It´s really late at night, and although you had rejected this risky, deadly idea at first, it hast haunted your dreams and you can no longer hold back. Ideas have been pouring into your mind endlessly.
You find yourself now in the lab...once again, trying to fuel these prohibited thoughts. You´re biting the remaining nails you have left as you wait for your comrade to bring you the formulas so that you can get this thing over with.
The door bursts open and there he is, soaked in simic sky rain, with the freshly stolen documents. He stares you in your third eye (it was an accident, okay?) and from across the room stutters to you.
" You know I could get my twelve limbs cut off for this don´t you?"
You nod with the little strength you have left. "We´ve entered into forbidden territory now, and there is no going back" you say.
"Let the party begin".
WELCOME!
So, i was looking through the soilers some days ago and i saw that Master Biomancer had been spoiled, and up until that point i had not been liking the cards for simic at all. Now, i read the card that day and thought it was pretty ok at first, but then i started imagining board states and... i changed my mind. This card could really make an impact.
After reading about it more, i saw someone say (don´t know the username :/) that it was a one card combo with Ooze Flux which i totally dismissed at first, but i was looking at it today, and is seems like a more expensive version of the thopter foundry/ sword of the meek combo and thought it could be great to try it out.
I present to you PROFANE BIOTECHNOLOGY
THE DECK
The decks basic idea it to get both Ooze flux and Master Biomancer into play with a creature with a minumum of one +1/+1 counter on it. By activating ooze flux once, you´ll be able to make a 1/1 creature that comes into play with a minimum of +2/+2 counters on it. Therefore, the first activation gives you a 3/3 creature token. You can then make 3 3/3 tokens with three more activations, or a 2/2 and a 3/3 or a 1/1 and two 3/3´s... i think you get the picture (and that´s just with the first +1/+1 counter).
As a biotechnology student myself, i know i don´t want to be bothered when i´m counting cells or making ooze token creatures so, i will want to back it all up with an array of diverse counterspells and a sideboard that allows the deck to not just die if things aren´t going as planned.
Additionally, i´ll be focusing on a BBBLACKBB splash which doesn´t other splahses aren´t good enough, just that i didn´t take them into account, since black has removal, has discard and has golgaris weapon "scavenge" which COULD work nicely with the strategy and helps turn the deck into an agressive deck after sideboard if need be.
Master Biomancer: THE most important creature in the deck and a card that has been somewhat tossed aside. Yes, he doesn´t do anything when he enters the battlefield, but he is one of those cards that, if you untap with him, your opponent could well enough be in a very bad spot.
There aren´t many ways of dealing with this creature when it comes to the removal in the format. Ultimate price, does nothing. searing spear, does nothing. Selesnya charm does nothing. There are obviously things that kill him, like dreadbore or mizzium mortars amongst others i´m probably missing, but the fact that this thing has 4 toughness regardless, makes him very hard to kill, which is good.
He blocks zombies and centaur healer, mana dorks, huntmasters and their token, beast tokens, and the likes.
But let´s not forget about his real mission here... combo with ooze flux, but even WITHOUT flux, this card is amazing, it gives you time and things get out of hand quickly. Suddenly your 1 drops become 3/3´s and everything you play is a threat.
Ooze Flux: This is this decks "thopter foundry" (so to speak). I know what you´re thinking, a four mana enchantment that requires an activation cost and a creature with a +1/+1 counter on it to do something that isn´t even that good, well yeah, that is correct, but it IS a 2 card combo with the biomancer and those are very powerful and they just appear to be in the same set, lets try to make them work.
As for the card itself, it might save you from some situations in which you have a big guy and need little dudes, if you´ve got the mana for it, it´s not that bad. It can also "save" creatures from removal. If for example you´ve got Zamek guildmage with 3 +1/+1 counters on him and someone tries to selesnya charm him away, you can pay 1G make a 3/3 and save the guildmage, since with 1G you can remove ANY AMOUNT of counters from it.
For every experiment ever, you´ll always need a sample. Things cannot be created out of nothing. For the "combo" to work, you need a sample. Something that can get a +1/+1 counter on it easily, that doesn´t disrupt the deck too much, that is actually playable and that can function without any one of the two pieces. As you´ll see later, the sample doesn´t need to be a creature
1 cmc
Bond beetle: This is (unfortunately haha) EXACTLY what we need. A one drop creature that has a +1/+1 counter on it. But the card is TERRIBLE on it´s own. I´m sure there are better cards. Of course the thing becomes a 3/4 if you have a biomancer, but other than that it doesn´t really look that great. Lets keep looking...
Arbor Elf: A solid choice if you want to take a ramp rout (probably the best option). A faster approach is always great as long as it can be solidified by the rest of the deck. This deck is very mana hungry, i would think that the more mana the better. I hate all in agro decks because i hate top decking something like this, but i don´t think that topdecking into a wild nacatl if ther is a biomancer on the board is that bad, specially if there is an ooze flux as well.
Cloudfin Raptor: 0/1 flier with evolve doesn´t seem all that good. Obviously it will eventually evolve but it just doesn´t seem to do enough.
Experiment one: This card i like a bit better. I don´t know why. Maybe because it might actually be agressive enough to work out with strangleroot geist and zameck guildmage in the same deck (another one of course). The card enables the engine and survives a wrath effect i guess.
2 cmc Deranged Outcast: Puts those counters on things. It´s not that bad since it can sacrifice itself or another human to add counters onto biomancers and/or get the engine going. Pretty solid choice overall
zameck guildmage: did i say i needed an enabler? Obviously the simic guildmage does EXACTLY everything we need it to do: draw cards in response to a wrath or end of turn to find answers, counterspells or combo pieces. It also enables the engine. Late game you can play a biomancer or a mana dork and activate the evolve ability (as many times as you like/can) to buff the creature to the max which gets you a threat or eventually gives you cards. probably should play 3 or 4.
Snapcaster mage: You´re playing blue and counterspells, i´d say this guy is pretty good. Of course, the thing is worth 25 bucks, but you don´t HAVE to play it. Getting back counterspells while getting 2 more power on the board seems great. Solid 2 or 3 of.
Quirion Dryad: Interesting card. In this deck it won´t do that much since most spells will be either G or UG, which wont give it counters.
Gyre Sage: might (MIGHT) be good. I still have no idea how to evaluate this card. Of course, if you can get 2 or 3 +1/+1 counters on it then you can cast spells a lot easier. The downside is that it only starts working on later turns. Ideally you´d want to t2 this turn 3 maybe zameck guildmage and turn 4 biomancer to have it add 2 mana, doesn´t seem that great. You could also play it after a biomancer making it a 3/4 so that it adds 2 mana, once again, MIGHT work.
3 cmc Champion of Lambholt: seems a bit too slow for what we are trying to accomplish, plus, you´d have to put counters on her to make it happen but i guess it´s worth considering.
Nimbus Swimmer: Don´t like this one alot. Not really all that great. I guess it´s an ok topdeck but otherwise it seems a bit too slow.
Predator Ooze: Another option, personally i don´t like it that much.
Primordial Hydra: this thing can kill, and very fast. It might be an alternative win con since it doesn´t require anything other than itself and is a must answer threat.
Simic Fluxmage: Here is an interesting one. For starters it´s a 1/2 for 3 mana which is ok. Now, your deck isn´t functioning as it should without biomancer or ooze flux, and this card isn´t good enough on it´s own. Playing this turn 3 doesn´t really do much and a biomancer follow up on turn 4 or any spell that puts on a +1/+1 counter activates the card. What you can do then is move them around. It´s the only creature card that lets you remove counters from one creature to another but seems too slow and without any counters it doesn´t do anything.
Simic Manipulator: Not good enough in my opinion. The only way to get counters on it is with any one of the enablers or with zameck guildmage. You only need one +1/+1 counter and it´s objective is not to be placed on this creature.
Corpsejack menace: is obviously awesome with the biomancer since it comes in as a 8/8. Not bad.
Fathom Mage: Only really "good" enough when there is a biomancer in play (you draw 2 cards when it comes in) or if you have a lot of early creatures you could easily play after her, which doesn´t seem that likely. For card draw, there is already the guildmage, that can draw at instant speed.
Lumberknot: Hexproof is nice and all. But it seems too slow and sloppy.
5 + cmc
Thragtusk: Personally, i hate this card. Just overall screwed the format over. Regarldess, it´s an better than ok card against aggro and obviously, being a creature, has an interesting interaction with the biomancer, and is probably the only thing worth playing.
Prime speaker zegana : Don´t really like this card here. It draws you tonnes of cards and gives you a fattie, but it´s just not what you want honestly. You could eventually still run this old lady anyways.
So. Yeah, being in U/G, we don´t have THAT much removal. Thankfully you can splash. In my case, i think i´ll be splashing black.
Rapid Hybridization: Kills anything, and cost a mere U. The 3/3 is not that tough to deal with, your dudes can get as big or even bigger. Plus, you´ve got maniatic lunatic biomancers with big butts on your side. Also, it kills Obzedat, ghost council dead, think about that.
Sever the Bloodline: Generally has been a great removal spell. It just exiles stuff. Exiles gravecrawlers and messengers and the likes, not a bad card but is a bit too slow.
Tribute to Hunger: Instant speed edict if good. Still remains one of the few ways to deal with geist of saint traft plus you gain life which is great.
Ultimate Price: i don´t like it all that much, but still, removal is removal.
Alright. So this is the most difficult part of the deck. Obviously, when choosing counter magic we are going to try to pick the counter spells that best target what we are playing against,
1 cmc
Dispel - Fantastic for decks running lots of instants and removal. It can counter revelation for 1 mana? cool with me. Worth considering
2 cmc
Spell Rupture: Don´t really like this one that much. There is no way to assure that you´ll have the biggest creature at a specific time in the game.
Second Guess: Yeah, this seems pretty bad. I guess is was made to counter the second spell that would flip the huntmaster back?
Redirect: not really a counterspell, but getting the chance to kill something of theirs or to cast your own revelation or bonfire must feel pretty awesome.
Syncopate: Definitely a contender. It´s usually cast for more than 2 mana but still it´s an unconditional counterspell that also exiles. Good counterspell is good.
Negate - A hard counter for 2, which is pretty sweet. Its only downside is that it doesn't counter creatures which takes up a lot of the meta game. I´m still in doubt about whether this is better than essence scatter only testing will tell if creatures are more important that noncreature as for now. Non creatures SEEM to be more important.
Dissipate - An upgraded version of cancel since it exiles the spell which is generally pretty relevant. Probably the best of all. I´d play at least 3
4 cmc
Scatter Arc: A little meh for my liking. Would still run negate over this.
Rewind - allows you to counter a spell and still have 4 mana open to use. It´s almost completely useless if you don´t use the mana, like for 2 activations of ooze flux or guildmage.
5 cmc
Mystic Genesis: Good alternative finisher a bit too expensive nonetheless. Countering a revleation for 6 or 7 gets you a 10/10, not too shabby
1 cmc Bioshift:I really like this card. Might deserve a slot as a 1of in the deck to kill out of nowhere. If you end of turn remove 1 or 2 counters from a creature onto the biomancer and then activate the ooze you could get 4/4 or 5/5 tokens into play and swing in with them with counterspell backup. Maybe as a 1of, once again. But i might be wrong.
Burst of strength: Nice little combat trick that gets the engine off. You can always put a +1/+1 counter on a biomancer and untap it to block something or to just go crazy with the ooze flux if there just happens to be another +1/+1 running around.
Forced Adaptation: Hmm. Interesting. I don´t really think auras is what you want to be doing, but i´m guessing playing it on a biomancer turn 4 after turn 2 explore and having dissipate backup is pretty nice, that could work out and get out of hand oh so fast. Definitely considering it.
Hunger of the Howlpack: oh my god yes :). Now this might acually work. It´s an instant engine enabler that makes the biomancer super happy if something died, making it a minimum of 5/7 (don´t get too excited since this gets selesnya charm online, but then again remove the counters with the ooze to stifle the card if need be) so that the ooze spits out 6/6´s (at least). It has no real drawback, the only thing it has not going for it is that something has to die for it to be absolutely awesome.
Rancor: Doens´t stick to the plan, but helps the deck be more agressive without disturbing too much. You could always stick it to a biomancer and threaten the spawning of bigger dudes.
2 cmc
Ring of Evos Isle:Works like both Forced Adaptation AND simic charm at once. Definitely consireable. The casting cost is low, and the equipping even lower. Helps protect creatures but mainly the biomancer.
Farseek An ok card. There is nothing outside of biomancer or a turn 3 ooze flux you would really like to ramp into. The deck isn´t trying to throw bombs left and right, no primeval titans or inferno titans, BUT it would like to have left over mana to counter things that bother with the plan. Plus it gets watery gravestomping groundssacred foundry and the likes splashing another color. Definitely mainboard material.
Simic Charm: An obvious addition. +3/+3 makes the biomancer big enough to make a +1/+1 counter into a 6/6 or, if you are very desperate, makes the creatures you cast that turn enter with +5/+5 which isn´t too bad of course. It also gives eveything HEXPROOF, which makes your "already hard to kill" biomancer even harder to kill and gives your ooze flux another chance. It bounces troublesome creatures, unsummon is always good. I´d play a minimum of 3 copies.
Travel Preparations: seems VERY VERY good in a white spash. Very solid card. It gives you that +1/+1 counter on an early creature that you need and also helps the biomancer, and has flashback.
3 cmc
Cackling Counterpart: might be good to just spit out a 4/6 biomancer and get the other person to scoop hehe. Might consider it as a 1 of max.
Forbidden Alchemy: Excellent at digging in for that biomancer or flux or a counterspell. Trowing stuff into the graveyard doesn´t bother that much, and if you´re splashing black you could easily take advantage of it, although the flashback cost is pretty high.
Hindervines: the card fog is probably better on the defensive. On the offensive it could be totally devastating against aggro/midrange decks. Not too exited about it, but who knows.
4 + cmc Biomass Mutation: this you´ll not be casting for less than x=3 (five mana). If you´re able to get many 1/1 creatures into play and have a lot of mana, then i don´t see it being that bad. Otherwise, i don´t think it deserves a spot.
Increasing Savagery: Overkill. Not a bad card per se, but it seems a bit too expensive. Although against decks without the proper removal/clock this on a biomance might be enough. It also has flashback, but realisticly, that won´t be happening too often.
Parallel Lives: Works with both biomancer and flux but you don´t really want another enchantment here i think.
Gilded Lotus: another super ramo spell. Tapping out turn 5 is reasonable as long as you have a dissipate backup, just tap the lotus! for UUU
Blessings of Nature: I´m not really a fan of this card. It´s too expensive and you definitely want to be holding some counterspells backup and not risk losing your board or not being able to prevent something that could have been prevented. Even cast as a miracle seems too conditional.
Garruk Relentless - Garruk the Veil-Cursed: planeswalkers are good. This one is no exception. It can shoot down things and tutor the biomancer it spits out wolves (that are also good with biomancer). It overruns, the thing is great. In addition, if you´re playing farseek, you can turn 3 him if you don´t have biomancer (not the greatest order but still). Solid card maybe 2 of although you don´t really need it.
Garruk, Primal Hunter: Card draw and dudes. The triple green is annoying but is still a great card nevertheless.
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage: ramping into this seems pretty awesome. i´m just putting that out there.
Jace, Architect of Thought: Has no home here i think. Unless you morph into a control deck altogether post sideboard.
Uff. That was tiresome. But now , onto the decklists.
Now, the deck being a combo/midrange style of deck has the same problem as combo decks have in general: getting the combo together and keeping it alive. Thankfully, we do have all the tools we need.
I haven´t tested the deck much at all. As a matter of fact, i´m writing all of these things on the run. But at first sight the cards that seem to be really backbreaking are:
Terminus and the return can be countered. Slaughter games is the real problem here. I might have to adapt the sideboard into a more agressive deck. With strangleroot geist and dred mangler to go with biomancers and removing the oozes completely but i´m not sure how that could be done.
As for supreme verdict haha. I´m splashing black, thus, i´m playing golgari charm which ALSO deals withdetention sphere.
You find yourself now in the lab...once again, trying to fuel these prohibited thoughts. You´re biting the remaining nails you have left as you wait for your comrade to bring you the formulas so that you can get this thing over with.
The door bursts open and there he is, soaked in simic sky rain, with the freshly stolen documents. He stares you in your third eye (it was an accident, okay?) and from across the room stutters to you.
" You know I could get my twelve limbs cut off for this don´t you?"
You nod with the little strength you have left. "We´ve entered into forbidden territory now, and there is no going back" you say.
"Let the party begin".
WELCOME!
So, i was looking through the soilers some days ago and i saw that Master Biomancer had been spoiled, and up until that point i had not been liking the cards for simic at all. Now, i read the card that day and thought it was pretty ok at first, but then i started imagining board states and... i changed my mind. This card could really make an impact.
After reading about it more, i saw someone say (don´t know the username :/) that it was a one card combo with Ooze Flux which i totally dismissed at first, but i was looking at it today, and is seems like a more expensive version of the thopter foundry/ sword of the meek combo and thought it could be great to try it out.
I present to you PROFANE BIOTECHNOLOGY
THE DECK
The decks basic idea it to get both Ooze flux and Master Biomancer into play with a creature with a minumum of one +1/+1 counter on it. By activating ooze flux once, you´ll be able to make a 1/1 creature that comes into play with a minimum of +2/+2 counters on it. Therefore, the first activation gives you a 3/3 creature token. You can then make 3 3/3 tokens with three more activations, or a 2/2 and a 3/3 or a 1/1 and two 3/3´s... i think you get the picture (and that´s just with the first +1/+1 counter).
As a biotechnology student myself, i know i don´t want to be bothered when i´m counting cells or making ooze token creatures so, i will want to back it all up with an array of diverse counterspells and a sideboard that allows the deck to not just die if things aren´t going as planned.
Additionally, i´ll be focusing on a BBBLACKBB splash which doesn´t other splahses aren´t good enough, just that i didn´t take them into account, since black has removal, has discard and has golgaris weapon "scavenge" which COULD work nicely with the strategy and helps turn the deck into an agressive deck after sideboard if need be.
Master Biomancer: THE most important creature in the deck and a card that has been somewhat tossed aside. Yes, he doesn´t do anything when he enters the battlefield, but he is one of those cards that, if you untap with him, your opponent could well enough be in a very bad spot.
There aren´t many ways of dealing with this creature when it comes to the removal in the format. Ultimate price, does nothing. searing spear, does nothing. Selesnya charm does nothing. There are obviously things that kill him, like dreadbore or mizzium mortars amongst others i´m probably missing, but the fact that this thing has 4 toughness regardless, makes him very hard to kill, which is good.
He blocks zombies and centaur healer, mana dorks, huntmasters and their token, beast tokens, and the likes.
But let´s not forget about his real mission here... combo with ooze flux, but even WITHOUT flux, this card is amazing, it gives you time and things get out of hand quickly. Suddenly your 1 drops become 3/3´s and everything you play is a threat.
Ooze Flux: This is this decks "thopter foundry" (so to speak). I know what you´re thinking, a four mana enchantment that requires an activation cost and a creature with a +1/+1 counter on it to do something that isn´t even that good, well yeah, that is correct, but it IS a 2 card combo with the biomancer and those are very powerful and they just appear to be in the same set, lets try to make them work.
As for the card itself, it might save you from some situations in which you have a big guy and need little dudes, if you´ve got the mana for it, it´s not that bad. It can also "save" creatures from removal. If for example you´ve got Zamek guildmage with 3 +1/+1 counters on him and someone tries to selesnya charm him away, you can pay 1G make a 3/3 and save the guildmage, since with 1G you can remove ANY AMOUNT of counters from it.
For every experiment ever, you´ll always need a sample. Things cannot be created out of nothing. For the "combo" to work, you need a sample. Something that can get a +1/+1 counter on it easily, that doesn´t disrupt the deck too much, that is actually playable and that can function without any one of the two pieces. As you´ll see later, the sample doesn´t need to be a creature
1 cmc
Bond beetle: This is (unfortunately haha) EXACTLY what we need. A one drop creature that has a +1/+1 counter on it. But the card is TERRIBLE on it´s own. I´m sure there are better cards. Of course the thing becomes a 3/4 if you have a biomancer, but other than that it doesn´t really look that great. Lets keep looking...
Arbor Elf: A solid choice if you want to take a ramp rout (probably the best option). A faster approach is always great as long as it can be solidified by the rest of the deck. This deck is very mana hungry, i would think that the more mana the better. I hate all in agro decks because i hate top decking something like this, but i don´t think that topdecking into a wild nacatl if ther is a biomancer on the board is that bad, specially if there is an ooze flux as well.
Cloudfin Raptor: 0/1 flier with evolve doesn´t seem all that good. Obviously it will eventually evolve but it just doesn´t seem to do enough.
Experiment one: This card i like a bit better. I don´t know why. Maybe because it might actually be agressive enough to work out with strangleroot geist and zameck guildmage in the same deck (another one of course). The card enables the engine and survives a wrath effect i guess.
2 cmc
Deranged Outcast: Puts those counters on things. It´s not that bad since it can sacrifice itself or another human to add counters onto biomancers and/or get the engine going. Pretty solid choice overall
zameck guildmage: did i say i needed an enabler? Obviously the simic guildmage does EXACTLY everything we need it to do: draw cards in response to a wrath or end of turn to find answers, counterspells or combo pieces. It also enables the engine. Late game you can play a biomancer or a mana dork and activate the evolve ability (as many times as you like/can) to buff the creature to the max which gets you a threat or eventually gives you cards. probably should play 3 or 4.
Snapcaster mage: You´re playing blue and counterspells, i´d say this guy is pretty good. Of course, the thing is worth 25 bucks, but you don´t HAVE to play it. Getting back counterspells while getting 2 more power on the board seems great. Solid 2 or 3 of.
Quirion Dryad: Interesting card. In this deck it won´t do that much since most spells will be either G or UG, which wont give it counters.
Gyre Sage: might (MIGHT) be good. I still have no idea how to evaluate this card. Of course, if you can get 2 or 3 +1/+1 counters on it then you can cast spells a lot easier. The downside is that it only starts working on later turns. Ideally you´d want to t2 this turn 3 maybe zameck guildmage and turn 4 biomancer to have it add 2 mana, doesn´t seem that great. You could also play it after a biomancer making it a 3/4 so that it adds 2 mana, once again, MIGHT work.
Timberland Guide: same as the beetle.
3 cmc
Champion of Lambholt: seems a bit too slow for what we are trying to accomplish, plus, you´d have to put counters on her to make it happen but i guess it´s worth considering.
Nimbus Swimmer: Don´t like this one alot. Not really all that great. I guess it´s an ok topdeck but otherwise it seems a bit too slow.
Predator Ooze: Another option, personally i don´t like it that much.
Primordial Hydra: this thing can kill, and very fast. It might be an alternative win con since it doesn´t require anything other than itself and is a must answer threat.
Simic Fluxmage: Here is an interesting one. For starters it´s a 1/2 for 3 mana which is ok. Now, your deck isn´t functioning as it should without biomancer or ooze flux, and this card isn´t good enough on it´s own. Playing this turn 3 doesn´t really do much and a biomancer follow up on turn 4 or any spell that puts on a +1/+1 counter activates the card. What you can do then is move them around. It´s the only creature card that lets you remove counters from one creature to another but seems too slow and without any counters it doesn´t do anything.
Simic Manipulator: Not good enough in my opinion. The only way to get counters on it is with any one of the enablers or with zameck guildmage. You only need one +1/+1 counter and it´s objective is not to be placed on this creature.
4 cmc
Crowned Ceratok / Festerhide Boar: a win more card. Not really that necessary i think.
Corpsejack menace: is obviously awesome with the biomancer since it comes in as a 8/8. Not bad.
Fathom Mage: Only really "good" enough when there is a biomancer in play (you draw 2 cards when it comes in) or if you have a lot of early creatures you could easily play after her, which doesn´t seem that likely. For card draw, there is already the guildmage, that can draw at instant speed.
Lumberknot: Hexproof is nice and all. But it seems too slow and sloppy.
5 + cmc
Thragtusk: Personally, i hate this card. Just overall screwed the format over. Regarldess, it´s an better than ok card against aggro and obviously, being a creature, has an interesting interaction with the biomancer, and is probably the only thing worth playing.
Prime speaker zegana : Don´t really like this card here. It draws you tonnes of cards and gives you a fattie, but it´s just not what you want honestly. You could eventually still run this old lady anyways.
Sapphire Drake: win more, in my opinion. Would play Crowned Ceratok over it i think.
So. Yeah, being in U/G, we don´t have THAT much removal. Thankfully you can splash. In my case, i think i´ll be splashing black.
Rapid Hybridization: Kills anything, and cost a mere U. The 3/3 is not that tough to deal with, your dudes can get as big or even bigger. Plus, you´ve got maniatic lunatic biomancers with big butts on your side. Also, it kills Obzedat, ghost council dead, think about that.
Sever the Bloodline: Generally has been a great removal spell. It just exiles stuff. Exiles gravecrawlers and messengers and the likes, not a bad card but is a bit too slow.
Tribute to Hunger: Instant speed edict if good. Still remains one of the few ways to deal with geist of saint traft plus you gain life which is great.
Ultimate Price: i don´t like it all that much, but still, removal is removal.
Alright. So this is the most difficult part of the deck. Obviously, when choosing counter magic we are going to try to pick the counter spells that best target what we are playing against,
1 cmc
Dispel - Fantastic for decks running lots of instants and removal. It can counter revelation for 1 mana? cool with me. Worth considering
2 cmc
Spell Rupture: Don´t really like this one that much. There is no way to assure that you´ll have the biggest creature at a specific time in the game.
Second Guess: Yeah, this seems pretty bad. I guess is was made to counter the second spell that would flip the huntmaster back?
Redirect: not really a counterspell, but getting the chance to kill something of theirs or to cast your own revelation or bonfire must feel pretty awesome.
Syncopate: Definitely a contender. It´s usually cast for more than 2 mana but still it´s an unconditional counterspell that also exiles. Good counterspell is good.
Negate - A hard counter for 2, which is pretty sweet. Its only downside is that it doesn't counter creatures which takes up a lot of the meta game. I´m still in doubt about whether this is better than essence scatter only testing will tell if creatures are more important that noncreature as for now. Non creatures SEEM to be more important.
Essence Scatter - Counters creature spells. Anything. Thragtusks, angels, hellkites... anything.
3 cmc
Dissipate - An upgraded version of cancel since it exiles the spell which is generally pretty relevant. Probably the best of all. I´d play at least 3
4 cmc
Scatter Arc: A little meh for my liking. Would still run negate over this.
Rewind - allows you to counter a spell and still have 4 mana open to use. It´s almost completely useless if you don´t use the mana, like for 2 activations of ooze flux or guildmage.
5 cmc
Mystic Genesis: Good alternative finisher a bit too expensive nonetheless. Countering a revleation for 6 or 7 gets you a 10/10, not too shabby
1 cmc
Bioshift:I really like this card. Might deserve a slot as a 1of in the deck to kill out of nowhere. If you end of turn remove 1 or 2 counters from a creature onto the biomancer and then activate the ooze you could get 4/4 or 5/5 tokens into play and swing in with them with counterspell backup. Maybe as a 1of, once again. But i might be wrong.
Burst of strength: Nice little combat trick that gets the engine off. You can always put a +1/+1 counter on a biomancer and untap it to block something or to just go crazy with the ooze flux if there just happens to be another +1/+1 running around.
Forced Adaptation: Hmm. Interesting. I don´t really think auras is what you want to be doing, but i´m guessing playing it on a biomancer turn 4 after turn 2 explore and having dissipate backup is pretty nice, that could work out and get out of hand oh so fast. Definitely considering it.
Hunger of the Howlpack: oh my god yes :). Now this might acually work. It´s an instant engine enabler that makes the biomancer super happy if something died, making it a minimum of 5/7 (don´t get too excited since this gets selesnya charm online, but then again remove the counters with the ooze to stifle the card if need be) so that the ooze spits out 6/6´s (at least). It has no real drawback, the only thing it has not going for it is that something has to die for it to be absolutely awesome.
Rancor: Doens´t stick to the plan, but helps the deck be more agressive without disturbing too much. You could always stick it to a biomancer and threaten the spawning of bigger dudes.
2 cmc
Ring of Evos Isle:Works like both Forced Adaptation AND simic charm at once. Definitely consireable. The casting cost is low, and the equipping even lower. Helps protect creatures but mainly the biomancer.
Farseek An ok card. There is nothing outside of biomancer or a turn 3 ooze flux you would really like to ramp into. The deck isn´t trying to throw bombs left and right, no primeval titans or inferno titans, BUT it would like to have left over mana to counter things that bother with the plan. Plus it gets watery grave stomping grounds sacred foundry and the likes splashing another color. Definitely mainboard material.
Simic Charm: An obvious addition. +3/+3 makes the biomancer big enough to make a +1/+1 counter into a 6/6 or, if you are very desperate, makes the creatures you cast that turn enter with +5/+5 which isn´t too bad of course. It also gives eveything HEXPROOF, which makes your "already hard to kill" biomancer even harder to kill and gives your ooze flux another chance. It bounces troublesome creatures, unsummon is always good. I´d play a minimum of 3 copies.
Travel Preparations: seems VERY VERY good in a white spash. Very solid card. It gives you that +1/+1 counter on an early creature that you need and also helps the biomancer, and has flashback.
3 cmc
Cackling Counterpart: might be good to just spit out a 4/6 biomancer and get the other person to scoop hehe. Might consider it as a 1 of max.
Forbidden Alchemy: Excellent at digging in for that biomancer or flux or a counterspell. Trowing stuff into the graveyard doesn´t bother that much, and if you´re splashing black you could easily take advantage of it, although the flashback cost is pretty high.
Hindervines: the card fog is probably better on the defensive. On the offensive it could be totally devastating against aggro/midrange decks. Not too exited about it, but who knows.
Simic keyrune andChromatic Lantern let you ramp up which is always cool.
4 + cmc
Biomass Mutation: this you´ll not be casting for less than x=3 (five mana). If you´re able to get many 1/1 creatures into play and have a lot of mana, then i don´t see it being that bad. Otherwise, i don´t think it deserves a spot.
Increasing Savagery: Overkill. Not a bad card per se, but it seems a bit too expensive. Although against decks without the proper removal/clock this on a biomance might be enough. It also has flashback, but realisticly, that won´t be happening too often.
Parallel Lives: Works with both biomancer and flux but you don´t really want another enchantment here i think.
Gilded Lotus: another super ramo spell. Tapping out turn 5 is reasonable as long as you have a dissipate backup, just tap the lotus! for UUU
Blessings of Nature: I´m not really a fan of this card. It´s too expensive and you definitely want to be holding some counterspells backup and not risk losing your board or not being able to prevent something that could have been prevented. Even cast as a miracle seems too conditional.
Garruk Relentless - Garruk the Veil-Cursed: planeswalkers are good. This one is no exception. It can shoot down things and tutor the biomancer it spits out wolves (that are also good with biomancer). It overruns, the thing is great. In addition, if you´re playing farseek, you can turn 3 him if you don´t have biomancer (not the greatest order but still). Solid card maybe 2 of although you don´t really need it.
Garruk, Primal Hunter: Card draw and dudes. The triple green is annoying but is still a great card nevertheless.
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage: ramping into this seems pretty awesome. i´m just putting that out there.
Jace, Architect of Thought: Has no home here i think. Unless you morph into a control deck altogether post sideboard.
Uff. That was tiresome. But now , onto the decklists.
Now, the deck being a combo/midrange style of deck has the same problem as combo decks have in general: getting the combo together and keeping it alive. Thankfully, we do have all the tools we need.
I haven´t tested the deck much at all. As a matter of fact, i´m writing all of these things on the run. But at first sight the cards that seem to be really backbreaking are:
Terminus and the return can be countered. Slaughter games is the real problem here. I might have to adapt the sideboard into a more agressive deck. With strangleroot geist and dred mangler to go with biomancers and removing the oozes completely but i´m not sure how that could be done.
As for supreme verdict haha. I´m splashing black, thus, i´m playing golgari charm which ALSO deals withdetention sphere.
raw DECKLISTS
4 breeding pool
2 overgrown tomb
1 watery grave
4 hinterland harbor
4 woodland cemetery
4 forest
3 island
4 experiment one
4 zameck guildmage
4 strangleroot geist
3 snapcaster mage
4 Master biomancer
4 farseek
2 simic charm
3 dissipate
3 syncopate
1 ring of evos isle
3 ooze flux
3 appetite for brains
3 golgari charm
2 ultimate price
2 negate
3 thragtusk
2 tribute to hunger
A more rampish/controlish version
4 breeding pool
2 overgrown tomb
1 watery grave
4 hinterland harbor
4 woodland cemetery
5 forest
4 island
2 snapcaster mage
4 Master biomancer
2 prime speaker zegana
4 farseek
2 simic charm
3 dissipate
3 syncopate
3 ooze flux
2 tamiyo, the moon sage
3 jace, architecht of thought
A huge thanks to Argetlam and the guys at Hakai studios for this awesome banner