Survival-Mask post-Mirrodin

[Gabethebabe]

With Chalice in the format we see Workshop decks getting stronger and combo severely in danger. I was considering the current UGB versions of Survival-Mask and I though kicking out black and adding red maybe the right adaption to the new metagame.
 
What do we lose?
- Duress
- Demonic Tutor
- Withered Wretch (more or less)

What do we win?
- Good artifact hate
- Anger
- REB for the SB

This is my current build, that I will probably play next saturday in a tourney.
 
Noughty Tools 1.0
 
Creatures (23)
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Phyrexian Dreadnought
3 Volrath´s Shapeshifter
2 Quirion Ranger
2 Gorilla Shaman
1 Wall of Roots
1 Anger
1 Dwarven Miner
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Tradewind Rider
1 Gilded Drake
1 Voidmage Apprentice
1 Phage, the untouchable
 
Spells (18)
4 Survival of the Fittest
4 Illusionary Mask
4 Force of Will
4 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
 
Mana (19)
4 Tropical Island
4 Taiga
4 Wooded Foothills
1 Windswept Heath
2 Forest
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby

With the change to UGR we have more creature spells so more synergy with SotF and we can up the Brainstorms to 4, good with Fetches and FoW.

What appeals me from this deck is that you can have a harmless position with just mana and win the next turn with Angry Phage (maybe a better name for the deck?).

If I were to replace cards in the maindeck, the second Shaman and the Miner would be the first. Also I´m toying to go up to 20 mana. I will have to test this.
 
Ideas for the SB
 
VS. control:
- REB
- Xantid Swarm
- Genesis
 
Graveyard hate:
- Withered Wretch
- Tormod´s Crypt
 
VS combo:
- Chalice of the Void
- Arcane Laboratory
 
VS artifacts:
- Artifact Mutation
- Viashino Heretic
- Energy Flux
NB: Since Workshops will put Chalice at 2 (SotF, Mask) I´d say that Artifact Mutation, though a very dangerous weapon vs Prison decks, is inferior to 3CC possibilities.
 
VS aggro/creatures:
- Flametongue Kavu
- Ravenous Baloth
- Granger Guildmage (Goblin Welder, Fish, mirror)
 
Bombs:
- Blood Moon

So how about it?

[Triple_S]

I will probably be adding a main deck Uktabi to deal w/ the Chalice threat.  If you are going with red, Viashino Heretic is an option also.  I used those in Funker years ago.

[Rico Suave]

I like it and all, but I'm slightly concerned about the lack of disruption, especially against combo.

[hippie tourach]

Quote What do we lose?
- Duress
- Demonic Tutor
- Withered Wretch (more or less)

What do we win?
- Good artifact hate
- Anger
- REB for the SB

Duress is artifact hate.

On the other hand, what you gain is: Gorilla Shaman, more mox hate than artifact hate; Artifact Mutation, which you say is inferior to other options; Viashino Heretic, which I'd say is inferior to Energy Flux.

If your feeling about your metagame is correct, I guess this is the right version. But if you run into combo...

[Triple_S]

When choosing what color to add back in July, we went with black for its ability to disrupt combo (which was the decks big weakness) and to bump the win percentage up against Hulk (it still leveled off at Hulk taking 55%).  The black really adds so much to the deck...the disruption someone pointed out before is the key for adding the additional color and janking the manabase out further.

[Gabethebabe]

Quote (hippie tourach @ Oct. 20 2003,17:37)Duress is artifact hate.

On the other hand, what you gain is: Gorilla Shaman, more mox hate than artifact hate; Artifact Mutation, which you say is inferior to other options; Viashino Heretic, which I'd say is inferior to Energy Flux.

If your feeling about your metagame is correct, I guess this is the right version. But if you run into combo...

But Duress often comes too late vs Workshop decks. They have their stuff on the table.

Gorilla is not only Mox hate, also Crypts and Chalices will be chewed on. If Stax starts with something like Sphere and Chalice for 2, you´re glad to have Gorillas in your deck.

About Viashino Heretic and Energy Flux, this deck is better at finding creatures than enchantments. If I would reserve slots for 3CC artifact hate, it will be 1 Viashino Heretic and the others will be Fluxes. Heretic rules in the mirror.

[TracerBullet]

WelderMud/Stax should NOT be a problem.  Worst comes to worst, drop your Tradewind, Voidmage, and Shamans for more Wall of Roots.  Stax really can't deal with them.

[Triple_S]

More often than not the high permanent count of Vengeur Masque poses a huge problem for Stax/WMUD.  Wall of Roots is huge, as is Quirion Ranger since its ability allows you to uptap 2 of the permanents you tap down to their Tangle Wire.  Welder is somewhat nullified by including a Withered Wretch main also.