[Deck] Ankh Sligh 2k4

[Gbj]

@ Arvid
I think you are going in the right direction.
I would suggest you to swap Pillage for Vandal, but i wanted see if you get this alone !

For reference, this is my new list, that is very similar to your:

4   Grim Lavamancer
4   Slith Firewalker
4   Goblin Vandal
4   Jackal Pup
4   Lightning Bolt
4   Incinerate
4   Shrapnel Blast
3   Null Rod
4   Ankh of Mishra
1   Black Vise
1   Lotus petal
1   Sol Ring
1   Chrome Mox
4   Wasteland
1   Strip mine
4   Mishra's Factory
12   Mountain
   Sideboard:
3   Rack and Ruin
4   Pyrostatic Pillar
3   Tormod's Crypt
4   Pyrokinesis
1   Null Rod

I had Blood Moon in sideboard, but after testing it a lot, i have found trouble because of the casting cost. If you cannot play it turn 2, is hard let it resolve. And because i run Mishra's Factory main, too !

I want 4 Shrapnel Blast, because they are awesome finisher like Price of Progress or Fireblast and because i run maindeck 8 Artifact that can be dead in aggro match (especially Vise and Null Rod).

@ slighguy
About Scald: it is a great sideboard card against control, but i think Pyrostatic Pillar is more flexibile (shine against combo) and can have the same effect of Scald in control matchup.

Slice and Dice: It seems a bit random to put this in side only for the keeper matchup. You have already Scald for this ! Obviously can be very good in your meta.

[Arvid]

How is Scald interacting with Blood Moon? Not at all, right?

[Tobi]

Yes, no

Tapping Mountains doesn't trigger Scald.

Scald is especially good when you expect opponents playing CoP Red, if not, Blood Moon is better IMO. Good against a lot of decks.

[InsaneScrub]

I am going to say right here right now, where in the red hell is the grim lavamancers?  The guy is too good not to play in ank sligh.   Since your playing null rods, I would seriously give him consideration.  Secondly, 4 Shrapnel blast is a definite must.  The deck looks like it would give control slaver, or slaver decks in general fits gallore.  Also, I have been considering something,  Pyrostatic pillar doesn't seem to make the cut for me, but thats just me.

[slighguy]

I dont play the lavamancer just cause i would rather play cursed scroll cause i like have the colorless damage to help with cop:red.

[Smash]

I dont play the lavamancer just cause i would rather play cursed scroll cause i like have the colorless damage to help with cop:red.

Who plays COP red in type 1?

[Machinus]

Lavamancer beats for one, and only costs one to activate otherwise. Scroll doesn't beat and costs three. Fetchlands, strips, accelerants, or burn (you are playing sligh?) make cards in the yard a non issue.


R, Tap, cast shock

vs.

3, Tap, cast shock if you only have one card in hand.

[rvs]

I dont play the lavamancer just cause i would rather play cursed scroll cause i like have the colorless damage to help with cop:red.

Who plays COP red in type 1?

Tier3.dec.

Oh wait, I mean Keeper.

[Arvid]

At least Keeper and EBA plays CoP:Red, aswell as some tier2/3-decks incl. white.

Anyway, the reason I'm not playing Grim Lavamancer is because I don't know what to cut for it. I'm not going up in numbers of creatures and I don't want to cut any creature for it.

Regarding filling your grave please let me remind you that this is a discussion of Ankh Sligh, meaning NO fetchlands.

[slighguy]

I play in a keeper/EBA heavy meta with tons of other control and only little random aggro like mono u shapeshifer/phage combos and random stuff like that but since there is a lot of keeper and EBA I decided to go with the scrolls over the lavamancers but in any other case I would go grim over scroll.With that said i was just saying that I would prefer scroll over mancer for meta reasons but I did not state that in my other post so sorry for the confusion.

[Tobi]

Scroll / Lavamancer

--> why choose? run both!

3 Cursed Scroll and 2 Lavamancer worked quite well for me in the past.

[Toad]

At least Keeper and EBA plays CoP:Red, aswell as some tier2/3-decks incl. white.

Exalted Angel > COP:Red.  

[Swanky]

I play in a keeper/EBA heavy meta with tons of other control and only little random aggro like mono u shapeshifer/phage combos and random stuff like that but since there is a lot of keeper and EBA I decided to go with the scrolls over the lavamancers but in any other case I would go grim over scroll.With that said i was just saying that I would prefer scroll over mancer for meta reasons but I did not state that in my other post so sorry for the confusion.

Sideboard Anarchy!

1996, what.

[Mathman07]

Sideboard Anarchy!

1996, what.

Um... Yeah... Did you get the memo about white being the worst color?

@Arvid:

Regarding Ankh of Mishra, I think they still are stabile. Someone mentioned that Blood Moon not is a bomb 'cause of fetchlands that can fetch basiclands. This is 5 damage. Furthermore, if there are so few fetchlands in the environment as you other people say, then the chances that they draw into non-basics are higher, meaning Wastelands and Blood Moon are more disruptive and Price of Progress are better. I don't know which of you that are right (probably you don't either 'cause you don't know my meta anyway), either way the opponent will come run into some problems, whether it is damage or mana disruption.

1. You cannot count on having both Ankh of Mishra AND Blood Moon in play because the game is usually decided by the time you reach 3 mana (esp. with strip mine/wasteland).  Usually people play an early fetchland and they can break it in response to Ankh / Moon and fetch a basic land.  

2. DO NOT leave us in the dark about your meta and then expect us to know about it.  So either tell us or we can't even try to help you.

3. I totally agree with the Null Rod decision.  Damping Matrix screws up Scroll, Lavamancer, Shaman, and doesn't stop artifact mana sources which is a primary concern.

@Gbj, Swanky

I don't think that Arvid wants to cut the Ankhs from Ankh sligh.  I would suggest discussing it on another thread, but that is entirely up to you.

[Swanky]

Sideboard Anarchy!

1996, what.

Um... Yeah... Did you get the memo about white being the worst color?

I did, in fact.  It was poorly written by my secretary, though- I beg for a thousand of your pardons.  Did you happen to get the memo about sarcasm being a common linguistic mechanism?  The child mentioned trouble with CoP-Red and Exalted Angel, so I facetiously suggested Anarchy in hopes of A.) Eliciting a chuckle, or B.) Bringing out of the woodwork those who would consider it an earnest suggestion.  Jocularity, friend!

I see no better post to discuss what should be included in Ankh Sligh than a thread entitled "Ankh Sligh 2k4," or whatever it's called.  In terms of discussed cards, Ankhs are inferior to Pillars for reasons previously mentioned.  This deck was an environment deck, and a modified environment necessitates modifications to the deck.  A Pyrostatic Pillar out against commonly-played decks such as Fish and especially FCG is highly superior to Ankh, whose practical applications in today's environment go no further than Dragon.  Refusal to remove Ankh from the deck indicates a maladaptive attitude that is self-defeating.

[Clown of Tresserhorn]

Wow, Swanky said EXACTLY what I was thinking and wanted to say but couldn't....good shit yo!

Anyways, if you want to leave ankhs in, then I suggest upping the mana denial theme. 4 rods is almost a must, as is 4 shaman. Pillage wouldn't be horrible, as with ankh in play, it basically sets them back and makes them have to take more damage.


As for lavamancer/scroll, it's clearly obvious that lavamancer is better. Scroll is ONLY good when you are in topdeck mode and hit 3 mana, in which case they will either have won and not give a flying f*ck about 2 damage a turn (something PILLAR DOES A MILLION TIMES BETTER), or they will have dealt with it through matrix or rod, or shaman. Lavamancer, on the other hand, is only horrible if you draw 2-3 in your opening hand, in which case it's still a 1/1 for 1. Last time I checked, shaman was a 1/1 for 1 in a whole boatload of matchups, and it's still played. The COP argument is totally flawed, as 1) if they have it, they probably won anyways regardless of scroll/lavamancer and 2) nobody plays it anymore (I know it's a huge generalization, but the last time I saw it played was cerca 1999).

Think about it this way, would you trade a shitty late game spell for the possibilty of null rod? Lavamancer, in my experience, has done just as much damage as a scroll would have done.

Anyways, back on track, I think one card that hasn't been discussed of late (Which I'm running in my sligh build), is reckless abandon:

Reckless abandon
Sorcery - R
As an additionaly cost, sac a critter.
deals 4 damage to anything

I've basically taken a more aggro route and added 20 MD creatures and 3 of these as a finisher (as opposed to 4 fireblast). It does blow if countered, and the sorcery speed makes it kinda weak vs. control, but in that matchup I've got 5 strips, 4 shamans, 4 rods, and 4 pillars to work with.

Against aggro, it's pretty good, as you can trade random shamans for arrogant wurms, su-chi's and others. It doesn't make sligh tier 1, but I think it's a step in the right direction. Thoughts?

[Arvid]

I've decided to replace Shrapnel Blast with Fireblast since I sometimes manage to fizzle, not having an artefact in play. Also, having 0cc spells is quite nice as finishers.

@Mathman07
To let you know my meta the last tournament T8 consisted of: 2 Slavery, 1 EBA, 1 Landstill, 1 Fish, 1 Charbelcher, 1 Hulk, 1 randomscrub.dec (yes T8!).

@Swanky
If Pyrostatic Pillar will do exactly the same thing as Ankh of Mishra it might not be offtopic to discuss replacing Ankhs with them, however please motivate here and let me know why this could be good? I guess some decks easier can deal with Pillars, such as Landstill and other aggrodecks (since Pillar is quite symmetrical with so many cc<4 in our deck), so maybe this is meta dependant.

@Clown of Tresserhorn
If I should add Gorilla Shamans and a 4th Null Rod please let me know what you think I should cut from the decklist.