That is why I am moving summonings to board. Against counter decks that may dump my hand but in most cases I want it to go off right away.
Prism has been a pet fav of mine since old tezz days. It fits the 1 or 2 mana draw spell you need when going off. Dang this deck would be fun with brainstorm......
I can only think of one time where I couldn't find the color I needed. And that was double black for ribbons.
Pyramid plus renegade map plus prophetic prism makes for zero issues with color usually.
I used to run attune in the version you see but, I run much more like my latest deck.
The same issue I have with Paradoxal Outcome is the same with Cathartic Visions. Never wanted to use it over another spell in hand. Having spring/mind means the draw spell you need is already in the grave ready to be used to trigger engine again.
About to move summonings to sideboard as I would rather combo with engine and pyramid with oracle or double ribbons instead of build an army. The army from summoning is cool but its only a win condition if you have time to attack or pay 10 (5 to cast and 5 to activate) to put all the sorceries and instants back in your hand from grave. I tried to explain to my friend that planeswalkers and some other cards are strictly worse for this deck. Search to Azantaca is great but you cant untap it to use again like oracle. A planeswalker only gets one use out of it until next turn. I dont want to wait til next turn if I can.
Most times if I untap with engine in play I win. Prophetic prisms have been amazing instead of treasure map so far.
I play this much more like a tap out style and dont usually give a blank what they are doing if I can help it.
There was an older couple of Paradox engine threads that I liked. Added Pyramid and been trying to make it work ever since. Your version along with one on I think MTG Goldfish gave me ideas making it faster and faster. Almost want to use green to put spring/mind and attune to aether in. Two phomenal spells that work well in this. First turn pyramid into second turn attune feels almost like cheating. May try prism again in your version of the build. It works really well in here.
Ill keep brewing and post as I go to make this as smooth as buttah.........
Here is my latest version after coming across this thread and making some changes to my original deck (listed under this one) I thought it interesting to see where I was with my build and how it has changed since seeing the version on this thread. I tried the fateful and shadows also but, found I never wanted to actually use them. So tried something more my speed. Love cut/ribbons. Many times, ribbons for ten to untap and ribbons the rest with two ribbons in grave.
Any thoughts as I usually dont have many problems against most decks but I dont keep accurate track of games either. Either way it is a very fun deck with tons of triggers and unusual lines to win.
This is my bastardization of the idea. I have been playing something close to this since I found out how powerful the Pyramid can be when snowballing thru. One of my earlier versions ran Traverse as well and 1st turn Pyramid into 2nd turn activate and cast Traverse makes you feel great as you know the next couple of turns are going to start snowballing. I may add Traverse back in because I miss it so much in the first couple turns.
Later in the game you put Oracle down and tick it up to 3 brick counters and start going through your deck.
Check it out. SB into a package of 2 anguish, 2 dissenter, 4 ceremonious, 1 Lost Legacy, for Marvel decks and never be scared again of that dang deck.
Just about all other decks just need a removal spell/board wipe to stabilize on the aggro decks.
Ramping into Approach with mana to dig and play again because of paradox and oracle's (which actually casts the spells) is pretty easy to have happen
I think you are trying to do what most people do and put too many different ideas in a deck to hit all possibilities. Pick 1, either Thing in the Ice deck or a Tree of Perdition deck. There really is no reason to dilute two different decks to make one subpar deck. Saying that, after what happened to me this past weekend grim flayer is a 4 of from here on out. It works VERY well with Den Protector and Liliana of the lost hope.
As silly as this sounds, I use the entire first pack and do NOT corner myself into any archetype. I pick best card regardless of color or cost.
By the end of the second pack your vision of the deck is complete with an entire 22-23 cards that can actually be a viable deck.
The third pack I flesh out the deck and end up with too many playables.
Seth Mansfield (I think) wrote an article about it a couple weeks back concerning the curve of the deck. It helped immensely.
One thing in this format he mentioned is do NOT hate draft in for any reason in this format. I have taken his words and run with it and my winning has gone way up.
And btw, unless you have a decent amount of playable allys (13-15) that archetype will probably not work.
played a lot with this deck pre-rotation and still want it to work.
It isnt about gaining tons of life, It's about playing with your lifegain to activate accord. That is your main and optimum win condition. When I would have accord online it is virtually impossible short of planar cleansing to stop me. Building it as a b/w control deck is probably the best way to go. It is what my build was morphing into before theros. I will revisit it now with Theros and post something here shortly.
I think THORAS has the starting point.
Heliod NEEDS to be in there somewhere ABSOLUTELY (IMO the best card in the set)
Take a look at the pre-rotation post decks as the elixir is also a great accord activator
Prism has been a pet fav of mine since old tezz days. It fits the 1 or 2 mana draw spell you need when going off. Dang this deck would be fun with brainstorm......
Pyramid plus renegade map plus prophetic prism makes for zero issues with color usually.
I used to run attune in the version you see but, I run much more like my latest deck.
The same issue I have with Paradoxal Outcome is the same with Cathartic Visions. Never wanted to use it over another spell in hand. Having spring/mind means the draw spell you need is already in the grave ready to be used to trigger engine again.
About to move summonings to sideboard as I would rather combo with engine and pyramid with oracle or double ribbons instead of build an army. The army from summoning is cool but its only a win condition if you have time to attack or pay 10 (5 to cast and 5 to activate) to put all the sorceries and instants back in your hand from grave. I tried to explain to my friend that planeswalkers and some other cards are strictly worse for this deck. Search to Azantaca is great but you cant untap it to use again like oracle. A planeswalker only gets one use out of it until next turn. I dont want to wait til next turn if I can.
Most times if I untap with engine in play I win. Prophetic prisms have been amazing instead of treasure map so far.
I play this much more like a tap out style and dont usually give a blank what they are doing if I can help it.
Ill keep brewing and post as I go to make this as smooth as buttah.........
Any thoughts as I usually dont have many problems against most decks but I dont keep accurate track of games either. Either way it is a very fun deck with tons of triggers and unusual lines to win.
1 Kefnet the Mindful
2 Champion of Wits
4 Glint-Nest Crane
1 Walking Ballista
Spells:32
1 Metalurgic Summonings
4 Opt
3 Paradox Engine
1 Commit/Memory
3 Cut/Ribbons
1 Aetherflux Reservoir
2 Oracle/s Vault
4 Pyramid of the Pantheon
4 Renegade Map
3 Tormenting Voice
1 Baral's Expertise
4 Chart a Course
1 River's Rebuke
2 Aether Hub
2 Dragonskull Summit
2 Drowned Catacomb
2 Sequestered Stash
1 Spirebluff Canal
5 Island
2 Mountain
2 Swamp
2 Spire of Industry
2 Negate
2 Duress
3 Doomfall
2 Lost Legacy
2 Vraska's Contempt
1 Torment of Hailfire
2 Sweltering Suns
1 The SCarab God
4 Champion of the Wits
1 Walking Ballista
Spells:29
1 Commit/Memory
4 Spring/Mind
1 Aetherflux Reservoir
3 Cultivator's Caravan
3 Oracle's Vault
4 Prophetic Prism
3 Pyramid of the Pantheon
1 Mechanized Production
1 Approach of the Second Sun
4 Attune with Aether
3 Hour of Promise
2 Paradox Engine
4 Aether Hub
4 Botanical Sanctum
1 Canyon Slough
1 Desert of the Fervent
1 Desert of the Glorified
1 Desert of the Indomitable
1 Desert of the Mindful
1 Desert of the True
1 Fetid Pools
1 Irrigated Farmland
1 Scattered Groves
1 Sheltered Thicket
4 Forest
2 Plains
1 Inventor's Fair
2 Authority of the Counsuls
2 Fumigate
1 Hour of Revelation
2 Kefnet's Last Word
1 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
1 Torment of Hailfire
2 The Scarab God
1 The Locust God
1 Kefnet the Mindful
1 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
Spells
1 Commit/Memory
4 Spring/Mind
4 Pyramid of the Pantheon
2 Dissenter's Deliverance
4 Cultivator's Caravan
1 Ruinous Path
1 Anguished Unmaking
3 Oracle's Vault
1 Mechanized Production
1 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
3 Paradox Engine
3 Descend Upon the Sinful
4 Approach of the Second Sun
4 Aether Hub
3 Botanical Sanctum
1 Canopy Vista
4 Evolving Wilds
4 Forest
1 Inventors' Fair
3 Island
2 Scattered Groves
3 Swamp
2 Fumigate
4 Ceremonious Rejection
1 Sphinx of the Final Word
2 Lay Bare the Heart
1 Lost Legacy
2 Ruinous Path
2 Yahenni's Expertise
1 Anguished Unmaking
This is my bastardization of the idea. I have been playing something close to this since I found out how powerful the Pyramid can be when snowballing thru. One of my earlier versions ran Traverse as well and 1st turn Pyramid into 2nd turn activate and cast Traverse makes you feel great as you know the next couple of turns are going to start snowballing. I may add Traverse back in because I miss it so much in the first couple turns.
Later in the game you put Oracle down and tick it up to 3 brick counters and start going through your deck.
Check it out. SB into a package of 2 anguish, 2 dissenter, 4 ceremonious, 1 Lost Legacy, for Marvel decks and never be scared again of that dang deck.
Just about all other decks just need a removal spell/board wipe to stabilize on the aggro decks.
Ramping into Approach with mana to dig and play again because of paradox and oracle's (which actually casts the spells) is pretty easy to have happen
By the end of the second pack your vision of the deck is complete with an entire 22-23 cards that can actually be a viable deck.
The third pack I flesh out the deck and end up with too many playables.
Seth Mansfield (I think) wrote an article about it a couple weeks back concerning the curve of the deck. It helped immensely.
One thing in this format he mentioned is do NOT hate draft in for any reason in this format. I have taken his words and run with it and my winning has gone way up.
And btw, unless you have a decent amount of playable allys (13-15) that archetype will probably not work.
Good luck
My son is going to Orlando also with me and it will be his first big tourney. These have been a very good set of posts for him to read.
4 Ornithopter
4 Dissolve
4 Dictate of the Twin Gods
4 Dictate of Kruphix
4 Divination
4 Lightning strike
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Stoke the Flames
4 Shivan Reef
8 mountain
8 island
This is my first draft. I played around goldfishing and it can win turn 5 easy.... just you better hope to get there before dead...lol
It isnt about gaining tons of life, It's about playing with your lifegain to activate accord. That is your main and optimum win condition. When I would have accord online it is virtually impossible short of planar cleansing to stop me. Building it as a b/w control deck is probably the best way to go. It is what my build was morphing into before theros. I will revisit it now with Theros and post something here shortly.
I think THORAS has the starting point.
Heliod NEEDS to be in there somewhere ABSOLUTELY (IMO the best card in the set)
Take a look at the pre-rotation post decks as the elixir is also a great accord activator
I think it needs more akroma memorial and also try homicidal seclusion
also look at decent flashback cards besides looting