Ubr Painter

[Bone]

Deck started out in the development forum but have changed and improved the list so much I feel it belongs here.

Here is the current version of the deck I'm taking to the March 7th tournament:

Creatures {13}
4 Dark Confidant
4 Painter's Servant
1 Platinum Angel
4 Trinket Mage

Spells {20}
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Tinker
1 Yawgmoth's Will

1 Brainstorm
2 Force of Will
3 Mana Drain
1 Mystical Tutor
3 Pyroblast
1 Repeal
4 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Vampiric Tutor

Artifacts { 9}
1 Chrome Mox
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Grindstone
1 Lotus Petal
3 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sol Ring

Lands {18}
3 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Seat of Synod
2 Volcanic Island
2 Watery Grave (soon to be Underground Sea)
3 Island

Sideboard {15}
4 Serum Powder
3 Leyline of the Void
3 Stifle
3 Propaganda
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Red Elemental Blast

My meta is alot of rogue, aggro and slow control stuff. Not so much fast combo. I have 2 more Force of Will but I don't feel the need for adding them at this moment (meta). Moxen+Lotus will be added when I get them, can probably take a little bit of time. The same with Recall and Walk. Any suggestions on what cards to look for? Is there need for more drain? Or should I just save up for buying power (love bb so it's gonna cost me some) Thanks

[chrissss]

Well you still have 3 weeks to tweak, but i would go for power first.

Also I would either use 4FoWs or 0 Fows, 2 seems a bit useless, and you won´t get them when you need them (muphy´s law at tournaments remember )
if your meta isn´t too combo like, perhaps less REB maindeck and something else instead like thoughtseize?

[the boogie man]

4 force of will is undoubtedly necessary.

At first glance, confidant looks like a solid choice to go along side painter, getting free draw every turn for a relatively low initial investment. The only problem is that the confidant is always a sorcery speed creature, so waiting with mana up becomes much more difficult with him. Also, games might tend to go longer with controllish decks, perhaps that could be an issue. In his spot, I'd rather run like 3 thoughtcast, which are awsome mid-late game, and sometimes really good early. I guess 1 force of will takes the other slot

You also only have 3 reb effects. I would run at least 5. These eat tezz decks for breakfast, not to mention remora-blue. With painter out, they read "R: destroy target permanent or counter target spell." I think at least 2 more are needed.

You can probably go down to two sensei's, you run a lot of draw already. Perhaps instead of angel, you could run the new inkwell leviathan. 7/11 shroud trample islandwalk. ouch.

Also, with the trinket mages, why not run crypt/relic, pithing needle, and other fetchable stuff, especially in the side?

[Bone]

Thanks for the reply. Will do some changes. Have arranged playtesting on tuesday against a variety of decks.

[nineisnoone]

I haven't gotten around to it, but I've seriously considering running Cunning Wish in Painter lists.  Put a couple of REBs in the Sideboard, and you almost have MSPaint.  Plus it let's you tool things like Curfew for DSC, Mogg Slavage for Vault/Rod, Extirpate/Extract for Tezzeret.   Maybe even something cute like Commandeer.  You can't get Ancestral with it (I guess you could SB it, but I wouldn't recommend that), but you can put a Gifts Ungiven in your board that can win off Grind/Painter/Mystic/Vamp.  Mystic/Vamp for Yawgwill to get back whatever they don't give you.

EDIT:  I must say, I also like the inclusion of Dark Confidant to the list.  Not sure if he's better than Welder, how has it tested?

[Bone]

Does this look better?

Less Bob, more draw and counter   + Relic and Needle

Creatures { 9}
4 Painter's Servant
1 Darksteel Colossus (Inkvell)
4 Trinket Mage

Spells {24}
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Ponder
1 Tinker
1 Yawgmoth's Will

1 Brainstorm
1 Fact or Fiction
4 Force of Will
3 Mana Drain
1 Mystical Tutor
3 Pyroblast
1 Repeal
4 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Vampiric Tutor

Artifacts { 9}
1 Chrome Mox
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Grindstone
1 Lotus Petal
1 Pithing Needle
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sol Ring

Lands {18}
3 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Seat of Synod
2 Volcanic Island
2 Watery Grave (soon to be Underground Sea)
3 Island

Sideboard {15}
4 Serum Powder
3 Leyline of the Void
3 Stifle
3 Propaganda
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Red Elemental Blast

[the boogie man]

If you are going to run 4 painter, I think that the reb count needs to be higher. You run so many artifacts that thoutcast could be awsome in your deck. I'd say -1 trinket mage, -1 servant, -1 fact or fiction, +3 thoughtcast, just to check it out. drawing 2 for u is an awsome deal, and you run painter's and trinket mages, both of which increase the artifact count.

I also like to confidant, just not in the build that uses thirsts and drain. Has anyone come up with a goofy painter-like list? It could run 4 goyfs, 4 confidant, 4 servant, and 3-4 trinket mage, maybe some man lands, 5 rebs, a couple grindstones, duress+thoughtseize, force, and whatnot. I think that the multiple vindicate counterspells would really boost an aggro-control shell. With all of those rebs, maybe standstill could be another draw engine? if so, aether vial @ 2 drops most of your guys.

[Harlequin]

I wouldn't run Mystical tutor, or Merchant scroll in the deck you have.  You have more than enough to do with your mana, and without ancestral recall - these cards just aren't that good. 

I would also cut Tolarian and Seat of Synod.  Just again simply not worth it. Without a full set of jewelery, Thirst is not that great of a card.  I wouldnt worry put seats in to compensate, I would just take the deck a differant dirrection.

The best budget accellerant you can get is Dark Ritual.  I would suggest taking advantage of this.  Confidants and perhapse Night's whisper or maybe  even Infernal Contract can be a good way to accellate into the win.

Your deck takes a darker turn, and may need to consider blue count to support force ...

Mana (24)
6 Fetch (preferably 4 delta)
2 Volcanic
5 Undergrounds/Watery/(swamps)
2 Island
2 Snow-covered Island *
1 Swamp

4 Dark Ritual

1 Lotus petal
1 Sol Ring

Creatures (10)
4 Confidant
1 DSC ?  (maybe plats isn't that bad considering Confidant)
3 Painter
2 Trinket Mage

Blue Spells (14 ~ 16 total)
4 Force
3 Drain
1 Brainstorm
1 Tinker
1 FoF
1 Ponder
1 Gifts of Given *
1 Recontruction *
1 Mystical Tutor *
(+2 Trinket mages from above)

Non-Blue (12)
3 Red elemental Blast
2 Grindstone
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Relic of Prog
1 Engineered

1 Necropotence
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Vampiric
1 DT


With Rits you open up many more lines of play: 
1) Earlier Grindstone Activations.  With Rit you just have more mana. 
2) Turn 1 Necro.  This a beating for any control deck.  Just remember not to go too overboard when it comes to getting cards, you arn't as explosive as TPS or other storm combo decks, so take it easy just draw up to 7 or 8 each turn.
3) Must lesser than turn 1 Necro, is Turn 1 Confidant.  Again this can spell trouble for any deck that isn't attempting to race you. 

4) Gifts Ungiven: Here are some basic gifts piles... (noteing the cards marked with stars)

 - Find Yawg/Tinker: DT, Vamp, Mystical, Dark Ritual. 
This ensures you get Yawg with plenty of tutors and mana.  This would be the only real reason to run Mystical tutor.  You can also sub Dark rit in this pile for Tinker if you already have tons of mana.
 - Win the Game: Painter, Grindstone, Reconstruction, Yawg
With this you can win the game assuming you have plenty of mana.  If they give you Yawg, cast it, recur mana and get your combo pieces back... which means they won't give you yawg. That means they either have to give you 2x combo pieces or combo piece + recontruction (which can get the other combo peice).  Which means you win for U+2+1+3 = 7 mana that you can divide over many turns - tricky eh?
 - Screw you mana denial!: Island, Swamp or Snow-covered Island, Polluted Delta, Flooded Strand. 
They likely won't give you the fetchlands, so this way you esure you get double basic land.
 - I... have a response: Force, Drain, Reb, anything(blue). 
You can cast this in response to a really important blue spell on the stack assuming you have a blue, and a blue/red (volc/fetch) open after you cast gifts.  Also depending on how much blue you think there might be, you can run a Pyroblast in place of one of the Reb to get: Force, Drain, Reb, Pyroblast. 

[Bone]

Thanks alot for long reply That's a very different approact. I will try it in playtesting and see how it works

[Bone]

Played this list in a tournament today (only 4 swiss rounds)

Creatures { 9}
4 Painter's Servant
1 Darksteel Colossus
4 Trinket Mage

Spells {24}
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Ponder
1 Tinker
1 Yawgmoth's Will

1 Brainstorm
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Fire | Ice
4 Force of Will
3 Mana Drain
1 Mystical Tutor
3 Pyroblast
1 Repeal
4 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Vampiric Tutor

Artifacts { 9}
1 Chrome Mox
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Grindstone
1 Lotus Petal
1 Pithing Needle
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sol Ring

Lands {18}
3 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Seat of Synod
2 Volcanic Island
2 Watery Grave
3 Island

Sideboard {15}
4 Serum Powder
3 Leyline of the Void
3 Stifle
3 Propaganda
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Red Elemental Blast

Round 1 I played against goblins with some pretty decent burn spells. Round 1 was an easy win. Round 2 and 3 somehow he managed to kill me just before I could activate grindstone for the win (painter in play). Wtf?!

Round 2 I played against some burn deck, easy win

Round 3 I played against a deck that used Bosiju and then Cranial Extraction... So I could not counter and he removed painter's servant from the game. And also used restore balance to get me very low on pernaments while he had suspend creatures. Don't know the name of the deck but it was a very strong rogue stuff in a unpowered meta.

Round 4 I played against UG Aggro Landstill (the same as last tournament). I had not enough accelleration to get my combo early enough and he managed to counter my goodstuff. Sided in propaganda but it didn't help. Lost both games.

Kinda sucks to loose 3-1 with this deck against those crappy decks, but that's life.. not the best metagame for this deck. Need radical improvement. Next tournament I will probably play another deck but can lend this to another player, perhaps I should go for the darker turn by harlequin then.