Discard Everything - Ensnaring Bridge Combo

[Captain Hammer]

This initially started as a Pox deck but has deviated so far from traditional Pox lists/cards that I felt it warranted being spun off into an independent thread.


//Discard
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Liliana of the Veil

//Flex Discard
2 Raven's Crime
2 Necrogen Mists
2 Oppression
2 Bottomless Pit

//Lock
4 Noetic Scales
3 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Null Brooch

//Win Conditions
4 The Rack
3 Shrieking Affliction

//Utility
3 Mind Stone
2 Toxic Deluge
2 Bottled Cloister

//Land
4 Mishra's Factory
3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Ancient Tomb
1 Cabal Pit
12 Swamp

Depending on your play style/meta, Necrogen Mists can be replaced with either Bottomless Pit or Oppression and either card will function perfectly well. Likewise in a fast meta not infested by Dazes, Dark Ritual is a suitable replacement for Mind Stone. In a more controllish meta, Null Brooch is a decent alternative for either Toxic Deluge or Bottled Cloister.

A lot of thought went into making sure the above list has a very smooth mana curve that also draws out counterspells with the lower cc spells allowing the more potent spells at the higher end of the curve to resolve.

1st turn plays (11)
4 The Rack
4 Shrieking Affliction
3 Raven's Crime

2nd turn plays (11)
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Mind Stone
3 retracing Raven's Crime/cycling Barren Moor

3cc plays (12)
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Necrogen Mists
4 Liliana of the Veil

I would really appreciate hearing people's thoughts on this list and any suggestions they have to offer. I would also love input on if Waste Not will warrant inclusion once it sees print and if so, how best to go about including it.

This approach seems really powerful against most decks in the format.

Recent Changes:

-2 Unburden
-2 Bottomless Pit
-2 Pox
-1 Shrieking Affliction
+3 Raven's Crime
+4 Bottled Cloister

-4 Smallpox
+4 Dark Ritual

-2 Bottled Cloister
+2 Null Brooch

-4 Dark Ritual
-2 Null Brooch
+4 Mind Stone
+2 Toxic Deluge

-3 Barren Moor
-1 Ancient Tomb
+1 Mishra's Factory
+1 Swamp
+2 Bojuka Bog

Yes, I'm aware the deck is largely geared towards decimating decks that rely on creature based win conditions, but that's 95 percent of the current environment. Between the discard and sideboard options, storm based decks might be winnable too.

[Captain Hammer]

I was going back and forth on Dark Ritual vs. Mind Stone.

Currently, aggro control seem to be on the rise thanks in part to Nemesis. The threats those decks play are fairly large and often stopped dead in their tracks by either a single Bridge or Scales. And if you throw all your discard at these decks until they are depleted of counterspells, resolving Bridge/Scales isn't hard. However, if you try to explode out of the gates with a Ritual and overextend too fast, you're much more likely to get key spells countered or Dazed.

In a faster/less blue meta (one with more combo or more fast aggro), I would probably go...

-1 Bottled Cloister
-1 Raven's Crime
-2 Mind Stone
+4 Dark Ritual

Given how many decks are playing Daze, maindeck Dark Ritual doesn't seem worthwhile at the moment. But I would certainly include Rituals and Chalices in the board to bring in vs. very fast decks.

Only 8 cards in the deck needs BB to cast, and none need BBB. This is why I feel 16 black mana sources is sufficient.

I really like Mind Stone. It accelerates you to the midgame one turn earlier then sacrifices itself for a card once you have mana to spare. Its fantastic utility for this reason but I am open to suggestions for alternate accelerants that synergize with the rest of the deck or offer similar utility.

I am debating whether to keep Barren Moor or replace it with Swamps. I play it because the only times its bad is if you top deck it turns 2 or 3 but otherwise, its awesome. If its in your opener, its a perfectly good first turn play. And midgame and beyond which is where this deck spends the bulk of most matches, its phenomenal.

[nedleeds]

I think you should play the death star. It's discard is random, mists is their choice.

http://magiccards.info/scans/en/sh/1.jpg

[Captain Hammer]

Great suggestion and one that I had gone back and forth on myself.

I ultimately opted for Mists because the main point of Mists/Pit is to deplete the opponents hand of cards in a couple of turns thus bringing your lock pieces/win conditions online, it doesnt matter as much which cards they discard, just that their hand is rapidly depleted is what matters more.

The fact that Necrogen Mists lets you choose which card to discard is very advantageous to you as well. This deck is reliant on having just the right balance of discard, lock pieces, mana sources and win conditions. It also needs to time which pieces to cast when just right. Randomly being made to discard the Liliana or Scales that you were sand bagging until you know the coast is clear of counterspells can be devastating.

And its a fairly minor point but playing Pit makes the deck slightly more reliant on your colored mana sources and makes ancient tomb far less playable.

[lyracian]

Currently, aggro control seem to be on the rise thanks in part to Nemesis. The threats those decks play are fairly large and often stopped dead in their tracks by either a single Bridge or Scales. And if you throw all your discard at these decks until they are depleted of counterspells, resolving Bridge/Scales isn't hard. However, if you try to explode out of the gates with a Ritual and overextend too fast, you're much more likely to get key spells countered or Dazed.
There is a lot of BUG/RUG Delver decks and True-Blade decks being played so how do you deal with a turn one Delver? You have probably been hit for 9 by the time you get a bridge/scales to stick a hit from a second creature or a couple of uses of Ancient Tomb and suddenly they are digging for Bolts to finish you off.

You have no targeted discard (Inquisition helps) so you cannot pluck answers from there hand and if Tomb gets wasted you end up behind not ahead. With no deck manipulation only running 2 Tomb's seems somewhat random. If you run Mox Diamond instead it helps empty your hand faster and gives you permanent acceleration without wasting a turn casting Mind Stone. Null broch is cute but I think 8 four mana spells is too many. I still prefer Bottomless Pit (it gives you a chance to get there best card). Apart from getting hit by Abrupt Decay Bridge is better than Scales (cheaper to cast, can not be stifled) and if you have Cloister it is a perfect lock so I would want to run all 4.


//Discard - 13
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Bottomless Pit
2 Raven's Crime

//Lock - 7
3 Noetic Scales
4 Ensnaring Bridge

//Win Conditions - 6
3 The Rack
3 Shrieking Affliction

//Utility - 11
2 Toxic Deluge
2 Bottled Cloister
4 Liliana of the Veil
3 Mox Diamond

//Land - 23
4 Mishra's Factory
3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Cabal Pit
14 Swamp

[Captain Hammer]

There is a lot of BUG/RUG Delver decks and True-Blade decks being played so how do you deal with a turn one Delver? You have probably been hit for 9 by the time you get a bridge/scales to stick a hit from a second creature or a couple of uses of Ancient Tomb and suddenly they are digging for Bolts to finish you off.

You have no targeted discard (Inquisition helps) so you cannot pluck answers from there hand and if Tomb gets wasted you end up behind not ahead. With no deck manipulation only running 2 Tomb's seems somewhat random. If you run Mox Diamond instead it helps empty your hand faster and gives you permanent acceleration without wasting a turn casting Mind Stone. Null broch is cute but I think 8 four mana spells is too many. I still prefer Bottomless Pit (it gives you a chance to get there best card). Apart from getting hit by Abrupt Decay Bridge is better than Scales (cheaper to cast, can not be stifled) and if you have Cloister it is a perfect lock so I would want to run all 4.


//Discard - 13
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Bottomless Pit
2 Raven's Crime

//Lock - 7
3 Noetic Scales
4 Ensnaring Bridge

//Win Conditions - 6
3 The Rack
3 Shrieking Affliction

//Utility - 11
2 Toxic Deluge
2 Bottled Cloister
4 Liliana of the Veil
3 Mox Diamond

//Land - 23
4 Mishra's Factory
3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Cabal Pit
14 Swamp



Solid build and great input. Just gave your list a whirl online and it performed very very well. Mox Diamond had been somewhat inconsistent though, only accelerating you when you have a mana heavy hand, and outright not being castable at times. I would prefer Dark Ritual if you care that much about speed, and Mind Stone if you care more about consistency.

[Umbranex]

Nice deck idea Hammer!
I agree about the diamonds I dont really like them in this build. They do serve to help empty the hand faster but they can also just bone you. I really like the idea of mind stone with being able to sac to draw later in the game. However without testing this may not be correct as the mindstone is a little expensive at 2 mana. The upside is that there are not many cmc 2 cards in this deck so other than a double discard turn (which still may be much more powerful given this decks goal) this wouldnt be a bad turn to mindstone.

One card you could consider is funeral charm. It allows for instant speed discard which is good when you have them hellbent and also serves to kill off a good number of problem creatures (the biggest for this kind of deck being bob) If you wanted to test them out I would try them in the place of the IoKs.

[KazinMtg]

Any reason not to play 1 random nether spirit? Seems like it would be a pretty sweet card to discard. Possibly even a bloodghast or 2.