Eternal depth

[lotus2862]

// FORMAT : Legacy
// Deck file for Magic Workstation (http://www.magicworkstation.com)
// NAME : Eternal Eva Lage

// Deck file for Magic Workstation (http://www.magicworkstation.com)
// NAME : Eternal depth
// CREATOR : thefakkir (magic-ville.com)
// FORMAT : Legacy

1 [TSP] Academy Ruins
1 [WWK] Bojuka Bog
1 [CS] Dark Depths
1 [UNH] Forest
1 [DIS] Ghost Quarter
1 [IA] Glacial Chasm
1 [LG] Karakas
1 [UNH] Swamp
1 [R] Taiga
1 [LG] The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 [PLC] Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 [SH] Volrath's Stronghold
2 [DK] Maze of Ith
2 [R] Underground Sea
3 [R] Bayou
3 [4E] Mishra's Factory
3 [TE] Wasteland
4 [ZEN] Verdant Catacombs

** 8 creatures **
4 [RAV] Dark Confidant
4 [ZEN] Vampire Hexmage

** 7 tutors **
3 [TE] Intuition
4 [UL] Crop Rotation

** Manage the board **
1 [FD] Engineered Explosives
4 [ARB] Maelstrom Pulse

** Play lands from the grave **
3 [10E] Crucible of Worlds
1 [RAV] Life from the Loam

** save your Ass when playing against burn ;-)
1 [IA] Zuran Orb

** card quality / advantage
3 [CHK] Sensei's Divining Top
4 [US] Exploration


SB: 2 [6E] Perish
SB: 2 [SHM] Firespout
SB: 2 [ALA] Relic of Progenitus (will be replaced by 2 extirpate)
SB: 2 [TSP] Krosan Grip (could be replaced by Leyline of Sanctity)
SB: 2 [TSP] Tormod's Crypt (will be replaced by 2 extirpate)
SB: 4 [M10] Pithing Needle
SB: 1 [DK] Maze of Ith


I have designed this deck 1 year ago when I decided to stop playing a random pox deck. The idea of this deck comes from the deck Eternal garden.
When I tried to play garden, I found it too slow against a lot of decks to beat so I have decided to find a way to finish games earlier and I decided to add the Marit Lage combo.
I have removed rishadan slots and barbarian ring so my mana denial plan is weaker.
It is really easy to get dark depth using crop rotation and hexmage is a good way to handle planeswalker. If your opponent handle Marit lage, you can play it recursively from the grave
with Volrath's Stronghold and crucible.

How to play the deck?

This deck is a control deck. You have a full toolbox made of lands and designed to carry out any kind of threat.
You can access this toolbox using crop rotation or intuition.

Crucible or loam + exploration + chasm + (zuran orb) : You will not loose life against aggro decks or VS progenitus
Crucible or loam + exploration + chasm + zuran orb : Gain life against burn
Crop + bojuka / crop + activated mishra : remove bridges from the grave against ichoride
Crop + tabernacle : An easy way to destroy tokens against belcher or ichoride
EE + Crucible + Academy Ruins : recursively destroy permanents with a given casting cost
crucible + exploration + wasteland / ghost quarter : destroy the opponent's mana base

You can either manage the board with the toolbox and pulse and kill with mishra or get marit lage and finish the game in one attack.
If you choose the first way to play the deck, you need exploration and crucible early in the game.


The side
Even if we have a good match up against aggro, a third maze and firespout will help you to buy time in order to get your lock.
Needle is a godd choice against survival deck / sneak attack or landstill. This is a way to prevent your lands from being destroyed by waste against gob / merflok.
Perish is a good plan against survival for game 2 if the opponent plays progenitus.

MUs

Zoo & Big zoo:
Before side, 60/40
After side, 70/30 (+1 maze,-1 karakas, -2 pulse, +2 firespout)

Landstill:
Before side, 60/40
After side, 60/40 ( -2 pulse, -3 maze, -1 DC, + 4 needle, +2 krosan)


Ichoride
before side, 40/60
after side 50/50 (-2 DC, -1 ghost quarter, -1 karakas, + 4 extirp)

Tendrils deck
before side 20/80
after side 40/60 if we play leyline

Gob
before side 60/40
after side 70/30 (-1 karakas, -1 dc, -1ghost quarter, -2 pulse, -1 hexmage, +4 needle, +2 spout)

Merfolk
before side 50/50
after side 60/40 (-1 karakas, -1 dc, -1ghost quarter, -2 pulse, -1 hexmage, +3 needle, +2 spout, +1 maze)

[Pastorofmuppets]

Get rid of extirpate. The only deck you're going to beat with that is Vengevival. Other forms of grave hate are more versatile.

[ScatmanX]

I'd add an alternative win condition. 1 Depths + Mishra is pretty bad...
How does Lands kill?

What about 1 Horn of Greed to get you a shitload of cards?

[rockout]

I would suggest 1 or 2 worm harvest if you are looking to add a win condition or speed up the clock.

[Scatterbrain]

Living Wish seems like the perfect card here - it finds Hexmage, Depths, Bojuka Bog, Karaks, Maze, etc. I would probably run more than one Loam because you absolutely have to draw it or Intuition early. It will also give a lot of flexibility vs. graveyard removal.

[Nidd]

Living Wish seems like the perfect card here - it finds Hexmage, Depths, Bojuka Bog, Karaks, Maze, etc. I would probably run more than one Loam because you absolutely have to draw it or Intuition early. It will also give a lot of flexibility vs. graveyard removal.
If you run Living Wish, I'd add Meloku as a 1-of. He finishes games very, very quick and can stall quite nicely against Aggro.
Another option to beat Swarm Aggro would be Reiver Demon...

[lotus2862]

Living Wish seems like the perfect card here - it finds Hexmage, Depths, Bojuka Bog, Karaks, Maze, etc. I would probably run more than one Loam because you absolutely have to draw it or Intuition early. It will also give a lot of flexibility vs. graveyard removal.

Actually, living wish is not really a good idea. I tried it but:
*You need to have all the cards you mentioned in your side which means that you will have less solution after side
*You are not 'counter proof'
*You have enough tutors with crop and intuition + sensei / fetch

Regarding the number of loam. This is a good question. 3 crucible and 1 loam is for me the best ratio but you can change it. Loam is more 'counter proof' but it is also consumes a lot of mana.

[Scatterbrain]

Actually, living wish is not really a good idea. I tried it but:
*You need to have all the cards you mentioned in your side which means that you will have less solution after side
*You are not 'counter proof'
*You have enough tutors with crop and intuition + sensei / fetch

Regarding the number of loam. This is a good question. 3 crucible and 1 loam is for me the best ratio but you can change it. Loam is more 'counter proof' but it is also consumes a lot of mana.

Living Wish is not really important against Blue decks which would counter it, the only situation I can think of where it would be countered is an Aggro-Control deck keeping you off of Marit Lage long enough to race. The matchups which is helps in the ones where you need specific cards to either stabalize more effectively (wishing for Maze or Tabernacle or Karakas, against Zoo, Goblins, maybe Merfolk) or when you want to combo out as fast as possible (wishing for Hexmage or Depths against ANT, Belcher, Show and Tell). It also increases your win % game 1 against Dredge, and really any graveyard based deck by giving you effectively 4x Yixlid Jailer and 10x Bojuka Bog main deck.

The reason I suggested an additional Loam had nothing to do with being 'counter-proof', it is because there will be games where you need to draw it within 3-4 draw steps or you will be very far behind, which can be mitigated by adding one more.