I'll say this first - I know it's a bit harsh for casual, but the circle of people I play with all usually build equally nasty stuff, so I don't feel too bad running this one.
Functionally, the deck is basically one big recycling engine. It's not uncommon to be able to toss the Wheel of Fortune or the Balance 3 or 4 times during the same game. With the Megrims in play, the Wheel can kill. In fact, with both on the board, Blightning can deal out a total of 11 damage, and Liliana Vess is a pretty much guaranteed 4 points a turn. Thanks to the deck being creatureless and including ample self-discard outlets (Stormbind, Peace of Mind and Gustha's Scepter (kind of)), the Balance is always a board sweeper and usually dumps the other player's entire hand.
Anyways, the input I'm looking for is on replacements for the Browbeats and the Jester's Cap. Neither are permanent fixtures, although the Cap is useful if I can replay it a few times. Browbeat basically functions as draw, since it's rare that anyone takes the damage option. I've considered replacing one of the Browbeats with another Blightning, but I also want to be able to provide myself with some draw without having to add a fifth color.
Any suggestions?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
There's one at the door, at the gate to damnation...
Is it thief, thug or whore? There's one at the door...
And there's room for one more till the end of creation. Neil Gaiman, Sandman #4 - A Hope in Hell
I like the looks of this, though I get the impression its a beast you need to see in action to fully appreciate. You could pull out the Gemstone Mines for more Windswept Heaths, since the Heaths can find any color for you.
For draw would Harmonize fit the bill? It has the same CMC as the cap, and only 1 on top of the Browbeat. Are you normally hard up for colored mana? If not, Promise of Power is my non-blue hand filler of choice when black is around.
Thanks for the input. Harmonize is a pretty good idea; I think I may have considered it at some point and didn't use them for some reason. I'm thinking I may drop them back in and see how it runs. The Heaths are a good thought too, unfortunately the one I have listed is the only one I own. If I can get any fetches that fit my color scheme out of Zendikar those'll probably find their way in.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
There's one at the door, at the gate to damnation...
Is it thief, thug or whore? There's one at the door...
And there's room for one more till the end of creation. Neil Gaiman, Sandman #4 - A Hope in Hell
Wow, I would cry to see this being played against me. You can try Night's Whisperinstead of the Browbeat. Different disadvantage, but those cards are guaranteed.
I feel like 1 Regrowth should probably be in here in place of one Reclaim. I know your deck likes em cheap and handless, but the immediate fetch should win out most of the time.
Also, how about some Madness cheapness? Fiery Temper feels like it can be strong. Gibbering Descent would just be funny.
Interesting build. Pretty brutal looking, I gotta say.
Well, I don't typically play with decks that powerful but there are a few suggestions I feel I should make.
If you're playing with megrim, try out memory jar. It's basically the same as wheel of fortune but it costs more and your opponents don't get to keep their cards if you activate it during your turn. If you have both megrims out when it goes off...
Why no vindicate or maelstrom pulse? From my experience, they tend to solve a lot of problems.
For card draw, have you tried out phyrexian arena? It costs you life but it's pretty easy to make up for the damage it deals. And of course there's always the yawgmoth's bargain plus ivory tower combo...
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
In order to save time:
YES that's a cool ability
NO I don't think that this apparently broken card will dominate the format or ruin the game
YES I've been wrong before
YES if things turn out differently I'll owe you an apology
NO you can't have it in writing
YES that might make getting you that apology difficult
@senor_mike: Not sure about the madness thing, although it's a pretty decent idea, but the idea of using stuff with hellbent never occurred to me, and that's a really cool idea given how low of a hand size i usually run with this. I'm gonna have to look into that a bit...
@burningwings: Not running Vindicate or Maelstrom Pulse because I actually don't have either. I actually had Vindicates for a while, traded them off for some reason, and won't be able to get them back too easily. But the Memory Jar idea is really good - I never even thought to use one in here, although it would be a perfect fit. And yeah, the Megrim interaction with the Jar is nasty.
Something else I was considering running was a single Cursed Scroll. I shouldn't have any problem getting to it, and since I'm usually only holding 1 or 2 cards with plenty of ways to unload them, the Scroll should be pretty effective.
I'll have a chance to play this with some of the changes over the next couple of days, so I'll try and post an updated deck list. Thanks for the input!
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
There's one at the door, at the gate to damnation...
Is it thief, thug or whore? There's one at the door...
And there's room for one more till the end of creation. Neil Gaiman, Sandman #4 - A Hope in Hell
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
2 Liliana Vess
1 Ajani Vengeant
BLACK:
2 Megrim
1 Demonic Tutor
WHITE:
1 Balance
2 Peace of Mind
2 Swords to Plowshares
GREEN:
4 Gaea's Blessing
2 Reclaim
RED:
3 Lightning Bolt
1 Wheel of Fortune
2 Browbeat
2 Lightning Helix
2 Blightning
2 Stormbind
ARTIFACTS:
3 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Gustha's Scepter
2 Scroll Rack
1 Jester's Cap
1 Zuran Orb
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mox Emerald
1 Lotus Petal
1 Sol Ring
4 Savannah
3 Scrubland
3 Plateau
1 Taiga
3 Blood Crypt
3 Gemstone Mine
1 Windswept Heath
I'll say this first - I know it's a bit harsh for casual, but the circle of people I play with all usually build equally nasty stuff, so I don't feel too bad running this one.
Functionally, the deck is basically one big recycling engine. It's not uncommon to be able to toss the Wheel of Fortune or the Balance 3 or 4 times during the same game. With the Megrims in play, the Wheel can kill. In fact, with both on the board, Blightning can deal out a total of 11 damage, and Liliana Vess is a pretty much guaranteed 4 points a turn. Thanks to the deck being creatureless and including ample self-discard outlets (Stormbind, Peace of Mind and Gustha's Scepter (kind of)), the Balance is always a board sweeper and usually dumps the other player's entire hand.
Anyways, the input I'm looking for is on replacements for the Browbeats and the Jester's Cap. Neither are permanent fixtures, although the Cap is useful if I can replay it a few times. Browbeat basically functions as draw, since it's rare that anyone takes the damage option. I've considered replacing one of the Browbeats with another Blightning, but I also want to be able to provide myself with some draw without having to add a fifth color.
Any suggestions?
Is it thief, thug or whore? There's one at the door...
And there's room for one more till the end of creation.
Neil Gaiman, Sandman #4 - A Hope in Hell
For draw would Harmonize fit the bill? It has the same CMC as the cap, and only 1 on top of the Browbeat. Are you normally hard up for colored mana? If not, Promise of Power is my non-blue hand filler of choice when black is around.
Moderator Help Desk
Sales Thread
Is it thief, thug or whore? There's one at the door...
And there's room for one more till the end of creation.
Neil Gaiman, Sandman #4 - A Hope in Hell
I feel like 1 Regrowth should probably be in here in place of one Reclaim. I know your deck likes em cheap and handless, but the immediate fetch should win out most of the time.
Also, how about some Madness cheapness? Fiery Temper feels like it can be strong. Gibbering Descent would just be funny.
Well, I don't typically play with decks that powerful but there are a few suggestions I feel I should make.
If you're playing with megrim, try out memory jar. It's basically the same as wheel of fortune but it costs more and your opponents don't get to keep their cards if you activate it during your turn. If you have both megrims out when it goes off...
Why no vindicate or maelstrom pulse? From my experience, they tend to solve a lot of problems.
For card draw, have you tried out phyrexian arena? It costs you life but it's pretty easy to make up for the damage it deals. And of course there's always the yawgmoth's bargain plus ivory tower combo...
@burningwings: Not running Vindicate or Maelstrom Pulse because I actually don't have either. I actually had Vindicates for a while, traded them off for some reason, and won't be able to get them back too easily. But the Memory Jar idea is really good - I never even thought to use one in here, although it would be a perfect fit. And yeah, the Megrim interaction with the Jar is nasty.
Something else I was considering running was a single Cursed Scroll. I shouldn't have any problem getting to it, and since I'm usually only holding 1 or 2 cards with plenty of ways to unload them, the Scroll should be pretty effective.
I'll have a chance to play this with some of the changes over the next couple of days, so I'll try and post an updated deck list. Thanks for the input!
Is it thief, thug or whore? There's one at the door...
And there's room for one more till the end of creation.
Neil Gaiman, Sandman #4 - A Hope in Hell