[deck] TPS 2K7

[ErkBek]

I've been working on 2 decks over the past month. Unfortunately, I won't being going to Waterbury anymore so I figured I'd go ahead and release 1 of them. Basically this deck is exactly what I've been looking for in a storm deck. It wins through multiple counters, doesn't die to lock components, isn't reliant on Will or draw7 hands, and it rarely goes all in on plays. So here's the list:

Land 13
1 Swamp
1 Island
1 Bayou
1 Tropical
2 Usea
4 Delta
2 Strand
1 Library of Alexandria

Acceleration 16
4 Dark Rit
3 Cabal Rit
5 Mox
1 Lotus
1 Petal
1 Crypt
1 Sol Ring
0 LED
0 Mana Vault

Protection 10
3 Xantid
4 Duress
2 Hurkyl's
1 Chain of Vapor

Business 20
4 Brainstorm
4 Night's Whisper
3 Tendrils
1 Yawg Will
1 Necro
1 Bargain
1 Twister
1 Tinker
1 Jar
1 DT
1 VT
1 Demonic Consult
1 Ancestral
0 Desire
0 Grim Tutor

I've been wanting to build a deck like this for months. Its exactly what I've been looking for, since I cut all the cards I was just fed up with in combo in favor of more draw. At the moment, I feel that Grim Tutor and Force/MisD can back you into plays you don't want to make since those cards basically cost 2 cards to play (ritual + Tutor or FoW/MisD + Blue Card). Night's Whisper, Duress, and Xantids all give you options as they are all very efficient and get what you want done for a little mana investment.   

I haven't tested a sideboard, but a generic one to start with would look something like this

1 Xantid
1 Chain of Vapor
2 Rebuild
1 Tendrils (anti jester's cap)
4 Force of Will (I could use a little more blue in the deck to accompany these better)
2 Envelop
3 Massacre
1 Island

Vs. Drains: This match is very favorable as the deck is designed to gain card advantage and this plan starts on turn 1. I nearly always have a play of turn 1 Xantid or night's whisper. If xantid is FoW'd that's fine, since I've got a lot of other threats and I just traded 2 for 1. If whisper resolves I'm in business since I furthered my overall development for only a minor cost of 2 mana and 2 life. Most games end up going to about turn 3 or 4 in which I start to play out 2 or 3 accelerants, then a 2 bombs or draw spells which hit counters or resolve. If they resolve I win, if they are counted then I finished them off with a tendrils.

I've tested vs. some great drain players and found the only hands I lose to are when they draw fast combo hands (turn 2 or 3 slaves or kills).

Stax: Unfortunately I haven't gotten to test this matchup at all, but 3 MD bounce spells and 4 Night's Whisper will be really nice. The only problem I forsee here really is a Chalice @1. I'd like another basic island in the main, but I don't think stax is played in big enough numbers right now to warrant it, thus I'm running my signature land on my sideboard. I wouldn't call this matchup great, but very winnable. 

Fish: Whisper is great here because fish is about stopping your development for just long enough to put the game away, which whisper counteracts so well. 3 Massacre on the SB may be overkill, but massacre is my favorite sideboard card.

Combo mirrors: These are still stupid. Game 1 they've got the upper hand, but the ability to mini-tendrils them early to 6 life is very helpful since it puts you at a large life total and cuts off their ability to finish you off with the 2x Grim Tutor finish. Post board you get Duress, FoW's, and Envelops, so it'll be a coinflip.

Is this deck as explosive or as broken as Pitch Long?

No, so why play it?

Well, Pitch Long plays more 'broken' cards, but these broken cards come with the attachment of investing more in a card. This investment really catches up to you at times, especially in the Gifts matchup.

I figured I'd go ahead and share this deck instead of letting it die on the GWS archives. Feel free to post Q's and comments.

Eric Becker
Team GWS

[brianpk80]

Nice list, and I like the theory behind removing FoW/MisD and Grim Tutors.
Can you elaborate on the inclusion of Library of Alexandria?  As an old-schooler, I always have that 1990's mindset that "any deck can benefit from an LoA" but I realize it's faded in popularity in the past several years, in favor of faster or more focused strategies.  Is the Library just there for the random win v. control?  Do you ever side it out?

-BPK

[ErkBek]

Can you elaborate on the inclusion of Library of Alexandria?  As an old-schooler, I always have that 1990's mindset that "any deck can benefit from an LoA" but I realize it's faded in popularity in the past several years, in favor of faster or more focused strategies.  Is the Library just there for the random win v. control?  Do you ever side it out?

Great question. Library is actually really good in this deck. Since the deck is largely based off storming out opponents library is great at building up large hands that let you play 8-10 spells in one turn. Its also very easy to keep it active with the 4 Night's Whispers in the deck. Lastly, I wanted a 13th land when building the deck so I wouldn't have to mulligan for permanent mana sources as much. Even though library isn't the best mana source, its a free draw engine to help me find more.

[Clown of Tresserhorn]

What's the reasoning behind leaving out Infernal Contract? I know this deck is suppose to be slower than pitch long, but that card is some good. I imagine you can cast it easily, as you have 7 rituals. The first thing that came to my mind when I started reading this was that it would involve around some number of ICs. The only reason I can see leaving them out is because it relies on rituals the same way Grim tutors rely on rituals.

Other than that, the deck seems fine to me!

[ErkBek]

What's the reasoning behind leaving out Infernal Contract? I know this deck is suppose to be slower than pitch long, but that card is some good. I imagine you can cast it easily, as you have 7 rituals. The first thing that came to my mind when I started reading this was that it would involve around some number of ICs. The only reason I can see leaving them out is because it relies on rituals the same way Grim tutors rely on rituals.

Other than that, the deck seems fine to me!

Contract was left out because if it's countered, you are left SOL. You're out a ritual and a business spell.

[Methuselahn]

cool deck.

With Waterbury coming up and Ichorid on the brain, what is that matchup like?  Are you both just racing for turn 3/4 wins?  Your disruption is useless against them and looks like you'd get run over easily.

It's a nice looking deck that probably beats up on Merchant Scroll decks fairly well.

[ErkBek]

cool deck.

With Waterbury coming up and Ichorid on the brain, what is that matchup like?  Are you both just racing for turn 3/4 wins?  Your disruption is useless against them and looks like you'd get run over easily.

It's a nice looking deck that probably beats up on Merchant Scroll decks fairly well.

Well, I think this deck should get sufficiently beat down by ichorid game 1. You could probably sideboard Leyline or Planar Void if you expect people to play it. I totally forgot about addressing the ichorid matchup when making my "generic" sideboard.

[Wollblad]

I agree one the inclusion of Green and Nights Whisper. Xantid Swarm is much better than Defens Grid, but I think you can use the green more extensive. Have you tested Fastbond? A big problem for decks like these are sideboard cards like Chalice, Arcane Laboratory, In the Eye of Chaos. You will have at most two Chain of Vapor to deal with non-creature hate. As you include green, have you tested Krosan Grip?

I think three Tendrils is one too much. In reality, the only way you can win with so many Tendrils is with Yawgmoth's Will. This might sound strange, but you will seldom have mana to play both and when you have, you will have waited so long that at least one of the Tendrils would have been better of as some kind of buisness, for example Mind's Desire which costs two mana less.

[ErkBek]

I got this first message PM'd to me a few days back:

Hi Eric,

Last night I took a quick look at your TPS list since I play it for about year now... There were 3 things bothering me:
-Why don't you run an Academy?
-Why did you exclude mana vault? I think this card is amazing in TPS since it helps powering out your big threats _so_ easily (think Bargain / Jar etc.)
-Could one of the Whispers be a Time Walk? Eventhough Walk breaks of your storm chain, untapping is good in some situations.

I hope you'll reply or post some info in the TPS topic

Thanks,
Lex Bergsma

1) Academy is not the land you want in opening hands, its more of the land you want to play on turn 3 so you have extra mana to combo out with. If you want Academy in the deck, go for it. It probably belongs in the deck. I've had a lot of problems though in the past (specifically with IT) in which drawing academy has cost me the game b/c either it produces no mana or blue instead of black. If you've got a lot of artifact accel, then you may not need additional off color mana.

2) Vault was not included b/c again, this deck is not all about powering out big threats, really fast. Playing a turn 1 Ritual, Vault, into Jar that meets a FoW can be pretty rough, and you may not recover. Even if Jar meets a bounce spell that's going to be rough. I've had my issues with this card in combo, and thus I cut it. 

3) If I were still running this deck, I'd probably add it in place of a Night's Whisper or something else. I think this deck needs walk.

I agree one the inclusion of Green and Nights Whisper. Xantid Swarm is much better than Defens Grid, but I think you can use the green more extensive. Have you tested Fastbond? A big problem for decks like these are sideboard cards like Chalice, Arcane Laboratory, In the Eye of Chaos. You will have at most two Chain of Vapor to deal with non-creature hate. As you include green, have you tested Krosan Grip?

Fastbond wins about 1 in 5 games and does nothing in the others.

Krosan Grip sounds cool, but the only card I see it effectively dealing with is arcane lab. I'll stand by my statement I've made in the past, Lab is terrible in Slaver sideboards, 2sphere is much better. Lab is good with tempo cards, and has a perfect home in URBana fish.

I think three Tendrils is one too much. In reality, the only way you can win with so many Tendrils is with Yawgmoth's Will. This might sound strange, but you will seldom have mana to play both and when you have, you will have waited so long that at least one of the Tendrils would have been better of as some kind of buisness, for example Mind's Desire which costs two mana less.

I would have to say that you are doing things very differently than I am. About 50% of the games I win simply Tendrils my opponent out. The other games are won by Yawg Will, Bargain, or Necro. Maybe you're pushing the deck a little too hard?

I haven't really played much vintage since posting this deck. I've 2-fisted the Pitch Long matchup though, and it was an ugly 5-2 in PL's favor. I've been considering switching the G in the deck for White, and simply swapping Swarms for Orim's Chant to help the matchup, also this change would help the storm -> into a tendrils play even more.