After playing in a few pauper tournaments, I've really fallen for ninjas...
Should be be Stilljutsu, Stillnobi, Still Silence???
After looking at common shells, it hit me the best shell (IMHO) for a serious ninja deck would be the UB Standstill list... also, ninjas so far have only been printed in blue and black.
This is my first attempt at a deck like this, and I hope to actually get good with it and tune it.
I kind of want to run Silent-blade Oni main in place of Ink-Eyes or Higure. Being non-legendary it avoids Karakas and his ability is pretty awesome if you get a hit. Another big thing is he pitches to Force of Will as odd as that sounds. I think the list would probably be better if Higure and Ink-Eyes were taken out for a 4th Snapcaster and Vendilion Clique, but that just doesn't sound as fun. Higure can actually be crazy helpful since it can guarantee ninjas getting through, and Ink-Eyes having regenerate can actually come up at times when trading with Tarmogoyfs or Batterskulls..
The awesome thing with this list is the fact you get to buy back your Spellstutter Sprites and Snapcaster Mages.
Our main board is a pretty standard with the exception of ninjas thrown in. One of our big draw engines is Ninja of the Deep Hours which we can actually get out even with a Standstill in play. The Ninjutsu mechanic can get pretty crazy if you shortcut things since it can only be activated after the declare blockers phase, and before moving on to the second main. That means if an opponent tries to Lightning Bolt one of your creatures mid combat, it's really important to be in a spot where you really know if you can ninja that creature out or not. Other nifty tricks are that Maze of Ith does not stop a creature from attacking (it just prevents the damage and untaps it), which means you can still ninja that creature back out, and if you have enough mana, ninja it back in.
Main
16 Creatures
4 Spellstutter Sprite
3 Snapcaster Mage
4 Ninja of the Deep Hours
3 Mistblade Shinobi
1 Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
1 Higure, the Still Wind
17 Sorcery/Instants
4 Brainstorm
4 Fatal Push
4 Force of Will
1 Spell Pierce
1 Spell Snare
2 Diabolic Edict
1 Counterspell
4 Artifacts/Enchantments
1 Umezawa's Jitte
3 Standstill
23 Lands
1 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Mishra's Factory
3 Wasteland
3 Underground Sea
2 Swamp
3 Island
4 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
2 Flooded Strand
15 Side Board
2 Flusterstorm
3 Skullsnatcher
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Sakashima's Student
1 Pithing Needle
1 Silent-blade Oni
2 Throat Slitter
1 Invasive Surgery
The side board is a little odd right now, and then packed with some powerful side board technology, the non ninja cards are actually pretty serious side board tech. The Ninja's are there for utility and to apply more pressure on the opponent. Skullsnatcher is definitely useful against graveyard based strategies, the downside is he can only trigger during your turn. Sakashima's Student I think is a very cheap and efficient clone, which is useful against some of the bigger threats out there. Throat Slitter is extra creature removal.
Last edited by scaryrawr; 07-23-2017 at 09:28 PM.
Red Deck Weekly -- I'm bad at magic
My 2 cents:
Pretty sure u want to play some number of baleful strix, I would cut all ninjas but deep hour (they feel a little underwhelming) now if u want to play a 1 drop I'll choose the faerie miscreant or the evergreen DRS but not sure if some discard, like thoughtseize, would just be better.
U definitely want mutavoult for spellscutter as well.
Hope this helps.
I like the inclusion of mistblade Shinobi as it can clear away an opponents chance to race you even under standstill. I am not actually sure you need any of the more expensive Ninjas. Standstill is a grindy strategy and it might be better to dedicate those slots to more permission?
The Doomsday Codex
We're catching bullets in our teeth,
Its hard to do but they're so sweet.
And if they take a couple out,
We try to work things out.....
Meow.
They were actually thrown in originally as a joke (my friends said if I build the deck I have to run Ink-Eyes), but Ink-Eyes has been a really good heavy hitter late game, I do agree more permission would probably be better, I was thinking in the form of the 4th snapcaster though through the flash back? or is that too greedy? I was thinking if I remove those 2, I should up the snapcaster and add vendilion clique, but it might be better to add another counterspell and spell pierce?
I really like the Mistblade bounce their last guy, jam standstill interaction lol.
Thanks! I've definitely been considering Thoughtseize and Baleful Strix, Faerie Miscreant I feel doesn't do enough on its own. I feel I want at least 8 ninjas though, Mistblade being a 1/1 is what I think makes it underwhelming, but the bounce effect I think is very impactful, also being able to cheaply buy back spellstutter sprite early game gets so much more value out of the sprite.
I'll definitely try out Mutavault, I like the thought of being able to have it animate itself and flash spellstutter sprite for a stronger early game.
Thanks for the suggestions!
Red Deck Weekly -- I'm bad at magic
The realization that the Silent Blade Oni trigger pops your own standstill has killed my boner for this deck
I think that playing a couple of Ninjas in a more normal standstill deck is possibly fine but if you are attacking unblocked with factory/snap under a standstill aren't you already winning anyway?
Red Deck Weekly -- I'm bad at magic
I don't get the buyback part. Is the assumption that Mistblade Shinobi lets you return your own creatures to your hand? Because it's only the person you dealt combat damage to, which should never be to yourself.
Red Deck Weekly -- I'm bad at magic
Baleful Strix is really too good to not be played, c'mon, it's perfect for this deck.
And a Standstill deck with Black but without DRS...
Well DRS is not always needed.
I always envision Standstill with the aim of T1 - Stop first interaction (Either Kill spell, discard spell or hold a counter), T2 Standstill wherever possible. Yes, it is often you would want to have a counter or protection to allow SS to stick however if they hold up the possibility of that, you can always wait (as this is a deck about pro-actively waiting). I think DRS just opens you up to either having it get killed (loss of tempo) or allowing the opponent to get a foot on the ground early (which you don't want).
The Doomsday Codex
We're catching bullets in our teeth,
Its hard to do but they're so sweet.
And if they take a couple out,
We try to work things out.....
Meow.
Can the Pirate King really be interested in ninjas? jk jk.
I agree about not including DRS in this deck, like you said, our main goal is to prevent our opponent from getting board state so we can jam Standstill at some point. If you look at a lot of the normal UB Standstill lists, they don't really run DRS either, but I feel they do have more 1 mana permission spells, which may make us a little weaker not having those.
A lot of my spell choices are kind of based off of this WUR list from aznfoodgood, but instead of the Stoneforge package, we're going with a Ninjutsu package, and trying to take more advantage of the fact we get our Snapcasters and Spellstutter Sprites back (which is why I think we can kind of get away with not having so many 1cc interaction spells). Our mana base is a lot less greedy though, but I think our early fight is very much the same.
Red Deck Weekly -- I'm bad at magic
There's an old "rat deck" concept which runs ETB creatures plus ninjutsu, but Corrupt Court Official and Ravenous Rats probably aren't enough of a value train these days.
I tried out Mutavault in some play tests with friends before the weekly, they felt very underwhelming compared to Mishra's Factory.
Played in a weekly, went 2-1-1 today.
2-0 Portent Miracles
Turns out Spellstutter Sprite is amazing against cantrips and Swords to Plowshares. They also cannot play under Standstill.
Game 1, Ninjas were a no show, but Sprite and Factory are the real deal.
Side boarding: They're really light on creatures, so I didn't feel I needed the removal package.
In:
2 Flusterstorm
1 Pithing Needle
1 Invasive Surgery
3 Skullsnatcher
Out:
3 Mistblade Shinobi
2 Diabolic Edict
3 Fatal Push
Skullsnatcher I feel is better than Mistblade in this match up, since it can cut off their Snapcaster Mage, and is also more of a clock, I also feel we don't need too much removal, and are more worried about Jace, the Mind Sculptor.
2-1 Burn
Sprite works some magic, Umezawa's Jitte is really good here, and Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni packs a punch.
Game 1. Mulled to 5, only got to play lands until I died.
Side boarding:
In:
2 Flusterstorm
1 Invasive Surgery
1 Engineered Explosive
1 Pithing Needle
1 Throat Slitter
Out:
2 Diabolic Edict
1 Higure, the Still Wind
3 Mistblade Shinobi
1 Force of Will
A lot of their creatures have haste, so I felt Mistblade wasn't too good here, and Throat Slitter would be better. Pithing Needle is to hit Grim Lavamancer, Invasive Surgery for Lava Spike, Flame Rift, or Chain Lightning.
Game 2. Turn 1, played an EE on 1, didn't see a creature till much later game. Sprite and Factory were the clock until I got to ninja out Ninja of the Deep Hours He was able to land a Sulfuric Vortex but after I had a couple counters on Jitte (on a ninja, so much flavor...), so I was able to gain 4 life. Got more counters and killed his Eidolon with it and then Fatal Pushed a Guide. He ended up Fireblasting my Ninja when I swung for 7, but he couldn't follow up the following turn.
Game 3. Pretty crazy, lots of well timed Spell Pierce and Flusterstorms. Ended up ninjaing out Ink-Eyes which ended the game quickly with some counters to back it up.
1-2 Show&Tell
Game 1. I think game 1 went ideal with having the counters when needed, being able to get back Sprite for ninjas was a huge help at cutting off all his cantrips and drawing more cards.
Side boarding:
In:
2 Sakashima's Student
2 Flusterstorm
1 Pithing Needle
2 Throat Slitter
1 Invasive Surgery
1 Silent-Blade Oni
Out:
4 Fatal Push
1 Higure, the Still Wind
1 Ink-Eyes, Servent of Oni
2 Ninja of the Deep Hours
1 Umezawa's Jitte
I think taking out Ninja of the Deep Hours is a mistake, the card draw is really powerful. Silent-Blade Oni is being removed from the 75... and being replace with Vendilion Clique. Throat Slitter I feel can be really powerful for getting an Emrakul off the board. Sakashima's Student can copy any of their legendaries if played using ninjutsu (not off the show&tell). Oni, I thought would be awesome if I could draw out the game somehow and get out of his legendaries, I'm giving up on this dream.
Game 2. Had to mull, ended up with no permission spells. He had a turn 1 with force back up.
Game 3. Had the permission spells and a clock, he drew out one permission spell with a Cunning Wish which I think was just bait for it. The following turn he had Show and Tell into Omniscience into Emrakul. When he cast Show&Tell I had a Sprite in play with a Mistblade and Throat Slitter in hand. I put Mistblade into play hoping he was just going to Show&Tell in Emrakul and I could ninja out the sprite and destroy the Emrakul, I think this was a mistake, because what if he put in Griselbrand? I think it would have been better to try to bounce his creature with Mistblade if Omniscience wasn't there.
ID Scapeshift
We played for fun, I misplayed a ton, and I didn't realize he was scapeshift until it happened.
Side:
In:
3 Skullsnatcher
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Flusterstorm
1 Silent-blade Oni
1 Invasive Surgery
Out:
2 Diabolic Edict
2 Fatal Push
3 Mistblade Shinobi
1 Higure, the Still Wind
1 Ink-Eyes, Servent of Oni
I messed up with exiling his graveyard, I forgot that Nic Fit tends to run Eternal Witness and he was able to get his enabler back into hand. I think this is one of the only match ups where you can get out Oni since you get basics off of Veteran explorer. Skullsnatcher is definitely great against decks that use the graveyard though.
This is the second time I've tried the deck in a weekly, and I feel it has potential, but is really expecting fair match ups. Oni is being replaced with a Clique in the side board. Sprites I feel are awesome. Ninja of the Deep Hours and Ink-Eyes I feel right now are the most well rounded ninjas in the deck (Ink-Eyes!). Skullsnatcher I really like in the side, as well as Throat Slitter, Sakashima's Student I haven't really gotten out yet, and I feel needs more testing, I think replacing him with Thoughtseize might be correct. Mistblade in some match ups is underwhelming, mostly from the fact he's a 1/1, but definitely makes you feel more secure, especially being the cheapest way to buy back Sprite and Snapcaster.
Red Deck Weekly -- I'm bad at magic
I played ninja still a lot when it was legal in the old extended format. I recall stifle being played there and it was very powerful.
Others worth mentioning were ornithopter, mothdust changling and swarmyard (deck played mutavault)
-rob
I absolutely love this idea! I mentioned Ninja of the Deep Hours for UB Landstill to some friends a couple of weeks ago, but they kind of laughed at me :P I need to pick a few more up, but I'd like to give this a go for sure.
How are the bigger ninjas (Higura, Ink Eyes etc) performing? I think my first idea for a list just had four Deep Hours and a couple of Mistblades so not as deep on ninjas as you.
The ninja package I feel that is super solid are the 4 Ninja of the Deep Hours and the 1 of Ink-Eyes. Mistblade is very match up dependent, taking him out for more removal or permission spells I think may improve the list, but at the same time makes it harder to get back your Sprites and Snapcasters (which you may not need to get back so aggressively if you have more removal/permission). I think normal UB Standstill with just Ninja of the Deep Hours is the solid way to go if you want ninjas. UB Standstill is so good, Deep Hours being 2/2 and getting back snapcaster I think has a lot of value, plus the card draw.
Ink-Eyes has been an amazing performer (which surprised me), she was put in there cause I was told if I'm playing a ninja deck, it has to have Ink-Eyes. The big thing is the 5 power and Regenerate for 1B. Being able to trade with Batterskull, Tarmogoyf, Gurmag Angler, Reality Smasher and staying on the table.
Higure's ability seems sweet on paper, but in practice, he doesn't feel worthwhile as a 3/4 for 2UU. I think if his ninjutsu cost was 3, he'd be amazing. So I'm thinking a vendilion clique here would be better (or just another permission spell, or the 4th Standstill), but I still want to try him out more just to confirm.
I've seen some older lists running Ornithopter and other cheap fliers, but I don't feel you get enough value from getting an Ornithopter back in your hand, I think maybe if you're just trying to power out a ninja every turn?
Did the list play Stifle, or just Stifle can hit ninjutsu? I saw older standstill lists use to play stifle, but the newer ones don't. I think it's because even if you mana denial your opponent, while standstill is out they can just keep doing "Draw-Land-Go" with you for a bit, and fetch "safely" while standstill is out. I haven't played too much standstill until this week, so I may be wrong (I can't find too many standstill videos either to see how people play it and build around it).
Red Deck Weekly -- I'm bad at magic
$15 bucks to give this a spin?
Ninja please.
Elves Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/2EVsdw2
Haha, I just ordered the few bits I'm missing too
Edit:
I think I'll try something along these lines first
4 Snapcaster Mage
3 Spellstutter Sprite
3 Ninja of the Deep Hours
1 Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
3 Thoughtseize
1 Toxic Deluge
2 Diabolic Edict
4 Brainstorm
4 Fatal Push
4 Force of Will
1 Spell Pierce
1 Spell Snare
2 Counterspell
3 Standstill
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Mishra's Factory
4 Underground Sea
3 Island
1 Swamp
4 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
3 Wasteland
I played UWR Ninjas for a while and deck felt really good. I wasn't on the standstill plan, but just as an advice, two-mana removal can sometimes be akward (advantage of UWR was having both STP+Bolt) with ninjutsu. Mistblade Shinobi is a no-go, it doesn't work as good as it feels. A card that has surprisingly good value in these builds is Augur of Bolas. Great two drop that can find you a removal spell + you can rebuy it with ninjutsu for insane value.
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