The Deck 2011

I wanted to start a new discussion on the 2011 build of The Deck, and directions to make it competitive in the current Vintage Metagame. I am hoping to frame this much like a deck primer to keep the discussion surrounding specific card choices rather than different builds as this deck has a long and historic past and many people have many different ideas on how to build The Deck. To help frame the build here is what I work with as a formula when I put “The Deck” together looking at past builds. (Disclaimer: I am not claiming this to be the "be all end all formula for The Deck", just a starting point to build off. Additionally, I have been running a version of The Deck now for nearly a year, but since the local scene is terrible here, most of my experience with it is through 2 hand testing against my gauntlet.)

“The Deck” Formula:
Fast Mana (7):
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring

Creature(1):
1 Gorilla Shaman

Instant(13):
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
1 Gifts Ungiven
3 Mana Drain
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor

Sorcery(7):
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mind Twist
1 Regrowth
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Yawgmoth's Will

Land(18):
4 Blue Fetchlands
1 Tropical Island
1 Underground Sea
1 Volcanic Island
1 Island
3 City of Brass
3 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Additional Blue Dual Land (Dependant on card choices)
1 Additional Land of your choice to support your focus of the deck (Wasteland, City of Brass, 5th Blue Dual Land)

Customizable Must Have Slots(7):
1 Tinker Bot (Sundering Titan, Sphinx of the Steel Wind, Darksteel Colossus, Inkwell Leviathan, Steel Hellkite, Myr Battlesphere, Blightsteel Colossus)
1 Tinker Bot Removal (Hurkyl's Recall, Diabolic Edict, Balance, Swords to Plowshares)
1 Land Recursion (Crucible of Worlds or Life from the Loam)
2 Card Advantage (Fact or Fiction, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Thirst for Knowledge, Sylan Library, Ponder, Preordain)
1 Enchantment Removal (Disenchant, Nature’s Claim, Esper Charm)
1 Additional Artifact Mana (Typically 1 Mana Crypt, but could be Lotus Petal, Mox Opal, Chrome Mox, or another land depending on need or your build)

Other Highly Recommended Slots(3):
1 Permanent Removal (Pernicious Deed, Engineered Explosives)
1 Creature Control (Sower of Temptation, Ajani Vengeant, Balance, Wrath Effect)
1 Additional Spell Disruption (Red Elemental Blast, Mana Drain, Spell Pierce, Misdirection, Stifle, Steel Sabotage, Annul, etc.)

That leaves 4 Open Slots Main for Metagame Customization.
Note: Since Gabriel Nassif’s 5C Control deck, I have always run 61 cards to add another land. For this card I am running Cephalid Coliseum. I like to play 61 cards with an extra land to support the land destruction and the Coliseum is great when you have Drain mana but nothing to cast with it.

Building My Current Deck for the Metagame:
Taking this as my formula for “The Deck”, here is what I have put together and I am currently running with explanations for my card choices:
Customizable Must Have Slots(6):
1 Tinker Bot: Myr Battlesphere I feel this is the strongest defense for Smokestacks and Tanglewires. I would like to run Sundering Titan as the mana disruption is so synergistic with The Deck, but with Gush back on the scene Sundering Titan is in the board for Blue non-gush decks.
1 Tinker Bot Removal: Hurkyl's Recall I feel this is the strongest choice currently as it also helps in the MUD matchups.
1 Land Recursion: Crucible of Worlds I have found this to be the stronger of the land recursion strategies, especially if you chose Sundering Titan as a tinker bot, as the matchups he is poor (Gush, MUD, Dredge), Crucible is strong.
2 Card Advantage: Jace, the Mind Sculptor He is incredibly strong in The Deck. He fits the mana/card disruption theme perfectly as fatesealing to a win strong. He does so much for The Deck I would almost say he is a must have choice.
1 Enchantment Removal: Nature’s Claim Having the disenchant at 1 green mana with a small downside (that is of little consequence to The Deck) makes this the choice easy in a meta with shops. In a pinch it can give you extra life total as well.
Other Highly Recommended Slots(4):
1 Permanent Removal: Engineered ExplosivesThis is the card to choose in a metagame with sphere effects as an EE on 2 can kill spheres and thorns easier than Deed.
1 Creature Control: Ajani Vengeant Not a clear favorite over Sower, but I like the flexibility of hitting planeswalkers as well as most creatures. It fits with the mana denial plan and is excellent when paired with Balance.
1 Additional Artifact Mana: Mana Crypt Again assistance with sphere effects.
1 Additional Spell Disruption: Spell Pierce currently is the choice for the main as it just hits so many things and you are denying them mana as well making Spell Pierce even stronger.

To round out my build and the last 4 slots I am running:
Steel Sabotage: I really like having 9 counters main deck and was running a second Spell Pierce, but I feel this to be a strong main deck to way to deal with BSC, and SP has been falling out of favor due to the number of MUD decks.
Balance: I feel this card does wonders for the deck, it acts as difficult creature removal, card advantage, mana disruption, and sometime all at the same time. There are so many creatures attacking in the current metagame that I like having this main deck.
Time Twister: I was running Cunning wish in this slot but now I am using Timetwister. Cunning Wish’s 2U to get an immediate answer was becoming too much, and find having a reset button to be more useful finding the counters need to stay in the game.
Living Wish: I have been testing this for some time now and this card has been great for me. Once you have enough matches under your belt, you recognize your opponent’s deck right from the first couple plays. The Deck really shines when it can establish control over the game and a permanent based solution to handle the deck you are sitting across from is great early, mid, and even late in the game. I thought the sorcery speed of this would make it weaker than Cunning Wish, but in fact the 1G is quicker and cards you are getting are permanents, not spells and affect the game state much longer. The added bonus is that the lands will be an uncounterable solution to many situations.

Living Wish does require a specific sideboard. It is important to have efficient answers as well because you have to invest the “wish” mana as well as the casting cost of the card you are getting (unless a land). This is mitigated by having a slot already set to board out for the main deck answers you really want for the matchup, but can’t overload on in the main game 1 against the field. Additionally, it strengthens your game 1 percentage slightly in the matchups where you were really behind in to start with (Dredge being a great example).

Here are the cards I have been sideboarding for Living Wish:
Living Wish Targets:
SB: 1 Bojuka Bog (Dredge and Will decks)
SB: 1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale (Dredge and Fish)
SB: 1 Wasteland (Land Destruction when needed)
SB: 1 Ethersworn Canonist (Strom and Gush)
SB: 1 Greater Gargadon (Oath)
SB: 1 Ingot Chewer (MUD)
SB: 1 Phyrexian Revoker (Time Vault)
SB: 1 Sundering Titan (Tinker Bot for Blue Non-Gush Decks)
SB: 2 Yixlid Jailer (Dredge)

That leaves 5 sideboard slots for metagame choices and decks you plan to see. I would recommend making a chart of cards you feel are weak against certain decks and what cards strengthen those matchups.

One final note: Currently I am testing Knowledge Pool as my tinker target in the main deck. So far I like it, but do not have near enough time with it to make the call over Myr Battleshpere. I to like The Pool to really lock down the game and feel this helps greatly when I have Jace down fatesealing away crossing my fingers they don’t top deck into Will or combo out with Time Vault.