My ISO/keeper build

[MTG_Djinn]

Hi all.

Just need some comments on my build. Thinking on taking it to a Mox price turnament in 2 weeks.

The deck:

//Mana (26)

4 Flooded Strand
1 Pooluted Delta
3 Underground Sea
3 Tundra
1 Island
3 Volcanic Island
1 Library of Alexandria
3 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring

//Manipulation/Search (12)

1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Fact or Fiction
3 Cunning Wish
4 Brainstorm
1 Skeletal Scrying

//Removal (3)

2 Fire/Ice
1 Swords to Plowshares

//Countermagic (10)

2 Stifle
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will

//Additional Brokenness (6)

1 Time Walk
1 Yawgmoth's Will
2 Isochron Scepter (17 targets)
1 Balance
1 Disenchant

//Win Conditions (3)

2 Decree of Justice
1 Gorilla Shaman

SB:
1 Disenchant (Cunning Wish card)
1 Fire/Ice (Cunning Wish card)
1 Swords to Plowshares (Cunning Wish card)
1 Stifle (Cunning Wish card)
1 Skeletal Scrying (Cunning Wish card)
3 Red Elemental Blast (Cunning Wish card)
1 Blue Elemental Blast (Cunning Wish card)
1 Coffin Purge (Cunning Wish card)
1 Meltdown
1 Hurkyl's Recal (Cunning Wish card)
3 Chalice of the Void

Some deck choises:
- 4th Waste: Needed a free slot and the Stifle makes up for the loss.
+ Vampiric Tutor: A tutor is always nice and its a good Scepter target.
+ Disenchant: There is always some target for this card and I like to have an "anti" artifact card in main so I dont have to wish for one.

My Meta is nuts. there is chance for every deck. Arround 4-5 people have the cards to make every deck to date. Then some are control players and some are combo players. And there is always the aggro decks.

Main worry is my SB.

Thanks
MTG_Djinn

[CowWithHat]

I have tested a few keeper builds in the new T1 metagame (against 'tog welderMUD Stax dragon and Landstill) and found that Fire/Ice is a very strong option as it is a strong draw engine when combined with Isochron scepter and it also answers Metal Worker, Goblin Welder, and both of the landstill manlands.  I find the maindeck disenchant underpowered more often then not as it is oftentimes a dead draw.  I would propose these changes to your deck

-1 Underground Sea
-1 Disenchant
-1 Cunning Wish (Trading utillity for consistancy)

+1 Volcanic Island
+2 Fire/Ice

My 2 cents I wish you good luck with this deck

[Toad]

Where is Balance ? Considering you are playing a single Swords to Plowshares and no Balance, I'm assuming you are planning to go 0-2 Drop after facing TNT round 1 and Oshawa Stompy round 2.

Isochron Scepter is a good card. Especially now everyone plays with Gorilla Shaman, Rack and Ruin, Disenchant, Stifle, Null Rod, Damping Matrix, Naturalize, Artifact Mutation, Uktabi OranUtan or Viashino Heretic.

[card]Meltdown[/card] is hardly a Cunning Wish target.

Quite frankly, your Keeper build looks kinda weak. You need more MD spot removal and a serious card advantage engine (and not a crappy 2 card Combo involving Scepter and Brainstorm or Fire/Ice). See Skeletal Scrying or Mind Twist.

found that Fire/Ice is a very strong option as it is a strong draw engine when combined with Isochron scepter

Yeah, It's sooo strong It will only net you your first card in two turns for an investment of 8 manas. That's not a strong draw engine. Skeletal Scrying would have net you +6 cards for the same investment.

[Veriest1]

One Underground Sea should be cut to free up space for a 3rd Volcanic Island. These are absolutly critical games 2 and 3 in the control mirror as well as other matchups like Fish.

Also, Toad is correct, don't make the mistake of underestimating the power of Balance against any deck.

The Isochrons, while good, don't need to be a three of if you are going to run them. Two is more than enough and I like zero myself. I wouldn't consider them until the number of Null Rods in the format drops. The mana argument is somewhat negligible since it can be activated at end of turn but even with Fire/Ice or Brainstorm imprinted it's still just a Jalum tome that costs 2 less to cast and activate for the price of a card from your hand. Not to mention it's cheaper casting cost makes it even easier to misplay. If you want a replacement for Tome I recommend Future Sight or even Mind's Eye; if you're playing in a slow enough metagame.

[TheRock]

Balance is good even in a control and combo filled environment.  If you really, REALLY don't need it, then you can side it out.

I don't understand why you run three Chalice sideboard and not have Balance maindeck.  That defeats half of Chalice's purpose right off the bat.

Personally, if you want to run three Scepters then I would have a sideboard target like Memory Lapse (probably a bad choice but you get the idea) that can seal the game against decks that don't use Bazaar or tons of other deck manipulation and will allow you to free up a slot or two for Rack and Ruin.

[MTG_Djinn]

Made these changes
- Underground Sea
- Isochron Scepter
- Vampiric Tutor
+ Tropical Island
+ Balance
+ Skeletal Scrying

-MTG_Djinn

[THENATE]

go down a scepter. u only need 1 ( tutor for it). put in another swords instead.

[THENATE]

+ Balance

BALANCE IS RESTRICTED!

Bold red is for Mods only please.
-- Toad

[MTG_Djinn]

+ Balance

BALANCE IS RESTRICTED!

Yes I know. I posted the changes and edited the deck list.

[Tristal]

I've found 5 fetches to be one too many when playing this style of deck; I'd consider cutting one for another Tundra.

Why two Fire/Ice and one Swords, and not one F/I and two Swords?  I run the latter, as it's much stronger against Dragon and Psychatog, among other things.  I'm not sure Scepter is enough to push this over the top.

No CoP: Red/Pyroclasm in the sideboard makes your goblin matchups a lot worse for you, despite 3 Chalices, I feel.  Speaking of Chalices, I've never found great use for them, and I've cut them entirely from my build.  

Other than that, the build seems well-tuned.  Let us know if you find weaknesses.