[Deck] ANT (Ad Nauseam Tendrils) Storm Combo

[Togores]

Ok, then its better ^^
Thanks 👍

[aRSKOG]

Hello people

I'm new in here and I'm new to the awesome format Legacy. But I've been playing Modern seriously for the past 2 years or so.
I've made my 3rd Legacy deck after struggling around figuring where my shelf is. First i tried Affinity which was just meh. Then i played alot of Punishing Fire Nic Fit which was fairly okay but it wasn't the thing for me. So i did borrow a deck from a friend of mine to play at the local. It happened to be Ad Nauseum Tendrils combo.. and i was sold! This deck is insane! and oh boy it's fun to play.

So i decided i wanted ANT as my Legacy deck and I've been working on it for 2 months now. My List is the following

Lands: (15)
2 Watery Grave (1 Underground Sea inc)
1 Steam Vents
1 Breeding Pool
4 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
2 Island
1 Swamp

I'm saving money to be able to get the proper Duals, for now i manage to borrow them or if I can't I just play with my shocks (yes its bad i know). I have been looking around for alternative rootes to a manabase which would be a bit cheaper and i found that some list runs Gemstone Mine. So it might be an optien? I don't know. Right now I'm Shocking myself to losses but it's okay, rather play and lose than not play at all :) - I really need some help to get rid of those shock lands as fast as possible. Atm i paid (currently waiting for it to arrive) for 1 Underground Sea, and I'm planning to buy my second one in february. When I'm done with seas i go for Volcanic Island then Bayou. But is there a rute which could be faster? like playing the Gemstone Mines etc. I can't effort more than 1 dual a month i believe (depends on my sales ofc).

Mainboard:(45)

Singletons:
1x Tendrils of Agony
1x Past in Flames
1x Ad Nauseam

Cantrips:
4x Ponder
4x Brainstorm
2x Preordain
1x Sensei's Divining Top
4x Gitaxian Probe

Tutors:
4x Infernal Tutor

Rituals:
4x Lotus Petal
4x Lion's Eye Diamond
4x Cabal Ritual
4x Dark Ritual

Discard:
4x Cabal Therapy
3x Duress

So far I'm happy about my mainboard. I'm not sure if it's right to play 4 Therapy or 4 Duress, might be better with 4 Duress. I just like Gitaxian Probe + Therapy alot! It really got potential to cripple the opponent. And for the Grim Tutor my priority is to get my duals, so till that happens i will not play Grim Tutor, maybe after.

Now we're at my real issue, the sideboarding! I dont know exactly what i want to play, and the sideboard guide on this guide seems a bit outdated. So my request is if any have a sideboard + guide/plan ready to use? I know there is alot of adjustment to the meta etc, so here is a list of a few decks i know is being played at my local:

Ad Nauseam Tendrils Combo
The Epic Storm
Nic Fit (Punishing and Scapeshift variants)
UR Delver
Esper Stoneblade
UW Standstill
Mono red Blood Moon deck (no clue what it is called, but T1 Blood Moon / chalice is commen)
MUD
Lands
Death and Taxes
Goblins
Shardless BUG

At the moment my sideboard is the following:

Sideboard: (11)
3x Xantid Swarm
3x Abrupt Decay
2x Chains of Vapor
2x Massacre
1x Tendrils of Agony

The rest of the spots I'm not sure about, but im thinking 2x Flusterstorm would be a good pick for the mirror. Storm is very popular at my local, so it might as well be a good idea to unclude 2x Surgical Extractions?

I need help for futher progress :)
Thanks alot

[nevilshute]

Welcome to ANT

So a few thoughts:

- Making duals your priority over something like Grim Tutor is 100 % correct. Sadly, this deck does not play particularily well with shocklands. Although in many situations it won't be an issue, it is only logical that a deck that seeks to win through Ad Nauseam a non-trivial amount of the time will suffer from shocklands.

- Sideboarding: It is hard to offer hard and fast rules but I'd say the following about certain cards:

- Xantid Swarm: this is mainly in our sideboard to come in against Show and Tell decks. If Show and Tell decks are very popular in your meta I could see going with three Swarms although I can't remember the last time I did so. I think usually two is the correct number. In Show and Tell free environments I've been happy to not run swarms at all.

The swarms can be brought in against Miracles to good effect as well, but it is always a gamble to bring them in against decks that can still be packing creature removal post-board. Some miracle pilots might board out every removal card, but many of them know that we are likely to have something to remove post-board, be that Dark Confidant, Young Pyromancer or Xantid Swarm. Let's be perfectly clear: spending your turn casting Xantid Swarm to have it be removed by a bolt or Swords to Plowshares is terrible. If it hadn't been Swarm but instead a discard spell or cantrip then it would have been +1 useful card in your hand and +1 dead card in they hand. For this reason many ANT players will not bring in swarm against bolt.deck. I sometimes will bring it in for one of the sideboarded matches (if I won game 1) but not for the other. This can confuse your opponent and the swarm - if unanswered - is insane against a hand full of dazes, pierces and flusterstorms.

- Abrupt Decay: This is 90 % in our board to remove Counterbalance. I like to also bring in a couple in combination with Massacre against blue hatebear decks unless I've seen wastelands game one. Again... if Miracles is everywhere I'd consider going up to four decays. If Miracles disappears, I'd consider playing none and just going up on Chain of Vapor. The latter scenario has not come up for as long as I can remember.

Just a couple of thoughts.

[Pox22]

If I had to run ANT with shocks, I would drop Ad Nauseam for a 2nd Past in Flames and the Top for a md Empty the Warrens. It's defensible choice to begin with, and the decreased reliance on your life total plays goes nicely with having to play with shocklands.

[Firefight]

Treasure Cruise is banned from Legacy , is this good or bad for us?

[Sloshthedark]

If I had to run ANT with shocks, I would drop Ad Nauseam for a 2nd Past in Flames and the Top for a md Empty the Warrens. It's defensible choice to begin with, and the decreased reliance on your life total plays goes nicely with having to play with shocklands.

this, Gemstone Mine can't be searched for, that's the problem, 1 USea will ease the situation greatly so it's probably playable with shocklands but in a deck playing on an edge of life(time)/death it is a serious disadvantage


Banlist update is unfortunate for Ant, TC off the list with DTT still in is a net loss compared with september (S+T, Deathblade, UBG), Storm paradise lost...

Treasure Cruise is banned from Legacy , is this good or bad for us?

this was the best metagame since printing of Thalia...

[CabalTherapy]

this, Gemstone Mine can't be searched for, that's the problem, 1 USea will ease the situation greatly so it's probably playable with shocklands but in a deck playing on an edge of life(time)/death it is a serious disadvantage


Banlist update is unfortunate for Ant, TC off the list with DTT still in is a net loss compared with september (S+T, Deathblade, UBG), Storm paradise lost...

Nice Milton reference, Martin. I don't see a huge problem. ANT was a very good deck before Khans and it will be still one of the best after TC.

Yes, Gemstone Mine sucks big time. ^^

[Sloshthedark]

Nice Milton reference, Martin. I don't see a huge problem. ANT was a very good deck before Khans and it will be still one of the best after TC.

Yes, Gemstone Mine sucks big time. ^^

Sure will be, only I'd largely prefer facing UR and UWR to Team America and Deathblade

[Firefight]

I think this will justify acquiring a Grim Tutor for my deck, as it becomes slightly more necessary, and less painful as we won't be facing that many Aggro decks like UR

[ThomasDowd]

Treasure Cruise is banned from Legacy , is this good or bad for us?

slightly bad as UR delver takes a hit and people probably move back to rug.

the treasure cruise decks permission suite was typically force/ daze only, which is trivial to beat. all the decks pushed out by cruise decks now come back (BUG, RUG, CB) which all run more diverse permission/ disruption suites.

it will be slightly more difficult, depends on if you view this as a good or bad thing. RUG is still pretty even, BUG is atrocious. if BUG(hymn) comes back strong then storm is not so great of a choice .

[Togores]

So now with a new meta. Im gonna include the second top because the diacard is gonna come back.
I was willin to play tes due to his faster aproach vs the new rise of combo decks. But now with discard and wasteland back. Basic lands are immba cool.
Gonna still play tes friday and see what happens.
Death and taxes rise? Bug delver? Shardless? Miracles? Rug? Less omni more sneak and show?

Fight!

[Firefight]

So now with a new meta. Im gonna include the second top because the diacard is gonna come back.
I was willin to play tes due to his faster aproach vs the new rise of combo decks. But now with discard and wasteland back. Basic lands are immba cool.
Gonna still play tes friday and see what happens.
Death and taxes rise? Bug delver? Shardless? Miracles? Rug? Less omni more sneak and show?

Fight!

What is your mana base configuration for this next meta? would 2 basics do it? or would you play 2 island 1 swamp

[Togores]

Im gonna play my usual deck same configuration. Always think that 2 island is the shitt.

Storming opp is always the same.

[aRSKOG]

@Nevilshute

So basically what you think of this:

2 Xantid Swams - i've seen both Omnitell and Sneak & Show in my local too
3 Abrupt Decay - should do as we only have 1 Miracle player?
1 Tendrils of Agony - against miracle
2 Massacre - against creature decks
3 Chains of Vapor - against hate
1 Empty the Warrens - against Meddling Mage
2 Surgical Extractions - mirror match (should be flusterstorm, but havent got those)
1 Empty spot, could be Sensei's Divining Top

I think i try with this, and figure out how that goes, and my second Undeground Sea is incomming. What should i go for next? Badlands, Bayou, Volcanic or Tutor?
I'm still a bit curious about the mana base. I've seen lists play Badlands and Tropical Island or Bayou and Tropical. what is the right card? Badlands is cheaper but Bayou is better?

The obviously is:
8 Fetch
2 Underground Sea
1 Volcanic Island
1 Swamp
1 Island
1 ??
1 ??

[CabalTherapy]

@Nevilshute

So basically what you think of this:

2 Xantid Swams - i've seen both Omnitell and Sneak & Show in my local too
3 Abrupt Decay - should do as we only have 1 Miracle player?
1 Tendrils of Agony - against miracle
2 Massacre - against creature decks
3 Chains of Vapor - against hate
1 Empty the Warrens - against Meddling Mage
2 Surgical Extractions - mirror match (should be flusterstorm, but havent got those)
1 Empty spot, could be Sensei's Divining Top

I think i try with this, and figure out how that goes, and my second Undeground Sea is incomming. What should i go for next? Badlands, Bayou, Volcanic or Tutor?
I'm still a bit curious about the mana base. I've seen lists play Badlands and Tropical Island or Bayou and Tropical. what is the right card? Badlands is cheaper but Bayou is better?

The obviously is:
8 Fetch
2 Underground Sea
1 Volcanic Island
1 Swamp
1 Island
1 ??
1 ??

Here we go again: Land discussion! My absolutely favourite topic to read. If you will read through the last pages you can find some posts about the configuration of lands.
In your SB which I find not optimal you may go with either Badlands or Bayou but for the most part Bayou is the better land.

[aRSKOG]

@CabalTherapy

Can you give me an optimal sideboard for me if i was going to a major grandprix tomorrow? I'm searching for a up to date guideline or board which i can use to learn and understand the deck better. I don't think the current sideboard optien + guide available in this thread is the best optien.
I dont really need a guide just the 15 cards, i can figure out the rest :)

And thanks, i will go for Bayou i think cos that land is also played in TES, and i believe it's nice to have TES as another optien to play in Legacy as i already have ANT (missing 3 duals and a sideboard, but i will get there!)

[CabalTherapy]

@CabalTherapy

Can you give me an optimal sideboard for me if i was going to a major grandprix tomorrow? I'm searching for a up to date guideline or board which i can use to learn and understand the deck better. I don't think the current sideboard optien + guide available in this thread is the best optien.
I dont really need a guide just the 15 cards, i can figure out the rest :)

And thanks, i will go for Bayou i think cos that land is also played in TES, and i believe it's nice to have TES as another optien to play in Legacy as i already have ANT (missing 3 duals and a sideboard, but i will get there!)

Well, yours already looks good but I doubt that extra Storm spells are necessary in the SB. I know that some of the guys in here are in favour of an additional Tendrils against the former UR Delver or Miracles but I don't like them at all. (I mean the storm spells; toyed around with them a bit but they were not good) Empty the Warrens is for example a better MB card than SB because of its ability to slam some token and then ride them to victory. Postboard, the game gets harder (against most MUs) and there are plenty of situations where the game state doesn't allow for Goblins. Although I see the strenght of this cards against Miracles and other random stuff.

But, there aren't the best 15 SB cards. It is a matter of different approaches to the MUs. I try to be more specific now:
Extirpate > Surgical Ex because in most cases the split second is needed. (Reanimator [Miracles]). One should be enough here.
I liked Flusterstorm but moved away from it in favour of City of Solitude and Tops for obviously other MUs. Your empty slot could be the already mentioned Top or maybe even a Pyroclasm depending on your meta. Also Massacre > Dread of Night and if you play with Grim Tutor, one Massacre should also be enough.

If you are looking for some guides/articles, Carsten's archive on scg should be a solid start. Keep on stormin'.

[Firefight]

Here we go again: Land discussion! My absolutely favourite topic to read. If you will read through the last pages you can find some posts about the configuration of lands.
In your SB which I find not optimal you may go with either Badlands or Bayou but for the most part Bayou is the better land.

@CabalTherapy

Do you think being fetchable is the what makes Bayou being more efficient over something like Gemstone mine?

In my short experience with the deck you don't require Green on the main board, still some people play one tropical in main, I would rather to leave the Tropical Island in sideboard, just like Ross Merriam configuration, having an extra fetchland is no brainer, Gemstone mine might not be fetchable but it does provide you with one of the colors required, being this blue, red or black at the time required.

At the end is just playstyle what makes the difference , badlands will support a more red sideboard like having bolts in it.

[CabalTherapy]

@CabalTherapy

Do you think being fetchable is the what makes Bayou being more efficient over something like Gemstone mine?

In my short experience with the deck you don't require Green on the main board, still some people play one tropical in main, I would rather to leave the Tropical Island in sideboard, just like Ross Merriam configuration, having an extra fetchland is no brainer, Gemstone mine might not be fetchable but it does provide you with one of the colors required, being this blue, red or black at the time required.

At the end is just playstyle what makes the difference , badlands will support a more red sideboard like having bolts in it.

The mine sucks big time because of its limited activations. There are enough situations where you think something like that: "Oh shit, I have cantripped two times with the mine and now I have to decide on its last counter. Ritual or Cantrip or nothing...? I know this problem from TES which I played several times and basics/Tropical are simply superior. We want to be a grindy storm deck and imagine playing vs Miracles and thinking about 3 activations of a land. I am sure that Tropical Island + Bayou/Badlands is the correct configuration because it has proven itself in battle and you can still threat them as Island + Swamp/Mountain against decks without Wasteland.

We want 15 real SB cards. Playing lands in the board is a US thing. (no offense )

[Firefight]

The mine sucks big time because of its limited activations. There are enough situations where you think something like that: "Oh shit, I have cantripped two times with the mine and now I have to decide on its last counter. Ritual or Cantrip or nothing...? I know this problem from TES which I played several times and basics/Tropical are simply superior. We want to be a grindy storm deck and imagine playing vs Miracles and thinking about 3 activations of a land. I am sure that Tropical Island + Bayou/Badlands is the correct configuration because it has proven itself in battle and you can still threat them as Island + Swamp/Mountain against decks without Wasteland.

We want 15 real SB cards. Playing lands in the board is a US thing. (no offense )

How many times, limited activation will put you in that position, and in that scenario, that Gemnstone is actually a Bayou or Badlands, non blue, so cantripping is out of the equation, the line of play will completely change based on the fact that is your currently only land in play.

I'm not defending Gemnstone Mine , I just want to be able to understand what makes it so awful :)

Also, what would be a real 15 SB card in this new (old) Meta ?