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The Meandeck ¢☺θβ0 Stax Solution X © a.k.a. “Snuffleupagus” Primer
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The Deck That Will Take Waterbury by Storm
I am here today to present what is probably the single greatest combo deck of all time. In all honesty, I am truly surprised that the combo was not discovered earlier, as its simplicity, power, and synergy are all glaringly obvious. Before I get to the deck, I would like to explain its development, which I feel is very important to understand. In this era of innovation, this deck is fundamentally different than anything out there.
The Motivation
When I play a deck, I like to look for certain qualities. A deck needs to be responsible, funny, and have a good personality. It is also very important that it is “representative”. It wasn’t until I was informed that girls look for these qualities in men that I realized their obvious connection with magic. You see, girls are extremely complicated. Well so is magic. Usually, people have taken the approach of “simplifying” the game, by running multiples of cards to increase “consistency”. I realized, however, that this was the wrong approach. Therefore, I took the opposite route, and created the most complicated deck I could, and by doing so created the greatest deck ever.
The Flaw in Control Slaver Gifts: This Sentence is False.
I began this mission by taking a “proven” list. Meandeck Gifts. This deck is arguably one of the strongest decks in the formats, but I found certain aspects of the deck lacking. Most of all, it usually wasn’t very representative. I realized that the some solid changes could be made. First is the inclusion of Remand, a much underplayed disruption piece, so far only seen in URBan Fish. It performs a variety of functions in the new deck, from quick function to tempo gain. More importantly, it doesn’t provide card advantage loss, which is very important for the new design.
My next approach was to tap into green for underplayed cards. Green provides some very solid choices that don’t see play. Obviously, Fastbond is very good, and more than necessary, you will see, once I provide my new build. Fastbond allows the deck to generate much more mana on its “combo” turn, transforming utherwise dead weight cards into valuable mana sources for a measly one green and some life. Another underplayed card is Eternal Witness. When combined with certain advantages of the new design, this card provided the raw card advantage needed to initiate the new design.
Since the deck’s integral design was now fundamentally different, I tried a different approach. Many players have been seeing success with dark ritual in Gifts, but I found the card underwhelming. On the other hand, LED was actually an incredibly solid choice, through testing. I’ll admit I was skeptical at first, but the deck can sometimes clot your hand with cards you don’t want, and LED remedies this very well, while also showing overall synergy with the cumulative deck design.
Because the deck was very much at this point a combo deck, utilizing the aforementioned combo, which I will later disclose, I decided to try Elvish Spirit Guide main. This improves your stax matchup, providing undisruptable mana for your combo and functions a very integral roll in the overall objective. Along the lines of mana, I wanted more fast mana, and so I tried Chrome Mox with very surprising results. It is in the current list, and functions very powerfully with the overall objective.
Combining the Pieces
At this point, I believe a list of what I’m talking about is necessary for analysis:
The Meandeck ¢☺Ǿβ0 Stax Solution X © a.k.a. “Snuffleupagus” v. 1.043528291
1 Academy Researchers
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Arcbound Ravager
1 Artificial Evolution
1 Aurification
1 BERSERK MURLODONT
1 Biorythm
1 Chaos Charm
1 Children of Korlis
1 Chrome Mox
1 Corpse Dance
1 Culling the Weak
1 Dance of the Dead
1 Dross Scorpion
1 Earth Surge
1 Elvish Spirit Guide
1 Etched Oracle
1 Eternal Witness
1 Eureka
1 Fastbond
1 Fire Whip
1 Fool’s Demise
1 Forbidden Orchard
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Goblin Game
1 Griffin Canyon
1 Hivestone
1 Kami of Twisted Refelction
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Kyoki, Sanity’s Eclipse (appropriate name, considering the deck)
1 Leeches
1 Leveler
1 Lion’s Eye Diamond
1 Lovisa Coldeyes
1 Mistform Mask
1 Myr Landshaper
1 Opalescence
1 Pale Moon
1 Pit Scorpion
1 Power Matrix
1 Reiterate
1 Remand
1 Research // Development
1 Savage Beating
1 Shadow Sliver
1 Skirk Prospector
1 Sky Swallower
1 Sliver Overlord
1 Spawning Pit
1 Storm Cauldron
1 Summoner’s Egg
1 Tawno’s Coffin
1 Temporal Cascade
1 Titania’s Song
1 Transcendence
1 Vedalken Orrery
1 Vine Dryad
1 Words of Wind
1 Worldgorger Dragon
1 Wormfang Manta
I truly am surprised of the utter lack of the utilization of this combo in vintage, considering its power. It should be completely obvious, as well.
I’ll give you a second to figure it out.
Simple, isn’t it? It really is truly… blatant. I’m sure many of you out there are thinking of how stupid it must be to simply gloss over such an obviously powerful combo.
Here is some single card analysis:
BERSERK MURLODONT: I chose this card pretty much because it has a solid game vs all the major archetypes. It can be replaced with meta choice creatures, like Fiddlehead Kami or Moss Monster, but it needs to be green. Really, this is still in the testing stages, but the whole “de-ancestral you” factor draws me to Mr. Beast as well. The infinite/infinite pump when you attack is nice as well.
Savage Beating: This card, as the name implies, is a Savage Beating. Some of my teammates have accused it of being a “win more” card, but I find it very powerful, and it adds some powerful aspects to the primary alpha strike. Personally, I like it, but it can easily be cut for a meta slot.
Dance of the Dead v Animate Dead: Really, either works, but I really like the +1/+1 offered by Dance. Really, either works for the purposes of the deck, but Dance really gives an edge in the combo match, which can be difficult.
Pale Moon: This is seriously one of the most underrated disruption spells in the format. Consider the following, you are a good way into your combo and your opponent has 2 Underground Seas in play, untapped. You cast pale moon and they let it resolve. Now there is now way they can repeal your Prospector or Counterspell (or Drain if they like mana burn lol) that Temporal Cascade. It really is very situationally good, and when examined within a vacuum, I’m sure you will see how it is sometimes kind of relevant. Definitely maindeck worthy.
Skirk Prospector: It has been brought up that Basal Sliver works just as well. However, I have found that the cost difference is really pretty strong. One R is a lot easier than 2R.
Titania’s Song v March of the Machines: Really, just a matter of preference. Run whatever is most suitable in your meta.
BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD
STAR: Unfortunatly this didn’t make the cut because it didn’t facilitate the combo in any way. Sorry Laplante. I guess this deck is just too mainstream to try out crazy stuff like you do.
Another strategic advantage that is heavily underutilized by Vintage players in the lack of power. This is a huge advantage when you leave your deck on the table, walk away, and between some player handing it in and the asking the judges if a deck was returned it gets stolen. Trully, you will never have a bad tournament again because you won’t lose massive amounts of money from theft.
Here is the board I’ve been testing:
4 Mind Swords
4 Polluted Delta
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Temporal Extortion (post PC)/ 1 Meta Slot
1 Fathom Seer
1 Serum Powder
1 Eight-and-a-Half Tails
1 Voltaic Key
1 Real Good Looking Tutor
Some explanations:
Mind Swords: I believe there was a thread recently on this card. Read it for more information, but all I have to add is that card disadvantage coupled with tempo disadvantage is some good.
Polluted Delta: Best land in the format, ‘nuf said.
Ancestral Recall: I would run it main, but with all the gifts decks running around, I can assume that at least once during a tournament it will get misdirected. That’s one too many for me.
Temporal Extortion: As soon as PC hits the shelves this is an auto-include. It is a total bomb. You really don’t want to see more than one, however. Honestly, the shear thought of the rock/hard place options your opponent has will likely just induce seizures upon your opponent.
Fathom Seer: Beats stax and fish, very strong tech (but its super secret, so shhhhhh…). Seriously, this is really the TS common that is going to fundamentally change vintage. The shear multitudinous opportunities that it provides for beating stax, such as bouncing your lands for tempo disadvantage, is extremely potent.
Serum Powder: As has been said, Serum Powder removes all skill from vintage. As such, it is really important that you run it so that you don’t have to be any good to win with the deck.
8.5 Tails: Some guy played it in a fish deck or something on the Vintage Forum. Its obviously the stone cold nutz then. No testing required.
Voltaic Key: It’s restricted for a reason, kids. Not really sure what that reason is anymore, but I’m sure that it’s a good one.
Real Good Looking Tutor: I just like the way it looks.
The board offers some versatile solutions for the deck. It is unfortunate that every card in the deck is absolutely necessary for the combo, and as such you can never board anything in or out. Overall, this is a huge part of the skill of the deck, however, as design is like half the skill of vintage. Remember, though, if you netdeck this board you will lose, because you will sacrifice half of any skill you may possess. See what works best for you.
Here are some major matchup analysis’s. All in all, very favorable results:
Gifts: You should be able to race them. Make sure they don’t get a quick start. Once you hit turn 53, you should be able to just go off in their face. Pale Moon shuts down most of their lands, so you should be okay. Look out for those forces and you’ll be fine. Probably about 80/20 odds in your favor.
Control/Dry Slaver: With the resurgence of this deck, I felt analysis was necessary. This is much harder than Gifts, because if they slave you, you lose. Try to hold them off from a quick tinker and keep your opponent attacking with his welders (because good players remember to attack), and you should be okay. If you can hold off until you’ve drawn your deck, you pretty much just win. Overall, probably 100/0 in your favor.
Pitch/2.5 Long: This is actually a hard matchup, because they can race you. You need to keep them from combing off long enough to get your own combo off. Try distracting them by discarding things like Goblin Game and you should be fine. Post board you have access to 8.5 Tails, so you pretty much have 95-5 odds of winning games 2/3. Game one is pretty much 50/50.
Stax (uba or 5c): This can be tough. Make sure they don’t get a sphere, null rod, chalice, or uba mask down. Fortunately, you don’t play anything until you go off, so stax and tangle wire don’t effect you. Post board you have Deltas for mana fixing, so you should be okay. Game 1, probably 80/20 in your favor. Post, its probably around 359.2/-259.2 in your favor.
Ichorid: Oof. This is a toughie. They can get off quite fast. You basically need to ensure they skip their upkeep, so try dancing like a monkey and throw feces at their yard. Game one is pretty much an auto loss due to Leyline, however. Post board, on the other hand, you have both Temporal Extortion and Mind Swords to take them down. Games 2/3 you should win in a blowout.
Fish: Basically, remember that to kill big artifacts from the future you need a giant factory press thing. Make sure the eyes stop glowing as well. If they try to throw Kird Apes at you, just dodge or interview them before they were created. Overall, probably in your favor because the timeline can’t be altered and Sarah Conner has to give birth to the leader of the revolution.
At this point, I am sure some of you may doubt these results, so I came up with some play situations that arose during testing for review:
http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/8121/playsit1pk8.pnghttp://img380.imageshack.us/img380/4968/playsit3qd7.pnghttp://img150.imageshack.us/img150/3473/playsit2lk5.pngAnd since Smmenen has had such success with this type of critical thinking, here is a play situation:
http://img458.imageshack.us/img458/4013/playsit4wtdiq7.png