I realized two things: playing vengeful pharaoh make any Pox effect kill two creatures. (Like two flipped delvers) Second, at five mana it is actually playable as win con.
However, I am not sure how well it work in reality but one in the deck for testing purposes doesn't hurt.
Originally Posted by aslidsiksoraksi
"Pox early, Pox often, and Pox hard!" - Le_Lepreux
i tried it with entomb, "in response to you declaring attackers, i cast entomb"
you don't have to declare targets so if an opponent asks you what card, it just resolved...
Yeah, sounds like you can do some tricks with it. Do you still play it?
"Pox early, Pox often, and Pox hard!" - Le_Lepreux
I am going to test quest for the nihil stone too. I see it as a variant of the rack and shrieking affliction.
"Pox early, Pox often, and Pox hard!" - Le_Lepreux
What was your list at GP Vegas. Have you changed it any based on the tournament experience?
I haven't tried any recent cards on my list. Is there any new cards that should be added? I'm currently thinking of using Collective Brutality. I also need help constructing a sideboard. What are must have cards on sb for Loam Pox?
Current List :
3 Abrupt Decay
2 Crop Rotation
3 Entomb
1 Garruk Relentless
4 Hymn to Tourach
3 Innocent Blood
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Life from the Loam
4 Liliana of the Veil
1 Nether Spirit
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Raven's Crime
4 Smallpox
2 Swamp
1The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Thespian's Stage
3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Wasteland
3 Mishra's Factory
1 Forest
1 Dark Depths
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Barren Moor
4 Bayou
1 Bloodstained Mire
It seems a little too situationally good to me. The Rack/S-Affliction just do their thing. I was playing 8-rack pox in legacy for a little bit (testing on MWS, no real paper games) and it was good, but not necessarily better than playing Tombstalker, and definitely not better than Bitterblossom. It plays out much like the modern version and really leaning hard on Raven's Crime to keep opponents hellbent. The up-side is the clock is FAST. The downside is you need to dedicate so much room to discard that you end up sacrificing board control (and turn 1 explosiveness...I didn't even have room to squeeze in Dark Ritual.)
Rough list I was using:
3x Shrieking Affliction
4x The Rack
4x Thoughtseize
4x Inquisition of Kozilek
4x Raven's Crime
4x Hymn to Tourach
2x Wrench Mind
4x Smallpox
2x Fatal Push
2x Innocent Blood
3x Liliana of the Veil
1x Crucible of Worlds
4x Wasteland
4x Mishra's Factory
1x Dakmor Salvage
1x Cabal Pit
14x Swamp
I saw some footage of a guy at Vegas doing a Bw version of pox with Entomb/Lingering Souls/bitterblossom and it seemed really cool. I love the idea of playing Souls/Vindicate and white gives a metric ton of really powerful sideboard options. I was thinking of going for something like this:
Starting with something like this:
4x Lingering Souls
3x Bitterblossom
2x Bloodghast
4x Thoughtseize
3x Cabal Therapy
4x Hymn to Tourach
4x Smallpox
Xx Fatal Push
Xx Swords to Plowshares
1x Vindicate
Enlightened Tutor, Entomb (with Vengeful Pharaoh), and other options seem really cool here. I even like the idea of Ghostly Prison.
Brainstorm Realist
I close my eyes and sink within myself, relive the gift of precious memories, in need of a fix called innocence. - Chuck Shuldiner
Four Pox and four Smallpox are the core when playing with racks. The Pox effects force your opponent to empty his hand to replace creatures and lands. This is crucial. Otherwise the opponent can sit and hoard cards and play passively.
"Pox early, Pox often, and Pox hard!" - Le_Lepreux
That must have been where I went wrong. I just assumed the efficiency of Raven's Crime was paramount, but it makes total sense. They *must* play out their lands/threats/spells to avoid getting them discarded, only to run straight into Pox/Smallpox hosing them anyways. I just figured when their lands are nuked they wouldn't be playing spells, which lets them build up their hand again, which in turn makes The Rack not do damage. I really like the idea of playing a diverse threat package. I'm thinking Lingering Souls (flying tokens, protects Liliana), Bloodghast (maybe 2 for Cabal Therapy along with Souls tokens), The Rack, and Mishra's Factory. Between all of those it will provide avenues of closing games, and probably closing them faster than normal. Maybe even 1x Tombstalker (but it's a non-bo with Souls.)
This is what I'm thinking, would love your thoughts on it!
Threats
4x The Rack
2x Bloodghast
1x Tombstalker
4x Lingering Souls
Discard
4x Thoughtseize
3x Cabal Therapy
4x Hymn to Tourach
Removal/Pox
3x Fatal Push
1x Vindicate
4x Smallpox
2x Pox
Planeswalkers
3x Liliana of the Veil
1x Sorin, Solemn Visitor
Lands
3x Mishra's Factory
1x Shambling Vent
4x Wasteland
4x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4x Marsh Flats
2x Scrubland
5x swamp
1x Plains
Sideboard
2x Kambal, Consul of Allocation (storm/burn tech!)
2x Rest in Peace
2x Surgical Extraction
1x Nihil Spellbomb
1x Darkblast
2x Swords to Plowshares
2x Zealous Persecution
2x Disenchant
1x Lost Legacy
Brainstorm Realist
I close my eyes and sink within myself, relive the gift of precious memories, in need of a fix called innocence. - Chuck Shuldiner
With Entomb, I would add in a darkblast in the side. Pithing Needle for Jace, Stage, Relic etc. Toxic Deluge, maybe another Deed in the side. Coffin Purge is good with Entomb as well. Krosan Grip and Maelstrom Pulse help get rid of permanent grave hate as well. Leyline if the Void is run more now from Eldrazi and it ducks Abrupt Decay unlike RIP. Maybe another Barren Moor against Surgical. Faith of the Devoted is good if you can get it down against Burn and fast decks with Loam active. Collective Brutality shines in this deck like no other because of the ease of hitting all the modes by discarding lands, Loams and Bloodghasts, though there are some decks, again like Eldrazi aggro that don't care about it that much, but for the most part a couple of the modes are bothersome to most decks, and brutal to Delvers and Shamen. Probably a couple of Spheres vs Storm and other speed decks.
Gonti's Machinations
Has anyone discussed this here yet? It seems like a Rack effect that could get super good. Fetchlands, opponent's attacking us, Smallpox, Pox, and Bitterblossom all trigger this enchantment. The closest allegory is Sun Droplet, but this one makes your opponent lose life while keeping you in the game. It only costs B and you get an Essence Drain (only opponent, not creatures) with each activation.
Thoughts? I haven't seen it in the thread, maybe I missed it?
EDIT: I saw it in a modern Mardu Burn decklist at mtgtop8, got me thinking...
Brainstorm Realist
I close my eyes and sink within myself, relive the gift of precious memories, in need of a fix called innocence. - Chuck Shuldiner
It is more like a lightning bolt, or bump in the night.
The word 'sacrifice' ruins it 🙁
"Pox early, Pox often, and Pox hard!" - Le_Lepreux
Yeah I agree, MrSafety I think you are just misreading the card.
I think it would probably be played in this deck if it only cost you {E}{E} to activate and stayed on the battlefield but it would probably make the card way too good in general and see play across multiple archetypes. (Almost like a lifelink unblockable delver of secrets that doesn't die to creature removal O_O )
@beez I'm not sure Faith of the Devoted is better than Syphon Life in an Entomb/Loam deck
It is cool to be able to tutor (Entomb) for Syphon Life, and it is better to Loam into the graveyard than an Enchantment, but at five mana a turn to Loam and Syphon it is harder to establish earlier than Faith of the Devoted, which you can lay with 3 and play with less mana a turn. Also even works with Lilliana's pitching cards, especially Bloodghast, plus cycling if you run a Barren Moor or two.
You're right, I missed that. I thought you just needed to pay the 2 energy and get a repeatable effect. Total garbage at this point lol...
Brainstorm Realist
I close my eyes and sink within myself, relive the gift of precious memories, in need of a fix called innocence. - Chuck Shuldiner
Did some experiment today. Regretably the store had no Quest for the Nihil stone, but i tried the pharaoh and squee. The later was of little use, but the vengeful dude actually did something.
"Pox early, Pox often, and Pox hard!" - Le_Lepreux
Thinking of getting into Pox as it seems like it would suit me, love Cursed Scroll and Nether Spirit, love grindy games, love the old-school black feel the deck has.
Question though: how does the deck do against U/W/x Stoneblade or DnT? Those decks (and other creature-ish decks like Delver) seem to be the most common in my metagame. I looked at the matchup section in the primer but i was worried that it might be a bit dated.
For reference, here is the (fairly budget) list I'm thinking of running:
3 Cursed Scroll
2 Nether Spirit
1 Night of Souls' Betrayal
2 Liliana of the Veil (that's all I have at the moment)
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Dark Ritual
4 Innocent Blood
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Duress
2 Cabal Therapy
3 Sinkhole
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Beseech the Queen
4 Smallpox
1 Pox
4 Mishra's Factory
11 Snow-Covered Swamp
4 Wasteland
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Dakmor Salvage
1 Cabal Pit
Sideboard
2 Noetic Scales
2 Trinisphere
1 Pithing Needle
1 Tombstalker
2 Faerie Macabre
2 Engineered Plague
1 Darkblast
1 Lost Legacy
2 Massacre
1 Syphon Life
I take it Sinkhole isn't considered too hot right now, probably will cut those for Collective Brutality if I can get my hands on some. Anyway, any advice welcomed, thank you :)
I strongly suggest dropping your Innocent Blood Count and using Fatal Push. I found Innocent Blood to be too inconsistent for my liking in many games. Against Elves, Young Pyromancer, and anything with multiple creatures really, it isn't good. You really want to kill the best creature, not let them choose which creature is less important. Smallpox and Liliana are enough sacrifice removal, I think. I also strongly suggest Ratchet Bomb maindeck (its super affordable if you're on a budget.)
Brainstorm Realist
I close my eyes and sink within myself, relive the gift of precious memories, in need of a fix called innocence. - Chuck Shuldiner
Thanks for the advice, that makes a lot of sense. I'll probably drop the 4 innocent blood then, add in 2 ratchet bomb and 2 fatal push (or some other cheap targeted removal)
I wouldn't completely drop Innocent Blood from your list, you still need them against decks like Death and Taxes or Lands where you can't deal with some of their creatures. I currently run 2 and that seems to work.
"The enemy is getting too close! Quick! Inflate the toad!"
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Reply With Quote