Shop Agro [Focus: Eon Hub]

[Harlequin]

First off I have tried to make shop aggro decks before, and I will admit that I have had basically ZERO success.  My main idea for the deck is Eon Hub.  Now Ray has re-sparked my interest in a shop deck, and Coldsnap has offered a bit of fuel for this interest.

The Core:

4   Juggernaughts
3-4 Eon Hub
2-3 Razormane Mastacore
2-3 Phyrexian Soulgorger   for an 8/8 with:
Cumulative Upkeep: Sacrifice a creature <coldsnap>

Essentially the concept is this ... Eon hub fundimentally changes certain decks.  It shuts down the win condition of Oath, and Ichorid.  Severally hampers Fish (energy flux, and Bob), and Stax (Smokestacks, Tanglewire).  And minorly weakens Mystical, Vamp, and Top.

Oath, Ichorid, Fish (SS), and Stax makes up what is considered the "bottom half" of the meta-game.  This leaves Gifts, Tendrils, and Slaver as the "top half."  wich is realatively un-touched by Eon hub.  However... Fast aggro can deal a deathblow to Slaver and Gifts if built correctly.  Which leaves Combo/Tendrils.


Because of this, I think the deck is worth at least considering.  Maindecking Hubs and Soulgorgers could prove to be viable if contained in the right shell.  The problem is finding the right shell.

Mono-Brown:
Pro--
-Gives a more focused mana base to a mana hungry deck. (tombs, traitors, metalworker)
-Lends itself more naturally to an alternate win in worker/staff
Cons--
-Loss of reliable tutoring and draw-engines
-wasteland ripe mana base
-offers little to no protection against counterspells
-with eon hub being the focus, you run into anti-synergistic disruption choices: Stacks and Tanglewire.

Mono-Red:
Possible Additions:
Wheel, Welders, Gamble, Solomn Simulacrum, Pyrostatic Pillars, Mox Monkey, Null Rod? Ghost Quarter?
Pro--
-Welder gives you a direct answer to tinker/DSC.
-Welder gives you a degree of immunity to counterspells
-Welder/Simulacrum draw/fetch engine becomes available
-Pyrostatic Pillars gives you an answer to COMBO and quickens your win against fish and other low CC decks (like Bomberman).
-the Simulacrum engin opens up the MAJOR possibility of Null Rod and/or Bloodmoons in the main deck.
-This also makes Ghost Quarter look like a possible inclusion.
-Welder/Razormane is good synergy when you don't have Hub.
-Welder/Gamble tutor power -> which enables Crucible/Bazaar/Welder
Cons--
-You are a welder deck, and everyone likes to kill welders
-It focuses the deck a bit more on "bigger" solutions under the pre-tense of "I can weld it in"  such as Sundering Titan, and Platinum Angel.

Mono-Blue:
Possible Additions: Blue Draw cards (including Timetwister), Transmute Artifact, Tinker, Mystical, possibly some countermagic.
Pros--
- Opens up the possibility of Cathodin/Transmute Artifact looks like a broken focus of the deck on paper.
- Obviously you get powerhouses like Ancestral, Timewalk, Timetwister.
- You can use tolarian for more than just colorless mana
- You get a real draw engin from Thirst
- Still open to Simulacrum, but clearly is not as powerful
- Opens up the possiblity of Power Artifact/Monolith
- Possibly could make use of memnark
Cons--
- More mana requirements, Transmute artifact is one of the best cards that could potentially be gained from mono-blue.  And that requires as well as Power Artifact that requires the same.
- Solves the draw problem, but does little to dirrectly improve your matchup aginst Gifts, Slaver, or Combo.

Blue & Red:
Possible Additions: see above
Pros --
- Opens up the potential for Welders + Stable draw
Cons --
- Completely destabilizes your mana.  At this point 5 color becomes a better option.

5 Color: Basically a completely different animal.  If I were going to consider 5 color, I would basically go to Ray's "Stacksless Stax Deck"  I think mateing the Eon Hub Agro concept into the staxless stax deck would just not make viable offspirng.



I like the mono-Red version: So here Is the initial List--

Mana-----
4  Shops
5  Mountains
5  Moxen
4  Lotus, petal, Crypt, Sol Ring
1  Guilded Lotus
1  Stripmine
3  Wasteland
2  City of Traitors

Creatures---
4  Juggernaught
3  Razormane
3  Soulgourger
3  Solomn Simulacrum

Search / Recursion--
4  Welders
3  Gamble
2  Crucible
1  Wheel
1  Bazzar

Hosers --
1  Trinisphere
4  Eon Hub
4  Pyrostatic Pillar
3  Null Rod

[pyr0ma5ta]

Eon Hub is a 5 mana artifact that does even less than Smokestack against all of the best decks in the format.  Additionally, you can't go Turn 1 Soulgorger, Turn 2 Eon Hub and smash.  You have to wait until turn 3 at the earliest to cast the Gorger; how is this better than Oath, which frequently comes down turn 1 and is hasty, flying, and tramply?

[Harlequin]

I would say that Soulgorger is a wincondtion, and like many decks in the format... winconditions don't nessiarly work as your turn one play.

Turn 1 "good" Plays:
Welder
Gamble (setup)
Mox, Pyrostatic
Null Rod
Shop,Tinisphere
Shop,mox Juggernaught
Mana, Mana, Wheel.
Shop Mox Simulacrum (gives you 5-6 mana on turn 2).

Turn 2:
Further development
Razormane
Hub

Turn 3-4ish:
More creatures includeing Soulgourger

----
You bring up a good agrument about the oath matchup.  In that Eon hub is a bit slow to STOP oath.  Perhapse running some dupes or Caps in the main is an option.

[Juggernaut GO]

PLAY LEVELER AND UBA MASK WHILE YOUR AT IT.  THAT COMBO FUCKING ROX, AND THEN I CAN ACCUSE YOU OF STEALING MY IDEAS
Travis, this is ridiculous. You're back to being banned.

[pyr0ma5ta]

You bring up a good agrument about the oath matchup.  In that Eon hub is a bit slow to STOP oath.  Perhapse running some dupes or Caps in the main is an option.

I fail to see how Caps are any faster than Eon Hubs.

Basically, your deck is just Shop Aggro, but without the focus on good disruption such as 4 Crucible-5 Strip, Chalice, and Trinisphere.  Instead, you are just asking to get bent over by Drains, Rituals, and Oath, in return for an unlosable Stax matchup.

[xycsoscyx]

Actually, a first turn Eon Hub DOES stop Oath, until they can draw their bounce spells, and that's a turn behind since they have to wait for their next upkeep.  Eon Hub also works well against Fish (Flux and Kataki), helps Razormane Kitty stay in play, slows down Ichorid (they have to rely on the Ghouls instead, since Ichorid triggers during Upkeep), Stax (Tangle Wires and Smokestacks).

All in all, it is a pretty strong card, and worthy of MB inclusion in a Shop Agro type deck, especially along with things like Null Rods and Chalices.

[Harlequin]

Ashen Goul is an upkeep only effect.  They basically have to sit around and hardcast a Grave Troll.

All in all, I was thinking about the "Why this over oath" and it came down this:  Oath can go Turn 1 Mox, Orchard, Oath -> 4 turn clock.  This deck can go, Shop, Mox, Juggernaught 5 turn clock.  and thats assumeing you play no other spells with no other attackers.  So as far as speed is concerned its not really that different.  Not includeing Tinisphere was definately simply an oversight.  I just forgot to put it into my hosers list.  I would clearly be playing Tinisphere. 

I would have liked to fit Bloodmoon in the main, But I couldn't.  But maybe Pyrostatics are better in the board and Moon is better in the main... I'm just not sure. 

What the deck chooses as core hosers is almost irrelevant.  Tangle/chalice is tried and true.  But does that mean it is always superior to Rod/Pyrostatics?  They both seem like fairly good hoser choices.  Grim long does not loose to chalice.  and any tendrils deck that is not grim long runs Hurkyls on the main.  So I fail to see how Chalice is better than Pyrostatics.  It also puts a tougher clock on Confidant. 

I will admit that this deck could have trouble with Oath.  But it is in no way a lost matchup.  This deck is focusing in on the decks that are gaining popularity.  Namely Sulivans Sollution, and Grim long.  Those are the decks in my sights, CS, Gifts, and Oath are great decks but they seem to be loosing popularity.  And as I said, its not like I don't have answer to those decks.  Null Rod is amazing, esp when NONE of my artifact creatures use activated abilites.  I have Triggered Dirrect damage, Triggered Search, and Triggered Draw.  I almost want to go to 4 null rods in the main.

[BreathWeapon]

If Chalice of the Void doesn't stop Grim Long than I fail to see why Null Rod would be a better inclusion, if you don't resolve either on the firt turn or two the game is lost. Chalice of the Void at one or two has so many important applications for Workshop Aggro, in either stopping an opponent's Goblin Welders, Brainstorms, Oath of Druids, Mana Drains and Merchant Scrolls etc or all of Combos 1cc spells. Null Rod is more of a tutorable one of than it is a 4 of, it hurts you just as much as them and can't be used on the play to your advantage and very rarely dropped alongside a threat on the first turn.

Eon Hub is a SB card, Oath and Ichorid aren't enough of a reason to MD a 5cc artifact that has no application outside of those matches until post SB, and while the card is versatle I think it's mediocre at dealing with any one particular situation. That's assuming you aren't using it to cheat your upkeep ofcourse, which you are, so I'd focuse on that argument before you get into the splash damage against other decks.

Oh, and isn't saying the popularity of Gifts, Slave and Oath is decreasing is the same thing as saying the popularity of Mana Drain is decreasing? I really don't think this is an accurate statement to be making to justify the deck, if it's an accurate statement at all.

[Harlequin]

Some Updates after testing, talking to folks, takeing some initiatives, and reveiwing this thread...

Droping:
1 Wheel
1 soulgourger (going to 2)
3 Gambles
1 Guilded lotus
1 wasteland(maybe)
1 Pyrostatic (maybe going to 3)
1 Eon hub (going to 3 maybe)

Adding
2-3 Bloodmoons
4th Simulacrum
2nd and maybe 3rd Bazaar
3-4 Chalice (maybe)


Against Combo:
Turn 1 Chalice for 0 - Very good on the play, decent on the draw, if they hold back mox for storm.
Turn 1 Chalice for 1 - Very good on P or D, but it cuts off your access to welder, more difficult for Grim to win against that chalice at 0.
Turn 1 Pyrostatics - Means they can't win the "easy" way.  Grim Tutor for a 10 count storm means they need to find a bouce spell and take damage in the process
Turn 1 Null Rod - As good as chalice for 0, with that added bonus of that it can be ok on the draw if they don't have a turn 1 win and they commit thier moxen.  Obviously the disadvantage here is that it costs mana.



Testing Needs to be done against slaver.  I think in the slaver tests will warm me up to includeing chalices on the main.