[Deck] Death and Taxes

[Black_Diamond]

Hi,

fishing for the "ultimate" DNT decklist, I remebered my Imperial Taxes decklist I had some tournament winnings with. So I am testing this deck at moment with all the new stuff:



//NAME:

5 Plains
4 Wasteland
4 Rishadan Port
1 Plateau
3 Karakas
3 Cavern of Souls
3 Flooded Strand
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Flickerwisp
3 Stoneforge Mystic
3 Phyrexian Revoker
3 Mother of Runes
2 Recruiter of the Guard
1 Mirran Crusader
3 Magus of the Moon
2 Sanctum Prelate
1 Banisher Priest
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Aether Vial
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Batterskull


//Sideboard

SB: 3 Mindbreak Trap
SB: 2 Rest in Peace
SB: 2 Ethersworn Canonist
SB: 1 Sword of Fire and Ice
SB: 1 Council's Judgment
SB: 2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
SB: 1 Containment Priest
SB: 2 Path to Exile
SB: 1 Pithing Needle



Card slots are very tight at the moment. I prefer to play a kind of lockout version and to have a more or less "I win" card with Magus of the moon. 2 Recruiters worked fine for me in Imperial Taxes so I stayed with 2 Recruiter of the guard. Elspeth is the only flex-slot (pushing SOFI to the SB) to have something to close the games.
Mindbreak Trap is a try to fight fast combo decks like Storm, Belcher and Ooops and in testing it was quite ok versus Elves.
I am quite happy with this list at the moment, but it needs a little more testing against different match ups. What do you guys think about the list?

Cheers

[NeckBird]

Aviary Mechanic 1W
Creature - Dwarf Artificer - Common
When ~ ETB, you may return another permanent you control to it's owner's hand
2/2


I think this card might be good enough for some lists. It's not as powerful as Kor Skyfisher due to lack of flying and one less point of toughness, but it's tutorable via Recruiter and it's a may ability. She's also an Artificer so she has synergy with Stoneforge and Cavern naming Artificer.

[Poron]

90% of the times it works like Flickerwisp and Flickerwisp flies and it has 3 Strenght

[Secretly.A.Bee]

It's closer to Waterfront Bouncer than freakin' Flickerwisp. Removing a card from play for the turn and returning it to play eot is by far the better mechanic as it doesn't open that card up to discard. It also doesn't deal with any of a billion problem cards your opponent will be playing with, as it only targets. your stuff. Seriously, it's not good

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[DarthVicious]

This is the list I'll be testing:


4 Flickerwisp
4 Mother of Runes
4 Recruiter of the Guard
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Serra Avenger
3 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Sanctum Prelate
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
1 Mangara of Corondor

4 Aether Vial
4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Batterskull

11 Plains
4 Karakas
4 Rishadan Port
4 Wasteland


2 Leonin Relic-Warder
2 Phyrexian Revoker
2 Sanctum Prelate
4 Path to Exile
2 Eldrazi Displacer
1 Hokori, Dust Drinker
1 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
1 Banisher Priest


Grave hate is missing, I know. Can't say I'll miss it. It always came online a turn too late, even when I ran Enlightened Tutors with Rest in Peace to see it reliably on turn 2.
I was also never a fan of Fire & Ice either, I tried Godsend for a while and that's great when you get it on Serra, but that's Magical Christmasland in my experience. The protections on War & Peace just... call out to me. And I like how all of my equipment gains me life, further forcing my opponents to come up with answers instead of just trying to race.
Speaking of which, Avenger is one of the reasons I put this deck together, so she's a VERY hard cut for me. I've wanted to play with that card since it came out, along with Mangara. He's a bit easier to make a one-of though, with recent additions.
Hokori I'm a big fan of too. Displacers I'm more flexible on, but I want to try them out. Especially with everything they can flicker for value plays.
Yep. 4 Path. I'm gonna be 'that guy' running 8 one mana removals.
I also don't own any Caverns, and I'm loathe to spend $50 each on them.

It's a pretty simple design, I guess.

[c2232]

Played last night with Prelate and new Recruiter for the first time.

I feel dirty.

[H]

I like your list, for the most part DarthVicious, although some numbers I would run different here or there. What I really like is keeping Serra Avenger. Flying is just too good to lose.

The protections on War & Peace just... call out to me.

One thing here that does actually come up with War & Peace though, is that your creature having Pro White actually makes it so you can't protect it additionally with Mother of Runes. Sometimes it matters, sometimes it doesn't, but it is an issue can can come up.

[mykatdied]

That awkward moment when mom does nothing to stop a dismember or push damage through a goyf...

[Medea_]

To be fair, I've had that SoWaP/SoLaS and Mom awkwardness pop up like twice in years of playing the deck. I wouldn't worry about that side of things too much.

[DarthVicious]

I like your list, for the most part DarthVicious, although some numbers I would run different here or there. What I really like is keeping Serra Avenger. Flying is just too good to lose.



One thing here that does actually come up with War & Peace though, is that your creature having Pro White actually makes it so you can't protect it additionally with Mother of Runes. Sometimes it matters, sometimes it doesn't, but it is an issue can can come up.

Yeah, I want more fliers. That'd be wicked. On that note, has anyone ever tested Thunder Spirits? I know we're heavy on 3 drops but they just seem so good vs every Delver deck.

Generally my opponents try to prevent me getting equipment online by using removal in response to the equip, which I can activate Mom in response to. The sword itself protects from the most common removal, excluding Abrupt Decay. Once the sword is equipped though, you're right, but then again if we're connecting with equipment we're usually winning anyways.

[mykatdied]

Not sure if I'm the only one but with recruiter I have been considering going with sword of feast and famine. Having some ability to limit cards in your opponents hand, then being able to untap your lands you could potentially pre combat cast recruiter getting fickerwisp, post combat cast flicker on recruiter to grab something for next turn. Maybe that is too cute, but it seems like a lot of value. Also allows for a same turn recruiter into target. Could also mean we can get pressure on board with our sacrificing port activations.

[klaus]

Not sure if I'm the only one but with recruiter I have been considering going with sword of feast and famine. Having some ability to limit cards in your opponents hand, then being able to untap your lands you could potentially pre combat cast recruiter getting fickerwisp, post combat cast flicker on recruiter to grab something for next turn. Maybe that is too cute, but it seems like a lot of value. Also allows for a same turn recruiter into target. Could also mean we can get pressure on board with our sacrificing port activations.

That mana boost seems indeed desirable. Recruiter makes us crave additional accel more than ever.

[Medea_]

@Mykatdied
I hadn't thought about that aspect of SoFaF. Good call. Absolutely worth testing again. I don't like SoFaF as a replacement for Crusader, as I still think you need at least one in the 75, but this seems like a really good supplementary idea.

[Finn]

I think that Feast and Famine is the second best sword for this deck. I tried it on and off for about months after it came out. In the end I ditched it though, and I am unlikely to look back on that decision. The reason is simply that if I am ever connecting with a Sword of Fire and Ice, I am about to win the game because its effect is so powerful and so versatile, this is in much the same way that Jace the Mind Sculptor wins. It enables the rest of your deck. If I am connecting with this sword, I clearly have board position in at least a competitive condition, and more likely I am on top. I certainly do not need to commit more threats quickly. If you are using zero Mirran Crusaders, you may possibly have a case, but that would be crazy.

The bit about recruiters is a solid point. But we need mana accel early, not after a sword has been gotten, put on the field, and equipped. It is a solution without the requisite problem.

[mykatdied]

I think that Feast and Famine is the second best sword for this deck. I tried it on and off for about months after it came out. In the end I ditched it though, and I am unlikely to look back on that decision. The reason is simply that if I am ever connecting with a Sword of Fire and Ice, I am about to win the game because its effect is so powerful and so versatile, this is in much the same way that Jace the Mind Sculptor wins. It enables the rest of your deck. If I am connecting with this sword, I clearly have board position in at least a competitive condition, and more likely I am on top. I certainly do not need to commit more threats quickly. If you are using zero Mirran Crusaders, you may possibly have a case, but that would be crazy.

The bit about recruiters is a solid point. But we need mana accel early, not after a sword has been gotten, put on the field, and equipped. It is a solution without the requisite problem.

In all fairness the sword can also allow you to spend a turn to equip and get in some damage, then untap and apply further pressure etc. Some of the turns that we spend equipping swords, jitte etc end up only being that. With feast and famine we could use those same turns to then cast additional hate bears, recruiter for value or hold up port. If we need wasteland for the equip we can untap that and have wasteland live while not losing tempo.

With crusader if we have anything instant speed to do we can also use double strike to get even more mana available. It's likely not the best but it can take us from slightly behind or even to way ahead.

[tarmogoat]

I think that Feast and Famine is the second best sword for this deck. I tried it on and off for about months after it came out. In the end I ditched it though, and I am unlikely to look back on that decision. The reason is simply that if I am ever connecting with a Sword of Fire and Ice, I am about to win the game because its effect is so powerful and so versatile, this is in much the same way that Jace the Mind Sculptor wins. It enables the rest of your deck. If I am connecting with this sword, I clearly have board position in at least a competitive condition, and more likely I am on top. I certainly do not need to commit more threats quickly. If you are using zero Mirran Crusaders, you may possibly have a case, but that would be crazy.

The bit about recruiters is a solid point. But we need mana accel early, not after a sword has been gotten, put on the field, and equipped. It is a solution without the requisite problem.

This. Also, the beauty of crusader is the double strike. A Crusader equipped with SoFaI connects for 12 to the face on his own while drawing 2 cards, or just 8 while killing up to 2 creatures or even taking down a walker without having to attack it. That is a game ending effect, and when it's not it's a 'draw X card now or die'. SoFaF is very good, but it doesn't seem to offer a better solution to the problems SoFaI, Batterskull and Jitte solve and we certainly don't have room for a 4th equipment nowadays (not that we ever had anyway).

[DarthVicious]

This. Also, the beauty of crusader is the double strike. A Crusader equipped with SoFaI connects for 12 to the face on his own while drawing 2 cards, or just 8 while killing up to 2 creatures or even taking down a walker without having to attack it. That is a game ending effect, and when it's not it's a 'draw X card now or die'. SoFaF is very good, but it doesn't seem to offer a better solution to the problems SoFaI, Batterskull and Jitte solve and we certainly don't have room for a 4th equipment nowadays (not that we ever had anyway).

This is why I'll never cut Mirran. Although, by my math, any double striker can kill from 20 in two swings with a Jitte. Even the ones with 1 power. Someone should probably test that 3 mana 1/1 double striking flier...

On another note though, Recruiter solves the card advantage issue better than Fire & Ice in my opinion, as it fetches whatever dude you happen to need to pull ahead. The problem usually doesn't come from what you do when you're ahead, but getting ahead in the first place.

[monovfox]

This is why I'll never cut Mirran. Although, by my math, any double striker can kill from 20 in two swings with a Jitte. Even the ones with 1 power. Someone should probably test that 3 mana 1/1 double striking flier...

On another note though, Recruiter solves the card advantage issue better than Fire & Ice in my opinion, as it fetches whatever dude you happen to need to pull ahead. The problem usually doesn't come from what you do when you're ahead, but getting ahead in the first place.

I think Body and Mind > Sword of Fire and Ice for now. Shardless Bug and Miracles really can't beat it.

[iatee]

SoFi is the best sword by a mile. 'We now have card advantage' doesn't mean we should get rid of the other card advantage in our deck.

[tarmogoat]

This will be my initial BW Taxes

https://s17.postimg.io/tcs86ihcd/IMG...234442_HDR.jpg

4 mom
4 vial
4 swords
4 thalia got
3 stoneforge
3 dark confidant
2 revoker
1 jitte
3 flickerwisp
2 thalia hc
2 recruiter (1 proxy)
2 prelate
1 kambal (proxy)
1 sofai
1 bskull

4 port
4 wasteland
4 cavern
4 fastland (koilos proxy)
3 karakas
1 eiganjo
3 plains

1 cataclysm
1 t deluge
1 kambal
1 judgment
1 prelate
2 crusader
1 sculler
2 z persecution
2 canonist
2 c priest
1 path

Maybe 1 persecution should be a pontiff and the sculler and path be 2 tseizes. Time will tell.

edit: fixed the image (resolution too big) so inserted a link