8-Rack is surprisingly cheap in this format since
Liliana, Waker of the Dead
is only about $5 currently compared to the whopping $52
Liliana of the Veil
you'd need in Modern.
Thoughtseize
is the most expensive piece (and even still kind of cheap right now thanks to its reprint in Double Masters) and also very hard to replace.
Duress
is the first obvious choice, but
Despise
is also one to consider, you just need to think about your personal meta. However, I think control is going to be pretty big after the recent banning of
T3feri
, so I'm just using
Duress
right now. When you do upgrade though, bump it to four
Thoughtseize
and drop an
Elderfang Disciple
,
Duress
is just a bit too conditional for me to care to run the full playset.
Next is
Castle Locthwain
, trying a playset currently since, again, control is the new hot thing it seems so hitting a card draw engine/mana sink to gain some advantage in the late game is important. But if you're working your way towards a stock list, two is a good number to start out with.
In the sideboard
Collective Brutality
replaces
Gifted Aetherborn
since it just claps Burn, Feather, and Arcanist.
Pithing Needle
to replace
Sorcerous Spyglass
is next. Everything else is super subjective in the sideboard but those two are a must if your meta calls for it. Also, if you're meta has more creature-based aggro than burn,
Gifted Aetherborn
is actually better since it can just stonewall attacks, and I also really like
Nighthawk Scavenger
since our discard can make it grow.
This pile is made to slap control in the main and still be able to fight some aggressive decks, but gets far better against aggro post board. If your meta has more aggro than control, I'd recommend using
Despise
instead of
Duress
or even
Divest
since it can take cards like
Embercleave
and
The Great Henge
. Two to three
Languish
/
Extinction Event
in the main wouldn't hurt either against an aggressive meta.
Here's a link for the upgraded list I'm currently running for those of you who care to take a look: Pioneer 8-Rack
