Prosperous Bloom in Legacy

[wsurugby10]

❀ PROSPEROUS BLOOM ❀
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v626/wsurugby10/318_zps53410dc8.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v626/wsurugby10/40_zps71b42fa5.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v626/wsurugby10/16_zpsaca879e0.jpg

1) Inspiration
2) Playing Prosperous Bloom
3) Card choices
3a) Maindeck
3b) Sideboard
4) Price guide
5) Links

1) Inspiration and History of the Deck
Mike Long's Pros Bloom list from Pro-Tour Paris 1997:
Lands
3 Bad River
7 Forest
5 Island
6 Swamp
4 Undiscovered Paradise

Other Spells
4 Cadaverous Bloom
1 Drain Life
1 Elven Cache
1 Emerald Charm
4 Impulse
4 Infernal Contract
2 Memory Lapse
4 Natural Balance
1 Power Sink
4 Prosperity
4 Squandered Resources
1 Three Wishes
4 Vampiric Tutor

Sideboard
3 City of Solitude
4 Elephant Grass
1 Elven Cache
3 Emerald Charm
1 Memory Lapse
1 Power Sink
2 Wall of Roots

2) Playing Prosperous Bloom
More to Come

3) Card Choices
Original Core
Cadaverous Bloom
Prosperity
Drain Life

Potential New WinCons
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
Banefire

Ramp
Veteran Explorer
Deathrite Shaman
Phyrexian Tower
Life from the Loam
Green Sun's Zenith
Dryad Arbor
Crop Rotation
Squandered Resources

Hand Disruption
Cabal Therapy
Thoughtseize
Duress

Heavier Blue Splash
Force of Will
Daze
Brainstorm
Ponder
Preordain

Combo Protection
Boseiju, Who Shelters All
Xantid Swarm
Regrowth
Eternal Witness

Removal
Abrupt Decay

3a) Main Deck

Current List:
Lands
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Verdant Catacombs
2 Tropical Island
2 Bayou
2 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
5 Forest
3 Island
4 Swamp
2 Phyrexian Tower

Creatures
4 Veteran Explorer
4 Wall of Roots
1 Dryad Arbor

Other Spells
4 Cadaverous Bloom
1 Drain Life
1 Regrowth
2 Life from the Loam
2 Crop Rotation
3 Green Sun’s Zenith
4 Cabal Therapy
2 Abrupt Decay
4 Prosperity
4 Squandered Resources

3b) Sideboard
More to Come

4) Price Guide
More to Come

5) Links (Some of these are outdated)
Prosperous Bloom in Legacy (http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/legacy-type-1-5/developing-legacy/554037-prosperous-bloom-in-legacy#c20)
ProsBloom Primer (http://www.casualplayers.org/article/get.php?action=getarticle&articleid=352)
The First Combo Deck (http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/misc/5270_The_First_Combo_Deck_What_Was_Prosperous_Bloom.html)

[wsurugby10]

My question is, is this deck at all a viable option in Legacy? I saw this on MTG Salvation and I'm intrigued by it. I'd love to try to make this work.

My Fears
Drain Life- It's easily countered especially if we're giving our opponent tons of cards via Prosperity.
Prosperity- We're giving our opponents a ton of pieces.

Potential Options
Banefire- With enough Mana this is uncounterable.
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn- Uncounterable as well and could be another viable WinCon.

What do we do instead of Prosperity to get cards in our hands? Harmonize, Infernal Contract, Cruel Bargain?

[Anusien]

Cabal Therapy and Prosperity is a nonbo. You need some sort of Silence/Dosan effect.

If you're already in white, Land Tax and Cadaverous Bloom are kind of cute together.

You may also want Squandered Resources.

You also probably want some of the double green lands like Hickory Woodlot.

[wsurugby10]

Cabal Therapy and Prosperity is a nonbo. You need some sort of Silence/Dosan effect.

I guess I was thinking the Nic-Fit ramp engine with Veteran Explorer and Cabal Therapy would be great here to help get a larger Prosperity. I mean I guess I understand why strip the hand when you're going to refill it. That is one of the man reasons I'm thinking about cutting Blue for Red.

[Anusien]

I guess I was thinking the Nic-Fit ramp engine with Veteran Explorer and Cabal Therapy would be great here to help get a larger Prosperity. I mean I guess I understand why strip the hand when you're going to refill it. That is one of the man reasons I'm thinking about cutting Blue for Red.
Sure, sacrificing Veteran Explorer to Cabal Therapy is nice to help you cast Cadaverous Bloom. I just don't know how you ever beat a deck that has Force of Will in it.

[Bed Decks Palyer]

Isn't Braingeyser much, much better than Pros?

[wsurugby10]

Sure, sacrificing Veteran Explorer to Cabal Therapy is nice to help you cast Cadaverous Bloom. I just don't know how you ever beat a deck that has Force of Will in it.
Yeah that's a big reason why I started the thread. That's a glaring weakness I saw as well. That's why I'm thinking you have to have a WinCon that is uncountable like Banefire or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. Is the deck worth going forward with? Is there any hope at all?



Isn't Braingeyser much, much better than Pros?
Definitely something that only allows a target player to draw is much better but the UU Mana Cost seems like it could be rough on the Manabase.

[Zirath]

I'm pretty sure that Cabal Therapy + Prosperity is pretty strong since it means you can strip their hand. Though Braingeyser is much better I'm guessing. I don't think the cost is relevant since once you are going off you can hit UU easily.

[Lemnear]

As much love I might have for the very first engine combo deck in MTG history, I can not see a 3-card combo working ever again, especially not for those manacosts. There are much more card- & mana-efficient combos available. Aside from that, I'm sure that Squandered Ressources isn't even needed if cards like Dark Ritual or Veteran Explorer are available which however both can feed much better cards than a do-nothing like Cadaverous Bloom or outdated stuff like Prosperity

This deck won't get you anywhere and the concept is flawed (generate 5 mana, drop a permanent AND have a full grip). If you want to put work into an engine-combo deck of old, try Aluren. The 4cc enchantment at least has some future potential with WotC continuous creature powercreep

[Bed Decks Palyer]

I'm afraid Lemnear is completely right. As much as I often do the same, like trying to revive the old creaturegeddon concept, some things won't work anymore. Unless you plan to play the deck for fun, don't expect a miracle.

[Darkenslight]

Isn't Braingeyser much, much better than Pros?

Braingeyser is also banned in Legacy. Try Stroke of Genius or Blue Sun's Zenith.

[Bed Decks Palyer]

Braingeyser is also banned in Legacy.
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Resources.aspx?x=judge/resources/sfrlegacy
Ctrl+F "Braingeyser"

[Lemnear]

If you want to work on this deck and idea, I'd try keeping it in BG only and build it in the direction of The Spanish Inquisition: Veteran Explorer, Therapy, Culling the Weak, Dark Ritual, GSZ, Dryad Arbor, Infernal Contract, Cruel Bargain, Cadaverous Bloom (and possibly Spoils of the Vault).

This way you can work with a lot of basics and have some carddraw that works even without bloom unlike Braingeyser. Drain Life is outdated; try 2-3 Maga, Traitor or Mortals

[Darkenslight]

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Resources.aspx?x=judge/resources/sfrlegacy
Ctrl+F "Braingeyser"

What? When did that happen?

[Lemnear]

What? When did that happen?

List seperation in 2004 afaik

[Dice_Box]

Hell, if you find Brains UU to be expensive, there is always Stroke of Genius.

[Lemnear]

Hell, if you find Brains UU to be expensive, there is always Stroke of Genius.

There is the general Problem that you can't generate blue mana outside of lands and SR. SR is a bad card overall and running blue draw means that you can't combo off Bloom alone after you have it in play or are required to cast more than one Prosperity/Geyser/Stroke. Black or green carddraw gets around that problem and that's why I suggested Contract/Bargain.

Edit: I feel that the role of Natural Balance in Mike's old deck is not understood in general :/

[Zupponn]

I can't shake the feeling that Primeval Titan into Stage/Depths combo would be good here.

[joemauer]

I can't shake the feeling that Primeval Titan into Stage/Depths combo would be good here.

Maybe throw in some Delvers and Deathrite Shamans too.

[Mystical_Jackass]

My question is, if going blue anyways, why play this over Dream Halls? And if Emrakul, why not play show and tell.

I was almost going to suggest Academy Rector/Land Tax, but then I realized.. if you're gonna' sac Academy Rector, lets say you have cabal therapies or diabolic intent... you might as well just grab Omniscience and straight up win the game, right. I dunno, that's just how I see it, it seems a suboptimal choice nowadays.

[Weapon X]

I can't recall where I posted this before, but the new pros-bloom deck is high tide. It also has the benefit of being mono coloured.

[Meekrab]

If you have 5 mana on a setup turn, can't you just Duress and then Natural Order?

On the other hand, if you want to play a "different" combo deck, you can try to make 8 Underground Sea Bubbling Muck High Tide work. I've always wondered why that's not a thing.

[Weapon X]

Bubbling muck and high tide was a thing.

[Lemnear]

I'm so proud of you guys. Within 6 posts we came from the question if BG Bloom could work for Legacy (kitchen tables) to OmniTell with sidetracks of Natural Order, Prime Time, Stage Depths and Rector. Excellent job.

Shall I derail this thread by talking about how Ad Nauseam interacts with Bloom before hinting that Bloom is totally unnecessary if you are able to resolve AN and that he should play storm? No, this ain't helpful.

[CaptainTwiddle]

Prosbloom will never be a legitimate Legacy strategy, it's far too underpowered compared to everything else available.

My random two cents: I would love to see a combo of Squandered Resources + Furnace Celebration (each land = shock)

[Mystical_Jackass]

Sorry if I offended you. But I stand by my point-- why splash all these colors for an outdated combo that's inferior to High Tide, Dream halls, or OmniTell?

[Hopo]

why splash all these colors for an outdated combo that's inferior to High Tide, Dream halls, or OmniTell?

Because you might take a tournament by surprise some day? It's not like you have to drop everything else and play Prosbloom exclusively. Sometimes you people can be so narrow-minded.

[Bed Decks Palyer]

Prosperous Bloom was powerful in its environment, which was Mirage block constructed, Ice Age-5thEd-Weatherlight Type II and then maybe in Extended. Part of what made it powerful were the Mirage tutors, (un)fortunately they're not allowed in Legacy anymore. If I'd be to dick around with Prosbloom, I'd start with the original list, cut the banned stuff, switched the crappy stuff for the better cards and see what happens.It's not like you're going to sculpt the very best list by simply discussing.

BloomGeyser aka This Is Not an Erotic Movie

Lands:
x Misty Rainforest
x Polluted Delta
1 Underground Sea
1 Bayou
1 Tropical Island
x Forest
x Island
x Swamp

Explanation of choices and numbers:
You need as many basics as possible to turn Natural Balance into a powerhouse. But you also need some way to have right color of mana in the opening stages. That's why you use fetches and duals. Note that the original list used Gemstone Mines and Mirage fetches, kind of a cards that cannot be sacced to NatBal, so the new base is on par with the old, if not a straight improvement. You may consider some rainbow lands, of course, if you'll find yourself having a trouble geting right colors.

Search:
4 Brainstorm
x Ponder
These are you Mystical and Vampiric Tutors. Well in fact, no, they're not, but you're as close to them as possible. You may add Lim-Dul's Vault (or even Burning Wish) but I see little gain in both of them, with LDV being a bit less bad than BW.

Draw:
4 Infernal Contract
4 Cruel Bargain

Protection:
4 Force of Will
2-3 City of Solitude
3-4 Duress
x Gitaxian Probe
You won't get anywhere without protection in a Blue.format, so this should be good. Note that City switches off even the activated abilities (like SDT, DRS, etc.) and makes you completely invulnerable to any kind of trick, except for morph triggers. It's a sb card at the very least, but maybe you may try it in the main. Duress is good for initial protection and GP is a zero-mana cantrip so it should be mentioned.

Acceleration:
4 Dark Ritual
x Wall of Roots
4 Squandered Resources
3-4 Cadaverous Bloom
x "search your library for a land, put it otb" cards
Wall of Roots gives you mana while somehow protecting your life total. You need the two combo pieces and you don't wanna dig for them, so lets try the (nigh) full sets, esp. when SR gets Decayed asap. Skyshroud Claim and such are good with Natural Balance. Drit speeds up your Draw4 spells.


Combo:
3 Natural Balance
2 Braingeyser
1 Tendrils of Agony
and/or 1 Drain Life


Trim to sixty, start testing. I'd play 19-20 lands, move Cities to sb, play only one wincon, try three Duresses and two Walls, play just seven D4s, and whatnot. I think the deck is extremely weak compared to the other choices, but it has some nostalgic value, it's unexpected, the generation of adolescent net-deckers won't have a smallest clue what they're up against, and the fact that tit sports lots of basics makes it powerful against one fairly known Legacy card/tactic.
If you'll have any success with the deck, it will tell a lots about your skill (both as a deckbuilder/alterer and a pilot), it will say lots about people's unability to adapt, and it will the final impulse that will force me to build my own favourite ICE-WTH deck; either 5CG or Marogeddon.

EDIT:
Also, I really think that BG build with emphasis on Vexplorer/Therapy interaction should be better. You may still use Wall of Roots for a turn3 Skyshroud Claim and you'll get to use Diabolic Intent and maybe Culling the Week. So having some eight mana on turn4 shouldn't be impossible and from now on things may get interesting.

[Lemnear]

I indeed forgot stuff like Diabolic intent and Phyrexian Tower to embrace the NicFit-core of BG mana acceleration :/

The S.Resources + Natural Balance Sub-combo isn't good enough anymore and I would free those slots for the cheaper, green/black acceleration.

[Mystical_Jackass]

Fair enough, though I didn't think asking "why play this deck over X" was out of line, it seems like the natural question to ask most times dev a deck. Oh well.

The new 2015 Waste Not seems like a very interesting interaction with Bloom & Prosperity. It screams combo potential... although I'm not completely sure what it is yet, but the ability to use things like Hymn to Tourach & Thoughtseize early just to disrupt them, but then get value from them to combo out with later seems good. The Vet Explorer and Diabolic Intent seems all right, though PtE and StP could completely shut down that strategy leaving you with no land and a dead card in your hand.

[Michael Keller]

Just throwing this out there for some food for thought, but what about Oath of Lim-Dul with Cadaverous Bloom? It basically allows you to draw your entire deck/filter your hand for the win.

[Bed Decks Palyer]

The Vet Explorer and Diabolic Intent seems all right, though PtE and StP could completely shut down that strategy leaving you with no land and a dead card in your hand.
You keep priority after Vet Explorer. Also, against lots of decks you may play him preemptively, it's not like RUG/BUG may remove him and sometimes you may block a Goyf if need be or if you don't have a sac outlet.

[Mystical_Jackass]

Just throwing this out there for some food for thought, but what about Oath of Lim-Dul with Cadaverous Bloom? It basically allows you to draw your entire deck/filter your hand for the win.

Oath would be pretty badass on style points, not gonna' lie, I remember seeing that interaction mentioned on gatherer I think. I think the 2 reasons are that it's such a dangerous card to have out, like Negator, and that even getting Oath & Cadav Bloom out simultaneously... lets just say you'd have to be some sort of deck making genius. If it was a viable interraction it makes me wonder that they probably would've used it back in '96, but then again with all the new cards over the last 15 years maybe we'd have more tools to pull it off. Then there's the fact that it's kind of a 2-card interaction that essentially does what Ad-Naus does in many ways. That's another point too, Ad Nauseum kind of illigitimitizes the whole Prosp Bloom concept 'cause it accomplishes both the engine and draw at the same time without any chance of running into a dead end (those akward moments!)



You keep priority after Vet Explorer. Also, against lots of decks you may play him preemptively, it's not like RUG/BUG may remove him and sometimes you may block a Goyf if need be or if you don't have a sac outlet.
Yeah, I understand the priority. I actually love Diabolic Intent in EDH, it's sometimes better than Demonic... just seems a lil' risky in Legacy, if I was building this I'm not sure how reliable/safe I'd feel banking on that play/interraction.

[Bed Decks Palyer]

Yeah, I understand the priority...
I never thought nor said otherwise. :smile: What I meant is that against decks with StP you simply don't play Veteran sooner than when you have your outlet ready. I think you don't need him sooner, except for some awkward situatins like when you're stuck on one/two mana and cannot play Veteran plus CT/Intent in one turn.

[Lemnear]

Still don't get the problem with Diabolic Intent here. Just don't play it into StoP by passing the turn. Otherwise you laugh at all removal as saccing a creature is part of Diablic Intent's cost and your opponent can't touch Explorer with StoP due to that.

If you play turn 1 Explorer into turn 2 Phyrexian Tower you have immediately 5 mana to cast Bloom. The BG concept has the potential to combo out turn 3-4 in average

@Oath of Lim Dul
I like it but it does nothing more than cycling through your deck with Bloom out. You can not afford spending more than 1 mana for each card drawn in general to afvance your combo

[Michael Keller]

I'm just saying that if we're talking about Cadaverous Bloom in a serious context, which is difficult to do these days, anything even remotely applicable should be considered.

This is a two-card combo that effectively draws your deck and filters your hand for the win. Combine this with Enchantress-based draw effects and these two together seems legit.

Again, Cadaverous Bloom. Just my two cents. No other card with it draws your deck at instant speed. What do you want with a five-mana enchantment?

[Mystical_Jackass]

One big advantage this deck could have is running Pernicious Deed though. That card literally universally hoses everything in the format. Not to shy away from the combo but it'd be something.


What do you want with a five-mana enchantment?

If only there was a Black spell that costs five man that could do both, it lets players draw out their deck for no mana investment... lets say the drawback is they have to lose life for the cmc of each card gained though to balance it out. Something like that would be much easier XD

Well, one can only dream... back to brainstorming ProspBloom ideas I guess...

[steelydanno]

Some people don't seem to understand that the reason to play ProsBloom in 2016 is so that you can PLAY PROSBLOOM IN 2016.

I'm all in for this. What about Dark Ritual as an accelerant and Underworld Dreams as the wincon?

[Fox]

I think DRS is an easy 4x in this deck, but once you add it you're doing the same thing as Food Chain in a lot of ways (just less efficiently). There's just not a huge functional difference between drawing cards to exile to Cadaverous Bloom versus sacrificing Misthollow Griffin to Food Chain. There is certainly some interesting creative space to take the ProsBloom/Food Chain hybrid idea by not running Strix or Goyfs, and you're getting access to Decay/FoW/Misdirection/Foresight~Manipulate Fate and supplanting Bloom with Chain.
Either way, be aware that Gurmag Angler is an excellent backup wincon [that can also exile Misthollow if you go that route] with 7 cmc, a relevant number for cards like Burnt Offering, since you'll potentially fill yards up fast with Squandered Resources.

[Begle1]

Back when I went down this rabbit hole a few years ago, it led me to Hedron Crab/ Squandered Resources/ Scapeshift/ Natural Balance/ Lotus Cobra/ Planar Rebirth.

Legacy Prosbloom is like a nostalgia drag car. Sure it'll never compete with a modern car running on all cylinders, but it's still fun to bring it out from the garage, tune it up and see what it can do still.

[MaximumC]

I'm really genuinely surprised no one has mentioned Minds Aglow. It's a strict upgrade to Prosperity because, if it is countered, you're only out U. You don't have to pay the X until it resolves. The "downside" is that an opponent to can help you make everyone draw more cards if they want, which is a problem for absolutely nothing this deck wants to do.

[monovfox]

Why not just use the gitrog frog and draw your entire library?