[Deck] Chains of Mephistopheles Lock

[netherspirit]

We've all seen horrid janky Chains of Mephistopheles decks, but how many of us have tried it and actually succeeded?

I've found that the biggest problem for Chains decks isn't establishing a lock, but actually winning. This usually means you have to get your kill condition out before you drop the lock, which usually makes the deck incredibly slow.

But what if the kill condition kills by being in your library? This is how my Chains deck works.

Chains of Mephistopheles - NetherSpirit Style

Mana Base:
1 Black Lotus
5 Moxen
1 Sol Ring
1 Lotus Petal
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Underground Sea
2 Island
1 Swamp
4 Polluted Delta
2 Bloodstained Mire
2 Flooded Strand

Control:
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
2 Remand
2 Duress

Draw/Tutor:
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Brainstorm
1 Memory Jar
3 Impulse
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
1 Tinker

The Lock:
4 Chains of Mephistopheles
3 Anvil of Bogardan
3 Ensnaring Bridge

The Kill:
1 Darksteel Colossus

Sideboard:
1 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Duress
3 Extirpate
3 Massacre
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Misdirection

Well there it is!

The deck works by getting Chains of Mephistopheles and Anvil of Bogardan out to destroy everyone's hands and stop people from drawing. This then goes very nicely with Ensnaring Bridge which prevents creatures from attacking.

I need bounce as Necropotence, Chalice@2 and Leyline of the Void really do smash my game plan; I'm thinking Echoing Truth or Rushing River for this.

The deck runs lots of cheap disruption so it can gain tempo over the opponent and protect the lock. The draw and tutor package is very intense and often leads to turn 3 or 4 locks.

My worst matchups are Fish, Ichorid and Combo, so my sideboard is tuned to hose them.

Finally, my kill condition, Darksteel Colossus, works by shuffling back into my library every time it's put in the graveyard by Chains of Mephistopheles or Anvil of Bogardan. I chose Darksteel Colossus over Gaea's Blessing as it shuffles by being discarded as well as being put in the graveyard from the library and is not dead in hand like Gaea's Blessing.

Well, that's all I have to write about it for now. Comments, criticism and suggestions would be appreciated!

netherspirit

[RaZe]

Exactly how do you plan to attack with DSC with E.Bridge in play? Even without the lock. Not intending to make fun, but the two strategies are too "unsynergistic" [if that's even a word].

[Methuselahn]

Dark Confidant breaks your lock.

The way you are using DSC to kill takes a very long time and you're likely to run out the clock.

[netherspirit]

Exactly how do you plan to attack with DSC with E.Bridge in play? Even without the lock. Not intending to make fun, but the two strategies are too "unsynergistic" [if that's even a word].

You don't kill by attacking with DSC. You kill by using it to prevent yourself from decking out while your opponent eventually runs out of cards.

[GrandpaBelcher]

So what happens if your opponent also happens to be running DSC?  It's not exactly an uncommon card in Vintage.

[Scott_Limoges]

Try dark rituals to speed the combo.

[netherspirit]

So what happens if your opponent also happens to be running DSC?  It's not exactly an uncommon card in Vintage.

It's becoming less common. However, this is the biggest problem I've faced so far; I'm not sure whether Leyline of the Void would be a way around this due to replacement effects (ie whether Leyline or DSC goes on the stack first), I was thinking maybe put some Extracts in my sideboard?

[Shock Wave]

So what happens if your opponent also happens to be running DSC?  It's not exactly an uncommon card in Vintage.

It's becoming less common. However, this is the biggest problem I've faced so far; I'm not sure whether Leyline of the Void would be a way around this due to replacement effects (ie whether Leyline or DSC goes on the stack first), I was thinking maybe put some Extracts in my sideboard?

You lose to Fish, Combo, and Ichorid, and anything that runs DSC. That's ... a lot of problems. The problem with this deck is with the underlying strategy, and it isn't going to be shored up by adding or changing one or two cards. Sometimes we have to accept that certain ideas just won't work or are not appropriate for the current metagame.