What is the best competative non fully-powered stable deck ever?

[kras2005]

What is the best competative non fully-powered stable deck ever?

Why would I ask this question? Well, the answer is easy. I am full powered and I
may need (more) cash someday (this is not spam to sell anything!), but I do want
to continue playing magic. All Tier1 decks are fullpowered, but I never really
could choose one and continue playing it. I have played intensively:
(in this order)
- Aggro
- Suicide Black
- Bird Shit
- Control Slaver
- Psychatog
- Gifts
- TPS

Pretty standard line-up, is it not?

Well, I have thought a lot about everything and I just want to know which deck is
potential to become my new deck when I decide to sell a few cards and play a less
expensive deck.

I have found these:
- Fish (I believe U/W is best in a random meta, what do you think?),
- Bird Shit (Played it before, like it, very good),
- EBA (still pretty expensive though),
- FCG,
- Friggorid (I HATE this deck),
- Goblins or RDW or Mountains Win Again,
- Parfait,
- Psychatog, or other random Drain.deck,
- Suicide Black (Still good imho),
- Madness decks,
- Agrro decks.

Well, now is my question: Which of these (or do you know any other) do you believe
to be the best in a random meta (my meta is random)?

[Dr. Teeth]

In a random meta (i.e. jank decks) I would go with oath. It eats aggro decks alive .
In a more competitive (but random meta) Fish would be a good unpowered choice.

[kras2005]

I forgot to tell, that I do not want to sell everything, but just a few cards (off color moxen etc), so I can play one deck with all power. So I need a deck(list) with not all power pieces in it.

Oath contains all powerpieces. And I don't want to play it powerless. Or just with a few random power pieces in it. I want to have the deck completely.

The meta here is random. So one finds elves, gobbo's, fundecks but also fullpowered drain decks, combo and shops.

[Yames]

With most tournaments being proxy. I would think you could sell your highest value power cards. Depending on if you play in small 5 proxy events or large 10 proxy star city stuff. Either way sell your lotus, ancestral... and get good quality proxies. That way you don't have to give up playing a top tier deck either. I really don't see any advantages in playing a budget deck.

You have asked a very difficult question as it is very hard to quantify the budget decks and tell you which is the best. They have different strengths and weaknesses against all the top decks. They also have some strengths and weaknesses to some of the other budget decks you'll be facing.

I have always considered playing a budget deck as a strictly metagame call. If you can predict the field and it gets owned buy FC Goblins I'd say feel free in playing it. If on the other hand FC Goblins has terrible match ups against a known field it would be a mistake to play it.

Then you have to factor in how well you know your deck and how much you enjoy playing it. I think in the end you should play something you feel very comfortable with.

And finally to answer your question In my opinion the best budget deck is OFM (u/w fish) it has most of the tools you need to do well and the side board can be very dynamic.

[GUnit]

It really seems to me l ike U/W or U/W/b fish is the best choice for the metagame if you want to play a deck that isn't fully powered. the Strength of these two decks is misrepresented by their pilots often because they're easier decks to build for people who are newcomers to vintage. If more adept vintage players started playing fish at big tournaments I guarantee you that it would become "tier 1." Fish was a force a couple years ago, being a deck full of synergistic bad cards. Now, entering the final third of 2006, fish has become a deck full of synergistic good card, including bombs that just win you the game after sitting in play for a few turns.

Dark Confidant is ridiculous, Jotun Grunt is devastating when you combine its grayevard hate and quick clock, meddling mage is obviously a pain, kataki just reams stax and slows down decks that try to cheat out bombs with quick acceleration... and the list goes on...

I honestly believe we're entering the age of Fish.

[Whatever Works]

If your good at combo... Doomsday only ran 2 moxes, ancestral, lotus, timewalk. Very very hard to play, but it does match the criteria.

Other then that would have to go with UBW fish similar to gencon list I guess...

However, I believe the format will change dramatically w/time spiral so everything could change fast.

[aosquirrels]

For a deck that runs absolutely no power, I would choose from one of these three.....

Food Chain Goblins:  Solid aggro deck that puts your opponent on an immediate clock.
U/W or U/B/W Fish:  If you play as well as McGuiver can make a bomb out of a shoelace and a pen    then this is probably your best choice.
Oath: In a non-controllish meta, this should rock.

[kras2005]

I live in the Netherlands, there are no proxy tournaments here. Though I believe it
would do good to our Vintage tournaments.

The first two replies suggested U/W Fish. As I expected. U/W Fish is certainly a
potential killerdeck. Now with Jotun Grunt it has about everything. I do like the
version with black.

Where are the lists of Gencon? What is Gencon?


Whateverworks:
I can play combo, and I have certainly tested Doomsday. I find it difficult to
play with (like everyone), but I don't think its good. It gets screwed on all
sides. Everything hurts so much. I don't like it.

Why would Time Spiral change something? Am I missing something?


I don't have to play a completely unpowered deck. Rather not, I always want to play
Lotus and the colored moxen.


Kras

[kras2005]

I have been testing some decks and I really like BS again. It has answers to about everything. I have played it before. An old list. Has it really been evolved? Is there a best list?

It teared SS apart.

Kras

[Vegeta2711]

What is the best competative non fully-powered stable deck ever?

GAT. Easily.

After that? Dragon. Pre and Post Entomb.

Then I guess FCG.

Note there's like a HUGE CHASM inbetween the realtive power levels of these decks though.

[kras2005]

GAT? The only grow-a-tog decks I know are fully powered. Can you pm me a list?

And what is entomb for a deck?

Kras

[The Chosen One]

And what is entomb for a deck?

Kras

I think he meant the card entomb, before it was restricted, and then after.

[kras2005]

Ofcourse, now I see. I didn't get it.

Dragon is not very budget. Many play all moxen, and the bazaars are pretty expensive too.

The most viable budget decks I have found are:
FCG
BS
Fish
Suicide Black

[Dr. Teeth]

i doubt suicide black is a viable choice these days .

[49 Cents]

You asked for 'ever'. Veggie says that Gat was the best non fully-powered deck ever: Gush is a good card..

[zeus-online]

You can easily make a Dragon deck without power that goldfishes turn 1-3...its just insanely easy to disrupt.

/Zeus

[Vegeta2711]

You asked for 'ever'. Veggie says that Gat was the best non fully-powered deck ever: Gush is a good card..

:cookie:

He got it. Read how you phrased the question.
"What is the best competative non fully-powered stable deck ever?"

Unpowered GAT could stomp most competitive decks into the ground. Dragon certainly has plenty of early game kills / draws (esp. w/ Entomb), which is more than I can say for most unpowered decks.

[kras2005]

Yeah, ok. I should rephrase my question. What is the best competative non fully-powered stable deck at this moment.

Btw, the original question was also pretty interesting...

Kras