oodles
noun, informal
a very great number or amount of something.
"if only I had oodles of squids."
Well now you can! Do you only have about $25 to spend? Do you want to spend that hard earned cash on a deck that will hand you turn 5 wins and, more importantly, oodles and oodles of Squid Tokens? Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, because I've got the deck for you!
Chasm Skulker is the head honcho here. Every time I draw a card, for every card that I draw, he gets a +1/+1 counter. Something sends him from the field to the graveyard, and each of those counters becomes a 1/1 Islandwalk Squid Token. So, let's get him onto the field by turn 3, and have him spend turns 4 and 5 breaking faces.
Gitaxian Probe and Street Wraith may come with some hefty 2-life price tags, but their ability to easily thin the deck, and personalize the hand, is well worth it. Best of all, use them while Chasm Skulker is out, and there's a counter. Brainstorm can do some great early-game hand sorting, as well as providing 3 more counters. Come turn 2, plop out either
Inkfathom Witch
or
Merfolk Looter
, whichever fits the current hand the best, and begin the fun on turn 3 with Chasm Skulker.
Whirlpool Rider
is one of the most lethal supports for the Squid Horror. Summon him at the beginning of turn 4, and you'll be grabbing 4-5 counters for our main dude.
Dredge
can be a great way to clear out the now-useless Merfolk and get another counter in the process, or use it on Chasm Skulker with at least 5 counters on it if you're sitting on
Inkfathom Witch
. Get your 5 Squid Tokens out, then come turn 5 use Aquitect's Will on an opponent's land to make your Squids unblockable. Use the remaining four mana for Witch's effect and, even if she can be blocked, all of the Squids become 4/1, ripe and ready to deal (and I did go over a best case scenario with this) up to 72 points of life damage on turn 5.
That's only one win condition, though. Decided against
Inkfathom Witch
this round? By using all of the free and cheap draw cards, such as Street Wraith, Gitaxian Probe, and Brainstorm, Chasm Skulker can easily hit over 18 +1/+1 counters. Top it off with Aphotic Wisps, and not only does he gain Fear for the direct hit, but also gains another counter. Turn 5, make the opponent 20 to nothing in a single attack.
Now, the Maybeboard.
Thought Courier
could act as basically another
Merfolk Looter
, with the obvious downside being its inability to combo with Aquitect's Will. Every other card that's in there is there because they work, but they're noticeably slower than those in the main deck. Thirst for Knowledge, for example, can actually give me positive card advantage if I discard Seat of the Synod or Vault of Whispers, but I have to weigh if that's worth 3 mana for 3 +1/+1 counters when Brainstorm gives the same amount for 1/3 the mana. Similar issues persist with
See Beyond
.
Consult the Necrosages
is in a similar boat, with the advantage there being the ability to force my opponent to discard as well, in case I don't need the draw power. But, incorporating
Tormented Thoughts
as an alternative sacrificing card to
Dredge
could combine well in turning the deck into having a discard sub-theme. If I do go that route, Dream Salvage could help pick up some of the slack in lost draw revenue.
And that's it for now. Thoughts, criticisms, suggestions, upvotes; whatever you'd like to do, it's all greatly appreciated.
