Competitive UB in today's metagame?

[b_1e1_n]

What happens when you get tired of Stax, TnT, Burn, Aggro, Sligh and Keeper?

Well this, I guess.

The deck speaks for itself, please post all comments.

"Dispell V1.0" (By B_1e1_n)
61 Cards (I can't decide which card to not use)

creatures:
4 Masticore
3 Phyrexian Negator
2 Morphling
1 Karn, Silver Golem

gimmicks:
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Timetwister (yes, you read right)
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Stroke of Genius
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk

some control and search:
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
4 Duress
3 Diabolic Edict
2 Hymn to Tourach
1 The Abyss

mana:
4 Polluted Delta
4 Wasteland
4 Underground Sea
4 Underground River
1 Strip Mine
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet

sideboard: (do I need enchant control?)
4 Tormord's Crypt
3 Powdered Keg
3 Pyroblast
3 Elemental Blast
1 Diabolical Edict
1 Misdirection

[Grand Inquisitor]

I don't believe the deck "speaks for itself".

I voted for "only in an easy tourney" because it was a middle of the road category.  I really don't understand what this deck's major strategy is besides running lots of powerful cards that don't have synergy.  It looks like this deck would have difficulty deciding what its role is in the match.  Its creature base is very diverse, but I don't see how the deck takes advantage of this.  Can you explain more?

[Laertes]

3 Pyroblasts in the side with only Lotus and Ruby for red mana sources?  Did you mean Hydroblast?

[b_1e1_n]

Sure.

This may sound weird, but I want a diverse deck.  Remember when you first started off and wanted a deck with one of every type of creature?  Well, this is a diverse deck, this is the offensive side of keeper and then some.  It has the creature power of a poorly designed TnT with the mana base and counters of a good mono-blue.  It has the speed of a decent combo deck but enough win conditions and counters to hold its own.  I designed this deck to be able to be able to beat most control by matching it in counters, and where it may lack outdrawing (no library of alexandria, timetwister), it has discard.

Vs TnT, it is able to match up with creatures but still outcounter.
Vs Keeper, it is able to get a creature by (usually) that can get through the abyss as well as diabolical edict.
Vs combo, this deck has as many counterspells as most control decks plus some discard and fast creatures (negators).
Vs creature-based decks, this has The Abyss.
Vs discard, this has Masticore, some counters, and duress.
Vs sligh, this has Masticore and enough counters to hopefully not get burned to death.

The best way to understand this deck is to play it.  Although it may seem poorly designed to some, the results of this deck are surprising.

Changes:
+1 Mind Twist
-1 Diabolical Edict
( I can't believe I missed that! )

[b_1e1_n]

Leartes - yes I did mean Hydroblast, just a typo.

[kakeboy07]

wait let me get this straight

Sure.



Vs TnT, They put survival down and you lose

Vs Keeper, It loses to counters, and then soldier tokens (and also matrix in the side)

Vs combo, Dragon just wins.. .and laughs ... sides in nothing... and then wins again

Vs creature-based decks, this has The Abyss. The abyss does things so slowly that the aggro deck can overcome THE ABYSS, and win

Vs discard, this has Masticore, some counters, and duress. Yes... and no one in type one plays discard

Vs sligh, this has Masticore and enough counters to hopefully not get burned to death. And vs sligh price of progress owns you, as does firewalker as all your threats are too slow. Actually mox monkey owns you too.

so in summary id have to go with ....

No ...this deck wont win a tourney....

[kirdape3]

If you want aggro control in the colors Blue and Black, you play Psychatog.

[b_1e1_n]

Oh, funny guy kakeboy 7.  

Well as I said you can post anything here, so I won't ignore you, unfortunatly your opinion matters here too.

Vs TnT, how do they get survival and goblin down so easy, considering I have edicts, Morphling they can't touch (down for 4 turns as I survive to win), lots of counters and more discard than control.  I guess in your world every card the deck is designed around gets out, hence the dragon post eh?

Vs Keeper, it gets a creature through first.  Even if one gets countered, with my counters and draws and discard, I am bound to get one through.  Then what happens?  All the counters got countered or used on creatures, The Abyss most likely won't work, and I can blast your tokens easily.

Vs Combo, it can outcounter.  Combo sides in some anti blue, I side tormord's crypt and probably win by getting it down.  You piss your pants and realize your a flaming netdeck player.  Oops, is that unrelated?  My bad.

Vs creature decks this has the abyss, masticore, edicts, creatures to block with (core and morphling, morph can attack and block), and early discard.  My biggest problem I'd have to say is mox monkeys, hopefully Masticore can take care of this decently.

Vs discard, which is rampant in my metagame (you are forgetting we don't all have the same metagame, but I'll excuse that considering you're a retard).

Vs sligh PoP gets countered, creatures get's murdered, masticored, edicted, discarded or blocked.  Mox monkeys yes those are a problem; then again, aren't they for every single deck listed here excluding sligh and discard?

[b_1e1_n]

Also, I did consider Pyschatog in this deck, but I like Negator better.  Why?  Well, for starters, 4 turn win is easier with negator than psychatog.  Also, Psychatog has bad symmetry with counters and Yawgmoth's will.

Something to consider:
-1 Island
-1 Wasteland
+2 Mishra's Factory

Testing this, but I probably will remove it, the wasteland is much more devestating than a factory, and when I win it's usually by a creature, I don't think 2 factories will be fast enough.

[Plainswalker]

Also, Psychatog has bad symmetry with counters and Yawgmoth's will.

O man...

It looks fun to play, but not able to compete in tournament. I know you say it can beat most stuff, but it looks like it's streching itself to thin. I think I'd rather like Mox Monkey then Karn in this deck though, he does more and Karn just isn't the beat stick he is outside of Mud.

[DavidHernandez]

For a "Diverse Deck", you should probably run Keeper and tune it to your meta, since Keeper is really designed to 'beat anything', and typically is best against the entire field.

someone in San Diego played a U/B control deck and did extremely well with it.  He used Shadowmage Infiltrators and Morphlings, and splased White for Balance, essentially making a U/b UrPhid deck that replaced Ophidians with Infiltrators.

Since you want to run Abyss in the deck (which will kill at least 3 of your own creatures by the way...), you could drop the 3rd Diabolic Edict.  Actually, you should drop the Abyss, and not kill your own creature base.

I agree with G.I. that there is a random nature to this deck...many of the cards seem to be there simply because they are powerful (or are considered powerful) in other decks.  For example: 2x Hymn to Tourach. Why run this when you could run Mind Twist?  

And Karn is going to be there...why?  to animate your moxes?  my guess is that you didn't want to run red for Gorilla Shaman's, and put Karn in there to eat the opponent's stuff.  But Karn is FIVE mana, and, while i see that you have a full complement of moxes, i think you will find him to be slow (except in rare circumstances).  When those rare times come up, you find Karn getting blocked by Birds of Paradise, effectively nullifying him to a big wall.  I think you should cut him altogether.

Masticore doesnt really belong here either.  My guess (again) is that you want it in there in order to ping weenie creatures.  Since i don't know your meta, maybe he's really strong for you, but generally speaking (that is, imo), you should cut all 4 of them for something else, like 2 or 3 Decree of Justice.

You are running a lot of misdirectable spells.  Beware MisD.  Perhaps run a couple of them yourself, and include 2 or 3 Stifles in the Main Deck.

Many of your sideboard spells are instants.  Your maindeck could possibly benefit from 2 or 3 Cunning Wishes.

So as not to completely destroy the work you've done, i suggest the following:

creatures:
2 Masticore
4 SHADOWMAGE INFILTRATOR
2 Morphling
2 DECREE OF JUSTICE
10

gimmicks:
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Demonic Tutor
1 MYSTICAL TUTOR
1 Fact or Fiction
2 STIFLE
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 BALANCE
9

some control and search:
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
2 CUNNING WISH
3 Duress
3 Diabolic Edict
1 Mind Twist
17

mana:
4 Polluted Delta
4 Wasteland
4 Underground Sea
2 Underground River
2 TUNDRA
1 Strip Mine
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
24

sideboard: (do I need enchantment control?)
3 COFFIN PURGE
2 Powdered Keg
3 Pyroblast
3 Elemental Blast
1 Diabolical Edict
1 Misdirection
1 VAMPIRIC TUTOR
1 STIFLE

by the way, Psychatog + yawgwill + counters = HULK and GAT = you WIN.  Both of those decks have won so many major tournaments (with > 50 powered players) that your statement is not correct, and not really open for discussion with anyone on TMD.  T1 World Championship, Dulmen, Nationals San Diego, Waterbury, etc...

--Dave

[kakeboy07]

OUt of the fact that i dont want to do my homework lets honestly have some discussion about your deck::




So i did some matchup analysis::: Seeing as how you took so much time to do yours... i figured a little more wouldnt hurt


TNT: Thanks to tmds own loveable french guy:


// Mana sources
1 Mountain
3 Forest
3 Taiga
3 Wooded Foothills
4 Mishras Workshop
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mana Crypt
1 Grim Monolith
// Beatz
4 Juggernaut
3 Su-Chi
// Engine and utilities
4 Goblin Welder
1 Squee Goblin Nabob
1 Anger
2 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Duplicant
1 Platinum Angel
1 Karn Silver Golem
1 Triskelion
1 Quirion Ranger
4 Survival of the Fittest
1 Wheel of Fortune
// Disruption
3 Blood Moon
4 Pyrostatic Pillar
// Sideboard
SB: 3 Red Elemental Blast
SB: 1 Naturalize
SB: 2 Artifact Mutation
SB: 1 Viashino Heretic
SB: 3 Tormods Crypt
SB: 3 Chalice of the Void
SB: 1 Elf Replica
SB: 1 Triskelion


Lets see... Vs your deck ... an early jug spells defeat for you, as youd have trouble casting morphling early, 5 dmg to a negator would be just horrid to come back from, masticore would have to be your "house" if you will and take the match the entire way. Given you have 4 of them, but you have NO ... i repeat ... NO card draw... except for the bulky fact or fiction and Ancestral (good card btw). You cant call stroke card draw, because by the time youve got 3 mana to blow on it... youre dead. YOu have no removal for a welder, and youre not gonna waste a counter on it, because you need them for survival.

Once they get out survival, its fat every turn, and youre morphling cant deal with card disadvantage. Heck id bet youd even lose to squee beats every once in a while from sheer bloodmoon disruption.

You side in :

4 Crypt
maybe keg... i dont know why
and edict


Game 2:

if they didnt blood moon you game 1 ... youd get it game 2... and they shake hands. If not they continue tossing your salad until you scoop and head to the losers table for round 2.



on to round 2


Facing Zherbus Spelt correctly with ... a deck better than yours:


The list:

4 Flooded Strand
3 Volcanic Island
3 Tundra
3 Underground Sea
4 Wasteland
1 Island
1 Strip Mine
1 Library of Alexandria

1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl

4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
4 Brainstorm
2 Cunning Wish
2 Stifle

1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Mystical Tutor

1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoths Will
2 Skeletal Scrying
1 Mind Twist

2 Swords to Plowshares
1 Fire/Ice
1 Balance

3 Decree of Justice
2 Gorilla Shaman

SB: 3 Red Elemental Blast
SB: 2 Deep Analysis
SB: 1 Swords to Plowshares
SB: 2 Coffin Purge
SB: 2 Rack and Ruin
SB: 1 Disenchant
SB: 1 Vampiric Tutor
SB: 2 Damping Matrix
SB: 1 Blue Elemental Blast


I didnt include the 2 deep anal switch in here...

Game 1:

he gains card advantage... Mana drains a Negator and goes into soldier mode with a cycled decree. Then lets you drop a core, so that he can stp it and wins the counter war because you have NO DRAW!!!!

he overwhelms you with tokens.

Game 2:

You side in :

3 Pyroblast
3 Elemental Blast

whatever those are... and seeing as how you have 0 red sources (barring ruby and lotus which would get eaten by monkey) they do nothing and youre left with 6 dead cards... actually 61.. but thats besides the point


0-2 matches 0-4 games


ROUND 3 facing COMBO!!! dragon


Dragon by DicemanX

Combo pieces:
4x Worldgorger Dragon
1x Ambassador Laquatus
4x Squee

3x Animate Dead
2x Dance of the Dead
3x Necromancy

4x Intuition
4x Bazaar of Baghdad
3x Compulsion

Disruption/Tutoring/Other

4x Force of Will
3x Duress
1x Ancestral Recall
1x Time Walk
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Vampiric Tutor

Mana

1x Black Lotus
1x Mox Jet
1x Mox Sapphire
1x Mox Pearl
1x Mox Emerald
1x Mox Ruby
1x Sol Ring
1x Mana Crypt
4x Underground Sea
4x Polluted Delta
2x Bayou
1x Tropical Island
1x Gemstone Mine
1x Swamp

SB:

4x Xantid Swarm
4x Pernicious Deed
3x Verdant Force
4x Stifle


Seriously you have nothing that could even stop him.. and crypt is youre only sb answer... he sides in forces... plays reanimator... and wins.. if he wants to he can side in stifle for points and just stifle the crypts when you sac them (or your wastelands)... Your draw engine... which we mentioned is not really there (see above) SUCKS, and he easily finds the threats and cards to win.

0-3 0-6

BTW... TPS also pwns you  (xantids 4 lif)

No heres the hard part... finding an aggro deck that might come close to losing to you


BLAME CANADA on this one

Oshawa Stompy by Razor

//Mana
12 Forest
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mox Emerald

//Draw
4 Survival of the Fittest
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
4 Squee, Goblin Nabob

//Threats
4 Basking Rootwalla
4 Wild Mongrel
4 Troll Ascetic
4 Arrogant Wurm
4 Hidden Gibbons

//Disruption
4 Null Rod

//Sideboard:
4 Ground Seal
3 Tormod's Crypt
4 Naturalize
4 Rootmaze


Game 1:

he smashes face

Game 2: look at his sb cards... 4 naturalize.. even if he cared about the abyss... do you think hed have a prob... also notice root maze... meaning that youre a whole turn slower (if not 2).

0-4 0-8




Finally sligh

IsoSligh by Steven Petersen who is in love with Kerz

Mana

3 Bloodstained Mire
3 Mountain
3 Volcanic Island
2 Great Furnace
2 Wooded Foothills
1 Black Lotus
1 Chrome Mox
2 Mox Jet/Pearl/Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring

Disruption

4 Wasteland
3 Gorilla Shaman
2 Stifle
1 Pillage
1 Strip Mine

Burn

4 Fire/Ice
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Shrapnel Blast
2 Incinerate

Card Advantage

4 Isochron Scepter
3 Grim Lavamancer
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Time Walk
1 Timetwister
1 Wheel of Fortune

Creatures

4 Slith Firewalker

Sideboard

4 Pyrostatic Pillar
4 Rack and Ruin
3 Tormod's Crypt
2 Pillage
2 Stifle


Game 1:

he keeps you mana light, munches your moxen, and lets a slith run you over.

Game 2: He can burn, toss your salad, and take a nap, and you still wont have 4 mana sources out. And even if you do get them, he just pillages the core, or hits it with a mancer and burn spell...


0- 5 Matches  0-10 games


Good job...

i wont even start with the discard matchup. Im not quite the megrim master that you are  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:




Have a nice day...

[b_1e1_n]

Kake boy - no matter what I say to you, you probably will just think you're right.

TnT I have ways to deal with, as do I with every deck.  So do me a favor, quit popping you pimples for a minute and think before you speak.  I don't come to your decks and badmouth them (although I guess I can't badmouth TMD primers since that's all you play).  You say I don't have enough draw, lol, so what more does keeper have than me?  LoA and sometimes Sylvan Library.  Or anything for that matter becides combo (which has less counters)?  That's right.  Go back to your local card shop, maybe you can get some respect there for yourself... well probably not lol.

This is what I am now thinking of:

creatures:
4 Shadowmage Infiltrator
2 Morphling
2 Phyrexian Negator
2 Morphling

gimmicks:
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Timetwister
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mind Twist
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Mystical Tutor

control:
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
4 Duress
2 Diabolical Edict
1 Cunning Wish

mana:
4 Polluted Delta
4 Wasteland
4 Underground Sea
4 Underground River
2 Island
1 Strip Mine
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet

sideboard:
3 Hydroblast
3 Red Elemental Blast
3 Coffin Purge
2 Stifle
2 Powder Keg
2 Terror

And for those of you becides kakeboy, thank you very much for your help, I do appreciate it, and keep it coming .

[DEA]

Kake boy - no matter what I say to you, you probably will just think you're right

are you sure you're not roy spires?

[b_1e1_n]

I don't know who Roy Spires is.

Probably before my time or something.

[theorigamist]

Card drawing in the original deck you posted:
1 Timetwister
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Stroke of Genius

Zherbus's card drawing in the list posted by kakeboy07:
2 Skeletal Scrying
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Brainstorm
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Library of Alexandria

Your card drawing after you changed the deck:
1 Timetwister
1 Stroke of Genius
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Fact or Fiction
4 Shadowmage Infiltrator (these shouldn't be counted, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt)

So you actually have less card drawing before and after your changes than Zherbus's deck.  I didn't even include tutors.

I agree 99% with what Kakeboy07 said (the extra 1% is to CMA).  I just don't understand how you can claim such bogus matchup analyses.

By the way, what list are you using of Keeper?  I haven't seen The Abyss or Sylvan Library in Keeper for ages.  Perhaps I missed something?

[b_1e1_n]

I'm gonna run Nether Voids in my sideboard for burn.

Anyways, Skeletal Scryings are actually a good card for this deck.  What would you reccomend taking out for them?

BTW, right now without scryings (including infiltrators) I have 9 card drawing with my most recent list, including tutors (you included brainstorms), and I also run mind twist and 4 duress, not to mention 4 wastelands and 1 strip mine (good luck with LoA buddy).

So I am thinking this will be my new decklist:

creatures:
4 Shadowmage Infiltrator
3 Morphling
2 Masticore
(I figure with more draw I won't need as many creatures, I may even drop a morphling)

Gimmicks:
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Mind Twist
1 Fact or Fiction

Control and Search:
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
4 Duress
2 Diabolic Edict
1 Cunning Wish

Mana:
4 Polluted Delta
4 Wasteland
4 Underground River
4 Underground Sea
2 Island
1 Strip Mine
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl

Sideboard:
3 Hydroblast
3 Blue Elemental Blast
3 Coffin Purge
2 Nether Void (kind of iffy, I know that vs sligh gorillas probably will make void a handicap for me too, but I can't think of any better solution, and if I get the lock on sligh and then I can get out even just infiltrators, I can just pick away at them)
2 Terror
1 Stifle
1 Misdirection

Thanks everyone who's helping.

[DavidHernandez]

well, i do like that better than the original post.  Please make a correction to the creature base, as you listed "2 Morphling" twice.  I'm not sure if you meant something else (2 Masticore?). EDIT: Ok, i see that you corrected this. HOWEVER, now you are missing cards in the main deck. You only have 33.

Vampiric Tutor makes a great Wish target, and i still think you could move it to the side and add a 2nd Cunning Wish to the deck. You could drop one of the Terrors and put the Vamp in the side.  I understand why you want the Terror (targeted removal in the color you want to run), but with 2 Edicts in the main you should be ok, and with Cunning Wish you can get what you need.

The argument you're seeing from people that reads "you're not running 'any' card draw" comes from the fact that you aren't running Brainstorms, which are a staple in blue control decks. Accumulated Knowledge is used in Hulk and GAT, but wouldnt really work in your deck.  If you replaced Fact or Fiction, Merchant Scroll, and Timetwister, substituting 3 Brainstorms, there might be a better synergy with your deck.  I say this because you would be adding Unmisdirectable draw that works with your fetch lands. Also note that you would have 3 draw spells that now cost only 1 mana.

The reason i think you can cut Merchant Scroll is that it can only fetch a couple of draw spells in your build (Ancestral and Fact or Fiction). While it can also fetch counterspells, you probably wont use it for that.

Mystical fits better because it can get any color Sorcery or Instant.

Another card you can consider is Skeletal Scrying.  At instant speed, it will net you a lot of cards while fitting in with your color scheme.

EDIT: Nether Voids are for a different Archetype.  You really shouldn't mix it in, because you will dillute whatever synergy you are developing. A burn deck will get a couple of cheap threats on the table before you are able to cast Void, and then, if you DO cast Void, you will only help him kill you (because you wont be able to cast anything).  My suggestion is that you run 3 Contagions, drop the Voids, and drop the Terror.

--Dave.

[b_1e1_n]

Creatures:
4 Shadowmage Infiltrator
2 Morphling
2 Masticore

Gimmicks:
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mind Twist
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk

Control and Search:
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
4 Duress
2 Brainstorm
2 Skeletal Scrying
2 Cunning Wish

Mana:
4 Polluted Delta
4 Wasteland
4 Underground Sea
4 Underground River
2 Island
1 Strip Mine
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
5 Mox

Sideboard:
3 Coffin Purge
3 Contigation
3 Hydroblast
3 Blue Elemental Blast
1 Terror (Gorilla Shaman, Goblin Welder)
1 Stifle
1 Vampiric Tutor

[Cluey]

2 Nether Void (kind of iffy, I know that vs sligh gorillas probably will make void a handicap for me too, but I can't think of any better solution, and if I get the lock on sligh and then I can get out even just infiltrators, I can just pick away at them)
......
3 Hydroblast
3 Blue Elemental Blast
1 Terror (Gorilla Shaman, Goblin Welder)

the initial list was bad.  the latest is getting better.
as for your SB ideas....
this is type 1, instant red damage spells do 3 not 2 like in type poo....
so i can't see you picking away at them with an infiltraitor.
the targets you are listing for your Terror to kill are both killed by the cards you listed above it  
i guess you could leave it in the SB for random type poo decks people might play or maybe for the Oshawa Stompy matchup...

[Phele]

Althoug your list is growing to something better, I still would improve it. As David Hernandez mentioned, the splah of a third color could help, especially because your manabase is vulnerable anyway (underground rivers?). With white a addition you can develop this deck to an EBA sort of, which just really impressed by coming in second in Waterbury. I liked this new build for his mix of control and pure aggro-elements like Phyrexian Negator. This is the list I will try out next tourney:

4 Mana Drain
4 FoW
4 Meddling Mage
3 Duress

3 StP
1 Vindicate

4 Brainstorm
3 Ophidian
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Yagmoth's Will

3 Phyrexian Negator
2 Exalted Angel

4 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
4 Tundra
3 Underground Sea
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Black Lotus
1 Island
1 Plains
1 Sol Ring
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine

Sideboard:

2 Coffin Purge
2 Stifle
2 Blue Elemental Blast
2 Damping Matrix
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Serenity
1 Dismanling Blow
1 Energy Flux
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Moat
1 Exalted Angel

Even when the sideboard is looking really like a mess, I found it ultraflexible. But this is a personal choice and can be modified. The list is almost the same finishing so succesfully in Waterbury.

To the card choices:

Exalted Angel: I prefer this one over Morphling. You don't need to let open so much blue mana and you can bring out the angel really quickly by morphing. The live gaingin ability has been golden so far against sligh.

Phyrexian Negator: This one is the inclusion, EBA was always missing. The possibility to change to a quick aggro strategy facing control-builds.

Meddling Mage: This is the card holding the deck together. It gives you the flexiblity to stop or at least slow down so many strategies. Time that usually should give you the possibility to win, before the opponent can recover.

StP: Lots of Mask-, Dragon-, Madness-builds are around in my meta, so this card ist your ulimate aggro-sollution, until you have the better creatures out.

Damping Matrix: Just great in this deck, because i hinders you not at all, but so many weapons the opponent might use (scepter, tog, mongrel, welder, slayer, null broch ... the list is endless, nothing new but for this deck more than perfect)

Moat: A suprise card for gobbos and madness. With enough meddling and counter back up, this card can shut them down completly

Cards to think about:

Mind Twist: Great against aggro after a mana drain, but risky against control especially since Misdirection is seen much more again

Balance: Stops creature hordes, but you are using to many yourself, so a big NoNo to this.

Shadowmage Infiltrator: I think that your mana base is vulnerable enough so you shouldn't give opponent the possibility to stop more from your cards from being cast. I found Ophidian superior.

Tog: You don't have enough card draw for him

Masticore: Same for him

Acid Rain: Could be nice when the rise of green decks continues

Overall, I think this deck is much better than the U/B build and is one of the most flexible ones in the scene, which has no real horrible matchup.

[Flurp™]

I have been testing a similar deck to this one for a few days, but it has a splash of green for deeds.  I am unpowered so deed dosent kill my moxen, it only gets my shadowmages and sol ring.  Again, I have only been trying this for the past week, but the results have been good.

I think you should try to up your brainstorm count to 4, brainstorm just seems like a 4 of to me, maybe cut masticores.

[Puschkin]

Two things:

Nobody mentione OSE (and rOSE) so far but the deck definately wants to be that. I am not sure if the archieves still have lists of that deck, though.

@ Topicstarter:
Next time, do not make a poll and leave out lines like "it wins about all games I play" because this draws comments like Kakeboy's automatically. Your initial decklist DID look rather random and had some design flaws. And you simply cannot throw some solutions to every deck together and think it will automatically win the day for you. Kakeboy did come off too harsh, granted, but it is a thing about attitude and ego - and that is true for both of you!

[DavidHernandez]

Ok, i like your list a lot more now.  I'm going to look for OSE and rOSE lists in the Archives for everyone to view.  

This is important: your deck only has 59 cards in it.  ADD one more Brainstorm, bringing your count to 3.

With the Infiltrators, i think you have good draw capability, and the Scryings seem to fit.

After i review the OSE (Old School Expulsion) and rOSE (OSE with Red) lists, i will comment again.

@Puschkin: The last build of rOSE i saw ran Shaman's, Fire/Ice, and Isochron Scepters, so it may be off what b_1e1_n wants to do. Anyway, let me go find it.  It's a hassle cuz the search feature doesnt seem to work in the Archives.  All of the references i have given throughout TMD i have searched by hand.  Ugh.

Yes, i agree that it has a lot of similarities to OSE.

I thought i put the "c" in there. sorry about that.  Here is a thread on OSE, located in the Vintage Archives (i didn't find anything in the Extreme Vintage Forum Archives):

This one has TMD names that everyone will recognize:
http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11415

here's another, but i dont recognize any of the people who posted to it:
http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11323

this one has a couple of TMD regulars in it:
http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11303

and some more, with comment by Azhrei:
http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11271

and from Kerzkid11 (now Kerz):
http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11090

there are more, and actually there are a lot of threads when you get past page 11 of the Archive.

Puschkin is right in stating that there is a similarity, and a review of the OSE/rOSE threads could be a big help in forming your deck around your meta.

--Dave.

[Puschkin]

I compared to OSE because of the original decklist which has many similarities and the basic idea: to run everything what makes blue and black strong in an aggro-control deck that is still able to adapt to the opponent.
And please, it is "Puschkin" with "c", I guess I have to write a primer myself how to spell my name ...

[theorigamist]

I wasn't counting tutors in any of the lists.  But I suppose I will, since you brought it up.  Anything added in italics is either a tutor or card advantage through discard, which you seem to also want to include:

Card drawing in the original deck you posted:
1 Timetwister
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Stroke of Genius
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
2 Cunning Wish (I'm not counting anything in the sideboard since the maindeck Wishes would still be a limiting factor)
3 Duress
1 Mind Twist

Zherbus's card drawing in the list posted by kakeboy07:
2 Skeletal Scrying
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Brainstorm
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Library of Alexandria
2 Cunning Wish
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mind Twist

Your card drawing after you changed the deck:
1 Timetwister
1 Stroke of Genius
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Fact or Fiction
4 Shadowmage Infiltrator (these shouldn't be counted, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt)
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mind Twist
1 Mystical Tutor
4 Duress
1 Cunning Wish

So your first deck still has less and your second deck is tied if you don't count Shadowmages, which I wouldn't since they're easily removed.  Besides, Core negates the Infiltrator card for card.  Also, your lists and Zherbus's deck have 5 Strips each, so there's still no imbalance there.

Re: Nether Void -- Leave it out.  Your deck is not built like BG Void is to play well under a Void.  What will end up happening is you'll wait three more turns then get as raped as you would have.  I also don't understand your logic about Infiltrator.  If you can pay six for an Infiltrator they can probably afford 4 for a Bolt.

Phele's list is much stronger.

[b_1e1_n]

Okay, I am liking the deck a lot better.  And for whoever says the infiltrators aren't card drawing but brainstorm are, you need to check the text of the cards.  And yes masticore is negative card advatange, but it also kills, blocks anything and kills creatures.

creatures
4 Shadowmage Infiltrator
2 Morphling
2 Masticore
-The only part I dislike about this is the deck kills a bit slower than I originally designed, which gives it trouble against some combo and keeper.  This looks more and more like mono blue splashed for yawg will and duress each day.  I am wanting to put in more creatures so it's chances vs keeper and counter will increase, since that WAS the original concept behind the deck.

gimmicks
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Mind Twist
1 Fact or Fiction

draw and control
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
4 Duress
2 Brainstorm
2 Diabolical Edict
2 Cunning Wish

mana
4 Polluted Delta
4 Wasteland
4 Underground River (what's wrong with this?)
4 Underground Sea
2 Island
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
5 Mox

sideboard
3 Coffin Purge
3 Hydroblast
3 BEB
2 Terror
1 Stifle
1 Diabolical Edict
1 Teferi's Response
1 Vampiric Tutor (cunning wish alt)

[DavidHernandez]

you are missing cards!!!

your deck list now only contains 58.  You have room for 2 more creatures, if that's what you want to run.

from my experience, Shadowmage Infiltrator is HUGE card drawing.  At least 2 or 3 San Diego regulars have run them with tremendous success.  Almost unblockable card drawing that ALSO deals damage is good.

b_1e1_n, if you like Negators, play 2 of them.  If you want more card draw, add 2 Brainstorms.  You now have room.

if you want to splash White, add 2 Decree of Justice, and put Balance in the sideboard.

if you think that you aren't getting the creatures you need, then put the Negators or Decrees in.

dave.

[theorigamist]

In my TYPE 2 experience, Infiltrator is a great card drawer.  In my Type 1 experience, small creatures that don't start drawing until turn 3 or 4 are not only slower than an instant for U that digs down three cards, but are also easily removed.  In other words, although I'm aware Shadowmage can draw a lot of cards in the right circumstances, I still wouldn't put it on the list because it's such a slow, unsure thing compared to other cards, like Brainstorm.

[b_1e1_n]

Can you PLEASE explain how brainstorm is more card adventagous (sp?) than infiltrator?  Brainstorm is play 1, draw 3, keep 1, 0 advantage.  On average I get 3-5 cards from infiltrator.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH HHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Also I added 2 negators.
 As far as white, I am pretty sure I do NOT want to splash it.  Decree is good yes, but in my opinion it is over doing it, would I replace negator for it?  Maybe, in my metagame (not much burn or blockers), probably not.  Anyways Balance isn't great for me either since I do mind twist + 5 land killing cards.

Oh also I forgot to list strip mine.  I also couldn't resist, I added 2 negators, now I am 61 cards.