Hex Parasite + Mystic Remora

[AmbivalentDuck]

Someone had to suggest it and toss out a list, so...here goes.  This has relatively few testing hours in it, but few slots are even available for tweaking.

Mana:
Black Lotus
Mana Crypt
Mox Emerald
Mox Jet
Mox Pearl
Mox Ruby
Mox Sapphire
Sol Ring
Tolarian Academy
3 Island
1 Swamp
4 Underground Sea
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
4 Polluted Delta

Wins:
Tinker
Blightsteel Colossus
Time Vault
Voltaic Key
2 Phyrexian Metamorph

Draw Engine and associated countermagic:
4 Hex Parasite
4 Mystic Remora
3 Commandeer
1 Mindbreak Trap
4 Steel Sabotage

Goes in every "blue" deck:
Ancestral Recall
Brainstorm
Time Walk
Yawgmoth's Will
Gifts Ungiven
Demonic Tutor
Merchant Scroll
Mystical Tutor
Vampiric Tutor
4 Force of Will
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Praetor's Grasp

Sideboard:
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Yixlid Jailer
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Praetor's Grasp
3 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Misdirection

Hex Parasite enables indefinite (multiple) Remoras, answers Tangle Wire/Smokestack/Jace, and blocks.  Remora strategies are traditionally weak to Fish and this probably isn't an exception.  Metamorph is a cute way to buy time, and you can play minor combat tricks with Steel Sabotage.  Grasp has proven strong in my playtesting, but the double and lack of space prevent running more than one.  Hurkyl's Recall has considerably higher utility when every artifact played nets you a card.

As I said, this remains painfully under-tested, but has so few slots open that a more tested version should only differ by 3-4 cards.  From the testing I have done, I can safely assure you that sustaining multiple Remoras against other "blue" control and combo decks is not only possible, but frequent and easy.  I'm not confident about the MUD matchup numbers yet and Rich's Shaymora results border on irrelevant due to the shift from Stax to MUD as well as the printing of Steel Sabotage.

Anyways, if I've missed something or someone is testing something similar, let me know.

[Kiriyuu]

Hello!

I've been thinking a lot about this idea too.

Have you thought about a lower Hex parasite count (as they're not too great in multiples) and then a trinket mage package?

Also, a thirst for knowledge could be good to get extra value out of 'redundant' parasites later on in the game.

Cool looking deck, I'll be giving it a try! : )

[AmbivalentDuck]

I've been thinking of cutting some Commandeers for Drains seeing as Commandeer borders on useless against modern brown.  Drain would definitely help to support a Trinket Mage package.  That said...

What do you use the Mages for?  Parasite, SoLoMoxen, Nihil Spellbomb, and...?

[Kiriyuu]

Maybe an engineered explosives? I really love that card. Can find key too, and maybe 1 Sensei's divining top.

I'm not saying that trinket mage is a better way to build the deck at all, just thinking out loud about the options.

[AmbivalentDuck]

Maybe an engineered explosives? I really love that card. Can find key too, and maybe 1 Sensei's divining top.

I'm not saying that trinket mage is a better way to build the deck at all, just thinking out loud about the options.

There aren't that many slots open.

[PETER FLUGZEUG]

I do not want to derail this thread, I'll just say that I believe you're taking the deck to a direction which is not the right one. I'd like to reference to my thread, a remora painter deck: http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=42294.0 I believe hex parasites are win-more, slow and unnecessary. You become a purely reactive deck, relying totally on remoras. I believe Commandeers are too resource-intensive nowadays (but still nice!). Trap is better.

[Onslaught]

I just played about 15 or so games vs. this with controllish Grow and I'm not sure what to think. I have 3 Tarm and 4 Confidant to cast in the face of a Remora so I'm biased, but it seemed pretty slow. Phyrexian Metamorph seemed really blah, maybe it can go towards more utility?

[AmbivalentDuck]

Version 2.0

Mana:
Black Lotus
Mana Crypt
Mox Emerald
Mox Jet
Mox Pearl
Mox Ruby
Mox Sapphire
Sol Ring
Tolarian Academy
3 Island
1 Swamp
4 Underground Sea
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
4 Polluted Delta

Wins:
Tinker
Blightsteel Colossus
Time Vault
Voltaic Key
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Sower of Temptation

Draw Engine and associated countermagic:
2 Hex Parasite
4 Mystic Remora
0 Commandeer
1 Mindbreak Trap
4 Steel Sabotage
2 Mana Drain

Goes in every "blue" deck:
Ancestral Recall
Brainstorm
Time Walk
Yawgmoth's Will
Gifts Ungiven
Demonic Tutor
Merchant Scroll
Mystical Tutor
Vampiric Tutor
4 Force of Will
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Praetor's Grasp
2 Jace, the Mindsculptor

Sideboard:
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Yixlid Jailer
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Sower of Temptation
3 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Misdirection

Commandeers removed to reflect the fact that they're only good in matchups that are already solid.  Parasite count reduced since drawing multiples was awful.  2 Jace in to increase threat density.  2 Drain to keep counter density high.  Threat density still feels extremely low.

[PETER FLUGZEUG]

Yes, you are right. the only threats you run are: 2 Jace, Tinker, (vault-key), the tutors, Recall, Gifts, Will and Praetor's Grasp.
But you are light on countermagic as well, my friend! You run 7 real counters main. What do you do against a combo deck that just plays through your remora? Hope to draw your lone mindbreak trap and a force? hex parasite is too slow for you having many mana open. Also, without remora, you just lose the advantage war. Or if a bob is on the table. You can't switch gears quickly from control to combo. 7 Counters are okay for a faster deck than yours. after boarding you have 9.

Let's look at the conditional cards you run and what they do for you (but they do only this!):

4 Mystic Remora - Blue, Rituals,
2 Hexmage - Remora, Jaces etc.
4 steel sabotage - Artifacts, Tinker (1-1 Trade)
2 Phyrexian Metamorph Copy something else
1 Sower of Temptation - Steal a creature
1 hurkyl's recall - bounce more artifacts
(I could put Grasp in here too, but I haven't tested it.)
That's 14 cards and I didn't count Mindbreak Trap. You just have to ask yourself: How often is the condition of usefulness met? how important is it to have that card in the given moment? Do the cards synergize well? Does one part of the deck support the other?


So I see you are trying to build a deck that's good against MUD and Blue and Dredge. Is it?


 

[kedi]

Hey bro! This is Nighthavk that you played yesterday on Cockatrice.

We first ran with me on a Karn PW Mud, and it wasn't even close. Steel Sabotages aren't even funny. I didn't even bother playing this MU after 2-3 games because I knew I had no shot. So I piled up my Jace list (a pretty standard one, with tinkerbot, time vault, and singleton Tez) and we played three matches, me winning 2 of them, but all matches going to 3 games.

I didn't really know how to best SB (I have a brief Red splash for artifact hate) so I sided in my 3 Remoras in addition to 3 Bobs in the main, and brought in Darkblast for Hex and some pyroblasts, getting rid of some cantrips, 1 land, and slow tutors. I didn't really care for card quality but chose to fight his remoras with pure card advantage, and I might've been onto something, as I had my FoWs or Misdirections more often than he had his FoWs or traps.

Hex Parasite, tbh, never did anything, tho one game he misplayed to sac it to a Tinker when he could've used an off color moxen, and I won it off a Jace, it could've been different then. But then again, that was one in 9 games.

I honestly think Hex Parasite is just too cute. Games I lost to this deck with MUD was due Steel Sabotages, Drains, FoWs making anything I do irrelevant. They never came up in the Drain mirror (or were just beating faces or eating a Fire/Ice I had).

One thing that this build cemented for me was Praetor's Grasp. It was just sick, removing my win conditions and getting to use them for himself. My MVP was probably Misdirection.

Overall they were ton of fun games, looking forward to testing with you again!

Nighthavk @ WotC, Cockatrice, MWS.

[AmbivalentDuck]

Hey bro! This is Nighthavk that you played yesterday on Cockatrice.

Thank you again for the games.  Lots of fun testing!

Hex Parasite, tbh, never did anything, tho one game he misplayed to sac it to a Tinker when he could've used an off color moxen, and I won it off a Jace, it could've been different then. But then again, that was one in 9 games.

I honestly think Hex Parasite is just too cute. Games I lost to this deck with MUD was due Steel Sabotages, Drains, FoWs making anything I do irrelevant. They never came up in the Drain mirror (or were just beating faces or eating a Fire/Ice I had).

I'm thinking the count goes down to one.  Maybe it'll be completely cut.  Still seems like a cute tutor target.

One thing that this build cemented for me was Praetor's Grasp. It was just sick, removing my win conditions and getting to use them for himself.

I'm certain that every blue deck should run at least one.  I'm not sure what the right number is, though.

[PETER FLUGZEUG]

Well, that leaves you with a remora deck. For further development, have a look at my remorapainter thread (bishop's painter). I have tested it for a long time and believe it's one of the best ways to build a remora deck right now.
For sure your testing results should influence it.