[Deck] Glimpse/Clamp-Kobold

[epeeguy]

Since the prior thread was closed, I would like to start anew and continue refining on the idea of abusing free creatures (it is primarily suggested that Kobolds be abused), Glimpse of Nature and/or Skullclamp.  So, with that in mind, here are the three principles I suggest for the deck:

1.)  Glimpse of Nature, Skullclamp (though not necessarily both) and free creatures are mandatory for the deck.  These creatures should be naturally free, and not necessarily rely on specific conditions in the game in order to be free (example: Affinity).  Currently, the best free creatures that are offered are Kobolds, Ornithopters and Shield Sphere.

2.)  The interaction should primarily revolve around the interaction between Glimpse and free creatures.  It is perfectly acceptable to have secondary engines in the deck (for example, abusing Skullclamp and having a Draw 7).  However, it is not acceptable to simply include Glimpse and free creatures in order to augment an existing engine... so designing a Draw 7 deck and then including Glimpse and free creatures (or free creatures and Skullclamp) is not one of the principles of this design.

3.)  The deck is a powered deck; it is not "budget".  So, the card pool should represent the best of what is available, and should seek to do ridiculous things as quickly as possible.  It's a Combo deck, and it should be as abusive as they can be.  The interaction between Glimpse and free creatures allows one to build up a massive Storm count and then resolve a game winning Tendrils of Agony (or perhaps Brain Freeze).

So, in order to renew the thread, this is the current deck I'm working with:


Main Deck
2 Auriok Steelshaper
4 Crimson Kobolds
4 Crookshank Kobolds
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Kobolds of Kher Keep

4 Glimpse of Nature
4 Skullclamp
2 Tendrils of Agony

1 Burning Wish
1 Crop Rotation
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Intent
3 Duress
1 Living Wish
1 Necropotence
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
1 Yawgmoth's Will

1 Black Lotus
2 Chromatic Sphere
1 City of Brass
4 Dark Ritual
1 Gaea's Cradle
4 Gemstone Mine
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby

Sideboard
3 Cabal Therapy
2 Deconstruct
3 Elvish Scrapper
3 Seal of Cleansing
1 Tendrils of Agony
3 Xantid Swarm


I've had more time to test the deck, and it is ridiculously good fun (in a completely self-satisfying and non-interactive way).  Being able to play a Glimpse or two on turn 1 and go off in that turn is disgusting and not that difficult to achieve (about 30 to 40% of the time).  More likely, you will set up to go off on turn 2.  The most significant problem with the deck is Trinisphere (the deck can play around a Chalice set for 0), and that can be a tough lock to beat.  If that is the case, then the best you can aim for is turn 3.

Things to consider:
It is possible that both Trinisphere and Dark Ritual will be restricted in the future.  Note: this thread is NOT to be used as a discussion for possible restrictions and the whys behind them.  But, I still think it important to consider for future builds, what may or may not be out there.  If Dark Ritual becomes restricted, then Culling the Weak becomes an obvious replacement (it's two cards instead of just one, but you get 4 mana instead of 3) and I don't think that's really that big of a problem.  If Trinisphere becomes restricted, then I think it opens up the sideboard a lot more, since the most significant obstacle to the deck has been taken away.

Options for the build:
There are a bunch of different things to consider here.  The first, of course, is to include Blue in the build.  That opens up possibilities by including cards such as Brainstorm and/or Force of Will (to help out with turn 1 Trinisphere), Ancestral Recall (an additional 3 cards isn't bad) or other possible Draw 7s (though, again, this is not to be a varient Draw 7 deck).  Running Blue also allows Brain Freeze as a possible win condition.

The second is not utilizing the Auriok Steelshapers in order to abuse the Skullclamp.  This is possible, as a large number of Kobolds in play makes Gaea's Cradle easily pay for all the activations of Skullclamp you'd need.  So, cutting the Steelshapers for a second Gaea's Cradle and something else is an option as well.

Thoughts?

[Koffie]

Budget decklist deleted.

[epeeguy]

I play RG non-powered

Please note the following:

"3.) The deck is a powered deck; it is not "budget". So, the card pool should represent the best of what is available, and should seek to do ridiculous things as quickly as possible. It's a Combo deck, and it should be as abusive as they can be. The interaction between Glimpse and free creatures allows one to build up a massive Storm count and then resolve a game winning Tendrils of Agony (or perhaps Brain Freeze)."

I have no problem with any deck that runs slightly different ways to win (for example, using Overrun or Rites of Initiation and a bunch of Kobolds to inflict lethal damage), but I'm going for a powered build here and not a budget one.  In this respect, it should be utilizing restricted cards to generate quick mana and ways to play out lots of stuff.

[majestyk1136]

My problem with this deck is that it runs into the "Fluctuator Problem."  The creatures that you're using essentially have cycling when Glimpse is Active but do nothing else but build storm or pretend to be a card drawing engine under Skullclamp conditions.

Under ideal conditions (goldfish) this deck functions well and is not difficult to pilot.  Under the worst conditions (Chalice=1 or Trinisphere in play) it becomes next to impossible to win.  Even a single FoW is devastating if it hits Glimpse.  At least that has been the experience that Fall-titan and I have had with this deck.  It either Draws the nuts or it fumbles utterly.

The question becomes this: Can this deck perform at a level equal to or slightly above the level represented by the established benchmark of the format?  Or, are there tradeoffs that can be made in terms of stability or resistance to disruption that would justify playing this deck above another, say Meandeck Tendrils or TPS?

[Nehptis]

Perhaps my comments will warrant the creation of a new thread (Kobold Clamp).  But, I'll post here first  to gauge the response.

1) Deck Focus: My test group's results show that the focus of this deck should be primarily on the Clamp Draw Engine.  The Clamp draw 2 is much more effective than the draw 1 from a Glimpse (until you hit multiple GoN).  However, we do use  4 GoNs in the deck as it is impossible to ignore the effectiveness of dropping a creature and drawing 1  for free.

2) Colors: 0 CC cards including Kobolds are considered colorless for the purposes of this deck.  There are no arguments that the deck must include B and G.  But, we have found that the next most important  color is U.  The reason is that it provides access to powerful draw cards that move the deck away from being a "top decking" combo deck.  Recall, Brainstorms, MT and a Timetwister are critical.  Including W for Aurioks is very difficult to ignore, since as I said, we feel that the Clamp should be the draw focus.  If we can fit W in then we are thinking that it is best to play 4 L Wish and grab the Auriok from the SB.

3) Card Choices: We tested and left out the typical T1 draw cards like Bargain and Necro.  The draw engine is Clamp and GoN.  This exclusion eliminates the need for Rituals.  Also, we included Channel since it fuels the draw engine by paying life for mana for Clamping for cards.  Just like life fuels Bargain / Necro.  1 Burning wish is a distraction and also red is not in our colors. Diabolic Intent, just no room for it.  Wheel of Fortune is again not in our color and Timetwister gives us the draw 7 power that we need.  Duress vs. FOW we go back and forth on this.  If we had a higher U card count (Tinker, Rebuild, CoV, etc.) then FOW would be the easy choice.  But, the low U count makes FOW less effective and Duress more attractive.  However, Duress will not stop first turn bombs.   We also include Land Grants to keep the land count very low and to offer us shuffle effects.

4) Key points:  We see U as critical to the success of the deck because without it the deck relies too heavily on mulligan and top decking.  Recall and Brainstorms with shuffle effects (tutors and Land Grants) eliminate the top decking crutch and allow you to keep hands that you would otherwise have to mulligan.  Build and play the deck as aggressively as Belcher is played.  This deck is very similar to the play style of Belcher.  It looks to come out aggressive and fast.  Our build attempts to optimize T2 wins with no disruption and T3 through disruption.  (T1 wins do happen since this is Type 1.)

[epeeguy]

Perhaps my comments will warrant the creation of a new thread (Kobold Clamp).  But, I'll post here first  to gauge the response.

1) Deck Focus: My test group's results show that the focus of this deck should be primarily on the Clamp Draw Engine.  The Clamp draw 2 is much more effective than the draw 1 from a Glimpse (until you hit multiple GoN).  However, we do use  4 GoNs in the deck as it is impossible to ignore the effectiveness of dropping a creature and drawing 1  for free.

I don't know necessarily that it should warrant a completely new thread, as you are still utilizing Glimpse in addition to the Clamp.  However, were Glimpse to be dropped from the build, then I would say yes.  Anyhow, I will edit the subject to be more inclusive of Glimpse/Skullclamp interaction with free creatures.

The draw engine is Clamp and GoN.  This exclusion eliminates the need for Rituals.

My problem with this is that you still need a kill condition.  Unless you are focusing on Brain Freeze, you still need to get around the {B} of Tendrils of Agony.  If you don't run Rituals, which is another way to generate your Storm count, then how do you ensure that you can play Tendrils?

[majestyk1136]

We messed around with Phyrexian Tower as a mana Generator in conjunction with Crop rotation, as producing G is pretty simple and opponents may undervalue the threat that Rotation represents, thus allowing it to resolve.

[BreathWeapon]

Not playing Dark Ritual simply not to play Dark Ritual is nonesensical.  If you are relying on a land to produce BB off a Crop Rotation (which any competent Control player will counter, because of the possibilty of Gaea's Cradle) then you seriously need to re-evaluate your design. Counting on your opponent's stupidity in a possible 3 game match isn't advisable.

I fully agree that any deck focusing on playing Draw 7's and Desire, Bargain, Necro, Will should simply remain Draw 7. I played Tristal's version of Kobolds and it was simply inferior to Death Long, Draw 7, TPS, Doomsday and MD Tendrils in speed, consistancy and mulligans. If I wanted to play a deck with Draw 7's and Clamps I'd play Ravager Affinity instead.

My current concern with the deck is why does every one only play with 2 Tendrils? With the number of 0 casting cost cards in the deck and easy access to Black Mana, I win a large majority of my games by simply dumping my entire hand of permanents followed by Ritual->Tendrils=Win. The more Tendrils you have in your deck the more likely you are not to stall out and the more likely you are to simply "hard cast" Tendrils for the win.

In order for this deck to compete, it's going to have to be as fast as possible or utilize Xantid Swarms (atleast) for free wins vs Control. MD Tendrils is the bar for this deck to compete with, because they both effectively perform the same niche.

From my observations, the deck should definately utilize

4xElvish Spirit Guide
4xGlimpse of Nature
4xSkullclamp
4xCrimson Kobolds
4xCrookshank Kobolds
4xKobolds of Kher keep

In almost all cases I have found both Tinder Wall and Auriok Steelshapers to add more problems than either of them solve. Steelshapers are ridiculously win more, and if you simply replaced them with additional Tendrils (so you don't have to spend so much mana to find Tendrils in the first place) or additional accelerants like Carnival of Souls or Culling the Weak the deck seems to be more consistant.

That said, I don't think there is necessarily a right way to play Kobolds, if you like playing Draw 7's then by all meens do so. However, I think it's prudent to explore Kobolds in their own right for the sake of differentiation and possibly innovation than piggy back off an existing skeleton.

If nothing else, the deck can definately become a contender in budget circles

[Tristal]

I wasn't aware I'd posted my build of this deck.

That said, one of the key points in the old Kobolds thread was that the deck was in no way superior to existing Draw 7 decks, other than its fun factor.

[epeeguy]

That said, one of the key points in the old Kobolds thread was that the deck was in no way superior to existing Draw 7 decks, other than its fun factor.

Yeap, that's what it really was; a "fun" way to abuse Kobolds/free creatures.  While I would absolutely enjoy it if it somehow could be better than MD Tendrils or other Draw 7 style decks... it likely isn't going to happen.  Note: I won't completely discount it, if only because there might be a build which actually does.  That being said, any builds should still try to push the deck as far as possible; Power, restricted cards, etc.

But, the principle abuse should involve "free" creatures and Glimpse/Clamp.

[Imsomniac101]

I would like to echo BreathWeapon's comments about the Steelshaper. Those who have followed the last thread would know that I don't really like the Steelshapers. Like BreathWeapon said, Steelshapers are a win-more card, nothing that a well timed Gaea's Cradle can't do.

If nothing else, the deck can definately become a contender in budget circles

If this deck isn't believed to be playable in competitive Vintage then why hasn't Zherbus kicked us into the newbie forum? (PS moderators - please don't do that just because I said it)

[Koffie]

Budget decklist and goldfish results deleted.

-Zherbus

[epeeguy]

If this deck isn't believed to be playable in competitive Vintage then why hasn't Zherbus kicked us into the newbie forum? (PS moderators - please don't do that just because I said it)

While it may be more "budget" in some respects, and more "fun" in others... I still think that it has some strong potential to be a competitive deck.  Perhaps not Tier 1, but I would say definitely Tier 2.  Again, using the Kobold/Glimpse/Skullclamp engine, you can win on the first turn.  Heck, you can even survive a Force of Will (you might win on turn 2 though) if you play properly.  It may not be as robust as MD Tendrils, but it is hardly a push over.

The only major downside is that a Trinisphere (which is the biggest threat to the deck) or Chalice for 1 (and you can get around it) can seriously hurt you from going off.  Otherwise, you don't have many things to fear for the deck.  Duress may get one part of the engine, but not the other.  Cabal Therapy... again, you can get one or the other.  Mana Drain is no different than Counterspell, so your opponent gains no real advantage.

Consider, Fish was a "budget" deck, yet it still made a heck of an impact on the format.  In this regards, I think that this deck can do the same.

[Zherbus]

If this deck isn't believed to be playable in competitive Vintage then why hasn't Zherbus kicked us into the newbie forum? (PS moderators - please don't do that just because I said it)

Because I've done my own testing with my own builds and I think it can be decent. I think the deck needs some small amount of Oomph to get it where it needs to be. I've abandoned the project personally, but I really would like to see it work.

A bunch of decklists... budget at that.

Stop posting them in this thread.

1) Budget versions of any deck require seperate threads, which almost always belong in the newbie forum.

2) This thread isn't to discuss budget Kobolds.

[BreathWeapon]

I wasn't aware I'd posted my build of this deck.

That said, one of the key points in the old Kobolds thread was that the deck was in no way superior to existing Draw 7 decks, other than its fun factor.

@Tristal

You didn't, I simply reconstructed a deck fitting your description to the best of my ability and played that. From those results, I found that Draw 7's and Steelshapers simply weren't "good." I wasn't trying to demeen your work, I was simply disagreeing with it. Innovation is innovation, there isn't enough of it to go around in this format as it is.


@Users

I strongly suggest you take a look at Steve's recent thread on abandoned deck lists for Tendrils, Priest of Gix and Blood Pet should be definate considerations for any Glimpse/Clamp deck (I think you'll find all of them superior to Shield Sphere, Ornithoper and Tinder Wall)

I'd also strongly suggest looking at Infernal Contract, I'm seeing a lot of synergy here with Dark Ritual, Cabal Ritual, Culling the Weak, Songs of the Damned, Carnival of Souls, Priest of Gix and Blood Pet.

Diabolic Intent and Spoils of the Vault also seems largely untapped resources for this deck.

I already feel like the deck can perform versus Control. Force of Will and Manadrain simply aren't enough to keep a good Tendrils deck down, IMO. I only get worried when I see FoW/Drain/Duress or Meddling Mages (Has any one else seen Aggro-Control versions of EBA lately?)

Edit: I just saw Chromatic Sphere, and if you cut Blue wouldn't Shadowblood Egg serve better if you wanted to support Wheel of Fortune?

[Tristal]

I found Steelshapers to be ineffective in most matchups, and I don't use them in my version anymore.  I also think cutting Blue is a big mistake, you lose Tinker, Ancestral, and Mind's Desire(!) among other things.

[epeeguy]

I found Steelshapers to be ineffective in most matchups, and I don't use them in my version anymore.  I also think cutting Blue is a big mistake, you lose Tinker, Ancestral, and Mind's Desire(!) among other things.

Tinker is not something I'm so worried about; unless you are including a Darksteel Colossus or something else worth bringing into play that way.  Same is true with Mind's Desire; you should be able to play most of the cards in your deck, that Desire is a redundancy.

However, one cannot discount the benefits of running Blue.  It gives you access to permission (Force of Will, Counterspell, Mana Drain), card drawing and ordering (Ancestral Recall, Brainstorm and others) as well as some Draw 7s.  Plus, it means that Tolarian Academy is very worthwhile as well.

A Green/Blue/Black build may be the approach to take.  It gives you access to Glimpse, all of the good stuff Blue has, and many of the Black cards that are so potent.  However, hopefully this doesn't get too far away from what the deck should be trying for (at least as I laid out at the start of this thread).

[BreathWeapon]

I think you simply have to learn to let some cards go. I love playing with my blue cards to, but I have other decks for that. If all we do is perform to spec, then nothing new is ever really accomplished. Imposing a master thesis of "your deck must play blue" on every single Combo deck in existance just isn't useful for the purposes of innovation. I can't even begin to tell you how many awful versions of Death Long I played trying to utilize FoW. I got over it.

Look at MD Tendrils, it killed a lot of sacred cows by removing Yawgmoth's Bargain, Necropotence and Mind's Desire as well as both Vampiric Tutor and Mystical Tutor from a Combo deck that could play both U and B.

"Got a sacred cow? I've got a steak."

[MrZuccinniHead]

I think you simply have to learn to let some cards go. I love playing with my blue cards to, but I have other decks for that. If all we do is perform to spec, then nothing new is ever really accomplished. Imposing a master thesis of "your deck must play blue" on every single Combo deck in existance just isn't useful for the purposes of innovation. I can't even begin to tell you how many awful versions of Death Long I played trying to utilize FoW. I got over it.

Look at MD Tendrils, it killed a lot of sacred cows by removing Yawgmoth's Bargain, Necropotence and Mind's Desire as well as both Vampiric Tutor and Mystical Tutor from a Combo deck that could play both U and B.

"Got a sacred cow? I've got a steak."

Breath is right.  I mean you even put an exclaimation point next to Mind's Desire.  That's just not right.  Mind's Desire isn't effective in a deck that relies on no bombs.  Less chance of desire turning one over when there are sooo many 0/1 creatures.

[mr_amn]

Quick resolution to solve which route seems to be better with this deck.  Well, quick in thinking, not quick in doing .  Seeing as the debates all center around which of the draw engines is more important (between Glimpse or Skullclamp), which color builds (G/B, G/B/r, G/B/U, G/B/U/r), and of course the various card choices in each build.  So I propose those who actually have the time to do so, run various builds of the Kobold decks against the gauntlet.  I'd do some, but seeing as a) my work schedule sucks, b) don't have a serious playgroup, and c) hate apprentice/MWS.  

I've messed around with one of the early versions of the deck (G/B) and had some fun with it.  As I mentioned before, I don't have a serious group that I can test against.  Hell, I'm the only one in my area that even keeps up with T1, or any other format.  All of this is due to me being in the military.  If I was back home, I could play in a weekly T1 tourney that's held on Sundays at one shop, plus would have a serious group of people to play with.  Instead I'm stuck with the casual people that only wants to play multiplayer, which stops me from actually even testing decks out.

[Tristal]

Breath is right.  I mean you even put an exclaimation point next to Mind's Desire.  That's just not right.  Mind's Desire isn't effective in a deck that relies on no bombs.  Less chance of desire turning one over when there are sooo many 0/1 creatures.

Consider playing more bombs :)

[Imsomniac101]

Adding more bombs will just turn this deck into a weakened TPS. You should just throw out Mind's Desire as it's expensive and useless. Also I don't know what Tinker does in this deck? Search out Clamp? The biggest cards you lose from not running blue are in this order :
Ancestral, Brainstorm and to a lesser extent FoW(Cabal Therapy is quite a good replacement).
But with that being said, it's actually really hard to play BGU all in the same deck without lowering your turn 1/2 kill rate.

[mr_amn]

I know people have brought it up before since I have been paying attention to this thread for quite awhile, but has anyone tried using a couple Song's of the Damned.  Just a couple of them . . . no more than 3.  I'm gonna do some goldfishing to see how it will do, but was just wondering if anyone has actually tested it.

[Tristal]

Tinker searches out Memory Jar and DSC.

[Nehptis]

Look at MD Tendrils, it killed a lot of sacred cows by removing Yawgmoth's Bargain, Necropotence and Mind's Desire as well as both Vampiric Tutor and Mystical Tutor from a Combo deck that could play both U and B.

Off Topic: IMO MD Tendril's is not a good deck.  Fact is, it has no proven winning track record.  I played against it at TMD Waterbury and went 2-0.  I didn't even take a turn (SOV rules!).  The fact is the deck is simply an exercise in goldfishing.  Either it wins T1 or losses miserably.  Most of the time the latter by killing itself.

Back on Topic: U is critical in this deck not for Desire, but for Brainstorms, Ancestral, Twister and possibly FOW.

[epeeguy]

This is a build I happened to think up.  It introduces more elements of Blue (and drops White) to take advantage of the draw elements.  Additionally, I'm also introducing the use of Channel for the build, as a replacement to Auriok Steelshaper.  In theory, you should be able to use Channel just enough to Clamp into enough cards, or use it to preserve your colored mana as long as possible.

Main Deck
4 Crimson Kobolds
4 Crookshank Kobolds
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Kobolds of Kher Keep

4 Glimpse of Nature
3 Skullclamp
3 Tendrils of Agony

1 Ancestral Recall
1 Crop Rotation
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Intent
3 Duress
1 Living Wish
1 Necropotence
1 Timetwister
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Yawgmoth's Will

1 Black Lotus
1 Channel
2 Chromatic Sphere
1 City of Brass
4 Dark Ritual
1 Gaea’s Cradle
4 Gemstone Mine
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Tolarian Academy


Sideboard
3 Cabal Therapy
2 Coretapper
2 Deconstruct
3 Elvish Scrapper
3 Xantid Swarm
2 *Open Slot*

Some thoughts I had regarding the build:

While running the Wishes can work out well, it is probably better to run only the Living Wish or the Burning Wish.  Running both simply has problems, and you probably only need to grab one of two silver bullets for your match.  That is, the Swarm or the Scrapper.  Either one will improve your match enough against Control or builds using Trinisphere.

Utilizing Blue gives you access to three very powerful cards; Ancestral Recall, Timetwister and Tolarian Academy.  This gives you several ways to refill your hand and find more cards, as well as power out more mana when you need to go off.  I cut the Yawgmoth's Bargain to help make room for this, as 6 mana for this is pretty strong, and you can do the same thing with Necropotence that you would use Bargain for.  Note: I'm still undecided about it, and would entertain finding a way to fit Bargain back in.

I cut one Skullclamp, as while you want to get one ASAP, after that, they become slightly repetitive.  There were times where I did find myself drawing into 1, when I already had 1 in play, and really wished I'd drawn another creature or something else.  So, you want to use the ones you have in play, rather than draw more of them.  I think 3 is a good amount, but 2 is too few.  The same goes for Tendrils, by increasing to 3, you stand a better chance of drawing 1 when you need it.

The Coretapper... is a very amusing addition to the deck.  I'm sure most people are thinking why, but consider that it is very useful against Chalice of the Void.  Sacrifice the Coretapper to set the Chalice to 3 (or even 2), as opposed to 1, and you open yourself up to going off.  Since the Coretapper is 2 itself, this means you can play it, sacrifice it (since this doesn't require you to tap it) and then start going off.  This saves your Deconstruct/Scrapper for the Trinisphere.  In fact, going Deconstruct (Trinisphere)->Coretapper ( floating) may be a nice way to get your first Glimpse off.

There are also two open slots in the sideboard.  Not sure what could go there at the moment, and whether there should be another 2 cards of some kind, or changing the current cards to sets of 3s or 4s.

[Nehptis]

Cut the 4 Mines, cut the Wheel of Fortune and the L Wish.  Add 4 Land Grants a Trop and a Bayou. Deck thinning and the shuffle effects of the Grants is far superior to running Mines.  And cut the Wheel to get out of Red entirely.

[BreathWeapon]

Look at MD Tendrils, it killed a lot of sacred cows by removing Yawgmoth's Bargain, Necropotence and Mind's Desire as well as both Vampiric Tutor and Mystical Tutor from a Combo deck that could play both U and B.

Off Topic: IMO MD Tendril's is not a good deck.  Fact is, it has no proven winning track record.  I played against it at TMD Waterbury and went 2-0.  I didn't even take a turn (SOV rules!).  The fact is the deck is simply an exercise in goldfishing.  Either it wins T1 or losses miserably.  Most of the time the latter by killing itself.

Back on Topic: U is critical in this deck not for Desire, but for Brainstorms, Ancestral, Twister and possibly FOW.

In a deck that runs a base of,

4xLand Grant
1xBayou
4xElvish Spirit Guide
4xGlimpse of Nature
4xSkull Clamp
12xKobolds

You are not going to be able to use FoW, trust me when I say it isn't worth it. The best place for FoW in any Combo deck at the moment is in the side board, so that you know that sacrificing the speed of your deck versus Workshop on the draw is worth it.

Brainstorm is a card whose power level fluxuates according to the other cards in your deck. When any where between 20-24 cards in said deck are creatures, it's not so hot. Setting up for the second turn is simply not a strategy available to any combo deck other than Doomsday and TPS, Kobolds has to play to win now or go home.

@ Epeeguy

Why are people only playing with 4xSkull Clamp? If you actually draw into a second copy of Skull Clamp you are winning. If you don't draw into a copy of Skull Clamp, you are going to lose.

[epeeguy]

Why are people only playing with 4xSkull Clamp? If you actually draw into a second copy of Skull Clamp you are winning. If you don't draw into a copy of Skull Clamp, you are going to lose.

I'm not sure I understand the nature of the question you are asking here.  If you are saying why aren't people running less than 4 Skullclamps, as others become redundent, then I would concur; having the full set of 4 means you'll always get one, but it also means that you will likely get a second or third one.

In all fairness, a second one isn't necessary (you can't double Clamp a single Kobold) at all.  In this respect, having 4 is unnecessarily duplicative, and your returns begin to diminish with multiples of them (actually, it's more like zero for the second or third copy you get).  This is different from other cards, as you generally want to have multiples (like Glimpse).

If, however, you are saying that you should always run 4... well, I think we're going to have to agree to disagree here.  I think that while having 4 ensures that you get at least one, it also means that you will get a second or third one that you won't need or can't even use.

In this respect, you want your chances of getting the first to be very high (so that you'll be able to use it), but your chances of getting a second one to be lower.  In this respect, from my understanding of probability, you will only want 3 in the deck.  2 is too few to reliably draw a Skullclamp.  4 is so many, that you will definitely get the second one when you can't use it (again, there's a diminished/zero return for each Clamp past the first).  So, 3 is the next best number, and ensures that you will at least get one.

[Imsomniac101]

Setting up for the second turn is simply not a strategy available to any combo deck other than Doomsday and TPS, Kobolds has to play to win now or go home.

Actually Kobolds is very good at setting up turn two kills. Go Glimpse, play creatures, play clamp, then cabal therapy to ensure you get a second turn. Although I do not do this intentionally, the option is there.

@ epeeguy:
Your running 7 lands!!! I feel this is a bit too much as I always draw into a second one when you don't want one/can't drop it.
Nice to see your running Channel though:D

@ Nephtis:
I totally agree with Breath; drop the blue. the truth is a combo deck like Kobolds does not need FoW. Also Duress then Timetwister, is waste of B as your refilling your opponent's hand.

@ Tristal:
So your running two otherwise useless cards that you can't hardcast just to run another expensive sorcery? IMO it's not worth the space.