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Sep 8, 2012 -- 3:07AM, lordworm599 wrote:

Hi, I'm having a slight problem balancing my vampire deck. I posted here because it's in modern format. Would running 30 creatures be any bad? I'm focusing mainly on aggro, but I like having a bit more of a backup incase Nocturnus can't get the job done, which unfortunately seems to have happened a lot. This is the deck here.

Creatures (28 x ) 
2 x Malakir Bloodwitch
3 x Vampire Nocturnus
3 x Stromkirk Captain
3 x Gatekeeper of Malakir
2 x Kalastria Highborn
3 x Bloodghast
2 x Viscera Seer
2 x Ghuul Draz Vampires
4 x Vampire Lacerator
4 x Pulse Tracker 

Spells (11 x )

2 x Tendrils of Corruption
2 x Go for the Throat
2 x Doom Blade
3 x Sign in Blood

Lands (21 x )

15 x Swamp
4 x Dragonskull Summit
2 x Verdant Catacombs

 
Malakir Bloodwitch is always helping me big time, shes great when I have tons of 1 drops and being my only 5 drop she usually bombs the field on turn 5 or 6. Nocturnus doesn't always rape and having 4 I would often draw him too early, and he's not amazing on his own.

Stromkirk Captain is one I really want to play 4. I was running 4 before and it's nice to give my weaker Vamps first strike and +1/+1 on turn 3. But running 3 seems to work cause I don't want him on turn 1 and he requires the Dragonskull Summit. Gatekeeper is awesone but he is another removal so I think 3 is fine, I also don't want him turn 1.

 

OK, I gotta ask, as a fan of Vamp decks, myself:

Why no Vampire Nighthawk ? He's fantastic, and a good attack deterrent, too.
My sugggested decklist:

Creatures (28 x )
2 x Malakir Bloodwitch
2 x Vampire Nocturnus
4 x Stromkirk Captain
4 x Gatekeeper of Malakir
3 x Kalastria Highborn
3 x Bloodghast
4 x Vampire Nighthawk
2 x Ghuul Draz Vampires
3 x Vampire Lacerator
3 x Pulse Tracker

Spells (11 x )

2 x Tendrils of Corruption
4x Murder (yeah, I know it costs more, but there aren't any resterictions on it.)
3 x Sign in Blood

Lands (21 x ) I usually run 24 lands, but you seem to be doing all right on the mana department.

15 x Swamp
4 x Dragonskull Summit
2 x Verdant Catacombs

Sep 9, 2012 -- 9:10PM, lordworm599 wrote:

Well, I sideboard 2 Nighthawks, and while he is great, he seems to me to be more of a defensive card. I find myself having him as a dead draw in my hand because often on turn 3 or 4 I would be better off dropping a Stromkirk Captain and beefing up all my other vamps. I side 2 incase I go against an aggro heavy deck.

As for Murder, yeah it has no restrictions but in the meta I face with this deck no one runs much black or artifact creatures. Would you say Tendrils is better than Feast of Blood? I was running 2 Feasts before but I'm not too sure, I like that Tendrils is an instant and doesn't require me to have 2 Vamps or more in play. The cost is the only problem.

I ran 3 of each when I had my old Vamp deck. And I've usually used Feast a lot more often, but that might just be me.

As for Nighthawk, I use him both on defense and offense. He's a lifelinker, so you get healed every time he swings, and if you drop him on turn 4, you can have a Stromkirk Captain out already, and drop a Viscera or some such at the same time. I dunno, I just love the card, he's been in every incarnation of my Vampire deck from day 1.

My usual plays go like this:

Turn 1: Swamp, Lacerator, pass.
Turn 2: Swamp, Blood Artist, swing with Lacerator, pass.
Turn 3: Mountain/Dragonskull, Stromkirk Captain, swing with Lacerator, pass.
Turn 4: Land (any), Nighthawk, some one-drop, swing with Lacerator and Captain, pass.
Turn 5: Land, Blade of the Bloodchief , equip to Nighthawk, swing for the fence, pass if they live.
Turn 6: If possible, Damnation and Darksteel Plate on the Nighthawk. Swing for the win.