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Life From The Stinkweed Scholar's Birthing Ooze

jminute14

Modern

Score: 7


Description

"To death all must go, and so in death lies ultimate power."

This is the story of a Jekyll and Hyde scholar who in his quest to control his inner Homicidal Brute  Flip gets immersed in his stinkweed. He attempts to copy the examples of success around him, but becomes a Phantasmal Image of them at best. He blames his Ghost Dad, but in reality its only his Birthing Pod and the ooze that he has to blame for his current situation. He becomes a Devoted Druid of the elementals, and picks up crabs...on and on he attempts to control his situation until it all explodes into infinity.

This is my Devoted Druid /Necrotic Ooze combo deck. The goal is to throw cards in the graveyard with Hedron Crab early game, and bring out a Necrotic Ooze for the win. The combo uses infinite mana (Morselhoarder /Devoted Druid , and the ooze copies Myr Propagator s ability to make infinite Ooze tokens. I can then sac those tokens using Death Cultist s ability to cause infinite loss of life while I gain infinite life. It's all brought together by Civilized Scholar  Flip on the ooze, and repeated dredging of the Stinkweed Imp . I like not having to transform into a Homicidal Brute  Flip .

In the unfortunate event that this doesn't work, Thornling is a pretty effective beater when you can make it a 7/1 indestructible trampler, it helps to add inevitability, and Havengul Lich is nice for the recursion, it lets me reuse my Phantasmal Image s and Snapcaster Mage s post board.

I'm not sure if it's quite fast enough for the format.

I have some concern about graveyard hate like Relic of Progenitus , legends like Geist of Saint Traft , and decks like Tron and Splinter Twin that are just so damned consistent. So, in response my sideboard packs a heavy control element using things like Surgical Extraction and Snapcaster Mage to get the most of my Thoughtseize s, Duress es and Hedron Crab s. These allow me to pick those destructive pieces out of their decks for me to walk in clean and unabated.

Updates

Phantasmal Image! — Nov. 12, 2012

The main thing this deck wants to do is not lose before turn five.

I'm thinking post sideboard of turning more into a mill-discard control deck. I'm liking Cinderhaze Wretch , Wickerbough Elder for discard and specialized defense, and Thoughtseize , Surgical Extraction and Snapcaster Mage for threat removal. Phantasmal Image helps me mirror what they're doing that's dangerous, or copy a Hedron Crab for fast milling, making my surgical extractions even stronger.

What do you guys think?


Life from the Loam — Oct. 24, 2012

I find when I need to reanimate something my Unburial Rites are in my yard.

I find when that happens I don't have white mana.

Life from the Loam !


No more Faithless Looting! — Sept. 3, 2012

Hedron Crab does it better, and I've found the Quillspike Devoted Druid combo to be fairly threatening in its own right. Why dilute the mana base AND run fewer cards that do stuff on their own? Faithless looting was often enough a dead draw. You'll be missed but I'm better off alone!

Can this outrace aggro? — Sept. 2, 2012

I've been testing this deck on Cockatrice, and it's had some success before all the updates but I've run into a couple of R/B burn decks. I'd appreciate it if some people would play test it for me and see how they do, I want to work the kinks out and see what I need to sideboard.

Dredge party! — Aug. 28, 2012

Unburial Rites is too useful to not play it. Bring back the ooze, or a choice Leviathan.

I think Hedron Crab will help me more reliably get my combo pieces where I want them.

In case it's not clear, the ooze needs...

Thornling for haste and trample.

Devoted Druid + Morselhoarder for infinite mana of any color

Myr Propagator allows me to tap to make ooze tokens. For 3 colorless mana.

Devoted Druid untaps the ooze for -1/-1 counters

Quillspike eats my -1/-1 counter and gives him +3/+3 in the process

Death Cultist let's me sac oozes to make an opponent lose one life while I gain one life.

And the engine to put it all together?

Civilized Scholar  Flip +Stinkweed Imp = dredge every one of those creatures into my graveyard. Unless there are fewer than five cards left.

LeaPlath says...

#1

I gotta say, I love this deck. It is clever and intresting, but have you considered running more 1 mana dorks to allow for faster?

April 26, 2013 3:58 a.m.

jminute14 says...

#2

You know, that's a really good idea. The best cards to swap out would probably be the hand disruption I'm thinking.

Turn one Breeding Pool Arbor Elf

Turn two Hedron Crab untap Hedron Crab fetch land for an overgrown tomb, dredge 12, hand disruption.

Turn three fetch for a black source, dredge 12 more, cast or reanimate an ooze, win. Theoretically. A lot of things have to be in the right place but it's doable.

April 26, 2013 10:17 a.m.

LeaPlath says...

#3

Actually, for you, Bird of Paradise will be best.

April 27, 2013 7:45 p.m.

Many of your creature numbers are 1x of, 2x of, and so forth. What REALLY works for you? I suggest you try to improve upon adding towards what works and thin out what doesn't, or even take out the odd numbers to increase what works better. The consistency of your deck will vastly improve...

On another note, there have been a rash of 'Dredgevine' decks that have made Top 8 in Modern tournaments. They utilize a similar strategy. I would highly recommend you take a look at some of those decks.

April 27, 2013 8:25 p.m.

jminute14 says...

#5

@ aeonstoremyliver I completely agree with you, normally. This deck is a combo deck that wins me the game on turn 3-4. Every one or two of is important to doing what the deck does. I could go over it again, but I'd suggest reading the description to see what their functions are intended to be, it's all there.

@ LeaPlath. Birds is the best mana dork out there, but I only own one. Arbor Elf seems to do my job perfectly, but I'm always looking to complete my playset of BoP

April 27, 2013 8:34 p.m.

Yeah, I get that, but even for consistency in the graveyard for Necrotic Ooze you would want more Myr Propagator and so on. Have you thought about Jarad's Orders , Mulch , Grisly Salvage , and Faithless Looting ?

April 27, 2013 8:41 p.m.

jminute14 says...

#7

I have. I don't deny a couple copies of Grisly Salvage would probably do me wonders. What would you take out? I do find between a timely chump block from a Stinkweed Imp a couple of Hedron Crab triggers off of fetch lands, and a recurring Life from the Loam , I don't usually have an issue filling up my graveyard.

I do have some concern about graveyard hate wrecking my singleton Death Cultist and Myr Propagator s though. Thornling and Morselhoarder have been reasonable beaters when it comes to that...god forbid.

April 27, 2013 8:47 p.m.

I was playtesting this against my I Caught the Modern BUG, and with a turn 1 Deathrite Shaman I was able to keep the oozes in check. I know that you have the wide variety of creatures to do their respective jobs, but I think you need at least 1x more Myr Propagator . Maybe take out Death Cultist since he's not as effective unless you can make the infinite tokens?

April 27, 2013 8:49 p.m.

Pithing Needle is an all around tool box sideboard card. I would run 4x of in your sideboard for graveyard hate and such.

I would take out Abrupt Decay , Birthing Pod , Death Cultist ((unless you do the aforementioned comment/suggestion)), and Avacyn's Pilgrim .

I also agree that Arbor Elf should be Birds of Paradise . They should be around $5.00 each...

April 27, 2013 9:04 p.m.

jminute14 says...

#10

@ ChiefWannaHacka...I always make infinite ooze tokens, since unless the propagator gets hated on, the combo goes off the turn the ooze hits the board. I could probably use another copy of him. But I agree Death Cultist and Myr Propagator are not a good creatures in their own, and thats why theyre singletons. I never want to see them until its time to go to combo town. Proper use of a Deathrite Shaman can keep me in check game one, after that "the plan" is to board into a more control build...I'm currently on the fence of whether to simplify this deck and go completely control, with a subtler combo to win; or cut Pod, Abrupt Decay , Havengul Lich and Avacyn's Pilgrim in favor of Grisly Salvage to go all in combo or lose...

April 27, 2013 9:15 p.m.

I would go all combo and sideboard control elements. That way, you'll almost always have game one...

April 27, 2013 9:20 p.m.

jminute14 says...

#12

Ok, made a couple changes. Cut a few singleton "flavor" cards for more practical Birds of Paradise and Grisly Salvage . This deck started with four Pods, and has slowly run out of them. Interesting...

April 27, 2013 9:36 p.m.

jminute14 says...

#13

Would it be a good idea to cut the Phantasmal Image s and put in more one mana accelerators?

April 27, 2013 9:45 p.m.

I'm not as solid with combo decks, but I think you might be fine with mana accelerators.

April 27, 2013 9:56 p.m.

jminute14 says...

#15

Fishbowled nut-draw;

Turn 1: breeding pool, birds of paradise.

Turn 2: tap birds for blue, Hedron crab, tap pool for blue, Hedron crab, fetchland for a black source, dredge 12.

Turn 3: fetchland, pop, cast/Unburial Rites a Necrotic Ooze . Optimally at this point I will have a Devoted Druid , a Morselhoarder and a Thornling , as well as a Civilized Scholar  Flip with a Stinkweed Imp either in the graveyard or my hand. Barring instant speed graveyard hate I win.

April 27, 2013 10:50 p.m.

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TCGPlayer.com price Checkout

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$426.52 $521.56 $718.23
5 missing from calculation
Date added 10 months
Last updated 1 month
Legal formats Commander / EDH, Legacy, Modern, Vintage
Sets
Cards 60
Avg. CMC 2.69

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