[Deck] Miracle Morph

[idraleo]

Last summer a friend of mine did some scoop with this decklist, wich was created by me. Basically i readapted the concept of Gro.deck, but instead of going to a classic build focused on ******** creatures and Quirion Dryad, i focused my attention on a creature that impresses me till i've been playing on it in ravnica's block. Vinelasher Kudzu and the sinergy between Life from the Loam, fethces and Exploration was the central point to create this strange build; the first version was very different from this (http://www.deckcheck.net/deck.php?id=13183) that brings my friend to the first top8 of the deck. Into the first version, when Tarmogoyf doesn't even exist, i was running Terravore and no other morph creatures than Fathom Seer.

What was the problem of the deck, and his force? Basically, the deck was cool because it was very sinergic: Exploration, Life and Fetches allows the deck to build up fast a good manabase, and at the same time to get an impressive Vinelasher Kudzu on the board. At the same time, the deck was able to morph up a Fahom Seer without losing many turns and\or land drops. After a few time of playtest, i realize that even the deck was playing a 19 land manabase when we play it we was ever on flood and was rare to have less than 6-7 mana on the board. So i start to add some other morph trick, Like Exalted Angel and, moreover, Vesuvan Shapeshifter: this guy was really sick, giving the possibility to get 3 cards on a turn by copying a Fathom Seer, or simply get a overwhelming flying force becaming anothe ExaLted Angel. The problem of the deck was basically, i think, that the interaction pieces into the decklist took pieces to the protections: there was few card to pitch on Forces, and the deck by himself wasn't the best to run the Countertop lock. This was the last decklist i tested, to give an idea:

// Lands
4 [ON] Flooded Strand
1 [UNH] Island
4 [ON] Windswept Heath
3 [A] Tundra
4 [B] Tropical Island
1 [ON] Polluted Delta
1 [UNH] Forest
1 [UNH] Plains

// Creatures
4 [RAV] Vinelasher Kudzu
4 [TSP] Fathom Seer
4 [FUT] Tarmogoyf
2 [TSP] Vesuvan Shapeshifter
2 [ON] Exalted Angel

// Spells
4 [MM] Brainstorm
4 [IA] Swords to Plowshares
4 [AL] Force of Will
4 [NE] Daze
2 [RAV] Life from the Loam
3 [US] Exploration
1 [DS] Echoing Truth
3 [CHK] Sensei's Divining Top

// Sideboard
SB: 2 [SC] Stifle
SB: 2 [TSP] Krosan Grip
SB: 3 [IN] Dueling Grounds
SB: 2 [TE] Wasteland
SB: 3 [TSB] Tormod's Crypt
SB: 3 [CS] Counterbalance


Last days i start to think if Tarrmogoyf was useful as they might be into different decks. In this decklist, they are a simply chumpblocker that basically doesn't need 1 or 2 turns to grow as Vinelasher do. I started to think if it is viable to play a more ristricted creature base and add some cool trick as maindeck Counterbalance could be, and some new card as Thwart or other cool morph guy such as Willbender or other tricks.

Any suggestion on how to improve this deck? It is viable as it was last summer or not?

[Media314r8]

horizon canopy or bouncelands I imagine could help you immensly in growing your kudzu, as well as creating a draw engine with lftl. (the bounce land can bounce itself to simply grow kudzu +X/+X each turn where X is the numebr of explorations you have plus 1.

Seems like a cute idea, but since you're not playing cycling lands, and possibly playing horizon canopy, perhaps crucible would be better than LfTL in this deck. INSANE wastelock with exploration and crucible. Fathom seer seems great here, but shapeshifter seems like a HUGE danger of cool things. Perhaps just go with 4 angels, as they will be more relevant more often.

[Isamaru]

When I first saw this thread, I was glad to see someone finally put Fathom Seer and Vinelasher Kudzu together, but I did not see the point of playing Exalted Angel.

Last summer I suggested Oboro, Palace in the Clouds, but now there is probably too much Bloodmoon to warrent its small bonus. Stick with LFTL engine.

Have you tried Black splash instead of White Splash? Confidant and Smother over Exalted and Swords to Plowshares.

Actually, you could just play 4 Eternal Witness 4 Primal Command 4 Temporal Spring and stay UG. (If you don't do something to depart from a side-strategy too similar to Threshold, then you will end up losing to it and any splash. Also, I'd just like to see this in two colors.)

[Maveric78f]

I think that LftL and bounce land cards are not at all synergic. I would recommend the play of intuition, only 1 copy of LftL and 3 copies of crucible. It would be half eternal garden half kudzu grow.

Something like that :

Lands : 22
8 fetches (4 U, 4 G)
2 island
1 forest
4 trop
2 academy ruins
2 wasteland
1 horizon canopy
1 cephalid coliseum
1 maze

// Creatures 12
4 [RAV] Vinelasher Kudzu
4 [TSP] Fathom Seer
4 [FUT] Tarmogoyf

// Spells 26
4 [MM] Brainstorm
4 [AL] Force of Will
4 [NE] Daze
1 [RAV] Life from the Loam
4 [US] Exploration
1 [CHK] Sensei's Divining Top
3 intuition
3 Crucible
1 Engineered explosives
1 powder keg

The blue cards count is maybe a little too low (19), but it's still acceptable.

Edit :
- sea drake is cool maybe *4 instead of sensei, keg and 2 crucibles.
- hoofprint, does not justify a white splash

[Nihil Credo]

So it was you who made the deck, Leo? Sweet :)

For reference, the old thread (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7321). There are some pretty good ideas in there (I like Sea Drake and Hoofprints) so I suggest you check it out.

[WiLdFiRe]

Yep, where are the Sea Drakes?

[Willoe]

And Karoo-Lands, or are they simlpy too crappy?

[Maveric78f]

And Karoo-Lands, or are they simlpy too crappy?

Don't you think that Orzhov Basilica is 1 000 000 000 times better than Karoo. By the way, Orzhov Basilica is not good enough.

[Willoe]

Oh, never mind, I thought that the karoo lands came into play tapped :) You're right again, Mav.

[TheKingslayer]

I ran kudzu in a w/g eternal garden build, my friend and I made a couple years ago. The kudzu has never, ever seen the light of day. Ever. It was always the first thing to get its ass handed to it. But then again, I wasn't playing many other creatures besides man-lands and rude awakening.

Maybe you could run ensnare to slow down aggro, and swing for the kill.

[idraleo]

by points:


- Karoo and other lands doesn't impresses me; they are poor in this metagame where dragon stompy and non basic lands hate is very viable. And, however, they are useful only with an Exploration\Kudzu on the board. Fetches did theyr best even if those cards isn't in play.

- Other splash than white one is viable i presume, black probably gives us the best mass removal in the format as Pernicious Deed, and should improve our hand control with Thoughtseize and some cool morph tricks as Aphetto Exterminator and Skinthinner. Red on the other side could improve with some direct damage and tricks as Fire\Ice (if it is useful in the metagame) and add morph trick as Gathan Riders (bad with Fathom Seer remember), Akroma Angel of Fury, Skirk Marauder and Fortune Thief.

-Sea Drake is cool but doesn't looks like they could did the difference as an Exalted Angel. The white guy is impressive against Burn and aggro decks, deal the same damage and survives to a single Bolt effect. And is easy to argue that if we play at least 10-12 morph creatures he will be far to get a removal on himself.

- Crucible and Intuition is a good engine, but probably they should did theyr best in a blue\green build, with some good stuff as Genesis and Eternal Witness. The simply UG build is probably the most viable after the Ugw one.

I update the decklist and add a Ug decklist too.

// Lands
4 [ON] Flooded Strand
4 [ON] Windswept Heath
3 [A] Tundra
4 [B] Tropical Island
1 [CS] Snow-Covered Forest
2 [CS] Snow-Covered Island
1 [CS] Snow-Covered Plains

// Creatures
4 [RAV] Vinelasher Kudzu
4 [TSP] Fathom Seer
3 [TSP] Vesuvan Shapeshifter
3 [ON] Exalted Angel

// Spells
4 [MM] Brainstorm
4 [IA] Swords to Plowshares
4 [AL] Force of Will
4 [NE] Daze
2 [RAV] Life from the Loam
3 [US] Exploration
3 [CHK] Sensei's Divining Top
3 [CS] Counterbalance

// Sideboard
SB: 1 [TSP] Krosan Grip
SB: 4 [IN] Dueling Grounds
SB: 2 [TE] Wasteland
SB: 3 [TSB] Tormod's Crypt
SB: 2 [LE] Nantuko Vigilante
SB: 3 [TSB] Willbender


Sideboard sucks. It need boost versus burn, but countertop did a great job in most of the times.

Ug decklist

// Lands
4 [ON] Flooded Strand
4 [ON] Windswept Heath
4 [B] Tropical Island
1 [TE] Wasteland
2 [CS] Snow-Covered Forest
1 [FUT] Horizon Canopy
3 [CS] Snow-Covered Island

// Creatures
4 [RAV] Vinelasher Kudzu
4 [TSP] Fathom Seer
3 [LRW] Sower of Temptation
1 [JU] Genesis
2 [FD] Eternal Witness
1 [ON] Gigapede

// Spells
4 [MM] Brainstorm
4 [AL] Force of Will
4 [NE] Daze
1 [RAV] Life from the Loam
3 [US] Exploration
1 [FD] Crucible of Worlds
3 [TE] Intuition
3 [LRW] Cryptic Command
3 [DIS] Spell Snare

// Sideboard
SB: 3 [TSP] Krosan Grip
SB: 1 [LRW] Sower of Temptation
SB: 3 [FD] Engineered Explosives
SB: 4 [TE] Chill
SB: 4 [TE] Propaganda


This is only a point of view, i've tryed to did something decent with Intuition and nothing more. I'll think that this deck doesn' t need to run Goyfs. They are simply an auto include but nothing more.

[Maveric78f]

Intuition has 3 purposes in this deck in order of importance :
- fetch LftL or more cool stuff in a control MU
- fetch exploration (by the way, I wonder how you can play only 3 of them) when you need some acceleration
- fetch the card you need at instant speed (a fetch for a lethal kudzu, fathom seer if you need some draw, force/daze if you need to counterspell, a specific creature : flying, tarmo, kudzu when the engine in online)

There is absolutely no need for more intuition engine. If you expect a very controlish metagame, you can still play 1*gigapede, which is really a pain in the ass for a lot of decks. In SB, I think it's possible to include one, and maybe also 1*genesis and 1*wonder.

In my list maze of ith is probably the worst card and it could be replaced with another mana producing land, another utility land that produces also mana, another intuition, another utility artifact, etc...

In your UG list, why on earth do you play Cryptic Command with only 19 lands? Why spell snare? It's very overrated. Sower of Temptation? Damn, you play only 19 lands and you keep bouncing/saccing them, how do you think you can handle such a high curve? Your list is really too slow for legacy.

In you UGW list, you really fall into the "cool stuff things". You don't need 10 morph creatures. If you want to bluff at magic, bluff with your cards in hands, bluffing with subpar (in this deck) morph creatures is really not tech. Your list is also very very slow.

Yesterday, I had only the time to play 1 match against burn (my opponent seemed competent), and my list (with sea drakes) behaved very well:
First game : he wins the dice roll and starts with 9 damages in his first 2 turns before I could do anything (actually I had 2 daze in hand but I did not want to waste 1 land drop at this moment). Then I play kudzu. He's confidant, so he continues burning me instead of kudzu. On his turn 4, I have in hand 1 fetch, 2 daze, 1 brainstorm and 1 intuition and he tries to play a ball lightning (with 4 moutain into play), I brainstorm in resp into force, a trop and a fetch). On my turn, before draw, I intuition into 3*exploration. I then fetch for a land play exploration, play another fetch and he's on a 1 turn clock (kudzu was 7/7 and he was @13 at the beginning of my turn) as I'm at 7+. GG.
Second game : he's really in bad shape as I styart with exploration. Second turn kudzu. I play a fetch => trigger of kudzu : nothing. I play another fetch => trigger of kudzu (3/3 at this time). Nothing. I fetch. Then he must be desperate because he sacs his 2 mountains to kill kudzu. I have no counterspell in hand, os I say ok and I play tarmogoyf (4/5). The turn after I play another tarmo and he'll die a few turns later as I'm at 10+.

I mean, when you pack 12 creatures with counterspells back up that are this much powerful you are obviously much faster than burn.

This deck needs goyf because you can't rely only on kudzu (he can be burned very fast).

[Illissius]

Phyrexian Dreadnought combos with Shapeshifter, if anyone cares.