[Deck] Werewolf Lockdown

[Neo900]

1.What is Werewolf Lockdown
2.What cards does the deck play?
3.How does the deck play/work?
4.The deck's place in the meta
5.Why would you play it over other Stompy decks?


What is Werewolf Lockdown?

Werewolf Lockdown is a stompy deck which forces the opponent out of the game with hatepieces like Chalice of the Void, Blood Moon and Trinisphere. Once your opponent isn't able to cast any spells or just a few ones of the whole deck, you drop a Werewolf which is a 5/5 creature when it is transformed.

The stompy strategy isn't new and featured in many decks: Eldrazi (Stompy), Mono red Prison/Dragon Stompy, Soldier/Thalia Stompy, Steel Stompy...

They have all a few things in common: They play expensive (strong) creatures, Planeswalkers and other win conditions, mostly starting with a cmc of 3.

I want to give credit to "Afro Dave" who showed (t)his deck online in "Inside the Deck". Link to the video here.


What cards does the deck play?

If you followed the link to the video you are pretty familiar with the card choices. But this is from 2014 and propably a bit outdated. You can find my list here where I try to keep it up to date.

Shall we take a look at it?


Mana base:

Being mono red is an advantage; no Wasteland interaction, benefits from Blood Moon and you only need 9 Mountains, pretty cheap.

To get a nice start with first turn Blood Moon and Chalice, you play so called sol lands (providing 2 colorless mana). A playset of each, Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors.

I like to have a Cavern of Souls, sometimes you don't have a Blood Moon (effect) and get nearly your whole deck couner proof with Cavern named Human.

The deck adds another form of fast mana with 4 Chrome Mox and 4 Simian Spirit Guides to its list, which gives you access to 3 mana in the first turn; enough for Blood Moon and Trinisphere.


Prison effects:

The deck wouldn't be a stompy deck without its prison elements which means you lockdown your opponent and leaving him unable to cast everything.

4 Chalice of the Void are pretty common in every stompy strategy what causes high prices on this card. A Chalice for X=1 in the first turn destroys many decks right away due to all the low cost spells in Legacy.

Many Legacy decks are up to 4 colors and are playing a ton of non basics; 4 Blood Moon and 3 Magus of the Moon should take care of it.

2 Phyrexian Revoker can lockwon abilities; Aether Vial, Mox Diamond, Lion's Eye Diamond; the list is long.

2 Trinisphere makes everything cost at least 3 mana to cast; no free spells for your opponent.


Creatures:

The deck uses the ability of 4 Imperial Recruiter to play a toolbox or increase the virtual number of your win conditions; 4 Hanweir Watchkeep and 2 Instigator Gang.

As toolbox cards you have:

1 Jaya Ballard, Task Mage; a great card to remove creatures and blue permanents.

1 Manic Vandal; simple artifact hate.

1 Avalanche Riders; to destroy basic lands on the opponents site while Blood Moon is in play or utility lands if you don't have a Moon,

To get some cardadvantage I like to play 4 Sin Prodder. Somehow a red Dark Confidant. Gives your opponeng the option: burn or extra card. With so many cmc 3 spells every card your opponent denies you is a Lightning Bolt. And with menace this devil is a great attacker, too.


The list has 2 flexslots. I like to fill them with Umezawa's Jitte; Jitte is one of the strongest equipments; removal, lifegain and a pump spell, closing the game even faster.


Sideboard:

Being red gives you the option to mass removal. Bonfre of the Damned, for extra burn and Kozilek's Return are good ones.

Sulfur Elemental is great against Death and Taxes (and Monastery Mentor) which is on a rise after the banning of Deathrite Shaman.

Tormod's Crypt and Faerie Macabre against graveyards. The Faerie can be also a target for the Recruiter.

Some combo hate with Pyrostatic Pillar and Uxx control doesn't like Boil.

Sudden Shock is great against Delver (which should have a hard time anyway) but also Infect and Death and Taxes.

By Force is great against artifacts; Affinity and Steel Stompy mostly.


How does the deck work?

It's super easy. Play Chalice of the Void, Blood Moon and hit them with a 5/5 Werewolf. At least a few times you can accomplish this.

As described above, you want to take your opponent out of the game. Many Legacy decks don't like Chalice because 50% of their deck costs 1. Blood Moon (and Magus) destroys manabases, decks with 3 colors and only 2 basics gets a hard time without Deathrite Shaman and Trinisphere Taxes everything your opponent does; no free Force of Will, Daze and cheap spells.

You are an aggro deck and your creatures are bigger, often times. Instígator Gang gives your team another boost and swinging with a 5/2 Magus of the Moon is hard.

Sin Prodder helps you to be aggressive. Either they take damage or lose against the card advantage you get out of it.


Another advantage shell you have is by playing Imperial Recruiter. Imperial Recruiter finds not only your win conditions in form of your Werewolves, it allows you to have access to a toolbox.

Phyrexian Revoker, Avalanche Riders, Manic Vandal and Jaya Ballard, Task Mage.

Everything you need for nearly every situation.


The deck's place in the meta

Deathrite Shaman is gone and without the Shaman there is less mana fixing. Less mana fixing means: Blood Moon is way stronger.

With the Chalice and Trinisphere package every combo deck has a hard time.

The new control deck which is quite good is Miracles at the moment.

Chalice+Trinisphere is also great against them and with a fast clock we can pressure the Míracle player very hard.

The creature based strategy of th meta is probably Death and Taxes. With red we have access to the best removal: Kozilek's Return, Bonfire of the Damned, Pyroclasm; the list is long.

I think the deck can get along. It has all the tools you need to be successful.


Why would you play it over other Stompy decks?

The deck has the same weaknesses and strength like every other stompy deck.

Mostly consistency is a huge problem. Sin Prodder tries to balance this out but is not as effectiv as cantrips like Brainstorm, Ponder etc.

If you want a unique deck which has access to an effectiv toolbox and a unique win condítion in form of cool werewolves this could be for you.

[Von]

I think the current iteration of red stompy evolved from this exact deck. I think for this to be played it need to bring something unique to the table. For example the Chandra verison stops creatures and wins without using combat. Goblin version are all army in a cans so it can create a board with a single card.

I'm not sure what werewolfs bring to the table.