[Deck]: Tarmogoyf, the Erhnam for 1G

Kytep · Joined: 21 May 2006 Posts: 187

I've been testing out Tarmogoyf in both T2 and TSP Block, and wow, is it amazing. It's really not difficult to put in cheap cards of every type into a deck, each of which are almost always good and useful on their own, but also make Tarmogoyf a huge, cheap beatstick which can come out early enough to duck under countermagic and big enough to make even aggro play defense on a tight clock. Here's the TSP Block deck I'm working on so far:

"Tarstick" (for lack of better name)
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Street Wraith
4 Keldon Marauders
4 Rift Bolt
4 Call of the Herd
4 Edge of Autumn
4 Evolution Charm
4 Sudden Shock
4 Chromatic Star
2 Seal of Primordium
2 Stormbind

4 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Horizon Canopy
4 Gemstone Mine
2 Dryad Arbor
2 Forest
4 Mountain

There's a lot of synergy with this deck. Note that although it is 60 cards, it plays more like 44 or even 40 because the Wraiths and Stars always "cycle", Edge of Autumn and Horizon Canopy almost always "cycle", and Terramorphics of course thin out a land apiece.

Although I of course miss Seal of Fire from T2, this deck can but out a very large Tarmogoyf very quickly, often attacking for 5 (or more) on Turn 3. The last time I checked, a 5/6 (or 6/7) for 2 mana is a pretty good deal.

Here are some interesting notes and cool tricks up the deck's sleeves:

1) The deck pretty much runs on 2 mana, so you can usually cycle Edge of Autumn at will, usually without slowing you down at all.

2) Speaking of Edge of Autumn, it cycles at instant speed for no mana, making a nice +2/+2 surprise when you need it (not to mention makes Tarmo's that much bigger in general, for no mana, and permanently). Can be a +3/+3 difference with Dryad Arbor.

3) Evolution Charm is great in this deck. It can give your Goyf flying to pound in the last points of damage, bring it back from the grave after it's been Damned away, or even get a land when you need it. It also counts as an Instant, which can pump your Goyf.

4) There are usually targets for Seal of Primordium (e.g., opponents' Lenses, Arrows, Automatons, Trisks, Stormbinds, etc.), which often give you an additional +2/+2 on your Goyf for only 1G (their Artifact + your Seal). If nothing else, the deck has 7 potential Seal targets (Stars, Stormbinds, and other Seals) if your opponent is so unkind as to not give you some of their own.

5) Most people play Terramorphics in TSP Block, which is often a "free" +1/+1 on your Goyf.

6) Even if your opponents counter your non-Goyf spells, they all still go to the grave. And hey! Look, there's now an instant in the graves as well as my countered sorcery! +2/+2! Thanks, blue-playing opponent!

Of course, the deck is fairly dependent upon Tarmogoyf (although Call of the Herd is a nice alternate win condition), and there are games where you just can't seem to draw one to save your life. There are also games with many decks where you get mana screwed/flooded. Such is life. But at least with this deck, your "cantrips" make the deck that much smaller to pull that 4-of early, which is almost always the case. Turn 4 is usually the latest a Goyf will hit, and it's very often Turn 2 or 3. And, as mentioned, the Charms can keep bringing them back if needed.

Just watch out for Tormod's Crypt. (Then again, Goyf works on your opp's grave too, which is great Smile

But Withered Wretch is VERY painful (save Shocks/Bolts for it).

Sideboard is still under construction, but will likely have at least Rough/Tumble to deal with weenies and maybe Pickles.

Kytep

zero · Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 78

i think u need more threats, extirpate your goyf=gg. might of krosa is pretty useless running just 10 creatures, 4 of them fade away. boom boost is pretty crap here too, you should try storbind and call of the herd as a sorcery card thats goes to grave easily and you got a 3/3 dude for 3 mana with the flashback incentive. another card choices would be dead/gone / sudden shock / fiery temper (good for stormbind) if u want some instants

tinman · Joined: 05 Nov 2005 Posts: 195 Location: Winter par

actually i dont think he belongs in aggro at all. what i do think is that CONTROL decks just found their biggest cheapest finisher ever In this standards color rich enviroment i dont think splashing for 1G will hurt.

Think about it most control decks these days run backup in either recursion or counter magic and dont play their threats till at least turn 6 un til then they just play reactivly because they dont have the mana to do anything but keep up with aggro or counter combo go off attempts for 2 measly mana control should splash for this guy.

Booya · Joined: 08 Oct 2005 Posts: 10

Anyone else seeing this as a bomb in Dredge?

Memmy · Joined: 08 Jul 2006 Posts: 36

Remember Guys This is TSB Block, which has the crappiest counters EVER! Delay vs. Aggro is bad, the only good counter is Cancel, and it works very good onlu with MUA (Mono Blue Aggro for u new players) And rarely is seen in @ coloured Decks. So Nobody plays control in TSP block, maybe like 10%, as you see only Mono Blue Control, which is more morphic, than countering, other than that top decks are Pickles, Mana Ramps, MBA, MRA, UG Aggro, and others, rarely u see control in tsp block.

Also Like Person said before your whole deck revolves around tarmogylf, what if u dont draw him? there is no draw in that deck, there much mana excel, but then u said u only run 2/3 lands per game, and also what do u hav for MBA, or Pure Hate decks, and if they play counters, tarmogylf comes out turn 2 - Delay, u have 3 more turns before it comes out, or if they run LD, they could cancel, and good-bye your win condition u need about 1 or 2 more win conditions, all deck have them, MBA has Korlash, Neither Traitors, Shadow and also being pumped, Mana Ramp has Spectral Force, and Hellkite, Pickles has Pickles combo (2 cards) with Body Double etc. You need more than 1 win condition.

Memmy Out Cool

kcaccidental · Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 13

SaTiVa · Level 1 Judge Joined: 09 Jun 2005 Posts: 283

Kytep · Joined: 21 May 2006 Posts: 187

Kytep · Joined: 21 May 2006 Posts: 187

Kev · Level 1 Judge Joined: 31 Aug 2004 Posts: 100

For your information. You do not need to kill something else with the Seal, it can kill itself because of the way the order goes of first targetting and then paying cost for spells and abilities. It can thus see itself as the target and then pay the cost of sacrificing.

Yavimaya73 · Joined: 12 Nov 2005 Posts: 35

as you mentioned, Extirpate is your enemy. And any deck running black will have it in side if not at least 1 mained. I tried running him and he just is not as strong as he would be in any other format. I went up against mono red and it just Word of Seizinged it and sacrificed it to a suspended Gorgadon. It went up against a mba and it got killed many times over by a regenerating Korlash or chump blocked by an Augur and still regenerated. I had almost the same build, though I didn't use that creature/land as I assumed that was a bad card since it dies to almost anything that deals 1 damage to a creature. (If it didn't have summoning sickness, I think it would have been better.) The Charms are great and does give it that one turn flying bit, but...that is rarely enough to kill them. I played against a mono blue pickles and it just either countered my goyf or comboed me down. Call of the Herd is a good second choice as a threat...I just dont know, I'd like the creature to be good in block, just not sure that it is. Keep trying, that's all I can say.

PsyK · Joined: 24 Jan 2006 Posts: 130

Tarmogoyf is gonna be big imo. This card is just such an undercosted beater. However that said i see this as seeing play in far more focused decks. Maybe something like this:

BG Rack

4x Dryad Arbor
2x Graft land
4x Zoetic Cavern
4x Gemstone Mine
6x Swamp

4x Tarmogoyf
4x Augur of Skulls
4x Darkheart Sliver

4x The Rack

4x Funeral Charm
4x Stupor
4x Extirpate
4x Cheap removal (can't think of the right one off the top of my head)
4x Something else good and 3cc or under, possibly call of the herd.

That's very rough and may not even be 60 cards, but you get the point.

p.s. i would of designed a better deck but i'm at university and have limited time.

sc4rs · Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 730

I don't see it being played in a MORE focused deck at all. In any good R/G agro deck, this guy will end up being a 2/3 or 3/4 on turn 2-3 (Terramorphic or Rift Bolt, Keldon Marauders die eventually, as does Emberwilde Augur, and any instant burn/pump spell helps out.) And all you need really is a 3/4 for 2 to make it a better replacement in Gruul for Scab-Clan, who has the potential to get bigger all the time.

He's definitely a good card in this build too, but this one seems like it might be a little TOO specialized, at the cost of playing some somewhat-subpar cards (all the cycling cards merely to search for 'Goyf instead of playing more diverse threats, for example).