[Deck] Easter Tendrils

[martyr]

I tested some last night, and came to some conclusions (I was playing with the 3x Thoughtcast build).

#1: Workshop doesn't work at all. Wouldn't work, at least. Essentially the only card in the entire deck that it actually contributes to casting is Helm of Awakening, and there are times when even that doesn't seem so great.

#2: I'm going back on what I said earlier about Thoughtcasts not being needed as a 3x or 4x. They're really, really good. The deck sometimes goes crazy (i.e., when you draw fast mana, a helm, an egg or two, and a tutor), but Thoughtcasts gassed up the combo, and let you keep going, as well as being an excellent set-up card. Frequently, you wouldn't want to sacrifice the eggs on turns 1 or 2, because that would mean decreasing yuor chances of going off on the next turn, but you really couldn't just rely on a mana top-deck. The Thoughtcasts were brilliant, and I'd up it to 4, actually.

#3: Fastbond isn't worth it. The deck (if it's going off) doesn't care about extra mana enough to run something like this in it's place. It wants spell count and a tutor and the mana off the eggs. The main problem with the deck isn't mana, but spell count. So, don't play this. Play an extra Thoughtcast or summat.

#4: Mana Vault is worth trying out. It lets you drop a first-turn helm, and that's sweet, as well as powering up the expensive spells in the deck (lol, like Frantic Search and Yawgmoth's Will).

16x Eggs
4x Chromatic Sphere
4x Helm of Awakening

2x Tendrils of Agony

4x Spoils of the Vault
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Demonic Consultation
1x Frantic Search
1x Yawgmoth's Will
1x Vampiric Tutor
4x Thoughtcast

1x Tolarian Academy
1x City of Brass
3x Polluted Delta
4x Underground Sea
1x Chrome Mox
1x Lotus Petal
1x Sol Ring
1x Mana Crypt
4x Dark Ritual
4x Cabal Ritual

-1 Bayou (Despite my previous rantings (see above posts), I never ended up needing Green except against decks that ran Smokestack or Tanglewire, and they're not all that common. Play it if you run into them, though, for Naturalize and Oxidize.)

-1 City of Brass (I hated these. They always ended up in my hand at the end of a long, but not quite long enough, chain of egg activations, rituals, and tutors. Boo.)

+1 Thoughtcast (Hell yes. This is one of those cards that you wouldn't expect to be great, and isn't necessarily great, but is great in this build.)

+1 Vampiric Tutor (Also despite my previous rantings, either this card or Mystical Tutor belongs in the deck. Many a situation would arise that I'd really, really hard-core win with a Yawgmoth's Will, but wouldn't hit it with a Spoils, or it'd be in the top-6 with a Consultation, or be removed early on in the search for Helms. The added consistency of being able, if you need to, to tutor for a land, is awesome.)

[Ifflejink]

Topdeck tutors help the deck, but they're absolutely dead in some instances. However, the deck does need tutors to get out Helm ASAP.

[RoadTrippin]

The deck operates off a sound concept for a budget combo build, but I really feel something lacking. Sure you have a huge pile of cards under the "engine" category, but you don't really have an engine that you can get started in the first 2 turns consistently. I'd recommend either adding Future Sight (which has already been suggested, I did read the entire thread). It would basically make sure you win the turn you got it out. Maybe it would be too hard to find the slots, but with a Rector/Therapy engine and 2 Future Sights, it would be a much more solid, albeit different playing deck. I'm going to work with the last list posted when I suggest alterations, just for reference, where I'd do:
-1 Spoils of the Vault
-4 Thoughtcast
-4 Eggs
-1 Frantic Search (I understand the values of this card, but how often do you actually get to play it for free? I'd approximate that it's usually only played with 1 land anyway, with the other being helm reduction/artifact mana)
+4 Academy Rector
+4 Cabal Therapy
+1Future Sight
+1 Yawgmoth's Bargain

This would also help the deck have a pretty decent disruption element.

Alternatively, you could use Oath of Druids to stack your graveyard full of eggs, then Toss back a Y.Will with Krosan Reclamation for a quick win. I'll probably edit in a list for that later as I don't have one right now, just throwing the idea out there for discussion.

[Ifflejink]

The mana base (I am currently using Gemstone Mine, City of Brass and Glimmervoid as lands) can't support Rector. Yawg's Will and Frantic Search are a little expensive, so Rector is simply out of the question. Hardcasting Bargain is virtually impossible. Also, Thoughtcasts improve the draw power significantly, and can't really be removed at this point.

[martyr]

It might be good to split these topics, so I'll introduce a Easter-rector thread.

"-1 Frantic Search (I understand the values of this card, but how often do you actually get to play it for free? I'd approximate that it's usually only played with 1 land anyway, with the other being helm reduction/artifact mana)"

Nah, usually it's two land. The deck has very few problems dropping two lands. Funny thing is, sometimes it won't get any, and most of the time you'll get two, and sometimes you'll get like 4. If you get a helm, though, and go off, you'll draw and play your land on that turn, and if you hit a Franitc Search, you'll get to untap. It's quite a better card than I would have considered it before I tested it.

Ifflejinks got a point, too. The reason Rector/Tendrils decks at the T1 worlds worked was because they were all fully powered, and could very easily drop a rector and sac it first turn. This deck CAN, but...it's not likely.

[Ifflejink]

I agree with Martyr on the Frantic Search issue. You will almost always cast it for free if you have a helm in play and two lands out, which is 95% of my goldfishes. BTW, my comments on Rector came from when I was running budget Long.dec. As long as LED is restricted, mana enough to cast Rector and Bargain will be very unlikely.

[Avenged Sevenfold]

This is my tendrils deck. Im sort of poor and cant afford duals so splashing an aditional colour wouldnt work. I do find that Sol ring helps more than Chrome Mox in this deck and I don't really like Chrome Mox myself. The problem that I find with this deck is disruption as there is very little as I souly rely on Duress. I tired Hymn to Tourach but I find it has bad synergy with storming. Sideboard help and other suggestions would be appriciated.

kill:
2x Tendrils of Agony
1x Yawgmoth's Will

combo peices:
4x Darkwater Egg
4x Mossfire Egg
4x Shadowblood Egg
4x Skycloud Egg
4x Sungrass Egg
4x Chromatic Sphere
4x Helm of Awakening

Tutor
1x Vampiric Tutor
1x Demonic Tutor
2x Spoils of the Vault
1x Demonic Consultation

Disruption
4x Duress

Mana
4x Dark Ritual
4x Cabal Ritual
1x Lotus Petal
1x Sol Ring
10x Swamp

Merged with easter tendrils discussion

[Ifflejink]

Mono black isn't the best way to go with Easter Tendrils. Even if you can't afford duals, using a manabase of City of Brass, Gemstone Mine and Glimmervoid allowsyou to splash (mainly) blue, and white/green in the case of Rector/Oath variants. This also allows for many more sideboard options as opposed to black/artifact hate.

[Avenged Sevenfold]

I want to keep mine mono black just for fun anywas. This isnt my only t1 deck anyways. Im also getting powderkegs which im gunna side against combo/artifact hate for this deck. What I seriously need is Disruption. I allready have 4x Duress but I find thats not enough.

[martyr]

Well, if it's mono-black with all those four-ofs I cannot NOT suggest upping the Spoils of the Vault count to 4. It's FAR too good not to play with the full count.

As for disruption, have you tried Unmask? It would especially work in Combo, as you care MORE about speed than about card economy.

As you're mono-black, why don't you consider Necropotence or Yawgmoth's Bargain?

[Vegeta2711]

//NAME: Egg 0 d00m
// Eggs
        4 Chromatic Sphere
        4 Skycloud Egg
        4 Sungrass Egg
        4 Shadowblood Egg
        4 Mossfire Egg
        4 Darkwater Egg
// Mana
        4 Helm of Awakening
        4 Cabal Ritual
        1 Mana Crypt
// Search
        1 Demonic Tutor
        4 Ancestral Knowledge
        4 Spoils of the Vault
// Random Broken
        1 Yawgmoth's Will
// Combo Win
        3 Tendrils of Agony
// Lands
        4 Ancient Tomb
        3 City of Traitors
        4 Underground Sea
        3 Gemstone Mine

This is basically my 1.5 build with a few changes, Ancestral Knowledge is a total house and either that or LDV should probably find their way into a build. Basically though I could get like 50-55% turn 2 wins in 1.5 with this, so it should roll over the same into T1. Just add a few really broken cards to the deck to impove it a little and your all set.

And yes there is no disruption so you roll to control, make a trasnformational SB and deal with it. That's the inherent problem with being forced to run 24 cards that are turd without the mana engine.  

[ReAnimator]

i have 2 questions:

first why isnt Tolarian academy run? (sorry if this has allready been asked)
is it just cause it will never be more than an ancient tomb? or cause its bad sometimes first turn?

secondly what are the advantages of this buget mono black deck over the fluctuator deck?
null rod owns this where as graveyard hate can sometimes own fluctuator (tho less so)
is it just a preference thing? they seem fairly equal but i think fluctuator has a slight edge
the fluctuator deck has a backup plan (altho a really craptacular one) and the fluctuator has about the same trouble finding its combo pieces

[Ifflejink]

Are you sure that you have sufficient b/u mana in your build? With only seven land sources, it seems that a Spoils would be hard to pull off. Also, why no Lotus Petal? It's typically very good in the deck. Personally, I prefer a manabase with more 5-color lands to allow for Xantid, Naturalize and Disenchant SB.

[Vegeta2711]

I usually don't have too many problems with the mana. Lotus Petal is a good idea I overlooked, thanks.

I don't like running SB'ed Naturalize, Xantid or anything. The slower you combo, the better your odds of losing anyways. I much rather SB into a Sui or Mask deck to be honest.  

[Ifflejink]

If you SB into Sui or Mask, you're left with useless eggs and Chromatic Spheres. The deck is built aroung the Helm/Egg engine, so it would be hard to SB into anything else.

[Vegeta2711]

It doesn't matter. Your not going to beat control as a combo deck no matter what you board in.

[martyr]

I like the idea of using Ancestral Knowledge. I could see casting that with a Helm in play, hitting like 5 eggs and some mana and a tutor, and then tutoring a Tendrils for the win. I could see playing these instead of Thoughtcast, or replacing 3x Thoughtcast with them.

If you run Knowledge, though, do draw-7s become worthwhile to run main-deck? I mean, you can run through a knowledge...but then what? If you hit a couple lands and a couple eggs w. no tutor, you're dead in the water and probably just wasted a dark/cabal ritual or two.

Has anyone tried this with Elvish Spirit Guide? It seems that the deck needs acceleration instead of lands much of the time, and this would help.

[LoneTear]

What about Standstill? Too slow?

[PoLe]

this is my current list:

1 Tolarian Academy
4 City of Brass
1 Swamp
4 Gemstone Mine
1 Lotus Petal
4 Dark Ritual
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 Regrowth
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Demonic Tutor
2 Tendrils of Agony
4 Helm of Awakening
4 Chromatic Sphere
4 Sungrass Egg
4 Skycloud Egg
3 Diminishing Returns
1 Wheel of Fortune
4 Cabal Ritual
4 Shadowblood Egg
4 Darkwater Egg
1 Yawgmoth's Will
4 Spoils of the Vault

i found the dimishing return better than the ancestral knowledge or the thoughtcast because the deck need to draw a lot of cards. the wheel of fortune help in this case.

East3r T3ndril Vs HulskSmash (spoilered proxy =) 75/35
East3r T3ndril Vs Stompy (without berserk) 99/01 lol =)
Easter T3ndril Vs Stax (spoilered without trinisphere) 75/35
East3r T3ndril Vs TenTrix (spolered proxy =) 55/45
East3r T3ndril Vs Mono Red (pyrostatic pillar maindeck) 80/20

it is very fun to play! and it wins! looool

PoLe

sorry for my english

[Ifflejink]

PoLe: Although I never liked draw-sevens in the deck, I'll try your list out and tell you my results. Also, I'd replace 1 Dimishing Returns with a Windfall- it's hard enough to get the mana to play returns, plus you don't ruin Yawg's Win.

Lonetear: Where did you come up tih Stanstill for this deck? It goes against the philosophy completely and utterly, and it adds nothing to the deck. Don't get me wrong, Stanstill is a good card (I play Lanstill and Fish), but it doesn't work in combo, let alone storm combo.

[darkmindtone]

Egg-Academy: 16 March 2004

Egg Engine:
4XMossfire Egg
4XSkycloud Egg
4XDarkwater Egg
4XChromatic Sphere
4XHelm Of Awakening

Mana Spells:
1XSol Ring
1XMana Crypt
1XMana Vault
1XGrim Monolith
1XLotus Petal
4XDark Ritual
4XCabal Ritual

Tutorage:
3XDeath Wish
1XBurning Wish
1XDemonic Tutor
1XVampiric Tutor
1XTinker
1XCrop Rotation

Broken Stuff/Draw:
1XMinds Desire
1XWheel Of Fortune
1XMemory Jar
1XWindfall
1XFrantic Search
1XTendrils Of Agony
3XThoughcast

Lands:
1XTolarian Academy
2XAncient Tomb
4XGemstone Mine
4XGlimmervoid

S/B:
1XYawgmoths Will
1XTendrils Of Agony
1XBalance
1XChain Of Vapor
3XRack And Ruin
4XOxidize
4XDefense Grid

I've tested and cut tons of stuff with this, and it gives me consistant turn 2-3(though more 3 than 2) kills. Every once in a while I'll stall out till 4 or later, but those hands I should have mulliganed, and it hardly happens. Thoughtcasts have treated me pretty good so far, but I'll get to testing Words of Wisdom to see how good it is. Ancient Tomb is awesome in this deck, and I'm thinking of adding more, but then I'm worried about too much colorless mana or too many lands. The sideboard is made for Null Rod(which is about the only thing around here that really beats this deck), and Chalice The Void(which no one here really uses yet, but I'm sure some random person will). I like draw sevens and playing Minds Desire for 10-18 turn 2-3 (which happens a lot!) rather than accidently killing/nearly killing myself via spoils. It can run at least temporarily without Helm unlike previous posted versions which REQUIRE Helm to make any kind of decent storm count.  Now I still die to control, so i may take the Orims Chant/Abeyance tech and see how that works out.

[MooSE]

I built this deck up on MWS.  I have one Huge problem with it.  If anyone is playing any sort of control you are absolutely screwed.  The deck is extremely easily disrupted.  It kills fast though, and i do like it.  I would like to address this weakness with some sideboard stuff.

Four xantid swarms in the side should take care of all of ur problems.  My only question is...what to take out?

Sideboarding is my biggest issue, it's tough, because everything in the deck is vital to it's preformance.  Does anyone have any ideas of how to sideboard this deck to help the control matchup???

Also, Elvish Spirit Guide was mentioned.  I think it is an extremely good idea, but again, what to take out.  I was thinking eggs, but they are the draw.  I actually tried taking out tutors, but this slows the deck down beyond recognition.  The mana base is already strung pretty thin.  Any ideas?

[PoLe]

Ifflejink: when i tested this deck i replaced the 3 dimishing return with 1 windfall 1 tinker 1 memory jar. but i found more useful the dimishing return with the sopils of the vault.

PoLe

[MooSE]

I think this deck needs some disruption, to stop things like counters, chalice, and other general nucinces.

I think duress, naturalize, disenchant, or even cabal therapy would fit the job really well.  The only problem is making room.  I am completely clueless on what to take out.  Eggs, land, and tutors are all necessary.  Mana sources are completely out of the question.

Also, does anyone have any ideas on a sideboard?  I think we should make a list of sideboard cards for this deck.  I'll start...if anyone disagrees with any of the cards, post the name of the card and why it shouldn't be in the sideboard.

Defence Grid
Xantid Swarm
Orim's Chant
Naturalize
Meltdown
Oxidize

Any other ideas would help.

[wizmentor]

If any deck could use retract, this is it.
with x4 retract and moxes (I know many
of you are interested in budget), this deck
should be faster.

For example, with a reasonable hand of
land, ritual, mox, egg, egg, egg, retract
you can win first turn (if the 3 cards drawn
are mox, ritual, tendrils)...
and this is without even drawing a helm.

This would be an advantage over fluctuator,
which cannot go off without fluctuator.

[Ifflejink]

Retract sounds like a good option, except for the fact that it's hard to switch it out for anything. Also, don't suggest power here. This is a budget discussion, on a budget forum, about a budget deck. If you want a good, powered storm deck, go for Smemmen.dec; it's very fast, and it packs disruption.

[banky]

Not sure how it would work since this is just off the top of my head, but Impulse seems like it would be golden under the Helm.

... but then again, how would the required shuffle affect the deck while combo'ing out?

[Ifflejink]

The shuffling doesn't hurt, but Thoughtcast and/or Ancestral Knowledge simply work better.

[RoadTrippin]

Not sure how it would work since this is just off the top of my head, but Impulse seems like it would be golden under the Helm.

... but then again, how would the required shuffle affect the deck while combo'ing out?

Actually, you don't have to shuffle at all with Impulse- the wording is just really screwed up I guess. The Oracle Text is as follows:

Impulse

Instant
Look at the top four cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library.

[mrtransistor]

Hi.  I'm new to these forums.  I've been experimenting a lot with this type of deck lately (several different builds, both real competition and goldfishing), and wanted to share some thoughts and ideas.

Spoils of the Vault:  Ugh.  Isn't there anything better than this?  It's great for getting first turn helms (with the help of dark ritual), but to me, it's utterly dead after turn one.  Seriously, if you already have a helm, what else can you possibly go for?  Tendrils?  The odds aren't good. Yawgmoth's Will?  That's just suicide.  Dark Ritual maybe, but that's about it.  Too often. this card will just flat out kill me by removing both tendrils from the game or simply by reducing my life to the point where I'm an easy target.

Wheel of Fortune: Wow.  It works surprisingly well.  You can either use it to go off on the curent turn, or set yourself up to easily go off next turn.  Sure, it does fill the opponent's hand, but that shouldn't matter much unless he's playing control.  If he's playing control, egg.dec is toast anyway, especially game 1.

Windfall: See Wheel of Fortune.

Thoughtcast: Great card.  Works really well here thanks to helm.  I'm never sad to draw one.  However, it doesn't provide enough draw power by itself to keep the combo going all the time.

Diminishing Returns:  It's hard to cast thanks to the UU in the cost, and it has a bad habit of removing good stuff from the game (like Tendrils or Will).  I don't think it's worth it without some Wishes to recover lost stuff.

Frantic Search:  Yes, it untaps Academy, but that's about it.  I find that when the deck is trying to go off, the hand is usually almost empty.  So, this basically says: Two two cards.  Discard those two cards.  Untap your Academy.  That's not to say that it's bad, but it's not great either.

Ancestral Knowledge:  Looks outstanding on paper, but doesn't seem to help all that much when it comes to game time.  Maybe I'm playing the deck wrong (very good possibility), but it always seems to stall out the combo, not help it keep going. It burns critical mana, and the upkeep taps out a critical land if you use it to set up the combo next turn.

Finally, what's the optimum number of Tendrils? Two seems a little low.  If there were more, we wouldn't have to worry about removing them from the game with Spoils, etc.  Also, if there were more, it wouldn't be necessary to completely go off in a single turn.   You could cast 4 or 5 spells, use Tendrils, and then try to do it again next turn.  Much easier than trying to go off all at once, especially with this deck's limited land base.

Anyway, I hope I've contributed to what I consider to be a very interesting deck.  I'm a n00b, so go easy on me.