Dealing with The current Standard
DarkEndLight, 9 years ago
So the last FNM, I've noticed quite a few things. I'll start off with what's good what's good with the deck: Alms of the Vein and Fiery Temper are the go to discard cards for madness. Why? They are an easy 1 madness cost, with good effects to hit your opponent with for 3 damage. Second, is that Liliana, Heretical Healer Flip is one of the best cards with synergy in this deck. When combined with how fast creatures will die, or just blocking with her and Insolent Neonate, then sacrificing Neonate to flip Liliana, she is very good. Especially since her +2 is "Each player discards a card," which hurts the opponents, but allows you to further your madness deck.
Now for the bad. The current Standard focuses around White decks and their ability to populate the field. The deck does run Fiery Temper and Lightning Axe, but it may not be enough removal. This especially rings true when they drop their Archangel of Tithes on turn 4. So let's go over some sideboard cards for this deck in particular:
Dual Shot: Yes! This card looks like it sucks at first, but if it's in your opening hand, it may be the greatest defense you have against White. Why? Look at the cards they are likely to drop turn one and two: Dragon Hunter, Expedition Envoy, Kytheon, Hero of Akros Flip, Town Gossipmonger Flip, Consul's Lieutenant, Dromoka Warrior and maybe even an Unruly Mob. This card is good for early removal, and will help take out opponent's small creatures before they become a problem. Even if they play Thalia's Lieutenant, at least you'll be able to remove Thalia's Lieutenant before it pumps itself. So at the very least, you are getting at least one card, unless they play two Thraben Inspectors. And since you are playing it at instant speed, you can play it during their turn, if you're on the draw. Though there are a few better removal cards for some tougher cards:
Dead Weight: Instrad never fails to disappoint, and this card works well at early game removal as well. This card helps remove cards such as Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit, Hanweir Militia Captain Flip, Knight of the White Orchid, Whatever Thalia's Lieutenant has pumped, and if it gets pumped itself once, Thraben Inspector, and Topan Freeblade. This card only hits one card, but is good early game removal. If it doesn't remove the card, At least it significantly weakens their card.
Grasp of Darkness: Perhaps the next best card for two mana is Grasp of darkness. It helps remove cards that are out of reach for Dead Weight to kill, such as Archangel Avacyn Flip. This card is a bit better for late game as well, since They may have already pumped some cards. This card is also just a good card in general against creature decks.
Rending Volley: A great one red Mana for single removal. Since a white deck will only be playing white, this is basically a guarenteed kill, and also helps remove Avacyn before flip.
Ultimate Price: This card is great for two, and helps with removing Archangel of Tithes - The only card which stops both Drana, Liberator of Malakir, Olivia, Mobilized for War, and Heir to the Night Flip dead in their tracks. This card is needed against any white deck.
Sinister Concoction: This card may be better or worse than Ultimate price, depending on your opinion, and can work as a replacement if you don't have Ultimate Price. On one hand, You can also leave it on the field, and resolve it at any time you want. It also allows you to active madness, because you need to discard a card, and you also can destroy non-mono colored creatures. On the other hand, You need to pay a life. And in a race with a white deck, that could mean the difference between winning and losing. Furthermore, you need to discard a card. And in a top deck game, it probably isn't the best to top deck into this card. Overall, I would most likely go with Ultimate Price, but do not rule this card out.
To the Slaughter or Ruinous Path: The former has easily become one of my favorite removal cards. This card forces your opponent sacrifice a creature or planeswalker. And if you have delirium active, they need to sacrifice both. This is one of the only ways to deal with Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, or Gideon, Battle-Forged Flip, if he flipped. Ruinous Path allows you to be more selective, but only removes one. I would most likely choose To the Slaughter.
Flaying Tendrils or Languish: These are both cards very high on the mana curve, and should only be used in case of an emergency. Both work well as a board wipe, in case your board has just been removed (which is likely, with Stasis Snare and Declaration in Stone running around), and can turn the game around. Flaying Tendrils is a bit weak to be casting on turn 3, but a turn 4 Languish would most likely cripple your opponent, with the exception of Archangel of Tithes. This card should be used only to catch up, and will definitely catch your opponent off guard. Give both choices, I would probably go with Languish.
This is all the good possible removal I could think of for this deck. As stated before, the biggest threat is Archangel of Tithes. Remove her from the field with a Lightening Axe, Sinister Concoction or Ultimate Price ASAP. She absolutely destroys beat down decks, and with Always Watching, she becomes near impossible to beat, since your cards can't swing back next turn, unless you play Stensia Masquerade for some counter balance to give everything first strike and +1/+1 counters as well. With no possible way to remove enchantments in red/black, She is the one card which needs to be killed. The one thing to remember about this deck is that you have 24 on in deck damage with Fiery Temper and Alms of the Vein. In a long term game, you will most likely win. You can add Call the Bloodline, Chandra, Flamecaller, or Exquisite Firecraft if you anticipate a longer game, or just want to burn them to death, but that's up to you at that point.
Trying new things update
DimirAgent8, 9 years ago
Hey guys! Right now I'm trying turning this into a sort of uw gifts tron, so any comments or critiquing would be especially helpful during this time! Thanks!
Out: Descent into Madness. In: Creeping Dread.
JackSlack, 9 years ago
Feels more fun and immediate, Descent takes too long to get on the board and become annoying.
FNM 2-1
Alx.aQua, 9 years ago
This was the second standardevent with the deck, it was fun and I learn alot and have made some changes to the deck. 0-1 Esper Control. Really feel that control-matchup is the hardest one so far. In this game we traded 1 for 1 a long time, nothing stayed on the board very long, he also had some counters witch i had a hard time playing around. The game went on for a loooong time until he casted Ulamog and i had no answer. 2-0 B/W control. Younger guy on a budget, yet he played well but with all my transgress the mind and my 3 Duress in the second game I could read his plays so often that i hade an huge advantage. Won one of the matches with ormendahl, that was fun. 2-0 G/W humans. In the first game I drew languish in time to stop his advance and after that he could not come back. Second game I brought in more sweepers and came out on top without much struggle. Conclusion: The deck does well against Midrange and decent against aggro but has a harder time against control-decks. Have adjusted the sideboard a little and also added in some stasis snares against targets that the grasp could not reach. As a resault I also took out the fleshbags and took in 2 wasteland strangler.
call_me_god32, 9 years ago
cole178393, 9 years ago
izo123, 9 years ago
This deck wins fast with a possible turn 2 kill, but in the sideboard you can adjust it to be a weird dredge deck and in your first game you can still win even if you don't storm kill them you have golgari grave trolls.
cole178393, 9 years ago
cole178393, 9 years ago
cole178393, 9 years ago
cole178393, 9 years ago
Aggro beat down
gdscheibe, 9 years ago
Three of my four rounds were against Aggro, and they absolutely destroyed my decks, so I'm going to have to make some changes.
Sourcebeam, 9 years ago
Mainboard changes
GreenIsBae, 9 years ago
Swapped out 4 Orator of Ojutai for 4 Hanweir Militia Captain Flip. I felt the Orator's draw clause was too inconsistent, often times just being an 0/4 flyer that didn't do much against midgame threats that could go right past it.
Hanweir Militia Captain Flip seems like the right choice, being able to attack and make more tokens once we have 4 or more creatures, which is not hard at all in this deck. Transforming into Westvale Cult Leader Flip will also make it a threat on its own.
Barthas, 9 years ago
Removing Raving Dead and Vengeful Pharoh for Diregraf Colossus and Relentless Dead Nested Ghoul and Dread Slaver are turning into Lifeline and Living Death.
The Company of Wolves
TheGameMaster85, 9 years ago
So I have been mulling this over for some time now. I'm not quite sure how I feel about adding Collected Company so if you like it +1 and if you don't let me know and i can bring back the old deck.
...Need Removal
Nightdragon779, 9 years ago
Splashing white for Path to Exile. Replaced Surgical Extraction. I find exiling a creature much more useful right now.
Reset comments
Salaar, 9 years ago
-4x Sin Prodder +4x Radiant Flames -2x Grasp of Darkness +2x Painful Truths
Testing out a more boardcleary approach.
More Changes! New Combo Finish
unfluffable, 9 years ago
After reading up on the interaction between Tomorrow and Lab Man--I had convinced myself that they impeded on each other, when the opposite is true--it was an easy choice to put in the Maniac for an easy draw-deck-and-win finish with Blue Sun's Zenith. Including Enter the Infinite and Omniscience afterward was a logical decision, as both have additional favorable interactions with Possessed Portal. I had to make some tough cuts to wedge them in here! Timetwister is out for Day's Undoing at the moment, because I want this list to more closely reflect what I have in real life. The only real loss here is the interaction with Consecrated Sphinx. At this point, the biggest worry I have is my nonbasic land count. I might have to axe a few underpreformers so that Back to Basics is more one-sided, though I wanted to refrain cuts until I see how cards like Boseiju, Cavern and Nykthos interact with my new additions.
