Bloodghast Dredge - Looking for Help

[kedi]

I've been tinkering around a Bloodghast Dredge list for a while, and figured it would've already made a presence (which it certainly did). Looking around, I came up with the following list:


// Lands
    2  Cephalid Coliseum
    2  Dakmor Salvage
    4  Undiscovered Paradise
    4  Bazaar of Baghdad
    3  Gemstone Mine

// Creatures
    3  Golgari Thug
    4  Narcomoeba
    4  Bloodghast
    4  Stinkweed Imp
    1  Flame-Kin Zealot
    1  Cephalid Sage
    4  Golgari Grave-Troll
    2  Fatestitcher
    2  Ichorid

// Spells
    4  Cabal Therapy
    4  Breakthrough
    4  Serum Powder
    4  Bridge from Below
    2  Dread Return
    2  Darkblast

// Sideboard
SB: 1  Darkblast
SB: 4  Emerald Charm
SB: 4  Chain of Vapor
SB: 4  Wispmare
SB: 2  Unmask

At first I had analysis, but it was a full turn slower than I wanted it to be thus I replaced them with Fatestitchers.

Coliseum suffers from the same problem and I wouldn't be really hard pressed to get rid of it.

15 Dredgers If you count 2 Dakmors (I wouldn't, but I digress). Without lands, it's 13, which is 2 more than I'd like; however, Thug fetches the few Ichorids I play (more of a back-up than a real win condition here) and also dredges one more than Dblast - however, running Dblast in the main gives me space to breathe in the SB. Thoughts?

Nothing for Mirror No Leyline or Trap or anything. Should I make room for it?

No Chalice Would I really need it?

Breakthrough wins a lot of games on turn 2 which I shouldn't. Is its randomly "Ooops" situations worth having less outs for game 2 & 3?

For meta - currently I'm blind building mostly for MWS fun until I get arsed to order Bloodghasts and shuffle the deck up for some local tourneys. Locally, there's a lot of drain, r/g tempo and sui black variants abound.

That's about it. Thanks for any help!

[meadbert]

This actually looks good.  My biggest concern would be something like fast combo.  With only 2 Dread Returns and 1 Cephalid Sage turn 2 wins will be tough.  With no Chalice, Unmask, Leyline or Force there is not quick disruption.  This gives fast combo an openening, but I am not sure this is a huge issue.
Because ANT is the most common fast combo deck right now even Zealot with a few tokens is a huge hit for them.  Also you should be Dredging through much of your deck turn 2 so Therapies might be enough.  I have not tested and do not have any specific advice as far as changes go, but I would advise testing against ANT to check that your disruption/win is fast enough pre board.

[smasher]

4 undiscovered paradise
4 cephalid coliseum
4 city of brass
1 dakmor salvage
4 bazaar of baghdad
1 lions eye diamond

4 breakthrough
4 careful study
1 ancestral recall
1 darkblast
3 dread return
4 cabal therapy
4 bridge from below

4 dredge 6
4 dredge 5
2 dredge 4
4 bloodghast
4 narcomoeba
1 ichorid
1 flame kin zealot
1 iona
1 sphinx of lost truths

sideboard
3 wispmare
4 chain of vapor
4 duress
4 leyline of the void

I didn't build this deck. A friend built it from my cards but I have played with and against it a few times. The Iona was pretty good although it might be better as an answer card like woodfall primus.

The LED is pretty effective, especially considering breakthrough, careful study and cephalid coliseum are 4 ofs. cephalid coliseum seems too good in a build with bloodghast to not be ran as a 4 of since you need enough lands to trigger him.

Dakmor salvage turned out being pretty good whenever you dont see undiscovered paradise in the opener.

Both of these lists are very similar but you have the serum powders where I have careful study. I'm leaning towards careful study as the card to play.

Sphinx of lost truths trumps cephalid sage. If you dread return him you get a bigger guy and +1 more discard.

Never played with fate stitchers. probably better in your list with serum powder.

[kedi]

I stuck with Cephalid Sage, because *not* discarding a card can often be relevant, especially considering I might probably need that land I had in opener / that I dredged. The body didn't really interest me, because if I'm in a situation to dread return, I'm pretty close to winning that the power will often be irrelevant while a land most certainly can be.

My concern with Coliseum was that it would take third turn to be able to use it. I'm trying my best to make a deck that can operate for easy - random turn 2 wins and guaranteed turn 3 wins. I believe, having more of cards for the former scenario will still serve in my third turn wins and especially under pression like a double wasteland. I'm certainly happy with the amount of lands I'm running. More coliseums would come at the expense of other non-lands.

Fatestitchers has been good for me. With one mana producer you can chain cast your stitchers and more the creatures the merrier. In fact, I've been wanting to make it a 3-of, or even outrageously, 4 of. It might seem weak once a Bazaar is down; but again, on your turn, you can chain cast them from your graveyard essentially for free, and use them as cannon-fodder for theraphy, return, or just give yourself additional mana.

I'm definietly changing Gemstones to City of Brass. Many games the life loss would be irrelevant but I had ran out of counters, since untapping lands with fatestitcher (or even using Emerald charm once to give myself threshold, untap land, and sac coliseum).

I think I'll cut Ichorids altogether. My first list didn't run any, then on whym I added them again (seeing them on lists all around), but now I've come to conclusion it's just useless. Bloodghast already allows you to go one full turn faster compared to ichorids and between Ghast, Narco and Fates, I've plenty of critters abound.

I think I'll just go -2 Ichorid, -1 Thug, +1 Fate, +1 Cephalid Sage, +1 Dread Return. I had cut one because I was getting swarmed with it - but better more than less, rite? Though I'm not really sure about one more Sage. And I would really like to try out 4 Stitchers.

Meadbert: Thanks for the reply. I'll definietly test extensively against ANT.

[Bera]

I can vouch for Smasher's list. It's awesome, especially when the pilot draws all of the narcomoebas.

[timp]

has anyone looked into skull clamp
or is null rodz popularity stopping this from being used

[Bera]

I think clamp+ ghast is an entirely different deck.

[kedi]

I think clamp+ ghast is an entirely different deck.

Basically this.

Bitterblossom, Ghast and Clamp.. etc.