[Deck] Cavius Sligh

[Cavius The Great]

Here's a similar list that I ran at the GP. I went 2-6 with it and faced 4 Hulk Flash decks while only beating one of them. I'm assuming that this deck will perform alot better when Flash gets the axe. Here's the decklist.

Cavius Sligh.DEC

// Lands
3 [ON] Bloodstained Mire
2 [OD] Barbarian Ring
4 [8E] Mountain (4)
4 [A] Taiga
4 [ON] Wooded Foothills
4 [TE] Wasteland
1 [IA] Forest (2)

// Creatures
4 [TE] Mogg Fanatic
4 [GP] Tin Street Hooligan
4 [9E] Kird Ape
3 [GP] Burning-Tree Shaman
4 [EX] Skyshroud Elite
4 [PLC] Blood Knight

// Spells
4 [VI] Fireblast
4 [R] Lightning Bolt
4 [TSP] Sudden Shock
3 [UL] Rancor

// Sideboard
SB: 4 [4E] Red Elemental Blast
SB: 2 [TSP] Krosan Grip
SB: 3 [OD] Ground Seal
SB: 2 [AL] Pyrokinesis
SB: 1 [IA] Pyroblast
SB: 3 [TO] Hell-Bent Raider

This build is slightly different from the one I ran at the GP.

The changes I currently made go as follows.

MD:
-3 Jittes
-1 Mire
+1 Forest
+3 Rancor

SB:
-3 Pyroblast
+3 Hell-bent Raiders

I ran 8 blasts at the GP but I don't feel a need for 8 once Flash actually gets banned. I also replaced the Jittes with Rancor. I realize how good Jitte is but drawing them in multiples sucks. The only real plus to running them is creature kill but I feel it's unneccessary most the time. I rather put them on a faster clock with Rancor. Well, there's the long anticipated list you've all been waiting for. I hope you guys enjoy the build and feel free to post comments and suggestions. :wink:

Most Current decklist:

// Lands
4 [ON] Bloodstained Mire
5 [8E] Mountain (4)
4 [A] Taiga
4 [ON] Wooded Foothills
3 [TE] Wasteland
1 [IA] Forest (2)
1 [OD] Barbarian Ring

// Creatures
4 [TE] Mogg Fanatic
4 [GP] Tin Street Hooligan
4 [9E] Kird Ape
4 [PLC] Blood Knight
4 [TE] Jackal Pup
2 [GP] Burning-Tree Shaman

// Spells
4 [VI] Fireblast
4 [R] Lightning Bolt
4 [TSP] Sudden Shock
4 [UL] Rancor

// Sideboard
SB: 4 [4E] Red Elemental Blast
SB: 4 [TSP] Krosan Grip
SB: 3 [OD] Ground Seal
SB: 1 [AL] Pyrokinesis
SB: 1 [IA] Pyroblast
SB: 2 [TO] Hell-Bent Raider

[honz]

well, i have tried to build a deck very similiar to this myself, a RG sligh. after some testing, i have a few suggestions

4 fireblasts is way too many. drawing doubles of these is incredibly bad. a better option is magma jet, beleive it or not. the scry is really helpful, as the deck doesnt really run draw cards. also, chain lightning > sudden shock

i could never really decide between skyshroud elite, and jackal pup. i guess its a personal choice, but dont be too worried about pup's ability.

sligh loves rishadon ports, beleive it or not. once that initial surge is gone, you have alot of mana sitting around. another thing, is a big beater to use up that mana. some options:
juggernaut
rumbling slum
phyrexian war beast
probly a few others....i think slum is best


burning-tree shaman has poor synergy with alot of the deck. your running too many fetches, wastes...etc you really need to cut one or the other, and its up to you. if you drop the shaman, ankh of mishra has been used to varing success.

i think 4 hooligans is overkill, 2-3 MD is best; with the rest in the board. speaking of the board, 4 Pyrostatic Pillars immediately. other than that, i think its okay...

Capitalization is reqwuired on these boards. Please make an effort to use it in the future. - Zilla

[Cavius The Great]

4 fireblasts is way too many. drawing doubles of these is incredibly bad. a better option is magma jet, beleive it or not. the scry is really helpful, as the deck doesnt really run draw cards.

4 Fireblast is a must. Running any less is subpar. Ask anyone and they'll tell you the same. Drawing double Fireblast has never been an issue for me. I'm usually happy when I draw two, if I'm not able to cast both I usually just win with the first one and even then, I can just wait a bit to cast the second if the first one gets countered.


also, chain lightning > sudden shock

The reason I ran Sudden Shock at the GP is becuase of Kiki Jiki versions of Hulk Flash. Chain Lightning does nothing against Hulk Flash. I also think that Sudden Shock is better than Chain Lightning regardless. It's just so good against so many decks. It kills Pyschatog, Mishra's Factory in Landstill, Most Goblins, Karmic Guide, Meddling Mage, Rainbow Efreet, True Believer, mangara, Werebears (pre-threshold), prevent damage Clerics, and any deck that runs counters that happens to run creatures. It's just so amazingly good, the list just goes on and on.


i could never really decide between skyshroud elite, and jackal pup. i guess its a personal choice, but dont be too worried about pup's ability.

I've actually considered Jackal Pup and had it in my list for a short period of time. I realize how amazing it is and yes, It very well could replace Skyshroud Elite. I actually had them in the deck and my buddy Tivadar suggested I replace them with Blood Knight becuase I had too many one drops. But yea, I've been thinking of making that move for a long time now and you just convinced me.


sligh loves rishadon ports, beleive it or not. once that initial surge is gone, you have alot of mana sitting around.

Rishadan Port sounds interesting but I already have 4 wasteland and I don't feel like increasing the colorless land count even further. I think that would be a bad move. Maybe in replacement of Wasteland could be an option but I'm not really sure if that's the most ideal move. It's something to consider nevertheless.


another thing, is a big beater to use up that mana. some options:
juggernaut
rumbling slum
phyrexian war beast
probly a few others....i think slum is best


You're joking right? This is a weenie deck. The highest cc card on the curve is 3 and any higher would just be tilting the cow.


burning-tree shaman has poor synergy with alot of the deck. your running too many fetches, wastes...etc you really need to cut one or the other, and its up to you. if you drop the shaman, ankh of mishra has been used to varing success.

Burning Tree Shaman has been amazing for me. It usually hurts my opponent just as much if not more than it hurts me. You have to use the same reasoning with Shaman that you do with Jackal Pup. The damage doesn't matter much especially when you're entire deck is designed on dealing damage to your opponent quickly.


i think 4 hooligans is overkill, 2-3 MD is best; with the rest in the board. speaking of the board, 4 Pyrostatic Pillars immediately

4 Hooligans are a godsend for the deck. It gives me a MD answer to Chalice for 1 which makes it a 4'of auto-include. It also hits around half the decks played in Legacy it's simply amazing.

Pyrostatic Pillar is probably something to consider. Thanx for the suggestion.


other than that, i think its okay...

Are you kidding? My deck is amazing. I just posted it becuase people were being a pain in the ass trying to get me to post it. :wink:

[outsideangel]

You could probably use some more burn in there. You'll want it to clear out opposing creatures and let your guys swing in for the win, and then to finish an opponent off in a timely manner. It lets your little guys trade with big guys that otherwise might stick around and cause problems, like Werebears and the like, and it keeps your momentum up against decks with smaller critters. I'd look at Chain Lightning and Magma Jet.

Also I don't think you need so many lands. 22 is a little heavy, even if 4 of them are wasteland. If you keep a low curve you shouldn't need more than 2 lands in play at a time anyway.

With that in mind, I'd likely drop the Tin-streets and 2 lands for 4x Chain Lightning and 2x Jungle Lion. The Hooligans belong in the sideboard, really, as the only MD artifact you usually care about is Chalice. There aren't any good Needle targets in your deck and you should be aiming to kill before Aether Vial becomes really bad for you.

[Nydaeli]

With Future Sight being legal, you should definitely test Tarmogoyf. He's a huge beating, and almost always a 3/4 or bigger. You can even run Seal of Fire for synergy, although it's probably not worth it.

Fireblast: 4 is the right number. I'd recommend cutting the Barbarian Rings for additional mountains, though, just to make sure you can always cast it.

[aisman132000]

I really like burning tree shaman in this deck, it seems great against hulk and is just a big body against everything else.

While your main deck seems ok to me your sb seems suspect. I mean i understand ground seal is good against hulk but wouldn't tormod's crypt be better? its as least as good as ground seal against hulk and is effective against threshold and life from the loam as well.

Also i feel like helbent raiders really doesn't deserve a sb spot. I know its probably good against fish but it just seems lie jank to me. I mean do you even need cards out of the board to beat fish? You should just roll them. I would replace them with pillars.

My revised sb for your deck would be

4 REB
4 Pyrostatic pillars
4 tormod's crypt
3 naturalize/krosan grip/Pyroblast

[Cavius The Great]

@Raiders-Hell-bent Raiders are mainly for White Weenie, Angel Stompy variants and the occassional Clerics.dec. It compliments the maindecked Blood Knights and with Rancor, it lets me put them on a faster clock.

@Ground Seal-I like Ground Seal better than Crypt becuase it's a continuous effect. It stops Salvager dead in it's tracks and unlike Crypt, if they can't get rid of it, then it's gg. Unlike Tormod's Crypt, alot of decks can't deal with ground seal but can easily recover from a Crypt. That's the main reason I prefer Ground Seal over Crypt. And yes, Ground Seal can stop Life from the loam. I also enjoy the cantrip effect which is a minimal advantage but an advantage nevertheless.

@Tin-Street Hooligan-Hooligan has been nothing short of awesome for me and moving them to the SB seems like a bad choice IMO. You have to keep in mind that it has so many targets in this format that it's basically never a dead draw. I like running 4 MDed and would never even think twice about moving them to the SB. test them and you'll see how effective they are.

@22 land - I'm a very unlucky person that gets mana screwed very often. If I ran less than 22 I probably will never draw land. And yes, I pile shuffle but it doesn't help. I even get mana screwed often while running 22 but that's just something I have to live with. Any less than 22 for me is a no-no.

@Tarmogoyf-I have mixed feelings about Tarmogoyf. I agree that it's good, but the only card that I can take out for them is Rancor but I just like Rancor better. It basically puts them on a faster clock rather than having to wait a turn to attack with a Tarmogoyf. I also found myself wanting a Rancor more during testing becuase it is one less mana and deals damage at a quicker rate. You can debate over this slot all you want, I'm just telling you my honest opinion on the card.

Thanx for the suggestions and comments. I enjoy discussing on how to tweak this deck. You guys have been great and I hope you've considered everything I've said. Let me know what you guys think about my views on the deck and let me know if you agree or disagree with what I've laid down as my honest opinion.

[honz]

If you like tin-street hooligan so much, might i suggest Gorilla Shaman. It has been my expierience, that your hooligan targets are ussually chrome mox, sensei's top, chalice, vial...etc All very low CC artifacts, making shaman a powerhouse. Now, i have not tested him, but i think 2-3 would be better than the hooligan. His clock is technically slower, however his impact lasts the whole game. Although, burning-tree shaman has poor synergy; i think the pros outweigh the cons.


Also, Jungle Lion is probly a better option than Jackal Pup. Because of pup's ability, you never really want to block with it anyway; i would choose lion over pup. But, i would also choose skyshroud over lion or pup...

Just a thought, but you could take out the burning-tree shaman and take the deck another direction. With shaman gone, you could run a more classic sligh approach, including:
Grim Lavamancer
Cursed Scroll
Gorilla Shaman
Ankh of Mishra (to fill the whole shaman left)
Genju of Spires

just a suggestion...

[ReAnimated]

What do you think of Heartwood Storyteller card advantage seems solid to me :smile: but its kind of dead Vs Goblins and Death because Goblin's only non-creature spell is vial and Death runs disruption so the cards u draw might get discarded anyways so idk , what do you guys think?

[Cavius The Great]

Here is my current list. I'm pretty sure this is probably the most optimal version yet. Let me know what you guys think.

// Lands
4 [ON] Bloodstained Mire
5 [8E] Mountain (4)
4 [A] Taiga
4 [ON] Wooded Foothills
3 [TE] Wasteland
1 [IA] Forest (2)
1 [OD] Barbarian Ring

// Creatures
4 [TE] Mogg Fanatic
4 [GP] Tin Street Hooligan
4 [9E] Kird Ape
4 [PLC] Blood Knight
4 [TE] Jackal Pup
2 [GP] Burning-Tree Shaman

// Spells
4 [VI] Fireblast
4 [R] Lightning Bolt
4 [TSP] Sudden Shock
4 [UL] Rancor

// Sideboard
SB: 4 [4E] Red Elemental Blast
SB: 4 [TSP] Krosan Grip
SB: 3 [OD] Ground Seal
SB: 1 [AL] Pyrokinesis
SB: 1 [IA] Pyroblast
SB: 2 [TO] Hell-Bent Raider

Discuss.

[Volt]

Here is my current list. I'm pretty sure this is probably the most optimal version yet. Let me know what you guys think.

Tarmogoyf really, really needs to have a place in the deck. He will instantly become your best creature.

Once Flash gets banned, I think you should replace Sudden Shock with Chain Lightning or Magma Jet. Between the two, Magma Jet is the superior spell, but Chain Lightning has synergy with the Goyf.

I'm also not real keen on Jackal Pups, but I'll leave that alone.

So, in summary, here are the changes I would make to your list:
-4 Blood Knight
-4 Sudden Shock
+4 Tarmogoyf
+4 Chain Lightning

[Gheizen64]

First, i am new to this forum, so welcome to everyone.

Second, i really, really love RG beats deck. I played them from the far 1994, when revised was legal in italy (it was the first expansion in italian language), with kird ape, bolt, llanowar elves and the dreaded Channel/Fireball combo in the main. Funny times.

Times are really different now. Regarding this deck, i know Tarmogoyf is a really a strong card, especially in a weenie/burn deck or ******** like deck, but i don't think cutting Blood Knight would be the right choice. Blood knight can avoid StP, are protected against most of the fish creature (avenger, grunt, mother, meddling) and with Rancor can take down Mongoose, Werebear and other x/4 without beating a sweat.

I would take out 2 Shaman and 2 Pup. I too, loved Jackal Pup in the old days, and i usually start every deck list with 4x Jackal Pup, but legacy is the format of burn and cheap fish creature. He really seems subpar in this format... :'(

[insertnamehere]

I definetly think the Tarmogoyf will make a great improvement Consider this Turn 1 Fetch, chain lightning
Turn 2 Land, Goyf He is a 2/3
Turn 3 watch him grow

[Cavius The Great]

I agree with Gheizen that Blood Knight is better than tarmogoyf, especially in my metagame where White Weenie, Angel Stompy and Janky Clerics.dec run rampant. Sure Tarmogoyf is a beatstick and a half but when it boils down to it, he's an inferior, vanilla, Sword-bait creature. there's no point in making my deck worse just to make that one creature better. That's just my honest opinion.

[noobslayer]

You could also make some cuts and play them both. That doesn't seem out of the question.

[Cavius The Great]

I was thinking maybe something like.

-2 Tin-Street Hooligan
-2 Burning-Tree Shaman
-4 Rancor/Sudden Shock (I'm not sure which I should cut for the 4 Chain Lightning)

+4 Tarmogoyf
+4 Chain Lightning

That seems like the most logical cuts to me if I were to make any changes at all. I'm still uncertain if Goyf is worth it though.

[xsockmonkeyx]

Just try him out, he will surprise you. Also, I would leave the Tin Street Guy in and cut Jackal Pup(s) instead. Destroying artifacts feeds your Goyf.

[Cavius The Great]

Just try him out, he will surprise you. Also, I would leave the Tin Street Guy in and cut Jackal Pup(s) instead. Destroying artifacts feeds your Goyf.

Jackal Pups stay. I need atleast 12 1-drops. Two Tin-street hooligans will still remain. And I've tested Goyf, I just don't like vanilla beaters that get plowed constantly. He's decent in testing but not amazing, atleast from my experience.

[Gheizen64]

You have already 12 1 drop in fanatic-elite-ape...

I'm going to test the deck a little to see if pup is really worth the space over other card.

EDIT: NVM, i didn't see you dropped the elite for the pup.

[Cavius The Great]

You have already 12 1 drop in fanatic-elite-ape...

I'm going to test the deck a little to see if pup is really worth the space over other card.

EDIT: NVM, i didn't see you dropped the elite for the pup.

Right. I'm liking Jackal Pup alot better than the elites. During testing and from my experience at the GP, they were a 1/1 about 50% of the time due to my opponent playing around him only fetching basics. I like jackal pup much better becuase he is a gauranteed one drop with the power of 2 regardless of my opponent's manabase. All in all, I'll have to say that Skyshroud Elite has been crap for me.