Control-esq
Scapeshift
. I haven't updated the list in a while.
How the deck plays:
If you have never played or encountered a scapeshift deck, then you are in for a treat, unless you hate combo, then you're going to be bored or not care.
Win condition:
The main win condition for the deck is using
Scapeshift
to sacrifice enough lands to deal lethal damage to your opponent via
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
.
How does it work? Well when you cast
Scapeshift
you are going to want to sacrifice enough lands to make sure that you have lethal damage with
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
Triggers.
A more in depth reason:
When you have multiple
Mountain
s enter the battle field along with
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
, Valakut will check what is on the board as all lands enter at the same time. Say you sacrifice 8 lands. You have 6 Mountains and two Valakuts enter play. This will be a total of 36 damage. 6 triggers per Valakut of 3 damage each to target creature or player. When the lands enter the battle field Valakut looks and says "Hey, that's a mountain! Are there 5 Others? Yup I see 5 Others! That's 3 damage I can deal to someone or creature!" It does that for each mountain that enters the battlefield.
How RUG Scapeshift works:
Well as you can see there are a decent amount of counter spells and instants/sorceries to help you add cards to your hand and gain tempo.
Snapcaster Mage
to help recur spells you may need.
Anticipate
To help you dig a little for some cards you may need.
Peer Through Depths
to help you dig a little more for a counter or
Scapeshift
.
Explore
for some card advantage and to help you get some extra mana on the field.
Cryptic Command
to tap your opponents creatures, counter a spell, draw a card or bounce something. Very useful card for a lot of situations.
Why do I like this deck so much? Back when Zendikar and
Primeval Titan
were in standard, I fell in love with this combination and have been a big fan of it ever since. I absolutely love the RUG version of this deck with it's tempo and ability to come out of no where.
I am currently in the process of foiling out the deck. I would eventually like it to be completed with Expeditions for lands as well as judge foil lightning bolts. That will take time and a lot of money, so as I find better deals for them, I will complete them.
