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Magic: The Gathering Legacy Recurring Nightmare - Inspired by 1998 World...
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Switch to Forum Live View Recurring Nightmare - Inspired by 1998 World Champ Brian Selden
7 months ago  ::  Nov 30, 2012 - 7:21PM #1
Sunrunner
Date Joined: Nov 28, 2012
Posts: 7

Hello Everyone, I have created a legacy deck inspired by the 1998 Brian Selden world champ deck.  Sadly, Survival of the Fittest was banned from play; however, Fauna Shaman can be used as a replacement.


This deck is based on fetching creatures with Fauna Shaman , throwing away creatures, bringing creatures back to the battlefield with Recurring Nightmare . There are a lot of one off cards to take care of immediate threats.


You'll find also find that there is quite a bit of deck reordering and deck thinning involved. Scroll Rack and Brainstorm are used to get rid of unnecessary cards; then, fetch lands and many other cards offer shuffle effects to offer a second chance at good cards.


I am seeking constructive feedback on what swaps I can do to make this play competitively against other legacy decks. Any advice is greatly appreciated.



Creatures -- 24 --
1x Academy Rector
4x Birds of Paradise
1x Civic Wayfinder
4x Fauna Shaman
2x Fierce Empath
1x Griselbrand
1x Man-o'-War
1x Qasali Pridemage
1x Shriekmaw
1x Spike Weaver
1x Uktabi Orangutan
1x Vengevine
3x Wall of Blossoms
1x Wispmare
1x Wurmcoil Engine

Artifact -- 2 --
2x Scroll Rack

Land -- 21 --
3x Bayou
6x Forest
1x  Dryad Arbor
2x Gemstone Mine
2x Island
2x Plains
1x Savannah
1x Swamp
2x Verdant Catacombs
1x Windswept Heath

Instant -- 5 --
1x Abrupt Decay
4x Brainstorm

Sorcery -- 3 --
3x Green Sun's Zenith

Enchantment  -- 5 --
1x Concordant Crossroads
4x Recurring Nightmare

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7 months ago  ::  Dec 01, 2012 - 9:55AM #2
miss_bun
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Date Joined: Oct 24, 2005
Posts: 2,591
this is one of my favorite classic decks, but it will need to be really sharp to work without survival.

have you considered birthing pod ?
ss, dammit

Come play Magic the way it was meant to be played: http://community.wizards.com/go/forum/view/75842/134942/Vintage
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7 months ago  ::  Dec 01, 2012 - 4:11PM #3
Sunrunner
Date Joined: Nov 28, 2012
Posts: 7
Thanks for the feedback, this is also one of my favorite classic decks.  I have considered birthing pod ; however, I just don't know how well it would work.  Since there are quite a few 3 mana creature cards, it would allow me to get vengevine out easily.... tough call though.

A large amount of cards have changed from the original;  I hope that these additions can make it competitive again.  I've been considering adding another Scroll Rack and a few more fetch lands.
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7 months ago  ::  Dec 01, 2012 - 4:59PM #4
Catotheyounger
Date Joined: Nov 18, 2012
Posts: 1,220
I'd run borderland ranger over civic wayfinder just to avoid giving free value to priest of titania .
I don't have an egosig because I'd rather my ideas be judged on their merits than on mine.

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7 months ago  ::  Dec 01, 2012 - 7:05PM #5
miss_bun
  • Evil Hot Attractive Cute Pixie Goddess Prince
Date Joined: Oct 24, 2005
Posts: 2,591
here are a few random cards if you go with birthing pod, off the top of my head:

three mana:

Priest of Gix
Vendilion Clique

four mana:

Phyrexian Obliterator
Solemn Simulacrum

five mana:

Precursor Golem
Reveillark

six mana:

Brutalizer Exarch
Sun Titan

seven mana:

Angel of Serenity
Phyrexian Ingester

dang, now i wanna make a spin off of this...
ss, dammit

Come play Magic the way it was meant to be played: http://community.wizards.com/go/forum/view/75842/134942/Vintage
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7 months ago  ::  Dec 01, 2012 - 7:06PM #6
miss_bun
  • Evil Hot Attractive Cute Pixie Goddess Prince
Date Joined: Oct 24, 2005
Posts: 2,591
also, if you run scroll rack, which i highly support, consider running Life from the Loam and/or Squadron Hawk .
ss, dammit

Come play Magic the way it was meant to be played: http://community.wizards.com/go/forum/view/75842/134942/Vintage
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7 months ago  ::  Dec 02, 2012 - 12:35AM #7
Purple_Shrimp
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Dec 1, 2012 -- 4:59PM, Catotheyounger wrote:

I'd run borderland ranger over civic wayfinder just to avoid giving free value to priest of titania .



you're right, but you could play this deck for a lifetime without it ever being relevant. it's not really useful advice just because of that

Apr 8, 2013 -- 2:06PM, Matt_Holck wrote:

firstrike



Jan 20, 2013 -- 11:33AM, Dilleux_Lepaire wrote:

Jan 19, 2013 -- 1:54PM, bay_falconer wrote:

Jan 18, 2013 -- 11:16AM, Dilleux_Lepaire wrote:

Jan 18, 2013 -- 9:19AM, bay_falconer wrote:


Ceci n'est pas une pipe.


This definitely doesn't mean what you think it means.


I was referring to the painting The Treachery of Images.


I know.

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7 months ago  ::  Dec 02, 2012 - 3:52AM #8
miss_bun
  • Evil Hot Attractive Cute Pixie Goddess Prince
Date Joined: Oct 24, 2005
Posts: 2,591
yeah, elves arent so much not relevant as they are not caring about one extra mana.  i bet you could count on the fingers of zero hands how many times thats been relevant in an elves matchup.  they dont need your mana, they have plenty.
ss, dammit

Come play Magic the way it was meant to be played: http://community.wizards.com/go/forum/view/75842/134942/Vintage
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7 months ago  ::  Dec 02, 2012 - 9:22AM #9
Sunrunner
Date Joined: Nov 28, 2012
Posts: 7

Thanks for all the help, I figured I would give it a try with birthing pod.  Here are the results.  I'm really not too happy with it... to go that route it seems my tempo goes down.


Creature (25)
1x Academy Rector
1x Architects of Will
4x Birds of Paradise
1x Dryad Arbor
4x Fauna Shaman
1x Fierce Empath
1x Pelakka Wurm
1x Man-o'-War
1x Qasali Pridemage
1x Reveillark
1x Shriekmaw
1x Solemn Simulacrum
1x Uktabi Orangutan
1x Vengevine
3x Wall of Blossoms
1x Wispmare
1x Wurmcoil Engine

Land (21)
3x Bayou
1x Dryad Arbor
5x Forest
2x Gemstone Mine
2x Island
2x Plains
1x Savannah
1x Swamp
2x Verdant Catacombs
1x Windswept Heath
1x  Misty Rainforest

Artifact (4)
2x Birthing Pod
3x Scroll Rack

Instant (4)
4x Brainstorm

Sorcery (2)
2x Green Sun's Zenith

Enchantment (4)
4x Recurring Nightmare

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7 months ago  ::  Dec 02, 2012 - 12:27PM #10
miss_bun
  • Evil Hot Attractive Cute Pixie Goddess Prince
Date Joined: Oct 24, 2005
Posts: 2,591
I can see how consistency might be an issue.  You want threat density obviously.  I would consider going down to 2x scroll rack and 3x fauna shaman, even better, lose Green Sun's Zenith.  I love the card, but it loses to both pod and shaman in this deck, imo.  Actually, I would also reduce scroll rack to two anyway, whether you opt to add a single Life from the Loam or not (I would.)

I would cut wispmare; pridemage handles enchantments well enough.

I would replace orangutan with Ingot Chewer .  More castable, and the evoke sacrifice matters less with nightmare in the deck.  In that vein, Mulldrifter might be great too.

I would think about Trinket Mage + Grindstone + Painter's Servant .  The mage can get grindstone and then be sacced to pod to get painter, or painter can be disarded to shaman to get mage and then mage can get grindstone and then be sacced to nightmare to get back painter.  All at instant speed.  An ideal three card package.  You could even add Imperial Recruiter if you have access.

I would seriously consider removing Reveillark.  It is an amazing card, but completely dependant on other cards to be of any use, and you have few four mana outlets.  Its best use here is recovering from wipes or enabling recurring effects, both which this deck already does well and more cheaply.

Architects of Will is suboptimal.  The minor tempo gain is reduced in a format filled with fetches, and the cycling is redundant.  Chimney Imp is literally better (don't play Chimney Imp.)

I've never said this before in my life, but Academy Rector sucks here.  It only gets nightmare, and only if you already have pod out.  You have no other targets and no other sac outlets.  The only way I would keep her is if you find room for 4x Cabal Therapy and 1x Omniscience (latin for ALL THE SCIENCE!!!) or maybe Day of the Dragons or something.  I would prefer to just cut her though.

Fierce Empath is bad.  I would always rather either play shaman or pod.  He is a loss of threat density in an attempt to be more consistent, but I would rather play something that is a toolbox card, especially if your worry is that adding pod has mad the deck lose oomph.

Dryad Arbor is meh without zenith.

Palakka Wurm should be replaced with Thragtusk : infinitely more castable, so way more of a threat overall.  If you add this, Wurmcoil Engine could then be replaced with something with more utility like Steel Hellkite or Duplicant .

Shriekmaw seems only sort of okay to me, but I can't put my finger on why.  I'll try to think of an ideal replacement.

And, as always, after making any revisions to a pod deck, make sure you have a really good balance of creatures per casting cost, probably not less than 3 at any given cost below six, with the most at the 2 mana level, likely.

Finally, cut vengevine, imo.  It is not that great without survival.  Maybe I sound like a crazy person, but how often will you both cast two creatures on one turn and have him in the grave as a one of AND have that happen when a 4 power vanilla beater that dies to lightning bolt is still relevant?  Just sac him to nightmare/pod?  Do you have the mana to have that ready to go the same turn you cast two creatures.  This is a minor point, maybe, but I feel he doesn't work.

Overall I really like the deck.
ss, dammit

Come play Magic the way it was meant to be played: http://community.wizards.com/go/forum/view/75842/134942/Vintage
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