MTG Salvation

I've been in and out of vintage a few times now (cost and lack of players were an issue) but I've decided to make my own vintage deck. The idea was going to be what seemed to keep shaping up as a Blue/White or White/Black parfait-esque deck based around the Sphere of Resistance style effects and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. Below is the decklist I was mulling over for a bit. I feel, even though I don't run the Iso-Chant lock that I can still pull off a bit of a soft lock (on their answer searching) and have enough resistance to keep them off of anything ridiculous while I put them on a (albeit long) clock with either canonist, mindcensor, or arbiter.

Any input on the deck would be nice and highly appreciated.

EDIT: I realized that this deck should run mainboard null-rods but being that I lack them and Stony Silence works just as well, I may give them a bit of testing. The deck is now slightly revamped being that I was going for more of a control route rather than a stax-style lockdown.

EDIT 2: I finally got around to tweaking the almost final list. I liked everything about that list, even if it was (I'm assuming here) budget-friendly. My one question though is your thoughts on Student of Warfare. I liked how he can be an extra mana sink if you have not that many options but at the same time I think that Figure of Destiny can be early being that you only have to put in one mana to buff him up to a 2/2. Being better early doesn't automatically make him better than SoW because later on he becomes more of a burden to pump while SoW can just have a one mana here, another mana there, kind of set up.

Quote from bone_doc

Is it because enchantment removal is less prevalent than artifact?

yes

i probably wouldn't run either though given you have a full set of moxen, sol, mana vault and lotus

also Path to Exile doesn't really fit, since giving the opponent more lands to cast their spells counteracts the thorns, thalias and wastelands. i'd probably just put in Swords to Plowshares instead

This got 4th/123 in Europe.



Please use deck tags - Urweak

Thanks for the input guys.

@BlackVise; TANE; bone_doc: You have some really good points. I'll probably drop the majority of mana producing artifacts to reduce the negative effect on myself. I still like the Aura of Silence though, it will merit some testing.

@marcb: I love that list. I'll probably make some minor meta based tweaks (Turns out shop and Leyline Helm are big in my meta) and get it running at a streamline pace to take down the decks. I'll post and updated list in a few. I have to sort out what goes in and out.

Quote from marcb

This got 4th/123 in Europe.

3 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Lotus Petal
2 Porcelain Legionnaire
3 Simian Spirit Guide
3 Swords to Plowshares
2 Aven Mindcensor
2 Grand Abolisher
1 Jotun Grunt
3 Kataki, War's Wage
4 Leonin Arbiter
4 Leonin Relic-Warder
1 Oblivion Ring
3 Stony Silence
3 Student of Warfare
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben



Lands (22):
4 Ghost Quarter
1 Karakas
12 Plains
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland

What does the sideboard for this look like?

Quote from bone_doc

This is what it looks like w/ Side:

PopeJP's DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
Creatures [27] 1 Jötun Grunt 2 Aven Mindcensor 2 Grand Abolisher 2 Porcelain Legionnaire 3 Kataki, War's Wage 3 Simian Spirit Guide 3 Student of Warfare 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben 4 Leonin Arbiter 4 Leonin Relic-Warder	Instants [3] 3 Swords to Plowshares Enchantments [4] 1 Oblivion Ring 3 Stony Silence Artifacts [4] 1 Lotus Petal 3 Grafdigger's Cage Lands [22] 1 Karakas 1 Strip Mine 4 Ghost Quarter 4 Wasteland 12 Plains	Sideboard [15] 1 Swords to Plowshares 2 Phyrexian Metamorph 3 Ravenous Trap 1 Disenchant 1 Serenity 2 Relic of Progenitus 1 Stony Silence 1 Grafdigger's Cage 1 Kataki, War's Wage 2 Abolish

Interesting, and surprisingly cheap for a vintage deck. I suppose it requires a fairly solid knowledge of the meta to pilot, though.

In the OP's list, I see a lot of fast artifact mana, but also Null Rod effects. I would cut down on the aritfact mana for more disruption, or even like the second list posted, run some Simian Spirit Guide (which I think is really cool). Also, with all the artifact mana, you have stuff that makes non-creatures spells cost more, so I would cut back on the non-creature spells. Its almost like running Lodestone Golem and then putt non-artifact spells in the deck.

Does anyone think that a lone Flagstones of Trokair should be in this type of deck? With stuff like Strip Mine and Wasteland in the format, it would seem that replacing a Plains for FoT would be a good idea. Atleast, I dont see a downside for this move, and the situational upside is a good one.

Also, it seems worth note that of those 5 destruction lands listed (4 waste, 1 strip), Flagstones is only better than Plains in the case of Strip Mine. If you go T1 Flagstones, they can blow it up with Wasteland on your T2 upkeep and leave you with 1 mana on your T2 as well (since the Plains from Flagstones comes in tapped). Flagstones is weak to Blood Moon effects and can be problematic if you have two opening hand and nothing else. You're really just better off with Plains.

The deck that got 4th was actually quite a budget list, and my hats off to the pilot, but there are obviously cards you would want to play over others, such as lotus over lotus petal (or in addition to) and probably a mox opal. Not sure if the simian spirit guides are a budget option as well since there is a great many double white cards in the deck.

The card I have the most issue deciding on with this type of list is balance. While the card is a known blow out card, this deck does not feel poised to take advantage of it. Your playing creatures in a heavy creature meta and your already trying to trade lands with 9 stripmine effects, plus they probably have cards trapped in hand that they can just discard to the balance that would be taxed out anyways.

I think Jotun grunt is sorely underused in this list. It's so efficient and strong against just about everything in the format, and considering how prominent Goyf is becoming, I think running a singleton is probably something that will have to change in the near future.

flagstones is also open to getting wastelanded if you have a Leonin Arbiter out

I finally got around to tweaking the almost final list. I liked everything about that list, even if it was (I'm assuming here) budget-friendly. My one question though is your thoughts on Student of Warfare. I liked how he can be an extra mana sink if you have not that many options, but at the same time I think that Figure of Destiny can be early being that you only have to put in one mana to buff him up to a 2/2. Being better early doesn't automatically make him better than SoW because later on he becomes more of a burden to pump while SoW can just have a one mana here, another mana there, kind of set up.

Thoughts?

It only answers one card in the graveyard, not the whole thing.

Quote from roccob64

But how often do you want to hit more than 1-2 things in the graveyard, though?

Dredge, for instance, you could hit their therapy, dread return, bridge from below and then they're effectively neutered.

Dredge can run with two out of those three, so it'd require double Surgical to do it. Ravenous does it in one go.