Hello there !
This thread is a compendium on all different information I have gathered about Atog builds in the Old School 9394 format. Plenty of information is available on the net, and you can start here :
- http://oldschool-mtg.blogspot.com/p/historik.html
You can also see some of the archetypes of the format (OS9394 is all about photo decklists) here :
- http://www.wak-wak.se/9394/archetypes
On TAPPED OUT, there is a very good page with a lot of such decks you can try them here :
- http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/old-school-9394-compendium
If you want to dig a little more, here are a list of interesting blogs/sites :
- http://www.onedroppers.blogspot.com/p/the-old-school-magic-internet-library.html
You'll notice that there is no cards from Power Nine, nor the most expensive cards of the game (e.g. Library of Alexandria, Bazaar of Baghdad, Juzam Djinn, Mishra's Workshop, ...).
I started to play after Unlimited/Revised and was a college student at the time. After quitting playing Magic for the first time, I sold all my cards. I like playing Magic but still not to the extent of buying the most onerous cards. I concentrate on playing Unpowered and budget-ish decks without sacrificing fun.
I tried my best to make it clear and organized. Also, i'm not a native english speaker so I might be a little difficult to understand sometimes. Don't hesitate if I have to modify someting.
Old School Atog is a deck based on artifacts, direct damage and Atog. The main strategy consists in landing mana, playing artifact, reducing opponent's life and controlling the board, and the quickier possible, attacking with Atog, feeding him all artifacts on board to finish your opponent life points.
The core of the deck is always based on the eponymous Atog, Black Vise, Ankh of Mishra, mana producing artifacts (e.g. a full set of Moxes, Sol Ring and Black Lotus), Lightning Bolt and Mishra's Factory.
In my unpowered version(s), the onerous Moxes and Black Lotus can be replaced by a mix of basic or dual lands, Mana Vaults, and sometimes Fellwar Stones.
CORE CARDS
- 4 Atog : The Eponym creature. It inspired the creation of every atog-type creature since then and is the clear ancestor (at least its spirit remains here) of the now superior Arcbound Ravager - sorry for the anachronism.
- 4 Lightning Bolt : Serves to reduce the total amount of your opponent’s life and permits at the same time controlling creatures on board. In Old School, there is few commonly played creatures that can survive a Lightning Bolt or a Chain Lightning. To resume, it's direct damage, creature removal, finisher. All this for a bargain price of
- 4 Black Vise : When played in the first turn, if you are on the play, that's 3 damage (like previous card), and then when it does nothing, you can sac it to the Atog. Against control, it's punishing when sticking on the board. A win-win card.
- 1 Wheel of Fortune : An accessible Draw7. You’ll probably empty your hand quicker than your opponent’s so you’re likely to break the symmetry of the effect.
- 1 Fireball or Disintegrate (Metagame depending). The first is more polyvalent, allowing you tou divide the damages between creatures to be more efficient. The second is where the metagame is likely to be Sedge Troll heavy.
- 1 Sol Ring : Mana accelerator, artifact that can be sacrified. It's all good.
OPTIONS
- Mana Vault : A very good option because the synergy with Atog. Atog allows you to sacrifice artifacts at any time, so when the pinging sounds to harsh, you have an option to make it stop.
- Fellwar Stone : Good ones to accelerate a bit the game, mainly interesting in aggressive builds where you want to have quickly access to - manas to cast either Juggernaut, Su-Chi, Triskelion or Tetravus.
- Ornithopter : In Old School, Ornithopter cannot really be used for its CC and Flying ability. There is too few options to make it bigger or to take advantage of its cost. Plus, there's really too much artifact hate here.
- Brass Man : It might do the job but you want to maximize your available mana so paying taxes to untap it might not be the better move, altough it provides food for the Atog. You can give him a try.
- Juggernaut : A 5/3 body, but very fragile due to its weakness to artifact hate, direct damage. But cheap to buy and applies a 4-turn pressure when on table.
- Su-Chi : a 4/4 body makes him lightning proof. You can also sacrifice it to your Atog and use the mana it generate to fuel some Fireball or Disintegrate.
- Triskelion : Deals 3 colorless Damage and grants a +2/+2 to the Atog. A deal.
- Tetravus : The good thing with Tetravus (aside from its Flying ability) is that if you split him in 4 pieces, it's a +8/+8 bonus for your attacking Atog.
- Onulet : That's a nice one. Probably good in the sideboard. With Atog, his ability changes almost any time to "If Onulet goes to the graveyard, its controller gains 2 life, and target Atog gains +2/+2 until end of turn OR target player loses 2 life"
- Ashnod's Transmogrant : This little artifact is very useful in the format. In this specific case it allows you to pass over Circle of Protection: Red making your Atog an artifact. Beware those Disenchants now. Combined to some Shatter or Detonate, you can use it to transform an anti-artifact card into a creature removal spell. It also serves as foor for the Atog, granting him a classic +2/+2.
- Glasses of Urza : Peek at your opponent's hand to make sure he has no removal in hand before the final attack.
- Iron Star : If you wanna go tempo, you can have 1 life for each red spell you cast (or that your opponent casts) for . If you don't use it, sacrifice it to the Atog.
- Aeolipile : May be useful in battles with Circle of Protection: Red.
- Copper Tablet : This little artifact is sort of a timer. It grinds slowly your opponent's amount of life (and yours), and can be sacrified to the artifact eater. It kind of accelerates the game.
- Howling Mine : One card more to draw each turn. For you and your opponent. Make sure to break the symetrical effect with a Relic Barrier or an Icy Manipulator.
- Winter Orb : I absolutely love Winter Orb. It synergizes very well with Ankh of Mishra and Black Vise, slowing down the game, and obligating your opponent to play more lands to increase hos development velocity.
- Relic Barrier : That's a good one. Besides being a huge control tool against heavy artifact decks, it breaks symmetry in continuous artifacts effects like the one above.
- Icy Manipulator : The same as Relic Barrier but more expensive to cast, and affects also lands and creatures. A very good tool to control the board.
- 1-4 Strip Mine : Mana denial, uncounterable. A must. Probably play the max allowed in your B/R list.
- 4 Mishra's Factory : Chump blockers, and Artifact Creature that can be sacrified to Atog. A must, and a staple card in Old School. You'll probably want to play less if you go the full direct damage route, with Ball Lightings that needs heavy red mana support.
- 1-2 Hammerheim : Strictly better than a mountain. Play no more than 2-3 because it's legendary.
- 4 Taiga : If you go the way
- 4 Badlands : If you go the way
- 4 Volcanic Island : If you go the way
- 4 Plateau : If you go the way
- 2-4 City of Brass : A good mana producing land, allowing multicolored builds, altough painful if heavily used during the game. Besides its drawback it's an excellent addition because Atog is generally an aggressive deck and doesn't do well in long games.
- Ball Lightning : Up to 6 damage for . Very colored mana intensive but that's worth the try. Synergizes very well with Blood Lust
- Orcish Artillery : Deals more damage to you than your opponent, but it's reusable until removed, once each turn, and I don't know I kinda like this card (it was a lot better back in Alpha : Orcish Artillery.
- Orcish Mechanics : You should take a look a David Chamber's Atog build (Atog Trinket Repair Shop if I'm not wrong). It does approximately the same job as Atog, but slower, and it can do damage without attacking. The main drawback is the unique use per turn and the fragile 1/1 body for 3 CMC.
- Stone Giant : The solution to make your Atog flies : Throw him ! Beware, it dies after the flight.
- Blood Moon : A famous hate card. Punishes opponents to play too many colors, e.g. too many nonbasic/dual lands.
- Blood Lust : Less versatile than Lightning Bolt or Chain Lightning, its is a good complement for surprise, and when you want to go full damage, with a boosted Atog or a Ball Lightning. Synergizes well with Berserk if you splash Green.
- Fork : This one is difficult. It's a dead card on its own, and can be magnificient when duplicating one of your spells for lethal damade, or when copying an opponent's big spell (Ancestral Recall, Mind Twist, Counterspell, etc...). Dont include too much since it needs .
- Chain Lightning : The little brother of Lightning Bolt, but good enough.
- Detonate : This is an interesting card. It can be expensive to play, but you get to do damage as well. Less efficient than Shatter, but potentially more powerful.
- Earthquake : As you play very few creatures, it might be your friend. You deal with all creatures on board and reduce your opponent's total life. It goes well with Atog because he is likely to be huge when you'll attack, so you can destroy adverse creatures as he survives.
- Eternal Flame : An interesting finisher, but probably weaker than Fireball of Disintegrate
- Falling Star : I have not yet tried it, but it might be usefull.
- Fissure : I'm not sure it really is worth it because of its huge casting cost, but versatility has a price.
- Flashfires : Eradicate white mana. One-sided Armageddon againts white based decks.
- Land's Edge : A good way to recycle any superfluous lands, or a way to destroy others Enchant World.
- Red Elemental Blast : A must include in any Red based sideboard to counter counters, and to make sure you impeach your opponent to play cheated cards such as the ones from the Power Nine (Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Timetwister).
- Smoke : If you want to go a little bit Prison-style, it helps you delaying huges waves of weenies attacks. You'll probably have only one creature, so it will not be a symetrical effect.
- Shatter : Artifact removal. Cheap, efficient. A fair trade.
- Shatterstorm : A good way to anihilate all your opponent's artifacts. Make sure you sacrifice all yours to the Atog before.
BUILDS VARIATIONS
The basic idea is to cast the earliest possible on agressive artifact creatures
Atog works well with the classic Old school Prison Package. You can add core prison strategy to you base core, and go more spicy with Meekstones, Smokes, maindeck Blood Moons.
SPLASHES
- 1 Mind Twist : Heavy hitter hand disruption. Some people agree to don't play with this card.
- 1 Demonic Tutor :Lets you search your library for any card at a very fair (low) cost.
- 3-4 Gloom : Basic hate enchantment against White. Mainly aims at classical white spells (Swords to Plowshares, Disenchant) and Circle of Protection: Red.
- 2-4 Sedge Troll : Could have been the Uthden Troll in monored, but this one is way better. 3/3 for 3 CMC is very good in Old School. And regeneration is a useful ability. This creature sticks on the board, chump-blocks, and can do the beatdown before Atog finish.
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4 Badlands :
4 Kird Ape : The second best one-drop creature of the format.
2-4 Berserk : Sounds like a Hulk Smash strategy (remember that deck from Old Type 1 (Vintage) ?). It allows you to sac less artifacts and have sort of an escape capacity through trample.
2-3 Avoid Fate : Protect your Berserked Atog.
2-4 Sylvan Library : Library manipulation, last chance drawer. Very useful card.
1 Regrowth : Going unpowered weakens a bit the effect, but you always can go for a deceased Atog, for a useful Disenchanted artifact, a destroyed land, or simply use it to get a second +2/+2 from the same artifact.
2-3 Titania's Song : A good MVP for this deck. Make sure all your artifacts attack in the same turn as your Atog before sacrificing them. Kills your opponent moxes.
4 Taiga :
3-4 Counterspell / Flash Counter : If you want to go more control and be able to securize your Atog attack when you go all-out. Flash counter is probably good too, because of the mana cost, lighter in cost.
2-4 Blue Elemental Blast : A must in the sideboard, against all based decks.
3-4 Energy Flux : It may be counterproductive but may save your life against powered decks that are much less vulnerable to Ankh of Mishra, Winter Orb, Blood Moon .
4 Serendib Efreet : A very good creature, efficient AND flying. One of the very best ones in the Old school format.
2-4 Psionic Blast : Another direct damage / creature removal spell. Easy to cast, painful, but efficient. It also is the main remover for Serra Angels, Su-Chis, or other 4 toughness creatures that are unsensible to Lightning Bolt.
1 Braingeyser : X draw spells are always good to replenish your empty hand. The main drawback is the base cost and that means you'll need to run some City of Brass to make sure you can cast it (it's also true when you run Counterspells
1-2 Hurkyl's Recall : Against workshop decks, or special tech to return Mana Vaults in hand, of Winter Orbs, or a 0 counter Triskelion, ...
4 Volcanic Island :
SIDEBOARDING Show
Not yet, but one day !
Content goes here
On Lockatog : http://www.oldschoolarena.com/2018/07/16/decktalk-lockatog/
Report with Atog in N00bCon 11 : https://endofturndrawacard.wordpress.com/2019/04/22/almost-getting-there-again-n00bcon-11/
to be continued...
