This is a BUG combo-control deck that is tuned for a competitive multiplayer environment. I play in tournaments when I can; this usually means I'm entering SCG side event pods as well as the occasional LGS league or pod. The deck has been quite successful so far.
At its core, the deck runs several combo engines. Those are backed by a control shell with a heavy emphasis on spell denial and card/mana advantage. Due to the web-like approach to combos, the deck is able to win even when one combo piece is removed or an entire win condition fails. I have been codeveloping this deck with Death Diamond and we frequently play the mirror match in person.
=== Decklists ===
Deck List Organized by Type (Secondary Sort: Alphabetical Order)
I chose BUG because it offers what I believe to be the best mix of the essential elements of a combo-control deck: mana acceleration, draw power, responsive power (removal, counterspells), tutor power, and synergy. While some color combinations may excel more at one or the other, BUG is a solid performer across all of them.
== Win Conditions Explained ==
This deck is designed to go infinite using Palinchron:
Budget is not an issue for this deck, but the cards I add need to contribute solid utility and not just a way to up the price tag.
The deck is designed for a competitive meta; infinite combos and heavy control are the norm. I don't care about playing nice - I'm in it to win and I'll pay life, draw my deck, and counter spell after spell to get there.
Strengths
This deck excels at setting up resilient control and combo engines. It is consistent and able to get around most board states through bouncing and sweeping. The ramp allows me to outrace most control decks and set up before I meet heavy resistance.
Resilience
Consistency
Steady tempo
Flexibility
Options for both proactive and reactive play
Weaknesses
The deck's primary weakness seems to be the matchup against fast control decks. Zur the Enchanter, Arcum Dagsson, and Spectrum Hermit Druid are examples of decks that have the potential to outrace this list and combo out before I get stabilized.
Anti-control cards like Stranglehold and Aven Mindcensor prove to be problematic if they resolve, but there are answers to such cards in the deck. Getting around these effects is a matter of drawing the answer the traditional way, which makes them harder to deal with. Draw power and countermagic are essential to stopping these cards once they hit (and ideally before).
Ruination, Blood Moon, and Magus of the Moon are also threats because of the way the deck's land base was designed. If these cards resolve, I lose.
Heavy anti-control
Fast champion decks
Nonbasic land hate
== In-Game Approach ==
This deck was built for heavy control and high consistency. It is played most efficiently via a three-stage approach:
Early game - Ramp, control, set up draw engines
Mid game - Control, set up utility engines
Late game - Control, execute combo
Stage I - Early Game
Goals:
Mana ramp
Establish early draw engines
The first two or three turns should be spent casting ramp spells and mana rocks like Nature's Lore and Mana Crypt to accelerate your mana production. When you can afford to, cast draw engines like Mystic Remora. Setting these up early means you have longer to reap their rewards and aren't spending your mana on them in the midgame when you need to have countermagic up. Green Sun's Zenith can provide additional ramp and utility tutoring in this portion of the game.
The main point of Stage I is to set up enough mana and card advantage to guarantee a steady lead for the next turns. The extra resources you gather and establish now will be what fuels your countermagic and on-turn plays in Stage II since you will need to keep tempo and still have the ability to shut down threats.
Stage II - Mid Game
Goals:
Continue mana ramp
Reap extra draw from established engines
Begin to tutor for/assemble combo pieces
Leave mana open for countermagic
After your mana acceleration and draw power has been established, work on controlling game state and tutoring for combo pieces. Instant-speed tutors like Intuition, Mystical Teachings, and Vampiric Tutor are great at this stage because they don't force you to tap down on your turn and can be used in conjunction with control magic on an opponent's turn. Use the tutors to find combo pieces and shore up weaknesses (for example, finding a Boseiju, Who Shelters All with Vampiric Tutor now means you will be better able to resolve Tooth and Nail later against a control deck).
At this stage of the game you should be leaving mana open on your turns for countermagic and removal. Use the ramp that you did in Stage I to fuel any plays that you make on your turns and keep a sufficient amount of mana open each turn cycle for one or two responses. You should never be tapping out at this point because it leaves you open to countermagic from other players and also means you will have a much harder time responding to or answering threats that are brought on by your opponents.
Stage III - Late Game
Goals:
Maintain control of boardstate
Combo off
Don't begin casting into your combo until you have sufficient resources (mana, counterspells) to play and protect it in one turn. Spreading out combo pieces and putting them into play over several turns leaves the strategy vulnerable to removal and lets your opponent know you're gearing up for the endgame.
At the same time, don't wait too long to go off. Every turn you take means more opportunities for your opponents to break through your control setup and take the game; this deck's resources are vast but they are not unlimited. Use your discretion. The perfect opportunity will not always arise and you will occasionally need to take a calculated risk to win. Just make sure to keep countermagic up and think everything through at least twice and preferably three times before executing the combo.
== Card Choices Explained ==
General
Damia, Sage of Stone was a pretty easy choice. There are only three BUG legends - Vorosh, the Hunter, The Mimeoplasm, and Damia, Sage of Stone. The first is a combat-oriented creature and thus unsuited to a combo-control build. The second is strongest with reanimator and its ability does not cater to this approach.
Damia herself offers strong draw power and isn't too prohibitive in cost. The ability to refill my hand after ramping and countering for several turns is great. I usually cast Damia as I can afford to (keeping control magic up to protect her). Since that means 7+ mana, it usually happens to coincide with the time in the game that I most need to refill my hand, since the earlier turns are spent ramping and countering.
Pros:
Relevant ability (strong draw power)
Appropriate/affordable cost
Castable at the appropriate time in the game (when its ability is most needed)
Cons:
Expensive to recast
Forces me to skip my draw step
Doesn't have additional utility
Lands
The land base is one of the most important elements of any deck. Without a properly-functioning land base, there is no fuel for your engines and no hope for victory. Because of the heavy color saturation in the deck, duals, shocks, and fetches are necessary to ensure consistency and playability. Beside them are some of the best utility lands in the game, chosen because they offer outstanding functionality and work well with the rest of the build.
I run each of the available dual and shock lands for two reasons. First, they can be fetched by effects that search for lands of basic land types and not just basic lands. This means that fetch lands and some ramp spells can find them. Second, they provide two colors of mana with little to no downside. These two factors combine to make them the best mana-producing lands available for a 3+ color deck.
Strip Mine and Wasteland deal with opponents' utility lands and can work with Crucible of Worlds and extra land effects for some serious resource denial.
Tolaria West provides colored mana when used as a land and the ability to transmute into 0-drops. This makes it useful for finding Pact of Negation or Boseiju, Who Shelters All when I need to protect a combo. It's also a land tutor should I need color or utility fixing. The downside is that it ETBs tapped.
Volrath's Stronghold is a powerful recursion land and serves as protection against removal. Although it is slightly slow to use (tap two and itself, wait to draw the creature), its ability to bring back creatures at instant speed makes it a useful utility land against removal-heavy decks that disrupt my creature base. It also allows me to consistently reuse creatures like Glen Elendra Archmage and Phantasmal Image.
Reliquary Tower is a classic auto-include land. Card advantage is critical in this format and being able to keep all the extra draws from the various engines in the deck makes it much easier to win. Although the effect doesn't mesh extremely well with my general's ability, it is still incredible and has often been a contributor to victory.
Cavern of Souls was included for its ability to protect a large number of my creatures (Wizards), including my general.
The counterspells in this deck were selected to address a wide range of potential situations. Some cards are just straightforward, low-cost spells (Counterspell, Mana Drain) while others are more flexible and designed to answer different kinds of threats.
Memory Lapse is a great counterspell. It's cheap, prevents immediate recasting (unlike counterspells that just put the card back into its owner's hand), and screws the opponent's next draw by giving them something they already had.
Voidslime counters virtually everything and is a fantastic card to have in hand before setting the combo off.
Hinder is a fantastic way to counter generals and any cards that could be abused while in the graveyard.
Force of Will and Pact of Negation can be cast for 0, allowing me to have answers available even when tapped out. They all have some drawback, but they add functionality that the deck would be worse off without.
Remand and Arcane Denial are cheap counterspells that replace themselves on resolution.
Delay is a cheap counterspell that effectively serves as a hard answer in the final turns of the game.
Misdirection effectively serves as another free counterspell against counterspells and removal.
Removal
Removal spells allow you to deal with threats that have made it past your countermagic and hit the table. Since countering every spell your opponent plays is infeasible, it is necessary to be prepared to deal with threats that have resolved or otherwise made it to the board.
Nature's Claim is a very fast, very inexpensive answer to plenty of relevant cards. The low mana cost means I can play it and still have countermagic mana up.
Cyclonic Rift is a nice mass removal spell in that it can force your opponent to discard vital cards when used at EOT and can serve as a severe setback to permanent-based strategies.
Damnation is an auto-include because of its low cost and no-regen clause.
Jace, the Mind Sculptor's -1 loyalty ability is useful for interfering with creature-based strategies and denying your opponent from having utility creatures.
Ramp Cards
One of the strengths of this deck is its ability to ramp into stronger board positions and a greater quantity of available resources early on. Outracing and outpacing an opponent through consistent and powerful mana acceleration invariably contributes to victory and fits extremely well with the control approach of this deck. Hard ramp in the first few turns leaves me with more mana to budget in the mid and late game when I need to build a board and still have countermagic up. Being able to use the extra mana to continue ramping while leaving reserves for control is amazing.
Nature's Lore, Three Visits, and Skyshroud Claim are classic EDH ramp spells. The find dual lands and bring them in in their default state (rather than tapped), allowing me to ramp and still keep mana open for control spells.
Mana Crypt, Sol Ring and Mana Vault are solid mana rocks. While they don't produce colored mana, their low costs make them quite effective at rapidly building board position.
Chromatic Lantern is the newest rock in the deck. I, like several others, was impressed when I first saw it spoiled. Given the heavy color saturation and number of colorless-producing utility lands in the deck, the potential of this card's Prismatic Omen effect was immediately apparent. Its ability to tap for on-color mana is slightly outshone by that of Coalition Relic, but the other effect is so relevant and powerful that it made the cut over its predecessor.
Azusa, Lost but Seeking, Oracle of Mul Daya, Burgeoning, and Exploration allow me to dump lands from my hand, opening up space for spells. It's particularly useful when I have mass draw engines online because of the sheer volume of resources I am able to draw and field.
Green Sun's Zenith may not initially seem like a ramp card, but it finds all of my ramp creatures, including Dryad Arbor.
Utopia Sprawl is a cheap way to add ramp power in the early game.
Birds of Paradise, while somewhat vulnerable, provides ramp and color fixing.
Search for Tomorrow is a cheap suspend spell for early ramp. It becomes less relevant after the first few turns, though.
Dark Ritual is a powerful way to get to an early (turn two or three) Damia. It is actually advantageous because it is often unexpected, and it gets replaced when Damia refills my hand.
Draw Engines
Card advantage means almost everything in this format. Having more resources at your disposal than your opponent has at his or hers is a strong boost in terms of your chances of winning. Having more cards in hand means that you have more options and can plan your current and subsequent turns with greater accuracy and tact.
Mystic Remora is an interesting card in that it is a powerful, cheap draw engine that requires proper timing and planning to get real use out of. It should never be played on the first turn unless you godhand your opponent with Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, and solid counterspell/color fixing options. Instead, it should be played on turn 3-4 after steady ramp. This way the CU cost does not consume all available mana; instead, the cost is affordable and you can still play around it while it generates draw. The condition for the draw effect is not really useful until your opponent is about to start playing the majority of his or her spells anyway.
Necropotence is another classic advantage card. It allows me to constantly refill my hand without paying any mana. It is particularly strong when I have cards like Azusa, Lost but Seeking, Oracle of Mul Daya, Exploration, and Burgeoning in play, since these cards allow me to dump lands from my hand and continue to pick up fuel.
Sylvan Library is an affordable card to cast but its effect requires some thought to use effectively. It will often be worth paying to keep at least one extra card, but you must determine what card(s) to keep and have a solid reason for doing so. Paying 8 life to draw two extra cards every turn cycle is dangerous and can lead to defeat. However, the risk is well worth it if it can accelerate you enough. It is difficult to describe exactly how this card should be used and experience will be the best teacher.
Consecrated Sphinx allows me to refill my hand at a key time in the game. Since it's a 6-drop, it gets played after all of my available ramp options and many of my in-hand lands have been exhausted. This means Consecrated Sphinx plays the vital role of restocking my hand when it is wearing thin, which allows me to maintain tempo. Although it is a large target, it is often a game winner when properly defended.
Jace, the Mind Sculptor is a powerful advantage generator in many ways - getting some extra draws is just one of them. The ability is made far more useful because it's a brainstorm effect rather than a simple "draw one." This allows you to put unneeded cards from your hand on top of your library and shuffle them away with a fetch land or other effect, thus bringing in new option for subsequent draws and brainstorms.
Tutors/Deck Manipulation Cards
Tutors are some of the most powerful spells in EDH. They ensure consistency and stability in decks that would otherwise fail to function properly. Without tutors, combos are difficult (if not impossible) to assemble and you are completely at the mercy of chance when it comes to your draws.
In this deck, tutors are best applied to find Tooth and Nail (which then finds Palinchron and some other combo creature). They are also used to furnish additional ramp and draw power, find a counterspell, or get Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir (a great way to protect combos when flashed in at EOT). The choices vary depending on the situation, but these cards and kinds of cards are my preference when playing.
Instant-speed tutors are great in conjunction with a control-heavy approach because they offer a difficult-to-answer search function at your opponent's EoT if you didn't tap down for control spells.
Sorcery-speed tutors are more limited in timing, but strong overall. Demonic Tutor and Tooth and Nail each have applications and can win the game outright if used properly.
Sensei's Divining Top is a proactive way to manipulate your topdeck. Use it to look for answers on your opponent's EoT. It can set you up with lands or spells and gives you some control over your topdeck. It works best paired with tutors and fetches, which can be used to shuffle away undesirable cards. It can interact with your hand in a very limited way, drawing you the top card of your library. It doesn't change the cards in your hand apart from that one draw.
Scroll Rack is a proactive way to manipulate your hand. Use it to filter lands or unneeded cards out of your hand and pick up more fuel. It also works best paired with tutors and fetches to shuffle away undesirable cards. It can interact with your topdeck in a very limited way, replacing X cards from your topdeck with X cards from your hand. It doesn't rearrange any cards on your topdeck apart from the ones you put there from your hand.
Lim-Dul's Vault is a nice way to scrape unneeded cards off the topdeck and set up for the next few turns.
Intuition is a game-winning spell if used properly. Finding Tooth and Nail and two recursion cards at instant speed often seals the deal.
Recursion Effects
Being able to reuse your spent resources is a great advantage. It gives everything an extra shot, means that discarded/destroyed/milled cards aren't useless, and allows for recursive combos given the right setup.
Volrath's Stronghold and Riptide Laboratory both serve as creature recursion lands and can be used multiple times while serving double duty as mana sources.
Crucible of Worlds and Life from the Loam allow me to reuse fetch lands and Strip Mine as well as bring back any destroyed utility lands. Fetch recursion alone is a good enough reason to run the former at the very least, since it allows for consistent land drops even without good draws.
Eternal Witness is a great utility creature because it is a recursion engine that can be easily recurred by other recursion engines. It's part of infinite combos and good in general.
Yawgmoth's Will is a nice way to turn a game around or win without any draw power. Its low cost makes it great because it can be used effectively even without infinite mana.
Time Stretch is something that probably isn't considered a recursion spell by most players, but recurring your turn and getting another one after it is one way to look at it.
Phantasmal Image is a utilitarian clone effect. It goes infinite with Palinchron and provides a way to copy support cards and kill generals.
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir is a great anticontrol card. Flashing it in during your opponent's EOT means you can combo off on your turn without incident.
Leyline of Anticipation was initially in the deck. I then cut it because I thought it too limited and slow, but I readded it because its potential is irrefutable. As a turn zero play, it guarantees powerful advantage. If I draw into it later on, I can either cast it or exile it to fuel Force of Will or Misdirection.
=== Deck History ===
== Overview ==
The deck has evolved over the past few months to focus more on control, draw power, and ramp. All three of these elements defend and enable one another; the strength of this design is this interaction. The interactions between the cards, engines, and mechanics form a web-like design that makes for incredible resilience and great consistency.
== Planned/Prospective Changes ==
Potential Additions:
Carpet of Flowers - This has the potential to be very powerful in competitive pods because I'm effectively guaranteed to go up against blue decks.
Grim Tutor - Strong tutor card, but potentially a bit too slow.
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger - Didn't seem to be a great card, despite allowing for infinite mana. It was too expensive to be a practical creature in other scenarios, hindering utility.
Sphinx of Magosi - Was rarely played and also deemed inferior to the additions.
Additions
Scroll Rack - Offers powerful topdeck and hand manipulation and works well with the heavy fetch/tutor shuffling.
Exsanguinate - This card was just too limited in application and all but useless apart from winning with infinite mana.
Additions:
Phantasmal Image - Allows another way to get infinite mana with Palinchron besides being a powerful utility card.
September 2, 2012:
Drops:
Coalition Relic - Although good, it just isn't as good as the card that's replacing it.
Additions:
Chromatic Lantern - This card is just more impressive than Coalition Relic. Although the Coalition Relic can produce 2 extra for one turn, it burns out that turn and can't have a charge counter put on it later that turn cycle and either produces 1 extra the rest of the game or skips the production for a turn to get back to 2 extra for another turn. By comparison, Chromatic Lantern always produces an extra 1 mana every turn cycle but also makes all of my lands tap for B/U/G. This includes utility lands that normally only tap for colorless and also means that I have access to all the blue I could ever need to fuel my control magic.
September 21, 2012:
Drops:
Primeval Titan - In a controversial move, the RC banned this card because it was too good at ramping. While this is the worst decision the RC has yet made, I have to honor this change in order to continue playing in events.
Cabal Coffers - A casualty of the banning of Primeval Titan, this card had to be cut because it just isn't good enough to include unless it can be simul-fetched with Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth. It isn't worth using two separate tutor effects to find these cards and put them on the field.
Mindbreak Trap - Although I like the potential of this card, it was never realized in game. The alternate cost can rarely be used and it's expensive to hard cast. It usually ended up being a Dissipate with a dream.
Additions:
Azusa, Lost but Seeking - Primeval Titan left behind some enormous shoes to fill. I'm testing Azusa as a replacement ramp creature. Her interaction with Life from the Loam and draw engines is remarkable. Coupled with a low cost, I feel that this may be the right call. Further testing is obviously required, but this card shows promise.
Wasteland - Since Cabal Coffers had to be cut, I had the space to add another Strip Mine effect. Resource denial never hurts when you're playing against combo control decks all day.
Necropotence - I cut this card from a primitive version of this deck because I didn't like that it forced me to find BBB early in the game. After retesting it, I feel like it still has a home here. The draw power is too good to pass up when there are so many ramp effects that can filter the lands out onto the battlefield.
October 8, 2012:
Drops:
Evacuation - Although good, this card is outclassed by its successor.
Additions:
Cyclonic Rift - This spell wins the game if resolved at EoT before you combo. It destroys rock-based control engines and sets almost every deck back. It can also be used as a 2-drop bounce spell for any nonland permanent.
March 2, 2013:
Drops:
Krosan Grip - Although good, this card is outclassed by its successor.
Survival of the Fittest - This card wasn't useful enough in this deck; I never found myself even casting it, much less using it.
Flooded Grove - The filter lands were useful in some scenarios, but I was tired of seeing them in my openers and not being able to use them on their own.
Sunken Ruins - The filter lands were useful in some scenarios, but I was tired of seeing them in my openers and not being able to use them on their own.
Twilight Mire - The filter lands were useful in some scenarios, but I was tired of seeing them in my openers and not being able to use them on their own.
Mana Web - While alright against control decks, it's slow.
Mystic Snake - The interaction with Deadeye Navigator wasn't ever relevant because I don't play Deadeye Navigator outside of my combo; Given that fact, this card was just too expensive to justify.
Additions:
Nature's Claim - I chose 1 CMC over split second (Krosan Grip) because it makes it easier to play countermagic in the same turn I disenchant something.
Lotus Cobra - Cobra offers stupid ramp power with 9 fetches and several exploration effects.
Three Visits - Extra mana ramp is essential to speeding up the deck.
Memory Lapse - Cheap counterspell that hoses the next-turn draw and prevents an immediate recast.
March 23, 2013:
Drops:
Seedborn Muse - Although this is a strong card, it's just too slow for competitive environments. I never found myself wanting to cast it because by the time I could play and protect it, I was already able to begin comboing.
Leyline of Anticipation - I'm somewhat conflicted about this drop, but I decided that it wasn't worth it unless I had some way to guarantee it on turn 0.
Pernicious Deed - Strong removal, but too slow and expensive.
Phyrexian Arena - Strong draw engine, but too slow and expensive.
Deathrite Shaman - Strong ramp and denial card in competitive metas with lots of fetch lands. It can disable other players' Crucible of Worlds interactions, and it can also be used on my fetches if need be.
Abrupt Decay - Fast removal spell that hits relevant targets in competitive metas.
Burgeoning - Strong ramp card in pod environments.
May 30, 2012 - First place at Icons Comics & Games, EDH Tournament (three-match tourney, four-man pods; 1st/1st/2nd, 1st place overall)
Date Unknown - First place at The Days of Knights, EDH Pod #2 (four-man pod)
August 4, 2012 - First place at SCG Open D.C., EDH Pod #7 (four-man pod)
Overall Record: 1st place in 3/4 of events entered.
=== Closing Notes ===
I'm always interested to hear comments, criticisms, and suggestions so long as they're constructive! Please keep in mind that this deck is being fine-tuned to maximize on power and efficiency. Cards should work well together and also be useful independently of one another.
Additionally, I want to tailor this deck for pod play. Although I often playtest in 1v1 scenarios, those kinds of games are not the ones I play for prizes.
You play nature's lore so you should play three visits. Similar for exploration. Kira is good for protecting your combo when you don't care about equips. Adding oona allows you to instant win off of tooth and mail with 11 mana via fetch witness palinchron, recast t&n, find metamorph copying palinchron and vorinclex. You then generate infinite mana, recast metamorph copying witness into tooth and nail fetch oona and mill everybody for infinite. 11 mana 1 card combo.
Exploration is not quite as good as Oracle of Mul Daya. Additionally Burgeoning seems to work better as a 1-drop accelerator enchantment since it has the potential to function as an Exploration on steroids.
I used to run Kira, Great Glass-Spinner, but ultimately cut her for more control. Losing a creature here and there is not much of a problem and I don't attempt to cast my win-con without countermagic up for protection.
Oona, Queen of the Fae would be an interesting choice, but I feel as though I could just as easily use Sphinx of Magosi or fetch Rune-Scarred Demon in her place. Oona doesn't do much for my deck outside of being a combo piece, so I'm hesitant to include her.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Epochalyptik from http://tappedout.net/ EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
You play nature's lore so you should play three visits. Similar for exploration. Kira is good for protecting your combo when you don't care about equips. Adding oona allows you to instant win off of tooth and mail with 11 mana via fetch witness palinchron, recast t&n, find metamorph copying palinchron and vorinclex. You then generate infinite mana, recast metamorph copying witness into tooth and nail fetch oona and mill everybody for infinite. 11 mana 1 card combo.
This deck has been performing well recently but I'd like to know what people think about it. If you have any experience playing with or against a deck like this or just have some observations to note, please don't hesitate to post!
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Epochalyptik from http://tappedout.net/ EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger didn't seem to be a great card, despite allowing for infinite mana. It was too expensive to be a practical creature in other scenarios, hindering utility.
Sphinx of Magosi was rarely played and also deemed inferior to the additions.
Scroll Rack offers powerful topdeck and hand manipulation and works well with the heavy fetch/tutor shuffling.
I'm planning to drop Pernicious Deed for Time Stop, as described in the original post. Pernicious Deed doesn't show up a lot and has not been useful in any of the games I've played, barring one match. Time Stop offers the potential for a lockout, effectively becoming an uncounterable Time Walk with Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir on the field at the opponent's upkeep.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Epochalyptik from http://tappedout.net/ EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
No love for the Palinchron+phantasmal image infinite mana combo?
I like Phantasmal Image as a utility card and it's something a friend of mine is currently testing in his list (we kind of co-developed these decks and bounce ideas off one another). I also think the deck needs more ways to combo off of Palinchron, since relying on too few is asking to get blown out by a well-timed counterspell or removal spell that I don't have an answer to.
Phant Image has been amazing every time I cast it. General Kill, Multi-General Kill (In our group only), Prime Time, Palinchron, too much good stuff. Gilded Drake however has been less so exciting. Thinking about dropping it and Exsanguinate. Life From the Loam will be the first add but idk what the other will be. I'm feeling Mana Web.
Phant Image has been amazing every time I cast it. General Kill, Multi-General Kill (In our group only), Prime Time, Palinchron, too much good stuff. Gilded Drake however has been less so exciting. Thinking about dropping it and Exsanguinate. Life From the Loam will be the first add but idk what the other will be. I'm feeling Mana Web.
I wouldn't drop Exsanguinate. It's too good at winning the game and it doesn't fizzle to some on the stack trickery (like Capsize could, for example).
As good as Mana Web has been against you in the mirror, it's been even more ludicrous in sanctioned events. It completely hoses mono-U control decks, screws other monochromatic builds, and does a number on most multicolored lists. I've been very happy with it.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Epochalyptik from http://tappedout.net/ EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
Since, Damia is your general, any chance Forbid will join the party?
Forbid has been suggested in the past on other forums, but I haven't ever tested it. I never really find myself with cards I'd want to pitch besides lands. I suppose at worst it's a Cancel, but I just don't know what I'd drop for it when there are other cards pressing to be included and a control suite that's already fairly stable.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Epochalyptik from http://tappedout.net/ EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
I've been winning with blue sun's zenith lately. As for forbid, I've tested it and if you overcommit to the buyback then people like to kill your general a lot to make you cast it a few times and then when you cant buy it back anymore or run out of mana they kill her once more so that you are stuck without a hand and without a way to easily get one.
I've been winning with blue sun's zenith lately. As for forbid, I've tested it and if you overcommit to the buyback then people like to kill your general a lot to make you cast it a few times and then when you cant buy it back anymore or run out of mana they kill her once more so that you are stuck without a hand and without a way to easily get one.
I tend to play in a way that doesn't force me to rely on her. I never cast or pass without countermagic up and I try not to overextend (usually I flash-dump at opponent's EOT so I only have an empty hand for a brief period).
How do you recur USZ in multiplayer? The nice thing about Exsanguinate is that it's a clean kill on the table, which is important if you want to play in sanctioned pods for money or whatever pittances they happen to be doling out.
How do you feel about dropping Deed? I never seem to use it. Also, why do you run Ghostly Flicker? It would seem to me that by the time you're in a position to really abuse ETB effects, you're already winning.
After I make inf mana I use Deadeye to flicker Rune-Scar. Either that or draw my deck, then play Top and make someone draw, then play scroll rack and make someone draw, then replay top, rearanget top 3 and make last person draw. Exsanguinate is dead outside combo and blue sun is not.
After I make inf mana I use Deadeye to flicker Rune-Scar. Either that or draw my deck, then play Top and make someone draw, then play scroll rack and make someone draw, then replay top, rearanget top 3 and make last person draw. Exsanguinate is dead outside combo and blue sun is not.
Fair enough; I suppose the process just gets a bit more complicated.
What are your bad match ups? Just wondering, not that I would build that deck
I lost to a 5C combo/control deck in an EDH pod at SCG D.C., but I was color screwed that game and would likely win a rematch.
Aggro champion decks could potentially be a problem if the control isn't strong enough in the early game.
I've never played against Zur, Arcum, or Jhoira but would assume the same to be true of those matchups.
I haven't played Scion/Druid in a while, so I can't accurately provide feedback on that matchup. Death Diamond probably could if he remembers.
Basically, any kind of decks that force me to go heavy control immediately are the biggest threats I've encountered thus far. They aren't always problems, but untimely draws can screw you very quickly with little chance for recovery. I'd even rather play against Esper or monoU control.
My Esper changed soo much. I think you may fear it now. As far as Druid goes it just won. It either won on t3 or lost horribly. Druid combo is out now though in favor of more interactive game play.
My Esper changed soo much. I think you may fear it now. As far as Druid goes it just won. It either won on t3 or lost horribly. Druid combo is out now though in favor of more interactive game play.
We shall see. I think counterspells are about as interactive as we normally get, though.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Epochalyptik from http://tappedout.net/ EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
Illustration by Steve Argyle
=== Introduction ===
This is a BUG combo-control deck that is tuned for a competitive multiplayer environment. I play in tournaments when I can; this usually means I'm entering SCG side event pods as well as the occasional LGS league or pod. The deck has been quite successful so far.
At its core, the deck runs several combo engines. Those are backed by a control shell with a heavy emphasis on spell denial and card/mana advantage. Due to the web-like approach to combos, the deck is able to win even when one combo piece is removed or an entire win condition fails. I have been codeveloping this deck with Death Diamond and we frequently play the mirror match in person.
Deck List Organized by Type (Secondary Sort: Alphabetical Order)
1x Damia, Sage of Stone
Land (36)
1x Ancient Tomb
1x Bayou
1x Bloodstained Mire
1x Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1x Breeding Pool
1x Cavern of Souls
1x Cephalid Coliseum
1x Command Tower
1x Dryad Arbor
1x Flooded Strand
1x Forbidden Orchard
1x Homeward Path
1x Marsh Flats
1x Misty Rainforest
1x Overgrown Tomb
1x Polluted Delta
1x Reflecting Pool
1x Reliquary Tower
1x Riptide Laboratory
1x Scalding Tarn
2x Snow-Covered Forest
2x Snow-Covered Island
1x Snow-Covered Swamp
1x Strip Mine
1x Tolaria West
1x Tropical Island
1x Underground Sea
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1x Verdant Catacombs
1x Volrath's Stronghold
1x Wasteland
1x Watery Grave
1x Windswept Heath
1x Wooded Foothills
1x Damnation
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Green Sun's Zenith
1x Imperial Seal
1x Life from the Loam
1x Nature's Lore
1x Search for Tomorrow
1x Skyshroud Claim
1x Three Visits
1x Time Stretch
1x Tooth and Nail
1x Yawgmoth's Will
Planeswalker (1)
1x Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Instant (20)
1x Arcane Denial
1x Blue Sun's Zenith
1x Counterspell
1x Cyclonic Rift
1x Dark Ritual
1x Delay
1x Force of Will
1x Hinder
1x Intuition
1x Lim-Dul's Vault
1x Mana Drain
1x Memory Lapse
1x Misdirection
1x Mystical Teachings
1x Mystical Tutor
1x Nature's Claim
1x Pact of Negation
1x Remand
1x Vampiric Tutor
1x Voidslime
1x Arbor Elf
1x Azusa, Lost but Seeking
1x Birds of Paradise
1x Consecrated Sphinx
1x Deadeye Navigator
1x Deathrite Shaman
1x Dryad Arbor
1x Eternal Witness
1x Glen Elendra Archmage
1x Lotus Cobra
1x Oracle of Mul Daya
1x Palinchron
1x Phantasmal Image
1x Rune-Scarred Demon
1x Snapcaster Mage
1x Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
1x Venser, Shaper Savant
Enchantment (7)
1x Burgeoning
1x Exploration
1x Leyline of Anticipation
1x Mystic Remora
1x Necropotence
1x Sylvan Library
1x Utopia Sprawl
Artifact (7)
1x Chromatic Lantern
1x Crucible of Worlds
1x Mana Crypt
1x Mana Vault
1x Scroll Rack
1x Sensei's Divining Top
1x Sol Ring
Deck List Organized by CMC (Alt. Cost Cross-Listings Included)
1x Damia, Sage of Stone
Land (36)
1x Ancient Tomb
1x Bayou
1x Bloodstained Mire
1x Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1x Breeding Pool
1x Cavern of Souls
1x Cephalid Coliseum
1x Command Tower
1x Dryad Arbor
1x Flooded Strand
1x Forbidden Orchard
1x Homeward Path
1x Marsh Flats
1x Misty Rainforest
1x Overgrown Tomb
1x Polluted Delta
1x Reflecting Pool
1x Reliquary Tower
1x Riptide Laboratory
1x Scalding Tarn
2x Snow-Covered Forest
2x Snow-Covered Island
1x Snow-Covered Swamp
1x Strip Mine
1x Tolaria West
1x Tropical Island
1x Underground Sea
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1x Verdant Catacombs
1x Volrath's Stronghold
1x Wasteland
1x Watery Grave
1x Windswept Heath
1x Wooded Foothills
1x Mana Crypt
1x Pact of Negation
1 drop (16)
1x Arbor Elf
1x Birds of Paradise
1x Burgeoning
1x Dark Ritual
1x Deathrite Shaman
1x Exploration
1x Green Sun's Zenith
1x Imperial Seal
1x Mana Vault
1x Mystic Remora
1x Mystical Tutor
1x Nature's Claim
1x Sensei's Divining Top
1x Sol Ring
1x Utopia Sprawl
1x Vampiric Tutor
2 drop (17)
1x Arcane Denial
1x Counterspell
1x Cyclonic Rift
1x Delay
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Life from the Loam
1x Lim-Dul's Vault
1x Lotus Cobra
1x Mana Drain
1x Memory Lapse
1x Nature's Lore
1x Phantasmal Image
1x Remand
1x Scroll Rack
1x Snapcaster Mage
1x Sylvan Library
1x Three Visits
1x Azusa, Lost but Seeking
1x Blue Sun's Zenith
1x Chromatic Lantern
1x Crucible of Worlds
1x Eternal Witness
1x Hinder
1x Intuition
1x Necropotence
1x Search for Tomorrow
1x Voidslime
1x Yawgmoth's Will
4 drop (8)
1x Damnation
1x Glen Elendra Archmage
1x Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1x Leyline of Anticipation
1x Mystical Teachings
1x Oracle of Mul Daya
1x Skyshroud Claim
1x Venser, Shaper Savant
5 drop (3)
1x Force of Will
1x Misdirection
1x Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
6 drop (2)
1x Consecrated Sphinx
1x Deadeye Navigator
7 drop (3)
1x Palinchron
1x Rune-Scarred Demon
1x Tooth and Nail
10 drop (1)
1x Time Stretch
Deck List Organized by Color
1x Damia, Sage of Stone
Colorless (43)
1x Ancient Tomb
1x Bayou
1x Bloodstained Mire
1x Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1x Breeding Pool
1x Cavern of Souls
1x Cephalid Coliseum
1x Chromatic Lantern
1x Command Tower
1x Crucible of Worlds
1x Dryad Arbor
1x Flooded Strand
1x Forbidden Orchard
1x Homeward Path
1x Mana Crypt
1x Mana Vault
1x Marsh Flats
1x Misty Rainforest
1x Overgrown Tomb
1x Polluted Delta
1x Reflecting Pool
1x Reliquary Tower
1x Riptide Laboratory
1x Scalding Tarn
1x Scroll Rack
1x Sensei's Divining Top
2x Snow-Covered Forest
2x Snow-Covered Island
1x Snow-Covered Swamp
1x Sol Ring
1x Strip Mine
1x Tolaria West
1x Tropical Island
1x Underground Sea
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1x Verdant Catacombs
1x Volrath's Stronghold
1x Wasteland
1x Watery Grave
1x Windswept Heath
1x Wooded Foothills
1x Damnation
1x Dark Ritual
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Imperial Seal
1x Necropotence
1x Rune-Scarred Demon
1x Vampiric Tutor
1x Yawgmoth's Will
Blue (27)
1x Arcane Denial
1x Blue Sun's Zenith
1x Consecrated Sphinx
1x Counterspell
1x Cyclonic Rift
1x Deadeye Navigator
1x Delay
1x Force of Will
1x Glen Elendra Archmage
1x Hinder
1x Intuition
1x Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1x Leyline of Anticipation
1x Mana Drain
1x Memory Lapse
1x Misdirection
1x Mystic Remora
1x Mystical Teachings
1x Mystical Tutor
1x Pact of Negation
1x Palinchron
1x Phantasmal Image
1x Remand
1x Snapcaster Mage
1x Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
1x Time Stretch
1x Venser, Shaper Savant
1x Arbor Elf
1x Azusa, Lost but Seeking
1x Birds of Paradise
1x Burgeoning
1x Eternal Witness
1x Exploration
1x Green Sun's Zenith
1x Life from the Loam
1x Lotus Cobra
1x Nature's Claim
1x Nature's Lore
1x Oracle of Mul Daya
1x Search for Tomorrow
1x Skyshroud Claim
1x Sylvan Library
1x Three Visits
1x Tooth and Nail
1x Utopia Sprawl
Gold (3)
1x Deathrite Shaman
1x Lim-Dul's Vault
1x Voidslime
== Why BUG? ==
I chose BUG because it offers what I believe to be the best mix of the essential elements of a combo-control deck: mana acceleration, draw power, responsive power (removal, counterspells), tutor power, and synergy. While some color combinations may excel more at one or the other, BUG is a solid performer across all of them.
This deck is designed to go infinite using Palinchron:
With infinite mana, cast a game-winning spell:
Additionally, there are combos/interactions that can be used to draw into a wincon:
Budget is not an issue for this deck, but the cards I add need to contribute solid utility and not just a way to up the price tag.
The deck is designed for a competitive meta; infinite combos and heavy control are the norm. I don't care about playing nice - I'm in it to win and I'll pay life, draw my deck, and counter spell after spell to get there.
Strengths
This deck excels at setting up resilient control and combo engines. It is consistent and able to get around most board states through bouncing and sweeping. The ramp allows me to outrace most control decks and set up before I meet heavy resistance.
Weaknesses
The deck's primary weakness seems to be the matchup against fast control decks. Zur the Enchanter, Arcum Dagsson, and Spectrum Hermit Druid are examples of decks that have the potential to outrace this list and combo out before I get stabilized.
Anti-control cards like Stranglehold and Aven Mindcensor prove to be problematic if they resolve, but there are answers to such cards in the deck. Getting around these effects is a matter of drawing the answer the traditional way, which makes them harder to deal with. Draw power and countermagic are essential to stopping these cards once they hit (and ideally before).
Ruination, Blood Moon, and Magus of the Moon are also threats because of the way the deck's land base was designed. If these cards resolve, I lose.
This deck was built for heavy control and high consistency. It is played most efficiently via a three-stage approach:
Stage I - Early Game
Goals:
The first two or three turns should be spent casting ramp spells and mana rocks like Nature's Lore and Mana Crypt to accelerate your mana production. When you can afford to, cast draw engines like Mystic Remora. Setting these up early means you have longer to reap their rewards and aren't spending your mana on them in the midgame when you need to have countermagic up. Green Sun's Zenith can provide additional ramp and utility tutoring in this portion of the game.
The main point of Stage I is to set up enough mana and card advantage to guarantee a steady lead for the next turns. The extra resources you gather and establish now will be what fuels your countermagic and on-turn plays in Stage II since you will need to keep tempo and still have the ability to shut down threats.
Stage II - Mid Game
Goals:
After your mana acceleration and draw power has been established, work on controlling game state and tutoring for combo pieces. Instant-speed tutors like Intuition, Mystical Teachings, and Vampiric Tutor are great at this stage because they don't force you to tap down on your turn and can be used in conjunction with control magic on an opponent's turn. Use the tutors to find combo pieces and shore up weaknesses (for example, finding a Boseiju, Who Shelters All with Vampiric Tutor now means you will be better able to resolve Tooth and Nail later against a control deck).
At this stage of the game you should be leaving mana open on your turns for countermagic and removal. Use the ramp that you did in Stage I to fuel any plays that you make on your turns and keep a sufficient amount of mana open each turn cycle for one or two responses. You should never be tapping out at this point because it leaves you open to countermagic from other players and also means you will have a much harder time responding to or answering threats that are brought on by your opponents.
Stage III - Late Game
Goals:
Don't begin casting into your combo until you have sufficient resources (mana, counterspells) to play and protect it in one turn. Spreading out combo pieces and putting them into play over several turns leaves the strategy vulnerable to removal and lets your opponent know you're gearing up for the endgame.
At the same time, don't wait too long to go off. Every turn you take means more opportunities for your opponents to break through your control setup and take the game; this deck's resources are vast but they are not unlimited. Use your discretion. The perfect opportunity will not always arise and you will occasionally need to take a calculated risk to win. Just make sure to keep countermagic up and think everything through at least twice and preferably three times before executing the combo.
General
Damia, Sage of Stone was a pretty easy choice. There are only three BUG legends - Vorosh, the Hunter, The Mimeoplasm, and Damia, Sage of Stone. The first is a combat-oriented creature and thus unsuited to a combo-control build. The second is strongest with reanimator and its ability does not cater to this approach.
Damia herself offers strong draw power and isn't too prohibitive in cost. The ability to refill my hand after ramping and countering for several turns is great. I usually cast Damia as I can afford to (keeping control magic up to protect her). Since that means 7+ mana, it usually happens to coincide with the time in the game that I most need to refill my hand, since the earlier turns are spent ramping and countering.
Pros:
Cons:
Lands
The land base is one of the most important elements of any deck. Without a properly-functioning land base, there is no fuel for your engines and no hope for victory. Because of the heavy color saturation in the deck, duals, shocks, and fetches are necessary to ensure consistency and playability. Beside them are some of the best utility lands in the game, chosen because they offer outstanding functionality and work well with the rest of the build.
Counterspells
The counterspells in this deck were selected to address a wide range of potential situations. Some cards are just straightforward, low-cost spells (Counterspell, Mana Drain) while others are more flexible and designed to answer different kinds of threats.
Removal
Removal spells allow you to deal with threats that have made it past your countermagic and hit the table. Since countering every spell your opponent plays is infeasible, it is necessary to be prepared to deal with threats that have resolved or otherwise made it to the board.
Ramp Cards
One of the strengths of this deck is its ability to ramp into stronger board positions and a greater quantity of available resources early on. Outracing and outpacing an opponent through consistent and powerful mana acceleration invariably contributes to victory and fits extremely well with the control approach of this deck. Hard ramp in the first few turns leaves me with more mana to budget in the mid and late game when I need to build a board and still have countermagic up. Being able to use the extra mana to continue ramping while leaving reserves for control is amazing.
Draw Engines
Card advantage means almost everything in this format. Having more resources at your disposal than your opponent has at his or hers is a strong boost in terms of your chances of winning. Having more cards in hand means that you have more options and can plan your current and subsequent turns with greater accuracy and tact.
Tutors/Deck Manipulation Cards
Tutors are some of the most powerful spells in EDH. They ensure consistency and stability in decks that would otherwise fail to function properly. Without tutors, combos are difficult (if not impossible) to assemble and you are completely at the mercy of chance when it comes to your draws.
In this deck, tutors are best applied to find Tooth and Nail (which then finds Palinchron and some other combo creature). They are also used to furnish additional ramp and draw power, find a counterspell, or get Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir (a great way to protect combos when flashed in at EOT). The choices vary depending on the situation, but these cards and kinds of cards are my preference when playing.
Recursion Effects
Being able to reuse your spent resources is a great advantage. It gives everything an extra shot, means that discarded/destroyed/milled cards aren't useless, and allows for recursive combos given the right setup.
Other
== Overview ==
The deck has evolved over the past few months to focus more on control, draw power, and ramp. All three of these elements defend and enable one another; the strength of this design is this interaction. The interactions between the cards, engines, and mechanics form a web-like design that makes for incredible resilience and great consistency.
Potential Additions:
Potential Drops:
August 12, 2012:
Drops:
August 16, 2012:
Drops:
August 18, 2012:
Drops:
September 2, 2012:
Drops:
September 21, 2012:
Drops:
October 8, 2012:
Drops:
March 2, 2013:
Drops:
March 23, 2013:
Drops:
April 9, 2013:
Drops:
Overall Record: 1st place in 3/4 of events entered.
I'm always interested to hear comments, criticisms, and suggestions so long as they're constructive! Please keep in mind that this deck is being fine-tuned to maximize on power and efficiency. Cards should work well together and also be useful independently of one another.
Additionally, I want to tailor this deck for pod play. Although I often playtest in 1v1 scenarios, those kinds of games are not the ones I play for prizes.
EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
[EDH]
BUG Combo/Control:
BUG Dominus - Dreamcrusher Edition GUB
BRWC Mardu Shops - Tymna and Akiri Artifacts BRWC
Exploration is not quite as good as Oracle of Mul Daya. Additionally Burgeoning seems to work better as a 1-drop accelerator enchantment since it has the potential to function as an Exploration on steroids.
I used to run Kira, Great Glass-Spinner, but ultimately cut her for more control. Losing a creature here and there is not much of a problem and I don't attempt to cast my win-con without countermagic up for protection.
Oona, Queen of the Fae would be an interesting choice, but I feel as though I could just as easily use Sphinx of Magosi or fetch Rune-Scarred Demon in her place. Oona doesn't do much for my deck outside of being a combo piece, so I'm hesitant to include her.
EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
[EDH]
BUG Combo/Control:
BUG Dominus - Dreamcrusher Edition GUB
How do you recast Metamorph? Crystal Shard?
You mention Blue Sun for lethal but it isn't in your deck. Did you cut it along the way? Why?
Oh ok, I got it now. I forgot about Palinchron's return to hand clause. Thanks for the clarification.
EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
[EDH]
BUG Combo/Control:
BUG Dominus - Dreamcrusher Edition GUB
I'm planning to drop Pernicious Deed for Time Stop, as described in the original post. Pernicious Deed doesn't show up a lot and has not been useful in any of the games I've played, barring one match. Time Stop offers the potential for a lockout, effectively becoming an uncounterable Time Walk with Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir on the field at the opponent's upkeep.
EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
[EDH]
BUG Combo/Control:
BUG Dominus - Dreamcrusher Edition GUB
Trades^
I like Phantasmal Image as a utility card and it's something a friend of mine is currently testing in his list (we kind of co-developed these decks and bounce ideas off one another). I also think the deck needs more ways to combo off of Palinchron, since relying on too few is asking to get blown out by a well-timed counterspell or removal spell that I don't have an answer to.
What would you drop for it?
EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
[EDH]
BUG Combo/Control:
BUG Dominus - Dreamcrusher Edition GUB
Damia, Sage of Stone
Ertai, the Corrupted
Scion of the Ur-Dragon
Omnath, Locus of Mana
I wouldn't drop Exsanguinate. It's too good at winning the game and it doesn't fizzle to some on the stack trickery (like Capsize could, for example).
As good as Mana Web has been against you in the mirror, it's been even more ludicrous in sanctioned events. It completely hoses mono-U control decks, screws other monochromatic builds, and does a number on most multicolored lists. I've been very happy with it.
EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
[EDH]
BUG Combo/Control:
BUG Dominus - Dreamcrusher Edition GUB
Since, Damia is your general, any chance Forbid will join the party?
Arahbo, Kitty Kat Beatdown Decklist
Mizzix of the Izmagnus Decklist
Breya, Etherium Shaper
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow Decklist
My Current Set Cube Lists:
Kamigawa Re-Experience
Ravnica, City of Guilds Re-Experience
Alara Re-Experience
Forbid has been suggested in the past on other forums, but I haven't ever tested it. I never really find myself with cards I'd want to pitch besides lands. I suppose at worst it's a Cancel, but I just don't know what I'd drop for it when there are other cards pressing to be included and a control suite that's already fairly stable.
EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
[EDH]
BUG Combo/Control:
BUG Dominus - Dreamcrusher Edition GUB
Damia, Sage of Stone
Ertai, the Corrupted
Scion of the Ur-Dragon
Omnath, Locus of Mana
I tend to play in a way that doesn't force me to rely on her. I never cast or pass without countermagic up and I try not to overextend (usually I flash-dump at opponent's EOT so I only have an empty hand for a brief period).
How do you recur USZ in multiplayer? The nice thing about Exsanguinate is that it's a clean kill on the table, which is important if you want to play in sanctioned pods for money or whatever pittances they happen to be doling out.
How do you feel about dropping Deed? I never seem to use it. Also, why do you run Ghostly Flicker? It would seem to me that by the time you're in a position to really abuse ETB effects, you're already winning.
EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
[EDH]
BUG Combo/Control:
BUG Dominus - Dreamcrusher Edition GUB
Damia, Sage of Stone
Ertai, the Corrupted
Scion of the Ur-Dragon
Omnath, Locus of Mana
Especially with E-Wit on board and can go inf with E-Wit and Palinchron.
Damia, Sage of Stone
Ertai, the Corrupted
Scion of the Ur-Dragon
Omnath, Locus of Mana
Fair enough; I suppose the process just gets a bit more complicated.
I tend not to like 3+ cards per combo; I don't know that Ghostly Flicker has enough merits outside of that application to warrant a slot in the build.
EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
[EDH]
BUG Combo/Control:
BUG Dominus - Dreamcrusher Edition GUB
However I haven't really been too impressed with it so it will prolly drop for either 2 drop mana ramp like three visits or good card draw.
Damia, Sage of Stone
Ertai, the Corrupted
Scion of the Ur-Dragon
Omnath, Locus of Mana
What are your bad match ups? Just wondering, not that I would build that deck
The EDH stax primer
When you absolutely, positively got to kill every permanent in the room, accept no substitutes.
I lost to a 5C combo/control deck in an EDH pod at SCG D.C., but I was color screwed that game and would likely win a rematch.
Aggro champion decks could potentially be a problem if the control isn't strong enough in the early game.
I've never played against Zur, Arcum, or Jhoira but would assume the same to be true of those matchups.
I haven't played Scion/Druid in a while, so I can't accurately provide feedback on that matchup. Death Diamond probably could if he remembers.
Basically, any kind of decks that force me to go heavy control immediately are the biggest threats I've encountered thus far. They aren't always problems, but untimely draws can screw you very quickly with little chance for recovery. I'd even rather play against Esper or monoU control.
EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
[EDH]
BUG Combo/Control:
BUG Dominus - Dreamcrusher Edition GUB
Damia, Sage of Stone
Ertai, the Corrupted
Scion of the Ur-Dragon
Omnath, Locus of Mana
We shall see. I think counterspells are about as interactive as we normally get, though.
EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
[EDH]
BUG Combo/Control:
BUG Dominus - Dreamcrusher Edition GUB
Here's the link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/autocardanywhere/eobkhgkgoejnjaiofdmphhkemmomfabg?hl=en
EDH isn't about what you play, it's about who you play with.
[EDH]
BUG Combo/Control:
BUG Dominus - Dreamcrusher Edition GUB