This thread somehow blows because we already have like infinite lists, the majority of them being suboptimal.
As voltron00x mentioned, Smmennen has wrote an article about Ichorid some time before and has counted the cards played by 38 Ichorid builds and how many copies of them are played in each build. And I believe he averaged every card and concluded with a composite build (I am really not sure whether I am allowed to leak the list as he really put some effort into it and because it's premium and blah).
I'll post "my" lists for that I can explain why I find them to be optimal. The builds look similar to each other, the only difference is that one is running Petrified Fields and the other doesn't.
I haven't been creative by my own, I used to netdeck my buddies' lists (credits go to Fabian Moyschewitz and Patric Hiness):
http://www.morphling.de/top8decks.php?id=1085I'm the guy on Place 5 (as seen in Tobi's report from Darmstadt
here).
I lost the first game against MUD because game 3 was insane:
My opening hand was (after Mull to 6): Leyline, Leyline, Chalice, Unmask, Bazaar, GGT. I put 1 Leyline into play, Unmask him, play Chalice and Bazaar into GGt, Imp and something I can't remember.
However, when I unmasked him, he revealed: Karn, Mox Emerald, Sol Ring, Pithing Needle, Relic, Relic, Relic. I took his Sol Ring and disabled the Mox with Chalice, leaving him with 0 Mana. But he topdecked a Workshop which sealed the game. -.-
But after that 0-1, I ended 4-1, being 1st after the Swiss rounds, then sucked out in the quarterfinals against the Ichorid Mirror in a very unfortunate way (he decided to remove our Leylines with CoV at EOT and then dredged a Grave Troll in his turn which milled 4 (!!!) Bridges into his grave. He recurrs 2 Ichorids, attacks and gets 8 tokens for that. I hit nothing and lose).
Anyway, the build is also pretty close to what Smmennen concluded in.
Wincons: 4 Ichorids, 4 Moebas, 4 Bridges.
Should be obvious. Ichorids are the main gameplan against decks like MUD. That's why you need 4 so hat you can dredge into some of them early. MUD is going to Wasteland' your Bazaar which might slow you down. If they can throw Trisks and Ravagers afterwards, you're in trouble. Moebas and Bridges don't need any explanation I guess.
12 Dredgers are default, the 2 Darkblasts are meant to be additional Dredgers and to make space in the SB. In any case you should have at least 3 outs for Jailer somewhere in your 75. People usually run 1 Darkblast main and 2 Contagions in the SB, but in this case it's 3 Darkblast total divided 2/1 within MD/SB. This can be chnged after personal preferences, but you really have to have at least 3 definite outs for Jailer postboard. You might as well play 0/3, 2/1, 1/2 or 0/3. Depends on the space you have in (or want for) the SB.
The disruption shell:
4 Cabal Therapy, 4 Chalice, 4 Leylines, 4 Unmask:
You always want Chalice, especially when you're on the play (powered by Captain Obvious!). Against some decks you want Leylines because something like Mogg Fanatic (random Aggro, Zoo, Gobs, Burn and other shenanigans) or Arcbound Ravager (MUD) might ruin your day. And it also disables combo's Yawgmoth's Will and thus spares your nerves for that the opponent can't topdeck-win with it.
Speaking of combo, you don't want them to go off by any means, that's why 4 Unmask and 4 Cabal Therapy are a must. But seriously, post TfK-restriction, I'm not quite sure whether you can go down to 3 Therapies. I used to announce TfK as default-target, but now that it is restricted, the drawengines of decks shift back towards Dark Confidants and Tops against which Cabal Therapy can't do really much. But I'd remain to play 4 of all the cards metioned above.
Dread Return targets:
3 Dread Returns are for a early and consistent kill. 2 are under and 4 are overkill. That's why 3 seem to be optimal.
Targets I run:
Flame-Kin Zealots are the most popular DR targets and in combination with 2 or more Bridges, it ends the game immediately.
Angel of Despair is a emergency card that is there when something awful happens. Some prople play Woodfall Primus, but both of them are not needed very often, but due to this fact, Angel is in compairison to the Primus the superior card as it's black and can be pitched into Ichorids. You're not doing anything wrong when running Angel.
DR-targets other people run:
Sadistic Hypnotist: I don't see why some people have such a great sympathy for it. And I guess starting a debate about it is like starting a debate about abortion: Some are for it, some are against it. I have organized myself a playset and might test them, but I really can't make a judgement on that card yet, but I see a potential because it might solve the problem of the drawengine-shift mentioned above.
Woodfall Primus: I only needed the Vindicate effect once, that's why I usually pitch Angel into Ichorid. But it's naughty to DR Angel Turn 2 to get a Time Walk when destroying the land of the opponent with Chalice 0 on the table. Woodfall Primus can't be pitched and therefore is "deader" than Angel.
Sundering Titan: Don't understand that. Ichorid usually wins on Turn 4 at the latest (if you have Bazaar and Dredgers consistently obv.). He will most likely wreck 1 or 2 lands, that is when you can manage to DR him very early. Angel can destroy lands as well, so I don't see Titan's advantage here (except that he's a faster clock maybe).
Duplicant: A out against Darksteel Colossus. I still believe you can just race that fattie, especially with 3 DR and 2 FKZ. He got dismissed from the deck because Inkwell Leviathan and soemtimes Tinker for Time Vault changed this circumstance. Duplicant may be out-dated. On a sidenote, Dread Return onto Stinkweed Imp is a nice way to handle Inkwell as a threat.
Cephalid Sage: Somewhat the proxy-FKZ. You DR, DR resolves, you win. He simply does explosive shit when he come sinto play. You can play him if you want, a 1/1 split is also plausible, but it increases the risk of disabling the DR-kill when you have to remove the FKZ at the beginning of the game with Serum Powder. That's why I stick to 2 FKZs still.
River Kelpie: I have just seen this thing going nuts in combination with Fatestitchers, but that's quite inconsistent. You are also reliant on flashbacking Therpies and so on. But he actually does what Sage does and thus I see no reason why you should not play the more consistent choice (i.e.) Sage.
Reveillark: Seen this one in a Top8 from the Philippines. It's against random Aggro shit that easily remove your Bridges. DRfor Reveillark, DR for FKZ (saccing Lark) and return 2 huge, fat Grave Trolls with Haste. Most Aggrodecks just bend over to them. But I guess in a more competitive meta you will never be in a situation where you really want 2 Trolls with Haste, especially when Leylines can protect your Bridges in these MUs.
Borgardan Hellkite: It makes no sense to me. I got beaten by it in the Ichorid mirror in Annecy, but it really makes no sense to me. I don't know what this is good for.
Magma Giant: Saw this in a Top8 from Italy. Bashes random Aggro shit I guess. But see Reveillark.
But I don't have any sympathy for all these cards as FKZ is still the only card that follows the gameplan straight: Brute force into the opponents face for the win!
All the other cards have more of a disruptive aspect and that's rather win-more as you are already running a fuckload of disruption. Running these cards would mean that you are converting Dread Return to another disruption spell. But with FKZ, it's more like Tinker. It resolves and you win.
The last point are the Cities: They are in there instead of Dryads because of the SB. Playing 5color manabases gives you very flexible SB-possibilities. Like Chain of Vapor which can also be used to handle Jailers, Leylines and in rare occasions creatures.
Ancient Grudges are very proactive against GY-hate and Needles, as well as Time Vaults or EEs. Very very flexible card, but I'll try a ix of Grudges and Ingot Chewers because MUD's Thorns can be annoying like hell from time to time.
Wispmare over Emerald Charm: Just in case a opponent might play Leylines and then play Chalice 1, you'd be fucked with Emerald Charms. With Wispmare, you're not. Even if he throws some Thorns. And both WIspmare and Ingot Chewer spwan tokens when you have Bridges which is really nice for only 1 Mana.
Gemstone Mines: You need more mana to efficiently support the hate-hate from the SB.
But summarized, this allows you to be as broken as Manaless Ichorid preboard and as consistent as Mana Ichorid postboard (I believe Mana Ichorid has to toss Breakthrough postboard anyway as they can't afford to go the all-in way as a Relic or a Crypt might screw them).
The other build with the Fields I mentioned before looks similar to "my" build, except that the DR-package got watered down as well as the Darkblasts:
http://www.morphling.de/top8decks.php?id=1091 (on a sidenote, these 3 Ichorid people are said to be the best 3 Ichorid players of Italy. But Kanit Mustapha doesn't own a single card of Ichorid by himself, that might explain why his build looks rather strange.)
Fields make the matchup against everything with Wastes a bit better and it can also accelerate you when facing combo:
1st Turn Bazaar, 2nd Turn Field, 3rd Turn sac Field, refetch a 2nd Bazaar, find the FKZ and go insane.
They also give you a slight advantage in the Ichorid mirror as you will most likely find the lands earlier and can also cast Stinkweed Imps.
The Strip Mine is kinda winmore, but it can be a Time Walk when you are on the play, land a Chalice 0 and then kill the opponent's land on Turn 2. Sounds utopic, but I can imagine it to be funny to see your opponent go on tilt after that.
I hope I could give you some impressions, although I am still a newbie to Ichorid and have only few experience with Ichorid (only 2 tourneys yet, 0-3 at Annecy after not being prepared, 4-1 at Darmstadt after plowing through a lot of theory-stuff after the frustating suck-out at Annecy).
