Maybeboard


Based on https://archidekt.com/decks/2475940#Spider_Spawning. Turned into an immortal recursion deck.

The rough concept's to whittle your own deck down and bring back what you need while profiting off the fact that you've done so. I'm not sure if it counts as a toolbox deck when you rely on mill instead of searching, but without spending an arm and a leg on something like Fiend Artisan, it's the closest I've seen.

Depending on where things like Genesis and Winding Way are price-wise, you'll probably have to tinker with editions to get something actually under 10USD.

  • Augur of Skulls: It's not targeted hand disruption, but two cards out of their hand and a creature in my grave isn't so bad. It seriously improves desperate odds against control matchups when it and the mana required're in your opening hand.
  • Splinterfright: Threat on multiple axes. Even if all it does it sit and discourage an opponent's swing, number go up. That said, number go up when you've already reset with a Loaming Shaman, and you're trying to close the game, that mandatory auto-mill can lower the number of turns between each reset.
  • Stinkweed Imp: Very useful against all archetypes. Dredge advances your boardstate in a way control can't control, and it fairly reliably removes or deters threats from more aggressive decks.
  • Shriekmaw: Comparable to a Doomblade at sorcery speed, stapled to a creature. Interaction with teeth. I very rarely cast this for anything other than its evoke cost, but the option's there.
  • Ravenous Chupacabra: More mana hungry and an almost useless body, but it makes sure I have the option to reach the things Shriekmaw can't. Making either a two-of reduces the deck's flexibility for next to no gain in consistency.
  • Spore Frog: Slow things down or force expenditure of removal, then make something else better. If all else fails, you can initiate a loop of recursing one for 2GG, but that rarely ends well if the opposition has noncombat damage or alternative win-cons. Even if they don't, you get stuck 'milling' them out by reducing their game to draw-go without the counterspells.
  • Shigeki, Jukai Visionary: Body, ramp, mill and recursion all in one. Very important.
  • Vilespawn Spider: Creature that mills, blocks fliers and spams tokens.
  • Merfolk Secretkeeper: Nice, cheap blocker and good reach into the top of your deck. You could use the 1U version that's only vulnerable to counterspells once, but I figured I could wait until one of those turns I'm going to have a random blue mana leftover.
  • Syr Konrad, the Grim: It's not lifeloss, but it really does help with fog and a clogged board. It also turns Loaming Shaman and Genesis + Spore Frog into potential wins instead of mere delay.
  • Loaming Shaman: Deckout insurance that's easily recursed.
  • Reclusive Taxidermist: Ramp and fixing early, and a decent threat later. No mill, but colorless in one of your less dominant colors isn't super amazing, either.
  • Genesis: Very fitting card. Paying before your draw means you're going to have to think your turn through ahead of time, but it's better than the pseudo-draw something like Deadbridge Chant offers, ignoring that it can accidentally your only Genesis onto the field. Making this a two-of is less about recursing multiples, and more about getting it where it needs to be more consistently. Shigeki, Jukai Visionary is generally less inefficient for large-scale recursion.
  • Kraul Foragers: Extremely inefficient, compared to Gnaw to the Bone, but it's counts as a creature in the grave and is thus easier to recurse when you're not in a position to flash something like that back.
  • Colossal Skyturtle: Less useful bounce ability on its own, but I rarely use it. It's a nice bonus that lets me reuse ETB triggers, meaning I don't need to count on an opponent destroying my permanents to get more out of them. The really cool part is the unrestricted recursion for 2G while itself being a creature in the grave.
  • Cankerbloom: Utility creature that can make life miserable for some matchups or just remove pesky items like Coat of Arms from the equation. Having only one copy isn't too terrible since I can usually just bring it back, once I find it, but it's still definitely something you're going to want to board extras of in if you expect artifacts and enchants to be a big deal. I prefer this to Caustic Caterpillar. It feels less useless when it's only as valuable as its stats, and 1 is easier to hold open than 1G.
  • Overcharged Amalgam: Flyer and counterspell stapled to a body. One of those just-in-case deals. Convenient that it has exploit.
  • Urborg Lhurgoyf: Being able drop more cheaply and do something by its resolution, its role is somewhat different from Splinterfright. More of an early blocker than a game closer.

  • Winding Way: Mulch, but better. Lets you feed your graveyard and draw.
  • Gnaw to the Bone: Often makes the difference in living long enough to start dropping larger or more numerous creatures. Some decks that might've whittled you down under other circumstances just can't deal with 40 life.
  • Yahenni's Expertise: Pretty solid value. Sometimes only as good as SBA on the Stinkweed Imp you cast with it to mill five next draw.

What I wouldn't do for surveil, or even better, thriving lands in Modern.

  • Memorial to Folly: Just an on-theme black land. I would drop it for another Dakmor Salvage if budget permitted.
  • Ipnu Rivulet: Fairly cheap mill, if you can't draw anything relevant. The pain option's questionable in this deck, but you need what you need, and it doesn't enter tapped, so that's good. Since lands and abilities're hardened against counterspells, boarding in three more of these and running no islands could be key to getting off the ground against control. Once you've got your grave stocked, you can just play most spells again next turn, but getting there when every relevant spell's countered's going to take longer than is tenable. The pain from no basics is mitigated by the fact that this is a response to control, which by definition is going to hand you initiative and not spend many resources attacking your life before it's finished setting up.

Most anything containing keywords Transmute, Surveil, Mill, Undergrowth, Channel, Threshold, Bloodrush, Evoke or Delirium was considered.

  • Ashiok, Dream Render: If you can live with spending a dollar, I can not recommend this card highly enough. Three mana for up to a third of your library in the grave, while denying the opponent all tutors, including land fetches. It also empties the opponent's grave, but that's an afterthought, here. The apathy to control alone, nevermind the efficiency and hate makes it valuable.
  • Laboratory Maniac: A direct win with less baggage required to do what needs done than Loaming Shaman, but I find it less interesting.
  • Undercity Informer: Immense potential in a deck with a greater share of black mana and possibly even fewer lands, if one were to run something like Birds of Paradise.
  • Willow Geist: Don't know where I stand on this. The lifegain and trample are very useful, but the trigger isn't unbound. In all fairness, I don't usually recurse more than one card at a time, anyway. I would be much more open to it if something like Bojuka Bog turned into a double-or-nothing wincon, though. It would even protect the deck from its kryptonite. No one would want to exile your grave if you're going to get something big out of it. Honestly, that's probably why it's so restricted. Dredge is dredge, and with something that prevents one of two kinds of hate I'm aware of from functioning, it'd be a nightmare.
  • World Shaper: Really cool, but I don't have much trouble getting all my lands on the board, once I've hit three or so, anyway. It's a slow deck, so I can usually afford to wait while the opponent burns out or at least gets slowed down enough for my own board to stabilize. I guess you could use it to deter creature offensives.
  • Gurmag Drowner: It's so close, yet so far. This being 2U for even an 0/1 without flash would be miles preferable to its instant counterpart for the simple fact it's a creature.
  • Devourer of Memory: I really do like this card, but it's aggressive in a slow deck. Too little support to make it work. Also a bad mana cost for my mostly-green base. It'd probably be fine, if not for that.
  • Cabal Therapist: Much more repeatable than Augur of Skulls, but generally less powerful. You could empty their hand over successive turns, but that's true of the alternative. Without prior casts or knowledge, it's basically nothing but the chance to look at their hand.
  • Countervailing Winds: A relatively cheap and fitting guarantee, but it's not a creature.
  • Psychic Spiral: XD
  • Night Incarnate: What I wouldn't sign for this printed in modern. Instantly drop any other boardwipe for ever. Easier casting cost than the usual XBB and more easily recursed by being a creature.
  • Deathbonnet Sprout  : Nothing amazing, but it's the second-most fitting grave hose. Even a creature, so it fits better. Not very powerful, though. Not being activated and at unrestricted times pretty much dooms you against any combo that can wait.
  • Murderous Rider: Decent removal. Unrestricted, pain aside. Even that's likely to pay for itself.
  • Mythos of Brokkos: Super cool, but that casting cost. I can do it, just not reliably enough to spend a creature slot on it.
  • Skyfisher Spider: Easier casting cost than 2BB, but the restriction on the removals super bad.
  • Fiend Artisan, Hell's Caretaker: I think it'd be a neat homage to Recurring Survival, but it's a little different to what this deck's trying to do.
  • Mirrorshell Crab: I'm probably biasd against counterspells in general, but I feel like it's easier to recurse an answer that says 'destroy' after it becomes relevant than sit on a worthless counterspell until the game's progressed beyond its ability to tax an opponent. I should probably run at least one copy of Overcharged Amalgam just to stick it to Bojuka Bog and similar cards, but it's a pain to find a spot.
  • Seer of the Last Tomorrow: Mostly useful in the context of dredge, but it's nice to be able to pitch random lands or Genesis.
  • Think Twice: Also for dredge.

Suggestions

Updates Add

Comments

Attention! Complete Comment Tutorial! This annoying message will go away once you do!

Hi! Please consider becoming a supporter of TappedOut for $3/mo. Thanks!


Important! Formatting tipsComment Tutorialmarkdown syntax

Please login to comment

95% Casual

Competitive

Date added 1 year
Last updated 1 year
Key combos
Legality

This deck is Modern legal.

Rarity (main - side)

10 - 0 Rares

18 - 0 Uncommons

17 - 0 Commons

Cards 60
Avg. CMC 2.82
Tokens Insect 1/1 G
Folders Budget
Votes
Ignored suggestions
Shared with
Views