Castle Gate

[eirirlar]

AKA Brg Gate -> Burg Gate -> Castle Gate.


4 Badlands
1 Bayou
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Forest
1 Mountain
6 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Wooded Foothills

1 Engineered Explosives
2 Umezawa's Jitte

4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Vampire Nighthawk

4 Lightning Bolt
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Sudden Shock

4 Hymn to Tourach
1 Sylvan Library

4 Liliana of the Veil
1 Garruk Relentless

2 Bitterblossom
2 Blood Moon
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 The Abyss


This is a control deck based on The Gate. I've splashed red for removal: Lightning Bolt, Sudden Shock and Engineered Explosives
and for denial: Blood Moon.

Green is for utilizing Deathrite Shaman's life gain/Tarmogoyf shrinker ability.
A single Abrupt Decay is meant for pesky enchantments, artifacts and the like.
Sylvan Library is really good with all the fetches and life gain.
Garruk Relentless creates tokens, which protects the planeswalkers (itself and Liliana of the Veil), plus some sorely needed targeted removal).
It's not really a crisis if I don't get to play my green cards. The goal is to either get to play them or discard them to Liliana of the Veil.

Bitterblossom protects planeswalkers, carries Umezawa's Jitte and protects the other creatures when The Abyss is online.

Phyrexian Arena - strictly better effect than Dark Confidant, more difficult to remove, can get into play in turn 2 if it's in the opening hand with Deathrite Shaman. I'm not very dependent on drawing cards so one should suffice.

Any feedback is welcome.

[bruizar]

is nighthawk really better than baleful strix?

[eirirlar]

is nighthawk really better than baleful strix?

Baleful Strix? Isolated, card vs card, obviously yes. But overall in this deck... I don't know. I experimented earlier with adding another color (white), but with Blood Moon forcing a certain amount of basics and thereby fetches, I found it messed too much with the mana base. Of course, Baleful Strix could be played with Deathrite Shaman, but it's only gonna be in the opening hand something like 60% of the time, and it will probably be killed by opponent.

I honestly don't think adding blue is gonna improve this deck, but if you have a suggestion on how to modify the deck I'm all ears.