This will be long.

I have now been testing this deck for several months, and have come to these conclusions:
1) It is a control deck, in Legacy.
2) It can compete with any deck in the format. There are no auto wins against it.
3) It is boring, draining, and pitfall laden. You would have to be some kind of masochist(or Elgin…he plays Wombat!) to bring it to a tournament.

With all this in mind, I am at heart, and in playskill, a control player. After searching the format for a true control deck, this is the closest that I have found. The set up is very much like Vintage Keeper. You ignore all but the most game ending plays your opponent makes until you get set up. There is then no real “finisher”, or “hard lock”. You win by maintaining a position wherein no play that your opponent makes can effectively win the game for them.

Sounds like fun? Read On!

The win condition at the heart of this deck is of course Solitary Confinement. With the proper setup, it gives you the same inevitability as Morphling, or Meloku. There are many decks sporting the Loam/Confinement engine throughout this format, and they all have the same problem. None of them bother with countermagic. Without it, any disruption, or mana denial you may have previously played can still be destroyed by one savage topdeck. I am not advocating a return to Draw-Go, but much like Keeper, it runs enough counters to maintain it’s position. The rest of the deck is dedicated to both starting, and maintaining the “lock”, While keeping you alive long enough to do so. If properly done, I have found that only dedicated hate, dedicated countermagic, or certain Combo decks can fight there way out of it. For those unfamiliar with it, the engine begins with the Squee/Confinement synergy. It is continued by recursing cycling lands with Life from the Loam, then using those same lands to draw both your deck, and Dredge LftL back to your hand. Wasteland can also be recurred against mulit-colored decks to stop their development, while Exploration maintains yours. Loam, and Scarab are kept safe from RFG effects by always keeping a cycling land, and a mana open to Dredge them Back.

0-0-4 Drop(U/G/w Loam Confinement)

2 Flooded Strand
2 Windswept Heath
3 Lonely Sandbar
2 Tranquil Thicket
1 Secluded Steppe
4 Tropical Island
3 Tundra
1 Savannah
1 Scrubland
1 Island
1 Forest
2 Cephalid Colesium
3 Wasteland

2 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Grave-Shell Scarab

3 Intuition
3 Solitary Confinement
4 Counterspell
4 Force of Will
2 Forbid
4 Brainstorm
3 Life from the Loam
4 Exploration
4 Swords to Plowshares

This list varies somewhat to what Nassif played due to both my own extensive testing, and changes in the metagame.

2 Strand/2 Heath: I have reduced these both by one for several reasons. 1)The manabase is stable enough to not need more. 2) Opponents have less valid targets to Needle. 3) With Confinement out, or against heavy Aggro, or burn, the life loss can be the only way you can die.

2 Cephalid Colesium: I raised the count by one. The sole reason was time factors. Often, even while locked down, an Aggro deck could amass such a creature horde that Scarab could never break through. These allow you to deck your opponent that much faster. Also added insurance if one gets removed from game.

Cycling Lands: I know. I know. Six seems too few. But running a control deck gives me the luxury of Intuition, and this makes all the difference. I only need two to recurse at any one time, and having more in the graveyard once again makes you more vulnerable to removal.

2 Squee: The lock only needs one. I include a second for insurance, and to feed Forbid if needed in the late game.

Grave-Shell Scarab: Dodges all RFG effects, the only reason to include it over many better finishers.

Intuition: Doesn’t really need explanation, but I wanted to stress the utter dependence this deck has on it. Even more so than the much discussed Exploration. If you have Confinment in hand, can cast this, and untap, you should win most games.

2 Forbid: An unfortunate necessity. With the dredging this deck does, you can not always rely on getting countermagic no matter how many cards you draw. One of these in hand, in conjunction with the massive amounts of mana this deck can produce, turns almost any cards into counterspells.


The sideboard has gone through major changes since this deck last saw tournament play. Here is mine as it stands:

4 Meddling Mage
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Hail Storm
2 Ray of Distortion
2 Anurid Brushopper

Before I get to the matchups, I want to explain the changes. Massacre was a metagame choice by Nassif, assuming the only Goblins decks he would fear packed Plateaus. My issue with that is there is no way to hardcast Massacre otherwise. It also loses the surprise factor that an instant has. And if yu face a Goblins deck with Naturalize, you’re toast. Ray of Distortion seems like pure jank, I know. But this deck has to have some form of removal. That removal needs flashback if possible, to reduce the slots used if you Dredge it. And although Ray of Revelation is much better overall, Pithing Needle, Tormod’s Crypt(pre-Chalice), Winter Orb, and Sphere of Resistance are just a few artifacts that can hurt this deck very much. The speed at which this deck accumulates mana is enough to offset the difference in casting cost. Lastly, the Brushopper. No one is going to be surprised by the man-plan from this deck anymore. Vinelasher Kudzu, while chaep, and able to grow exponentially, will most often fall victim to removal. The only time you bring in the men, is when time restraints become a factor. Most opponents will be aware of this, and sideboard accordingly. The Brushopper give a large(ish) body at low cost. And with the manipulation this deck has, keeping him out of the graveyard is rarely an issue. Also, all sideboard guides are given regardless of time left. So often, you will need to bring Brushopper in a match instead of some other option, to win before time expires. Last thing, Hail storm was simply chosen for fitting the color, and mana curve, and doing a fine job at mass weenie removal.

Matchups: Though I have tested all of these enough to post win percentages, I will refrain from doing so, knowing the flamestorm it creates.

Threshold Pre-board: The color combinations are irrelevant. This is an almost even match. They do not have the speed to force the lock before you are ready, but they can stop it if you let them. Your best plan is to go for the Waste-lock, and try to spend your counters on Mongoose. They have no way of stopping Confinement once it hits, so do not drop it until you have no choice, or are fairly certain of forcing it though. Much like a combo deck, you need to be as patient as possible, and force them in the Aggro role, only reacting when you must.

Sideboarding:
+ 4 Chalice of the Void
+ 2 Ray of Distortion

- 4 Swords to Plowshares
-1 Forbid
-1 Brainstorm

Your main goal is always to get a Chalice set on one. Zero is also acceptable if you fear a Crypt coming down. The Rays come in, as an out if Needle or Crypt come down first. Swords is tough to remove, but lacks synergy with the main objective post-board, as does the one Brainstorm. With their lack of ability to remove Confinement, the Forbid will be less needed in the mid to late game.

Deadguy/Pikula Pre-board: Should be one of the easier matches. Their removal, and land destruction is mostly irrelevant against this deck. And with only one card you need to protect,(Confinement) your Brainstorms should give you enough to avoid discard. They are slow to develop, and you can also cripple their color base with Wasteland.

Sideboarding: None.

They bring in Needle, and if they run it, Withered Wretch. Needle is not enough to stop you own its own, so doesn’t merit boarding for. Wretch is the reason you don’t side out your StP’s for Chalice. Or you can just counter him. The most important thing is to be certain if they gain any kind of advantage, to kill Bob. Against a deck as slow as this one, he will maintain that advantage for them.

Rifter/Wombat Pre-board: Not much to say here. They have only delaying tactics main deck. Akroma’s Vengance is easily countered, if even run. They have tons of irrelevant removal, and tend to deck themselves.

Sideboarding:
+ 4 Meddling Mage
+2 Anurid Brushopper

-4 Swords to Plowshares
-2 Exploration

This is a huge swing post-board. 4 Disenchants come in, along with Orim’s Chant. The combination of these, along with Abeyance makes it very difficult to keep Confinement on the board. Chalice slows the game down, with no guarantees. Ray can only remove Lightning Rift. But the main problem becomes time. I usually have to go with the man-plan, and hope. They will still have enough removal to kill your Mage, but he can force them to use it on him. You will want to name Disenchant if you can drop a Confinement, and StP if you can’t.This may allow your other beaters to do some damage. Their deck is slow enough that losing the two Explorations is rarely an issue. Basically, win game one. And pray they don’t concede.

Solidarity Pre-board: Your countermagic is not enough. You can’t put any pressure on them. You have no other disruption. That’s the bad part. The good part is you have basically the same fundamental turn, and if Confinement hits, you only have to counter Cunning Wish afterwards. It really becomes a race to who can “go off” first. Both sides have equal disruption. Unfortunately, if you tap out at any time, while maintaining the lock, they can end the game right there. Exploration is to be squandered into unless you have the complete nuts in your opening hand. An unfavorable matchup.

Sideboarding:
+4 Meddling Mage
+4 Chalice of the Void

-4 Swords to Plowshares
-1 Grave-Shell Scarab
-1 Squee
-1 Wasteland
-1 Life from the Loam

The sideboard guide here may seem a little sketchy as far as what is removed. What is added is what turns this match around. Chalice for one hurts them badly, and Mage naming Wish cripples them. You must now play as defensively as possible. They tend to deck themselves, so get a Mage, or Chalice as early as you can, then do nothing. Only even cycle when you have plenty of mana up. You are even then probably only going to earn a draw out of this match, and if your opponent realizes this, you’ll have to concede the first game to keep them from going infinite, and burning the clock. While I feel you gain the advantage post board, the overall match is not so due to the overwhelming advantage they have game one. (Good thing only David Gearhart can play that deck, tee-hee.)

Angel Stompy Pre-board: One of your other highly favorable matches. Most run no main deck enchantment removal. They are relatively slow on their offense. They have a decent amount of dead removal spells. Play your normal game against them, and you should win.

Sideboarding:
+3 Hail Storm
+2 Ray of Distortion

-3 Intuition
-1 Grave-Shell Scarab
-1 Exploration

They will bring in Crypt, and Armageddon. Unfortunately, they will probably be on the play. This makes bringing in Chalice a highly questionable decision, as you mainly want it to stop Crypt. Those I have brought in should be obvious, but not the ones I removed. With few ways to stop Crypt, I have to minimize it’s effects. This means switching plans. Adding the extra removal gives me enough time to assemble all the needed pieces without Intuition. But mainly, it dumps to much that I might need in the yard, before I can remove a Crypt. Throwing Ray in the yard with Intuition is too late, as they can remove the rest in response. The match becomes much more even post-board, but I usually feel this deck is slightly favored.

Goblins Pre-board: Before boarding, all of these decks a played basically the same. They can easily outrace you, but concede once Confinement hits. This is another match where Exploration in your opening hand is extremely important. If you don’t need the mana, counter anything you can in the first three turns. You won’t need them later. A lot of luck is involved as to who gets the coin flip, and better draw. I would have to give a slight disadvantage to the Goblins deck, but that can be erased in a moment by the penultimate “Goblins Nutz Draw”™.

Sideboarding: This is one where it depends what flavor of the deck you opponent is playing.
Mono Red
+3 Hail Storm

-1 Grave-Shell Scarab
-1 Life from the Loam
-1 Wasteland

The only things they can bring are Anarchy and REB, most Goblin players don’t run Tormod’’s Crypt. You will have to watch for the Anarchy, but once Confinement is in play, it’s the only thing you have to counter. Just save extra mana for countering the Blasts.

Red/White, Red/Green
+4 Meddling Mage

-1 Squee
-1 Grave-Shell Scarab
-2 Counterspell

You hope they ditched Gempalm, and want to drop a Mage on turn two,(naming Disenchant, or Naturalize). This limits the need for a turn two counter. He can of course, chump block in a pinch, and be re-cast later. Chalice for two is better, but negates Loam. If they bring a large supply of Blasts as well, prepare for a short game. This configuration, post-board, is possibly your worst matchup. But, as said before, is highly draw dependant, which can go either way.

I need to stress that the previous sideboarding is only a guide. Time constraints are paramount when playing this deck, and you have to adjust accordingly. The many variants on these, and other decks in this vast format should also cause you to alter your board, and plan to fit them.

I firmly believe that this deck is a contender. It takes loads of patience, a meticulous nature, and a willingness to be hated by all opponents you play; But once mastered, the rewards are readily apparent.

Thank you for your time.