Underrated Legacy Strategies

[Antonius]

Number Five: Prison Decks (http://www.westcoastlegacy.com/press/2012/underrated-legacy-strategies-number-five/)

Number Four: Vengevine (http://www.westcoastlegacy.com/press/2012/underrated-legacy-strategies-number-four/)

Number Three: Standstill (http://www.westcoastlegacy.com/press/2012/underrated-legacy-strategies-number-three/)

So, I'm on spring break and I had some extra time, I figured I would write a general strategy article because I hadn't written one in a long time. After writing, I found that I had more than a paragraph to say about each so I split the article into five parts. This is the first.

[Wereodile]

Thank you for that article! The first deck I really got into was Dragon Stompy and like you said Prison decks are pretty strongly positioned in this Meta.

I am personally playing a Red list but that MUD list looks solid.

Good Job!

[(nameless one)]

Honestly, Tangle Wire is a beast against Maverick.

A turn one Lodestone Golem (which isn't that hard with all the acceleration MUD has), followed by either a second Golem or a Phyrexian Metamorph is really devastating.

[Wereodile]

A turn one Lodestone Golem (which isn't that hard with all the acceleration MUD has), followed by either a second Golem

N00b question: Are the Golems ability applied multiple times as in "Non-artifact spells cost :2: more" with multiple on the field?

Thanks and apologies in advance!

[Koby]

N00b question: Are the Golems ability applied multiple times as in "Non-artifact spells cost :2: more" with multiple on the field?

Thanks and apologies in advance!

Yes they do stack. Only Trinisphere + taxing effects have the weird interaction (greater of :3: or Spell+Tax)

[Einherjer]

Underrated strategies?

Stifle-->Waste-->Daze...Oh wait...

Nah honestly, I think that MonoWhiteWhennie is pretty underrated.... Mother of Runes, Stoneforge Mystic, Thalia... Sounds good to me

Greetings

[(nameless one)]

Underrated strategies?

Stifle-->Waste-->Daze...Oh wait...

Nah honestly, I think that MonoWhiteWhennie is pretty underrated.... Mother of Runes, Stoneforge Mystic, Thalia... Sounds good to me

Greetings


Then add Mangara + Karakas interaction for additional insult to your opponent.

[Hanni]

Counterbalance is extremely underrated right now.

[Koby]

Counterbalance is extremely underrated right now.

It's also terrible against Maverick; which explains why it doesn't see much play. (And also sees play in the SB of RUG Tempo)

[Tammit67]

It's also terrible against Maverick; which explains why it doesn't see much play. (And also sees play in the SB of RUG Tempo)

A friend of mine just getting into legacy wanted to brew a CB list. I dissuaded him on the back of your Maverick list and dredge.

I definitely think you can make it work even against maverick, but you have to have wrath/perish somewhere in the 75 to hit what comes down early and what inevitably slips through the cracks.

[Hanni]

My Coubterbalance deck has a great Maverick matchup. It all depends on how you build the deck.

[Vacrix]

Burn. Until just recently.

[bruizar]

elves, both aggro and combo

[Taurelin]

RW-Rifter

26 lands (incl. 16 basics) vs Canadian
389867267 anti-aggro cards vs Maverick
some uncounterable win-options vs StoneBlade
and the usual auto-loss vs combo (exception: S&T Emrakul + Humility)

Doesn't sound too bad, does it?

[igri_is_a_bk]

Goblins and Elves are always less respected than they should be, in my opinion.

Actually, Food Chain is a just a generally underrated strategy.

[CorpT]

Goblins and Elves are always less respected than they should be, in my opinion.

Actually, Food Chain is a just a generally underrated strategy.

http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/gpind12/day2#3

Elves: 3
Goblins: 1

Why exactly are the less respected than they should be? They seem about correctly respected. Not at all.

[igri_is_a_bk]

A deck has to be underplayed to be underappreciated. What do you think the point of this thread is? Your stats are showing exactly what I'm saying, in that people aren't expecting those decks and they have more potential then most will admit.

Especially the food chain versions of either. The possibility of winning turn two against combo and out-drawing/aggroing the midrange decks is something you aren't expecting.

[bruizar]

http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/gpind12/day2#3

Elves: 3
Goblins: 1

Why exactly are the less respected than they should be? They seem about correctly respected. Not at all.

For this purpose, day 2 numbers are meaningless without Day 1 numbers. What proportion of the total numbers of elves players made day 2? If you can't answer this, your data doesn't prove the point you are trying to make..

Besides that, of those 3 elves on day 2, how many were aggro elves, how many were combo elves and how many ran the fauna shaman/vengevine engine and how many played food chain?

[Richard Cheese]

Just gonna go ahead and assume #1 is Treefolk.

[Julian23]

Maybe it's just me....but Nourishing Shoal seems pretty good with Nefarious Lich.

[socialite]

Maybe it's just me....but Nourishing Shoal seems pretty good with Nefarious Lich.

I see what you did there...

[Antonius]

Thank you for that article! The first deck I really got into was Dragon Stompy and like you said Prison decks are pretty strongly positioned in this Meta.

I am personally playing a Red list but that MUD list looks solid.

Good Job!

I know some Dragon Stomp players are already starting to hybridize it with MUD, but I think there's a lot of unexplored design space in there. Moons are extremely disruptive and MUD creatures seem like they could be more powerful and versatile than dragon. A mash-up seems profitable.

[bruizar]

I know some Dragon Stomp players are already starting to hybridize it with MUD, but I think there's a lot of unexplored design space in there. Moons are extremely disruptive and MUD creatures seem like they could be more powerful and versatile than dragon. A mash-up seems profitable.

Sounds like red-shop-aggro to me.

[Michael Keller]

Deck needs a few Lightning Greaves. The card is absurd with Metalworker into whatever.

[(nameless one)]

Deck needs a few Lightning Greaves. The card is absurd with Metalworker into whatever.

Everytime I pull off a turn 2 Greaved Metalworker into a winning board, I get a boner.

[Antonius]

Sounds like red-shop-aggro to me.

aka Almighty Slash Panther deck?

[Mr. Safety]

Counterbalance is extremely underrated right now.

If burn continues to hold strong, I think CounterTop will start sprouting up again. Punishing that low curve will be devastating...and will have repercussions for RUG Tempo as well.

[Antonius]

Number Four: Vengevine (http://www.westcoastlegacy.com/press/2012/underrated-legacy-strategies-number-four/)

[Vacrix]

Spanish Inquisition

[Aggro_zombies]

If burn continues to hold strong, I think CounterTop will start sprouting up again. Punishing that low curve will be devastating...and will have repercussions for RUG Tempo as well.
Counterbalance is pretty awkward, though. Spell Snare is really good right now, and the existence of GSZ makes CB curves a little awkward. Maverick with Krosan Grips and Chokes in the side is pretty well-equipped to handle your average Counterbalance deck, and I'm not sure something like the old four-color or BUG lists (from when Counterbalance was the best deck) would still be good.

Burn is one of those decks that can be punished out of the sideboard with some concerted effort. The problems are that (a) people's perception of Burn as a crap/budget deck means no one wants to eat up space for otherwise dead anti-red cards, and (b) I'm sure the round one numbers vary widely between regions, making a dedicated anti-burn suite a potential liability if you don't scout well.

I'm not sure Counterbalance The Deck is ready to make a comeback. There are more solutions to it in the format, and there isn't really a vehicle for it that wouldn't be better as either Stoneblade or RUG.

EDIT: IIRC, RUG is also slightly favored against CB, especially post-board when it has Blasts. But that's based on vague memories from years ago.

[whienot]

Furthermore, the name starts with V, and V is by far the best letter in the Latin alphabet. Don’t believe me? V is the same letter that gave us such amazing words as victory, voluptuous and vagina. And Vengevine has not one, but two V’s. Doomsday’s alliteration comes close, but Vengevine’s is far superior.

Hardcore truth, all up in ya. Well said, Tony.

[Wereodile]

I know some Dragon Stomp players are already starting to hybridize it with MUD, but I think there's a lot of unexplored design space in there. Moons are extremely disruptive and MUD creatures seem like they could be more powerful and versatile than dragon. A mash-up seems profitable.

I agree Moon Effects + Lock pieces is really what you are pushing for the creatures you play with are less important then establishing some form of disruption.

Personally I am looking at Steel Hellkite right now as the number 1 option for beat down in my version as it's built in "Powder Keg" ability is huge and punishes the lower CMC decks like RUG.

[nedleeds]

Deck needs a few Lightning Greaves. The card is absurd with Metalworker into whatever.

Just Lightning Greaving a Tombstalker is fine. How many U/W/x or G/W decks can deal with a shrouded / evading man at all?

[nedleeds]

Yes they do stack. Only Trinisphere + taxing effects have the weird interaction (greater of :3: or Spell+Tax)

Then you throw a Nether Void on top ... which is a trigger applied after the spell actually gets onto the stack.

[Antonius]

Number Three: Standstill (http://www.westcoastlegacy.com/press/2012/underrated-legacy-strategies-number-three/)

[Ozymandias]

Good job on repping the Star Wars quote. Who needs a stone blade when you could have a lightsaber?