[Legacy] Downscaled UB Ooze combo: MD 90 euros + SB 20 euros

Christmas is the time of giving. My Christmas gift to the budget Legacy players on Source is a downscaled version of one of the simplest and most consistent combos in Legacy: UB Buried Alive Ooze combo. This budget version is based on the Premium version Ooze combo thread.

The largest downscaling has been with the manabase, making Brainstorm subsequently worse. Upscaling instructions have been included in the list. Sideboard is transformational, although I have included cheaper Helm-line combo there instead of the usual SnT-Emrakul.

The list has been only very briefly tested, but it has the potential to hold its own even against the top guns of Legacy decks. I would recommend anyone running it to start their upgrading process with 4x Polluted Delta to improve Brainstorm, dodge Wasteland more efficiently and avoid spending money on a playset of alternative lands without future use. The deck mulligans slightly more than the premium version, the manabase is significantly weaker to nonbasic hate, and the deck is slightly worse in drawn-out games (no land filtering to improve draw quality, use of pain lands reduces life). Nevertheless, the most essential parts of the deck are the same (acceleration and combo), so the combo is just as deadly as the original.

Prices are from magiccardmarket.eu (cheapest playset price for 2-4x, cheapest EX or better price for singles, any language version accepted, any tournament-legal edition version accepted), fetched 24th Dec.

˝±100 euros Ooze combo"
Main deck (60)
// Lands (16) - this is the section you should test for personal preference before making buying decisions [lands total price: 16e]
2 Swamp [essentially free]
2 Island [essentially free]
4 Underground River [4x 1e = 4e] - upscaleable to 1-4 UG Sea, although very playable even without any. Fetches are a bigger priority.
4 River of Tears [4x 1e = 4e] (significantly more expensive Darkslick Shores or Sunken Ruins may also be used in this slot) - upscaleable to 4x Polluted Delta
4 Gemstone Mine [4x 2e = 8e] - upscaleable to 2x Scalding Tarn + 2x Bloodstained Mire

// Creatures (4) [creatures total price: 3 euros]
1 Phyrexian Devourer [1,90e]
1 Aquamoeba [2 cents]
1 Triskelion [5 cents]
1 Necrotic Ooze [1e]

// Win Combo (10) [combo part total price: 27 euros]
4 Buried Alive [4x 2,25e = 9e]
3 Reanimate [3x 5e = 15e] (4-2 split is marginally better, but that costs 4e more)
2 Exhume [2x 1e = 2e]
1 Shallow Grave [1e] (Shallow Grave is marginally better than Exhume, but costs slightly more when bought in multiples/playset)
*
// Disruption (8) [disruption total price: 14,20 euros]
4 Pact of Negation [4x 3,50e = 14e] - upscaleable to Force of Will
4 Duress [4x 5 cents = 20 cents] - upscaleable to 4x Thoughtseize
*
// Acceleration (8) [acceleration total cost: 12 euros]
4 Dark Ritual [4x 50 cents = 2e]
4 Lotus Petal [4x 2,50e = 10e]
*
// Tutor & cantrip (14) [filtering total cost: 16,80 euros]
4 Brainstorm [4x 1e = 4e] - power diminished without fetches, but still useful for hiding combo pieces from opposing Duress, putting combo pieces back into the deck, etc.
4 Lim-Dul's Vault [4x 2,95e = 11,80e]
4 Ponder [4x 0,20e = 0,80e]
2 Preordain [2x 0,10e = 0,20e] - upscaleable to Personal Tutor

---------------------
Main deck total cost: slightly below 90 euros + shipping costs

// Sideboard (15) [sideboard total cost: slightly below 15 euros]
SB: 4 Leyline of the Void [4x 1,44e = 5,80e] - upscaleable to 4x Show and Tell
SB: 2 Helm of Obedience [2x 3,50e = 7e] - upscaleable to 4x Emrakul
SB: 3 Spell Pierce [3x 5 cents = 0,15e]
SB: 2 Inquisition of Kozilek [2x 0,75e = 1,50e] - switchable into Duress after some of MD Duress have been upgraded to Thoughtseize
SB: 2 Wipe Away [2x 10 cents = 0,20e]
SB: 2 Echoing Truth [2x 10 cents = 0,20e]

----------------------
MD + SB total costs: roughly 105 euros + shipping costs


The deck can either sideboard in bounce and discard for opposing graveyard hate/Pithing Needle, or transform into Helm-line combo.

Transformational sideboard plan:
-combo (14 cards): 4 Buried Alive, 3 Reanimate, 3 Shallow Grave, 4 Creatures
+sideboard (14 cards): Everything except 1 bounce



Instructions to kill:

The most basic and usual way to kill the opponent is on T3 with 3 lands + 1 mana acceleration card with Buried Alive and an animation spell in hand (D.Rit is required for Exhume/Shallow Grave, D.Rit/Lotus Petal are both OK for Reanimate). Play Buried Alive, choosing Triskelion, Phyrexian Devourer and Necrotic Ooze (Ooze on top for Shallow Grave). If you have one of the combo pieces in hand, choose Aquamoeba instead in the pile. Animate Ooze. If you have a combo piece in hand, discard it using Aquamoeba's activated ability. Start removing cards from the top of your deck using P.Dev's activated ability (make sure to check the Oracle errata!). Whenever you hit cc 3+ card, don't let the ability resolve; instead respond to it by using P.Dev's activated ability again. Whenever you hit cc1-2 card, let it resolve to get the +1/+1 tokens. Then activate Triskelion's activated ability to shoot the opponent. Continue until you get the kill.

Typical thread opening post's worth of text about card selection and price comparison lost because of network connection issues. I might rewrite it some day, but atm I seriously don't feel like doing that.

The conclusion was:
Premium 743 euros -> budget 105 euros downscale analysis conclusion:
price tag -86%
mulligan rate (game 1) +10%
fundamental turn (game 1, assumes the more aggressive mulliganing) less than +0.5
G2-G3 transformational SB plan fundamental turn variance: through the roof (T1-T6+ instead of the previously stable T4 combat phase with occasionally faster)
fundamental turn (G2/G3 transformational): +1 (average value; variance increased significantly)
estimated tournament performance (educated guess): -10% (mostly due to SB plan inconsistency, loss of P.Tutor/B.Wish MD-SB tutor synergy, and becoming weak to recurring Wastelands)

Main weaknesses compared to premium version:
- Worse vs. Wasteland (although better vs. Stifle)
- Pact can not be used before combo turn (upkeep CAN be payable after failed combo turn, though)
- Pithing Needle becomes a hate card which hits also transformed Helm-Line SB, unlike SnT-Emrakul -> compensated by spending 5 mana in 1 turn to cast & activate Helm in 1 go & increased bounce in budget SB
- Post-transformation opening hands have large fundamental turn variance based on whether Leyline is in opening hand or not
- P.Tutor ->SnT post-SB synergy lost, Preordain is strictly worse
- Brainstorm is strictly worse without fetches -> weakly compensated by 2 Preordain/4 Ponder/4 LDV, most of which would be MD stuff even in premium list

Recommended upgrade order:
1) 4x Polluted Delta @ 14,35 each = 57,40 euros
2) 2x Personal Tutor @ 14,50 each = 29 euros

Other upgrades are fundamentally unnecessary. But if you want to invest in more duals/fetches, you should get 2x Scalding Tarn (@ 9e each = 18 euros) + 2x Polluted Mire (@ 8,5e each = 17 euros) first and either 1x Badlands (@ 26 euros) + 1x Volcanic Island (@ 32 euros) = 58 euros combined OR 1x UG Sea (@ 60 euros) second. The logic behind this being that Badlands + Volcanic Island cost slightly less combined than 1x UG Sea, and the opposing color land becomes fetchable through the use of all fetches because of Mountain fetching, although :r: mana production is irrelevant. Also, some versions use Burning Wish (@ 5 euros x2 = 10 euros) instead of Personal Tutor (@ 14,50 euros x2 = 29 euros), so if you have not invested in P.Tutors this will make it cheaper as well.