Mud revisited

[Glix]

After going over the recent results of the Starcity Power 9 Tournament- Chicago(http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/expandnews.php?Article=6182), I tried to think of a deck that would sucessfully combat the top 8 decklists.  While reading the Affinity report, I was reminded of how an early null rod completely shuts down the deck.  With that in mind, I looked over the top 8, and null rod sucessfully combats most of the win conditions.  And we all know that Dampening Matrix is almost exactly the same.  But what deck can get an early rod/matrix down consitently?  Fish can, yet second turn is sometimes even to slow.  The matrix and the rod can both easily be cast off a Mishra's Workshop, which was my conclusion.  This also alowed for additional artifact lock componants to be easily cast, many of which do not require an activated ability.  Abities such like that of Uba Mask (which I admit is a card that I just plain like) and Chalice of the Void are fairly universal answers to a huge amount of the field, and can slow them down enough for 5/3's namesake creatures and their ilk to take down an oppoant quickly and efficiently.  A quick brianstorm came up with the following lock cards:
Uba Mask- A card that hinders many of the slower decks in the field, but also makes a bad game worse for an opponant once you have their resources taxed.
Tangle Wire- Buys you early game time against many decks
Orb of Dreams- Makes many of your almost hard locks cards (waste-crucible, Smokestack, etc.) into hard locks, while also slowing down win conditions so that they may be delt with.
Crucible of Worlds- This is a gimme, allowing for not only infitie strips, but locks with somkestack and making city of traitors more effective.
Sphere of Resisance- Serves a similare purpose to Orb of Dreams while also buying you a lot of time early game and slows down combo decks.
Trinisphere- No explenation neeeded.
Chalice of the Void- Against combo and fish-like decks, this will be a game winner if you set it correctly early on.
Defense Grids- Helps in the control matchup, but usually unneeded.
Smoke Stack- Another lock card that will buy you a lot of time.
Null Rod- Extreemly effective vs. a large portion of the meta.
Dampening Matrix- Not effecitve vs. combo, more effective vs. control

After I compiled that list, I tried to think of win conditions:
Juggernaut- Fast and powerful, rarely it does run into stuff
Duplicant- Removal and a beatstick wrapped up into one.  I really want one of these incase an opposing colossus or platinum angel makes it onto the field.
Platinum Angel- Once on the field compliemented with locks, it should win you the game regardless of an opponants win conditions.
Synod Centurion- 4/4 whose drawback usually does not occur
Myr Enforcer- 4/4 that is sometimes cheaper than the others with no drawback
Su-Chi- 4/4 whose drawback usually does not occur.

Once I had that list, I threw together a quick decklist:

//Locks
5 Spheres
2 Orb of Dreams
4 Null Rods
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Uba Mask
3 Crucible of Worlds
4 Smokestack

//Creatures
2 Platinum Angel
3 Duplicant
4 Juggernaut

//Memory Jar
1 Memory Jar

//Mana
7 SoLoMoxen
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Mishra's Workshop
4 City of Traitors
4 Ancient Tomb
5 Strips

//Board
3 Eon Hub (vs. Oath and other upkeep dependent decks)
3 Razormane Masticores (vs. Fish and decks in which a given wincondition is not effective)
3 Dampenint Matrix (vs. Control, and effect reliant decks [Belcher, etc.])
4 Tangle Wire (When early control is needed)
2 ???

I have not had a chance to really test the deck yet, but I though I'd post it for suggestions.  One thing I'm afraid of is TPS decks and their ability to Rebuild and win.  A chalice set at 3 and one at 1, or an early crucible/sphere/waste lock is all I can think of.  I have not tested, but I'll post my predicitions of matchups:

Slaver: And early null rod or crucible or uba mask should win you the game, or slow them down enough to run them over.  Post board, matrix will come in, along with razormanes for angels.  An early matrix completely kills them, and you have enough consistancy to disregard Rack and Ruins.

TPS/doomsday/slow combo:  This a match I'm afraid of.  With their amount of artifact bounce, they could just win out of nowhere.  Uba Mask, spheres, and chalices are your best friend in these matchups.

Oath:  No matter the version, you have the tools to beat them.  Crucible, mask, duplicants, and rods against the salvager builds all mean victory, and they really have no way to deal with an angel.  Post board, eon hub shuts them down.

Belcher (gifts): Rod destroys their win conditions.  Try baiting out counters first, and an early beat stick should be able to take the game.

Affinity: Try to mulligan into a first turn rod.  If you can they loose.  Matrix in the board makes the matchup a walk in the park.

Stax: You are resiliant to most of their locks, as you are using them yourself.  The rod and matrix give you the advantage, and razormanes and matrixs will make game 2 in your advantage.

7/10: The rods really hurt them.  Their titans don't affect your mana, and you are able to duplicate them.

Dragon: Orb of Dreams is the card to get.  Your locks will slow them down, and your creatures will steal the victory, hopefully.

Fish: Your locks should slow them down enough for your beats to run them over.  Duplicants go out for Razormanes.

Meandeck Tendrils/Belcher/fast combo: If you survive turn 1, then your locks should steal the game for you.  Spheres are the most important to get out, as are null rods.

That makes up most of the meta.  Remember that I did not actually test any matchups yet, but I will get back to you on that.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreiciated.

[Necrologia]

I'm afraid your Slaver analysis is a bit off. Null Rod will barely slow them down, and their welders can wreck havoc on your board position. 4 Juggernauts aren't going to be enough to put significant early game pressure either. I'd imagine this game would be pretty difficult.

While I can certainly appreciate the consistency that 4x shops and 8x pseudo-shops will give you, 4 City of Traitors seems a bit much. They combo nicely with Crucible and all, but you still don't really want to see them in multiples, especially early game. I'd probably cut some for Mana Vault and Mana Crypt or something.

What advantages does this deck have over traditional U/R or 5c STAX? Those decks run draw to help recover from bad openings, and 5cc builds can fit random bombs like Balance that will just steal the game away. Not to mention welder, which is one of the nicest utility cards a MUD deck could ask for.

[Glix]

As I said, I have not tested the deck yet, however I appreciate the feedback.

When I was thinking about the CS matchup, I knew how welders could be bad for board position, but they usually should not.  Save a wish for a R&R, or an early lotus, which I would shy away from even if I had one unless it guarenteed some serrious lockage, a welder should usually be completely ineffective against your board position.  Null rod helps in that it makes their win conditions non-factors.  An early Uba Mask, as well, should serriously hurt their game.  The Spheres and Wastes, cuppled with rod enables you to hinder them enough to lay a Naught or Angel, and ride it to victory.  Even an early counter will not get an artifact of worthlessness in your yard, you play a first turn lock card, they counter, cast welder, you cast another lock card, and the welder just makes their decision that of between a rock and a hard place.  I will thourouly test this matchup, however.

The advantages are that this deck performs more consistantly (or should), and replaces the draw spells, which would need to be cast to arive at more locks, with the lock cards themselves.  In that manner, the deck just spits out cards at a consitant rate that cannot be kept up with (hopefully).

Keeping the deck this consistant and tightly packed with actual threats, that are in their own right powerful seperatly.  The idea was to sort of fuse the consitancy of Affinity with the control of Stax to get a deck that has the ability to hate most of the field out.

The selection of 4 cities over 2 cities crypt and vault is that the deck already runs plenty of acceleration, and the painlessness of the cities tempted me.  I will test both versions, but keeep in mind that this deck does not have the means by which to rid itself of the aformentioned accelerators, and as such I thought that having a more painless rought would be preferred.

No welders was desided for the specific reason that welders are everywhere right now, and not having them reduces the stress of maintaing them in play.  Keeping a lock card in play is much easier nowadays, and the abity to run universal welder hate, imho, would bennifit this deck.

Thanks for the comments, any specific card replacements you could suggest?

[A Black Lotus Buddy]

I don't think Uba Mask is very good.  It doesn't really do anything against combo because they play all of their cards the turn they draw them (the combo player, that is).  4 Null Rods is also a too much.

quote (from a person I can't remember)  You don't want to play 4 of a card that is useless in multiples end quote

I would either use Su Chis or Karn and a couple of Jester's Caps in their place. 

I also think that Mono Brown is a great deck.  I play a mono brown prison but I have the Metalworker/Staff combo in it.  I find that with Chalices, Orb of Dreams, etc. the deck already has a great match against combo.

[Sean Ryan]

Mono-Brown Mud can compete in the current meta-game, especially now that Slaver has peaked and will be seeing less play.  Regardless, Goblin Welder poses a serious threat (Pentavus also), but you have the neassary tools to fight it.  Maindeck: Trike/Duplicant &, Chalice for 1 - Games 2/3 you also have Damping Mattrix, which is currently a very useful hoser. 


NO METAL WORKER!?!?!?!
The advantages of Mud over Stax and any other deck for that matter, are consistency and explosiveness.  Turn 1 Metal Worker is one of the strongest plays you can make - better have that FOW.  I have seen successful builds with Nullrods but I hesitate to make them maindeck staples over metal Worker and maximized acceleration, perhaps better in the SB for combo and the Slaver matchup.

Some changes I would propose:

-2 Platinum Angel
-1 Duplicant
-4 Null Rod
-2 Orb of Dreams
-1 Sphere of Resistance
-1 City
-1 Tomb

+ 4 Metal Worker
+ 4 Tangle Wire (Main deck)
+ 2 Trike
+ 1 Karn
+ 1 Sundering Titan

(I would also try to fit a ManaVault in there)

As far as the SB is concerned, Damping MAtrix is right on.  However, you are lacking some essential tools: Defense Grid, (OWNS Control!)  Jesters Cap, & Tormod's Crypt.

Try these suggestions out and see what happens.  You will have much stronger openings and greater consistency, not to mention a wicked SB.

Sean