Totem requires mana to activate. May be better in control builds. IDK, since it was a long time since i did control:-)
Anyway, don't be annoying by calling yourself bad. You are playing pox, right?
Originally Posted by aslidsiksoraksi
"Pox early, Pox often, and Pox hard!" - Le_Lepreux
I second the second part of this. As a pox player you're not particularly a bad player, just a bad person and a griefer. At least that's what my buddies tell me.Totem requires mana to activate. May be better in control builds. IDK, since it was a long time since i did control:-)
Anyway, don't be annoying by calling yourself bad. You are playing pox, right?
Totem requires mana to activate. May be better in control builds. IDK, since it was a long time since i did control:-)
Anyway, don't be annoying by calling yourself bad. You are playing pox, right?no I mean my badness is expressed through that fanatical unwillingness to just run good cards. I'll have success with quality builds, but then I'll see Waste Not and slam dunk it into my build.
Btw, Tom Ross ran Waste Not in his Modern sideboard. Maybe, just maybe, it can work in Modern. If not then he is a bad player too. (After all he does not run top, right?)
"Pox early, Pox often, and Pox hard!" - Le_Lepreux
The Boss Ross is quite a monster with a notorious habit for hitting top 8s with decks that seem 'ok' for whatever reasons. I like his descriptions and such from that video I posted as well. He ran neither Engineered Plagues or Ensnaring Bridge in his sideboard so maybe he's onto something.
As for Phyrexian Totem, the ancient school of Pox thread had 3 threats that were considered staples of old Pox. Nether Spirit, Chimeric Idol (my personal fave of the old), and Phyrexian Totem.
The totem is fine vs. enemies with empty hands. You probably just got greedy and well, G1 vs. a deck with any direct damage is usually rough unless it's RUG Thresh. In fact, RUG Thresh vs. Pox should be easy mode if you've read Reid Duke's articles from SCG and personally, I've got a Pox deck and a budgetized version of RUG Delver and when me and my friend pilot them, Pox wins over 70% of the time.
Why is this? RUG has no true card advantage at all. No Jace, no CounterBalance, no Ancestral Visions, nothing... Pox eats low resource decks like that for breakfast lunch and dinner. Pox's toughest matches are usually based on manipulative control decks that go long and have enough land to weather Pox's winter of denial.
One of the reasons I prefer the mana denial flavor of Pox is because due to Liliana and Hymn being auto-includes, stopping enemies from playing lands is just a method that works for me. Denying land to control decks is also vital to winning at all.
Three Lilianas to rule them all. One Pox to find them. Smallpox to bring them all and in the Sinkhole bind them!
Yeah, mana denial is nice. Still, i am reconsidering Wasteland, again. Sinkhole would be better actually. Not hindering mana development and hitting basics also.
I MAY replace them with mishra's factory. It's an option but is it a good enough one?
"Pox early, Pox often, and Pox hard!" - Le_Lepreux
Wasteland and Sinkhole are usually always together in a mono-B mana-denial build simply because of the LD saturation and Wastes don't hit basics. There are games where you smallpox and sinkhole so many basic lands that your foe's fetchlands can only target wasteland fodder. It's a great feeling. Wasteland also causes people to hold their non-basics if they're foolish and allows you to develop your board in any case. 1 generic mana is still mana for use in some spells.
Do not make the mistake of 'saving' wastelands in your hand. Mana doesn't use the stack so playing them just because you can will force your opponent to change their approach. Of course, this is better with a turn 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth. It can be a usable hand if you're opening grip is artifacts, Mishra's and wastelands. I find starting with 2 Swamps is the normal step and Wasting them turn 1-2 I've found to not work as well.
Three Lilianas to rule them all. One Pox to find them. Smallpox to bring them all and in the Sinkhole bind them!
Yes, especially vs delver decks. Occasionally you can mana screw them but wasteland turn one and two are more like timewalks for them. Same with Rishadan port.
I bought my wastelands on advice from another magic player, but now they will sit in the ring binder for a while. Should i ever finish the control pox deck i will include them there.
"Pox early, Pox often, and Pox hard!" - Le_Lepreux
Tentatively my deck development goes in this direction:
4 Bloodghast
4 nihilith
4 price of progress
2 tombstalker
4 shrieking affliction
4 Smallpox
4 Hymn to Tourach
3 Pox
3 liliana of the veil
2 sensei's divining top
3 contagion
1 rakdos charm
13 Swamp
1 mountain
4 bloodstained mire
2 blood crypt
2 urborg, tomb of yawgmoth
"Pox early, Pox often, and Pox hard!" - Le_Lepreux
Is this just based on budget? Or are Shocks over Duals a conscious choice?
I'd suggest removing the Shrieking Afflictions for Lightning Bolts. Kill Planeswalkers that way. 18 threats is so high that the enchantments seem to be filler or something cause you should most certainly kill your opponent before their empty hand ever matters. Bolts feed tombstalker so I'd suggest Lightning Bolt in a deck based on big damage.
I was thinking about Blightning as well but 3 cmc for a card that doesn't rock the universe probably isn't good enough. I'm truly shocked you didn't just include Nyxathid. He's probably the most terrifying creature a Pox player can cast when an opponent has an empty hand and was just Poxed in the face.
Let me know how that SDT goes for you.
Three Lilianas to rule them all. One Pox to find them. Smallpox to bring them all and in the Sinkhole bind them!
Does Blightning have a place in your deck? Also, rock those SDT. They are too good not to play.
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Budget.
"Pox early, Pox often, and Pox hard!" - Le_Lepreux
I have no experience using Nyxathid.I'd suggest removing the Shrieking Afflictions for Lightning Bolts. Kill Planeswalkers that way. 18 threats is so high that the enchantments seem to be filler or something cause you should most certainly kill your opponent before their empty hand ever matters. Bolts feed tombstalker so I'd suggest Lightning Bolt in a deck based on big damage.
I was thinking about Blightning as well but 3 cmc for a card that doesn't rock the universe probably isn't good enough. I'm truly shocked you didn't just include Nyxathid. He's probably the most terrifying creature a Pox player can cast when an opponent has an empty hand and was just Poxed in the face.
Let me know how that SDT goes for you.
On paper he looks to have a variable strength conditional on how well your game goes. And he has no evasion. I may test him later. Not being GY dependent is an advantage, however.
Lightning bolt is too weak. Besides, i run red (Price of Progress) mainly to get a better game vs lands decks.
It is hard to defeat decks with several lines of attack. Affliction occasionally makes a nasty lock with bloodghast. PoP added to that gives me a third win con. One that also is an instant.
.
"Pox early, Pox often, and Pox hard!" - Le_Lepreux
No, i already run six to eight 3cc spells. Besides it does too little. Hymn is better at discard, and PoP do more damage, and at instant speed to booth.
"Pox early, Pox often, and Pox hard!" - Le_Lepreux
I've been playing this list (or variation of) for about a year and a half now, but suddenly am not too sure about it. Any thought or recommendations?
Sorcery (25)
3x Hymn to Tourach
3x Innocent Blood
3x Inquisition of Kozilek
2x Lingering Souls
1x Pox
4x Sinkhole
4x Smallpox
3x Thoughtseize
2x Vindicate
Planeswalker (4)
4x Liliana of the Veil
Land (25)
1x Bojuka Bog
3x Marsh Flats
4x Mishra's Factory
3x Scrubland
5x Swamp
3x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2x Verdant Catacombs
4x Wasteland
Instant (4)
4x Surgical Extraction or Dark Ritual (I swap between, I've been liking SE more recently.)
Artifact (2)
2x Crucible of Worlds
Sideboard (15)
1x Diabolic Edict
2x Disenchant
2x Engineered Plague
2x Massacre
2x Perish
2x Phyrexian Revoker
2x Spinning Darkness
2x Thorn of Amethyst
I've got a small room event next Saturday, and am willing to try a new brew. (I don't have access to E.Bridges.)
These are the 2 bw variants that I tend to run. I usually do ok in my LGS with them. Haven't brought them to too many large events, but at an SCG open I did have a positive win rate when I brought the regular BW build. Been running these on and off for about 3 years
Deck: pox b/w (61)
Lands 24
3 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Karakas
3 Marsh Flats
3 Mishra's Factory
1 Plains
3 Scrubland
2 Swamp
4 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Wasteland
Creatures 5
2 Nether Spirit
3 Tombstalker
Spells 31
1 Chains of Mephistopheles
1 Crucible of Worlds
2 Cursed Scroll
3 Hymn to Tourach
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Liliana of the Veil
3 Mox Diamond
1 Night of Souls' Betrayal
3 Sinkhole
4 Smallpox
3 Swords to Plowshares
1 Toxic Deluge
2 Vindicate
Sideboard 15
1 Chains of Mephistopheles
1 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Engineered Plague
2 Enlightened Tutor
1 Nether Void
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Pithing Needle
3 Surgical Extraction
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Trinisphere
1 Vindicate
Deck: pox blade (60)
Lands 24
3 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Karakas
4 Marsh Flats
1 Plains
3 Scrubland
3 Swamp
4 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Verdant Catacombs
4 Wasteland
Creatures 2
2 Stoneforge Mystic
Spells 34
2 Bitterblossom
1 Chains of Mephistopheles
3 Hymn to Tourach
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Liliana of the Veil
3 Lingering Souls
1 Nether Void
2 Sensei's Divining Top
3 Sinkhole
4 Smallpox
3 Swords to Plowshares
1 Trinisphere
2 Umezawa's Jitte
2 Vindicate
Sideboard 15
1 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Engineered Plague
2 Enlightened Tutor
2 Extirpate
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Moat
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Pithing Needle
2 Thoughtseize
2 Zealous Persecution
Just pointing out some things from mykatdied's lists, flagstones is an easy add which should help you out. The Legends enchantments Chains and Moat are also very crucial sideboard options but are not easy for everyone to have access to. I might also suggest a one-of Cabal Pit just to get more utility out of those Crucibles.
I'd also take a look at you sideboard and see if you can be more efficient with card choices, I would think you could turn the 2 E plague, 2 massacre, and 2 perish, and replace them with 1 e plague, 1 night of souls betrayal, and 2 toxic deluge. That would free up 2 slots for the legends enchantments if you can get them or whatever else you need for a given matchup you want help with.
I don't mind surgical or dark ritual, they are both good but each changes your gameplan. Surgical means your primary gameplan is mana denial with early wasteland on a dual land and surgical you can just win some matches (RUG delver only plays Trops and Volcs so if you surgical both they have no mana), dark ritual is more about velocity, you are attacking their hand more with turn 1 Lily or turn 1 Inquisition-hymn. Just an idea to keep in mind.
Bolt is too... [seizures and bursts into tears...] How can the best damage to mana ratio spell in the game be too weak? If you're running Big Poxes, these things will do far more than PoP. PoP I suppose is your auto-include if your meta is full of non-basics but as 4 of I'd guess that through statistics, PoP is useless early game and fatal as a top deck to your opponent's health.
Actually, PoP has a problem. If you've got 7 Pox FX (oh wait, you do ^_^), that land sacrificing aspect of the Poxes are not synergistic with your win con. I love having more than 4 Smallpox FX through big Pox but using Price of Progress, you either wait till they reach critical mass and NOT Pox them, or Pox them early while discarding Price of Progress. Hence why I advocate Bolt. Ultimately, a mix of perhaps 3 Lightning Bolts and 1 Price of Progress could very well be the best of everything.
How does Shrieking Affliction make a lock with Bloodghast? You lost me at 'several lines of attack'.
Three Lilianas to rule them all. One Pox to find them. Smallpox to bring them all and in the Sinkhole bind them!
Yes, indeed it is not synergistic at first glance. However, after a pox or smallpox resolves new lands will be played for sure.Bolt is too... [seizures and bursts into tears...
Actually, PoP has a problem. If you've got 7 Pox FX (oh wait, you do ^_^), that land sacrificing aspect of the Poxes are not synergistic with your win con. I love having more than 4 Smallpox FX through big Pox but using Price of Progress, you either wait till they reach critical mass and NOT Pox them, or Pox them early while discarding Price of Progress. Hence why I advocate Bolt. Ultimately, a mix of perhaps 3 Lightning Bolts and 1 Price of Progress could very well be the best of everything.
How does Shrieking Affliction make a lock with Bloodghast? You lost me at 'several lines of attack'.
Total damage is in theory greater when Pox → PoP than the order PoP
→ Pox.
As for bolt it has the disadvantage of being useful for killing creatures.
While that may be handy occasionally it would only weaken my game plan if i used it that way.
Basically i want to kill my opponent before he get the Marit Lage combo active.
Bloodghast + affliction/the rack is simply hard to defend against. If opponent try to handle one he will die to the other.
"Pox early, Pox often, and Pox hard!" - Le_Lepreux
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