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Thread: 8-Rack

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  1. #1

    8-Rack

    Wanted to create a thread/primer for the deck commonly referred to as 8-rack. While not all versions run 8 rack effects anymore, the core of the deck's strategy remains the same: get your opponent hellbent as quickly as possible and let The Rack and/or Shrieking Affliction quickly close out the game. The addition of Urza's saga helps push up the power level of this deck by giving it an (essentially) uncounterable tutor for racks or grave hate while also providing an option for jamming up the board with some potentially large construct tokens.

    Some of the common cards used are listed below for people who may not be familiar with the deck, as well as a list I am currently using that is completely untested in the arena. I've only been able to playtest it but I would like some feedback on it.

    Creatures:
    Murderous Rider - Deals with creautres or planeswalkers at instant speed, can leave behind a body that recoups life loss and hides from discard until you are ready.
    Plague Engineer - Great against go wide X/1s, probably doesn't need much introduction here.
    Nether Spirit - When ran, usually ran as a 1 of and the only creature.
    Bloodghast - Great to add pressure, downside is they can't block.
    Rotting Regisaur - Fatty that works well in a hellbent environment, which this deck often finds itself.
    Dark Confidant - commonly ran in the sideboards for the decks that grind a little bit better or where card advantage is needed.
    Scourge of the Skyclaves - Newer card, not commonly seen, but can act like a 2 mana goyf, especially with thoughtsieze.
    Dauthi Voidwalker - Newer card, acts as gravehate with some shenanagins.
    Hex Parasite - Plays well with Urza's Saga and helps deal with opponents Chalice, which can prove to be a big problem for this deck.

    Discard - 1 mana:[/cards]
    Thoughtseize - Classic. Often a 4 of if IoK is not used.
    Inquisition of Kozilek - Also a classic, often a 4 of if Thoughtseize is not used.
    Raven's Crime - Very good card for this deck as it turns late game land draws into discard.
    Funeral Charm - flexible card that has seen some resurgence of late. Kills x/1, acts as 1 for 1 discard and can give a construct token swampwalk with an Urborg out to close out the game quickly.
    Duress - Older card, not seen much anymore due to better cards but it isn't a terrible choice. Hits artifacts, enchantments, and planeswalkers which are tough for this deck to deal with.

    Discard - 2 mana:
    Whispers of Emrakul - I've never seen anyone run this but I feel like its worth a test. Getting 1 or 2 cards at random can be strong. Given that half of our other discard is at the opponent's choice, it isn't any worse (except for being 2 mana) and often is better.
    Wrench Mind - 2 for 1 in modern (most of the time).
    Collective Brutality - Flexible answer to deal with x/2's and get instants/sorceries out of your opponent's hand. Occasionally the 2 life drain is useful. This card tends to be strong vs burn.
    Liliana's Triumph - Instant speed edict that occasionally acts as discard as well.
    Smallpox - Tempo swinger that can really cripple decks when played right.
    Mind Rake - Can be cast with overload to get around leyline of sanctity.

    Other discard:
    Delirium Skeins - used to get around the same leyline of sanctity.


    Removal - 1 mana:
    Fatal Push - Standard black one mana, instant speed removal. This deck doesn't usually run fetches so it can be awkward at times were it isn't able to be used.
    Funeral Charm - Gets all those pesky monkeys running around.
    Innocent Blood - Other standard black one mana edict.
    Bloodchief's thirst - Targeted removal for creatures and walkers. Can be a bit mana intensive.
    Dismember - often seen as a 1 of for quick removal of a large threat.

    Removal - 2 mana:
    Sudden Edict - uncounterable instant speed edict.
    Collective Brutality - see above, deals with x/2 creautres.
    Liliana's triumph - see above as well.
    Smallpox - see above.
    Damn - Sorcery Speed, unconditional removal.

    Other Removal:
    Baleful Mastery - Flexible on the tempo aspect, but good in that it exiles.
    Murderous rider - 3 mana which can be steep for this deck but hits everything.
    Bontu's Last Reckoning - 3 mana Board wipe at hte expense of your next turn.
    Damnation - Board wipe with no conditions.


    Urza's saga targets:
    The Rack - the namesake of the deck. You will probably always want 4 of these with Urza's saga.
    Nihil Spellbomb - 1 of for Grave hate. also cantrips.
    Pithing Needle - Great for walkers or other problem permanents.
    Expedition map - kind of an odd choice but it allows you to fetch up your next saga.
    Hex Parasite - see above.

    Planeswalkers:
    Liliana of the veil - Needs no introduction. Discards, edicts, and should probably be a 4 of.
    Liliana, waker of the dead - Newer card, acts as LOTV #5, but the 4 mana is a big ask for this deck.
    Ashiok, nightmare weaver - Grave and fetch hate, alternate win con.
    Davriel, rogue shadowmage - Rack options 9-12, or a budget LoTV.

    Rack effects:
    The Rack - see above.
    Shrieking Affliction - Enchantment version of the rack that hits harder when opponents are at 1 card in hand.

    Other/Sideboard cards:
    Leyline of the void - grave hate
    Surgical Extraction - grave hate
    Cling to Dust - grave hate, with an added bonus of late game card draw or life gain.
    Tormod's Crypt -can also be tutored with saga.
    Ensnaring Bridge - given as most games get both players hellbent, this stalls out and lets the racks deal their passive damage.

    Mana base:
    Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth - helps utility lands tap for black.
    Mishra's Factory - Standard man land that can pump construct tokens.
    Urza's Saga - New card, very powerful. Spams the board and tutors up racks and puts them directly into play (or needle, or spellbomb)
    Bojuka Bog - simple grave hate.
    Castle Locthwain - Card draw.
    Hive of the eye tyrant - New man land with a little bit of late game grave hate for when that is an issue.
    Silent Clearing - Most decks are mono black but still include these for some late game draw if needed.
    Nurturing Peatland - see above.

    If there are others I am missing, please let me know and I'll add them to the list.
    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Safety View Post
    Look at the bright side, if Legacy becomes like Vintage all of us old dudes can get together, drink whiskey, and smoke cigars while we play the gentleman's format. Like an MtG speak-easy.
    Quote Originally Posted by Cire View Post
    And the Reserved List causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their portfolios: and that no man might buy or sell cards or Chinese rip offs, save he made a post about the Reserved List or the number of its Threads: 666.

  2. #2

    Re: 8-Rack

    Here is my current build. I'm looking for some advice on the mana base and the removal package:

    26 Lands:
    15 Swamp
    1 Bojuka Bog
    2 Urborg, tomb of yawgmoth
    3 Mishra's Factory
    4 Urza's Saga
    1 Castle Locthwain

    6 Artifacts
    4 The Rack
    1 Nihil Spellbomb
    1 Pithing Needle

    3 Enchantments
    3 Shrieking Affliction

    5 Planeswalkers
    4 Liliana of the Veil
    1 Liliana, Waker of the dead

    20 Spells
    4 Inquisition of Kozilek
    4 funeral Charm
    3 Liliana's Triumph
    3 Raven's Crime
    2 Collective Brutality
    1 Fatal Push
    1 Baleful Mastery
    1 Bloodchief's Thirts
    1 Whispers of Emrakul

    The land count is higher than most builds that have done well (usually running 20 lands + 4 sagas), but it felt in testing that I am getting stuck on 2 mana, often with my second land being said saga which is just painful. So I added a few and upped the raven's crime to ensure any extra lands are still live discard. This deck is also missing smallpox which, while not always guaranteed to see play, can be devastating. Since I don't run any creatures in this build it will be even at best on CA but should be strong for tempo (outside of construct tokens of course). Likely the card to remove in that instance is CoBru, as they ultimately do the same thing, one just a little more consistently and with the added bonus of bombing a land. May also pull the 4 mana Liliana as the land loss makes that more difficult to achieve. It is nice to have her act as an additional rack effect as well too.

    All feedback welcome to those who have experience with the deck, with modern, with playing against this deck, or even none of it at all. I'm going to try to get out to a weekly soon and let it fly and see how it does.
    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Safety View Post
    Look at the bright side, if Legacy becomes like Vintage all of us old dudes can get together, drink whiskey, and smoke cigars while we play the gentleman's format. Like an MtG speak-easy.
    Quote Originally Posted by Cire View Post
    And the Reserved List causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their portfolios: and that no man might buy or sell cards or Chinese rip offs, save he made a post about the Reserved List or the number of its Threads: 666.

  3. #3
    Bald. Bearded. Moderator.
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    Re: 8-Rack

    Isn't Ensnaring Bridge pretty important for this deck? I understand the new flashy cards like Saga are really good, but fundamentally Bridge will lock up games much more reliably. There are so many decks that can't beat a Bridge once you're hellbent. I think sideboarding Bridges would be quite good.

    I was hot on a Bg version of this deck for a little while, ironically playing Tarmogoyfs because I couldn't afford Bridges (I had the goyfs from an old legacy deck.)
    Brainstorm Realist

    I close my eyes and sink within myself, relive the gift of precious memories, in need of a fix called innocence. - Chuck Shuldiner

  4. #4

    Re: 8-Rack

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Safety View Post
    Isn't Ensnaring Bridge pretty important for this deck? I understand the new flashy cards like Saga are really good, but fundamentally Bridge will lock up games much more reliably. There are so many decks that can't beat a Bridge once you're hellbent. I think sideboarding Bridges would be quite good.

    I was hot on a Bg version of this deck for a little while, ironically playing Tarmogoyfs because I couldn't afford Bridges (I had the goyfs from an old legacy deck.)
    Good call. I was really just going through looking at some of the top recent performers here: https://mtgdecks.net/Modern/8-rack
    Some run bridge in the side, some go for sweepers (damnation/bontu), and a few do neither. Its kind of a non-bo with the construct tokens, but really it kind of gives you a backup plan for when/if they destroy the bridge. So it still works on the rack plan while doing that (and the constructs aren't taking up deck space anyway).

    5-0 list: https://mtgdecks.net/Modern/8-rack-d...baitor-1182364 4 sagas, no bridge or sweeper in main or side.
    T16 list: https://mtgdecks.net/Modern/8-rack-d...r-jung-1185470 2 sagas, 2 bridge in side and 1 sweeper in side.
    T16 list: https://mtgdecks.net/Modern/8-rack-d...r-jung-1188725 same list as above one.
    T16 list: https://mtgdecks.net/Modern/8-rack-d...oletti-1182165 0 sagas, 2 bridge main, 2 sweepers + 2 ratchet bomb in side.
    5-0 list: https://mtgdecks.net/Modern/8-rack-d...ythmic-1179780 4 sagas, 0 bridge, 2 sweepers in side.

    Then you have this spicy meatball:
    5-0 list: https://mtgdecks.net/Modern/8-rack-d...omjasz-1175100 0 sagas, 4 waste not (awesome), 2 sweepers in the side. Also no liliana's as it has a Lurrus companion.

    I wonder why no plague engineers made the cut on any of the above? I guess the meta doesn't warrant it?
    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Safety View Post
    Look at the bright side, if Legacy becomes like Vintage all of us old dudes can get together, drink whiskey, and smoke cigars while we play the gentleman's format. Like an MtG speak-easy.
    Quote Originally Posted by Cire View Post
    And the Reserved List causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their portfolios: and that no man might buy or sell cards or Chinese rip offs, save he made a post about the Reserved List or the number of its Threads: 666.

  5. #5

    Re: 8-Rack

    interesting list. what's the reasoning between no smallpox - deckbuilding choice, or you just don't got em? also curious about the exclusion of thoughtseize. also feel like you could probably use a few more pushes in the mainboard. thats about it off the top of my head, not super familiar with the modern meta right now.

    also 4 sagas seems like a bit much tbh, personally id cut it to 2-3 and throw in a couple more locthwains, but thats probably more of a preference thing

  6. #6
    Bald. Bearded. Moderator.
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    Re: 8-Rack

    Almost every deck plays to the board, hard, so I think Bridge and Fatal Push are very important. Plague Engineer is a very good card for this deck, I would want at least 2 in the 75. I would also opt for non combat win cons, simply to leverage bridge. Full sets of rack, affliction, and some number of the rack pw (davriel?) Darkblast seems really good as well.

    Are you interested in a color splash? That can really change the landscape, too.
    Brainstorm Realist

    I close my eyes and sink within myself, relive the gift of precious memories, in need of a fix called innocence. - Chuck Shuldiner

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