Buried alive for 2 bloodghast 2 amalgam is a 3 cmc threat that beats oko and uro, unlike other options. Seems better to me than vengevine as it has less oppurtunity cost.
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Buried alive for 2 bloodghast 2 amalgam is a 3 cmc threat that beats oko and uro, unlike other options. Seems better to me than vengevine as it has less oppurtunity cost.
Buried Alive eats a counterspell every time. Also it makes you more all in on the gy plan, and at that point you might as well play dredge cause its faster. The thing about ghast and vine is...they can still be hard cast with a rest in peace on the board.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reeplcheep
Vengevine + Pox is a joke idea
The problems with Buried Alive are that
A) you have to put Buried Alive in your deck and also put multiple graveyard-based threats in your deck for the card to work, which is probably more threats than the deck wants to be playing
B) you actually have to cast the buried alive (a 3-mana spell) whereas if that card was e.g. Nether Spirit or the new Shade you could have it be your threat but also be happy discarding it to smallpox/liliana. (Or if it was a cheaper threat like Shrieking Affliction it would at least be much easier to cast)
Maindeck surgical extraction, pithing needle, and Ashiok go a long ways towards attacking those particular cards. Without Chains of Mephistopheles (which I don't own) Brainstorm/Ponder are still the same against my version as any version: really, really powerful. Learning how to play around them is the work of the Pox player. Worse than all of those cards is Veil of Summer, it just blows Pox out of the water. The good news about Lantern Pox is that Ensnaring bridge does so much work against creatures that I don't really need supplemental removal, which leaves room for answers to PW's.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pittplayer
The real question I need to particularly answer is: why haven't I purchased Karns yet? Its obviously the direction that would work best.
Getting Karn to resolve is an asymmetrical Null Rod, allowing Pox to Cursed Scroll and Phyrexian Totem without restraint. Mycosynth Lattice is just win as Karn starts an infinite LD loop turning artifacted lands into 0/0 creatures. Unfortunately, unless you're on artifact mana acceleration or lucky enough to draw 2 Dark Rituals, it's a gamble play. Pox can stall till it hits the 6th land drop. Ensnaring Bridge in the wishboard makes for easy defense.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Safety
I think the other bomb Planeswalker is Liliana, Waker of the dead. She's nearly identical to OG Lili but with a less powerful ultimate. Having her melt a Marit Lage token is one of the best feelings in the world. :cool: Unlike OG Lili, she can actually kill you. The ultimate is far too slow to compete and steal enemy Hogaaks... :frown:
It's probably better than the other 4-mana Liliana but idk if that's enough of a reward for what you're paying for itQuote:
Originally Posted by OmniStrata
It might be worse than Davriel even
Are you referring to Dark Realms or Untouched by Death? Neither of them resemble of the Veil and both run counter to a Pox Strategy, the former could be in a weird Death Cloud variant and the latter is obviously for the Zombie tribal archetype. Too bad it's not strong enough to be playable... Merfolk, Goblins, Elves and (lol) Eldrazi are the tribal agro decks I see. More gobs and Eldrazi, less so the other two. Was Davriel ever considered due to being a weaker Liliana with a micro Rack effect?Quote:
Originally Posted by kombatkiwi
Good points, I actually have 3 Cursed Scrolls already to help feed Mox Opal, which is the acceleration it needs. I am toying with an Ancient Tomb, maybe some number of Rituals, but overall I've been happy with Opals feeding the Lantern/mill-rocks/Bridge plan. I think if I go with Karn it would mean 3 Bridge main, 1 sideboard, which makes room for 1 Karn right away. The other 1-2 copies can be squeezed in somehow.Quote:
Originally Posted by OmniStrata
I meant Dark Realms, definitely not enough tribal synergy for the other oneQuote:
Originally Posted by OmniStrata
I think Davriel is okay, but there is a lot of competition for that space on the curve (Crucible of Worlds, Ensnaring Bridge, Lilliana Last Hope, Phyrexian Totem etc)
Can you escape Cling to Dust to dodge a Surgical Extraction by casting it against a random card in their yard?
tldr: YesQuote:
Originally Posted by OmniStrata
(When you cast cling it goes from the graveyard to the stack, then cling will resolve and go back into your graveyard, but as a new/different object than the one the Surgical originally targeted, so the surgical fizzles because its target has disappeared)
Borrowing an old Blueprint from Kroxa, I've come up with this monstrosity for use on MTGO:
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3466806
Anyone have a suggestion to make room for Silent Gravestone in the Sideboard? Targeting Kroxa hurts. Or could Witchbane Orb do it?
The R splash covers the toughest permanent for us Mono B users. The Artifact. Granted, Blast Zone can deal with things like Aether Vial and Pithing Needle, but without help, it can't stop a Chalice of the Void.
Don't know if you people care at all about up to date results, but someone from the Pox discord went 41st place out of 672 at Eternal Weekend with Mono Black Control (no smallpox). I thought it was cool.
i looked for the list but couldn't find it. care to post a link?Quote:
Originally Posted by BlogBoy
Hey long time no post, hope everyone is staying safe!
Still messing around with Loam Pox, here's my updated list.
Messing around with Haunted Dead instead of Nether Spirit.
It has pretty good synergy with Life from the Loam.
Thinking of adding another Liliana of the Veil and sideboarding Lili Hope..
Also feel Sylvan Library is alittle redundant, thinking of replacing with something like Noxious Revival..
Lands (27)
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Bayou
3 Wasteland
2 Mishra's Factory
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Swamp
1 Nurturing Peatland
1 Castle Locthwain
1 Blast Zone
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Karakas
1 Forest
1 Barren Moor
1 Thespian's Stage
1 Dark Depths
1 Cabal Pit
Creatures (1)
1 Haunted Dead
Spells (22)
3 Smallpox
3 Life from the Loam
3 Hymn to Tourach
3 Thoughtseize
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Fatal Push
1 Entomb
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Bontu's Last Reckoning
1 Crop Rotation
1 Cling to Dust
1 Collective Brutality
Planeswalkers (3)
2 Liliana of the Veil
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
Artifacts (4)
4 Mox Diamond
Enchantments (3)
2 Mirri's Guile
1 Sylvan Library
Sideboard (15)
3 Leyline of the Void
1 Raven's Crime
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Assassin's Trophy
1 Pithing Needle
1 Damping Sphere
1 Coffin Purge
1 Garruk Relentless
1 Ashiok, Dream Render
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Crop Rotation
1 Chains of Mephistopheles
1 Ensnaring Bridge
Testing Opposition Agent in Pox and it's the real deal. Also let's you run a Maralen lock. Even at its worst. T1 Dark Ritual into Agent in response to a fetch is back breaking. Also gives you game vs combo. Show and Tell player casts Intuition, respond with Agent. Or maybe an Opp casts SFM, respond with Agent. It's actually really sick.
I imagine you'd want to lose Smallpox then, since you'd need to consistently hit 3 mana and stay there, plus the whole sacrifice a creature part.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pittplayer
No... The thing about a Agent/Mornsong lock is you need to stop the early creature rush. With Unearth and Volraths Stronghold you can just keep recurring. And like I said, I also run Bloodghasts, which can eat a sac. Agent/Mornsong give a way to end a game out which Pox has been lacking. Also Agent gives Pox a instant speed answer to combo, which also Pox has been lacking. I never have a problem getting 3 mana. Also t2 Smallpox then next turn Unearthing the Agent is a play. The Agent, at its bottom worse, is a instant speed sinkhole/sylvan scrying with a 3/2 body. Not sure how you think that does not belong in a Pox deck. And if I HAVE to sac it to Pox that's fine. You can look at it this way. 3 mana: destroy target land, search opps library and play a land from it, do 3 damage to opp. I know obviously it does not always work out that way. But I think, again we are talking about it's worse use, not big plays like stealing a jitte or a decay, but i think its power is self evident, even just destroying a land, stealing a land, and attacking for 3 is a huge tempo shift.Quote:
Originally Posted by PirateKing
I think this card is going to need some discussion for traditional Pox decks, it's pretty good. It is card advantage with the monarch and a threat as well. Curving Liliana of the Veil into this will be brutal.
https://media.mtgsalvation.com/attac...7165160563.jpg
I think if Pox ran this Ensnaring Bridge would have to be main decked.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Safety
Noetic Scales could be quite good with Court of Ambition as additional Ensnaring Bridges as well. Davriel, Rogue Shadowmage for an additional Liliana of the Veil and The Rack effect. And Waste Not for excellent value.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pittplayer
Basically a deck less focused on land destruction and fully focused on discard synergies, creatureless (except for Mishra's Factory).
Maindeck Karn to let you beat down with Bridges and Scales and search out utility artifacts like Noetic Scales, Trinisphere, Lattice or even something like Phyrexian Totem is also an option.
The main issue is that we lose our artifacts to Oko decks :(
That is an easy shift to make. I'm already on Bridge/Lantern of Insight in my version of Pox. This is a gravy card for that setup.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pittplayer
B/W pox with a Solitary Confindment lock?Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Safety
The problem with all those rack effects is that it jams your hand while your opp beats down or combos. And when with this enchantment you are trying to keep Monarch, you will just end up losing it to beatdown and your opp will now be drawing extra bolts or delvers or whatever. I think this enchantment, lily, and some hymns/seizes is far far enough. I would fill up on creature kill/wipes instead of racks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Hammer
That sounds really sexy, actually. I think Ensnaring Bridge is generally going to be a better all-around card for most Pox decks, without needing a white splash, but white offers a lot of options. Considering we will likely want a win condition outside of combat, that means we might be able to cut some number of Factories to make the mana work. Honestly, I think it might even be worth playing Snow basics and Astrolabe. Astrolabe provides more artifacts for Mox Opal (which I'm playing), helps settle mana and makes the lands bullet-proof, and gives much needed velocity. Solitary Confinement could really pull all that together. I mean, we could even play Swords to Plowshares. I have to be honest, this is looking spicy as hell. I think I need to pick up some cards, lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pittplayer
Hello Pittplayer, any list you would like to share with us ? I do like your take with the new combo.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pittplayer
A 4 turn clock on hellbent? But Creatures must not touch you? 3 Turns if a Big Pox resolves?! I'm game. Packing bridge is a requirement. But I'd include 3 Drown in Sorrow along side our 6+ sac effects. Noetic Scales is a damn good option next to the Bridge. This Prison looks nasty & the Monarch Mechanic throws away the key.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Safety
Ensnaring Bridge, Lily OTV, Lily TLH, and.... Plague Reaver? Seem good?
Plague Reaver?
Plague Reaver {2}{B}
Creature — Beast
At the beginning of your end step, sacrifice each other creature you control.
Discard two cards, Sacrifice Plague Reaver: Choose target opponent. Return Plague Reaver to the battlefield under that player's control at the beginning of their next upkeep.
6/5
?? That's something to be weary of. If you're bridge gets dealt with, and you have no sac effects, that's a lot of pain, if you gave it to your foe. However, if we're running expendable creatures, it's a monster of a wincon. I'd just smash them with this guy instead. No fancy strategies needed.
I think Plague Reaver could be very strong in a version of the deck that emphasizes Loam
- Loam lets you refill your hand to discard cards to this
- In a Loam deck you probably have tutors for lands (whether Entomb or Crop Rotation or whatever) which is useful because this card is highly synergistic with Maze of Ith or Homeward Path
- I would probably avoid trying to combo this with Ensnaring Bridge because with a bridge in play you have already shut out the opponent's creatures and it stops you from attacking with your own 6/5
On 2nd thought, replace Plague Reaver with Rotting Regisaur and Ensnaring Bridge with Cursed Scroll. Now you have a more straight forward, reliable, and faster clock. :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by Pittplayer
Court of Ambition works great with Ensnaring Bridge. Thats the reason we are discussing Bridge/Noetic Scales.
Adding creatures to a Bridge/Scales deck doesnt make sense.
I would recommend discussing other cards that work well with Bridge/Scales such as Liliana and Bottled Clostier instead.
I'm only looking at Reaver as a recurring board wipe. So not sure how Regisaur does the same thing in your view?Quote:
Originally Posted by OmniStrata
A board wipe that costs you 2 additional cards & at minimum 6 life seems a lot worse than toxic deluge at first glance.
That is why I was saying pair it with ensnaring bridge. And I am mainly talking about it because it's a recurring boardwipe, unlike toxic deluge.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reeplcheep
That seems like a lot more work than The Abyss. Generally with bridge you have time, not 2 cards in your hand to discard.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pittplayer
Again. The Abyss...is not a board wipe.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reeplcheep
I don't really like Plague Reaver, not in a deck playing Smallpox. It makes sequencing awkward, especially given that you can't predict the many turns in the future what your opponent will be drawing. This gets exacerbated with the cantrips because they will see a ton of cards to not only answer your Bridge but also possibly just beat your face in with a 6/5.
I think the more exciting approach is with Court of Ambition. It's a 4-mana play that is exactly what you want, and it affects the game in the way you want. It provides card advantage (monarch) while disrupting your opponents (discard.) If you can get your opponent's to zero cards (Hymn, Smallpox, Liliana OTV) then it becomes a clock, and a fast one at that. I think it reliably ends the game in 3 turns once your opponent is hellbent. The one thing that could possibly be a sticking point is actually having too many cards in hand once you have the Monarch, especially if you don't have a Liliana. I think something like a singleton Raven's Crime could be a good mana/card sink that supports Court of Ambition nicely.
Yes. Reaver needs to be a "cute combo". I mentioned Rotting Regisaur not as a recurring board wiper but as a huge beater that will wipe someone who won't block for 3 turns.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Safety
The Court is best under Liliana of the Veil, Ensnaring Bridge, & Liliana the Last Hope. Getting the 2nd Card for Hope's Emblem to overrun your foes is made faster as a Monarch through the Bridge. It also makes Cursed Scroll awkward making it the obvious cut unless the deck has only 1-3 mana spells so you can use everything you draw easily. The Bottled Cloister idea is epic but is probably too mana intensive when Monarch is enough. I see that it allows you to keep a huge hand under the Bridge if given time.:cool:
I think instead of bridge court would be best in a removal.dec shell. Bitterblossoms/plague engineer/snuff outs to do anything to protect the queen, and then court + maybe a few hymns & thoughtseize should make quick work of any non creature deck.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Safety