Hey guys, is anyone interested in taking over the primer? I've been dissatisfied with the state of modern for awhile, and I would like to drop out now, rather than go through the whole process of relearning a new meta.
As for the primer, it's in very good condition. Considering how little we grew in the TC days, the primer is pretty darn extensive. If you regularly follow the board, play the deck competitively, and have a good grasp of all the deck/card tagging tools, shoot me a PM.
Tournament report from a PTQQ today (Made T4), a bit different take on the deck as I have been experimenting with many things will have comments after report, but first my list. Sorry not good at formatting could use help with that.
[ deck ]
# card name
[ /deck ]
Remove the spaces in [ deck ] and you're in business. You can also type out the deck, highlight the list, and click the "Deck" button in your editing tool bar. Here's what it looks like done. If you hit the "quote" button, you can see what I've done to your list.
Hey, thanks for you help.
Well, this is my first time at this store so I really don't know what I'm up against. Drown in sorrow is good against affinity and tokens imo. The thing is I only have 2x stony silence right now. I have more zealous persecution though.
It's super tough to make a recommendation against an unknown meta. Just going by global meta, the top 8 are Burn, Delver, Affinity, Pod, Scapeshift, Jund, Twin, and Control. I honestly can't say much about new delver, as I haven't played against it. As for the others, you already have solid sideboard options against them, just up the numbers where you can. Torpor Orb is a good option for an unknown meta, too, as it stops more budget decks like combo elves and death and taxes, while also being a good tool against pod and twin.
Hey guys, I'm planning on taking this deck to a FNM. What do you think about the deck and sideboard? I know I'm missing a few cards but hopefully I'll do ok.
I'm thin
The 60 looks solid. Unless I have the card somewhere in my main as well, I don't like only have only 2x/1x of cards in my sideboard. This is super true of cards that can be an instant wins (like stony against affinity). Is drown in sorrow a Damnation stand in? What's it trying to hit? Do you know what you're likely to play against?
I'd drop Sin Collector, Mirran Crusader, move Zealous Persecution to the main (replace a kill spell of your choice). That gives you room to get some of those sideboard options to 3x.
Is Phyrexian Arena an alternative to Bob? 1 more mana for less life loss and same card advantage, plus its much harder to remove.
It's not ideal. While having a big pile of 3 drops isn't really a problem, it's always advantageous to play on a curve. T1 thoughtsieze, T2 Bob, T3 Souls/Liliana/Brimaz/whatever is what we really want to do. The life loss is probably about the same. Bob can be 0 when you flip a land, but arena can be 1 when you draw a lingering souls. Also, bob requires you to reveal the card. The "harder to remove" is good and bad. Sometimes, you need to not deal damage to yourself. Still, the B difference in cost is very significant.
There are 12 3-drops in Elenar's list, and Pack Rat effectively makes it 16. I'm going to say again that I feel like this deck has too many 3-drops.
That aside, this deck looks pretty interesting. It seems like a good alternative for people who don't want to shell out for Goyfs or just want a competitive black midrange deck that does something different than BGx.
Could you elaborate on what makes a large number of 3 drops bad? The majority of the best BW options are 3 drops (pack rat, Liliana, Brimaz, Lingering souls, fulminator, kitchen finks, phyrexian arena, blade splicer). In a few cases (brimaz and Liliana come to mind) their best attributes are the low 3 cmc. Our 4 cmc and greater threats are limited to Elspeth, sorin, resto angel, hero of bladehold, batterskull, phyrexian obliterator, and baneslayer angel. All of which are powerful, but not the kind of card you run as a 4x (a hand full of batterkulls would not be great, and flipping them off a bob would be even worse). If you mean the curve is too high, we have no choice. Comparing to jund (and including scooz as a 3 drop), they sit at 12. The 4 goyfs make 16. There's no replacement to Goyf (as the $200 price tag indicates), so I feel this deck is as equivalent as it gets.
Nice Primer and all, but does this really belong in the Established section? Established is for developed decks that make up the metagame. This section is also known as Tier 1.5-2, and as far as I know, this deck does not have the results to be in the Established forum.
Shouldn't this be in MDC? It hasn't put up any major results that I know of.
As for the deck itself, it has way too many 3-drops.
BW Midrange has had a thread in established since the early summer, it just took some time to get a full primer. See deck eligibility criteria here; we're on the list.
The number of 3 drops is fine. We're not the kind of deck that always wants to play a specific card on turn 3, so "competing" for the 3 slot isn't an issue.
Wow. The Seek part is excellent vs Tron. Nice tech and it's certainly quicker than Stain the Mind/Memoricide. I think we should look into Fiendslayer Paladin, too. It can't be Decayed, burned, etc. Definitely a sb consideration.
Lost vs:
-Affinity: 1x
-Mono Red Burn: 1x
-Bogles: 1x
-BW Tokens: 2x
-UR Twin: 1x
I'm not surprised at your list of lost matches. Bogles, burn, and affinity are tough. BW Tokens is also probably a hair in their favor. It has good game against midrange decks.
Good point, Valanarch. If the new names gain some ground, we'll go for a runoff. Unfortunately, deadguy and bw midrange account for over half all the votes, so a runoff wouldn't change anything.
I'm far from a professional wordsmith. If you see any typos, or areas heavily tainted with personal preference, please PM me so we don't flood the forum.
Table of Contents:
1) Introduction
2) The Deck
2.1) The Core
2.2) Additions and Alternatives
3) Sideboard
4) Articles
5) Decklists
6) Tips and Tricks
7) Match Analysis
1) Introdution:
By definition, midrange decks start by controlling the early game, then cruising to victory on 1 or 2 large threats. BW Midrange is a different take on the traditional BGx Midrange deck. It eschews green mana in order to play a more consistent mana base and utilize utility lands. Much like other black based midrange strategies, it starts out on a base of hand disruption and Liliana of the Veil. From there, our game winning threats aren't the giant Tarmogoyf or Primeval Titan used in other decks, but rather resilient, difficult to answer creatures such as Pack Rat, Brimaz, King of Oreskos, and Hero of Bladehold.
The biggest advantage BW Midrange has over other B/x/x decks is Pack Rat. We are basically replacing Tarmogoyf in our deck with Pack Rat under the assumption we will win a long grindy game. This card also helps to make our mid to late game discard spell draws relevant as every card in our deck is a Pack Rat once we have one in play. Another advantage to playing this deck is the utility lands thanks to our 2 color mana base. Most lists currently run as many as 6 colorless sources and have little to no mana problems because of them (This includes one of the most aggressive man lands mutavault) Finally the black white color combination gives you access to one of the best cards in the format, Lingering Souls. Very few cards can hold off affinity like this card does, while also interacting very well both with Liliana and Pack Rat. We also have a fantastic suite of kill spells to keep the field clear, and some of the best sideboard cards in Modern.
BW aggro-control already exists in the form of BW Tokens. BW Midrange began to arise with the printing of Pack Rat and Brimaz, King of Oreskos, as they can close out a game without the need of Anthems like a traditional token build.
In early 2014, the deck gained rapid popularity on MTGO, placing 4-0 in dailies, solidifying its possition as an established deck. From there, Chris Dearing (MTGsal's immapwner) earned 1st place at a PTQ in Little Rock, AR on June 2014, firmly putting BW Midrange on the map. The deck has also gained the attention of pro players such as Craig Wescoe.
The name "Deadguy Ale" dates back to the legacy midrange deck of the same name. The legacy deck was designed a decade ago by team Deadguy, which included big name magic players such as Jon Finkel, Dave Price, and Chris Pikula. As the story goes, Rogue Deadguy Ale was their brew of choice while brewing the deck, and the name has since become synonymous with BW Midrange. If you're wondering "why are we still using the name after all these years?" the subject has been discussed in depth here.
2) The Deck:
This is generally the core of the deck that should remain almost entirely unchanged. The number of thoughtseize equivalents is flexible so long as you keep at least 7 discard spells. I would suggest keeping 4 of every other card in this shell.
The cards below are the most common choices to make up the remaining core of the deck. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to run them, but all successful decks start with these core cards. The list is divided by what role the card plays in the deck.
ThoughtseizeB 1cmc and 2 life to see your opponents whole hand and then taking whatever nonland card you want from it. Mkay. It's usually called the second best spell in modern after Lightning Bolt.
Path to ExileW Always run 4. It’s usually considered among the premier removal spells in modern.
Slaughter Pact2B More expensive and conditional than Doom Blade, but being able to play it the turn before you pay for it allows you to tap out playing our numerous sorcery speed cards, and be ready for whatever craziness your opponent will cast on his turn.
DarkblastB Becoming popular thanks to the very common Robots match. The dredge mechanic is useful, as you can Darkblast on the upkeep, dredge instead of drawing, and Darkblast again. Also, if we have Bob on the field, we still get a card off the top. That's serious advantage.
Liliana of the Veil1BB The premier 3 drop walker. Liliana can quickly chew up a players hand, or force our opponent to sac the creature left behind after our path to exile. It can also be run from the sideboard.
Lingering Souls2W Always run 4. It is usually considered to be amongst the best spells in the Modern format, some decks splash white just so they can have it.
Dark Confidant1B Should need no introduction. The card advantage Bob produces is unparalleled. It is important to keep the average cost of our deck low to minimize our life loss to him.
Pack Rat1B Our winning creature of choice. Pack Rat can turn our extra draws from Bob into more rats, creating a serious amount of damage. It's important to make sure the field is safe before casting.
Hero of Bladehold2WW Some use her as a alternative to the Planeswalkers. She does put a ton pressure on the opponent if she is active, but not doing anything for the first turn when costing 4cmc is pretty steep.
Brimaz, King of Oreskos1WW Run no more than 3. Hail to the King! At first glance, Brimaz is a weaker Hero, that competes with our 3cmc slot token generators. In reality, the 3cmc is a benefit (see explanation below), and he puts serious pressure on your opponent. He also decreases your reliance on Intangible Virtue, as he produces Vigilance creatures.
Tidehollow ScullerWB In a perfect world, it’s a Thoughtseize with a 2/2 body for 2cmc. Sadly the world we live in (modern) is pretty far from perfect. The biggest problem is that he always eats removal, thus returning whatever card you chose. As such, an easy conclusion to draw is that Sculler should always take the removal spell. This is not entirely true, as Sculler really shines as a tempo choice. You get an opportunity to see your opponent's hand (always good), and then choose the card they most need. They can then waste a turn killing the sculler (a psuedo time walk), or try playing without a (hopefully) key piece of their deck. This can create a 1:1 trade. We both spend a card from our hand, and we both spend a turn of our time. Because we have Dark Confidant, stalling for a turn is still powerful as we can draw a card. TL:DR Sculler is worth 3 or 4 slots.
Marsh Flats Our fetchland. Can get our Plains, Swamps and Godless Shrines
Arid Mesa The other fetchland that get get us plains. Not strictly needed, but it does help a bit.
Isolated Chapel We run Plains and Swamps and need white and black mana.
Fetid Heath Filter that mana! So we can drop a Auriok Champion on turn 2 from our turn 1 Thoughtseize enabling Swamp into a turn 3 Lilana. As it only provides a colorless mana on it’s own and doesn’t synergize with Isolated Chapel, running more than two is not recommended.
Vault of the Archangel It really helps restore our life total. Because the deck doesn't require too many colored mana sources, we can get away with a few colorless option.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth Helps us get a color our of our colorless land. It's a solid singleton replacing a swamp.
Mutavault It's a Rat! It's a Golem! It's a 2/2! It's a land! Like most midrange or control decks, it's good to have a man-land win con back up. Mutavault is our clear choice due to the synergies listed above.
While the core cards above usually make up most of the 60. There is definitely opportunity to change some things depending on your local meta, or personal preferences.
Elspeth Tirel3WW Considered the premier walker for BW Tokens, Tirel's power should not be underestimated in this build. Every ability is relevant to our game-plan. Even the final wrath ability leaves our Rat tokens untouched. Unlike the other walkers, Tirel can actively recover a bad board state.
Elspeth, Knight-Errant2WW One of the best walkers in Modern, she can provide a chump blocker each turn for that goyf, give you card advantage vs. control or provide you with a faster clock. Starting on 4 loyalty and having two +1’s means she is very resilient. It should be noted that only buffing or producing 1 creature a turn is great for stabilizing a powerful board state, but not for creating one from scratch.
Sorin, Lord of Innistrad2WB In this deck he proves to be very much like the Knight-Errant. His -2 for a permanent anthem is great, and the lifelink on the tokens he produces should not be underestimated.
Sword of Fire and Ice3Also provides relevant protections, deals extra damage to players, and lets you draw. All around solid card.
Sword of Feast and Famine3Again, the colors of protection are relevant, and being able to untap all land going into your second main phase can set up a dominate board state quickly.
Batterskull5A solid choice of closer for any control type deck, especially paired with our lingering soul tokens.
DuressB Shouldn’t be in the main 60 unless your meta is combo and control heavy. Generally, you want thoughtseize of inquisition.
Dismember1(P/B)(P/B) A great card that sees a lot of play both mainboard and sideboard in others decks.
DisfigureB 1cmc instant speed removal that works against the majority of modern staples is never a bad thing.
Engineered ExplosivesX It can shut down bogles, robots, and merfolk easily. Definitely an option over doom blade, depending on your meta.
Doom Blade1B It's simple and effective. Sometimes, you just need to kill something.
Zealous PersecutionWB A one turn anthem for your team, and negative anthem for theirs. It can act as a pseudo sweeper against robots and bogles (in response to them casting an enchantment). It has the benefit in the late game of making an attack lethal, and ruining your opponents combat math.
Mirran Crusader1WW Strong against Goyf and bogles. A few successful decks have ran it, and it's also recommended by Craig Wescoe.
Auriok ChampionWW Being protection from black and red means she won’t be getting removed too easily. Giving 1 life for each creature entering the battlefield means you’ll be gaining pretty much life from all your tokens.
If you have two in play she acts as a hard counter for the combos of Splinter Twin and Murderous Redcap.
Still, in some match-ups she is close to a dead card and usually the first one to be side-boarded out.
Blade Splicer2W A colorless Golem with First Strike can swing for real damage, and can block creatures with color protection (eg, etched champion). She can also chump block, and has the benefit of giving Mutavault First Strike, too.
Kitchen Finks1(G/W)(G/W) A great option to compensate for the deck's self damaging nature. The WW casting cost can be a deterrent. It also doesn't pair well with RiP, which is a common sideboard card.
Restoration Angel3W A 3/4 Flyer with Flash can be a great surprise play all on its own. Couple that with the ability to blink Blade Splicer, reset Kitchen Finks, or take a second peek at an opponents hand with Tidehollow Sculler is very powerful. Still, it can be gimicky, so currently resides in the "alternatives" section.
Baneslayer Angel3WW A very quick game ender. She's our Thundermaw Hellkite. Some players avoid her due to the high cost (and risk of flipping it to Bob), but untapping with one is probably a win.
Blood Baron of Vizkopa3WB Similar to Baneslayer Angel, but trades flying a 1 point of power/toughness for pro white and black. Since WB are the most common removal spells, this increases the odds of untapping with it still alive.
Squadron Hawk1W Hawks used to be staples. They can be pitched to Liliana, Pack Rat, or be equipped with a sword to become a real threat. Unfortunately, the are weak on their own, and the deck risks loosing consistency to run them over Tidehollow Sculler.
Emeria Angel2WW In a build with 8 Fetchlands, she can be an army in a can. She does die to removal/bolt, but we are playing disruption. As a flier, it can be an evasive threat vs Tarmogoyf while leaving behind chump blockers and pingers. Because she's a 3/3 the risk of loosing a 4 mana investment is still very high.
Caves of Koilos A cheap alternative if you don’t have enough fetches.
Ghost Quarter/Tectonic Edge Having a way to remove pesky land is great. Generally the goal is to remove land with powerful effects, like man lands, or to stop Tron/Scapeshift. Keeping your opponent off a color of mana is a secondary goal.
More to come!
3) Sideboard:
We could talk about sideboard for days. Ultimately, run what works in your meta. If you don't know what that is, there are a few solid options for "unknown" metas, but the ideal option is to go to events, and learn the meta.
In general, it is best to run the Hatiest Hate Possible. You don't want to inconvenience your opponent, you want to ruin their day. Keep that in mind when making sideboard selections.
Rest in Peace1W A ‘hard’ alternative to Relic of Progenitus, as it has a continuous effect. Does tamper with your own Lingering Souls, so don't bring it in against Snapcaster Mage. It's not worth locking out one of your best cards, too.
Grafdigger's Cage1 The cage DOES NOT STOP LIVING END. It does, however, stop Storm and Pod (and our own Lingering Souls). It is a powerful solution to 2 very specific decks. Rest in Peace also hurts those decks, and has broader applications, so generally, the cage is not recommended.
Stony Silence1W Artifact hate. Shuts down the most troublesome cards that Affinity has, as well as significantly slowing down Tron (and stopping Birthing Pod). Seeing as those two decks are amongst the most popular, the consensus is that anything between 1-3 of this particular card is common sense.
Aven Mindcensor2W Flashing this guy in can severely hamper decks that like to search their library, such Pod, Amulet of Vigor, and Scapeshift. It can slow down Tron as well. Being a 2/1 flyer means he’ll be pulling some extra weight as a damage dealer, especially with a sword.
Rule of Law2W Shuts down living end and Storm. Can be substituted for Ethersworn Canonist or Eidolon of Rhetoric. Eidolon also has the benefit of being a lightning bolt proof creature for the same cost.
Torpor Orb1 Stops ETB effects, most notably souls sisters, combo elves, and amulet of vigor (namely Primeval Titan). Obviously, it's a big no no if you're using Blade Splicer or Kitchen Finks. A good choice against local metas with budget players, as the decks listed above are lower tier, but cheap decks.
Suppression Field1W Stops twin, and slows down pod. Good option if you play against both decks in your meta.
Disenchant1W Simple and effective. It's a good way to take out artifacts and enchantments (big surprise, right?). Bring it in against Bogles, Robots, and lower tier strategies like Heartless Summoning and combo elve's Cloudstone Curio.
Sundering Growth(G/W)(G/W) Probably the "better" disenchant, as the ability is the same, but will almost always net you another token. The only draw back is the WW casting cost.
Oblivion Ring2W Oring needs no introduction. It's fantastic, broad hate against anything that needs to go away. It is sometimes played over Disenchant or Sundering Growth as it has further applications in other matches.
Fulminator Mage1(B/R)(B/R) Another card with very clear uses. He brings the added bonus of letting us tap out on our turn to play token producing sorceries, while still having an answer to Urza Lands and Scapeshift. Can be subbed for Rain of Tears.
Surgical Extraction(B/P) A great way to remove all possibility of a combo after forcing a discard with Thoughtseize. When played properly, it can be utterly back breaking, and doesn't even require mana.
ExtirpateB Similar to Surgical Extraction, but requires mana for the benefit of Split Second.
Memoricide3B A more expensive Surgical Extraction, but has the benefit of not needing a target in the graveyard. Make sure you know the correct name of the card you want gone.
Stain the Mind4B A memoricide with convoke. It can still cannot be played before turn 4 (as we have no turn 1 creatures), but with Bob + Spirit Tokens already on the field, it can leave mana open for other spells.
Damnation2BB Very powerful against decks that win via creatures. Often, a well timed field wipe is a win against Pod, Affinity, or Merfolk. The "can't be regenerated" clause is also very important against Jund win cons like Thrun the Last Troll. Damnation gets a slight nod over Wrath of God, because of the BB cost. That mirrors the BB cost we're looking for in Liliana of the Veil and Fulminator Mage.
Wrath of God2WW Can be run over or alongside damnation. The WW casting cost is a slight step in the wrong direction for our curve.
4) Articles:
Here are some in depth articles about BW Midrange, taking a look at the decks strengths, weaknesses, specific matchups and so on.
I highly recommend that you read them.
6) Tips and Tricks:
At its simplest, the combination of hand disruption, spot removal, super efficient creatures, and the best hate/sideboard cards in the game can spell VICTORY in any meta. Still, to really push the deck over the top, it is important to understand the decks various interactions.
The first question in every game: Do I keep this hand?
Since we have powerful black control cards, and fantastic White hate, if you have previous knowledge of your opponent's deck, mulligan to a card that helps. This is especially true in game 2/3.
If there is no advanced knowledge to draw on, focus on having a playable hand. This means two sources of two colored sources of mana, ideally (W/B)(W/B), but BW isn't horrible. Finally, the deck plays best on a curve. Thoughtseize into Dark Confidant into Liliana of the Veil or a 3cmc creatures is a classic midrange environment.
Lingering Souls - It's a Sorcery. Mutavault is all creature types, including Rat and Golem (if you use Blade Splicer). Remember to include it when you count Pack Rat's power/toughness Darkblast can be played multiple times in a turn. Cast on your upkeep, then dredge back into your hand on your draw. You can do this AGAIN if you have a draw trigger from a sword.
Finally, don't over extend. A common mistake is to flood the field with all we got (despite having enough already in play to push for lethal), only to get blown out by a sweeper. Sometimes, you have to aggro it up, but do not do that unless it is mandatory.
7) Match Analysis:
There is plenty of room for variation in BW Midrange. For the matchups section, I've listed the major competing decks, and all none-core cards that help against that match. Your sideboard will not fit all these cards. Generally, you need to pad your mainboard a bit with what you think you're going to fight.
In general, BW Midrange decks have flexible slots in their main deck removal, and probably a few personal touches. These will be what your drop for appropriate sideboard cards. It's important to not harm the core of the deck when sideboarding.
As with other midrange strategies, we have a small advantage right out of the gate, being a less painful manabase. Their spot removal (lightning bolt/helix) doesn't do much against our token producing creatures and lingering souls. Watch out for Restoration Angel and Thundermaw Hellkite. The Hellkite is not super common, but can really wreck us, while Resto is just an all around good card that hurts our air superiority. Also, some newer versions are slipping in a Kiki-Jiki Mirror Breaker to create infinite resto angels.
+ Sword of Fire and Ice
+ Sword of War and Peace
+ Rest in Peace (maybe, same issue from UWR Control)
The key against burn is to gain life or stop any of their spells. They run out of gas fast, and rely on players hurting themselves to get faster wins. Try to only Thoughtseize if you know it can take a spell that would hurt you more than the 2 to cast. Don't shock lands in or fetch unless necessary. Watch out for sweepers in game 2/3.
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender
+ Auriok Champion
+ Kor Firewalker
+ Pulse the Fields
Difficult game one. Nothing we do stops them, and when living end goes off, their board is crazy, full of big monsters, some with reach. In game 2, mulligan for RiP and Rule of Law. Use your inq/seize to grab Anger of the Gods and Beast Within.
+ Rest in Peace
+ Rule of Law
Same game plan as RG, but no more red sweepers to worry about. They favor the Academy Ruins package, which fuels the super fun Mindslaver lock. Fortunately, Stony Silence and standard land destruction makes that tough. If they do get the lock, you can request they play it out. It takes about 10 minutes to mill out a deck 1 turn at a time. They have to use Academy Ruins, draw the mindslaver, cast and activate the mindslaver, pass the turn, then draw your card, tap your land, and pass the turn back. You can get lucky, push the game to time, or catch them in an error. Be very cautious of mass return spells, like Cyclonic Rift and Aetherize.
+ Stony Silence
+ Aven Mindcensor
+ Tectonic Edge, Ghost Quarter or Fulminator Mage
The key is to break their combo. They can't really fight our token army, so make it hard to combo off, and we can win. Keep Path to Exile mana untapped (even if just as a threat), and hold Zealous Persecution to either guarantee a win or to stop the combo for 1 turn.
+ Torpor Orb
+ Memoricide effect (naming Splinter Twin)
Same as TarmoTwin, but now they don't have scooze or goyf. This deck plays with more of a midrange feel, which gives us an advantage.
+ Torpor Orb
+ Memoricide effect (naming Splinter Twin)
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=82695
1 Blade Splicer
4 Dark Confidant
4 Pack Rat
3 Liliana of the Veil
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2 Plains
3 Swamp
4 Godless Shrine
2 Isolated Chapel
4 Marsh Flats
2 Mutavault
1 Tectonic Edge
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Murderous Cut
4 Path to Exile
3 Zealous Persecution
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Lingering Souls
3 Thoughtseize
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Torpor Orb
1 Spellskite
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Darkblast
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
2 Revoke Existence
2 Timely Reinforcements
As for the primer, it's in very good condition. Considering how little we grew in the TC days, the primer is pretty darn extensive. If you regularly follow the board, play the deck competitively, and have a good grasp of all the deck/card tagging tools, shoot me a PM.
# card name
[ /deck ]
Remove the spaces in [ deck ] and you're in business. You can also type out the deck, highlight the list, and click the "Deck" button in your editing tool bar. Here's what it looks like done. If you hit the "quote" button, you can see what I've done to your list.
4 Marsh Flats
4 Godless Shrine
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Arid Mesa
2 Isolated Chapel
1 Fetid Heath
2 Tectonic Edge
5 Plains
4 Swamp
Creatures
4 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Kitchen Finks
3 Blade Splicer
1 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
3 Restoration Angel
2 Hero of Bladehold
3 Thoughtseize
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Night's Whisper
1 Victim of Night
4 Path to Exile
2 Liliana of the Veil
3 Lingering Souls
3 Kor Firewalker
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Stony Silence
2 Sundering Growth
1 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Batterskull
1 Doom Blade
1 Wrath of God
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Zealous Persecution
Thanks for the tourney report!
I'd drop Sin Collector, Mirran Crusader, move Zealous Persecution to the main (replace a kill spell of your choice). That gives you room to get some of those sideboard options to 3x.
Could you elaborate on what makes a large number of 3 drops bad? The majority of the best BW options are 3 drops (pack rat, Liliana, Brimaz, Lingering souls, fulminator, kitchen finks, phyrexian arena, blade splicer). In a few cases (brimaz and Liliana come to mind) their best attributes are the low 3 cmc. Our 4 cmc and greater threats are limited to Elspeth, sorin, resto angel, hero of bladehold, batterskull, phyrexian obliterator, and baneslayer angel. All of which are powerful, but not the kind of card you run as a 4x (a hand full of batterkulls would not be great, and flipping them off a bob would be even worse). If you mean the curve is too high, we have no choice. Comparing to jund (and including scooz as a 3 drop), they sit at 12. The 4 goyfs make 16. There's no replacement to Goyf (as the $200 price tag indicates), so I feel this deck is as equivalent as it gets.
BW Midrange has had a thread in established since the early summer, it just took some time to get a full primer. See deck eligibility criteria here; we're on the list.
The number of 3 drops is fine. We're not the kind of deck that always wants to play a specific card on turn 3, so "competing" for the 3 slot isn't an issue.
I'm not surprised at your list of lost matches. Bogles, burn, and affinity are tough. BW Tokens is also probably a hair in their favor. It has good game against midrange decks.
I'm far from a professional when it comes to wordsmithing. If you see a typo, please PM me so we don't flood the forum.
Post suggested names to the naming poll.
I'm far from a professional wordsmith. If you see any typos, or areas heavily tainted with personal preference, please PM me so we don't flood the forum.
1) Introduction
2) The Deck
2.1) The Core
2.2) Additions and Alternatives
3) Sideboard
4) Articles
5) Decklists
6) Tips and Tricks
7) Match Analysis
1) Introdution:
In early 2014, the deck gained rapid popularity on MTGO, placing 4-0 in dailies, solidifying its possition as an established deck. From there, Chris Dearing (MTGsal's immapwner) earned 1st place at a PTQ in Little Rock, AR on June 2014, firmly putting BW Midrange on the map. The deck has also gained the attention of pro players such as Craig Wescoe.
The name "Deadguy Ale" dates back to the legacy midrange deck of the same name. The legacy deck was designed a decade ago by team Deadguy, which included big name magic players such as Jon Finkel, Dave Price, and Chris Pikula. As the story goes, Rogue Deadguy Ale was their brew of choice while brewing the deck, and the name has since become synonymous with BW Midrange. If you're wondering "why are we still using the name after all these years?" the subject has been discussed in depth here.
2) The Deck:
This is generally the core of the deck that should remain almost entirely unchanged. The number of thoughtseize equivalents is flexible so long as you keep at least 7 discard spells. I would suggest keeping 4 of every other card in this shell.
4 Dark Confidant
4 Pack Rat
4 Path to Exile
Sorceries
4 lingering souls
4 thoughtseize
3 inquisition of kozilek
The cards below are the most common choices to make up the remaining core of the deck. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to run them, but all successful decks start with these core cards. The list is divided by what role the card plays in the deck.
Inquisition of Kozilek B It is to Thoughtseize what Riftbolt is to Lightning Bolt. While it's not as good, it still does a ton of work
Slaughter Pact 2B More expensive and conditional than Doom Blade, but being able to play it the turn before you pay for it allows you to tap out playing our numerous sorcery speed cards, and be ready for whatever craziness your opponent will cast on his turn.
Darkblast B Becoming popular thanks to the very common Robots match. The dredge mechanic is useful, as you can Darkblast on the upkeep, dredge instead of drawing, and Darkblast again. Also, if we have Bob on the field, we still get a card off the top. That's serious advantage.
Liliana of the Veil 1BB The premier 3 drop walker. Liliana can quickly chew up a players hand, or force our opponent to sac the creature left behind after our path to exile. It can also be run from the sideboard.
Lingering Souls 2W Always run 4. It is usually considered to be amongst the best spells in the Modern format, some decks splash white just so they can have it.
Dark Confidant 1B Should need no introduction. The card advantage Bob produces is unparalleled. It is important to keep the average cost of our deck low to minimize our life loss to him.
Pack Rat 1B Our winning creature of choice. Pack Rat can turn our extra draws from Bob into more rats, creating a serious amount of damage. It's important to make sure the field is safe before casting.
Hero of Bladehold 2WW Some use her as a alternative to the Planeswalkers. She does put a ton pressure on the opponent if she is active, but not doing anything for the first turn when costing 4cmc is pretty steep.
Brimaz, King of Oreskos 1WW Run no more than 3. Hail to the King! At first glance, Brimaz is a weaker Hero, that competes with our 3cmc slot token generators. In reality, the 3cmc is a benefit (see explanation below), and he puts serious pressure on your opponent. He also decreases your reliance on Intangible Virtue, as he produces Vigilance creatures.
Tidehollow Sculler WB In a perfect world, it’s a Thoughtseize with a 2/2 body for 2cmc. Sadly the world we live in (modern) is pretty far from perfect. The biggest problem is that he always eats removal, thus returning whatever card you chose. As such, an easy conclusion to draw is that Sculler should always take the removal spell. This is not entirely true, as Sculler really shines as a tempo choice. You get an opportunity to see your opponent's hand (always good), and then choose the card they most need. They can then waste a turn killing the sculler (a psuedo time walk), or try playing without a (hopefully) key piece of their deck. This can create a 1:1 trade. We both spend a card from our hand, and we both spend a turn of our time. Because we have Dark Confidant, stalling for a turn is still powerful as we can draw a card. TL:DR Sculler is worth 3 or 4 slots.
Arid Mesa The other fetchland that get get us plains. Not strictly needed, but it does help a bit.
Godless Shrine Always run 4. Our shock land.
Isolated Chapel We run Plains and Swamps and need white and black mana.
Fetid Heath Filter that mana! So we can drop a Auriok Champion on turn 2 from our turn 1 Thoughtseize enabling Swamp into a turn 3 Lilana. As it only provides a colorless mana on it’s own and doesn’t synergize with Isolated Chapel, running more than two is not recommended.
Vault of the Archangel It really helps restore our life total. Because the deck doesn't require too many colored mana sources, we can get away with a few colorless option.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth Helps us get a color our of our colorless land. It's a solid singleton replacing a swamp.
Mutavault It's a Rat! It's a Golem! It's a 2/2! It's a land! Like most midrange or control decks, it's good to have a man-land win con back up. Mutavault is our clear choice due to the synergies listed above.
Elspeth Tirel 3WW Considered the premier walker for BW Tokens, Tirel's power should not be underestimated in this build. Every ability is relevant to our game-plan. Even the final wrath ability leaves our Rat tokens untouched. Unlike the other walkers, Tirel can actively recover a bad board state.
Elspeth, Knight-Errant 2WW One of the best walkers in Modern, she can provide a chump blocker each turn for that goyf, give you card advantage vs. control or provide you with a faster clock. Starting on 4 loyalty and having two +1’s means she is very resilient. It should be noted that only buffing or producing 1 creature a turn is great for stabilizing a powerful board state, but not for creating one from scratch.
Sorin, Lord of Innistrad 2WB In this deck he proves to be very much like the Knight-Errant. His -2 for a permanent anthem is great, and the lifelink on the tokens he produces should not be underestimated.
Swords can provide protection to our creatures while making them more threatening, and putting your opponent on a shorter clock.
Sword of War and Peace 3 Making a creature (like Brimaz, King of Oreskos, or Mirran Crusader) Lightning Bolt and Path to Exile proof is a huge bonus. Gaining life when it hits is the icing on the cake.
Sword of Fire and Ice 3Also provides relevant protections, deals extra damage to players, and lets you draw. All around solid card.
Sword of Feast and Famine 3Again, the colors of protection are relevant, and being able to untap all land going into your second main phase can set up a dominate board state quickly.
Batterskull 5A solid choice of closer for any control type deck, especially paired with our lingering soul tokens.
Disfigure B 1cmc instant speed removal that works against the majority of modern staples is never a bad thing.
Engineered Explosives X It can shut down bogles, robots, and merfolk easily. Definitely an option over doom blade, depending on your meta.
Doom Blade 1B It's simple and effective. Sometimes, you just need to kill something.
Zealous PersecutionWB A one turn anthem for your team, and negative anthem for theirs. It can act as a pseudo sweeper against robots and bogles (in response to them casting an enchantment). It has the benefit in the late game of making an attack lethal, and ruining your opponents combat math.
Auriok Champion WW Being protection from black and red means she won’t be getting removed too easily. Giving 1 life for each creature entering the battlefield means you’ll be gaining pretty much life from all your tokens.
If you have two in play she acts as a hard counter for the combos of Splinter Twin and Murderous Redcap.
Still, in some match-ups she is close to a dead card and usually the first one to be side-boarded out.
Blade Splicer 2W A colorless Golem with First Strike can swing for real damage, and can block creatures with color protection (eg, etched champion). She can also chump block, and has the benefit of giving Mutavault First Strike, too.
Kitchen Finks 1(G/W)(G/W) A great option to compensate for the deck's self damaging nature. The WW casting cost can be a deterrent. It also doesn't pair well with RiP, which is a common sideboard card.
Restoration Angel 3W A 3/4 Flyer with Flash can be a great surprise play all on its own. Couple that with the ability to blink Blade Splicer, reset Kitchen Finks, or take a second peek at an opponents hand with Tidehollow Sculler is very powerful. Still, it can be gimicky, so currently resides in the "alternatives" section.
Baneslayer Angel 3WW A very quick game ender. She's our Thundermaw Hellkite. Some players avoid her due to the high cost (and risk of flipping it to Bob), but untapping with one is probably a win.
Blood Baron of Vizkopa 3WB Similar to Baneslayer Angel, but trades flying a 1 point of power/toughness for pro white and black. Since WB are the most common removal spells, this increases the odds of untapping with it still alive.
Squadron Hawk 1W Hawks used to be staples. They can be pitched to Liliana, Pack Rat, or be equipped with a sword to become a real threat. Unfortunately, the are weak on their own, and the deck risks loosing consistency to run them over Tidehollow Sculler.
Emeria Angel 2WW In a build with 8 Fetchlands, she can be an army in a can. She does die to removal/bolt, but we are playing disruption. As a flier, it can be an evasive threat vs Tarmogoyf while leaving behind chump blockers and pingers. Because she's a 3/3 the risk of loosing a 4 mana investment is still very high.
Ghost Quarter/Tectonic Edge Having a way to remove pesky land is great. Generally the goal is to remove land with powerful effects, like man lands, or to stop Tron/Scapeshift. Keeping your opponent off a color of mana is a secondary goal.
More to come!
We could talk about sideboard for days. Ultimately, run what works in your meta. If you don't know what that is, there are a few solid options for "unknown" metas, but the ideal option is to go to events, and learn the meta.
In general, it is best to run the Hatiest Hate Possible. You don't want to inconvenience your opponent, you want to ruin their day. Keep that in mind when making sideboard selections.
Rest in Peace 1W A ‘hard’ alternative to Relic of Progenitus, as it has a continuous effect. Does tamper with your own Lingering Souls, so don't bring it in against Snapcaster Mage. It's not worth locking out one of your best cards, too.
Grafdigger's Cage 1 The cage DOES NOT STOP LIVING END. It does, however, stop Storm and Pod (and our own Lingering Souls). It is a powerful solution to 2 very specific decks. Rest in Peace also hurts those decks, and has broader applications, so generally, the cage is not recommended.
Stony Silence 1W Artifact hate. Shuts down the most troublesome cards that Affinity has, as well as significantly slowing down Tron (and stopping Birthing Pod). Seeing as those two decks are amongst the most popular, the consensus is that anything between 1-3 of this particular card is common sense.
Burrenton Forge-Tender W Anti-hate. Pyroclasm and Anger of the Gods can wipe our board presence. This is our 1cmc answer to it.
Kor FirewalkerWW A good counter to Red Deck Win or Burn by stonewalling their creatures, and acting as our personal dragon claw
Pulse the Fields1WW A good counter to Red Deck Win or Burn because it's an inverse Flames of the Bloodhand that keeps coming back to our hand.
Aven Mindcensor 2W Flashing this guy in can severely hamper decks that like to search their library, such Pod, Amulet of Vigor, and Scapeshift. It can slow down Tron as well. Being a 2/1 flyer means he’ll be pulling some extra weight as a damage dealer, especially with a sword.
Runed Halo WW A very popular "unknown meta" catch all, Runed Halo can shut down anything trying to hit you. A slippery bogle, goyf, or even Deceiver Exarch.
Leyline of Sanctity 2WW Another "unknow meta" catch all. It can stop opposing thoughtseizes, lightning bolts to the face (Burn in general), Liliana of the Veil and random mill decks.
Rule of Law 2W Shuts down living end and Storm. Can be substituted for Ethersworn Canonist or Eidolon of Rhetoric. Eidolon also has the benefit of being a lightning bolt proof creature for the same cost.
Celestial Flare WW Totally anti-Bogle tech.
Torpor Orb 1 Stops ETB effects, most notably souls sisters, combo elves, and amulet of vigor (namely Primeval Titan). Obviously, it's a big no no if you're using Blade Splicer or Kitchen Finks. A good choice against local metas with budget players, as the decks listed above are lower tier, but cheap decks.
Suppression Field 1W Stops twin, and slows down pod. Good option if you play against both decks in your meta.
Disenchant 1W Simple and effective. It's a good way to take out artifacts and enchantments (big surprise, right?). Bring it in against Bogles, Robots, and lower tier strategies like Heartless Summoning and combo elve's Cloudstone Curio.
Sundering Growth (G/W)(G/W) Probably the "better" disenchant, as the ability is the same, but will almost always net you another token. The only draw back is the WW casting cost.
Pithing Needle 1 A great way to stop pesky planeswalkers, namely Karn Liberated.
Oblivion Ring 2W Oring needs no introduction. It's fantastic, broad hate against anything that needs to go away. It is sometimes played over Disenchant or Sundering Growth as it has further applications in other matches.
Fulminator Mage 1(B/R)(B/R) Another card with very clear uses. He brings the added bonus of letting us tap out on our turn to play token producing sorceries, while still having an answer to Urza Lands and Scapeshift. Can be subbed for Rain of Tears.
Celestial Purge 1W Removes Bloodmoon, Liliana of the Veil, Splinter Twin, Dark Confidant, Olivia Voldaren, and Huntermaster of the Fells. A strong spell against Jund and Twin heavy metas, as well as covering targets our Doom Blade or Slaughter Pact miss.
Surgical Extraction (B/P) A great way to remove all possibility of a combo after forcing a discard with Thoughtseize. When played properly, it can be utterly back breaking, and doesn't even require mana.
Extirpate B Similar to Surgical Extraction, but requires mana for the benefit of Split Second.
Memoricide 3B A more expensive Surgical Extraction, but has the benefit of not needing a target in the graveyard. Make sure you know the correct name of the card you want gone.
Stain the Mind 4B A memoricide with convoke. It can still cannot be played before turn 4 (as we have no turn 1 creatures), but with Bob + Spirit Tokens already on the field, it can leave mana open for other spells.
Damnation 2BB Very powerful against decks that win via creatures. Often, a well timed field wipe is a win against Pod, Affinity, or Merfolk. The "can't be regenerated" clause is also very important against Jund win cons like Thrun the Last Troll. Damnation gets a slight nod over Wrath of God, because of the BB cost. That mirrors the BB cost we're looking for in Liliana of the Veil and Fulminator Mage.
Wrath of God 2WW Can be run over or alongside damnation. The WW casting cost is a slight step in the wrong direction for our curve.
4) Articles:
Here are some in depth articles about BW Midrange, taking a look at the decks strengths, weaknesses, specific matchups and so on.
I highly recommend that you read them.
Craig Wescoe discussing the power of Pack Rat
Frank Lepore playing and analyzing another Craig Wescoe list
5) Decklists:
First up, MTGsal's own Immapwner's PTQ winning list
4 Godless Shrine
1 Isolated Chapel
4 Marsh Flats
2 Temple of Silence
2 Verdant Catacombs
2 Plains
2 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Mutavault
2 Tectonic Edge
1 Vault of the Archangel
Creatures: 13
2 Tidehollow Sculler
4 Dark Confidant
3 Pack Rat
2 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
2 Baneslayer Angel
1 Slaughter Pact
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Thoughtseize
1 Darkblast
4 Path to Exile
1 Smother
4 Lingering Souls
1 Dismember
1 Phyrexian Arena
Planeswalkers: 3
3 Liliana of the Veil
2 Disenchant
2 Stony Silence
1 Rest in Peace
3 Fulminator Mage
2 Damnation
2 Memoricide
3 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Arid Mesa
1 Caves of Koilos
4 Godless Shrine
1 Isolated Chapel
4 Marsh Flats
3 Mutavault
3 Plains
2 Swamp
3 Tectonic Edge
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Vault of the Archangel
2 Baneslayer Angel
3 Blade Splicer
4 Dark Confidant
4 Pack Rat
1 Tidehollow Sculler
Spells: 21
2 Darkblast
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Lingering Souls
3 Mana Tithe
4 Path to Exile
1 Smother
4 Thoughtseize
1 Aven Mindcensor
2 Cranial Extraction
1 Damnation
2 Disenchant
1 Doom Blade
3 Fulminator Mage
1 Smother
2 Stony Silence
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Zealous Persecution
2 Arid Mesa
4 Godless Shrine
2 Island
1 Isolated Chapel
4 Marsh Flats
3 Mutavault
2 Plains
2 Tectonic Edge
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Vault of the Archangel
2 Verdant Catacombs
Creatures: 13
1 Baneslayer Angel
2 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
4 Dark Confidant
4 Pack Rat
2 Tidehollow Sculler
1 Batterskull
1 Dismember
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Lingering Souls
4 Path to Exile
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Smother
4 Thoughtseize
Planeswalkers: 3
3 Liliana of the Veil
1 Damnation
1 Darkblast
2 Disenchant
3 Fulminator Mage
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Wrath of God
1 Zealous Persecution
2 Arid Mesa
4 Godless Shrine
1 Isolated Chapel
4 Marsh Flats
3 Mutavault
2 Plains
2 Swamp
2 Tectonic Edge
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Vault of the Archangel
2 Verdant Catacombs
Creatures: 13
2 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
4 Dark Confidant
4 Pack Rat
3 Tidehollow Sculler
2 Dismember
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Lingering Souls
4 Path to Exile
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
4 Thoughtseize
Planeswalkers: 4
3 Liliana of the Veil
1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
1 Damnation
2 Disenchant
3 Fulminator Mage
2 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Rest in Peace
2 Sin Collector
2 Stony Silence
1 Wrath of God
1 Zealous Persecution
2 Arid Mesa
4 Godless Shrine
1 Isolated Chapel
4 Marsh Flats
3 Mutavault
2 Plains
2 Swamp
3 Tectonic Edge
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Vault of the Archangel
2 Verdant Catacombs
Creatures: 14
2 Blade Splicer
4 Dark Confidant
4 Pack Rat
1 Restoration Angel
3 Tidehollow Sculler
1 Darkblast
1 Doom Blade
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Lingering Souls
4 Path to Exile
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
3 Thoughtseize
1 Zealous Persecution
Planeswalkers: 1
1 Ajani Steadfast
1 Damnation
1 Darkblast
2 Disenchant
3 Fulminator Mage
2 Memoricide
2 Peace of Mind
1 Rule of Law
2 Stony Silence
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
At its simplest, the combination of hand disruption, spot removal, super efficient creatures, and the best hate/sideboard cards in the game can spell VICTORY in any meta. Still, to really push the deck over the top, it is important to understand the decks various interactions.
Since we have powerful black control cards, and fantastic White hate, if you have previous knowledge of your opponent's deck, mulligan to a card that helps. This is especially true in game 2/3.
If there is no advanced knowledge to draw on, focus on having a playable hand. This means two sources of two colored sources of mana, ideally (W/B)(W/B), but BW isn't horrible. Finally, the deck plays best on a curve. Thoughtseize into Dark Confidant into Liliana of the Veil or a 3cmc creatures is a classic midrange environment.
Mutavault is all creature types, including Rat and Golem (if you use Blade Splicer). Remember to include it when you count Pack Rat's power/toughness
Darkblast can be played multiple times in a turn. Cast on your upkeep, then dredge back into your hand on your draw. You can do this AGAIN if you have a draw trigger from a sword.
The first from Reid Duke: http://www.starcitygames.com/article/26855_Thoughtseize-You.html
And the second from Conley Woods: http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=11723
Finally, don't over extend. A common mistake is to flood the field with all we got (despite having enough already in play to push for lethal), only to get blown out by a sweeper. Sometimes, you have to aggro it up, but do not do that unless it is mandatory.
7) Match Analysis:
There is plenty of room for variation in BW Midrange. For the matchups section, I've listed the major competing decks, and all none-core cards that help against that match. Your sideboard will not fit all these cards. Generally, you need to pad your mainboard a bit with what you think you're going to fight.
In general, BW Midrange decks have flexible slots in their main deck removal, and probably a few personal touches. These will be what your drop for appropriate sideboard cards. It's important to not harm the core of the deck when sideboarding.
+ Stony Silence
+ Runed Halo
+ Engineered Explosives
+ Ghost Quarter or Fulminator Mage
+ Damnation
+ Liliana of the Veil
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender
+ Ghost Quarter or Fulminator Mage
+ Sword of Fire and Ice
+ Rest in Peace (maybe)
+ Sword of Fire and Ice
+ Sword of War and Peace
+ Rest in Peace (maybe, same issue from UWR Control)
+ Aven Mindcensor
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender
+ Ghost Quarter or Fulminator Mage (in my experience, this is overkill)
+ Stony Silence
+ Aven Mindcensor
+ Rest In Peace (maybe. It was great against the melira win con, but doesn't stop Archangel of Thune + Spike Feeder)
+ Grafdigger's Cage
+ Damnation
+ Ghost Quarter or Fulminator Mage targeting Gavony Township
+ Celestial Flare
+ Engineered Explosives
+ Liliana of the Veil
+ Ghost Quarter or Fulminator Mage(stops dryad arbors)
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender
+ Auriok Champion
+ Kor Firewalker
+ Pulse the Fields
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender(if needed)
+ Ghost Quarter or Fulminator Mage (for the man lands)
+ Mirran Crusader
+ Sword of Feast and Famine
+ Celestial Purge
+ Damnation (possibly as a way to kill Thrun the last Troll)
+ Rest in Peace
+ Rule of Law
+ Liliana of the Veil
+ Engineered Explosives
+ Ghost Quarter or Fulminator Mage
+ Damnation
+ Leyline of Sanctity
+ Runed Halo (naming Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle)
+ Liliana of the Veil
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender (Protection against red sweepers)
+ Aven Mindcensor
+ Tectonic Edge or Fulminator Mage
+ Memoricide effect (naming Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle)
+ Engineered Explosives
+ Torpor Orb
+ Rule of Law or Ethersworn Canonist
+ Rest in Peace
+ Leyline of Sanctity
+ Runed Halo (name Grapeshot)
+ Stony Silence
+ Aven Mindcensor
+ Tectonic Edge, Ghost Quarter or Fulminator Mage
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender (Protection against red sweepers)
+ Pithing Needle or Oblivion Ring against Karn.
+ Stony Silence
+ Aven Mindcensor
+ Tectonic Edge, Ghost Quarter or Fulminator Mage
+ Torpor Orb
+ Memoricide effect (naming Splinter Twin)
+ Torpor Orb
+ Mirran Crusader
+ Rest in Peace (for this match, shutting out their goyf, scooze, and snap caster are enough to be okay with the loss of our Lingering Souls)
+ Memoricide effect (naming Splinter Twin)
+ Torpor Orb
+ Memoricide effect (naming Splinter Twin)