Sex Panther/Cat Stax

[nataz]

It's been 3 months since the last post in the old thread. Is anyone still testing this deck?

for reference see the original thread here:
http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=42562.0

Steve's list which did well at Gencon piloted by Glakin

Code:

4 Panther
4 Golem
4 Revoker
3 Metamorph

1 Trinisphere
4 Sphere
4 Thorn
4 Tangle Wire
4 Chalice
2 Null Rod

4 Shop
4 Tomb
3 City of Traitors
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Academy
5 moxen
1 sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Black Lotus

Things that are great about this list include:

- hasty beats via slash panther -> combo with metamorph for quick kills and the ability to kill jace before they get a chance to bounce
- 9 sphere effects + lots and lots of 2+ mana effects -> very consistent starting hands
- G1 on the play v. blue decks your win % is insane. On the draw is pretty good as well
- with 4x tomb + Workshop, X city of traitors, and a but load of artifact mana you are essentially playing a sligh mana curve. Often times you have the mana to curve T1: threat. T2: 2x threat. T3: empty your hand.

Things that are less then stellar:

- the fish match up. GW creatures with exaulted can trade with everything in the deck. Thats just stupid annoying at times. Add in MD pridemage, a low mana curve, mana dorks, and counters + removal, and you are left with an ugly match-up which only gets worse post board
- other workshop decks are a problem as well. They either get more removal, maindeck crucible, and better mana (traditional mud), or they are faster (metal worker). Combo Mud is easier b/c of null rod + revoker, but decks that can ignore (or even lock you out) under your own spheres are a problem in general.
- no draw/filter/or counters means that you are very dependent on your opening 7 and your spheres remaining relevant. Sure you are super reliable and consistent, but a bump in the road, or an extended game means its often hard to claw your way back.

BC's top 8 list from a couple posts down in the old thread

Code:

4 Shop
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Mishra's Factory
4 Wasteland
1 Strip
1 Academy
5 Mox
1 Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault

4 Lodestone
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Slash Panther
3 Phyrexian Revoker
2 Steel Hellkite

4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere
4 Tangle Wire
3 Null Rod
0 Chalice

I started with BC's list, but lately I've switched to tested a modified version of Steve's list. Things I loved with BC's version in particular were the 4 mishra's factory and hellkite which do a lot to shore up the fish match (still doesn't "solve" the problem".

Factory Pro's: "free" threats under your 9 sphere effects, could block and kill an x/2, recurred with crucible post board, upped the land count making it easier to cast your spells under sphere.

Hellkite Pro: X/5 means that it can block an exalted fish creature and live unlike every other creature in the deck. Great board sweeper that could pull you out of otherwise unwinable board positions.  

My version of the deck looks like this

"Sex Panther"

4 Mishra's Workshop
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
3 City of Traitors

4 Lodestone Golem
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Slash Panther
3 Phyrexian Revoker

4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere
4 Tangle Wire
2 Null Rod
4 Chalice of the Void
2 Bazaar of Baghdad
0 Mishra's Factory
0 Hellkite
0 Mana vault

SB: 1 Duplicant
SB: 2 Tormod's Crypt
SB: 4 Leyline of the Void
SB: 1 Crucible of Worlds
SB: 2 Precursor Golem
SB: 3 Dismember
SB: 2 Nature's Claim

Not really a huge change. Right now I'm experimenting with the addition of Bazaar to cycle redundant lands/lock pieces/blanks under chalice/etc, and removed 1 null rod and 1 mana vault to fit them in. Mana vault was the weakest of the mana sources, and the last card at 1cc, and null rod is somewhat covered by revoker. Ideally I'd like more null rod effects then revoker effects, but I needed to keep the threat density high.

Sideboard is something that wasn't discussed in the last thread, and for me is still very much a work in process.

6 cards (tormod's and leyline) devoted to dredge is the bare minimum, and I'm thinking of mixing it up a little more since I can't actually cast leyline past turn 0 and depend on sphere to protect it.

Dismember is for fishy decks, and claim is something I just added to shore up the WS and oath match up.

Duplicant, Golem, and Crucible come in depending what I've seen G1. Crucible is great in the WS match-up, Golem comes in against fish and WS for added threats, and duplicant comes in when I'm really worried about BSC or against Oath.

Against blue I tend not to sb all that much. Against fish I add the creatures and take out some number of thorns (on the draw), bazaar, and null rod. Against WS I take out some number of spheres on the draw, null rod (if its not combo WS), and chalice. Add in attackers. Sometimes I'll pull X slash panthers for X golems if I need the space.
  
Things I'd like to explore:

- Feedback on using bazaar to filter
- How to fit factory back in/Can we play inkmoth nexus?
- buried ruin?
- What does a Red splash (or Red splash post-board) look like? Welder, Bolt + classic red SB options.
- SB ideas for mono Brown
- Any additional match-up analysis

(edited the title for capitalization - Prospero)

[credmond]

Bazaar seems really weak here. Lots of things in shops could be paired with bazaar to make it much, much better.

Welder
Crucible
Uba Mask
Ensnaring Bridge
Dark Confidant (in Black Shops or Black/Red Shops)

[nataz]

I agree that Bazaar would be stronger with those cards (and buried ruin), but I'm pretty sure there aren't enough flex spots in the deck to accommodate Bazaar + significant copies of the additional cards.

Instead of some kind of card advantage engine, think of bazaar as a 0cc spell unhindered by spheres that reads: draw 2, discard 3.

It tends to be a 1-2 shot deal used mid-game to find a specific type of card (sphere effect or threat or "answer" card - metamorph/null rod/revoker or land) when you have the wrong category of cards in hand. This becomes especially relevant if you play an early chalice or null rod and your jewelry becomes unplayable.

*edit

annnnnd post testing against the new demon oath Factories are back in the MD over bazaar. Still want to fit in two more. Might drop chalice and add 4 factory, 1 null rod, and 1 X (crucible?).

[Prospero]

This list just won a 14 man Bloomsburg:

Top 8 Decklists:

First – Brandon Brown
“Cat Stax”

2 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Slash Panther
1 Karn, Silver Golem
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Sphere of Resistance
2 Steel Hellkite
3 Tangle Wire
2 Crucible of Worlds
3 Thorn of Amethyst
4 Chalice of the Void
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Trinisphere
1 Mana Crypt
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Mishra’s Factory
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Mishra’s Workshop

SB:
4 Leyline of the Void
3 Surgical Extraction
2 Jester’s Cap
2 Precursor Golem
2 Pithing Needle
2 Null Rod

The full report can be found here:

http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=43534.0

[madmanmike25]

First off, I'm pretty sure we all know Sex Panther was created by Odeon.  Secondly in your list you have "0 Mana Crypt" which should be 0 Mana Vault.  Third, Nature's Claim in the sb????  That's seems really terrible for MUD.

Btw I wouldn't drop Chalice vs Oath, I would set it at 2.

Specifically for the Oath matchup, why don't you test 2 Witchbane Orbs?  And wow, it works on Hurks too!  I can think of 2 cards in your sb you could take out to make room.

I'm with you on Bazaar, I've been trying my best to make a few copies work in a Shop deck.  Results:  inconclusive.

Good luck,
Mike

[nataz]

Odeon: good for him? I wasn't crediting anybody, just mentioning the lists I was working off.

On claim: it hasn't been that bad. Between city and tomb it's not hard to power out a 0cc spell under spheres, and they aren't exactly trying to set chalice at one. Also its pretty strong against a resolved oath which is a problem for the deck in general. Its nice to have at least one reactive answer in case it slips through.

@chalice: yea, you would think its good against oath but g1 for me that hasn't been the case. A lot of time chalice at two isn't a default play for me. I'm more likely to play it at zero turn one or one on turn 2. Sure if I know they are playing oath its great, but besides playing a forbidden orchard early its hard to differentiate between an oath deck and a gush deck. Sideboard maybe?

Orb seems good and is something I want to test.

What do you like against MUD? Like I said, I don't think claim is all that bad. I use it to hit karn /precursor /smokestack. On the draw I've been having some successes dropping some number of spheres and chalices and boarding in all my beaters and claim.

@prospero, thanks for the heads up

[madmanmike25]

Odeon: good for him? I wasn't crediting anybody, just mentioning the lists I was working off.

"It's called Sex Panther by Odeon. It's illegal in nine countries... Yep, it's made with bits of real panther, so you know it's good. "

Sorry, for some reason I thought you would get the Anchorman reference.  Odeon isn't a deck designer, they make imaginary cologne.

[nataz]

Lol - yep missed that odeon was from the movie

[yespuhyren]

While it's been said before, bazaar doesn't seem to fit here.  It doesn't tap for mana, and you have no way of abusing it.  That means you're actually using bazaar as was meant, which is card filtering to a negative degree.  While this can work when digging rapidly, it seems there is little benefit to playing it unless it is late game.  Especially with all the spheres, I think it could be more deadly in than out.

Factory I've always been a fan of playing 4 of in shop aggro when there's room

[Ruboonia]

Given the popularity of Manstill and Tarmogoyfs/creatures in vintage, I figure a properly configured MUD list could do pretty well in the current climate. My main issue is the sideboard. What do you guys play and for what reasons? This is the list I am working on (the sideboard is copied from a t8 somewhere):

4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere
4 Tangle Wire
2 Null Rod
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Crucible of Worlds

4 Lodestone Golem
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Slash Panther

1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring

4 Ancient Tomb
3 City of Traitors
2 Mishra's Factory
4 Mishra's Workshop
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Wasteland

SB: 3 Duplicant
SB: 4 Relic of Progenitus
SB: 3 Tormod's Crypt
SB: 3 Witchbane Orb
SB: 2 Steel Hellkite

[nataz]

sideboard for me depends what I am worried about.

against shop I board in crucible (i'm not playing it MD), precursor golem, wurmcoil engine, and ghost quarter.

against oath you can play jesters cap or witchbane orb. I don't like duplicant b/c its not very good against demon oath.

against dredge I've been experiementing with different amounts of ratchet bomb, ghost quarter, surgical extraction, relic of progenitus, and tormod's crypt. You can also play leyline but I'm not a fan since I can't cast it and there are so many colorless options that hedge against other decks as well.

GW/creature heavy decks I have dismember + additional fatties like precursor and wurmcoil. Hellkite is nice as well if you can get the ability to fire off.

I'm not boarding anything specific for storm right now.

Gush decks...it depends what they are running. Bob -> dismember, ETW -> ratchet bomb. The hard part is finding cards to take out. Since i'm not running COW, there aren't any obv pulls besides spheres, mana, and threats. I'm currently testing defense grid but I'm not thrilled. The big problems for me are claim, recall, grude, and trygon (in that order).

I've always wanted to try null brooch to hard stop the sculpt hand into h-recall.  Its not like you have much of a hand with this deck anyways. Shame it doesn't hit bob/trygon.

[nataz]

update*

So I've been continuing to play this on and off. Frustrated by running out of gas, I've squeezed together a list with the full 8 card Bazaar + Squee suite. So far I've been really enjoying it. I still want to fit in at least 1 Mishra's Factory for when games go long.


Here is the list I've been using lately.

4 Mishra's Workshop
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
2 City of Traitors

Beats
4 Lodestone Golem
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
3 Slash Panther
2 Phyrexian Revoker

4 Sphere of Resistance
3 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere
3 Tangle Wire
3 Null Rod

4 Bazaar of Baghdad
4 Squee, Goblin Nabob
2 Crucible of Worlds


SB: 1 Duplicant
SB: 2 Tormod's Crypt
SB: 1 Crucible of Worlds
SB: 2 Precursor Golem
SB: 3 Dismember
SB: 1 Phyrexian Furnace
SB: 3 Surgical Extraction
SB: 2 Jester's Cap


24 mana can be a little lite, but crucible helps a ton. In practice I find it works out fine. One of the big issues with the mana base is that you have to watch out for crypt. The bazaar + squee + crucible engine gives you a long game, but that means dying from crypt becomes more of a possibility w/out a way to remove it. Still, I think its worth including, although I might try substituting it out for mana vault.

9 attacking creatures backed by 3 metamorphs. Again, because of the presence of a draw engine I'm a lot less worried about running that creature base. Ideally I'll find room for a single Factory to up both the mana and the threats. Not sure where to add it though. Right now the most likely candidate feels like the 4th squee.

I'm enjoying the 3/2 split of null rod and revoker. I think in this deck rod is stronger then chalice for when you aren't on the play, and with 3+ revoker lists I found myself running him out there without a clear idea of what to name.

12 sphere effects with plenty of 2+ mana lands means that t1 sphere is still the go to game plan. t2 more spheres, tangle wire, null rod, or revoker depending on your hand and board state, t3+ you start looking to get bazaar online. The old lists would stall out on t3. Either you had the right combo of threats and disruption and you locked them down, or they managed to counter/subvert your angle of attack and you lost. The Bazaar/Squee/Crucible draw and filter package gives the deck a certain inevitability that it was lacking earlier. 

Upcoming changes I'd like to test are -1 pearl, -1 crypt, -1 squee for 2 Factory and 1Mana Vault.

Yes, 8+ cards is significant space for a draw package, but its not like MUD has that many options, and the added cards do have significant synergy with the rest of the deck.

I like the general feel of the SB right now, but eventually I'd like to test out a G/W based SB utilizing riftstone portal in games 2/3. It might be more trouble then its worth, but cards like balance, flashbacked grude and ray of revelation might be interesting.

[Ruboonia]

I like what you've done with the deck. I really feel that maindeck crucibles are unbelievably powerful in today's climate. I have been running them since I last posted my decklist and they have been a complete house against manstill and dredge in my testing. However, I found that I was losing games because I was drawing multiples. Not to mention, if MUD gets behind and starts drawing land, it's tough to come out of the hole. The multiple Bazaars are a clever way of filtering these dead spells (extra lands, crucibles, rods, etc). I never had the balls to test multiple Bazaars in MUD, but this looks promising and I will give it a try.

Too bad Bazaar doesn't tap for Red, because with all of the graveyard filling, Welder looks like it could be a beast. But it also gives blue players an easy Misstep target, so maybe working to include him is not worth the energy.

If you want to try factory, why don't you drop a Squee? It's hard to believe you need all four. With the Crucibles, you could try making room for 1-2 Ghost quarters, too. I'm running 1 in my maindeck.

[ModflyDesign]

This list just won a 14 man Bloomsburg:

Top 8 Decklists:

First – Brandon Brown
“Cat Stax”

2 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Slash Panther
1 Karn, Silver Golem
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Sphere of Resistance
2 Steel Hellkite
3 Tangle Wire
2 Crucible of Worlds
3 Thorn of Amethyst
4 Chalice of the Void
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Trinisphere
1 Mana Crypt
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Mishra’s Factory
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Mishra’s Workshop

SB:
4 Leyline of the Void
3 Surgical Extraction
2 Jester’s Cap
2 Precursor Golem
2 Pithing Needle
2 Null Rod

The full report can be found here:

http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=43534.0

This is my list.  I since have taken out the Tangle Wires and i've gone to 3 main deck Null rods.  I then Added a 3rd Jester's Cap and 2 Duplicant in the sideboard, removing a Pithing Needle as well.  This deck has been very consistent for me.  It is a deck that if you know how to mulligan you can get great, consistent results.  At my last tourney I actually tried 3 Gut Shot in the side and found them to be quite useful but just not good enough over other options.  Hope this helps.

[mrjumbo03]

Top 4'd a recent 16-man event with Cat Stax. Fairly standard list. Is this deck really dead? It's still pretty explosive granted I lost to a Bant deck in the top-4 (creatures being the in thing being the reason why some say Cat Stax is no longer viable)

[Prospero]

Top 4'd a recent 16-man event with Cat Stax. Fairly standard list. Is this deck really dead? It's still pretty explosive granted I lost to a Bant deck in the top-4 (creatures being the in thing being the reason why some say Cat Stax is no longer viable)

I don't think the deck is necessarily no longer viable so much as it needs a rebuild.  I don't think that the deck wants Slash Panther anymore, as there are far fewer Jaces in the environment and as there are many more creatures that can take out an X/2.  It's possible to build a variant of the deck that is still pretty strong, even if it might be closer to tier 1.5 than tier 1.