So i tell you guys what i remember. Im not native english speaker, so excuse me for weird wordings.
My first round was against URW Phoenix.
1. I start with hand disruption and resolve resolve pox on T3 and T4. He had Phoenixes in the grave, but not enough spells to get them back. Bloodghast and Mishra seal the game.
2. He starts with ponder or brainstorm. In my first turn i start with inquisition and took his buried alive. He had a mentor and some other stuff.
Turn two hymn him and he resolved the mentor on his turn. I answer it with a Pox and waste his dual. Finish the game with Mishra while disrupt his recovery.
(2:0)
Second game was against DnT.
1.Game one went forth and back, but i could killed his Thalia with innocent blood and his crusader with a bomb on three. I was at six life forcing him to discard his stuff and killed him with bloodghast.
2. I sideboarded engineered Plague and resolved it, after he had some board presence. So double mother of runes were gone and he had one revoker left. I had a bloodghast and mishra. After smallpoxing his revoker i beat him with both. He vialed in flickerwisp two times. Both times he blocked and flickered my liliana. Then i drew a Angler and he scooped.
(2:0)
Third games was against aggro loam.
1. This was really fast. He got really big knights and killed me, because i drew nothing special.
2. Second game he flooded and i killed him slowly with mishra (he trophied a mishra one time) and bloodghast.
3. I was not able to get control over the game and he killed me with his knights.
(1:2)
I have not much experience with this type of deck and was not sure how to sideboard.
The last round was against like an eldrazi hybrid build.
He had these little ones (Reshaper and TKS) and some more expensive one for 6-7 mana (dont know the names). Other cards he played were grim monolith, all is dust and chalice.
1. First game was quick. I kill most of lands and and Angler + Bloodghast kill him quicker than he can recover.
2. On turn two he resolved a TKS and turn three a big one. The TKS was crucial, because it took my pox i wanted to cast on next turn. I had a Netherspirit, but he had a faerie macabre. So, he was able to kill me fast.
3. I took his grim monolith on turn one. Than i punched him a few turns with mishra. He finally casts a Trinisphere, trying to stop me casting spells. But i had drawn three wastelands this game and so i pinged him with mishra to 6 life in combination with Liliana (i resolved it a turn after he got trinisphere out.) and some disruption spells (hymn e.g.). As i cast an Tombstalker, he scoops.
I enjoyed playing the deck and it was a great experience, but 3:1 i was not expecting at all.
Thx for reading, questions welcome.
Best regards!
[I'll photograph your wedding for Reserved List cards]
BEST PEASANT CUBE EVER.
http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/35136
900 Card Monstrosity. IG: naynayscube
Hi all,
oh yes i forgot the list. Sry, i was focused on remembering the games, so i didnt add my list.
So, here it is:
Lands (24)
10x Swamp
4x Urborg
4x Mishra
4x Wasteland
1x Bojuka Bog
1x Maze of Ith
____________
Sorceries (21)
1x Duress
3x Inquisiton
1x Thoughtseize
4x Hymn
4x Smallpox
4x Pox
1x Beseech the Queen
3x Innocent Blood
____________
Instants (5)
3x Dark Ritual
2x Disfigure
____________
Creatures (7)
1x Nether Spirit
4x Bloodghast
1x Angler
1x Tombstalker
____________
Artifacts (3)
1x Spyglass
2x Ratchet Bomb
___________
Planeswalkers (2)
2x Liliana
__________
__________
Sideboard:
Artifacts (6)
1x Needle
1x Spyglass
2x Bridge
2x Relic
________
Sorceries (4)
2x Lost Legacy
2x Bontu`s last reckoning
_______
Instants (2)
2x Extirpate
_______
Enchantments (2)
2x Engineered Plague
________
Planeswalker (1)
Liliana last hope
__________
__________
I know this list is 61 cards, but i had to make a decision between one tutor or no tutor at all, so i decided to run one beseech as card 61. It seems, many people dont like lists, with more than 60 cards. Personaly, i dont care ;-).
One time it was relevant, because it won me a match due to tutoring a pox.
This List, lacks good graveyard hate, but luckily i wasnt paired with the dredge players.
Personally i would like to play Faeries/ Surgicals/ Leylines (maybe with Helm) as six sb cards of choice.
Best regards!
Glad you had success with the deck, always good to hear. If I might make a suggestion though, with 4 Smallpox, and 4 Pox, running only 24 land and no Crucible of Worlds does not seem optimal. I would suggest dropping the number of Pox to maybe 2, and add an additional land, this would also bring you down to 60 cards.
The percentage points are rather small when you weigh a 60 card deck vs a 61 card deck, but being as Pox has no cantrips, actual card advantage, or deck manipulation I think it needs all the help it can get.
I run 4 small and 4 big pox in my list, with 24 lands and i concur with this statement. After 1 or two pox, i find it difficult to get back to 3 lands sometimes and just have to hope my board state gets there (a ghast or affliction usually). most of th etime it does, but it gets worrisome at times!
I would never register a Pox list without Crucible of Worlds. They are super affordable, I would get 1-2 copies into the 75. Recurring Wasteland is a big draw, but even getting back Swamps and Factories is just plain card advantage after Poxing. It's even more reliable if you're splashing a Beseech the Queen to find it.
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
Yes, you were right about the number of lands and your suggestions are very much appreciated!
I am unsure about the "right" number. I started with 27, 26, 25 and went down to 24, because i flooded more often and it felt like to not have enough "ammunition" for constantly disruption.
Sure, in test games i kept enough promising one land hands, just to get punished not drawn a land (or colorless) right at time, so i could not cast eg a hymn or smallpox. Like ronco wrote, there seems to be sometimes a "high tension" if your a land will be your next draw to cast something you want to.
Cutting Pox, i dont know. Maybe i try 3 copies. Its effect is to good to miss and sure, given to every individual boardstates it should be appropriate timed.
No topdeck manipulation is a huge drawback. Im testing cards like darksteel pendant right now, because i could not find other cards besides the card Crystal ball. But it is expensive and it does nothing as it comes into play.
Crucible is very good, no doubt. I started at the beginning with one in main and one in sb, but decide to cut it, because of other things. Likely you are right about 1 in the 75 with a beseech of the queen and the advantages if you can resolve it are, like you say a big draw.
I will cut the Rituals and add +1 Swamp and maybe some other stuff.
Best Regards!
To add my two cents, this is one reason I really like Syphon Life. My reasoning is that this card allows us to run more lands, as we are want to do, and then turn them into a top deck win condition as the game progresses, making the deck more consistent. When it's in the graveyard, ~40% of your library is now a 4 point life difference, whereas before it was just another land leading to mana flooding.
In practice, these points have proven themselves to be true to me. A plus side is that Syphon Life can be discarded to Liliana or Smallpox and your opponent even forgets it's there until 5 turns later. Another advantage is that it gives us a few extra points of life, as we oftentimes get to a low life total before turning the game into our favor.
I second the notion that Crucible of Worlds is a solid inclusion for us, and obviously complements Syphon Life as well.
I went 4-0 today at the LGS.
After facing Grixis control last Tuesday I added two Darkblast to the deck. As luck would have it my opponents played, Delver, Delver , Maverick and Delver (in that order)
The deck:
4 Bloodghast
2 Tombstalker
4 Shrieking Affliction
1 Buried Alive
4 Hymn to Tourach
3 Collective Brutality
4 Smallpox
4 Pox
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Darkblast
4 Liliana of the Veil
2 Liliana, the Last Hope
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Polluted Delta
4 Marsh Flats
13 Swamp
1 Wasteland
SIDEBOARD
4 Surgical Extraction
3 Vampire Hexmage
4 Pithing Needle
4 Engineered Plague
Exciting games but i can't recall that much. Most interesting thing was that my opponents tested Pteramander. It may stay, as extra delvers, but the original is probably better.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)