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Queequeg
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« on: January 19, 2004, 05:59:01 pm » |
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Fasionable or not, viable in todays meta or not, Oath is a deck that goes in and out of fasion with the change of seasons. This is the latest version of the primer I have been writting for a while now, and I had to wait until the new boards went up before I felt I should post the newest incarnation of my own sweat and blood.
What have I done to it since the last version? I have corrected some of the bias nature of the original version, fleshed out the sideboard discussion section and added a small selection of matchups.
You will also find the primer contains no deck lists, although I have my own designs for oath, builds vary massively and is somthing I want to leave open as possible. A template or barebones build might be something to consider though.
It isn't finnished yet, which is why I have posted this version to get help from you guys and to get it finally up to completion. I need help compiling a sort history of the deck, so any old crusty readers how played oath the instant it was released your help would be most appreciated. I also would like to add more match ups, since I have only included the matches I am confidant at writing, plus fleshing out the existing ones along with coming up with win ratios would be nice.
So with further or do and for those few who I know have been waiting for this here is the new version. Enjoy the read, but most importantly give me feedback.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Oath of Druids in type 1
A Mini Primer
Written by Matthew Dorrell (aka Queequeg)
19/12/03
Introduction
This mini primer is not meant to be entirely comprehensive but more as an introduction to playing Oath and concentrates on the key areas rather than in in-depth match by match analyse.
What is an Oath Deck?
An Oath deck is any deck that is built to abuse the use of the Exodus card Oath of Druids. Although all Oath decks share the inclusion of this common card, the strategies and builds behind Oath decks can vary. One idea being to “Oath up” a fatty early, give your opponent a quick death and if your threat dies, Oath again. Counter Oath plays a different game, using the Oath of Druids to Oath up a more evasive threat and a selection of utility creatures, to find more answers and leave deck slots open to counter magic. The obvious advantage of this approach is it can deal with more situations before sideboarding, and is more robust to removal and disruption. This mini primer centre’s on later strategy, which is now widely considered the most viable build. As a consequence the primary colours of Oath are U and G, but 3, 4 and 5 colour builds are common. Colour splashes are added to widen the card pool and thus provide better answers and more brokeness in the absence of power cards.
Why an Oath Deck?
Oath of Druids is a metagame deck. In just the same why that Suicide Black and Anhk Sligh are metagame decks, that is to say it is a deck tailored for a particular metagame. In suicides case this is a field dominated by control strategies, whilst for Oath it is a metagame dominated by aggro. In fact if you play in any environment where aggro decks proliferate then Oath is the deck that will see you with a lot success. Oaths weakness comes when faced with control decks and those running few or no creatures. In these circumstances Oath will have to side against these matches, if every other match is OSE then Oath is not the right choice for your field. As a consequence Oath decks tend to shift in popularity with the changing field of Type 1 and with this its status as a Type 1 deck will shift also. In essence Oath can only be considered a viable deck in any field where Aggro makes up the largest percentage of decks to beat.
Does Oath require power?
The short answer to this is No. Oath can be played without any of the P9 but in doing so takes a big performance hit. Unlike many other control decks Oath centre’s around card recursion and the brokeness the Oath strategy comes from being able to reply cards like Ancestral Recall multiple times in a single game. Splashing colours in Oath can replace some of the hit that removing power has to the deck by providing answer beyond the card pool of U and G.
Card Analysis- Green
Oath of Druids: Oath of Druids is the corner stone of every Oath deck; IMO the inclusion of 4 in any oath deck is essential. Drawing Oath is key to your strategy, multiple Oaths drawn are not redundant neither as you the opportunity to stack a series of Oath events in your upkeep.
Gaea’s Blessing: Gaea’s Blessing is used to create a recursion effect after Oathing. During your upkeep when Oath resolves if Gaea’s blessing is revealed and is placed into your graveyard the Gaea’s Blessing’s trigger is placed on the stack, which resolves and reshuffles your graveyard back into your library. Even If a creature is not revealed and you Oath your entire library Gaea’s blessing will still trigger providing it has been revealed.
The significance of this recursion effect is; 1) it stops the Oath player from milling this entire library once he/she has exhausted their creature supply, 2) It gives the player to opportunity to redraw played cards, 3) It gives the option to re-oath creatures that have passed into his/her graveyard.
The ratio of Gaea’s Blessings run to creatures directly effects the frequency of the recursion effect. If for example 1 Blessing is run to 3 creatures, then when you Oath you are more likely to reveal a creature before the Gaeas Blessing, hence you will commonly leave a large graveyard after Oathing. Other recursion effects like Regrowth, Holistic Wisdom, and Flashback can exploit this situation. However the possibility of drawing Gaea’s Blessing requires more than 1 be run in the deck. As a result 2 Gaea’s Blessing’s are run as standard in most Oath Builds.
Sylvan Library: Sylvan Library combined with shuffling effects of cantrips, Oathing and Fetch lands enables you to look at three new cards each draw step. This has several benefits other than the obvious card advantage, it stops you drawing cards that you don’t want in your hand such as a creature or Gaea’s blessing, it helps you from drawing excess land late in the game and lastly it fuels your hand with counters. Of course you always have the option to pay life to keep cards. Drawing multiple copies of Sylvan library however does nothing for card advantage above the first so often only 1 or 2 copies of Sylvan library are run.
Regrowth: Mainly regrowth should be reserved for oath decks running power, the temptation is to include it as a no brainer, unfortunately it doesn’t quite make that sort status in unpowered oath. Its value only really comes from being able to replay Recall and Time walk, especially now with cards like cunning wish offering greater versatility.
Holistic Wisdom: A very nice card to make it out of the Odyssey set, unfortunately again this doesn’t make the cut at the very least for unpowered decks. The idea of replaying recall after recall at the expense of a Brainstorm or 2 would get any Oath players juices going after all isn’t recursion what’s oaths all about? Only Holistic Wisdom is only really good once you have your oath engine out and working properly, which is half the battle won and you have to ask yourself do a dedicate a slot to make this battle easier? Or make me look better when I win? Holistic Wisdom is quite simply overkill.
Naturalise: A green disenchant simple, but one of the most invaluable cards to come out of recent sets, and removes the need to substitute white for artifact/ enchantment destruction. Finding a slot for naturalise is another matter and often ends up in the sideboard.
Card Analysis- Creatures
There are 2 rules that I feel all main board Oath creatures must meet:
1) All Oath creatures must be able to self-sacrifice at instant speed.
This means you can control your creature count more actively, and re-Oath at will for a new creature if the existing one does not suit. It must be instant speed so that the creature can be saced if at threat from being removed from the game entirely i.e. by swords to Plowshares.
2) All oath creatures must be hard castable.
This is so you don’t get stuck for a kill if you draw it, or if you are forced to cast it from your hand. Therefore the casting cost needs to be realistic.
Spike Weaver: Weaver is used to create a Fogging effect preventing combat damage. However Weaver can be used to stack counters on other creatures you control or and when pushed can be used as a 3/3 beatstick.
Spike Feeder: Feeder is used for 3 purposes, to create an infinite fogging effect with Weaver, Gain 4 life each turn verse direct damage and stack Morphling with counters whilst maintaining the fogging effect with Weaver.
The Weaver/Feeder ratio is typically 1/1. Although situations where Oathing Weaver is critical then 2/0 ratio in favour of Weaver can be implemented from the sideboard. The reverse is true verse direct damage strategies where a 0/2 ratio in Feeders favour can be sided in.
Morphling: Superman is the best kill card for the Oath main board. Stand-alone it is evasive enough to leave you enough free counters for elsewhere. Its pump ability enables it to abuse the +1/+1 counters of the Spikes, whilst in the Oath engine it is virtually indestructible.
Card Analysis- Blue
Mana Drain: I have played Oath both with and without Drains. Mana Drain unlike counterspell not only provides you will permission spell but also a possible tempo shift in your favour. Oath can exploit this either by converting that mana into card advantage with cards like Stroke of Genius, by moving tokens from Weaver/Feeder or pumping Morphling. Counterspell can be used as a substitute, but you lose the shift change associated with Drain.
Mana Leak: Mana Leak is used in powdered U/G builds of Oath as a first turn counterspell, since their effectiveness diminishes greatly as the game advances counterspell are only superior when Mox are excluded from the deck. However in 3 or 4 colour builds, or those that running slots dedicated to supporting man lands, there is often not enough blue sources to reliably cast counterspell, hence mana leak can be used in favour.
Counterspell: Counterspell essentially is an emasculated version of Mana Drain. However as I said it could be used as a poor mans substitute, or could replace Mana leak in unpowded U/G builds which include Mana Drain.
Force of Will: The classic first turn Counterspell at the expense of 1 life and a blue card has always been a favourite with control players. The only condition with running Force of Will is you must be able to support a workable number of pitch spells, which can put pressure on it’s use in 4 or 5 colour builds.
Misdirection: Misdirection is not a counterspell, but like Force of Will is can offer first turn permission and like Force of Will must run a workable number of blue pitch cards. Further more Misdirection is obviously limited to spells which have a target, in type 1 is usually isn’t a problem, if your regional metagame is odd or retarded then you might reconsider its inclusion or at least limiting it to the sideboard.
Ancestral Recall: No brainer, only even more so due the recursion of Oath, you’ll get to play it more than once a game! If you haven’t got one then you can’t run it, if you have one run it, if you can proxy it do so.
Time Walk: Oath twice, draw 2 cards, lay and extra land, Untap each land once, attack with Morphling twice. Another no brainer and you’ll possibly get to do this multiple times a game
Fact or Fiction: FOF is restricted for a reason, not quite a no brainer but excellent card in Oath nonetheless.
Impulse: Impulse is excellent in Oath, it provides you with the extensive search power you need and provides you with a shuffling effect ideal for use with Sylvan Library or Brainstorm but unlike brainstorm doesn’t leave redundant cards sitting on top of your library.
Brainstorm: Not as deep digging as Impulse and can leave unwanted cards on top of your library. However brainstorms advantage comes from its ability to replace creatures and Blessings back on top of your library ready for your next oath. Hence brainstorms strength comes when combined with shuffling and deck thinning effects. Often as a result players run them alongside impulse in various ratios.
Cunning Wish: Couldn’t find space for that misdirection or naturalise Cunning Wish is the answer to that, effectively any thing up to 15 spells in one. But Cunning wish is only as useful as you make it and finding slots in your sideboard is a lot harder than it sounds. To exploit cunning wish to its full you need to make sure the sideboard is ‘tooled up’ with at least a card drawing source, artifact and enchantment destruction and targeting creature removal.
Stroke of Genesis: Best played in the sideboard with Cunning Wish main decked, this way you don’t draw it when you least need it.
Braingeyser: Can’t be wished for, but none the less a more efficient card drawer than Stroke of Genesis, even if it has more chance of being misdirected and can’t be wished for.
Merchant Scroll: Copy of Ancestral anybody. No reason whatsoever to include it when you are not running power.
Mystical Tutor: A very useful Blue utility spell, oath architecture can vary but mystical tutor will undoubtedly be at home in all of them even the unpowered decks it can fetch that braingeyser or Fact Or Fiction.
Card Analyse – White[/b]
A third colour will compromise your mana base slightly but not significantly enough that you still can use or evade the effects of cards like Back to Basics. White is usually included because it gives the Oath player spot removal, which is vital for riding of creatures like Commander Esha or early pressure creatures like Phyrexain Neagtor.
Balance: Balance doesn’t fit a winning Oath strategy, you’ll lose more land and hand size than your aggro opponent. Notice I said winning, no single card is more likely to give the losing Oath player a final chance at redemption, and not all your opponents will be aggro and against keeper and its relatives balance can be devastating
Swords to Plowshare: The main reason for splashing White. I run 2 in my deck, a third in the sideboard for Cunning Wish. Plowshares can provide that all-important answer for the unexpected rogue creature or hold off the early attack from decks like Suicide Black and The Rock.
Enlightened Tutor: This mirage Tutor has two major disadvantages, firstly you can only search for an enchantment and Oath being mostly instants that’s not that useful. Secondly the card is revealed and placed on top of the library. However in a strategy where a single card is so important having a 5th Oath of Druids is something that I couldn’t turn down if I had an available slot, but expect deckslots to be tight and often Enlightened tutor doesn’t make the cut.
Card Analyse – Black
Black is often splash as an alternative to white, but sometimes both are added when required even though it means losing Back to Basics from your sideboard. The choice largely depends on your field, whilst white provides more efficient spot removal making it a more effective choice verse fast pressure aggro like TNT and Sui. Whilst Black offers better anti control elements making it a superior choice when Combo and Control decks are wearing the Crown.
Duress: One of the single best anti control cards printed. Although despite this you have to question if Duress actually serves any purpose that blue counter magic doesn’t. Arguably Duress is proactive and can force key cards out of your opponents’ hand first turn but with first turn Mana leaks and Force of wills available is that so important ? Well yes actually it is. Even if an early Duress is countered by Force of Will it has achieved its purpose, trading for a counter and another potential control card and so bagging you precious card advantage that cards like force of will just can’t give you. Uncountered it can steal a game changing silver bullet or cheery pick that vital combo component away from decks like WGD. Duress is the core reason to splash black.
Yawgmoths’ Will: Oath mana base is neither explosive enough nor is the oath engine constant enough to make full use of this broken card. Plus what are you going to reply? counters? Recall? It will be lost forever if you do. As much as a powerhouse of a card this is its best left in Hulk and Sui.
Vampiric Tutor: Its and improvement over enlightened. Just. If black is splashed run it in preference
Demonic Tutor: The god of all tutors, if you are running black it’s a gem, a must run card.
Mind Twist: This has just got misdirection written all over it, despite how powerful this card is it just doesn’t make the cut. A 4th Duress is a better and safer choice over twist.
Pernicious Deed: Discriminating removal in 3 flavours. I must admit it has appealed to me ever since I saw its inclusion in The Rock, although I have always run Powder Keg in preference in fear of losing my Oath of Druids. However Deed can provide fast board sweeping in the early stages of the game where it is critical against fast board advantage decks like MUD. In addition it provides an effective answer to enchantment based decks like Parfait and Enchantress.
Card Analyse – Artifact
Black Lotus/Sol Ring/ Mox: Running off colour moxen is pretty standard in powered oath builds. It has the advantage that Mana leak can become a first turn spell alongside Oath. The sacrifice is that this limits the number of over colourless mana sources you can run.
Powder Keg: The most single versatile artifact printed. Its use in oath is less important than in other control decks, but it still provides useful artifact removal, Mox destruction and non-targeting mass creature removal.
Card Analyse - Land
Library of Alexandria: As land goes a No brainer. Proxy this if you can.
Wasteland & Strip Mine: Essential, make room for as many as you can, after moxen this is your next priority for colourless land slots. Wastelands are also invaluable at riding of pesky man lands.
Mishras Factory: The idea of using factories is appealing. Against aggro you have a series of 2/2’s that won’t trigger your opponents chance to oath whilst against control they give you a built in back up plan. The downside is that outside of a U/G build you’ll have no colourless land slots to accommodate them, forcing you to increase you land count. Only to find enemy Wastelands nuke them when your opponent realise you are dead in the water with out the man lands.
Treetop Village: CIPT effect and higher activation cost makes these less effective than factories, and you now what I said about them.
Fetch Lands & Dual Lands: The basis of your mana base. Don’t consider painlands or City of brass until your reach 4 or 5 colour builds.
Card Analyse – Sideboard Conversions
The big temptation for inexperienced players when deciding what goes into an oath sideboard is to double up already on a winning strategy by including cards, often creature cards that make easy aggro matches easier. Instead you should use this space of 15 cards to make only the hardest of aggro matches easier and give you a fighting chance against creatureless and control strategies.
One way of achieving this is running what is refereed to as a conversion in your sideboard. A sideboard conversion is essentially a set of cards that can convert your oath build into another deck archetype by siding them in favour for the redundant parts of the oath engine.
Such as conversion is designed to strength matches where your opponents decks supports few or no creatures, typically control and combo strategies. An Oath conversion can accommodate siding up to as much as 9 redundant parts; 4 Oath of Druids, 1 Weaver, 1 Feeder, 1 Morphling and 2 Gaea’s Blessing. A conversion to this extent however leaves few slots in your sideboard to dedicate to wishable tool cards and traditional hate options. More commonly conversions emphasise the replacement of only 4-6 cards namely 4 Oath of Druids and 2 Gaeas blessing.
Ophidian Conversion: Usually consisting of 4 Ophidian and 1 Morphling. This would allow you to convert your build into a U/Gphid deck by substituting the Oath engine out for the Ophidians and an additional Morphling. The conversion fits well since both archetypes are similar, and still leaves you space in your sideboard for other match ups. However the conversion leaves you with a sub-optimal Ophidian build at best and benefits most in a powered build. Although this conversion helps massively with combo decks and creatureless decks like Parfait, it doesn’t help much verses powerful control decks since you are effectively running an inferior build of a similar if not the same strategy.
Negators and Thieves: Oath adopts a page out of the OSE player’s book here. OSE builds commonly include sideboard conversions to play into an aggressive gear verse defensive opponents. This same strategy can be employed in the Oath deck by siding one or the other or a combination of both. I have also seen Call of the Herd used with the same idea in mind, although both Call of the Herd , Neagtor and Rootwater Thief can be answered by a good opponent, and neither replace the oath engine with an alternative card drawing strategy.
Token Conversion: Not strictly a conversion but token-generating effects are used in the same situations. The objective here is to keep the Oath engine main board and side in additional spells to generate creatures under your opponents control and so forcing an Oath. The advantages this approach has over other true conversions is it requires fewer sideboard slots whilst allowing you to still exploit the strengths of the oath engine. Two spells are commonly used for this method; Funeral Pyre and Verdant Touch. Whilst Funeral Pyre is an instant meaning it can be fetched using wish and can be cast in your upkeep, it does require white and is a one shot deal. Most decks will house instant removal and will ensure it doesn’t stay in play long enough for Oath to check for targets. Even so Funeral Pyre can remove the vital card in your opponents graveyard and is a strong metagame choice. Verdant Touch can be replayed on the other hand via its buyback and force opponents to waste resources dealing with the 2/2, however touch encounters its own problems being easily fizzled by Zuran Orb or Wasteland.
Psychatog Conversion: Oath decks especially builds sporting black share a large part of their spell base with Hulk decks and the idea of a Hulk conversion has been tossed around the boards on the odd occasion. Such a conversion would enable the oath player to convert to strong Tog build, however such a conversion on paper takes between 9-11 slots on the sideboard and leaves no room for any over contingency plans. A second approach is to use an Emerald Alice Gro based conversion. Although this appeals to me less since both strategies use massively different deck architecture, both in number of mana sources, counters and cantrips.
Card Analyse- Sideboard Tool cards
Capsize: Capsize has 2 advantages, firstly it can deal with any type of permanent and in so doing saves sideboard slots and secondly can be replayed through its buyback cost. Even so Capsize costs UU1, an extra 3 with the buyback cost and 5 Mana isn’t cheap but it does provide spot removal in a UG build. If you are splashing Black or White then the wider card pools make Capsize obsolete.
Teferis’ Response: Almost all decks nowadays at least run Strip Mine, where as the leading control and aggro control decks will run an additional 4 wasteland. Teferis’ Response can counter their effect and bag you 2 cards. However Teferis' response requires 6 mana to be effective and maintain good tempo (3 to Wish 3 to cast). For unpowered builds without moxen this kind of mana isn’t available in the stages of the game where it vitally needed to make use of Response. There are 2 alternatives. Gush, which will gain you the same card advantage with a 0cc meaning its effective in an unpowered build but the alternative casting cost also means it almost exclusive to UG builds. Or Stifle that has greater versatility and an easier casting cast but doesn’t bag you the same card advantage that Gush and Response do. In a UG build Gush is superior to both, in all other unpowered builds I would consider Stifle to be the best.
Naturalise: Routine enchantment destruction for all, your personal answer to Back to Basics, Blood Moon and Planar Void.
Stroke of Genesis: Drain spell, wish for Stroke, Draw cards. Almost compulsory if wish is main board.
Dismantling Blow: A favourite for Keeper players, I think the mana cost makes it more suited to a powered build. The fringe benefit is that it more effectively evades cards like Chalice of the Void and Meddling Mage and at a push can be replayed within the oath engine to draw cards.
Diabolic Edict: Morphling is primarily responsible for the popularity of this card.
Smother: Blacks substitute for STP, smother will kill most usual suspects; Negator, Hyppie, Tog, Welder etc. Obviously it leaves you less prepared for the unexpected.
Card Analysis- Sideboard Creature Cards
Akroma, Angel of Wrath: Akroma when run in the sideboard can be sided in against any aggro where Swords to Plowshare are absent in order to provide a faster kill. Against Sligh and Suicide she is a game ender in commonly 3 turns, whilst against Tog she provides a 6/6 wall and a three 3 clock.
Wood Ripper: A strong choice verses aggro based workshop decks like Stacker and TNT, less useful verses Mud which runs to few creatures to Oath effectively.
Ravenous Balthour: Used verses strategies where the fogging effect is not required and either life gaining or beef is more important, in which case it replaces Weavers slot.
Viscera, The Dreadful: The Avatar of Woes’ female counterpart has generated some keen interest in Oath players since her release. Often she is implemented from the sideboard or even main decked as an answer to Psychatog. I protest to her being main boarded for several main reasons a) Viscera like Akroma is near impossible to hard cast, b) Viscera doesn’t evade any of the leading forms of creature removal and c) She taps to attack and with no life gaining ability leaves you open to retaliation. Viscera has to tap to use her ability so she can’t start killing straight off and then she is limited to killing one dork a turn. Weaver is better at holding back creature hordes, whilst there are more efficient ways at killing utility creatures like Goblin Welder. Viscera does however provide a suitable sideboard answer verses Tog, even though she is arguably less preferable to Akroma due to her limited flexibility outside of this match up.
Phantom Nishoba: The life gaining ability negates the need for vigilance, whilst the token effect makes it indestructible verse burn strategies. However most Sligh decks due to their high percentage of non creature spells can work around the Oath engine to ensure it never hits play, whilst against most remaining aggro its has been superseded by Akroma.
Ancient Hydra & Trisklion: Both Hydra and Trisklion are the most efficient way of killing utility creatures such as Goblin Welder and do not become redundant when the massacre is over neither. They can deal fast damage to your opponent too and ready for the recycle next turn.
Card Analysis- Sideboard Non Creature
Misdirection: Strengthens the Sligh and Suicide match, plus can be wished for. Refer to blue card analysis section.
Hydroblast & Blue Elemental Blast: Strengthens the Sligh match when run in multiples. However has less scope than misdirection beyond the Sligh match.
Disrupt: Ideal counter magic against early disruption from cards like Duress, Sinkhole and Hymn to Tourach. Misdirection should be the primary choice verse suicide but further Disrupts can be implemented if required. Disrupt also helps win counter wars, against aggro control decks such as Hulk and Fish.
Back to Basics: A vital card for UG builds verse 3+ colour decks like Keeper, OSE, Enchantress and FEB etc. Although Its not quite the auto win card that Blood Moon is it is so good verse keeper that it can still be used in 3 colour Oath builds to much effect. Often or not potentially losing the B or W splash from casting B2B is a negligible loss considering the power of the card. Now fetch lands allow 3 colour Oath players to work around this disadvantage further.
Multani’s Presence: Helps a lot verses enemy control matches and the mirror match. After your spell is countered presence resolves, drawing you fresh answers.
Circle of Protection: Red: The best card verse Sligh, it evades BEB and will hold off Slighs burn indefinitely forcing them to drop creatures for the kill.
Chalice of the Void: Capable of hosing any deck with a effectively flat mana curve. This card is less significant with the January restrictions but still can hose decks like Sligh. Unlike COP:R it won’t stop all their burn spells but will often hose there entire creature base as well.
Swords to Plowshare: Implemented from the sideboard to deal with match ups that can drop 4 turn clocks before you can drop oath, such as Negator, Judgenought, Spiritmonger etc. or to destroy strategy breaking critters like Writhed Wretch or Hypnotic Spectre. The number of Plowshares to run is subject to your meta but up to 3 sideboard and 1 mainboard can be run successfully against heavy aggro.
Match Analysis
Zoo & Taiga: By Zoo I am strictly referring to the RG/u build where U is splashed for power cards and sometimes Serendib Effreet. This build has commonly been replaced in most cases by the RG build Taiga. Both matches should be approached in the same way and the strategy for this match can be applied to most rogue and scrub aggro builds also. Neither deck supports an effective creatureless Kill condition. Although Zoo decks commonly only run a maximum of 8 burn spells most designs will also include Man Lands and some sort of recurring direct damage such as Cursed scroll, Stormbind or Isochron Scepter. The strategy to sit on its Man Lands whilst it waits for is recurring direct damage to turn up is a weak strategy at best. Zoo will eventually be forced to attack with creatures and you can sit on Oath with your counters for the lock and Kill. After sideboarding Zoo is most likely to side in a series of hate cards including Choke, Blood Moon, Defence Grid and Tormods Crypt. Your counters can take care of most of these threats and additional removal such as Pernicious Deed can be implemented for the sideboard as a security measure. Akroma can replace Morphling for the Kill whilst a second Spike Weaver can replace Feeder where available.
Stompy: Stompy like Zoo supports no creatureless kill and almost all builds will not run Man Lands. Stompy will try and attack with speed and kill you before you can get a lock with Oath of Druids. Cast Oath ASAP, if you stall use your removal and counters to keep the Rancors out and creature count under control. Once Oath is in play protect the engine, lock and Kill. Stompy is most likely to side in either Choke or Xantid Swarm against you. Again 1 Akroma 2 Weaver can be implemented from your sideboard and additional removal can take care of suspected Chokes and help keep stompy’s creatures in check.
White Weenie: Pedestrian speed in comparison to both Zoo and Stompy with weaker sideboard options it should be a relatively easy match. WW builds have no creatureless kill condition, even those that run Cursed Scroll can’t use it fast enough (Although newer builds may use Goblin Charblecher instead). Keeping the Tax/rack engine off the table is imperative, also Emperial Armor can set a tight clock if cast early enough so be ready. Drop Oath soon as, and save your counters to keep it in play. After sideboarding ww is likely to side in Abeyance, Defense Grid and Tormod’s Crypt. Akoma has to stay out because of STP, but more removal to take out the Crypts and keep land tax out is a wise idea.
Sligh: Sligh builds can run anywhere from 12-20 burn spells, plus at least 4 recurring direct damage effects in the form of Cursed Scroll or Grim lavamancer. You can also expect global damaged in the form of Anhk of Mishra or Pyrostatic Pillar. Sligh can quite viably attempt a creatureless kill using this direct damage and in doing so evade your Oath engine altogether. As a result any creatures sideboarded to counter this loss of life such as Phantom Nishoba are rendered obsolete as they can never be “Oathed” into play. This problem is compounded when Sligh’s creatures are sided out for Hate cards such as Blood Moon and REB. If your Oath build has the legacy of a white splash then up to 4 COP:R can be sided in. By hosing the red direct damage you force the Sligh player to attack with creatures and in doing so can lock with Oath of Druids. Akroma or Nishoba can now be effectively used. Alternatively if you sideboard houses a suitable conversion you can move to such a build and side in up to 4 Chalice of the Void or simaliar hate card. Set at 1 Chalice can hose the majority of the decks’ spells leaving you to counter the remainder and hard cast a Morphling for the Kill. Additional Misdirections help with both approaches.
Suicide Black: Sui is the fast disruptive mono black deck that was developed from those early necropotence decks purposely to beat leading control strategies. Suicides strategy focuses on the early game where it uses a 2 prong wave of disruption in the form of discard and mana denial to refuse you the resources you need to execute your own stratergy. It then quicky follows up this with a 4 turn clock such as Phyrexian Negator or Nantuko Shade. Beating Sui is a case of surviving the opening disruption and keeping the crucial parts of your opening hand so that you can drop Oath of Druids. Sui is likely to side both Planar Void and Dystopia against you. Preferably 4 Misdirection should be sided in, Sui is surprisingly fragile itself since it requires a threat to be dropped immediately after disrupting and doesn’t fair well with a Hymn to Tourch smashed back in its face. Almost always the Sui player will cast Duress before either Sinkhole or Hymn when it can so that it can cheery pick the Misdirection from your hand. Always counter Duress, although if you FOW it you will loss considerable card advantage. Sideboard slots permitting Disrupt provides a suitable answer to this by cantriping for a new card. Once Oath hits play you want to be able to oath out a Kill first go, as with Planar Void and Dystopia showing their face your’ll get one shot. Therefore running Akroma seems the logical solution. With Akroma in play there is little the suicide player can do; you have won.
Nether Void: Played much the same way as Sui except for Void will aim to drop a Shade then lock with Nether Void following the initial disruption or worse still lock then commence to lay Factories. Despite this Nether Void is slower and less consistent and in most case won’t get a quick lockdown leaving you the chance to drop Oath of Druids which is functional under void.
Fish: Guy Fishes threats are even slower than that of WW whilst the only disruption most builds include a 4 FOW and no removal. Even so Fish commonly runs 8 man Lands and so you will need to save you removal and Wastelands to take care of these. Fish can also draw lots of cards but fortunately requires creatures to do so and out drawing its opponent is so ultimately strategic to it winning. Rootwater thief unchecked can be a problem although once you have Oath in place they are less threatening. Fish is most likely to side Nevinyrrals Disk against you as a attempt to destroy all non land permanents so it can beat you down with its man lands. Your counter magic and removal should see to this whilst Akroma can replace Morphling from the sideboard.
Parfait: Parfait is the creatureless enchantment and artifact based deck that draws cards using the Land Tax Scroll Rack engine. Gaining card advantage Parfait has access to a selection of silver Bullet or hoser enchantments. Parfait builds traditionally killed using Scared Mesa although newer builds are using Goblin Charbelcher from the Mirrodon Set. This match is very difficult. Game one keep the Tax/Rack engine off the table at all costs, hopefully your counter magic will hold out and you can drop a Morphling for the Kill. A conversion is compulsory for the next 2 games, the ophidian conversion is probably the strongest verses this match as card advantage fuelling your counters is the most important aspect. Deed also plays an important role in hating out the deck enchantments.
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