Noble Fish: GUW variants here!

[psyburat]

Me Fish as of 12.05.2013

2 Deathrite Shaman
4 Meddling Mage
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Qasali Pridemage
3 True-Name Nemesis
2 Trygon Predator

1 Ancestral Recall
1 Black Lotus
1 Brainstorm
3 Daze
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
3 Stony Silence
3 Swords to Plowshares
1 Time Walk

3 Flooded Strand
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Savannah
1 Strip Mine
3 Tropical Island
2 Tundra
1 Underground Sea
3 Wasteland

SB:
1 Abrupt Decay
3 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Mental Misstep
2 Ravenous Trap
1 Steel Sabotage
1 Swords to Plowshares
2 Trygon Predator
1 Unexpectedly Absent
1 Wasteland

This is an untested build that I would run if I were to play in an event in the Northeast with guaranteed 32+ people.  Such a field would be expected to have nearly identical showings of the five major pillars, with the exception of Workshops being in slightly stronger attendance at the loss of Dredge players.  True-Name Nemesis is interesting as a replacement for Vendilion Clique that trades utility against combo for utility against aggro-control, something that should be more defining in the post-Eternal Weekend metagame.  I do not know if it is better, as only time or testing will tell.

[Prkchpsndwiches]

Thanks for the list Mike!! I had built an Esper Aggro-Control deck for the upcoming tournament, but didnt feel 100%, so I went looking for other ideas and fell into your list.  I tend to always go back to noble fish right before a tournament. I took what you had and changed it to my meta/play style.  I ended up Top 4, splitting a 14 man tourney and only lost 1 game all day.  Here's the list I showed up with today at the TSO in Sandusky, OH. I had originally gone for a 3/3 split on NH and DS but shifted it to 4/2 in favor of DS.  I had multiple DS out a few times and really wanted double black to abuse that activation but couldn't. 3/3 might be the better split.

4 Deathrite Shaman
2 Noble Hierarch
4 Qasali Pridemage
2 Vendilion Clique
3 Tarmogoyf
1 True-Name Nemesis
2 Trygon Predator

1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire

1 Abrupt Decay
1 Flusterstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
3 Daze
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
2 Swords to Plowshares

1 Time Walk

3 Stony Silence

3 Flooded Strand
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Savannah
1 Strip Mine
3 Tropical Island
2 Tundra
1 Underground Sea
3 Wasteland

SB: 4 Grafdigger's Cage
SB: 1 Yixlid Jailer
SB: 2 Ravenous Trap
SB: 2 Trygon Predator
SB: 1 Swords to Plowshares
SB: 2 Flusterstorm
SB: 2 Kataki, War's Wage
SB: 1 Steel Sabotage

[marcb]

In regards to the first list. If you're not playing stony silence and you are playing true name nemesis, why not try to fit in stoneforge and batterskull. Not bad in general and equipping true name is sick

[msg67183]

In regards to the first list. If you're not playing stony silence and you are playing true name nemesis, why not try to fit in stoneforge and batterskull. Not bad in general and equipping true name is sick

Stony Silence is a 3 of in both lists. I'm assume you missed it.

[Prkchpsndwiches]

Stony Silence was boss all day. 

Equipping true name is insane, especially with Jitte.

[StanleyAugust]

Inspired by Demars, I've been playing this lately. It's a blast to play and incredible consistent. Turns out Edric and True-Name Nemesis really like each other.

3 Tropical Island
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Flooded Strand
2 Tundra
2 Windswept Heath
1 Forest
1 Plains
1 Island

1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl

4 Noble Hierarch
2 Trygon Predator
2 Qasali Pridemage
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 True-Name Nemesis
2 Scavenging Ooze
1 Edric, Spymaster of Trest

4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
3 Swords to Plowshares
2 Spell Snare
2 Mana Drain
2 Misdirection
2 Flusterstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Time Walk

3 Grafdigger's Cage
3 Rest in Peace
2 Nature's Claim
2 Umezawa's Jitte
2 Energy Flux
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 True-Name Nemesis
1 Tormod's Crypt

[Prkchpsndwiches]

Inspired by Demars, I've been playing this lately. It's a blast to play and incredible consistent. Turns out Edric and True-Name Nemesis really like each other.

3 Tropical Island
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Flooded Strand
2 Tundra
2 Windswept Heath
1 Forest
1 Plains
1 Island

1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl

4 Noble Hierarch
2 Trygon Predator
2 Qasali Pridemage
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 True-Name Nemesis
2 Scavenging Ooze
1 Edric, Spymaster of Trest

4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
3 Swords to Plowshares
2 Spell Snare
2 Mana Drain
2 Misdirection
2 Flusterstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Time Walk

3 Grafdigger's Cage
3 Rest in Peace
2 Nature's Claim
2 Umezawa's Jitte
2 Energy Flux
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 True-Name Nemesis
1 Tormod's Crypt

I like the list here Stanley! I'm going to sleeve this up and do some testing this week.

I like the idea of running an Edric with TNN and TP.

Would Green Sun's Zenith find a place in here? With your "tool box of creatures" and access to drain it might be a nice addition.  Maybe cut one ooze?

I don't think you need that solo plains. You have fetches and noble hierarch and never need double white and doesn't cast hierarch. Don't worry about wasteland for white either. You'll have plenty. It's better off as a Tundra or even Savannah.

I played SCM in my fish list at Eternal Weekend and two was the perfect amount.  You also have a nice list of spells to recur. I also ran two MD in my list for Abrupt Decays and it was awesome when that interaction occurred!

I tried playing two JTMS in my fish before and he just felt clunky, as weird as that is to say about one of the best cards of all time.  I did not have mana drain, so that may change things.

I think you'll miss not having waste/strip effects and stony in your fish list.  It just wins games sometimes by locking out people keeping low mana hands and making those top deck artifact mana sources time walks.

[psyburat]

Thanks for the list Mike!! I had built an Esper Aggro-Control deck for the upcoming tournament, but didnt feel 100%, so I went looking for other ideas and fell into your list.  I tend to always go back to noble fish right before a tournament. I took what you had and changed it to my meta/play style.  I ended up Top 4, splitting a 14 man tourney and only lost 1 game all day.  Here's the list I showed up with today at the TSO in Sandusky, OH. I had originally gone for a 3/3 split on NH and DS but shifted it to 4/2 in favor of DS.  I had multiple DS out a few times and really wanted double black to abuse that activation but couldn't. 3/3 might be the better split.

4 Deathrite Shaman
2 Noble Hierarch
4 Qasali Pridemage
2 Vendilion Clique
3 Tarmogoyf
1 True-Name Nemesis
2 Trygon Predator

1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire

1 Abrupt Decay
1 Flusterstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
3 Daze
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
2 Swords to Plowshares

1 Time Walk

3 Stony Silence

3 Flooded Strand
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Savannah
1 Strip Mine
3 Tropical Island
2 Tundra
1 Underground Sea
3 Wasteland

SB: 4 Grafdigger's Cage
SB: 1 Yixlid Jailer
SB: 2 Ravenous Trap
SB: 2 Trygon Predator
SB: 1 Swords to Plowshares
SB: 2 Flusterstorm
SB: 2 Kataki, War's Wage
SB: 1 Steel Sabotage

Thank you for the kind words!  Congratulations on your success with the deck, and I both see and appreciate the changes that you made with the baseline model that I posted.

Unfortunately there are many factors in my life and in the Vintage community that make competitive Magic as a whole, and Vintage specifically, something that I don't want to be a part of anymore.  When I made my post, I didn't expect it to turn into the inaugural post of a new thread, and I regret that I will not be able to provide it any upkeep or change.  By not being a part of the playing community, my ability to update a metagame deck properly will be poorly executed, and therefore I will not be making any additions to this thread.  I wish anyone that plays this softly sung archetype much success in their future.

[Aaron Patten]

What has made Vintage something that you don't want to be a part of anymore?

[Coopes]

http://imgur.com/tI6m1hl

I ran this list to a 4-0 finish in an mtgo daily tonight, tweaked with the help of @Prkchpsndwiches and another twitter buddy. It ran really smooth, no one played around daze, which was expected, and stony silence blew people out who were only equipped with artifact removal.

[Random Noob]

http://imgur.com/tI6m1hl

I ran this list to a 4-0 finish in an mtgo daily tonight, tweaked with the help of @Prkchpsndwiches and another twitter buddy. It ran really smooth, no one played around daze, which was expected, and stony silence blew people out who were only equipped with artifact removal.

This list really cracks me up, and I totally get the Idea. Stony Silence could make the dedicated SB hate more flexible. Daze is a real good idea, while it doesn't work that big with Snapcasters, it is really strong by itself, as a Tempo card. Nothing is more demotivating, than running unnessesary into a Tax counter like Daze. If this Bant version would see more play, the players would have to shift their play/Sb style. Wich is always a good thing, and tells how strong this Bant list could get.

[psyburat]

Here's my napkin version of the maindeck now that Big Blue has the best draw spells again:

4 Meddling Mage
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Qasali Pridemage
3 True-Name Nemesis
2 Trygon Predator

4 Force of Will
4 Gitaxian Probe
3 Daze
3 Mental Misstep
3 Path to Exile
3 Stony Silence
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk

1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire

4 Misty Rainforest
4 Tropical Island
3 Tundra
3 Wasteland
1 Forest
1 Strip Mine
1 Windswept Heath

[vaughnbros]

Where are all the new cards?  Containment priest, Thalia, Aegis of the Gods, Spirit of the labyrinth, Rest in peace, ect.?

[sirgog]

This looks like a home for Monastery Mentor.

[xouman]

Thalia is quite nice against blue, specially delver (and delver seems a very bad pairing). And I miss Gaddock, altough is a nonbo with fow. And what about snapcaster? I'm not sure about it, but I like to play it when I play swords and counters.

If you are playing 4 probes, I'd include revokers. And I'd play brainstorm for sure. You will have dead cards against lots of pairings, and probe provides clunky draws, so lots of times you will happily bin 2 cards for 3 new ones.

[psyburat]

Where are all the new cards?  Containment priest, Thalia, Aegis of the Gods, Spirit of the labyrinth, Rest in peace, ect.?

In the board, I imagine.  I wreck face in game one and specialize afterwards.