Fixing up the good old Void Deck

[paulb]

Why do you side out pernicious deed against rector trix? With a deed out and 4 mana they cannot play illusions. This gives them less life to bargain with when trying to find the rushing river to remove your deed. Plus you can always activate it for 0 to wipe out their artifact mana.

[Hyperion]

In my opinion Edict is still a valid maindeck/SB option because it is excellent against TNT, where Smother is marginal because it only targets Welders.

In my experience, Deed is bad against Rector Trix because it will usually hurt you more than them when you're forced to activate it. It's hard to keep 4 mana in reserve against them anyway if EITHER deck is doing its job. This is yet another matchup where Withered Wretch is excellent, and I'm surprised he (Os-Vegeta) doesn't side it in.

EDIT: In case anyone hasn't seen it, Os-Vegeta's article on Void was just published on the main page. Congrats!

[Os-Vegeta]

Quote Why do you side out pernicious deed against rector trix? With a deed out and 4 mana they cannot play illusions. This gives them less life to bargain with when trying to find the rushing river to remove your deed. Plus you can always activate it for 0 to wipe out their artifact mana.

Against Rector Trix, I will most likely be using any and all disruption and creatures available to me.  The goal is to use hand and land disruption, drop a creature or two in the process, and make sure Nether Void resolves so that it will be very difficult for the Trix player to resolve a Rector or Illusions.  Bringing in 3 Cabal Therapy and taking out 3 Deed looks to be the right choice, since I won't be keeping the mana open for Deed anyway.  

Quote In my opinion Edict is still a valid maindeck/SB option because it is excellent against TNT, where Smother is marginal because it only targets Welders.

Edict can be useful against TnT, but my opinion is that 4 Naturalize, 3 Deed, 4 Masticore, and 2 Wretch are all the weapons you need against TnT.  

Quote This is yet another matchup where Withered Wretch is excellent, and I'm surprised he (Os-Vegeta) doesn't side it in.

I see your reasoning for wanting to side in Wretch against this matchup, but there is nothing else I want to take out of the maindeck against Rector Trix.  Wretch can be useful in taking care of an opposing Cabal Therapy in the graveyard, as well as removing any threatening cards should a Yawgmoth's Will hit, but it is of my opinion that Cabal Therapy is just more important than Wretch in this matchup.  

Quote EDIT: In case anyone hasn't seen it, Os-Vegeta's article on Void was just published on the main page. Congrats!

Hey, thanks!  I hope you enjoy it!

[Hyperion]

Quote Edict can be useful against TnT, but my opinion is that 4 Naturalize, 3 Deed, 4 Masticore, and 2 Wretch are all the weapons you need against TnT.

My comment about Edict was more for Arthur King's sideboard. I realize that yours already has 10 slots dedicated to the TnT matchup.

Quote I see your reasoning for wanting to side in Wretch against this matchup, but there is nothing else I want to take out of the maindeck against Rector Trix.  Wretch can be useful in taking care of an opposing Cabal Therapy in the graveyard, as well as removing any threatening cards should a Yawgmoth's Will hit, but it is of my opinion that Cabal Therapy is just more important than Wretch in this matchup.

Those are merely side benefits. The main reason to side it in is that in addition to being another threat, it shuts off Rector's ability! But given that Void can exploit its weak mana base much more than any other deck, it may not be necessary for the Void player to use it. Since I have both Edict and Deed maindeck, which are both bad in this matchup, and no Sinkholes, the decision is a little bit easier for me.

[Os-Vegeta]

Quote Those are merely side benefits. The main reason to side it in is that in addition to being another threat, it shuts off Rector's ability! But given that Void can exploit its weak mana base much more than any other deck, it may not be necessary for the Void player to use it. Since I have both Edict and Deed maindeck, which are both bad in this matchup, and no Sinkholes, the decision is a little bit easier for me.

Since you play PT Funk, I would say it would be better for you to side in Withered Wretch vs. Rector Trix.  With Void, Nether Void can clinch it for you, but in PT Funk you will need that little extra something, so I'd say go for it.

[Arthur King]

Kudos to OS Vegeta
Awesome piece of writing, I enjoyed every bit of it. And at the moment I'm trying out the new manabase
Nice Job.
Rock On     

[Arthur King]

what would a sylvan or 2 be like with the new fetchlands?
Has anyone considered that?

[carl]

Quote (Os-Vegeta @ June 17 2003,00:19)

Quote This is yet another matchup where Withered Wretch is excellent, and I'm surprised he (Os-Vegeta) doesn't side it in.

I see your reasoning for wanting to side in Wretch against this matchup, but there is nothing else I want to take out of the maindeck against Rector Trix.  Wretch can be useful in taking care of an opposing Cabal Therapy in the graveyard, as well as removing any threatening cards should a Yawgmoth's Will hit, but it is of my opinion that Cabal Therapy is just more important than Wretch in this matchup.

Withered Wretch can prevent the Rector to fetch an enchantment.
Rector reads

Quote
When ~this~ is put into a graveyard from play, you may remove ~this~ from the game. If you do, search your library for an enchantment card and put that card into play. Then shuffle your library.

It is a triggered ability that goes on the stack, and the 'if you do' means that if you remove it before resolution, the ability is countered.

So, play it like this:
Opp plays Therapy flashback, sacing Rector
Opp has priority, plays Rector's ability that goes on the stack.
Opp passes
You activate Wretch, removing Rector
Both pass
Rector is removed
Both pass
Rector's ability is countered
Both pass
Therapy resolves

No Bargain in play

BTW, thanks to Os-Vegeta for the article, I liked it a lot.

[Os-Vegeta]

Carl,

Thanks for the clarification on that.  That definitely makes me want to think of a way to side in Withered Wretch against this matchup, though I only have enough room for two in the sideboard.  

Also, I'm glad you enjoyed the article!

[Matt The Great]

Quote Rector's ability is countered

Technically, the ability still resolves, it just does nothing because of the "if you do" wording. It makes no difference with any card in the entire game...yet. If they ever made a Multani's Presence that triggered on the countering of an ability...but I digress.\n\n