MTG (in Off-topic)


{Wookie}-Jir.Vr- March 31 2010 6:09 PM EDT

A few random people here play, and my CM box is getting REALLY cluttered.

That being said:

This is a current project I'm working on.

5 Color Annihilation by Jeremy Storme
=====================================
Lands: 23
1x Arid Mesa
3x Verdant Catacombs
2x Marsh Flats
1x Mountain
2x Forest
1x Plains
2x Seaside Citadel
2x Misty Rainforest
2x Swamp
4x Halimar Depths
1x Island
2x Savage Lands

Creatures: 12
4x Bloodbraid Elf
2x Malakir Bloodwitch
2x Ob Nixilis
2x Nulltread Gargantuan
2x Knight of the Reliquary

Spells: 25
3x Ponder
3x Expedition Map
4x Wargate
4x Harrow
4x Blightning
4x Maelstrom Pulse
2x Amulet of Vigor
1x Pithing Needle

Sideboard Option 1:
2x Pithing Needle
3x Kor Firewalker
3x Spreading Seas
3x Chain Reaction
2x Celestial Purge
1x Mountain
1x Arid Mesa

Sideboard Option 2:
4x Archive Trap
4x Twincast
4x Howling Mine
3x Font of Mythos

=)

Basically the deck is abusing almost everything that is considered broken in the current type 2. Wargate / Harrow for early game mana fixing. 3 Ponders, 4 lands that ponder, and 4 expedition maps to search for them... It's so broken.

Wargate can even act as Ponder 7 8 9. You can wargate for zero, playing a Halimar depths. So essentially playing a rampant growth and ponder combined into one card. Giving you mana ramping as well as deck fixing. The Expedition Maps let you seek out Halimar depths as well, so there are two ways to utilize them. With so much mana ramping // deck fixing mana symbols become a moot point, allowing you to cast the most broken spells in the game with ease.

Once Amulet of Vigor comes into play (you REALLY want to see this card early), You can wargate for zero directly into a triple land like savage or seaside. (broken)

I came up with what I call the 'Ponder Shell' while testing an "iona morph" varient. It's very broken to be able to ponder 9 times =). You'll really have to play it to see what I mean.

So what to do with all that deck fixing??

How about casting a Bloodbraid elf KNOWING what you're going to cascade into?

BBE will cascade into the following spells:
2x Nulltread Gargantuan
2x Knight of the Reliquary
3x Ponder
3x Expedition Map
4x Wargate
4x Harrow
4x Blightning
4x Maelstrom Pulse
2x Amulet of Vigor
1x Pithing Needle

That a wide range, so BBE effectively becomes a toolbox card when you abuse the ponder abilities (Gives your cascades more range).

I'm currently testing the Nulltread Gargantuan as BBE 5 and 6. Effectively Allowing you to BBE into one, Bouncing the Elf, or even hardcasting one, bouncing the elf. Allowing you to cascade more =) (yay for card advantage!)

A Typical Turn 4 play (assuming you mana ramped on turn 3, which should always happen unless you're bad at mulligan) Ponder / Blood Braid Elf. Allowing you to choose your cascade. OR Sometimes it works out that you can ponder, shuffle, lay down a halimar (free ponder) and then BBE. (If your initial ponder sucks)

My favorite turn 4 play is Blood Braid into a Nulltread, bouncing the Elf back to your hand to play again on turn 5.

Ob Nixilis is a BEAST. Harrow turns into a 3 mana spell that gives you 2 untapped lands, deals 6 damage to the face of an opponent, and gives Ob +6//+6. :)

Bloodwitch is there because it absolutely HOSES most Bant/Naya decks. In the format there is only a few real answers these decks have to the witch... Mind Control, which is clunky and at most a 2 of in the sideboard... Slingbow Trap, which is the best option they have, and is also a sideboard card. Thats it. The most common Naya answer is the hasty Prodigal // Basilisk collar combo, which is rendered useless to our pithing needles. The reason only 2 of these, while most decks that utilize these call for 4, is that with our deck fixing abilities, it shouldn't be hard to get the 2 in there out. While other decks run 3/4 so that they can get it out consistently... which we don't have to worry about.

Knight of the Reliquary is there for testing, it gives more room for error with the mana, great synergy with Ob, gets big quickly. etc etc.

The sideboard is not even close to final, complete, halfway done, etc. They are just random untested theory at this point.

ZzzZz

Lots of testing still to be done.


{Wookie}-Jir.Vr- March 31 2010 6:12 PM EDT

Also:

The "Ponder Shell":
4x Ponder
4x Halimar Depths
4x Expedition Map
Optional 4x Wargate


...

As far as 5CA (5 color annihilation as my friends have dubbed it) (originally called 5CA for 5 Color Card Advantage) There are 4 or 5 different variants currently being testes, effectively trying different finishers. Feel free to expand // input on it.

Gandalf March 31 2010 7:18 PM EDT

I did used to casually play this, its awesome- however not playing for bout 4 years meens, what you posted seemed jibberish lol. Wish i could play again, but noone i know does. :/

Marlfox [Cult of the Valaraukar] March 31 2010 7:41 PM EDT

I definitely would like to test this before I make any judgments on it... however, it doesn't seem to have any real win condition, and I'm not sure about the Knight of the Reliquary. Obviously, mana-screw might be a problem (again though, without testing it I can't really be sure).
I really like how this deck has access to all sorts of crazy cards like Pulse, Blightning, BBE, and Ob Nixilis (even if Ob is removal-bait).

Ponder-fixing is a pretty darn awesome idea, and I think Jace 2.0 would really compliment the shell (although probably not this deck -- he does cost 2UU). I'd also definitely pick sideboard option number one over two.

+3 for using Nulltread Gargantuan! I have no idea why more decks don't use him... a 5/6 for 1GU AND you get to bounce your Bloodbraid? Sweet!

Anyway, I'd love to test this deck out sometime, perhaps when I expand my card base...

(I'd also like to see your take on an Open the Vaults deck with the Ponder shell... should be pretty interesting.)

Marlfox [Cult of the Valaraukar] March 31 2010 7:42 PM EDT

Whoa, just realized how rambling my post sounded. Sorry!

Wraithlin March 31 2010 8:32 PM EDT

I'm going to put a prodigal sorcerer in my deck.

He can tap and do 1 damage.

Not sure about all that stuff you talked about.

Marlfox [Cult of the Valaraukar] April 2 2010 8:41 AM EDT

One more question for this deck... how well does it do against Jund and UW Control?

Also, here's a nifty deck (kind of like a R/B Boros):
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/boab/80

Messbrutal April 2 2010 9:28 AM EDT

In what format do you plan to use this deck?

Because if its T2 I was under the assumption ponder is restricted, I might be wrong.

Terramorphic expanse can be surprisingly good with the amulet of vigor, and the new man-land too(too bad ya can't fetch for these with the lands).

Ya might want to have a peek at magicdeckvortex.com , People on these forums have lots of ideas for decks and might be able to help you out much more then I can.

Marlfox [Cult of the Valaraukar] April 2 2010 11:58 AM EDT

The deck Jir posted is T2... Ponder was reprinted in M10.

Trentin April 4 2010 2:46 PM EDT

My friend believes special lands are a waste, I believe special lands if used correctly will increase your odds.

Marlfox [Cult of the Valaraukar] April 4 2010 4:21 PM EDT

What do you mean by 'special lands'?

{Wookie}-Jir.Vr- April 4 2010 4:49 PM EDT

Well, when one of my lands produces three different colors of mana while your friend is stuck waiting to draw the mana he needs, we'll see whats a waste they really are.

AdminNemesia [Demonic Serenity] April 4 2010 4:59 PM EDT

Special lands are very useful. Especially if you go with multicolored decks.
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