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By: Splendid Belt, Splendid Belt
Apr 13 2012 9:20am
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Hello and welcome to Out of the Blue.  For regular readers, welcome back, nice to see you.  For new readers, where the hell have you been?

It has been said that every Magic player's favourite rules text is 'Draw a card'.  I thought that was more or less true until I read the rules on junk-but-beautiful M10 card Arcanis the Omnipotent.  Tap, draw three cards. 

I've spent more time than I care to admit attempting to build decks around him, working out how to quickly accelerate to 6 mana (including three blue), then ensure he doesn't just eat removal (he almost always does).

But I don't really remember all the times he got killed or bounced before I was able to use him, or the times I couldn't get him into play until it was too late.  No, I remember the times he drew me all that sweet booty.  Wonderful things, these rose-tinted glasses.

Anyway, the card I'm building a deck around today doesn't quite draw three cards, but it's close.  The good news is that it only costs two mana (one of which is even colourless).  The even better news is that in the right deck, it's supposed drawback is actually a bonus.

  Arcanis the Omnipotent
Scarscale Ritual   

It is of course our old friend Scarscale Ritual.  You remember, the Shadowmoor common that no-one ever played?  Draw two cards, irritate one of your creatures?  No?  I promise you it was in the set.  When Shadowmoor was released I spent more time than I care to admit (bit of a running theme here) trying to break this card.  I failed.  Turns out you don't often want to nerf your own creatures.

But there are new cards around these days, and new mechanics.  Maybe there are some combinations out there that will finally break this tempting common?

Scarscale Ritual was the first thing that occurred to me when I came across the Undying mechanic, Persist's stepbrother.  Only whereas your persistent creatures (hello Kitchen Finks!) came back weaker, our Undying contingent return from the graveyard oddly refreshed and invigorated.  The funny thing about +1 counters is that they're totally negated by -1 counters.  So rather than having both types of counter on your creature, they just cancel one another out and you're left with the vanilla card again.  I hope that's not too convoluted (or condescending) an explanation.

So your Geralf's Messenger dies, returns with a +1 counter, you cast Scarscale Ritual on it, draw two cards and end up with a fresh creature complete with spare life intact.  Good deal if you ask me.

There are other clever things to do with the Ritual too.  Bloodghast quite likes it.  Ritual him, he dies, you draw two cards and hopefully find a land, play it, and hey presto back comes the Ghast.  Do that after combat for maximum effect, then summoning sickness won't even matter.  Good times.

Since we're talking about creatures with Persist and Undying, the relatively obscure and unloved Hex Parasite seems a great addition to the deck. Another way to remove those counters (and another great interaction with Scarscale Ritual), which also pumps the Parasite for a bit of extra value.

Once I'd decided on including the Parasite, I think started thinking of Quillspike.  And that made me think of Devoted Druid.

   Quillspike

For those that don't recall this little trick from its days in Standard, it's an infinite combo.  Tap the Druid for green mana, put a -1 counter on it to untap it, then use the mana to activate Quillspike, removing the -1 counter and pumping the Spike.  Rinse and repeat.  And the best thing is you can do it at instant speed.  Your opponent either has removal, a Fog type effect, a blocker (although really you should have Loxodon Warhammer equipped, or some other way of giving the infinitely large Spike trample), or they're dead.

Ultimately though I decided against this combo as nice though it is, it's not really on theme, and it demands a green splash in a deck that could otherwise happily be mono black.

Okay, it feels like it's about time to have a look at the deck.

 

I feel I should slightly defensively point out that I still consider this to be a work in progress.  The engine of the deck, the cards that I'd suggest are indispensable are: Geralf's Messenger, Scarscale Ritual, Hex Parasite, Bloodghast and perhaps Undying Evil, although this latter card only really shines once you introduce lots of creatures without Undying.

Cards that aren't essential to the theme, but match it very well and I've found to be great in testing are: Consuming Vapors, Murderous Redcap, Gatekeeper of Malakir, Shriekmaw.

There's also a lovely interaction between evoked cards like Shriekmaw and Undying Evil.  Evoke Shriekmaw, then cast Undying Evil on it before it dies.  Congrats!  You've killed two of your opponent's creatures and gained a 4/3 evasive beater for 3 mana (and two cards)!

The rest of the cards really are just to suit your taste.  Mikaeus, the Unhallowed is on-theme, but as a singleton I didn't really draw him enough to comment.  Kokusho, the Evening Star is one of my favourite cards of all time, and also suits the subtheme of creatures with a nice comes-into-play effect, aiming for maximum value from a potential Undying Evil, when they bounce back onto the battlefield with a nice +1 counter.

I should mention (and acknowledge, for those you currently hopping in frustration at the seeming deckbuilder error) that Gatekeeper of Malakir doesn't synergise well with Undying Evil, since it needs to be cast with its kicker in order for its sac effect to work.  No other way of getting it onto the battlefield will work.  For that reason, you might prefer to substitute it with Fleshbag Marauder or similar. 

Or even Fume Spitter could work.  You could even sac it (at instant speed no less!) to remove a +1 counter from your Geralf's Messenger to get it back again, should you be without a Hex Parasite or Scarscale Ritual.  Worth considering, but personally, I just plain like the Gatekeeper, and he was great in testing.

I should also acknowledge the hopping crew by saying that the blue splash was purely to accommodate Creeping Tar Pit, which can just be the nuts in a stalled game.  But really, it's probably not worth messing with your mana base just for that, especially when without it you could have 23 swamps and then swap out the frankly disappointing Consume Spirit for something like Corrupt or even Tendrils of Corruption.  Of course you could swap Consume Spirit out for something completely different, but black's sudden and often unexpected life surges can win games, so I like to include at least a nod in its direction where possible.

A couple of final points on the deckbuild - I put in both Graveborn Muse and Bloodgift Demon because obviously the card draw is nuts and will win you the game if you can get the creature to stick, but I considered the harder to remove and easier to cast Phyrexian Arena instead.  In the end I went with the creatures to make my Scarscale Rituals and Undying Evils better.  Also, although I didn't have many problems in testing, just looking at the list it should probably have an extra swamp in there possibly instead of one of the higher cmc cards.

Anyway enough of this - how did it play?

Games

Game 1 vs.igbarros

Parallel Lives Turntimber Ranger Huntmaster of the Fells Master of the Wild Hunt

I keep this hand on the draw.  It needs land in the first few turns, but besides that it's good.  My opponent Rampant Growths on his second turn, whilst I cast the brilliant and hard to remove Bloodghast.  Thanks to his acceleration, igbarros manages a turn 3 Parallel Lives, a card I talked about in my last article, which can be horribly potent in the right deck.  I then miss my third turn land drop, so attack with the Ghast, then kill it with Scarscale Ritual, hoping to find land.  I find Shriekmaw and .....a Swamp, hooray!  I play the land and back comes my Ghast.  I love it when a plan comes together.

Next turn my opponent plays the dangerous Kessig Wolf Run and Turntimber Ranger, which thanks to Parallel Lives creates two wolf tokens.  So now I'm facing down a 3/3 and 2 2/2s.  Fearful of more allies being cast and creating an army of wolves, I evoke Shriekmaw to kill the Ranger next turn, whiffing on land once again.  I offer to trade my Ghast with a Wolf, knowing that it'll be back soon, which my opponent accepts.  (A play mistake by him I believe.  I'm the control deck, he's aggro, he should be focusing his efforts on attacking me with everything he can, rather than allowing me to delay the game while I find my match winners).

On turn 5 he casts Mayor of Avabruck and another Rampant Growth, putting him on 6 lands to my 3.  This doesn't change on my turn as I whiff again, but I do draw Gatekeeper of Malakir, which I cast gratefully, forcing the removal of another Wolf token.  Next turn he casts Sound the Call for another 2 Wolf tokens.  On my turn (having whiffed AGAIN) I trade my Gatekeeper for one of them then cast Geralf's Messenger.  On turn 7 igbarros casts another Parallel Lives, which at this point feels a bit 'win more'.

Still no land on turn 7, so I attack with the Messenger, again hoping for a trade.  This time my opponent decides against it, going down to 13 life.  At the end of turn I cast a second Messenger, taking him to 11.  Just when I'm thinking I might turn this around despite my lack of land, igbarros casts Huntmaster of the Fells on turn 8, creating another 4 Wolf tokens.  Mayor of Avabruck (still not transformed, God help me if it does) and a token beat me down to 15.  On my turn I finally get the land I need, but boo... it's Creeping Tar Pit which comes into play tapped.  If you build this deck, I'd definitely go 24 basic swamps.  It does at least immediately bring Bloodghast back.

I evoke another Shriekmaw to kill the Huntmaster then attack with a Messenger.  As hoped, he blocks with a Wolf Token which helps to even out the creature count slightly, then adds some more damage when it reappears complete with +1 counter moments later.  On turn 9 igbarros casts Master of the Wild Hunt.  He certainly likes those wolves.  I cast Scarscale Ritual on my previously dead Messenger, bringing it back to vanilla state, then cast Hex Parasite (gaining protection from any subsequent deaths) and Vampire Hexmage, which I had in the deck at the time as another way to remove counters.  I didn't attack though - too many wolves on the other side of the table.

Next turn my opponent cast Wolf-Skull Shaman and Wren's Run Packmaster.  If there's an award for most number of wolfy cards in one deck, he wins it.  He then attacked with 4 of his now deathtouched 2/2 wolves.  I blocked with the Hexmage and both Messengers, taking 2 damage but dealing 4 as the Messengers returned to play.  Realising that I needed to wrap things up fast or die trying, I attacked next turn with Bloodghast and both (now 4/3) Messengers.

Everything was blocked by Wolf tokens.  As I was activating Hex Parasite to preserve my Messengers, igbarros used Master of the Wild Hunt to try a tricksy deathtouching attack on one of my Messengers.  But that's the beauty of the Parasite.  It only costs one mana, and can happen at instant speed, so I simply activated it again to put the token removal back on top of the stack.  The Messengers dealt another 4 damage as they returned from the graveyard, taking my opponent to 3. 

At the beginning of turn 11, Master of the Wild Hunt created another four Wolf tokens.  What was I saying about needing to win fast?  Even better, the Mayor finally transformed into Howlpack Alpha, pumping those tokens alarmingly.  He attacked with everything but I had enough blockers to stay alive, and I killed him with Consume Spirit next turn.  I don't love that card in this deck, but it does give you some reach.

Game 2 vs. janu

Sun Titan Fleshbag Marauder Smallpox Vengeful Pharaoh

This is my hand which I keep on the draw.  Obviously land heavy, but I have at least some early action.  I'm always likely to keep a land with a tendency towards mana flood, and likewise liable to send back a hand with only one or perhaps two lands.  Given that I have no plays here between turns 2 and 5, would you have sent it back?  Let me know in the comments, I'd be keen to see what people think.

Anyway, I play the Bloodghast on turn 2, which quickly dies to my opponent's turn 3 Smallpox, putting me back down to 1 land in the process.  Thank God for mana flood, I say!  My Ghast returns next turn though when I lay another land.  He's horrible to try to remove, which is one of the reasons I love him.  He beats for two on turn 4, then is destroyed by Vengeful Pharaoh, who had been in my opponent's graveyard, before sending himself to the top of his library.  Although I of course bring him right back again by playing a land in my second main phase (one reason not to play land before combat if you don't need it).

Next turn janu plays Solemn Simulacrum, which could be a good addition to my deck, given that it gives extraordinarily good value when given Undying, providing gifts upon both death and rebirth.  I offer the trade with my Ghast, but janu refuses and takes 2.  On turn 6 he casts Sun Titan, returning Fleshbag Marauder from his graveyard, causing my Ghast to die once more.  I get it back on my turn thanks to more land, then cast Consuming Vapors, getting rid of the Simulacrum and threatening the Titan.  Next turn the Titan attacks bringing the Marauder back once more, killing the Ghast yet again and sending me to 13 life.  He then casts Vengeful Pharaoh, and sacs it to the returning Consuming Vapors, knowing that it's as good in his graveyard as it is in play (sort of).  It's toughness gets me back up to 17 though.

On my turn a fresh land resurrects the Ghast yet again, and I cast Bloodgift Demon.  A 5/4 flyer for 5 mana that's also Phyrexian Arena or even that last bit of pinging damage to your opponent?  Yes please!  On turn 8 janu understandably Oblivion Rings the Ghast.  When he attacks with Sun Titan, it brings back the Fleshbag again, which also accounts for my Demon (before it managed to draw me a single card).  Damn that Titan / Fleshbag combo!  I go down to 11, and he casts Golgari Thug at the end of his turn.

I then cast Consume Spirit for 2 on the Thug (which puts the Simulacrum on top of my opponent's library), then finally get rid of the Titan with Gatekeeper of Malakir.  That same Simulacrum appears on my opponent's board next turn.  On turn 9 I cast Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, which pumps my Gatekeeper and gives it undying.  Janu dredges up the Thug again when the Simulacrum blocks it and dies.  He then casts the Thug and Smallpox on turn 10.  My Gatekeeper returns as a 4/4, and janu gets his Titan back from the Thug's trigger.  Next turn I'm able to swing for 9, but Mikaeus dies to the Vengeful Pharaoh in his graveyard.  Geralf's Messenger at the end of turn puts him at 2 life.  My opponent concedes, since the Pharoah he has just drawn can't block both of my creatures.

Game 3 vs. NeoSyphon

Kiln Fiend Gelectrode Izzet Guildmage Think Twice

Again I keep a slightly mana heavy hand on the draw, but I'm fairly happy with this one.  I have early removal if I need it, and a great potential trick with Shriekmaw and Scarscale Ritual.  NeoSyphon plays Kiln Fiends on both turn 2 and turn 3, which tells me his deck is probably very fast, with lots of burn and counters.  Potentially a bad match-up for me.  I get rid of one of the fiends with a Gatekeeper on my third turn.  On turn 4 my opponent adds a Gelectrode to the table.  Murderous Redcap sends it away on my turn, and Gatekeeper beats him for two.  On turn 5 he adds another Gelectrode, which sticks as I spend my mana casting Graveborn Muse instead of removal.  Instants and sorceries are really going to hurt now though.

As if to emphasise that point, he adds Izzet Guildmage on his turn.  I beat with the Redcap (since it actually helps me if it gets blocked and dies), keeping the Muse and Gatekeeper back on defence in case of huge Kiln Fiend Shenanigans, then cast Consuming Vapors, which immediately deals with Gelectrode.  At the end of turn NeoSyphon casts Think Twice, copying it with the Guildmage to draw 2 cards.  Neat.  His Kiln Fiend dies next turn due to the returning Vapors, and I remove the Guildmage with another Redcap, then swing for 7.

He then plays Training Grounds and another Gelectrode, but Shriekmaw deals with his creature and I win the next turn.  Either he didn't quite draw his key cards or I was too aggressive for his deck in this game, but I think this game shows the power of some of my comes-into-play effects.  Gaining a creature and removing one of your opponent's in one card is called card advantage, you heard it here first.

Conclusions

There are definitely some powerful interactions between Undying, Persist, Evoke, Hex Parasite and Scarscale Ritual.  I've yet to uncover them all, and my deck is certainly not the most powerful possible combination of available cards.

Since I played these test games, I had a thought about how better to build the deck.  Here are some cards I came up with which may be better than some of my choices:

Big Game Hunter Gravedigger Chittering Rats Faceless Butcher

Fleshbag Marauder Grave TitanHighway Robber Howling Banshee

Keening Banshee Liliana's Specter Massacre Wurm Nekrataal

Nightshade Assassin Phyrexian Rager Pith Driller Puppeteer Clique

Rune-Scarred Demon Skeletal Vampire Skinrender Grim Poppet

Bit of a brain dump there I know, but my favourites are probably Massacre Wurm, Gravedigger and Skinrender.  Having said that, you could make a good case for lots of those creatures, and since I finished my previous sentence I've already changed my mind and am thinking evil and slightly delicious thoughts about the possibilities of Undying Evil and Puppeteer Clique.

Or what about Solemn Simulacrum?  Could be the best of the lot with all the acceleration and card advantage you'd get from it being given Undying.  How about Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, Solemn Simulacrum and Hex Parasite all on your board at once?  And Scarscale Ritual in hand?  Yum.

So basically, there are the basic tools, I'd be delighted to hear if anyone can come up with a more tuned list.  This is a casual deck obviously, but that's not to say it can't be made into something powerful.

One final note, in my header I mentioned that my combo is legal in Standard, which of course many of these cards are not.  I was referring to the Undying cards and Hex Parasite, which is at least part of the idea here.  Still, the deck works far better in the other formats, and that's where I've been testing it out.

Until next time.

 

Splendid Belt

4 Comments

Scarscale is quite clever by Paul Leicht at Fri, 04/13/2012 - 16:18
Paul Leicht's picture
5

Scarscale is quite clever with Undying. Undying itself is a little underrepresented at the moment so the applications aren't too great but the idea is solid. Certainly better than Fumespitter. Fun article. :D

Thanks Paul! I haven't really by Splendid Belt at Fri, 04/13/2012 - 18:09
Splendid Belt's picture

Thanks Paul! I haven't really seen the combo being talked about much, but I'm sure I'm not the only person to think of it. Getting increasingly keen on the addition of Solemn Simulacrum, and possibly even Vampire Nighthawk as something which becomes very good with the addition of Undying.

:) by Elbinac at Sat, 04/14/2012 - 01:18
Elbinac's picture

Made a Mikeaus commander deck to try out what I could do with undying.
The short answer is: induce rage quits.

If you're inducing rage quits by Splendid Belt at Sat, 04/14/2012 - 02:40
Splendid Belt's picture

If you're inducing rage quits then you know you're doing something right!