[Deck] MUD (Metalworker)

[Bobmans]

@Bobmans: Good luck to you!

For BUG, I was consistently playing against it this week and had less than 40% win ratio on more than 40 games playing Stax, combo, and stompy (changing lists trying to find a build that would consistently beat BUG). Then I decided to focus on the list I know best (Stax) and made some tweaks with how I play. With the same lists for my Stax (that i had been losing with) and opposing BUG, I was able to win 7/10 games... Weird how changing the way you play increases your probability to win...

Could you elaborate about what you changed in the way you play BUG?


So this is what i am currently tweaking. Nothing to weird but the maindeck Mishra's Factory instead of Cavern of Souls. Also the 2/2 split between Steel Hellkite and Wurmcoil Engine has been real good to me.

//Main 61 cards:
4 Ancient Tomb
3 City of Traitors
4 Cloudpost
4 Glimmerpost
2 Vesuva
4 Mishra's Factory
3 Wasteland

4 Grim Monolith
4 Metalworker
4 Kuldotha Forgemaster
4 Lodestone Golem
2 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Steel Hellkite
1 Sundering Titan
1 Platinum Emperion
1 Blightsteel Colossus

4 Chalice of the Void
3 Trinisphere
2 Lightning Greaves
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Staff of Domination

3 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

//Side 15 cards:
2 Karn Liberated
1 Trinisphere
2 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Wasteland
2 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Sundering Titan
1 Platinum Emperion
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Crucible of Worlds
2 Defense Grid
1 Spine of Ish Sah

Not included:
1 Powder Keg instead of Wasteland (going 4 main), Keg instead of Ratchet Bomb, nostalgia man. The thing is just used for creature tokens or a random Deathrite Shaman or Pithing Needle.
1 Staff of Nin instead of Staff of Domination explanation later on.

Optional manabase changes:
3 Mishra's Factory
4 Wasteland

or

3 Cavern of Souls
4 Wasteland

I am still in doubt of playing Mishra's Factory instead of Cavern of Souls. CoS have been dead more often then not, while Mishra's Factory can actually fulfill multiple roles. Hence, sac for Forgemaster, block/attack (MUD was missing critters to put up some early pressure, or sac for Liliana in order to protect a bigger piece. Also Factory stalls the board when the opponent puts up some early pressure.
Also i really like to play the deck more stax-like then focusing on the combo. A lot of decks are very weak to wasteland, running 4 of them with a second Crucible is pretty darn good. But i think that running 4 Factory's makes the most use out of it.
Staff of Domination has once again disappointed me. Never, but i mean never, have i once used it for the win. On rare occasions i use some mana to draw an extra card, but that's about it. So i will make room for the main Staff of Nin (or Spine of Ish Sah and Staff of Nin on the board).
I never saw Thorn of Amethyst, but i also didn't mis it. I can imagine 3 Revokers being solid and a to be determined flex slot.

ANT: 4-2
-3 Ugin
-2 Steel Hellkite
-1 Crucible of Worlds

+1 Trinipshere
+2 Phyrexian Revoker
+2 Thorn of Amethyst
+1 Platinum Emperion

Most games involved in me landing a "lock" piece. G2/G3 he still has outs like end of turn Chain of Vapor or Abrupt Decay. Revoker on Lion's Eye Diamond was pretty hardcore as well as a hasted Wurmcoil Engine/multiple Glimmerposts.
I never saw the Thorn of Amethyst. Also i landed Platinum Emperion G1 on t3 and that is always a win. That game was awesome, on the play. Ancient Tomb, Grim Monolith, Trinisphere,go. T2 Factory, Metalworker, go, T3 tap Metalworker into Platinum Emperion, scoop. Also, Lodestone Golem shines in this (kind of) match-up.

Oozing: 2-1
-3 Ugin
-2 Steel Hellkite
-1 Crucible of Worlds

+1 Trinipshere
+2 Phyrexian Revoker
+2 Thorn of Amethyst
+1 Platinum Emperion

Landing Chalice @ 1 did do it, but it is tricky considering they can Entomb in respond, untap and cast Shallow Grave. Also if they have the mana they can go Buried Alive into Shallow Grave. Luckily Buried Alive is sorcery speed. Lock pieces work very well, but the deck is incredibly resilient and can win fast and out of nowhere. 1 game won going T1 Lightning Greaves, T2 Metalworker, 1 mana floating reveling 6 Artifacts, 1 being Metalworker, 1 being Forgemaster. I casted the second Metalworker, equipped and revealed 2 artifact, cast Forgemaster, equip and sac 2 Metalworkers and the Forgemaster for Blightsteel, equip and yay!

DnT: 1-2
-4 Chalice of the Void
-2 Lodestone Golem

+2 Karn Liberated
+2 Phyrexian Revoker
+1 Spine of Ish Sah
+1 Ensnaring Bridge

Perhaps i would have switched the Trinispheres for Chalice's on the play, but i didn't think about it during the match-up. On the draw those are only good if they do not cast a vial. If you get a Chalice @ 1 followed by a Chalice @ 3 it is usually over. But often we do not get to that point. Ugin was really important, but you need tools like Karn and Spine to get rid of Revoker. One game he responded to my Forgemaster activation with a Containment Priest. He had a Pithing Needle on Ugin, while i had Ugin. I fetched the Spine targeting the Needle and bolted the Priest. Karn and friends showed up on the ultimate.
I would say that Aether Vial is the problem card of that deck. Revokers help to stop that interaction. Also Revoker stops Batterksull or Jitte. Lodestone Golem is often to weak in this match-up, but i leave in some to have some bodies. The Ensnaring Bridge is there to stop them from overloading. It is sometimes relevant to stop Batterskull and/or a creature equipped with Sword of x and y.

BUG: 2-3
-1 Platinum Emperion
-4 Chalice of the Void
-4 Lodestone Golem

+2 Karn Liberated
+1 Sundering Titan
+1 Wasteland
+1 Crucible of Worlds
+1 Trinisphere
+2 Defense Grid
+1 Spine of Ish Sah

Again here i find Golem to be weak, also Chalice meet Abrupt Decay.. I rather invest in stopping their mana from developing. Often if you can hold them of 3 mana your in the safe zone, especially under a Trinisphere. Their best T1 play against us is Fetch + Deathrite Shaman. Hymn or Abrupt Decay + Wasteland is pretty killing. Not sure if i want Thorn of Amethyst here to bait FoW or Daze in order to get a Trinisphere or Metalworker out. Mishra's Factory was decent as it was able to hold of Dark Confidant and unflipped Delver. Karn Liberated acts as a very huge Liliana against them. Often it was like who has the better early turn plays. I punted one game really hard. I casted a T2 Metalworker which resolved and survived one turn. Then i untapped drawing a 6th artifact. I revealed all for 12 mana and greedy as i was i casted Blightsteel which met a FoW. I should have gone for Lodestone Golem (preboard), Forgemaster and another Forgemaster into Sundering Titan.