I'm both selfish and rational. I'm scheming, secretive and manipulative; I use knowledge as a tool for personal gain, and in turn obtaining more knowledge. At best, I am mysterious and stealthy; at worst, I am distrustful and opportunistic.
Before they banned the format out of existence, I was a proud supporter of Modern.
I think that you need more sweeping effects, given how few creatures you're actually running here. -3 Terminate , -3 Skred and -1 Mystical Teachings (I don't think that it does quite enough for this deck, especially as a 1-of that can't tutor up your key cards) for +2 Curfew , +1 Innocent Blood and +4 Crack the Earth . This will really keep a lot of players off of their creatures. -3 Fireblast and -1 Trinket Mage can give you more kill options with Blood Tithe . That should really help you kill off the entire table and stall until then.
Good suggestions. I should probably add more lands, though, if I'm going to add Crack the Earth .
-1 Rush of Knowledge +1 Errant Ephemeron In an attempt to make this deck more resilient to disruption, I have made the afore mentioned changes. I was going to consider replacing Snap with AEther Burst , but I have reconsidered. AEther Burst is better vs disruption, but it requires 2 copies in the grave and three Cloud of Faeries in play to break even (an unlikely combination, unless I have already gone off).
Rush of Knowledge isn't useful unless I can go off with High Tide and draw into a High CMC creature. With that in mind, it is probably better to reduce the number of RoK and increase Errant Ephemeron so that it is more likely that you can go off on turn 6 with a suspended 4/4 and then a single High Tide+Rush of Knowledge.
Mystic Remora this is a great anti-disruption spell. It comes out the first turn, and since this deck really doesn't want to cast any spells until the turn it goes off (except Merchant Scroll /Accumulated Knowledge (sort of)/Errant Ephemeron ...Ack, Maybe I need to reconsider.) It really can't be cast until second turn if you don't have Merchant Scroll in hand or Errant Ephemeron (in which case you would cast those spells). From that point onward, you will only be stuck on 2 mana if you can keep drawing lands (you only need 2 mana to cast MS, AK, EE, you can stop paying the cumulative upkeep the turn you want to go off), but you protect yourself from all the non-creature threats that are forms of disruption. The difficulty is in what it should replace? Ideas Unbound (is probably the only card it could replace) is one of the best draw spells, but suffers from the drawback that you need to go off that turn. If you can't go off that turn, you are down 1 card and dug 3 cards into your deck. If Mystic Remora replaces it, then you have the added protection from disruption, but drawing into more Mystic Remoras the turn you go off doesn't help you in your quest to draw your entire deck where Ideas Unbound does. Replacing Ideas Unbound means that you need to draw AK, FS, or RoK to keep going. 11 Draw spells drawing 2+3+4, 8, plus (8 or 7)*3=41-38 (vs. (41-38)+12 additional through Ideas Unbound) might not be enough to ensure that you can keep drawing out your deck. Although I like the idea of Mystic Remora vs. disruption, I just don't think it will pan out. It requires that you get really lucky with your draws.
In regard to a second Temporal Fissure . I can't see the purpose of adding it. It might be nice as a way of setting everyone else back to square one if I failed to go off completely (perhaps I couldn't get enough card draw, or couldn't find enough untap spells to have the necessary 8 (Ulamog)+5(RoK)+2(Snap/CoF) mana to keep going). I would probably have the 5 mana necessary to cast TF, but would likely only be able to bounce 5-8 permanents on turn 3. Not stellar by any means. In a 5-6 player game that would only set my opponents back to 1 land drop possibly (if Ravnica bouncelands are commonly played, perhaps turn 0). They would still have any creatures that the had cast early on, and in a 5-6 player game against a combo deck, it is quite clear where those creatures would be headed. 2 attack phases with each that would spell certain doom. If I bounce the creatures instead, I didn't accomplish much, probably only delaying the inevitable since I would be out 1-2 High Tides from the deck, and would probably have to discard down to zero cards (drawing from Ideas Unbound). A singleton Temporal Fissure is best. If I go off, all my opponents will be set back to square zero and it will be much more likely that my Annihilators can control the game at that point.
ArtVenn's Will-O'-the-Moth 20 Land (4 Bounce) 12 Creatures 20 Aura/Equip 4 Art/Ench control 4 Targeted Creature control 8 Life gain biggest threat Flying 4/4 lifelink, or ground pounder 4/4 Lifelink Threat Density 8 The biggest challenge for this deck to overcome is the lack of creatures. With 20 things to Enchant/Equip the creatures and only 12 creatures to put them on, the loss of a single creature would be a huge setback. This is why I would personally like to see 8 more creatures in the deck Nightsky Mimic /Putrid Warrior . I also think that Holy Strength would be much better as Brilliant Halo (1 more CMC to keep the enchantment around as long as instant speed removal doesn't hit it), or just be removed from the deck completely. That being said, only half of the decks submitted feature targeted or global creature kill. A single one of those connecting with one of these creatures, and this deck is completely hosed. It will be sitting with its hands full of Auras/Equipment with nothing to do.
CadaverousBloom's Poorstilence 23 Land (4 Search) 13 Creatures 2 Tutors 2 Card Draw 4 Creature Recursion 2 Enchantment Recursion 4 Aura 2 Art/Ench control 9 Global creature control 4 Life gain Biggest Threat Crypt Rats protected by Obsidian Acolyte and with CoP:Black in play. Threat Density 8-10 The biggest challenge this deck has to overcome is finding its 3 card combo of Crypt Rats +Obsidian Acolyte and Circle of Protection: Black /Vampiric Link . Unfortunately, CadaverousBl00m made an error with regard to how the rules handle protection. Protection from quality gives a creature, "cannot be Damaged, Enchanted/Equipped, Blocked, or Targeted by sources with that quality." This is sometimes abbr. (DEBT). What this means is that if Crypt Rats is given protection from Black, Vampiric Link will either be placed in the graveyard (if it was currently enchanting CR), or it won't be able to be enchanted. This means that CadaverousBloom will have to choose between destroying 2 cards and gaining a lot of life, or protecting CR and using it at a later time. With having to make that choice, I think it would probably be better to just put 4xBlood Tithe /Syphon Soul in the deck. The CR enchanted with Vampiric Link would probably gain more life (since it hits creatures too), but at the cost of 2 cards and probably 2/3rds more mana.
The good thing is that the Obsidian Acolyte and CoP: Black are easy to find with 7 total copies, and 2 tutors. Not only that, but all the other creatures in the deck are problack so Pestilence isn't going away without being disenchanted. Unearth is nice, allowing the deck to save mana in recasting CR so it is easier to go off the same turn or recur the 2 most important combo pieces.
Capitan_Estaban's Pauper Aura Aggro 23 Land (4 Bounce, 8 cip tapped) 16 Creatures (+4 tokens) 19 Auras 2 Enchantment recursion 4 Art/Ench control Biggest Threat Indestructible 4/4 Flying Vigilant Steward of Valeron Threat Density 12 The biggest challenge with this deck is the fact that the deck doesn't get going until turn 4 without the threat of losing 2:1 cards with a single creature kill spell. It really needs to get Khalni Garden early on for a free creature to sac to Innocent Blood , or it needs to put out 2 creatures on turn 3. If it can get 2 creatures out on turn 3, then on turn 4 it can enchant a beater with Snake Umbra /Armadillo Cloak /Shield of the Oversoul and either gain a large advantage (+1 card, +4 Life, Indestructible creature) and put pressure on whomever is most likely to have creature kill/sac. If two players are playing with considerable global/targeted creature destruction/bounce (slightly more than half the submissions), then this deck will be hit pretty badly.
Cathaldus's Rakdos Stax Control 24 Land (4 Search) 16 Creatures 8 Global Creature control 4 Semi-Targeted Creature Control 4 Art/Land Control 8 Global Land destruction Biggest Threat 4/1 First Strike, or 3/3 Fear Threat Density 8 The biggest challenge with this deck will be killing 3+ players with a 4/1 FS and a 3/3 Fear creature. If the deck can suspend two of these, it will still take 3 turns per player. This will give the opponents 3, 6, 9, ... turn clocks to find an answer. Curfew /Innocent Blood are big threats to the deck, because the only cost 1 CMC to get off and will likely cut the damage from the deck per turn in half. This deck also won't fair well against Defender ramp, because it will have the mana to recover quickly. Decks that run Terramorphic Expanse/Bounce lands will be hurt the hardest by the deck, being set back 2-3 turns.
Helphelpe's Pauper Trinket Mage 24 Land (11 cip tapped) 21 Creatures 5 Tutors 4 Card Draw 3 Global Creature bounce 3 Targeted creature bounce 6 Anti-targeted destruction 2 Artifact Recursion 4 Life gain 2 Targeted creature kill 1 Art/Ench Control 1 Anti Graveyard 1 Reshuffle Biggest Threat 8/8 Annihilator backed up by Anti-Targeted destruction Threat Density 4 The biggest challenge with this deck will be finding the Trinket Mage so the deck can cast it's finisher faster. The deck is well balanced between control, with enough targeted and untargeted bounce to slow down particularly fast opponents and give the deck time to find Trinket Mage. It also has 6 protection spells to prevent opponents from trying to destroy its creatures. It also needs to find Leonin Squire as well, otherwise it can only get a single Cloudpost. I almost would rather see one more Expedition Map in the deck so that Trinket Mage can be blinked to find a second Cloudpost, instead of having to draw into the Squire as well.
Minus_Prime's Defender Ramp 20 Land 28 Creatures 10 Mana Acceleration 4 Fog 2 Lifegain 2 Global flying sweepers Biggest Threat 8/8 Annihilator Threat Density 16 The biggest challenge with this deck will be defending against multiple opponents trying to kill it. It has quite a few threats, and enough mana ramp to start pumping those threats out rather quickly. With so much mana ramp, and deck thining, the deck is certain to draw into a threat each turn. The deck can also be chump blocked nearly indefinitely. With only 2 cards that grant trample, it might be difficult to get through to start hitting the opponents life total. At least Vent Sentinel is here to make sure that they can't do that forever. With such little life gain, this deck might die to enough global player burn.
Tich's Jack "Suicide" Black 24 Land (4 cip tapped) 24 Creatures 4 Global Creature control 36 Global player burn 8 Card Draw 12 Lifegain Biggest Threat Consistent 2-3 loss of life starting turn 2-3 for the rest of the game. Threat Density 28 The biggest challenge with this deck will be defending against multiple opponents trying to kill it. No MP table likes to get hit for 2 damage a turn, with no end in sight. If enough opponents can drop early threats, they might be able to take back the +2 life from each person per turn. Luckily, 16 of the threats are subject to summoning sickness so with enough global sacrifice/bounce half of the deck can be slowed down (unfortunately, this also slows down the creature threats that the opponents can drop to start chipping away at the life gain).
The deck might also struggle against a decks with significant lifegain. Those players will outlast the other opponents, making each subsequent life sucking spell slightly worse.
Zovc's Uber Grixis 22 Land (4 Search) 6 Creatures 4 Tutors 6 Card Draw 8 Global Player Burn 4 Lifegain 2 Global Creature bounce 3 Global creature kill 7 Targeted Creature Kill 3 Targeted Player Burn Biggest Threat 4 damage to everyones head Threat Density 8 This decks biggest challenge will be trying to end the game as quickly as possible. It needs to expend considerable resources to draw into 7 total global player burn spells necessary to do 20 damage. I think Breath of Malfegor would have been a welcome edition to the deck, and Blue could almost be dropped entirely. Syphon Mind will probably draw just as many cards as Deep Analysis, and at 2/3 the cost (plus no loss of life). Frantic Search isn't being used to its full extent with Bounce lands to help make the spell better than free.
This deck might struggle against a deck with considerable threats or lifegain. The targeted creature removal helps against Aura lifelinked creatures, and the deck does feature 3 other targeted damage spells to push some necessary damage through near the end. But with only 3 creatures as constant sources of damage, the deck might struggle. Feldon's Cane is there to make sure it can recycle the spent player burn to find those extra 8x copies.RankShow
Reasoning: ArtVenn's deck doesn't feature enough creatures. The first Innocent Blood /Curfew will cripple the deck beyond repair. My Pauper Aggro deck will obviously be seen as an immediate threat the first time an Aura hits my creature, but it will easily be dealt with with 5 of 7 opponents running removal/bounce (targeted and otherwise). My 2nd creature will die from an Innocent Blood/Curfew and the next opponent will seal the deal. It will take me too long to recover, and targeted creature bounce from Blinked Man-o'-Wars or targeted Terminates/Skred will deal with any future creatures. Stax will cripple everyone (except Minus_Prime's Defender Ramp), the worst hit will be the Terramorphic players and 3-color players (Helphelpe might get lucky and sac an Artifact land which will be recoverable via Leonin Squire).
A few turns after Stax wipes the board, Tich's Suicide Black deck will be up and running again. It will continually drain the other players causing most players to focus their wrath on it. In the process, someone will bounce or make Cathaldus' Stax deck lose one of its attackers. My Pauper Aura Aggro deck will probably be knocked out fairly quickly with no other way to gain life except through hitting with creatures. I will probably be knocked out first. ArtVenn will be harassed by CadaverousBl00m's Obsidian Acolyte after learning he can't use his Protection from black to save Crypt Rats and gain life from Vampiric Link, he will threaten to make Unholy Strength /Edge of the Divinity fall of ArtVenn's Mourning Thrull unless they are headed in the direction CadaverousBl00m desires. With a lack of creatures though, no one will eliminate ArtVenn figuring they can always do it later if need be.
Zovc will burn himself nearly out of existence, and Minus_Prime will put him out of his misery with some green beats, or Vent Sentinel burn. Minus_Prime will soon follow, mostly as a result of being burned continually by Tich's "Suicide" Black deck, and Zovc's Flame Rift and with limited lifegain in the deck.
At this point, Stax will be getting close to wiping the board again and having some or Suspenders come in. Stax will be low on life from the repeated burn of Grixis/Suicide Black, and will be eliminated by Pestilence /Crypt Rats damage as no one will want the board to reset again.
ArtVenn will have outlived his usefulness at this point. Helphelp's Pauper Trinket Mage deck will have assembled enough mana to cast his finisher, and he won't like the constant beats from ArtVenn. The Crusher will try to take out Poorstilence or the remaining creatures in Will-o'-the-Moth. At this point, The Crusher's attention will be focused on eliminating the constant burn of Suicide Black. Eventually Suicide Black will run out of blockers and will have to start taking 8 to the head (or 16 when Pauper Trinket Mage draws into the second Crusher) and will slowly reduce Tich's Suicide Black deck's lands until he can no longer cast the average 3-4 mana cost of the deck. With ArtVenn and Tich's deck lacking enough removal, Pauper Trinket Mage will eventually ride its Crushers to victory.
Note: The proceeding example game is a complete work of fiction based on very little information. There are way to many variables to determine how a game will end, and this example didn't take into account play style, seating order (people tend to notice cards cast/placed near them), the deck history, deck pilot, etc. The same decks could face each other tens of times and have completely different results.
Budget EDH:EDH on $20 a Deck. Join the Group Link has been defeated(X times) by Eyegorc in Dungeons 2(2x), 3(3x), and 6(3x).
My Decks http://community.wizards.com/vennsvaults/go/forum/viewcategory/138835/Venns_Vaults My Bronation Station http://community.wizards.com/pony My 1000th post! On Thursday 03/13/2011! Yay St. Patric's day. How to play many other Casual Magic Formats http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75842/29198663/?sdb=1&pg=last#521400213 Many of these were on the Magic Resources Site years ago. It was removed around the time 2HG became a sanctioned format. Purple Work Station http://community.wizards.com/purpleworkstation/go/forum/viewboard
I'm going to extend the ranking submissions until Wednesday (a week after the contest ended) to afford people more time to get theirs in. That way everybody's more likely to get their picks in.
"Do not concern yourself with my origin, my race, or my ancestry. Seek my record in the pits, and then make your wager." --Arcanis the Omnipotent
I'm both selfish and rational. I'm scheming, secretive and manipulative; I use knowledge as a tool for personal gain, and in turn obtaining more knowledge. At best, I am mysterious and stealthy; at worst, I am distrustful and opportunistic.
Before they banned the format out of existence, I was a proud supporter of Modern.
I'm going to extend the ranking submissions until Wednesday (a week after the contest ended) to afford people more time to get theirs in. That way everybody's more likely to get their picks in.
Nice, that takes the pressure off.
Kamikazegerbil wrote: Coke Spill Level 1 Encounter Attack Power Trigger: You must be pouring yourself a drink Range: Close Blast 1D10 from Player Target: All creatures and objects within blast Attack: Any vs. Reflex Hit: 1d6 Fizzy damage and target is wet (save ends) Aftereffect: Target is sticky (save ends)
I'm going to extend the ranking submissions until Wednesday (a week after the contest ended) to afford people more time to get theirs in. That way everybody's more likely to get their picks in.
Nice, that takes the pressure off.
Yeah, the more that I thought about it the more that I realized that there was no good reason to make the judging shorter than the deck construction itself. All it did was potentially limit who could judge and rush those who did.
"Do not concern yourself with my origin, my race, or my ancestry. Seek my record in the pits, and then make your wager." --Arcanis the Omnipotent
I'm both selfish and rational. I'm scheming, secretive and manipulative; I use knowledge as a tool for personal gain, and in turn obtaining more knowledge. At best, I am mysterious and stealthy; at worst, I am distrustful and opportunistic.
Before they banned the format out of existence, I was a proud supporter of Modern.
My vote is in. Please vote on your own first before you read my scores and I make you biased. Also please note that I tried to be objective and this isn't personal. So no hard feelings if I gave you a low rating.
It lacks kill. You average multi-opponent card does 3 life. You would need 7 spells (more than half) to kill someone from 20 life. What if they have lifegain?
Your curve is pretty high and 20 lands is cutting it close. You have a lot of ramp making you earn this place because you should be able to pull of some great stuff every once in a while and once you have mana you are a contender but it is too unrealiable to score higher.
Now we get to the stronger ones that have a good curve and kill. However this gets a lot weaker in games with more people. You can rock a 3 player game but rocking an 6 or more player game is very hard for this deck. Killing opponents will take too long and they will recover and own you deck.
A suprise non-black deck in third place. It kicks hard fast and it's creatures are less likely to be killed than Artvenn's aura deck. It also gets weaker the more opponents there are and that is what makes this deck level out in third place.
So now it is down to the final 2 contestants... Spoiler:Show
That makes Tich's Jack "Suicide" Black the winner scoring 7 points!
Both these decks win against many opponents just as easily as against few. Both of these are very strong and have a good curve but Tich's deck doesn't "need" any cards. CadaverousBl00m's deck does rely on a combo between some cards and not drawing any of those (or losing them to destruction or whatever) is very painful. Yes, it contains recursion but that takes up card slots that Tich's deck filled with more killing cards!
Kamikazegerbil wrote: Coke Spill Level 1 Encounter Attack Power Trigger: You must be pouring yourself a drink Range: Close Blast 1D10 from Player Target: All creatures and objects within blast Attack: Any vs. Reflex Hit: 1d6 Fizzy damage and target is wet (save ends) Aftereffect: Target is sticky (save ends)
Uber Grixis
