Evil Parfait

[brianb]

so i updated my parfait deck to play in the t1 at Frank's today.  I used K-Run's list with the following changes:
cut
one of two humilities
one of two story circles
one of two wraths
one of the four scroll racks
one plains
sb grindstone
add
moat
enlightened tutor
demonic tutor
mox ruby
mox jet
sb cop: red
I played an online mini for practice last night and went 4-0, beating a gro-atog and a smokestack welder deck in addition to a couple random bad aggro decks.

So today at franks went
Round 1: U/B mask.  I won game one with humility.  He won game 2 with multiple dystopias and a scary yawgwill.  I won game 3 with quick humility.  I was able to seal and/or duress his dystopias before they could bug me at all.  Pegasi finished the beatdown with a couple minutes to spare.

Round 2: Little Kid, bad sligh with maindeck pyroblasts.  He killed me on turn 3 of game 1 with crazy reckless cadet beats and grenade fireblast finish.  Game two and three, I got turn 2 cop: red.  He pyroblasted the cop, but it didn't seem to mind any.  This match took only about 25 minutes.

Round 3: B/g void with deeds.  His deeds didn't show up in time for him in game 1.  He wrecked me with them (and null rods) in game 2.  Game 3, i got karmic justice down and was able to kill the null rods and get control.  Eventually he had to deed (they were his only removal--no naturalize), leaving him with no land.  Of course I recovered quicker and won.

Round 4: Ankh sligh.  Ran over me game 1.  Game 2 I established complete control and was beating down with pegasi.  The turn before he was dead, he topdecked apocalypse.  This turned out to be very bad for me--I only had two white mana sources left in my deck.  I'd been racktaxing like crazy, so I had only 10-15 cards left in my library.  I kept good spells in my hand, but not land, so he recovered from no hand, no perms about as quickly as i did.  In the end, it was close, but I couldn't quite punch through the last few damage.

Round 5: Gro-atog.  Game 1 I dropped a moat that he couldn't answer, so he scooped quickly.  Game 2 went back and forth a bit.  I tutored for a library, used it for a few turns, and was on the verge of locking up control, when he got a crazy yawgwin turn.  The annoying thing was that I had a crypt in hand (and other stuff that would have been good), but didn't play it, because I wanted to keep the library active and had to play other stuff to react to his threats.  Game 3 I had the library in my opening hand.  He got off to a somewhat slow start, and because he had no wastes or strip, the library just ruined him.

Top 4: Sligh from round 4.  Both games I got second turn moat.  Both games, he was able to get me down to 7-8 before i started racktaxing and gaining oodles of tower life.

Finals:  UrPhid.  We split the prize ($40 each) and played one game for fun.  We didn't finish the game though, because my ride really wanted to leave.  It was a close game, but I was winning I think.  I taxed all the land out of my deck, and had humility and moat out.  His only removal was one capsize, and I had a claws out.  He had a fistful of counters (but no force of wills, because I grabbed a couple and made him use a couple early), but I'm pretty sure it would have been just a matter of time before I got a rack or a mesa or a story circle or something to stick.

Comments:  I like to play a little extra tutoring.  The extra options let you outplay opponents who don't play a lot of answers to your stuff (which is most of what I seem to see).  The fast mana also seems to be working really well.  The deck has more of a broken t1 feeling.  Once today on turn 2, I used 2 land a mox and a lotus to demonic tutor for and cast a moat.  The jewelry lets you abuse the library and rack-tax engines to best effect (and lets you play the no-land dropping game better against opponents who try not to let you tax).  I didn't get mana screwed too awfully much.  The one thing is that you have to be extra aware of how much white mana you have.  With white-intensive stuff like sacred-mesa and story circle and other WW spells, you'll sometimes find yourself not having enough white mana in the midgame to do everything you might want to.  You just have to be aware of it and be careful.  That's the reason I really think you need cop:red in the sideboard.  You need to be able to use the non-white mana to power the protection.  Also, I like the tithes--more than I thought I would.  They give you color-fixing, a shuffle, and occasionally a two-for-one.  All in all, a pretty good deal.

[Igor]

I've never been playing parfait, but I have a fair amount of testing, including some with you k-run, and when we were testing the groatog matchup I know that library was a huge problem and demonic tutor seems a great way to get the card (mostly if you mention that tutors never get countered, which is not true if you ask me, but anyway).  This is true for many matchups and many situations.  The thing with tutors is that you are not running 3 copies of a card and a tutor, you are running a card that let you find a solution to the problem you are facing now instead of any problem you may or may not be facing.  To me, it seems like a very valuable addition.

[K-Run]

I've updated my decklist (first post of this thread) to reflect the current config I'm testing right now.

[IllusionX]

Question regarding your most current build.

How has Academy Rector been working for you?

I tried it out in the past (Under a less aggro meta).  And found it to be less than optimal.  I always found people would play around it or I would have to waste one of my own creature kill to get it into the graveyard.  Would be great to hear it has been working for you, and I might test it again myself.  

Thanks.

[K-Run]

IllusionX :
I'm testing it as a second Moat. You can get rid of it with Claws of Gix if needed. My testing isn't over yet though.

***

So far, the Skeletal Scrying proved to be great. I might even try to run a 2nd one.

[Os-Vegeta]

K-Run,

Skeletal Scrying looks sweet.  If one is working for you, I'd love to hear how well two work out for you.

Running Academy Rector maindeck looks like it could work out, especially with Claws of Gix.  The more I think about it, the more I like the idea that a resolved Rector nets you Blood Moon or Moat.  

At first, when I saw you moved Humility to the sideboard, I wasn't sure if that was the right choice.  Giving it more thought, I'm agreeing with your move, considering that Tog, Dryad, and Naught all can't fly, and that TnT no longer is packing Wonder.  

What caused you to maindeck the Ivory Towers, and do you feel that 1 Seal of Cleansing and 1 Aura of Silence is enough artifact / enchantment removal MD?

[K-Run]

Quote What caused you to maindeck the Ivory Towers

I haven't found anything that could disrupt Sligh like these, at such a low CC.

Quote do you feel that 1 Seal of Cleansing and 1 Aura of Silence is enough artifact / enchantment removal MD?

These are temporary numbers : I still have to test a lot. I do play 3 Abolishes in my SB though, and 3 Finds/1 Replenish help too.

[Gabethebabe]

Quote (brianb @ April 20 2003,06:32) Game two and three, I got turn 2 cop: red.  He pyroblasted the cop, but it didn't seem to mind any.

He did WHAT?

[the Luke]

Hi,

I've been running Parfait for a few months now, and I think I have a feel for it. I'm interested in trying out Evil Parfait, as I have just acquired some Scrublands, and would also like some preemptive defence against Deed and Mind Twist.

I basically have 2 questions about your latest deck:

1) Why do you not play Humility? In my experience it is perhaps the best card in the deck. Can you explain?

2) What do you think will change now that Gush is restricted? What will be different in a July T1 version?

[K-Run]

Quote 1) Why do you not play Humility? In my experience it is perhaps the best card in the deck. Can you explain?

My metagame had no/few flyers. Also, I wanted to try Academy Rector and Eternal Dragon.

Quote 2) What do you think will change now that Gush is restricted? What will be different in a July T1 version?

I don't know yet. We'll have to see what people will play at that moment.

[Necromaniac]

I´ve been plaing Parfait with black for some time. I think Demonic Tutor is great. Often it serves as a second balance, and it shuffles the deck.
 As a second black card I´ve been using Last Rites. Not sure its worthit (I havent had the time to play much), but it´s very interesting. Its a must-counter. The control player can never accept this to resolve. Misdirection is no catastrophe (first i played mind Twist -bad idea!). If it resolves you might set up replenish, which makes it playable against aggro too.

[K-Run]

I've updated my list [link]. I'm getting used to the deck now. I think I'll soon have an optimal decklist for my environment. I've won 2 consecutives tourneys with this build and I'm pretty confident with it.

Now, I just hope somebody will come to destroy my illusions of perfection.

 

[wuaffiliate]

i would love to read an up to date parfait primer for the current metagame . ive always overlooked the deck because ive in the past done so well against it. but it does look like it can be very sucessful with minimum power. since after selling all my power im now budget playing till i can rebuild .

[doublej20]

Quote (K-Run @ April 06 2003,20:23)This is what I'm tinkering with right now. I thought you might like to see it.
        Evil Parfait - July 19th, 2003
        10 Plains
        1 Swamp
        2 Scrubland
        1 Plateau
        1 Serra's Sanctum
        1 Strip Mine
        1 Wasteland
        1 Desert
        1 Library of Alexandria
        1 Mox Pearl
        1 Mox Jet
        1 Mox Ruby
        1 Mox Diamond
        1 Black Lotus
        1 Sol Ring
        1 Tormod's Crypt
        2 Claws of Gix
        1 Ivory Tower
        1 Replenish
        2 Argivian Find
        3 Duress
        1 Seal of Cleansing
        1 Aura of Silence
        1 Moat
        1 Humility
        2 Sacred Mesa
        1 Story Circle
        4 Swords to Plowshares
        1 Balance
        4 Scroll Rack
        3 Land Tax
        2 Tithe
        1 Eternal Dragon
        1 Demonic Tutor
        1 Skeletal Scrying
        1 Academy Rector

        - sideboard -
        3 Tormod's Crypt
        3 Abolish
        2 Sacred Ground
        1 Viashino Heretic
        1 Wrath of God
        1 Aura Fracture
        1 Enlightened Tutor
        1 Replenish
        1 Ruination
This is my latest test version. I've won 2 consecutive tourneys with it.

Raph, thanks for the update. Good to see the new ideas flowing. I have a couple of questions for you about this build and what you've been playing/testing against.

First, from your list it seems like you're splashing red (Plateau) for two sideboard cards: Viashino Heretic and Ruination. What happened to Blood Moon? It seems like it (Blood Moon) is better against more decks than Ruination and also it's an enchantment and has much better synergy with the rest of the deck (i.e., things like Replenish, Academy Rector, Argivian Find, Serra's Sanctum, etc.).

Second, I wholeheartedly agree with the main deck Skeletal Scrying. I was just thinking the other day this deck needs more draw, and somewhere between 1-3 Scryings feels incredibly right (pepper to your own taste). The Duress' have been increasingly good with more and more combo decks floating about.

Third, your maindeck has changed a bit with the inclusion of a few new (to us) cards, such as Eternal Dragon, DESERT (!?), and so on. How have these been working exactly, and what is the Desert for?

Last, what decks have you primarily been playing/testing this against? How have your matches been against combo and Workshop based decks? It seems like you've dropped the count of artifact/enchantment destruction effects main deck (i.e. only 1 Seal of Cleansing and 1 Aura of Silence), although I kind of feel that these would be at their all time best right now with the vast abundance of targets running amok in a varied metagame (cards such as Smokestack, Tangle Wire, Sphere of Resistance, Survival of the Fittest, Juggernaut, Su-Chi, Yawgmoth's Bargain, Necropotence, Illusions of Grandeur, etc.). Let's hear some details, thanks!

[pernicious dude]

I've also been considering running Moat and Humility together.
How's that working for you?

[KandyKid]

OMFG, you use DESERT That is the best tec i have seen in a while, props to you!

Humility + Desert =  

[K-Run]

Quote What happened to Blood Moon? It seems like it (Blood Moon) is better against more decks than Ruination and also it's an enchantment and has much better synergy with the rest of the deck (i.e., things like Replenish, Academy Rector, Argivian Find, Serra's Sanctum, etc.).

Nowadays, it seems like every deck has ways to remove a resolved Blood Moon. Once you remove the Moon, you regain all what you've lost with it.

Ruination is harder to deal with. It's really a must-counter (Blood Moon isn't one right now). You NEED a counter. No Aura will save your lands. In this deck, this is a one-side Armageddon.

Also, can you explain to me how Serra's Sanctum has synergy with Blood Moon?  

Quote How have these [Dragon & Desert] been working exactly, and what is the Desert for?

I was planning to use more Dragons over the Tithes. As I couldn't find another foil Dragon, I had to play more and more with the Tithes. Right now, I'm pretty satisfied with having both in my deck. The Dragon is great at what he's doing : fetching lands, shuffling my Library and killing my opponent.

As for Desert, it was included after I got beaten up by a few Humilited Goblin Welders. I looked for a couple of answers, and the low amount of Wastelands I'm facing here just justified the Desert. I'm also improving the Sligh and Fish matchup with this. It won me a few games so far!

Quote Last, what decks have you primarily been playing/testing this against?

Sligh, Fish, Stax, Hulk, Rector Trix, Suicide, crap...

About Seals/Auras being good... Yeah they're good but I don't want to load my maindeck with them, especially in my meta filled with more random aggro than control and combo.

I've given up on having a good maindeck vs all decks. I just lose to some decks before sideboard and I accept it. However, I think I have a very good sideboard to combat most decks.

The top decks right now will kill you very fast, even the control decks. That somewhat helps Parfait, as time is one of your worst opponents. With Parfait, not only you should win fast, but you better lose fast too if you have to.

As always, this decklist is in progress. I played one tourney with a maindeck Vindicate and liked it. It might come back later, when I settle on a more fixed decklist.