Hey guys I wanna build a French 1v1 deck so I am looking at building this guy (Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon). Has anyone played him before? Suggestions on building him? I was thinking pump with being unblockable would be a good start. Maybe a voltron element? Lemme know how you guys feel about him. If he sucks and I should pick another general let me know!
Most competitive 1v1 french players seem to go with Skittles as a combo deck; they run as much mana ramp and disruption as possible to get the hasted flyer out as fast as possible, rather than sit back and control the game like MBC.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with running a mono black control list with Skythyrix as the finisher once the game has ground to a halt, but there are probably some black Commanders who would serve that role better (by being a controlling utility creature AND a finisher, rather than just being a finisher.)
Skittles is an Aggro, Control, Combo hybrid. You run lots of targeted discard, removal, sweepers and mass discard. If a targeted discard reveals a hand you can race, you can aggro an opponent out and kill in 3 turns. If it reveals a fast aggro hand, try to stabilize the board by tutoring sweepers and start racing after clearing the board. If it reveals removals and counters, tutor for mass discard and attack the hand then start racing when both of you are in top deck mode. Then you have Nightmare Lash and Lashwrithe as an out of nowhere combo kill.
Basically a hand with targeted discard and Nightmare Lash/Lashwrithe sets you up for a combo kill. If the opponent have one or no removal, you can combo kill in 1 turn.
Lands to include are:
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Cabal Coffers
Cavern of Souls
Boseiju, Who Shelters All
Hall of the Bandit Lord
OK so this i the list I came up with. I looked a bunch of Skythirix lists and pooled ideas from there. Lemme know what I should add/cut. I also like to run a Reassembling Skeleton/Contamination combo as an alt win con just dunno what to cut. I also wanna make space for an Ensnaring Bridge. it would cool to stick a Solemn Simulacrum in there somewhere. If I should just make a new thread i can do that as well.
(What the hell did you RL MTG players do to Portal? Did you hate it so much that you had deck burning bonfires to get rid of the cards, thus increasing the rarity and prices? Did people mail back their fat packs to WotC in droves, demanding refunds?)
Did I just play 2 games with you on Cockatrice earlier? I played a guy running Skittles and he had almost the same deck, though I s'pose there are many common additions to a mono black infect deck.
I really don't think you need as much discard as you have. I would focus on ramping Skittles into play and then slapping as much infect on him as possible. So lose the dicard block, and focus on infect boosts, and minor infect critters.
And Cathedral of War is a nice way to fit exalted into the deck, adding an extra infect counter. Maybe throw in an expedition map to tutor for those special lands.
I don't have Cockatrice, but thanks for the responses guys. I'll post an updated list tonight or tomorrow.
The discard is there to hopefully stopping removal from eating my guy.
As for infect boosts, would Bonesplitter be a worth while addition? Cheap to play and if Skittles dies I can just reequip it later.\
Also I am considering making this normal 1v1 instead of French as it will prolly be a lot stronger, but I kinda want a French deck for the funsies. Or I could just sideboard stuff in out and play both formats. Hmmmmm. Meditate on this I must.
Though I don't think Whispering Specter is the most popular card, it's a good one-two punch right before you bring out Skittles if you want to ensure you're opponent can't fight back - I'd assume you've added some counters before hand, then hit with Specter, sacrifice, opponent loses his/her hand, then bring out Skittles and swing.
(What the hell did you RL MTG players do to Portal? Did you hate it so much that you had deck burning bonfires to get rid of the cards, thus increasing the rarity and prices? Did people mail back their fat packs to WotC in droves, demanding refunds?)
I don't understand... you want to go cheaper, but include imperial seal? Im confused
Also, do not under estimate ancient tomb in this kind of deck, it helps a lot in an opener for those explosive immediate win situations. Wasteland and Dust Bowl are better options IMO than what you listed as their replacements, and thoughtseize... well... what can I say, I don't play on a budget? It's the best.
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Standard:
Retired.
Modern:
Blitzhelix! RW
EDH (1v1): I am a jerk! RG Tiny Leaders (1v1): BURN! R
I don't understand... you want to go cheaper, but include imperial seal? Im confused
It's a MTGO/Portal thing. See sig.
I'm still thinking about some of the lands. Inkmoth Nexus is probably worth the $5, and I think I could get Ancient Tomb for 2.5. Wasteland is priced through the stratosphere for some reason, and Tectonic Edge almost does the same thing.
and thoughtseize... well... what can I say, I don't play on a budget? It's the best.
Yeah, one of those cards that just wasn't balanced quite right compared to the other options. The 2 life is a pittance, even in standard. Making it 3-4 life would have made more sense, and still a great card in EDH, while keeping the real price down.
EDIT:
Hmmm...while I occasionally get some lucky wins, this deck sucks against blue, which seems to completely dominate the landscape. I don't think I've encountered a player yet that wasn't playing mono-blue or some form of blue. It seems like I should be switching out some kill cards for discards.
It's not so much the counterspells or creatures as it is the land ramp. There's not enough card draw to keep up with the awesome land ramp from blue decks. Splash in some green (like Animar, Soul of Elements decks), and you get both card draw and land ramp. Black has it, but only in the form of artifacts and short-term sac lands (like Lake of the Dead).
(What the hell did you RL MTG players do to Portal? Did you hate it so much that you had deck burning bonfires to get rid of the cards, thus increasing the rarity and prices? Did people mail back their fat packs to WotC in droves, demanding refunds?)
Nameless Inversion is an overlooked spell for this deck. It helps you race when you need to, and helps you control when you need to. Same goes for its little sibling, funeral charm.
Updated List:
1 Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
Discard, 10
1 Duress
1 Despise
1 Inquisition of Kozelik
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Mind Twist
1 Mind Shatter
1 Thoughtseize
1 Distress
1 Stupor
1 Raven's Crime
Artifact Ramp, 15
1 Dark Ritual
1 Lotus Petal
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Chrome Mox
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Coliation Relic
1 Mox Diamond
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Star Compass
1 Mind Stone
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Grim Monolith
1 Jet Medallion
1 Damnation
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Doom Blade
1 Go for the Throat
1 Mutilate
1 Snuff Out
1 Consuming Vapors
1 Chainer's Edict
1 Ashes to Ashes
1 Geth's Verdict
Equipment & Win Conditions, 12
1 Skullclamp
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Nightmare Lash
1 Lashwrithe
1 Howl from Beyond
1 Hatred
1 Unspeakable Symbol
1 Dauthi Embrace
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Night's Whisper
1 Dark Tutalage
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Sign in Blood
Infect/ Proliferate, 5
1 Decimator Web
1 Grim Affliction
1 Caress of Phyrexia
1 Ichor Rats
1 Contagion Clasp
Lands, 40
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Command Tower
Makes Skittles pseudo-unblockable, but can also be used to get rid of potential blockers for a turn.
Edit: I will be running Hatred for sure
Should I be running Cabal Coffers?
You could also try throwing in a land control package of Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and Contamination, Bloodghast, Reassembling Skeleton, and Nether Traitor.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with running a mono black control list with Skythyrix as the finisher once the game has ground to a halt, but there are probably some black Commanders who would serve that role better (by being a controlling utility creature AND a finisher, rather than just being a finisher.)
EDH Decks:
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Tajic, Blade of the Legion
Oloro, Ageless Ascetic
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
Purphoros, God of the Forge
Ezuri, Renegade Leader 1v1
Prossh, Skyraider of Kher 1v1
Hythonia the Cruel
Trying to build:
Jenara, Asura of War
Designing a Custom Set:
Clash of the Cultures: 5 Wedges, 5 Cultures
Providing Artwork for:
Archester: Frontier of Steam
Basically a hand with targeted discard and Nightmare Lash/Lashwrithe sets you up for a combo kill. If the opponent have one or no removal, you can combo kill in 1 turn.
Lands to include are:
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Cabal Coffers
Cavern of Souls
Boseiju, Who Shelters All
Hall of the Bandit Lord
UWR Midrange
BRG Jund
BG Rock
UR Storm
The Philippine Modern Community
RGWUB MTG Modern Philippines
1 Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
Discard, 10
1 Duress
1 Despise
1 Inquisition of Kozelik
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Mind Twist
1 Mind Shatter
1 Thoughtseize
1 Distress
1 Stupor
1 Raven's Crime
Artifact Ramp, 15
1 Dark Ritual
1 Lotus Petal
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Chrome Mox
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Coliation Relic
1 Mox Diamond
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Star Compass
1 Mind Stone
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Grim Monolith
1 Jet Medallion
1 Damnation
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Doom Blade
1 Go for the Throat
1 Mutilate
1 Snuff Out
1 Consuming Vapors
1 Chainer's Edict
1 Ashes to Ashes
1 Geth's Verdict
Equipment & Win Conditions, 12
1 Skullclamp
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Nightmare Lash
1 Lashwrithe
1 Howl from Beyond
1 Hatred
1 Unspeakable Symbol
1 Dauthi Embrace
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Night's Whisper
1 Dark Tutalage
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Sign in Blood
Infect/ Proliferate, 5
1 Decimator Web
1 Grim Affliction
1 Caress of Phyrexia
1 Ichor Rats
1 Contagion Clasp
Lands, 40
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Command Tower
All Is Dust - removal for Iona, Enchantments, Protection from Black
Karn Liberated - removal for Iona, Enchantments, Protection from Black, Alternate Win Con
UWR Midrange
BRG Jund
BG Rock
UR Storm
The Philippine Modern Community
RGWUB MTG Modern Philippines
Maybe
- Mutilate
- Geth's Verdict
+ Karn Liberated
+ All is Dust
???
IDK what to cut for Yawg Win.
Definitely this. Lake of the Dead is a nice mono-black land. This could be great for quick Skittles kills.
Dies to nonbasic land hate & does not fuel coffers?
On the same token, I think you should run wasteland and/or tectonic edge. Maze of Ith is kind of a *****.
I really don't think you need as much discard as you have. I would focus on ramping Skittles into play and then slapping as much infect on him as possible. So lose the dicard block, and focus on infect boosts, and minor infect critters.
I would look at Snake Cult Initiation and Ichorclaw Myr - cheap infect dude, good for blocking early in the game.
Also Lethal Vapors buys you some time.
And Cathedral of War is a nice way to fit exalted into the deck, adding an extra infect counter. Maybe throw in an expedition map to tutor for those special lands.
GWUBRDraft my Old Border Nostalgia Cube! and/or The Little Pauper Cube That Could!RBUWG
Modern:WDeath & TaxesW | RUGRUG DelverRUG
The discard is there to hopefully stopping removal from eating my guy.
As for infect boosts, would Bonesplitter be a worth while addition? Cheap to play and if Skittles dies I can just reequip it later.\
Also I am considering making this normal 1v1 instead of French as it will prolly be a lot stronger, but I kinda want a French deck for the funsies. Or I could just sideboard stuff in out and play both formats. Hmmmmm. Meditate on this I must.
GWUBRDraft my Old Border Nostalgia Cube! and/or The Little Pauper Cube That Could!RBUWG
Modern:WDeath & TaxesW | RUGRUG DelverRUG
Here is mine:
1 Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
Land (37)
24 Snow-Covered Swamp
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Winding Canyons
1 Wasteland
1 Dust Bowl
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Barren Moor
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Urbog, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Lake of the Dead
1 Scrying Sheets
Creatures (21)
1cc
1 Vector Asp
1 Ichorclaw Myr
1 Plague Myr
1 Plague Stinger
1 Necropede
1 Swamp Mosquito
1 Ichor Rats
1 Phyrexian Crusader
1 Whispering Specter
1 Septic Rats
1 Necroskitter
1 Suq'Ata Assassin
1 Contagious Nim
1 Corpse Cur
1 Hand of the Praetors
1 Phyrexian Vatmother
1 Core Prowler
1 Flesh-Eater Imp
1 Reaper of Sheoldred
1 Phyrexian Juggernaut
Artifacts (9)
1 Nim Deathmantle
1 Viridian Longbow
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Lashwrithe
1 Nightmare Lash
1 Contagion Clasp
1 Contagion Engine
1 Decimator Web
Spells - Draw/Tutor/Accel (11)
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Liliana Vess
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Greed
1 Night's Whisper
1 Profane Command
1 Promise of Power
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Dark Ritual
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Caress of Phyrexia
1 Thoughtseize
1 Distress
1 Mind Shatter
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Stupor
1 Praetor's Grasp
1 Damnation
1 Black Sun's Zenith
1 Rain of Daggers
1 Chainer's Edict
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Geth's Verdict
1 Devour in Shadow
1 Disemember
1 Ashes to Ashes
1 Spread the Sickness
Spells - Pump (4)
1 Dauthi Embrace
1 Hatred
1 Howl from beyond
1 Unspeakable Symbol
Standard:
Retired.
Modern:
Blitzhelix! RW
EDH (1v1): I am a jerk! RG
Tiny Leaders (1v1): BURN! R
-1 Thoughtseize (wow, this is 25 credits?)
+1 Despise (other options: Distress, Duress, Inquisition of Kozilek, Mire's Toll)
-1 Demonic Tutor (one day I will actually buy one...)
+1 Imperial Seal
-1 Diabolic Edict (though, it is only 2.5 credits)
+1 Tribute to Hunger (at least the life gain is cool)
-1 Lion's Eye Diamond
+1 Sol Ring (not French legal, I believe)
-1 Dust Bowl
+1 Ghost Quarter (just a better choice, IMO)
-1 Wasteland
+1 Tectonic Edge
-1 Ancient Tomb
+1 Temple of the False God
I don't understand... you want to go cheaper, but include imperial seal? Im confused
Also, do not under estimate ancient tomb in this kind of deck, it helps a lot in an opener for those explosive immediate win situations. Wasteland and Dust Bowl are better options IMO than what you listed as their replacements, and thoughtseize... well... what can I say, I don't play on a budget? It's the best.
Standard:
Retired.
Modern:
Blitzhelix! RW
EDH (1v1): I am a jerk! RG
Tiny Leaders (1v1): BURN! R
It's a MTGO/Portal thing. See sig.
I'm still thinking about some of the lands. Inkmoth Nexus is probably worth the $5, and I think I could get Ancient Tomb for 2.5. Wasteland is priced through the stratosphere for some reason, and Tectonic Edge almost does the same thing.
Yeah, one of those cards that just wasn't balanced quite right compared to the other options. The 2 life is a pittance, even in standard. Making it 3-4 life would have made more sense, and still a great card in EDH, while keeping the real price down.
EDIT:
Hmmm...while I occasionally get some lucky wins, this deck sucks against blue, which seems to completely dominate the landscape. I don't think I've encountered a player yet that wasn't playing mono-blue or some form of blue. It seems like I should be switching out some kill cards for discards.
It's not so much the counterspells or creatures as it is the land ramp. There's not enough card draw to keep up with the awesome land ramp from blue decks. Splash in some green (like Animar, Soul of Elements decks), and you get both card draw and land ramp. Black has it, but only in the form of artifacts and short-term sac lands (like Lake of the Dead).
EDIT: I also got an Inkmoth Nexus =D
I'm not sure Skithiryx is the right choice, but there's definitely room for an MBC deck in the meta now.