Pulp_Fiction
02-02-2012, 03:40 AM
Ok, I have seriously been wanting to play this deck for years. Now that I don't care about Magic I spent the $9 to build this deck just for fun. And OMG, fun it was. It was also brought to mt attention that if I wrote this tournament report sober .... it would be all in vain. So after my domination with the Lich we hit the bars, I had a few beers, came home and drank a 22oz glass of whiskey and coke (3/4 whiskey) and feel good enough to type semi-coherently and write a decent report. As the titla says, I did in0fact play Nourishing Lich; thor, whienot, and crazy Shawn (I forgot his name on here) can all attest to that.
Now, I was trying to find the latest and greatest list of this spectacular deck. I found a list from October 2010 from Cavius himself. Good enough, so I started goldfishing and tweaking and wound up with an amazing up-=to-date version. Here is the list that I brought to a 20-25 player tournament at Super Games:
4x Nourishing Shoal
4x Lotus Petal
4x Ponder
4x Dark Ritual
4x Nefarious Lich
4x Autochton Wurm
4x Preordain
3x Enlightened Tutor
3x City of Solitude
2x Shred Memory (because it transmutes for Shoal and win cons)
2x Summoners Pact
2x Sickening Dreams (TY whienot for the awesome find since Tendrils decks me)
1x Zuran Orb
4x Forbidden Orchard
4x Gemstone Mine
4x City of Brass
2x Flooded Strand
1x Poluyted Delta
1x Marsh Flats
1x Tundra
1x Scrubland
1x Underground Sea
Sideboard
4x Leyline of Sanctity
3x Orim's Chant
2x Wipe Away
2x Pithing Needle
2x Tormod's Crypt
1x WExecutioner's Capsule
1x Seal of Cleansing
And without furth ado ... here is an actual tournament report from someone how played Nouriching Lich in a real sanctioned tournament:
Round 1 - Merfolk (0-2)
g1 - I keep my opening 7 and try to setup the glorious combo. I actually could have won had he not had Curse Catcher and Daze ... but his clock on me was a little fast that included double Lords.
g2 - I mull to 5 and am never actually in the game. I get triple Wastelanded and stall on 2x lands and just draw blanks ... eh, it happens.
Round 2 - Mono-U Stifle-Nought (1-2)
g1 - This is the reason I played this deck. I knew my opponent, he is a damn cool guy but, I legitimately opened a turn 1 kill on the play. My opening 7 was: Lich, Dark Rit, Petal, Mine, Pact, Shoal, E Tutor. And before I even played a spell I told him "I don't give a shit if you have Force, I'm gonna play this out anyway." As it turned out, he didn't have FoW and Lich resolved. I proceeded to chain my entire deck, I drew every single card in it with Shoal and Wurms and Sickening Dreams for 40 on turn 1 ... at this point I had already won the tournament. I just got a turn 1 kill with Nourishing Fucking Lich .... I don't care about anything that happens after this. My opponent is literally questioning himself at this point, its hysterical. I stand up from my chair and high-five my buddies exclaiming "I just got a turn 1 kill wiht Lich". But it was with not disrespect to my opponent who I know in real life. He and I both know I opened a perfect hand and draw; he is actually smiling after my win. We both know he will beat me but ... its just fucking cool to open a hand like that.
g2 - I mull to 5 and keep a shitty hand (as if this deck has good hands). Turn 2 Stifle-Nought ... I lost quickly.
g3 - I mull to 5 yet again trying to find a good hand. Executioner's Capsule is in my opener and I drop it turn 1. He plays Orb on turn 2 and Nought on turn 3 ... I attempt to play City of Solitude but it gets countered. After that, I tell him "I know you have Stifle, but I have no more plays" so naturally I actuvate the Capsule and he naturally has Stifle for it but ... this is why you play a deck like this. I had already won the match. Turn 1 Lich kill on the play with no FoW ... jesus christ, at this point if I had lost every game afterwards I would still count as a win. This is just nuts.
Rouynd 3 - Mono-W Death and Taxes (Todd, he is a really cool guy, always a pleasure playing him win or lose)
g1 - We talk a little bit beforehand about the ridiculousness of what I am played but he says he has nothing g1. He attempts to port my lands but I easily combo off on turn 5 and Sickening Dreams him for around 30.
g2 - He boards in Ethersworn Canonist and I am not aware and have no answers. I open the following hand: Ponder, DRit, DRit, Scrubland, Orchard, Shoal, Wurm. Nothing but pure potential here. The first card I draw .... Lich. I giggle and show him the luck, then I procede to draw my entire deck on my turn 1. At this point I am not sure if he was waiting for Mindbreak Trap so I drop City after going all-im with Shoals. He has no response and flashes me the Cannonist which I had no answer for. Perhaps boarding properly would have succumbed to a potential loss but ... I just got 2 turn 1 wins with Nourishing Lich in a sanctioned Legacy tournament ... I could not be happier right now.
Round 4 - Mono-B Disruption (Hymn Duress, etc. Its MC)
g1 - I open a hand of: Shoal, Wurm, 2x Lands, Dark Rit, Ponder and E Tutor while he is on the play. He has no t1 play and passed. I drop a fetch and pass. He doesn't play a Wasteland and EOT I fetch Litch. Draw it for my turn and combo off, he takes an absurd amount of damage fron Dreams.
g2 - We both mull to five. I get Hymed and Thoughtseized and am never really in the game. I can't find the white Leyline and am just fucked. I succumbed to Tombstalker and the 2/1 artifact PNeedle guy.
g3 - We both mull to 5. It is basically a battle of the gimps. At one point in the match I call thor over and reveal my hand .... it is the following: 3x Shoal, 2x Sickening Dreams.
Naturally 2 turns later I get Hymned and only have 1 win con left in my deck. My opponent then drops Trinisphere and Chalice at 1. We both draw blanks while I slowly get beat down by a Putrid Imp. I was able to hardcast Lich on my turn but ... it didn't matter. I just kept removing shit in my GY to stay alive and survive discard spells. I eventually draw into a Wurm and am slowly trying to buiod my hand. Chalice is not hurting me, but Trinisphere is. A few turns later I draw into Shoal. He Does not draw a discard spell and I have 5x lands and at EOT I Shoal for 15 and draw an answer to 3Sphere. I play the Seal, kill it, then Shoal for 15 and Chain myself into a win. This combo deck won through Trinishpere and Chalice @1. Now, I did get lucky to draw what I needed, but at the same time ... I'm playing Nourishing Lich ... give me some damn credit.
Overall, this deck is absurdly broken at times and its a total piece of shit most of it. Now, I am not sure how many people have seriously played this deck before but .... it is well worth the price of admission. It is absolutely horrible in every way. It loses to discard spells, it loses to counters, and it losese to Disenchants. My experience with Lixch is this; you can not play a worse combo deck, but at the same time, its actually really good when it works. I opened 2x turn 1 kills ... and I wil be forever grateful that I didn't go 0-4 playing it. I have a picture on my phone I wish I could upload of me taking dead last playing Nourishing Lich. After 4 rounds of Magic and people playing real decks ... you don't win. But after 2-3 years of wanting to play this monstrosity, I thought people would appreciate seeing what this deck can do in Legacy. The answer is not much .... but its still fun as hell and gets mad style points!!!!!!
Now, I was trying to find the latest and greatest list of this spectacular deck. I found a list from October 2010 from Cavius himself. Good enough, so I started goldfishing and tweaking and wound up with an amazing up-=to-date version. Here is the list that I brought to a 20-25 player tournament at Super Games:
4x Nourishing Shoal
4x Lotus Petal
4x Ponder
4x Dark Ritual
4x Nefarious Lich
4x Autochton Wurm
4x Preordain
3x Enlightened Tutor
3x City of Solitude
2x Shred Memory (because it transmutes for Shoal and win cons)
2x Summoners Pact
2x Sickening Dreams (TY whienot for the awesome find since Tendrils decks me)
1x Zuran Orb
4x Forbidden Orchard
4x Gemstone Mine
4x City of Brass
2x Flooded Strand
1x Poluyted Delta
1x Marsh Flats
1x Tundra
1x Scrubland
1x Underground Sea
Sideboard
4x Leyline of Sanctity
3x Orim's Chant
2x Wipe Away
2x Pithing Needle
2x Tormod's Crypt
1x WExecutioner's Capsule
1x Seal of Cleansing
And without furth ado ... here is an actual tournament report from someone how played Nouriching Lich in a real sanctioned tournament:
Round 1 - Merfolk (0-2)
g1 - I keep my opening 7 and try to setup the glorious combo. I actually could have won had he not had Curse Catcher and Daze ... but his clock on me was a little fast that included double Lords.
g2 - I mull to 5 and am never actually in the game. I get triple Wastelanded and stall on 2x lands and just draw blanks ... eh, it happens.
Round 2 - Mono-U Stifle-Nought (1-2)
g1 - This is the reason I played this deck. I knew my opponent, he is a damn cool guy but, I legitimately opened a turn 1 kill on the play. My opening 7 was: Lich, Dark Rit, Petal, Mine, Pact, Shoal, E Tutor. And before I even played a spell I told him "I don't give a shit if you have Force, I'm gonna play this out anyway." As it turned out, he didn't have FoW and Lich resolved. I proceeded to chain my entire deck, I drew every single card in it with Shoal and Wurms and Sickening Dreams for 40 on turn 1 ... at this point I had already won the tournament. I just got a turn 1 kill with Nourishing Fucking Lich .... I don't care about anything that happens after this. My opponent is literally questioning himself at this point, its hysterical. I stand up from my chair and high-five my buddies exclaiming "I just got a turn 1 kill wiht Lich". But it was with not disrespect to my opponent who I know in real life. He and I both know I opened a perfect hand and draw; he is actually smiling after my win. We both know he will beat me but ... its just fucking cool to open a hand like that.
g2 - I mull to 5 and keep a shitty hand (as if this deck has good hands). Turn 2 Stifle-Nought ... I lost quickly.
g3 - I mull to 5 yet again trying to find a good hand. Executioner's Capsule is in my opener and I drop it turn 1. He plays Orb on turn 2 and Nought on turn 3 ... I attempt to play City of Solitude but it gets countered. After that, I tell him "I know you have Stifle, but I have no more plays" so naturally I actuvate the Capsule and he naturally has Stifle for it but ... this is why you play a deck like this. I had already won the match. Turn 1 Lich kill on the play with no FoW ... jesus christ, at this point if I had lost every game afterwards I would still count as a win. This is just nuts.
Rouynd 3 - Mono-W Death and Taxes (Todd, he is a really cool guy, always a pleasure playing him win or lose)
g1 - We talk a little bit beforehand about the ridiculousness of what I am played but he says he has nothing g1. He attempts to port my lands but I easily combo off on turn 5 and Sickening Dreams him for around 30.
g2 - He boards in Ethersworn Canonist and I am not aware and have no answers. I open the following hand: Ponder, DRit, DRit, Scrubland, Orchard, Shoal, Wurm. Nothing but pure potential here. The first card I draw .... Lich. I giggle and show him the luck, then I procede to draw my entire deck on my turn 1. At this point I am not sure if he was waiting for Mindbreak Trap so I drop City after going all-im with Shoals. He has no response and flashes me the Cannonist which I had no answer for. Perhaps boarding properly would have succumbed to a potential loss but ... I just got 2 turn 1 wins with Nourishing Lich in a sanctioned Legacy tournament ... I could not be happier right now.
Round 4 - Mono-B Disruption (Hymn Duress, etc. Its MC)
g1 - I open a hand of: Shoal, Wurm, 2x Lands, Dark Rit, Ponder and E Tutor while he is on the play. He has no t1 play and passed. I drop a fetch and pass. He doesn't play a Wasteland and EOT I fetch Litch. Draw it for my turn and combo off, he takes an absurd amount of damage fron Dreams.
g2 - We both mull to five. I get Hymed and Thoughtseized and am never really in the game. I can't find the white Leyline and am just fucked. I succumbed to Tombstalker and the 2/1 artifact PNeedle guy.
g3 - We both mull to 5. It is basically a battle of the gimps. At one point in the match I call thor over and reveal my hand .... it is the following: 3x Shoal, 2x Sickening Dreams.
Naturally 2 turns later I get Hymned and only have 1 win con left in my deck. My opponent then drops Trinisphere and Chalice at 1. We both draw blanks while I slowly get beat down by a Putrid Imp. I was able to hardcast Lich on my turn but ... it didn't matter. I just kept removing shit in my GY to stay alive and survive discard spells. I eventually draw into a Wurm and am slowly trying to buiod my hand. Chalice is not hurting me, but Trinisphere is. A few turns later I draw into Shoal. He Does not draw a discard spell and I have 5x lands and at EOT I Shoal for 15 and draw an answer to 3Sphere. I play the Seal, kill it, then Shoal for 15 and Chain myself into a win. This combo deck won through Trinishpere and Chalice @1. Now, I did get lucky to draw what I needed, but at the same time ... I'm playing Nourishing Lich ... give me some damn credit.
Overall, this deck is absurdly broken at times and its a total piece of shit most of it. Now, I am not sure how many people have seriously played this deck before but .... it is well worth the price of admission. It is absolutely horrible in every way. It loses to discard spells, it loses to counters, and it losese to Disenchants. My experience with Lixch is this; you can not play a worse combo deck, but at the same time, its actually really good when it works. I opened 2x turn 1 kills ... and I wil be forever grateful that I didn't go 0-4 playing it. I have a picture on my phone I wish I could upload of me taking dead last playing Nourishing Lich. After 4 rounds of Magic and people playing real decks ... you don't win. But after 2-3 years of wanting to play this monstrosity, I thought people would appreciate seeing what this deck can do in Legacy. The answer is not much .... but its still fun as hell and gets mad style points!!!!!!