MTG Deck Blog

Spellskite in UB Death’s Shadow

Randomly realized that Spellskite is pretty awesome in UB Death’s Shadow (aka new Suicidie Black). Paying life to grow Death’s Shadow AND protect it? Seems fine to me.

Creatures - 15

• 4 Delver of Secrets
• 4 Nivmagus Elemental
• 4 Death’s Shadow
• 3 Spellskite

Spells - 27

• 4 Brainstorm
• 4 Ponder
• 4 Force of Will
• 4 Daze
• 4 Gitaxian Probe
• 4 Thoughtseize
• 3 Dismember

Lands - 18

• 4 Polluted Delta
• 2 Flooded Strand
• 2 Verdant Catacombs
• 2 Underground Sea
• 2 Watery Grave
• 1 Island
• 1 Swamp
• 4 Wasteland

It’s entirely true that Flusterstorm should probably be somewhere in the deck. I had Tombstalker in the Nivmagus slot before. I’m not sure which one is better honestly. Tombstalker is much better just by itself, so if you’re burning Probes and stuff early before you have a Nivmagus, it’s possible that Nivmagus would just be dead.

18-Land Gruul

Was looking at Saito’s Gruul lists and felt a little inspired for Standard.

Creatures

• 4 Rakdos Cackler
• 4 Stromkirk Noble
• 4 Legion Loyalist
• 4 Lightning Mauler
• 4 Ash Zealot
• 4 Burning Tree Emissary
• 4 Flinthoof Boar
• 4 Ghor-Clan Rampager

Spells

• 4 Rancor
• 4 Pillar of Flame
• 2 Searing Spear

Land

• 10 Mountain
• 4 Rootbound Crag
• 4 Stomping Ground

Sideboard

• 4 Nightbird’s Clutches
• 4 Reckless Waif
• 4 Volcanic Strength
• 3 Skullcrack

Not sure if the numbers are entirely correct, but I like how the deck’s curve basically ends at two, with the Ghor-Clan Rampager acting as a sort of flood-mitigator. Dynacharge may even be sweet in this kind of deck too. Not sure. I’ll probably build this on MODO to test for the PTQ, since I don’t feel like buying Boros Reckoners online.

PTQ Dragon’s Maze

Managed to Top 8 (somehow) the PTQ Dragon’s Maze in Phoenix with this Jund list:

Creatures

• 4 Deathrite Shaman
• 4 Dark Confidant
• 4 Tarmogoyf
• 3 Huntmaster of the Fells
• 2 Grim Lavamancer
• 1 Kitchen Finks

Spells

• 4 Lightning Bolt
• 3 Thoughtseize
• 2 Inquisiton of Kozilek
• 2 Abrupt Decay
• 1 Maelstrom Pulse
• 3 Liliana of the Veil
• 3 Terminate

Lands

• 4 Verdant Catacombs
• 3 Marsh Flats
• 1 Misty Rainforest
• 4 Blackcleave Cliffs
• 4 Raging Ravine
• 2 Overgrown Tomb
• 1 Stomping Ground
• 1 Blood Crypt
• 1 Treetop Village
• 2 Swamp
• 1 Forest

Sideboard

• 2 Thrun, the Last Troll
• 2 Olivia Voldaren
• 2 Spellskite
• 2 Sowing Salt
• 1 Rakdos Charm
• 1 Seal of Primordium
• 1 Phyrexian Metamorph
• 1 Batterskull
• 1 Duress
• 1 Slaughter Games
• 1 Ancient Grudge

Mostly a standard list. I somehow can never do well if I don’t have Grim Lavamancers or Lightning Bolts in my deck…so there they are!

My matchups were:

Round 1 - Splinter Twin - 2-1

Round 2 - Burn - 2-0

Round 3 - Infect - 2-0

Round 4 - Eggs (made Top 8) - 2-1

Round 5 - UW Control (made Top 8) - 2-1

Round 6 - Monoblack Infect - ID

Round 7 - Jund - ID

Top 8 - Eggs (same as Round 4) - 2-0

Top4 - Eggs - 0-2

The deck felt pretty solid all day long, though I might want another discard spell in the maindeck (probably replace a Terminate). Felt kinda nice not scrubbing out of every non-Legacy high level event for once. Now I’m hoping to go to GP San Diego and also do well at the PTQ the weekend after in Tucson (which is Standard).

Jason

Monoblack Zombies

I kinda like this deck - it’s a budget version of Sam Black’s Zombie deck, and it still has a ton of value hidden inside. Dredging increases the chance of seeing Gravecrawlers, Cabal Therapies, and Bloodghasts, and then the Viscera Dragger can reanimate from your graveyard so you can buy back your Gravecrawlers. Also it cycles to activate your Dredging. Reanimate is there to bring back some of your dudes but also steal some guys from your opponents. Perhaps with a bit more tuning it could be a good budget option in Legacy.

Creatures

• 4 Putrid Imp
• 4 Carrion Feeder
• 4 Gravecrawler
• 4 Bloodghast
• 3 Blood Artist
• 4 Stinkweed Imp
• 3 Viscera Dragger

Spells

• 4 Cabal Therapy
• 4 Hymn to Tourach
• 2 Darkblast
• 2 Tragic Slip
• 2 Reanimate

Lands

• 3 Dakmor Salvage
• 17 Swamp

Monored Storm

Seething Song may be banned in Modern now, but it’s still got a home in Legacy!

Spells

• 4 Gitaxian Probe
• 4 Lotus Petal
• 4 Rite of Flame
• 4 Pyretic Ritual
• 4 Desperate Ritual
• 4 Seething Song
• 4 Faithless Looting
• 4 Manamorphose
• 2 Past in Flames
• 4 Burning Wish
• 2 Empty the Warrens
• 2 Reforge the Soul
• 3 Goblin Bushwhacker

Lands

• 4 Sandstone Needle
• 2 Dwarven Ruins
• 9 Mountain

Sideboard

• 1 Empty the Catacombs
• 1 Grapeshot
• 1 Reforge the Soul
• 4 Pyroblast
• 8 ???

Designed to be budget (Lion’s Eye Diamond should probably be here if not), I feel like it still packs a punch. Faithless Looting gives the deck a way to sculpt hands so it won’t have to win on turn one or even two. Not sure on the exact numbers, but basing the deck on the Reforge the Soul engine seems awesome (especially since Reforge the Soul synergizes so well with Past in Flames.

Looks like the Undercity/Balustrade deck is picking up. Weee

Lotus Cobra

• 4 Lotus Cobra
• 1 Avenger of Zendikar
• 1 Primeval Titan
• 3 Huntmaster of the Fells
• 1 Kitchen Finks
• 1 Birds of Paradise
• 1 Deranged Hermit

Spells

• 3 Sensei’s Divining Top
• 4 Exploration
• 4 Green Sun’s Zenith
• 4 Mox Diamond
• 3 Crucible of Worlds

Lands

• 1 Raging Ravine
• 4 Wooded Foothills
• 4 Taiga
• 4 Verdant Catacombs
• 4 Windswept Heath
• 2 Arid Mesa
• 6 Mountain
• 4 Forest
• 1 Dryad Arbor

More Blouses

Hexproof decks may have started to take both Standard and Modern by storm, but let’s not forget it did win in Legacy first. It’s interesting how a Legacy brew can win an event but not have any significant finishes afterward - maybe it’s time? I’ve taken the “Blouses” list that won SCG: Sacramento and updated it a little bit, but maybe just running Mr. Bogles and company is just better.

Creatures - 15

• 4 Noble Hierarch
• 3 Birds of Paradise
• 4 Troll Ascetic
• 4 Geist of Saint Traft

Spells - 25

• 4 Brainstorm
• 4 Daze
• 4 Ethereal Armor
• 3 Spectral Flight
• 3 Rancor
• 3 Green Sun’s Zenith
• 4 Swords to Plowshares

Lands - 20

• 4 Misty Rainforest
• 4 Windswept Heath
• 3 Tropical Island
• 3 Tundra
• 2 Savannah
• 1 Plains
• 1 Forest
• 1 Island
• 1 Dryad Arbor

Berserk Zoo

Boros Charm is probably the best card from Gatecrash that could make it into Legacy. It’s a two mana Berserk that also has reach…what’s not to like?

Creatures - 16

• 4 Wild Nacatl
• 4 Tarmogoyf
• 4 Steppe Lynx
• 4 Kiln Fiend

Spells - 26

• 4 Lightning Bolt
• 3 Fireblast
• 4 Boros Charm
• 4 Invigorate
• 4 Berserk
• 4 Gitaxian Probe
• 3 Mutagenic Growth

Lands - 18

• 4 Taiga
• 4 Plateau
• 4 Wooded Foothills
• 4 Arid Mesa
• 2 Windswept Heath

Updating Hermit Druid 2.0

Looks like the deck has been picking up steam on the Interwebs. Woo! There are a lot of interesting ideas such as running Unmask or a Belcher transformational SB, so there’s still a lot of work to be done. This is a possible list I’ve developed:

Win Conditions

• 4 Undercity Informer
• 4 Balustrade Spy

The stuff you don’t want to draw

• 1 Dread Return
• 1 Angel of Glory’s Rise
• 1 Laboratory Maniac
• 1 Azami, Lady of Scrolls
• 4 Narcomoeba

Mana and Misc.

• 4 Chrome Mox
• 4 Lotus Petal
• 4 Simian Spirit Guide
• 4 Elvish Spirit Guide
• 4 Dark Ritual
• 4 Cabal Ritual
• 4 Rite of Flame
• 4 Manamorphose
• 4 Wild Cantor
• 2 Pact of Negation
• 4 Gitaxian Probe
• 1 Phantasmagorian
• 1 Cabal Therapy

Because of the 8 win cons, I removed LED completely because it can only activate the Undercity Informer but not the Spy, so also Infernal Tutor & Belcher left the MD, but Belcher in the SB sounds like a pretty good idea. Wild Cantor is pretty sweet as a mana fixer and also (if you have extra mana) acting as an extra body for the Dread Return if you draw two Narcomoeba. There’s also the possibility of upping the # of Pact of Negation so you just don’t flat out die to Force of Will, Stifle, etc. Unmask seems decent enough too.