[Deck development] Agent Blade

[Asthereal]

Hi guys,

I've been toying in my head for a while now with the idea of combining two pretty popular decks into one: Shardless BUG and Death Blade. The reason: what do I really really want to cascade into? Stoneforge Mystic! Into Batterskull or a sweet blade next turn. Two bodies and a fresh sword in hand to attach to one of them as soon as I can. That's just awesome. It seems to me that this could be a potentially very dangerous deck in the current meta full of fair decks that fight over resources. Both Death Blade and Shardless BUG have a few cards that you don't really want to play, because they suck in certain situations. For instance, Baleful Strix is great in some situations, but it's a terrible clock compared to SFM into Batterskull. Death Blade on the other hand sometimes just misses a simple beater like Goyf. Combining both decks should solve that.

But... it's not that easy to come up with a deck list that's even close to optimal in a minute. There are several questions to be answered:
1. Do I really want black? Bant seems a fine colour combination, but it has its drawbacks.
2. Do I want Planeswalkers? And which ones?
3. How on earth do I make this work with a mana base that is anywhere near acceptable?
4. How should the sideboard look?

I could use some help to make this deck work, so anyone who reads this and has his/her interest triggered by the idea, feel free to step in and join the conversation. I really believe that we should be able to make the combination of Shardless Agent and Stoneforge Mystic work on a competitive level, but it's not so easy.

My list so far:

"Agent Blade" (June 12th, 2014)

Creatures:
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Shardless Agent /16

Spells:
4 Brainstorm
3 Ancestral Vision (maybe this should be Ponder-we have enough card advantage already)
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Abrupt Decay
3 Thoughtseize
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Batterskull /24

Lands:
3 Tropical Island
3 Scrubland
2 Underground Sea
2 Savannah
4 Flooded Strand
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Windswept Heath
1 Polluted Delta /20

Sideboard:
4 Force of Will
4 Meddling Mage
1 Thoughtseize
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Golgari Charm
2 Maelstrom Pulse /15

As you can see, for this version I have chosen to play a versatile mana base, and only cards that cost one of each colour. This does mean I cannot use Planeswalkers. This is a serious disadvantage, but on the other hand the list should be optimal to battle the early game, because the deck itself is built around a killer midgame full of card advantage engines.

The sideboard is now mostly a list of anti-combo cards. Combo is of course the worst matchup for a battlefield monster like this, so we need some help there. The last four cards are there to optimize the usual matchups.

Who would like to help me optimize this seemingly random pile of goodstuff?

[aCatNamedBootsy]

All in all I like your list. have you considered Baleful Strix in place of the Visions?

Also, Sylvan Library seems quite good in here as well.

[limbo]

How do you feel about Briksza's shardless Bant deck from the invitational? Same basic principle, shardless-visions-stoneblade goodstuff control. No deathrite, but thopter sword.

http://www.starcitygames.com/events/...ant_with_.html

I like Thopter-sword + ruins as a way to insure you have the long game advantage.

[Asthereal]

All in all I like your list. have you considered Baleful Strix in place of the Visions?

Not really, no. I felt to keep the curve right, I should have either Ponder or Visions in that slot, but in the other hand I already have 6x Discard, 4x Deathrite and perhaps Plows to remove threats, so that might be enough.
The funny thing is: I started out with this idea because I felt Strix wasn't good enough against heavy control and combo, where I needed a more convincing clock, so I kind of forgot about the option of adding it to this list regardless. I'm not exactly sure yet, but I'll give it some thought and perhaps a test run.

Also, Sylvan Library seems quite good in here as well.

Indeed, Sylvan is on the list as well. Perhaps I could try 1-2 Sylvan and 1-2 Ponder in the slots of the Ancestral Vision as a first change to test. Sylvan has more or less the same function, but when I cast it, it only requires me to wait one turn instead of four for it to have effect.

How do you feel about Briksza's shardless Bant deck from the invitational? Same basic principle, shardless-visions-stoneblade goodstuff control. No deathrite, but thopter sword.
http://www.starcitygames.com/events/...ant_with_.html
I like Thopter-sword + ruins as a way to insure you have the long game advantage.

Thanks for posting this idea. I hadn't thought of this. My original Bant list looked like this:

4 Noble Hierarch
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Shardless Agent /16

4 Brainstorm
4 Ancestral Vision
4 Force of Will
3 Spell Pierce (bad, but I didn't test anything else in this slot before I switched to four colours)
4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Batterskull
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor /24

20 Lands /20

So that's a lot more aggressive, and a lot faster, but it has less staying power. Maybe I can try to merge these lists into something that makes sense. The thing is: my lists so far all aim at optimizing the expansion of board presence during the first few turns, where the list you posted actually aims at the mid/late game to do its shenanigans. I'm not sure they will combine very well.

EDIT: On the other hand, I do have 3x Spell Pierce that I can cut just like that. Minus the SoFaI and plus 3x Foundry and a Sword of the Meek and we're almost done. Maybe drop a Visions for Ruins as the 21st land, and we have something that looks pretty playable.

4 Noble Hierarch
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Shardless Agent /16

4 Brainstorm
3 Ancestral Vision
4 Force of Will
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Thopter Foundry
1 Sword of the Meek
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Batterskull
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor /23

Lands:
4 Tropical Island
3 Tundra
2 Savannah
1 Island
1 Forest
1 Plains
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Flooded Strand
2 Windswept Heath
1 Academy Ruins /21

Does look playable. It's a tad weak on the turn one plays (I usually don't count Brainstorm as a turn one play), but other than that it looks like it should be able togive the fair decks that dominate the meta right now a run for their money.

EDIT2: Perhaps, looking at this last list, the Hierarchs are now the worst cards in the deck. Maybe they could go for an additional land, and other one-drops. If I add an Entlightened Tutor, a Top and a Visions, I get the list you posted from Rudy with a random set of Goyfs. I don't know yet...

[limbo]

When I first messed around with Shardless Bant I was on counterbalance-top, since it had decent threats and a perfect counterbalance curve. I like the idea of Thopter-sword far more however, as it is a solid way to actually win, and allows you to control the board more with your other spells instead of ending up in the weird aggro-control nether region that was the weakness of shardless counterbalance.

I love nobles, don't love them in a cascade shell, but value is value. Curious to hear how this deck does for you and what changes you make going forward.

[Asthereal]

CounterTop seems good in this shell indeed. I decided against it for a different reason: I felt that in the current meta with many Delver decks, Shardless BUG and Jund, everything revolves around board presence. When you are behind in board presence, a cascade into a Top or Counterbalance can be backbreaking. The Agent itself has rather a small body, so that doesn't count for much. The Thopter combo does add to our board presence very well, and the Stoneforge Mystic is already in the deck, so I don't have to stretch the deck to add tutors for Sword of the Meek. All in all, the Thopter combo seems rather a natural addition. I will test it for sure.

[Wincheee]

Hey guys! i saw the Brisksza's deck tech and man! i love the idea!
Asthereal, in your last decklist, how about keeping goyfs and do - 4 Nobles, +1Ancestral Vision, +1 Sensei's divining top, + 1 Enlightened Tutor, +1 Humility?

I think we need 4 Vision, remember, Brainstorm isn't a real card draw spell, is a "hand sculptor", we draw 3, but "lost" 3 ( the brainstorm and the 2 cards to the top of the deck).
Humility is a gamebreaking card vs aggro decks, even vs Sneack&Show, and we win the 1/1 war throught the Thopthers and equipments.

Thoughts?

[Asthereal]

Many thoughts. Way too many, actually.

I too feel that the Hierarchs are the weakest slots in the deck right now. If we want to go full control mode, I think cutting them for 1x Vision, 1x Top and 1x Tutor seems legit. I would personally rather add a 22nd land instead of the Humility. That card seems like it's more sideboard material.

In the list I have now, I focus more on faster wins, and the deck is absolutely packed with card advantage engines as it is, so I will actually first test a list -3 Ancestral Vision, +3 Ponder. Ponder works immidiately, while still being a fine card to cascade into. It also helps smoothe out my first four turns, and that's where the list has its focus right now.


But you may be right that full control could be the correct choice. I don't know yet.

[Wincheee]

Well, i think we need some kind of creature control other than STP, in the Bridszka's Bant, he have Ensnaring bridge, but im personally don't understand how he abuse that card playing 4 ancestral visions :P. but, it's true that there are decks that scoops to ensnaring bridge in game 1, in that case, y prefer Humility, isn't vulnerable to Abrupt Decay!, es super eficient vs Elves, deathrite shamans, and a large etc. i would test 1 in main and 1 in sideboard.

Other important card in sideboard is Counterbalance, we already play 1 SDT in maindeck and a nice mana curve, so, 2-3 Counterbalance in side plus other Enlightenend tutor can work, remember we can't go natural way with counterspells like Spell Pierce/Flusterstorm/Swang Song cause' the Agent.



This is my actual list ( i can't find a place for the last Tarmogoyf :( )



4 Shardless Agent
3 Tarmogoyf
4 Stoneforge Mystic

1 Batterskull
1 Humility
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Thopter Foundry
1 Sword of the Meek
4 Ancestral Vision
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sensei's Divining Top
4 Brainstorm
1 Enlightened Tutor
4 Force of Will
4 Swords to Plowshares

4 Misty Rainforest
4 Flooded Strand
2 Windswept Heath
2 Island
1 Forest
1 Plains
1 Academy Ruins
1 Karakas
3 Tundra
2 Tropical Island
1 Savannah

SB: 2 Supreme Verdict
SB: 1 Grafdigger's Cage
SB: 1 Path to Exile
SB: 1 Relic of Progenitus
SB: 1 Ethersworn Canonist
SB: 1 Seal of Primordium
SB: 1 Pithing Needle
SB: 3 Meddling Mage
SB: 1 Humility
SB: 2 Counterbalance
SB: 1 Enlightened Tutor

[The Treefolk Master]

I created a thread to discuss a similar deck a few months ago:

http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...dless-Thopters

I'm considering running this deck again this Sunday, I'll post my most up to date list.

[Asthereal]

I created a thread to discuss a similar deck a few months ago:

http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...dless-Thopters

I'm considering running this deck again this Sunday, I'll post my most up to date list.

Nice. I hadn't seen that thread.

Perhaps we should keep this thread for my initial idea of a Shardless BUG and Death Blade hybrid, without the Thopter combo, and use your thread for the Thopter lists.

My latest list without Thopters:

AGENT BLADE (UWgb) (21-6-2014)

Creatures:
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Shardless Agent /16

Spells:
4 Brainstorm
3 Ancestral Vision
3 Thoughtseize
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Sylvan Library
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Abrupt Decay
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Batterskull /24

Lands:
3 Tropical Island
3 Scrubland
2 Underground Sea
1 Savannah
4 Flooded Strand
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Polluted Delta
1 Windswept Heath /20

Sideboard:
1 Thoughtseize
4 Meddling Mage
4 Force of Will
2 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Golgari Charm
2 Grafdigger's Cage /15

Changes since the last time:
Main: -1 Savannah, +1 Polluted Delta (I don't usually want a Savannah in my opener)
Main: -1 Inquisition of Kozilek, +1 Sylvan Library (experiment)
Side: (no changes)