UG Graveyard Shenanigans

[lRachetl]

Wouldn't Phyrexian Metamorph perform better in this deck as his mana cost is higher for mindshrieker and does what phantasmal image does?

Also if you have ever thought of black the shenanigans with Necrotic Ooze and mirror-mad phantasms would be fun to only have a one of.

To find Splinterfrights faster you could always use Green Sun's Zenith.

Postmortem Lunge is also a great card for mirror-mad phantasm.

[agracru]

Stuff you definitely need to take out:

Mulch
Forbidden Alchemy

....and there goes the deck's engine!

Side note: Postmortem Lunge actually isn't a terrible idea; it's the kind of card that lets you win random games out of nowhere. It shares the same kind of problem as Birthing Pod but it's not a bad idea as 1 or 2 of, if the deck has room-- which at the moment it doesn't.

[vger]

@Agracru,

I actually really like your idea, I've visited the thread a couple of times but was busy to think thoroughly about it. Now that the fully spoils is up, more thought process to go through.

Still all I wanted to comment is that the interaction between Mulch and Forbidden Alchemy certainly has great potential. Being able to Sift through 8 cards with a mere 2 spells, especially when the discarded cards can be flashback spells or cards with graveyard effects, it could potentially mean you have exactly 16 cards to play with on turn 4. That's approximately a quarter of the deck to say, which translates it to be a huge consistency generator.

[agracru]

Full spoiler is up-- Dream Twist seems neat.

[agracru]

The deck at the moment:

3 Ambush Viper
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Deranged Assistant
3 Merfolk Looter
2 Mindshrieker
3 Perilous Myr
3 Skaab Ruinator
4 Splinterfright
2 Viridian Emissary

1 Ancient Grudge
4 Dream Twist
4 Forbidden Alchemy
1 Gnaw to the Bone

12 Forest
4 Hinterland Harbor
6 Island

Notes:

Ambush Viper: It's Doom Blade. But it's Green. And it's a creature. This isn't exactly a speedy deck (though it can curve out into quick, big threats with ideal draws), and you need a way to interact with aggressive decks that pop up here and there in the format-- which there surely will be even if the meta looks like it's going to be more control-oriented. Being able to throw a Viper in front of a non-Mirran Crusader threat is invaluable.

Birthing Pod: Gone for now. This isn't a Pod deck. It doesn't want to be a Pod deck. It's a deck that wants to produce a huge threat powered by a stacked graveyard and ride it to victory. Birthing Pod helps achieve that end, but often very slowly; outside of random "you're dead" draws (T2 Assistant into T3 Pod = T3 Ruinator), it chugs along, chaining into Ruinators and Splinterfrights and doing kind of nothing. I think a Pod-dedicated deck can get away with that. I don't think this deck can. The other major issue with Pod is that you rarely get to use it unless you draw it in your opening turns or if you fire off a Forbidden Alchemy and pluck it out of your 4-- which is rare because often you're going to grab a Ruinator or Splinterfright-- because you're trying hard to mill yourself down to make your threats more tangible. For now, Pod gets the axe.

Forbidden Alchemy/Mulch: I love both of these cards but the deck only has room for Forbidden Alchemy or Mulch. Not both, especially since the deck absolutely must use Dream Twist-- which pound for pound does more of what you want for the same amount of mana as FA, while also being a viable Flashback spell. I have never once used FA's Flashback. Never. So technically, the one thing Mulch doesn't have going for it-- Flashback-- isn't even an issue, because strictly speaking FA isn't even a Flashback spell.

Mulch's cheaper cost and its handy side-benefit of allowing you to run fewer lands (and therefore more creatures/spells) actually makes it occasionally more powerful than Forbidden Alchemy. Sure, there are times when you whiff majorly and draw 4 lands, but those times are few and far between-- and it's not like FA doesn't whiff at times, too. The upside to FA is that it guarantees you 1 card in your hand and 3 in your graveyard. I have to test further to see which the deck prefers.

Mirror-Mad Phantasm: I'll be honest-- this thing sucks. Maybe not in some control shell, but in this deck, absolutely. I can't think of a single game where I've actually cast this guy, save for one where he admittedly did turn 2 Splinterfrights into 10/10 monsters. He makes for a neat combat trick, but he costs a ton of mana and you're almost never happy to see him. Mindshrieker for now seems to fit the slot better; it's cheaper, it contributes to mill, and it can provide more neat combat tricks (such as making an activation to get a Splinterfright out of Dismember range, which can be applied to the Shrieker itself).

Ancient Grudge/Gnaw to the Bone: You don't really care about milling away tons of creatures, since they're mostly just average-quality dorks who pump up Splinterfright or activate a Ruinator. You do care about milling away spells, since once they're in there, they're done. Dream Twist gets around this beautifully (and provides another combat trick, acting like a Giant Growth for Splinterfrights when necessary), and I think Grudge and Gnaw provide you with some utility and let you get a bit more mileage out of your mill spells. You're a liar if you tell me that having a Grudge (or two-- we'll see) main isn't a big deal with Swords out there, and while I've already stated that I think Fall Standard will be very slow and controlling, having an out to an aggro beatdown in the form of Gnaw can mean the difference between victory and death.

Sideboard:

2 Ancient Grudge
2 Gnaw to the Bone
4 Mental Misstep
4 Surgical Extraction
3???

That's where I'm at.

[fallenonme]

How's this for a U/G deck, with the slightest splash of black

4 Splinterfright
1 Boneyard Wurm
4 Skaab Ruinator
1 Civilized Scholar
2 Deranged Assistant
2 Laboratory Maniac
3 Mindshrieker
3 Ambush Viper
2 Kessig Cagebreakers


3 Forbidden Alchemy
4 Mulch
3 Think Twice
2 Gnaw to the Bone
2 Unburial Rites


2 B/G
4 U/G
2 U/W
2 U/B
2 G/W
8 forest
6 island



Well, the weird card choices are so. Unburial Rights, it can get the Laboratory Maniac if need be, plus can also bring back a card that has been killed. All my spells have flashback which can theoretically be payed for, except mulch which is just an amazing graveyard enabler. (Even the rights can be played from the graveyard with the 4 white sources) I won't need the black or white sources till way later, so that's why there's so few. The creatures are mostly things that either work well with the graveyard, or are just kill spells. The one thing I'm really worried about is Skaab Ruinator being anti-synergetic with Bonewurm and Splinterfright. I might end up taking him out, we'll see (I really don't want to though.)

The lands by the way are basics and the colours they produce (I can't remember the names off the top of my head)

As for a sideboard, I can see Ancient Grudge, more of the Gnaw to the Bone, some mental missteps, some Nihil Spellbombs, and we'll see what else.