MTG Salvation

Here's a build that's been working for me lately...it's a pretty basic non-Story Circle list.

The purpose of Gaea's Blessing is so you can put cards back over time. At the end of the game, you'll have a 10-20 card advantage over your opponent, not counting the draws they'll have to take from your turbo.

Poolshark (mind if I don't call you Fatguy?),
I suppose the versions of this deck nowadays run Wrath is because it answers creatures that are problematic to our strategy. Dark Confidant in B/G Rack, Platinum Angel, the red Rusalka are examples of these. It also just takes the pressure off for a measly 4 mana. With the build you're suggesting (the original style), you wouldn't need Wraths. However, Fogs by themselves don't answer Teferi and the like. I suppose we really just need answers for Teferi. I agree that a build that runs 20 Fogs could be decent however.

By the way, Chronosavant plus Chronomantic Escape is an interesting combo that I haven't seen. I like it. However, it still just has major issues against Teferi, the main problem for the deck. If the deck had more answers to Teferi besides Mouth of Ronom, then heck yes. Story Circle was adapted by my group as an auto-3 or 4-of, which was great in a format with Korlash and red decks. Martyr of Sands and Proclamation of Rebirth handed Red some problems and Story Circle just locked them out. I guess that was the answer to red. Red may still have some life yet though. Big Red decks that are transporting over from Block may become popular, with Molten Disaster, Riddle of Lightning, etc... and that's a problem. More lifegain or Story Circle is key, I feel.

I agree that B/G Rack has lost a bit of flare with the loss of Dark Confidant (MORE than a huge loss) and Cry of Contrition. My group and I put 4 True Believers maindeck just for that matchup.. and what a beautiful card it was (and still is). If they didn't draw Smallpox early enough to deal with it, then we just maintain so much card advantage that they are just out of the game and can't deal with Story Circle. Now they'll have Thoughtseize, but I'd rather be playing against Thoughtseize than Dark Confidant and Cry of Contrition.

Thanks for the Chronosavant idea, bud.
Thanks for reading.


Edit:
charmedcharmer,
Pickles is very problematic for us as you can see. There aren't many answers except to run maybe Extirpate to get rid of Vesuvan Shapeshifter or Brine Elemental. I developed a B/G/w version of this deck that ran more targeted removal (Sudden Death) and Extirpate to have a better matchup against that deck. This mostly-white version has lots of problems with it. However, Poolshark just mentioned Chronosavant..... which could be excellent in that matchup.
Thanks for reading.

Quote from btraut

No one seems to understand -- this deck wins by decking, yes, and prevents itself by forcing the opponent to draw off the Mines and Rites first. If your opponent mills one or two of your cards, you're still fine because you're going to play more Mines and Rites. It's not worth wasting maindeck card slots for a safety valve on an unlikely event. At the very most, but one Gaea's Blessing in the sideboard.

That said, don't try to mill your own cards. Terramorphic Expance is an okay card, but definitely not in this deck, as it will offset the milling advantage from making your opponents draw first off Mines.

I'm not sure if it's our misunderstanding. If your opponent has cards that "mill one or two" then they'll most likely have more than 1 of those in their deck. Those "mill one or two" cards add up. If they have 4 of those "mill one or two" cards, then suddenly your 8 howling mine effects will win half of the time. I don't think I've come across the situation where I've had all 8 Howling Mine effects in play at one time anyway.
The deck requires some way to refill the library.. and Gaea's Blessing is perfect for the spot. It's only 2 slots anyway.. out of the handful of cards you may be drawing every turn.
Thanks for reading.

Kaebora,
Your list is fine. However, I suggest adding 2 Gaea's Blessing maindeck. Not only does it put fogs/wraths back into your deck but it almost guarantees you'll win by decking. Unless you have all of your Howling Mine effects on the field, an opponent's Extirpate would make the decking game a bit too close.
In a list my group ran a few months ago, we had Loaming Shaman maindeck... it's too bad it's no longer around. Gaea's Blessing had to replace it.. but it's far better than expected.

Also, don't be tempted by Pollen Lullaby to take out Holy Days or Dawn Charms. Dawn Charm is one of the most powerful cards in the deck. If anything, run 4 Holy Day, 4 Dawn Charm, and 2 Pollen Lullaby for a total of 10 fogs. With Gaea's Blessing, this is always going to be enough. Wrath of God is basically Fog #11-15 anyway. On that note, Chronomantic Escape may not even be needed.. unless your experience says otherwise? I may suggest putting in a couple of Beacon of Immortalitys considering the loss of Proclamation of Rebirth from Standard.
Thanks for reading.

My team and I actually sat next to him on a train over in Japan during PTQ Yokohama. He was asleep for most of the time, but he looks the same.

On May 1st, the Gatherer will be updated. I do believe, according to the judge mailing I received, that the update will remove the old 2004 rulings. The 2004 rulings were based on errata that has been replaced. However, I do not know if they'll add any special errata to "fix" Flash now that the errata is changed.

Quote from glassthegrey

Jank. First off Blood Moon is in 9th. way to waste an golden oppertunity to reprint something like, Sneak Attack, goblin bombardment, or tetonic instability, heck mana flare would at least be a little exciting. but no what we got was another 4 copies of a sideboard card, one that is more brittle because it has a toughness of 2, and an ability that dosn't stack. so I say to wizards... thanks for nothing.

The enchantment that a Magus has to enbody has to make sense with "Magus of the ____." "Magus of the Sneak Attack" doesn't make much sense. "Magus of the Moon" makes sense.

So what advantages does this deck have over other Stax variants like Angel Stax? They have the same core. Is red favored because it has more early "wrath" variants in the form of Pyroclasm and Rolling Earthquake? Is it the Sylvan Librarys?

Actually, it was terrible on the way back from Columbus. When my friend and I left Columbus at like 8:30, we ran right into an ice storm with sleet, etc. It was a dangerous time. Apparently a storm moved up from Kentucky and as it approached Columbus the rain became frozen.

I went 6-2 in Columbus, Ohio.
Affinity was dead on board in the 8th round, game 3. I'm at 1 life with two Terravores (6/6) on the field along with a Dark Confidant. He's at 9. If Confidant draws me a land, I make top 8. Instead, I reveal Birds of Paradise and get 14th.

I got 14th at the Columbus PTQ that happened tonight. I went 6-2 with Aggro Loam.

Not a bad list..it'll probably need some work on the manabase. The goal isn't to draw the enchantments, so 6 fetches + 4 elders may not be necessary. It may be better to only use 4 fetches + 4 elders. Only testing will tell.
Also, there are 16 cards in that SB.

Hey, I'm going to bring this to the Columbus PTQ. How is Tron's matchup against Scepter-Chant and the mirror? is there anything in the sideboard for it?

So which splash do you guys favor the most? Red splash? white splash? or green splash? White has options like Kataki, Orim's Chant (as a wish target).. Red has stuff like Overload, Fire//Ice, Psychotic Fury (in some builds).. Green has Pernicious Deed and other things. Which splash do you think is better against this metagame?