This is my take on Black/Blue/Green Life from the Loam deck.
Life from the Loam is one of my top two favourite cards of all time next to Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. (which is funny, since she hard counters Loam decks)
I'll get straight to it and post a deck list and then explain my card choices. It's also 61 cards...Sorry.
Thrun, the Last Troll
This guy is a win-con that works vs anything. Good against any deck, any way, anyhow. He will go the whole 20 life, un-counterable, un-targetable, un-killable unless Wrath of God/Damnation pretty much, so only really killable in control and after sideboard, even then, he will provide problems.
Bloodghast
Great with Life from the Loam, unless you exile my Graveyard, you are not getting rid of this guy.
Unfortunately, he can't block, but our removal and counters should make up for this.
Meloku the Clouded Mirror
I've been looking for win-cons in BUG that work well with Lands, whether it's discarding them or being able to always play them.
Flying goes a long way in Modern and it gives me more fuel late in the game for Retrace.
Also, can you imagine having Meloku and Trade Routes on the field and a Life from the Loam in hand/in graveyard? Card advantage city, population: Me.
Pack Rat
I had 4 Bloodghasts and 1 AEtherling, but late game, with a Loam ready and online, packrat just seems so crazy!
Couldn't resist.
Glen Elandra Archmage
This girl is good at countering graveyard hate, and we die to graveyard hate. When someone goes to cast a Nihil Spellbomb, I want this girl to be ready and waiting.
She also flies. May come out in favour of Vendillion Clique, only bad part is that it doesn't discard, and it doesn't hit lands.
Life from the Loam
The reason I built this deck. The fuel of the deck, with cards like Raven's Crime and Bloodghast being the train.
Arguably one of the most cost effective cards in the format, it's a beautiful card to build around.
Worm Harvest
A Win-Con, a blocker producer, repeatable, works with Loam and the other discard cards in my deck.
A one of, because having two in a game won't accomplish much more than having one.
Oona's Grace
Instant. Card Draw. Retrace.
Basically made for this deck.
Again, a one of because having two in a game will give out the same results as one.
Maelstrom Pulse
Some of the best removal in the format.
Not much more to say.
Slaughter Pact
Transmuteable with Tolaria West.
Can leave self tapped out, forcing over commitment to an offense thinking it's "their chance".
Can't destroy black creatures ;_;
Remand
Great counter spell that fits snugly into this deck. Two for one. Helps vs all sorts. (Disclaimer All Sorts is not a deck)
Good stuff.
Tear // Away
I wish I could fit one more of these in, it's such a good card for this deck...
Potential two for one removal, but in times of need, can be cast turns 2/3.
Sacrifice is good vs Boggle which I have a feeling we lose to, which is why we need one more.
Bile Blight
Mini Maelstrom Pulse.
Love this card, I can see great things for it in Moderns future.
Really gotta test it. Might take one out for another Tear // Away
Trade Routes
Hard to argue with this one.
Mid-Late game, I can see this winning me games.
Anything more than a one of will be bad, because seeing two in a game will hurt my achey breakey heart.
Liliana of the Veil
Discard that works in our favour, putting lands in there for Loam/Worm Harvest.
Sacrifice Removal.
Absolutely beautiful in this deck.
Can't ask for much more.
I DON'T HAVE THE CASH FOR FETCH LANDS BECAUSE THEY ARE £70+ BNJKGNWEGOJIGABN***NHB ARGHHHH
Lands that do stuff Creeping Tar Pit
A non-wrathable win-con that I can recur with Life from the Loam.
Played over Treetop Village because it taps for two colourless.
No fourth because we don't want too many "comes into play tapped" lands because we have a very important one drop.
Horizon Canopy
Does Trade Routes' job before I have it out.
Works well with Loam. Can't run more than two because only tap for GREEn in this deck.
What are your thoughts on this deck? Any input?
Cards in? Cards out? More of what? Less of what?
Really want a one of Eternal witness to be squeezed in.
I'll post a list of cards that have gone in and come back out again below:
Life from the Loam is one of my top two favourite cards of all time next to Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. (which is funny, since she hard counters Loam decks)
I'll get straight to it and post a deck list and then explain my card choices. It's also 61 cards...Sorry.
2 Thrun, the Last Troll
3 Bloodghast
3 Courser of Kruphix
1 Meloku the Clouded Mirror
2 Pack Rat
2 Glen Elendra Archmage
Interrupt/Sorcery (20)
4 Life from the Loam
1 Worm Harvest
1 Oona's Grace
4 Raven's Crime
2 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Slaughter Pact
4 Remand
1 Far // Away
2 Bile Blight
1 Trade Routes
Planeswalker (2)
2 Liliana of the Veil
Architecture (25)
NOT ENOUGH MONEY FOR FETCH LAND BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL £60+ WHICH IS HORRIFYING
4 Breeding Pool
3 Overgrown Tomb
3 Watery Grave
1 Verdant Catacombs
3 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
1 Tolaria West
2 Twilight Mire
2 Horizon Canopy
2 Swamp
1 Forest
3 Back to Nature
1 Spellskite
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Torpor Orb
2 Obstinate Baloth
1 Creeping Corrosion
1 Krosan Grip
1 Sever the Bloodline
CARD CHOICES
Thrun, the Last Troll
This guy is a win-con that works vs anything. Good against any deck, any way, anyhow. He will go the whole 20 life, un-counterable, un-targetable, un-killable unless Wrath of God/Damnation pretty much, so only really killable in control and after sideboard, even then, he will provide problems.
Bloodghast
Great with Life from the Loam, unless you exile my Graveyard, you are not getting rid of this guy.
Unfortunately, he can't block, but our removal and counters should make up for this.
Courser of Kruphix
Still needs more testing, but as far as I can see, it's 4 toughness, it's a good Dark Confidant replacement with 25 lands (because to hell with paying £60 each) and works well with Loam, Meloku the Clouded Mirror and Trade Routes.
Meloku the Clouded Mirror
I've been looking for win-cons in BUG that work well with Lands, whether it's discarding them or being able to always play them.
Flying goes a long way in Modern and it gives me more fuel late in the game for Retrace.
Also, can you imagine having Meloku and Trade Routes on the field and a Life from the Loam in hand/in graveyard? Card advantage city, population: Me.
Pack Rat
I had 4 Bloodghasts and 1 AEtherling, but late game, with a Loam ready and online, packrat just seems so crazy!
Couldn't resist.
Glen Elandra Archmage
This girl is good at countering graveyard hate, and we die to graveyard hate. When someone goes to cast a Nihil Spellbomb, I want this girl to be ready and waiting.
She also flies. May come out in favour of Vendillion Clique, only bad part is that it doesn't discard, and it doesn't hit lands.
Life from the Loam
The reason I built this deck. The fuel of the deck, with cards like Raven's Crime and Bloodghast being the train.
Arguably one of the most cost effective cards in the format, it's a beautiful card to build around.
Worm Harvest
A Win-Con, a blocker producer, repeatable, works with Loam and the other discard cards in my deck.
A one of, because having two in a game won't accomplish much more than having one.
Oona's Grace
Instant. Card Draw. Retrace.
Basically made for this deck.
Again, a one of because having two in a game will give out the same results as one.
Raven's Crime
Life from the Loam's best friend.
This baby is a bad draw late game, but can you can keep hands you would otherwise discard if this card is in there with it.
5 lands + Thrun, the Last Troll + Glen Elendra Archmage? Nah...5 Lands + Raven's Crime + Thrun? WINDMILL SLAM KEEP.
Maelstrom Pulse
Some of the best removal in the format.
Not much more to say.
Slaughter Pact
Transmuteable with Tolaria West.
Can leave self tapped out, forcing over commitment to an offense thinking it's "their chance".
Can't destroy black creatures ;_;
Remand
Great counter spell that fits snugly into this deck. Two for one. Helps vs all sorts. (Disclaimer All Sorts is not a deck)
Good stuff.
Tear // Away
I wish I could fit one more of these in, it's such a good card for this deck...
Potential two for one removal, but in times of need, can be cast turns 2/3.
Sacrifice is good vs Boggle which I have a feeling we lose to, which is why we need one more.
Bile Blight
Mini Maelstrom Pulse.
Love this card, I can see great things for it in Moderns future.
Really gotta test it. Might take one out for another Tear // Away
Trade Routes
Hard to argue with this one.
Mid-Late game, I can see this winning me games.
Anything more than a one of will be bad, because seeing two in a game will hurt my achey breakey heart.
Liliana of the Veil
Discard that works in our favour, putting lands in there for Loam/Worm Harvest.
Sacrifice Removal.
Absolutely beautiful in this deck.
Can't ask for much more.
I DON'T HAVE THE CASH FOR FETCH LANDS BECAUSE THEY ARE £70+ BNJKGNWEGOJIGABN***NHB ARGHHHH
Just Mana Fixing Lands:
Breeding Pool
Overgrown Tomb
Watery Grave
Verdant Catacombs
Twilight Mire
Lands that do stuff
Creeping Tar Pit
A non-wrathable win-con that I can recur with Life from the Loam.
Played over Treetop Village because it taps for two colourless.
No fourth because we don't want too many "comes into play tapped" lands because we have a very important one drop.
Shizo, Death's Storehouse
Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
Minamo, School at Waters Edge
Makes Thrun, The Last Troll and Meloku the Clouded Mirror unblockable / +1/+1 / untaps them respectively.
Can also use Okina, giving +1/+1, then untapping Okina with Minamo and using it again. #sickplays.
Tolaria West
Searches Slaughter Pact, Horizon Canopy, Shizo, Okina, Creeping Tar Pit, any colour I need if I'm screwed for a turn 4 Thrun or something.
Works with Loam.
Horizon Canopy
Does Trade Routes' job before I have it out.
Works well with Loam. Can't run more than two because only tap for GREEn in this deck.
What are your thoughts on this deck? Any input?
Cards in? Cards out? More of what? Less of what?
Really want a one of Eternal witness to be squeezed in.
I'll post a list of cards that have gone in and come back out again below:
Forbidden Alchemy (Replaced with Trade Routes)
Boon Satyr (Replaced with Courser)
Psionic Blast (Replaced with Bile Blight)
Voidslime (replaced with Glen Elandra Archmage)
Eternal Witness (Only as a one of, couldn't find space, would love to.)
Delver of Secrets (Replaced with Bloodghast)