[Deck] The Servant's Stone

**Maveric78f** · 04-21-2008 03:40 PM

Sword is not a threat, because it only buys time, because counterbalance and counterspells in general deal quite easily with it.

**hi-val** · 04-21-2008 03:48 PM

I'm wondering if there isn't a balls-out combo deck in this. Essentially, you have a combo that doesn't require ten spells to kill the opponent. I would facilitate this with Dark Ritual, Cabal Ritual, LED and Infernal Tutor/Grim Tutor to get the whole thing out.

You'll want something that removes the Swords or Krosan Grips from the opponent, so I see Abeyance or Duress to be worthwhile. I'm really curious about whether you can take this into a pure combo shell. You can even run stuff like Pact of Negation or Meditate because you'll never need to see your next turn anyway.

**Nightmare** · 04-21-2008 03:52 PM

Originally Posted by hi-val

I'm wondering if there isn't a balls-out combo deck in this. Essentially, you have a combo that doesn't require ten spells to kill the opponent. I would facilitate this with Dark Ritual, Cabal Ritual, LED and Infernal Tutor/Grim Tutor to get the whole thing out.

You'll want something that removes the Swords or Krosan Grips from the opponent, so I see Abeyance or Duress to be worthwhile. I'm really curious about whether you can take this into a pure combo shell. You can even run stuff like Pact of Negation or Meditate because you'll never need to see your next turn anyway.

The only question is, is it better than the storm combo decks that do the same, or Belcher which costs one more mana, but only requires one card?

**Michael Keller** · 04-21-2008 04:02 PM

This combo really opens up doors to one's way of deck-building. You can go so many different routes with it that an optimal list would seem almost foolish to assume. You want to stick with a color theme, but at the same time recognize the power of the Servant. He works just fine with any other colored spells that can do harm on an opponent, not just Grindstone.

I'd consider building a supporting cast of counter-magic and tutor effects set with Tarmogoyf. It's almost not a bad idea (because the Painter assumes the color as well) to give your permanents some sort of colored protection. Pact of Negation would be rather risky because even though the combo is two cards and six mana, you still would need to get it off with acceleration paired with blue mana (assuming you're on the play). Otherwise, probably not.

Either way the idea looks fun.

**Willoe** · 04-21-2008 06:59 PM

If you really want to be STP resistant, play that goddamn UG version. Play that Loam. Play combo-loam! Academy Ruins just became a hell lot better. If you don't combo, put grindstone to play, mill yourself a bit, wait until you hit academy ruins and life from the loam, then dredge up loam, play it, return academy ruins, tranquil thicket and 1 random land. Then play, pay 1U, put Servant on top, cycle Tranquil Thicket, draw Servant. Wait until next turn, then play servant and mill the crap out of your opponent.

That might sound too slow, but I think that it could be one of the ways to go. A loam shell is always pretty redundant, and with UG, it should be possible to add that much counters, brainstorms to feed dredges and stuff. Also, you could add Mesmeric Orb if necessary.

Althoug I've never built/played Loam, I have a sample decklist:

2 Academy Ruins
2 Wasteland
2 Tranquil Thicket
2 Lonely Sandbar
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Polluted Delta
4 Tropical Island
4 Island
2 Forest

4 Tarmogoyf
4 Wild Mongrel
2 Painter's Servant
4 Trinket Mage
1 Genesis
1 Gigapede

4 Life From the Loam
4 Force of Will
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
2 Grindstone
4 Intuition

SB:
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Pithing Needle
4 Stifle
2 Wasteland
3 Krosan Grip
1 Glacial Chasm
1 Tabernacle at the Pendrell Vale

Is this doable at all or do it simply suck? I might need some more tutor targets for Trinket Mage MD. Overall, this combo revolves (as you all know) servant + grindstone. Mongrel and Goyf beats and holds back attacks until I get Grindstone or Life From the Loam into play. I play 4 so I can dredge consistently from each loam engine, while I finally pop Academy Ruins into the yard, play loam returning 3 lands, 1 wasteland, 1 ruins and 1 tranquil thicket. I then play ruins, put artifact on top, cycle thicket, play artifact combo piece and wait until next turn or - if you already have it in play - win on the spot. This is a strange, untested hybrid of aggro-control and control-combo. Is this list shit or is it playable?

-willoe

**MattH** · 04-21-2008 09:09 PM

Originally Posted by Nightmare

The only question is, is it better than the storm combo decks that do the same, or Belcher which costs one more mana, but only requires one card?

Except you could do this while not whoring your manabase out to the kill...it's worth trying out!

**vanele** · 04-21-2008 09:34 PM

Am i reading this correctly? Combo running into Gaea's blessing = draw?
Thats quite possibly the easiest hate i have ever seen but could be awesome if you win the first game, and pull it on yourself.
Personally i agree with Hi-val a quick as possible combo looks like where i would want to bring this.

**Michael Keller** · 04-21-2008 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by vanele

Am i reading this correctly? Combo running into Gaea's blessing = draw?
Thats quite possibly the easiest hate i have ever seen but could be awesome if you win the first game, and pull it on yourself.
Personally i agree with Hi-val a quick as possible combo looks like where i would want to bring this.

Or you can run Stifle, that kind of helps.

**Clark Kant** · 04-21-2008 11:03 PM

If you guys want to try this combo in a blue deck with a white splash for Enlightened Tutor, Dreadstill/Enter the Fist seems to be the perfect fit.

If this combo doesn't resolve, you can still beat face with a 12/12 trampler.

**Michael Keller** · 04-21-2008 11:09 PM

That seems to be the general consensus. If this combo sees regular play, Gaea's Blessing should end up making a moderate comeback. That's where Stifle could also come up big.

**Clark Kant** · 04-21-2008 11:13 PM

A solid card that might be worth looking into if you go the Dreadbind route is Artificer's Intuition.

I really don't expect this combo to see regular play competitively in more than maybe random deck or so...

The main problem with this combo is that the best combos that see play in legacy are the ones where both combo pieces or at the very least, one of the combo pieces is very useful on their own.

Lets look at the other two card combos that make the cut in legacy....

Swans + Chain of Plasma - Swans is a very solid 4/3 flyer on it's own that turns your own Bolts into Ancestral Recalls. Chain of Plasma is a solid burn spell on it's own that can kill Confidants, Lackeys and what not.

Counterbalance + Top - Top is very solid in any deck with fetchlands, with or without CB. CB is very solid even without Top since all the decks that run this combo run Brainstorm as well. And even without Brainstorm, CB randomly counters spells.

Dreadnought + Stifle/Trickbind - Stifle/Trickbind are fantastic by themselves, acting as Sinkholes against any deck with fetchlands, and shutting down storm based combo, seals of primordium, and all sorts of random crap. Dreadnought is useless if you have only one copy and no stifle/bind on it's own. It can also be tutored for with Trinket Mages, or recurred with Academy Ruins both of which are very useful in the format so you can always use that to get the card in multiples.

Compared to the three combos ago, this combo just seems weak.

Grindstone is completely worthless by itself. Servant is just 1/3 blocker (worthless unless you are facing goblins), and decent if you run other cards synergic with it (Persecute etc) but even then is no where near as strong as Swan, Chain, Stifle, Trinket Mage, Top or CB by itself.

**Jaiminho** · 04-21-2008 11:37 PM