MTG Salvation

Hello, this is my current Vintage build. It is based upon the underrated but extremely powerfull combo between Helm of Obedience and Layline of the Void. This is an upgraded version of an older list that you can find in here: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=178382.

The point is to mill out your opponent´s entire library due to a replacement effect. This goal is relativeley easy to achieve during the first three turns since you just need to start the game with a black enchantment in play and then pay 5 (cast Helm of Obedience plus an aditional mana to activate it). This mill archetype is, in my opinion, superior to the Grindstone combo because half of the combo is uncounterable (consistency is supported by Serum Powder) and its sole presence harms the gameplan of almost every deck on the format.

Layline of the Void, while being maindecked as a win condition, is also there to neutralize other combo decks like Ichorid and slow down storm based engines like TPS and ANT (because graveyards wouldn´t be there to find aditional spells via Yawgmoth´s Will and such). Ill-Gotten Gains is like a superb Mind Twist when a Layline is already on and a mini Yawgmoths Will effect for me. This hand disruption, plus Duress and Thoughtsieze, should help against hard control based strategies.

Since Null Rod is a real problem, I try to defend the combo with bouncers (Echoing Truth and Repeal). I am aware this is not allways possible without countermagic spells like Force of Will (which can´t be supported here), so two backup plans are considered: Inkwell Leviathan and Tendrils of Agony. Spot removal for Oath´s creatures is, for now, reserved to the SB. However, and despite combo should be faster in theory, I would like to add some creature hate as a main deck answer for pesky threats.

Deck:



I would appreciate your comments, critiques and suggestions.
Thanks.

Nice build, I like that right off the bat you acknowledge the existence of Null Rods and include a plan to deal with them via Discard to clear the way then Bounce to answer. I guess my only complaint is that it costs one more mana then Vault/Key and requires the Leyline to already be in play - thus I think that Vault/Key seems to be a bit more robust - but this is a very close alternative that hoses some archetypes - certainly an attractive alternative.

Thanks for your response Beralt. Your critiques, and the critiques of other vintage players, helped me out to figure the Null Rod trouble and the way to deal with it under the same Helm/Layline archetype.

Voltaic Key and Time Vault are powerfull while being intertwined. I doubt, and this goes against all the orthodox school, that by themselves this artifact spells could make a remarkable difference in the current context. I believe something different occurs when a WGD or Ichorid player fights a maindecked Leyline of the Void.

As far as I understand, this omnipresent combo (Key and Vault) is robust in today´s metagame because of the prescense of Tezzeret, the Seeker. This planeswalker is the necessary card that (combined with new Time Vault errata) made this "Tezz deck" self-sufficent.

Voltaic Key/Time Vault and Painter´s Servant/Grindstone are combos that require different amount of mana. I´m aware that the first one is by far superior because it only requires four mana while the second one requires at least six. Also, you could search and untap the Vault with Tezzeret, something that makes it even more atractive than the grindstone one.

In what mana requirements concerns this underrated combo is just between Painter´s and Vault´s. Leyline/Helm is superior to Grindstone/Painter not only because it requieres one less mana but because it hoses many strategies.

However, Painter/Grindstone has seen some play in Vintage while Leyline has not. Why is Helm not competitively played? I believe that this is, in part because there has not been found a correct shell for it, in part because a positive appraoach has been denied by many who consider this is an un-orthodox approach.

I´ve seen a lot of experiments over the web to find a correct shell for this deck. I´ve tried many of them. From a mono-brown Stax deck builded over the powerfull Mishra Workshop to a weird blue Mana Drain deck that runs it as finisher. From a strange monoblack deck that thins itself with Street Wraith to a blue/black list supported by Dark Confidants protected by Force of Will.

I´m afraid limited resources and a petit local metagame constrain all test results that I could possibly achieve. I am truly interested on what you, as vintage competitive players, think about this concept in general and this build in particular.

Thanks a lot.
Good Luck.

Wow your posts are intelegent.....I dont even think I spelt intelegent right....

but anyways I would cut the mindbreak traps in the side for sadistic sacraments, you have the rituals to support it. A smart storm player will duress or counter your mindbreak trap, you can drop the sacrament befor they get a chance and "kill" them right there.

Sacraments is also a wincon of its own vs certain decks like oath and tezz.

I would actually be tempted to side out the helms for sacrament vs oath. just remove all there guys and you win.

I agree with the sacrament comment. If you are running black and dark ritual I believe they should be somewhere in your 75. Probably even 1 in the main, if not a few in the SB.

Land, rit, sadistic kills a surprisingly high number of vintage decks preboard and to an extent postboard.

Thanks, I absolutely forgot about that powerfull black spell. Sadistic Sacrament is awesome in vintage, I agree. I could replace one Cabal Ritual for it in the Main Deck. Then, would be running one in MD and three in the side board, which leads to this:

SB:
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Pithing Needle
2 Thoughtseize
3 Diabolic Edict
1 Hurkyl´s Recall
2 Mindbreak Trap
1 Echoing Truth
3 Sadistic Sacrament

LastManStanding, thanks for your comments and sugestions. As an Oath player, I would fear that my opponent brought in removals and extractive effects. Playing with Layline against Oath, I would do exactly this. However I wouldn´t take out the Helms, maybe just one, rather than that I would replace the hand disruption for edicts and sacraments. But this is a matter of playtest...

Conboy31, I see you play a BR Helm deck? Since we are discussing this combo, could you please post it? That would be an usefull feedback.

Thanks.

Quote from Leonhard Euler

Playing with Layline against Oath, I would do exactly this. However I wouldn´t take out the Helms, maybe just one, rather than that I would replace the hand disruption for edicts and sacraments. But this is a matter of playtest...

Ya I know what you mean, all I'm saying is that I wouldn't even worry about the helms vs oath because if you just focus for tutoring and resolving a sacrements you win anyway. Like you can get lyline in play and play a helm and activate it for 5 to win, or just pay BBB and one spell to win.

Not arguing, just pointing out that resolved sacrements is probably easyer then helm combo and it still wins.

Quote from Leonhard Euler

Conboy31, I see you play a BR Helm deck? Since we are discussing this combo, could you please post it? That would be an usefull feedback.

I have since taken it apart, but from what I remember it did not really have a draw engine, instead relied on tutors and confidant. It used 2 sadistics from random wins along with 4 leyline and 1 helm. The beats sometimes got in too.

From what I recall:
4 confidants
3 or 4 magus of the moons
3 goblin lavamancer (was decent at gunning down fish and opposing confidants)
1 mox monkey
2 sword of fire shoot'n down opposing guys and protecting my hombre from sower of temptation
4 leyline of the void
1 helm
2 sadistic
4 dark ritual
1 dtutor
1 vtutor
6 or 7 duress/seize, 0 hymn
1 will
1 strip, 3 wastes
1 diabolic edict