This thread is for the discussion of the following Belcher list.
This is the List that I top 8ed Kadilack's Dual Land Draft 3
My Tournament Report can be found here
CRET Belcher
4 Charbelcher
4 Burning Wish
3 Empty the Warrens
4 Lotus Petal
4 Chrome Mox
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Land Grant
1 Taiga
1 Bayou
4 Lion's Eye Diamond
4 Dark Ritual
4 Rites of Flame
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Seething Song
3 Tinder Wall
4 Wild Cantor
SB
3 REB
2 Pyroblast
4 Shattering Spree
1 Duress
1 Simplify
1 Cave in
1 Pyroclasm
1 Infernal Tutor
1 Empty the Warrens
This list originally did very well in Quebec GPT by ins0mniaque
The basic premise is simple. Open a hand with a win condition and mana and then kill your opponent before they can do anything about it.
Card Choices
Kill
Belcher, Burning Wish, and Empty the Warrens
These are the deck's kill conditions. They are efficient, difficult to deal with turn 1 and Burning Wish can fiind utility sorceries if needed.
Mana
Most of the mana cards is fairly straightforward.
The questionable cards seem to be Dark Ritual, # of Tinder Walls, and # of Wild Cantors.
Dark Ritual is one of only two cards that produce +2 mana all the time (Seething Song being the other)
With the inclusion of Dark Ritual 4 Wild Cantors are required inorder to more consistantly provide black mana to cast the Ritual.
The deck only runs 3 Tinder Walls for a number of reasons.
1) The deck has a problem producing more than one green mana turn 1 thus mulitple Tinder Walls are sometimes difficult to cast.
2) Dark Ritual is a better mana card and you need Wild Cantors to cast them.
Sideboard
One of the problems with a deck like this is sideboarding. There are very few truly dead cards as all the cards are either mana or kill. Thus you will usually not board many cards.
Protection
5 Blasts
These are your tools against Blue control. I usually board out some number of Land Grants, Tinder Walls, and Wild Cantors. If I board out 2 Wild Cantors I usually board out a Dark Ritual as Well
4 Shattering Spree
3 are for boarding leaving you one to wish for if necessary.
I usually board out 2 Cantors and a Dark Ritual for them.
Wish Board
The Wishboard is very flexible.
There is an Empty the Warrens for a tutorable kill.
Infernal can be used as both a means to find a belcher or up the storm count for Empty the Warrens.
The Rest
1 Duress
1 Simplify
1 Cave in
1 Pyroclasm
I am fairly disappointed with these slots as they don't do much. But, as a combo deck of this nature you won't be using most of your board anyway.
I would like to fit in a Tendrils of Agony inorder to finish the job of an early Warrens.
Matchups.
I think one of the strongest points of the deck is that it forces your opponent to play according to new rules. Players will have to pitch good hands or keep bad hands based solely on the presence of an answer to your deck. So even if they answer you the first time, they might not be able to answer you the second or third time.
All Agro.
You are favored. You kill before they get they get going and for the most part they can't do anything against you.
Other Combo
Solidarity should be slightly favorable as they need a FOW in order to stall the game long enough to combo off in response to you. But you have a much faster clock.
TES is unfairable assuming they get a turn. Their go off is stronger and can get a higher storm count fairly easily.
Control
Board Control
You can easily race most board sweepers so ETW can go all the way and belcher can usually kill them in one swoop.
Counter based Control
They have force which is bad but that is generally the only relevant counter that they can cast this early. The combination of them having to mulligan for a force and then pitching a card for it can often them with no threats and no answers to you in later turns.
Agro Control
Most agro Control have more answers to early threats that traditional control and as such provide a harder matchup for belcher.
Winning isn't out of the question but I don't feel confidant in that matchup.
Black Based Disruption.
A well timed duress can be very dangerous but you can usually recover of ignore it depending on your hand.
I have found that playing against Red Death is very favorable game one and only becomes an issue game 2 and 3.