[Deck] The Gate

[Michael Keller]

Eh, it was just a thought. Are you still liking Ritual?

I really am. I just like being able to power blowout cards early and the truth is those cards win the game outright. It's not like we're dumping our hand with cards that don't generate some sort of card advantage. Even if you power Ritual into Duress and Confidant or just an Arena, that's still an amazing trade-off. You're gaining cards back at a faster rate. You can board the Rituals out if the situation calls for it.

I'm sure we'll all know how good Ritual is after Saturday's Star City Open here in D.C, because I'll be piloting it with Rituals.

[bakofried]

What did you cut for the 3rd Percy?

[Michael Keller]

What did you cut for the 3rd Percy?

Right now, I'm reworking the list. I'll let you guys know soon. Not too much has changed, but I am testing Dread of Night at the moment, and it seems to be working rather solid.

[bakofried]

What are you testing it against? Random Mom decks?

[Michael Keller]

What are you testing it against? Random Mom decks?

Death and Taxes and Zoo. I have a feeling people are going to be scrambling towards archetypes that have decent match-ups against Goblins and Merfolk, and Taxes happens to be one of them. 'Night pretty much wrecks their entire creature base and allows us to save more cards in our hand instead of dumping them on singular removal spells. Vial is annoying in that match, and dropping D.o.N. is amazing to shut down cards like:

Mother of Runes.
Mangara of Corondor.
Flickerwisp.
Weathered Wayfarer.
Goldmeadow Harrier.

That's a massive amount of dead creatures for the price of a permanent one-drop enchantment. I'm just saying that decks that run Aether Vial need to be shut out, because that is Public Enemy Number One in my eyes.

[bakofried]

Let's hope your hunch is correct. Will you be running any GY hate?

What of Zoo's creatures does it nail?

[Michael Keller]

Let's hope your hunch is correct. Will you be running any GY hate?

I'm looking at Relic of Progenitus as a three-of, more than likely. I think Faerie Macabre, while good because it cannot be countered, might not be the right call anymore because of Survival's disappearance and the death of Reanimator. I like the cantrip, too.

[bakofried]

Have you considered Nihil Spellbomb? Seems playable, and can still be activated on the draw. Isn't quite as good against Loam, though.
I'll be back posting in less than an hour. Hope you're still on.

[Michael Keller]

Have you considered Nihil Spellbomb? Seems playable, and can still be activated on the draw. Isn't quite as good against Loam, though.
I'll be back posting in less than an hour. Hope you're still on.

It's good on the draw, but we don't run Tombstalker and I'm out to shrink 'Goyf and kill Terravore if I have to in a pinch.

[bakofried]

So you're not targetting Dredge with this - okay.
What of Zoo's creatures does it kill? (Dread of Night)

[Michael Keller]

A lot of random home-brews, for the most part. Not so much against Zoo, as it really only hits a few cards they run.

Relic is there too against Dredge; it does the job if need be.

[bakofried]

Any chance of an updated list tonight? I'm interested in knowing what you cut for the 3rd Percy; I myself cut BB.

[bracer028]

so what did you take out for the 4 dark rituals?

[maximumcarnage]

Doesn't an increase in Persecutor go hand-in-hand with an increase in Therapy?

[pechunato]

so what did you take out for the 4 dark rituals?

Dark Ritual is taking the place of Wasteland.

Now that we are running Dark Ritual, would it be possible to play a couple of Tombstalkers as additional beaters? Or the risk of losing 8 lives to Dark Confidant is too big?

[bracer028]

Dark Ritual is taking the place of Wasteland.

Now that we are running Dark Ritual, would it be possible to play a couple of Tombstalkers as additional beaters? Or the risk of losing 8 lives to Dark Confidant is too big?

you do not wanna pull tombstalker with bob without library manipulation.

[Augustas]

this thread is starting to scare me...

[bracer028]

i still don't see whats so good about phyrexian crusader. can anyone explain?

i've tested the dark ritual route over wastelands.

my god, the speed on turn 1 actually kills.

[bakofried]

Ignore Tombstalker. He's not worth it.

[Hencules]

Crusader has been good to me for several reasons. First of all it gives tremendous advantage against zoo and goblins.

It's infect and first strike allow it to block 3/3 creatures and still survive, which is a common size for merfolks since you control their amount of lords.

But then again, it's a matter of preference i guess. I like the card a lot, but if you have better alternatives, who's to say you have to play them.

This is my current list:

DISCARD
4#Hymn to Tourach
2#Cabal Therapy
4#Inquisition of Kozilek

CREATURES
4#Dark Confidant
4#Gatekeeper of Malakir
4#Vampire Nighthawk
2#Abyssal Persecutor
2#Phyrexian Crusader

UTILITY
2#Phyrexian Arena
3#Bitterblossom
3#Umezawa’s Jitte

REST
4#Dark Ritual
4#Go for the Throat

LANDS
18#Swamp

This list is really similar to the list of Hollywood, but i don't play engineered plague.

I was just thinking about playing nantuko shade. Since it can both function as a small beater in the first few turns, and it can function as a big beater later on in the game. Later on in the game i often draw dead discard cards, so i have quiet a lot of mana to spend after t4. This could make a shade very large.

I think I would cut Phyrexian crusader and a Hymn to Tourach for it.

What do you guys think?