Blood Stax

[Sevryn]

Out of a love for Stax decks, I have started working on a hybridization between Stax and Dragon Stompy. This was started by noticing that both decks plan to have brutally disruptive first turn plays that are permanent in nature.

A first draft:


Blood Stax

//Land
4 Wasteland
4 Ancient Tomb
4 City of Traitors
12 Mountain

//Critters
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Magus of the Moon
3 Flametongue Kavu
3 Rakdos Pit Dragon

//Artifacts
3 Mox Diamond
2 Chrome Mox
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Crucible of Worlds
3 Trinisphere
4 Smokestack

//Enchantments
3 Blood Moon


//Sideboard
SB: 1 Blood Moon
SB: 1 Trinisphere
SB: 3 Pithing Needle
SB: 4 Tormod's Crypt
SB: 3 Shattering Spree
SB: 3 Red Elemental Blast



Good news:
-100% permanents
-Great acceleration from Moxen and SSG combined with 2-mana-lands
-Heavy disruption from the first main phase: Trinisphere, Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Chalice of the Void can all come down sickeningly fast.

Bad news:
-Moon effects diminish the power of wasteland
-No way to deal with enchantments
-SB required to deal with artifacts
-Loss of effectiveness on the draw


Initial toying on MWS has been consistent with the above good/bad.

Against 43 lands, landing any moon effect was GG. Landing chalice at 1 on the play was very good disruption, on the draw it was still good at 2 to shut down loam.

Multiple opponents have just quit within the first two turns... first turn chalice followed by 2nd turn smokestack will do that, apparently. So will first turn moon effect against decks being greedy with non-basics.

Losses have come against NO/Pro running lots of basics, a janky deck that landed academy rector into form of the dragon (no way to deal with enchantments hurts a lot), and decks dropping multiple goyfs very early (basically fast agro can overrun the deck if disruption isn't perfect).

This deck is still very much in its initial stages, but I think it has some potential. It comes out of the gates strong, often effectively winning within the first two turns. It also can deal with an entrenched opponent by ramping up a smokestack to clear the board. More likely is an opponent survives the first wave of disruption only to be slowly whittled to nothing by a smokestack at 1.

I'm very open to suggestions on this deck. FTK in particular feels weak, and I feel that there must be a better finisher than RPD. The mana-base feels strong in its simplicity, though exact numbers may need tweaking. The mox package of 3 MD/2 CM/4 SSG feels correct to me, but I can't really explain why so perhaps it could be improved. Finally, the sideboard was just thrown together and could stand major inspection and revision.

As a final final note, the deck needs more testing against higher tier decks.

Thanks for your time.

[heroicraptor]

Goblin Assault goes great with Smokestacks


a janky deck that landed academy rector into form of the dragon (no way to deal with enchantments hurts a lot),

You mean this deck (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15867)?

If you do add Goblin Assault, Voracious Dragon would be hilarious.

[Sevryn]

Goblin Assault goes great with Smokestacks



You mean this deck (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15867)?

If you do add Goblin Assault, Voracious Dragon would be hilarious.

The particular build that I lost to was sporting black for Dark Confidant and Shriekmaw. Just like great scientific breakthroughs get discovered nigh-simultaneously across the globe independently, it's good to know that multiple people are toying with the same janky-ass deck concepts.

Goblin Assault is really interesting to me. Nice find, I will have to test it some. And Voracious Dragon would be hilarious, I agree.

[Maveric78f]

Crucible looks bad in a deck with so many moon effects. I'm quite sure you'd prefer Goblin Assault and/or Empty the Warren in its place in order to make permanents. Once Crucible is removed, I think that Mox Diamond has also to be removed in profit for Chrome Mox and another MD trinisphere. Wasteland too seems bad and I'd replace 2 of them with mountains and 2 others with a permanent maker.

Rakdos seems inferior to Arc-Slogger too. You need ways to deal with creatures.

Maybe something like this:

Blood Stax

//Land (maybe already too many) 21
4 Ancient Tomb
4 City of Traitors
13 Mountain

//Critters 14
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Magus of the Moon
3 Flametongue Kavu
3 Arc Slogger

//Artifacts
4 Chrome Mox
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Goblin Assault
2 Empty the Warren (or why not equipments instead ?)
4 Trinisphere
4 Smokestack

//Enchantments 3
3 Blood Moon

[Steveman]

Crucible looks bad in a deck with so many moon effects. I'm quite sure you'd prefer Goblin Assault and/or Empty the Warren in its place in order to make permanents. Once Crucible is removed, I think that Mox Diamond has also to be removed in profit for Chrome Mox and another MD trinisphere. Wasteland too seems bad and I'd replace 2 of them with mountains and 2 others with a permanent maker.

Rakdos seems inferior to Arc-Slogger too. You need ways to deal with creatures.

Maybe something like this:

So what you're saying is that we should just play Dragon Stompy, right? Because this deck is pretty much a slower version of Dragon Stompy + Smokestack

[Maveric78f]

I've never said you should not play Smokestacks. What I propose is very different from DS. It's far closer from what you said, in spirit and in cards.

[Vacrix]

Blood Stax

//Land (maybe already too many) 21
4 Ancient Tomb
4 City of Traitors
13 Mountain

//Critters 14
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Magus of the Moon
3 Flametongue Kavu
3 Arc Slogger

//Artifacts
4 Chrome Mox
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Goblin Assault
2 Empty the Warren (or why not equipments instead ?)
4 Trinisphere
4 Smokestack

//Enchantments 3
3 Blood Moon

Kavu used to be good. I think 4/5 goyfs, and 6/6 KoTR's discourages people from playing it. Is there nothing better to play?

[Scrabble]

I think you should splash white for Academy Rector. That into Form of the Dragon is insta-win against janky decks that can't deal with enchantments.

[Sevryn]

I think you should splash white for Academy Rector. That into Form of the Dragon is insta-win against janky decks that can't deal with enchantments.

Ah, the time-tested "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" tactic. Splashing white is certainly interesting, and gives access to the typical White-Stax tools such as ghostly prison.

[Mystical_Jackass]

I think you should splash white for Academy Rector. That into Form of the Dragon is insta-win against janky decks that can't deal with enchantments.

I ran an old Enchantress deck like this, GWR.

You will sucker punch a few decks out there, gobs and such. I ran and went 2-2 but the better decks and players weren't stupid, once they knew how to deal with it they'd shut down rector or any attempt at the combo pieces, by countering them or path/swords Rector or SB their disenchants and such. Fragile decks lose in the long run

[Scrabble]

I ran an old Enchantress deck like this, GWR.

You will sucker punch a few decks out there, gobs and such. I ran and went 2-2 but the better decks and players weren't stupid, once they knew how to deal with it they'd shut down rector or any attempt at the combo pieces, by countering them or path/swords Rector or SB their disenchants and such. Fragile decks lose in the long run

My post was facetious but let's be real here. What's more threatening. A Flametongue Kavu or an Academy Rector?

At the very least, cut an FtK for another Slogger.

[Mystical_Jackass]

I am being realistic. Splashing white in a Moon deck is a poor idea. Rector/Dragon is a cool idea, but its also a fragile soft lock that may work against you at times

[Malakai]

Goblin Assault goes great with Smokestacks
Ha! Holy crap, that is one of the funniest things I have ever read.

[Ozymandias]

1 or 2 crucible is fine because it turns on Smokestack. The question is, are Moon effects better than just running Ruination?