[Deck] Food Chain Combo

[janchu88]

Played at mkm Hamburg with food chain, went 7-2 and got 15th of 299 in the end. Sadly didnt make it, but im fine with the Performance anyway.

Thats the 75 i Played

Creatures:17
3 Walking Ballista
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Baleful Strix
1 Eternal Scourge
2 Leovold, Emissary of Trest
1 Trinket Mage
2 Misthollow Griffin

Spells:24
4 Brainstorm
2 Fatal Push
4 Ponder
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Abrupt Decay
3 Manipulate Fate
4 Food Chain
4 Force of Will

Lands:19
1 Bayou
1 Forest
2 Island
3 Misty Rainforest
4 Polluted Delta
1 Swamp
2 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
3 Verdant Catacombs

Sideboard:15
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Flusterstorm
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Hydroblast
2 Surgical Extraction
4 Thoughtseize
1 Collective Brutality
1 Engineered Plague
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Mindbreak Trap

Those were my matchups:

Round 1: Bye
Round 2: True name BUG 2:0
Round 3: merfolk 2:0
Round 4: punishing Maverick 2:0
Round 5: elves 0-2
Round 6: stifle grixis 0-2
Round 7: UB Reanimator 2-1
Round 8: aggro loam 2-0
Round 9: czech pile 2-1

Some Details on the Games in particular will follow, since im Posting this on my mobile phone currently

[mike1987]

Seen many lists with 4 ponders, instead of the usual 2 ponder, 2 thoughtseize.

How has it been working out for you guys? Seems like you are giving up game 1 against fast combo and focusing on sb in game 2 and 3.

[JackaBo]

Seen many lists with 4 ponders, instead of the usual 2 ponder, 2 thoughtseize.

How has it been working out for you guys? Seems like you are giving up game 1 against fast combo and focusing on sb in game 2 and 3.

I dont mind running thoughtseizes if the meta so requires. But they take slots from removal (i.e push, decay and strix). 4 ponder should be the norm IMO regardsless if you fight permanents or spells with your filler-cards.

[Absolutflipz]

I run 3 Thoughtseize/3 Ponder (and then 2 Decay/0 Push main).

Between 3 Ballista, 3 Strix, and the couple Decays I feel good enough on removal game 1.

Going to 3 Ponder also seems safe as the deck already has 4Bstorm/3 Manip Fate/3-4 Strix/0-1 Relic so you're pretty cantrip-heavy. Really, arguing over 3/4 Ponder isn't going to matter much, though.

And I personally don't think Thoughtseize is just for the unfair matchups; Thoughtseize is just an extremely powerful play for 1 mana against fair decks as well. You'll save yourself so much life by punching a hole in your opponent's plan even if it's taking a threat like Delver/Pyro/Leo or removing a Push/Decay/Counterspell/K-Command.

The card I miss is probably some number of Fatal Push for Deathrite specifically, but I like having the MD slanted with the Thoughtseizes as I think the deck already lines up decently against decks where you'd want more Decay/Pushes and Thoughtseize gives you more game against the stupid stuff like RB Belcher I mean Reanimator, Storm, Sn&Sh, and the like.

My 2 cents.

[JackaBo]

I agree thoughtseize is great in the opening hand. But it's a pretty bad topdeck versus fair decks. Then I'd rather topdeck removal. But if you're meta is like 50% combo or heavy control i would play thoughtseize too. To me the 4 ponders are not negotiable. Nothing has increased my winrate as much as going up to 4.

[ORDAL]

Congrats for the great performance!

May i just consult you for your sideboarding options against Czech Pile and delver strategies, namely grixis and RUG.

Following your list (i replaced flusterstorms with mindbreak trap cause i think its more suited to my meta) this is what i might do:

Against RUG Delver: +2 edict, +2 flusterstorms, -4 FOW

Against Grixis Delver: +2 Plague, -2 FOW

Against Czech Pile: +2 Hydroblast, +2 Vendillion Clique, -4 FOW


I am not sure if boarding out FOWs is acceptable in fair match-ups, thats my first thought. Anyone please feel free to chime in, thanks!

Hi man, i prefer do not bring in clique vs 4c... Because her trigger dont have a great impact on the game for that deck, and also have always a short life.... (strix,bolt,decay,kommand,push) its better keep 2 fow or put in 2 discard fopr protect your play

[hurlman81]

Hey everyone. So I have been on and off food chain since the printing of the griff. I have been grinding this deck pretty hard since I am heading to Eternal Weekend. I took down 2 4-0 at the eternal weekend qualifiers at GP indy and a couple top 16 in the challenges. I recently had a 10th from the MTGO legacy challenge.

10th Place


2 Underground Sea
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Tropical Island
1 Swamp
3 Polluted Delta
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Island
1 Forest
1 Bayou
1 Sylvan Library
4 Food Chain
4 Force of Will
4 Brainstorm
3 Abrupt Decay
2 Ponder
3 Manipulate Fate
4 Walking Ballista
1 Nimble Obstructionist
3 Misthollow Griffin
2 Leovold, Emissary of Trest
1 Eternal Scourge
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Baleful Strix

Sideboard
1 Blue Elemental Blast
2 Diabolic Edict
1 Dismember
2 Flusterstorm
1 Golgari Charm
1 Hydroblast
1 Invasive Surgery
1 Pithing Needle
3 Surgical Extraction
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Vendilion Clique


So as you can see I have a couple flex spots in the deck. I have been looking to shave a land possibly, it seems like 19 would be fine. Here are the big 2 im sure everyone has questions about.


Nimble Obstructionist
Sylvan Library


So sylvan is kind of on the chopping block. It gives SO much power against the fair decks, but dies to abrupt decay easily. I know by cutting the thoughtseize I am conceding some more points to the combo decks, but its such a terrible card late against fair decks. There are a LOT of fair decks in various metas I have been playing.

Nimble obstructionist has been killing it. I side it out for the clique in the storm matches. I also side it out against pile decks, but all the other decks are pretty amazing. I even got an elves player with his natural ordered craterhoof trigger. I cant tell you how many times I have gotten an activation from a planeswalker, deathrite, fetch etc with that card. The really nice part of it is that I can flash it in at end of turn with food chain on the board to start the combo if needed. I also use it as surprise chump blocks against marit liege until I can get my infinite blockers down with my griffins. There are very few times I wish it was another card, its very versatile outside of the storm matchups.

If I was going to replace a card I think the sylvan library goes for a liliana the last hope. I also am not in love with the dismember in the SB.

Please let me know what you think.

[shopshopshop]

Why would you side out the Obstructionist against Storm? It can counter a Storm trigger, which seems reason enough to leave it in.

[Demitro13]

Hey guys. So while I've been successful against elves for the most part, I've been pretty unsure about exactly what I want to side out of the deck. The cards I'm siding in are: 2 golgari charm, 1 deluge, 2 thoughtseize, 1 grafdigger cage, and 1 invasive surgery. Am I over boarding? What should I prioritize siding out? Let me know what ya'll think. Peace

[JackaBo]

Why would you side out the Obstructionist against Storm? It can counter a Storm trigger, which seems reason enough to leave it in.

I totally second this. On the other hand, I can't really see why this would be better than clique in main.

I think you might wanna consider murderous cut. It's one mana in the midgame, kills everything dismember kills and resetts dead griffins.

[JackaBo]

Hey guys. So while I've been successful against elves for the most part, I've been pretty unsure about exactly what I want to side out of the deck. The cards I'm siding in are: 2 golgari charm, 1 deluge, 2 thoughtseize, 1 grafdigger cage, and 1 invasive surgery. Am I over boarding? What should I prioritize siding out? Let me know what ya'll think. Peace

I board out 4 strixes. They are the only cards that are pretty bad. In comes 3 sweepers, and a flusterstorm. Seems like you overboard, what do you cut?

It's very hard to win a grindy game unless you get lucky with sweepers. So the best way to win is stop their combo and win with your own combo.

Decay are slow but they might board into choke.

Leo, DRS, BS ponder all stay

FOW is necessary since they are faster

[militiaman89]

Been messing around with 2 versions which i cluded and white and excluded black. Both have been surprisingly resilent and fun to play. The first is a more value combo kill the second is a midrange food chain with the kill.
4x foodchain
4x ravens familiar
4x mulldrifter
4x misthollow griffin
4x force of will
4x noble heirarch
4x recruiter of the guard
2x walking ballista
1x eternal witness
4x coiling oracle
2x enlightened tutor
1x opposition

New hybrid idea due to my love of food chain
4x food chain
4x recruiter of the guard
4x misthollow griffin
4x force of will
4x brainstorm
4x noble heirarch
1x birds of paradis
3x stoneforge mystic
2x walking ballista
1x basilisk collar
1x sofi
1x jitte
3x swords to plowshares
1x enlightened tutor
1x trinket mage
1x relic of progenitus
21 land

[Demitro13]

I board out 4 strixes. They are the only cards that are pretty bad. In comes 3 sweepers, and a flusterstorm. Seems like you overboard, what do you cut?

It's very hard to win a grindy game unless you get lucky with sweepers. So the best way to win is stop their combo and win with your own combo.

Decay are slow but they might board into choke.

Leo, DRS, BS ponder all stay

FOW is necessary since they are faster

I've been boarding out strix as you stated, and a murderous cut because it seems too slow for the match up. Think you're right about over boarding, I'll try just boarding in the 3 sweepers and an invasive surgery (which I like better than the two flusters I have in my board). In theory cage and thoughtseize seem good in the match up, but I think that theres just no room to board stuff out because the combo is quite good in the match up I've found.

[JackaBo]

I've been boarding out strix as you stated, and a murderous cut because it seems too slow for the match up. Think you're right about over boarding, I'll try just boarding in the 3 sweepers and an invasive surgery (which I like better than the two flusters I have in my board). In theory cage and thoughtseize seem good in the match up, but I think that theres just no room to board stuff out because the combo is quite good in the match up I've found.

Yeah since they probably board in decay Grafdigger loses some value. I find Elves rather easy due to the power of Ballista. But you need to buy time to get up to 4 mana to start pinging. He have fow and postboard we have sweepers plus more counters which gives us a chance to survive. All they can bring is decay, which is a really bad sideboard card versus us since their plan is to tap out every turn, and possibly discard, which can be fought with a sand-bagged brainstorm.

[hurlman81]

I totally second this. On the other hand, I can't really see why this would be better than clique in main.

I think you might wanna consider murderous cut. It's one mana in the midgame, kills everything dismember kills and resetts dead griffins.

I like the murderous cut idea, especially as a way to exile at instant speed. I have tried keeping obstructionist in against storm and its just a turn too slow it seems. I much rather rush a leovold and leave a blue open to draw into a flusterstorm. If im short on cards I keep it in.

[janchu88]

A very important lesson for All you fellow folks out there

When you have a Walking ballista with infinite counters in play and your opponent has glacial chasm online keep yelling at him every now and then, when you get priority. Just go like "543 DAMAGE TO THE FACE". Totally worth it, trust me

[Holmen]

Have been developing bant chain for a while.

4 Recruiter of the Guard
3 Swords to Plowshares

1 Griselbrand
2 Walking Ballista

1 Manipulate Fate
1 Fierce Empath
1 Eternal Scourge
2 Misthollow Griffin
3 Force of Will

1 Spell Pierce

2 Vendilion Clique

4 Brainstorm
2 Ponder

4 Food Chain
2 Birds of Paradise
4 Deathrite Shaman
3 Snapcaster Mage
1 Phyrexian Metamorph

4 Tropical Island
2 Savannah
1 Tundra
4 Windswept Heath
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Flooded Strand
1 Plains
2 Island
1 Forest

Board:

1 Flusterstorm
1 Xantid Swarm
1 Carpet of Flowers
1 Krosan Grip
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Pithing Needle
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
2 Faerie Macabre
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Force of Will
1 Gaddock Teeg


Played the deck in a local tournament today.

Match 1 against lands, on the draw. Game one I play Birds into chain, snappy, recruiter, combo off turn 2. Game two a turn one sphere locks me out. Game three is same as game one.
2-1

Match 2 against uw control. Game one on the play, I combo turn three with fow backup.
Game two carpet nets me a lot of mana, and I win on the back of griffins.
2-0

Match 3 against Shardless. Game one on the draw I grind him out with recruiter for snappys and plows. Game two I combo turn 2 on the draw on the back of turn one carpet+drs.
2-0

Match 4 against infect. Game one on the play I land ballista turn 2. Game two I board in Elesh Norn and play her turn 3.
2-0

The deck has potential, the concept is to switch Trinket for recruiter which is a lot more powerful, and multicolored value for singlecolored value for an easy chain. 6 mana dorks plus plows are great. The deck has some weaknesses over regular chain but comboes really fast, often turn 3 and sometimes on two. (Turn 3 with a bop in play and a chain+recruiter in hand is game.) Snappy improves the combo matchup and the fair games.

Food for thought! (Or the chain...)

[theMonster]

4-0d another FNM last night, beating Burn, Merfolk, Storm, and Sneak 'n' Show - not exactly the matchups I'd want to see, so I attribute this record to being on the better side of variance.

I'm feeling good about the deck, but I wanted to ask about the sideboard. My list, for reference:

4 Polluted Delta
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Verdant Catacombs
3 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
1 Bayou
2 Island
1 Swamp
1 Forest

4 Deathrite Shaman
3 Baleful Strix
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Leovold, Emissary of Trest
1 Eternal Scourge
3 Misthollow Griffin
1 Trinket Mage
3 Walking Ballista

4 Food Chain

2 Fatal Push
2 Abrupt Decay

4 Brainstorm
3 Ponder
3 Manipulate Fate
4 Force of Will

// sideboard //

1 Pithing Needle
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Flusterstorm
2 Thoughtseize
1 Invasive Surgery
2 Diabolic Edict
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Golgari Charm
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Vendilion Clique

I want to add something like a Murderous Cut for the Grixis matchup, as the one Edict I've been bringing in feels terrible due to Pyromancer. The question is what to cut. I'm considering trimming a Surgical Extraction since I only bring in one against non-Reanimator combo decks. I think the second Flusterstorm is useful in more matchups than the second Surgical. Now that I'm looking at it, perhaps I should play a third Thoughtseize (or even Collective Brutality, which should give me a couple points against Burn strategies) over the second Flusterstorm, but I'm not sure. And if I did play Brutality, would you bring it in against Elves? Kill a dude, take a Natural Order - does that ever happen?

If I did play Murderous Cut, I guess this would be my sideboard plan against Grixis Delver:

-2 Force of Will, -1 Food Chain, -1 Trinket Mage
+1 Murderous Cut, +1 Golgari Charm, +1 Toxic Deluge, +1 Flusterstorm

How's that look?

Thanks, y'all.

EDIT: I forgot about Lands, so I should keep two Surgicals in my sideboard. I guess I'll shave a Flusterstorm then.

[JackaBo]

4-0d another FNM last night, beating Burn, Merfolk, Storm, and Sneak 'n' Show - not exactly the matchups I'd want to see, so I attribute this record to being on the better side of variance.

I'm feeling good about the deck, but I wanted to ask about the sideboard. My list, for reference:

4 Polluted Delta
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Verdant Catacombs
3 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
1 Bayou
2 Island
1 Swamp
1 Forest

4 Deathrite Shaman
3 Baleful Strix
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Leovold, Emissary of Trest
1 Eternal Scourge
3 Misthollow Griffin
1 Trinket Mage
3 Walking Ballista

4 Food Chain

2 Fatal Push
2 Abrupt Decay

4 Brainstorm
3 Ponder
3 Manipulate Fate
4 Force of Will

// sideboard //

1 Pithing Needle
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Flusterstorm
2 Thoughtseize
1 Invasive Surgery
2 Diabolic Edict
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Golgari Charm
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Vendilion Clique

I want to add something like a Murderous Cut for the Grixis matchup, as the one Edict I've been bringing in feels terrible due to Pyromancer. The question is what to cut. I'm considering trimming a Surgical Extraction since I only bring in one against non-Reanimator combo decks. I think the second Flusterstorm is useful in more matchups than the second Surgical. Now that I'm looking at it, perhaps I should play a third Thoughtseize (or even Collective Brutality, which should give me a couple points against Burn strategies) over the second Flusterstorm, but I'm not sure. And if I did play Brutality, would you bring it in against Elves? Kill a dude, take a Natural Order - does that ever happen?

If I did play Murderous Cut, I guess this would be my sideboard plan against Grixis Delver:

-2 Force of Will, -1 Food Chain, -1 Trinket Mage
+1 Murderous Cut, +1 Golgari Charm, +1 Toxic Deluge, +1 Flusterstorm

How's that look?

Thanks, y'all.

EDIT: I forgot about Lands, so I should keep two Surgicals in my sideboard. I guess I'll shave a Flusterstorm then.

I have never played invasive in food chain. But how often have you drawn it and the exile effect was live? Unless it's been great for you i'd rather play 2 flusterstorms. Maybe cut one of the edicts? One has been ok for me. The strixes are great versus Anglers. Maybe you going down to three hurts a bit here?

Regarding your SB plan versus grixis. I dont take out fow versus delver decks. Cutting a few combo pieces to bring in sweepers or more removal seems good. I dont think you need flusterstorm in this MU.

[theMonster]

I have never played invasive in food chain. But how often have you drawn it and the exile effect was live? Unless it's been great for you i'd rather play 2 flusterstorms. Maybe cut one of the edicts? One has been ok for me. The strixes are great versus Anglers. Maybe you going down to three hurts a bit here?

Regarding your SB plan versus grixis. I dont take out fow versus delver decks. Cutting a few combo pieces to bring in sweepers or more removal seems good. I dont think you need flusterstorm in this MU.

Rarely does it exile the copies, but I've found it to be worlds better against Elves because they generally have mana to pay for Flusterstorm when they're ready to combo off. Also, against Storm, sometimes good pilots blind-name Flusterstorm with Cabal Therapy, so having Invasive Surgery diversifies my hate. But maybe these are too corner-case to merit playing I.S. over Flusterstorm.