INTRO:

I’ve been toying around, trying to find a way to abuse the concept of skipping turns. Since digging thru old boxes of cards it’s a very exhausting process and since I possess no knowledge of the newly printed cards, I throw myself to the arms of this community looking for some ideas/criticism/street fighting.

BASIC CONCEPT:

The idea is to skip turns (using tog and meditate) to avoid upkeeps while forcing your opponent to suffer during his own. It’s a simple (and used) idea with many cards to consider.

Here’s a simple decklist to start our brainstorm (not the blue card, the other thing)

DECKLIST:

Creatures:

4 - Chronatog

Spells:

4 - Meditate
4 - Thirst for Knowledge
4 - Tangle Wire / Smokestack
4 - Hurky’s Recall
4 - Illusions of Grandeur
4 - FOW
4 - Sphere of Resistance / Chalice of the Void
3 - Donate

4 - Open Slots (power, chalice, crucible, smoke etc )


Mana Sources:

4- City of Traitors
4 - Ancient Tomb
4 - Crystal Vein
X - Islands

I know there’s a lot of strange choices and omissions plus a shaky mana base. This is intended to be a rough decklist. I’ll provide a simple explanation of the choices, their role in the deck, as well as the mana base and some considerations.

CARD BREAK DOW

Chronatog: Doesn’t have a static role as in Stasis. The key is moderation and strategy. Go for some early crippling blows (via wire or smokestack) but if your opponent has to much freedom resume normal play.

Hrk’s Recall: Protects your stuff , let’s you avoid your stuff, refreshes wires. Ok.

Illusions: A weird choice, I know. But, if you just going to let your opponent play his game illusions means a 2-3 turn life support and gives you a killing condition.

Donate: The kill. But I have a feeling there’s more to it if you consider many upkeeps for the opponent and none for you. For now, I’m keeping it simple: it’s the kill.

MANA BASE

Ever since Crucible was printed I like to use the City/Vein/Tomb acceleration, opting for more colorless heavy spells. The deck packs not only many artifacts but many 2U spells to cast second turn. (no need for fetchs and wastelands)

First turn -> non-basic land, 2cc artefact
Second turn -> island, cast 3cc spell

Even without artefact mana (mox, lotus, vault, ring, crypt, monolith, bla bla bla) you have some speed plus synergy with wire.

But consistence is a problem. Two many hands filled with colorless mana and sometimes you will have much mana yet only one it’s blue. I find myself limited to one blue spell between tapping steps.

CARDS TO DEBATE

Smokestack
Chalice
Crucible
Umbilicus

…

CONSIDERATION

The need for additional draw
Untapping techs
The need for actual board control
Surviving speed decks
Mana base/mana curve
…