Fever Mask

[Milton]

In preparation for GenCon I'm back to testing Mask aggressively.  Misdirection is a very key component of this deck.  Shadowmage Infiltrators can become a drawing engine, but they need protection with Misdirections.

I like Sleight of Hand also, but I really believe that the deck needs a couple of main-deck Recoils, just in case of a Moat or Peacekeeper or Worship or Verdant Force or Illusions or whatever.

Also, 22 mana is the right number, but I still love the Sol Ring.  So, my version is slightly different.

As for Fish, it's a very easy match-up.  If you can play an early Mask then you can bring out creatures around their Standstill.  Also, once you get a Dreadnaught in play Fish has no removal at all.  Plus, with four Force of Will and three Misdirections you have as many counters as the Fish opponent.  Plus, you play Duress.

When I playtested against Fish I crushed it.

[MisterShark]

Quote (Milton @ June 23 2003,13:48)I like Sleight of Hand also, but I really believe that the deck needs a couple of main-deck Recoils, just in case of a Moat or Peacekeeper or Worship or Verdant Force or Illusions or whatever.

I guess the match that I played against my Fish opponent was just an unlucky one; without a FoW in hand, he plunked down his main-deck Null Rod, and that was pretty much it.

Which brings me to your point regarding a main-deck Recoil.  Had I had access to  a Recoil in that match, I most likely could have dealt with the Null Rod and laid down the pain.

[Fever]

The question isnt whether a maindeck Recoil would be useful or not, its more about how often it is actually needed. I dont see it being really needed maindeck, since i dont expect to fact many Moats, Peacekeepers, or even Null Rod. Furthermore, the real question is how to fit it in considering how tight the deck is already.

Milton, i hope you pilot the deck at GenCon, and i wish you the best of draws, and more importantly good times.

[Diablos8]

I noticed earlier in the thread that some people playing the deck were having some trouble with weenies(Fish, Gorilla Shaman, Welder, etc). Do you think it's possible that you can squeeze something into the sideboard that will just whip the hell out of them outside of Contagion? Contagion is a great card, but vs. Fish for instance, it's only gonna hit 2 guys,and if a Lord is in play it will hit 1. I think Infest can be a good idea vs. the weenies that are pissing you off, as it will knock out everything with a toughness lower than 2, and it won't hurt any of your guys.

Hope this helps.

[MisterShark]

@Diablos8,
Good suggestion; I may give that card a try.  

I'm starting to wonder if we couldn't remove the Vamp Tutor or better yet, 1 Misdirection from the main deck (and relegate it to the board) and run a Cunning Wish in it's place.
Wish for:
-Blue El. Blast vs. a Welder
-Smother against threats like Volrath's Shapeshifter, imitating Phage and about to kill you
-Diabolic Edict to deal with a Morphling
-Recoil to cleanse the board of Moat, Peacekeepers, Null Rod, etc...
-the formerly main-deck Misdirection (see, you can have your Misdirected cake and eat it to  )

Your thoughts?

[Diablos8]

Quote (MisterShark @ June 24 2003,15:14)@Diablos8,
Good suggestion; I may give that card a try.  

I'm starting to wonder if we couldn't remove the Vamp Tutor or better yet, 1 Misdirection from the main deck (and relegate it to the board) and run a Cunning Wish in it's place.
Wish for:
-Blue El. Blast vs. a Welder
-Smother against threats like Volrath's Shapeshifter, imitating Phage and about to kill you
-Diabolic Edict to deal with a Morphling
-Recoil to cleanse the board of Moat, Peacekeepers, Null Rod, etc...
-the formerly main-deck Misdirection (see, you can have your Misdirected cake and eat it to  )

Your thoughts?

YOu could just SMother the Welder if you wanted, to.

A Smother won't kill a Shapeshifter if it's imitating Phage, as it will have Phag'es casting cost. You could however Smother another creature in play, such as Birds of Paradise or Wall of Roots to stop Phage.

As for Recoil, wasn't there going to be a maindeck slot for it?

[MisterShark]

regarding the slot in the main for Recoil; Milton and I were contemplating it, but a Cunning Wish could go in that slot instead, to add greater flexibility.  As long as there was access to the Recoil (from the sideboard, in this case) during duel #1, I think that I would feel reassured of having my fix for that unexpected problem that my opponent potentially could slip into play while I lacked a FoW in hand.
Maybe I'm being overly cautious with this Cunning Wish rationale, but one of the aspects of Fever's Mask build that elevates it over my previous Tainted Pact build is the flexibility and preparedness in the face of adversity.
As far as the Welder goes; I know the Smother could be used, but a Blue Elemental Blast is cheaper and therefore quicker, if need be, during a time of lower available mana resources.

[Milton]

I've thought about Cunning Wish as well.  It would work great with Blue Blast, Hurkyls Recall (screws the Welder too!), Ebony Charm, an X spell, whatever.  If you were to run Cunning Wish, then Recoil wouldn't even be a very good sideboard option.  

But, I tested Cunning Wish for a while.  Too slow.  Also, it alters the direction of both the deck and sideboard in a great way.  In this case it really forces a major bastardization of the board, which is unnesscary.  

For example, right now my board is 4 Hurkyls Recall, 3 Back to Basics, 2 Royal Assassin, 2 Guilded Drake, 3 Cursed Totem adn 1 Recoil (I run 2 Recoils in the main deck).

If we put together a deck with three Cunning Wish in the main what would our board look like?

Probabally something like this:
1 Ebony Charm
1 Gush
1 Misdirection
1 Hurkyls Recall
1 Blue Blast
1 Smother
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Recoil
3 Back to Basics
2 Gilded Drake
2 Royal Assassin

I personally don't think this type of board is as effective as one in which you can swap out your Misdirections for Hurkyls Recall against TnT or Stacker or Ductape.  I like being able to board out Duress for Back to Basics.  That's just me, though.

[MisterShark]

Milton,
I was only thinking about running one Cunning Wish main, in order to access only the most crucial answer-cards from the sideboard.
My board looks like this:
3x Back to Basics
2x Ebony Charm
1x Misdirection
1x Diabolic Edict
2x Blue El. Blast
2x Recoil
4x Smother

Worst matchups for me being:
-TnT (wish for Eb. Chrm/ Smother/ Blu. Blast)
-Fish (wish for Recoil/ Smother)
-Vengeur Mask (wish for Eb. Chrm)
Always a concern:
-Keeper (wish for Diabolic Edict/ Recoil)

Any other matchups, I'm not that worried about and can access their answer-cards in the second duel.

[Fever]

I have to say i am opposed to Cunning Wish in this deck, for all the reasons that Milton has already stated. Recoil would be much more mana-efficient, and it wouldnt force me to alter my sb. I realize that the Wish is more versitile, and that the more specific answers it can fetch are an interesting option, but i really dont like the card in aggro-control.

What i really want to know, regardless of whether its Recoil or Cunning Wish, is what card you guys are cutting from the maindeck to make room for it? I dont want to cut a Misdirection, and i feel that 7 cantrips are needed since i am running only 22 mana. The only thing i can even think of is a Vault, but i have tested with only two and i really found that i missed the third one. Maybe you guys can let me know your opinions about this.

[MisterShark]

Cunning Wish is only a thought at this point, but what I failed to mention in my last post was: if I do decide on maindecking a Wish, I will have to move one MisD. to the board.

One other card choice that I have been tossing around in my mind is Skeletal Scrying.  I haven't gone up against any burn-based oponents yet, so maybe someone who has can voice their opinion/ findings on whether or not the card choice would be feasible.  I agree with keeping the 3 Lim-Dul's Vaults, so I guess I would cut 1 Sleight of Hand for the proposed Scrying slot.

For the record, concerning cards that I have cut/swapped from the main Fever build:
-dropped Merch Scrl in favor of the 4th Duress.
Other than this deviation from Fever's last decklist revision, my decklist is a mirror.
The addition of Cunning Wish and/or Skeletal Scrying is strictly speculation at this point and subject to playtesting.

[Milton]

I don't run the Vaults.  I didn't have any success with them.  Instead, I run one Duress and two Recoil in those slots.  This makes it much easier to sideboard.  Also, my mana base is a little different.  I still run the Sol Ring and have one less Island.

And, everyone, if you are bothered by TnT, start running Hurkyls Recall in the board.  It's phenomonal.  Don't forget, Hurklys doesn't require everyone to return artifacts, just target player.

[Fever]

Milton, may i ask how you assemble the combo with any sort of consistency without the Vaults?

[Milton]

Quote Milton, may i ask how you assemble the combo with any sort of consistency without the Vaults?

Well, you have the digging of the 4 Brainstorms and 3 Sleights.
You have the tutoring of the Vamp, Demonic, Mystical and Merchant Scroll.
You have the drawing of the 4 Shadowmage, 1 Ancestral
And, you have the brokenness of the Yag. Will and Timewalk.

That's plenty.  Coupled with Fetchlands and the shuffle effects of the Tutors, your Brainstorms and Sleights are very, very effective and digging through enough of your deck quickly to set-up.

Also, this deck plays differently than typical Mask.  It can just "go off", but it can also throw down a Shadowmage or two and gain massive card advantage with Misdirection, Duress and Force protecting the Mages and their card drawing ability.

But, there is more than enough drawing, tutoring and brokenness to set up without the vaults, in my experience.

[Fever]

Well, im my experience the Vaults have been golden, so i cant imagine cutting them altogether. However, if i were to go down to 2 Vaults(which i have tried in the past) or less, i would most certainly include the 4th Sleight of Hand. After all, if you are going to cut down on tutoring, why not at least run the full 8 cantrips?

[Milton]

Well, we seem to agree on this:

22 Mana
4 Mask
4 Infiltrators
4 Dreadnaughts
4 Force
3 Misdirection
1 Ancestral
1 Yag. Will
1 Vamp.
1 Mystical
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Time Walk
4 Brainstorm

Then, we have nine slots remaining.

I run:
3 Sleights
4 Duress
2 Recoil

You run:
3 Sleights
3 Duress
3 Valuts

It seems as though you are running the Vaults to find the combo earlier.  I like the extra Duress to force out a Shadowmage.  I like the Recoils, but I'm playing the deck a little differently I think.

[Fever]

Thats very accurate, except that i dont run Mystical. I would rather run Vault, because it can find me any card in the deck. I do run Merchant Scroll, but thats not card disadvantage so i find its worth it, if im going to run a card disadvantage tutor then i want it to at least be able to get me any card i want.

Apart from that, its spot on. I would love to fit in the 4th Duress, along with a Recoil for emergency purposes, but i cant bring myself to cut the Vaults. Like i said, i may test 2 Vaults again, but im torn as to what card would replace it.

In any case, we definetly agree on the core of the deck, and which cards are integral to it's success. The minor differences seem based on playstyle, and even more by metagame considerations. You see, since i dont own the cards to build it, i am incapable of taking Fever Mask to a tournament, so i can afford to have a more fearless attitude regarding certain cards. Im glad to see i have a few allies on the Mask front, now all we have to do is spread the word.

[MisterShark]

Just for the sake of keeping our notes and feedback accurate concerning our testing for bestbuild, here's my version of the decklist with unique card choices (or unique numbers of said card) bolded:
Main
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
4 Duress
3 Lim-Dul's Vault
1 Cunning Wish
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Brainstorm
3 Sleight of Hand
2 Midirection
4 Force of Will

4 Shadowmage Infiltrator
4 Phyrexian Dreadnought
4 Illusionary Mask

1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
2 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
4 Underground Sea
2 Swamp
4 Island

SB
3 Back to Basics
2 Ebony Charm
1 Misdirection
1 Diabolic Edict
2 Blue El. Blast
2 Recoil
4 Smother

I'm still pondering the addition of Skeletal Scrying; I will test the above build with my buddies tonight, and try and determine if it's addition to the maindeck is feasible for the following week's playtesting gauntlet.

My expected matchup are as follows:
TnT
Fish
Vengeur Mask
Keeper
random Sligh
Siu (maybe)
Hulk/ GaT
random twinkies

for the record, I concur with Fever on the Lim-Dul's; they are extremely efficient.

Please keep questions about avatars to PM's, thank you. -Z

[Zharradan]

I can't really see going down to any less than 3 Vaults. To me, it seems like people are suggesting cutting down on vaults to replace them with their current favourite cards from other decks, rather than thinking about what the most appropriate card for that slot is in this deck.

Lim Dul's Vault makes this deck. The only real change I would (still) advocate to people would be the inclusion of a Demonic Consultation - but Fever has previously stated why he doesn't run it and I imagine other people have similar feelings about that card. For me, it's too good to look past, though.
3 Vault, 1 Consult. No wish. At least, that's my opinion.

[Fever]

Like i said, i understand how powerful Consult can be, i just choose not to run it, thats all. However, i am curious as to what tutor base you run Zharradan, because i could see dropping to 2 Vaults if i was running Consult. Perhaps you arent running Vamp or Merchant Scroll?

[Zharradan]

Correct, I have no Merchant Scroll.
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
3 Lim Dul's Vault


I have 4 Duress though, and may test going to 3 so I can see how much Merchant Scroll helps. I'd probably rather cut one of those than a Vault.

edit: oops, 4 Duress was the 61 card version, I cut one to go back to 60.

[Fever]

If you are going to cut anything for Merchant Scroll, i think it should be Mystical Tutor. I dont run it myself, because i refuse to run card disadvantage tutors that dont fetch combo pieces. I suggest you try the switch, i think you will be happy with it.

[Milton]

Mystical fetches you Yag. Will.  The broken aspect of Will makes Mystical a very good card.

[Fever]

Yes, i am well aware that Mystical fetches Yawg Will, but that by istelf isnt enough for me to include it. Why would i run Mystical when, for one more mana, i can run another Vault which will find whatever i need no matter the card type. Its a great card, but i dont understand why people would run it in Mask.

[Milton]

Well, it gets Yag. Will, Ancestral, Recoil, Brainstorm, anything you need, really.  It shuffles your deck.  So on and so on.  

Anyway, I've pulled it from my deck too.

Also, I've gone down to 20 mana, cutting the three off color Moxes and adding just one Island.  This gives me some nice options and, along with the Slights and Brainstorms and Vaults, doesn't hurt me at all.

Anyway, this is what I am playing now:
4 Dreadnaught
4 Mask
4 Shadowmage Infiltrator

4 Slight of Hand
4 Brainstrom
2 Lim Dul’s Vault

4 Duress

4 Force of Will
3 Misdirection

1 Yag. Will
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk

1 Demonic Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
2 Cunning Wish

Mana
1 Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Lotus
1 Sol Ring
6 fetch
4 island
2 swamp
4 Underground Sea

SB
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Gush
3 Hurkyls Recall
3 Back to Basics
1 Misdirection
1 Ebony Charm
1 Recoil
1 Smother
1 Blue Blast
2 Royal Assassins

I like Cunning Wish so far, but I'm still testing.

[Fever]

Well, here are my thoughts:

The deck can definetly run on 20 mana if you run 8 cantrips, seeing as GAT used to run on only 18 (including LoA). However, i really like the off-color Moxen in a deck like this because speed is such a crucial factor. Getting a turn one Mask, or turn two Finkel is always nice, and often can mean the difference. Of course, i know i dont have to explain this to you. The benefit it gives you is being able to fit in two more cards, which is very nice indeed, but im not sure if it offsets the loss of acceleration. Also, i find it strange that you chose to test the Wishes along with this reduced mana count, this seems counter-intuitive to me.

I understand that you have a different approach to the deck than I, taking a more control-oriented stand point, but i think the Wishes would probably be better off as one Recoil and something else. In any case, im glad to see you have included a pair of Vaults, these are essential to the deck as far as i am concerned.

Let us know how these changes work out for you, thanks.

[MisterShark]

In my matches last night, I was very happy to have the one Cunning Wish that I had main-decked.  In a matchup against Vengeur Mask, Wishing for an Ebony Charm saved me from losing to a 'Phaged' Volrath's Shapeshifter, not to mention killing my opponent's card drawing Squee/ Survival engine.
My old Tainted Mask build was very speedy but not very resilient in the face of adversity.  The new build's more controlish nature is one of the keys to it's reliability.  The slight loss in tempo that playing Cunning Wish asserts is well worth it when it comes to a card your opponent plays in duel #1 that must be answered by a card that you would not care to main deck.

[Fever]

But, in the situation you mentioned, wouldnt Recoil on the Shapeshifter have been just as good? It might not have shut down the engine, but it does keep your opponent from Phaging you to death unless he runs a second copy or Genesis. On the same subject, why didnt you have a creature to block Phage?

[MisterShark]

Actually I had Finkel in play but he had attacked on my turn since I really needed to utilize his card drawing more than anything else.  You see, my opponent's V. Shapeshifter had gained a striking likeness to Wonder on my opponent's previous turn.  So whatever it was about to change into and attack me with on his next Squee/ Survival exchange, was gonna go over poor Finkel's wingless self anyway.

Recoil was'nt about to work out since my opponent had more than enough cards in hand to choose from for the discard portion of Recoil's demands.  Even if he recast the V. Shapeshifter on his next turn (after pitching something less important to my previous Recoil and holding the Shapeshifter for re-casting) and I was able to FoW it, he'd still end up outpacing me with his Squee/ Survival drawing creature after creature.  Ebony Charm was definitely the way to go there, saving my ass and neutering his drawing engine in one shot.

In summary, without the Cunning Wish for Ebony Charm, I would have been steamrolled for the lack of versatility that a duel 1 main deck that is unequipped to deal with graveyard manipulation presents.

The deck is still capable of the turn 3 kill, but it's nice to know that if it doesn't click immediately, you've still got the tools to go the longer haul if need be.  Cunning Wish has earned it's place in my personalized build of your Mask template.  In an earlier matchup against Fish, it also gave me duel 1 access to a Recoil to answer Null Rod.  I didn't get the chance to go head to head with TnT, but I expect the Wish to earn it's keep with that opponent as well.

[Fever]

Well, it seems to be working very well for you, i am anxious to see what kind of results Milton has with the card. I think i may have to test it myself, although im not sure in place of what. One nice aspect is that i could sb an extra Vault to fetch, that would be sweet.