Hey all. This past weekend, my store had an extended tournament which I participated in and decided not to run Snake-Grounds (my favorite extended deck) and decided to play a cool deck based around the coolest new creature type, Ninjas. Though i didn't expect to do well, I surprised myself as well as the feild of players there and won the whole thing.
So lets get to the decklist first.
1x Walker of the Secret Ways
3x Higure, the Still Wind
4x Ninja of the Deep Hours
4x Mistblade Shinobi
4x Ornithopter
4x Mana Leak
4x Counterspell
4x Fact or Fiction
4x Repulse
2x Shadow Rift
3x Vedalkan Shackles
22x Islands
Now for some notes: The field consisted of a variety of decks, many whcih were based in standard (there were two Tooth and Nail decks, tweaked to add some better extended cards, there was also Raffinity) as well as some standard blue-green madness and various beats incarnations.
Some card-by-card notes:
1x Walker of the Secret Ways - a gem. I am running only one of this guy because i can search her out with Higure, but it may need to be increaseda bit. Her ability to return ninjas to your hand is amazing, and seeing an opponent's hand when you are playing counterspells is also very relevant.
3x Higure the Still Wind - Excellent. The deck loves having Higure in play. He just smooths out the drops, fishing out more Ninphidians to draw you more cards and tricks. He deffinitely needs to be increased to 4.
4x Ninja of the deep hours - Ophidian on a 2/2 body which can come out swingin on turn two, this guy is just excellent.
4x Mistblade Shinobi - Not as great as in standard, his ability, while relevant, does not warrant 4 slots. He should probably be 3 or even 2, opening room up for another Higure.
4x Ornithopter - I know it seems funny, but ornithopter is essentially a free unblockable creature, coming down on turn one to allow for a turn 2 Ninphidian, which then allows you to replay the thopter for an attack on turn 3. The Thopter is just an excellent card for what this deck wants to do, and that is sneak in guys.
Mana Leak and Counterspell - Standard permission
Fact or Fiction - Just plain solid card drawing.
Repulse - one of my all-time favorite cards, Repulse serves double duty saving your guys or removing threats, all the while drawing you a card. I put this card in practically every extended deck i play, I love having one in my hand.
2x Shadowrift - Probably would have been more if i owned more. This card is very solid in a deck which needs guys to be unblockable. The card is a cantrip, but it also makes a guy unblockable or can remove the singular blocker standing in the way of you ninja squad. Very solid.
3x Vedalkan shackles - I'm sold. This card is one of the most powerful control cards mono-blue has. The benefit it grants is massive agaisnt aggro decks, and it gives you an extra attacker to try and sneak a ninja in with. Should probably be 4.
22 Islands - In a deck with this much card drwaing and no effect with a cost over 4, the deck can run smoothly on 22 lands.
Host of "Do I Still Love It?" - The Nostalgia Podcast where comedians re-watch the films they remember loving as children to see if they still love them now that they're grown up.
Commander Decks: WBRQueen Marchesa's Powerful FriendsRBW URArjun, Mindmoil SphinxRU GFreyalise and the ElvesG GROmnath, Ramping to RageRG UBaral, Chef of CounterspellsU
I faced UB Ninjas with my WWu deck at a recent extended tournament. He rocked me hard game one, Nezumi Cutthroat and Blinkmoth Nexus proved problematic for my extended deck. Game two I brought some removal in and had a better time. Game three he mana screwed.
Anyways, it was interesting. He was playing an entirely standard deck, too.
So what decks did you play against, and how did the matches play out?
The Nexuses run as another Ninjitsu outlet, and the fetchlands and off-color basic land allow for a more diverse sideboard without hurting your mana base.
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ISD Block UR - Burning Vengeance BG - The Rock RUG - RUG Control BBB - Zombies
i find the deck interesting.. "tech" with ornithopter and ninjitsu... but im sure if you went to a "competitive" tourney (ptq, gpt, gp) you'd get smashed by combo decks =/ (life, desires, aluren)
i'd consider running meloku aswell.. and i hope in ur sb u run some chills and energy flux.. and gilded drake maybe
I have a U/B ninja deck, using 12 hard to block creatures; Cloud Sprite (could use Cloud of Faeries), Ornithopter, and Dauthi Horror. It also uses Opposition, an idea I got from the following article. I use 4 copies of all blue ninjas (except one copy of Higure) and 7 black ninjas, including one Ink-Eye, 4 Throat Slitter, 1 Okiban and 1 Skullsnatcher for utility. I use Shurikan and Sickening Shoal for creature removal, very nice when you have plenty of ninjas to spare. I might consider using ONLY Sickening Shaol if I can get three more copies. More Higure would be a good idea, perhaps...
Here is the partial article from magicthegathering.com:
Oppo-Ninja
Extended Ninja deck
60 cards
4* Underground River
4* Polluted Delta
6* Swamp
9* Island
4* Cloud of Faeries
4* Ravenous Rats
4* Spiketail Hatchling
4* Mistblade Shinobi
4* Ninja of the Deep Hours
4* Throat Slitter
1* Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
4* Seal of Removal
4* Standstill
4* Opposition
Several people mentioned during the Prerelease that playing a Ninja with its ninjutsu ability doesn't trigger Standstill. That's amazing! To quote the mighty J.B., I may not know karate but I do know ka-razy!! Swapping an unblocked creature for a Mistblade Shinobi and bouncing one of your opponent's creatures under a Standstill is good beats, folks. Now, everybody knows that a Ninja is going to get at least one good smack in all stealthy-like. But what happens when he's played his trick and is lying out there in plain sight for your opponent to block? That's where Opposition comes in, tapping down your opponent's creatures so you can make sure the right Ninja for the job comes through, whether it's Mistblade for the bounce, Deep Hours for the draw, Throat Slitter for the creature-kill or Ink-Eyes for the help. Standstill breaks the game open; Opposition takes it to the net.
i find the deck interesting.. "tech" with ornithopter and ninjitsu... but im sure if you went to a "competitive" tourney (ptq, gpt, gp) you'd get smashed by combo decks =/ (life, desires, aluren)
That's why I would wait for the rotation to play this deck. Post-rotation kills combo decks hard core (though Breakfast is still around), so it would be easier to play the deck.
I'd up the Shackles to 4, since it completely destroys Madness if it resolves. I played MUC once in an extended tourney at my card store and got second (lost to Goblins, kept getting nuts draws). A lot of people are going to be playing Madness because it's really powerful, consistent, and is easy on the wallet.
So lets get to the decklist first.
1x Walker of the Secret Ways
3x Higure, the Still Wind
4x Ninja of the Deep Hours
4x Mistblade Shinobi
4x Ornithopter
4x Mana Leak
4x Counterspell
4x Fact or Fiction
4x Repulse
2x Shadow Rift
3x Vedalkan Shackles
22x Islands
Now for some notes: The field consisted of a variety of decks, many whcih were based in standard (there were two Tooth and Nail decks, tweaked to add some better extended cards, there was also Raffinity) as well as some standard blue-green madness and various beats incarnations.
Some card-by-card notes:
1x Walker of the Secret Ways - a gem. I am running only one of this guy because i can search her out with Higure, but it may need to be increaseda bit. Her ability to return ninjas to your hand is amazing, and seeing an opponent's hand when you are playing counterspells is also very relevant.
3x Higure the Still Wind - Excellent. The deck loves having Higure in play. He just smooths out the drops, fishing out more Ninphidians to draw you more cards and tricks. He deffinitely needs to be increased to 4.
4x Ninja of the deep hours - Ophidian on a 2/2 body which can come out swingin on turn two, this guy is just excellent.
4x Mistblade Shinobi - Not as great as in standard, his ability, while relevant, does not warrant 4 slots. He should probably be 3 or even 2, opening room up for another Higure.
4x Ornithopter - I know it seems funny, but ornithopter is essentially a free unblockable creature, coming down on turn one to allow for a turn 2 Ninphidian, which then allows you to replay the thopter for an attack on turn 3. The Thopter is just an excellent card for what this deck wants to do, and that is sneak in guys.
Mana Leak and Counterspell - Standard permission
Fact or Fiction - Just plain solid card drawing.
Repulse - one of my all-time favorite cards, Repulse serves double duty saving your guys or removing threats, all the while drawing you a card. I put this card in practically every extended deck i play, I love having one in my hand.
2x Shadowrift - Probably would have been more if i owned more. This card is very solid in a deck which needs guys to be unblockable. The card is a cantrip, but it also makes a guy unblockable or can remove the singular blocker standing in the way of you ninja squad. Very solid.
3x Vedalkan shackles - I'm sold. This card is one of the most powerful control cards mono-blue has. The benefit it grants is massive agaisnt aggro decks, and it gives you an extra attacker to try and sneak a ninja in with. Should probably be 4.
22 Islands - In a deck with this much card drwaing and no effect with a cost over 4, the deck can run smoothly on 22 lands.
So please, post you thoughts.
-Missilepenguin
Commander Decks:
WBRQueen Marchesa's Powerful FriendsRBW
URArjun, Mindmoil SphinxRU
GFreyalise and the ElvesG
GROmnath, Ramping to RageRG
UBaral, Chef of CounterspellsU
Anyways, it was interesting. He was playing an entirely standard deck, too.
So what decks did you play against, and how did the matches play out?
4 Flooded Strand -or- Polluted Delta
4 Blinkmoth Nexus
1 Misomething, School At Water's Edge
1 Plains -or- Swamp
12 Islands
The Nexuses run as another Ninjitsu outlet, and the fetchlands and off-color basic land allow for a more diverse sideboard without hurting your mana base.
Wolfwood Sama on MTGO (Westane for PureMTGO community events)
UR - Burning Vengeance
BG - The Rock
RUG - RUG Control
BBB - Zombies
i'd consider running meloku aswell.. and i hope in ur sb u run some chills and energy flux.. and gilded drake maybe
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=313841#post313841
Here is the partial article from magicthegathering.com:
Oppo-Ninja
Extended Ninja deck
60 cards
4* Underground River
4* Polluted Delta
6* Swamp
9* Island
4* Cloud of Faeries
4* Ravenous Rats
4* Spiketail Hatchling
4* Mistblade Shinobi
4* Ninja of the Deep Hours
4* Throat Slitter
1* Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
4* Seal of Removal
4* Standstill
4* Opposition
Several people mentioned during the Prerelease that playing a Ninja with its ninjutsu ability doesn't trigger Standstill. That's amazing! To quote the mighty J.B., I may not know karate but I do know ka-razy!! Swapping an unblocked creature for a Mistblade Shinobi and bouncing one of your opponent's creatures under a Standstill is good beats, folks. Now, everybody knows that a Ninja is going to get at least one good smack in all stealthy-like. But what happens when he's played his trick and is lying out there in plain sight for your opponent to block? That's where Opposition comes in, tapping down your opponent's creatures so you can make sure the right Ninja for the job comes through, whether it's Mistblade for the bounce, Deep Hours for the draw, Throat Slitter for the creature-kill or Ink-Eyes for the help. Standstill breaks the game open; Opposition takes it to the net.
That's why I would wait for the rotation to play this deck. Post-rotation kills combo decks hard core (though Breakfast is still around), so it would be easier to play the deck.
I'd up the Shackles to 4, since it completely destroys Madness if it resolves. I played MUC once in an extended tourney at my card store and got second (lost to Goblins, kept getting nuts draws). A lot of people are going to be playing Madness because it's really powerful, consistent, and is easy on the wallet.