Where have all the masks gone?

[bla]

Hi, I am a t1 scrub, and I am thinking of putting together a masknot. I looked through some old forums, and found many different versions of mask decks, but in the new forums, i can't find anything, what happened to the deck? Can anyone tell me which mask build is considered best, and why, and also what are the decks worse and best matchups. Thx.

[SquirrelToken]

Hi, my name is SquirrelToken and what I said here was incredibly useless in every way.  I apologize for wasting anyone's time who read this and promise never to talk again.

-jpmeyer[/color]

[Suckamouf37]

Simply put, they are at a low in the meta because of "splash damage".  Splash damage is when one archetype is made invalid or harmed because of another part of the metagame.  With the influx of Mirrodin and Darksteel in the last 9 months, there is too much hate for it to be viable.

Also, it relies on a two card combo that is very disruptable that does not win the game until two turns after it is cast.

[AngryPheldagrif]

Simply put, they are at a low in the meta because of "splash damage".  Splash damage is when one archetype is made invalid or harmed because of another part of the metagame.  With the influx of Mirrodin and Darksteel in the last 9 months, there is too much hate for it to be viable.

I just won a Timetwister with MaskNought. Trust me, it's still viable. Just because everyone and their mother sideboards Rack and Ruin, etc. doesn't mean its not viable. They still have to draw, keep, resolve, and get 3 mana for it. And "splash damage" is hardly applicable. Artifact hate has been around forever. The only major "splash damage" seen is the severe/fatal blows to TurboNevyn, Reanimator, and Madness through the restriction of cards that broke other decks.

Also, it relies on a two card combo that is very disruptable that does not win the game until two turns after it is cast.

Seven zero and one cost discard spells make disrupting a bit trickier. And 2-turn win is blase. Berserk is  .

[jpmeyer]

The reason that he brings up splash damage is because of the fact that:

1) Everyone belives that Mindslaver/Workshop decks are strong
2) Null Rod is everywhere
3) Goblin Welder is everywhere
4) Oxidize is everywhere
5) Rack and Ruin is everywhere

Nobody's saying it's dead, it's just that this isn't exactly the optimal environment for a deck that's centered on artifacts but has trouble with some of those cards.

[Covetous]

Because cards like null rod, oxidize, goblin welder and rack and ruin are commonly found MD, SB or both, does this mean that NinjaMask with its survival/shapeshifter kill is the best mask deck for the current metagame?  I personally favor Ninja over other mask builds, although I admit my experience with other mask decks IS pretty slim.  But the ability to use both the masknaught engine and the full english breakfast engine can't be bad.  Plus, if you really want to you can put in force of will (I don't but it is possible), and survival can help you find a uktabi orangutan if null rod clogs up your plans, or a gigapede if swords to plowshares gets in your way.  So, my two cents would be:  If you want to play Mask in the current environment, try NinjaMask (UGB survival/shapeshifter/mask/naught).  It also has access to a lot of good s/b tech to help you survive.  I suppose that vengeur can do the same thing, but I know very little about vengeur and thus I can't say much about it.  However, if you want to win a real tourney, forget the masks and get some drains.

[Kowal]

Does this make ninja the best mask variant?

Yup.

Honestly, I feel very comfortable right now running Masks.  Though Oxidize is very common, people are beginning to drift from Rack and Ruin to Gorilla Shaman, which is in fact not terribly harmful to the deck.  Plus you have added resiliancy with the secondary engine, as well as the ability to run enough blue cards to support Force of Will.

The sideboarding options are solid as well.

Splash Damage

<nitpick> Shouldn't that be collateral damage?  Splash damage is more like siege tanks on zerglings. </nitpick>

[Suckamouf37]

@ AngryPheldagrif: Perhaps I shouldn't have said unviable, just stuck with "at a low point", or as J.P. stated, not optimal.  However, it is more than likely that you'll have to paddle upstream into a shit-ton of hate.

@ Kowal:  No, I meant splash damage.  I was referring to a recent Flores article.

[bla]

Thx guys, if I am getting this right, you are saying that the best mask build is similar to the one that finished 2nd at GenCon last year. Has the build changed in any way, or is it the same?
Would running sylvan safekeeper/shapeshifter help against rack and ruin?

@ Kowal You play wgtour?

[darkchild]

Hi,

There has been recent success with U/G/r mask in both melbourne Australia nad Singapore, the removal of black and addition of red speeds up the deck by a full turn. Here is how i see it

Red
- Anger super important, allow 12/12 to go haste
- gorilla shamen key against welders (can be survival out )
- Viashino Hertic (good against atrifact decks)
- The addition of REB,RnR and fire/ice.

Black
- loss of duress (made up by reb)
- lost of tutors ( this cannot be made up in anyway)
- loss of gy removal inblack withered weatch (cant make up for this either)

So if u see lots of dragon u can either race them or play Crypt.

The match up against slaver (either version) is still no good as they have a 1 cc wrath in dreadnought.

I have not played it against 4c control so i have i cannot give my opinion but it did have an excellent mtach up against keeper.

[Moridar]

I ran this deck a few months ago at the Ontario Vintage Championship.  It got me 2nd place and a Bazaar of Baghdad.

Wayne Oickle: Halo.dec
1 Duplicant
4 Goblin Welder
4 Juggernaut
4 Phyrexian Dreadnought
1 Platinum Angel
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Triskelion
1 Ancestral Recall
2 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
3 Duress
4 Illusionary Mask
2 Intuition
1 Memory Jar
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Bloodstained Mire
2 Island
4 Mishra's Workshop
1 Mountain
2 Polluted Delta
1 Strip Mine
1 Swamp
3 Underground Sea
3 Volcanic Island
2 Wasteland

Oh and the deck name is a real long story!!!

Wayne

[mask]

I ran this verison about two month ago.  i piloted my build to several T1 tourment victories, but the power level of the competition wasn;t always the hightest.

Void's Mask

The Mana source
1 black lotus
1 mox jet
1 mana crytp
1 sol ring
3 Wastelands
1 Strip mine
14 swamps
4 Dark Ritual

Toys
4 Illusioniary Mask
4 Phyrexian Dreadnought
3 Hynpotic Specter
2 Withered Wretch

No
4 Duress
3 Hymn of Tourach
4 Sink Holes
3 Nether Voids
3 Pox

Suicide
1 Necropotence
1 Spoils of the Vault
1 Demoic Consulations
1 Demoic Tutor

Secound Game
2 Withered wretch
3 Diabloic Edicts
1 Yawgmoth's Will
4 Unmask
3 Phyrexian Negators
2 Phyrexian Gate


Pox??? with the amount of fetches and Fetches and single point self inflicted damamge i have pox and swinged with a Dreadnought for kills many time over. It is also creature removal, Hand disprution, land d which also suppliments this deck.

Nether Void??? when you think about it only seems natural, mask creature sneak pask creatures. With combo always threatning, an early void allows you to stablize, and stop storm based decks. This also allows you to play the time game, since your drawing power does equal most deck out there you have to play the Control, not beatdown to take matches.

Oringally i ran more spoils of htre vault, but it didn;t happen to often but self destrustion was not fun at all. A single Spoils is still superior to Vamperic tutor, due to you don;t have enought drawing power as it is.

Against welders, black lotus is always sided out, even though it is a impact card, having welding of lotus for dreadnought is just too serious of a blow to you.

I have since stopped playing mask based decks and have moved on to other rogue decks (ie: G/W Life) and workshop slaver.