Can't pack enough removal and still be effective. I've been trying since NPH debuted with almost no budget constraints and couldn't get it done. I scoured these forums and participated in the puresteel discussions.in fact, Jacob Van Lunen just last week had an article on Puresteel decks. It was a budget discussion, but you can swap out his equipments for the swords of X and Y. I found it to be weak, too much reliance on mentor of the meek and couldn't handle the pace of zombies or even GR Aggro. I think the problem with the deck is that it wants to be half WW and half tempered steel. The mana base often can't handle an Elesh, which it desperately needs, but can't churn out enough threats to keep the equipment occupied and not lying useless on the battlefield.
It was a seemingly resilient deck that had great CA if you had a PP on the board. Aside from that the deck was a slow agro/equip deck, I played against it yesterday at fmn(using b/w tokens) and I always felt like I could out race them and keep them under control. Although war and peace is scary equipped to anything, dismember helped with that.
I have heard vague rumors of a moustache-dispensing vending machine in a distant laundromat, across the street from a tattoo parlor. However, this information is shaky, and time is of the essence.
I've been playing Puresteel since the card was released. The meta is an extremely tough place for the deck right now. The primary reasons:
1. Ancient Grudge/artifact hate - If you're playing against a deck with access to it, Grudge all but completely hoses the deck. Not to mention the off chance of Creeping Corrosion or Stony Silence. The namesake card is fragile enough--with artifacts so vulnerable also, the deck becomes easy to hate.
2. Hate for popular decks (mostly Delver) catches Puresteel also. Elesh Norn and Curse of Death's Hold result in GG more often than not, while all the x/1 hate (and Vapor Snag) have made Vault Skirge--previously the deck's best 1-drop nearly unplayable.
3. Not fast enough. Nut hands can be blisteringly fast, but if the plan is to out-race your opponent, several decks in the format are usually faster (Zombies, TS, RDW). A build with Glint Hawk has less trouble with this.
Plus, the inherent flaw in Puresteel Paladin as a card: it's difficult to pack enough equipment into a deck for Paladin to be useful while finding room for creatures and removal. For this reason, the deck mulligans poorly.
For a brief interval, when the meta was dominated by traditional UW Delver, removal-light UW Humans and Illusions (a seemingly dead deck that was a great match-up for Puresteel), Puresteel actually did well in some big tournaments.
With that said, I don't think that Puresteel is dead as an FNM level competitive deck--with some potential for a few rogue placings in SCG tourneys if the meta shifts/some help comes in AVR (unlikely). With an evasive, durable creature base, some level of interactivity (4x Mortarpod + some Dispatches and O-Rings), Puresteel Paladin can be a pretty awesome 2cmc win condition. If he ever actually survives, he provides a huge advantage. It's an extremely powerful card--just a tough spot for it right now.
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It can't keep up with the other aggro decks in the format and a lot of the hate for Tempered Steel and other decks also happens to catch it. It's all-around a hostile environment. A well-built one could probably still do well at a FNM though
Can't pack enough removal and still be effective. I've been trying since NPH debuted with almost no budget constraints and couldn't get it done. I scoured these forums and participated in the puresteel discussions.in fact, Jacob Van Lunen just last week had an article on Puresteel decks. It was a budget discussion, but you can swap out his equipments for the swords of X and Y. I found it to be weak, too much reliance on mentor of the meek and couldn't handle the pace of zombies or even GR Aggro. I think the problem with the deck is that it wants to be half WW and half tempered steel. The mana base often can't handle an Elesh, which it desperately needs, but can't churn out enough threats to keep the equipment occupied and not lying useless on the battlefield.
Curious, splash black for a cheating out of elesh with unburial rites and using Sorin, turning it into a mid-range deck?
*I just remembered there's no way for either colors to reliably bin Elesh.
ancient grudge killed it after INN was released. there was not enough good equipment released over the last 2 sets to keep it afloat. the loss of a single card, basilisk collar, was enough to remove it from competitive consideration.
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I speak in sarcasm because calling people ******* ******** is not allowed.
the tricky thing is getting and keeping Metalcraft... and having enough creatures that you have something to attack swords to I have an equipment based infect deck with similar problems :S.
Delver and Mono G are often just cheap evasive creature + sword based decks as well so the strategy in general works. Delver just has counters to protect its self and Green just keep coming.
you've clearly never played the deck with collar if you're saying vault can replace it. hitting metalcraft by turn 3 or 4 is no problem if you run the right equipment/artifact/creature package.
the thing is there are just other decks that do what puresteel does but better.
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I speak in sarcasm because calling people ******* ******** is not allowed.
The deck is really good right now, people aren't siding as much hate as they were and UB control is popular
Puresteel is not aggro enough to beat UB.
I was just about to post in the thread saying Puresteel is too slow and ancient grudge ruins it and I read this. Lol.
Its called Basilisk Collar rotating from standard. That card was what enabled the deck to run.
While the loss of Basilisk Collar certainly hurt the deck tremendously, I don't think that it would be enough for the deck to succeed in the current meta.
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While the loss of Basilisk Collar certainly hurt the deck tremendously, I don't think that it would be enough for the deck to succeed in the current meta.
Its hard to say. But it would beat up on several of the top tier decks, save spirits. Zombies seems like a race, but messenger may be too much.
I use lingering steel (deck name) but decided not to post because I'd never get input in the thread (good or bad). It does great and is not watered down at all. If anyone wants the list and my thoughts on it pm me. I think it has a decent chance to be truly competitive.
I played a version of Van Luden's deck from daily this week at FNM with decent results. Mentor of the meek got taken out for Lilianna and Sorin. In place of his sword I used Wolfhunter's Quiver as a means of doubling up damage from mortarpod sacrifice. Lingersouls gave my equipments plenty of targets. I'm convinced that the deck would most likely be better if you just removed puresteel and went BW tokens or esper tokens and kept mortar pod around. Angelic Destiny or intangible virtue+honor of the pure might also work for pumps. Too replace basalisk collar I ran vault of the archangel.
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Life is Bad
1. Ancient Grudge/artifact hate - If you're playing against a deck with access to it, Grudge all but completely hoses the deck. Not to mention the off chance of Creeping Corrosion or Stony Silence. The namesake card is fragile enough--with artifacts so vulnerable also, the deck becomes easy to hate.
2. Hate for popular decks (mostly Delver) catches Puresteel also. Elesh Norn and Curse of Death's Hold result in GG more often than not, while all the x/1 hate (and Vapor Snag) have made Vault Skirge--previously the deck's best 1-drop nearly unplayable.
3. Not fast enough. Nut hands can be blisteringly fast, but if the plan is to out-race your opponent, several decks in the format are usually faster (Zombies, TS, RDW). A build with Glint Hawk has less trouble with this.
Plus, the inherent flaw in Puresteel Paladin as a card: it's difficult to pack enough equipment into a deck for Paladin to be useful while finding room for creatures and removal. For this reason, the deck mulligans poorly.
For a brief interval, when the meta was dominated by traditional UW Delver, removal-light UW Humans and Illusions (a seemingly dead deck that was a great match-up for Puresteel), Puresteel actually did well in some big tournaments.
With that said, I don't think that Puresteel is dead as an FNM level competitive deck--with some potential for a few rogue placings in SCG tourneys if the meta shifts/some help comes in AVR (unlikely). With an evasive, durable creature base, some level of interactivity (4x Mortarpod + some Dispatches and O-Rings), Puresteel Paladin can be a pretty awesome 2cmc win condition. If he ever actually survives, he provides a huge advantage. It's an extremely powerful card--just a tough spot for it right now.
Standard:
GU Prophet
Legacy:
WBU Shared Fate
Trades
Curious, splash black for a cheating out of elesh with unburial rites and using Sorin, turning it into a mid-range deck?
*I just remembered there's no way for either colors to reliably bin Elesh.
Esper would work merfolk Looter.. Black has Lliana
but going White/Black could be the answer... lingering souls, Sorin tokens with swords.
Vault of the Archangel is just like Basilisk Collar and harder to kill.
the tricky thing is getting and keeping Metalcraft... and having enough creatures that you have something to attack swords to I have an equipment based infect deck with similar problems :S.
Delver and Mono G are often just cheap evasive creature + sword based decks as well so the strategy in general works. Delver just has counters to protect its self and Green just keep coming.
Pioneer:UR Pheonix
Modern:U Mono U Tron
EDH
GB Glissa, the traitor: Army of Cans
UW Dragonlord Ojutai: Dragonlord NOjutai
UWGDerevi, Empyrial Tactician "you cannot fight the storm"
R Zirilan of the claw. The solution to every problem is dragons
UB Etrata, the Silencer Cloning assassination
Peasant cube: Cards I own
the thing is there are just other decks that do what puresteel does but better.
Puresteel is not aggro enough to beat UB.
I was just about to post in the thread saying Puresteel is too slow and ancient grudge ruins it and I read this. Lol.
Pauper - 450
EDH
B Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker
Standard:
GU Prophet
Legacy:
WBU Shared Fate
Trades
While the loss of Basilisk Collar certainly hurt the deck tremendously, I don't think that it would be enough for the deck to succeed in the current meta.
Its hard to say. But it would beat up on several of the top tier decks, save spirits. Zombies seems like a race, but messenger may be too much.
Thanx to Bookworm10 for the Sig.
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Cockatrice: shadowkill
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