4 color sans blue

spursrd3adly · Joined: 21 Jul 2007 Posts: 17

Here is the deck I want to run (providing it is viable in this format). I had success with my old T2 deck which had blue as the 5th color, so I've cut it to 4 color and kept the same aggro/control build. Any advice is appreciated on whether it has a chance to contend or what changes should be made...

// Lands
4 [M10] Sunpetal Grove
3 [ZEN] Arid Mesa
3 [ZEN] Marsh Flats
3 [ZEN] Verdant Catacombs
3 [M10] Rootbound Crag
3 [TSP] Forest (2)
3 [4E] Plains (1)
2 [LRW] Swamp (2)
2 [UNH] Mountain

// Creatures
4 [M10] Baneslayer Angel
4 [ARB] Bloodbraid Elf
4 [ARB] Enlisted Wurm
4 [ARB] Dauntless Escort

// Spells

2 [ALA] Ajani Vengeant
3 [ARB] Maelstrom Pulse
4 [ARB] Bituminous Blast
3 [ALA] Naya Charm
3 [CFX] Path to Exile
3 [ZEN] Day of Judgment

// Sideboard
SB: 1 [ALA] Ajani Vengeant
SB: 1 [ARB] Maelstrom Pulse
SB: 4 [M10] Great Sable Stag
SB: 3 [CFX] Celestial Purge
SB: 3 [CFX] Volcanic Fallout
SB: 1 [CFX] Path to Exile
SB: 2 [ARB] Thought Hemorrhage

tbone · Joined: 20 May 2009 Posts: 85

Looks solid, but what is the dauntless escort for?

Lotus cobra may be a nice addition for mana fixing and turn 3 baneslayers. easy addition since u have so many fetches

4 bit. blast seems like too much...maybe 2-3...u already have enough removal

I'd also run at least 3 ajanis, but prolly 4

Trotsky1 · Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 1674

Okay I agree on the dauntless escort looks really out of place.

Also I do not like that many land thinners in control they lose you life and alot of the time in the point of the game when it matters you are actually going to want to draw lands. Prob okay with some but I do not think you need that many, the new cipt tapped lands that gain 1 life when they come into play seem ideally suited to alot of control strategies that are just not going to do that much over the first few turns. I really do think that most new control stratergies should be running more of these lands than the thinners.

I'll demonstrate my point a bit further as I think its worth arguging for. I believe most of the new control stratergies should be playing the gain 1 life land. The effect by itself is small but still relevant. The cumulative effect of playing multiple of the lands can see gains of 3+ life etc and although life gain by itself is generally bad tacked onto something else it is great ie loxodon hierach, lightning helix, I feels these lands are much the same. As this deck is not really going to play anything beforeturn 3 and has a high land to spell ratio it has the best oppertunity to make use of the advantage of these lands whilst suffering minimum drawback and so should do.

These lands are the new vivids in control you want to play the maximum number you can get away with, with out effecting your tempo, so I suspect the number much like the vivids will fall somewhere between 9 and 11.

spursrd3adly · Joined: 21 Jul 2007 Posts: 17

ah great advice from both of you. The bit blasts were upped from 2 to 4 when I pulled volcanic fallout from MD. I think 2-3 is probably the answer.

The reason Dauntless Escort is in there is because I run 3 MD Day of Judgment and I have seen a number of decks that run that as well.

I will consider a 3rd Ajani. My old build ran 2 ajani and 2 jace, but obviously without blue jace is gone. I can definately justify a 3rd ajani.

I will try out the new CIPT duals. I'm just worried about the effectiveness of those with 4 colors, but I guess I could probably get away with it. The small life gain is definately relevant. I'm not sure about Lotus Cobra, but would love to try him. This is my IRL deck so I don't have access to those yet, but I can playtest with proxies for a bit.

@Trotsky---would you play any fetches at all? I own 2 of each that I play in my deck. Also, if you'd keep the fetches, would you just sub out the m10 duals for the ZEN duals?

Trotsky1 · Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 1674

I do not get to test for myself until Zen come out on modo this friday, so I am reluctant to say. I'm not entirely sure to say for certain it would take alot of testing I just do not have the inclination to do these days, some one needs to deeply offend me thats generally my best motivator lol and thats a bit harder these days now i've grown up a smidgen.

Clearly running the fetches is a bombo with the life gainers so it may well be if you can avoid playing them altogether you should, but not at the cost of leaving you unable to cast spells or not able to cast them in a timely manner. It seems not even building a mana base is simple these days. I would definatly explore the life gainer route, its a case of balance, which to achieve is a case of testing or waiting for someone else to do it for you which is much easier:P

SJM · Joined: 17 Apr 2009 Posts: 361

Other than 3 path to exile your mana curve starts at 4.

That's not good.

You will be crushed by RDW, RW landfall, probably vampires, and probably Jund.

Lame's deck from the master was basically your deck but with mana acceleration so he could, you know, cast spells. Also Knight of the Reliquary.

add 4x birds and 4x lotus cobra

clayparson · Joined: 04 Sep 2004 Posts: 59

Do not add birds of paradise. you will feel like a jackass when you wurm into a bird. Lotus cobra is a maybe.

You have red mana, and you aren't playing bolt. This seems like a mistake.

spursrd3adly · Joined: 21 Jul 2007 Posts: 17

kumagmd · Joined: 15 Feb 2009 Posts: 104

Hm.. how's this deck working out? Why not cut out the Escorts for Blightning (theremore, most of your cascades will run into Blightning or removal).

Fast decks will give you fits, though.

spursrd3adly · Joined: 21 Jul 2007 Posts: 17

DoomBring3r · Joined: 30 Apr 2009 Posts: 436