@ Johnny_Spike: I agree that pre-board I have little chance that is why my SB is what it is: A first striker, some more cheap removal, some sweepers and a pro-white finisher, as well as a colorless dude to avoid hate.
This is the overall plan anyways ! But with BR there are more hate options even.
Issues: Quest for the Nihil Stone- while a really powerfull early play that wins games by itself, if I draw it late is pretty much a dead card because my opponent has no more cards to discard ! So four of in the deck is quite a liability.
Scepter of Fugue- Don't seem to need it. Although my deck is severely lacking 2 drops... If I'm lucky I get a turn one duress, other than deck the deck starts playing on turn 3.
Guul Draz Specter- I prefer Nyx for a beater and for the discard part I can do the same with Hippie for one less mana.
I'm playing the deck as a mid-range discard deck with a simple plan. Discard their hand to play Nyx (that's why I'm favoring rot over sludge), and beat their face to a pulp, by clearing whatever is in the way with removal. To defend just play a Nighthawk and let it sit there. If you know they have removal (duress), play a specter first to draw it out.
Haven't played many tier1 decks yet except Jund. Everything else I played I went 2-0, with Jund was 1-2, with a close third match, they had stag main. I didn't have this exact list but the idea was the same. Need to test again.
Issues: Quest for the Nihil Stone- while a really powerfull early play that wins games by itself, if I draw it late is pretty much a dead card because my opponent has no more cards to discard ! So four of in the deck is quite a liability.
Scepter of Fugue- Don't seem to need it. Although my deck is severely lacking 2 drops... If I'm lucky I get a turn one duress, other than deck the deck starts playing on turn 3.
Guul Draz Specter- I prefer Nyx for a beater and for the discard part I can do the same with Hippie for one less mana.
I'm playing the deck as a mid-range discard deck with a simple plan. Discard their hand to play Nyx (that's why I'm favoring rot over sludge), and beat their face to a pulp, by clearing whatever is in the way with removal. To defend just play a Nighthawk and let it sit there. If you know they have removal (duress), play a specter first to draw it out.
Haven't played many tier1 decks yet except Jund. Everything else I played I went 2-0, with Jund was 1-2, with a close third match, they had stag main. I didn't have this exact list but the idea was the same. Need to test again.
@ Kakwann: Not playing three colors when there is such good mana fixing in the format is subpar in my opinion. Look at the strongest decks, they all play 3 colors. Earthquake is definitely under consideration for me, at least to side for Fallout when the creatures are just too strong. It is specially good in my built because my own creatures don't get hit :). In regards to banefire as a finisher, I don't feel the need since I can always pay 6 mana for 6 unblockable damage sweetness !!
@Agent1103: Still not fully convinced on the "techiness" of goblin guide. I guess I'll have to play some games with it. If I understand correctly, you are saying that it's draw back allows you to choose targets for duress and TH, not just give your opponent an extra land and avoid a dead draw next turn ? Then there is the removal/fallout problem, I just lose my creature if I have to play fallout. I don't like that, if I can minimize disadvantageous symmetries in my cards I will, again the unearth duders accomplish that. Also, with my build I never felt that I could have activated BA sooner than I did so I feel happy with the current speed of the deck. Granted, that I haven't tested enough and you seem to have played quite a bit with the archetype, can you tell me which match ups that extra bit of speed made all the difference ?
@On the fence: It is precisely because the meta is full of good removal that I value the Specter so much. For 1B, you get 3 evasive damage with discard coupled, better than that only blightning. I can't stress this enough, the Specter is nuts !!! I know it is hard to cast, but that is a mana base design issue. Also the reason I like Hellspark AND Specter, is that they just make removal less attractive. I really look at them as extra bolts from the graveyard.
@ Agent1103:
I know searing blaze is an instant, I was referring to the fact that more often than not I have to play it on my turn.
I like sedraxis specter. It's like extra mini-blightnings and I LOVE blightning. Goblin guide is fast and furious, but it seems to lose value as the game progresses although more testing is needed. I also like that Hellspark elemental comes back for more. I'd like to hear the argument for Goblin Guide vs Hellspark Elemental. Besides the obvious explosive first turn without ascension I can't see why the goblin is better. In my experience, I find the elemental+bolt way of eliminating big blockers very effective with the loss of card advantage effect minimized.
Let's hear it !!!
Card Choices: Searing blaze is indeed powerful, even as sorcery is totally worth it. The only down side is to make the deck harder to pilot if that can be called a down side.
Sedraxis Specter over goblin guide because I rather sacrifice some speed for more power in those games where I don't see the ascension at all.
Some results without sideboarding:
Putrid Jund: Tough as expected but it was always close since blightnings and specters destroy their hand and we can discard unearthables to their blightnings. Their sideboard has no particular answer to us. Most removal is dead unless there is a Nighthawk. Save countersquall for pulse not blightning.
Sanguine bond combo deck: We are very fast even without an Ascension. No chance. But that deck wasn't properly optimized IMHO.
I'm really liking the deck !!!! Now on to sideboard plans !!!
The mana base you posted seems to support my list just fine, even allowing for a turn 3 Sedraxis. The only issue comes with the fetches. They are absolutely needed because of Searing Blaze but not really for mana fixing, or are they ? This turns searing blaze into a conditional instant, most times being a sorcery, although a pretty cool one ! Cruel is holding space, 4th Fallout would be fine.
You got me on the Nemesis !! Although I don't like decks without a late game whatsoever, I know the point is not to get there, but still, I'd like to have some power card to pull me back into the mid-game.
@ kakwan: I started of with 24 lands and fetches but it was too much, I believe 22 is fine since I only have 2 spells above 3 mana, the Cruel is filler. In any case, thank you for your comments I'll take a closer look at those decks.
@ Agent110: I had countersquall but in my limited testing I found out that I almost never have enough mana open if I am to be proactive and go for speed. Need more testing, maybe as a two of ?
Thank for your opnion on Fallout. It stays. Regarding searing blaze vs burst lightning I'd like to see more discussion and testing, it is not immediate to me the advantages of the later unless you are loaded on fetches. Without them you can't even activate the ascension with that card, something that almost every card should do.
The Cruel is Filler until I figure the mana and sign in blood is in there for draw. This deck empties its hand really fast.
Speed is indeed what I'm trying to go for, even contemplated hellspark elemental .
The point is to minimize the blue requirement and have every card but 4 (or 8 if terminate) capable of activating the ascension. Without the ascension plan this is a fast damage deck still. I'm testing Nemesis of reason because it is a late game synergistic option but even on it's own can buy me some time. Big butt and "only" path and terminate can deal with it.
The card I dislike the most is Volcanic fallout because a lot of times is just another double sided shock since any pumped dude will survive it. Earthquake on the other hand might be overkill.....
-only three canonists and paths because I don't have the fourth... surprisingly haven't missed them yet!
-the three glaze fiends and esper charms are because I'm not always happy to see one of those when I already have one or because the charm is a bit hard to cast, althoug totally worth it in any of the three modes.
-the two open slots are due to the cards I'm missing and hence I'm trying to compensate with something really techy in there.
- my mana base probably needs an update with the new lands
Decks I play against the most: Jund, Bant, Soldiers and Polymorph-Progenitus (we haven't got the vamps running yet...).
The hardest one is the Polymorph combo. Jund is doable as you've noticed (forcing them to discard with the charm feels really good in responce to blightning when there is no negate!), bant can be raced, soldiers as well.
oh come on. both you and i know the build could be better.
The other artifacts are the borderposts and possibly the new mana accelerator.
All I can say is that this build is controlling enough to keep a good bant aggro deck (hierarch to rhox to rafiq kind of deck) at bay and then hardcast (yeah, you survive that long !) a finisher. Again, the transmuter is more of a accelerator, not the centerpiece of the deck.
This is the overall plan anyways ! But with BR there are more hate options even.
Still have some development issues... This is my current list:
4x Nyxathid
4x Hypnotic specter
4x Gatekeeper of Malakir
4x Vampire Nighthawk
4x Duress
4x Mind Rot
Removal
3X Smother
3x Tendrils of Corruption
2x Consume Spirit
3x Liliana Vess
Land
23x Swamp
Issues:
Quest for the Nihil Stone- while a really powerfull early play that wins games by itself, if I draw it late is pretty much a dead card because my opponent has no more cards to discard ! So four of in the deck is quite a liability.
Scepter of Fugue- Don't seem to need it. Although my deck is severely lacking 2 drops... If I'm lucky I get a turn one duress, other than deck the deck starts playing on turn 3.
Guul Draz Specter- I prefer Nyx for a beater and for the discard part I can do the same with Hippie for one less mana.
Sideboard is looking something like this:
1x Smother
2x Infest
2x Gargoyle Castle
1x Hauting Echoes
I'm playing the deck as a mid-range discard deck with a simple plan. Discard their hand to play Nyx (that's why I'm favoring rot over sludge), and beat their face to a pulp, by clearing whatever is in the way with removal. To defend just play a Nighthawk and let it sit there. If you know they have removal (duress), play a specter first to draw it out.
Haven't played many tier1 decks yet except Jund. Everything else I played I went 2-0, with Jund was 1-2, with a close third match, they had stag main. I didn't have this exact list but the idea was the same. Need to test again.
Does anyone else have results !?!?
Indeed the gatekeeper in coming in !! As for the scepter, I need to test it out.
@Agent1103: Still not fully convinced on the "techiness" of goblin guide. I guess I'll have to play some games with it. If I understand correctly, you are saying that it's draw back allows you to choose targets for duress and TH, not just give your opponent an extra land and avoid a dead draw next turn ? Then there is the removal/fallout problem, I just lose my creature if I have to play fallout. I don't like that, if I can minimize disadvantageous symmetries in my cards I will, again the unearth duders accomplish that. Also, with my build I never felt that I could have activated BA sooner than I did so I feel happy with the current speed of the deck. Granted, that I haven't tested enough and you seem to have played quite a bit with the archetype, can you tell me which match ups that extra bit of speed made all the difference ?
@On the fence: It is precisely because the meta is full of good removal that I value the Specter so much. For 1B, you get 3 evasive damage with discard coupled, better than that only blightning. I can't stress this enough, the Specter is nuts !!! I know it is hard to cast, but that is a mana base design issue. Also the reason I like Hellspark AND Specter, is that they just make removal less attractive. I really look at them as extra bolts from the graveyard.
This is how my list is looking right now.
4 x Consume Spirit
4 x Hypnotic Specter
3 x Liliana Vess
4 x Mind Rot
4 x Mire's Toll/Duress
1 x Nightmare
4 x Nyxathid
4 x Quest for the Nihil Stone
2 x Smother
2 x Tendrils of Corruption
4 x Vampire Nighthawk
Would love to hear some comments and suggestions !!!
I know searing blaze is an instant, I was referring to the fact that more often than not I have to play it on my turn.
I like sedraxis specter. It's like extra mini-blightnings and I LOVE blightning. Goblin guide is fast and furious, but it seems to lose value as the game progresses although more testing is needed. I also like that Hellspark elemental comes back for more. I'd like to hear the argument for Goblin Guide vs Hellspark Elemental. Besides the obvious explosive first turn without ascension I can't see why the goblin is better. In my experience, I find the elemental+bolt way of eliminating big blockers very effective with the loss of card advantage effect minimized.
Let's hear it !!!
Current List:
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Terminate
4 Volcanic Fallout
3 Countersquall
4 Blightning
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Sedraxis Specter
4 Crumbling Necropolis
4 Dragonskull Summit
3 Scalding Tarn
3 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Mountain
3 Swamp
1 Island
Card Choices:
Searing blaze is indeed powerful, even as sorcery is totally worth it. The only down side is to make the deck harder to pilot if that can be called a down side.
Sedraxis Specter over goblin guide because I rather sacrifice some speed for more power in those games where I don't see the ascension at all.
Some results without sideboarding:
Putrid Jund: Tough as expected but it was always close since blightnings and specters destroy their hand and we can discard unearthables to their blightnings. Their sideboard has no particular answer to us. Most removal is dead unless there is a Nighthawk. Save countersquall for pulse not blightning.
Sanguine bond combo deck: We are very fast even without an Ascension. No chance. But that deck wasn't properly optimized IMHO.
I'm really liking the deck !!!! Now on to sideboard plans !!!
The mana base you posted seems to support my list just fine, even allowing for a turn 3 Sedraxis. The only issue comes with the fetches. They are absolutely needed because of Searing Blaze but not really for mana fixing, or are they ? This turns searing blaze into a conditional instant, most times being a sorcery, although a pretty cool one ! Cruel is holding space, 4th Fallout would be fine.
You got me on the Nemesis !! Although I don't like decks without a late game whatsoever, I know the point is not to get there, but still, I'd like to have some power card to pull me back into the mid-game.
@ Agent110: I had countersquall but in my limited testing I found out that I almost never have enough mana open if I am to be proactive and go for speed. Need more testing, maybe as a two of ?
Thank for your opnion on Fallout. It stays. Regarding searing blaze vs burst lightning I'd like to see more discussion and testing, it is not immediate to me the advantages of the later unless you are loaded on fetches. Without them you can't even activate the ascension with that card, something that almost every card should do.
The Cruel is Filler until I figure the mana and sign in blood is in there for draw. This deck empties its hand really fast.
Speed is indeed what I'm trying to go for, even contemplated hellspark elemental .
No thoughts on Nemesis of Reason ???
I'll try to post a mana base later.
Thanks for all the help !!!
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Burst Lightning
4 Hideous End/terminate
3 Volcanic Fallout
2 Mind Funeral
2 Sign in Blood
1 Cruel Ultimatum
4 Sedraxis Specter
2 Nemesis of Reason
Lands
22 - still refining
The point is to minimize the blue requirement and have every card but 4 (or 8 if terminate) capable of activating the ascension. Without the ascension plan this is a fast damage deck still. I'm testing Nemesis of reason because it is a late game synergistic option but even on it's own can buy me some time. Big butt and "only" path and terminate can deal with it.
The card I dislike the most is Volcanic fallout because a lot of times is just another double sided shock since any pumped dude will survive it. Earthquake on the other hand might be overkill.....
Comments and suggestions appreciated !!
4x tidehollow sculler
4x esper stormblade
4x ethersworn shieldmage
4x master of etherium
3x ethersworn cannonist
3x glaze fiend
3x sanctum gargoyle
4x Negate
3x Esper Charm
3x Path to exile
Other:
3x Thopter foundry
2x (testing stuff: pithing needle?)
mana:
4x Arcane Sanctum
4x Fieldmist borderpost
4x Mistvein borderpost
4x Plains
3x Island
3x Swamp
Comments
-only three canonists and paths because I don't have the fourth... surprisingly haven't missed them yet!
-the three glaze fiends and esper charms are because I'm not always happy to see one of those when I already have one or because the charm is a bit hard to cast, althoug totally worth it in any of the three modes.
-the two open slots are due to the cards I'm missing and hence I'm trying to compensate with something really techy in there.
- my mana base probably needs an update with the new lands
Decks I play against the most: Jund, Bant, Soldiers and Polymorph-Progenitus (we haven't got the vamps running yet...).
The hardest one is the Polymorph combo. Jund is doable as you've noticed (forcing them to discard with the charm feels really good in responce to blightning when there is no negate!), bant can be raced, soldiers as well.
Comments and suggestions ??
The other artifacts are the borderposts and possibly the new mana accelerator.
All I can say is that this build is controlling enough to keep a good bant aggro deck (hierarch to rhox to rafiq kind of deck) at bay and then hardcast (yeah, you survive that long !) a finisher. Again, the transmuter is more of a accelerator, not the centerpiece of the deck.