[Deck] Turbo Depths

[ComplexPants]

Well I played in a EW Trial today and I think I had my worst showing ever with this deck. 1-4, ugh. I felt super rusty playing and just got stuck against tough match ups and had variance kick me in the teeth.

Match 1: Grixis delver. 2-1

Match 2: D&T. 0-2. I totally spaced on not being able to respond to a revoker naming cards, and had my 2 maps locked down.

Match 3: Nic Fit. 0-2. Again totally spaced and forgot that KoTR could fetch a wasteland, while my brain would only remember karakas

Match 4: Big Red. 0-2. Both games turn 1 blood moon. Second game I managed to Thoughtseize one away and he just topped decked another.

Match 5: ANT. 1-2. Both games I lost was from a lucky top deck of Ad nausem, where I was going to combo kill the next turn.

I have officially seen the highs and lows of this deck lol. Fun bit, the Grixis delver I played against made top 8.

[chaosjace]

Just run dread of night or massacre against DnT

[ComplexPants]

I hadn't seen it at the store I was playing agianst, so I didn't bring it. Bad choice lol.

Also that nic fit player flashed in a mind censor game 1 against me on my turn 2, I was not expecting that at all.

[chaosjace]

Just played a small tournament.
Round 1 vs omnishow 2-1
Sphere of resistance does real work turns out
Round 2 vs RG lands 0-2
I had the tools I needed, but he had more. Lots of fun pithing needle and stage shenanigans
Round 3 Vs aluren 2-0
Needle on cavern harpy is a thing
Round 4 ID
Played for fun against the guy, he was on sylvan plug 2-1
Round 5 vs infect
1-2
long game, couldn't get there

Overall
Dark confidant did so much work, very happy. Safekeeper was way more useful than I imagined. Made one game losing mistake like an idiot, in my ID fun match I chump blocked a kotr with safekeeper because he had karakas out..... never again. I had the combo out also

[DNSolver]

Just got 9th in the Legacy challenge on breakers. Decklist was same as before but -3 Not of This World, +3 Sylvan Safekeeper. I wanted to try Safekeeper because it works against Edict effects as well as Swords/Karakas/Flickerwisp/Jace. It also can randomly block. Can be hit by Revoker but we will see.

R1: ANT 0-2
R2: High Tide 2-1
R3: Mono-black Pox 2-0
R4: Miracles (Truckis) 2-1 opponent misclicked in G1, cost him the game. Sylvan Safekeeper won G3 single-handedly
R5: Burn 2-1
R6: UR Delver 2-0
R7: Eldrazi 0-2 (named Wasteland on t1 Needle but opponent had Ghost Quarter instead, probably budget... still almost got there but my opponent found a Jitte to gain life and kill me on the crackback)

So I feel fine about that. Sylvan Safekeeper instead of Not of This World was relevant against Pox (edict effects), and an all-star against Miracles. I'm excited to play him going forward. Eldrazi matchup should be fine, lost because of unusual card choices rather than deck construction or play error (I think, might have made a mistake somewhere). Against ANT I kept t1 urborg thoughtseize t2 depths hexmage on the play, but my opponent had:

Dark Ritual x2
Cabal Ritual
Brainstorm
Git Probe
Past in Flames
Underground Sea

I took Brainstorm, but my opponent git probed and found Dark Petition for LED.

Still considering moving Spheres out for Mindbreak Traps.

[Slacker1348]

// 60 Maindeck
// 4 Artifact
4 Pithing Needle

// 8 Creature
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Vampire Hexmage

// 6 Instant
2 Abrupt Decay
4 Crop Rotation

// 28 Land
3 Bayou
4 Dark Depths
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Sejiri Steppe
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
4 Thespian's Stage
3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Wasteland
1 Maze of Ith
1 Forest
1 Swamp
1 Karakas

// 14 Sorcery
2 Duress
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Sylvan Scrying
2 Thoughtseize
2 Toxic Deluge


// 15 Sideboard
SB: 2 Faerie Macabre
SB: 2 Dread of Night
SB: 2 Surgical Extraction
SB: 1 Abrupt Decay
SB: 1 Golgari Charm
SB: 1 Krosan Grip
SB: 1 Maze of Ith
SB: 1 Bojuka Bog
SB: 2 Lost Legacy
SB: 2 Rite of Consumption



I'm considering cutting the DRS for 3xSafekeeper and +1 Duress, just on occasion, there are times I want to Pithing Needle DRS and it hurts me a little. I do like that DRS can act as ramp, and make mana under blood moon, save Depths from Surgical. And all around be the best 1 drop in the format.

Is Lost Legacy not good enough? Should I just pack on the extra discard for Storm? I feel lost legacy should probably just be 2x thoughtseize?

EDIT:
Some of the card choices might seem weird, but I do have a very good Grixis/D&T matchup with Wasteland+Tab(Grixis, more so) and MD Decays/Deluge vs D&T. MD Karakas to hedge against Sneak/Show.

Only SD card I'm iffy on is Lost Legacy. So if you have better suggestions, please send them my way. My current board plan vs ANT is -1 Maze, -1 Karakas, -1 Needle -2 Deluge. +2 Surgical +2 Lost Legacy, +1 Bojuka Bog

[chaosjace]

What are you worried about that you would name with lost legacy? It might be decent if you play a slower game, but IMO the 3 cost makes it too slow. I would just go heavier on surgicals depending on your concern.

I've already slowed down enough with the addition of confidant.
I am considering a single life from the loam now just to buy back my ghost quarter, might make room for a single wasteland. I only lost to Rgcl because i had used my GQ and had no way to destroy a land, also wasn't drawing into my playset of needles in a timely fashion.

[Slacker1348]

What are you worried about that you would name with lost legacy? It might be decent if you play a slower game, but IMO the 3 cost makes it too slow. I would just go heavier on surgicals depending on your concern.

I've already slowed down enough with the addition of confidant.
I am considering a single life from the loam now just to buy back my ghost quarter, might make room for a single wasteland. I only lost to Rgcl because i had used my GQ and had no way to destroy a land, also wasn't drawing into my playset of needles in a timely fashion.

Lost Legacy: Show and Tell, Tendrils (Tabernacle just beats empty the warrens, Tendrils is their only real game against me) High Tide/Time Spiral, Alluren, Craterhoof Behemoth/Natural Order, and last but not least, Blood Moon! I bring it in against dredge cuz I have a lot of dead cards in G1. It's nice not having to wait for something to hit the yard to take it out of the game, and it has t2 potential in my list via DRS. Sometimes it's alright just to name Force. I'm a nicfit player at heart, and love casting slaughter games. I'm not trying to be turbo depths, I'm trying to be a little more resilient. Of course, I can just drop the nuts still.

It's a supplement to my discard package. If I get to surgical and look through their library, I can just outright name their best/scariest sideboard card, without have to discard it, or give them a chance to play it. I think it's alright as a one of, and am contemplating cutting one Lost Legacy for Glacial Chasm. We'll see what my last test run tomorrow tells me!

I've thought about loam too, but with all the DRS floating around, maybe it's not where you should be.

[chaosjace]

You seem to have enough valid targets, I mean definately test it.

Loam for me would be with the intention of one or two uses. I am not trying to fill my graveyard since most of the deck isn't lands. I guess the question becomes do I want to wait to re draw my combo or have a way to recur it. Eternal witness would also work but that might be going too far away from my goals.

I forgot to add highlights from my event also.
Round 1 my opponent cast show and tell, he put in omniscience, I put in sphere of resistance.
My one SB reverent silence took out 2 omniscience and a leyline of sanctity.
I also learned never swing against infect unless it's with lage.

[apple713]

@Darkgobs, but Re: Sylvan Library for everyone

Sylvan Library comes in against Blood Moon decks to dig while under the lock.

Sylvan Library comes in against Storm and Sneak and Show, to find additional discard while threatening your own combo.

Sylvan Library is excellent against Stoneblade and Death and Taxes.

Sylvan Library is excellent against the new Miracles deck, which is climbing the ranks of popularity once again.

Sylvan Library is fine against the Hymn BUG decks (Shardless, True-Name, and Delver) because it's a great topdeck, and they're trying to put you into topdeck mode.

Sylvan Library comes out against ANT / Storm in my experience. Against fast combo decks you need something with an immediate effect on the game when it is played. You don't have time to accumulate advantage with Library in those matches.

Besides storm, what decks do you play sphere against? When ever I play the card I feel like I regret it. I am wondering whether it is just better to play lost legacy.

Not that I'm a fan of Lost Legacy at all, but the name against ANT has to be Tendrils right? Depths can often race Empty if they have it in at all. Most players I've hit with surgical haven't had Empty in the deck post board anyway.

@ Lost Legacy

Rather than Lost legacy, I really like sadistic sacrament. It is slightly harder to cast but can also be better when you want to cast something but are not sure what to name. Against storm/ant it can be better since they have few threats but with various mames. Many times 3 cards is enough to get pesky blood moons or other problematic sb cards. Combined with discard it will often eliminate the 4 copies you would worry about. I personally dont think its necessary for the deck but id play it before lost legacy.

[Claymore]

Lost Legacy also completely eliminates Life from the Loam from Lands and Reanimator targets already in the yard, instead of having to dance around Surgical vs cycle lands. I was always a fan of it.

Certainly overlap when Surgical or other eliminators are involved, so probably a meta choice.

[Negator77']

Lost Legacy also completely eliminates Life from the Loam from Lands and Reanimator targets already in the yard, instead of having to dance around Surgical vs cycle lands. I was always a fan of it.

Certainly overlap when Surgical or other eliminators are involved, so probably a meta choice.

The problem in those match-ups are that it is slow. Could it be good, yeah if you live long enough to reap those benefits. Does it do nothing against their better draws, yup. If a card doesn't interact with being Waste/GQ locked early (or just never get to three mana) from lands or a t1-t2 reanimation spell, it's not the best choice for those mu's imo. Same goes for storm.

[Slacker1348]

Sylvan Library comes out against ANT / Storm in my experience. Against fast combo decks you need something with an immediate effect on the game when it is played. You don't have time to accumulate advantage with Library in those matches.





@ Lost Legacy

Rather than Lost legacy, I really like sadistic sacrament. It is slightly harder to cast but can also be better when you want to cast something but are not sure what to name. Against storm/ant it can be better since they have few threats but with various mames. Many times 3 cards is enough to get pesky blood moons or other problematic sb cards. Combined with discard it will often eliminate the 4 copies you would worry about. I personally dont think its necessary for the deck but id play it before lost legacy.

The mana cost is very restrictive on Sadistic Sacrament. That's my reason for not playing it. Triple black is hard to hit without Urborg, and lost legacy.

I know what I'm naming when I bring Lost Legacy in, if you don't know what you're naming, you shouldn't be playing the card, I guess. Maybe it could be something better, perhaps just 4 surgical. But I do have my reasons for playing the card.

[chaosjace]

i've had more problems not having green mana sometimes. triple black is easy with 4 urborg

[Lio]

Played with the three copies of Sylvan Safekeeper for the first time as a replacement for Not of this World and I am more than satisfied with the card. It singlehandedly won me match against Czech pile, where my opp. had edicts, liliana and PLENTY of removal. I think I sacrificed about 15 lands to keep my creatures as a fodder for edict effect meanwhile Marit Lage was bashing through his wall of Baleful Strixes recurred by Kolaghans command. Safekeeper was also very useful against Death and Taxes to keep Bobs alive and provide endless source of protection. I am thinking about Marsh Causalities as a -1/-1 or -2/-2 wrath effect instead of Dread of Nights.

[Kanti]

Can someone break down ESG vs DRS for me? DRS gets hit by your own Needle, and stops some faster t1 plays I think, but is the thought process that DRS is going to accelerate you t2 just as much as ESG would, and it's gonna stick around for later turns to do the same thing while offering minor utility?

Also, why don't I ever see a singleton Arbor played for Edict effects? Risk of slowing down a potential t2 win too much?

[ComplexPants]

ESG is secret mana. It can screw with people's timing a lot, allowing you to go off a turn earlier than expected. ESG lets you do turn 2 plays turn 1, which can be crucial to get
down a sphere, sylvan library, etc. It also is a great response to daze.

[filln]

Also, why don't I ever see a singleton Arbor played for Edict effects? Risk of slowing down a potential t2 win too much?

Dryad Arbor has been discussed in the past but Mishra's Factory is likely superior in most cases. Although Arbor can be fetched in response as a surprise, it also carries downsides: 1) easier to remove, 2) summoning sickness, 3) can't provide a clock or block as well.

[solnox]

Went 10-5 at GP Vegas with 2 byes with depths

Lost to BUG Delver, BUG control, Painter on Day 1. Lost to Elves and Food chain in Day 2.

Beat Eldrazi, Miracles, Sneak and Show, Tezzerator on Day 1. Beat Food Chain, Death and Taxes, Food chain, RB Reanimator.

I'll be posting my list a little later after I get some rest from the GP.

Lost to the 2 BUG decks topdecking Abrupt Decay on needles to save themselves

[DNSolver]

Just won the Legacy Challenge today with Dank Depths with 53 players. Small change to the sideboard:

4 Depths
4 Stage
3 Urborg
3 Bayou
4 Verdant
1 Forest
1 Swamp
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Sejiri Steppe
1 Ghost Quarter
4 Duress
4 Thoughtseize
3 Pithing Needle
4 Lotus Petal
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Sylvan Scrying
3 Expedition Map
4 Crop Rotation
3 Sylvan Safekeeper
4 Vampire Hexmage

SB:
4 Mindbreak Trap (intended for Storm with side use against BR Reanimator, Belcher)
4 Abrupt Decay
1 Pithing Needle
1 Karakas
2 Surgical Extraction
3 Sylvan Library

R1: Grixis Delver (LewisCBR) 2-0
R2: ANT (Surfinbird) 0-2. Didn't find a Mindbreak Trap, kept a double discard plus Library hand on the play in G2. I think I screwed up my discard this game, should have taken his Duress to enable my Library to resolve on turn 2.
R3: Grixis Delver 2-0
R4: ANT 2-0 Probably got lucky here. Didn't see Mindbreak Trap, but discard and holding up Crop Rot -> Bog slowed him down enough.
R5: Elves 2-0. Randomly brought in Mindbreak Trap figuring I could counter a Natural Order with it. I ended up seeing my opponent's hand with a Duress and casting Mindbreak Trap on a GSZ, denying him lethal when he Natural Order'd for Craterhoof on the next turn (I blocked). On the even more plus side, my opponent sent me a nice message that I screenshot for posterity.
R6: BUG Depths (Negator77) 2-0 We prize split, then played it out. I had a fast Hexmage opener in G1 and a turn 2 Library in G2, while he missed on interaction. Negator did sneak into top 8 and got top 4!

Quarterfinals: Eldrazi Ramp 2-0. Not much they can do in this matchup. In both games he gained life to go above 20, but didn't find mana in G1 or All is Dust / Ulamog in G2 to kill the token.

Semifinals: Grixis Delver 2-1. Lost G1 to a Delver flipped on turn 2, accompanied by 2 Wastelands, while I didn't have a Needle. The other two games were close, but I kept decent hands and sideboarded well on the play/draw.

Finals: Miracles 2-0. The ultimate end-boss: ItIsUnfair. G1 was decided by my opponent missing their 2nd land drop for a turn, as well as me having 3 Vampire Hexmages to threaten the combo every turn, starting on turn 3. One Lage got killed through Crop Rotation for Steppe, the 2nd hexmage got force'd, but the third lage got there. G2 was decided by me resolving Sylvan Safekeeper on the combo turn, letting me answer everything, while a Crop Rotation for Bog stopped Snapcaster from flashing back Brainstorm (I assume for Terminus on top, anything else wouldn't have beaten Safekeeper).

The deck still seems sweet, and I wouldn't change anything. Still undecided on Mindbreak Trap. Sylvan Safekeeper only got a chance to shine against Miracles, but it changed the game entirely. It might have stopped an edict in one of the Delver games, but I don't know for sure.