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2 years ago ::
Jun 15, 2011 - 1:18AM
#11
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Date Joined:
Aug 25, 2003
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I still would prefer to see more than two match descriptions in each article. For all I care, even multiple matches against the same deck. And you can't really build a Standard deck without addressing the two main decks: Splinter Exarch and Cawblade. Especially Cawblade. You don't even have to show the match against it, but you should at least tell your readers how the deck performs against the big bogeyman of the format: I imagine that people only really want to build the deck if it has any sort of play against Cawblade.
Although I like seeing the BoaB decks going up against the top contenders, I don't see it as a requirement. After all, it is very difficult for a budget deck to take out the best in the field. When they do, it is usually to player error or really good/bad luck on the draw.
I wouldn't mind a quick mention of how it handled, though.
Magic is a game of minmaxing. Just like he told us about when to be on the play and when to be on the draw, there are probably some tricks to handling the Cawblade matchup as well. What do you use your removal on, how do you sideboard, and so forth and so on. Besides, like I said, the main question is: how does it handle? I wouldn't take a deck to FNM if I knew it lost to Cawblade all the time.
Also, I think it would be an interesting exercise for Jacob to make budget versions of the popular decks. I think he did that before with Jund or something. Then again, it's fairly difficult to make a budget Cawblade deck. It'd mostly just be a Caw deck.
Zindaras' meta is like a fossil, ancient and its secrets yet to be uncovered. Only men of yore, long dead, knew of it.
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2 years ago ::
Jun 15, 2011 - 2:55AM
#12
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Is there a good, suitable and cheap replacement for Bloodghast in the BoaB decklist? I'm finding it hard to get physical copies of the card for cheap (like, under $7 cheap) and running four makes it a little on the pricey side.
I'm running a version of this with perilous myr instead of bloodghast and it works pretty well. I also have more discard and a little bit less burn. Honestly though I still haven't played it against caw blade yet either, not many of my friends have the proper deck as it's expensive to put together
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2 years ago ::
Jun 15, 2011 - 3:07AM
#13
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Date Joined:
Mar 16, 2004
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I was hoping to see some games against the elephants in the Standard room. Something blue with Jace, something white with Mystic + mythic equipment. Doesn't even have to be the most common Cawblade.
But I do love Staggershock and black lifedrain, so this was moderately interesting anyway. Just... take it up against some of the serious matchups?
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2 years ago ::
Jun 15, 2011 - 4:23AM
#14
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Date Joined:
Jun 15, 2011
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I don't think anyone is saying that this is going to have a vasy amount of success against CawBlade, and tbh testing against it only really underlines how good CawBlade is in todays meta, rather than actually telling us anything useful about BloodCrank. In theory at least, this deck could possibly win against CawBlade but I think that to do so the other guy would have either had to mulligan pretty low or have kept a bad hand, and you have a great hand, and draw pure gas.
The big problem with the deck against non-aggro is that it takes so much time to get from playing both Ascencion and Mindcrank to getting the kill. Can it even get a kill before the other guy gets a full turn ? Can you play instants in upkeep/untap before the other guy gets to draw a card ? I'm none too sure. If so, then you can still only fully go-off with 10 mana (Acsencion, Mindcrank, Burn for 2, 2x Instant with proliferate, which are 3 both 3 mana each) and that's a tough position to be in, especially since you can't even mana-ramp because you need mana in the other guys turn too.
So in practical terms, you need two full untaps, and just hope that duress and inquisition (assuming you trade them in for something, which tbh I think you need to) can keep manaleak/spellpeirce and artifact/enchantment kill at bay.
Whats your best possibly outcome ?
Hmm...
Turn 1 Duress/Inquisition
Turn 2 Ascencion + burn
Turn 3 Mindcrank + burn
Turn 4 Burn for the last counter and in for the win
Now that doesn't sound too terrible, but even assuming that you have everything in hand when you start, if the other guy has more than 1 counterspell or has any other way to deal with either ascencion or mindcrank, you are up a creek without a paddle.
Tbh, I think the best answer here is to switch the deck into a a full discard deck rather than blue for control/draw, first to protect your combo, and secondly because its just a great form of cheap control.
There are no less than FIVE 1 mana discard spells in standard with varying degrees of quality, (Duress, Inquisition, Despise, Horryfying Revelation and Mires Toll) and I think running more discard is going to make this deck much more viable, as well as giving you the time to draw into the combo.
In terms of efficiency, any 1 mana spell either directly removes a card from the other guy or needs a counter, and that still drains the hand and stops them using it on your combo. You can add Lilianas Caress for more synergy, but its not needed.
When I get home I'll see if I can come up with a proper list, but thats definitely the approach I want to go with in this deck.
Edit - If you up the budget a little, I might also be tempted to add Liliana Vess herself, since she's reasonably affordable, gives you a free discard or a demonic tutor, and can be an alternate win condition if you can get any fatty discarded. Also, surgical extraction is a superb answer to lots of problems. Since you are attacking their hand, this really helps you stop them from getting a topdeck answer, either removing removal, counterspells, Jaces or stoneforge mystics to destory the opponents synergy.
I also might be tempted to work out this into an absolutely EVIL multiplayer deck with dark rituals to give me a turn 1 set-up... With combat/burn on every turn Asencion should fill up nice and fast. And if someone didn't draw 1-mana artifact/enchantment removal then thats game :D
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2 years ago ::
Jun 15, 2011 - 6:08AM
#15
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I like...Bloodchief Ascension has always been a favorite of mine and it's good to see it being put to good use again. I also like the direction this deck has taken. With that much burn and draw, versus aggressive creature based decks, you can burn each and everyone of his creatures, draw cards, and delay the game until your combo goes off. Having the combo in there is cardinal because it supplies your win con after you've spent all of your burn spells killing creatures. Conversely, versus control you can send all of your burn spells to the face and probably win without the combo.
I wouldn't be too worried about CawBlade and Splinter Twin. At least not incredibly worried. Neither of those decks is particularly interactive. You can probably beat CawBlade if you can land the combo pieces without them being countered and CawBlade is limited in the counters that it runs so a smart player should be able to avoid that. Batterskull is only a problem if you try to win through burn, the combo produces an arbitrary amount of damage, so lifelink doesn't hurt you if you can combo out. SplinterTwin is weak to removal, assuming you have a way of taking out Spellskite, and you have several ways maindeck of taking it out (hideous end, manic vandal, two burn spells, kicked burst lightning, etc.). Additionally, the deck has access to multiple means of disruption in the sideboard, more Duress, Inquisition of Kolizeck (as someone already pointed out), Memoricide, Despise, Surgical Extraction, etc. I can't remember a time when there was better discard available in standard.
As someone else pointed out, going UB is another route that you could take. There is a ton of cheap proliferate available in those colors. You don't actually have to activate the ascension through the traditional method. I could see a creatureless UB deck with Proliferate/Discard, a little draw, a few counters, a little removal and winning through the combo being a legitimate deck. Not saying it's something I would prefer to the current build, but the discard/counters would protect the deck's combo well. It still remains to be seen whether profilerate alone would "get the ascension there" though.
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2 years ago ::
Jun 15, 2011 - 6:08AM
#16
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Date Joined:
Jun 15, 2010
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I was thinking along the lines of Liliana's Specter. It's a decent beater since the evasion will help it get Bloodchief active quickly, and at the same time, the discard can be relevant once the Ascension is active.
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2 years ago ::
Jun 15, 2011 - 6:20AM
#17
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Date Joined:
Apr 10, 2008
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I have a general question for the author and the website editors:
Why are there no printable decklist links for articles like this one? Just about every other MtG site on the web has various ways to print or even download a decklist; Wizards continues to assume that we want to print the whole article, images and all.
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2 years ago ::
Jun 15, 2011 - 6:47AM
#18
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Date Joined:
Jun 15, 2007
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2 years ago ::
Jun 15, 2011 - 7:46AM
#19
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Date Joined:
Feb 16, 2011
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I was thinking along the lines of Liliana's Specter. It's a decent beater since the evasion will help it get Bloodchief active quickly, and at the same time, the discard can be relevant once the Ascension is active.
Good idea. I'd probably take this into UB control with fishies like the specter, discard, counters and card draw. Needs another way to activate ascension, though...
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2 years ago ::
Jun 15, 2011 - 11:36AM
#20
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Date Joined:
Sep 21, 2010
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Black does get a little bit of direct damage, cards like Sign in Blood and Last Kiss, although it is a touch more expensive, or you can just use evasive creatures to get that 1 point, then proliferate it up to 3.
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] 
] Azorious Turbo Fog (Modern)