Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - Toolbox Control
Viewing the list
I'm not sure how the default view works, but I'm assuming it's showing "Custom View", if not please Change to that.
There are a total of 35 lands. If you want to see them all in one place change to Type View. I may just end up Creating a "Utility Lands" category instead.
Before I built the deck
I have a large collection and I have been playing for quite some time. Deckbuilding from scratch is not one of my strengths. Another weakness I have is when a deck is almost finished, I can't figure out what really needs to stay, go, and what I'm missing. Once it is built, I am great at testing and tweaking, and my list, even if it started out as a near copy of another list, will usually be around 25-35 cards different. Staples, "Good Stuff", and synergistic cards are usually the same.
I use MTG Salvation to get ideas then I go to MetaMox and EDHrec to figure out what cards should go into the deck. I try to look for something that isn't common, a deck idea or a card. There was one particular forum post about Bitter Ordeal. I played it like I do almost every deck that peaked my interest, I didn't like the card choices, but I liked some of the ideas.
What I want this deck to do and not do
I want to play, win, and not feel bad about it. The social contract ends at deckbuilding. If it is my deck, and it is available for me to play, then do so without holding back. If I feel bad about a win, I take out the cause of the problem (most of the time, I can't bring myself to remove Chainer, Dementia Master. Without further ado, A LIST:
Want
- Consistancy
- Inevitability
- Control
- High amount of synergy
- Opponents to enjoy losing to this deck
Don't Want
- Long Turns
- Hard/Soft Locks
- Non-interactive Combos
Building the deck
I will typically create 7-9 categories depending on the decks color(s) and the theme of the deck. These are almost universal for any deck I play. Here they are for this deck:
- Card Draw
- Sign in blood and Night's Whispers are fine, but don't do enough for me.
- Ramp
- Tutor
- I don't want to be tutoring for the same card every time, just the tool I need at the moment
- Recursion
- Black does well here, for creatures at least
- Mass Removal
- I wanted to ensure I could kill the indestructable cards, although it hasen't been a problem
- Targeted Removal
- Supposed to be cheaper and instant speed
- Lifegain
- Good black abilities come at a cost, I need a way to mitigate
- Toolbox
- For cornercase situations, where staples don't work, and also surprises the hell out of them
- Synergy
- These are intended to work with my commander or part of the deck strategy
Wincon
Almost forgot to put this one in.
When I build decks it seems that there is one strategy that comes out ahead of the others and I end up playing the deck to that end more often than not. I want to change this.
I can't explain why I hate certain decks and strategies well. I will say this, I want to play. I would like to win, yes, but I would rather have an interactive game that everyone can participate and where their deck does what it is designed to do. I just may wrath before you can kill someone, I want that opportunity, and I want others to have that opportunity. That doesn't happen with a turn 3 combo.
My deck wins with a combo. It's getting boring. It's staying in because I always have a kill switch, especially after an hour of play. This combo isn't easy to assemble, with the combo god hand I'll be dead before I get it online. The idea of the deck is to play what I draw and tutor for answers, not the combo. I need new ways to win besides this. If you haven't figured out the combo, here it is: It requires my commander to not be in the command zone, or at lease castable from there
- card:Phyrexian Alter
- ETB like Sidisi or Rune-Scarred Demon to fetch Blood Artist or similar, I have won with Massacre Wurm
- A total of 5 creatures besides my commander
- Living Death
- requires that opponents have nothing that would throw a wrench into the cycle by their ETB or death triggers
This is harder to pull off then it looks. I get this about 1/2 the games I play, and even then I'll have to wait until certain players are out of the game before I can go through the loop. I had a 4 player game where I had to wait until it was me and 1 other opponent, I wouldn't be able to do it successfully prior to that.
Major changes prior to this list
OUT
- Kokusho, the Evening Star and Gray Merchant of Asphodel
- With my mainstay of Chainer, Dementia Master and a Sac outlet this looked a little like: ", pay 3 life: Gain 15 life" I took out Kokusho, and Gary was much much worse. With Chainer on the field, it's a minimum of what Kokusho will do
- Deserted Temple
- Works Great with Cabal Coffers But I want Rings of Brighthearth because it works with so many other cards. I do not want an easy "oops, I win". This infinite mana loop with the 3 cards usually is a win due to the fact that I will recur every black card from my graveyard with my general
- Torment of Hailfire
- This by itself is a combo. I always aim to build my resources, and with this deks means enough mana to kill the board easier than with an card:Exsanguniate
- Death Cloud
- I can't get this card right. I want to be able to destroy enough lands that certain commanders can't be cast again. Zacama, Primal Calamity is at the top of that list.
Whats left?
I'm satisfied with where the deck is at the moment, but I would like the deck to play slightly more different. I did make a ton of changes to the deck already, the ones listed above were just ones I'd like to play but I won't due to what I want this deck to do.
- Tighten my categories up a bit
- Remove staples for 'almost as good' replacements Sensei's Divining Top for Crystal Ball
- Play my hand and not need to rely on tutors, which are sorcery speed anyway. I don't want an answer too late. I'm usually proactive at the toolbox cards Sudden Spoiling being my favorite go-to
- I want to break the color pie more, cast spells that other people look at and go, wait, what. I have to update this list because I have now included Darkness
- I want the deck to win with different cards, or strategies, say, 5 to 9 ways
- I want the deck to be more synergistic. I like to include cards if it works well with at least 6 other cards, chances are, Ill see those
Changes:
5/11
out:
Pox, Bitterblossom, Phyrexian Tower
In:
Sign in Blood, Night's Whisper, Cabal Stronghold
