This thread is about win conditions in mana drain decks only. A mana drain deck is (for me) the term for a deck with the best vintage staples. I’ll give an example of a drain deck skeleton first, based on this thread:
http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=36702.0There are of course a lot of possibilities I didn’t include, because I focus on what I think has potential in todays metagame. It’s nothing new or unknown, just the facts.
The fundamental question for a mana drain deck in my opinion is: Which win condition(s) are the best?
I’ll analyze the different win conditions under these conditions:
Mana investment
Restrictions (what you need in terms of other investments thant mana, how many can you run etc.)
Countermeasures
Clock
Slots required
Dead cards (Usefulness of the winconditions in terms other than winning the game)
First, the shell of a drain deck (suggested by steve menendian, although others said that scroll, gifts, ponder aren’t auto includes):
25 Mana Sources
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Brainstorm
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Ponder
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
2 Bounce or removal Spells
4-6 Draw Engine Spells
47-49 slots.
This leaves 13-11 slots.
Now, onto the different win conditions I think being viable:
Tinker+Robot:
Mana investment: 2U
Restrictions: artifact in play and robot in library required. Tinker is restricted.
Countermeasures: Countermagic, REB, bounce, sower of temptation, swords to plowshares, goblin welder.
Clock: if using DSC, 2. If using titan 3. Things to be said in spezial about those two robots:
DSC: if discarded (thirst), it goes straight back into the library. Is unaffected by artifact destruction. (unweldable)
Titan: destroys manabases, thus virtually reducing the clock (making it less likely for your opponent to win or cast and resolve bounce in time). Can be blocked though. If stuck in your hand, you can’t shuffle it back by discarding it. Weldable. Can sometimes be hardcast. (unlikely, but still more often than DSC)
Dead cards: 1 (the robot)
Tendrils of agony:
Mana: 2BB
Restrictions: 7-9 storm needed. (i.e. most of the time only functions with will.)
Countermeasures: anything that restricts the playing of spells or will (spheres, chant, cannonist, tormod’s crypt et. al.), stifle/trickbind
Clock: 0
Dead cards: 1 (tendrils in drain-openers suck)
Empty the warrens:
Mana: 3R
Restrictions: variable storm needed (1-9, The more the better obviously)
Countermeasures: anything that restricts the playing of spells or will (spheres, chant, cannonist, tormod’s crypt et. al. But less than tendrils), stifle/trickbind, e-truth, explosives.
Clock: variable (1-10)
Dead cards: 1 (sometimes land, mox, crypt/ring/vault/lotus, warrens is okay, so it’s less dead than tendrils)
Tezzeret with time vault:
Mana: 3UU
Restrictions: none
Countermeasures: Countermagic, REB, null rod, fish (creatures with power 2), fire/ice, artifact destruction, welder, pithing needle
Clock: 1 (If vault is in hand (+2mana) or play, it’s 0, and creatures and damage don’t help.
Dead cards: 1 (vault, aside from minor synergy with mystic remora)
Time vault with 1 voltaic key:
Mana 1+1+2
Restrictions: Time vault is restricted. Needs both cards in hand/play.
Countermeasures: Countermagic, null rod, artifact destruction, welder, pithing needle.
Clock: 0-2 (depends on mana)
Dead cards: 2 (vault, key. Key has synergy with: sol ring, mana crypt+vault, sensei’s top)
Tezzeret with grindstone+painter:
Mana: 3UU(+3)
Restrictions: none
Countermeasures: Countermagic, REB, null rod, two or more fish or one bigger creature, fire/ice, artifact destruction, welder, pithing needle, gaea’s blessing, academy ruins.
Clock: 1-2 (if DSC is in opposing library)
Dead cards: 0-2 depends on how useful you see the artifacts:
- grindstone alone only messes with bad players playing topdeck tutors without instant draw.
- painter’s servant enables REB on everything and Force with everything (also for opponent). It can block one fish, making winning possible with tezz nevertheless.
grindstone and painter:
Mana: 1+2+3
Restrictions: needs both cards in hand/play
Countermeasures: Countermagic, null rod, artifact destruction, pithing needle, gaea’s blessing, academy ruins.
Clock: 0-2, (+1 if DSC is in opponents library)
Dead cards: see above.
Oath of druids (modern, with akroma+overlord):
Mana: 1G
Restrictions: opponent needs a creature (i.e. or you need orchard). Fatties need to be in library.
Countermeasures: Krosan grip (along other enchantment destruction...), Countermagic, bounce (g1), swords to plowshares (g1), sower of temptation
Clock: 2
Dead cards: 2 (Oath fatties in hand are to my knowledge the most accurate definition of a dead card.)
Yawmoth’s will
Mana: 2B
Restrictions: It’s restricted...
Countermeasures: Countermagic, grave hate, spell-playing-restricting cards
Clock: 2B: you win. (0)
Dead cards: some win condition... Tendrils, empty are dead, if you use other win conditions, they win on themselves, thus are not dead.
So, that was a bit long, but it’s the facts. If you know any other good win conditions that fit in, tell me. Based on those facts, what do you prefer? Also, that’s for sure a metagame descision.
Also, it’s pure theory.
To me, the best of the crew are tinker and will, what a surprise, but they’re both restricted so more have to be put in. At the moment, Tezzeret seems very promising, but has problems with dudes (meta descision) unless some effort is taken to counteract.
Well, I’ll Stopp talking and let the discussion start.
Which number and which config would you use?
