Mud Stax aka Postal Workers

[LotusHead]

Decklist below.  The mana base is pretty standard Mud Stax stuff. Mishra's Factory is uncounterable beatdown to blue decks. Also fodder to Trading Post.

Trading Post is the new Goblin Welder. It gets back artifacts, it gains you life, it draws you cards, it gets rid of troublesome Mana Crypts, it gets more value from Tangle Wire, and cumbersome Smokestacks, also, it hoses Forbidden Orchards (Oath of Druids is still a card in Vintage).

I am attempting mono-brown Stacks at the moment, and trading post does SO MUCH that I want. I played about 20 games today vs Blue.dec (ok, Runescared Demon Oath), and the 5 or 6 times that Trading Post made it into my hand (or got into play), I was pretty happy.

Now part of that is that this is a MUD Stax build (with 2 cards being Trading Post), so sometimes I just win by having the correct lock piece(s)

But what artifact/land based cards can make this better? I get to play Vintage rarely nowadays, and don't get the full team advantage that I used to have.

I kinda want Staff of Nin (draw a card in upkeep, ping for 1, 6 drop artifact), and a Skullclamp would be nice (but only Goat Tokens really combo with it).

Also, I am a fan of River's Affinity with Myr Servitor and Myr Retriever to combo with Skullclamp/Trading Post.

In Standard, I faced a Trading Post deck (mono black, or B/W) that abused Solemn Simulacrum. Solemn Simulacrum probably means I also play basics (welders, Tinker, etc) and probably equipment (Sword of Fire/Ice or something of that ilk. Batterskull? Cranial Plating? That would lead me into a Vault Skirge direction (which I actually like).

What I want to know, is this build with 2 Trading Posts missing something? I am sold on Trading Post's utility value as a 2 of (it does SO MUCH), but is there anything I am really forgetting?  I haven't been immersed in the Vintage Meta much for last 2 years. I am willing to risk at least 2 slots for post (and would be willing to risk up to 4 slots when I get two more real ones), but is there something else I could do with the deck? I am willing to go into a color (blue or red), or two colors (blue and red), or even three (blue red black), hell, maybe 5 colors).

Lastly, the actual metalworkers could be cut down in numbers for better cards (or eliminated for other Shop staples), but with a name like Postal Workers, I wanna keep at least 1 or 2 in for now.

Any help is appreciated.

SB details:
Dredge owns me. So in come 3 Staff of Domination for the race, unless I actually get Dredge hate cards in my opening hand. Jester's Caps, Karn, Silver Golem could easily be other cards (more Tormod's Crypt, Relic of Progenitus? Lucky Thorn of Amethyst? what?





// Lands
    4  Wasteland
    4  Mishra's Workshop
    4  Mishra's Factory (1)
    1  Strip Mine
    1  Tolarian Academy
    3  Ancient Tomb

// Creatures
    4  Metalworker
    1  Karn, Silver Golem
    1  Duplicant
    2  Phyrexian Metamorph
    4  Lodestone Golem

// Spells
    1 [BIN] Mana Crypt
    1  Mox Jet
    1  Sol Ring
    4  Tangle Wire
    1  Trinisphere
    1  Black Lotus
    1  Mox Sapphire
    1  Mana Vault
    3  Crucible of Worlds
    4  Chalice of the Void
    4  Smokestack
    1  Mox Emerald
    1  Mox Ruby
    1  Mox Pearl
    2  Trading Post
    4  Sphere of Resistance

// Sideboard
SB: 1  Karn, Silver Golem
SB: 2  Duplicant
SB: 2  Triskelion
SB: 3  Grafdigger's Cage
SB: 3  Staff of Domination
SB: 2  Jester's Cap
SB: 2  Pithing Needle

[madmanmike25]

I think MUD decks have to run 4 Ancient Tombs, anything less would be uncivilized.  And as you stated, I think you can reduce the amount of Metalworkers since you have 3 Crucibles.

I'm interested in testing the card as well, the only problem is that I don't have room in my MUD deck for it and it's hard to imagine taking something out for Trading Post, but I'll see what I can do.

[LotusHead]

Updated list
+1 Ancient Tomb +1 Phyrexian Metamorph
-1 Crucible of Worlds -1 Metalworker
SB: Added Grafdigger's Cage.



// Lands
    4  Wasteland
    4  Mishra's Workshop
    4  Mishra's Factory (1)
    1  Strip Mine
    1  Tolarian Academy
    4  Ancient Tomb

// Creatures
    3  Metalworker
    1  Karn, Silver Golem
    1  Duplicant
    3  Phyrexian Metamorph
    4  Lodestone Golem

// Spells
    1 [BIN] Mana Crypt
    1  Mox Jet
    1  Sol Ring
    4  Tangle Wire
    1  Trinisphere
    1  Black Lotus
    1  Mox Sapphire
    1  Mana Vault
    2  Crucible of Worlds
    4  Chalice of the Void
    4  Smokestack
    1  Mox Emerald
    1  Mox Ruby
    1  Mox Pearl
    2  Trading Post
    4  Sphere of Resistance

// Sideboard
SB: 1  Karn, Silver Golem
SB: 2  Duplicant
SB: 2  Triskelion
SB: 2  Pithing Needle
SB: 2  Jester's Cap
SB: 3  Staff of Domination
SB: 3  Grafdigger's Cage

[LotusHead]

http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=44388.msg608788#msg608788

I won our local 18 man tourney with my build. I got super nutty draws all day, only played against 1 "easy" deck (elves!), and ID'd 2 rounds of Swiss.
Apparently Trading Post sac's Goats to kill Bridge from Below even if they have Leyline of the Void out, as it only affects "cards" that go to grave. Good to know!

The one time Trading Post was a factor was against another MUD Stax build, and it took my losing situation into a winning situation all by itself, using all 4 abilities to do everything that I knew Trading Post could do!

[madmanmike25]

Congrats on the win!  Did you ever get two Posts online and if so, how was it?  Any matches where you would want 4 of these?

[LotusHead]

Trading Post showed up in 3 games.
In one game it totally turned the game around.
In another game, it threatened to turn the game around, so they tride to kill it with ancient grundge, So I sacrificed it to itself to draw a card.
In the last game, against dredge, I had the lockdown pretty quick, and dredge did not have leyline turn zero. But if dredge DID have the leyline, It only prevents cards from going to the grave, not Goat Tokens.

If I were playing with say Solemn Simulacrum or Ichor Wellspring, I might want to run 4 Trading Posts. Once I settled on Metalworkers to make a deck with an awesome name like PostalWorkers, I only worked on this build.

[Bill Copes]

In one game it totally turned the game around.

I'm mad interested in the specifics of this.  Please elaborate, sir.

[LotusHead]

Top 8: Jose playing Mud Stax
Game 1: He wins the die roll and plays turn 1 Black Lotus, Mishra's Workshop, Chalice for 0, Karn the Silver Golem. My only  0 drop was my own Chalice of the Void
I play some Mishra's Workshop, and something. then after getting beat down by karn (followed up by Lodestone Golem), I play 2nd Workshop (ripped expertly from the top of my deck) and play Duplicant on his Karn. Gameplay ensues, and I take some hits from his Lodestone and eventally get Trading Post online.  At about 5 life, with only Ancient Tomb as non-shop mana, I was able to somehow stabilize, gain life, chump with goat, get new goat, sac goat for Metalwork, use Metalworker to play spells without using Ancient tomb, and take over the game from my losing position. Trading Post did everything I wanted it to, including sacrificing a Smokestack w/2 counters to draw a card. Goat Control.  I side out chalices and spheres and side in Null Rods and Juggernauts. Smile
Game 2: he plays something, I play Metalworker, he plays something else, I dump Loadstone Golem, Phyrexian Metamorph of Lodestone Golem into play. And probably something else.
He copies mine (so he has 2 lodestone golems), I play Juggernaut x2.
I win out in the end. (I think he drew moxen to my chalice for 0). Again, the broken hands I got all day are a blur.)

In game 1, I believe I played a metalworker to chump block somewhere and eventually ripped a Mishra's Factory to be able to activate Trading Post a little less painfully. But yeah, I used all 4 modes in this game to turn it around and totally win it. I was definately losing in the early game.