[Deck] Deadguy Ale (B/w Confidant)

Whew, first post in a very long while. I've been playing this deck for a few weeks in my really wacky meta; including RGW survival, trix, goblins, MUC, alluren, and some elves. All I can say is that Nyxathid has been very solid, almost tombstalker good but it can end games even quicker. The fact that it doesn't have evasion is usually moot because your opponent doesn't have a hand or favorable board position. The plus that tombstalker has is that it can come down in losing positions and actually do some good to win the game, more so than nyx, but that all being said: Nyxathid is worth playing if you want another solid threat that can end the game fast after some serious hand/land disruption. He is certainly at home in this style deck.
For reference, here is my list:
Lands (21)
4 Scrubland
3 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
4 Wasteland
1 Cave of Koilos
1 Plains
7 Swamps
Creatures (18)
4 Dark Confidant
4 Hypnotic Specter
3 Nantuko Shade
3 Jotun Grunt
2 Nyxathid
2 Tidehollow Sculler
Spells (21)
3 Thoughtsieze
2 Duress
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Sinkhole
4 Vindicate
4 Dark Ritual

Tidehollow sculler is just something I am toying with, he has been OK but I will probably switch it back up to more traditional discard.

Is the archetype more or less dead, with Eva Green being the preferred splash? Or would you consider running a Bgw Dead Eva variant like Brian Kowal did?

Why run Tidehollow Sculler over Mesmeric Fiend? Sure the slight bump in power and toughness is good but it removes the likelyhood of broken opening turns with dark ritual. I'm running Kowal's decklist and I'm not seeing the need for change.

What does this deck do that Pox doesn't do better?

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Originally Posted by TestMonkey

Why run Tidehollow Sculler over Mesmeric Fiend? Sure the slight bump in power and toughness is good but it removes the likelyhood of broken opening turns with dark ritual. I'm running Kowal's decklist and I'm not seeing the need for change.

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He swings for 2

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Originally Posted by Mystical_Jackass

What does this deck do that Pox doesn't do better?

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Everything, ranging from winning the game, not dying as often to shitty topdecks, playing Exalted Angel, and more ways to capitalize on blowing up your opponent's cards. Oh, and your cards are not as situational as Pox's. By a huge margin.

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Originally Posted by TestMonkey

Why run Tidehollow Sculler over Mesmeric Fiend? Sure the slight bump in power and toughness is good but it removes the likelyhood of broken opening turns with dark ritual. I'm running Kowal's decklist and I'm not seeing the need for change.

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He helps against goblins and in the mirror he beats fiend.

I've been testing Kowal list and this is my conclusions:

1. I prefer Mesmeric Fiend than Tidehollow Sculler. In many situations I had Wasteland/Swamp + Bayou. Having 2cc card that I can't always play really bothers me.

2. I'm trying to verify is Hypnotic Specter better than Fiend/Sculler. Testing shows that it does more but also he slows deck a little but without fast ritual.

3. I think deck needs 1 more 1cc discard so I added 1x Duress in place of 1x Hypnotic/Fiend/Sculler. At this moment results are nice.

coming back to the arena/confi issue i would like to add that some cards remind me of a 3CC Keeper deck i used to play in Vintage back in the days.

so i would like to toss one card into the round when it comes to a "draw engine":

Skeletal Scrying

the life loss might easily be compared to the one caused by Dark Confidant or P. Arena, but when paired with Exalted Angel (that was the synergy in old 3CC too) its not that big of a penalty. the only thing that might become annoying is the fact that you have to make sure that your graveyard size fuels Tombstalker at the same time as Skeletal Scrying.

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Originally Posted by Deviruchi

I'm trying to verify is Hypnotic Specter better than Fiend/Sculler. Testing shows that it does more but also he slows deck a little but without fast ritual.

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One thing to watch is making this deck too vulnerable to EE and Deed; I've had that problem with Eva Green before. (Take nothing from aTn down there, I've never tried the aggro build you suggested, but it looks like a blast to play.)

I'm considering picking up Kowal's version of the deck since it seems remarkably consistent and not too dependent on either Green or White, but I have one question: Are the Tombstalkers that big of a problem in a deck with Confidants? I'm sorry if this has already been answered, but I know Confidant is the main drawing engine and center of the deck. Without Tombstalkers in the deck, there is no harm in getting a Confidant out quickly and just going from there without a Top. With the Stalkers, must you always wait for the Top before the Confidant? This seems like the only questionable thing about the deck. I do realize the major advantages provided by the Stalkers, though.

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Originally Posted by Linkin Pac

I'm considering picking up Kowal's version of the deck since it seems remarkably consistent and not too dependent on either Green or White, but I have one question: Are the Tombstalkers that big of a problem in a deck with Confidants? I'm sorry if this has already been answered, but I know Confidant is the main drawing engine and center of the deck. Without Tombstalkers in the deck, there is no harm in getting a Confidant out quickly and just going from there without a Top. With the Stalkers, must you always wait for the Top before the Confidant? This seems like the only questionable thing about the deck. I do realize the major advantages provided by the Stalkers, though.

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I play a deck similar to Kowal's but I use Sinkholes and no fiends plus 1 more Top. The Tombstalkers have never been a problem for me with 4 Tops and only 3 in the deck. I have only hit one like once or twice and I needed the extra card drawing regardless of if I hit a TS. I don't mind the gamble but if you don't like it then you may want to try Shades in it's place.

Why play Shade when there's Spectral Lynx?

Spectral Lynx is amazing in this format. If only swords gave you a chance to regenerate...

Shade wins games fast after you play your disruption, and Lynx is an ultimate defensive tool who can slowly sneak by a goyf for damage. I'd personally go with Shade in this deck, but I guess it depends on how you wanna play it.

By the way, I have not yet posted in this thread. I've been posting in Eva Green, although I run a B/w/g version. I've been seeing a good amount of these Eva/Deadguy hybrids lately, and they are definitely not Rock decks even though that's what the Starcity decklists refer to them as; Rock's strategy is completely different.

I've got a meta full of burn, sligh, aggro, ect. And after taking quite a few beatings I've ended up with the following deck. I was just wondering what people are thinking about ''Gatekeeper of Malakir'' from Zendiker as a two-of against such an aggro heavy environment.

Land:
4 Scrubland
4 new enemy fetches
2 tainted field
5 swamp
1 plains
4 wasteland
Instants:
4 stp
4 dark ritual
Sorceries:
2 raven's crime
3 thoughtseize
4 hymn
4 sinkhole
4 vindicate
enchantments
4 phyrexian arena (I'm settled on this so don't try to convince me about bob)
Creatures:
4 kitchen finks (yes there's that much burn around here)
3 Tombstalkers
2 Gatekeeper of Malakir (?)

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Originally Posted by Mono_Thematic

I've got a meta full of burn, sligh, aggro, ect. And after taking quite a few beatings I've ended up with the following deck. I was just wondering what people are thinking about ''Gatekeeper of Malakir'' from Zendiker as a two-of against such an aggro heavy environment.

Land:
4 Scrubland
4 new enemy fetches
2 tainted field
5 swamp
1 plains
4 wasteland
Instants:
4 stp
4 dark ritual
Sorceries:
2 raven's crime
3 thoughtseize
4 hymn
4 sinkhole
4 vindicate
enchantments
4 phyrexian arena (I'm settled on this so don't try to convince me about bob)
Creatures:
4 kitchen finks (yes there's that much burn around here)
3 Tombstalkers
2 Gatekeeper of Malakir (?)

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I would -2 Raven's Crime and +2 Gerrard's Verdict. It serves as disruption and can be cast on yourself if you really need the life. I would rather use Chainer's/Diabolic Edict over the Gatekeeper because one can be used twice and the other is instant speed which is better than the Gatekeeper.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mono_Thematic

I've got a meta full of burn, sligh, aggro, ect. And after taking quite a few beatings I've ended up with the following deck. I was just wondering what people are thinking about ''Gatekeeper of Malakir'' from Zendiker as a two-of against such an aggro heavy environment.

Land:
4 Scrubland
4 new enemy fetches
2 tainted field
5 swamp
1 plains
4 wasteland
Instants:
4 stp
4 dark ritual
Sorceries:
2 raven's crime
3 thoughtseize
4 hymn
4 sinkhole
4 vindicate
enchantments
4 phyrexian arena (I'm settled on this so don't try to convince me about bob)
Creatures:
4 kitchen finks (yes there's that much burn around here)
3 Tombstalkers
2 Gatekeeper of Malakir (?)

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Actually, if burn and aggro are both problems, is it still worth running Thoughtseize? Sure, it can hit creatures, but you have ways to deal with them anyway. I'd consider replacing Thoughtseize with either Duress or Verdict (as stated above), and adding more removal. Perhaps
-2 Raven's Crime
-3 Thoughtseize
+4 Duress
+1 Gatekeeper

or if Gatekeeper is meh, then
-2 Raven's Crime
-3 Thoughtseize
-2 Gatekeeper
+4 Duress
+1 Tombstalker
+2 Edict

thanks for the feedback, but bare in mind that I'm only running 9 threats in the deck. So having Gatekeeper serve double duty as creature disruption and kill-con (tho I'm not sure if 2 damage a turn is really a realistic clock in legacy anymore) is ideal.
As for TS verse Duress, I still favor TS since it hits Blood Knights, Blastoderms, Troll Aesthetics, and any CitP creatures before they are a problem. Plus 4 StP, 4 Vindicates (too slow to realistically use against sligh for creature control), and 2 Gatekeepers isn't really that much creature disruption.
I'm experimenting with Raven's Crime right now. I like it in theory cause it gives late game land draws purpose (I don't need more than 3) and helps build a GY for Tombstalker to eat. I'd forgotten about Gerrard's Verdict, but I really need all 5 of my 1cc spells to stay on task and maximize a Dark Ritual.

edit:
For those that were wondering, the deck now looks like this.
4 Scrubland
4 Marsh Flats
4 Wasteland
3 Tainted Field
5 Swamp
1 Plains

2 Tombstalker
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Ashenmoor Gouger

4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Dark Ritual

3 Duress
3 Thoughtseize
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Sinkhole
4 Vindicate

4 Phyrexian Arena