I've never heard of Modern until recently and this is the first Modern deck idea that I have. The idea is to win via card advantage, and aggro rats. Any advice would be appreciated. The deck has:
Are there any cards like Drain Life in Modern? I feel like that card would go a long way in my deck, with Korlash getting me extra swamps and Dark Confidant and Phyrexian Arena costing me life every turn.
I've only been to one legacy tournament and I didn't do very well. I'm wondering how well you guys think that this deck would do in legacy and what you'd recommend for making it better.
Do you guys think that Korlash, Heir to Blackblade makes sense in this deck? I already have 4 of him, and I could use him to stall/generate swamps. When I used him in the past I used demonic tutor to get another one and then I used his Grandeur ability, and if I had Volrath's Stronghold in play, I could fish for 2 swamps every turn.
The only thing is that he's not a rat, I need two of him to active the Grandeur ability, and he costs 4.
Crypt Rats is a toughie. On the one hand, the card is disgusting good alongside Swarmyard. I never kid myself and realize that removal is still going to put an end to things, but hey, it's going to work some % of the time and you'll feel awesome every time it does. The interaction is pretty free after all. He's also fine with lifegain. I will say that most lifegain plans involving the Rats are overrated in practice. Like, people aren't stupid. They have removal and they can piece together what's going on. Killing your rats in response to an aura/equip should be expected. This is one of those occasions where people go too deep in my mind. Yes, the plan sounds cool in theory, then you realize you're only asking that people find an answer to an X/1. Gotta have realistic expectations about how far you can go on these kinds of plans.
The bad part about ole Cryptie is that he doesn't pair well with rats in general. Rats want a nice wide board, but Cryptie is better with taller ones. My advice would be to test card yourself and see what works for you. Play 2 of them and, if you can, play some Swarm of Rats of different editions. Like, if you're buying online, buy 2 from 7th and 2 from 8th. Go in to the game and mentally ask yourself how good Crypt Rats would be every time you draw the ones from 8th edition. I do stuff like this all the time when I want to "test" cards.
On a different note, your mana base scares me. 20 lands in a deck with 6 drops? A bunch of expensive equipment too? No draw? You do realize that this deck could realistically get stuck on 2-3 lands for significant periods of time right? Like I don't see how this new list every casts spells. I feel like you're getting way too greedy. You need to take a step back and get at least 4 more lands in there if you plan or casting all of these crazy expensive X spells and creatures and equipment and whatnot.
Not bad. I'll third the cut of Rit and Rav Rats for something else or the following:
You can also double up on the rat combo by adding Crypt Rats and Vampiric Link for monster life gain in multiplayer. Crypt adds as board wipe if you need it to buy some stall time and Vampiric on Swarm or Pack buys a okay amount of life for just B. Swarmyard plus Crypt is combo #3 and regenerating a fat Vampiric Pack Rat to block each turn also gains you time to set up combos.
Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm starting to really like this deck. I can't decide if Vampiric Link or Loxodon Warhammer works better for this deck. Loxodon Warhammer works better for Swarm of Rats, Pack Rat, and Pestilence Rats, plus it's equipment so it wouldn't go to my graveyard if my creature dies, which would happen with Crypt Rats, but it costs 6 to get it on a creature instead of 1. I'm thinking that Loxodon Warhammer might be better for multiplayer and Vampiric Link would be better for one-on-one.
EDIT: How many Crypt Rats would you include? Because I'm thinking of running something like this, but I'm not sure what I should take out to include more Crypt Rats.
These kinds of examples are pointless because they tend to assume unrealistic (often times improbable) scenarios. My argument remains that 0/2s and 0/1s don't threaten anything and so you will always attack into them if you have profitable attackers. Bear in my mind that having profitable attacks basically means that you'll also have profitable blocks, because otherwise your attack wouldn't have been profitable. If you start a race that you lose on board then it's not exactly a sound strategy. The idea is that everyone who has 2+ attackers and some blocker can safely swing at him. None of his creatures can threaten trades and his deck has no removal.
Still, even if we ignore that, the issues faced by the first attacker are also faced by the others. The reality of the situation is that most people would just sit back and defend, meaning that your attacks are basically a free-roll. If you then get cracked back by someone, they are now open to the rest of the table in the same way after all. No one has incentive to attack anyone really, you pretty much never do in multiplayer, and that's why it's such a powerful tool. Getting to do something that no one else wants to do at no cost is a big advantage.
CZ, thank you for your response. I value truth over Political Correctness, and I appreciate your criticism. I will try to be objective in defending my deck.
In my experience, most multilayer decks have a killer combo, like my infinite creature squirrel nest and earth-craft deck. Many people use planeswalkers in multiplayer which have deadly moves at the end of the game. So while everyone may try and kill me while I use this deck, there are other people who are threats on the board who need to be eliminated.
Penimm's Aura is key in protecting my pingers, because I can just pay one mana and they can't be the target of spells or abilities untill end of turn. I would never play a pinger without having an aura to protect him with. If I don't draw charisma, I'd probably draw a curiosity, which would allow me to draw a lot right before my turn begins, and hopefully, draw me a charisma.
I agree that I need defense and some draw cards, which is why I'm having trouble figuring out what to fill the deck out with. Do I put in Fog Bank or Gifts Ungiven? Do I put in Echoing Truth or Brainstorm? Is the combo of counterbalance and Sensei's Divining Top good enough in multiplayer? Or should I just fill the deck out with more counter spells?
The very first magic pack I opened had a Prodigal Sorcerer in it, and I've been in love with this card ever since. This deck has been my best one on one deck for a long time(a lot of the cards are different for one on one). I want to at least try out this deck in a few games, and I think that it has a lot of potential.
EDIT: Also, if they kill one of my pingers, I'll probably have another one in my hand at that point in the game.
4x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4x Dark Confidant
4x Mother of Runes
4x Pit Keeper
4x War Priest of Thune
4x Elite Vanguard
4x Student of Warfare
4x Champion of the Parish
4x Doomed Traveler
4x Dawn Charm
4x Scrubland
4x Marsh Flats
4x Cavern of Souls
4x Swamp
4x Plains
Sideboard
4x Grand Abolisher
4x Cho-Arrim Legate
3x Mirran Crusader
4x Auriok Champion
4x Dark Confidant
4x Snapcaster Mage
4x Delver of Secrets
4x Baleful Strix
4x Bloodghast
4x Brainstorm
4x Ponder
4x Daze
4x Counterspell
4x Remand
4x Polluted Delta
4x Underground Sea
4x Watery Grave
4x Island
4x Swamp
4x Unmake
4x Duress
4x Phyrexian Arena
4x Shimian Specter
4x Dark Confidant
4x Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
1x Sygg, River Cutthroat
1x Nezumi Shortfang
1x Nezumi Graverobber
1x Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
4x chittering rats
4x Typhoid Rats
4x Pack Rat
4x Swarmyard
16x Swamp
Are there any cards like Drain Life in Modern? I feel like that card would go a long way in my deck, with Korlash getting me extra swamps and Dark Confidant and Phyrexian Arena costing me life every turn.
4x Soul Warden
4x Auriok Champion
4x Mother of Runes
4x Beloved Chaplain
4x Soltari Visionary
4x Doubtless One
4x Grand Abolisher
4x Battletide Alchemist
4x Daru Spiritualist
4x Lightning Greaves
4x Starlit Sanctum
1x Karakas
1x Flagstones of Trokair
14 x Plains
If I add 4 of each, I guess that I could take out Death or Glory, Crackdown, True Believer, Akroma's Devoted, Soul Warden, and Auriok Champion. Should I add 4 of each?
Also, what are your thoughts on Oriss, Samite Guardian?
4x Counterspell
4x Vindicate
4x Duress
4x Hymn To Tourach
4x Counterbalance
4x Sensei's Divining Top
4x Force of Will
4x Delver of Secrets
4x Grand Abolisher
4x Baleful Strix
1x Karakas
1x Flagstones of Trokair
4x Polluted Delta
4x Flooded Strand
4x Marsh Flats
2x Plains
4x Island
4x Swamp
The only thing is that he's not a rat, I need two of him to active the Grandeur ability, and he costs 4.
Where do you stand on Vampiric Link vs. Loxodon Warhammer?
Yeah, I'd only use this deck to play against my brother and his friends.
Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm starting to really like this deck. I can't decide if Vampiric Link or Loxodon Warhammer works better for this deck. Loxodon Warhammer works better for Swarm of Rats, Pack Rat, and Pestilence Rats, plus it's equipment so it wouldn't go to my graveyard if my creature dies, which would happen with Crypt Rats, but it costs 6 to get it on a creature instead of 1. I'm thinking that Loxodon Warhammer might be better for multiplayer and Vampiric Link would be better for one-on-one.
EDIT: How many Crypt Rats would you include? Because I'm thinking of running something like this, but I'm not sure what I should take out to include more Crypt Rats.
4x Thornbite Staff
4x Marrow-Gnawer
4x Typhoid Rats
4x Swarm of Rats
4x Pestilence Rats
4x Pack Rat
4x Loxodon Warhammer
4x Demonic Tutor
4x Ratcather
1x Nezumi Shortfang
1x Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
1x Nezumi Graverobber
1x Crypt Rats
4x Swarmyard
1x Volrath's Stronghold
15x Swamp
Please don't double post. Thanks.
-EC
Creatures
4x Marrow-Gnawer
4x Pack Rat
4x Swarm of Rats
4x Pestilence Rats
4x Typhoid Rats
4x Ravenous Rats
Spells
4x Demonic Tutor
4x Dark Ritual
4x Drain Life
Artifacts
4x Thornbite Staff
What do you guys think?
But what about Aetherplasm?
I feel like there's a way that this deck could be really good, I just need some help.
In my experience, most multilayer decks have a killer combo, like my infinite creature squirrel nest and earth-craft deck. Many people use planeswalkers in multiplayer which have deadly moves at the end of the game. So while everyone may try and kill me while I use this deck, there are other people who are threats on the board who need to be eliminated.
Penimm's Aura is key in protecting my pingers, because I can just pay one mana and they can't be the target of spells or abilities untill end of turn. I would never play a pinger without having an aura to protect him with. If I don't draw charisma, I'd probably draw a curiosity, which would allow me to draw a lot right before my turn begins, and hopefully, draw me a charisma.
I agree that I need defense and some draw cards, which is why I'm having trouble figuring out what to fill the deck out with. Do I put in Fog Bank or Gifts Ungiven? Do I put in Echoing Truth or Brainstorm? Is the combo of counterbalance and Sensei's Divining Top good enough in multiplayer? Or should I just fill the deck out with more counter spells?
The very first magic pack I opened had a Prodigal Sorcerer in it, and I've been in love with this card ever since. This deck has been my best one on one deck for a long time(a lot of the cards are different for one on one). I want to at least try out this deck in a few games, and I think that it has a lot of potential.
EDIT: Also, if they kill one of my pingers, I'll probably have another one in my hand at that point in the game.
EDIT #2: What about Alexi's Cloak?
4xSuq'Ata Firewalker
4xThornwind Faeries
3xPemmin's Aura
3xCharisma
3xCuriosity
4xCounterspell
4xForce of Will
I'm not sure what else I should fill the deck out with, but the cards that I'm considering are
Counterbalance
Sensei's Divining Top
Ponder
Brainstorm
Echoing Truth
Rhystic Study
Fact or Fiction
Gifts Ungiven
Impulse
Leyline of Singularity
Fog Bank
What advice do you guys have for me?