[Deck] Relic Orb- Mono Blue Prison

[clavio]

Relic Orb (otherwise known as efreet stompy) is a Mono Blue prison deck that takes advantage of tapping one’s own winter orb to turn it off. This allows you to untap as normal while your opponent only untaps one land. Once you have winter orb going, you use ports to tighten down the lock. Your opponent will writhe as you beat down for the win with your rainbow efreet on turn 50. It has been getting very good results. Here is my list:

Lands
3 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
4 Rishadan Port
16 Island
2 Blinkmoth Well

Creatures
2 Rainbow Efreet

Non Creature spells
4 Daze
4 Propaganda
4 Counterspell
4 Impulse
4 Force of Will
2 Echoing Truth
3 Tangle Wire
4 Winter Orb
4 Relic Barrier

// Sideboard
4 Hydroblast
4 Chill
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Cursed Totem

Card Choices:

Tabernacle: Very effective vs. creature heavy decks. With tabernacle and winter orb in play you are basically asking your opponent every upkeep if they want to be hit by Armageddon or wrath of god.

Rishadan Port: They tighten down the lock and make your opponent unable to play anything. Not too bad prelock either.

Island: meh

Blinkmoth well: Extra relic barriers. If your opponent needles barrier or you just don’t draw any, these will help.

Rainbow efreet: You can’t kill it. It is simply the hardiest blue creature out there. People keep saying that morphling would be better because its more efficient pre lock. If you are relying on beating down prelock, you have already lost.

Mana Leak: stops stuff

Propaganda: Slows goblins and other creature decks to a crawl. After winter orb, they basically can’t attack. Very useful.

Counterspell: Stops stuff

Impulse: Helps find things. Also puts cards on the bottom of your library if both efreets are near the bottom of your deck.

Force of will: Stop stuff for free

Echoing truth: Usually getting meddling mage, sometimes needle or sharpshooter. It deals with what needs to be dealt with.

Tangle Wire: Whenever I show people this deck, they always want to drop tangle wire. It’s a good speed bump pre orb. Its even better after you have orb in play.

Winter Orb: It’s the deck

Relic Barrier: Taps Orb

Sideboard
Hydroblast, chill: Mono red gave this deck trouble. Losing to burn 1st round essentially puts you out of the running for top 4,8.

Chalice of the void: Very good if you have no one drops. Comes in against many decks.

Cursed totem: decks with mana creatures used to be the bane of this deck. This card helps immensely. Also makes life.dec a better matchup and stops sharpshooter. You can’t phase efreet once you have it on the field, but hopefully that won’t matter




But the question remains, why would you play this deck?

It has been getting very good results vs the top decks in the format.

Propaganda tangle wire and tabernacle slow goblins down to a crawl. To quote one of my recent opponents “Your deck is my decks worst nightmare”. Yeah.

Tangle wire, winter orb and countermagic make solidarity a reasonable matchup. Sideboarding in chalice is always fun, as they will either have to bounce it or go off without high tide. Solidarity is not an easy match, but I usually end up the winner.

Thresh does not have a fast enough clock to beat me before I lock them down. They have countermagic of course, but it rarely matters. Pithing needle naming relic barrier is annoying. I have lost games to thresh, but it is a favorable matchup.

It usually beats randoms.

Another reason to play this deck is because you are the sadistic person who likes to lockdown their opponent. This is the main reason I play this deck. It’s a pain in the ass to play against if you don’t know what’s coming. The face of a locked down opponent is priceless.

It’s under the radar. No one expects this deck after your first turn play is island, go.

A third reason to play this deck is that it can be played well without ridiculous amounts of playskill. I don’t have any playskill, yet I am able to do well with this deck.

So that’s all. I like this deck a lot. Please post any comments, suggestions etc.