Echoing Decay is a decent choice, sometimes (probably better than Sever the Bloodline - certainly faster, at any rate). Maybe Infest, but that has the downside of wiping out pretty much all of your stuff, too.
I think Echoing Decay and Infest are faster, more cost effective alternatives. Thank you!
It's true that sometimes baiting out removal with a weaker creature is the right play, but I don't know that it's really terribly viable as a deck strategy overall. On the other hand, card choices are meta dependent, so if Blood Seeker is actually doing a fair amount of damage in your meta, then it might be the right choice. I'd personally prefer Blood Artist, because my experiences is that it can result in massive life swings, rather than just damage. Bloodghast is a really annoying creature to run, because it negates an awful lot of the removal your opponents might be running, but I'm not sure if it's in your budget. Beyond that, the question sort of is...what decks are in your meta? If there are planeswalkers in your meta, I would seriously consider either Hex Parasite or Vampire Hexmage (probably the former, since it's repeatable, if necessary).
Usually creature heavy aggro decks or control, straight forward and to the point, which might be why this deck does fairly well against that because it's good at stopping that.
As far as annoying creatures goes, it sounds like Blood Artist or even Bloodghast could probably fit that role better than Blood Seeker. I feel card advantage and mana are pretty solid. My last concern with the deck is creature removal. Is there a more efficient way to do it? I tried to add several kinds to fit the problems I might be facing and it does well, but sometimes it feels slow (probably because some of the cards take a good chunk of mana to play).
I mean, if I have the choice between killing Blood Seeker and Grave Titan, I'm going to blow up the Titan probably 95 times out of a hundred, so I don't think that's a compelling argument to run it. If you want to eke out extra damage, I would prefer Blood Artist, which has the benefit that if you wipe the board when the Artist is in play, it will still trigger for every creature you kill - and it will gain you some amount of life, too, which isn't insignificant.
I totally agree...only an idiot would take out a Blood Seeker when a Grave Titan is present. What I mean is before something better comes out, the Blood Seeker has usually been pestering them for several rounds (half the time I usually have two out) and most of the time my opponent will use some kind of spell to get rid of it which means when I do drop something better, I've already used up one of their options for taking it out. Most games Blood Seeker does 5 or more damage for me, which is usually enough to put them on the defensive to buy me time.
Blood Seeker was just a cheap option at the time and I had a handful sitting around. So far it has served me well; other than Blood Artist, what would be a better alternative for an annoying, harassing creature?
Elixir was in the original deck list that I found and I sort of liked it. It is random and I rarely get it but I at least get a whole new library and 5 life from it. I'm not too attached to it and it is only a quarter.
Blood Seeker is in it because I felt it was annoying for my opponent. Surprisingly enough, I often get it and it does a lot of damage for me before it gets taken out. It also gives them something to waste their spells on other than my more valuable Vampire Nighthawk or Grave Titan. Seeing as creatures are thin in this deck, I figured a few scapegoats wouldn't hurt.
20 mana has worked really well for me, I started out higher and worked down. Sign in Blood, Phyrexian Arena, Nihil Spellbomb, and the cycling on Polluted Mire usually give me a lot to work with a few turns in.
I'll probably test out Tendrils of Corruption or Consume Spirit as I sometimes have to hesitate when playing some of the cards that take my own life - the extra life will definitely be a nice cushion.
I nabbed this from somewhere on these forums awhile ago and tweaked it until it was in my budget. Anyways, it's pretty standard: harasses, stalls, yadda, yadda, drops out a beater, wins the game. It's typically consistent and fast enough but I don't play with black much so where could it use some improvement?
Help me improve this! It has an okay pace but is hit or miss way too often. I basically had a bunch of blue and white cards that I liked and bought a few more that I liked and threw them all together. I know it has potential but it's missing some key cards to really make it shine. Heads up it gets smashed; in multiplayer it does okay.
Help me improve this! It has an okay pace but is hit or miss way too often. I basically had a bunch of blue and white cards that I liked and bought a few more that I liked and threw them all together. I know it has potential but it's missing some key cards to really make it shine. Heads up it gets smashed; in multiplayer it does okay.
Rebuff the Wicked is included just because I already had a few sitting around I could throw in to save me from buying a blue equivalent. As to why I overlooked white for creature removal, not even I know. I more so thought removal was a black thing and didn't bother to look into white removal. Swords to Plowshares is very strong and is probably what I'll run. Thanks for the suggestion. Have to admit, feel pretty silly for not considering white removal.
if you want to run Pendrell Flux- you could use Nomad Mythmaker or Hakim, Loreweaver w/Crown of the Ages to keep recurring the aura-- if they choose to let the creature die.
an alternative, Pendrell Mists- granted they don't have to pay as much, but it'll effect all their creatures. you can be mean, splash some black and run- Vile Consumption.
No room to add creatures, already at 65 cards and I like the rest of the creatures I have. Plus as much as I love Vile Consumption, it'd hurt me just as much.
If you like instants so much, then why in the world is this thread about a sorcery-speed removal spell? Besides, Pendrell Flux is conditional removal, and only hits creatures.
I don't think you appreciate the power-level of Powder Keg. A proper control deck is all about card-advantage and having answers to your opponent's threats. Powder Keg is an early solution to the cards you didn't have an answer to or were not worth countering. You should have a solution to all the late-game threats, and even at that point Powder Keg is able to pull its worth. And the "unpredictability" of Powder Keg is also under your control as well. You don't have to add a counter if you don't want to, or you can add one by surprise via something like Proliferate (i.e. Tezzeret's Gambit/Contagion Clasp).
If you needed a Blue removal spell as early as Turn 2, then Pendrell Flux won't help at all because that creature is likely to be a low-CMC creature. You're better off running Propaganda for mass-creatures or Control Magic for a single creature. But if you need to get RID of mass creatures early on, then there's not much better than Powder Keg.
As nice as Powder Keg is, it would hurt me as well as I'm not running an enchantment heavy control deck to stall, but rather use a few annoying creatures to buy time with the addition of Ghostly Prison for support, Rebuff the Wicked to protect my stuff, and some kind of creature removal, in this case Pendrell Flux holds that role for now.
I feel I have mass creature control handled, as well a solid way to handle individual creatures that are causing problems, but no way to remove them, just make them less threatening. This deck has a very low mana curve and is pretty quick, so there isn't usually a late game. I was mainly looking for a better alternative to Pendrell Flux. It occupies three slots in the deck so I'd replace it with another set of three cards. Seeing as I have most of my bases covered to control my opponent, this was the weakest area.
Powder Keg is only $2. How cheap of a deck are we talking about here?
Oops, I was looking at the $6 promotional one, which I don't feel like spending $12 for a set. $2 is reasonable, but I don't like the build up time and the fact that they know I'm going to explode it on something good. I like the unpredictable nature of an instant.
Pendrell Flux is not terrible, but it's no good if your opponent is playing cheap creatures (which Blue has the most difficulty with). I prefer Slow Motion as it is reusable, and it's brutal if you use it alongside mana-denial cards.
Just pull a good old fashioned Counterspell / Mana Leak / etc. for an instant speed end to the problem. No choice involved.
Mana Leak would have more uses than just a straight creature removal spell I suppose but is only good for removal if I have it early enough to stop the creature from even entering the battlefield. It's probably my best bet nonetheless.
I have a casual deck with no restrictions (other than my wallet of course) that is UW and is focused on being annoying and messing with their creatures or mana so that I can build up and win. I was looking for an affordable blue creature removal spell and stumbled upon Pendrell Flux. I don't really like stuff like Unsummon as they can just put it out next round, though it does slow them down a turn. My brother, whom I play with often, laughed at my choice of Pendrell Flux but I really like it as it forces my opponent to choose between keeping the creature (wasting mana) or letting it die (creature removal). It helps two fold in my opinion. Is there something better or more efficient?
I think Echoing Decay and Infest are faster, more cost effective alternatives. Thank you!
Usually creature heavy aggro decks or control, straight forward and to the point, which might be why this deck does fairly well against that because it's good at stopping that.
As far as annoying creatures goes, it sounds like Blood Artist or even Bloodghast could probably fit that role better than Blood Seeker. I feel card advantage and mana are pretty solid. My last concern with the deck is creature removal. Is there a more efficient way to do it? I tried to add several kinds to fit the problems I might be facing and it does well, but sometimes it feels slow (probably because some of the cards take a good chunk of mana to play).
Blood Seeker was just a cheap option at the time and I had a handful sitting around. So far it has served me well; other than Blood Artist, what would be a better alternative for an annoying, harassing creature?
Blood Seeker is in it because I felt it was annoying for my opponent. Surprisingly enough, I often get it and it does a lot of damage for me before it gets taken out. It also gives them something to waste their spells on other than my more valuable Vampire Nighthawk or Grave Titan. Seeing as creatures are thin in this deck, I figured a few scapegoats wouldn't hurt.
20 mana has worked really well for me, I started out higher and worked down. Sign in Blood, Phyrexian Arena, Nihil Spellbomb, and the cycling on Polluted Mire usually give me a lot to work with a few turns in.
I'll probably test out Tendrils of Corruption or Consume Spirit as I sometimes have to hesitate when playing some of the cards that take my own life - the extra life will definitely be a nice cushion.
4 Vampire Nighthawk
3 Grave Titan
3 Blood Artist
Instants: 6
2 Tendrils of Corruption
4 Murder
4 Sign in Blood
3 Infest
2 Echoing Decay
3 Duress
Enchantments: 5
2 Curse of Death's Hold
3 Phyrexian Arena
3 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Mimic Vat
Lands: 22
18 Swamp
4 Polluted Mire
*updated deck list
Help me improve this! It has an okay pace but is hit or miss way too often. I basically had a bunch of blue and white cards that I liked and bought a few more that I liked and threw them all together. I know it has potential but it's missing some key cards to really make it shine. Heads up it gets smashed; in multiplayer it does okay.
3 Deft Duelist
3 Augury Adept
2 Aven Mimeomancer
2 Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer
2 Jhessian Balmgiver
3 Wall of Denial
2 Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
4 Thistledown Liege
2 Godhead of Awe
2 Ith, High Arcanist
3 Condemn
3 Rebuff the Wicked
Enchantments:
3 Ghostly Prison
4 Steel of the Godhead
Artifacts:
2 Cranial Plating
2 Sol Ring
Lands:
4 Ancient Den
4 Island
8 Plains
4 Seat of the Synod
I tried to add some stuff to prevent, protect, harass, gain life, annoy, control, defend, boost, and Cranial Plating to be a beater. Advice? Thanks.
3 Deft Duelist
3 Augury Adept
2 Aven Mimeomancer
2 Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer
2 Jhessian Balmgiver
3 Wall of Denial
2 Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
4 Thistledown Liege
2 Godhead of Awe
2 Ith, High Arcanist
3 Condemn
3 Rebuff the Wicked
Enchantments:
3 Ghostly Prison
4 Steel of the Godhead
Artifacts:
2 Cranial Plating
2 Sol Ring
Lands:
4 Ancient Den
4 Island
8 Plains
4 Seat of the Synod
I tried to add some stuff to prevent, protect, harass, gain life, annoy, control, defend, boost, and Cranial Plating to be a beater. Advice? Thanks.
As nice as Powder Keg is, it would hurt me as well as I'm not running an enchantment heavy control deck to stall, but rather use a few annoying creatures to buy time with the addition of Ghostly Prison for support, Rebuff the Wicked to protect my stuff, and some kind of creature removal, in this case Pendrell Flux holds that role for now.
I feel I have mass creature control handled, as well a solid way to handle individual creatures that are causing problems, but no way to remove them, just make them less threatening. This deck has a very low mana curve and is pretty quick, so there isn't usually a late game. I was mainly looking for a better alternative to Pendrell Flux. It occupies three slots in the deck so I'd replace it with another set of three cards. Seeing as I have most of my bases covered to control my opponent, this was the weakest area.
Oops, I was looking at the $6 promotional one, which I don't feel like spending $12 for a set. $2 is reasonable, but I don't like the build up time and the fact that they know I'm going to explode it on something good. I like the unpredictable nature of an instant.
What do the pros think?