Peasant Psychatog

[Fred The Ev]

I thought it would be fun to build a peasant psychatog deck. I used extended Psychatog mainly as a reference, but the engine of those decks is all rares so I am still looking for a way to sort of replicate that. This deck is completely untested....

Original Decklist
Engine
4 Mental Note
4 Tolarian Winds
4 Deep Analysis
4 Brainstorm
Disruption
4 Counterspell
4 Force Spike
1 Chain of Vapor
2 Repeal
Removal
4 Diabolic Edict
1 Massacre
Kill
4 Psychatog
Land
4 Lonely Sandbar
4 Barren Moor
10 Island
6 Swamp

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Current Decklist
Engine
3/4 Gush
4/3 Nightscape Familiar
4 Deep Analysis
4 Accumulated Knowledge
2 Fact or Fiction
Disruption
4 Counterspell
4 Force Spike
Removal
4 Aether Burst
3 Stinkweed Imp
Kill
3 Psychatog
2 Unearth
Land
4 Lonely Sandbar
4 Barren Moor
9 Island
6 Swamp

Any suggestions would be great!

[Jacob Orlove]

Unearth seems pretty potent here, especially if you cut a few Togs for Fact or Fictions; something like 3 Tog/2 Fact/4 Unearth. That way, you really take advantage of all your mental notes and tolarian winds.

[parallax]

Stinkweed Imp could make a mini-dredge engine and double as removal or another threat. Not sure if that's worth it without Ichorid.

[LordHomerCat]

You might also consider Accumulated Knowledge as a draw engine, and it will have OK synergy with your mental notes too.

[parallax]

Wonder would probably be good as well.

[Hi-Val]

Gush. Is. Nuts.

I think you could cut 1-2 Unearths. They're great but a pain to cycle. My Tog list of yore had Nightscape Familiars in it as an early blocker and a way to make FOF even more busted.

I'm not sure Tolarian Winds is worth it with 8 counters in the deck; you're not likely to be going aggro.

If you put in a Merchant Scroll engine, it amps up AK and lets you run a singleton Shadow Rift to dodge past opposing blockers for the lethal swing.

Aether Burst?

[Fred The Ev]

Stinkweed Imp could make a mini-dredge engine and double as removal or another threat. Not sure if that's worth it without Ichorid

that actually sounds like it might be worth a shot. I'll cut an edict for one.

You might also consider Accumulated Knowledge as a draw engine, and it will have OK synergy with your mental notes too

I'll look at these in the brainstorm slot, seems like they probably have alot better synergy with the deck.

Gush. Is. Nuts.

I think you could cut 1-2 Unearths. They're great but a pain to cycle. My Tog list of yore had Nightscape Familiars in it as an early blocker and a way to make FOF even more busted.

I'm not sure Tolarian Winds is worth it with 8 counters in the deck; you're not likely to be going aggro.

If you put in a Merchant Scroll engine, it amps up AK and lets you run a singleton Shadow Rift to dodge past opposing blockers for the lethal swing.

Aether Burst?

thanks alot, I thiink I'll try all of these! EDIT: do you think 3 gush or 4 gush.... 3 gush might slow the deck down to much early game but with 4 gush I can chain together the nuts....

[Anusien]

Is Force Spike the play?  I can see definitely wanting something like Condescend since it lets you Scry as well, which makes stuff like Brainstorm better and generally helps you dig.

[Harlequin]

Disrupt is not that bad either.

[parallax]

Does this deck play more controlling or more combo-controlish in peasant? If it's more combo-ish, you could up the Stinkweed Imp count. Every time you dredge an Imp, you give Psychatog +2/+2. The Imps also have synergy with: other Imps, Deep Analysis, Accumulated Knowledge, Unearth and Wonder. Combined with Gush, you can probably do some ridiculous things.

[Fred The Ev]

Is Force Spike the play?  I can see definitely wanting something like Condescend since it lets you Scry as well, which makes stuff like Brainstorm better and generally helps you dig.

I have force spike in their to stop the early stuff, and I don't think condescend, although all around a better card, will do the trick.

Disrupt is not that bad either.

forgive me if I'm wrong here but I believe that peasan tis made up of a predominantly creature meta?

Does this deck play more controlling or more combo-controlish in peasant? If it's more combo-ish, you could up the Stinkweed Imp count. Every time you dredge an Imp, you give Psychatog +2/+2. The Imps also have synergy with: other Imps, Deep Analysis, Accumulated Knowledge, Unearth and Wonder. Combined with Gush, you can probably do some ridiculous things.

I have to admit I have never tested this deck so I really can't know for sure how this deck plays. I would like it to go perhaps Control-Combo but I really don't know. I would like to note that although every time you dredge an imp you do give it +2/+2 (well actually +2.5/+2.5) But you are forgetting that if I don't dredge then I get a card, which gives the atog +1.5+1.5, so really each time I dredge a stinkeweed I am really only giving the Psychatog +1/+1. It is tough to say in this deck whether it is better to have one extra card in hand or 5 extra in the graveyard. I think I'll probably try adding just one for now.


EDIT: I was just looking at my decklist... and it seems to have tons of graveyard synergy, but most of the engines to drop cards into the graveyard have been cut! Merchant scroll seems kinda like the odd card out, so I think I'll try cutting those and bring the stinkweed count up to 4

[Jacob Orlove]

I would like to note that although every time you dredge an imp you do give it +2/+2 (well actually +2.5/+2.5) But you are forgetting that if I don't dredge then I get a card, which gives the atog +1.5+1.5, so really each time I dredge a stinkeweed I am really only giving the Psychatog +1/+1. It is tough to say in this deck whether it is better to have one extra card in hand or 5 extra in the graveyard. I think I'll probably try adding just one for now.

Actually, you do get a card in hand when you dredge: the imp! You go from +2 (imp in yard, random card in hand) to +4 (Imp in hand, 5 random cards in yard), so it's +2/+2 for each dredge.

[Ephraim]

I asked this question ages ago and ultimately, this is the deck with which I ended up.  It plays like a combo deck, not like a control deck.  If you don't like Unhinged behing legal in Peasant Magic, then replace Number Crunch with Repulse.  I had a great deal of success with this deck.  It won't beat Affinity or Stompy, but it's a much more satisfying deck to play, in my opinion.  Having both Fling and Shadow Rift in the deck means that it is frequently possible to attack with a 10-power Psychatog and then Fling it, considerably reducing the number of cards you need around to deal lethal damage.  I also tested briefly with Veil of Secrecy instead of Shadow Rift.  (Veil can be used to protect Psychatog from removal.)  I don't remember whether or not I liked it, though.

Creatures (7)
3 Psychatog (U)
4 Nightscape Familiar

Disruption (8)
4 Mana Leak
4 Number Crunch

Card Drawing (12)
2 Fact or Fiction (U)
2 Gush
4 Catalog
4 Deep Analysis

'Tog to the Dome (9)
3 Shadow Rift
3 Reckless Charge
3 Fling

Land (24)
6 Mountain
7 Swamp
11 Island

[Fred The Ev]

I asked this question ages ago and ultimately, this is the deck with which I ended up.  It plays like a combo deck, not like a control deck.  If you don't like Unhinged behing legal in Peasant Magic, then replace Number Crunch with Repulse.  I had a great deal of success with this deck.  It won't beat Affinity or Stompy, but it's a much more satisfying deck to play, in my opinion.  Having both Fling and Shadow Rift in the deck means that it is frequently possible to attack with a 10-power Psychatog and then Fling it, considerably reducing the number of cards you need around to deal lethal damage.  I also tested briefly with Veil of Secrecy instead of Shadow Rift.  (Veil can be used to protect Psychatog from removal.)  I don't remember whether or not I liked it, though.

Creatures (7)
3 Psychatog (U)
4 Nightscape Familiar

Disruption (8)
4 Mana Leak
4 Number Crunch

Card Drawing (12)
2 Fact or Fiction (U)
2 Gush
4 Catalog
4 Deep Analysis

'Tog to the Dome (9)
3 Shadow Rift
3 Reckless Charge
3 Fling

Land (24)
6 Mountain
7 Swamp
11 Island

hmmm I have to admit I dont really like this decklist. It just has too many cards that will be totaly dead in the opening hand. The way I am hoping my deck to play is to control the board and not require to give the Psychatog flying....

[parallax]

I think in an aggro-heavy metagame, such as peasant magic, Psychatog really needs to take on a combo-ish feel. You need enough control to stop IsoBurn and Tide from killing you, and to protect 'Tog from removal, but you really just want to swing for 20 with an unblocked Psychatog as soon as possible. The key cards for doing this are Gush, Stinkweed Imp, Deep Analysis and Wonder.

I would probably play something similar to this:
4 Unearth
3 Psychatog
2 Wonder
4 Gush
4 Deep Analysis
4 Stinkweed Imp
4 Careful Study
4 Putrid Imp
4 Daze
4 Mana Leak
6 Swamp
4 Barren Moor
13 Island

It will be hard to know what the best build is without testing.

[Hi-Val]

Also note that either Innocent Blood or Diabolic Edict are fine removal spells. Rend Flesh works well too.

Against Tides, which IS the best deck in the format, there's Envelop and Gainsay, which should probably be on the board.