Painter Blue

[IthilanorStPete]

My first go at a deck here:

// Lands
    3  Polluted Delta
    3  Flooded Strand
    7  Island
    1  Tolarian Academy
    2  Tropical Island

// Creatures
    3  Painter's Servant
    1  Darksteel Colossus

// Spells
    1  Ancestral Recall
    3  Chain of Vapor
    3  Grindstone
    4  Mana Drain
    4  Meditate
    4  Mystic Remora
    3  Misdirection
    4  Brainstorm
    4  Force of Will
    1  Tinker
    1  Mox Jet
    1  Mana Crypt
    1  Sol Ring
    1  Mox Sapphire
    1  Mox Ruby
    1  Mox Pearl
    1  Mox Emerald
    1  Black Lotus
    1  Mindslaver

// Sideboard
SB: 4  Oath of Druids
SB: 1 Platinum Angel
SB: 1  Tidespout Tyrant
SB: 1  Brain Freeze
SB: 3  Rebuild
SB: 2  Hurkyl's Recall
SB: 3  Spell Snare

Basically, this aims to be a control deck using the Tyrant Blue shell (Remoras, Meditates, lots of countermagic), that combos out with Painter's Servant and Grindstone. Intuition acts as my main tutor. Tinker for Colossus/Mindslaver is the backup plan, when I just want to win immediately.
The sideboard gives me Oath for aggro stuff, allowing me to Oath into DSC, Angel, or Tyrant. Not sure how good this option is. Spell Snare is just generally good, Brain Freeze lets me win with Tyrant, and Rebuild/Hurkyl's are obvious.

I don't know that much about Vintage - mainly reading Menendian articles and lurking on here, so all suggestions and criticism are welcome.

[waywreth]

I like the idea of Mystic Remora.
For the main deck I think that's too many misdirections, and I'd use Thirst for knowledge over meditate.

Finally if you want to go for an Oath transformational sideboard, you need to fit in Forbidden Orchard x4.

[IthilanorStPete]

I like the idea of Mystic Remora.
For the main deck I think that's too many misdirections, and I'd use Thirst for knowledge over meditate.

Finally if you want to go for an Oath transformational sideboard, you need to fit in Forbidden Orchard x4.

I should have linked the thread on Tyrant Blue, here. Basically, that many Misds allow you to out-counter any other deck. Mediate nets much more card advantage than Thirst and is synergistic with Remora.
Oath only comes in against decks that will reliably play creatures, as a way to shore up that matchup.

[Tobi]

3 Grindstone seem to be a lot of dead cards if you don't have a painter out. Why not replace 2 of them with Trinket Mages and add a small artifact toolbox (Tormod's Crypt, Engineered Explosives, Aether Spellbomb, Pithing Needle, ...)?

[BC]

3 Grindstone seem to be a lot of dead cards if you don't have a painter out.

I think this deck is begging for Intuition.  In that case, 3 G-stone would make more sense.

[kkoie]

The deck has 3 win conditions, is the mindslaver really needed?  And I know that Tyrant Blue goes gaga over meditate, but I myself have misgivings.  I would think that the deck would enjoy some merchant scrolls.  Have you considered cutting the slaver and meditates for a mixture of merchant scrolls and Intuition?

[GUnit]

What advantage does this build provide over the actual tyrant blue? You're not even running anything synergistic with painter's servant outside of the grindstone combo. I really don't see painter's servant being playable outside of a shop deck or a deck that abuses red blasts.

Also, I agree about slaver... totally random. If you REALLY want to have a nasty surprise tinker target, jester's cap is much better right now, and much cheaper to activate and play.

[IthilanorStPete]

First, thanks for all the suggestions, everyone.

Why is Jester's Cap a good Tinker target right now?

Also, I tried putting in a little Trinket Mage toolbox...didn't really like it. Intuition sounds like an excellent idea.

[Scorponok]

What about trying to fit in a Gifts and Reconstruction so you can have a Gifts package (Servant, Grindstone, Tinker, Reconstruction) that can always get you the combo?

[silvernail]

That gifts pile will cost a bit of mana to use, because anyone in their right mind will force you to take tinker an reconstruction. Just sayin...