What about an old version of Hulk Smash??

[Siral]

I think a lot about the new metagame post mirrordin and what is the best weapon to fight vs artifact deck.

Looking for a solution i think about a first version of Hulk Smash with Back to Basics, so i build the deck in few minutes based upon this idea


3 Psychatog

4 Accumulated Knowledge
4 Brainstorm
1 Intuition
4 Duress
1 Mind Twist
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
2 Back to Basics
2 Powder Keg
2 Cunning Wish
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Future Sight
1 Skeletal Scrying

4 Underground Sea
4 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
4 Island
1 Swamp (testing to cast duress without fear of a wasteland)
1 Library of Alexandria (not sure since i use of BtB)
7 SoLoMoxen

Sideboard
2 Coffin Purge
1 Gush
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Rushing River
1 Hukyl's Recall
1 Smother
1 Back to Basics
1 Powder Keg
2 Arcane Laboratory
2 Blue Elemental Blast
1 Misdirection
1 Fact or Fiction



This is the first version of the deck, i need some testing and surely i will make a lot of changes but any advice is always well accepted\n\n

[hippie tourach]

Well mainly I want to know how well it works. I don't know how much testing you've done, but are you able to fetch enough basic lands into play that you can play around/with B2B? Especially when you've only played 2-3 lands at that point?

On a theoretical basis, I think LoA will be fine in this deck. It's essentially an early-game card, while B2B will come out a bit later. That and the fact that if it's active it will often be Wasted anyway makes me think you won't be really shutting it down when you drop B2B.

[Toad]

I don't really see how Back to Basics is the weapon Hulk is looking for to deal with Prison decks. Welder MUD only runs 19 lands, 7 are basic and 5 are not here for mana (Wastelands and Strip Mine).

2 Powder Keg is not really enough to deal with an early Chalice, as Welder MUD will try to drop a Chalice with X=2 if possible.

[Dante]

Exactly - some of the good decks aren't really bothered by back 2 basics that much (long, dragon, MUD, etc).

without Berserk, you can't just plow through aggro decks anymore.

without green, you lose a lot of powerful sideboard cards (DEED, naturalize), same with red....B2B just aint the shit anymore...

Dante

[Milton]

BtoB and Bloodmoon aren't very effective anymore.  4 Wastelands, 1 Strip and a few Gorilla Shaman, though, that's a nice way to slow down an opponent.  Back to Basics enters play after your opponent has had his "fundamental turn 2", to quote the expression of the times.  Wastes, Strip and Shaman back up and disrupt that "turn 2".\n\n

[ELD]

I won PT Boston's type 1 event with a similar build.  Back to Basics was in the sideboard though.  I had no problem supporting tropical islands as well.  Berserk is an important card.  I'd say you atleast need shadow rift in the board.  It's not as good, but it's actually pretty close.  It is crucuial to be able to deal lethal damage when you want to, not to have to deal with chump blockers but to get past them.  Here's my list

Mana Base:
5 Island
4 Polluted Delta
3 Underground Sea
3 Tropical Island
1 Swamp
1 Strip Mine
1 Library of Alexandria

5 Moxen
1 Lotus

Kill:
3 Psychatog

Counter:
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
2 Misdirection
2 Duress

Card Drawing:
4 Brainstorm
4 Accumulated Knowledge
3 Intuition
1 Ancestral Recall
3 Deep Analysis

Tutor:
2 Cunning Wish
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor

Goodness:
Yawgmoth's Will
Time Walk

Sideboard:
3 Back to Basics
2 Pernicious Deed
1 Mind Twist
1 Smother
1 Berserk
1 Naturalize
4 Submerge
2 Coffin Purge

As for the Back to Basics strategy.  Game 1 you can search out your duals as much as you see fit to eliminate any thought of back to basics in the board.  Game 2 you drop it and it's game over against many decks as they have only rebs to remove it.  Most control strategies fit into this category.  Also, janky aggro/combo decks fold to it as well.  Dragon for example is devestated by it.  A side note, you want to counter Cunning Wish after locking up the board as they can fetch Gush which is a problem.  

I recommend leaving Back to Basics in the board for several reasons.  You want to crush other control strategies game 1 as efficently and quickly as possible.  Your card drawing coupled with most maindeck's inablility to handle your strategy is key.  Post boarding most decks have a number of reactive answers to the tog.  This makes it a perfect time to drop a Back to Basics.  They sit there with swords, "tech" like submerge or other anti tog cards and eventually run out of resources.  It punishes them the same way that Mind Twist does.  You lock up the game and make them do something spectacular to get a win.  If you lose game 2 you usually sideboard out the Back to Basics as time can be an issue.  

I prefer a version running a high number of basics over the 4 color versions of Hulk.  Perhaps the greatest advantage to this version is it's ability to get around the 5 strips many decks are running.  When I run the 4 color version it constantly occurs to me that Keeper would do more with a similar mana base.  For example, a Demonic Tutor with Keeper is often game over, with Tog it isn't the case nearly as often.  I find the basic heavy version is a great foil to the best control decks in the format.  It can build a sturdy mana base and out draw them the entire game.  It also has a great game vs combo as the only card it loses is REB out of the board.  I find duress, and counter magic, coupled with sideboard hate is more than enough to stop combo.  Lastly, it is very good against aggro running LD as Islands make for a sturdy first few turns.  Tog is often your best friend here and not losing a turn to a wasteland is crucial.  The only thing I don't like is not having access to fire/ice here.  

Well that's all I've got to say about that for now.  Good luck with your version.  I'd recommend running my list as I know it can do very well in a control heavy field.  

Peace,
Eric
ELD

[glenchuy]

i don't have much experience playing hulk so forgive me if my query sounds idiotic.

how do you meta hulk against aggro.

my meta is infested with suicide and goblins and although games 2 and 3 aren't that much of a problem, i have a pretty low win percentage on turn 1.

i play standard hulk-

my sb

3-deed
3-reb
2-beb
2-f/i
2-coffin purge
2-artifact mutation
1-berserk

would it be wise to somehow sqeeze in 2-smother/2-f/i maindeck? if so, what do i cut?  the deck is so tight, i don't know what i could replace with.

[erik]

If you're playing without scepters, simply replace your two DA with a pair of Deeds. That's what you normaly sideboard against aggro anyway...

[glenchuy]

thanks.  do you think that my MDing deed, i'd be better off with MD vampiric tutor instead of mystical tutor?  

with the superb card drawing power of hulk, i usually didn't need it, however, there were times when i needed the deed and didn't draw it with the numberous card drawing spells i had (and with the removal of DA's for deeds, that's 2 more removed.)