Deathblade Predator
2B
Creature - Human Warrior
Deathtouch
Whenever Deathblade Predator deals combat damage to a player, that player loses life equal to the number of creature cards in your graveyard.
1/4
It's actually very good for us. Red Deck Wins is a clear issue for our deck, because it's just faster and burns our face and/or creatures. This card offers a solution to the RDW problem, as they'll only be able to hose it using Stoke the Flames, which isn't where they want to be. It also helps out in the control match-up, as it punishes any deck that fills your yard while being Lightning Strike, Anger of the Gods, Drown in Sorrow and Bile Blight proof.
Note that it's ostensibly a sideboard card, but one that can be used in a couple of situations - like any decent sideboard card.
What card would you cut for this? It seems very defensive in nature, which isn't at all what the deck wants to be doing, There are much better sideboard cards than a 1/4 for 3 vs rdw. You say it's a sideboard card but I don't see any matchup in which this is swingier than any other alternative.
The deck does, in fact, need to be defensive against RDW because RDW is much faster than we are, save for them having really bad starts.
Cutting is, admittedly, not clear-cut but I tend to cut Bloodsoaked Champion against RDW because it can't block, though usually this is in aid of more removal (e.g., Bile Blight) and Virulent Plague. I'd be tempted to cut Arashin Foremost for this guy, as we don't want our curve too high and Arashin Foremost can be a huge tempo loss if they Wild Slash it.
I'd then probably also sideboard it in against control in favour of removal, as a way to keep pressure up after losing lots of creatures. This of course depends on the control deck you're facing (it's a bit useless against Abzan).
What card would you cut for this? It seems very defensive in nature, which isn't at all what the deck wants to be doing, There are much better sideboard cards than a 1/4 for 3 vs rdw. You say it's a sideboard card but I don't see any matchup in which this is swingier than any other alternative.
If you're playing Mogis's Marauder you should be cutting that for this card out of the side. While you're right in that you don't want to be on the defensive, unfortunately vs mono red you aren't the beatdown. You can be on par with mono red only if you curve out perfectly and they don't interact, but that's rarely the case. This card as the upside of being a solid followup vs wraths (plus it dodge's Anger of the Gods) so it can pull double duty vs control. While it's not the best sideboard card vs RDW, it's probably better than marauder / bloodsoaked / thoughtseize.
The deck does, in fact, need to be defensive against RDW because RDW is much faster than we are, save for them having really bad starts.
Cutting is, admittedly, not clear-cut but I tend to cut Bloodsoaked Champion against RDW because it can't block, though usually this is in aid of more removal (e.g., Bile Blight) and Virulent Plague. I'd be tempted to cut Arashin Foremost for this guy, as we don't want our curve too high and Arashin Foremost can be a huge tempo loss if they Wild Slash it.
I'd then probably also sideboard it in against control in favour of removal, as a way to keep pressure up after losing lots of creatures. This of course depends on the control deck you're facing (it's a bit useless against Abzan).
I don't mind cutting bloodsoaked here since it can't block if I need additional slots for sideboard cards. I don't like cutting Arashin Foremost, as the upside of it sticking is very high and worth the potential tempo loss. Without removal RDW has a hard time attacking into it, and it can easily swing back hard.
[quote from="Karloski »" url="http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/standard-type-2/standard-deck-creation/584617-featured-thread-6-15-primer-orzhov-warriors?comment=395"]
The deck does, in fact, need to be defensive against RDW because RDW is much faster than we are, save for them having really bad starts.
Cutting is, admittedly, not clear-cut but I tend to cut Bloodsoaked Champion against RDW because it can't block, though usually this is in aid of more removal (e.g., Bile Blight) and Virulent Plague. I'd be tempted to cut Arashin Foremost for this guy, as we don't want our curve too high and Arashin Foremost can be a huge tempo loss if they Wild Slash it.
I'd then probably also sideboard it in against control in favour of removal, as a way to keep pressure up after losing lots of creatures. This of course depends on the control deck you're facing (it's a bit useless against Abzan).
I don't mind cutting bloodsoaked here since it can't block if I need additional slots for sideboard cards. I don't like cutting Arashin Foremost, as the upside of it sticking is very high and worth the potential tempo loss. Without removal RDW has a hard time attacking into it, and it can easily swing back hard.
Yeah I couldn't actually remember my list when I posted that. I actually run two Brutal Hordechief main so I'd probably just cut that :p.
As a further point, I might just like to add I recently ran a couple of Hidden Dragonslayer in my sideboard and actually think he's pretty darn good - better than I gave it credit for. It's actually not too bad to sideboard it in against RDW (lifelink) and it's flip has a potential to be useful even in that matchup (RDW still buffs). That aside, he seems very good in any ramp or go-big decks, including GR Devotion. I actually think his lifelink was designed specifically to counter the damage from Thunderbreak Regent when you flip him. Well, maybe not specifically, but you get me.
I posted a Collected Company list a few pages ago. Don't expect any responses other than mine though, apparently no one is interested in the idea and they only want to discuss standard BW lists.
I think you've got about the bare minimum number of targets for a CoCo list (26 including Athreos). Also not a fan of the Rally. I understand the idea, but it's just taking up a more useful slot. Personally I'm also running Den Protector for more recursion of threats and Company's, but it remains to be seen if it's worth it. I have a newer version of the list that I can't post here yet because it uses some cards from Origins and I'm planning to build the deck after the release of Origins, but I do think Company gives it a whole lot of added power.
well i think splashing green only for CoCo isn't worth it. because you lose slots for protection spells which this deck needs against control /burn.
Protection spells in an aggro deck? You beat control by being too fast and you deal with burn by flooding the board with about a million guys. And green gives you access to Den Protector which is incredibly good against control and, honestly, "burn" isn't really a thing in standard. Mono red aggro is about as close as you get but it's hardly a "burn" deck. CoCo also gives you some nuts plays against control. "Oh you tapped out for a dragon/after I pass turn you think it's safe to tap the rest of your mana for a Dig? Here's 3 more guys!" or "Nice sweeper, let me just refill the board here..."
Seriously though, we're not playing Heroic. We don't need protection spells.
I posted a Collected Company list a few pages ago. Don't expect any responses other than mine though, apparently no one is interested in the idea and they only want to discuss standard BW lists.
I think you've got about the bare minimum number of targets for a CoCo list (26 including Athreos). Also not a fan of the Rally. I understand the idea, but it's just taking up a more useful slot. Personally I'm also running Den Protector for more recursion of threats and Company's, but it remains to be seen if it's worth it. I have a newer version of the list that I can't post here yet because it uses some cards from Origins and I'm planning to build the deck after the release of Origins, but I do think Company gives it a whole lot of added power.
Eh it's not so much I don't want to discuss CoCo because it's a fabulous card - which is why everyone has been talking about it recently. I just think this deck can be doing better things.
Like, I'd much rather pay four mana to get three 1/1 warriors than cast CoCo. I mean sure, you might get something great, but you might get nothing - it's just not as consistent as I'd want it to be, especially when you consider that Secure the Wastes is a guaranteed three dudes for four mana, unless it gets countered or something.
I mean, if you go green you could then splash for Den Protector, but I actually wouldn't want to hit that from CoCo because you really want to be playing it face-down so you can generate CA. Plus, playing a 2/2 for 3 mana really isn't where the deck, I feel, wants to be and can put you behind. I just feel that Den Protector is a card that wants to be played in a different deck. We just have nothing that can stabilize the board for it.
The other problem you have is that you're trying to use three colours in an aggro deck, which is difficult if not impossible to be consistent with. If you really want to go green I would suggest dropping a colour, but this means potentially losing other powerful cards in the deck like Blood-Chin Rager, Arashin Foremost, Chief of the Edge and even Mardu Woe-Reaper, who hoses Deathmist Raptor and helps out against burn and delve. Still, mono-black warriors is a thing, so there's no reason it can't be potent.
Sometimes my SB contains Drown in Sorrow. My meta is very aggro heavy and... quite heavy on mono-red aggro. Though I like to keep my sideboard a bit more varied just in case someone has a different deck...
Hitting 3 guys off a Collected Company should be a non-issue if you're running 30 creatures. You have about a 50% chance that each card you flip is going to be a creature, and even if you only hit 2 creatures, I'd rather have two 2/1s with some other upside (worst case scenario) than 3 1/1s. And running 3 colour aggro isn't that hard if it's only a splash. The deck isn't really a 3 colour aggro deck, it's a 2 colour aggro deck with a little green so I can cast some powerful cards to shore up some weaknesses the deck has and give it some more power.
And as for discussing the deck, it's not helpful if no one tells me that they don't think it's a good idea, because then I can never even think about my choices. I just have my deck and go "Well, maybe it's perfect and no one has any criticism. Maybe it's terrible and I'm a moron for not seeing how incredibly bad the list is. Who knows?" As is, I think I will probably cut the Den Protector because, as you said, it's not quite aggressive enough. I might test it out at some point but I do think I want to make room for some more aggressive cards.
Merciless Executioner and his Zombie Warrior clone buddy in Origins IS removal that CoCo can hit. If you can somehow work Whip of Erebos in to recur said Executioner and functional clone, that is a lot of sacrificing creatures for our opponent. Now - if you find a way to pull that functional clone OTHER than Whip out of graveyard consistently...
Yes, it is for me after trying unsuccessfully with BW Warriors.
Although I miss having Plains for Chief of the Edge and Sorin, the idea of splashing my mono-black warriors with Forests for Collected Company has me thinking.
Merciless Executioner and his Zombie Warrior clone buddy in Origins IS removal that CoCo can hit. If you can somehow work Whip of Erebos in to recur said Executioner and functional clone, that is a lot of sacrificing creatures for our opponent. Now - if you find a way to pull that functional clone OTHER than Whip out of graveyard consistently...
Seems like a decent shell, although I would argue that Athreos is a bit more of a flex-spot, I don't see him being something that you really must must be running. However, with 8 Merciless Executioners, I think it could be argued that the new Lili is perhaps too good not to run, especially considering she can be hit with CoCo.
OK so I went 3-0-1 tonight, although it was a real struggle. The good news though is that I managed to nab myself a promo Path to Exile, so the mental exertion was worth it in the end.
My list was as above except I had two Spear of Heliod even though I thought I checked and cut one. Oh well. For reference:
Not Atarka Red, thank god. No one at my LGS I don't think can afford/cares enough to buy/run that card/combo. Still, I got mana-screwed in both games and mulliganed down to 5 cards game two and honestly I might as well of not played at all. You can probably hazard a guess at what he did.
Match 2: Mono-Red Aggro: 2-1.
Another mono-red aggro deck! Joy! Luckily it was a weaker version of the previous which relied on the old mono-red tricks with Akroan Crusader and Titan Strength and Coordinated Assault and co.
Game 1: I won and I don't really recall it that well. I think I just held out and... yeah I won I don't really remember.
Game 3: For some reason I also don't really remember this game. Apparently I can only remember the games where I lose. I think he just got mana-flooded and couldn't get started.
Match 3: Boros Burn/... stuff. 2-1.
Game 1: Won off of Brutal Hordechief. In fact the game was progressing very slowly, and because he has Monastery Mentor and two Seeker of the Way in play, I didn't really fancy attacking all that much, especially when my board consisted of 8 1/1 Warriors and a few 2/1 warriors. However I played Sorin, Solemn Visitor earlier and made a 2/2 flying vampire which let me whittle him down until I top-decked Brutal Hordechief. I also managed to kill Grand Soul Master, which I felt was the biggest threat to my deck in that match (kill my dude and heal = very bad).
Game 2: Another close encounter and I didn't draw a single sideboard card (in fact I didn't really draw any sideboard cards period). I think he stablised and played good stuff like the Monastery Mentor and Thunderbreak Regent and I just couldn't get there.
Game 3: This went down to the last few turns of the game. Luckily I managed to win due to his unfortunate bad hand, some removal, and Arashin Foremost (some other warriors where also there). I also made a late decision to sideboard Brutal Hordechief out (was tempted to bring him in on the play) for more removal and then drew that removal. So, technically I did draw a sideboard card, but it was a MB card I was otherwise going to cut.
Match 4: GR Ramp: 2-1.
Game 1: He made some bad calls against an aggro deck, like attacking with his Surrak, the Hunt Caller when I still had board presence and lower power creatures than his Surrak's toughness and greater overall power across my creatures. I kind of lucked out a bit in that respect and managed to pull off the win by top-decking a much needed land for Arashin Foremost when he was tapped out. In fact I got very lucky because I didn't pull any black land.
I may have got some of the sideboard stuff a little wrong, and my sideboarding of Bloodsoaked Champion was often determined by whether I was on the draw or not.
I'm tempted to just cut Spear of Heliod. It just didn't feel all that great to be honest. The +1/+1 was nice, but it wasn't that nice. I suppose it still helps against some decks, like burn and decks running 1/1 tokens - though Virulent Plague is for that, really.
I'd write more but I'm too tired. Hopefully those that have read what I have put can gain something from it!
Why are you running off-colour fetches without any kind of delve cards you need to support? Otherwise, congrats on the great results.
Largely because I used to run a couple of Murderous Cut with them but cut the... cuts and just haven't removed the fetchlands. Plus I like my fetchlands and it helps thin the deck a bit.
Why are you running off-colour fetches without any kind of delve cards you need to support? Otherwise, congrats on the great results.
Largely because I used to run a couple of Murderous Cut with them but cut the... cuts and just haven't removed the fetchlands. Plus I like my fetchlands and it helps thin the deck a bit.
Deck thinning is not worth the life loss. Here's one thread that looks at some of the math. Basically, you lose 20% of your life for a 5% improved chance to not draw land on turn 5, assuming you fetched 4 times in a row, and anything less than a 5% chance advantage is too insignificant to even consider.
It looks like it's really just the matches where he brings in Virulent Plague, which is a bit of a nonbo with Secure the Wastes. Secure isn't a terrible card vs tokens, but plague is just better in the matchup. Since Virulent Plague doesn't have as much game vs non-token matchups, keeping Secure in mainboard seems fine.
As for Graveblade Marauder, I like it over Blood-Chin Fanatic thanks to its 4 toughness and ability to still get in for a decent amount of damage, not to mention a lower black requirement. Managing to Arashin Foremost this guy with some creatures in the graveyard and connecting is another dream scenario. Will likely report back when I have some tournament results.
Blood chin fanatic is bad so thats not saying much. Marauder would be nice but it will never get in to do its damage and theres a posibility it will only be 1 or 2.
I took 3rd in a 28-player Game Day this afternoon with my WB Warriors, defeating Abzan Constellation (2-0), UR Ensoul (2-0), UW Heroic (2-1), Mono-Red Aggro (2-0), and UB Control (2-0), before finally losing to my 4th round opponent (mono-red) in a rematch during the semifinals/top 4. I don't have the brain to do a full write-up, but here's the list I ran today as well as a few thoughts on how it all went.
- Athreos didn't perform as well as I'd hoped. For future events I'll probably cut him. He doesn't impact the board enough when you're behind, and when you're already ahead you don't need him. Not sure yet what I'll be replacing him with.
- It's nearly impossible to lose after resolving Sorin. Use his +1 and cackle gleefully as he brings you back up to (or over) 20 life.
- Arashin Foremost remains the second biggest bomb we have. If you're not running the full playset maindeck then I don't even know what you're doing in this thread.
- I'm pretty happy with the maindeck removal suite. The 3/3/1 split of Stance/Price/Cut worked beautifully. I only ever drew Harsh Sustenance once, but I always wanted to draw it so it'll stay in unless I'm facing control or another removal-heavy deck.
- People continue to under-value Woe-Reapers. I had multiple games where I gained 2-5 life off of Woe-Reaper triggers which put me out of burn range or combat lethal. You can even exile your own guys from the graveyard if need be.
- The singleton Fanatic was fantastic. I won two games off of it that I can remember. One game in particular I had 5 mana, Bloodsoaked Champ, and Fanatic on the board. Swing with the Champ, after damage sac him to the Fanatic for a 4-point life swing and then bring him back out with the raid trigger. Welcome to the circus of value.
- Shadowspear was.... okay, I guess. Decent. The guaranteed life loss is nice, and while I was never sad to draw one I never felt super enthusiastic about them either. I might drop down to 2 Shadowspears going forward, and replace it with a 4th Woe-Reaper.
- Mono-Red Aggro is a really tough matchup. I'm not sure I can effectively comment on it, other than to suggest trading aggressively early on. You need to be totally on board with trading your Woe-Reaper for a Zurgo, for example. Don't try to hold your guys back, always chump block if you think you can guarantee the trade. Blow your removal on things like Swiftspears, which make combat math difficult due to prowess triggers.
- Probably going to drop to 1 Bile Blight from the sideboard and add a 2nd Murderous Cut in its place.
- The deck is not Tier 1 material. It is, however, extremely fun to play. Go forth, beat face, be merry.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
My 360 Peasant+ Cube!. Modern borders where possible, usually with the newest (or "best") art, and always the most readable card text. I also run all 10 painlands. My playgroup is super casual, as we have a fair number of newer or less experienced players. Typically we draft with 4 to 6 people, using 5 packs of 9.
Well done! I've been doing mono-black warriors but have been thinking about splashing white for more versatility. I love how you have no EBT lands. Did you ever find yourself having mana issues?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find me on XMage: scottymandingo.
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
The deck does, in fact, need to be defensive against RDW because RDW is much faster than we are, save for them having really bad starts.
Cutting is, admittedly, not clear-cut but I tend to cut Bloodsoaked Champion against RDW because it can't block, though usually this is in aid of more removal (e.g., Bile Blight) and Virulent Plague. I'd be tempted to cut Arashin Foremost for this guy, as we don't want our curve too high and Arashin Foremost can be a huge tempo loss if they Wild Slash it.
I'd then probably also sideboard it in against control in favour of removal, as a way to keep pressure up after losing lots of creatures. This of course depends on the control deck you're facing (it's a bit useless against Abzan).
If you're playing Mogis's Marauder you should be cutting that for this card out of the side. While you're right in that you don't want to be on the defensive, unfortunately vs mono red you aren't the beatdown. You can be on par with mono red only if you curve out perfectly and they don't interact, but that's rarely the case. This card as the upside of being a solid followup vs wraths (plus it dodge's Anger of the Gods) so it can pull double duty vs control. While it's not the best sideboard card vs RDW, it's probably better than marauder / bloodsoaked / thoughtseize.
I don't mind cutting bloodsoaked here since it can't block if I need additional slots for sideboard cards. I don't like cutting Arashin Foremost, as the upside of it sticking is very high and worth the potential tempo loss. Without removal RDW has a hard time attacking into it, and it can easily swing back hard.
Yeah I couldn't actually remember my list when I posted that. I actually run two Brutal Hordechief main so I'd probably just cut that :p.
As a further point, I might just like to add I recently ran a couple of Hidden Dragonslayer in my sideboard and actually think he's pretty darn good - better than I gave it credit for. It's actually not too bad to sideboard it in against RDW (lifelink) and it's flip has a potential to be useful even in that matchup (RDW still buffs). That aside, he seems very good in any ramp or go-big decks, including GR Devotion. I actually think his lifelink was designed specifically to counter the damage from Thunderbreak Regent when you flip him. Well, maybe not specifically, but you get me.
LOL You joined four months ago and this is your firs post??
Hilarious!
C Long Live Eldrazi C
I think you've got about the bare minimum number of targets for a CoCo list (26 including Athreos). Also not a fan of the Rally. I understand the idea, but it's just taking up a more useful slot. Personally I'm also running Den Protector for more recursion of threats and Company's, but it remains to be seen if it's worth it. I have a newer version of the list that I can't post here yet because it uses some cards from Origins and I'm planning to build the deck after the release of Origins, but I do think Company gives it a whole lot of added power.
Protection spells in an aggro deck? You beat control by being too fast and you deal with burn by flooding the board with about a million guys. And green gives you access to Den Protector which is incredibly good against control and, honestly, "burn" isn't really a thing in standard. Mono red aggro is about as close as you get but it's hardly a "burn" deck. CoCo also gives you some nuts plays against control. "Oh you tapped out for a dragon/after I pass turn you think it's safe to tap the rest of your mana for a Dig? Here's 3 more guys!" or "Nice sweeper, let me just refill the board here..."
Seriously though, we're not playing Heroic. We don't need protection spells.
Eh it's not so much I don't want to discuss CoCo because it's a fabulous card - which is why everyone has been talking about it recently. I just think this deck can be doing better things.
Like, I'd much rather pay four mana to get three 1/1 warriors than cast CoCo. I mean sure, you might get something great, but you might get nothing - it's just not as consistent as I'd want it to be, especially when you consider that Secure the Wastes is a guaranteed three dudes for four mana, unless it gets countered or something.
I mean, if you go green you could then splash for Den Protector, but I actually wouldn't want to hit that from CoCo because you really want to be playing it face-down so you can generate CA. Plus, playing a 2/2 for 3 mana really isn't where the deck, I feel, wants to be and can put you behind. I just feel that Den Protector is a card that wants to be played in a different deck. We just have nothing that can stabilize the board for it.
The other cards to splash for are Heir of the Wilds or Surrak, the Hunt Caller. The former is fine and combos nicely with Blood-Chin Rager and Arashin Foremost, but the latter is probably too heavy on the green for a deck trying to be fast and wanting to be in three colours.
The other problem you have is that you're trying to use three colours in an aggro deck, which is difficult if not impossible to be consistent with. If you really want to go green I would suggest dropping a colour, but this means potentially losing other powerful cards in the deck like Blood-Chin Rager, Arashin Foremost, Chief of the Edge and even Mardu Woe-Reaper, who hoses Deathmist Raptor and helps out against burn and delve. Still, mono-black warriors is a thing, so there's no reason it can't be potent.
For reference, here is my latest list:
2 Brutal Hordechief
4 Arashin Foremost
4 Blood-Chin Rager
4 Chief of the Edge
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
4 Mardu Woe-Reaper
4 Dragon Hunter
Enchantments:
1 Spear of Heliod
Instants:
2 Hero's Downfall
2 Ultimate Price
4 Secure the Wastes
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
Land:
2 Bloodstained Mire
2 Windswept Heath
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Mana Confluence
6 Plains
4 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
2 Hidden Dragonslayer
2 Banishing Light
3 Virulent Plague
3 Self-Inflicted Wound
3 Thoughtseize
Sometimes my SB contains Drown in Sorrow. My meta is very aggro heavy and... quite heavy on mono-red aggro. Though I like to keep my sideboard a bit more varied just in case someone has a different deck...
And as for discussing the deck, it's not helpful if no one tells me that they don't think it's a good idea, because then I can never even think about my choices. I just have my deck and go "Well, maybe it's perfect and no one has any criticism. Maybe it's terrible and I'm a moron for not seeing how incredibly bad the list is. Who knows?" As is, I think I will probably cut the Den Protector because, as you said, it's not quite aggressive enough. I might test it out at some point but I do think I want to make room for some more aggressive cards.
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
4 Caves of Koilos
3 Plains
4 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Windswept Heath
1 Forest
2 Mana Confluence
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
3 Hero's Downfall
2 Athreos, God of Passage
4 Merciless Executioner (Removal)
4 -Spoiled Card- (Removal)
20 Warriors to taste
Merciless Executioner and his Zombie Warrior clone buddy in Origins IS removal that CoCo can hit. If you can somehow work Whip of Erebos in to recur said Executioner and functional clone, that is a lot of sacrificing creatures for our opponent. Now - if you find a way to pull that functional clone OTHER than Whip out of graveyard consistently...
Yes, it is for me after trying unsuccessfully with BW Warriors.
Although I miss having Plains for Chief of the Edge and Sorin, the idea of splashing my mono-black warriors with Forests for Collected Company has me thinking.
C Long Live Eldrazi C
Seems like a decent shell, although I would argue that Athreos is a bit more of a flex-spot, I don't see him being something that you really must must be running. However, with 8 Merciless Executioners, I think it could be argued that the new Lili is perhaps too good not to run, especially considering she can be hit with CoCo.
My list was as above except I had two Spear of Heliod even though I thought I checked and cut one. Oh well. For reference:
2 Brutal Hordechief
4 Arashin Foremost
4 Blood-Chin Rager
4 Chief of the Edge
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
4 Mardu Woe-Reaper
4 Dragon Hunter
Enchantments:
1 Spear of Heliod
Instants:
2 Hero's Downfall
2 Ultimate Price
4 Secure the Wastes
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
Land:
2 Bloodstained Mire
2 Windswept Heath
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Mana Confluence
6 Plains
4 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
2 Hidden Dragonslayer
2 Banishing Light
3 Virulent Plague
3 Self-Inflicted Wound
3 Thoughtseize
For those interested, here are the game synopses:
Match 1: Mono-Red Aggro: 0-2.
Not Atarka Red, thank god. No one at my LGS I don't think can afford/cares enough to buy/run that card/combo. Still, I got mana-screwed in both games and mulliganed down to 5 cards game two and honestly I might as well of not played at all. You can probably hazard a guess at what he did.
Match 2: Mono-Red Aggro: 2-1.
Another mono-red aggro deck! Joy! Luckily it was a weaker version of the previous which relied on the old mono-red tricks with Akroan Crusader and Titan Strength and Coordinated Assault and co.
Game 1: I won and I don't really recall it that well. I think I just held out and... yeah I won I don't really remember.
Sideboard:
In: 3 Virulent Plague, 2 Brimaz, King of Oreskos, 2 Hidden Dragonslayer.
Out: 4 Secure the Wastes, 3 Bloodsoaked Champion.
Game 2: I lost and made a poor play to lose. I had a 2/1 Hidden Dragonslayer, Brimaz, King of Oreskos and Spear of Heliod in play and was on 2 life when he had only a Frenzied Goblin. For some reason I decided that the risk of him playing a Titan Strength onto the Frenzied Goblin was enough to prevent me from attacking at all, even with my lifelink creature. He drew a Lightning Strike and I placed my palm on my face abruptly.
Game 3: For some reason I also don't really remember this game. Apparently I can only remember the games where I lose. I think he just got mana-flooded and couldn't get started.
Match 3: Boros Burn/... stuff. 2-1.
Game 1: Won off of Brutal Hordechief. In fact the game was progressing very slowly, and because he has Monastery Mentor and two Seeker of the Way in play, I didn't really fancy attacking all that much, especially when my board consisted of 8 1/1 Warriors and a few 2/1 warriors. However I played Sorin, Solemn Visitor earlier and made a 2/2 flying vampire which let me whittle him down until I top-decked Brutal Hordechief. I also managed to kill Grand Soul Master, which I felt was the biggest threat to my deck in that match (kill my dude and heal = very bad).
Sideboard:
In: Two Virulent Plague, three Self-Inflicted Wound, two Brimaz, King of Oreskos.
Out: Four Secure the Wastes, two Brual Hordechief, one Spear of Heliod.
Game 2: Another close encounter and I didn't draw a single sideboard card (in fact I didn't really draw any sideboard cards period). I think he stablised and played good stuff like the Monastery Mentor and Thunderbreak Regent and I just couldn't get there.
Game 3: This went down to the last few turns of the game. Luckily I managed to win due to his unfortunate bad hand, some removal, and Arashin Foremost (some other warriors where also there). I also made a late decision to sideboard Brutal Hordechief out (was tempted to bring him in on the play) for more removal and then drew that removal. So, technically I did draw a sideboard card, but it was a MB card I was otherwise going to cut.
Match 4: GR Ramp: 2-1.
Game 1: He made some bad calls against an aggro deck, like attacking with his Surrak, the Hunt Caller when I still had board presence and lower power creatures than his Surrak's toughness and greater overall power across my creatures. I kind of lucked out a bit in that respect and managed to pull off the win by top-decking a much needed land for Arashin Foremost when he was tapped out. In fact I got very lucky because I didn't pull any black land.
Sideboard:
In: Thoughtseize is always a star against ramp decks. I also put in my 3 Self-Inflicted Wound because I just love playing that card. I also boarded Hidden Dragonslayer for that surprise removal factor.
Out: Bloodsoaked Champion (wanted more removal and I was on the draw), Brutal Hordechief, Spear of Heliod.
Game 2: I drew 11 of my 22 lands (admittedly, two were fetchlands).
Game 3: He didn't draw many creatures and I drew a near perfect hand and won with one-drop -> Blood-Chin Rager -> one-drop + Chief of the Edge -> Arashin Foremost.
I may have got some of the sideboard stuff a little wrong, and my sideboarding of Bloodsoaked Champion was often determined by whether I was on the draw or not.
I'm tempted to just cut Spear of Heliod. It just didn't feel all that great to be honest. The +1/+1 was nice, but it wasn't that nice. I suppose it still helps against some decks, like burn and decks running 1/1 tokens - though Virulent Plague is for that, really.
I'd write more but I'm too tired. Hopefully those that have read what I have put can gain something from it!
Largely because I used to run a couple of Murderous Cut with them but cut the... cuts and just haven't removed the fetchlands. Plus I like my fetchlands and it helps thin the deck a bit.
Deck thinning is not worth the life loss. Here's one thread that looks at some of the math. Basically, you lose 20% of your life for a 5% improved chance to not draw land on turn 5, assuming you fetched 4 times in a row, and anything less than a 5% chance advantage is too insignificant to even consider.
I'm planning on testing him in the blood chin fanatic slot.
As for Graveblade Marauder, I like it over Blood-Chin Fanatic thanks to its 4 toughness and ability to still get in for a decent amount of damage, not to mention a lower black requirement. Managing to Arashin Foremost this guy with some creatures in the graveyard and connecting is another dream scenario. Will likely report back when I have some tournament results.
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
3 Mardu Shadowspear
3 Mardu Woe-Reaper
4 Blood-Chin Rager
4 Chief of the Edge
1 Chief of the Scale
4 Arashin Foremost
1 Athreos, God of Passage
1 Blood-Chin Fanatic
2 Brutal Hordechief
1 Murderous Cut
3 Ultimate Price
3 Valorous Stance
1 Harsh Sustenance
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
Land:
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Mana Confluence
8 Plains
6 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Bile Blight
4 Revoke Existence
3 Self-Inflicted Wound
2 Surge of Righteousness
2 Virulent Plague
- It's nearly impossible to lose after resolving Sorin. Use his +1 and cackle gleefully as he brings you back up to (or over) 20 life.
- Arashin Foremost remains the second biggest bomb we have. If you're not running the full playset maindeck then I don't even know what you're doing in this thread.
- I'm pretty happy with the maindeck removal suite. The 3/3/1 split of Stance/Price/Cut worked beautifully. I only ever drew Harsh Sustenance once, but I always wanted to draw it so it'll stay in unless I'm facing control or another removal-heavy deck.
- People continue to under-value Woe-Reapers. I had multiple games where I gained 2-5 life off of Woe-Reaper triggers which put me out of burn range or combat lethal. You can even exile your own guys from the graveyard if need be.
- The singleton Fanatic was fantastic. I won two games off of it that I can remember. One game in particular I had 5 mana, Bloodsoaked Champ, and Fanatic on the board. Swing with the Champ, after damage sac him to the Fanatic for a 4-point life swing and then bring him back out with the raid trigger. Welcome to the circus of value.
- Shadowspear was.... okay, I guess. Decent. The guaranteed life loss is nice, and while I was never sad to draw one I never felt super enthusiastic about them either. I might drop down to 2 Shadowspears going forward, and replace it with a 4th Woe-Reaper.
- Mono-Red Aggro is a really tough matchup. I'm not sure I can effectively comment on it, other than to suggest trading aggressively early on. You need to be totally on board with trading your Woe-Reaper for a Zurgo, for example. Don't try to hold your guys back, always chump block if you think you can guarantee the trade. Blow your removal on things like Swiftspears, which make combat math difficult due to prowess triggers.
- Probably going to drop to 1 Bile Blight from the sideboard and add a 2nd Murderous Cut in its place.
- The deck is not Tier 1 material. It is, however, extremely fun to play. Go forth, beat face, be merry.