pernicious keeper

//NAME: pernicious keeper
SB: 3 Tormod’s Crypt
SB: 3 Red Elemental Blast
SB: 2 Rack and Ruin
SB: 1 Blue Elemental Blast
SB: 1 Pernicious Deed
SB: 1 Fire / Ice
SB: 1 Vampiric Tutor
SB: 1 Disenchant
SB: 1 Swords to Plowshares
SB: 1 Skeletal Scrying
1 Island
2 Volcanic Island
3 Tropical Island
3 Tundra
4 Polluted Delta
4 Underground Sea
4 Wasteland
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Future Sight
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Balance
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Time Walk
1 Mind Twist
2 Pernicious Deed
2 Stifle
2 Decree of Justice
2 Cunning Wish
3 Duress
3 Brainstorm
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will

Well, this is the most messed up version of keeper I’ve made thus far. I added the green just for deed. Why deed you may ask? Well, to answer that, let’s just say that stax is a very…very hard match up for typical keeper to play against. I cut swords because I didn’t find it useful enough to keep it main Against staxs, you can swords a goblin welder or a metal worker or karn, in the mirror you can kill a token. I found that deed is an all around better card for instants against staxs; you can clear the board. No more annoying tangle wire or smoke stack. In the mirror, you can let deed sit out there so your opponent can’t cycle or hard cast decree, while you can cycle, or hard cast yours. Sure they can stifle deed, but you can counter back or duress stifle away. There’s always a way around stuff. Now against aggro, which is what I typically play, I find deed hurting me more than swords does. After aggro dumps their hand and you deed, it becomes a race. Keeper should win. Yes, I know that’s why balance is there, but this makes it like you have three balance main deck and actually hurts other decks!

Deed also makes mirror matches with sceptor fun. They waste two cards for your one deed. I like two for ones. Deed also wrecks combo. Being the ultimate combo breaker, I also found it helpful vs. all the hate decks that mains blood moon and null rod. (For those of you having problems with blood moon)

Well, that’s why I have deed. Now people may ask, “what’s with the two rack and ruin?” This version of keeper is meant to deal with staxs, mainly seeing how its becoming more and more popular every day. Two rack and ruins in board makes it easy to sideboard: both your wishes come out for the rack and ruins, the balance comes out for disenchant. Simple, what would you wish for on game two?

The forth duress is for the control match ups. As for the other deed, I was missing a slot in board and figured I couldn’t really go wrong with it. The tormod’s crypt is for well dragon and tnt. The rest of the board seems pretty textbook so I won’t go over it, but if you have a question, please ask me.

I’d like to note that I do not like future sight. I like Skeletal Scrying more as a utility card. Future sight is only good if you can get it out early. With UUU as a part of the casting cost, its not very likely that it will happen with 4 wastelands and a stripmine main deck (just a thought). And yes, I know mox monkey is not in the deck. I know he is a good card but most keepers run only one, and that’s dumb in my opinion. If he’s that good in the mirror or other decks, I think there should be two, if not three mox monkeys main. I’m not adjusting my main deck for another “one of.” Another question might be, “Why isn’t this version running Library of Alexandria?” My response: One, it would be another wasteland target. Two, it takes away from you having another blue source of mana. Of all the times I’ve seen Library used, I’ve seen its controller draw a whole one card off it before it got a wasteland or stripped.

I will say this much I really like this version of keeper; it controls the board a lot better and allows you to hold back when you need to. For the current meta game, where workshop decks are getting huge, I say main deck the combo breaker and make them cry. Before you criticize this deck, I implore you to play test it and see how it works!