Special thanks to Mr. Conley Woods for his impressive showing with the archetype in the latest MTGO PTQ! I will be using his original list as the basis for moving forward with the archetype. I highly suggest looking at his 75 before contributing to the Primers or this Tapped-Out hub as there are some changes to the maindeck and sideboard. These will be explained below.
This archetype has come pretty far in the past month, and it is finally starting to make showings in Majors and has even won a minor:! It looks as though this current season's iteration of the deck can finally be solved. The main decklists are:
I may have underestimated UB Control after the passing of Grasp of Darkness, but I still feel as though this archetype can knock control out of contention. We have the tools to nullify their card advantage, deal with their pesky win-cons, and can attack them from plenty of different angles. We also scry more than any other deck in Magic the Gathering... With an answer for anything the format can throw at us, we'll usually be drawing it on our next turn.
Speaking of matchups, ours are still quite good (even dominating) against the likes of Ramanup Red and Temur/Sultai/4c Energy (hereafter referred to as the Energy decks). Although the current lists have sadly dropped Gifted Aetherborn, it is understandable because of how flexible removal has become this season. At least Contraband Kingpin is sticking around, and for good reason. Anyways, on to card choices!
Let's begin with the lands: 22 of them! I've kept the land suite that Conley Woods used in his deck, and of course it works excellently. Whilst heavily leaning towards generating , the land-base fixes itself remarkably quickly, especially with the help of the 4 Evolving Wilds and 4 Renegade Map. Whether you are trying to play Hidden Stockpile or Contraband Kingpin on turn 2, you will likely get there.
Contraband Kingpin allows the deck to spin it's wheels; it is synergistic with almost every permanent card in the deck, and is even a nightmare blocker against aggro decks. With a living Kingpin on the field, expect to be scrying about 20+ times a game. How could you lose in that scenario?
I know it's not likely that he lives, because opponents will learn to respect that kind of consistency. Prepare for him to eat some Fatal Push or Harnessed Lightning, and make sure that you are prepared to lose him after successful blocks as Ramanup Red is now using Shock and Lightning Strike, too!
Marionette Master is how we usually win, and she is a monster! There are so many ways to deal an instant-speed 20 damage to your opponent in this deck, and they all tend to synergize and advance your board on their own, anyways. Might as well be able to kill your opponent with them, right? Hidden Stockpile to sack servos, treasure map generates 12 damage on it's own, and Tezzeret the Schemer is a daunting powerhouse that can add his own contributions of pingers. This is your "I Win" button in most games. For the games you can't win with Marionette, you just have to try a little harder.
With the release of Ixalan and the death of Clue tokens (good riddance), Treasures are the name of the game. What's even better than a turn-by-turn treasure (Etherium Cell) generator? One that can kill any creature with enough set-up (Hazoret the Fervent), and can actually win the game on it's own. Tezzeret can even be used to give Marionette Master +X/-X to continuously Lave Axe (or better) your opponent's face! Synergy.
Next is Hidden Stockpile, and as much as I have tried to keep my deck from going into a third color, Hidden Stockpile is too amazing not to play. This card is so deceptively good and integral to our gameplan, that I wouldn't consider playing the archetype without it anymore. Most of our cards are Revolt enablers to begin with, but Hidden Stockpile is a self-perpetuating engine after the first Revolt trigger! No matter what, you will continually make a servo token at beginning of your end step if you are able to trigger it manually once! And, y'know, it also scrys and is a sac-outlet for Marionette Master, too...
Furthermore, our "Enablers" are pretty great! treasure map , Renegade Map, and Spell Swindle are multi-faceted, powerful, and the card necessary to generate a win (immediately or not).
treasure map is nuts. And I would never consider running any less than a playset. Whether this is coming down on turn 2 or turn 10, it can make a gradually powerful impact on the game. It sets up our draws, ramps us, kills our opponent, and will eventually refill our hand. This is the card that makes the deck function, in my opinion.
Renegade Map is here, too. And I greatly underestimated this card. This card fixes our lands, powers up Tezzeret's drain ability, can be used to enable Revolt, and can kill our opponent with Marionette! All of the enablers run together in this way, and it makes this excellent synergy the deck's greatest weapon.
Spell Swindle. I don't how much more I can praise this card, but, for a time, I was running the full playset. I felt like everytime I had cast it, I won the game shortly after. A playset was incorrect, but it more than warrants it's spots in the maindeck and sideboard. Use them wisely.
Fatal Push is one of the best removal spells ever printed. About a month ago, I felt that this card had no place in Standard as I felt that there weren't many great targets that other removal couldn't handle. I was wrong again. Ramanup Red is still alive and well, albeit with a bigger game plan than before, The Energy decks are still quite close to the ground in game 1, and a lot of other decks are abusing the likes of Kitesail Freebooter, Hostage Taker, and God-Pharaoh's Gift . That is a lot of targets.
Cast Out is amazing! An instant speed, easily affordable, cyclable, catch-all removal that almost makes me take Vraska's Contempt out of the maybe-board! It also makes The Scarab God look quite silly. 'Nuff said.
Fumigate is the best boardwipe in standard. Early versions of the deck were running Bontu's Last Reckoning, and maybe about 80% of the time I had no problems with it. However, in the other 20% of the time, I lost the game. BLR is much too risky a card for a deck that runs less than 26 lands. And even though we can use Treasures and Etherium Cells to stay afloat after it's resolution, we are spending our win-cons to make that happen. I'd much rather not have to worry about that after cleaning up the board! And Fumigate gains us life, so...
The last two pieces of our deck are entirely meta-dependent, so I'll try to explain them using the meta as a focus.
Harsh Scrutiny is excellent against anything that's not UW Approach. Even against UB Control, we can still take The Scarab God or Torrential Gearhulk, and I find those are much better targets than if we were to Duress their Glimmer of Genius, counterspells, or removal in Game 1. Harsh Scrutiny is a meta-call for the lack of UW Approach decks showing up to events near me.
Doomfall is actually quite well-positioned right now, and it's not because of the Energy decks. Since UB Control shook up Worlds, it has become the most popular control archetype this season. Doomfall is amazing against this deck. It will hit everything in their hand, exiling the card (this is huge), and can take their removal, counter-spells, and win-cons permanently! Also, UB Control usually won't have more than one creature on the field at a time (if you're fast enough), so Doomfall's second function is quite nice. This is a meta-call against the strong showing of UB Control.
I will get to the sideboard soon, as I've only made slight alterations to Conley Wood's 15. Stay tuned for more!
Isn't the four Tezzeret a little much? I might cut it down to three. And I was wondering what you thought about Costly Plunder for extra card draw, just because I noticed that there wasn't any actual draw maindecked, besides the Metalspinner's Puzzleknot. Plunder has the upside of sacrificing an artifact, in case you didn't win right away with the Marionette Master (I don't know why you wouldn't), and also draws 2 cards without the life loss, and at the same time, and for less total mana. And also, you could use Walk the Plank for removal. In most cases, it will be cheaper than Battle at the Bridge, and will hit most things. Plus, you have the Tezzerets to hate on Hazoret.
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Favorite Decks. WUStandard God-Pharoah's GiftWU GModern Tooth and NailG UGModern TurboFogUG WUBRGCommander The Ur-DragonWUBRG
I think four Tezzeret is where the deck wants to be. I almost always try to play him on turn 4, so having a playset increases the likelihood of that. You can get by with three copies, though.
Costly Plunder was being considered for Pacification Arrays slot, actually. We do generate a lot of artifacts that won`t be missed, and Costly Plunder is an instant. I wouldn`t cut Metalspinners for it, though. I think the interaction is has with Contraband Kingpin is too good, and the life loss is irrelevant because of the numerous ways we recover.
Walk the Plank isn`t a card I consider good in the current meta. Battle for the Bridge is almost always better for this deck because of the life gain, and because it can deal with threats like Hazoret on its own. Walk the Plank is still limited by Sorcery speed anyways, so I`d rather have something that does more than (even if it`s just a little bit more).
How can we add Vraska to the mix and actually going sultai colors?
With going the sultai route you have
Access to:
Winding constrictor
Which could add some sweet dynamics to using treasure map and pumping tokens
Walking ballista
Just keeps rdw in check and grows with the snake and gearhulk package
Vraska
Ult is amazing + she has pure utility and can populate the field
Verduant gearhulk
Pumps tokens and gives more counters to puppet master
Have you thought about running 4 Renegade Map and cutting down on lands? Gives another Turn 1 play, fixes, it's an improvise rock, and it meshes with Marionette Master.
This is the version I built before finding this thread and it's been testing pretty well against Ramunap. It goes deeper down the treasure route with Inspiring Statuary added in.
I built a BG Marionette Master deck that used Clues from Tireless Tracker to kill people. This...blows that deck out of the water. I hope this becomes a thing, because MM is my favorite card in Standard and it charts in Top 20 of all time. ::Begins ordering more Tezzerets::
I feel like over the past week of testing the latest build I`ve been including more and more Renegade Map in prototype builds. Pacification Array is cute, but it doesn`t help our consistency and is expensive in the early game.
I`ve since tested Inspiring Statuary and my conclusion was that the decks we`re trying to stop (Ramanup Red and Temur Energy) pressure us too much to drop Statuary on curve, or even later in the game when it doesn`t actually do much.
Inspiring Statuary doesn't work as well in your list, I'll admit, and it's not meant to be played turn 3, especially against Ramunap. Your low end creatures require 2 colors, but in my list it's not uncommon to have at least 1 treasure on turn 4, allowing statuary and Sailor of Means with Fatal Push mana left over. There's also the potential to drop statuary and then a 4 or 5 drop instead like Tezz or Scarab God turn 4. The idea is to drop it when it nets you some ramp. Still testing though, and I can certainly see it being a dead card in some cases. Full disclosure, Statuary is a pet card for me. I love it. It hasn't been an issue in testing yet, but it can certainly screw us as a topdeck and it's bound to happen. Still figuring out if the net gain is worth it.
I feel as though I had underestimated the consistency and deck-thinning that Renegade Map offers for us. I don`t know if a playset is correct, but I will do further testing.
Idk man rebukes are key as a 3 of same as the rays, unless you're finding trouble with curving out? Also, have you thought about adding herald of anguish as another finisher?
the pirate that sacs for 2 treasures seems pretty decent in your list, and I think glimmer is better than Pirate's Prize, instant speed + scry 2 must be better than 1 treasure.
Hey dude! Any updates on the deck from your testing? I've kept tabs on other websites you've published, and that you entertained the thought of grixis and using saheeli or the God Pharaohs gift/ the scarab god. In my personal testing despite only have 22 lands I kept filtering through my deck to find nothing more but land, instead of crucial board sweepers, win cons or extra removal. I did at one point gained 8 life from a battle against ranuamp red to with the game which was epic. I tried grixis which was cute with saheeli but I feel like she would need a noxious gearhulk or the blue one to help with as another finisher or by adding more marionettes. I do have to say it was pretty satisfying resolving a marionette and minusing saheeli to win the game.
Unfortunately, I have been very busy with work as of late, so my postings to here and the other hubs have been non-existent. However, I will be taking either a revamped version of this, Grixis, or God-pharaoh's Gift to FNM and Standard Showdown, as well as a local Standard Finals in my little area of Japan. I will report back with my report and updates!
Ive been playing this on and off since pre AER. Constant tweeks and changes. Droppingthe deck die to frustration picking it back up as soon as treasure was revealed in ixalan.
The origional deck was
T3 implement of improvement
T4 tez
T5 ????
T6 marionette. Tez buff. Sack 2 corss and implement for 21 damage.
Treasure make everything easier.
Now you dont even need to set up.
When your opponent taps out t7 for approach into a spell swindleand you gwt to untap into marionette master. Feels pretty good.
4-1 fnm only losing to carnage tyrants cos i was playing yahennis instead of bontus reckoning (LGS had no bontus in stock). And holding up push for the their 4 drops instead of poping the dorks might have been wrong. T4 tyrants arent fun.
So over the last 4 days, I took the deck to 3 event - FNM, Showdown, and a Tokyo Hareruya Invitational Qualifier. I won all of them (however conceding the Invitational invite to my final opponent because there's no way I could've made the trip). The turnout for FNM was kind of abysmal, but I'm hoping everyone can look past that. I did not take any play-by-play notes, but I do remember what decks I played against, so I hope that, too, will be okay.
DISCLOSURE: I did not have the 2 Harsh Scrutiny, so instead I played 2 Fatal Push in the main. They worked out fine, but were lackluster against the Energy decks. I also didn`t have the Vraska's Contempt, so they were Doomfall.
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Friday Night Magic at LED2ndHouse - Misawa, Aomori, Japan (8 players)
Like I said, this was barely a sanctioned FNM. The (sad) truth about the area I play in is that there are very few actual Standard players, and even fewer that will come out for events... However, the few players that do come out are either playing flavor-of-the-month, or are known spikers. The field is quite diverse every time I play, so Treasuret was put through a gauntlet of sorts for this FNM (I played every deck I had considered Tier-1 before Worlds).
The Rounds were as follows -
1. UW Approach (L) 1-2
2. Ramanup Red (W) 2-0
3. Temur Energy (W) 2-0
The UW Approach matchup was quite sad. Game 1 is quite unwinnable I think, but I figure we can bounce back Game 2 & 3. I won Game 2 on the back of Duress and Negate backup. Game 3, I attempt to cast Lost Legacy on Turn 5 with Negate backup, and my opponent decides to let it resolve. I call Regal Caracal. My opponent reveals a hand full of Gideons, Torrential Gearhulks, and counterspells, so I lose in the next 4 turns. Pure Sadness.
The other games were very simple 2-0's. Our maindeck is designed specifically to attack those two archetypes, and our sideboard has the means to nullify their sideboards. My percentages put me on top in breakers, so I "won" our tiny FNM.
Honestly, I was contemplating even posting about this FNM as it really wouldn't impress anyone, or even give that much of usable data. However, I feel it's better to have it than to not, so here it is.
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Standard Showdown at LED2ndHouse - Misawa, Aomori, Japan (12 players)
Another poor showing for Standard in the area, but it was almost to be expected as there was a festival nearby that day... Oh well, take it for what it is. We were able to have 4 rounds, and I won all of my matches.
1. Sultai Energy (W) 2-1
2. Grixis Control (W) 2-0
3. Ramanup Red (W) 2-0
4. Temur Energy (W) 2-1
Some of the same people from FNM attended, but they were all playing different decks. Again, take it for what it is...
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Tokyo Hareruya Invitational Qualifier at Tomy's - Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan (24 Players)
This was kind of a big one for the area, but we still couldn't quite hit a sizeable number. 24 players is fine, though, as we still get to have 5 rounds of swiss and a Top 8.
1. Esper God-pharaoh's Gift (L) 1-2
2. UW Approach (W) 2-0
3. UW Approach (W) 2-1
4. Ramanup Red (W) 2-0
5. Sultai Energy (W) 2-0
Top 8
1. Temur Energy (W) 2-0
2. Temur Energy (W) 2-1
3. Esper God-Pharaoh's Gift (1/2)
So finals was against the same player that I had lost to in Round 1. I really don't think it's a great matchup to begin with, but post-sideboard games were really stressful. He wanted the invite, and I wanted the prize-money so we decided to split in that way.
The meta was filled with the top decks again, and we kind of demolished it.
Even though this write up doesn't look very impressive, after grinding through the best decks in the format over the last 4 days and ultimately coming out on top, I would absolutely take this deck to bigger events. It's also a blast to play, so that's a big plus.
Awesome results though! Thanks for sharing your tourney report with us! So how was running the deck without running Vraska's contempt in the main?
Dreadful. Most of the games I'd lost was due to an unanswerable resolved The Scarab God or Chandra, Torch of Defiance. Albeit I retired Contempts to the sideboard, they should probably make it to the main this next week.
I tested treasure map and I found i only ever wanted it t2 and never wanted a second copy.
The draws off prism and puzzleknot have been so valuable and the value off touch is too good to pass up imo. T2 prism t3 puzzleknot holding up a rebuke is a great spot to be in.
And the whole resolving a t3 touch is almost a free win on approach and doesnt feel too bad when it eats an abrade
Because the deck can answer anything (in it's optimal state), having as much scry as possible was how I ended up out valuing my opponents. Most of the grindier games against Approach and Energy decks saw me scrying 20+ times a game. These scry triggers drew me into my win-cons, hand disruption, and counter magic for the crucial kill turns.
The problem I found when testing Prism, is it did absolutely nothing after I drew a card with it. Even if you can use it for Improvise afterward, it is taking up slots in the deck that could be used for cards that can help you win.
For example, I've gone down considerably on Metallic Rebuke and upped my count of Spell Swindle to 3, with a playset being tested as we speak. Spell Swindle usually won me games the turn after it was cast, so I think that's where the deck wants to be.
Tezzeret's Touch is cute, but with a crazy amount of Abrade, it's actually too easy to get 2-for-1'd (Tezzeret's Touch on the stack after declaring target, in response cast abrade.). And Approach has an almost infinite number of ways to wreck us if we go on the Touch plan. Cast Out is a card, as well as Settle the Wreckage, after which we don't even get our artifact back based on how Tezzeret's Touch is worded.
Well its never a 2 for 1 since all the artifacts either replace themselves or are just a mana token. and the only other target for abrade is marionette master so id 100% rather they burn one against touch then my turn 6 win con.
Regardless it steals games and at my fnm theres like 2 RR players and 1 temur heaps have switch to dinos and sultai. And plenty of approach which imo is a free win and even easier post board.
But yeah like drawing treasure map late just feels bad cos id rather hold up mana for swindle (which ill probably be going up in main as well its way too good) or dropping a tez or wiping the board. Though i agree its the best card turn 2 because curving into marionette t6 with 3 treasures and 2 etherium is exactly what the deck wants i just hate it off the top deck.
Ive got FNM tonight with an updated list last week we had 26 people and i placed 5th with a round 1 loss the the guy that placed third
Was like
1 sultai energy
2 bant tishana
3 GW dino
4 sultai control deck that just used hulks/scarab and ug nissa
5 me
Good luck to you! Would you mind doing a report in this thread afterward? I will be away this weekend and won't have a chance to play in the standard tournaments near me
Special thanks to Mr. Conley Woods for his impressive showing with the archetype in the latest MTGO PTQ! I will be using his original list as the basis for moving forward with the archetype. I highly suggest looking at his 75 before contributing to the Primers or this Tapped-Out hub as there are some changes to the maindeck and sideboard. These will be explained below.
This archetype has come pretty far in the past month, and it is finally starting to make showings in Majors and has even won a minor:! It looks as though this current season's iteration of the deck can finally be solved. The main decklists are:
4 Marionette Master
4 Tezzeret the Schemer
3 Cast Out
2 Doomfall
2 Fatal Push
2 Fumigate
4 Hidden Stockpile
2 Implement of Examination
4 Renegade Map
2 Spell Swindle
1 Traveler's Amulet
4 Treasure Map
2 Drowned Catacomb
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Fetid Pools
1 Field of Ruin
2 Glacial Fortress
2 Island
2 Plains
3 Swamp
1 Doomfall
2 Duress
2 Fatal Push
1 Field of Ruin
1 Fragmentize
2 Fumigate
1 Ixalan's Binding
1 Jace's Defeat
1 Lost Legacy
2 Negate
1 Sunscourge Champion
4 Marionette Master
4 Tezzeret the Schemer
4 Renegade Map
4 Treasure Map
4 Hidden Stockpile
4 Cast Out
3 Fatal Push
2 Spell Swindle
2 Fumigate
2 Doomfall
2 Island
2 Plains
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Glacial Fortress
2 Drowned Catacombs
2 Fetid Pools
4 Concealed Courtyard
1 Field of Ruin
3 Duress
2 Jace's Defeat
2 Fumigate
2 Cruel Reality
1 Authority of the Consuls
1 Fatal Push
1 Arguel's Blood Fast
1 Trespasser's Curse
1 Crook of Condemnation
1 Spell Swindle
2x Drowned Catacomb
4x Evolving Wilds
2x Fetid Pools
1x Field of Ruin
2x Glacial Fortress
2x Island
2x Plains
3x Swamp
4x Contraband Kingpin
3x Marionette Master
2x Fumigate
2x Harsh Scrutiny
3x Fatal Push
3x Spell Swindle
4x Cast Out
4x Hidden Stockpile
4x Renegade Map
4x Treasure Map Flip
3x Tezzeret the Schemer
2x Arguel's Blood Fast Flip
1x Crook of Condemnation
1x Cruel Reality
3x Duress
1x Fatal Push
2x Fumigate
2x Jace's Defeat
2x Negate
1x Spell Swindle
I may have underestimated UB Control after the passing of Grasp of Darkness, but I still feel as though this archetype can knock control out of contention. We have the tools to nullify their card advantage, deal with their pesky win-cons, and can attack them from plenty of different angles. We also scry more than any other deck in Magic the Gathering... With an answer for anything the format can throw at us, we'll usually be drawing it on our next turn.
Speaking of matchups, ours are still quite good (even dominating) against the likes of Ramanup Red and Temur/Sultai/4c Energy (hereafter referred to as the Energy decks). Although the current lists have sadly dropped Gifted Aetherborn, it is understandable because of how flexible removal has become this season. At least Contraband Kingpin is sticking around, and for good reason. Anyways, on to card choices!
Let's begin with the lands: 22 of them! I've kept the land suite that Conley Woods used in his deck, and of course it works excellently. Whilst heavily leaning towards generating , the land-base fixes itself remarkably quickly, especially with the help of the 4 Evolving Wilds and 4 Renegade Map. Whether you are trying to play Hidden Stockpile or Contraband Kingpin on turn 2, you will likely get there.
Next, let's talk about the creature package: Contraband Kingpin and Marionette Master.
Contraband Kingpin allows the deck to spin it's wheels; it is synergistic with almost every permanent card in the deck, and is even a nightmare blocker against aggro decks. With a living Kingpin on the field, expect to be scrying about 20+ times a game. How could you lose in that scenario?
I know it's not likely that he lives, because opponents will learn to respect that kind of consistency. Prepare for him to eat some Fatal Push or Harnessed Lightning, and make sure that you are prepared to lose him after successful blocks as Ramanup Red is now using Shock and Lightning Strike, too!
Marionette Master is how we usually win, and she is a monster! There are so many ways to deal an instant-speed 20 damage to your opponent in this deck, and they all tend to synergize and advance your board on their own, anyways. Might as well be able to kill your opponent with them, right? Hidden Stockpile to sack servos, treasure map generates 12 damage on it's own, and Tezzeret the Schemer is a daunting powerhouse that can add his own contributions of pingers. This is your "I Win" button in most games. For the games you can't win with Marionette, you just have to try a little harder.
Which leads to me to our secondary win-cons: Tezzeret the Schemer and Hidden Stockpile.
With the release of Ixalan and the death of Clue tokens (good riddance), Treasures are the name of the game. What's even better than a turn-by-turn treasure (Etherium Cell) generator? One that can kill any creature with enough set-up (Hazoret the Fervent), and can actually win the game on it's own. Tezzeret can even be used to give Marionette Master +X/-X to continuously Lave Axe (or better) your opponent's face! Synergy.
Next is Hidden Stockpile, and as much as I have tried to keep my deck from going into a third color, Hidden Stockpile is too amazing not to play. This card is so deceptively good and integral to our gameplan, that I wouldn't consider playing the archetype without it anymore. Most of our cards are Revolt enablers to begin with, but Hidden Stockpile is a self-perpetuating engine after the first Revolt trigger! No matter what, you will continually make a servo token at beginning of your end step if you are able to trigger it manually once! And, y'know, it also scrys and is a sac-outlet for Marionette Master, too...
Furthermore, our "Enablers" are pretty great! treasure map , Renegade Map, and Spell Swindle are multi-faceted, powerful, and the card necessary to generate a win (immediately or not).
treasure map is nuts. And I would never consider running any less than a playset. Whether this is coming down on turn 2 or turn 10, it can make a gradually powerful impact on the game. It sets up our draws, ramps us, kills our opponent, and will eventually refill our hand. This is the card that makes the deck function, in my opinion.
Renegade Map is here, too. And I greatly underestimated this card. This card fixes our lands, powers up Tezzeret's drain ability, can be used to enable Revolt, and can kill our opponent with Marionette! All of the enablers run together in this way, and it makes this excellent synergy the deck's greatest weapon.
Spell Swindle. I don't how much more I can praise this card, but, for a time, I was running the full playset. I felt like everytime I had cast it, I won the game shortly after. A playset was incorrect, but it more than warrants it's spots in the maindeck and sideboard. Use them wisely.
Finally, we have our removal and disruption suite: Fatal Push, Cast Out, Fumigate, Harsh Scrutiny, and Doomfall.
Fatal Push is one of the best removal spells ever printed. About a month ago, I felt that this card had no place in Standard as I felt that there weren't many great targets that other removal couldn't handle. I was wrong again. Ramanup Red is still alive and well, albeit with a bigger game plan than before, The Energy decks are still quite close to the ground in game 1, and a lot of other decks are abusing the likes of Kitesail Freebooter, Hostage Taker, and God-Pharaoh's Gift . That is a lot of targets.
Cast Out is amazing! An instant speed, easily affordable, cyclable, catch-all removal that almost makes me take Vraska's Contempt out of the maybe-board! It also makes The Scarab God look quite silly. 'Nuff said.
Fumigate is the best boardwipe in standard. Early versions of the deck were running Bontu's Last Reckoning, and maybe about 80% of the time I had no problems with it. However, in the other 20% of the time, I lost the game. BLR is much too risky a card for a deck that runs less than 26 lands. And even though we can use Treasures and Etherium Cells to stay afloat after it's resolution, we are spending our win-cons to make that happen. I'd much rather not have to worry about that after cleaning up the board! And Fumigate gains us life, so...
The last two pieces of our deck are entirely meta-dependent, so I'll try to explain them using the meta as a focus.
Harsh Scrutiny is excellent against anything that's not UW Approach. Even against UB Control, we can still take The Scarab God or Torrential Gearhulk, and I find those are much better targets than if we were to Duress their Glimmer of Genius, counterspells, or removal in Game 1. Harsh Scrutiny is a meta-call for the lack of UW Approach decks showing up to events near me.
Doomfall is actually quite well-positioned right now, and it's not because of the Energy decks. Since UB Control shook up Worlds, it has become the most popular control archetype this season. Doomfall is amazing against this deck. It will hit everything in their hand, exiling the card (this is huge), and can take their removal, counter-spells, and win-cons permanently! Also, UB Control usually won't have more than one creature on the field at a time (if you're fast enough), so Doomfall's second function is quite nice. This is a meta-call against the strong showing of UB Control.
I will get to the sideboard soon, as I've only made slight alterations to Conley Wood's 15. Stay tuned for more!
WUStandard God-Pharoah's GiftWU
GModern Tooth and NailG
UGModern TurboFogUG
WUBRGCommander The Ur-DragonWUBRG
Costly Plunder was being considered for Pacification Arrays slot, actually. We do generate a lot of artifacts that won`t be missed, and Costly Plunder is an instant. I wouldn`t cut Metalspinners for it, though. I think the interaction is has with Contraband Kingpin is too good, and the life loss is irrelevant because of the numerous ways we recover.
Walk the Plank isn`t a card I consider good in the current meta. Battle for the Bridge is almost always better for this deck because of the life gain, and because it can deal with threats like Hazoret on its own. Walk the Plank is still limited by Sorcery speed anyways, so I`d rather have something that does more than (even if it`s just a little bit more).
With going the sultai route you have
Access to:
Winding constrictor
Which could add some sweet dynamics to using treasure map and pumping tokens
Walking ballista
Just keeps rdw in check and grows with the snake and gearhulk package
Vraska
Ult is amazing + she has pure utility and can populate the field
Verduant gearhulk
Pumps tokens and gives more counters to puppet master
This is the version I built before finding this thread and it's been testing pretty well against Ramunap. It goes deeper down the treasure route with Inspiring Statuary added in.
2 Fetid Pools
2 Aether Hub
5 Island
6 Swamp
4 Contraband Kingpin
2 Dire Fleet Hoarder
4 Sailor of Means
4 Marionette Master
4 Fatal Push
1 Battle at the Bridge
2 Depths of Desire
3 Metallic Rebuke
4 Pirate's Prize
1 Spell Swindle
3 Treasure Map
3 Inspiring Statuary
I'd love to fit in Yahenni's Expertise as it seems pretty strong here.
I`ve since tested Inspiring Statuary and my conclusion was that the decks we`re trying to stop (Ramanup Red and Temur Energy) pressure us too much to drop Statuary on curve, or even later in the game when it doesn`t actually do much.
Yahenni`s Expertise is a strong Magic card, but it does nothing against Bristling Hydra, Glorybringer or Carnage Tyrant .
I've since updated my list a little bit to this:
4 Aether Hub
5 Island
6 Swamp
4 Contraband Kingpin
2 Dire Fleet Hoarder
4 Sailor of Means
3 Marionette Master
2 The Scarab God
4 Fatal Push
2 Vraska's Contempt
3 Metallic Rebuke
4 Pirate's Prize
1 Spell Swindle
3 Treasure Map
3 Inspiring Statuary
The main post has been updated and there is a small footnote at the bottom to justify the change.
-1 Metallic Rebuke , -1 Marionette Master and -2 Pacification Array
+4 Renegade Map
I feel as though I had underestimated the consistency and deck-thinning that Renegade Map offers for us. I don`t know if a playset is correct, but I will do further testing.
Id that!
Trade with me, h:Alters and EdhFoils:)
Cards I have altered
Id that!
Trade with me, h:Alters and EdhFoils:)
Cards I have altered
Thanks for being patient with me
The origional deck was
T3 implement of improvement
T4 tez
T5 ????
T6 marionette. Tez buff. Sack 2 corss and implement for 21 damage.
Treasure make everything easier.
Now you dont even need to set up.
When your opponent taps out t7 for approach into a spell swindleand you gwt to untap into marionette master. Feels pretty good.
4-1 fnm only losing to carnage tyrants cos i was playing yahennis instead of bontus reckoning (LGS had no bontus in stock). And holding up push for the their 4 drops instead of poping the dorks might have been wrong. T4 tyrants arent fun.
4 Contraband Kingpin
3 Weaponcraft Enthusiast
3 Marionette Master
2 Herald of Anguish
Spells:26
1 Battle at the Bridge
3 Fatal Push
4 Metalspinner's Puzzleknot
4 Prophetic Prism
2 Bontu's Last Reckoning
4 Metallic Rebuke
2 Tezzeret's Touch
4 Tezzeret the Schemer
2 Spell Swindle
4 Drowned Catacomb
8 Island
10 Swamp
1 Marionette Master
2 Herald of Anguish
2 Battle at the Bridge
3 Duress
1 Fatal Push
2 Sentinel Totem
2 Bontu's Last Reckoning
2 Never // Return
Sorry couldnt remember how to edit deck properly. Only posted once here
This is the decklist I sleeved up:
4x Drowned Catacomb
4x Fetid Pools
1x Field of Ruin
10x Swamp
4x Contraband Kingpin
4x Gifted Aetherborn
3x Marionette Master
3x Tezzeret the Schemer
2x Metallic Rebuke
4x Opt
3x Spell Swindle
4x Bontu's Last Reckoning
2x Harsh Scrutiny
2x Metalspinner's Puzzleknot
4x Treasure Map
3x Duress
2x Fatal Push
2x Lost Legacy
3x Negate
1x Sorcerous Spyglass
2x Vraska's Contempt
DISCLOSURE: I did not have the 2 Harsh Scrutiny, so instead I played 2 Fatal Push in the main. They worked out fine, but were lackluster against the Energy decks. I also didn`t have the Vraska's Contempt, so they were Doomfall.
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Friday Night Magic at LED2ndHouse - Misawa, Aomori, Japan (8 players)
Like I said, this was barely a sanctioned FNM. The (sad) truth about the area I play in is that there are very few actual Standard players, and even fewer that will come out for events... However, the few players that do come out are either playing flavor-of-the-month, or are known spikers. The field is quite diverse every time I play, so Treasuret was put through a gauntlet of sorts for this FNM (I played every deck I had considered Tier-1 before Worlds).
The Rounds were as follows -
1. UW Approach (L) 1-2
2. Ramanup Red (W) 2-0
3. Temur Energy (W) 2-0
The UW Approach matchup was quite sad. Game 1 is quite unwinnable I think, but I figure we can bounce back Game 2 & 3. I won Game 2 on the back of Duress and Negate backup. Game 3, I attempt to cast Lost Legacy on Turn 5 with Negate backup, and my opponent decides to let it resolve. I call Regal Caracal. My opponent reveals a hand full of Gideons, Torrential Gearhulks, and counterspells, so I lose in the next 4 turns. Pure Sadness.
The other games were very simple 2-0's. Our maindeck is designed specifically to attack those two archetypes, and our sideboard has the means to nullify their sideboards. My percentages put me on top in breakers, so I "won" our tiny FNM.
Honestly, I was contemplating even posting about this FNM as it really wouldn't impress anyone, or even give that much of usable data. However, I feel it's better to have it than to not, so here it is.
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Standard Showdown at LED2ndHouse - Misawa, Aomori, Japan (12 players)
Another poor showing for Standard in the area, but it was almost to be expected as there was a festival nearby that day... Oh well, take it for what it is. We were able to have 4 rounds, and I won all of my matches.
1. Sultai Energy (W) 2-1
2. Grixis Control (W) 2-0
3. Ramanup Red (W) 2-0
4. Temur Energy (W) 2-1
Some of the same people from FNM attended, but they were all playing different decks. Again, take it for what it is...
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Tokyo Hareruya Invitational Qualifier at Tomy's - Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan (24 Players)
This was kind of a big one for the area, but we still couldn't quite hit a sizeable number. 24 players is fine, though, as we still get to have 5 rounds of swiss and a Top 8.
1. Esper God-pharaoh's Gift (L) 1-2
2. UW Approach (W) 2-0
3. UW Approach (W) 2-1
4. Ramanup Red (W) 2-0
5. Sultai Energy (W) 2-0
Top 8
1. Temur Energy (W) 2-0
2. Temur Energy (W) 2-1
3. Esper God-Pharaoh's Gift (1/2)
So finals was against the same player that I had lost to in Round 1. I really don't think it's a great matchup to begin with, but post-sideboard games were really stressful. He wanted the invite, and I wanted the prize-money so we decided to split in that way.
The meta was filled with the top decks again, and we kind of demolished it.
Even though this write up doesn't look very impressive, after grinding through the best decks in the format over the last 4 days and ultimately coming out on top, I would absolutely take this deck to bigger events. It's also a blast to play, so that's a big plus.
Dreadful. Most of the games I'd lost was due to an unanswerable resolved The Scarab God or Chandra, Torch of Defiance. Albeit I retired Contempts to the sideboard, they should probably make it to the main this next week.
The draws off prism and puzzleknot have been so valuable and the value off touch is too good to pass up imo. T2 prism t3 puzzleknot holding up a rebuke is a great spot to be in.
And the whole resolving a t3 touch is almost a free win on approach and doesnt feel too bad when it eats an abrade
Because the deck can answer anything (in it's optimal state), having as much scry as possible was how I ended up out valuing my opponents. Most of the grindier games against Approach and Energy decks saw me scrying 20+ times a game. These scry triggers drew me into my win-cons, hand disruption, and counter magic for the crucial kill turns.
The problem I found when testing Prism, is it did absolutely nothing after I drew a card with it. Even if you can use it for Improvise afterward, it is taking up slots in the deck that could be used for cards that can help you win.
For example, I've gone down considerably on Metallic Rebuke and upped my count of Spell Swindle to 3, with a playset being tested as we speak. Spell Swindle usually won me games the turn after it was cast, so I think that's where the deck wants to be.
Tezzeret's Touch is cute, but with a crazy amount of Abrade, it's actually too easy to get 2-for-1'd (Tezzeret's Touch on the stack after declaring target, in response cast abrade.). And Approach has an almost infinite number of ways to wreck us if we go on the Touch plan. Cast Out is a card, as well as Settle the Wreckage, after which we don't even get our artifact back based on how Tezzeret's Touch is worded.
4x Dire Fleet Hoarder
4x Marionette Master
2x Herald of Anguish
Planeswalker (4)
4x Tezzeret the Schemer
Instant (11)
4x Fatal Push
4x Costly Plunder
3x Spell Swindle
Sorcery (5)
3x Battle at the Bridge
2x Bontu's Last Reckoning
4x Treasure Map
Enchantment (2)
2x Search for Azcanta
Land (24)
4x Drowned Catacomb
4x Fetid Pools
4x Spire of Industry
4x Evolving Wilds
2x Ifnir Deadlands
3x Island
3x Swamp
4x Duress
3x Negate
1x Doomfall
2x Essence Extraction
2x Never // Return
2x Vraska's Contempt
1x Bontu's Last Reckoning
#I've added Herald as an additional threat and Search for Azcanta + Costly Plunder for card draw and filtering (over Contraband Kingpin).
#Dire Fleet Hoarder is an early blocker that leaves behind an artifact, I considered Servo Schematic for this slot as well as it works better for improvise and ups the artifact count in the deck but I'm not sure if it would be better here.
#I prefer Fatal Push in the maindeck and find Metallic Rebuke not impactful enough and post-board cards like Duress/Negate/Doomfall are better imho.
Regardless it steals games and at my fnm theres like 2 RR players and 1 temur heaps have switch to dinos and sultai. And plenty of approach which imo is a free win and even easier post board.
But yeah like drawing treasure map late just feels bad cos id rather hold up mana for swindle (which ill probably be going up in main as well its way too good) or dropping a tez or wiping the board. Though i agree its the best card turn 2 because curving into marionette t6 with 3 treasures and 2 etherium is exactly what the deck wants i just hate it off the top deck.
Ive got FNM tonight with an updated list last week we had 26 people and i placed 5th with a round 1 loss the the guy that placed third
Was like
1 sultai energy
2 bant tishana
3 GW dino
4 sultai control deck that just used hulks/scarab and ug nissa
5 me
Pretty decent spread at my LGS