[deck] Abusa Mask

[vroman]

I created this deck for the Chicago SCG, and tested it for about 2 weeks, with promising results. I came up with the idea when I realized what a game warping broken card uba mask from kamigawa is, hence Abusa Mask:

lock components:
4 uba mask
3 null brooch
3 crucible
4 trisphere
3 chalice
3 disrupting scepter
4 the rack
2 jesters cap
3 ensnaring bridge
4 granite shard
1 noetic scales

draw
1 memory jar
4 bazaar

mana
10 solomoxcryptvaultpetal
1 LED
4 workshop
4 waste
1 strip
1 academy

SB
2 tormod
2 maze
4 platinum angel
extra lock peices

uba mask wrecks a lot of different archetypes.
-counterspell based control decks never get to keep their countermagic during my turn
-madness never has cards to discard
-black hand disruption cant hit your removed cards
it also gives huge advantage to a deck designed to abuse it, ie you dont have to discard from bazaar activations; LED and null brooch have no drawback.
the rack is the swift kill, and granite shard is my answer for welders and fishies and spirit tokens, plus a slow alternate kill. noetic scales bounces problem creatures like platinum angel. disrupting scepter empties whatever cards they had left from before uba hit the board, and speeds up the racks, and is just good card advantage in general.
this deck just stomps the deck types I listed, especially aggro madness I dont think I ever lost a game to in testing. It locks out oath orchard pretty easy and same with the turn-1ish combo decks.
unfortunately, unless I can resolve an early shard, welder plays too much havoc with my board, and after boarding the match up against any blue deck becomes a lot harder.
it was an interesting experiment, but clearly the deck bends over to hosers like energy flux and pernicious deed, and even crappy things like viashino heretic.
In chicago I beat what I expected to beat, and lost to unanswered welders, energy flux, and uber-fast combo when I couldnt lay a lock peice turn 1.

I tried a blue version with power and brainstorm/breakthrough + uba = ancestral. but it weakened the mana base and disruption and probability of getting a 1st turn lock.

Im probably going to retire this deck, unless I get some amazing new way to break the uba.

[MTG_Djinn]

Hi
I just had some thoughts to your deck.

You deck looks like this if you look at the CC at each card. Its really CC heavy and you most have 1 of 5 cards to really have a chance to make a lock (Lotus or a Workshop or a shit load of mox’en)

CC X
Chalice of the void

CC 0
Lion's Eye Diamond
5 Mox’en
Lotus
Lotus petal
Crypt

CC 1
The rack
Mana Vault
Sol Ring
CC 2

CC 3
Crucible
Disrupting sceptre
Ensnaring bridge
Granite shard

CC 4
Uba mask
Null brooch
Jesters cap
Noetic scales

CC 5
Memory jar

I just thinking, what will you do if a Chalice of the Void hits the table turn 1 X=0. Or what about B2B. I mean you can’t start every game and play a lock. I know that if you can get it up and running you are going to win, but do you have the time? I can’t look past that you need that winning/locking opening hand each game or you lose. Like I have seen Tinker fetch what ever big and nasty things in turn 1. If some thing like that happens, how do you recover from that? Blood Moon also kills you.

Do some more testing and let us know your findings.

-MTG_Djinn

[M.Solymossy]

I saw this deck at star city.  It beat Matt Endress one game i watched when endress was playing "It's Raining Men".  The ability of the deck to jsut lock is unbelievable strong against an aggro deck, but i would imagine it has a harder time against control.

IDK it's good but it needs work.  4 bazaar are good with uba mask, but at the same time, you get hurt by maybe drawing a bazaar when you need a land drop, or the chance that it slows your lock down because you need draw and bazaar is your only source.  what about maybe thoughcast or something blue?

[Cavius The Great]

you dont have to discard from bazaar activations

I'm confused. Why don't you discard to Baazars?

[policehq]

you dont have to discard from bazaar activations

I'm confused. Why don't you discard to Baazars?

I think the idea is that you have an empty hand when you use them and have an Uba Mask on the board.

Barry

[Nightwind]

I'm not really here to judge what you've brought up, but I think some of the cards you've included just don't make it in Type 1. The idea however is pretty good. Uba Mask + Prison is probably the best way to pull it off in my opinion. Because your opponent will "hopefully" be sitting under the lockdown effects they will be removing vital cards from their deck each turn.

Below is a list thrown together by myself when I was attempting to build somewhat of a turbo-possessed portal deck. Using both Welders and Trash for Treasure allowed for more consistency in getting the Portal into play.

Lockdown:
4x Trinisphere
4x Tanglewire
4x Chalice of the Void
3x Smokestack
3x Uba Mask
2x Sundering Titan
2x Crucible of Worlds

Draw:
4x Bazaar of Baghdad
4x Squee, Goblin Nabob

Tools:
4x Goblin Welder
2x Trash for Treasure

Mana:
5x Mountain
4x Mishra's Workshop
3x City of Traitors
3x Wasteland
2x Ancient Tomb
1x Strip Mine
5x Moxen
1x Lotus

Sideboard:
4x Red Elemental Blast
2x Tormod's Crypt
3x Sphere of Resistance
2x Possessed Portal
1x Mindslaver
1x Platinum Angel
1x Duplicant
1x Pyroblast

Notes from the Oracle:

Bazaar of Baghdad
Land    
T: Draw two cards, then discard three cards.

Uba Mask
4  
Artifact    
If a player would draw a card, that player removes that card from the game face up instead.
Each player may play cards he or she removed from the game with Uba Mask this turn.

Possessed Portal
8  
Artifact    
If a player would draw a card, that player skips that draw instead.
At the end of each turn, each player sacrifices a permanent unless he or she discards a card.

Interactions:

Bazaar says Draw 2 cards then discard 3 cards (This happens immediately). Uba Mask says "If a player would draw a card, that player removes that card from the game face up instead." therefore, the cards drawn by Bazaar are not in your hand when it comes time for Bazaar's Discard Resolution. You do however need to play these cards before you end your turn.

The beauty is that you are playing a Prison Style Deck, i.e. Stax. You drop a lock on your opponent and they proceed to remove cards from their deck from the game. Meanwhile you have hopefully set yourself up to be able to cast the cards that you draw.

In the case that you find the need to get rid of Uba Mask and/or Possessed Portal you can either Weld them out of play or Trash for Treasure them into something better or.... even Sacrifice them to Smokestack.

I've included the 5 Blast plan in the sideboard because it is apparent that Energy Flux + Back to Basics are going to be part of the meta-game for a while.

[Cavius The Great]

Bazaar says Draw 2 cards then discard 3 cards (This happens immediately). Uba Mask says "If a player would draw a card, that player removes that card from the game face up instead." therefore, the cards drawn by Bazaar are not in your hand when it comes time for Bazaar's Discard Resolution. You do however need to play these cards before you end your turn.

I know that, I'm not stupid. I think Police HQ explained it best when he said,"assuming you have an empty hand." That's what really stumped me. If you have cards in your hand however I assume you still have to discard, am I right? Thought so.

[Nightwind]

I know that, I'm not stupid. I think Police HQ explained it best when he said,"assuming you have an empty hand." That's what really stumped me. If you have cards in your hand however I assume you still have to discard, am I right? Thought so.

Sorry, I wasn't directing the statement to you. It was more of a clarification for people wondering why you would play the card (and deck) in the first place.

[vroman]

the plan with bazaar + uba is that even if you dump your hand to the first bazaar activation, you will be drawing 3+ cards a turn w no further draw back for the rest of the game. clearly this is net card advantage. furthermore the deck synergizes well with having no cards in hand, ie bridge and brooch.

as for the stax version, do you realize that with portal and uba on the board at the same time, there are two replacement effects for drawing and the oponent can still draw from uba, bypassing portal. when you bring in portals, do you side out ubas?

also you really need memory jar, which is awesome w bazaars, you activate to get an extra 2 cards and discard 3 that youd have to dump at end of turn anyway.
wheel of fortune too. wheel erases their hand w uba on the board, and you dont have to discard your hand, its just draw 7.

I would recomend cutting the trash for treasures for the broken card draw.

[martyr]

Perhaps considering that giving a control player access to artifact removal is something to consider when determining Memory Jar's inclusion.  While they're probably going to get one eventually, it seems silly to make it that much more likely.

[andrewpate]

True, but the Memory Jar generates absolutely huge CA; I would certainly test it.  The problem with it is really the main problem with the deck:  who wants to Jar, get a "hand" of like a million cards, then play the first one and get it responded to with an Oxidize, Mind Twisting you and making your empty hand and board full of Bazaars of Baghdad very ugly indeed?  Any way your opponent has to draw cards during your turn (Bazaars, Jar of their own, even a Curiosity'd Grim Lavamancer) can spell your doom once you draw a bunch of cards and remove them.

[Veru_]

I think this needs some sort of protection. Black or blue, probably. As it stands, this deck has some serious problems with Hurk's Recall, energy flux, and the like. True, a really fast lock is possible. But if it isn't acheived, there's some stuff that will just plain kill this deck. Also, the lack of tutoring/non bazzar drawing (okay, there's jar) looks like it hurts, at least on paper.