Anti-Storm Bomberman

[Legendre]

Hello everyone.  I'm new to Mana Drain as a poster but have been reading for some time.  I have become attached to the Bomberman archetype, but in my meta Storm, specifically TPS and Nauseam, dominate the field.  I have been working on a version of Bomberman which plays to its Fish roots, and puts a bit more focus on storm disruption.

I have found that it has a reasonably favorable matchup against a typical TPS build, but unfortunately my opponent is often myself, and I am a far-from-proficient TPS pilot.  I'd like to get some input and criticism if possible, especially from capable storm players who know what they should fear most 

So here it is, Anti-Storm Bomberman:

Lands

1 Tolarian Academy
2 Plains
4 Island
2 Tundra
4 Flooded Strand

Artifacts

3 Aether Spellbomb
1 Mana Vault
5 Moxen
1 Sol Ring
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Mana Crypt

Creatures

4 Athersworn Canonist
4 Trinket Mage
3 Auriok Salvagers

Instants/Sorceries/Enchantments

1 Brainstorm
2 Negate
1 Merchant Scroll
4 Thirst for Knowledge
4 Force of Will
1 Ancestral Recall
3 Mystic Remora
2 Mana Drain
1 Stifle
1 Time Walk
1 Ponder

Rough Sideboard:
Pithing Needles, Stifle/Orim's Chant, Tormod's Crypt, Meddling Mage, maybe another Chalice, other meta stuff.


I will try to give an explanation for what I see as non-obvious choices below:

The land balance - Wasteland scares me.  2 duals are plenty, 4 Fetch are required.

Lotus Petal - an extra bit of acceleration.  Could be an Island...?
Engineered Explosives - terrible against storm, I know, but my next biggest concern is Ichorid, whose zombies are nicely dispatched by EE.  Also great against spheres.
Chalice - comes out consistently with 4 Trinket Mage.
Athersworn Canonist - this is more of a fish card, but it is a wonderful lock on storm. As long as she is carefully defended from bouncing, she can swing for the win with the help of any trinket mages/salvagers.
Negate/Mana Drain - this split is just me riding the fence in a decision as to whether or not Mana Drain is really worth it, given how much more effective Negate and Mana Leak are against Storm.  The more I play it, the more I prefer Negate, but Mana Drain has such potential that it's hard to let go of.
Mystic Remora - I saw another, more experienced Bomberman pilot rock this suckerfish against Storm, and I have been pleased with it as well.  It would get SB'd out for most non-storm matchups.  Maybe it belongs in the SB itself, I don't know for sure.
Stifle - maybe Orim's chant would be a better fit?  Either way, more copies will exist in the sideboard, once I get a little input here and put a solid one together.

Any criticisms are greatly appreciated, please let me know what you think.

[nineisnoone]

Not a bad list.  My comments...

I don't really find the Plains to be necessary.  2 Tundras, and 4 fetchs, Mox Pearl, and Black Lotus has always been enough for me.  You don't really need the white until you go for the combo win so I have often found the Plains to be useless.  If you are worried about getting your Tundra wasted I would just main deck a Pithing Needle.  I wouldn't worry too much about Wasteland though.  You mostly operate just fine on Islands only so Wasteland is actually fairly weak against this deck. 

A card that has entered into Bomberman is Tolaria West.  It transmutes for 3 and it gets you Lotus, Tolarian Academy, and other assorted 0 cost artifacts.  Not to mention it doubles as a land if you really really need it to be.  I was skeptical at first, but I've found that it is very powerful.

Three Spellbombs is a lot.  Most decks just run 1.  Often a decent play is Trinket for Spellbomb, and then bouncing their own Trinket and then recasting it for Black Lotus.  Thus getting you all your combo pieces for a net of 5 mana (since Lotus will give you back 3).  Have you really found 3 to be necessary?  The combo isn't really speedy nor do I feel it is meant to be.  I usually just ignore it and just "let it happen" via tutors and card draw.  If you really want to facilitate your win better, I would run 2x Intuition over Spellbombs 2-3 as they are much better in other cases.

We discussed Canonist in another thread, so I won't reiterate it here. 

I like Mystic Remora a lot as well.  Even more than Canonist.  With all the artifact accelerants, this deck will certainly be able to pay the upkeep cost.  It's a card I've considered in the main deck in a variety of Mana Drain builds.  I don't even find it to be that bad in other match-ups (aside from aggro).  Even if you pay the upkeep twice, that's only 4 mana.  If that nets you 3 cards, that's not at all bad.  And if it nets you less then that, then it net you 3 turns.  Early game it stops storm.  Late game you can afford to pay the upkeep costs.  Pitches to Force of Will.  I don't know if it is optimal, as I haven't really been working on the decks where I was testing it out, but I am really curious to hear your opinions on the card in general and in this deck.  I've always seen it more used as a sideboard card, but I feel it wouldn't be so bad in the main deck.

What is the Stifle for?  Storm?  In my opinion, you might as well play Trickbind then. 

Also you probably want a bounce spell to search for with Merchant Scroll.  Echoing Truth, Hurkyl's Recall, and Wipe Away are the three main options in my opinion.

Tinker and Darksteel Colossus are a needed "Plan B" against Null Rod.  I've considered cutting it in my build, but that's more because Null Rod is such a beating with 4 artifact lands that I don't even know if it would be worth it to have a main deck Plan B. In your deck though, you should really consider it.

[Legendre]

Thanks for your input.

You are probably right about the Spellbomb.  I hate not having it once I hit the arbitrary mana loop, but I suppose Intuition could pull it out for me just as easily.  I do worry about the decreased defense against DSC, but I guess I'm just gonna have to live with that.

Mystic Remora is such a sleeper against Storm, but the key is to be able to draw into Stifle/Trickbind/Orim's Chant before they can finish you off.  I think Remora makes more sense when there are more anti-storm cards available to find once the massive drawing begins.  I witnessed a Bomberman build that ran 4 Remoras INSTEAD of TFK and managed to take 2nd in a 30ish man tourney, so it obviously has potential, at least in my storm heavy meta.

I like the Tolaria West idea, but it makes more sense in your build where you can seek out either the Lotus OR the Lodestone Bauble.  I am still testing it though, as I like the ability to fetch that single Chalice in a pinch.

Do you think that the Spellbomb itself is not a sufficient bounce spell to defend against DSC?  Or were you thinking more like Null Rod/artifact defense?  I am hesitant to put in something like Echoing Truth MD, especially in that I feel that the Merchant Scroll is itself on the chopping block.

You are right about the speed of the combo.  I have a tendency to push for a combo win, which is dumb in general and suicidal against storm.  Bman's biggest asset is its ability to choose to be an aggro, combo, or control deck given different opponents.  I suppose the key is knowing what role to play, and pushing to be combo all the time is not the way to get it done.

Concerning Tinker/DSC, I had planned on leaving it in SB, and waiting to use it in a Null Rod matchup.  I know it's the easiest way to win in vintage, but it's so common that I don't like to lean on it maindeck only to see a Chain of Vapor end my party.  Do you think it is crucial MD or can it remain in SB?

[nineisnoone]

You could potentially go Echoing Truth, Spellbomb, Salvagers with Intuition if you are worried about additional DSC answers.  Or if you have 2 in the main deck you can just go Echoing Truth, Wipe Away (my current choice for bounce), Spellbomb or whatever.  Intuition is a very flexible card.

I recently put back Merchant Scroll into my list.  Merchant Scroll for Force of Will is not that bad of a play so a decent target is pretty much always available.  Though I run more card draw (Thoughtcast) so that might be a factor.  Especially in my deck where I run so many artifacts, draw spells, and combo pieces, I'm having trouble cramming disruption and answers so I'm glad for anything that is a force multiplier.

Though I have to say, you might as well just go without a bounce spell if you don't run Merchant Scroll.  The 1 of with no way to tutor for it isn't going to impact the deck that much and you might as well just leave it up for the SB to handle.

I consider Tinker DSC to be the 59-60th cards in the deck...  That being said, they are a very good 59-60 cards.  So I can relate to wanting to cut them (I'm fiddling with it right now actually), but the thing is in such a flexible deck like Bomberman it is very hard to really make significant improvements without narrowing the deck (which would sort of defeat the purpose).  While Tinker is just a plan B, I'm having a difficult time trying to find the right cards that improve the plan A to the deck more than having Tinker as a back-up. 

[swawagon]

Tinker can almost make the cut in Bomberman just as a way to find a combo piece so that is in. Then you are one card away from a solid plan B so Colossus easily makes the cut. Plus I have more than once hardcast Colossus with inifi-mana from Lotus/Salvagers or just cast him in drawn out games with tons of mana down and Colossus is easy to pitch to Thirst. I sometimes like another Tinker target outside Colossus stuck in your hand or not a good time for a combo piece, so I also include a Crucible of Worlds. This makes fetchies and Stripmine really good as well. And Tolaria West, which I am toying with in Bomberman is not bad with Crucible. And most of these cards are synergetic with an Intuition. Merchant Scroll helps find Intuition. So there you go.

The big question with Bomberman I think is whether to include black for a few Tutor/Duress affects or not? If you include Crucible/Strip I think black improves that line of play.

Other choices If not black are; whites Canonist, or Mindsensor? Or use Thoughtcast and Artifact lands which makes Null Rod even more powerful against you?

Or do you try to also squeeze in TEZ and/or Voltaic Key and Time Vault? Trinkets can find Voltaics...

Bomberman has potential just no optimal list...

[Legendre]

Last tournament I tried 2 Tezz, 1 Time Vault, 1 Voltaic Key.  It sounded good in principle, but I hated it by the end of the day.  Tezz is just so expensive that he fails me in a deck not set up to play him ASAP, and the Voltaic/Vault thing is inconsistent at best, a straight drag on your resources most of the time.  Each is worse than useless on its own.

You and Nine are really pushing the MD Tinker/DSC, so I will bow to those with more experience and give it a try.  I'm thinking -1 Merchant Scroll and -1 Ponder to put them in.

I think Mindcensor is a crock in general, never liked to play with it in Bomberman or anything else really.  It is standard and solid, but not particularly impressive most of the time.  The Canonist is a better answer to storm, IMO, and cheaper too.

Adding black would stretch the manabase too thin, I think.  I am happy with 8 counters as disruption, if I really need much more than that I probably shouldn't be playing Bomberman.  Furthermore I would have to wreak havoc on the rest of the deck to find a place for Duress's.

Are you saying use Crucible to re-transmute Tolaria?  Can you do that?

[swawagon]

Crucible of Worlds and Tolaria West are just useful. Tolaria West in Bomberman can grab Black Lotus which obviously is useful or any land. Tolaria West can Transmute for Stripmine which obviously works well with Crucible of Worlds. Then you can bring the Tolaria West  back as a blue source at some point as well. Not super powerful, but synergetic.

[nineisnoone]

I wouldn't mix Bomberman and Tezzeret.  Or at least, if I added Tezzert it would replace Salvagers and I would just go with the Time Vaule combo win.

Another note on running Scroll and a bounce spell main deck is that with if you are looping with infinite mana and have Trinket Mage, Scroll and the bounce spell can find your Spellbomb by letting you replace your Trinket Mage.  It came  up in testing today so I just thought I'd mention it.

I don't know if I'd run Crucible.  I would probably need to run Wasteland to feel like Crucible was worthwhile.  I would rather run Karn main deck than run Crucible.

[Legendre]

Well, I have gotten some good input, both from here and from further playtesting since I posted.  Here is the second version, complete with sideboard:

Anti-Storm Bomberman Rev A:

Maindeck:

Lands

1 Tolarian Academy
1 Tolaria West
1 Plains
4 Island
2 Tundra
4 Flooded Strand

Artifacts

1 Aether Spellbomb
1 Mana Vault
5 Moxen
1 Sol Ring
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Mana Crypt

Creatures

4 Ethersworn Canonist
4 Trinket Mage
3 Auriok Salvagers
1 Darksteel Colossus

Instants/Sorceries/Enchantments

2 Intuition
1 Brainstorm
4 Negate
1 Tinker
4 Thirst for Knowledge
4 Force of Will
1 Ancestral Recall
3 Mystic Remora
2 Trickbind
1 Time Walk


Sideboard:

3 Tormod's Crypt   (vs Ichorid, Worldgorger, or additional help against TPS/Yawg Will)
2 Pithing Needle    (Ichorid mainly, other troublesome activated abilities)
2 Engineered Explosives  (vs Ichorid, clean up zombies, or as a general removal spell)
2 Meddling Mage   (Switch out for Canonist in non-storm matches)
2 Augury Adept    (Same as Mage)
1 Echoing Truth    (Ichorid help, DSC, general bounce needs)
1 Merchant Scroll   (To get Ehoing truth, or something)
1 Meekstone         (Shuts down DSC, Negator, Goyf.  Helps post SB vs storm)
1 Library of Alexandria    (Help against mirror, slaver, etc)


Tournament is this weekend, so any further critiques are greatly appreciated.  The matchup vs TPS is now over 60% favorable, so I feel like I've done what I set out to do.  Now watch me get paired with MUD for 3 rounds...

[nineisnoone]

I can't say that I dislike any of your card choices, the only thing I can comment on is the lack of main deck Tormod's Crypt and Engineered Explosives.  I've actually gone to 2x of both in my list just so I can discard it to Thirst and still have another to tutor for with Trinket Mage.  Plus it keeps my artifact count up. 

Crypt and EE are some of the best reasons to run Trinket Mage and I just feel your Trinket Mage plays are significantly weaker without them.  Again, there is no clear cut card that I see as being the one to cut... but the 4th Canonist might not be so bad to lose (double don't do anything anyways) and maybe Chalice (not sure what you are expecting to Chalice for). 

As far as the SB goes, I'm not all that big on Augury Adept.  I like Ophidian for only requiring 1 colored mana plus being able to block against bears or Cold-Eyed Selike for being unblockable against most decks.