Pox -
A modern take on a classic control deck that uses an aggressive resource denial strategy. It also uses low damage win conditions to make a long and painful game.
Control
Inquisition of Kozilek is a great discard spell for this deck. The converted mana cost drawback is not an issue due to how heavily this deck goes after the opponents mana.
Hymn to Tourach
has long been considered the most powerful discard spell ever printed. It is a 2-for-1 spell that forces a random discard which is brutal.
Smallpox is the improved version of the decks namesake card,
Pox
. Although it allows both players to choose what they sacrifice and discard, it still gets a lot of value. Like many spells in this deck, although they may be symmetrical in theory, having the choice of when to cast the card can make a huge difference.
Innocent Blood gets an opponents creature for a single black.
Sinkhole can destroy any one land, including basics. It is very powerful and fits very nicely in this deck.
Wasteland
only destroys nonbasic lands but does it for the cheap cost of a land drop. Fortunately, most competitive legacy decks run a lot of them.
Liliana of the Veil is easily one of the strongest planeswalkers that has ever been printed and does exactly what this deck wants to do. Forcing discard and creature removal as well as having a pretty easy ultimate to get to given how much the deck slows the game down.
Nether Void
might be the cruelest card in the deck. It is a hard lock for the opponent as long the pox player is ahead on the board. It essentially just stops the game and any strategy that the opponent could use to come back.
Win Conditions:
Nether Spirit
is the only creature in the deck but can do quite a bit of work. It can be used as a blocker every turn, or be discarded with Liliana of the Veil for a free creature on the next turn.
Mishra's Factory can get around creature sacrificing effects while being bot
Cursed Scroll
uses the symmetrical discard effects to its advantage by providing consistent damage once the board in stabilized.
Toolbox:
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth makes Mishra's Factory and
Wasteland
tap for black mana which takes a lot of the stress off of the manabase by making it possible to sacrifice swamps with smallpox.
Dark Ritual speeds up the initial resource destruction and allows some recovery from the
Nether Void
if needed. Turn one Liliana of the Veil is a good way to start.
Sensei's Divining Top works in conjuction with Polluted Delta to help control draws.
Crucible of Worlds serves many purposes in this deck that include: reusing fetch lands when needed for Sensei's Divining Top, being bouncing back from mana removal, getting back Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth when its needed on the board, replaying a Mishra's Factory when it has chump blocked or fallen prey to removal, discarding a land to Liliana of the Veil and playing it the same turn, or getting continual access to wasteland to completely stagnate the opponent.
Sideboard:
Leyline of the Void deals with decks that can take advantage of the large graveyard this deck provides. This includes Reanimator, Dredge, and decks running cards like Tarmogoyf and
Treasure Cruise
.
Ensnaring Bridge is a great answer to very creature heavy decks, or those running creatures like
Griselbrand
and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
Engineered Plague beats Elves, Goblins, and Young Pyromancer decks.
Toxic Deluge can kill whatever is needed for a reasonable cost.
Damnation just kills everything.
Pithing Needle shuts down important cards in a wide range of decks.
Trinisphere offers a similar effect nethervoid it is useful against decks that try to cast a lot of free spells like Storm, Elves, or UR Delver.
Check out my other legacy decks!
Miracles
Pox
Death and Taxes
Elves
Burn
