Ando
08-02-2010, 02:57 PM
This is my "pet deck," I've been very interested in it for quite some time. Currently I've been more actively working on it. Here's the current list:
Land: 23
7 black fetches
3 Overgrown Tomb
2 Tainted Wood
11 Swamp
Combo: 8
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Helm of Obedience
Tutor/draw smoothing: 4
2 Dimir House Guard
2 Mirri's Guile/SDT
Field control: 16
4 Innocent Blood
2 Ghastly Demise
4 Diabolic Edict
3 Smother
2 Pernicious Deed
2 Maelstrom Pulse
Hand mutilation: 8
4 Duress
4 Hymn to Tourach
Sideboard:
2 Faerie Macabre
3 Perish
3 Choke
3 Krosan Grip
4 Engineered Plague
Something I'd like to address because I know I'm sure people are wondering: How does this deck beat combo? Well, basically you try to tear apart their hand early on and then try to win T5. Leyline and postboard BigMac can mess with IGG, Pulse, and postboard E. Plague can deal with Gobbo tokens, and that's about it.
It's been doing pretty well so far actually, got some 4-0s at my local shop playing against aggro mainly though.
Okay, card choices:
Mana Base:
Mine is crap, yours will probably be better. I might want to add 1-2 more fetchlands (I'll address that later).
Combo:
Exiles their deck. Seems strong. The thing I like about it is that, unlike Painter Grindstone, it isn't messed up by spot removal and has the graveyard hate for Gaea's Blessing effects built in. Unfortunately, it's more expensive manawise. Also, it give a G1 advantage against loam based decks, dredge, reanimator (?), etc.
Tutors and what not:
DHG: Fits with curve perfectly. T3 Search, T4 Play Leyline, T5 Play and activate and win during their draw step. Unfortunately, you timewalk yourself twice first. Still, it's a nice tutor, and does work out with the curve if you know they can't win by turn 4/5 (depending one whether you're on the draw or play).
Mirri's Guile: Good for if you need to survive until lategame to smooth out the draws. Lets you keep drawing removal and looking for whatever you need to win, seeing extra cards with fetchlands (one of the reasons I might up the fetchland count).
Field control:
Innocent Blood: Untargetted, 1cc removal is pretty good. Good for dealing with Mongeese, LACKEY, Progenitus, shroud Sphinx, Tombstalker, etc.
Ghastly Demise: I was having trouble with T1 Lackey on the draw, thus I felt this would be good. This is the other reason I might up the fetch count (need to fetch first to kill a Lackey). I like this better than Vendetta because it's better (or at least less painful) when dealing with Goyf, War Monk, KotR, etc. Even the 1cc dorks in zoo give them a free Bolt with Vendetta. And it's pretty easy to fill up the yard with this deck as well, so that's not really a concern. Still, not always awesome in opening hand, thus I'm using only using 2. If I had room I might use 3. When white gets added this changes to StP.
Diabolic Edict: Untargetted, instant speed. Awesome for Emrakuls, Progeniti and such put in by Sneak Attack. Great piece of removal.
Smother: Some instant speed, targeted removal. Nice against decks with Noble Hierarch, cause it can be annoying if they have a Goyf you need to deal with and a Nobel Hierarch or something, and all you have is an Edict/IB. I'm liking the mix of targeted an nontargeted removal so far.
Maelstrom Pulse: Answers nonland thing that doesn't have shroud. It's a sorcery unfortunately, but it's work it to be able to blow up a planeswalker, 16 goblin tokens at once, or even a couple Lords of Atlantis or whatever.
Pernicious Deed: It blows up everythang. I've been going back and forth about whether or not this should become EE once it become Bgw. EE is much better at dealing with Zoo's quick 1 drops and gobbo tokens from EtW, but Deed's power level is over 9000, it's just a good deal slower. I suppose testing will need to be done at some point. On a side note, deed is making me lean towards Top in the SDT vs. Mirri's Guile debate.
Discard:
Duress I have plenty of creature hate, and two life often seems like a lot, thus I'm playing this over Thoughseize. Used to protect the combo by ripping out conterspells and Krosan Grips, as well as protect me early on by disposing of Planeswalkers and burn and such.
Hymn to Tourach: I don't know how I feel about this spot. Hymn is a total beast but I kind want more targeted discard. I feel like Hymn is more of a disruption card, to be used in decks when you're gonna put on a quick clock and not let them recover. That's not always the case here (although T5 isn't too bad). The problem is:
Thoughseize cost me 2 life, I'd rather not
Inquisition of Kozilek doesn't grab FoW and isn't as good against combo.
I really can't flashback Cabal Therapy, and using it blind T1 can be pretty lame.
That being said, I might try out Inquisition, because it's pretty nice against zoo and gobbos still, and there's really no deck where it won't grab something good.
Sideboard:
Faerie Macabre: Good for getting rid of stuff if I was late on getting Leyline into play. 6 is a pretty decent amount for grave hate as well.
Perish: Goyf, War Monk, KotR, Wild Nacatl, Pridemage, Empyrial Archangel, Elves, Noble Hierarch, Teeg, etc.
Choke: It's quite good against blue when used properly. Can slow merfolk to a crawl if you can keep the off also Vial and kill their manlands.
Krosan Grip: Best artifact/enchantment hate in the game, using 3 because I have Pulse and Deed maindeck already.
Engineered Plague: Gobbos really is probably one of the worst matchups I have if I can't deal with a T1 Lackey. Having 2 of these out is GG. And it doesn't hurt that they can really hurt Merfolk, Elves, Landstill, Dredge, Stax and Belcher as well.
So my questions:
What would you change?
Deed vs. EE?
I feel like I've heard about people siding in E. Plague vs. Zoo, what's the deal there?
Anything else you have to say I'm up for hearing!
Thanks, enjoy.
Land: 23
7 black fetches
3 Overgrown Tomb
2 Tainted Wood
11 Swamp
Combo: 8
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Helm of Obedience
Tutor/draw smoothing: 4
2 Dimir House Guard
2 Mirri's Guile/SDT
Field control: 16
4 Innocent Blood
2 Ghastly Demise
4 Diabolic Edict
3 Smother
2 Pernicious Deed
2 Maelstrom Pulse
Hand mutilation: 8
4 Duress
4 Hymn to Tourach
Sideboard:
2 Faerie Macabre
3 Perish
3 Choke
3 Krosan Grip
4 Engineered Plague
Something I'd like to address because I know I'm sure people are wondering: How does this deck beat combo? Well, basically you try to tear apart their hand early on and then try to win T5. Leyline and postboard BigMac can mess with IGG, Pulse, and postboard E. Plague can deal with Gobbo tokens, and that's about it.
It's been doing pretty well so far actually, got some 4-0s at my local shop playing against aggro mainly though.
Okay, card choices:
Mana Base:
Mine is crap, yours will probably be better. I might want to add 1-2 more fetchlands (I'll address that later).
Combo:
Exiles their deck. Seems strong. The thing I like about it is that, unlike Painter Grindstone, it isn't messed up by spot removal and has the graveyard hate for Gaea's Blessing effects built in. Unfortunately, it's more expensive manawise. Also, it give a G1 advantage against loam based decks, dredge, reanimator (?), etc.
Tutors and what not:
DHG: Fits with curve perfectly. T3 Search, T4 Play Leyline, T5 Play and activate and win during their draw step. Unfortunately, you timewalk yourself twice first. Still, it's a nice tutor, and does work out with the curve if you know they can't win by turn 4/5 (depending one whether you're on the draw or play).
Mirri's Guile: Good for if you need to survive until lategame to smooth out the draws. Lets you keep drawing removal and looking for whatever you need to win, seeing extra cards with fetchlands (one of the reasons I might up the fetchland count).
Field control:
Innocent Blood: Untargetted, 1cc removal is pretty good. Good for dealing with Mongeese, LACKEY, Progenitus, shroud Sphinx, Tombstalker, etc.
Ghastly Demise: I was having trouble with T1 Lackey on the draw, thus I felt this would be good. This is the other reason I might up the fetch count (need to fetch first to kill a Lackey). I like this better than Vendetta because it's better (or at least less painful) when dealing with Goyf, War Monk, KotR, etc. Even the 1cc dorks in zoo give them a free Bolt with Vendetta. And it's pretty easy to fill up the yard with this deck as well, so that's not really a concern. Still, not always awesome in opening hand, thus I'm using only using 2. If I had room I might use 3. When white gets added this changes to StP.
Diabolic Edict: Untargetted, instant speed. Awesome for Emrakuls, Progeniti and such put in by Sneak Attack. Great piece of removal.
Smother: Some instant speed, targeted removal. Nice against decks with Noble Hierarch, cause it can be annoying if they have a Goyf you need to deal with and a Nobel Hierarch or something, and all you have is an Edict/IB. I'm liking the mix of targeted an nontargeted removal so far.
Maelstrom Pulse: Answers nonland thing that doesn't have shroud. It's a sorcery unfortunately, but it's work it to be able to blow up a planeswalker, 16 goblin tokens at once, or even a couple Lords of Atlantis or whatever.
Pernicious Deed: It blows up everythang. I've been going back and forth about whether or not this should become EE once it become Bgw. EE is much better at dealing with Zoo's quick 1 drops and gobbo tokens from EtW, but Deed's power level is over 9000, it's just a good deal slower. I suppose testing will need to be done at some point. On a side note, deed is making me lean towards Top in the SDT vs. Mirri's Guile debate.
Discard:
Duress I have plenty of creature hate, and two life often seems like a lot, thus I'm playing this over Thoughseize. Used to protect the combo by ripping out conterspells and Krosan Grips, as well as protect me early on by disposing of Planeswalkers and burn and such.
Hymn to Tourach: I don't know how I feel about this spot. Hymn is a total beast but I kind want more targeted discard. I feel like Hymn is more of a disruption card, to be used in decks when you're gonna put on a quick clock and not let them recover. That's not always the case here (although T5 isn't too bad). The problem is:
Thoughseize cost me 2 life, I'd rather not
Inquisition of Kozilek doesn't grab FoW and isn't as good against combo.
I really can't flashback Cabal Therapy, and using it blind T1 can be pretty lame.
That being said, I might try out Inquisition, because it's pretty nice against zoo and gobbos still, and there's really no deck where it won't grab something good.
Sideboard:
Faerie Macabre: Good for getting rid of stuff if I was late on getting Leyline into play. 6 is a pretty decent amount for grave hate as well.
Perish: Goyf, War Monk, KotR, Wild Nacatl, Pridemage, Empyrial Archangel, Elves, Noble Hierarch, Teeg, etc.
Choke: It's quite good against blue when used properly. Can slow merfolk to a crawl if you can keep the off also Vial and kill their manlands.
Krosan Grip: Best artifact/enchantment hate in the game, using 3 because I have Pulse and Deed maindeck already.
Engineered Plague: Gobbos really is probably one of the worst matchups I have if I can't deal with a T1 Lackey. Having 2 of these out is GG. And it doesn't hurt that they can really hurt Merfolk, Elves, Landstill, Dredge, Stax and Belcher as well.
So my questions:
What would you change?
Deed vs. EE?
I feel like I've heard about people siding in E. Plague vs. Zoo, what's the deal there?
Anything else you have to say I'm up for hearing!
Thanks, enjoy.