I've never really shuffled together a deck with the intent on playing it in a competitive environment. So I don't have the card pool required to play most decks. And I am not the type of person to really stick to it; I play when I feel like it, I'm not dropping a few hundred dollars on a deck that I'll play over one or two weekends.
The biggest hinder to playing Extended is simply put, the mana base. Shocklands are not cheap and I have ZERO of them. But they are the best lands out there. They make decks work. Fetchlands aren't cheap either and to really use them you need to have the shocklands to work with.
But lets say I want to run a deck... what are my other options? These might not be nearly as smooth, but they need to be playable.
1C
Well, obviously your mana base can be very cheap; all basics. You can splurge on a couple of rare lands, like Emeria or Academy Ruins. What are some cheap, effective utility lands that 1C can benefit from?
2C
It gets harder but you have a couple of other options. You can use the M10 lands or if you are desperate, the Refuges (terrible lands, almost unplayable... but...). You can also pull the significantly cheaper Shadowmoor Filter lands.
3C
Starting to push it, but the Alara tri-lands can help keep a budget together. Obviously, your deck is going to be a lot less stable than if you could pull some fetches and shocklands, but hey, you get your colors. Are there any other really good budget options?
4C
This is where it starts to hurt. 4C decks are already usually very slow. Add into account that many of these lands come into play tapped and you have a deck that is pretty much asking to get rolled over by an aggressive Zoo variant. Additionally, if you happen to run into Magus of the Moon, you are probably shut down.
I'm really curious to what other people have sleeved up and just resigned to playing in this category. This is what I'm most interested in hearing about.
5C
Ouch. Hopefully one shot effects like vivids or gemstones can keep you together because without shocks, I can't see this rolling.
Additionally, what are some quicker, cheap, non-land sources for color fixing that can really put things together. We all know STE can work wonders, but what else do we have?
Mono Red Burn is a VERY cheap deck to build, and also VERY competitive. Check out the list on the competitve forums... No rediculously overcosted lands, no shocklands, no fetches....
the mana base isn't really the main cost of decks this extended season, it's more the colors. goyf, baneslayer, depths(i hate that this card costs real money) go along with your mana base to make your deck cost too much.
as to cheep decks all in all, burn and affinity are the extent of your options really, all in red isn't that expensive but definitely more than those too. after that maybe martyr proc since it plays mostly cheep rares, but it does play a lot of em.
Understand, Dredge is not really a Magic: The Gathering deck. When a card is playable in it, it doesn't mean it's a tournament playable card. It means it's playable in whatever crazy fantasy world that Dredge operates in.
Not interested at all in playing a deck because its cheap. I want to know alternatives to expensive lands and how they fair in match ups. I know theoretically, but I want from experience. I'm playing a specific four color deck or I'm not playing at all.
@Flaming_sword: Goyf and Baneslayer, luckily I'm not playing those cards. For my deck, the lands are most of the cost. Shocklands and fetches are not cheap.
@aurorasparrow: Yeah, they aren't so bad. What has your experience been in running them over shocklands? Do you have a deck that would typically run shocklands if you had the choice, stripped the shocklands out and tried to make it work?
I'm not really sure that filters are reliable enough for 4C. It pays to have a couple of them, but the fact that they can't make colors on their own REALLY hurt them.
And the painlands seem acceptable, though unable to be fetched nor are they very healthy for a color heavy control deck.
you definitely need a healthy dose of basic land to make either of them work. i wouldn't use either in a 4-color deck; i wouldn't attempt four color without fetch/dual or a heavy green core.
allsunday: i disagree. filterlands once active basically count as two dual lands. and at least as far as my playstyle is concerned lacking a t1 play isn't all that devastating.
I shopped around and was able to build B/W Marty Proc including the Shrines for less than $50...same with an affinity deck, lands for affinity are cheap. I did have a few of those cards from playing standard though (master, ethersworn).
Just play Burn, All-In-Red, or Affinity and forget about the manabase. Or build a mono-color rogue deck like me ;). I suppose you could play mono-white control if you already have Baneslayer and such from standard, as it has a pretty cheap manabase if you don't splash black.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Legacy: UBRGW T.E.S. UUUSpiral Tide
Modern: UBR Grixis Control
EDH: UB Oona, Queen of the Fae
Combo is a part of magic. If you cant deal with combo then your not a magic player.
Understand, Dredge is not really a Magic: The Gathering deck. When a card is playable in it, it doesn't mean it's a tournament playable card. It means it's playable in whatever crazy fantasy world that Dredge operates in.
I've never really shuffled together a deck with the intent on playing it in a competitive environment. So I don't have the card pool required to play most decks. And I am not the type of person to really stick to it; I play when I feel like it, I'm not dropping a few hundred dollars on a deck that I'll play over one or two weekends.
The biggest hinder to playing Extended is simply put, the mana base. Shocklands are not cheap and I have ZERO of them. But they are the best lands out there. They make decks work. Fetchlands aren't cheap either and to really use them you need to have the shocklands to work with.
But lets say I want to run a deck... what are my other options? These might not be nearly as smooth, but they need to be playable.
1C
Well, obviously your mana base can be very cheap; all basics. You can splurge on a couple of rare lands, like Emeria or Academy Ruins. What are some cheap, effective utility lands that 1C can benefit from?
2C
It gets harder but you have a couple of other options. You can use the M10 lands or if you are desperate, the Refuges (terrible lands, almost unplayable... but...). You can also pull the significantly cheaper Shadowmoor Filter lands.
3C
Starting to push it, but the Alara tri-lands can help keep a budget together. Obviously, your deck is going to be a lot less stable than if you could pull some fetches and shocklands, but hey, you get your colors. Are there any other really good budget options?
4C
This is where it starts to hurt. 4C decks are already usually very slow. Add into account that many of these lands come into play tapped and you have a deck that is pretty much asking to get rolled over by an aggressive Zoo variant. Additionally, if you happen to run into Magus of the Moon, you are probably shut down.
I'm really curious to what other people have sleeved up and just resigned to playing in this category. This is what I'm most interested in hearing about.
5C
Ouch. Hopefully one shot effects like vivids or gemstones can keep you together because without shocks, I can't see this rolling.
Additionally, what are some quicker, cheap, non-land sources for color fixing that can really put things together. We all know STE can work wonders, but what else do we have?
4th place at CCC&G Pro Tour
Chances of bad hands (<2 or >4 land):
21: 28.9%
22: 27.5%
23: 26.3%
24: 25.5%
25: 25.1%
26: 25.3%
as to cheep decks all in all, burn and affinity are the extent of your options really, all in red isn't that expensive but definitely more than those too. after that maybe martyr proc since it plays mostly cheep rares, but it does play a lot of em.
Modern:
Something new every week
Legacy:
Something new everyweek
@Flaming_sword: Goyf and Baneslayer, luckily I'm not playing those cards. For my deck, the lands are most of the cost. Shocklands and fetches are not cheap.
@aurorasparrow: Yeah, they aren't so bad. What has your experience been in running them over shocklands? Do you have a deck that would typically run shocklands if you had the choice, stripped the shocklands out and tried to make it work?
I'm not really sure that filters are reliable enough for 4C. It pays to have a couple of them, but the fact that they can't make colors on their own REALLY hurt them.
And the painlands seem acceptable, though unable to be fetched nor are they very healthy for a color heavy control deck.
allsunday: i disagree. filterlands once active basically count as two dual lands. and at least as far as my playstyle is concerned lacking a t1 play isn't all that devastating.
4th place at CCC&G Pro Tour
Chances of bad hands (<2 or >4 land):
21: 28.9%
22: 27.5%
23: 26.3%
24: 25.5%
25: 25.1%
26: 25.3%
UBRGW T.E.S.
UUUSpiral Tide
Modern:
UBR Grixis Control
EDH:
UB Oona, Queen of the Fae
Combo is a part of magic. If you cant deal with combo then your not a magic player.
Type 4 and EDH are my personal favorites.
Modern:
Something new every week
Legacy:
Something new everyweek