Erayo's Lab Deck

[Erayo5989]

I've been playing a deck that plays Erayo, Soratami Ascendant, flips him, and lays down Arcane Laboratory to lock out the opponent for the rest of the game until I Tinker up a creature to swing with. Here's the deck list.

Lands:
3x Polluted Delta
3x Underground Sea
2x Scalding Tarn
2x Volcanic Island
2x Island
2x Swamp
1x Tolarian Academy

Artifacts
5x Moxes
1x Black Lotus
1x Lotus Petal
1x Sol Ring
1x Mana Vault
2x Sensei's Divining Top

Creatures
1x Inkwell Leviathan
3x Erayo, Soratami Ascendant

Enchantments
1x Standstill
2x Arcane Laboratory
4x Mystic Remora

Sorcery
1x Tinker
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Time Walk
4x Duress

Instants
1x Chain of Vapor
1x Mystical Tutor
1x Vampiric Tutor
1x Ancestral Recall
1x Brainstorm
3x Stifle
4x Force of Will
4x Spell Pierce

At the moment, that's what my Main Deck looks like. I just recently added in the Standstill and the Mystic Remoras so I will see how they play out later tonight. My meta is filled with Oath, Tendrils, and Stax decks mainly. Oath is becoming the most popular right now in my area.

As for the Side Board, I don't have much set in stone because I'm not sure on whether I should be splashing the red in there like I have it now or if I should instead splash green. Any thoughts on this would be great.

Any other feedback on this deck would be great.

Thanks.

[honestabe]

I'd cut a swamp for a Library of alexandria.  also, if you're facing lots of stax, cutting standstill for a hurkyls recall, or rebuild isn't a bad idea either

[MagicIsCardboardCrack]

-1 SDT
-1 Standstill
+ Time Vault
+ Voltaic Key

I'm just kidding. I am on the other hand surprised I'm not the first one to say it.

On a serious note, is there a reason your not running a Ponder?

[Erayo5989]

I tried Mystic Remora and it didn't work like I had hoped. Therefore, I might either remove it completely from the deck to include cards such as Ponder. Or I was wondering how the Mystic Remora/Meditate engine might run in this deck. Its a great way to draw into my combo pieces but I feel it might be a bit too risky.

Also, another thought I had was to maybe include pieces of Tendrils to this deck to give myself an alternate win condition, but I feel that if I do that I could end up transforming this deck into just Tendrils and taking away from the Erayo lock.

If I were to remove Mystic Remora, what should I include, besides Ponder?

Hope to hear some more ideas for improving my deck.

[honestabe]

I tried Mystic Remora and it didn't work like I had hoped. Therefore, I might either remove it completely from the deck to include cards such as Ponder. Or I was wondering how the Mystic Remora/Meditate engine might run in this deck. Its a great way to draw into my combo pieces but I feel it might be a bit too risky.

Also, another thought I had was to maybe include pieces of Tendrils to this deck to give myself an alternate win condition, but I feel that if I do that I could end up transforming this deck into just Tendrils and taking away from the Erayo lock.

If I were to remove Mystic Remora, what should I include, besides Ponder?

Hope to hear some more ideas for improving my deck.

-4 Mystic Remora

+1 Ponder
+3 Dark Confidant???

[MagicIsCardboardCrack]

-4 Mystic remora
+1 Ponder
+1 Merchant Scroll
+1 Vampiric Tutor
+1 Yawgmoth's Will

If you refuse to use yawg will:

-4 Mystic Remora
+4 Skeletal Scrying   

[Erayo5989]

I already have Vampiric Tutor in the deck. And in regards to Yawgmoth's Will, I just don't want to have to rely on my graveyard to win since there is plenty of graveyard hate as it is. However, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to include just because of how powerful it really can be.

I will try dropping the 4 Mystic Remora and replacing them with +1 Ponder, +1 Yawgmoth's Will, +1 Merchant Scroll, +1 Hurkyl's Recall

As far as the SB goes, this is what I'm thinking so far. Please let me know if there are any cards that should be dropped in place of others.

2x Pithing Needle
1x Krosan Grip
4x Planar Void
3x Diabolic Edict
1x Hurkyl's Recall
1x Mindbreak Trap
1x Darkblast
1x Misdirection
1x Extripate

Thanks for all of the help thus far. I really appreciate it.

[MagicIsCardboardCrack]

dredge
-4 planar void
+4 leyline of the void

tps (mindbreak trap will never work against a GOOD tps player)
-1 misdirection
-1 mindbreak trap
+2 thoughtseize

what's the edicts for?:
Aggro?
If so maybe infest or massacre.
Tinker targets?
Hurkyls or rebuild should be good.

[MagicIsCardboardCrack]

Oops. Didn't read.

[Erayo5989]

In the openning post, I said that in my metagame is Oath, Stax, and TPS.

The Edicts are meant to deal with both Tinker Targets and Oath Beasts.

[MagicIsCardboardCrack]

In the openning post, I said that in my metagame is Oath, Stax, and TPS.

The Edicts are meant to deal with both Tinker Targets and Oath Beasts.

oops. Lol. I was focusing more on your replies than the original post.

In that case I'd switch them to a mix of chain of vapors and echoing truth. They're both more universal (tinker targets, oath dudes, stax lock pieces) and are pitchable to FoW. 

[Erayo5989]

But what about the Tinker Targets and Oath Targets that have Shroud or Protection? I'd never get rid of them with Chain of Vapor or Echoing Truth.  That's why I feel that Diabolic Edict would handle the situation much better as well.

Also, I already main deck a Chain of Vapor because of how useful it is whether its for pulling off my combo or to bounce certain permanents back to their hands.

Sorry to be disagreeing with your suggestions but I'm just trying to build this deck up to the best possible decklist/sideboard for me to make this deck successful as well as controlling.

I would like to hear some feedback as to opinions on this deck and if it looks like or close to a solid list or not. It would help me in both Strategy and help my own personal evaluation of this deck as well.

[AmbivalentDuck]

I strongly recommend Esperzoas against aggro and to generate storm and free mana.

-A mox tapped for Remora can be bounced and replayed to make more mana that turn.
-Extra storm, making it that much harder for your opponents to do anything with Erayo on the table.
-Huge synergy with Ethersworn Canonist (who lets you play more of himself and Esperzoas).

[Erayo5989]

Esperzoa against Aggro seems like an intersting choice but it doesn't offer much against other matchups such as Oath, Stax, or Tendrils. I just want something to take care of Aggro so that I'm prepared against the surprise match ups like those and Fish decks.

Another issue I've been pondering on (no pun intended) is I need a successful draw engine that will allow me to draw up the spells I need to apply the lock as early as possible. That's why I originally tried running Mystic Remora but that didn't work out like I had hoped. So I thought about some of the cards Tendrils incorporates such as Necropotence and Yawgmoth's Bargain.

I feel like this deck could run Tendrils as an alternate win condition to be honest since this decks focus is reaching a specific spell count to flip Erayo but Arcane Lab...

Maybe sb Tendrils of Agony to switch with Arcane Lab as a surprise sb tech? Also maybe I should consider including Dark Ritual if I include Necropotence or Yawgmoth's Bargain. Thoughts on all of this would be great. But I don't want this deck drifting too far away from the original goal of the deck.

Any thoughts please feel free to post. Thanks

[AmbivalentDuck]

Why flip Erayo when you could just win?

Erayo is at his best in decks where your opponent has to commit to big plays AND you have good chances of stopping them.  He may be a suboptimal addition to Shaymora, but I think you'd find that that deck maximized his value.

[Erayo5989]

Erayp flipped + Arcane Lab does equal I win. All I need is a way to get it out against Stax, that's honestly the only deck that I have a problem with. Other than that, this deck does great.

[AmbivalentDuck]

Run a million Hurkyl's and Rebuilds.  They generate storm when paired with your moxen or rape Stax's board.

[Erayo5989]

Maybe when I get my hands on Rebuild my match up will be a bit easier. I plan on having 1 MD and 1 Hurkyl's Recall MD 1 SB, wonder if that would be enough or not.

[TheWhiteDragon]

I'm sure you don't want to hear to just add vault/key.  And, I'm guessing budget concerns are a reason for that?  The fact is, Erayo + Arc Lab is NOT I win.  Vault + Key IS an I win (unless you have a confidant or mana crypt or some way to kill yourself that you can't stop).  Erayo/Lab will not stop anything on the table, whereas a vault/key combo totally negates anything your opponent has in any zone (except smokestack).  An Erayo/Lab lock does nothing to fight ichorid, fish, welder, or an oath on the table.  If they simply activate a bazaar with welder, drop an orchard with an oath already in play, etc., they will win without spells easily.  Ichorid is built to do just this in fact.  No deck can win without taking a turn however (except maybe high tide?) and vault/key, strips your opponent of his ability to be in the game, not just to cast spells.  It totally removes all threats they have on the table and makes you the only player in the game 99.9% of the time.  I'd cut a standstill and any 1 card that isn't vital to include a 4 cost, colorless, "I win now regardless of anything you have in play" combo.  That would take the deck from really fun and good in a narrow meta to a top tier in any meta.  You'ld still have erayo/lab shenanigans too, but an extra lock that is an actual deadbolt versus a doorstop.

[Erayo5989]

You're right about Erayo/Lab not being able to shut down Ichorid which is what Leyline of the Void in the SB is for. If Oath of Druids is out, it won't stop Oath from producing creatures but that's why I have Krosan Grip for Oath and currently 2 Diabolic Edicts in the SB to handle those problems. I don't know what to run SB exactly against Fish since I really haven't had to face that deck in my meta. And as far as Welder goes, I still have Leyline of the Void, 1 Darkblast, and 1-2 Pithing Needle to dispose of Goblin Welder. I have answers to threats and in my MD I have Duress, Spell Pierce, Stifle, and Force of Will to back me up.

My concerns for the moment are once I have this spell lock in, what is the best win condition to use? Should I stick with just Tinker/Inkwell Leviathan? Also, in a meta filled with Oath/Stax/TPS, is the Arcane Lab lock better than applying a soft lock using Dimir Cutpurse or no?

Another concern is the proper draw engine for this deck and what engine might work well in this build.

[shroomy2dope]

it seems isochron scepter and a small pool of imprintable cards could be a choice. i know that's typically underpowered in todays meta, but then again so is a combo that doesn't win. so scepter is probably a good choice for the budget. it can answer permanent threats like oath/ fish/dredge/ and whatever pluas it adds an adiitional lock with lab when you apply an orim's chant or a counter. plus with intuition and accumulated knowledge it's a nice draw engine and if you're not satisfied with remora maybe you could use a new option
 

[Erayo5989]

Here's my Erayo's Lab deck Updated:

Lands:
3x Polluted Delta
2x Scalding Tarn
3x Underground Sea
1x Volcanic Island
1x Tropical Island
1x Tolarian Academy
1x Swamp
2x Island

Artifact Mana:
5x Mox
1x Black Lotus
1x Lotus Petal
1x Sol Ring
1x Mana Vault
1x Mana Crypt

Erayo Lab Lock:
3x Erayo, Soratami Ascendant
2x Arcane Laboratory

Win Condition 1:
4x Leyline of the Void
1x Helm of Obedience

Win Condition 2:
1x Tinker
1x Inkwell Leviathan

Counter/Disruption:
4x Force of Will
4x Spell Pierce
3x Stifle

Draw/Tutor:
1x Ancestrall Recall
1x Brainstorm
1x Vampiric Tutor
1x Mystical Tutor
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Merchant Scroll
1x Ponder
1x Sensei's Divining Top
1x Gifts Ungiven

Other Spells:
1x Yawgmoth's Will
1x Chain of Vapor
1x Rebuild
1x Hurkyl's Recall

After reading and re-reading some of the replies on here, I realized that there wasn't much of a way to win after my Erayo Lab Lock goes off which is why I decided to include the Helm of Obedience/Leyline of the Void win condition as a main win condition.

And, for the record, I'm not playing Erayo or this deck because I'm on a budget. I'm playing this because it's different to a certain degree. I realize that there are probably better choices out there but this deck does win me games.

Anyways, please feel free to comment on the changes I've made. Thanks.

[TheBrassMan]

I would STRONGLY suggest Repeal in a deck like this.  It fills two of the most important roles in this deck: getting Erayo online and answering things that came down before Erayo is online.  Even without Lab out, repealing something like a confidant means they have to recast it, which means they have to burn another spell to resolve it, assuming Erayo is kicked... if it's not, Repeal is even better.

In regards to the win condition, I really haven't been impressed by leyline/helm, but my experience with it is admittedly limited (as it didn't look good enough for me to test more than a few games), so take that however you want to.