I cannot ignore the infinite cuteness that Liliana Of The Veil & Sun Titan put forth, and as such have already begun brewing. Here is where my list stands right now, assuming Tempered Steel & Birthing Pod decks will lead the helm of rotation until the dust settles.
A handful of the cards are admittedly pretty loose, but I think they merit testing. Namely, Divine Reckoning, Monomania, and Small Pox. Divine Reckoning & Monomania have tons of synergy with the deck. Kill all but one of their guys then cast Timely Reinforcements to block for 3 turns, or make them discard down to 1 card, and then force them to discard the last with Liliana or a SB Sword.
I have done no testing and it's all theory crafting, but once I have the cards I'm certain I'll give it a whirl, it seems sweet.
Game 1 is usually pretty close. Dont try and windmill a turn 2 Ascension because it will catch a Spell Pierce on if you're on the play, or an Oblivion Ring if you're on the draw (unless you've Gitaxian Probe and there are ZERO dangers.) This game should be won in a combo-fashion via Call To Mind, most times. You'll spend alot of burn on creatures, man-lands, and Planeswalkers. Save counter magic to protect your Ascension(s) to the best of your ability. If you have an active Ascension they will run out of gas fairly quickly, usually leaving them with only the threat of Celestial Colonnade beats, burn it if you're low on health, or just dig for the winning Call To Mind if their clock is not fast enough.
Game 2 is wide open. If you win the first game, I would even consider not sideboarding in the combo until game 3 when you're on the play and have that crucial advantage. This is also good because you will see exactly how they sideboarded. No Leyline Of Sanctity? You are in good shape to win with Ascension. If they have a bundle of Oblivion Ring and Celestial Purge, be sure to make your Spell Pierce count. If you do not board into the combo, be sure to bring in the 4th Spell Pierce, and keep all 4 Into The Roil.
Game 3, always go combo. Sometimes it is actually better to be lucky than good, but you have alot of answers to their answers post-board. The combo only gets better the fewer threats they play, but at the same time, if they intend to tap out for something like a Hero Of Bladehold you can blow them out with the combo without fear. If you see ANY number of Spellskites in game 2, keep all 4 Into The Roil in, and I would probably recommend skipping the Mental Misstep here, unless they are slinging alot of Spell Pierce.
Game 1 you're an absolute dog without a very strong, counter-heavy draw. If you don't hit the Ascension early, they'll get you every time. It's a bad scene. Overgrown Battlement ramp is easily the most challenging to deal with, Spell Pierce is an all-star if they opt for Explore/Rampant Growth/Cultivate etc. If you see T1 Valakut, The Molten Pinnacle/Terramorphic Expanse/Evolving Wilds/Raging Ravine, have pretty low expectations for the outcome. It is still very winnable, but it's sadly quite luck-related.
Games 2 & 3, things get ALOT better. They have a pretty terrible Twin match-up. This match has the fewest answers you'll need to worry about, though we have no answer for Combust. They have; Nature's Claim, Dismember, Combust, Beast Within, and random "tech" like Ricochet Trap that doesn't actually see play. Nature's Claim is easily the most popular in their SB, thus Mental Misstep is worth bringing in. 3 copies of Ascension stay in for a few reasons; baiting out things like Nature's Claim and Beast Within, gaining value for draw spells per usual, making sure our countermagic stays relevant into the late turns if need-be, and turning Slagstorm into "Day Of Judgement." This is typically only necessary as an out to Avenger Of Zendikar, or multiple Titans, but if they have more than 1 Titan, you're dead or they're terrible.
Game 1 I consider favorable. We have alot of spot removal for their Deceivers, and they usually have no MD back-up plans to worry about. Gitaxian Probe is clutch in this match-up to show your any lurking dangers. You'll need to fight hard, but carefully to get that first Ascension on the table early enough, though.
Games 2 & 3 things get pretty hairy. Be prepared for counter-wars. Mana Leak @ 2CMC is awkward, though you may want to keep them because otherwise you'll just find yourselves getting into Mental Misstep wars, and their Dispels are better than your Spell Pierce. I don't recommend trying to board into combo as they are far more streamlined then we, but if you think you have a distinct skill advantage, then it is probably correct to go for it.
Game 1 is rough, Bloodghast is a pain in the ass, they have small bits of lifegain in Kalastria Highborn, and Vampire Nighthawk if they run it. This is unfavorable, but far from unwinnable. This is the only match-up that I actually miss my Staggershock. Make sure they never resolve a Dark Tutelage, and pay attention to how many Lavaclaw Reaches are in play at all times.
Games 2 & 3 get better with access to sweepers and protection against discard. Bloodghast is the only real threat now. If you don't have an early Ascension, they can grind you out with little effort. Again, don't let Dark Tutelage hit the table, even for 1 turn. I would avoid the Twin plan, but it's applicable for game 3 if they were removal-lite even in G1.
Game 1 is pretty draw-dependant on both parties. If you get a counter-heavy hand vs. their creature heavy hand, it's not going to go well, but if you get removal etc, you'll be fine. This is the match-up that is incredibly dependant on getting an early Ascension.
Games 2 & 3, mulligain aggressively, you want that early ascension and/or a good mix of spells/removal. Koth is the biggest threat from them, but I've been blown out by the likes of a regenerating Molten-Tail Masticore before. Your counter package becomes incredibly more potent post-board. For game 3, boarding into combo isn't a bad plan at all, they have very few answers, and probably zero answers if they didn't see it game 2. Also, be sure to protect yourself from Mana Barbs, because that card can really destroy you.
Game 1 if they get a hand full of 0-1 drops, you just have to combo-race, them. If they hit the Tempered Steel and you don't have counter-magic, you are probably dead that turn. Spellskite is incredibly frustrating to deal with. Do NOT forget to continue to put counters on Ascensions beyond the second, just incase they have Hex Parasite.
Games 2 & 3, the only match-up I ALWAYS recommend hybridizing combos. They have no filtering, so if they have Spellskite(s) and you don't have Into The Roil(s) you go for the Pyromancer plan. Mental Misstep always underperforms, as it only hits Signal Pest and Dispatch if they're trying to disrupt your combo. Deceivers are a great way to get rid of Signal Pest and slow the pain a bit while you set up whatever it is that you've got the cards for. Countermagic comes out because you really only want to hit their Tempered Steel (and sometimes something like a Shrine, but we still have Into The Roil.) Most times it just doesn't get to hit anything truly relevant.
You can ALWAYS consider the combo for game 3, regardless of they match-up, if you think you'll be able to catch them off guard after game 2, it can be very beneficial to do so.
Also, it's very possible to splice both game plans together post-board, and in doing so, I would recommend 4 Deceiver Exarch, 3 Pyromancer Ascension, and 3 Splinter Twin. Call To Mind is match-up dependant, usually out against aggro, but can stay for long games.
Be sure that EVERY TIME you SB with this deck (game 2 and 3, every match-up,) that you shuffle the full 15 into your deck, and then remove the 15 cards you want out. This way your opponent will never know what you have.
Lastly, all of the above is from personal experience with the deck. I have been playing with Pyromancer Ascension since March (around the release of Mirrodin Besieged,) and have played with the Splinter Twin combo out of the sideboard off and on since the release of Deceiver Exarch in May. Any of the given sideboard plans may be incorrect, but that is what I've had my best results with. Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated and encouraged. Thanks for reading.
After reading an article on Star City Games about the potential for a new "Overextended" format I immediately started brewing some old favorite lists from decks I used to play. However, my favorite deck of the brews I came up with is actually an incarnation of the deck I play in Standard...
Here we are. Pyromancer Ascension again...I've been playing the deck for just over 6 weeks now, and it's a blast. This is my list for New Phyrexia-Standard, and a SB guide...
Hey all, this is a prototype list for a deck I call Heavy Metal Yahtzee. It's a completely colorless artifact Infect-Control build, based pretty heavily around Proliferate.
I got the idea from Conley Woods' Legacy "Brown Recluse" deck that he played at SCG Open Los Angeles.
The name I came up with is based on the fact that Artifacts are typically composed of metal, and the deck requires a large number of dice on the table while playing.
Here's the list I brewed up, and made some adjustments to...
The deck hasn't been truly tested, yet. Hopefully I will be able to run it into some opponents tomorrow night.
It appears that the Valakut match-up would be terribad, as it's really just dependant on you drawing multiple Tectonic Edge & Tumble Magnet, hoping to slow them enough to Mindslaver them post-sideboard.
Otherwise, I think it should do fairly well in Standard. The aggro matches seem incredibly well-off.
The idea when playing the deck, is simply to get a 1-shot in, to get the counter on them, and then proliferate their poison, all the while proliferating your control measures, Tumble Magnets, Ratchet Bombs, and using utility lands that can be sacced for benefits once a Chalice can pay for everything in your hand.
Contagion Engine & All Is Dust are a bit lofty for a 20-land deck, and are basically dead cards without an Everflowing Chalice (or at least 2-3 Eldrazi Temple in regards to All Is Dust) and thus I might end up cutting something here. Probably the All Is Dust + Eldrazi Temple, and adding 4 Glimmerpost, and perhaps 1 Throne Of Geth, and 1 something.
Comments & constructive criticism are much appreciated!
If you couldn't tell I've been tinkering with Pyromancer Ascension lists quite a bit lately, and this is the next variant I want to try out...it strays a bit off of the beaten path...