It’s not Threshold; it’s not Madness. It’s… Threshness?!

Yeah, yeah, corny title. Someone come up with a decent name for this pile, and that’ll change. :p

There’s been some question, over in Open, as to whether or not this still falls under the banner of BUG Threshold (Bughold? Uh ohz, stop me NOW!). In many respects, I would consider it the natural evolution of black Threshold variants, but that could well just be me. In any case, it’s clear that we’re dealing with a vastly re-tooled deck, and that therefore means that the play-style has also changed somewhat as a function of the cards. It also means that this deck is far from finalized, and requires a great deal of testing and optimizing before a proper primer and so on can be created for it.

So, what is this deck? Well, it’s BUG Threshold, but tooled to accommodate some new goodies from FS which have the added bonus of reducing the deck’s dependency on the graveyard, something to which I believe all Threshold lists aspire (at least, as much as possible). Basically, we begin by taking a standard UGW Threshold list (for convenience’s sake, I’ll just use the Counterbalance version that Bardo posted in the UGW Threshold post in the Metagame forum) and substituting in the obvious black counterparts:

4 Serum Visions
4 Mental Note
4 Brainstorm

4 Force of Will
3 Daze

3 Counterbalance
3 Sensei's Divining Top

4 Swords to Plowshares ---> Ghastly Demise/Vendetta

4 Nimble Mongoose
4 Werebear
4 Meddling Mage ---> ???
1 Mystic Enforcer ---> Tombstalker

4 Flooded Strand ---> 2
2 Polluted Delta ---> 4
2 Windswept Heath ---> Bayou?
3 Tropical Island
3 Tundra ---> Underground Sea
2 Island
1 Forest
1 Plains ---> Swamp

Granted, a number of UGW lists differ from Bardo’s (particularly with regards to maindecking both Top and Counterbalance), and certainly the few black substitutions outlined above are from final or ideal; nevertheless, I wish to use the above list as an example for what is to follow, so that we may note not just the similarities that the list that I propose holds to its white and red cousins, but also so that we may acknowledge the fact that going black necessitates (okay, maybe that’s just me being arrogantly hopeful) that the deck be taken in a certain direction.

Given the above list of substitutions, one question obviously springs to mind: what does Threshold gain by a black splash? Clearly, it seems to lose out on some very points: notably, the deck’s control aspect is weakened by the absence of StP and Meddling Mage, neither of which has much of a black equivalent. Nevertheless, a black splash grants Threshold access to Engineered Plague to shore up the Goblins (and Countersliver! ;) ) match, and to Pernicious Deed for—well, for almost anything, really. Both of these are extremely strong tools, and alone they make a black splash worth considering. Threshold could also gain Dark Confidant, but I’ve excluded him for reasons that I shall explain momentarily. Threshold also gains a more favoured access to Dredge as a means of filling the graveyard (as opposed to cantrips). The advantage here being that spells and creatures with Dredge are re-usable and can actually do something, as opposed to cantrips. Lastly, in Future Sight black gains an Enforcer-like beatstick and access to Street Wraith. All in all, a fair list of goodies.

There is one more change worthy of note, however, and that is the arrival of Tarmogoyf. This Lhurgoyf has the potential to dwarf a Werebear in Threshold, and at a much faster rate. He is also fairly safe from graveyard removal (and here I’m thinking mainly of the all-too-common Tormod’s Crypt) since opponents’ graveyard also work to feed him.

These changes and possibilities, taken together, lead to a Threshold that is unlike any of its cousins: a Threshold that is far more aggressive than its colourful counterparts but that also assumes a stronger board position over time through a reduced reliance on counterspells and the increased presence of board-control elements. In fact, it has little choice but to opt for board control, since it loses one of Thresh’s best counterspells: Meddling Mage.

Indeed, it should be clear to those of you reading this that while the list that I am going to propose that we take as a shell differs (at first glance) substantially from the Threshold that we know and love, it is in fact little more than a series of substitutions that have subsequently been tweaked to yield a greater synergy. Without further ado:

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

4 Wild Mongrel
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Nimble Mongoose
3 Tombstalker

3 Life from the Loam
4 Ghastly Demise
3 Daze
4 Force of Will
2 Pernicious Deed
3 Serum Visions
2 Brainstorm
3 Mental Note


Allow me to being the explanations with a disclaimer: I make absolutely no claim that this list is optimal or even close to it. While I’ve done some testing, I’ve not done nearly as much as I have with some of the other decks that I enjoy playing (Pride Parade, Countersliver, etc.), and so there are still a lot of questions that can only be answered through testing (and I hope I’m not alone in striving to answer them).

With that out of the way, let’s examine what works:

Tarmogoyf: Obviously, this guy lies at the core of the deck. I’ve spoken about him above, and doubt he needs any further justification.

Wild Mongrel: The deck needed an extra source of fat, and Mongrel is just the thing. While I originally ran Drekavec (I’d forgotten about Mongrel), Mongrel is clearly superior, especially since the extra pieces that he puts in the grave can directly pump Tarmogoyf—often, this can be used as a combat trick to save a Tarmogoyf and/or destroy something else.

Tombstalker: A 5/5 flying beatstick on your second or third turns is never anything to sneer at—particularly when he’s backed by another big creature. Tombstalker will win games for you, and it’s as simple as that. It’s also important to note that Delve is selective, meaning that you can play the ‘Stalker and maintain a fairly large Lhurgoyf without too much difficulty. Delve’s necessity, however, forces the deck to be capable of putting a significant amount into its graveyard—especially after a Tombstalker has been successfully cast—so as to avoid being caught with lacklustre creatures, especially if a wayward StP were to hit your Tombstalker.

Life from the Loam: Originally, I ran Darkblast here. Unfortunately, Darkblast isn’t so effective against most of the format. Additionally, it generates no card advantage with Mongrel. LftL, on the other hand, pumps Mongrel significantly while increasing your resiliency to land-hate. It was clear that I needed some kind of Dredge engine, and LftL seemed best suited to the task.

Pernicious Deed: Doesn’t go well with Mox or Mongoose. On the other hand, it’s a much better (and more timely) answer than Counterspell is, and it grants the possibility of unparalleled board domination (post-Dead ‘Goyf/’Stalker, after all, is going to be impressive).


And now, onto the issues that need resolving:


Mox Diamond? Yup, I run it for more explosive starts (this deck aims to be far more aggressive than typical Threshold, after all). Putting extra lands into the grave is OK, but doesn’t help Tarmogoyf as much as it helps Mongoose or Tombstalker. Of course, this is a dead draw later on, except to fuel Mongrel. Basically, its inclusion hinges upon the advantage in speed that it can grant the deck (which is especially relevant vs. Goblins); if the deck doesn’t need that much more speed, then it isn’t necessary.

Nimble Mongoose? Increases dependence on the graveyard and isn’t great with Deed. Nevertheless, Mongoose’s untargetability is significant, and I think I’d like a fourth.

Ghastly Demise or Vendetta? I opt for Demise, but that does increase graveyard dependence significantly. Perhaps Vendetta is better.

Counterspell/Top It could be done, but I don’t think it’s worth it; I suspect that the matchups that the combo is good for are already favourable.

More counterspells? Find the room and I may include them. As it is, I think that Deed is a pretty damn good “counterspell”.

The cantrips: Is Mental Note necessary? Are more Serum Visions called for (to increase sorceries)?

Disruption? Find the room, and I’ll oblige. Still, I’m not convinced that Duress or Cabal Therapy are worth maindecking. Perhaps further testing will yield an answer.

Street Wraith? Sounds great—an awesome early creature discard to the ‘Goyf, it can double as a protector or beatstick later on. What comes out for it? Cantrips, I suppose (and yet the cantrips are vital to growing the Lhurgoyf and casting the ‘Stalker)…

What goes into the sideboard? 4x Engineered Plague, naturally. 2x Pernicious Deed? Engineered Explosives? Krosan Grip or Blue Elemenal Blast? Another Tombstalker? Disruption?

So yeah… it’s early in the morning and I’m falling asleep, so that’s it for now. Help smoothing this out would be greatly appreciated; it’s got a lot of aggressive potential of its own, but I suspect that that potential could be channelled far for effectively.