[Budget] Full English Breakfast

[Lord_Drazinus]

A few months ago, I aquired a playset of Survival of the Fittest. I tried to make my own rogue deck using the survival to pretty much whatever I needed in the form of creatures. The deck was mediocre, to say the least, so I looked into other decks that used Survival. After searching through the forums, I found an old tourney report of iLL_DaWg's way back when he was still an unreggie, and when there was still such a thing as an unreggie. The tournament report was for FEB. At the time, it looked a little too complex for me, so I disregarded it, and went on to build budget TnT. Fast Forward to now. I noticed a playset of Force of Wills just lying in my binder, and decided to look at FEB again. After conversing with my teammates for a few days, I've decided to try to build a budget FEB build. Anyway, enough about why I'm building, and lets talk about my meta and my list. first, a descripion of my meta:

Mostly, its just little kids playing elves or zombies, and then a few powered people playing either rogue decks that let the m show off their power, weird old decks, like ReapLace, or stuff like SpoilsMask and Dragon. Oh, and once in a sweet while I get to attend a power tourney...

My List, followed by card choices:
Mana:
1 Bayou
1 Underground Sea
4 Tropical Island
4 City of Brass
5 Forests
3 Islands
4 Wall of Roots
4 Birds of Paradise

Combo:
4 Volrath's Shapeshifter
1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
1 Phage, the Untouchable
1 Cephalid Inkshrouder
4 Survival of the Fittest

Other:
1 Hypnox
1 Quirion Ranger
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Regrowth

Draw/Tutor:
4 Brainstorm
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor

Reactive/Proactive Answers:
4 Duress
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Leak

Mana:
1 Bayou/1 Underground Sea:I figured I needed a about 10 black mana sources(4 CoB, 4 BoP, 1 Bayou, 1 U. Sea), but this has seemes kind of light during testing. Most of the time, I have ti hwen I need it, but I want to make sure I always have it when I need it.

4 Tropical Island:I figured the black was only a splash, which also explains for the 2 black duals, I figured these had to be in a 4-of.

4 City of Brass: Again, just helping me get the colored mana when I need it...

5 Forests/3 Islands: This count might be a little high, I usually end up drawing them when I'd rather be drawing something to help me win...

4 Wall of Roots/4 Birds of Paradise: Faster creature mana, it can help me go off a earlier then I could without them.

The Combo:
4 Volrath's Shapeshifter/1 Akroma/1 Phage/1 Inkshrouder: Play Shapeshifter, discard Inkshrouder to make Shapeshifter the inkshrouder, discard a card to make it untargetable and unblockable, discard Akroma to turn shifter into her and swing, now here is where things get a little fuzzy as far as the rules go, so if someone could help me, it'd be a help, stack first strike damage, discard phage, shifter is now phage, first strik damage resolves, opponent dies because, well, its phage...

4 Survival of the Fittest: Helps me get down the combo.

Other:
1 Hypnox: I hve been told that discarding this to a shifter will then take out my opponents hand, I'm not entirely sure if this is true, because the shifter is already in play, so the hypnox isn't techinically coming into play(or is it?)

1 Quirion Ranger: I've mainly been using him to just accelerate a lot, return a tapped tropic, forest, or bayou to untap a BoP and use that mana again...

1 Squee: Use him with survival, and you get a creature to discard every turn...

1 Regrowth: I'm playing green, why the hell not play this?

Draw/Tutor:
4 Brainstorm: I usually find my self brainstorming, putting back 2 lands, then use survival to shuffle up my library a little...

1 Fact or Fiction: I felt I needed some more card draw, but with me being unpowered, and a lack of drains, I'm considering dropping it for somethign else, like maybe Gush.

1 Demonic/1 Vampiric Tutor: I hope I don't have to explain these...

Proactive/Reactive Answers:
4 Duress: Usually used to take out an opposing stifle, counter, or some form of creature removal before going off.

4 Force of Will/4 Mana Leak: Having some protection for going off just helps you win. In testing, I've found myself with 2 blue open and a leak in hand, so I am considering dropping Leak for plain old counterspell.

[firebird365]

First things first: ELVISH SPIRIT GUIDE. These things are amazing in FEB, they're essential in accelerating into a first turn Survival, or to set you up in other situations.

A couple things I'd like to point out:

Hypnox: I'm pretty sure that you can't discard this to the Shifter and have them remove their hand - you can, however, put it on top of your 'yard and then play the Shifter. I've found that this isn't too effective, especially in a relatively scrubbish meta, so I cut it when designing mine.

Quirion Ranger: These things are essential for protecting your lands and stopping them from screwing up your combo. I would play 2 if you can squeeze it in.

Phage the Untouchable: I like to run 2 because it allows me to pitch one earlier in the game (IE to find Akroma). It's been working fine so far.

For tutors, I would also suggest Lim-Dul's vault if you're having trouble finding what you need. I've been using it in my T1.5 version of FEB and it's very effective.

As for the mana base, I'm currently running 5 Fetches (1 Foothills and 4 Deltas), 4 Tropical Island, 3 CoB, 3 Bayou, and 2 Underground Sea. It's been working very well for me - I suggest you up the Bayou count, as they are better forests. Blood Moon isn't played at all in my area, so it's definately influencing the lack of basics in my build, but if it's the same situation where you live, I would suggest using the above lands.

Finally, I noticed that you don't run Psychatog or Unearth - both were suggested to me when I built my FEB a couple months ago, and they're very good in assisting you when comboing out. The Psychatog can be used for some surprise kills, and really help when cleaning out the graveyard.

I hope this helped, and good luck playing FEB!

[Flurp™]

You should try out cabal theripys, they are just amazing.  Maybe replace them for the mana leaks.  I always liked genisis in old FEB builds, but with the phage kill it might not be needed.

[cssamerican]

Lord_Drazinus:

Rule Clarification

The oracle wording for Hypnox  and Volrath's Shapeshifter  

Hypnox  
{B}{B}
Creature - Nightmare Horror (8/8)  
Flying
When ~this~ comes into play, if you played it from your hand, remove all cards in target opponent's hand from the game.
When ~this~ leaves play, return the removed cards to their owner's hand.

Volrath's Shapeshifter  
{U}
Summon - Shapeshifter (0/1)  
As long as ~this~ is in play and the top card of your graveyard is a creature card, ~this~ has the full text of that card and has ": Discard a card from your hand." (Volrath's Shapeshifter has that card's name, mana cost, color, types, subtypes, supertypes, abilities, power, and toughness.)

If you play a Volrath's Shapshifter and then discard Hypnox to your graveyard nothing happens to your opponents hand. Because the Hypnox is not comming into play, the Shapeshifter is just getting the full card text of the Hypnox so nothing is triggered.

If Hypnox is the top card of your graveyard and you play a Volrath's Shapshifter your opponent must remove his hand from the game. Because the Shapeshifter has the full card text of the Hypnox when it comes into play so the ability triggers.

If after you have removed your opponents hand with the Shapeshiter/Hypnox combo, and then the Hypnox is buried in your graveyard by another card while Volrath's Shapshifter is in play those cards are permanately removed from play. Because there will be no way for the "When ~this~ leaves play, return the removed cards to their owner's hand." to trigger since the Shapeshifter no longer has the full card text of the Hypnox.

However, if after you have removed your opponents hand with the Shapeshiter/Hypnox combo, and the Hypnox is the top card of your graveyard when your Volrath's Shapshifter is removed from play then your opponent gets his hand back. Because the properties of the Shapeshifter are still the same as the Hypnox when the the leaves play trigger resolves.
 
I hope this is clear to you now.

Deck list Advice

I would run a mana base more like this:
4 - Forest
4 - Bayou
4 - Tropical Island
3 - Windswept Heath
3 - Wooded Foothills
This way you have 10 ways to get black mana, ten ways to get blue mana (Not counting the Birds of Paradise) and you have some built in non-basic land hate defense. Now you will be able to play around things like Blood Moon.

I would run at leats 2 Quirion Rangers because if you use the above mana base, or one similar you can protect all your lands from Wastelands. Not to mention, in combination with the Birds of Paradise you can generate extra mana.

I would look into running Unearth because it allows you to have added ways to over power control, and it can speed the deck up. For instance, it allows you to cast a Shapeshifter to draw out a counter spell then you can Uneath it into play. Also you can pitch a Volrath's Shapshifter to Survival and get a Phage, cast Unearth which sets you up for a kill next turn for . Either way I think you have to have the mindset that this is a combo deck so cards like Mana Leak are probably misplaced. The good news is that this can be a very good combo deck, and still stay within the "Budget" range.

[Tamar]

FEB is really funny to play, but in tournament, it'll be difficult to have a result without power IMHO.

I played FEB in a version worked with Toad as FEB 2k3.5 (2k3 because we were in 2003 and .5 because I changed just a land o_O)

The version with Akroma/Phage is funny, but there is another association that can be play : Flowstone Hellion/Phyrexian Dreadnought.

(You play your shifter, then discard Flowstone and for the capacity for 0 you make +1/-1 11 times and then you discard dreadnought to have a 23/1 trample)

It is a choice to have one or the other in play.

For the mana base, I think that it can be improved in getting less CoB.

I played this mana base :

-4 tropical island
-4 bayou
-4 Windswept Heath
-2 CoB
-3 forest
-1 underground sea

2 Phage is a good choice because it can kill without Akroma. (I remember a play with just turn 4 a shifter than arrived th turn before and discarding with his ability a phage that kill my opponent)

Genesis can be helpful if you discard too early your threats. It can be a solution to keep playing threats against control.

You can also use Lim Dul's vault in order to replace fact or fiction, and Sylvan Library to draw more.

This is for the cards that is possible to introduce.

1 Regrowth: I'm playing green, why the hell not play this? <== A better explication will be to rescue a card that will be decisive.

1 Fact or Fiction: I felt I needed some more card draw, but with me being unpowered, and a lack of drains, I'm considering dropping it for somethign else, like maybe Gush.  <== Easily I can say that it is very risky to bet with your deck when you play some single cards like akroma and others.

Just a little reflexion, without pretention ...

[greedo]

A friend of mine is currently tinkering with Full English Breakfast and he also refuses to play with just one Phage.

I think you should be playing one copy of Pyschatog in here.  He can easily fix mistakes with graveyard order, is a huge wall, and sometimes can even be the kill condition.  I dont like using this as an arguement, but he can also be pitched to Force of Will.

[faceless]

Just one word...ANGER.

Ok, now some more words...
Assuming that you have access to duals, I would strongly recommend either Volcanics or Taigas (perhaps one of each) and fetchlands, which makes running him feasible.  I have found Anger to be a god-send.  He wins games.  So much so, I eventually cut Akroma altogether, because she was just unnecessary.

I also found running 4 Shapeshifters unnecessary.  I played versions with both 3 and eventually 2 Shapeshifters with great success (without Survival, he's not much use, and if you've got a Survival then you can go and get him).

While they may be unneeded in the metagame you describe, Genesis and Gigapede are amazing when facing control decks.

Masks and 'Noughts are also very fun in this deck, but that takes it out of the budget realm.

[Kowal]

Akroma > Anger

Manabase stability > fucking with it.

Shapeshifters on their own CAN STILL TURN IN TO PHAGE.

I'm sorry, but I overrule your opinions.  Please refer to the suggestions firebird made.

[zamuli]

if splashing mountains for Anger is difficult, then try out Wonder. It can be Survived early in the game without losing a killer creature to fetch out Shapeshifter. When it's ready to attack, switch it to Phage. Its 1 turn slower than Anger, but if there's no other good red spells there, why make your basic Islands wasteland targets?

[BlkXplsn]

Wonder?!

Try attacking with a shapeshifter that's a bird of paradise if you need a flyer...

[DavidHernandez]

i took first place at Frank and Sons once with F.E.B.  

i used 2 Phage's main deck along with a single Akroma and 2 Phyrexian Dreadnaught's.  

the Phages were the MVP.  They saved me several games and they were the typical win condition.

more comments:

1) a single Psycatog in the main was fabulous for getting the right creature on top of the graveyard.

2) Cabal Therapy was tech.  You should run it.

3) you need to run Unearths in the main.  No less than 3 of them, and you might want to run 4.

Here is the list i used.  I understand that you dont have some of the power cards, so change the list accordingly...

4x Volraths Shapeshifter
2x Phage the Untouchable
1x Akroma, Angel of Wrath
1x Cephalid Inkshrouder
1x Psychatog
2x Phyrexian Dreadnaught
1x Hypnox
1x Squee Goblin Nabob

3x Birds of Paradise
3x Wall of Roots
19

4x Survival of the fittest
1x Sylvan Library
5

2x Brainstorm
1x Ancestral Recall
3

3x Duress
3x Unearth
3x Cabal Therapy
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Vampiric tutor
11

1x Lim-Dul's Vault
1

4 Wooded Foothills
4 Bayou
4 Tropical Island
1 Forest
2 City of Brass
1 Underground Sea
1 Polluted Delta

1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
1 Black Lotus
21

sb (metagame dependent of course)
3 Coffin Purge
3 Energy Flux
2 Hurkyls Recall
2 Blue Elemental Blast
2 Naturalize
1 Quirion Ranger
1 Gilded Drake
1 Tradewind Rider

As of today, i would probably run a third Brainstorm over the Lim-Dul's Vault.  Other than that, i would keep the main deck exactly as i have listed it.  It was the BOMB.

dave

[Flurp™]

@DavidHernandez

Do you really find those two dreadnaughts to be helpful?  They can act as a second win condition but I would rather have the 4th duress and cabal theripy than them.

[DavidHernandez]

yeah, i found the 12/12 Volraths Shapeshifter with Flying, First Strike, Trample, Hasted, Protection from Black, Protection from Red that doesn't tap to attack to be pretty good.

if you have 3 Duress and 3 Cabal Therapy, you are already running 6 disruption spells to protect your win conditions.  More threats is good in this deck, and a 12/12 is hard for the opponent to ignore.

also, don't ignore the power of Unearth.  

I'm trying to find the FEB thread in the Archive that talks about the deck in detail.  It's taking me longer to locate than i expected.

EDIT: OK, i found the original thread from the old TMD Archive.  It's located here: http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4119

LOTS of good info, over 7 pages of tech, deck analysis, creature decisions, and more.

dave.

[Lord_Drazinus]

due to a recent..."surge" in funds and trade stuff, I will probably be purchasing a few bazaar of baghdad, to build either GPR, or unpowered dragon. Thank you, however, for all the help you have provided, because one of my team mates is now going to build FEB because of the discussion that was generated here, he thanks you too...

Draz