Land Destruction

[Thisson]

Back in the good old days, land destruction was a good basic theme for Type 1 decks, but the land destruction spells were spread over 5 colors and there weren't as many options available for establishing your mana base.  I suspect that things may have changed.  Do you guys think a Land Destruction deck could be tournament viable in the current environment?

Specifically, I was thinking of Blue/Black:

Sinkhole
Icequake
Rain of Tears
Rancid Earth
Nether Void
Underworld Dreams
Dark Ritual
Demonic Tutor
Energy Flux
Pendrell Mists
Time Walk
Time Twister
Ancestral Recall
Negate
Spell Blast
Serra Sphinx (win condition)

The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Strip/Wasteland
Mishra's Factory Worker (win condition)

Trinisphere
Sphere of Resistance
Jade Statue (win condition)
Black Vise (win condition)
Mox Jet
Mox Sapphire
Sol Ring

What do you think?

[Lurker101]

This is a pretty dated list. You might just want to go the Stax route and play spheres and thorns and smokestacks and tangle wire and a crucible/strip/waste lock.

[Thisson]

Well, I like the use of chalice of the void and mindlock orb in Stax, but I'd like to do something a bit differently.  Specifically, I'm looking to build a deck that takes advantage of Energy Flux and Pendrell Mists/Tabernacle.

If it just sucks with actual land destruction, then I'll play Stax.

[Grand Inquisitor]

Not to be a downer, but if you're metagame is anything like mine, you should start over.  By 'like mine' I mean centered around time vault/voltaic key.  The best win condition costs 4 colorless mana to get down and 1 to keep going.

The only card you mention that has a significant effect on this is energy flux (null rod is really good now too).  Land destruction has never been more irrelevant.

[Thisson]

Isn't that pretty easy to disrupt?  Nether void, for example?  Or Annul? Or Force of Will?

[mike_bergeron]

Isn't that pretty easy to disrupt?  Nether void, for example?  Or Annul? Or Force of Will?

They play force of will and Mana Drain too.  It is not that easy to disrupt, and sinkhole/icequake would likely be drained into a huge bomb for them.  Once they figured out you were running any LD spell, they would leave fetchlands on the board until the end of your turn....this strategy is difficult these days.

[Thisson]

Hmm, is there any other mana denial strategy that could work well, based on Nether Void and Energy Flux?  Maybe in combination with Chalice?

Or is this just a dead end?

[mike_bergeron]

Hmm, is there any other mana denial strategy that could work well, based on Nether Void and Energy Flux?  Maybe in combination with Chalice?

Or is this just a dead end?

This deck has been putting up solid results for some time.  Hope they don't mind me posting it here for you.

1/2.  Tommy Kolowith
Team ICBM
RG Stax

1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Black Lotus
4 Mishra's Workshop
3 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Taiga
4 Barbarian Ring
4 Goblin Welder
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Crucible of Worlds
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Smokestack
1 Duplicant
1 Platinum Angel
4 Tangle Wire
1 Trinisphere
3 Null Rod

SB:
4 Ancient Grudge
4 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Pyroblast
2 Red Elemental Blast
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Pyroclasm

[Thisson]

Ok, thanks.  I guess the question becomes: if Trinisphere is good, is Trinishphere + Nether void better?

[the boogie man]

The only problem is that void costs 4 non-workshop mana, which makes it really awkward to play. Plus, if drain was good against icequake, it is amazing against void. But wah tabout in the eye of chaos? does almost the same thing, is cheaper, and, for a workshop deck, easier to play around. if you are going to play nether void, you need to devote deckspace to making it work.

If you really wanted to make a viable void/ld deck, I would look at knight of the reliquary. he summons wastes at a whim. some other cards to consider:

vexing shusher
ancient tomb
aven mindscensor (kills fetches & tutors)
terravore
dark ritual
null rod
chalice (shusher can play through these)

[Lurker101]

Here's a link to my Nether Void deck if that helps any. It also includes crucible/waste/strip lock for mana denial.
http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=37237.0

[Cyberpunker]

I came up with this fun deck recently. See if it works for you. I have tested it VERY FEW TIMES. But still have gotten winning records. Remember Wastelands are not lands but land destruction that can produce mana .


4 City of Brass
3 Tarnished Citadel
3 Gemstone Mine
2 Reflecting Pool
6 Artifact Mana (Usual plus Mana Crypt)

4 Gorilla Shaman
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Null Rod

4 Stone Rain
4 Ice Storm
4 Sinkhole
4 Wastelands
1 Strip Mine

2 Crucible of the Worlds
2 Extirpate (try it on their lands!)

1 Ancestral Recall
1 Wheel of Fortune
3 Night's Whisper

4 Tarmogoyfs

S/B (Not finalized of course)

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Energy Flux
4 Tormod's Crypt
2 Extirpate
2 Shattering Spree


the  and  CC of Stone Rain and Icestorm really make a difference. Ichorid is your worse nightmare. Lightning Bolt's are for aggro.

[the boogie man]

might as well run tinker + sundering titan. Also, with all the in the mana costs, ancient tomb looks good.

as for the mana accel, dont you mean the usual 5 and lotus?

I'd also consider lftl, recurring wastes is cool. maybe even petrified field would do it, but then again, maybe not.

[Thisson]

petrified field is nice, but it's a bit slow without fastbond.