mtg, mtg cards, magic the gathering, gaming, geeks
Main Idea:
This second edition in my Perfection series of standard budget decks, combines the cipher and extort mechanics to exude constant pressure on the opponent. Extorting will serve as the main win condition for this deck, and I believe will be sustainable and reliable in competitive Standard MTG.
Key Aspects:
For those of you who have seen my first Perfection deck, Perfection of Milling, it was far from perfect when I first built it. It is not yet perfect, nor will it ever be, but it is competitive, even against some of the top decks out there. This deck is in same position, and will rely on your comments to become competitive. With that said, as always,
All suggestions, comments, and +1's are welcome!
The following changes have been made following the release of Dragon's Maze. They will be in the form "old card ---> new card"
Due to a lack of performance (and many people have advocated for this), I've decided to drop Crypt Ghast for the time being.
In its place, I have added Dark Favor . I am open to other suggestions though.
Due to inconsistencies and troubles in playtesting, I have made the following changes:
Remove:
Add:
Special thanks to hawgdriver, x8bitGangsta, and w999 for all of the advice! And thanks to everyone who has helped me evolve this deck!
Hidden Strings isn't really comparable to Hands of Binding . Hands will keep one threat locked down for good, but Hidden Strings will not.
@ zandl -- Wow, I'm stupid. I completely forgot about that part of Hands of Binding . Thank you for pointing that out! Do you think Hidden Strings is even worth it then? Tapping permanents on my turn, after combat, is not very effective in most situations...
That's why I don't like that card. You need to hit your opponent to use, but you'd have to get through blockers first. And after combat, what is there to really tap? You can't even ramp with it unless you float mana during your combat phase, untap your own lands, and then tap those for more mana and cast an Instant.
@ zandl -- I've been having some good success with ciphering onto Invisible Stalker , so getting through usually isn't a problem. However, as you said, Hidden Strings doesn't have any real use, so I don't think I'll be adding it. Again, thank you for pointing out my stupidity.
On a side note, does dropping Shadow Slice for Pontiff of Blight sound like a good change?
I've never been a Cipher to begin with. The Pontiff is okay, but aren't there better finisher in Standard, like AEtherling ?
@ zandl -- I'm going to assume that you mean that you've never liked cipher? I can completely see that - I wanted to try to incorporate something that most people wouldn't expect me to use though. And I do like AEtherling over Pontiff of Blight , but from a budget standpoint, the Pontiff is more appealing. I was hoping to keep this deck under $50 using the TCG mid-range prices.
@ tempest -- The sideboard is :P I've deleted it for now.
Oh... My goal is for the mainboard to be under $50.... I think AEtherling might have just found a spot.
Have some reading to do, I'll be back on this in ~1 hour
Yeah. AEtherling is only about $4 right now.
@ zandl -- Definitely finding a spot for it. Should I drop the Shadow Slice s for it? I'm also considering changing the Basilica Screecher s out for Kingpin's Pet , just to even out the curve a little. Thoughts?
Shadow Slice is just win-more. If you can Cipher that powerful of a spell onto a creature and connect to your opponent, aren't you already winning the game?
I don't really have any qualms with changing the Pet to the Bat, ... but wouldn't Blind Obedience just be better than both?
@ zandl -- Very true - I take that as Shadow Slice isn't all that necessary? I'm going to change out the Bat for the Pet to even out the mana curve. Right now it's extremely heavy on two-drops. That, and the price of Blind Obedience both contribute to why I have not added it - in my playgroup, it is more of a luxury to have out than a necessity.
But it's just $3.
... or is that still too much?
If it is, then Basilica Screecher is alright.
@ zandl -- well. I thought it was still around $6 a piece... Woops. How many would you suggest adding? I never thought more than two was necessary. Also, I think the messed up mana curve is still a little worrisome.
just remember that if you blink AEtherling , a ciphered Hands of Binding will fall off
| Date added | 2 months |
| Last updated | 1 day |
| Legal formats | Commander / EDH, Extended, Legacy, Modern, Standard, Vintage |
| Sets | |
| Cards | 60 |
| Avg. CMC | 2.76 |
| Top rank | #4 on 2013-03-24 |
Embed code |
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| +2 | AEtherling | main |
| +4 | Kingpin's Pet | main |
| -4 | Basilica Screecher | main |
| -2 | Shadow Slice | main |
ducttapedeckbox says...
Dragons Maze Discussion
I ultimately wanted to wait to view the DGM cards until after I had played with them in person. However, waiting for the past few weeks has been painful, and with a date for me to even get some of the cards still waiting to be determined, I have decided to go ahead with and initiate the DGM discussion on this deck. Below I will list the cards that might have a place in the deck (and those that I dont think have a place), discuss what I like/dont like about them, and possible replacements off the top of my head. I hope that these additions will only solidify the deck. I appreciate any input, and hope to hear any suggestions. Without further ado, let the discussion begin!
Have I forgotten anything? I think right now, Tithe Drinker is a definite replacement for Syndic of Tithes , and Pontiff of Blight would be amazing. What do I remove for him though? Im open to ANY suggestions and/or comments!
May 14, 2013 3:34 p.m.