Void based deck viable? Improvements and discussion.

[Kraken]

First off I want to say that I do not have extensive experience playing T1 tournaments where everyone are packing the best decks and P9. Usually, there will be a mix of modified T1, T1.5, Extended and T2 decks showing up with 1 or 2 powered advanced T1 deck. Even so, I wish to build a T1 deck that is competitive in the current format against staple decks. My 'real' T1 deck has always been nether void based, which I considered tier 2 at the time. Now that the format has changed, I am under the impression that the deck's disruption is much more powerfull (gush protected against wastes, brainstorm and 'search' cards protected against discard), so I wish to bring the deck up for discussion. I want to make a deck that could be considered tier 1, that focuses heaviliy on disruption to make it viable against any decks.  I am looking for a few comments on tweaking (and sideboard options) and opening discussion on this type of deck for others. I know there has been some posts in the past on void decks, but they had a more casual approach.

Let's start with the initial decklist.

8 swamp
4 bayou
4 polluted delta
4 wasteland
1 strip mine
(21 lands)

1 mox jet
1 mox emerald
1 black lotus
4 dark ritual
(28 mana sources)

1 demonic consultation
1 demonic tutor
1 necropotence (massive card advantage)
(3 restricted goodness)

4 duress
4 sinkhole
4 hymn to tourach (card advantage)
3 nether void
(15 disruption)

4 pernicious deed
(game winner - see detailed strategy)

4 tarmogoyf (win card)
3 hypnotic specter (card disruption = card advantage)
3 dark confidant (card engine = card advantage)

Card discussion

tarmogoyf
Replaces nantuko shade as the creature that 'goes in for the kill'. Can be played on turn 1 with a mox. Does not require mana pumps, hits usually for a minimum of 3 on turn 2 when played on first turn. Can block major threats from opponent (besides darkstell collossus).

dark confidant
New addition to the deck, because in the old days, this card was not available. This generates card advantage very quickly that can speed up all the needed disruption. Gives you access to all those good cards, but also to all that mana in the deck to unleash your arsenale very quickly. Can be killed off (if life is getting dangerous) with deed or can chump block. 2 on the table is usually too much (life wise), that is why I chose to include 3. Considering adding a 4th one.

hypnotic specter
This is a classic for black disruption decks. Gives you card advantage via discard and the randomness can make you pull out their mana or critical spells. Can kill the opponent under a lock, chump block and deal with fliers. I had taken it out of the deck for a 2 year period and I decided to include it back about 6 months ago. I used to run 4 but reduced to 3 to add in a 3rd confidant. Even if this card is good on paper, and has won me a few matches, I am seriously considering removing this card. The main problem I have is the mana curve of the void deck. If I cast this on first turn with dark ritual, it is the 'best play', but more often than not I prefer doing duress + BoB/sinkhole/hymn to start disrupting my opponent immediately. On 2nd turn, he is not worth casting (even if you have a mox), because you need to cast those hymns/sinkholes/BoB anyway. On 3rd turn, it means he won't start disrupting on turn 4, which is starting to get very late. The opponent has most of his strategy in place if your initial disruption failed, so he won't do much good afterwards. I usually prefer doing another disruption spell on turn 3, preparing deeds if he went off fast, etc. I am starting to feel he is a 'win more' card, only preventing the opponent a come back after your disruption is succesfull. I have no clue what to replace this card for.

[pernicious deed
The reason why I splashed green in the first place. This card is the glue that holds the deck together. While others in the past have considered this good or a 'keg replacement', I give it a much more prestigeous role in the deck. This card enables me to do a fury of initial disruption, letting my life getting low, maybe chump block with a BoB if the opponent gets nasty creature wise, while I continu to destroy their hand/lands. Then when I feel the pace of my opponent is slowing down, the cards in hand are getting lower, that he is gaining board advantage, that he has crucial pieces on the board, I let it all blow. This cleans all artifact style mana rendering my initial land destruction more usefull. This then cleans the way for a mega goyf to go in for the kill. I can follow up with a void to protect after destroying everything. This card goes perfectly with the way I always played most decks, let the opponent do his thing and beat you in the face, being careless about the life until you slow him down enought and then you can finish him off, irrevelant to how low your life is. Running 4 of also allows me to consult easily for the deeds.

nether void
Used to seal off the game when you are in the lead. Can also be used on turn 1 if you have a mana and land disruption intensive hand. Less of a turn 1 play with the removal of mishra's factory. Prevents your opponent from top decking an answer that is playable. I am considering going down to 2, since the card is less usefull in the early game with removal of factory and that it is not good against all decks. What is keeping me back (in part), is that at 2, I can't really consult for it unless I want to take too much risk.

hymn to tourach/duress
Those are non brainers. I chose duress instead of toughtseize because I didn't want to lose more life, since my strategy lets my opponent beat me in the face early game, I run fetchlands, BoBs and necropotence. Creatures aren't that good against me considering the goyf/deed I have for defense. I also have some diabolic edicts in my SB against darksteel collossus.

sinkhole
In accordance with my disruption/mana denial strategy. This is also good to destroy bazaar against ichorid. Appears much more potent in current metagame, combined with deed's artifact removal.

necropotence
First I want to say I never regretted this card in the deck. It is insane. I can usually get a deed if I want to blow it up to draw normally. If I have BoB out, I usually try to bluff to get my opponent to kill him or I can sometimes chump bloc. At 15+ life, you can play it with a BoB in play, no problem, just don't use all fetchlands unless you need to. Massive card advantage and much better than Will IMO (see below).

tutors
Demonic tutor is a no brainer. Consult much better than vampiric because it is instant speed (don't paly this on your turn). Vampiric is not good in this deck. The -1CA is really bad and hurts your disruption/tempo too much. -2 life is bad for a life intensive deck. Maybe a replacement for the 3rd void since void is better late game and could make it more fetchable than with consult. I mostly get a deed/goyf/land destruction/hymn/void with consult depending on game condition.

wasteland
Much better now that gush is restricted. Too many non basic not to run. Can be used on first turn to 'postpone the first turn' if lucky, to be able to draw additionnal disruption to start off. Killer against Ichorid. This and fetches power up goyf.

Mox
The black one is a no brainer. The green is very good to get off a quick deed to kill opponent's moxes. Can play a first turn goyf if you don't have a duress or can't play other disruption. Caan play a first turn BoB. If in the graveyard, can pump up goyf.

Mana Base
I always have the green and black mana that I need. This is just personnal experience and can't be justified without using math formulas. The lotus gets insane disruption going and pumps up goyf. Dark ritual is against for early disruption and to pump up goyf. Fetchlands pump goyf.

Deck Strategy
Start off with more discard disruption cards and then move onto land destruction. This allows you to remove lands with hymn if you are lucky. Remove combo pieces, win cards and CA cards from opponent's hand to prevent them from 'going off'. Put in an early goyf or BoB to annoy them and use up their creature disruption early. You can stall down your ennemies creatures with your early creatures. If you include specter, put him on 1st turn or any turn after that in which you can't play disruption. Once the ennemy is low in cards in hand (0 to 3), put in a quick deed to clean off the board. Play your void, specter, BoB or goyf to get a quick win. Continu with mana dsiruption if you played void or hand disruption if you didn't. Adjust depending on opponent's strategy. Don't worry about life unless you are around 5 or less.

Sideboard
Number of cards isn't determined yet. This needs tweaking.

Diabolic Edict
Against creature intensive decks or single creature win decks, like for Colossus.

Masticore
Sometimes in my meta I play against horde type decks. This owns them because of the mana intensity of my deck.

Chalice of the Void
Shut off 5 moxen deck's mana. Can be used against low mana card decks (lots of deck with 1 or 2 mana cost cards) to shut them off almost completely.

Leyline of the void
Against Icharid and graveyard type decks.

Serum powder
To get leyline against manaless ichorid. Never tried this.

Extirpate
Against Icharid and graveyard type decks.

Null rod
To shut off moxes and artifact type decks.

Improvement

I am looking to find a replacement for hypnotic specters. Something in the theme of the deck, considering the mana curve and the timing it can be played. I tried seisei's divining top and found it to slugish slowing down the disruption. I also tried Will on several occasions and find it unsuitable. It rarely gives the 'punch' you want it to have. More of a win more card. Removes stuff from graveyard for goyf. Requires a lot of mana to play several spells, even considering double ritual. Not good early game. Mishra's factory were rejected because the deck doesn't need additionnal colorless mana and the creature seemed worst than specter as a win condition once the game is locked (advantage of factory being to allow an earlier void lock).  Something that deals with creature threats is also a consideration, but sounds too focused for the current meta. I also need to tweak the SB. Thanks guys and discuss any aspect of the deck. Open discussion.

[Ancestralx]

I love demonic consultation but I dont see a vampiric tutor or imperial seal? Have you tested those yet? Or Sensei's divining top? And is quorion dryad playable in it too? Let me know. I like nether void alot too and I havent taken mine out in a while!!

[Kraken]

I did try the top, and I didn't like it because:
-If played early, it still costs 1 mana and usually that means 1 less disruption spell.
-Reordering your library in the first 3 turns usually isn't usefull because you are almost sure to have good disruption already in hand.
-It is usefull with BoB mid-game but is a bad draw early.

Overall, it didn't 'flow' with the deck. Not sure how to explain it.

Vampriic and seal were removed because of the loss of card advantage. I don't like having to use a draw to get the card. I feel it leaves me with overall too few cards left to play to disrupt my opponent. I mainly used it to get a deed if things are going bad or I didn't draw any, get a void to seal the game or put a goyf for the win. Getting disruption just isn't worth it. I am still considering them... but not sure that removing specters for those would enhance the overall deck.

I didn't consider quiriion dryad but I could see how it could fit in. That would give the deck a more aggro approach. Put factories back in might end up being better (casting cost of 0 for BoB, more mana to cast spells under void and enables another win by first turn voids). Maybe I should do more testing with factories instead of specters, considering I didn't run BoB with factories. I will also test with dryad.

[Harlequin]

This deck needs more Vexing Susher and Demigod of Revenge.

Infact I played this deck a bit in legacy, I called it Shushvoid.  It was black green and featured, Dark-rits, Duress/Sieze, Deeds, Crucible, and for a while I had Urbrog + Creeping Algae.  Demigod was the win condition.

To reveiw:
Shusher reduces the per spell down to
Demigod can return himself to play after he is countered by Void, if you stack the effects correctly.

[Cavius The Great]

I would never play Nether Void without Mishra's Factory or manlands. The original list is in dire need of it.

This deck needs more Vexing Susher and Demigod of Revenge.

Infact I played this deck a bit in legacy, I called it Shushvoid.  It was black green and featured, Dark-rits, Duress/Sieze, Deeds, Crucible, and for a while I had Urbrog + Creeping Algae.  Demigod was the win condition.

To reveiw:
Shusher reduces the per spell down to
Demigod can return himself to play after he is countered by Void, if you stack the effects correctly.

@Harlequin - I played against the deck you're talking about on MWS. Is there a thread for this deck? I also have been working on a Nether Void list in Legacy for the last year. I'm eager to see if there's an actual thread for Shushvoid on this forum, though. The list I'm working on is very different but I'm not going to post the list until I order all the cards for it.

[nineisnoone]

Why not add Bazaar of Baghdad to your list? You naturally have green (for 'Goyf) so splashing a Life From the Loam or 2 and Squees could go a long way to getting card advantage (again unaffected by Nether Void).

Shusher also sounds like an amazing addition.

I think you definitely need Vamp/Imperial in here.

[HuntedWumpus]

I would swap your Hypnotic's for Withered Wretch. You already have plenty of hand disruption from the duress/hymn, while adding wretch is going to give you graveyard hate in the maindeck, adding an entirely new element to the build. In doing so you may be able to steal some game 1's where you would have otherwise struggled. Furthermore, Wretch is just generally a good card to have on the table in vintage since so many archetypes have at least some interaction with the graveyard.

Why not add Bazaar of Baghdad to your list? You naturally have green (for 'Goyf) so splashing a Life From the Loam or 2 and Squees could go a long way to getting card advantage (again unaffected by Nether Void).

. . .

I think you definitely need Vamp/Imperial in here.

I disagree. One of the longterm advantages to nethervoid as a deck is that the deck construction is fairly simple, and lending itself to being consistent enough that you don't to sacrifice "business" slots for additional search cards. That's one of the virtues about void, at least in my mind; it packs a lot of business and keeps the clock moving.

[Lurker101]

If you put Leyline of Lifeforce in there and go more with Aggro creatures and utility creatures. The Leyline makes your creatures uncounterable because Void counters spells instead of raising casting costs on them. If you play Leyline you may want to check out running 4 Vine Dryads to pitch dead card leylines.
Creature Suggestions:
Yixlid Jailer
Hypnotic Specter
Dark Confidant
Vine Dryad
Nantuko Shade
Tarmogyf (good thinking on that one)
Dauthi Mindripper
Shimian Specter
Tombstalker
Faerie Macabre
There's more creatures that could work well too.