[SCD] Vampire Hexmage

[Digital Devil]

Vampire Hexmage ---- :b::b:

Creature - Vampire Shaman (uncommon)
First Strike
Sacrifice Vampire Hexmage: Remove all counters from target permanent.
2/1 ---- #114/249

http://magiccards.info/scans/en/rep/10.jpg

Turn 1 Urborg, Turn 2 Dark Depths, play Vampire Shaman, win next turn. Could this be viable? Also, I think we just got the card "which kills Planeswalkers". Killing Elspeths for BB is huge. Also, resets Vial, Jitte, and random junk. Can this be considered the exception to the [SCD] trend?

[Nessaja]

Oh wow... that's actually pretty viable I'd say, you can put it in a MBC deck as an easy alt win like NO.

[THEchubbymuffin]

And its a snow land!

[Arctic_Slicer]

If it's printed exactly as spoiled it will be a great card for black decks. Also uncommon means it shouldn't be too hard to get a playset of them.

[Jak]

Yay for running a mono black snow EDH deck! Dark Depths should have been in before but now it is a nice little combo.

[Nessaja]

mono black snow is like the Mighty Quinn or?

[Jak]

mono black snow is like the Mighty Quinn or?

It's my EDH deck (Elder Dragon Highlander). Completely different format. I was just saying I was going t put him in that.

[Infinitium]

Possibly a green splash for crop rotation/goyfgoyfgoyfgoyf? In any case it seems somewhat less viable what with Swords to Plowshares and Stifle in the format. Then again 2/1 First Strike for BB isn't horrible, and the fringe uses are kinda cool.

[TheCramp]

Pair with Into the North (very narrow) or Crop Rotation as tutors. some sort of BG loam deck where even if you get disrupted you can reset with LftL and Volrath's Stronghold. I have been killing people in EDH with AEther Snap and Dark Depths for months now, and the idea of getting to do this in constructed thrills me.

[DragoFireheart]

That's pretty amazing, and if they swords it you get 20 life!

[Mijorre]

If they path it, you get a land!
If they unsummon/echoing truth it, you get depressions!
Etc etc.

I believe I know what all the casual players at the store are going to be playing soon.

[Tacosnape]

Also, neat thing, this. If you splash green for Crop Rotation, you can also play Loam and Witness, and use Entomb to grab Dark Depths.

[conboy31]

Also, neat thing, this. If you splash green for Crop Rotation, you can also play Loam and Witness, and use Entomb to grab Dark Depths.

That is kind of where I was heading with it. Maybe heavily modifying an aggro loam deck to package this in. Maybe drop the red of crusher and assault to incorporate this stuff. Just thoughts as of now, I will post more if it doesn't suck.

[DragoFireheart]

Also, neat thing, this. If you splash green for Crop Rotation, you can also play Loam and Witness, and use Entomb to grab Dark Depths.

I foresee a G/B Dark Loam deck in the future.

[Tacosnape]

Alternately, this is really kind of funny with Celestial Convergence.

[AngryTroll]

Also, neat thing, this. If you splash green for Crop Rotation, you can also play Loam and Witness, and use Entomb to grab Dark Depths.

If you are running Green for Loam and Witness, why would you run Entomb over Crop Rotation? Or even in addition to it?

[Damnosus]

Because entomb can also tutor for witness or loam, not just the lands. Maybe something like a 4/2 split with crop having the most?

[Tacosnape]

Because Entomb tutors for Loam. And this gives the deck the ability to not focus ridiculously on the Vampire/Depths combo and play as a Loam Control deck, of sorts.

[Digital Devil]

I foresee a G/B Dark Loam deck in the future.
Living Wish grabs both pieces of the combo. And it allows to play with some nice sb utilities like Maze of Ith, Shusher, Faerie Macabre, <insert random land/creature> and so on.

[Valtrix]

Possibly a green splash for crop rotation/goyfgoyfgoyfgoyf? In any case it seems somewhat less viable what with Swords to Plowshares and Stifle in the format. Then again 2/1 First Strike for BB isn't horrible, and the fringe uses are kinda cool.

Well, in black you'd probably be playing discard, so most likely you could just thoughtseize/duress/therapy/hymn their removal away.

[keys]

This reminds me a LOT of Stifle/Nought, except that it's going to be more often a T3 play, and you get a 20/20 indestructible flyer instead of a 12/12 trampler.

Stifle and Hexmage are both useful on their own, and Stifle/Nought found a home, so I'll be surprised if this combo doesn't see play.

Here's what it would look like in a UBg CounterTop shell:

4 Dark Confidant
3 Vampire Hexmaster
4 Tarmogoyf

4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
4 Stifle
3 Daze

3 Thoughtseize
2 Living Wish

4 Counterbalance
3 Sensei's Divining Top

3 Dark Depths
3 Wasteland
2 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
3 Tropical Island
4 Underground Sea
1 Bayou
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Island



Sideboard:
1 Vampire Hexmaster
1 Dark Depths
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Trygon Predator
1 Wasteland
2 Blue Elemental Blast
2 Krosan Grip
3 Leyline of the Void
3 Pernicious Deed


The blue count gets pretty low with the combo pieces though... It might be better in Eva Green/The Rock.

[Happy Gilmore]

I would have to say that this is quite a bit better than stifle nought,

They can't exactly 2 for 1 you with a counter of some sort on your Hexmage. Its a 1 turn clock, cant be griped, ancient grudged, and wrath'd. Living Wish as stated is both a great tool box and a way to find both parts of the combo. and the black guy is fine on his own.

question is who is going to live the dream with:
T1: Tomb of yawgmoth, Throughtseize
T2: Dark Depths, hexmage.

[Otter]

I would have to say that this is quite a bit better than stifle nought,

They can't exactly 2 for 1 you with a counter of some sort on your Hexmage. Its a 1 turn clock, cant be griped, ancient grudged, and wrath'd. Living Wish as stated is both a great tool box and a way to find both parts of the combo. and the black guy is fine on his own.

question is who is going to live the dream with:
T1: Tomb of yawgmoth, Throughtseize
T2: Dark Depths, hexmage.

I'd be careful to label it as better than Stifle-Naught, simply because Stifle-Naught puts you into a blue shell in an eternal format and Stifle is a ridiculous card on its own. Hexmage is merely a bear that eats Chalice, Gemstone, and Elspeth.

[Happy Gilmore]

I'd be careful to label it as better than Stifle-Naught, simply because Stifle-Naught puts you into a blue shell in an eternal format and Stifle is a ridiculous card on its own. Hexmage is merely a bear that eats Chalice, Gemstone, and Elspeth.
I actually hadn't thought of those, and each one is relevant. There are a number of advantages to this combo, including only having to actually resolve 1 card and protect against only 2 (Edict and stp/path). I'm not sure this would be run outside a blue shell regardless, since CB is a perfect way to protect your combo.

The list posted by Keys is surprisingly close to what I had in mind.

[keys]

I would have to say that this is quite a bit better than stifle nought,

They can't exactly 2 for 1 you with a counter of some sort on your Hexmage. Its a 1 turn clock, cant be griped, ancient grudged, and wrath'd. Living Wish as stated is both a great tool box and a way to find both parts of the combo. and the black guy is fine on his own.

question is who is going to live the dream with:
T1: Tomb of yawgmoth, Throughtseize
T2: Dark Depths, hexmage.

I wouldn't be so quick to call it better. It trades vulnerability to artifact removal and destroy effects for a vulnerability to wasteland and stifle. Also, as Otter said, 1U is way easier to cast than BB + land drop. The speed is about the same, though, since most of the time it will only take one combat step.

I think it's at least playable, which is very cool.

[Reaver027]

This is my take on a B/G Loam build. It is a very rough list and not tested at all.

Dark Loam
---Black---14
4 Thoughtseize
4 Dark Confidant
3 Entomb
3 Vampire Hexmage
---Green---14
3 Life from the Loam
4 Living Wish
3 Eternal Witness
4 Tarmogoyf
---Gold---5
3 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Pernicious Deed
---Artefact---3
3 Chalice of the Void
---Land---24
3 Dark Depths
4 wasteland
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Bayou
4 Verdant Catacombs (B/G Fetch)
2 Barren Moor
2 Tranquil Thicket
1 Swamp
2 Forest

---SB---
1 Dark Depths
1 Vampire Hexmaster
1 Eternal Witness
1 Shriekmaw
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Uktabi Orangutan
1 Acidic Slime
8 ???

Not sure about all the sideboard cards or if all the numbers are right. But this might actully work :cool:
What do you think ?

Edit: Changed the decklist a little.

[TheCramp]

When I make a list of cards that the combo is vulnerable to they are largely 1 drops.

Swords, Path, Stifle, Chain of Vapor, Repeal, Needle, Spell Snare, Thought Seize... I think I will cook something up with CotV, and do without Crop Rotation. CB is an option, but then you are looking at :b::b::u::u::g: to get of the ground and still losing to wasteland. Gifts Ungiven looks powerful in a blue list however. Also, wasteland effectively fights wasteland in this case.

Bwg- Hex/Depths + 4 CotV
Mox Diamond, LftL, Bob, Vindicate, Knight of the Reliquary, Wasteland, EE-Deed-Crime/Punishment(?), Living Wish(?), Random Solitary Confinement, Elspeth Maybe...

Needs Work

EDIT: Reaver, LftL isn't doing anything in your list. No cycle lands, man lands, etc. You would be better off with crucible of worlds in that configuration. Also, what would Maelstrom Pulse touch that Purify doesn't? What does entomb do? Entombing Dark Depths, and returning it with loam is a way of making a swines ear out of a purse. Those cards should be broken, not fair. Your using them fair, fuck that, this is legacy.

[Reaver027]

Pulse does hit entchantments.
With Loam or Witness Entomb tutors for nearly everything. Entomb a Hexmage and get it back with Stronghold or Witness or Entomb Loam or Entomb Depths/Stronghold and bring it back with Loam.

Adding Cycle Lands is a good idea as is Chalice. Will add both to my decklist.

[blaat]

Chalice looks pretty good here, but then you won't have the discard suite available to check for something like FoW/daze etc and still lose to that (although chalice seems like a must counter anyway when you play it).

Since this deck _can_ go turn 2 Marit with turn one seize/duress I think it's better to look for some control list, prolly BWG like TheCramp said.
Living wish fetches both cards and interesting SB cards as well if needed so that's a no-brainer.

We'll see what this combo will do in the format.

[Versus]

I dunno why I'm logging back in after months just to say something that's most likely irrelevant, but it terms of sheer speed, couldn't Chrome Mox/Ritual get you there on turn 1 rather than 2? It would also give the abilty to lay down Chalice @ 1 on the play to protect your forthcoming token from being Pathed/STP'd or Hexmage's abilty from being Stifled.

Probably no reason to do this faster I suppose, and this route would mostly put the deck closer into monoblack range, but maybe that's not such a bad thing? A lot of guys here were entertaining the viabilty of a Vampire tribal deck, maybe this combo could fit into that archetype?

[dahcmai]

I've been hunting a reason to run Life From the Loam and Raven's Crime together. Combo protection, nice.

[GreenOne]

I've been hunting a reason to run Life From the Loam and Raven's Crime together. Combo protection, nice.
Life from the loam also comboes with the 2/1 Vampire with Landfall.
Maybe a Vampire/loam deck in extended, with the Dark Depths combo is possible.

[Shanghi Knights]

i don't care about the dark depths combo so much. i keep seeing stupid counter stuff in zendikar spoilers and more and more plains walkers. thank you wizards for printing this guy just so i can kill the hopes and dreams of people playing these insane counter building enchantments.

on a side note don't even think this dude will save you from my goliath country side crusher.

[Infinitium]

I've been hunting a reason to run Life From the Loam and Raven's Crime together. Combo protection, nice.

Try the DNA combo. Intuition fetching 2 LftL + Time Warp + Spellweaver Helix and go nuts (usually needs 2 Intuition, meaning the first can fetch protection).

Also, a Gifts Ungiven pile for Dark Depths/Vampire Hexmage/Regrowth/Grim Discovery means that you'll be able to combo out next turn no matter what the opponent picks, and also allows one to play whatever UBgx toolbox DeedAndCountersControl one pleases. Just sayin'.