Mono-U Illusions w/ new Illusory Angel

[Firstborn]

My first thread here so hello to you all.

I'm a returning Magic player and have barely picked up a deck for many years. I've been keeping up to date with Legacy for a few months and have been looking for a way to use the old staples I have (Force of Will, Wasteland, Mox Diamond) in a decent, low-cost deck that might just be tournament competitive.

I then saw this article (http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/misc/24140_Exclusive_Planechase_Previews_Illusory_Angel_And_Quicksilver_Sea.html) and wondered if Illusory Angel, a card from the new Planechase set, could be the focus of a decent Illusions deck in Legacy.

Illusory Angel (2U)
4/4
Flying
Cast Illusory Angel only if you've cast another spell this turn


Here's an initial deck list I put together.



4 x Lord of the Unreal
4 x Illusory Angel
4 x Delver of Secrets
4 x Krovikan Mist
4 x Adaptive Automaton

4 x Mox Diamond
3 x Gitaxian Probe
4 x Brainstorm
4 x Force of Will
4 x Daze

10 x Island
4 x Ancient Tomb
3 x City of Traitors
4 x Wasteland




The concept is simple: overwhelm the opponent with as many Lord-buffed Illusions as possible, backing them up with countermagic. A turn 1/turn 2 Illusory Angel is entirely possible with favourable draws involving Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Mox Diamond and the lady herself. Follow these early plays up with a Lord of Illusion and a bit of countermagic and you're in a strong position. The Adaptive Automatons are in there as duplicate Lords.

I'm no great deck builder so what I've suggested may be way off. I'd really appreciate any feedback and also any sideboard advice if I was to go down the tournament route (similar sideboard to Merfolk in the current meta?).

Or am I out of my mind? Heh.

[Djenin]

I was thinking of something along these lines when i first saw the angel. It might have potential. I'd say this list really wants Aether Vial though. Also, 7 sol lands looks to be a bit overkill. Ancient Tomb alone should do the trick, maybe 3-4 copies.

If you're going to play Mox Diamond, you might wanna up the land count by at least 1.

Mutavault is also an option if you want to try and beat Merfolk for the most awkward manabase possible in a mono-coloured deck. :laugh: Might want to keep it in mind though as it always worked pretty well in Merfolk.

EDIT:

Something like this perhaps:

// Lands
12 [UG] Island
4 [TE] Wasteland
4 [MOR] Mutavault

// Creatures
2 [M12] Adaptive Automaton
4 [M12] Phantasmal Bear
4 [M12] Lord of the Unreal
3 [CS] Krovikan Mist
4 [ISD] Delver of Secrets/Insectile Aberration
2 [M12] Phantasmal Image

// Spells
2 Illusory Angel
3 [M12] Ponder
4 [CMD] Brainstorm
4 [AL] Force of Will
4 [NE] Daze
4 [V10] AEther Vial

I cut back on the angel in order to prevent awkward multiples in your hand, Phantasmal Bears to add some pressure and a couple of Phantasmal Images for some flexibility.

I could see going the other way as well though, and try and fully abuse the angel with "free" spells like Mox and Probe. Tombs instead of Mutavault and 2 extra lands could work as well.

[Firstborn]

Thanks for the feedback :) That looks like a pretty good list. Have you playtested it much yet?

I like your build with Mutavaults but, if I’m honest, they’re not cards I own and I’m not sure my $ budget stretches. Totally agree about Aether Vials though so I’ll add them to my own build. I also agree the nonbasic land count in my deck is a little high so will cut back on City of Traitors but keep the Tombs to help power out early Angels.

I still like the synergy of cheap/free cards with the Angel I’ve kept the Moxes/Probes as well. Or does adding Vials alongside these run the risk of too many dead cards in the mid/late game? I guess there’s the argument that the longer the game runs, the less chance a deck like this has anyway.

Maybe revise the deck to something like this?

14 x Island
4 x Ancient Tomb
4 x Wasteland

4 x Lord of the Unreal
4 x Illusory Angel
2 x Adaptive Automaton
2 x Phantasmal Image
3 x Phantasmal Bear
3 x Krovikan Mist

3 x Mox Diamond
4 x Brainstorm
3 x Gitaxian Probe
4 x Force of Will
4 x Daze
2 x Aether Vial

For sideboard cards, I’m thinking about the following. I’m not too familiar with the local meta so it’s difficult to work out what to focus against. What are the tough matchups for Merfolk or a deck like this?

Propaganda
Blue Elemental Blast
Umezawa’s Jitte
Hibernation
Tormod’s Crypt
Chill
Mindbreak Trap

[Djenin]

I haven't playtested the list at all to be honest, it's just something i whipped up in mws. :)

As it stands i see several issues with the deck as a whole:


You really don't want to see 2 angels in your opener so 3 might be the max amount you can play comfortably, only testing would tell for sure though.


Some of the illusions are pretty weak on their own, which is why the addition of delver of secrets seems quite good. Delver has its own issues in a list with a lot of creatures and artifacts though, as it doesn't allow you to run enough instants/sorceries to support delver. However, cutting it severely weakens the early game pressure the deck can apply.


Aether vial seems really good here, but it's a 4-of or none at all card in my opinion. Ideally, you want to play at least 18-20 creatures to fully make use of it. Taking two from ancient tomb to get a T1 vial out seems less than stellar as well.



If you're set on playing mox as additional acceleration it will cut either in the creature density of the deck or the countersuite/cantrips, as it takes at least 5 slots to play it (3 mox + 2 lands). Trying to revise the list, i found it hard to find room for gitaxian probe.

This is what i came up with, i included a rough draft for a sideboard:

// Lands
4 [TE] Wasteland
14 [UG] Island
4 [TE] Ancient Tomb

// Creatures
4 [M12] Lord of the Unreal
2 [M12] Phantasmal Image
4 [CS] Krovikan Mist
3 [M12] Adaptive Automaton
4 [M12] Phantasmal Bear
3 Illusory Angel

// Spells
4 [V10] AEther Vial
4 [NE] Daze
3 [AL] Force of Will
4 [CMD] Brainstorm
3 [V10] Mox Diamond

// Sideboard
SB: 1 [AL] Force of Will
SB: 2 [DK] Tormod's Crypt
SB: 4 [NE] Submerge
SB: 4 [ZEN] Spell Pierce
SB: 2 [MI] Mind Harness
SB: 2 [NPH] Surgical Extraction

All in all, i think illusions need 1-2 more good creatures to be printed in order to be competitive, but it's not that far off as it stands. Merfolk is probably still the better deck. I suggest testing on mws/cockatrice with a friend or two against tier decks to see how strong it is. Hope this helps. :)

EDIT: I'm not convinced the Tomb/Mox package is the way to go here, only the angel really benefits fully from the sol acceleration. The Angel might also be better in a deck like Faerie Stompy: http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?16742-Deck-Faerie-Stompy.

[rxavage]

Needs more Chalice of The Void.

[Firstborn]

@djenin: thanks, that's really useful. I like the look of that deck a lot. My playtest options are very limited unfortunately so I might just buy the cards and give it a try. Most of those I don't own are fairly cheap, fortunately.

Just seen your edit and yeah, I guess it's a sort of Stompy deck. I'll have a read of the thread and see if I can tweak any further. Thanks! :)

[Firstborn]

Needs more Chalice of The Void.

Reading the Faerie Stompy thread, I see what you mean. Would a Stompy Illusions-type deck work, or am I attempting the impossible?

ie. closer to my original deck but add Chalices instead of Vials, sol lands, lose the 1cmc cards and replace with ???

[Djenin]

I strongly advise playing on mws first before making any purchases. I don't recommend playing against randoms though; most opponents are horrible and thus don't provide any useful information playing matches against them. Although, occasionally you get lucky with a polite/good player with a decent deck.

If you don't have mws yet go here:

http://www.magicworkstation.com/index.php
Download an evaluation copy, then go here:

http://www.slightlymagic.net/software/mws/5-mtg-masterbase
This will add the entire magic database to the program;

and

http://mws.mtgbr.com/full-01.htm

has all the card pictures, you'll have to click and download each set individually though. Alternatively, you could look for a torrent somewhere that has most sets, but i'm not too sure about the quality of those.

As far as the deck concerns go;

I'd give the initial idea a go first, and build the deck somewhat like merfolk. They are rather similar after all. Would be interesting to see the results against established/tier decks. If all else fails you can go the chalice plan in a stompy shell. I'd go with the more established core in the faerie stompy thread and just add angel to it though, instead of trying to fit an all illusion creature base into the stompy plan, which seems underwhelming at best.

[boneclub24]

Phantasmal Image is one of those cards that is almost always useful, so why not max it out? It's also one of the few decent Illusions out there.

[Vacrix]

I disagree. Phantasmal Image isn't always good. It was good in Merfolk because you could copy one of your lords and buff all your guys. Now you have the choice of copying Lord of the Unreal, which is by far the best target because Phantasmal Image protects itself as its still an Illusion when it becomes of Lord of the Unreal.

The problem with this deck, though, is that it lacks the proper number of Lords to be as aggressive as the congruent alternative of Merfolk, which sees almost no play at all. Granted you get Lord of the Unreal, but its a huge target for removal that doesn't protect itself cause its not an Illusion.

[Firstborn]

I'm not saying this as *the* reason to play this deck but one thing I suspect is Sneak Attack is massive in my local meta right now and it seems Sneak/Show has quite a tough game against mono-blue aggro. I was excited about the new Iilusory Angel card and wondered if a deck like this do what Merfolk does, albeit a new twist (and I admit not necessarily a better one).

[Flaat]

Saying this deck is like merfolk is true, however merfolk does not have Krovikan Mist. That dude seriously packs a punch, at the very least its a 2 mana 2/2 flying and most of the time you are running around with a 5/5+ flying hexproof Tarmogoyf killer.

Saying Phantasmal Image isn't worth running 4x is untrue, copying Krovikan Mist, Lord of the Unreal, Adaptive Automaton or one of your opponents goodies hasn't let me down once

The mox/tomb plan is not for this deck id say, i don't know if the new angel is any good here actually its a reactive agro deck that doesn't spend time doing much more then casting creatures while holding free counters. There are 2 1 mana cards in the deck, both of witch are best used cast early. In a way i'd say the Chronozoa, Phantasmal Dragon might even fit the plan better

[Poron]

your creatures have no evasions.. just at couple flies, but your lord surely doesn't. that's a big down-fall compared to Merfolk

[Vacrix]

I don't know how Illusions can consistently get the opponents graveyard to 10 quickly, and consistently but... this looks like it might be playable, just got spoiled.

Jace’s Phantasm U
Creature – Illusion (U)
Flying
Jace’s Phantasm gets +4/+4 as long as an opponent has ten or more cards in his or her graveyard.
1/1

Dank 1 drop? Kinda reminds me of Serra Ascendant, but its U for a 1/1 flying and thats not bad. It can hold equipment til it get huge. Also, its a dank mid/late game drop which one drops usually aren't. You can also copy it with Phantasmal Image to good effect.

Even so, this deck is still a few cards from even being close to competitive. Its nice to know that wizards is trying to expand the Illusions tribe. I like the idea of playing Illusions quite a lot actually.

[Firstborn]

I don't know how Illusions can consistently get the opponents graveyard to 10 quickly, and consistently but... this looks like it might be playable, just got spoiled.

Jace’s Phantasm U
Creature – Illusion (U)
Flying
Jace’s Phantasm gets +4/+4 as long as an opponent has ten or more cards in his or her graveyard.
1/1

Dank 1 drop? Kinda reminds me of Serra Ascendant, but its U for a 1/1 flying and thats not bad. It can hold equipment til it get huge. Also, its a dank mid/late game drop which one drops usually aren't. You can also copy it with Phantasmal Image to good effect.

Even so, this deck is still a few cards from even being close to competitive. Its nice to know that wizards is trying to expand the Illusions tribe. I like the idea of playing Illusions quite a lot actually.

You beat me to it. I was just about to post this. :smile:

I really like the idea of this replacing Phantasmal Bear as the deck's 1-drop in my example above. Definitely going to give this deck a try.