[Deck] Sultai Control Depths

[Madmankevinx]

I have been playing around with a brew for a little while and am starting to feel that there is potential here with it after some grinding with friends. Pernicious Deed is so underplayed in Legacy and it really shines here. Basic strategy should be obvious upon looking at the list. Control the board and make a Marit Lage. Plan B is Jace or man-lands. The deck is certainly weak game 1 to burn and dredge but that can be remedied after sideboarding. I always seem to overlook something when I brew so I am looking forward to input from anyone who feels up to it. Believe me though, this deck can really just win out of nowhere and doesn't always go late like miracles etc. So here is the current list:

2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Liliana of the Veil

3 Force of Will
2 Counterspell
2 Spell Pierce
4 Brainstorm
4 Abrupt Decay
1 Dig Through Time
3 Crop Rotation

3 Ponder
2 Hymn to Tourach
3 Thoughtseize
1 Maelstrom Pulse

3 Pernicious Deed

2 Dark Depths
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale

3 Polluted Delta
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Verdant Catacombs
3 Underground Sea
2 Bayou
1 Tropical Island
2 Thespian's Stage
2 Island
2 Swamp
1 Forest
2 Creeping Tar Pit

Sideboard can be tuned for any meta in these colors. I like a set of Leyline of Sanctity in a burn heavy meta but chill could be good too. Graveyard hate is a must also. I won't bore you with my board since my meta is very screwed up with a lot of budget brews mixed in with our "real" decks currently...

[Blastoderm]

Your opponent keeping up a wasteland to target dark depths shuts off your combo completely as you have no wastelands of your own. Could be a problem.

[Madmankevinx]

Very true. Pithing Needle and Life from the Loam or Crucible of Worlds in the board help against the Wasteland decks. Game one against a known Wasteland deck I'll wait until I can respond to a wasteland by casting Crop Rotation in response with 2 mana up to make an instant speed Marit Lage. It's not actually hard to pull off as in most G1s they will target my duals with their wastelands.

[snorlaxcom]

Needs moar loam. Makes Jace/brainstorm and Lili much better. Recovering the combo if you pitch pieces to Lili is a thing.

I'd cut a 1 depths + stage in favor of 2 wasteland. Loams instead pulse and dig through time. Crop rotation has a lot less utility here, Bog and karakas meh. Burn looks to be horrible, but you can packs some chills.

[Madmankevinx]

I will definitely try -1 Maelstrom Pulse for +1 Life from the Loam main deck.

[Blastoderm]

My current Dark Depths control deck is straight G/B with 4 loam and 3 sensei's top (absolutely insane with loam).
Wastelocking with loam ends so many games.

It can also act as a fast combo since it maindecks 4 vampire hexmage. I have no trouble racing burn or other combo decks like show and tell anymore.

[Madmankevinx]

Care to share your list in here?

[Blastoderm]

Care to share your list in here?

4 Vampire Hexmage

4 Smallpox
4 Abrupt Decay
2 Toxic Deluge

3 Sensei's Divining Top
2 Sylvan Library

4 Life from the loam
4 Exploration
4 Crop rotation

4 Dark Depths
3 Urborg Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Thespian's Stage
4 Bayou
1 Forest
1 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Windswept Heath
1 Marsh Flats
4 Wasteland
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Cabal Pit

SB:

4 Duress
4 Thoughtseize
4 Choke
1 Bojuka Bog
2 Krosan Grip

This is my current iteration after about a 2 years of testing (versions which included hymn to tourach, liliana, living wish, entomb, maindeck discard, etc).

The 4 exploration provides the much needed capability of playing your combo lands while using wasteland/loam as well as making another token after it is removed. Vs a friend playing miracles he was able to terminus/swords/snapcaster+swords my token every turn until I reached about 150 life. Finally I got through.
Top is just dumb with loam. Allows you to effectively see 9 cards if you dredge+fetch. It also protects loam against deathrite and surgical extraction.
Sylvan library is another great engine especially against decks with swords to plowshares.
3 tops+2 library provide nice card selection if you face relic of progenitus or RiP.

An important thing to note is that vampire hexmage and the extra dark depths (2) used to be sideboard. They were there to race faster combo (sneakshow, elves, burn, reanimator, storm) or to punish decks with no easy way to remove marit lage (BUG). Vampire was also needed against planeswalkers. I realized I was siding this package in almost every game. The vampire also provides some early on defense as it's first strike.

I really enjoy this iteration of the deck as it's not all-in like different iterations of combo depths and can recover nicely if your token is removed. It can control games easily with wastelock+cabal pit.
It always threatens a super fast kill if your opponent has no way of interacting.

I've always made top8 everytime I bring this to local monthly events (30ish players). I also went 6-3 at GP NJ unfortunately misplaying in a very good matchups due to nerves and facing stupid matchups like painters. Still frustrated to this day as I could have easily crushed into Day 2.. :(
I did have the pleasure of beating miracles three times though.

[death]

I find the lack of Deathrite Shaman in this thread... disturbing

[Blastoderm]

I find the lack of Deathrite Shaman in this thread... disturbing

Useless bad card for what we're trying to accomplish.

[death]

DRS is not only mana ramp but also built in hate card against decks that can kill you before you really do anything (Reanimator, Dredge, Lands, Jund, ANT, MUD).

[Blastoderm]

DRS is not only mana ramp but also built in hate card against decks that can kill you before you really do anything (Reanimator, Dredge, Lands, Jund, ANT, MUD).

Bojuka bog is way better for that purpose. Threating turn 2-3 tokens is doing something.

[Madmankevinx]

if I were to run creatures in my list, I would have to cut the Pernicious Deeds for the awkward situations they would create that I would have to play around. I have run lists similar with a mix of DRS, Strix, Clique and TNN before. It was fun but I am liking this creature-less version better atm.

[Blastoderm]

if I were to run creatures in my list, I would have to cut the Pernicious Deeds for the awkward situations they would create that I would have to play around. I have run lists similar with a mix of DRS, Strix, Clique and TNN before. It was fun but I am liking this creature-less version better atm.

Agreed. With deeds, deluge, smallpox creatures become really bad. You're moving into Shardless BUG territory by adding stuff like Deathrite. I have also played dark depths decks with knight of the reqliquary, dark confidant, etc... it was clunky and I hated it. I'd rather dedicate slots to control the game or to help my combo.

[UseLess]

Blastoderm, any reason for not running a single Sejiri Steppe (to protect e.g. against swords for a turn)? Seems to be serving a similar purpose as Shizo, but with better protection instead of making on-color mana. Just curious if you tested it.

I was about to ask about Dark Confidant, but your last reply kind of answered that. Do you really want 4 Dark Depths or would 3 suffice as well? I've never been a fan of running four of them, but then again I used to run a bit slower lists I guess.

[Blastoderm]

Blastoderm, any reason for not running a single Sejiri Steppe (to protect e.g. against swords for a turn)? Seems to be serving a similar purpose as Shizo, but with better protection instead of making on-color mana. Just curious if you tested it.

I was about to ask about Dark Confidant, but your last reply kind of answered that. Do you really want 4 Dark Depths or would 3 suffice as well? I've never been a fan of running four of them, but then again I used to run a bit slower lists I guess.

3 dark depths is also fine. This list was created during the Treasure Cruise era where burn and UR burn was everywhere. I really wanted 4 in the main. If your meta is full of combo especially show and tell/reanimator/storm and even burn I would recommend sticking with 4.

Seijiri Steppe is quite nice. I do use it in turbo depths (version with lotus petals and ESG) when I'm in a "belcher" type of mood. Shizo has the benefit of adding black mana, doesn't come into play tapped and can be used later on. Maybe I'll try both in the main though, thanks for the suggestion :)

As for creatures, Dark Confidant is probably the only one I would run besides Hexmage. I know someone at my store who plays a similar list to mine and it's his only creature.

[Madmankevinx]

I'm contemplating making room for 1-2 Snapcaster Mage in my main also just as a surprise blocker with added value. Might open up the possibility of some nice 2-1's.