[Deck] Dredge-a-Tog - Psychatog with the new Dredge cards

[Kadun]

The new Dredge cards in Ravnica seem to make a perfect fit with Psychatog based decks. Darkblast in particular helps to offeset the threat of small fast creature decks, while Life from the Loam functions similar to Gush as a 'Tog inflator.

//NAME: HulkBlast
2 Wasteland
2 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
7 Island
4 Underground Sea
4 Tropical Island
4 Mox Diamond
// defense
2 Engineered Explosives
4 Counterspell
4 Force of Will
4 Darkblast
// creatures / equipement
4 Psychatog
// draw / util
2 Cunning Wish
3 Life from the Loam
3 Intuition
4 Brainstorm
4 Accumulated Knowledge
// sideboard
SB: 1 Berserk

There's incredible synergy here. Intuition for any combination of Dark Blast, Life from the Loam (LftL), and/or Brainstorm and you have a pretty impressive position.

The combination of Brainstorm with the Dredge cards alone is impressive. Cast Brainstorm, put two cards you don't need on top of your deck, and next turn Dredge them away. Or, cast Brainstorm and Dredge as one of the three draws you get.

The discard from Mox diamonds is easily rectified by recurring LftL.

Darkblast is a great card at holding off Lackeys or Conclaves, while Wasteland recurred through LftL holds off Factories.

The build is no where near optimal, however. I would like to add some sort of recursion for the 'Togs in the 'yard. Unearth was the main possibility, with red you could include Recoup and open up even more combinations (although weakening your mana base).

Likewise, I'd also like a way to recur Cunning Wish should it be dredged into the yard. With the Recoup addition, Fireshrieker and Reconstruction seemed like possible additions, while cutting the Wishes. You could intuition for these three cards as well.

Any thoughts, suggestions?

Edit: The Genesis suggestion talked about in the Judge Dredge thread seems to be the strongest choice for 'Tog recursion. I'm comparing this list to other Dedge lists to see if this deck would be a waste of time, and to just play the other ones. Though this still seems pretty strong.

[LinkXwing]

Corpse Dance and Shallow Grave could be additions in the sideboard. I've used both many-a-time to kill people via Cunning Wish.

Regrowth could be a good addition to the deck, as well as Deep Analysis.

[Sobek]

Stinkweed Imp can take down alot of threats not to mention makes your tog letal faster. Defy Gravity could be some neat tech.

[boom]

Wow, I really like this idea for a deck, although I have no real suggestions yet, but I really dont like how the mana base is looking. 3 main deck green cards do not require 4 duals + 5 fetchs that can get it. I am probably going to scour Oath, Reanimator, and other decks that have some graveyard tricks.

[Ridiculous Hat]

I would recommend cephalid coliseum as a good life from the loam target. It fills up your yard and helps out your hand pretty quick when you discard the extra lands you life'd back.

[Kadun]

In testing the previous list, I've run into the problem that others have encountered. The deck tries to do too much. Draw or Dredge. With that in mind, I've modified the engine so that you want to simply Dredge almost all the time. Heres the list I came up with (thanks for all the suggestions).

//NAME: HulkBlast
2 Cephalid Coliseum
2 Wasteland
2 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
4 Island
4 Underground Sea
4 Tropical Island
4 Mox Diamond
// defense
2 Engineered Explosives
3 Darkblast
4 Counterspell
4 Force of Will
// creatures / equipement
2 Genesis
4 Psychatog
// draw / util
1 Krosan Reclamation
2 Intuition
2 Cunning Wish
3 Life from the Loam
4 Brainstorm
4 Deep Analysis
// sideboard
SB: 1 Darkblast
SB: 1 Berserk

The Genesis addition lets you recur your 'Togs, you can even discard it to the 'Tog if it winds up in your hand. Same with Deep Analysis. The Krosan Reclamation is for if you're going to mill yourself to death because of a stalemate. You should be able to Reclaim both wishes and go for Berserk.

In testing, however, this list still doesn't seem too great. I still felt I needed to take more advantage of Dredge. Mainly, I want a way to get my counters back if I Dredge them. I want every Dredge to be an Ancestral Recall for not just Dredge cards (that's why I'm staying away from the Sylvan library combo).

Possibly a deck featuring the Dredge mechanic, with Recoups and Regrowths. Too bad YawgWill is banned :(

Anyway thanks again for all the great suggestions.

[effang]

you only need one life from the loam

Why? Please develop your posts more---Frogboy



Edited By frogboy on 1130458294

[Bardo]

Loam-a-Tog and Dredge-a-Tog (Hulk Blast) threads merged, since they're the same deck. - Zilla

(I posted this at The Mana Drain, but thought I'd post this here too.)

Straight up, GAT is up there with my favorite decks of all time. It draws cards like a fiend, runs tons of counters, and wins with enormous threats. The loss of Gush was a swift punch in the groin to the deck and it's hobbled along since. Poorly, I might add. But whenever a new set comes out, the first thing I'm looking for is some busted card drawer to replace Gush. And when I saw the Ravnica spoiler, Life from the Loam tickled my belly.

Life from the Loam
Ravnica: City of Guilds - Rare
Card type: Sorcery
Casting cost: 1{G}
Card text: Return up to three target land cards from your graveyard to your hand.
Dredge 3 (If you would draw a card, instead you may put exactly three cards from the top of your library into your graveyard. If you do, return this card from your graveyard to your hand. Otherwise, draw a card.)

Bomholmm at TMD metioned this card in a Threshold thread and I dismissed it since Threshold wants to be drawing spells, not bulk cards that do nothing. But what loves a bunch of random cards in hand that have no particular purpose? Friggin' Psychatog! That's what. It's almost a match made in heaven.

For comparison's sake:

Gush
draw two cards
return two lands to your hand
Gush goes to the GY
pump Tog from your hand +4
four cards go to the GY
pump Tog from your GY +2
Berserk; attack for 14 +

Life from the Loam
return three lands from your GY to your hand
next draw, Dredge LFL to your hand
three cards go into your GY (dredge cost)
pump Tog from your hand +4
four cards go to your GY
pump Tog from your GY +3 (3 dredged cards + 3 lands, LFL still in the GY)
Berserk; attack for 16 +

And the two best ways I thought to take advantage of an early LFL: Diamond Mox and Fetchlands.

I'll do the math later, but you should be able to goldfish as early as turn 4 if you play your cards right.

Here's the exercise I worked through in the SCG forums with Moxless/Loamless GAT:

=-=-=-=-=

"This is with my Night's Whisper Grow-a-Tog build with maindeck Berserks.

"To keep track of our hand, graveyard, and power of our Tog I'm using this notation after each play (x-x-x), that is ('cards in hand'-'cards in graveyard'-'power of tog')

"GAT going first*:

Turn 1: (7-0-0) Play Flooded Strand (6-0-0), sacrifice Strand for basic Island (6-1-0), play Serum Vision (6-2-0).

Turn 2: Draw (7-2-0), Play Polluted Delta (6-2-0), Brainstorm (6-3-0), (put back an extra Tog, etc.), sac Delta for Swamp (6-4-0), Duress (5-5-0).

Turn 3: Draw (6-5-0), Play Flooded Stand (5-5-0), sac Strand for Island (5-6-0), play Psychatog (4-6-1).

Turn 4: Draw (5-6-1), sac AK1 to Tog (4-7-2), play Polluted Delta (3-7-2), sac for Tropical Island (3-8-2), AK2 (4-9-2), Ghastly Demise random critter (3-10-2), pump Tog from hand +2 (1-12-4), pump Tog from graveyard +6 (1-0-10), cast Berserk on Psychatog (0-1-20), attack for 20. <span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'>Roar!!!</span>

"This is clearly for goldfish purposes since the only interaction with our opponent at this point is Duress and a Ghastly Demise that nailed a Birds of Paradise (or whatever). But there you go. :)

"*You can get a 23 power berserking Tog if you replace the interactive cards with more draw spells. We also would have had a bigger Tog if we were on the play, but I wanted to give myself a few handicaps for this exercise.

"But note how sick this gets with Gush. Gush is +6.5/+6.5 to Tog and +13/+6.5 with Berserk. It's a good thing that sucker's banned."

=-=-=-=-=

Anyway, I haven't tested this and I admit to ripping off Mike Clair substantially here (note the competition!), but here's my current test deck:


Loam-A-Tog
Blue/Black/Green Psychatog
by Bardo

3 Psychatog

4 Force of Will
3 Daze
3 Counterspell
1 Disrupting Shoal
1 Misdirection

4 Brainstorm
4 Accumulated Knowledge
2 Serum Visions (placeholder)
3 Intuition
2 Cunning Wish
2 Life from the Loam

4 Engineered Plague

4 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
3 Underground Sea
3 Tropical Island
5 Island
1 Swamp
1 Forest
3 Diamond Mox

sb 4 Duress
sb 3 Blue Elemental Blast
sb 2 Ghastly Demise
sb 1 Berserk
sb 1 Fact or Fiction
sb 1 Shallow Grave
sb 1 Hurkyl's Recall
sb 1 Hibernation
sb 1 Naturalize

It's obviously tuned to beat up Goblins, but those removal slots are negotiable (other options being Ghastly Demise, Smother, and Pernicious Deed, or more card drawing like Deep Analysis, etc.).

What do you think?

(p.s. Sorry I didn't see Kadun's post... And I thought I had an original idea :))

[colsmack]

I have found Grave-Shell Scarab to be solid in more controlling Tog builds, it may be too slow for this deck though. What do you think?

[Pyrokinesis]

One thing that's being overlooked is that Life from the Loam helps you find more lands and thin out your deck by getting back Fetches if they aren't just there to feed your 'Tog. That's especially useful in 'Tog/Threshold decks in which part of the principle is that you run few lands and a metric assload of cantrips is that you get cards that matter. In this way Life<.Loam isn't bad without a Dr. Teeth on the board.
The life can add up, though.

[Kadun]

you only need one life from the loam

Actually, I like to see Life from the Loam early.

Consider the opening hand of Fetch, land, Loam, Mox Diamond. You start with Fetch, break for a land. Mox Diamond, discard land. Casst Loam and get your two lands back. Next turn dredge and hopefully get one of your 12 cards in the deck you can play from the 'yard, or more lands you can Loam back.

In testing the only misgiving I have about this deck is the lack of counters that actually get to your hand. If there was a way to get them from the 'yard to hand, this deck would be much better.

Has good game vs Goblins, however, because recurred Darkblasts are so effective.

Against Landstill its about Wasteland recursion. Another reason why I'd like to run 4 total, and 4 Intuition. Intuition for Loam, Wasteland, Wasteland for a solid game against Landstill.

Against Solidarity, you're going to need your counters and your Darkblasts are useless. Which is awkward for a control deck to have trouble with Combo.

Any ideas for Counter recursion?

[Windux]

Whats with Arcon harvest/Chatter of the uqirrel?
Ok, you must pay 3 Life to flashback it, but u get 2 Tokens who can give you Time.
Or even Better: Call of the Herd one or two times. (maybe the Roar of the Wurm?)

[Sobek]

Heres an extended version of this deck that did quite well this past weekend. I found it here.

Craig Jones - Semifinalist Grand Prix-Bilbao Trial
Dredge-a-Tog – Extended Format
Main Deck
60 cards Sideboard
3 Island
1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
3 Watery Grave
1 Yavimaya Coast
2 Overgrown Tomb
2 Forest
1 Swamp
2 Bloodstained Mire
4 Polluted Delta
4 Lonely Sandbar
3 Barren Moor
26 land

1 Wonder
3 Psychatog
1 Ghost-Lit Stalker
2 Eternal Witness
1 Genesis
8 creatures

2 Force Spike
4 Life from the Loam
2 Putrefy
3 Cunning Wish
3 Darkblast
4 Remand
4 Counterspell
4 Mana Leak

26 other spells
2 Engineered Plague
2 Duress
1 Upheaval
1 Naturalize
1 Hideous Laughter
1 Coffin Purge
1 Echoing Truth
1 Brain Freeze
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Moment's Peace
1 Tsabo's Decree
1 Putrefy
1 Stifle
15 sideboard cards
I found it here
Linkage

What do you think? It looks like a good base to start with; obviously we need to replace some things, put in FoWs, a Berzerk in the Board, etc... Just thought I would share.

[Windux]

The Ghost looks very random.
In Legay, you cant just spend 7 mana in the Mainphase...i mean: How long u need to get 7 Mana? (mhh ok that could be a reason why he is an 1-off to get Catched by the Genesis).
But still if you Let discard your Enemys full (?) hand, you need 2 Mana for Leak/Counterspell/Remand (probatly this gonna be FoW) or a FoW.
If you dont play against Control, you dont need the Ghost, because your opponent gonna smash out his Threads ;)

And i played the Deck a few times: 2 Wishes are 1 to less ;)
And 4 Coutner for a Control-Deck are Way to less

And the Wonder can be cutted i think.

[Bardo]

I didn't see Kadun's post when I wrote mine yesterday, but here's my current test deck:

Loam-A-Tog
Blue/Black/Green Psychatog
by Bardo

3 Psychatog

4 Force of Will
3 Daze
3 Counterspell
1 Disrupting Shoal
1 Misdirection

4 Brainstorm
4 Accumulated Knowledge
2 Serum Visions (placeholder)
2 Intuition
3 Cunning Wish
2 Life from the Loam

4 Engineered Plague

4 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
3 Underground Sea
3 Tropical Island
5 Island
1 Swamp
1 Forest
3 Diamond Mox

sb 4 Duress
sb 3 Blue Elemental Blast
sb 2 Ghastly Demise
sb 1 Berserk
sb 1 Fact or Fiction
sb 1 Shallow Grave
sb 1 Intuition
sb 1 Hibernation
sb 1 Naturalize

[Windux]

I really Like the "Loam gets me Fetch's, Wastelands and CARDDRAW", why nobody of us thought about the Cyclelands?
I was today in our loal Store and talked about the Loam-a-Tog and the First thing I heard was "Yes, this Cyclelands are great!". I didnt saw the Cyclelands in the post above me from the Extended Deck ;)

I Gonna test out this Decklist

2 Island
1 Swamp
1 Forest
2 Wasteland
3 Underground Sea
3 Tropical Island
4 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
3 Lonely Sandbar
3 Barren Moor
2 Mox Diamond
-------------
25 Manasources

3 Psychatog
1 Eternal Witness
1 Genesis
1 Ghost-Lit Warder (Testslot)
-------------
6 Creatures

4 Brainstorm
4 Life from the Loam
2 Intuition
3 Cunning Wish
3 Darkblast
4 Force of Will
3 Counterspell
3 Daze
4 Accumulated Knowledge
----------
31 Spells

61 Cards


2 Engineered Plague
1 Blue Elemental Blast
1 Berserk
1 Naturalize
1 Shallow Grave
1 Coffin Purge
1 Echoing Truth
1 Brain Freeze
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Moment's Peace
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Gasthly Demise
2 Stifle
------------
15 SB Cards

Why the Cards?

Why no Cephalid Coluseum?

Since i saw the Cyclelands, i Like it much more.
You play Loam for example on: Sandbar, Sandbar, Wasteland.
you play Wasteland->opponents Land, Cycle 2 Lands, one of them Dredge Loam.
Its a card with {1g} for "Destroy target Nonbasic, you may pay U to draw a card. play this only 2 times".
Sounds quite good. And if your opponent dont have a Nonbasic, draw 3 Cards ;)

Eternal Witness

Witness is a recurring Blocker with CiP regrwoth. T2 and T1.x player know how good she is. Its better to get 1 Card directly to Hand, then 2 Cards shuffled in your Library (Witness makes this more often)

Ghost-lit Wander

It's more for the Lategame. It's a recurring Counter, which cant be coutnered "normally", only with Stifle or something.

Deep < AK'S?

Ak is way better then DA since I play the Witness. You simply Dredge the 3 first AK's. Then return the 3rd with Witness or play the 4th (Or Recur the 4th Whatever you want). ;)

I Hope my english is good enough, that you can read it.
If i made some mistakes, please correct me (maybe per PM ;) )

Thx

[Kadun]

@Windux - I think that is one of the best lists I've seen. In testing my version which wants to Dredge more than draw, I've found myself losing a lot of tempo. I think with 'Tog, the old plan still works, just draw cards.

Some changes I would make to your list are:
-1 Life of the Loam
+1 Intuition
I think Intuition is THE card in the deck and I'd try to run four. Against Lanstill, as mentioned before, you Intuition for Loam, Sandbar, Sandbar for a recurring uncounterable draw engine. Against aggro you Intuition for Darkblast and pretty much anything else.

Additionally I would NOT count the cycle lands towards your mana base cound, as I plan to cycle them and not actually play them.

My mana base would be:
4 Tropical Island
4 Underground Sea
5 Fetchland
3 Mox Diamond
2 Wasteland
1 Cephalid Coliseum
6 Island

With an additional 3 Lonely Sandbars that aren't part of the base.

The 1 Cephalid Coliseum is to get Genesis in the yard if needed to recur Eternal Witness. Another reason why I go down to 1 Wish. Intuition also fetches this combo: Coliseum, Gensis, Loam.

There are so many Intuition tricks I think you need to run four. You can't lose focus of what the deck wants to do, however, draw, draw, draw, Berserk Psychatog.

[Windux]

Yeah I Gonna play 1 Colloseum, because of exactly the same Reason like you: Genesis ;)
I really Love to know, that I play 3 Wishes. I AQlso though about, to play Fling.
The Reason is really easy: You allways get Red Mana (Dredge, reccur Witness->Mox) and you can Win Instantly.
Like: 5 Librarycards (I really often have that ;) ) and you Want to Win, but your opponent has Blockers, Removal and so on.
You get the Witness back for a Wish (if you dont have one in your hand). Normally you would play your Tog, Counter all the Oppponent have, destroy all (unless he Play for Example Troll or Mongoose....Gro, Zoo etc are playing this) what you CAN.
But you cant Destroy Untargetable Creatures with thoughness 3+ (Hideous Laughter). So you Smash the Tog on the Table, he defenetly will try to kill him EoT. In response you play your Wish on Fling, pump him and Say:Countered on Solution and never mind, you get 4x DMG from the Tog.

it's much easier That way.

Landbase: I found out, that the Lands are to less. I really dont want to paly a Cycleland to miss no Landdrop, we should play more (and then 3 Moxen?).
Against Landstill the Plan is more like: Loam-> Fetch, Sandbar, Sandbar and Later then Wasteland,Wasteland,CycleLand to kill his Manlands.
Ofc you must try to get the CoW from the Table, to screw him more.

I Dont know if its a good idea to cut a loam for an intuition. I Would like it much more, to have a Loam then a 2nd Intuition.
I mean, you defenetly will Play Intuiton on Darkblast/Loam- Comination, 3 AKs or Darkblast/Loam/AK(maybe 2) for Cardadvantage.
I never played an Ak for less then 3 Cards ;)

[Kadun]

I think our lists are becoming very similar, and it comes down to a few card choices based on individual favorites. Here's the list I'm currently testing:

//NAME: Hulk Blast
1 Cephalid Coliseum
1 Wasteland
2 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
3 Mox Diamond
3 Lonely Sandbar
4 Tropical Island
4 Underground Sea
5 Island
// engine
1 Cunning Wish
3 Intuition
3 Life from the Loam
4 Brainstorm
4 Accumulated Knowledge
// creatures
4 Psychatog
1 Eternal Witness
1 Genesis
// defense
2 Duress
3 Darkblast
4 Counterspell
4 Force of Will

// sideboard
SB: 1 Berserk

I'm pretty happy with the list. I'd like to run one more Intuition but I'll make do with three, and possibly run the fourth in the 'board as a Wish target.

Sideboard options would be:
@Landstill - 2 Duress, 2 Wasteland, and X Pithing Needle for the inevitable Tormod's Crypt

@Goblin/Weenies - 1 Darkblast, X Engineered Plague, X Engineered Explosives

@protection from black - some sort of bounce and/or Roar of the Wurms.

[Windux]

Duress looks good, the 2 Times there, but you need Counter too. Wouldnt 2 Daze or Disrupting Shoal better?
You play more on Intuition then me.
But your Landbase Looks very good to me-> 2 Cylcelands, 1 Landdrop.
1 Cunning Wish is to less. I Play Fling instead of Berserk, because you can Fling the Tog Without problems fast to your opponents Head (Also you can make all in just one Turn and Ignore the opponents Creatures)