The goal of the deck is to win through General damage. Rafiq grants himself Double Strike, multiple instances of Exalted and Okina pump him more, and Sovereigns finds Auras to make him a force to be reckoned with.
I don't know how I feel about Reality Spasm. Can we ramp enough to get it to matter when we Polymorph? Maybe, but I think it might be better served to try and win with Mana Leaks. That's just me, though.
The Infinite Turns combo is really hard to say no to. I think Cryptic Command works best here as a 2-of. It fills the need for Into the Roil that PsycTint is suggesting. You could always drop a Burst Lightning for another Command, though.
Here's the situation: Sun Titan on board, and all of my basic lands are on the battlefield. Let's say I choose to return Arid Mesa from my graveyard to the battlefield. Can I pay the 1 life, tap it, and sacrifice it to search my library for a Mountain or Plains, even though there aren't any in my library? Would this basically be a library shuffle?
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- Woapalanne
Grand Architect is very Blue heavy, so I don't think he really fits in a deck like this. I do agree with the idea of dropping the Armors, though. I also like the idea of Stoneforge, but all of the equipments are 3 and 4ofs after dropping the Armor.
I've been looking at building a mono-Black beatdown deck for a little while, but I didn't really like the idea behind Vampires. It seemed very vulnerable to mass removal from the hands of control decks. Thus, I came up with the following list that centers its black cards around Phylactery Lich and some removal.
The premise is simple: utilize the raw power of Phylactery Lich by throwing loads of superb, indestructible equipment on the board. The equipment also helps pump Darksteel Juggernaut, and the number of artifacts in the deck (26) help activate Metalcraft to turn Etched Champion into a face-beater. Masticore and Wurmcoil serve as late-game finishers.
What do you guys think? I'd love to hear some opinions on what could be done to refine the deck and make it a bit more competitive, if anything.
Out of curiousity, what cards are you going to mulligan for if any? I wont start the game unless I have MP in my hand.
The eventual plan is to get some Rainforests and Tarns, once I get my hands on them. They're just placeholders for now, really.
I find that I don't have to mulligan very often. I can start the game without Mass Polymorph and will often draw into it by turn 6. See Beyond really helps this process, as does the thinning properties of Growth Spasm and Wilds. Assuming on the play, I've drawn at least 12 cards by turn 6, and the library has been thinned quite a bit since then, so getting the Polymorph online by then isn't much of a worry.
I run Pyroclasm and Emperion as help against the Aggro game. They combine with my Bolts and tokens to help me get to the Polymorph, at which point they generally just lose. Pyroclasm wipes their board while Emperion protects my life total (important against Red's burn spells). Against Elves, Hoard-Smelter Dragon and the Naturalizes come in to get rid of Eldrazi Monument.
Spreading Seas helps beat the ramp game. It controls Valakut's ramping by knocking out Forests and turns Eye of Ugin into a lowly Island. Roil Elemental also comes in to take control of their bigger creatures.
I certainly agree that Doom Blade is probably the best spot-removal right now. Day of Judgment is definitely just too good to pass up, and merging it with Black's great spot removal makes for great board control. Hand and deck disruption in Inquisition and Memoricide also make it very worthwhile to play that third color in our control builds.
While Esper Charm will certainly be missed, the deck can still function without it.
Hey, guys. I'm a long-time U/W player. It was my first real deck, built as a budget version and evolving into Titan Control through various trades and packs. However, with powerhouse cards like Elspeth, Path, and O-Ring gone and the addition of some good cards in Scars, I've toyed with the idea of adding Black to my build for spot removal and mass threat removal. My build is below; let me know what you guys think.
I've done a bit of playtesting with the deck. Definitely the biggest weak point for this deck is the rather weak early-game. Perhaps adding more permission and Inquisition will fix this? I find that once I hit late-game, I've established enough control that they simply cannot recover.
What about Naya Allies? I've been toying around with this deck for a while, and it's done fairly well against decks some of my friends main (Red-Green Eldrazi Ramp, Soul Sisters, Mono-Green, etc). I've yet to play it at FNM, but I'm planning on doing that next week.
She's not a wish target, she's just a standard sideboard card. I only find her good as a singleton and only good against certain decks, so she's sideboarded.
00 Rafiq of the Many
Lands (38):
01 Azorius Chancery
02 Selesnya Sanctuary
03 Simic Growth Chamber
04 Celestial Colonnade
05 Stirring Wildwood
06 Glacial Fortress
07 Sunpetal Grove
08 Flooded Grove
09 Mystic Gate
10 Wooded Bastion
11 Seaside Citadel
12 Reliquary Tower
13 Bant Panorama
14 Esper Panorama
15 Naya Panorama
16 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
17 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
24 Forest
31 Island
38 Plains
Creatures (23):
39 Acidic Slime
40 Admonition Angel
41 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
42 Arcanis the Omnipotent
43 Battlegrace Angel
44 Draining Whelk
45 Eternal Witness
46 Fauna Shaman
47 Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
48 Keiga, the Tide Star
49 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
50 Magus of the Future
51 Mystic Snake
52 Noble Hierarch
53 Qasali Pridemage
54 Silent Arbiter
55 Simic Sky Swallower
56 Sovereigns of Lost Alara
57 Stoneforge Mystic
58 Trinket Mage
59 Trygon Predator
60 Wall of Denial
61 Wonder
62 Darksteel Ingot
63 Expedition Map
64 Lightning Greaves
65 Proteus Staff
66 Sensei's Divining Top
67 Sword of Vengeance
68 Whispersilk Cloak
Enchantments (13):
69 Asceticism
70 Bear Umbra
71 Eldrazi Conscription
72 Finest Hour
73 Ghostly Prison
74 Land Tax
75 Luminarch Ascension
76 Mirari's Wake
77 Oblivion Ring
78 Privileged Position
79 Shield of the Oversoul
80 Steel of the Godhead
81 Unquestioned Authority
Instants and Sorceries (16):
82 Ancestral Vision
83 Bant Charm
84 Brainstorm
85 Capsize
86 Condemn
87 Counterspell
88 Cryptic Command
89 Distortion Strike
90 Foresee
91 Hinder
92 Krosan Grip
93 Martial Coup
94 Might of Oaks
95 Path to Exile
96 Rewind
97 Swords to Plowshares
98 Wargate
99 Wrath of God
The goal of the deck is to win through General damage. Rafiq grants himself Double Strike, multiple instances of Exalted and Okina pump him more, and Sovereigns finds Auras to make him a force to be reckoned with.
4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Tectonic Edge
4 Plains
4 Island
1 Arid Mesa
1 Scalding Tarn
Creatures (8):
2 Baneslayer Angel
2 Sun Titan
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Mana Leak
2 Deprive
1 Cancel
1 Stoic Rebuttal
Removal (8):
2 Condemn
3 Day of Judgment
3 Journey to Nowhere
Planeswalkers (6):
2 Jace Beleren
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Draw Power (4):
4 Preordain
2 Sphinx of Jwar Isle
3 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Into the Roil
4 Flashfreeze
2 Revoke Existence
2 Celestial Purge
+2 Cryptic Command
+2 Call to Mind
The Infinite Turns combo is really hard to say no to. I think Cryptic Command works best here as a 2-of. It fills the need for Into the Roil that PsycTint is suggesting. You could always drop a Burst Lightning for another Command, though.
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- Woapalanne
New list:
15 Swamp
4 Marsh Flats
4 Verdant Catacombs
Creatures (20):
4 Phylactery Lich
3 Darksteel Juggernaut
4 Steel Overseer
4 Etched Champion
3 Molten-Tail Masticore
2 Wurmcoil Engine
4 Doom Blade
3 Consuming Vapors
3 Sword of Body and Mind
3 Sword of Vengeance
4 Darksteel Axe
15 Swamp
4 Marsh Flats
4 Verdant Catacombs
Creatures (20):
4 Phylactery Lich
3 Darksteel Juggernaut
4 Steel Overseer
4 Etched Champion
3 Molten-Tail Masticore
2 Wurmcoil Engine
4 Doom Blade
3 Consuming Vapors
Artifacts/Equipment (10):
2 Sword of Body and Mind
2 Argentum Armor
4 Darksteel Axe
2 Sword of Vengeance
The premise is simple: utilize the raw power of Phylactery Lich by throwing loads of superb, indestructible equipment on the board. The equipment also helps pump Darksteel Juggernaut, and the number of artifacts in the deck (26) help activate Metalcraft to turn Etched Champion into a face-beater. Masticore and Wurmcoil serve as late-game finishers.
What do you guys think? I'd love to hear some opinions on what could be done to refine the deck and make it a bit more competitive, if anything.
The eventual plan is to get some Rainforests and Tarns, once I get my hands on them. They're just placeholders for now, really.
I find that I don't have to mulligan very often. I can start the game without Mass Polymorph and will often draw into it by turn 6. See Beyond really helps this process, as does the thinning properties of Growth Spasm and Wilds. Assuming on the play, I've drawn at least 12 cards by turn 6, and the library has been thinned quite a bit since then, so getting the Polymorph online by then isn't much of a worry.
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Stormtide Leviathan
Enchantments:
2 Awakening Zone
Instants:
4 Mana Leak
2 Negate
4 Lightning Bolt
Sorceries:
4 Mass Polymorph
4 Brood Birthing
4 See Beyond
4 Growth Spasm
4 Explore
4 Misty Rainforest
3 Scalding Tarn
4 Raging Ravine
6 Island
4 Forest
4 Mountain
3 Naturalize
3 Pyroclasm
4 Spreading Seas
1 Hoard-Smelter Dragon
1 Platinum Emperion
1 Roil Elemental
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Wurmcoil Engine
I run Pyroclasm and Emperion as help against the Aggro game. They combine with my Bolts and tokens to help me get to the Polymorph, at which point they generally just lose. Pyroclasm wipes their board while Emperion protects my life total (important against Red's burn spells). Against Elves, Hoard-Smelter Dragon and the Naturalizes come in to get rid of Eldrazi Monument.
Spreading Seas helps beat the ramp game. It controls Valakut's ramping by knocking out Forests and turns Eye of Ugin into a lowly Island. Roil Elemental also comes in to take control of their bigger creatures.
3 Evolving Wilds
3 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
1 Raging Ravine
5 Forest
12 Mountain
Creatures (12):
4 Primeval Titan
4 Overgrown Battlement
2 Avenger of Zendikar
2 Wurmcoil Engine
4 Explore
4 Cultivate
4 Khalni Heart Expedition
4 Harrow
4 Pyroclasm
2 All Is Dust
2 Gaea's Revenge
2 Koth of the Hammer
4 Naturalize
4 Pyroclasm
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
While Esper Charm will certainly be missed, the deck can still function without it.
3 Creeping Tar Pit
2 Celestial Colonnade
3 Glacial Fortress
3 Marsh Flats
1 Mystifying Maze
3 Tectonic Edge
3 Island
4 Plains
4 Swamp
4 Wall of Omens
2 Frost Titan
2 Grave Titan
Other Spells: 26
2 Consuming Vapors
2 Day of Judgment
2 Memoricide
2 Journey to Nowhere
4 Mana Leak
3 Mindbreak Trap
2 Gideon Jura
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Venser, the Sojourner
I've done a bit of playtesting with the deck. Definitely the biggest weak point for this deck is the rather weak early-game. Perhaps adding more permission and Inquisition will fix this? I find that once I hit late-game, I've established enough control that they simply cannot recover.
4 Hada Freeblade
4 Kazandu Blademaster
4 Oran-Rief Survivalist
3 Harabaz Druid
4 Graypelt Hunter
4 Talus Paladin
4 Kazuul Warlord
3 Turntimber Ranger
3 Overwhelming Stampede
4 Join the Ranks
Lands (23)
6 Plains
1 Mountain
4 Forest
4 Arid Mesa
3 Sunpetal Grove
2 Stirring Wildwood
2 Rootbound Crag
1 Raging Ravine
Do you guys have any suggestions?