Mr. Safety
05-09-2011, 11:10 AM
The idea for this deck came about because of the new 'free' spells from NPH: Noxious Revival and Mental Misstep. I'm not sure if anyone has tried this sort of setup before, but I haven't heard of it before. Essentially it's a tempo oriented deck that has a mid-game card advantage engine to provide the neccessary steam to pull out long games. Life from the Loam joins the usual suspects of Wasteland and cycle lands (Lonely Sandbar, Barren Moor, Tranquil Thicket) along with big beats from Terravore and Tombstalker. Early game disruption just got better with Mental Misstep and a 'free' recursion spell was printed that has somewhat flown under the radar: Noxious Revival. Surgical Extraction seems to me to be a strong card as well, with the obvious allegory to Extirpate. Noxious Revival was the card that made the light bulb turn on in my little brain. What if I put my few threats into the graveyard from dredging Loam? I need recursion, and it needs to be cheap so I can use my cycle lands for drawing cards instead of actual mana sources. Revival pulls it together. I particularly like what it can do at instant speed in the mid game with cycle lands and Brainstorm (more on that later...)
I wanted to have the card advantage of Dark Confidant and also the evasive beats of Tombstalker. Alas, this debate has been going on for a long time. In recent months, I've seen some rehashed Aggro Loam decks and I thought to myself 'why not Life from the Loam instead of Bob? This lets me use Tombstalker without worrying about an 8 life hit.' Loam is harder to disrupt than Bob and can be used easily to feed threshold and Tombstalker.
This is the beggining of the deck, and it is nowhere NEAR a finished list. However, you cannot steer a parked car, so I'm putting the deck into 'drive' and hopefully the community here can help me finish the list:
Lands (20)
4x Wasteland
3x Barren Moor
3x Tranquil Thicket
3x Misty Rainforest
2x Verdant Catacombs
1x Tropical Island
1x Underground Sea
1x Bayou
1x Forest
1x Swamp
Creatures (11) (EDITED: 5/12)
4x Nimble Mongoose
3x Tombstalker
4x Werebear
Spells (29)
4x Brainstorm
1x Ponder
4x Inquisition of Kozilek
2x Raven's Crime
1x Darkblast
4x Mental Misstep
4x Spell Pierce
4x Smother
2x Noxious Revival
3x Life from the Loam
I'll explain my choices and hope that folks will pipe in with their own views.
Life from the Loam - card advantage engine that couples with Wasteland, Raven's Crime, and cycle lands. It can dredge control elements into the graveyard for Noxious Revival to make handy at instant speed. It converts into mid-game discard using spare lands and Raven's Crime to hinder opposing decks while also feeding threshold for Goose. The synergy seems really strong, while each element can stand alone easily enough.
Mental Misstep - one of the key reasons a deck like this can be good. The mana base is pretty rough...free spells can make it happen. I don't have enough blue cards for Force of Will, so this card becomes an absolute neccessity.
Spell Pierce - this kind of soft counter can be really effecitve along with some minor land denial. It controls the early turns of the game cheaply along with MM and Inquisition of Kozilek.
Inquisition of Kozilek - There will be life loss from NR and MM...this allows me to hit creatures (unlike Duress) and avoid the 'Shock' against aggressive decks with Thoughtseize. This seems about the best option right now, but I'm open to suggestions.
Raven's Crime - can be crippling once the Loam engine gets in gear, this is my sub for Hymn to Tourach. How to play the game without any cards in hand, hmmm...that's a tough one. The only setup that really punishes this approach is dredge, and it can easily be boarded out for graveyard hate in the form of Surgical Extraction.
Noxious Revival - the glue for the deck, it reminds me of Regrowth but without putting the card in hand. Is there a way to draw cards at instant speed? Yessir, and those cards would be cycle lands and Brainstorm. If you have the green mana to use it, great! If not, pay 2 life. Early game use the life, late game use the mana. Seems really strong and makes shenanigans with cycle lands/Loam downright fun. Again, it's FREE like Mental Misstep, so you can concievably play your first few turns with NO LANDS ( but I don't recommend it, lol...mulligan wisely)
Brainstorm - duh, it's the best cantrip available. Instant speed use with Noxious Revival seems not only fun, but a very strong play. Threats become available, you can set up dredges better with Loam/cyclers, and it's cheap. Nice.
Nimble Mongoose - I've always been a big fan of Wild Nacatl, even in the mid-late game. Seems like a strong play, despite Tombstalker. With Loam, I don't think it will be hard to pull off. If the Goose gets me there, great! If I need an evasive 5/5, I'll play Stalker and use Goose as chump fodder or simply attack for 1.
Tombstalker - most likely the second best threat in legacy behind Tarmogoyf with the added benefit of flying. I like it, and it will be easy to get him for BB with Loam.
Smother - this is open for different options, possibly Snuff Out, Ghastly Demise, Doom Blade, or Go for the Throat. Ghastly Demise is great once Loam gets rolling, but I don't want to be COMPLETELY dependant on Loam for the deck to function. I worry about the lifeloss from free Revivals/Missteps so I think I'll stick with Smother ATM. Again, open to suggestions. I'm playing 3 copies so I can include Darblast as removal #4.
Darkblast - another dredge outlet that can act as removal. Playing 1 for now, but I may bump the miser's ponder for a 2nd one.
Werebear- early game mana, late game beats. Like it. It's no Goyf, but the mana generating feature is what I like about him.
Lands - typical suspects with Wasteland/duels/fetches/basics. If Stifle makes its way into the deck, then the basics can go in favor of more duel lands as Stifle can combat opposing Wastelands. I think 7 cycle lands should be enough...tapped lands in the early game can be problematic, but Mental Misstep can hopefully pick up some of that slack.
This is hopefully the beginning of a solid concept. I've always liked the power level of Team America, but I wanted to put the new Phyrexian spells to good use. This list is fairly 'budget' too as it dodges Force of Will and Tarmogoyf...but those are still options. I'm 'feeling out' Goose and Looters and I don't feel I have enough blue cards for Force. Again, this is a beginning.
Cards that didn't make the cut, but may get included at some point: Duress, Spell Snare, Accumulated Knowledge, Maelstrom Pulse, Engineered Explosives, Umezawa's Jitte, Bitterblossom, River Boa, Viridian Emissary, Tidehollow Strix, and Scythe Tiger.
I appreciate any and all feedback on this idea...thanks for reading!
I wanted to have the card advantage of Dark Confidant and also the evasive beats of Tombstalker. Alas, this debate has been going on for a long time. In recent months, I've seen some rehashed Aggro Loam decks and I thought to myself 'why not Life from the Loam instead of Bob? This lets me use Tombstalker without worrying about an 8 life hit.' Loam is harder to disrupt than Bob and can be used easily to feed threshold and Tombstalker.
This is the beggining of the deck, and it is nowhere NEAR a finished list. However, you cannot steer a parked car, so I'm putting the deck into 'drive' and hopefully the community here can help me finish the list:
Lands (20)
4x Wasteland
3x Barren Moor
3x Tranquil Thicket
3x Misty Rainforest
2x Verdant Catacombs
1x Tropical Island
1x Underground Sea
1x Bayou
1x Forest
1x Swamp
Creatures (11) (EDITED: 5/12)
4x Nimble Mongoose
3x Tombstalker
4x Werebear
Spells (29)
4x Brainstorm
1x Ponder
4x Inquisition of Kozilek
2x Raven's Crime
1x Darkblast
4x Mental Misstep
4x Spell Pierce
4x Smother
2x Noxious Revival
3x Life from the Loam
I'll explain my choices and hope that folks will pipe in with their own views.
Life from the Loam - card advantage engine that couples with Wasteland, Raven's Crime, and cycle lands. It can dredge control elements into the graveyard for Noxious Revival to make handy at instant speed. It converts into mid-game discard using spare lands and Raven's Crime to hinder opposing decks while also feeding threshold for Goose. The synergy seems really strong, while each element can stand alone easily enough.
Mental Misstep - one of the key reasons a deck like this can be good. The mana base is pretty rough...free spells can make it happen. I don't have enough blue cards for Force of Will, so this card becomes an absolute neccessity.
Spell Pierce - this kind of soft counter can be really effecitve along with some minor land denial. It controls the early turns of the game cheaply along with MM and Inquisition of Kozilek.
Inquisition of Kozilek - There will be life loss from NR and MM...this allows me to hit creatures (unlike Duress) and avoid the 'Shock' against aggressive decks with Thoughtseize. This seems about the best option right now, but I'm open to suggestions.
Raven's Crime - can be crippling once the Loam engine gets in gear, this is my sub for Hymn to Tourach. How to play the game without any cards in hand, hmmm...that's a tough one. The only setup that really punishes this approach is dredge, and it can easily be boarded out for graveyard hate in the form of Surgical Extraction.
Noxious Revival - the glue for the deck, it reminds me of Regrowth but without putting the card in hand. Is there a way to draw cards at instant speed? Yessir, and those cards would be cycle lands and Brainstorm. If you have the green mana to use it, great! If not, pay 2 life. Early game use the life, late game use the mana. Seems really strong and makes shenanigans with cycle lands/Loam downright fun. Again, it's FREE like Mental Misstep, so you can concievably play your first few turns with NO LANDS ( but I don't recommend it, lol...mulligan wisely)
Brainstorm - duh, it's the best cantrip available. Instant speed use with Noxious Revival seems not only fun, but a very strong play. Threats become available, you can set up dredges better with Loam/cyclers, and it's cheap. Nice.
Nimble Mongoose - I've always been a big fan of Wild Nacatl, even in the mid-late game. Seems like a strong play, despite Tombstalker. With Loam, I don't think it will be hard to pull off. If the Goose gets me there, great! If I need an evasive 5/5, I'll play Stalker and use Goose as chump fodder or simply attack for 1.
Tombstalker - most likely the second best threat in legacy behind Tarmogoyf with the added benefit of flying. I like it, and it will be easy to get him for BB with Loam.
Smother - this is open for different options, possibly Snuff Out, Ghastly Demise, Doom Blade, or Go for the Throat. Ghastly Demise is great once Loam gets rolling, but I don't want to be COMPLETELY dependant on Loam for the deck to function. I worry about the lifeloss from free Revivals/Missteps so I think I'll stick with Smother ATM. Again, open to suggestions. I'm playing 3 copies so I can include Darblast as removal #4.
Darkblast - another dredge outlet that can act as removal. Playing 1 for now, but I may bump the miser's ponder for a 2nd one.
Werebear- early game mana, late game beats. Like it. It's no Goyf, but the mana generating feature is what I like about him.
Lands - typical suspects with Wasteland/duels/fetches/basics. If Stifle makes its way into the deck, then the basics can go in favor of more duel lands as Stifle can combat opposing Wastelands. I think 7 cycle lands should be enough...tapped lands in the early game can be problematic, but Mental Misstep can hopefully pick up some of that slack.
This is hopefully the beginning of a solid concept. I've always liked the power level of Team America, but I wanted to put the new Phyrexian spells to good use. This list is fairly 'budget' too as it dodges Force of Will and Tarmogoyf...but those are still options. I'm 'feeling out' Goose and Looters and I don't feel I have enough blue cards for Force. Again, this is a beginning.
Cards that didn't make the cut, but may get included at some point: Duress, Spell Snare, Accumulated Knowledge, Maelstrom Pulse, Engineered Explosives, Umezawa's Jitte, Bitterblossom, River Boa, Viridian Emissary, Tidehollow Strix, and Scythe Tiger.
I appreciate any and all feedback on this idea...thanks for reading!