Stoneforge Faeries

[klaus]

Stoneforge Faeries

Stoneforge Faeries (hence SF) is an Aggro-Control deck that could be viewed as blue-splashed Death & Taxes variant, or an Excalibur variant minus the green guys.
I've tested and tweaked it for three weeks now and really enjoyed seeing it grow. It does not feel entirely finished though, which is why I'm posting it here. Thanks in advance for your input.

1.0...............The List
2.0...............Card Explanations
3.0...............Cards that didn't make the cut, but might be reconsidered
4.0...............Rough MU analyses
5.0...............Closing Thougts

- The List -

Creatures:
4 Spellstutter Sprite
3 Vendilion Clique
3 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Jotun Grunt
2 Serra Avenger
2 Flicker Wisp
2 Mother of Runes

Artifacts:
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
4 Aether Vial

Instants:
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
3 Spell Snare

Land:
4 Flooded Strand
2 Windswept Heath
1 Polluted Delta
4 Tundra
1 Tropical Island
4 Mishra's Factory
1 Plains
3 Island

Sideboard:
3 Krosan Grip
3 Relic of Progenitus
2 Kitchen Finks
2 Path to Exile
2 Spell Pierce
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Meddling Mage

- Card Explanations -
4 Spellstutter Sprite
I would play 7-8 if I could, nuf said.

3 Vendilion Clique
Would be a playset, if it weren't for its legendariness. Probably the best blue guy out there.

3 Stoneforge Mystic
The heart and soul of the deck. I tested 4, which lead to multiple equipments stuck in my hand more often than not.

2 Jotun Grunt
I'm pretty sure 2 is the right number, though I never want see him in my opening seven. Grunt should be self-explanatory.

2 Serra Avenger
Death and Taxes runs 4 Avengers. Double white can be a bitch however, and I never want to see them in my opening seven, unless I'm holding a Vial aswell. A third copy might be an option anyways.

2 Flicker Wisp
This guy really is my favorite card here. It's just amazing what he's able to achieve: saving CIP-guys from spot removal AND cashing their bonus a second time feels nice, but there are so many more applications! I'd definitely run 3-4 if I were allowed to go up to 5 Vials - without Vial Wisp is rather mediochre though, to be honest, which is why I settled for 2 for the time being.

2 Mother of Runes
Many players have come to worship this woman by now. We find her as a core element in several archetypes. Nevertheless I was uncertain about its inclusion for a long time. Which is why those two slots served as flexslots in my testing.
-
Umezawa's Jitte & Sword of Fire and Ice
Both go without saying, I guess.

Sword of Body and Mind
Needs to be defended: it basically battles for this slot with Jitte#2 and Sword of Light and Shadow. Testing proved SoBaM to be superior, not because its effect is more powerful in itself, but because it diversifies Mystic's tutor options. I found that Jitte is better at gaining life than SoLaS, so only its second ability matters. But I found that either there are no creatures in the yard when it hits, or your hand is already packed with guys that you can't play due to mana limitations. SoBaM's effect, on the other hand, is completely free (meaning you don't have to invest mana to cast guys for profit). Getting a free bear might not be amazing in a vacuum, but we have to take into account that it's always euqipable after combat. To be honest I have never completely milled a guy with that sword, so I won't pretend like that ability was pure win. In fact in certain scenarios it may harm you: Dredge, Loam, KotR.dec and a couple of more decks may like to be milled for 20, I guess. I'm still rather sold on it.

4 Aether Vial
Another crucial card.The deck craves mana, like few other decks. Vial not only serves as a pseudo-mana source, it also allows for some neat tricks. Excalibur replaces Vial with Noble Hierarchs, which makes sense for that shell. SF could certainly apply a heavier green splash and add Hierarchs, but then Clique, Sprite, Flickerwisp and Avenger would instantly become much worse.
-
Brainstorm, Force of Will, Spell Snare
Those three instants were the reason for the blue splash (of course Spell Pierce and Jace are nice SB additions too). And those 11 cards are what makes SF stronger than D&T in combo heavy metas that is. I've played blue since the beginning and like many other control players out there I feel naked without FOW. :wink: plus, gotta love Snare and Brainstorm.

Krosan Grip
..is the only card I'd like to highlight from the Sideboard. You might wonder, why I don't include another Tropical, when Grip is crucial in several MUs. Well the thing is, there are hardly any MUs that make Grip necessary AND run Wasteland - Stax would be an example, but it's practically disappeared there are 2/3 more examples that don't come to mind right now.
Thopter.dec, CB.dec (barring StifleNought), Enchantress, Affinity and many more usually don't employ mana denial, which is why a lone Tropical alongside 7 fetchies appear to be sufficient atm. The Stoneforgemystic approach makes this deck extremely mana hungry. So I'm hesitant to cut a basic land for the second Tropical. I'm also not willing to add another land, since 20 land plus 4 Vial, plus 4 Brainstorms do suffice.
I haven't seen too many decks with a mini green splash just for Grip, but anydeck with 7+ fetchies should consider it at one point imo.

- Cards that didn't make the cut, but might be reconsidered -
- Stone Cloaker ------- I had a copy in for a while, but came to cut her to lower the average mana cost. MotR occupies that slot now.
- Cloud of Faeries--------- I'd play these alongside Ninja of the Deep Hours.
- Mourning Thrull ----------- is golden when equipped but sucks when it's not.
- Sage Owl ---------------- you usually have an euqipment online by the early midgame. One of the better cheap CIP-effect flyers
- Owl Familiar--------------- just like that guy, but the owl simply didn't have enough impact.
- Coiling Oracle -------------- yeah, nah..
- Wasteland/Daze ----------- I usually want all the mana I can get for myself. 2 Wastelands would be doable though.
- Mutavault ------------------ pimping Sprite was less relevant that pumping 3/3s
- Oblivion Ring---------------- possible
- Engineered Explosives --- what's your opinion on this one?
- Stifle ------------------------ I'd rather have more guys that do stuff.
- green guys and a heavier green splash: I think the deck works just fine without Goyf and KotR :tongue:
----------------------------------------------------------------
4.0...............Rough MU analyses
5.0...............Closing Thougts
--> I'll add these later.

Cheers!

[Waikiki]

Factory over mutavault?

[Anee]

I like kor skyfisher more than flickerwisp, perhaps due to the lower cc. In any case its CiP(EtB) ability couple better with the spellstutter sprites than how flickerwisp does. With kor and vial (at 2 and not at 3) you can save any permanent from removals. When needed, you can even bounce a tapped land and re-play it.

In addition, I'd prefer Augury Owl over Sage owl, but I think that's personal.

[klaus]

I like kor skyfisher more than flickerwisp, perhaps due to the lower cc. In any case its CiP(EtB) ability couple better with the spellstutter sprites than how flickerwisp does. With kor and vial (at 2 and not at 3) you can save any permanent from removals. When needed, you can even bounce a tapped land and re-play it.

In addition, I'd prefer Augury Owl over Sage owl, but I think that's personal.

I think both Stonecloaker and Flickerwisp are better than Skyfisher for several reasons:
Stonecloaker beats for three and works without Vial, plus has a nice extra ability.
And Flickerwisp does so many sh** to your opponent's cards, it's not even nice - removin EE when he's tapped out, removing a Planeswalker that had reached critical mass, removing LoA and blocking the sh** out of his merfolk, removing a nought,removing Chalice and do stuff, removing a land can be cool too - there are an infinite amount of applications.

[perm]

I would advise 2 Factories and 2 Mutavaults, as mutavaults can be pumped by factories and inflate faerie count.

[Tammit67]

Factory over mutavault?

Basically this. Paying 3 mana to activate muta and play SSS seems better than being able to randomly beat for 3, or block for 3. Your equipment package should be enough to compensate for early aggression, and you have enough control elements to survive until it kicks in.

Vial with 18 castable bodies is really pushing it, IMO. Has it ever been a problem?

I know you say the deck works fine without green, but why is this version better without it? What do you gain besides perhaps a -slightly- more stable manabase (although hierarch really helps compensate amount other things) that offsets the loss of the best beater in the format?

[forsmark]

Basically this. Paying 3 mana to activate muta and play SSS seems better than being able to randomly beat for 3, or block for 3. Your equipment package should be enough to compensate for early aggression, and you have enough control elements to survive until it kicks in.

Vial with 18 castable bodies is really pushing it, IMO. Has it ever been a problem?

I know you say the deck works fine without green, but why is this version better without it? What do you gain besides perhaps a -slightly- more stable manabase (although hierarch really helps compensate amount other things) that offsets the loss of the best beater in the format?

I gotta agree with this. It seems like excalibur without all the good creatures.

[miko]

I would try Epochrasite. Fits into the 2 mana slot.

[klaus]

I used to be sold on Mutavaults in the beginning, but for some reason the Sprite-Mutavault-Scenario hardly ever occurred. In fact it happened merely twice (I think) in many many games.
I'll stick with Factory for the time being. They are so much stronger under opposing Standstills (which is a relevant pro argument) and they make a 4/4 blocker when paired, which happened more often than twice.

@Tammit67 & Forsmark:
Why I don't include (more) green:
First off, Vial and Hierarch battle for the same slot. No deck can pack both without losing juice. My creature base, just like D&T's, is built around Vial, which is why Hierarch would be inferior for this shell. I do see that fella's benefits, but I came to value Vial a lot! Being able to play around counter effects and tapping for up to 3 virtual mana is insane. I'm aware of the fact that it's much worse if you don't play it till turn 3 but even then it's quite amazing more often than not.
Excalibur is more aggroish - read: bigger guys, while SF is more controllish - read: slightly more disuption (Spirit Guide), more CA (Flickr Wisp, MoR, Sprite). At the end of the day the correct deck choice is meta-dependant.
Another reason, I don't like the green guys is: they don't fly (without Elspeth), meaning they'll be chump-blocked till eternity and we don't get any profit off the Swords.
Regarding Equipment.dec: I do like myself sum flyas!

[Mr. Safety]

I would say if you don't have Bitterblossom feeding your Spellstutter Sprites, play 3-4 Mutavaults to increase your chances of pulling off a 2 mana hard counter. It costs 3 mana, but you need manlands ANYWAYS, and Mutavault seems like the better choice.

VERY interesting premise here...Death and Taxes with counter-spells-on-a-stick faeries.

As far as not having Goyf in here...pffh, whatever. Evasion (flying) and utility seem much more important in this style of deck. Should a Goyf stick, Jotun Grunt and/or Stonecloaker shrink him down to a manageable size, in some cases allowing Grunt to come out on top of a faceoff. I think in this deck, a Vendilion Clique equipped with a Jitte/Sword of F&I is so much more threatening than a Tarmogoyf.

I would say that Jotun Grunt is worth 3 slots, dropping the Serra Avengers. I think Figure of Destiny would be fairly incredible in here, much more useful than Serra Avenger, especially considering Aether Vial getting him into play uncountered.

I also think Meddling Mage should get some maindeck consideration. Vial one in on turn 3 when you know your matchup, and you have an excellent chance of pulling out a win. On turn 2 it can be the difference between winning and losing against a combo deck. They may look at your hand with Thoughtsieze, but they can't steal Force AND Meddling Mage, just one or the other.

[klaus]

.

thanks for the first positive feedback ;-) appreciate it.
Figure of Destiniy and Grunt #3 don't fly, unfortunately, and I'd never cut those 2 Avengers. Equipment on a flying vigilance guy is pure w1n.

[hungryLIKEALION]

Excalibur is more aggroish - read: bigger guys, while SF is more controllish - read: slightly more disuption (Spirit Guide), more CA (Flickr Wisp, MoR, Sprite). At the end of the day the correct deck choice is meta-dependant.... What? Why are you mentioning sprite here, when it's the flagship card of Excalibur? Excalibur plays more disruption than you (4 snare, 3 pierce, 4 fow, 4 sprite) and Flickerwisp nor Mother of Runes produce card advantage. So what you get is smaller, more conditional guys, less disruption, and... what exactly?

Another reason, I don't like the green guys is: they don't fly (without Elspeth), meaning they'll be chump-blocked till eternity and we don't get any profit off the Swords.The most relevant matchups for SoFI are Merfolk, Goblins, and Counterbalance. SoFI gives Pro red and blue, so it has TOP SCORE EVASION from merfs and gobs no matter what it is. As for counterbalance, there's only 6-12ish creatures in such a deck. If they're chumping sword, I'm TOTALLY FINE WITH THAT because it means they're losing a Goyf, Vendilion Clique, or Dark Confidant to do so. Not to mention, Jitte Counters?

[Tammit67]

Excalibur is more aggroish - read: bigger guys, while SF is more controllish - read: slightly more disuption ([B]Spirit Guide), more CA (Flickr Wisp, MoR, Sprite). At the end of the day the correct deck choice is meta-dependant.
Another reason, I don't like the green guys is: they don't fly (without Elspeth), meaning they'll be chump-blocked till eternity and we don't get any profit off the Swords.
Regarding Equipment.dec: I do like myself sum flyas!

What is this spirit guide you are talking about? And doesn't excalibur also run Sprite? The card advantage you seem to imply is situational, as Wisp is by no means a great creature. It's interactions with SSS are cool, but without mutavault probably not worth it.

What meta would you rather have this than Excalibur? I'm not trying to flame the deck, I just don't see what you see. Excalibur already has enough flex slots to deal with meta dependant things. It's main weaknesses are combo (if the player knows what is coming) and rock decks, who just 1 for 1 you all day long. I don't see this list helping is all

As for the argument of green gets chumped until enternity, your green guys are usually big enough to edict your opponent each turn, especially with equipment. The only matchup chump blocking is bad for you is the goblins match up, in which case you'd much rather have goyf and Jitte instead of a SoFI. Very few successful lists run elspeth since 7 flyers is enough evasion, and stalling the ground out with green is more than acceptable.

[Mr. Safety]

Man, put in card tags, lol! I forgot Serra Avenger had vigilance.

As far as Figure of Destiny goes...you can play it turn 1 and grow him if your opponent blanks a turn, whereas SA can only be played turn 4-on. You have the potential for having a 4/4 beatstick with little/no tempo loss. It was just an idea anyways. I was trying to find a way to distinquish this deck from traditional U/w tempo.

Along the same lines as Flickerwisp and Vendi Clique with the 3-mana superior offense, is Spectral Procession an option?

Also, another way to distinguish this deck from U/W tempo would be with Plumeveil. Plumveil can hold off quite a few threats, and can act as removal with it's flash ability. With Plumeveil stalling your opponent on the ground, you can fly over the top with Vendi/Serra Avenger

[klaus]

Things that might be worth testing:

- Curfew (though I assume MoR fulfills that role better)
- Looter Il-Kor
- Sower of Temptation
- an additional black splash for Bitterblossom, Dark Confidant, Perish, possibly Shadowmage Infiltrator, Vindicate

Here's a list of the top of my head:

Creatures:
4 Dark Confidant
4 Spellstutter Sprite
3 Vendilion Clique
2 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Scion of Oona
3 Mother of Runes
1 Sower of Temptation

Artifacts:
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice

Instants:
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
4 Spell Snare

Enchantments:
3 Bitterblossom

Land (22):
4 Flooded Strand
2 Polluted Delta
2 Marsh Flats
4 Tundra
3 Underground Sea
4 Mutavault
1 Plains
2 Island

Sideboard:
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Faerie Macabre
2 Perish
2 Path to Exile
2 Tidehollow Sculler
2 Meddling Mage
3 JaceTM

[Mr. Safety]

Wasteland will really hurt, and opposing tempo decks slinging Stifle will have a field day. Zoo runs 3 colors...and the benefits outweigh the risks. With your setup, it seems too risky. You could always play BitterStalker (Tempo Faeries) or just straight up U/w tempo with less hassle.

Probably the biggest 'flaw' I see is running Bitterblossom alongside Bob. With fetchland activations and either of those online, you'll be dinging yourself pretty bad. I think your U/W list is stronger.

You could concievably just drop Spellstutter Sprite and just keep Vendilion Clique for faeries. With Force & Spell Snare, you could use Daze in it's spot...or something more aggressive like your original Jotun Grunts.