I am a Modern and Commander/EDH player trying to get into Legacy; but how?
Legacy forum
Posted on July 23, 2015, midnight by Hashtag-Netdeck
Right now, I am fascinated by the Legacy format and enjoy both combo decks as well as "fair" decks, if you will. Personally, I am interested in "Esper/WUBG Stoneblade", "ANT (Ad Nauseam Tendrils)", and "Doomsday (specifically the Emrakul, the Aeons Torn + Shelldock Isle version)".
I would assume that a lot of people in these forums play Legacy or have knowledge of the Legacy format, so I am optimistic that someone(s) can help me, but right now the biggest problem I have with legacy isn't the variance, the overpowered cards from the '90's, or that I don't like playing against Force of Will, but really the thing keeping me from playing Legacy is the price.
I don't mean to say that they need to reprint Volcanic Island, far from it, but what I am saying is that currently I don't have the time, resources, nor desire to sell my collection to spend 3-Grand just on a mana base.
So to you Legacy spikes, I ask this: Is there a budget alternatives to dual lands? (e.g.: Volcanic Island, Tundra, etc.)
ThisIsBullshit says... #3
Sell all your kids, trade in your car, and mortgage your soul to the devil and you might be able to afford Legacy
(Tldr: subbing because I have the same problem)
July 23, 2015 12:10 a.m.
Servo_Token says... #4
There are budget builds for literally everything. You won't be taking down a GP anyway given your experience in the format, so just start small. Shock fetch works fine, pains work fine. Basically just ask for a deck archetype and we can work together to put together a list that suits your budget and playstyle. There's so many cards in legacy that budgeting isn't much of an issue if you're willing to sacrifice some competitiveness.
July 23, 2015 12:17 a.m.
Honestly if you're an avid Modern player then you should have fetches and shocks already. The reason I stress the importance of fetches is that mana fixing is stupidly important in Legacy and having fetch + Brainstorm is one of the best things you can do in the format.
Also, regarding the decks you listed I like Deathblade the most just because it's Deathrite Shaman and Stoneforge Mystic in one deck and then you add 
and it doesn't get any better than that. Doomsday in Legacy is pretty fucking bleh compared to what it is in Vintage so you should probably play ANT (I think it's better than TES) or spin the wheel and go Spanish Inquisition if you want a storm deck.
July 23, 2015 12:34 a.m.
Hashtag-Netdeck says... #6
I do currently own 3 Steam Vents, 3 Flooded Strand, and a Polluted Delta. Maybe Izzet Delver? My only worry is the Wastelands; should I run 4 in an Izzet Delver deck?
July 23, 2015 12:42 a.m.
gnarlicide says... #7
Honestly, you could get away with 3 wastelands. I run three in Jund, but I also play a MD copy of Life from the Loam, because fuck lands.
All jokes aside: I used to play my legacy deck with shocks, when I was missing the duals. It at least helped me learn lines of play and learn the format. Now that the deck is 100% complete, and I have had time to play it, I roll into legacy with no fears.
July 23, 2015 12:48 a.m.
gnarlicide says... #8
BTW, Nic fit is a good deck to build if you are just starting, since overall, the deck is the cheapest option out of your choices.
July 23, 2015 12:50 a.m.
Hashtag-Netdeck says... #10
Funny, just a second ago I was on mtggoldfish looking at a dredge deck. I'm considering it, honestly; I love combo decks.
Here's the first list that I saw, to give context: Click me!
July 23, 2015 12:53 a.m.
I think a set of Wastelands is necessary for UR Delver only because you only actually need about two colored sources out so you should be relatively fine for the most part. It's more important to get your opponent off their game since it's usually not as straightforward and simple as yours. Start cutting down on them if you go into another color, but them being at around 70 isn't the worst thing in the world. Generally you can find discounts off the average price on eBay just because that's how the site is, but you need to be patient and find the deals. A little trick is to try misspelled names of cards - you might find something special every once in a while.
July 23, 2015 12:56 a.m.
Hashtag-Netdeck says... #12
I just started building a dredge deck, which you can view here. Really, I'm only worried about the Lion's Eye Diamonds.
July 23, 2015 1:02 a.m.
ADVICE FROM THE GUY WHO FINALLY BOUGHT HIS Force of WillS TODAY: figure out what cards you need, and slowly trade/save up. I have been hellbent on playing Miracles, and as of right now all I have left to complete the deck is the "5" dual lands and 2 Karakas. Now that sounds like a lot of money, and it defintely is, but can play without the duals, and if your LGS isn't a dump, you may even have people there who will let you borrow expensive cards for weekly games. There's a guy at my store who owns 2 playsets of each dual, and everyone has him on facebook because so long as you message him a day or so before, he'll bring them for legacy so you can use them. Going to GPs with legacy is obviously a different beast, but frankly, if you are just getting into legacy you shouldn't even be thinking about GPs with it.
Tl:Dr prioritize what you can actually acquire and the deck needs to be playable, and be patient in getting them.
July 23, 2015 1:42 a.m.
My advice is what I'm doing myself. Work overtime, waste overtime money on legacy. It's been 4 months and I've almost finished my first Legacy deck, which is just UW stoneblade, next Im buying volcanic islands so I can add red if I feel inclined. After that, underground sea's.
Another thing I would suggest is to be patient when buying overly expensive cards. If you watch for awhile you can get better deals on cards if you're willing to put in a little effort. Also buy in bulk, it's generally cheaper. When I bought Tundras, I searched eBay every afternoon for new listings of sets of 4. After about 2 weeks I found a set of 4 that would be near mint, but they were a bit yellowed, for $500~ that just went up, and I bought them. Every similar condition Tundra I've seen is about $170 each, if that gives you an idea of how much I saved. Even when I was at Origins in Columbus Ohio earlier this summer (Giant game fair, Star City had an invitational there, and a modern open with 1k players) the only thing I could get for $125 was heavily played almost damaged Tundras. And believe me, I went around to every dealer and offered to spend about $1000 in cash if they gave me a decent deal.
July 23, 2015 4:53 a.m.
NoPantsParade says... #15
I'm getting into Legacy as well. I'm playing Jund so the mana base is a bit cheaper for me, and I have Jund in modern. I have the lands in my EDH deck, but I need a couple more copies of Badlands and one more Bayou. I also need 3 Catacombs but I'm waiting for the reprint. Fortunately my store allows proxies for Modern FNM, so everyone is proxying the Zendikar fecthes that doesn't already have them.
It's all about finding deals on EBay. I found a Bayou on there for $100 with shipping that was perfect on the front and some white fading on the back. I didn't really care as long as the front was perfect. For the Wastelands, I found a deal on Craigslist where a guy was selling them, near mint, for $40 each. Unfortunately he hasn't responded to my interest. The guy has incredible deals on near mint Legacy staples actually.
I think Shocks and fetches would suffice, though. You're sacrificing competitiveness but you're learning the format so when you do get your mana base, you'll be prepared.
July 23, 2015 8:21 a.m.
Servo_Token says... #16
The real first step here is to scour MTGGoldfish, as you have been, find a deck that interests you, and proxy the whole thing first before buying anything. That's how I figured out that I wanted to play Lands. Now, all I need is a Tabernacle and a playset of Punishing Fire and the deck is 100% complete.
July 23, 2015 10:06 a.m.
Hashtag-Netdeck says... #17
GoofyFoot: I have bad news; My closest friend is the only friend I have (that I know of) that plays Legacy, and unfortunately he plays Mono-Red Burn, so if I wanted to get dual lands, yeah, I'd have to buy them. :( (Thanks for the suggestion, though, GoofyFoot!)
wish12oz: I try to be as patient as possible when saving up for a deck (it's taken TCG Player almost 3 weeks to ship 2 Pyretic Rituals to me. Also, just out of curiosity (when I say just out of curiosity, I mean to help me figure out context to what you said), its taken you 4 months to build your WU Stoneblade deck (BTW, love Stoneforge Mystic to DEATH), you said; how much money did it cost you to build that deck?
NoPantsParade: First off, I recommend you contact the seller of thr $40 Wastelands, he may respond; but back to Legacy: One of the thing that has intimidated me for the longest time about Legacy is how significantly more expensive the Blue-Duals are than the Nonblue-Duals, so I've considered playing Dredge or Doomsday.
ThatJunkMage: Oh my Heliod (sorry, I love bad magic jokes)! I didn't even think about proxying out the deck before I buy it! Thank you!
July 23, 2015 11:05 a.m.
Hashtag-Netdeck says... #18
For anyone currently in the forums or who will become in this thread, I have put an image in this comment so it is noticable: .
Anyway, here's the deck I built (I need help with the sideboard): #Dredge!
July 23, 2015 11:25 a.m.
Doomsday is actually a really strong deck if you can master it. The problem is there have been maybe 5 players to actually master DDFT. I don't know about Shelldock/Emrakul Doomsday, but DDFT is certainly stronger than ANT/TES/Spanish/Belcher if you know the deck inside and out. The problem is that most people who pick up the deck don't know it well enough to do well with it and it performs poorly compared to ANT or TES.
As to Dredge, it is a really, really fun deck, but it's extremely easy to hate out. As a result you have to dedicate a lot of your sideboard to Dredge-Hate-Hate.
The nice thing about picking up the LEDs, though, is it opens you up to a bunch of Combo decks. From Dredge you can work your way into any of the other storm decks, which is great. The lands for Dredge also translate well to TES, which you wont need many (if any) duals for.
July 23, 2015 11:31 a.m.
If you are interested in looking at other Dredge lists, I've got mine up here: http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/21-06-15-ledredge/.
I've also got a bunch of the LED decks prototyped out in my Legacy Folder.
July 23, 2015 11:34 a.m.
Hashtag-Netdeck says... #21
ibanner56: I intend to look at your dredge list, so thanks!
Also; what do these stand for/mean?
TES
LED
Spanish Inquisition
July 23, 2015 11:46 a.m.
TES is The Epic Storm, LED is Lion's Eye Diamond and Spanish Inquisition is just that. It's a storm deck.
July 23, 2015 12:24 p.m.
Hashtag-Netdeck says... #23
So, I get TES and LED now (thanks), but what is Spanish Inquisition?
July 23, 2015 12:27 p.m.
This. Essentially it's a roulette-type of storm deck where you draw a lot and still finish with Infernal Tutor + Lion's Eye Diamond into Tendrils of Agony but the way you get there is a bit different. It's really not super consistent but it's a lot of fun. I used to play it.
Edit: If you actually want to play the deck and win, use the PSI version at the bottom of the primer. It's the only viable one anymore, but the list posted isn't super great. I like having some Ill-Gotten Gains in the deck, but that's neither here nor there.
July 23, 2015 12:30 p.m. Edited.
TES is The Epic Storm. It's widely recognized as the fastest stable storm deck in Legacy. Most notably what separates it from ANT (see below) is that it uses Rite of Flame, Chrome Mox and Burning Wish to storm off. It's usual win conditions are Empty the Warrens or Tendrils of Agony, with a preference for Empty since it tries to go off sooner. A lot of recent builds have used a similar fetch-dual landbase to ANT, but I've also seen plenty of builds that use Gemstone Mine and City of Brass. The biggest point to note for the TES manabase is that it usually doesn't run any basics. You can find a sample list here.
ANT is considered to be the slower of the two major storm decks, but also the more stable of the two. It favors a slower build up using cards like Cabal Ritual instead of Rite of Flame and Past in Flames over Burning Wish to combo out (though it usually only runs one Burning Wish). It generally runs more hand disruption than TES, though both run Cabal Therapy and Duress. In addition, it runs more cantrips a la Preordain and a consistent 4-of Ponder. Both will always run the full playset of Brainstorm. This is my storm deck of choice. Its games just feel solid.
Spanish Inquisition is tied with Belcher as the fastest storm deck in Legacy. A primer is available on MTGSalvation here. The deck runs a shell similar to other storm decks, but leans on Infernal Contract and Cruel Bargain to dig deep into the deck on turn 1. For mana acceleration it also uses Cull the Weak along with 0-drop creatures like Phyrexian Walker and Shield Sphere. Some iterations of the deck will run Cabal Therapy, but for the most part the deck passes on hand disruption for speed, making it significantly more fragile than other storm variants.
In the same vein, Belcher has the same problems. It focuses on playing mostly rituals into a Goblin Charbelcher or an Empty the Warrens. Because of the density of rituals, Belcher also avoids hand disruption and as a result the combo becomes more fragile. Overall I feel that Belcher is the more consistent of the two, and I would argue it's the fastest consistent combo deck, even if Spanish Inquisition is sometimes faster.
DDFT (Doomsday Fetchland Tendrils) is another beast altogether. Compared to Shelldock Emrakul Doomsday, DDFT is significantly more complicated to play and as I mentioned takes years to fully master. There are some excellent primers available that go in-depth on doomsday piles and proper gameplay with the deck, but in short it uses Doomsday to build up a large enough storm count to win with Tendrils. Personally I think it's secretly the most powerful of the storm decks, but like I said - it's only powerful if you know the deck inside and out. If an inexperienced pilot (read: not a master of the deck) brings this deck to a tournament they're unlikely to do very well. An excellent DDFT primer is also available on MTGSalvation here.
July 23, 2015 12:37 p.m.
I would like to think our comments are like Spanish Inquisition and ANT. Yours were faster, but mine were stable. In a real game you'd probably have me beat but I would secretly grumble tell myself you didn't deserve it. /s
July 23, 2015 12:44 p.m.
Oh, I forgot to mention The Grinding Station. Its another Tendrils storm deck, very similar to ANT, but it chooses to work a little more slowly in favor of being harder to disrupt. I haven't played enough games with it to know if it's better or worse than ANT, but it's hard to argue with a deck packing 3 Tendrils of Agony mainboard...
Interestingly enough, I think it's the storm deck with which you could most get away with running shocks instead of duals, after Belcher, anyways. Since the deck doesn't run Ad Nauseam mainboard you don't have to worry as much about your life total (which is why it can also run MB Thoughtseize).
July 23, 2015 12:56 p.m. Edited.
Hashtag-Netdeck says... #31
On the subject of storm decks, are shocklands adequate for Budget ANT? Most variants I see run Gitaxian Probe, so I don't know if it'll inflict too much pain.
July 23, 2015 4:41 p.m.
I would say that shocklands are almost entirely unacceptable for ANT. It makes it that much harder to go off with Ad Nauseam. Git Probe gets in through its high synergy with Cabal Therapy and because it means you're basically only running 56 cards in your deck.
July 23, 2015 4:48 p.m.
Hashtag-Netdeck says... #33
'kay, glad we got that cleared up. But are shocklands legitimate for any decks in Legacy? Only for FNM, not for something like a Grand Prix.
July 23, 2015 4:56 p.m.
Oh sure. Decks that don't try to use their life as a resource while still playing a faster game can get by well enough without ABU Duals - Doomsday, Belcher, Burn, Aggro, Oops, etc. Creature-based combos like Elves would probably be fine. TES and Dredge can be built without duals or shocks by using 5-color lands that are pretty cheap (Gemstone Mine, etc). Faster blade decks might be able to get by, though that's more Gspot's area of expertise, not mine. Miracles would not work - it needs to be able to stabilize, and paying 6-8 life throughout the course of the game just for mana isn't tenable. You might be able to run shocks in Spanish Inquisition, but you also might just die.
July 23, 2015 5:03 p.m. Edited.
Hashtag-Netdeck says... #35
Cool, my guess is that it would have to be 2 or less colors (WUBG Stoneblade, I would guess, can't use shocklands).
July 23, 2015 5:05 p.m.
A lot of Belcher lists just run a Stomping Ground in place of the Taiga because Belcher doesn't care if it goes off at 18 or 20 life. Whether it wins or loses has more to do with FoW than its pilot's life total.
July 23, 2015 5:05 p.m.
Yeah, WU stoneblade could probably get away with Fountains, but then I think it tries to run a 1-of Karakas nowadays, which might be something you don't want to pick up.
July 23, 2015 5:06 p.m.
Hashtag-Netdeck says... #38
Makes sense. Can the same be said for Reanimator? It's usually U/B, apart from the reanimate targets (Worldgorger Dragon, Iona, Shield of Emeria, Craterhoof Behemoth, etc.).
July 23, 2015 5:08 p.m.
The one concern you might run into with Reanimator is paying for Griselbrand. I think as long as you don't shock yourself down to 14 or less you should have no problem paying the life for G$$.
July 23, 2015 5:11 p.m.
Hashtag-Netdeck says... #40
bigguy99, ThatJunkMage, gnarlicide, GoofyFoot, NoPantsParade, wish12oz, and ibanner56, after analyzing my playstyle, I built an Aluren Deck!
Please help, I'm trying to improve it!
July 24, 2015 11:59 a.m.
That was absolutely the last thing I expected, but Aluren is pretty cool stuff. I was just wondering: Blue duals are too expensive but Imperial Recruiter isn't? haha
July 24, 2015 12:34 p.m.
Hashtag-Netdeck says... #42
Sorry, probably should've cleared a couple o' things up:
1st Thing: This deck is my first variation, and I won't be able to afford this deck, unfortunately, for a LOOOOOOONG time.
2nd Thing: I plan to make a second Aluren deck, which I intend to replace a lot of the expensive cards with "cheap" (in heavy airquotes) cards. (e.g.: Imperial Recruiter for Worldly Tutor, Underground Sea for Watery Grave, that sort of thing.)
July 24, 2015 12:59 p.m.
gnarlicide says... #43
Nice. I would suggest that you get the core of the deck together on a budget that suits you, then SLOWLY save/build up to the final form. Thats how I finished my legacy deck. I spent around 9 months playing it without the duals or random cards for a bit, and as time progressed, I eventually got the whole thing together. Holidays and Birthdays are awesome for that sort of thing. (I may be old and have a career, but I also have kids and life responsibilities. So I would tell people that I wanted cash for holidays, or I would save up 20 bucks at a time to buy the cards I needed. totally worth it)
July 24, 2015 2:39 p.m.
Hashtag-Netdeck says... #44
Thanks, gnarlicide, that's almost exactly how I got into Modern (yes, I play Modern and I'm trying to get into Legacy (except I think you knew that because of the forum title. . .))! Here's a link to the Aluren Deck I put together, and, if you're confortable sharing, what is your Legacy deck?
July 24, 2015 5:49 p.m.
Hashtag-Netdeck says... #45
bigguy99, ThatJunkMage, gnarlicide, GoofyFoot, NoPantsParade, wish12oz, and ibanner56, I'm in the process of building my budget Aluren Deck-List, which you can view here.
July 24, 2015 6:41 p.m.
gnarlicide says... #46
Hashtag-Netdeck. I play Punishing Jund. which can be seen, here:
Cease to Exist Playtest
Legacy
SCORE: 6 | 2 COMMENTS | 543 VIEWS
.
July 24, 2015 6:48 p.m.
Hashtag-Netdeck says... #47
Did you start out by playing shocklands instead of dual lands? I, personally, am trying to to that in Aluren.
July 24, 2015 6:55 p.m.
gnarlicide says... #48
Sort of.
Well, I had Jund built in Modern first. At that point, I went on eBay to pick up the fetches (ONS ones) on the cheap.
Later on, I managed to pick up Badlands at 50 USD a piece.
I had two Wastelands from some really aggressive trading.
So when I took the deck out for the first time, I was using a copy of Ghost Quarter for the missing Wasteland and 2x Overgrown Tomb for the Bayous.
It is doable. I don't look down on people doing that, you gotta start somewhere. I watched a guy at my LGS take down a few legacy tournaments with Sneak and Show deck running no old duals. Through his store credit winnings, he now has the whole deck completed.
July 24, 2015 7:22 p.m.
Hashtag-Netdeck says... #49
Here's the expensive deck I built: I find this deck to be ALURE(n)ing
Here's the "budget" version of it: Shut up, Mirri!
July 24, 2015 11:19 p.m.
DeletedNow4ever says... #50
Here's an idea...build Merfolk. I play Merfolk in all three eternal formats. Legacy folk is not only a good deck, it has good matchups with Miracles and Omnitell. My deck costs a little over 1k...legacy without breaking the bank. Merfolk Legacy
bigguy99 says... #2
The shocks, really. Just being able to use fetches is huge, so if you can't have the OG duals get the next best thing.
July 23, 2015 12:01 a.m.