How to play Manaless Ichorid?

ck3gds · Joined: 21 Jun 2005 Posts: 303

So I saw someone nick "brazil", who put up a Manaless Ichorid decklist, but I'm not sure how to play it.

Spyx · Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 1009

Basically you mulligan until you have bazaar. Some lists run serum powder to give better chances to get it. Then you get some dredgers in your graveyard, activate bazaar to and replace the draws with dredges, then discard your dredgers/bridges etc. Now you need to get 3 creatures into play, being a combination of dredged narcomoeba's, arbors and ichorids. You sacrifice them for dread return on flame kin zealot, and because of the bridges you get a lot of hasty tokens and win.

Hank333 · Joined: 23 Oct 2006 Posts: 304 Location: San Antoni

I thought serum powder was mandatory to be honest. Because you have a %40 chance to catch a Bazaar of Baghdad in your first 7, and your odds go go pretty fast with a couple of mulligans.
This deck hates wastelands and pithing needles, it is very weak to them. But surprisingly fast and consistent unmolested.

Trizzy60 · Joined: 04 Oct 2004 Posts: 101

Use mana

skathe · Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Posts: 22

^^ROFL!

And yes, you need serum powders. Not running it is like saying "ok 3 out of every 5 games I'm going to mull, and then mull, and then lose"

ck3gds · Joined: 21 Jun 2005 Posts: 303

I sort of get the drift...but perhaps someone can explain to me how it works in detail? For instance, what would be the ideal opening hand?

Regarding the dredging, let's see if I got it right - I activate Bazaar of Baghdad, replace both draws with dredges, and when I get them back to my hand, I discard them again?

And regarding Serum Powder, won't it be worse if I use its ability? I'll end up with fewer cards to work with...or am I missing something here?

EDIT: I found a vastly different list here (http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/13443.html). Do they work the same way?

Trizzy60 · Joined: 04 Oct 2004 Posts: 101

when mulling with serum you get what your hand size was. . . just as it reads

Heikki · Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Posts: 22

I think that Serum Powder is a must in that list.

Ideal starting hand is something like this (on play ofc):

leyline, unmask, cabal, golgari, bazaar x2, chalice.. I played the deck in my second vintage tournament ever and came 2nd.. Lost one match with double mulligan to 2 (with Serum Powders). The list you presented is pretty bad, Powders are must and I wouldnt play shells/wraiths/titan..

The deck is very easy to "play" because you don't need to interact at all.. However you need to practise goldfishing a few times. I wouldn't recommend getting the cards, because normal healthy persons play the deck once and then never touch it again. It was fun to play the deck first 2 rounds, on round 3-4 I started hating the deck and after round 4 I wanted to kill myself.

On first turn you play bazaar, use it and discard 1-2 dredge cards. During your next upkeep you use bazaar, dredge something twice, then you dredge again on draw. Now you should have some ichorids/bridges/therapies/returns in gy. Then on turn 3 you combo out and win. Simple? Just remember to put Ichorid's ability on stack in upkeep and the use bazaar. You get more targets for it.

ck3gds · Joined: 21 Jun 2005 Posts: 303

Would it be so bad to ask if anyone can post a "good" list? Smile

Just for personal reference...thanks in advance!

psu42 · Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Posts: 40

4 Bazaar of Baghdad
3 Petrified Field
2 Dryad Arbor
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Windswept Heath

1 Emerald Charm
4 Unmask
4 Serum Powder
4 Bridge from Below
2 Flame-Kin Zealot
2 Cephalid Sage
4 Ichorid
4 Dread Return
4 Golgari Thug
4 Golgari Grave-Troll
4 Stinkweed Imp
4 Narcomoeba
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Cabal Therapy

Sideboard:
4 Contagion
4 Oxidize
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Windswept Heath
2 Bayou
3 Emerald Charm

brazil · Joined: 20 Feb 2009 Posts: 6

Epilogue · Joined: 07 Oct 2009 Posts: 2

So chalice is really in there just for countering 0 and 1 to cast spells??
i only see the arbor as the way to pay for it. Am i missing something?