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Thread: Pure Blade.

  1. #1

    Pure Blade.

    4x Puresteel Paladin
    4x Stoneforge Mystic
    4x Nimble Obstructionist

    4x Brainstorm
    1x Enlightened Tutor
    4x Ponder
    3x Swords to Plowshares
    3x Supreme Will
    1x Supreme Verdict
    4x Force of Will

    3x Sword of the Meek
    3x Thopter Foundry
    1x Time Sieve
    1x Jitte

    3x Flooded Strand
    2x Island
    2x Plains
    4x Polluted Delta
    4x Prismatic Vista
    1x Scrubland
    3x Tundra

    SB:
    2x Flusterstorm
    1x Swords to Plowshares
    2x Dovin's Verdict
    2x Supreme Verdict
    1x Blue Elemental Blast
    1x Hydroblast

    1x Time Sieve
    1x Batterskull

    2x Rest in Peace
    2x Oblivion Ring

    All of my testing has been mathematical so far. If you want to test the list, be aware it has no real world testing so far. Matchups should be similar to Stoneblade decks, but the clock is faster, and the combo is pretty much a lock against any decks that can't beat you before you get it in place.

    I do like Dispel and Spell Pierce in the Supreme Will slot, but I was trying something different. Nimble Obstructionist earned it's slot mathematically. Clique would be the alternative, but I don't like Clique against non combo decks, and drawing multiples is terrible. Nimble can have multiple copies on the board, and drawing more is always good.

    In heavy Stifle metas, I would run Dispel as a 3x maindeck. This deck could theoretically run Stifle, and I have a Wasteland build as well that does so, but this shell is the stabler of the builds I have come up with so far. This was intended to fight Maverick heavy metas. I have played enough Maverick to know how to beat it regularly. Maverick was my go to deck for years on MODO.

  2. #2
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    Re: Pure Blade.

    Urza, Lord High Artificer

    gives you infinite combo with sword/foundry? just play a singleton. you have a time sieve in there so you can take another turn after flipping your deck.

    thoughts?
    -rob

  3. #3
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    Re: Pure Blade.

    What do you mean by "mathematical"? Based on some ideal curve or ideal ratios, and if so where did you get them from?

    Nimble Obstructionist seems bad, especially as a 4-of. If you want a 3-drop that can carry equipment to victory and you don't want too many Cliques, what about True-Name Nemesis? Or maybe 2 Clique + 2 TNN? Flickerwisp is another option that has a lot of utility.

    Supreme Will seems weak. Spell Pierce seems better, since you have no non-FOW counters under 3 mana which is awkward (even your Stifle effect is 3 mana) and that limits your ability to interact or protect your pieces. You could also consider a mix of Snapcaster Mage and Spell Pierce. Snapcaster gives you those extra modes of Supreme Will: you can have more counters, or more cantrips, or even more spot removal.

    The 1 Supreme Verdict main is too slow to help against D&T (mana denial) or Elves (fast), so there are only some matchups where it's relevant. The 4th StP is probably better more often, especially if you add Snapcaster. Or replace it with another 4 drop like Urza or Jace.

    For the land base, I would go -2 Delta -1 Tundra +1 Island +1 Plains +1 Strand. 11 fetches is probably overkill for a UW deck and why not run more basics to dodge hate now that Prismatic Vista is a thing? Then you can even board into Back to Basics.


    Without Snapcasters:


    4x Puresteel Paladin
    4x Stoneforge Mystic
    4x True-Name Nemesis
    1x Urza, Lord High Artificer

    4x Brainstorm
    1x Enlightened Tutor
    4x Ponder
    4x Swords to Plowshares
    3x Daze
    4x Force of Will

    3x Sword of the Meek
    3x Thopter Foundry
    1x Time Sieve
    1x Umezawa's Jitte

    4x Flooded Strand
    3x Island
    3x Plains
    3x Polluted Delta
    4x Prismatic Vista
    1x Scrubland
    2x Tundra

    SB:
    2x Flusterstorm
    2x Dovin's Verdict
    2x Supreme Verdict
    1x Blue Elemental Blast
    1x Engineered Explosives
    1x Time Sieve
    1x Batterskull
    1x Sword of Fire and Ice
    2x Rest in Peace
    2x Detention Sphere

  4. #4
    Hymn-Slinging Mod
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    Re: Pure Blade.

    I don't know how "necessary" the Obstructionist is here, but Tribute Mage can find every Artifact in this deck.
    "The Ancients teach us that if we can but last, we shall prevail."
    Kaysa, Elder Druid of the Juniper Order

  5. #5

    Re: Pure Blade.

    Quote Originally Posted by mistercakes View Post
    Urza, Lord High Artificer

    gives you infinite combo with sword/foundry? just play a singleton. you have a time sieve in there so you can take another turn after flipping your deck.

    thoughts?
    I have a list with that as well, I haven't done any work on it though. My primary concern was that it's just win more, and the casting cost might be difficult against Delver decks and Lands.

    Quote Originally Posted by FTW View Post
    What do you mean by "mathematical"? Based on some ideal curve or ideal ratios, and if so where did you get them from?

    Nimble Obstructionist seems bad, especially as a 4-of. If you want a 3-drop that can carry equipment to victory and you don't want too many Cliques, what about True-Name Nemesis? Or maybe 2 Clique + 2 TNN? Flickerwisp is another option that has a lot of utility.

    Supreme Will seems weak. Spell Pierce seems better, since you have no non-FOW counters under 3 mana which is awkward (even your Stifle effect is 3 mana) and that limits your ability to interact or protect your pieces. You could also consider a mix of Snapcaster Mage and Spell Pierce. Snapcaster gives you those extra modes of Supreme Will: you can have more counters, or more cantrips, or even more spot removal.
    I used the tap out app to give me random hands and calculated the number of average turns it would take the deck to interact with other decks in the format, while taking my own experience into account with all interactions. For reference, I have been playing this game off and on since Unlimited. When I got onto MODO I was playing primarily Extended, and the Unlimited format to expand my understanding of the game itself. I actively play Legacy, Vintage and Modern, when I am able to play.

    Obstructionist stops the Storm trigger, it'll also stop Breach, I don't like losing to that card in the first game.

    I don't care for Nemessis, it simply doesn't interact with what the opponent is doing, and while it's great against Maverick, it simply has no other utility in any other matchups. I also do not want to have a weak game 1 against a slow durdle deck like Miracles. Obstructionist helps in that slot.

    Snapcaster is mana intensive. I have tried it in Legacy, but I never found it to be "enough" to close out the game or create a lock state that the opponent simply can not get out of. It always seemed like you were just playing exchange time and turns for incremental advantage, when all I am trying to do with this deck is shut them down and lock them out completely.

    I made my argument for Supreme Will above, it's primarily in the deck to help search for the pieces of the lock. I don't agree with Daze, at all. I never liked the card, and when I was playing Delver decks, I never ran it. I ran Stifles and LftL.with an extra land.I simple don't like Daze at all, it spends most of it's time getting pitched to FoW and getting played around. Setting yourself back a turn in a deck that is trying to get to 5 mana is counter productive.

    Additionally, Supreme Will is a counter for late game, when you have to protect the lock, or get it to resolve. If anything, it would get replaced with Dispel.
    This deck simply doesn't care about your Planeswalkers.

    Quote Originally Posted by H View Post
    I don't know how "necessary" the Obstructionist is here, but Tribute Mage can find every Artifact in this deck.
    I could see it as a 1 of replacing a Mystic.

    Getting a SotM countered isn't so bad, and it actually makes the board state worse for the opponent, as the next sword will recur the first sword. Making it even harder for them to break the lock once it's in place.

  6. #6

    Re: Pure Blade.

    Any other comments that aren't nonsensically based on disrupting a decks consistency?

  7. #7
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    Re: Pure Blade.

    With all due respect... based on this, there's no evidence to support that the choices you're defending are less nonsensical or help consistency.

    Quote Originally Posted by NidStyles View Post
    All of my testing has been mathematical so far. If you want to test the list, be aware it has no real world testing so far.
    Have you done any real world testing yet? Played any games of Magic against other decks? Have any results to show?

    Stifle effects are useful, of course. But keeping 3-mana open at all times to respond to the opponent is difficult in a 20-land deck that taps out a lot (2-mana and 3-mana sorcery-speed plays). Obstructionist does not stop Storm or Breach or other things if you don't have the mana open when the opponent does his thing. Nimble Obstructionist does not have promising results in other decks.

    OTOH TNN has proven results in UWx Stoneblade as a 3-drop equipment-carrying finisher.

  8. #8
    bruizar
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    Re: Pure Blade.

    Time sieve is a total do nothing card. Without thopter sword it is useless and you rather have urza, with thoper sword you also rather have urza and just win on the spot. Your plan is to have thopter, sword, time sieve and 25% of your lands in play in a format with wastelands. Also, reported for antisemitism in the other thread

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