Introduction
I'm a black mage, a spike, and consummate brewer. Reconciling this gets hard because I really don't like playing other people's decks or losing. This is my best modern creation yet and I'm ready to share.
This is a hybrid control deck that seeks to create an easily reproducible board state that is difficult to defeat. This board state is usually some number of Bloodghast and Lingering Souls tokens. Rather than backing this up with counter magic like its Hybrid Control brothers UB Faeries and Caw Blade, this deck uses Smallpox, hand disruption, and removal to quickly tax your opponent's board and resources to make them reliant on top decking while you beat them down with recurring threats. The deck also includes the tempo-oriented Gurmag Angler, which can just destroy them if you take their removal with hand disruption.
Smallpox
The whole deck is designed to maximize the utility of this card. We have 12 cards that can be cast or replayed from the graveyard. We have 2 lands that find you another if sacrificed with it. Playing Smallpox puts tons of cards in the graveyard for delving Gurmag Angler. It's definitely the best card in the deck and you rarely, if ever, want to sideboard it out.
Lingering Souls
These fine ladies make your discard spells better and give you pseudo card advantage. They're also a major source of damage over the long term.
Gurmag Angler
Your deck puts so many cards in the graveyard that the big fish can frequently come down on turn 2 or 3. If you have taken their removal you put them on a short clock while you seek to establish your later game board state. It's also worth noting that if you board this guy out you just blanked all of your opponent's spot removal.
The Spells
Liliana of the Veil
This is the second best card in the deck. You need the removal and the discard is literally always working out better for you than your opponent.
Faithless Looting
This is the toolbox card. With all of your graveyard recursion it's often card advantage instead of disadvantage. It's also fantastic at searching for sideboard cards. Additionally, it can give you explosive starts like double Bloodghast in play on turn 2 with removal up for their play or turn 2 Gurmag Angler
Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek
I found that you really need hand disruption as some cards aren't that easily answered by your removal spells. I also just love playing with perfect information. You can always pitch these late game with Faithless Looting
Lightning Bolt
This one needs no introduction. It's great against so many creatures in the format and also helps you get the opponent down to 10 so your Bloodghast has haste.
Terminate
This is your catch all removal spell. Sometimes I want a 3rd in the mainboard.
Kolaghan's Command
Oh sweet sweet card advantage. Being able to get back a Gurmag Angler is really handy on top of the other 3 extremely relevant abilities.
Damnation
I've found having a board wipe to be necessary. You're weak to aggro and sometimes you don't get the removal you need on time against tempo. This card really doesn't hurt your deck all that much so why not?
The Manabase
I've built this manabase using Frank Karsten's calculations. This gives you a 90% chance to have the colors you need on the turn you need it.
Blood Crypt + Godless Shrine + Swamp + Plains
These are your fetch targets. You have the basics you need to play around Blood Moon and use Flagstones of Trokair without really any inconvenience. You are frequently fetching the swamps anyway to cut down on damage to yourself.
Ghost Quarter
This really solidifies your advantage against many combo decks and your manabase can afford it.
Flagstones of Trokair
This card further increases your position vis-a-vis Smallpox. The manabase can't really afford more than 2 because of the black and red needs and you only have 2 plains to fetch anyway.
The Sideboard
This is certainly a continuous work in progress as I've only got about 20 matches under my belt with the deck. The deck's mainboard construction is favored against most control and combo decks because of the super heavy disruption. It's sideboard strategies are:
1. To become increasingly disruptive and resilient against Midrange Control (think Midrange attrition decks like Jund and Value Abzan). The mainboard has a roughly 50/50 matchup with this archetype.
2. To become more resilient and use board wipes to get 2 for 1s against Aggro, Midrange Beatdown, and Aggro Control decks (think Tempo decks like Delver). The mainboard is unfavored against these matchups.
3. To become super disruptive against combo decks.
4. To become super disruptive and then start landing Planeswalkers against control decks
Ajani Vengeant
My goal with this guy is to pull double duty - use him as a Lightning Helix on a stick against burn and as a resilient threat against Midrange and Control.
Timely Reinforcements
This guy will usually get both triggers if you're playing against Aggro, Aggro Control (tempo), or Midrange Beatdown. Otherwise don't bring him in. He's gold against these decks though.
Anger of the Gods
This guy is amazing against Aggro, Elves, and anyone running persist cards. You have to play your Bloodghast around it or board them out - the latter is acceptable if you're bringing in Timely Reinforcements to compensate for the loss of threats.
Thoughtseize
This is great against combo, control, and any decks with openings you're afraid of.
Engineered Explosives
This is your only way to get rid of Rest in Peace. It also kills artifacts and can serve as a semi sweeper effect against aggro.
Kolaghan's Command
This is good against affinity and any other deck that has a slow plan. It's just more card advantage.
Shadow of Doubt
This one is interesting. I bring it in against any slower 3 color deck. It's a huge blowout and it can be cycled if you don't have the opportunity to use it. It's also great against Chord of Calling and Expedition Map. This deck sorely needs card advantage so I'm trying it over Fulminator Mage.
That's it! I'll keep updating this thread as I get more experience and try out people's suggestions. Thanks for reading!
heres my similar current built. it has a more "controlish" built. what are your opinions in adding cards such as seismic assault,darkblast,vengeful pharaoh & wurm harvest?
spells
3 Seismic Assault
4 Life From The Loam
2 Liliana Of The Veil
4 Smallpox
3 Raven's Crime
2 Inquisition Of Kozilek
4 Faithless Looting
2 Flamejab
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Terminate
1 Worm Harvest
1 Vengeful Pharaoh
4 Bloodghast
Liliana is great, but I've been able to get away without her in my list to much success in my local meta. I'll post my list on the thread sometime.
I pack Ajani Vengeant as a 2-of, because his ultimate is teh only one amongst the Mardu-colored Planeswalkers that hits every Deck.
His other 2 Abilities are great in different MU too.
This deck is in a weird spot though.
It feels like playing BW Tokens in other Colors. Sometimes i play the Control, sometimes i am teh Beatdown.
Sadly mardu doesn't offer Tarmogoyf.
I'm testing Pia and Kiran Nalaar right now, but like to test Butcher of the Horde in the same spot.
It's more aggressive and likely closes games faster. It's downside is his enormous need for Food
He has synergy with Rotting rats and Bloodghast to turn dead flesh into life / pressure.
I cut Smallpox because of it's high variance reaching form "winning the match on his own" to "do nothing".
It fits much more with a Life from the Loam shell, where the Landloss is not so much of a downside.
Also W is only a splash furthermore.
It only gives a couple of Cards worth playing:
We share a lot of the same list, which is a good sign. My only worry is that you cut Smallpox. I've never really found it to be a do nothing card, unless it is the late game, in which case it can be looted away. I prefer to think that the graveyard interactions, like Bloodghast, Faithless, and Angler were included to compliment using Smallpox. Without that card, you might have a stronger deck playing a pure Mardu control build and dropping the graveyard interactions. How do you deal with not running out of gas?
I built the deck to be as close to a typical Mardu control deck as possible, since it has put up proven results. Ajax is on the sideboard for me, since I want to be more aggressive game 1. Sorin synergies well with Young Pyromancer and Bloodghast. I'm going a little more wide in my build than you are.
If running flagstones with smallpox you should likely have mote urborg or fetid heath. Sometimes a turn 2 smallpox to hit the 1 land and 1 creature your opponent played can be backbreaking if you can filter the white mana from flagstone with another land to do this means you are way ahead, especially if you can discard a bloodghast to smallpox and get landfall from flagstones. But with only 1 urborg and no filter land explosive plays like this are rarely possible
If running flagstones with smallpox you should likely have mote urborg or fetid heath. Sometimes a turn 2 smallpox to hit the 1 land and 1 creature your opponent played can be backbreaking if you can filter the white mana from flagstone with another land to do this means you are way ahead, especially if you can discard a bloodghast to smallpox and get landfall from flagstones. But with only 1 urborg and no filter land explosive plays like this are rarely possible
That's a great suggestion. I'll try dropping a fetch land to add in one fetid heath.
I know Legacy isn't modern, but in my Legacy BW smallpox deck I run 4 Urborg and 3 Flagstones. Same with my Modern Mardu PW control deck. You have a lot to gain the more often you can go turn 2 Flagstones and Urborg/other black filter into Smallpox taking a creature and land off your opponents side of the field.
I know Legacy isn't modern, but in my Legacy BW smallpox deck I run 4 Urborg and 3 Flagstones. Same with my Modern Mardu PW control deck. You have a lot to gain the more often you can go turn 2 Flagstones and Urborg/other black filter into Smallpox taking a creature and land off your opponents side of the field.
That does make sense, thanks for the tip. Do you mind posting your Mardu list? I'm curious of how you configure your mana base.
That's a neat list. Definitely on the control side of the spectrum whereas my build is more toward the aggro. It has very few wincons, even for control. Did you ever feel like you wanted more threats?
Not really. Lingering Souls with sorin was great, ajani is decent at slowing an opponent down alongside liliana who can take over the game all her own. At worst this deck has 8 of its removal spells that double as reach to help close a game faster.
We share a lot of the same list, which is a good sign. My only worry is that you cut Smallpox. I've never really found it to be a do nothing card, unless it is the late game, in which case it can be looted away. I prefer to think that the graveyard interactions, like Bloodghast, Faithless, and Angler were included to compliment using Smallpox. Without that card, you might have a stronger deck playing a pure Mardu control build and dropping the graveyard interactions. How do you deal with not running out of gas?
I built the deck to be as close to a typical Mardu control deck as possible, since it has put up proven results. Ajax is on the sideboard for me, since I want to be more aggressive game 1. Sorin synergies well with Young Pyromancer and Bloodghast. I'm going a little more wide in my build than you are.
I tend to cut Smallpox completely because it has so much anti-synergy with your own deck.
You need absolutely Flagstones of Trokair or it plain bad in a lot of situations. Running Pox with 0 Life from the Loam it totally greedy. Flastones does only provide W so you need at least 2-3 Fetid Heath to get this workin for you.
i provide Card Advantage with the Faithless Looting + Tormenting Voice package.
I pack Stuff that fits into a midrange BR shell and can be pitched to lootings for value:
Smallpox is a win-win-Card against some decks, against others it sets you back too much.
If you want to grind vs. certain decks you are likely to loose. think of Ancestral Vision and nahiri, the harbinger which presents serious clocks. Pox doesn't do much for you here.
List is pretty outdated and I was on a no creature package since creatures are very well answered in modern. Goblin dark dwellers is likely a good card to run as a 2 of perhaps. K command likely deserves a couple slots and would certainly be great post board with Fulminator mage. Things I could look into if I were to play modern again soon and end up running this.
I disagree with you on smallpox to an extent. Naturally with loam it is insane, but part of its value here is when you get those early smallpox plays and can fully take advantage of it. There are certain times where I can smallpox off flagstones and urborg turn 2 after an opponent played a creature and then follow up with boom targeting a fetchland of mine then fetch in response to further take advantage. It can lead to a lot of very strong plays and important mana denial. The fact that smallpox is just good in the deck with planeswalkers because I have card advantage and very few ways it actually hurts me makes it hard to possibly pass up.
The strategy is pretty simple, using your Pox and Boom/Bust to destroy lands and cast your threats after that. We can fill our graveyard with souls and bloodghast, while searching for answers to opposing threats with looting or discarding it because of pox. Later we can tax the other player with Magus or cast the Bedlam reveler.
The deck is great in a lot of matchups. The only problematic matchups are toolbox decks that can abuse of "mana rocks" or decks taht completely avoid lands with aether vial. I hope to bring more details of matchups of my local store.
Any feedbacks are highly appreciated.
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Introduction
I'm a black mage, a spike, and consummate brewer. Reconciling this gets hard because I really don't like playing other people's decks or losing. This is my best modern creation yet and I'm ready to share.
This is a hybrid control deck that seeks to create an easily reproducible board state that is difficult to defeat. This board state is usually some number of Bloodghast and Lingering Souls tokens. Rather than backing this up with counter magic like its Hybrid Control brothers UB Faeries and Caw Blade, this deck uses Smallpox, hand disruption, and removal to quickly tax your opponent's board and resources to make them reliant on top decking while you beat them down with recurring threats. The deck also includes the tempo-oriented Gurmag Angler, which can just destroy them if you take their removal with hand disruption.
The Deck
4x Bloodghast
4x Gurmag Angler
Spells
2x Damnation
4x Faithless Looting
3x Inquisition of Kozilek
1x Kolaghan's Command
4x Lightning Bolt
3x Liliana of the Veil
4x Lingering Souls
4x Smallpox
2x Terminate
2x Thoughtseize
1x Arid Mesa
4x Blackcleave Cliffs
2x Blood Crypt
4x Bloodstained Mire
2x Flagstones of Trokair
2x Ghost Quarter
1x Godless Shrine
4x Marsh Flats
1x Plains
2x Swamp
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2x Ajani Vengeant
2x Anger of the Gods
1x Dreadbore
1x Engineered Explosives
1x Kolaghan's Command
3x Shadow of Doubt
2x Sorin, Solemn Visitor
1x Thoughtseize
2x Timely Reinforcements
Card Choices
The Namesake
Smallpox
The whole deck is designed to maximize the utility of this card. We have 12 cards that can be cast or replayed from the graveyard. We have 2 lands that find you another if sacrificed with it. Playing Smallpox puts tons of cards in the graveyard for delving Gurmag Angler. It's definitely the best card in the deck and you rarely, if ever, want to sideboard it out.
The Threats
Bloodghast
This buddy is the workhorse of the deck. He can be pitched with Faithless Looting, Smallpox, or Liliana of the Veil and can deal consistent damage over the course of the game.
Lingering Souls
These fine ladies make your discard spells better and give you pseudo card advantage. They're also a major source of damage over the long term.
Gurmag Angler
Your deck puts so many cards in the graveyard that the big fish can frequently come down on turn 2 or 3. If you have taken their removal you put them on a short clock while you seek to establish your later game board state. It's also worth noting that if you board this guy out you just blanked all of your opponent's spot removal.
The Spells
Liliana of the Veil
This is the second best card in the deck. You need the removal and the discard is literally always working out better for you than your opponent.
Faithless Looting
This is the toolbox card. With all of your graveyard recursion it's often card advantage instead of disadvantage. It's also fantastic at searching for sideboard cards. Additionally, it can give you explosive starts like double Bloodghast in play on turn 2 with removal up for their play or turn 2 Gurmag Angler
Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek
I found that you really need hand disruption as some cards aren't that easily answered by your removal spells. I also just love playing with perfect information. You can always pitch these late game with Faithless Looting
Lightning Bolt
This one needs no introduction. It's great against so many creatures in the format and also helps you get the opponent down to 10 so your Bloodghast has haste.
Terminate
This is your catch all removal spell. Sometimes I want a 3rd in the mainboard.
Kolaghan's Command
Oh sweet sweet card advantage. Being able to get back a Gurmag Angler is really handy on top of the other 3 extremely relevant abilities.
Damnation
I've found having a board wipe to be necessary. You're weak to aggro and sometimes you don't get the removal you need on time against tempo. This card really doesn't hurt your deck all that much so why not?
The Manabase
I've built this manabase using Frank Karsten's calculations. This gives you a 90% chance to have the colors you need on the turn you need it.
Marsh Flats + Bloodstained Mire + Arid Mesa
9 fetch lands seems to generate plenty of delve fodder while fixing your mana.
Blood Crypt + Godless Shrine + Swamp + Plains
These are your fetch targets. You have the basics you need to play around Blood Moon and use Flagstones of Trokair without really any inconvenience. You are frequently fetching the swamps anyway to cut down on damage to yourself.
Blackcleave Cliffs + Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
You need these for turn 1 Thoughtseize, Inquisition of Kozilek, Faithless Looting, Lightning Bolt. They also cut down on the damage your manabase does to you.
Ghost Quarter
This really solidifies your advantage against many combo decks and your manabase can afford it.
Flagstones of Trokair
This card further increases your position vis-a-vis Smallpox. The manabase can't really afford more than 2 because of the black and red needs and you only have 2 plains to fetch anyway.
The Sideboard
This is certainly a continuous work in progress as I've only got about 20 matches under my belt with the deck. The deck's mainboard construction is favored against most control and combo decks because of the super heavy disruption. It's sideboard strategies are:
1. To become increasingly disruptive and resilient against Midrange Control (think Midrange attrition decks like Jund and Value Abzan). The mainboard has a roughly 50/50 matchup with this archetype.
2. To become more resilient and use board wipes to get 2 for 1s against Aggro, Midrange Beatdown, and Aggro Control decks (think Tempo decks like Delver). The mainboard is unfavored against these matchups.
3. To become super disruptive against combo decks.
4. To become super disruptive and then start landing Planeswalkers against control decks
Ajani Vengeant
My goal with this guy is to pull double duty - use him as a Lightning Helix on a stick against burn and as a resilient threat against Midrange and Control.
Sorin, Solemn Visitor
Same deal except he can't kill a creature but works great with tokens from Lingering Souls and Timely Reinforcements.
Timely Reinforcements
This guy will usually get both triggers if you're playing against Aggro, Aggro Control (tempo), or Midrange Beatdown. Otherwise don't bring him in. He's gold against these decks though.
Anger of the Gods
This guy is amazing against Aggro, Elves, and anyone running persist cards. You have to play your Bloodghast around it or board them out - the latter is acceptable if you're bringing in Timely Reinforcements to compensate for the loss of threats.
Thoughtseize
This is great against combo, control, and any decks with openings you're afraid of.
Dreadbore
Sometimes you just want another removal spell and this guy kills Karn Liberated and Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
Engineered Explosives
This is your only way to get rid of Rest in Peace. It also kills artifacts and can serve as a semi sweeper effect against aggro.
Kolaghan's Command
This is good against affinity and any other deck that has a slow plan. It's just more card advantage.
Shadow of Doubt
This one is interesting. I bring it in against any slower 3 color deck. It's a huge blowout and it can be cycled if you don't have the opportunity to use it. It's also great against Chord of Calling and Expedition Map. This deck sorely needs card advantage so I'm trying it over Fulminator Mage.
That's it! I'll keep updating this thread as I get more experience and try out people's suggestions. Thanks for reading!
spells
3 Seismic Assault
4 Life From The Loam
2 Liliana Of The Veil
4 Smallpox
3 Raven's Crime
2 Inquisition Of Kozilek
4 Faithless Looting
2 Flamejab
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Terminate
1 Worm Harvest
1 Vengeful Pharaoh
4 Bloodghast
lands
3 Graven Cairns
2 Twilight Mire
1 Overgrown Tomb
3 Blood Crypt
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Raging Ravine
2 Rootbound Craig
1 Forest
1 Dakmor Salvage
1 Swamp
2 Wooded Foothills
2 Stomping Ground
3 Bloodstained Mire
1 Dragonskull Summit
2 Woodland Cemtery
1 Urborg,tomb of yawgmoth
BR(w) Smallpox Control
There is much space for brewing, especially Tormenting Voice and sometimes Nahiri, the Harbinger maybe fit in here.
sadly Liliana of the Veil is piece of the Core Cards, which i don't own.
That's the reason i gave up on that archetype.
Green @ it's best
Liliana is great, but I've been able to get away without her in my list to much success in my local meta. I'll post my list on the thread sometime.
I pack Ajani Vengeant as a 2-of, because his ultimate is teh only one amongst the Mardu-colored Planeswalkers that hits every Deck.
His other 2 Abilities are great in different MU too.
This deck is in a weird spot though.
It feels like playing BW Tokens in other Colors. Sometimes i play the Control, sometimes i am teh Beatdown.
Sadly mardu doesn't offer Tarmogoyf.
I'm testing Pia and Kiran Nalaar right now, but like to test Butcher of the Horde in the same spot.
It's more aggressive and likely closes games faster. It's downside is his enormous need for Food
He has synergy with Rotting rats and Bloodghast to turn dead flesh into life / pressure.
I cut Smallpox because of it's high variance reaching form "winning the match on his own" to "do nothing".
It fits much more with a Life from the Loam shell, where the Landloss is not so much of a downside.
Also W is only a splash furthermore.
It only gives a couple of Cards worth playing:
- Path to Exile
- Lingering Souls
- Ajani Vengeant
- Lightning Helix
and thus doesn't fit the bill perfectly.This is my list for reference:
4 Bloodstaind Mire
4 Polluted Delta
2 Blood Crypt
1 Godless Shrine
1 Shambling Vent
1 Isolated Chapel
2 Graven Cairns
1 Drownyard Temple
1 Rix Maadi, Dungeon Palace
2 Swamp
1 Mountain
22 Lands
2 thoughtseize
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Terminate
2 Kolaghan'S Command
14 Disruption & Removal
4 Faithless Looting
3 Tormenting Voice
4 Bloodghast
4 Lingering Souls
3 Rotting Rats
18 Value, Draw & Critters
2 Pia and Kira Nalaar
2 Ajani Vengeant
6 Beater & Big Buffs
Green @ it's best
Here is my list:
4x Bloodghast
3x Young Pyromancer
2x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
1x Gurmag Angler
1x Sorin, Solemn Visitor
Instants/Soceries: 26
3x Faithless Looting
4x Inquisition of Kozilek
1x Kolaghan's Command
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Lightning Helix
4x Lingering Souls
2x Painful Truths
4x Smallpox
2x Terminate
4x Marsh Flats
4x Bloodstained Mire
1x Godless Shrine
1x Sacred Foundry
2x Blood Crypt
4x Blackcleave Cliffs
1x Plains
2x Swamp
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1x Vault of the Archangel
2x Flagstones of Trokair
1x Ajani Vengeant
1x Crumble to Dust
1x Duress
1x Lightning Helix
2x Molten Rain
1x Rakdos Charm
1x Stony Silence
1x Terminate
1x Timely Reinforcements
1x Torpor Orb
2x Wear / Tear
1x Wrath of God
1x Zealous Persecution
Link to deck @ TappedOut.net
I built the deck to be as close to a typical Mardu control deck as possible, since it has put up proven results. Ajax is on the sideboard for me, since I want to be more aggressive game 1. Sorin synergies well with Young Pyromancer and Bloodghast. I'm going a little more wide in my build than you are.
That's a great suggestion. I'll try dropping a fetch land to add in one fetid heath.
That does make sense, thanks for the tip. Do you mind posting your Mardu list? I'm curious of how you configure your mana base.
4 Bloodstained Mire
3 Flagstones of Trokair
3 Godless Shrine
4 Marsh Flats
2 Mountain
1 Plains
4 Sacred Foundry
2 Swamp
3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Ajani Vengeant
4 Boom // Bust (Boom)
1 Damnation
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Isochron Scepter
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
3 Liliana of the Veil
4 Lingering Souls
4 Smallpox
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
1 Wrath of God
That's a neat list. Definitely on the control side of the spectrum whereas my build is more toward the aggro. It has very few wincons, even for control. Did you ever feel like you wanted more threats?
I tend to cut Smallpox completely because it has so much anti-synergy with your own deck.
You need absolutely Flagstones of Trokair or it plain bad in a lot of situations. Running Pox with 0 Life from the Loam it totally greedy. Flastones does only provide W so you need at least 2-3 Fetid Heath to get this workin for you.
i provide Card Advantage with the Faithless Looting + Tormenting Voice package.
I pack Stuff that fits into a midrange BR shell and can be pitched to lootings for value:
My mid- / endgame is about Gurmag Angler and Ajani Vengeant.
Against Combo / Control i pack 2-of Rix Maadi, Dungeon Palace.
Smallpox is a win-win-Card against some decks, against others it sets you back too much.
If you want to grind vs. certain decks you are likely to loose. think of Ancestral Vision and nahiri, the harbinger which presents serious clocks. Pox doesn't do much for you here.
Green @ it's best
Why not Goblin Dark-Dwellers?
It is able to flashback Boom//Bust for the Bust-Side (that is totally conform with the rules).
Also Fulminator mage + Kolaghan's Command for value is a nice idea.
Green @ it's best
I disagree with you on smallpox to an extent. Naturally with loam it is insane, but part of its value here is when you get those early smallpox plays and can fully take advantage of it. There are certain times where I can smallpox off flagstones and urborg turn 2 after an opponent played a creature and then follow up with boom targeting a fetchland of mine then fetch in response to further take advantage. It can lead to a lot of very strong plays and important mana denial. The fact that smallpox is just good in the deck with planeswalkers because I have card advantage and very few ways it actually hurts me makes it hard to possibly pass up.
And I'm playing avariant with lot of little synergies: mitigating lands, creatures and taxing the opponent.
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Arid Mesa
2 Bedlam Reveler
2 Blackcleave Cliffs
3 Blood Crypt
3 Bloodghast
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Boom // Bust
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
3 Faithless Looting
3 Fatal Push
3 Flagstones of Trokair
2 Godless Shrine
1 Kolaghan's Command
4 Lingering Souls
2 Magus of the Tabernacle
3 Marsh Flats
1 Plains
2 Sacred Foundry
4 Smallpox
1 Swamp
3 Terminate
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Wall of Omens
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Anguished Unmaking
2 Crackling Doom
2 Hallowed Moonlight
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Stony Silence
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Wear // Tear
1 Wrath of God
The strategy is pretty simple, using your Pox and Boom/Bust to destroy lands and cast your threats after that. We can fill our graveyard with souls and bloodghast, while searching for answers to opposing threats with looting or discarding it because of pox. Later we can tax the other player with Magus or cast the Bedlam reveler.
The deck is great in a lot of matchups. The only problematic matchups are toolbox decks that can abuse of "mana rocks" or decks taht completely avoid lands with aether vial. I hope to bring more details of matchups of my local store.
Any feedbacks are highly appreciated.