It's pretty straightforward. Use mana producers like the rituals/culling to increase mana + storm count. The 0cc creatures help build up storm and sacrifice for culling/diabolic intent. Ad Nauseam acts as the "yawgmoth's bargain" to set up a massive Tendrils with all the cards drawn.
Peat Bog makes the T2-3 kills much more consistent, but with slightly less of those random T1 kills (lol, not that they weren't rare already).
Duress for some protection (and disruption).
Sacrificing crystal vein can help push out that Ad Nauseam by giving it that extra crucial mana.
I need some ideas on what to do with Gamble. Infernal Tutor seems pretty useless in this deck. Personal Tutor doesn't help much, because Ad Nauseam is an instant. Maybe I might just remove the extra tutor all together and put an extra copy of something already there. I'm still testing with Gamble.
Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Thanks, in advance.
4 Ad Nauseam is suicide. I would only play 1, with 2 being the max.
you have no past in flames, so Gamble is a dead card that will probably hurt more than help. I would either play Death Wish or Infernal Tutor instead. Infernal Tutor is not nearly as dead as you would think, as it can find multiple rituals for you and you can easily empty your hand even without lions eye's.
The chromatics are probably not needed, as there is no need for mana fixing and they cause you to lose storm. I would probably play some gitaxian probes in their stead.
My current list looks like this, though is still needs a few changes. At the very least, it can give you some ideas.
4 Ad Nauseam is suicide. I would only play 1, with 2 being the max.
you have no past in flames, so Gamble is a dead card that will probably hurt more than help. I would either play Death Wish or Infernal Tutor instead. Infernal Tutor is not nearly as dead as you would think, as it can find multiple rituals for you and you can easily empty your hand even without lions eye's.
The chromatics are probably not needed, as there is no need for mana fixing and they cause you to lose storm. I would probably play some gitaxian probes in their stead.
My current list looks like this, though is still needs a few changes. At the very least, it can give you some ideas.
Ad Nauseam is a big part of my deck. I've only been killed 3 or so times out of the dozens upon dozes of gold fishes I've done with the deck. However, your concern on the number of AN I have is legit. So death wish seems like a good idea, but I'll have to create some kind of utility sideboard. Gitaxian probe looks like a good idea, since chromatics are kind of dead cards outside T1-2. However, they are decent cantrips if you set them up a turn or so earlier. Paying two life can be a big deal for this deck.
I tested out infernal tutor. An extra ritual for storm count is nice, but it doesn't help if don't have AN already in my hand. If I try to empty my hand, then I usually won't have enough mana for AN after I tutor it. I guess that replacing my chromatics with probes and maybe noxious revivals(?) can make infernal tutor a better card. It looks kind of nice on paper, but it's a dead card in this deck. I'll try testing both infernal contract and Sign in Blood.
Maybe I can try something with Ill-Gotten Gains or possibly Doomsday or maybe something techy like Gustha's Scepter + Infernal Tutor (lol)?
Any thoughts on Winds of Change? It could be pretty nasty with AdN (if it couldn't find Tendrils/extra mana) or to fix a crappy hand.
I've also been testing Serum Powder and it's great for fixing my hand, but it's a dead draw and -3 life with AdN.
Why have you guys chosen Ornithopter over Shield Sphere in your lists? Ornithoper can't deal damage like Memnite can, and the only use it has over any other 0 mana creature is that it can block flying creatures, which aren't too numerous in Legacy on the whole. The deck is a combo deck and as such doesn't need to worry as much about aggro, but I think having the free gigantic wall to buy a few turns against creatures is the better option here.
Surprisingly enough, Serum Powder actually worked the best out of all the things I could think of. Everything else was useless all the time. The powder actually saved me a few times, because I didn't have to mulligan down to 6 or 5 while thinning my deck a little. However, it is useless outside your opening hand. My list is still Mono Black and doesn't need mana fixing. I'll probably exchange the last 2 chromatic stars for Inquisition of Kozilek to increase protection.
Serum Powder is also just a Bolt to your face randomly when comboing off, too :\
That's true, but I can't think of anything else other than adding back all the Chromatic Stars and Spheres. I don't need any color fixing, but I guess small cantrips do a lot less harm than Serum Powder.
Now this looks extremely interesting. Posting a list close to your original one would be really helpful.
It was very similar to your list, I remember I was running 3 ad nauseam and I ran drowned catacombs and like one or two islands. I believe I also ran Mishra's Bauble over chromatic sphere/star, but I think sphere/star is actually better here. I only ran Dark rit and culling the weak as mana excel though, I found that I didn't fill up my grave enough for Cabal Ritual to be worth it. Another good 0 cost creature that's an artifact is Phyrexian Walker.
EDIT: I ran two Zuran Orb incase I went too far with Ad nauseam. To be honest, my list was pretty jank.
Why have you guys chosen Ornithopter over Shield Sphere in your lists? Ornithoper can't deal damage like Memnite can, and the only use it has over any other 0 mana creature is that it can block flying creatures, which aren't too numerous in Legacy on the whole. The deck is a combo deck and as such doesn't need to worry as much about aggro, but I think having the free gigantic wall to buy a few turns against creatures is the better option here.
The two best creatures are Shield Sphere (blocks a ton) and Phyrexian Walker (blocks Snapcaster Mage and Dark Confidant all day). Ornithopter will block Delver and Clique as needed though.
4 Ad Nauseam is fine.
You may want more discard (Inquisition is fine) or 2 Overgrown Tomb, some Land Grants or black/green fetches, and Xantid Swarms.
Ok, so here is my new list. I took Sparki's advice and splashed a little blue. The blue works wonders.
I tried out Jwar Isle Refuge and it works quite well. It helps fix mana and gives you that crucial extra 1 life while going off or surviving some burn.
Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.
Lands
3 - Swamp
4 - Underground River
2 - Island
2 - Jwar Isle Refuge
2 - Peat Bog
Solitare Scores out of 30
Turn 1 wins: 1
Turn 2 wins: 11
Turn 3 wins: 7
Turn 4 wins: 3
Turn +5 wins: 5
Fizzles: 3
I could have gotten more T2/T3 wins, but I'm still learning to pilot this deck correctly. This includes trying to win when I have 2 tendrils in my hand, but no AdN.
Still no Retract? 4 artifacts, retract and 1 tendrils wins games.
I can always generate enough storm without Retract, because of all the mana producers. It would probably be better if my deck had more 1cc or 2cc tutors, but there aren't many good tutors left for legacy. Ponder and brainstorm improved the consistency of my deck. They have also saved me a few times. They let me filter out extra cards to help find tendrils or Intent after I finished going off with AdN.
I'll keep testing Retract and see if I get better results.
The B/G version is better against Counterbalance, Flusterstorm, etc. (control). I just don't think 4 Duress is enough to win games with all the efficient counters that exist right now.
Land Grant isn't a good idea because it is anti-synergistic with Ad Nauseam and winning the game with a combo.
Lands that come into play tapped are a bad idea with Wasteland being so prevalent always.
The discard package is probably questionable but certainly also very flexible. The Phyrexian Towers combine well with 0-cc creatures and spells like Hymn to Tourach or, if you choose, Night's Whisper. You don't always get a Culling the Weak early in the game to optimize your 0cc creatures.
Haven't come up with a good sideboard yet. Thinking about adding Diabolic Intent as well. I'd probably take out plumb or some kind of split between songs of the damned and something else. I might only need 2 songs since it can be a dead card if you just don't draw the creatures.
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Peat Bog makes the T2-3 kills much more consistent, but with slightly less of those random T1 kills (lol, not that they weren't rare already).
Duress for some protection (and disruption).
Sacrificing crystal vein can help push out that Ad Nauseam by giving it that extra crucial mana.
I need some ideas on what to do with Gamble. Infernal Tutor seems pretty useless in this deck. Personal Tutor doesn't help much, because Ad Nauseam is an instant. Maybe I might just remove the extra tutor all together and put an extra copy of something already there. I'm still testing with Gamble.
Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Thanks, in advance.
Creatures
4 - Phyrexian Walker
4 - Ornithopter
2 - Shield Sphere
Instants
4 - Dark Ritual
4 - Cabal Ritual
4 - Culling the Weak
4 - Ad Nauseam
Sorceries
4 - Duress
3 - Tendrils of Agony
4 - Diabolic Intent
1 - Gamble
Artifacts
2 - Chromatic Sphere
4 - Chromatic Star
4 - Lotus Petal
Lands
6 - Swamp
4 - Peat Bog
2 - Crystal Vein
you have no past in flames, so Gamble is a dead card that will probably hurt more than help. I would either play Death Wish or Infernal Tutor instead. Infernal Tutor is not nearly as dead as you would think, as it can find multiple rituals for you and you can easily empty your hand even without lions eye's.
The chromatics are probably not needed, as there is no need for mana fixing and they cause you to lose storm. I would probably play some gitaxian probes in their stead.
My current list looks like this, though is still needs a few changes. At the very least, it can give you some ideas.
4 Memnite
4 Ornithopter
Other Spells-
4 Dark Ritual
4 Cabal Ritual
4 Lotus Petal
4 Culling the Weak
1 Tendrils of Agony
4 Diabolic Intent
3 Duress
3 Cabal Therapy
2 Death Wish
3 Chrome Mox
4 Infernal Contract
16 Swamp
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Ad Nauseam is a big part of my deck. I've only been killed 3 or so times out of the dozens upon dozes of gold fishes I've done with the deck. However, your concern on the number of AN I have is legit. So death wish seems like a good idea, but I'll have to create some kind of utility sideboard.
Gitaxian probe looks like a good idea, since chromatics are kind of dead cards outside T1-2. However, they are decent cantrips if you set them up a turn or so earlier. Paying two life can be a big deal for this deck.
I tested out infernal tutor. An extra ritual for storm count is nice, but it doesn't help if don't have AN already in my hand. If I try to empty my hand, then I usually won't have enough mana for AN after I tutor it. I guess that replacing my chromatics with probes and maybe noxious revivals(?) can make infernal tutor a better card. It looks kind of nice on paper, but it's a dead card in this deck. I'll try testing both infernal contract and Sign in Blood.
Maybe I can try something with Ill-Gotten Gains or possibly Doomsday or maybe something techy like Gustha's Scepter + Infernal Tutor (lol)?
Cards like Blackcleave Cliffs are good enough for a combo deck splash.
A red splash sounds rather interesting. Do you by any chance have a list to help me generate more ideas?
4 Rite of Flame
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Pyretic Ritual
4 Seething Song
Mana Accel: 8
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Lotus Petal
3 Empty the Warrens
3 Grapeshot
Extra: 14
4 Burning Wish
4 Manamorphose
4 Gitaxian Probe
2 Past in Flames
16 Mountain
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Past in Flames
1 Grapeshot
1 Tendrils of Agony
11 ?
I've also been testing Serum Powder and it's great for fixing my hand, but it's a dead draw and -3 life with AdN.
Winds I could see in a Wishboard.
WGURBLands!WGURB
WGUInfectWGU
Legacy Lands Primer
Top 8 SCG Oakland 2014
Helpdesk
My Cube on CubeTutor
Surprisingly enough, Serum Powder actually worked the best out of all the things I could think of. Everything else was useless all the time. The powder actually saved me a few times, because I didn't have to mulligan down to 6 or 5 while thinning my deck a little. However, it is useless outside your opening hand. My list is still Mono Black and doesn't need mana fixing. I'll probably exchange the last 2 chromatic stars for Inquisition of Kozilek to increase protection.
Now this looks extremely interesting. Posting a list close to your original one would be really helpful.
That's true, but I can't think of anything else other than adding back all the Chromatic Stars and Spheres. I don't need any color fixing, but I guess small cantrips do a lot less harm than Serum Powder.
It was very similar to your list, I remember I was running 3 ad nauseam and I ran drowned catacombs and like one or two islands. I believe I also ran Mishra's Bauble over chromatic sphere/star, but I think sphere/star is actually better here. I only ran Dark rit and culling the weak as mana excel though, I found that I didn't fill up my grave enough for Cabal Ritual to be worth it. Another good 0 cost creature that's an artifact is Phyrexian Walker.
EDIT: I ran two Zuran Orb incase I went too far with Ad nauseam. To be honest, my list was pretty jank.
WGURBLands!WGURB
WGUInfectWGU
Legacy Lands Primer
Top 8 SCG Oakland 2014
Helpdesk
My Cube on CubeTutor
The two best creatures are Shield Sphere (blocks a ton) and Phyrexian Walker (blocks Snapcaster Mage and Dark Confidant all day). Ornithopter will block Delver and Clique as needed though.
4 Ad Nauseam is fine.
You may want more discard (Inquisition is fine) or 2 Overgrown Tomb, some Land Grants or black/green fetches, and Xantid Swarms.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=496372
I tried out Jwar Isle Refuge and it works quite well. It helps fix mana and gives you that crucial extra 1 life while going off or surviving some burn.
Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.
Lands
3 - Swamp
4 - Underground River
2 - Island
2 - Jwar Isle Refuge
2 - Peat Bog
Artifacts [Creatures]
4 - Lotus Petal
4 - Phyrexian Walker
4 - Ornithopter
3 - Shield Sphere
Instants
4 - Dark Ritual
3 - Cabal Ritual
4 - Culling the Weak
4 - Ad Nauseam
2 - Brainstorm
Sorceries
4 - Duress
3 - Tendrils of Agony
4 - Diabolic Intent
4 - Ponder
Solitare Scores out of 30
Turn 1 wins: 1
Turn 2 wins: 11
Turn 3 wins: 7
Turn 4 wins: 3
Turn +5 wins: 5
Fizzles: 3
I could have gotten more T2/T3 wins, but I'm still learning to pilot this deck correctly. This includes trying to win when I have 2 tendrils in my hand, but no AdN.
WGURBLands!WGURB
WGUInfectWGU
Legacy Lands Primer
Top 8 SCG Oakland 2014
Helpdesk
My Cube on CubeTutor
I can always generate enough storm without Retract, because of all the mana producers. It would probably be better if my deck had more 1cc or 2cc tutors, but there aren't many good tutors left for legacy. Ponder and brainstorm improved the consistency of my deck. They have also saved me a few times. They let me filter out extra cards to help find tendrils or Intent after I finished going off with AdN.
I'll keep testing Retract and see if I get better results.
1 Dryad Arbor
2 Overgrown Tomb
3 Swamp
2 Phyrexian Tower
4 Ad Nauseam
4 Tendrils of Agony
4 Diabolic Intent
4 Lotus Petal
4 Dark Ritual
4 Cabal Ritual
4 Culling the Weak
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Cabal Therapy
2 Hymn to Tourach
4 Shield Sphere
4 Phyrexian Walker
3 Xantid Swarm
2 Ornithopter
SB:
Nature's Claims
Extirpates
Pithing Needles
1 Xantid Swarm
Snuff Outs
The B/G version is better against Counterbalance, Flusterstorm, etc. (control). I just don't think 4 Duress is enough to win games with all the efficient counters that exist right now.
Land Grant isn't a good idea because it is anti-synergistic with Ad Nauseam and winning the game with a combo.
Lands that come into play tapped are a bad idea with Wasteland being so prevalent always.
The discard package is probably questionable but certainly also very flexible. The Phyrexian Towers combine well with 0-cc creatures and spells like Hymn to Tourach or, if you choose, Night's Whisper. You don't always get a Culling the Weak early in the game to optimize your 0cc creatures.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=496372
4 Ornithopter
4 Shield Sphere
4 Phyrexian Walker
4 Street Wraith
4 Culling the Weak
4 Dark Ritual
4 Cabal Ritual
//Sorceries: 14
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Cruel Bargain
4 Infernal Contract
2 Tendrils of Agony
4 Lotus Petal
//Lands:
4 Peat Bog
10 Swamps
4 memnite
4 Ornithopter
4 shield sphere
Mana acceleration 20
4 dark ritual
4 cabal ritual
4 culling the weak
4 lotus petal
4 Songs of the damned
4 Infernal Contract
4 Plumb the forbidden
4 Deadly Dispute
4 Village Rites
2 Tendrils of agony
Land 10
10 Swamp
Haven't come up with a good sideboard yet. Thinking about adding Diabolic Intent as well. I'd probably take out plumb or some kind of split between songs of the damned and something else. I might only need 2 songs since it can be a dead card if you just don't draw the creatures.