Another M: TG thread

[Mr. Freeze]

The old thread is pretty much dead and buried, so I'll start a new one. I've had this deck for a few weeks, and its doing pretty well.

Mono Black Discard
Format: Extended, Vintage (For Standard, I switch my 4x Millstones for 4x Signed in Blood)

Lands:

23x Swamp
2x Terramorphic Expanse

Creatures:

4x Black Knight
4x Hypnotic Specter
4x Vampire Nighthawk
4x Gatekeeper of Malakir

Spells:

4x Duress
4x Mire's Toll
4x Mind Rot
3x Mind Shatter

Artifacts:

4x Millstone

This is my first "real" deck, carefully made after hours of studying. As a discard deck, the opponent is unable to do much of anything once I run his hand out. As additional strategies, The Gatekeepers of Malakir can get rid of creatures and my Millstones can empty a library quickly.

Oh, and does anyone know how to effectively counter Red aggro decks?

[Shaikoten]

This isn't horrible, but there is a lot of room for improvement. With the exception of Millstone, all of the cards you are using are quite good and playable, but what your deck lacks is a win condition. Discarding alone doesn't win you the game, it is simply a path to winning the game; they can still top-deck a card that will ruin your day, and aside from gatekeeper, which is highly situational, and nighthawk, you have no way to deal with anything on the board.

I would definitely cut Mire's Toll and Millstone. Mire's toll is too slow to be really all that effective and Millstone just doesn't fit in with the theme of your deck. Look at Scepter of Dominance, that might fit in. What you want to do with discard is gain card advantage. That is: make them lose multiple cards with your single card. Now cutting those four out, and putting in, say, 2 scepter of dominance, that frees up another 6 cards for you. I'll let you use your imagination, but you need to think up of a card that will really deal a finishing blow. Something that, when you play it, they will be like "holy shit if I don't kill that I die."

Also, you have too many lands. Go for 21 swamp and 2 terramorphic expanse.

Hope this helps.

[Sharessa]

I have a pretty kick-ass ally deck going on right now. It's the first deck I've put together that really seems to kick some ass, though I haven't had any chance to test it in tournaments yet seeing as how I never have my weekends free. It kicked the ass of my friend's vampire deck, at any rate. Anyway, here 'tis:

Lands
5x Forest
5x Plains
4x Graypelt Refuge
2x Kabira Crossroads
4x Khalni Garden
2x Sejiri Steppe
1x Stirring Wildwood
1x Turntimber Grove

Creatures
1x Kabira Evangel
4x Makindi Shieldmate
4x Ondu Cleric
1x Talus Paladin
1x Avenger of Zendikar
4x Graypelt Hunter
1x Grazing Gladeheart
3x Oran-Rief Survivalist
2x Stonework Puma

Spells
1x Cradle of Vitality
4x Join the Ranks
1x Sunspring Expedition
1x Explore
1x Quest for the Gemblades
1x Quest for Renewal
1x Slingbow Trap
3x Soul's Might
2x Explorer's Scope

There's a few cards in there I know I should ditch, but I don't really have anything great to replace them with. The local shop's Standard rare folder seems to be constantly picked clean, though they do have an impressive collection of stuff from Limited, Antiquities, and Legends. The guy who runs it was apparently in the original Magic beta and even showed me his DCI membership card, which was the first ever issued (#1000). So good times.

[Mr. Freeze]

Shaikoten said:

I would definitely cut Mire's Toll and Millstone. Mire's toll is too slow to be really all that effective and Millstone just doesn't fit in with the theme of your deck. Look at Scepter of Dominance, that might fit in. What you want to do with discard is gain card advantage. That is: make them lose multiple cards with your single card. Now cutting those four out, and putting in, say, 2 scepter of dominance, that frees up another 6 cards for you. I'll let you use your imagination, but you need to think up of a card that will really deal a finishing blow. Something that, when you play it, they will be like "holy shit if I don't kill that I die."

Also, you have too many lands. Go for 21 swamp and 2 terramorphic expanse.

Hope this helps.

Mire's Toll isn't THAT bad, especially at only one mana. Millstone I keep mostly for it's ability to troll: nothing aggravates a blue player than his deck being milled after he's drawn Sage Owl and attempted to stack the deck.

Scepter of dominance is kinda crappy, tbh. And I play mono black only.

As far as creatures go, I've replaced my Gatekeepers with Bloodhusk Ritualists. Their multikicker discard abilities are gonna rock.

And my ton of lands is a counter against my unfortunate tendency to be mana-screwed :(.

Danarchy said:

I have a pretty kick-ass ally deck going on right now.

Danarchy listed:
Green cards and White cards

rofl :D

[Mr. Freeze]

EDIT: Double-post :(

[Sharessa]

Pfft, if you think Green/White sucks, then obviously you've never run a Selesnya deck. I used to play Green/Red as my preferred combination of colors, but Green/White has been pulling me in a lot in recent sets.

[Creaphis]

Man I wish I was this cool.

[deathbringer]

I love reading detailed posts about stuff i know bugger all about. See also: US comic multiverses.

[Shaikoten]

I meant Scepter of Fugue, not Scepter of Dominance.

[Mr. Freeze]

Shaikoten said:

I meant Scepter of Fugue, not Scepter of Dominance.

I still think Mire's Toll is better.

Fugue: 1 Discard action. Costs 2 mana to play, and 2 additional mana to use.

Toll: 1 Discard action. Costs 1 mana to play, and you get to choose what card is discarded.

I see what you mean, but I need to keep testing my deck out before I make any definite changes.