Here is a decklist of my Rector/Tendrils. This hasn...

[defector]

Here is a decklist of my Rector/Tendrils.  This hasn't gone through extensive testing yet, more experimenting at this point than anything else.  I'm looking for any advice that selects better cards outside of the obvious power nine that I lack.

Mana Base-27-
Mox Jet
Mox Pearl
Lotus Petal
Lion's Eye Diamond X4
Dark Ritual X4
Scrubland X4
Caves of Coilos X4
Swamp X3
Plains X3
Fetchlands X4(various smpw+plain fetchers)

Trigger-9-
Academy Rector X4
Cabal Therapy X4
Yawgmoth's Bargain

Combo-20-
Ornithopter X4
Fountain of Youth  X4
Tormods Crypt X4
Jewelled Amulet X4
Tendrils of Agony X4

Control-4-
Force of Will X4

Obviously this is not tier one tech, nonetheless, one must start somewhere.  So from my mind to your post.  Please let me know anything neat, any cool way to get off ten spells in one turn, etc.

[Crater Hellion]

one fundamental thing wrong is you run 4 fow. these are the only blue cards. this is terrible. you stand to gain much more by using blue for about a dozen more blue cards including brainstorm, and in this case its actually going to HELP your manabase since you can use polluted deltas/flooded strands and actually get the color you want reliably.

[Gaea]

My teammate had tried the force of will in this deck but there is not enough blu to pich, so now he plays this version:


4 polluted delta
4 underground sea
2 scrubland
2 gemstone mine
1 city of brass
1 tolarian academy
7 solomoxen
1 crypt
1 vault
1 lotus petal

4 rector

4 duress
4 therapy
4 dark ritual
2 spoils of the vault
2 tendrils of agony
1 demonic
1 vampiric
1 yawgmoth's bargain
1 necropotence
1 yawgmoth's will

4 brainstorm
1 ancestral recall
1 time walk
1 timetwister
1 frantich search
1 mystical tutor
1 chain of vapor
1 future sight

[defector]

I agree, there is too little blue to make FoW really workable.  I was counting on drawing into a couple of them off the bargain before actually using them.  So -4 FoW.  Here's another question:  Is it better tostrategize on ten spells+tendrils, or is it more realistic tobuiuld off the idea or 3-5 spells then tendrils then 3-5 spells tendrils again?  I'll post a modified list in a little bit.
thanx,
defector

[Traveler]

You must have yawgmouth's will in this deck.  that is how you get a big tendrils count up.  You don't even need bargain sometimes if you have this one.  

Also, play the blue.  you need lots of search.  its better to use brainstorms than ornithopters.  You have limited life and have lots of 1 ofs so the bargain won't always get you what you need.  You have to use search cards with bargain out as well.  

You should win in 1 turn with this deck.  You may do a tendrils for 3-5, then keep going and finish them.  Don't try for a deck that does 2 tendrills for 5 each on 2 different turns.

Gaea's deck is very good.  Run it in comparison to the LED, ornithopter version and you'll quickly see how much more consistnant Gaea's deck is.  I like impulse in this deck.  Gaea took them out for spoils.  I see advantages and disadvantages to both.  I would probably go with impulse personally because its a lot safer and can be pitched to fow.

[cssamerican]

There was a thread started bt V.G.B. where him and others (Including myself)  worked on this deck, while everyones deck was slightly different by a couple of cards this is pretty much what we come up with.

Land-14
4 Underground Sea
3 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
2 Scrubland
1 Tolarain Academy
1 Island

Creatures-4
4 Academy Rector

Enchantments-2
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
1 Future Sight

Spell-31
4 Force of Will
4 Brainstorm
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Timetwister
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Mind's Desire
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Duress
4 Dark Rituals
2 Tendrils of Agony
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will

Artifacts-9
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet

Sideboard-15
3 Illusions of Grandeur
2 Donate
3 Blue Elemental Blast
4 Meddling Mage
1 Sacred Ground
1 Mind Twist
1 Necropotence

The sideboard I run is a Trix transformational sideboard because of the number of prison decks in my meta.
Most people MD Necropotence, I prefered to side it in against Fish, and decks using hate like Underworld Dreams. I just didn't like it MD since these were not really in my meta, and you always fetch Bargain.
Balance was also used by a lot people, but in my meta it was not that strong.

This was pre-mirrodin, but I don't think mirrodin really added anything to this deck. Spoils of the Vault looks weak since it uses so much life, the one resource this deck needs. And it has the potential to remove the enchantments from the game. I would never run it in a consistent combo deck in which the key card that made the deck what it is, is a one of.

[BuboniC]

suggestions:
-4 Force
-4 Ornithopter
-4 Tormod's Crypt
-4 Fountain of Youth
-4 Jeweled Amulet

+4 duress
+4 Brainstorm
+2 Chrome Mox
+1 Mana Crypt
+1 Yawgmoth's Will
+1 Mana Vault
+1 Grim Monolith
+1 Mox Diamond
+1 Sol RIng
+1 Helm of Awakening
+2 Chain of Vapor

[defector]

I agree with going with more blue, I do have yawg's in the deck, just forgot to list it.  I'll have to look to see if I have any impulse.  I've decided to run chrome mox and mox diamond as well, as I don't have a lot of power.  I'm at work, so I can't post a revised list, but i will soon.  thanx a lot for the advice.

[defector]

Mana Base-28-
Underground Sea X4
Tundra X3
Scrubland X2
Tolarian Academy
Lion’s Eye Diamond X1
Chrome Mox X2
Mox Diamond
Mox Jet
Mox Pearl
Mana Vault
Mana Crypt
Sol Ring
Lotus Petal
Fetch X4
Dark Ritual X4

White-4-
Academy Rector-Waiting

Black-16-
Tendrils of Agony X4
Cabal Therapy X4
Duress X4
Yawgmoth’s Bargain
Yawgmoth’s Will
Demonic Tutor
Vampiric Tutor

Blue-12-
Force of Will X4
Brainstorm X4
Mystical Tutor
3 slots open maybe Impulse?

Anyway, this is better.  Question: Is it worth running 4 Chrome Mox?  What about Fact or Fiction?

[Blommando]

FOF is too slow for a deck like this.

With 4 Chrome moxes you constanly run in to problem "what to pitch", so 2 might be the most optimal(testing will show you)
And isnt running 4 Tendrils a slightly overkill, just cut couple of them for additional search, for example spoils of the vault.

Why is there only one Lions Eye Diamond?

[defector]

I have the four Lion's Eye Back in now.  I was messing arond with the smallest number as possible becuase I don't like the card.  I agree that the two chrome mox is a good number.  Going to three tendrils is probably on the way.  I'll post a new list soon.
thanx for the advice

[MadManiac21]

From my experience in playing Rectal Agony (or any form of rector+ tendrils) I don't think you need to be running three Tendrils. I always found two to be enough, with the card draw when combo-ing and the multiple tutors.

I have to ask about the LEDs. Why? I must be missing something. I don't see the ability for you to cast burning wish and sac LED in response, and thus have mana and still have yawg will in your hand. Usually if you've just drawn 10+ cards you don't want to seem them all go to the yard, unless your completely relying on yawg's will to win (something I would not promote).

You probably also want all the pieces of power you can muster too, including the off-color moxen if you have them/playing in a 5 proxy tournament (personal preference). They help drop rector faster, add to storm count, and yes, they also tap for things that have generic symbols (every other card in the deck?).

I wouldn't run the tundras, but rather add two more scrublands or gemstone mines (yey? ney?). Alot of the blue you run has only U in the cost, which your seas should easily account for. Plus, your also running the extra blue spells to use force of will, and casting them means they're not in your hand to pitch.

You may want to add a future sight incase you lose your bargain. I would also run a Form of the Dragon, as it kills random.dec which is good, so you have to wrack your brain less often while going off during a 6+ hour tournament. Also; Where is Mind's Desire?? That card just says "I win".

~Caleb

[defector]

I don't like future sight, but I agree I need something other than lose in the event of losing bargain.  So far the led story is this, brainstorm, throw yawg on top of deck, led as many times as poss, float for black, bargain up yawgs(1 life , cast and then win.  I don't run wish, I think time will show it to be a more vulnerable strategy.  I fear stax so I like having more than a jester's cap worth of tendrils in the deck, I'm moving towards three.  I don't have a mind's desire as of yet, looking to get one soon.  That's my reasoning so far, please tell me if I've overlooked the obvious.  thanx.

[sWoRdFiSh`]

here's my cross-breed of rectal agony and long.dec and hence, the name burning rectal agony.
take note it's only a budget deck.

Mana (28)
2 Badlands
2 Scrubland
1 Underground Sea
1 Tolarian Academy
4 City of Brass
4 Gemstone Mine
1 Mana Vault
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Grim Monolith
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mox Diamond
4 Dark Ritual
4 Lion's Eye Diamond

Card Draw/Tutor/Wish (17)
3 Brainstorm
4 Burning Wish
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Consultation
2 Spoils of the Vault
4 Academy Rector

Broken Stuff/Draw 7's (5)
1 Necropotence
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
1 Mind's Desire
1 Windfall
1 Wheel of Fortune

Disruption/Kill (10)
4 Duress
4 Cabal Therapy
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Rebuild

SB(15)
1 rebuild
1 yawgmoth's will
1 diminishing returns
1 balance
1 primitive justice
1 form of the dragon
1 hull breach
1 diabolic intent
1 tendrils of agony
4 xantid swarm
2 seal of cleansing

it's sooo consistent, goldfishing-wise, it goes off turns 1 and 2 60% of the time.
in playtesting, it kills turns 2 to 3 like 80% of the time.
in the tournamnet i've joined, it finishes off the opponent like it does in playtesting.
it either goes off either the long.dec way (burning wish/draw-7/yawgmoth's will) or the much preferred rectal agony way (cabal therapy + rector = insane card drawing through bargain).
what i really like 'bout this deck is its ability to get around chalice because of the more reliable rector-bargain path to victory.
try it and believe me, you'll get stuck to it.

[defector]

Thank you for the list, i had completely forgotten about windfall.  I'm trying to stay away from the wish combo, though I can see its strength, I worry for its vulnerability.  Running Wheel is a really good idea.  I also like seeing a lack of future sight, I've been running mind over matter instead, still some tuning, but I feel it has more possibility. Thanx for the post.

[RJPARJ]

Why isnt anyone using Glimervoid.  I have tested the card and found that it has worked in numerous occasions.  Especially in Long.dec glimervoid should be used instead of gemstone mine.  If anyone has a comment on that please let me know

RJ

[Crater Hellion]

.. People are using Glimmervoid. Long just isn't getting played as much, and no one is talking about it because if anything new happens for it anytime soon, it's gonna be something bad   .

[defector]

glimmervoid is cool, but I don't have any.  I've added Mind's Desire, finally got a copy, tech for sure.  wish there was a way to run less mana, but what can you do?  So far inplay testing its been, early rector = win, later rector = lose. owwth.thanx for the input.

[RJPARJ]

yeah my playtesting has been sorta the same. I have problems with hulk so if anyone has any sb tech for me please let me know

[MadManiac21]

Tormoyd's crypt is soo huge against any deck that abuses the graveyard, such as the mirror, long, hulk, etc. I would run 1 or 2 in the board, as sometimes the game is dragged out a bit and you NEED that crypt so as to not die to tog/storm/etc. You could also try a couple of defense grids in the board if hulk is giving you trouble. You already have alot of hate against control in the form of 4x Duress/c.Therapy.

If you are finding decks like hulk to be hard matchups (which they are), look to add 4x FoW to the deck. This will also require the deck to be changed a bit to have a couple more blue cards. Now, before all you naysayers go about saying "OMG liek WTF!?!?! you don't run enough blue stuff!?!?!" You have to realize the USE of FoW in this deck.

In some recent discussions it has come to my (as I think other's) attention that FoW does not have the same role in any deck running it. Control decks need the FoWs plus all the extra blue cards, since their strategies are BUILT upon denying cards to get into play. In a combo deck (such as Forcing Rectal Agony) the purpose of the FoW is to punch through one more spell maybe ONCE per game. If you've already cast a duress or a C.Therapy, I can understand an opponent forcing or draining a rector, but ALSO having possibly another Fow+blue card or another counter? The percentages on this are low. I would look up Hulk3Rules (Brian Phelon's) Forcing agony deck if you are running this in a control heavy environment (which Brian was doing, aka Hadley). It may be outdated, but it is most likely a good skeleton.

I hope this helps.

Edit: http://www.themanadrain.com/cgi-bin....l+agony

Copy and paste for Brian's report (VGB's build)

[defector]

I agree about how fow is played, I phrase it as only needing to win one counter war, at the rector mainly.  I would like to see the list you alluded to as I think ity would be useful.  I played a control deck the other day in a casual and cast rector without fow to back it and it got countered, much time passed to second rector, little life left to draw land and die.

[aznflict]

so, i've seen some builds using just tendril, others still using trix, and a couple builds using both maindeck.  which is the best build?  i personally think the trix build has more style, but not quite as good as tendrils (although, trix build is still really good and consistent).  also, i've heard arguments for trix over tendrils, citing consistentcy, stabilitity, etc.  while tendrils has speed, less dead cards (i guess), etc...

which one is better?

edit: had to word things better.