Project X

ruckus · Joined: 14 Nov 2006 Posts: 6

Raphael Levy â€“ Project X
2006 Worlds, Standard

Main Deck

1 Brushland
3 Forest
3 Gemstone Mine
2 Godless Shrine
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Llanowar Wastes
4 Overgrown Tomb
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
4 Temple Garden
1 Pendelhaven
21 land

4 Birds Of Paradise
3 Crypt Champion
4 Dark Confidant
2 Elves Of Deep Shadow
4 Loxodon Hierarch
1 Nekrataal
4 Saffi Eriksdotter
3 Soul Warden
1 Sek'kuar, Deathkeeper
2 Teysa, Orzhov Scion
4 Wall Of Roots
32 creatures

4 Chord Of Calling
1 Congregation At Dawn
2 Mortify
7 other spells

2 Carven Caryatid
1 Harmonic Sliver
2 Spike Feeder
4 Castigate
3 Deathmark
1 Nightmare Void
2 Persecute
15 sideboard cards

A three card combo deck with Saffi, Crypt Champion and Teysa, Soul Warden or Sek'kuar. Has Loxodon Hierarchs and Dark Confidants, in which Saffi would protect your creatures from Wrath of God, Soul Warden would buy you some time against aggro decks, and Crypt Champion would bring back one of your dead creatures. Basically a Rock deck able to go infinite. With Chord of Calling, the deck has access to a little toolbox in the form of Nekrataal, Saffi, Hierarch, and Spike Feeder in the sideboard, which also worked as an instant tutor for the combo pieces.

Eldar · Joined: 27 Nov 2006 Posts: 416 Location: Rochester

Overall on a scale of 5 I give this deck a 3. This deck really has problems with certain decks and has absolutely no way to deal with akroma. I played against this deck with u/w control last FNM (not triscuittron) and I had a bye because all I had to do was wrath his board and drop akroma and I win. At the very least this deck needs to change and add its own wrath, condemn, temporal isolation, or pacifism. On top of that the deck really has trouble with counters especially rewind because they can never get anything going.

JonPatton · Joined: 11 Dec 2005 Posts: 157

The deathkeeper is in there for the wrath. Typically, this deck can play out enough creatures early to make Wrathing it almost an autoloss. Saffi's also pretty good against Wrath. I'm not saying that UW control is necessarily a pretty matchup for the deck, but it's certainly not a bye. A lot of the side is dedicated to killing control, too.

I have to agree with Levy, however, that the deck doesn't look optimal. Some players have been adding Glares in place of the Mortifies. They could be sideboarded, too. My personal feeling is that the "other spells" should be 4 Chord, 1 Congregation, 2 Glare, and that the deck should run a creature that kills enchantments to chord for in the SB. I also think a LOT of the deck is geared toward beating Boros, simply because they can interrupt the combo, and I'd personally want something more proactive than the walls in the side. I'd want a loaming Shaman somewhere in the side, but then, I'm praeternaturally fearful of graveyards, go fig.

dboy1 · Joined: 20 Dec 2004 Posts: 150

well eldar, in case u didnt know, the dec top 4d a $1000 tourney in roanoke recently

CaptainPayne · Joined: 01 Oct 2006 Posts: 13

In the last Trial I played a version of Project X (which i believe they listed as BWG Glare/Chord) I was 2-0 and then lost to flips because we had hamachi issues.

1 Loaming Shaman
2 Congregation at Dawn
4 Chord of Calling
4 Loxodon Hierarch
2 Glare of Subdual
2 Teysa, Orzhov Scion
4 Wall of Roots
3 Crypt Champion
1 Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree
3 Soul Warden
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Dark Confidant
4 Saffi Eriksdotter
1 Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Pendelhaven
2 Gemstone Mine
4 Overgrown Tomb
3 Godless Shrine
4 Temple Garden
1 Brushland
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
3 Forest
1 Golgari Rot Farm

SB: 3 Deathmark
SB: 2 Carven Caryatid
SB: 2 Spike Feeder
SB: 4 Castigate
SB: 1 Harmonic Sliver
SB: 2 Persecute
SB: 1 Nightmare Void

The two Glare instead of Mortify are hugely important, especially in matchups against Boros and such. I also replaced Nekrataal, which seems irrelevant, with one Loaming Shaman. One Vhitu-Ghazi is great as well. Along with the obvious Glare combo, it really can swing matchups against aggro, especially if you get it going with soul warden.

I'm still working on the sb, but obviously it is designed to bring in Caryatid, Deathmark, and Feeder against aggro, or Castigate, Persecute, and Nightmare Void against control. The Harmonic Sliver is your tutorable enchantment killer.

The deck has tested very well so far, having an excellent matchup against most aggro decks, especially after boarding. The game one matchup against control is less than ideal, but the sb helps immensely. Although game 1 against dragonstorm is practically an auto-loss.

sc4rs · Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 406

Eldar · Joined: 27 Nov 2006 Posts: 416 Location: Rochester

I said u/w control has a buy which based on other recent matches vs this deck it does. I have yet to lose a game with this deck. Triscuittron on the other hand may have trouble because the deck is based differently and their win conditions can be targeted by teysa or mortify whereas mine just laugh and continue the beating. as for death keeper hes great if you can get him out via chord but that won't happen against me with about 16 counters. This deck has at best a 5-10%/95-90% match against u/w control and maybe 30%/70% against triscuit so honestly seeing as that is about the 2nd most popular deck in the format this deck is in trouble. Basically this deck is good against one of the top 3 decks boros and bad against the other 2 u/w control and dragonstorm. I don't see how it can be competitive unless your meta is all agro. Key word all.

JonPatton · Joined: 11 Dec 2005 Posts: 157

Elder: I misassumed, I though you meant you were playing something closer to Martyr UW.

Sc4rs: It does cost 8, but I can't see a situation where you want to Wrath a board that looks like (for instance) Saffi, a Warden a Bird, and a Wall as soon as your reach 4 mana. With Saffi beating for only two, most control players are going to a) wait for condemn to get rid of her and b) wait for the deck to drop something more threatening. On turn three, this deck has: 3 mana from lands, 1 from birds, 1 from wall, tap 2 = 7 Chord of Calling. That's *turn three*. The next turn, they can drop another 1-drop and a land, and they've got 8 for the Chord in reponse to Wrath, and if the control deck is on the draw, they don't have enough up for mana leak yet. The next turn, this deck can have enough to pay for the leak and still beat for two. You only need one Deathkeeper because you don't need him more than once and he's a pain to hard cast.

Remand is obviously a much better situation for the control deck, but then, the deck DOES run four Saffi and three Crypt Champions to get her back.

Oh, and Solifuge should be in this deck's SB.

Frankly, I don't see how people are losing matches with this deck vs. standard forms of white-based control (your version is obviously more heavy blue, though . . .). Heck, it can probably afford to go up to 4 Persecute in the side, since it already beats Boros. It NEEDS to get on off against DS.

CaptainPayne · Joined: 01 Oct 2006 Posts: 13

sc4rs · Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 406

I have no idea how I missed the Persecutes...I saw them in the first deck's sideboard and somehow missed them in yours...ignore that part of my comment. Embarassed

If Blue based control is a problem, couldn't you board Defense Grid? Chord and Convergence are the only instants you play, and you A: have tons of mana to play either of them through Grid and B: with tons of mana you could concievably play Grid through a Leak/Remand/Snag on turn 3.

I do like the deck, it just seems like vs. Dragonstorm if you don't hit anything useful with a Castigate, then they draw it a turn later...I don't know. Dragonstorm is just really [!CENSORED!]ing annoying in this format.

Eldar · Joined: 27 Nov 2006 Posts: 416 Location: Rochester

Creatures:
4-Court Hussar
2-Akroma, Angel of Wrath

Spells:
4-Wrath of God
4-Condemn
4-Cancel
4-Rune Snag
4-Remand
3-Compulsive Research
3-Sacred Mesa
2-Rewind
2-Tidings

Land:
4-Hallowed Fountain
4-Flagstones of Trokair
4-Adarkar Wastes
2-Urza's Factory
7-Island
3-Plains

Sideboard:
3-Trickbind
3-Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
3-Disenchant
2-Teferi's Moat
2-Ivory Mask
2-Circle of Protection: Red

Just for clarification this is the list I have been running. And Project X has real trouble against this deck because I can just bait out mortify with court hussar or mesa or even teferi's moat. After board this deck gets even better because it shuts off the one problem I can face EOT Chord + spell during his turn. Fortunately I save rewinds for this most of the time. Persecutes help most of the time against control because they almost always draw a counter.

JonPatton - the board you described there would force a wrath from me every time. First off I shouldn't let saffi or warden resolve and if I see 2 pieces of a combo on the board I will at least rid myself of one of them because all they have to do then is resolve a chord for 7 or a champion. You must not play control very much because if you did you would realize this issue also. Second off my name is EldAr not EldEr.

sc4rs - great point about deathkeeper chord for 8 are u serious that meets a counter EVERY time.

dboy1 - yes i did know it t4ed but you clearly don't understand that means nothing. One deck that t4s happens all the time and doesn't mean anything. ANY deck can get lucky matchups every or almost every round and people do get lucky all the time. So having it t4 once doesn't mean all that much. When it starts owning in tournaments consistently then you can say crap to try and make me look dumb but I can assure you probably won't happen. This deck is good don't get me wrong and it is great against agro metagames HOWEVER it can use improvements to beat dragonstorm or good control decks. Imo this deck needs wrath of god and perhaps a card like condemn or temporal isolation.

coolcreep · Joined: 18 Feb 2006 Posts: 560

opponent: I play blood moon.
you: gg

st4x · Joined: 31 Aug 2004 Posts: 358

u dont lose to blood moon and if u lose to marty tron u should quit magic

Eldar · Joined: 27 Nov 2006 Posts: 416 Location: Rochester

Blood Moon does hurt him but in his defense he has mortify and blood moon with almost be board 100% of the time and he can always float mana to mortify it or he can discard it with castigate, nightmare void, or persecute in his defense and almost always he can pull turn 3 void or persecute so that really shouldn't be a problem.

Ganzu · Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 18

This deck top 4ed in a local Grinder.

No one really plays it because of how much you have to mull and hope you get good mana draws. I think it might be a one hit wonder like Aluren. All completely win condition infinite combo decks are usually one hit wonders.