Which [Budget]-Deck is the best for a unknown meta?

[Daze]

Hi all;
yes, this is another "I don't have money but want to play Vintage"-Thread. I've been playing Fish for quite some time, but since I don't get to play as regulary as I used to, I decided to sell the deck and try to build something remotely competitive. My meta is completetly random, which of course doesn't make the deck choice any easier.
As I want the deck to be really low-budget (I will be playing once every 2-3 months with it), it will have to be monocoloured. I own a playset of Force of Wills, but that's about it. While looking through several forums, I found the following decks matching this criteria
-Bazaarless Ichorid
-TMWA, mono-red
-Mono-U Control
-Mono-U Fish
-Green Stompy
-Suicide
Now I'd like to know if there are any decks I missed which can be build without Duals, Power and expensive cards (aka Shops, Drains, Bazaars, ...), and which deck you think is the most viable/competitive. I know, I won't win tournaments with those, but getting my entry fee back would be perfect.
Thanks in advance, Daze

[Dark_Planeswalker]

Any of those decsk could work.  However, regardless of the deck type make sure you but in a few "defenders of the format" cards.

You already have Force of Will.

Wasteland/Strip Mine takes care of Workshops and Bazaars
Null Rod/Chalice of the Void takes care of Mox/Lotus

[tomjoad]

Are you planning on playing in a zero proxy environment? The fact that you mention "Bazaar-less Ichorid" makes me think so. If you are allowed the standard 10 proxies, that would change the potential decks you might be able to play.

[Fantaman]

Play Goblin with a similar list. It's a strong list against all the TIER 1 decks.


Lands and Mana
    11  Mountain
    4  Wasteland
    1  Strip Mine
    1  Mana Crypt
    1  Sol Ring
    3  Simian Spirit Guide

Creatures
    4  Goblin Lackey
    4  Goblin Piledriver
    4  Goblin Warchief
    4  Goblin Matron
    3  Goblin Ringleader
    1  Goblin Recruiter
    2  Siege-Gang Commander
    3  Gempalm Incinerator
    1  Stingscourger
    1  Goblin Tinkerer
    1  Goblin Sharpshooter

Spells
    4  AEther Vial
    4  Chalice of the Void
    3  Pyrostatic Pillar

Sideboard
2  Crash
3  Shattering Spree
3  Pyrokinesis
2  Red Elemental Blast
2  Pyroblast
3  Tormod's Crypt
1  Pyrostatic Pillar


Try it and let me know!

Fantaman

[DancingSheep]

Play Goblin with a similar list. It's a strong list against all the TIER 1 decks.

I was just going to say it! 
If you want a mono-colored deck which can do well in tournaments, it gotta be Goblin!

[Daze]

Are you planning on playing in a zero proxy environment? The fact that you mention "Bazaar-less Ichorid" makes me think so. If you are allowed the standard 10 proxies, that would change the potential decks you might be able to play.

You guessed right, sadly there are no proxies allowed at my local tournaments (otherwise, I wouldn't have such a big problem building a deck ).

Play Goblin with a similar list. It's a strong list against all the TIER 1 decks.

Thanks for the list, I'll try it out!

[meadbert]

Here is a nearly budget friendly combo list.  Only Black Lotus and Mox Emerald are not budget.  Both could be dropped for Simian Spirit Guide or Mana Crypt.
Note:  Madman Mike and I worked together for a few weeks on trying to get a good Kobold Clamp list and never came up with a tier 1 competitive list.  This could do okay in a Chaliceless meta.

4 Gaea's Cradel (like Tolarian Academy)
1 Crop Rotation (Dark Ritual on steroids)
1 Black Lotus (Replace with Simian Spirit Guide/Mana Crypt)
1 Mox Emerald (Replace with Simian Spirit Guide)
1 Lotus Petal
1 Goblin Bombardment (Win now win condition)
3 Empty the Warrens (General win condition)
4 Emerald Charm (Untaps Cradle is thus a Dark Ritual on steroids.  This guy probably averages producing ggggg also removes Leyline of the Void)
4 Skullclamp ( Massive draw engine with rest of deck)
4 Glimpse of Nature ( Massive draw engine with all the free creatures)
12 Kobolds (Synergy with Cradle, Clamp and Glimpse)
4 Ornithopter
4 Phyrexian Walker
4 Phyrexian Maurader (free cantrip if Glimpse played.  Draws 2 for 2 mana with clamp out and with 20 mana becomes HUGE creature)
4 Summoner's Pact (Gets mana or a free creature)
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Tinder Wall

Note:  Madman Mike was actually coming to the conclusion that Serum Powder could improve this deck.  I was not testing Serum Powder versions so I do not know.

So the idea is to use either Clamp, Glimpse or both to draw and play the whole deck.  If Goblin Bombardment resolves the you just sacrifice a whole bunch of creatures to win on turn 1.  If not, then you use Gaea's Cradle to pay the upkeep on Phyrexian Maurader or pay off any Pacts.  Then you win on turn 2 with either a huge Marauder or a ton of Warren's tokens.
If you have no Glimpse or Clamp, but do have a big turn 1 Warrens then just throw it out there.
Hand like this are comon:
4 Free creatures
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Summoner's Pact
1 Empty the Warrens

Here is how you play the hand:
Creature, Creature, Creature, Creature, storm 4
Gaea's Cradle, tap for gggg
Summoner's Pact for Tinder Wall storm 5
Tinder Wall, sac, for rr, rrggg floating, storm 6
Warrens for 14 tokens, burn 1 for.
Turn 2 tap Cradle for 18xg to pay off pact and burn for 14.  Swing for 14.
Turn 3 swing for win.

I think I got 40-50% turn 1 wins and then around 30% turn 2/3 wins.  There were around 20-30% of games where I either fizzled till turn 4 or later or died to my own pact.

Note that you could have even thrown out a Phyrexian Marauder in the same case and had a 5/5 creature to beat with.

This deck has two main weakness.  First, Duress and Thoughtseize are annoying.  Second is Chalice of the Void.  In a no proxy meta I expect Chalice to be somewhat rare so you only need to worry about Duress and Thoughtseize.

Also this decks throws out tons of creatures, so even if you do fizzle you can keep blocking for a long time against random aggro decks.

[Nastaboi]

I'd play budget Flash without a blink. You only need two duals, you can play Petal, Chrome Mox, Mana Crypt and two ESG:s as you acceleration, and the rest of the deck costs just peanuts. I have a really nice budget list which got me 2nd in local tourney, PM me if you are interested.

And Goblins just needs MD Leyline at it is the only turn 0 disruption they can have.

[JankWolf]

I almost top 8ed with 13 land stompy last year. The list used root maze and winter orb as well as berserk.


Oh and...
4 Gaea's Cradel (like Tolarian Academy)
1 Crop Rotation (Dark Ritual on steroids)
1 Black Lotus (Replace with Simian Spirit Guide/Mana Crypt)
1 Mox Emerald (Replace with Simian Spirit Guide)
1 Lotus Petal
1 Goblin Bombardment (Win now win condition)
3 Empty the Warrens (General win condition)
4 Emerald Charm (Untaps Cradle is thus a Dark Ritual on steroids.  This guy probably averages producing ggggg also removes Leyline of the Void)
4 Skullclamp ( Massive draw engine with rest of deck)
4 Glimpse of Nature ( Massive draw engine with all the free creatures)
12 Kobolds (Synergy with Cradle, Clamp and Glimpse)
4 Ornithopter
4 Phyrexian Walker
4 Phyrexian Maurader (free cantrip if Glimpse played.  Draws 2 for 2 mana with clamp out and with 20 mana becomes HUGE creature)
4 Summoner's Pact (Gets mana or a free creature)
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Tinder Wall

Gets owned by chalice

[Everrid1234]

I almost top 8ed with 13 land stompy last year. The list used root maze and winter orb as well as berserk.


Oh and...
4 Gaea's Cradel (like Tolarian Academy)
1 Crop Rotation (Dark Ritual on steroids)
1 Black Lotus (Replace with Simian Spirit Guide/Mana Crypt)
1 Mox Emerald (Replace with Simian Spirit Guide)
1 Lotus Petal
1 Goblin Bombardment (Win now win condition)
3 Empty the Warrens (General win condition)
4 Emerald Charm (Untaps Cradle is thus a Dark Ritual on steroids.  This guy probably averages producing ggggg also removes Leyline of the Void)
4 Skullclamp ( Massive draw engine with rest of deck)
4 Glimpse of Nature ( Massive draw engine with all the free creatures)
12 Kobolds (Synergy with Cradle, Clamp and Glimpse)
4 Ornithopter
4 Phyrexian Walker
4 Phyrexian Maurader (free cantrip if Glimpse played.  Draws 2 for 2 mana with clamp out and with 20 mana becomes HUGE creature)
4 Summoner's Pact (Gets mana or a free creature)
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Tinder Wall

Gets owned by chalice

Without the Cradle it's just a pile of cards. Each 2nd game you won't see the Cradle. Summoner's Pact likes Wastelands, yes.
A counter on Skullcmap or Glimpse basically mean game over. No hate. etc etc.

meadbert, your hand it very optimistic.

[GUnit]

My vote is Goblins or RG Beats. Both decks have been doing well lately and neither requires anything expensive (you can afford to skimp on mox ruby and black lotus, although the lists are obviously slightly better with those cards)