Rasputin, I played three games tonight going 2-1. The two wins were against lesser competition than my regular group. I must confess Maze of Ith was responsible for keeping a voltron deck from killing me. I was able to set up a soft lock with Nevinyrral's Disk and Darksteel Forge.
I cut Downyard Temple to keep Zhalfirin Void in the deck. You are right that it is good in all stages and was relevant tonight.
I did not know you were going to take out your pet card for Hall of the Bandit Lord. I am testing the card too so go easy on me if the experiment goes badly.
I play this deck a little different than my other decks. I have a fixed playgroup. The first player that targets me I throw all my resources into eliminating them. I even exclude attacks on players with much better boards. My belief is that over time players will weigh more heavily whether they want to slow me down at the cost of severely hampering their chances to win.
I may cut Maze of Ith to get Zhalfirin Void back into the deck. I will keep a record of the times Zhalfirin Void increased tempo and the times I needed it to be Maze of Ith.
Cursed Totem does seem better than Grinning Totem. I don't see a lot of combos in general in this meta so I think the extra land slot or Mirage Mirror are better for me.
Have you thought about making this thread a quasi primer? I have learned so much from your responses. I guarantee that there are many more players like me that could benefit with your wealth of experience with this deck.
My main argument for Hall of the Bandit Lord centers around the possibility that it increases our tempo. Geode Golem, Metalworker, Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre, Kuldotha Forgemaster and Kozilek, the Butcher of Truth can not be expected to survive with any consistency till our next turn. How much tempo do we lose when these creatures are removed? Ulamog and Kozilek have cast triggers but we get nothing from the other creatures unless they can tap. Geode Golem has to deal combat damage but the concept is still the same.
I have made additional arguments for Hall of the Bandit Lord in earlier posts. Its presence on the field puts pressure on the white player to keep mana open for instant speed removal. Plus, I have successful negotiated with the white player to let Kozilek decimate another opponent's board.
In addition, I am not utilizing the infinite mana combo and need to accent the aggro gameplan.
Hall of the Bandit Lord is still a test card for me in this deck. It is played in ISBPathfinder's Kozilek, the Great Distortion list. It either increases the tap rate for our creatures to offset the tempo loss or I will cut it.
What is your next card to cut after Mirage Mirror and Azor's Gateway? I would have intially speculated that it would be Welding Jar. I have limited experience with the deck but the one time Welding Jar was on the field it was relevant. Some of the better decks I see in this non cedh environment are graveyard based. Grafdigger's Cage may need to be inserted.
You were thinking of cutting a land. Why not just Wastes -> Hall of the Bandit Lord? Yes, the white player can always Swords to Plowshares the threat before combat but they have to leave a white open every turn after you play Hall of the Bandit Lord and are close to five mana. Plus, deals can always be made in this political game we call commander.
This may be more of an option for me as I am not utilizing the infinite mana combo and need to accent the aggro gameplan.
I guess I will cut Unstable Obelisk instead of Kyren Toy for Geode Golem. The removal Unstable Obelisk offers should not be discounted. In addition, I don't like the fact that I can't tap Kyren Toy for mana the turn I cast it. I am also wary of cards that can't stand on their own but instead need X card(s) to make them good.
That is about as close as you can get with removing the infinite mana win-con. I kept in Kyren Toy but can't understand why you are playing it over Unstable Obelisk.
I cut Downyard Temple to keep Zhalfirin Void in the deck. You are right that it is good in all stages and was relevant tonight.
Transmogrifying Wand was an all star even in a loss.
Your experiences with Geode Golem were what I thought. The good news is there is less spot removal for Kozilek, the Butcher of Truth.
I play this deck a little different than my other decks. I have a fixed playgroup. The first player that targets me I throw all my resources into eliminating them. I even exclude attacks on players with much better boards. My belief is that over time players will weigh more heavily whether they want to slow me down at the cost of severely hampering their chances to win.
I may cut Maze of Ith to get Zhalfirin Void back into the deck. I will keep a record of the times Zhalfirin Void increased tempo and the times I needed it to be Maze of Ith.
Cursed Totem does seem better than Grinning Totem. I don't see a lot of combos in general in this meta so I think the extra land slot or Mirage Mirror are better for me.
Have you thought about making this thread a quasi primer? I have learned so much from your responses. I guarantee that there are many more players like me that could benefit with your wealth of experience with this deck.
I did replace Ghost Quarter with Wasteland.
How firm is Maze of Ith's place in the deck? How often do you need it to be a mana producing land as opposed to how often you use its effect?
Yes, it is possible that the addition of Hall of the Bandit Lord causes a loss of tempo. It is also possible that Hall of the Bandit Lord increases our tempo.
My main argument for Hall of the Bandit Lord centers around the possibility that it increases our tempo. Geode Golem, Metalworker, Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre, Kuldotha Forgemaster and Kozilek, the Butcher of Truth can not be expected to survive with any consistency till our next turn. How much tempo do we lose when these creatures are removed? Ulamog and Kozilek have cast triggers but we get nothing from the other creatures unless they can tap. Geode Golem has to deal combat damage but the concept is still the same.
I have made additional arguments for Hall of the Bandit Lord in earlier posts. Its presence on the field puts pressure on the white player to keep mana open for instant speed removal. Plus, I have successful negotiated with the white player to let Kozilek decimate another opponent's board.
In addition, I am not utilizing the infinite mana combo and need to accent the aggro gameplan.
Hall of the Bandit Lord is still a test card for me in this deck. It is played in ISBPathfinder's Kozilek, the Great Distortion list. It either increases the tap rate for our creatures to offset the tempo loss or I will cut it.
What is your next card to cut after Mirage Mirror and Azor's Gateway? I would have intially speculated that it would be Welding Jar. I have limited experience with the deck but the one time Welding Jar was on the field it was relevant. Some of the better decks I see in this non cedh environment are graveyard based. Grafdigger's Cage may need to be inserted.
Do you ever go for Ring of Three Wishes into Rings of Brighthearth into (double activation) Darksteel Forge and Nevinyrral's Disk? Juwdah does not play Nevinyrral's Disk as he feels it hurts us more than the table outside of using it in conjunction with Darksteel Forge.
Your sideboard contains a card you have as Grim Totem. Is that suppose to be Grinning Totem?
You were thinking of cutting a land. Why not just Wastes -> Hall of the Bandit Lord? Yes, the white player can always Swords to Plowshares the threat before combat but they have to leave a white open every turn after you play Hall of the Bandit Lord and are close to five mana. Plus, deals can always be made in this political game we call commander.
This may be more of an option for me as I am not utilizing the infinite mana combo and need to accent the aggro gameplan.
Did you say your first activation of Ring of Three Wishes is to get Rings of Brighthearth? I am guessing based on the amount of mana you have available Nevinyrral's Disk/Darksteel Forge is your first option followed by Mindslaver/Buried Ruin.
What are you cutting for Geode Golem?
I was relieved to see Mind's Eye in your sideboard. Here are the changes I am making going into tonight.
Erratic Portal -> Mind's Eye
Staff of Domination -> Akroma's Memorial
Cloud Key -> Semblance Anvil
Azor's Gateway -> Unstable Obelisk
That is about as close as you can get with removing the infinite mana win-con. I kept in Kyren Toy but can't understand why you are playing it over Unstable Obelisk.