Orzhov Mox Stoneblade

[Zrobass]

DEAD GUY ALE: Orzhov Mox Stoneblade

http://www.wizards.com/magic/images/mtgcom/arcana1000/1056_OrzhovCrest.jpg

http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/bw-aggro-mox/

SUMMARY: Stoneblade has been a popular deck in Legacy for a decent amount of time and certainly will continue to be played. The original deck list is Azorius and the more popular one now is Esper. I have always loved the combination of black and white since I first began playing in old extended. Following is my idea for an Orzhov deck incorporating the spirit of both a Stoneblade deck AND a classic B/W aggro deck.
Main Deck:
Creatures
3x Mother of Runes
4x Stoneforge Mystic
4x Dark Confidant
2x Mirran Crusader

Planeswalkers
2x Liliana of the Veil

Instants/Sorceries:
1x Skeletal Scrying
3x Vindicate
4x Swords to Plowshares
1x Cabal Therapy
4x Inquisition of Kozilek
4x Hymn to Tourach

Enchantments/Artifacts
4x Bitterblossom
1x Umezawa's Jitte
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
1x Batterskull
3x Chrome Mox

Lands
3x Verdant Catacombs
4x Marsh Flats
2x Plains
5x Swamp
4x Scrubland



Sideboard:
1x Mirran Crusader
2x Vampire Nighthawk
2x Perish
1x Disenchant
2x Relic of Progenitus
1x Vindicate
1x Zealous Persecution
1x Sword of Light and Shadow
2x Path to Exile
2x Surgical Extraction

[kiblast]

Have you ever heard of a beer called
http://www.waakao.com/images/stories/dead.jpg

[Zrobass]

Please only actual comments, no advertisements. Thanks :)

[Kich867]

Please only actual comments, no advertisements. Thanks :)

He's saying your deck exists, he was trying to be funny but you're probably a little new to Legacy and aren't familiar with Dead Guy Ale. It's essentially your deck, well, it's actually just your deck +/- a card here and there.

[Bardo]

FWIW (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?2597-Deck-Deadguy-Ale-(B-w-Confidant)&highlight=deadguy).

[Zrobass]

He's saying your deck exists, he was trying to be funny but you're probably a little new to Legacy and aren't familiar with Dead Guy Ale. It's essentially your deck, well, it's actually just your deck +/- a card here and there.

Thanks dude, I hate to seem like a noobie but I guess I won't deny that. Any ideas fir sideboard?

[kiblast]

Thanks dude, I hate to seem like a noobie but I guess I won't deny that. Any ideas fir sideboard?

Your sideboard seems decently shaped, all the key cards are there, probably you just need to adjust the numbers though (for example I would not run less than 4 GY hate for an unknown meta, but if you're fine with 3 in your meta, then it's ok).
Also Zealous Persecution is insanely good now that Goblin is rising again and Maverick packs 3-4 Thalia maindeck (making your Perish a little overcosted @cc4), I would increase the number to 2 at least; the card sometimes is a one sided WoG vs various decks. However, for more information on md and sb plans, matchups and everything else (from way more experienced WBdiscard.decks players), just click on the link Bardo gave you.

[Zrobass]

Your sideboard seems decently shaped, all the key cards are there, probably you just need to adjust the numbers though (for example I would not run less than 4 GY hate for an unknown meta, but if you're fine with 3 in your meta, then it's ok).
Also Zealous Persecution is insanely good now that Goblin is rising again and Maverick packs 3-4 Thalia maindeck (making your Perish a little overcosted @cc4), I would increase the number to 2 at least; the card sometimes is a one sided WoG vs various decks. However, for more information on md and sb plans, matchups and everything else (from way more experienced WBdiscard.decks players), just click on the link Bardo gave you.

Thanks for the insight man! I'm going to change the sideboard to have
-2 Perish
-2 Mirran Crusader

+1 Relic of Progenitus
+1 Zealous Persecution
+1 Engineered Plague
+1 Vindicate

Is Mirran Crusader THAT amazing in Legacy? Or should I already have enough to deal with Goyf and the GB aggro cards otherwise

[Zrobass]

Okay so I am running the deck as it appears above. I really am fond of this list so I would love criticism, suggestions, and help :)

[kwis]

I'm curious about how much work those 1/1 lifelinkers really do. It seems to me that they would be irrelevant very often and that you could do better with those slots.

I played this kind of deck at a few big events and the Crusaders simply stole games for me. Nothing like a Crusader with a SoFI to steal a win, they practically give you a bye against decks like Eva Green and Team America if you can resolve them.

[Zrobass]

I'm curious about how much work those 1/1 lifelinkers really do. It seems to me that they would be irrelevant very often and that you could do better with those slots.

I played this kind of deck at a few big events and the Crusaders simply stole games for me. Nothing like a Crusader with a SoFI to steal a win, they practically give you a bye against decks like Eva Green and Team America if you can resolve them.

The Gwyllions are used to fill the holes in the deck. The original issue was life loss but that has been solved by SoLS in the maindeck. The other thing they did was give me great Mox fodder. I'm gonna try to run the Tidehollow Scullers over the Gwyllions and see how it works. Where in the SB is there room for Crusader? I would be okay with taking Elspeth out of the SB for it but not thrilled. Thanks for the suggestions :)

[kwis]

I found myself playing Elspeth in the main along with 2 Crusaders and a spare Elspeth and Crusader on the board. My build was before Lilliana was out so I'm not very familiar with how much value she brings to the game, I was running something more along the lines of a couple gatekeepers in the main for removal because they could hold swords and get around spell pierce.

I also found myself preferring Extripate in the board over Surgical because it was actually a threat to things like blue control and combo decks. Extripate on endstep to break standstill is also one of the better ways to deal with it. Surgical typically just got countered or got used early instead of on a particularly juicy target.

One thing you have to be careful about with Sculler is that when they die they make Goyf big fast.

I also never really liked the 4th chrome, it always felt redundant and it seemed like my manabase suffered more than it helped.

[Zrobass]

I found myself playing Elspeth in the main along with 2 Crusaders and a spare Elspeth and Crusader on the board. My build was before Lilliana was out so I'm not very familiar with how much value she brings to the game, I was running something more along the lines of a couple gatekeepers in the main for removal because they could hold swords and get around spell pierce.

I also found myself preferring Extripate in the board over Surgical because it was actually a threat to things like blue control and combo decks. Extripate on endstep to break standstill is also one of the better ways to deal with it. Surgical typically just got countered or got used early instead of on a particularly juicy target.

One thing you have to be careful about with Sculler is that when they die they make Goyf big fast.

I also never really liked the 4th chrome, it always felt redundant and it seemed like my manabase suffered more than it helped.

So would you suggest perhaps trying to play 2 Crusaders and an extra land main deck? I don't want Elspeth main because other than Batterskull, which I plan to cheat into play, I want my curve to stop at 3. Also, how is Top in this kind of deck?

I'll try -3 Sculler -1 Mox for +2 Mirran Crusader +1 Verdant Catacombs +1 ???

[Rizso]

Scullers cant be removed to the chrome moxes thought. I do like your list thought not to happy with vindicate or hymn in the current meta. They are a bit to expensive atm, easy to spellsnare, spell pierce, Misdirection.

[kwis]

I had a top filling out my 60th slot and I thought it was a pretty nice card in game 1. However I almost always boarded it out in game 2 in order to react to my opponent better. The fact that Top would randomly draw force of will was pretty nice.

Having to constantly pump mana into a Top actually hamstrings you a decent amount unless you have a bob making sure you hit all your land drops.

I'll see if I can find my deck later and post a list of what I had.

[Zrobass]

I had a top filling out my 60th slot and I thought it was a pretty nice card in game 1. However I almost always boarded it out in game 2 in order to react to my opponent better. The fact that Top would randomly draw force of will was pretty nice.

Having to constantly pump mana into a Top actually hamstrings you a decent amount unless you have a bob making sure you hit all your land drops.

Yeah I decided to not run the Scullers (even though they are my personal favorite magic card) i would run 1 top over a 19th land for Bob reasons but im not sold on the idea yet. Also how is SoFI in comparison to SoFF in the side? I ask this because Crusader already has protection to B and G

[kwis]

SoFI seems more relevant because Crusader can pretty much attack through anything with it and if you connect the effects are far more devastating. It's also important to note that it gives pro blue which allows you to deal with Jace trying to stall for time.

I found that with F&F I often wasn't making great use of the extra mana unless I had a few bobs running and in that case I didn't really need as much discard as I was drawing.

Having SoFF in the board lets your other guys be very relevant in the Team America/Eva Green matchup, however in my build with Miran that matchup is already pretty solid since I bring in a third crusader. That said I had a SoFF in the board as well because it pretty much put me in the bye bracket against those two decks, which were very popular at the events.

With things like Delver and Snapcaster running around it seems like Being able to torch things with SoFI is superior.

Any particular reason you don't like Wasteland?

[Zrobass]

SoFI seems more relevant because Crusader can pretty much attack through anything with it and if you connect the effects are far more devastating. It's also important to note that it gives pro blue which allows you to deal with Jace trying to stall for time.

I found that with F&F I often wasn't making great use of the extra mana unless I had a few bobs running and in that case I didn't really need as much discard as I was drawing.

Having SoFF in the board lets your other guys be very relevant in the Team America/Eva Green matchup, however in my build with Miran that matchup is already pretty solid since I bring in a third crusader. That said I had a SoFF in the board as well because it pretty much put me in the bye bracket against those two decks, which were very popular at the events.

With things like Delver and Snapcaster running around it seems like Being able to torch things with SoFI is superior.

Any particular reason you don't like Wasteland?

Thanks! And i would play wasteland But i dont have them and dont want to spend more, if i can trade for X amout id play all X of them

[kwis]

Fair enough, I got my playset of wastes a long time ago for $23 + shipping. I understand that some cards have definitely jumped up in price. It was painful when I went to acquire the scrubs and godless shrine for my mana base.

[Zrobass]

Thanks for all the help man! This is the list I'm sleeving up and I really like it :) All I'm still missing from this list are 3 Dark Confidants then it's all done

[kwis]

It's also worth mentioning that I was only playing with 3 Bitter-Blossoms if you were trying to sneak something in like Elspeth.

You might also consider having a shreikmaw in the main or the board depending on your meta because he has very nice synergy with SoLS.

[Zrobass]

I like the 4 Bitterblossoms because theyre awesome early game and I can pitch them to Liliana later on

[kwis]

I like the 4 Bitterblossoms because theyre awesome early game and I can pitch them to Liliana later on

Fair enough, I didn't have the luxury of turning them into a discard spell in my build since it was before Liliana.

[Zrobass]

After testing I decided that SoFI is better maindeck and SoLS in the side. Also I noticed I kept wanting crusaders in some matches and so I put a 3rd in the board and 2 Nighthawks because they are very powerful and helpful creatures

[Zrobass]

This deck has been doing wonderfully!! :)

[kwis]

Awesome

Definitely looking forward to trying out some stuff like Lilliana in the future when I get back into magic.

Just took a look at your board and I'm questioning how useful your Perish are. Since the deck generally wants to try and avoid a board stall kind of position I don't see them doing much work in problem matchups.

I personally prefer EPlague a lot more, especially because you can name Wizards in the delver matchup(kills Delver, Snap, Clique). However this will make it impossible to use bob unless he is already equipped so he might be the critter to board out if that is your game plan. You do have Lilliana but the value of discarding a bob will probably be matched with the opponent discarding a useless delver.

Maybe I'm just an Eplague fanboy, but I find it to be far more flexible and effective for me in a lot of matchups.