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jtos84
03-03-2014, 02:48 AM
This is a deck I have been playing for about a year and a half now. It focuses on efficient removal spells and a heavy discard package. It also has access to Red Elemental Blasts in the s/b. Deathrite Shaman and Wasteland allow the deck to have a strong manabase as well as a strong mana denial plan. The one of Life from the Loam is a very strong addition to this deck. Toxic Deluge is one of the few answers to True-Name Nemesis at the moment, and it is a very powerful outlet for Death's Shadow. Three Sylvan Libraries not only provide another strong outlet, but provide extra card draws and library manipulation. Tombstalker is also a very good answer to True-Name Nemesis, and provides an edge in many matches.

Rug Delver has traditionally been a very good matchup for this deck. It basically seems one-sided even against the best players. There is just more, and larger creatures as well as many removal spells that are very cheap, or unanswerable.

Esper Deathblade is possibly one of the more difficult matches. REB and Maelstrom Pulse are important tools for winning because Jace, the Mindsculptor cannot be allowed to remain in play. It is also important not to play two Death's Shadow's at the same time because Swords to Plowshares will cause the other one to die.

Goblins is normally a good matchup because of the global removal.

Merfolk is more difficult, but it is possibly even, or in our favor.

Show and Tell is probably a more difficult matchup, but many new additions like REB, Liliana, and Karakas will help.

Patriot is difficult, but not as difficult as Deathblade.

Miracle Control is long and grindy, but generally they can be slowly overtaken with maelstrom pulse being the deciding factor.

Shardless Bug and Team America are both good matchups, but can be difficult.

Jund should be in this decks favor.

Reanimator is can be difficult depending on what answers have been drawn, and how quickly they get a creature in play.

Maverick is an even matchup, and can either be a blow out win either way, or it can be a very difficult match.

Elves can be difficult, but it is important to kill the right creatures. Right normally meaning all.

Death and Taxes is a fairly even match. The Dread of Nights in the s/b are very good here.

ANT is difficult, but winnable because of Deathrite Shamans, discard, and grave hate from the s/b.

Lands can be tricky, but the deck has many tools to deal with it. Life from the Loam can lock them out of the game the same way they might try to do to other decks. Deathrite Shaman controls the graveyard, and Surgical Extraction can eliminate the Life from the Loam. Pithing Needle is good for naming Thespian's Stage.

Painter Combo is generally a good matchup because of the removal and discard packages.

4 Bayou
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Forest
4 Wasteland
1 Swamp
3 Bloodstained Mire
2 Badlands
2 Swamp

Creatures
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Death's Shadow
4 Deathrite Shaman
1 Sylvan Safekeeper
3 Tombstalker

Spells
4 Thoughtseize
2 Pernicious Deed
3 Hymn to Tourach
2 Dismember
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Snuff Out
3 Sylvan Library
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Life from the Loam
1 Liliana of the Veil
2 Toxic Deluge

Sideboard
2 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Umezawa's Jitte
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Dread of Night
3 Red Elemental Blast
2 Pithing Needle
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Engineered Plague
1 Karakas

jtos84
03-03-2014, 12:41 PM
I will also start keeping records of my matches, and take notes on interactions.

Here are some results that will give you a general idea about the validity of this deck.

RUG W; TES W; D+T W; B/G Mav W; and Reanimator W.

I played against r/w/u delver and lost in 3. Game one I broke the golden rule of this deck by keeping a one land hand with no deathrite shaman and lost. Game two I cast toxic deluge to kill TNN and won with two goyfs. Game three I punted, but it was close. I just needed to play both Death's Shadows and not crack my fetches. I new my opp had a bolt and two other cards in hand, and one delver in play. In this situation it is better to force your opp to have the second bolt. I went looking for another match against this deck, but the person I found kind of threw the game state off by drawing from the library on a fetch, and then quit when they realized what had happened. I will be trying to test as much as possible against this deck, and Esper Deathblade.

I lost to Nicfit with pod, but this was the second game testing with deluge, and in all three game I cast deluge with max life loss. If Grave Titan is in play it is a bad situation, otherwise in the past I generally won. Nicfit has changed, so I need to test more against it.