Blue Period (Dreadstill / Painter)

[Dilettante]

Blue Period

Creatures (8)
4x Painter’s Servant
4x Phyrexian Dreadnought

Enchantments (3)
3x Counterbalance

Spells (23)
3x Daze
4x Force of Will
4x Standstill
4x Brainstorm
4x Stifle
4x Intuition

Artifacts (10)
4x Grindstone
4x Chrome Mox
2x Sensei’s Divining Top

Lands (16)
2x Polluted Delta
1x Scalding Tarn
2x Flooded Strand
1x Misty Rainforest
5x Island
1x Academy Ruins
4x Ancient Tomb

Sideboard
3x Pithing Needle
2x Tormod’s Crypt
1x Relic of Progenitus
1x Daze
2x Blue Elemental Blast
2x Hydroblast
4x Rushing River

I am not quite sure which thread this deck should go to, since it utilizes the old monoblue Dreadstill shell but with an extra combo integrated. Since Dreadstill seems to have gone the tempo route and this is more combo, I guess I have to throw it in as a separate thread. The deck lacks originality, but has worked so far for me in testing and the last tourney I went to at That's E last Sunday (4-1). There is a lack of direct synergy between the combos, but both fit into the low mana curve shell, a glass cannon. Essentially, it is an attempt at front-loading more threat into Dreadstill to make it win 'out of nowhere' at any given time instead of having support mechanisms to allow it to survive swings. I tried to see if the deck can be developed into a UW variant, where it can pack Orim's Chant and better disruptive removal, but couldn't find a balance to keep the deck consistent enough, due to its fairly fragile mana base of only twenty sources. Same goes for exploring a 'more Goyf' UG variant.

Card selection essentially sacrifices much of the sit-back control elements such as Spell Snare and is more heavily front-loaded with combo pieces that just stay in play. Additional acceleration is given by Ancient Tomb. Additional synergy compared to Dreadstill includes:

milling oneself with Grindstone when a Fetch is not available after a Brainstorm or Top peek


Painter's Servant makes any card a pitch for Force of Will, but is a double-edged sword

The deck is vulnerable to cheap artifact removal and lacks genuine removal, but it is presently still very much a prototype. I have found myself completely cutting counterbalance against higher curving decks.

[holkenborg]

This deck is called 'Trinket Painter' and kind of already exists.

[Dilettante]

Link to thread? Couldn't find one akin.

[holkenborg]

http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13263&page=9

Or as in this case, it's called Next Level Painter.

Whatever, the idea remains the same: A combination of Painter's Stone, Trinket Mage + some alternative kill (in most cases 12/12).

[Tangle.Wire]

Its a damn question to sleeve 1-3 Dreadnoughts into a Painter list or putting the Painter combo into a Dreadstill list, i think second is not that good as dreadstill wouldn't affort any combos beside the dreadnought.

[whienot]

With no manlands to apply pressure, Standstill will be dead much of the time. Sure you may trick a few players into breaking it, but without a supporting strategy you may end up holding it while waiting for somethng relevant.

[holkenborg]

In the line of Whienot you might think of Ancestral Visions > Standstill?

[Dilettante]

As a pure deck, it is definitely not optimal in doing what either of the mentioned decks do, as it is a muddled deck. The advantages come in how your opponent reacts to the deck. The different variety of turn 1-2 plays set off warning signs from the opponent, forcing them to be reactionary and to sit back. Stiflenaught is largely a reactionary deck save the few times the stiflenaught combo is drawn into. This variant is more openly aggressive. It is a different playstyle, as the potential turn 2-3 wins are magnified in addition to the speed of the painter combo being 'immediate', making popping a standstill a more risky proposition, as opposed to relying on sitting behind counters and a slower clock in Goyf. The Painter combo can hit critical mass behind Standstill and just go off. As another effect, opponents are more prone or forced to mulligan for early gas.

[Kangaxx]

This deck is missing two things. Mishra's Factory and Wasteland. Without it Standstill is a sub optimal card.

Why not run Thirst For Knowledge instead of Standstill? You have quite a high artifact count as is, as well as Tomb and Moxen to accelerate into it. I'd up the Academy Ruins count to two if I chose this route though.

[Dilettante]

I'll give Thirst a test later. Sounds like a good idea. Would help out Counterbalance slightly. Would Misdirections in SB be worth it for Zoo, et al, instead of blasts?

[Kangaxx]

I'll give Thirst a test later. Sounds like a good idea. Would help out Counterbalance slightly. Would Misdirections in SB be worth it for Zoo, et al, instead of blasts?

Misdirection would only be good with a Painter in play, correct? FoW would probably be the only card disadvantage enabler that I'd be willing to run. Misdirection is narrow while blasts not only help against Goblins AND Zoo but can also target lands with a Painter in play. I vote "no" on the Misdirections but it's really your call.