[Deck] Witch-Maw Threshold, Redux (U/G/b/w)

[Bardo]

I've flirted with this deck for years, but a certain 3-mana 5/5 tree-man monster in Lorywn gave me a compelling reason to take my beloved "Witch-Maw Thresh" (as in the Nephillim of the same name/colors) some retuning.

"Witch-Maw Threshold
by Bardo

4 Nimble Mongoose
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Dark Confidant
2 Doran, the Siege Tower

4 Force of Will
3 Daze
3 Counterbalance
2 Spell Snare

4 Ponder
4 Brainstorm
3 Mental Note
2 Sensei's Diving Top

4 Swords to Plowshares

4 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
4 Tropical Islnad
3 Tundra
2 Underground Sea
1 Snow-covered Island

Sideboard
4 Engineered Plague [flexible]
4 Meddling Mage
3 Pithing Needle
2 Krosan Grip
2 Umezawa's Jitte


The Blue/Green shell is rather standard: draw spells, counters, and undercost beaters. Mental Note pairs with the Tarmogoyf and the the decks's artifacts/enchantments in a sickening way. With Doran, not including Planeswalker and Tribal cards, you can be swinging with your turn-2 Tarmogoyf for 7 damage on turn 3 (provide you Force an opposing creature or your opponent casts a Sorcery and you get a little lucky).

Otherwise, the black splash is for Bob (great with SDT/Ponder and Thresh's low cost-cards) and Doran, with Plagues/Duress, etc. in the sideboard.

White is for maindeck Swords to win the 'Goyf war, Doran and sideboarded Meddling Magi.

Counter-Top is there to exploit the progressively tightening of Legacy deck mana curves and is a strong source of card advantage on its own.

[Happy Gilmore]

You are incorporating even more creatures that don't need thresh in the deck yet you are still running Mental Note. Even if you don't think Portent is good you should atleast be running Serum Visions in that slot.

-3 mental note
+1 Top
+2 serum Visions

[Bardo]

You are incorporating even more creatures that don't need thresh in the deck yet you are still running Mental Note.
I consider Tarmogoyf a threshold creature in this deck--and Note makes him very sick. A turn 1-Note almost always leads to a turn-2 4/5 Goyf. In my testing, Tarmogoyf is Just a Better Wearbear.

[kirdape3]

I doubt that you need Ponder, either. Since you don't have to hit a magic number in the graveyard, you could run other card drawing options. Personally a deck like this is asking me if I want to shove Life from the Loam and a couple of cycling lands into it to go absolutely bugshit crazy.

[Nihil Credo]

Personally, I'd go with Ponder/Brainstorm/Serum Visions. Too many permanents in this deck to make Portent good. Unlike Happy Gilmore, I wouldn't want a third Top, except maybe in the sideboard.

Also regarding the sideboard.... Meddling Mage has been pretty underwhelming for me for several months now. And two cards I'd absolutely want in a Threshold sideboard that can support the colours are Armageddon and Extirpate.

@Kirdape: You might want to look at Goasfdsfksfhk's TarmoTog deck. It's hella good, and it's the direction you seem to want to bring Threshold towards.

[Happy Gilmore]

I doubt that you need Ponder, either. Since you don't have to hit a magic number in the graveyard, you could run other card drawing options. Personally a deck like this is asking me if I want to shove Life from the Loam and a couple of cycling lands into it to go absolutely bugshit crazy.

That might be a very interesting direction to go.

[ExplosPlankton]

Ugh, Doran Siege tower (BGW) AND counterbalance(UU)? Thats just ugly from a consistency standpoint. How about brainstorming a B/G/W list? Perhaps a creature base of Mother of Runes, Jotun Grunt, Gaddock Teeg (or Spectral Lynx/Dark Confidant), and Doran could work backed up by friends Duress, STP, Vindicate, Gerrard's Verdict, etc.

I only wish white had a more powerful one drop than mother of runes/isamaru...something along the lines of a one mana shroud creature like nimble mongoose. It would have to be something that grows conditionally to see print. Something like 1/1 Shroud for W, whenever your opponent plays an instant with converted mana cost 2 or less (or plays a nonbasic land?) you may put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. Making it graveyard dependant would make it unplayable with grunt so thats out as far as Im concerned.

Thrill of the Hunt is a card I think could be relevant in a meta where goyf on goyf battles are common. It gets even better with Doran on the table, giving a creature +2/+2 twice. It goes without saying that rancor is terrible in a deck with doran.

I also think that deathmark should be considered for sideboards in most decks with access to black. Its similar to spellsnare in my eyes as it takes out tarmogoyf, meddling mage, werebear, doran, jotun grunt, wild mongrel, hierarch, etc for one mana. Cant do much about nimble mongoose but then again neither can STP. You'll just have to block it.

What disappoints me about Doran is the slight anti-synergy with Dark Confidant. Dark Confidant is a mere 1/1 with Doran on the table though perhaps this doesnt make much difference?