APS - Awakening Perfect Storm

[idraleo]

I want to post this decklist i created some day ago, the test seem pretty well by now, those new version adds to the classic TES and FT a new way of enveloping card advantage strategy, cuttin some direct tutor and a bunch of cards wich was for a good time auto-included in each TES variant. First of all, those deck strategy is pretty different from each other TES variant previous played: the deck focus is to resolve an Awakening Helm to did tons of free storm counter, especially with the 8 stars and spheres packaging and tuning Manamorphose into a powerful rite and cantrip in the same time. Cause of the deck "handicap" to constantly refill his hand with cantrips, i cutted Infernal Tutor from the original decklist and fit his lack with a completely new add-on for this archetype and TES, inserting Meditate. Meditate did really well especially with Helm of Awakening, and add boost to the hand, more of the time refilling himself with other cantrips, allowing to draw tons of cards. keeping this in mind, after few games i've found that the deck needs some other way to recicle is mana and i've added Channel the Suns, replacing Seething Song, wich was cool but doesn't resolve the colored mana problems during the combo.

The deck performs very well against blue based decks and had an excellent MD out to Counterbalance in the form of City of Solitude. City allows to be completely covered back by each hate, except obv by discard spells and stax hosers such as Trinisphere and Chalices, but thanks to the 2mana lands the sideboard could be filled by some unusual cc3 or more spell, from Oblivion Ring to Krosan Grip to Leylines if metacalled. The wishboard could be reduced to the minimun requested because most of the times burning is only used to saw some Force wasted or to get ToA. Grapeshot is a cool wishtarget because it breaks off Meddlings and\or Gaddocks.

I'm still working on the decklist, but by now this is the beta version i'm testing:

// Lands
2 [BOK] Tendo Ice Bridge
3 [EX] City of Traitors
4 [TE] Ancient Tomb
4 [8E] City of Brass

// Spells
3 [FD] Channel the Suns
2 [SC] Tendrils of Agony
4 [CS] Rite of Flame
3 [CHK] Desperate Ritual
4 [SHM] Manamorphose
4 [MR] Chromatic Sphere
4 [VI] Helm of Awakening
4 [10E] Chromatic Star
4 [MM] Dark Ritual
4 [TO] Cabal Ritual
3 [VI] City of Solitude
4 [TE] Meditate
4 [JU] Burning Wish

// Sideboard
SB: 1 [FD] Channel the Suns
SB: 1 [SC] Tendrils of Agony
SB: 4 [LRW] Oblivion Ring
SB: 4 [US] Duress
SB: 1 [AP] Vindicate
SB: 1 [10E] Shatterstorm
SB: 1 [MI] Seeds of Innocence
SB: 1 [TSP] Grapeshot
SB: 1 [IN] Desperate Research


Desperate Research and Seed of Innocence probably will leave the sb, and i'm thinking on some wishboard tutor in the form of Insidious Dreams.

[Cait_Sith]

How does City of Solitude stop Counterbalance? The ability is triggered, not activated. It can stop Counter-top, but a 2 CMC card on the top of their deck will shut you down entirely.

This deck just seems obscenely slow. Helm means no going off before Turn 3, and city holds you down until Turn 4. Further more, your colors span a wide range, but you have only 6 cards that can reliably generate those colors. Manamorphose and Chromatic Sphere can help here, but only so much and they do take up valuable cards space.

Also, you have engine for boosting storm, which would consistently force you to do a double tendrils, and your only chance of keeping the engine going mid-combo is either an insanely lucky Sphere/Morphose, for finding one of your Meditates.

The problem with Meditate is that if you do not win THAT TURN there is a good chance you will be beaten senseless during your opponents 2-3 free turns.

I think you need to try to address these problems before the deck can continue much farther.

[diffy]

// Sideboard
SB: 1 Channel the Suns
SB: 1 Tendrils of Agony
SB: 4 Oblivion Ring
SB: 4 Duress
SB: 1 Vindicate
SB: 1 Shatterstorm
SB: 1 Seeds of Innocence
SB: 1 Grapeshot
SB: 1 Desperate Research

Some Ideas:
Diminishing Return for brokenness/Storm generation
Tranquility as a complement to Seeds of Innocence
Split of Thoughtseize/Duress to be able to also pick troublesome Mages/True Believers/Teegs etc.

Maybe try something like this:

// Wishboard
SB: 1 Tendrils of Agony
SB: 1 Grapeshot
SB: 1 Diminishing Returns
SB: 1 Channel the Suns
SB: 1 Seeds of Innocence
SB: 1 Tranquility
SB: 1 Thoughtseize

// Sideboard
SB: 1 City of Solitude
SB: 2 Duress
SB: 5 free slots

[Nihil Credo]

You could consider Vexing Shusher instead of City.

Pros:
- One turn faster (you can also cast it turn 1 with Rite of Flame)
- Can block a Piledriver against aggro
- Works against Chalice
- Works better against Counterbalance

Cons:
- Dies to removal (however, you can always protect at least one spell, I imagine an Helm of Awakening)
- You don't have Orim's Chant, so you may have to spend more than one mana on its ability

[idraleo]

Yes of course City doesn't stop Counterbalance as the triggered still goes on the stack, but assuming that is not so easy for a ******** player to get EVER a cc2 on top. As far as it is, the deck should go and combo even if Helm isn't in play: it boosts, but is not necessary as it seems to get on goal. A normal building of TES should go on and reach combo withuout going on Led+Infernal sometimes, as this deck should combo off without Helm. Probably what scares you and let you tag this deck as slow is the presence of some unusual high cc spell on md as Channel the Suns and City. About the velocity, today i did a good bunch of turn 2 kills. Is not difficult to did land, land, helm, rite couple of sphere, draw draw mana Meditate, sphere and go on this way.

About color problems, i don't find how they could come out. You have 8 spheres, 4 manamorphose and 3 Channel the Suns to turn mana as you need. I guess that this deck needs to play around the possibility to add blue and play a Meditate, but is a problem that came out very rarely. As the decklist is, moreover, the deck supports very well Cabal Rituals, cause getting on ******** is so easy because of spheres, tons of rituals and sometimes a City of Traitors.

About Susher, i know it is cool and probably could help post sideborad, but i'm not shure to play it over Cityes: Cityes stops both Counters and almost a CB, but Susher is useless agains hate in form of Stifle, Orim, Abeyance and sometimes a random Extirpate. Assuming this, i'm sure that if Susher won't find a place in md, i'll probably go and try him on sb to support City.

[Cavius The Great]

idraleo, you're my hero. I love this deck idea. I have nothing really negative to say about the decklist. My only beef is with Tendo Ice Bridge, is it really better than Gemstone Mine?

[idraleo]

Bridge is good 'cause of the spheres and Helm, but is in phase of testing and probably Gemstone fits better

[Cavius The Great]

Bridge is good 'cause of the spheres and Helm, but is in phase of testing and probably Gemstone fits better

You figure you would win before the three counters are used up, correct?

[idraleo]

Yes, instead bridges could stai in play also if we use it for colored mana, and it could get colorless anyway to help drop some sphere or Helm without be sacrificed.

[Bryant Cook]

This deck looks a lot like the first incarnation of TES called ShLong. You can find the thread in the opening post of the TES thread. I'll help you out.

First off you don't play enough colored lands to support so many colored spells even with spheres.

Secondly, consider Orim's Chant, Vexing Shusher, Xantid Swarm, and/or Thoughtsieze/Duress over City of Solitude. It's slow and costly.

Try some Infernal Contracts, you play enough mana fixing and black rituals to support them. They're simply amazing.

Diminishing Returns, amazing.

Try out more fast mana like Simian Spirit Guide, Chrome Mox, Lion's Eye Diamond, and Lotus Petal. They'll speed the deck up greatly.

[idraleo]

i simple love when people read only the decklist and skips all other part of the thread. Following your hints, i got to go on: -4 Tomb, -4 Cityes, -4 Helm, - 4 Meditate, -4 Stars, -4 Spheres, -3 City of Solitude, -4 Manamorphose, -4 Channel, play a different sideboard, add maindeck Petals, LED, Infernal, IGG, Orims. Probably i could skip some annoyng work simply throwing my deck and playing another one -.-

[Thehunter820]

I was wondering if you'd tried Empty the Warrens? Could be another decent win con depending on what your up against.

[idraleo]

i saw that most of the times is useless, by now almost each deck have an out from ETW and it doesn't have the amazing effect it had when was used in past decklists. Most of the times is only a bad out from a not-well tendril solution.

[Bryant Cook]

i simple love when people read only the decklist and skips all other part of the thread. Following your hints, i got to go on: -4 Tomb, -4 Cityes, -4 Helm, - 4 Meditate, -4 Stars, -4 Spheres, -3 City of Solitude, -4 Manamorphose, -4 Channel, play a different sideboard, add maindeck Petals, LED, Infernal, IGG, Orims. Probably i could skip some annoyng work simply throwing my deck and playing another one -.-
I didn't say cut all those cards, those were just some suggestions. I'm not telling you to give up on your deck, just try a few of them out.

[Pulp_Fiction]

I know this card sucks, but you have to play another kill source and Ignite Memories is one of the only cards that can potentially kill your opponent like Tendrils can as opposed to Empty the Warrens. In a combo deck you simply can not have one kill source IE Tendrils of Agony. Meddling Mage and the new Runed Halo all own a single kill source same with Extirpate, I know you have Burning Wish but that is you only out to an Extirpated Tendrils. You have to have another kill source.

[idraleo]

Yep i've tryed Ignite for a bunch when i was testing TES, but must of the time is difficult to have it deal more than 6-7 damage even with an high storm counter. Moreover, it sucks at his best against each deck who could play a Brainstorm in response, but could did something interesting against some Rock or stax build. I'm not sure that those deck concedes by a single Extirpate on TOA; opponent needs to did at least 2 of them to cut Burning too, and Meddling is not a great problem cause the deck had 3 different out, in the form of Grapeshot, Vindicate and Oblivion Ring wich will be sided in.