[Deck] Affinity

[Shawon]

That hand is 0 pressure, 0 CA beyond the initial Thoughtcast and has no lategame. It's all in on drawing into something relevant.
What I learned while piloting my list was figuring out what each of my hands can do and I wouldn't consider attacking for 1 with lifelink relevant at all. Just like you mull hands with 3 or more 0 mana dorks without big followups.
Strix often invalidates draws which are kind of all in on a single big dude and is guaranteed CA.

Again, give the list a whirl and figure out your gameplan with each hand.

You would be attacking for 2 with lifelink, making it easier to keep that hand and naturally draw into something, because the lifelink slows down the damage you could be taking while you are fishing. It's not irrelevant.

Anyway, my point wasn't that replacing Baleful Strix would make that sample hand suddenly awesome. I'm aware that hand is still a bad hand with Vault Skirge in it, but I think one of our differences lies in our definitions of a 'keepable' hand. My point is that the hand would be keepable with Vault Skirge because 2 power on the offense is better than 0, your only land is a land that can't be destroyed by Wasteland, you can play Thoughtcast for (1)U next turn or play Etched Champion if you draw a land. That's a lot better than what you're likely to encounter when you're mulliganing with a deck that runs 15-16 land. You say to figure a gameplan with each hand, and I've explained how you have more than one game plan in the sample hand I've described if you had Vault Skirge instead of Baleful Strix.

[godofallu]

The reason I think 3 memnite is the right amount is because they don't have evasion and I basically always get affinity without them.

Vault skirge has evasion and wears equipment better than basically any other creature in the deck. It generally swings for 10+ lifelink by turn 3-4.

Oh and Mox Opal could be 2 or 3. IDK what the right count is but I own 2 and with the card draw I still see both fairly often.

[Nidd]

The reason I think 3 memnite is the right amount is because they don't have evasion and I basically always get affinity without them.

Vault skirge has evasion and wears equipment better than basically any other creature in the deck. It generally swings for 10+ lifelink by turn 3-4.

Oh and Mox Opal could be 2 or 3. IDK what the right count is but I own 2 and with the card draw I still see both fairly often.

Each and every creature we run is nuts with Plating. Vault Skirge is godlike with Plating, but it's a horrible card without it.
Don't get me wrong. Skirge is fine as an additional beater for the fast versions. But the approach I am proposing is not fast. Heck, I'd rather run Revoker again.

[thefreakaccident]

Have some of you guys considered the abyss in this deck to combat other creature-based strategies?

It would be pretty sick to have your opponents always sacrificing creatures, while your's are protected.

Affinity already loves acceleration, and so does the abyss... It may take some retooling, but SOMEBODY please make it work, because I think it'll be sick, for 1, and secondly, I feel like this would pressure a lot of agro decks, trying to race board position... It becomes even more powerful the lower the creature count the opposing deck has as well (assuming the threats are non-artifact).

[Shawon]

Why don't you try it out yourself and get back to us? Personally, I wouldn't use the Abyss because it costs too much mana for what it does. My creature tech is 3 Umezawa's Jitte and 1 Etched Champion in the sb, and so far that's been working great for me.

[thefreakaccident]

I wouldn't have asked for others to do it if I had time for it. If you don't want to test out new options to potentially strengthen your archetype, that's fine. Although, this might fit better in metalworker Agro/control.

[godofallu]

I don't think the Abyss has any place in Affinity. It costs 4 mana which is the same as Tezzeret. So for 4cc you can either win the game next turn with Tezz OR trade 1 of your creatures for 1 of theirs.

[Shawon]

I wouldn't have asked for others to do it if I had time for it. If you don't want to test out new options to potentially strengthen your archetype, that's fine. Although, this might fit better in metalworker Agro/control.

You don't have the time to test Abyss in Affinity, yet you have the time to ask other people to test for you and reply with a condescending remark when someone suggest you try out a card yourself? Either you've got some balls, or you're a lazy as shit. Probably the latter.

When I want to find out how a card fits into a deck, I either ask people's thoughts, search threads and articles, or test the card myself.

[Mr. Froggy]

Just finished 3rd at my LGS's Weekly Legacy Tournament, I didn't change anything to my list because I didn't have time to. We were 8 and I saw:

1st round: Goblins
2-1

2nd round: Elves!
2-0

3rd round: Maverick (I think)
0-2

And from what I saw for the rest: Junk, MBC, LED Dredge, and Turbo Eldrazi

I liked it, metagame was varied, and kept things interesting. :)

[Shawon]

Nice work. What were your observations in your match with Maverick?

[Mr. Froggy]

That I hardly had any outs... I sided in Duress and Ancient Grudge (for the equipments) but I only drew 1 Duress...

I wish I would have drawn Galvanic Blast a lot more than I did though...

[Shawon]

That sucks. I remember when I first starting testing this deck against Maverick I'd always wish I drew more Galvanic Blast, especially against Stoneforge...

Lemme guess, was Jitte the equipment you saw the most? I typically find that the best way to fight Jitte is running Jitte yourself. If they have it, you save your army. If they don't, they're in trouble.

[Mr. Froggy]

That sucks. I remember when I first starting testing this deck against Maverick I'd always wish I drew more Galvanic Blast, especially against Stoneforge...

Lemme guess, was Jitte the equipment you saw the most? I typically find that the best way to fight Jitte is running Jitte yourself. If they have it, you save your army. If they don't, they're in trouble.

I saw Jitte a bit, but not as much as I thought I would. Maybe my opponent was new to the deck?

[ween]

Esper Tezzerator

I've tried your build, and made some tweaks i was interested in hearing your feedback on (you menton you had worked a lot on that list)

I didn't have Underground Seas, so went with Underground River.
Similarly, the Gaea's Cradle became a Glimmervoid.
I swapped a Springleaf Drum for a main deck Umezawa's Jitte and Phyrexian Walker became Etched Champions.

This does hurt the mana a little and potentially slows the opening down, but i think it adds a much meatier mid-game with Champions.

[Mr. Froggy]

My friend has a MBC list, and I have a hard time vs him, especially when he gets his stuff online soon (IoK, Liliana, etc.) how do you guys beat MBC?

[Shawon]

It should be the other way around. Affinity is a nightmare matchup for MBC, if by MBC you're referring to Smallpox decks. I beat them all the time on MWS.

Just keep whatever fast goldfish you have. They're too slow to hold you down since they don't run any targeted removal to dispose of your real threats, so if they cast Smallpox or Liliana, just sacrifice Ornithopter or Memnite and keep chipping at their life total until they die. If you have to choose between sacrificing Vault Skirge over Frogmite, you should always pick Frogmite because you don't want to have Nether Spirit chump-blocking your Froggy.

As long as your hand is fast and the MBC doesn't surprise you with an Infest (unlikely), it's an easy matchup. Of course, I make it really tough for them when I Spell Pierce whatever is about to save them from losing... but I guess I'm the only person in this thread who thinks Spell Pierce is good... must be something wrong with my brain...

Knowing what to cut really helps, too, because the less useless topdecks you run into, the more likely you will come out ahead if they try to drag you into a grind.

Take out while boarding:

- All of your Etched Champion (it's pro-color is irrelevant against 'sacrifice' removal, and Mishra's Factory blocks it with great success, and Cursed Scroll kills it easily too)
- All or at least 2 Tezzeret from your MD (too slow)

[Mr. Froggy]

Would it be wise to side out my MoEs first over my Etched? Or is the pump really important? And with all the discard, I can understand why I would side out Tezzeret.

EDIT: I think it's time for me to test Spell Pierce, because I think it could be really good.

[Shawon]

Masters can be 4/4 or higher. Etched Champion is just a Gray Ogre in the matchup.

[Mr. Froggy]

Yeah, makes sense.

[Mr. Froggy]

I thought that I'd post my list (and write it up correctly this time...)

Lands/mana
4 Darksteel Citadel
1 Great Furnace
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Vault of Whispers
2 Ancient Tomb
1 City of Brass
4 Springleaf Drum
3 Mox Opal

Beaters
2 Ornithopter
4 Signal Pest
4 Memnite
4 Frogmite

Win-cons
4 Etched Champion
4 Master of Etherium
3 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
4 Cranial Plating

Other(s)
3 Galvanic Blast
4 Thoughtcast
1 Spellskite

SB
Same as before, but my change the Duress to Cabal Therapy

I have yet to change the Frogmites for Skirges (but I like them too much...), also of all the games I've played, using Pest or Orni, I always had one swinging for 8+ Flying damage. But I think the Lifelink would be of great help since of all the life I lose with my City and Tombs (yes the Tombs accelerate a bunch, but the lifeloss is kind of major sometimes, esp. when I play against some kind of fast aggro.)

All in all, I find Affinity to be an extremely powerful deck. As I read somewhere, it might not be Tier 1 but its damn near powerful enough to be part of it (at least in my opinion). Its sleeved up, and I think its going to be my go-to deck from now on, because it suits my play style so perfectly.

Alright, I'll stop bothering you guys with this.

Enjoy!