Thank you for this article. It is by far the best piece on MTG finances I have read.
I am a player who was exposed to the game in 1994 and began to play competitively in 1995 as a pre-teen. Back when inflation was so low, $1.25 bought you a pizza slice, I remember cards like Hammer of Bogarden selling for $50.00 at the time. However, there was no MTG on the internet, and magazines like Scrye and Inquest offered strategy but by the time the issue got to your door, much of it was outdated.
In my opinion, the situation was exacerbated once information began to flow as freely as it does now. It's ridiculous to see price bubbles happen over the course of a morning a a PT. I quit standard after worlds of 2001 because I saw the game trending towards an ever higher price ceiling to remain competitive. I began collecting Legacy and Vintage (then called Type 1 and Type 1.5) so I could continue playing without shelling out hundreds every rotation. The idea was that i would pick up only what I need and be able to play to my heart's content. Card prices have since shot up so high, that very few LGS support these eternal formats, and one has to travel by car to go to tournament venues respectable enough to get tournament level testing and competition in. I am not 32 years old and have seen this system unravel. There is a reason this game has the longest longevity of a TCG in the market. But the greed is rampant, and it's become so prevalent that greed has now part of the system. Articles like "Packs to Power", pricing being dictated by internet giants, tournament series being taken over by 3rd party distributors... It's come so far that to an extent, to remove greed from the system would create a partial collapse. If StarCityGames were to drop their tournament series, it would be a huge blow to competitive play.
When they dropped Vintage tournaments, many players thought it was a death knell to Vintage and had quit. It took many years for Vintage to restructure itself back to a grassroots system to heal the rift and calm the fears that StarCityGames created by dropping the format. And it took enthusiasts like Nick Coss, Nick Detwiler, and more a lot of personal sacrifice and almost a decade of effort individually to resuscitate their respective regions vintage scenes for us to get an almost 500 player vintage champs this year. Nick Coss became a full time store owner and tournament organizer and helped create CardTitan.com to be able to bring a respectable venue to Legacy and Vintage. He very rarely gets to be a player because he's put most of the responsibility on his own shoulders to offer a sustainable Vintage scene to the northeast.
I highly doubt that there are enough champions of each respective format to encourage the kind of responsible gaming it would take to remove greed from the situation. Wizards continues to cut player support, local gaming stores continue to make up for those losses, the margins become thinner and thinner, all while the player base grows and more players require more alternate formats (like EDH, Multiplayer, Pauper, etc.) to make up for the fact that the officially supported formats are pricing out magic enthusiasts. Pauper is a perfect example of how alternate format growth is directly proportional to Standard's rising cost barrier to entry.
The sad thing is, there are many under-served neighborhoods in cities across the country where the youth will never be able to play the game, as it's more expensive than sports like football or baseball, where the cost of leagues fees and gear is either comprarable or even cheaper than MTg on an annual basis. At times, MTG can require a greater time commitment to stay competitive than said sports, when you account for rotations, drafting, and travel.
I knwo the game will continue to succeed, but I find it sad to think that my one year old may never get to enjoy the breadth or totality of my experience with this game when she gets older because the economics of it all may not make it feasible for her enjoy it in the same ways.
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- Jostin123
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Engineered Explosives is an answer, not a threat. As such, I can't speak for possible replacements until I get a sense for the kind of permanents you are trying to answer, especially since I try to steer away from answers in my list, only running the ones that are absolutely necessary (dispeller's & executioner's capsules, O-Stone (which I've interchange with All is Dust frequently), or those have some kind of offensive applications (duplicant Karn PW, Timetwister, Ensnaring Bridge, Tawnos's Coffin).
I don't run Swords, Vindicate, EE, & Pithing Needle. I don't run Will (which is the first Sacred Cow I've slayed, which from comparing out lists is where I have the space for Roar of Reclamation). Unlike Vintage, our Yawg Will is almost always relegates itself to rebuilding the board and not spelling the end of the game the moment it resolves. RoR and Open the vaults act as combo pieces, which function like will, end up costing less than Will, and leaves my artifacts untapped to continue the shenanigans. They can act as answers, but have offensive (and not just defensive) applications.
I don't purposely try to run them, but planeswalkers have made their way into the deck as a function of my creed on lists - playing threats over answers. The above discussion between Karn and Spine is just one example. I was surprised to glance over my list and see that I run four starting with Tez the Seeker, then Venser, then Tez
SoBAoB, and the fourth and newest being Karn. but I can say that they have all been flexible, efficient, and are legitimate threats. Every ability on each one of them is extremely relevant to the deck, even the "weak ones"Have only pulled it off twice in the history of EDH... don't expect it to happen often.
- Tez, AoB +1: Extremely relevant
- Tez, AoB -1: Protects you, your other walkers, and if I'm not mistaken, is one of the few effective ways to power your permanents through a Humility (Tez can give your stuff a later CDA -Characteristic Defining Ability- timestamp.)
- Tez, AoB -4: One shot a player off the table and double your life of better
I don't have to speak for Tezzeret the Seeker. In this deck, it's nuttier than squirrel ****. As you said in your quote...Planeswalkers are versatile. They do not belong in every deck that has the colors to support them, but in my opinion, replacing a sorcery or instant with a planeswalker that will give you that effect and then some is a no-brainer.
If you want, I can post my list on this thread. I am testing some of the slots you swear by. I really don't like Magister Sphinx* (although I will admit it is unfair... like having Steve Jobs sitting next to you feeding you answers to your S.A.T.'s unfair: David Beckham kicking-you-in-the-junk wrong ) or Sphinx of the Steel Wind over Blightsteel (which I will still use when playing people outside of my group, as strangers don't quite understand the concept of diplomacy). However, due to my use of Cavern of Souls, I am giving them another shot.
I am also testing Trading Post, which I have recently acquired and many swear by. I'm itching to see if it's as nutty as people say it is.
Lastly, I retooled by artifact and land mana base to accommodate a 36th land, Bazaar of Baghdad. I'm testing it, and as soon as the Sandy recovery allows my boys and I some time to sling, I'll let you know how it performs. The Parks and Sanitation departments here in the city have been overworked due to the storm and the subsequent damage.
* Just thought about it... you don't like playing offensive cards (offensive like George Carlin, not the Miami Heat) cards. Why is Magister Sphinx in your list if that's the case?
I personally have found space for both Slaver and a Spine effect. For months, it was spine itself, but I am testing Karn in its place, and I have to say that Karn Planeswalker is growing on me. I don't run the singleton vindicate that I see you run in your list, so if you're tight on space, I'd suggest starting there.
Spine is a good slot, but it doesn't strike me as great. It costs a lot, doesn't do anything while it sits in play. I find that is never a card you exclusively want to tap out for if you have other lines of play, nor do you want to burn a transmute artifact or a reshape to play it, and it requires its cumulative marginal synergy with other cards in the deck, if you have them (Karn, Silver Golem, Tezzeret Agent of Bolas, sacking to time sieve or transmute artifact, tricks with Transmuter, and/or copying with Mirrorworks, Tricks with Venser the Sojourner) for it to become better than just a Spine. Karn the Redeemed does the same thing, but almost better as he draws heat that Sharuum would normally be drawing in its place, and through the use of Thop Foundry and Tez Agent of Bolas, you have a means to protect him if necessary.
The real determinant between Spine and Karn really will be play preference and the individual list one is trying to slot Spine in. Like a tournament, this is one where the margins of catering to your play style gain you more percentage points than running the "optimal" choice and the requires deck changes to otherwise accommodate it would.
Lastly, I am a strong advocate for Aether a spellbomb in the deck. Bouncing a creature may not be all that great for some, but the tempo gained and using it with great timing (on a general in response to a Time Spiral or during a Jar turn) give it stregnth. It's best use for me has been
1) as an attack deterrent
2) to Keep Sharuum's casting cost down when games go long
3) To hit creatures with pro-colors and indestructibility, which is more than a rarity in these parts
I understand the want to cut Mindlsaver. Mindslaver takes up a slot in my list, and is a what I define as a 90/10 card. 90% of the time, you don't need it, but the 10% of the time you do, it breaks games wide open. In my playgroup, there are often times that things need to be answered IMMEDIATELY and quite often, players don'thave the resource to deal with it right then and there. That's when Mindslaver becomes golden. I will admit, I haven't Slaver-locked a player in almost two years, never had to. But when you are facing down Karn the Redeemed or 100+ damage on board and no-one has outs, you can use the offender's deck to dismantle himself, and that's why that 10% keeps it in the deck. No card opens up as many uninterrupted lines of play as Mindslaver, and it allows you to do things you could never do otherwise (Take player A's turn and then target them with your FOF, draw-lock and opponent with their own Necropotence, tap out blockers for lethal alpha strikes, peek and burn tutors, etc). At the worst, it is an uber-expansive Fog. There is no card in Magic that mimics the activated effect, or the resulting game repercussions like Mindslaver, and for that, I keep it in the deck.
My point exactly... Thank you Bederndern (our resident Saffi and Azusa player). During that game, for two turn cycles, I got 4 artifacts individually blown off the table (no sweeper, just targeted effects) by each opponent, 2 spells countered and my graveyard removed twice (the second time of which was pretty pointless) with no other player being targeted by anything between turns 4 and 5, and still came back to win it. You may not personally be intimidated (I don't think anyone who plays with us would be), but as a player there was obviously something that your deck (and the table) did not want to see hit play or that you felt I was showing (you're smarter than tutoring up a Stomphowler to just off mana rocks), hence the comment.
My deck ratio is approximately 50/50 artifacts to non-artifacts and 50/50 mana sources to non-mana sources, so having 6 random artifacts by turn 6 by access of a draw spell will almost always happen, even without foundry combo. If those artifacts happen to be some ramp and artifact lands, they'll still pull the trigger on the sweeper, even if I'm not showing anything. (Maybe there's a point achievement for killing me specifically... I don't know). Regardless, the forgemaster wasn't critical... Which is why I played it. If it rocks, it can push me ahead, if not, I'm not sweating it, it's not what I needed for the next few turns.
The deck is extremely resilient, and playing it is a labor of love (with an emphasis on labor). At a certain point everyone runs out of gas, and then you take over anyway. The deck has come back from having one permenant left on the table (a land), but that is exactly why I prefer the card draw spells over digging spells... To give you gas when everyone's tank is on E.
As illustrated above, some are more hostile than others, but that always depends on how they achieve their endgame. Either way, the deck is powerful, so I can't be mad when it draws that kind of fire. I take it as a compliment for my deck's tanacity and my tight play.
Secondly, Bazaar Stax is a prison list. You are looking to decompress the game long enough for smokestack and strip effects to win you the game. Lodestone does not decompress the game, and is not synergistic with Welder or the deck. Lodestone as a lock piece needs to be deployed early to be effective. You would be looking to utilize cards like Ancient Tomb and Serum Powder to ensure a consistent turn 1 golem. Barbarian ring and Bazaar are the wrong lands to use to accomplish this. Also, Lodestone isn't just a sphere. It costs 4 and cannot always be deployed easily. That is why Mud looks to play with a supersaturation of spheres, as Lodestone is a beatstick that slides under both Thorns and other Lodestones, and is synergistic with other spheres as long as the mana base can support it. The reason it is played in MUD is because colorless lands are the only non-restricted lands that can most consistently generate multiple mana with a single tap, making it easier to land Lodestone early, making it most effective.
Null Rod is a 3 of in the Bazaar stax list for the same reason that Crucible is... multiples are redundant and don't compound the lock effects, thus you want to hit them, but you don't want multiples. The use of Null Rod is to cut off Moxen that seep through your spheres, which makes it chalice for 0 #5-7, or in conjunction with spheres, becomes a super sphere, cutting off an additional 2 or more mana with a single card.
In Bazaar Stax, Memory Jar is included as a singleton due to its ability to completely take over a game with a single activation. The digging, its ability to give you instant threshold, and being able to stack Jar triggers to reload your hand permanently are all to abusive to allow it to be cut.
Duplicants have made it to the maindeck from time to time in MUD lists, but you need to ask yourself why. The times that they have, MUD had been the deck to beat, and the best meta-game predator for MUD lists has traditionally been Oath. Duplicants become great in a meta-game rife with Oath targets and become a 2 for 1 in the MUD mirror match. Prison lists don't run Duplicant because it is extremely difficult to cast through layers of 2-drop spheres when more than half of your lands don't tap for more than 1. This is the reason Ensnaring bridge is in the board. Bridge only costs 3, and you can manage the attack step with Bazaar while feeding into the other synergies of the deck. It also is the main reason it is Dredge's nighmare match-up, as even your mulligans to find it, Tabernacles, and Crypts help stop zombie tokens from eating your brains. Duplicants in the main have always been a meta-game call, and even they have been phasing out of lists as Metamorph has some overlapping utility with duplicant.
Mox Opal is a terrible card for any Shop list. You need your moxes to be able to jump the curve and play your spells. The metalcraft restriction on its use means you can't play it on its own to cast a sphere, chalice, golem, or just about anything on turn 1. Mox opal is not acceleration, it is mana fixing, and as such, should only be used in lists that need it as such. Unless 5C Stax becomesa viable again, it has no place in Workshop lists of today.
Tangle wires break board-states and are necessary to compliment the lock pieces in any workshop build. The are a lock piece that provides utility in a way that spheres can't. That why they exist in 99% of lists, and that is by no means a mistake. I would cut Trinisphere before I cut Tanglewires: they are that integral to shops.
I do not mean to sound like I am giving harsh criticism, as I truly believe that discussion on Shops is severely lacking; I'm very happy to see your interest in the archetype. However, I think you need to decide how you want to win before you decide whether you want to build a prison list (Stax) or a Workshop aggro list (Mud), and then build accordingly.
Your main deck is being pushed as an aggro list with a prison manabase, but your sideboard has all prison sideboard elements. Shattering sprees push opponents further under spheres, tabernacles, bridges and crypts decimate creatures and invalidate the combat step (especially zombie tokens- here's looking at you dredge) which is something you don't want to do if you are running lodestone. Prison List use Gargadon as a way to deal with Orchard tokens from Oath. Aggro lists let Oath tutor their creatures up, and use wires to tap them down and swing right past them. This list as-is, is a mesh of many commonly used workshop pieces, but unfortunately, not all lock pieces are created equal. I'd be more than happy to assist you in sculpting your list. Feel free to PM me.
No, that is not true. Common misuse of terms changes definitions. Look at the usage of the N word if you have any doubts.
If anyone is looking for an all-encompassing primer on Stax decks to best explain the concepts encompassed by the term, you can find my primers on vintage archetypes, and in particular, Stax both here and here. The reason people don't post primers on the subject is not because there is a lack of qualified people to write them, but a lack of people are interested in becoming Shops experts. Since blue is the color associated with skill in magic (and wrongfully so, since counterspells are often training wheels for higher level competitive play) few people are interested in mastering anything else in the eternal formats.
I just had some question for you with regards to your list and play, along with a few comments for some of the more recent posts. I'm sure most of the answers will come down to metagame calls, but I feel the need to ask them anyway.
- My attitude when playing this deck is that I will get hit with an average of 3 board-wipes a game (both due to people being intimidated, and by splash damage for other threats, and yes, the game can be that hostile). Is there a reason you forgo using Roar of Reclamation in addition to Open the Vaults. In my experience, the overlap is more effective than the targeted and use of traditional reanimation spells.
- I have not seen any mention of the use of Ensnaring Bridge in any of the posts in this thread. Ensnaring Bridge has been very clutch in preventing the table from alpha-striking me and has been super important in hosing titans, which can get out of hand. Since you are using thopter foundry, and can manage your hand well enough to allow the 1/1s to attack naturally on your turn as a kill condition, what are your reasons for not running it? Is it due to mono-blue tez as a main kill or is it something else?
- Mycosynth Lattice has been a pretty awesome "do nothing" card in my deck, much like Thopter Assemply has been in yours. I've used it in conjunction with many cards to great benefit, and it lets me card everything without concern for color screw. Are you aware of the synergies between Mycosynth Lattice and the many parts of your list (especially and Tezzeret, AoB and his ultimate) and is there a reason you don't use that as part of your 99.
- Due to dealing with Teeg, I prefer burst card draw over card filtering with card draw slots like Thirst for Knowledge, Memory Jar, Windfall,
Timetwister, and Compulsive Research. What has been the overall experiences that make the deeper digging worth more than cards in hand. In my experience, I need cards in hand in order to recover easier from the eventual wipe, and to hit my lands in a timely fashion.
- I prefer to play threats than answers, which is why my list forgoes counterspells. I noticed that your lone counterspell is really a tutor more than a counterspell. Do you feel your list needs counterspells at all? Why or why not?
- What are you feelings on the Ravnica bounce-lands? My list wants to play as few tap-lands as possible, but my list is nearly 50/50 with mana sources (land and artifact) and non-mana spells. They were very helpful before Sundering Titan got banned, as it allowed me to play Titan with no repercussion (my artifacts took care of mana issues from Blood moon or Back to Basics. I run 35 lands and 14-15 non-land mana sources in my list, but aside from rebuying Bojuka Bog, I'm not sure they are still warrented
Lastly, a few comments -A few years ago, after trying many different builds, I have discovered that the most effective list I've thrown together is a list that wins big by winning small. The cumulative advantage gained by using spellbombs, capsules, and recursive effects (the "salvaging station feedback engine" if you will) allows you to be able to further your goals and solidify your position without reprisal from the entire table. Yes, Sharuum is strong enough to goldfish combo style and win very quickly, but the most consistent wins come from the former method. It is nice to see that I am not alone in this sentiment.
Chromatic Lantern is awesome for this deck. I am hesitant to remove it for Darksteel Ingot because Ingot can protect Tez, AoB very well and has great synergy with Karn (indestructible 5/5 or 3/3 is no joke). It may get the cut for Coalition Relic, which I've used to great success. I do run Workshop, so it gains marginal extra utility there.
I cannot find room for Trading Post. It seems like it would be insane, and not I am being told that it is.
I run both Inkmoth Nexus and Tez agent of bolas, and neither have been in play at the same time during the combat step. The thought of dealing 5 infect for a single mana just made me salivate a little.
Overall, I try to have as many cards in the deck feed into each other. The reason I use the Bitter Ordeal kill over the other combo kills like Disciple of the Vault or Extractor Demon is that I can use effectively outside of the Sharuum engine. It can extract threats or answers from other decks just by playing your game (a capsule use and a fetch activation is often 4 cards) even without the infi mill. Time Sieve protects your permanents from exile, and buys you a turn to recover if they do try to mess with your board, and to a degree, so does Thopter Foundry. The deck has many feedback loops (cards that interact with other cards to create a system of synergies and not just a few 2-3 card combos). From the subtleties of Salvaging station interactions, to rewarding intricate knowledge of game rules and the stack, this type of build rewards high-level play, and you never really play the same game twice. Five years later, I am still finding new lines of play with this deck, and new interactions with my group from every newly-released set.
The main reason for the inclusion was to protect me from the infi-mill strategies which run rampant here), and it helps neuter other yards. This is one slot where I prefer it to artifact GY hate. One question though... Do you run Top and Relic because you run Trinket Mage or to justify it?
It bounces permenants, including lands, which is the main reason for inclusion. If it was a 5 mana Man-o-War, I would've been shredder mulch by now.
Sorry, must have missed it. I did read through the almost 80 pages before posting, as I wanted my questions to be relevant.
Is Top really that critical to the deck's success? Oftentimes, I find it to be a wasteful mana sink, especially without synergies like Lurking Predators to break it wide open. When playing without those synergies, my experience has found raw draw spells to be better.
There is too much going on at the 6-drop slot, which is a reason I want to shave mana costs. I used to abuse this card hard in Teneb for years. I have found that 30 is the minimum needed for the card to work. Between land ramping, top and sylvan effects, and tutoring, running 30 non-general creatures in the deck lets Predators hit about 50% of the time. Players who rock Worldly tutor can use it in response to the trigger and essentially Tinker any creature into play for G.
I usually don't bother bouncing the Drake, as what I steal is usually more relevant. The only part I don't like is it's steal clause... Any sac outlet and you're down a creature yourself.
I also agree here. Did you wind up cutting the slot entirely, or just replaced it with cheaper land search?
That's an interesting assessment. Inferno Titan is insane. I find that the power of Frost Titan is a lot more subtle. Most of the time, Frost Titan is targets Eldrazi and utility lands (Gaea's Cradle, Volrath Stronghold, High Market, Alchemist's refuge). It helps cut off plays that would normally push other decks over the top, and it's a pain to deal with, as it forces people to tap out to get rid of him.
That's exactly how I feel. I guess we'll see how much fat is left after the cuts.
I should buy you a round.
I really try to stay away from FoF because graveyard hate is rampant in my group. Due to the nature of running a toolbox, a miser's Bojuka Bog can eliminate lines of play that I may need to rely on. And there are WAY too many people playing Crypts, Relics, Bog + bouncelands, etc. to justify running FoF. The environment is just too hostile. Genesis is way too slow. Out of the 30 something decks that my group has played over the last 5+ years, only one still runs Genesis. Stonecloaker is a staple in my group. Almost everyone runs Eldrazi to restock their libraries so GY hate runs wild, just to cut them off. I will admit that Body Double is insane: I used to play it. I have streamlined it out of the deck because dealing with it imprinted on a Mimic vat is just aggravating, and that has happened way too often.
It isn't a card I usually use the buyback on... I just like that I can. This slot used to be Wild Ricochet, and as amazing as its been, it was a tad too expensive.
Totally agree here. I haven't played Orrey since this card was printed, but I do feel like access to 3 flash enablers is necessary for the deck, which is my I juggle between this and Crop Rotation. However, casting this does blow.
I will try this out. It was ordered last week, I've been waiting for it to come in.
This card has been an All-Star every time I've played it, and is the best way to sneak Seedborn Muse onto the table against control. It gets more rediculous if you've already landed a Muse. I've used it to break up combos mid-chain. The list goes on. What I like best is that the convoke ability lets you cast it for max while still saving you mana to copy it. Once it's paid for, they have no idea what you are searching for until it's resolved. It's not always a must-counter, but the card always pulls its weight, and it's mana cost looks deceptively high but usually plays cheaper.
The card has been good, but I prefer copying Seedborn Muse to get my greedy mana. It has pro-green, which can come back to bite you when it gets metamorphed.
I don't play him for the same reason that I don't play with FoF.
Thanks! It's a means to help avoid tuck effects too.
I'm looking to play both, honestly. I feel that running the two would create enough overlap for cheating creatures into play.
I was thinking of replacing Beacon of Tomorrow's with Capture of Jingzhou when I find one (I had a Chinese one, but too many people complained about it being foreign). I run all those Time Walk effects because of the graveyard hate, not in spite of it. Sometimes people are nervous to hit my yard with a Charmbreaker on-board because it guarantees that the next instant or sorcery to hit the bin will come back, and if it's a Time Warp, the game is over.
With all the broken nonsense everyone runs in my group, Chancellor is always spicy. With that said, it isn't a sacred cow. I will consider shaving it to lean my curve.
I appreciate the feedback. Thanks for taking the time to look at it all. I know it was a lot to wade through. If you want, I can post my thoughts on the updates if it's useful to anyone else.
0 Mana Crypt
0 Mox Diamond
1 Mana Vault
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
4 Birthing Pod
Artifact Creatures: 2
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Solemn Simulacrum
Creatures: 29
2 Fauna Shaman
2 Phantasmal Image
2 Sakura-Tribe Elder
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Eternal Witness
3 Farhaven Elf
3 Squee, Goblin Nabob
3 Wood Elves
4 Glen-Elendra Archmage
4 Oracle of Mul Daya
4 Sower of Tempation
5 Acidic Slime
5 Izzet Chronarch
5 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
5 Mulldrifter
5 Riftwing Cloudskate
5 Seedborn Muse
5 Zealous Conscripts
6 Charmbreaker Devils
6 Deadeye Navigator
6 Frost Titan
6 Inferno Titan
6 Primeval Titan
6 Worldgorger Dragon
7 Avenger of Zendicar
7 Chancellor of the Spires
7 Palinchron
8 Terrastadon
8 Woodfall Primus
2 Survival of the Fittest
2 Sylvan Library
3 Rhystic Study
6 Lurking Predators
Instants: 5
3 Capsize
3 Ghostly Flicker
3 Reiterate
4 Momentous Fall
Sorceries: 15
0 Ancestral Visions
2 Gaea's Blessing
3 Cultivate
3 Kodama's Reach
3 Timetwister
4 Explosive Vegetation
4 Skyshroud Claim
5 Bribery
5 Temporal Manipulation
5 Time Warp
6 Walk the Eons
7 Knowledge Exploitation
7 Temporal Mastery
8 Beacon of Tomorrows
10 Time Stretch
I’ve clocked in well over 200 games with my Riku and this is the most current list. My playgroup is pretty cutthroat. Some of the common decks to sit down against are Arcum combo, Edrik, Azusa, Sakashima, Kiki-Jiki, Kresh, Saffi, Sliver Queens LD / Planeswalker control, and Heartless Hidetsugo.
I’ve recently compared my list to many of the Riku lists here at this site, and see that most creature-based Riku lists look similar. The main difference between most and mine are that I run more Time Walks. It's honestly the best effect one can copy with Riku, and that's coming from a Vintage Stax player.
I know that people will look at this deck and think "infinite turns... must be nice, but with the amount of graveyard hate and resets, that's not usually how games play out. Most of the time the deck doesn't go infinite, but generates just enough combat tempo to push players off the table. The fact that the opponent’s creatures stay tapped on your extra turns is just as important as the extra combat steps you get with extra turns. Time Walks also allow the deck to catch-up to the fast mana ramp that Arcum, Sharuum and Azusa lists usually fly out of the gates with.
Keeping this in mind, I noticed that some of my personal sacred cows are missing from most lists; some don’t appear at all. I would like to know why why people haven’t considered the following:
Riftwing Cloudskate – I know Venser is good, but is it really better than this card? The suspend cost fits perfectly on the curve, so when you drop Riku, it’s ready to pop off next turn for no cost. Winding Canyons and Alchemist’s refuge also let you suspend this eot, functionally giving the spell “suspend 2” … and it flies.
Ghostly Flicker – This card has been nothing short of insane every time I cast it. It is cheap enough to let you have mana to copy it, and the creatures you blink, which allows for serious shenanigans during other players’ turns. This card has single-handedly broken on-board stalemates and won games on its own. Unless they make a functional reprint for a cheaper cost, this card is never coming out of this deck.
Sylvan Library – In my experience, a green deck full of singletons and shuffle effects should always rock Library. I know it is not copyable, but the free card selection with this many shuffle effects (especially Survival) should never be taken for granted. It is also a must if I play…
Lurking Predators – I honestly would have thought that creature based builds would want free creatures on other players’ turns. Experience has taught me that you must play a minimum of 30 creatures for this card to be effective. Top, Library, and shuffle effects go a long way to helping this card go nuts.
There are also cards that I am on the fence about, simply due to their utility. The following cards have been bounced in and out of the deck, and are good, but whether they are good enough is questionable. I would like your opinions. The reasons for their inclusion (or lack thereof) is included
Solemn Simulacrum – I wish I could find more land-excavating dorks, but this doesn’t feel like it sits on the right spot on the curve. I like it a lot better than Coiling Oracle (which can’t guarantee a land drop), but it never gets copied by Riku, and doesn’t help hit the turn 4 Riku either. I want to cut it, but it feels wrong, as it fits well on the Birthing pod chain.
Frost Titan / Inferno Titan – both Titans have done well, but I’m not sure if they have done well enough. Inferno Titan wins game with a Worldgorger loop, but so do a few other cards. Frost Titan has been clutch at locking down threats, and is a great target to copy. The fact it protects itself is even better. Still, I want to reduce the mana cost of this deck, and I’m not sure that in terms of raw power, if these titans are good enough to keep the cost of my deck inflated.
Avenger of Zendikar – It has won games, but feels old and can be a win-more card. At times, it has been more useful at generating blockers than swinging for the fences. It is a card I would like to replace with another creature to shave costs. However, this card does provide a lot of fat for a very cheap cost, and the tempo swings are rediculous.
Concentrate / Harmonize vs. Momentous Fall / Blue Sun's Zenith – for the longest time, I rocked Both Harmonize and Concentrate to refill my hand. In the early game, it was too clunky, as that play store a turn of board development. During the late game, it sometimes wasn’t enough to seal the deal. I recently replaced both with Momentous Fall and BSZ. I haven’t had enough testing with it, but the Momentous Fall so far has been awesome, especially since, you don’t sacrifice an additional creature when you copy the spell, and the life gain has been relevant. Blue Sun Zenith hasn’t been drawn yet, but the hope is to have a way to deck people, if libraries are thin with an Eldrazi trigger on the stack, or to enable decking with infinite mana. This is not a spell that will usually get copied.
Tooth and Nail – for competitive lists, this is usually an auto-include. It has been until a month ago. People complained that it was a cheesy insta-win, especially when 3 other players rock it.. This has been swapped out for Knowledge Exploitation. The group's reaction to me stealing Tooth and Nail than playing one myself had been pretty positive. After casting Knowledge Exploitation, I couldn’t agree more.
Reiterate – This is in the deck to catch greedy plays, the turn 6 Time Stretch, the turn 4 Tooth and Nail, the Decree of Pain for 10 cards… etc. In the late game, this card reads 1RR: protection from scooping, and sometimes lets me piggy back of of tutoring and ramp in the early turns.
The following are other cards that frequently hop on and off the list. I'd like your thoughts on them.
Leyline of Anticipation – for threshold of flash effects, broken with the optional mulligan rule, way better than Veldalken Orrey.
Mnemonic Wall – usually swaps with Izzet Chronarch
Chord of Calling – a huge favorite due to convoke, but expensive
Sword of Feast and Famine – it was good, but not always good enough. I usually protect Riku by casting him EOT, and go nuts after the untap.
Conquering Manticore – had given mixed results, the body is nice, but it is a 6 drop.
Word of Seizing – 5 mana is too much to hold back for this effect without a flash enabler, so you have a inconspicuous reason to keep the mana up.
Consecrated Sphinx – got tired of other people abusing it before I could
With that said, I also know that the list missing a Sneak Attack. I have one, but have been struggling to find a non-creature spell slot to swap for it as the list is pretty tight. The list will be even tighter when I find an English Capture of Jingzhou (the only card I need to finish the deck, I'm looking for an English one so players at the local card shops around here can stop whining about playing against foreign cards). What can be cut for both cards?
I also want to lower the CMC of the deck further. I'd like to keep the list with a minimum of 30 creatures, so I’m looking to swap the creature slots, not replace them. The problem is that you lose the fat that comes with bigger bodies, which makes you easier prey against aggressive strategies. With that said I’m probably going to swap out one of the creature slots for a Greater Gargadon, just to have a sack outlet (and the 10/9 body isn’t bad).
What do you think?
Now for the details
Where: Kings Games
1685 East 15th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11229
When: Saturday November 7th, 2009
Registration: 10:00 am - 10:50 am
Start Time: 11:00 am SHARP (this will be strictly enforced)
Entry Fee: $25 USD
Proxies: 10 Proxy Limit
There will be 5 rounds of Swiss for 32 or fewer players, and 6 rounds of swiss if we break 32
The prizes are guaranteed at the following tiers of attendance:
20 - 29 players
1st Place = Unlimited Mox Jet
2nd Place = Mana Crypt
3rd/4th place = Force of Will
30 - 39 players
1st Place = Unlimited Mox Jet
2nd = Library of Alexandria
3rd/4th Place = Mana Crypt
40 + players
1st Place = Alpha Ancestral Recall
2nd Place= Library of Alexandria
3rd/4th Place = Mana Crypt
5th - 8th Place = Force of Will
In addition to the Main Event, we will be hosting a side event if we have a minimum of 8 participants
SIDE EVENT
Entry Fee: $10
Start Time: At the start of the Top 8, after swiss rounds
Deck Registration Sheets will have to be provided if using a different deck list than the one used for the main event.
First place will win a sealed "From the Vault: Exiled" set
There are many parking garages in the area, but if you grant yourself and extra 15 minutes, you can find street parking in the area
Directions to the store can be found at http://kingsgames.com/directions.php
I hope to see you all there.