Winter, the green land destruction deck

[Gilberry]

For a good amount of time I have been working on a green land destruction deck with a few friends, who play magic in Europe. They have played the deck in some local German tournaments but until Turnhout I have not seen a version that did really well. I have revised my Winter (my name for the deck) deck a little, and I believe its an great meta-game choice deck. It deals well with keeper, Sui, fish and even Mud. Its only problem is dragon. Here is the list

Winter.dec

        3 Winter's Grasp
        4 Thermokarst
        4 Terravore
        4 Llanowar Elves
        4 Ice Storm
        4 Fyndhorn Elves
        4 Tangle Wire
        1 Sol Ring
        4 Powder Keg
        4 Chalice of the Void
        3 Ankh of Mishra
        4 Wasteland
        1 Strip Mine
        2 Pendelhaven
        2 Dust Bowl
        12 Forest

 The basis of this deck is land destruction. With 8 Llanowar elf-like cards and 18 land destruction effects the deck can start destroying 1-2 lands on turn 2. If you are playing a powered opponent 4 chalices can make the game harder for him.
 This is a meta-game deck but I would appreciate any ideas on how to make the deck better against Dragon (or any other decks for that matter). Possibly some sideboard tech?

[Lunk]

Ankhs and Chalice (set at 2/3) should help the Dragon matchup a bit.  Perhaps Naturalize would be a good call, as most decks run at least some artifact mana, so it could fit into your theme, as well as helping the Dragon matchup considerably.  Other SB possibilities might be Root Maze and Ground Seal.

[leviat]

This is a meta-game deck but I would appreciate any ideas on how to make the deck better against Dragon (or any other decks for that matter). Possibly some sideboard tech?

Green has a few different options to deal with Dragon. The most popular choices that come to mind are:
- Root Maze
- Ground Seal
- Tormod's Crypt

If you can drop one of those in the early game, it should slow him down enough to allow you to wreck his manabase.

[Gilberry]

Root maze is great option I have considered (it was in my SB because of the Long matches anyway). Tormod's crypt is also playable. I will be playtesting a new sideboard right away.

I think the deck might even be great for a dragon meta, with a good SB. The ankhs do help, but I find it is often too little, too late. The dragon player will duress or force them, almost always.

[Roxas]

This might be much easier said than done, but you really need some kind of solution to Pernicious Deed.  A good number of your scary artifacts (Chalice and Ankh in particular), your main win condition, and a significant number of your mana sources die to a relatively low-investment Deed.  If the opponent manages to get enough mana to cast it, you could be hurt quite badly.

In addition, I think that running four Powder Keg and four Chalice of the Void might be overkill - you don't need that many ways to hate Moxen, and you can always side them in if you need them against aggro.  I suggest cutting down to three of each, or to four Chalice and two Keg.  You can run the fourth Winter's Grasp and an Argothian Wurm or something instead.

[Jakedasnake]

I think Null Rod would be much better in your deck than Chalice of the Void. Your goal is to nuke the opponents mana base, so it's much easier to not hurt yourself, but hurt them, by making their moxen useless.

4 Powder Keg definitely seem like overkill. Naturalize could work here.

I love green land D!

[I Against I]

Hey, I love the deck.  LLL makes me reminisce to the days of pre-Urza's Extended.  Just wondering:  Did you ever consider using Snow-Covered Forests instead of regular ones?  That way you could Thermokarst one of your own lands to gain 1 life if you were desperate.  It's a very minor point, but it could possibly buy you that one extra turn you need to seal the game against sligh or something.

[swawagon]

I like the deck as well. I run a similar build but after trying several win conditions (anks, argothian wurm, cursed scroll) I decided on running 4 main deck Force of Nature. An 8/8 trample for GG4 is no laughing matter. I am running 4 mishras factories and 4 nevs discs. Old school I know but fairly effective. The 8 llanowars are the key, early speed, late game they chump block and/or help pay the Forces upkeep.

LD, especially mono-green, will always have a little place in my heart well beyond the decks actual effectiveness.

[Flurp™]

I have always liked plow under, I have no idea how competive it is, but it can be really good at times.  not only does it mess up their mana develpment but also their draws.

[MTG_Djinn]

Hi
I think Tormod's Crypt is one of the best cards to handle with the Dragon combo.

Your deck.

Casting cost - numbers - Card name.

Land destrucktion:
3 - 3 Winter's Grasp
3 - 4 Thermokarst
3 - 4 Ice Storm

Creature:
3 - 4 Terravore
1 - 4 Llanowar Elves
1 - 4 Fyndhorn Elves

Lock/control:
3 - 4 Tangle Wire
X - 4 Chalice of the Void
2 - 3 Ankh of Mishra
2 - 4 Powder Keg

Mana:
1 - 1 Sol Ring
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
2 Pendelhaven
2 Dust Bowl
1 Sol Ring
12 Forest

All you landdestrucktion has 3 in casting cost + you main kill Terravore. Against any deck with Chalice of the Void in main or SB your chances are very slim in the long run. Even Tangle Wire gets it with a Chalice = 3. Many decks have no problem with making 6 mana in the first 2-3 turns. Any Workshopdeck would have no problems and most blue control (Mana Drain/Moxen/Lotus) will have the chance of rasing the mana.

Why no Emerald and Lotus?

Powder Keg is good but to slow.

I would think about  Naturalize/Crumble in main.

-MTG_Djinn

[Plainswalker]

What about adding Blue to get all the benefits of the color and to add stifle to your deck, which can be used as LD in a way and also combats dragon which you said you would like. It would mess up your mana base a bit, but you could switch out a set of elves for birds as well.

[Gilberry]

All you landdestrucktion has 3 in casting cost + you main kill Terravore. Against any deck with Chalice of the Void in main or SB your chances are very slim in the long run.

   

Powder Keg is good but to slow.

Chalice of the Void for three does hurt the deck BUT:
The powder keg is fast enough against that chalice (since xx counts as 0 for converted mana cost). Another way to stop my opponents chalice (and his moxes) is my own chalice for 0.

That said, I think 4 chalice and 4 keg is not exactly overkill. I will try playing with less kegs, but in the past I've found the deck can use the removal. Chalice also has more uses than just stopping the moxen.

Winter.dec with blue? It might work but I fear it would disrupt the consistancy. This deck really depends on a solid and consistant mana base.

[MTG_Djinn]

WHAT!!!

Chalice of the Void for three does hurt the deck BUT:
The powder keg is fast enough against that chalice (since xx counts as 0 for converted mana cost). Another way to stop my opponents chalice (and his moxes) is my own chalice for 0.

If you have a Chalice X=0, you wount counter my Chalice X=3. True the CC i 0 when its in the table, but not when im casting it.
So if you have to cast Powder Keg after my chalice, I have 3 turns to do what ever I want and I have time to deal with the Powder Keg.

[Lunk]

As I understand it, you're wrong as well, MTG_Djinn.

True, a Chalice for 0 won't stop a Chalice for 3 from resolving.  A Powder Keg for 0, however, will blow up the Chalice for 3.  While on the stack, the x in the casting cost is whatever you pay.  After it resolves, however, the x is 0, giving it a converted mana cost of 0.

[MTG_Djinn]

Yes thats right Lunk, sorry, my bad.

[rvs]

IF I were to play this deck, I think I would play:

1 strip mine
4 wasteland
14 forest
1 black lotus
1 mox emerald
1 sol ring
4 tangle wire
4 terravore
4 fyndhorn elves
4 llanowar elves
4 null rod
3 thermokarst
4 winters grasp
4 ice storm
3 creeping mold
1 lotus petal
3 Aeopile
SB:
2 Serrated Arrows
3 Powder Keg
2 Crumble
4 Illusionary Mask
4 Phyrexian Dreadnought

The mask combo is in there just for fun - You should obviously put cards in there for your metagame problems.

Null rod's should be enough to annoy those pesky artifacts, while Creeping Mold can take out other problem areas as well, like Moat or Platinum Angel. Aeopile isn't very good here (Null rod ) but I'm not sure what else to put it. It should probably be something that takes care of Welder. Maybe Damping Matrix could find a home here?

[Gilberry]

About the rules Lunk is right. Sorry for the mistake.

@ MoreFling:
Your deck is stronger against a Welder Mud matchup but I feel it looses alot against the keeper and dragon matches. No chalices, no powder kegs (okay aeolipile can serve as a half keg) and no ankhs (my only chance against dragon in the first game).
I did playtest the Winterdeck with creeping mold but the result was that mold was too slow to cast. Naturalize might be a more simple and efficiant idea.

I do like the mask SB . Currently the sideboard I came up with looks like this:

3 Root Maze
2 DefenseGrid
3 Null Rod
3 Masticore
2 Gaea's Blessing
2 Naturalize

ANY ideas? Crumble could work?