Fate Zoa - an amusing dec for FNM

Panimu · Joined: 04 Oct 2006 Posts: 38

So first, the dec:

3x Dark Depths

4x Ancestral Visions

4x Fate Transfer
4x Rune Snag
4x Mind Stone

4x Balduvian Frostwalker
4x Leecher Bond
2x Plume Veil

4x Cryptic Command
4x Chronozoa

Spells = 37 (must count dark depths as a spell)

17x Snow Island
4x Mutavault
2x Ronom
Lands = 23

Curve
Lan: xxx
1cc: xxxx
2cc: xxxx xxxx xxxx
3cc: xxxx xxxx xx
4cc: xxxx xxxx

Curve Colours
1cc: U
2cc: 2 1U 1U
3cc: 2U 2U UUU
4cc: 1UUU 3U

The dec is about having fun with Fate Transfer and features a few ways to have fun with it.

1) Main thing you're looking to do is move the Time Counters off Chronozoa to something/anything else and start it splitting.

2) Bond Leecher has little synergy with Fate Transfer, it's mostly there as a good card on its own and works with Chronozoa also.

3) Balduvian Frostwalker turns Dark Depths into a creature, then you use Fate Transfer to move the ice counters off it to net you a 20/20 flying DuUuUUUdddeee.

This is all supported by good draw, mana accel and some counters. I did originally plan to use Jotun Grunt and Vexing Sphinx (and possibly Jotun Owl Keeper) for more fun, but keeping it mono blue worked so why push into white.

My question for you knowledagable fellows is how far can this mana base be pushed given it's mono blue and want's to make Cryptic Command and Plume Veil. For example, I'd love to add Scrying Sheets, Deserts, Tolaria West (find Dark Depths), a random Urborg (make Depths tap for mana) and so forth. What's the correct minimum number of blue sources would you say?

cheers!

Maltabus · Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 53

With a cardbase like that, you want 19+ islands.

skilla420 · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 258

I don't know about anyone else, but I think that's a pretty sweet deck. The average cost is a bit high (barely), but it seems to have good synergy. I also like the unusual theme. It has disruption/control, and is good with evasion. May not be a lightning fast deck like many in today's meta, but it's a fresh and fun idea that you can play around with.

If I may, a suggestion:
Maybe add some bounce like Venser, bommerang, or something just in case a bitterblossom for example comes out. Now I don't know if it would ruin the theme, but bounce is the blue way to deal with pesky permanents.

aldaryn · Joined: 02 Sep 2004 Posts: 469

I don't have anything constructive to say, other than this is awesome and hilarious and you should play it.

isperia · Joined: 05 Feb 2008 Posts: 14

Maybe, Urborg + Tolaria West fit there?

Panimu · Joined: 04 Oct 2006 Posts: 38

Yeah, if you look at the Faeries listings (25 lands, -2 pendelhaven, -4 mutavault) then they're all running 19 blue sources and I guess the plumeveils put even more pressure on finding triple U than the Faeries dec does. The other way to look at Faeries as an example is to say they run 6 non blue, which is the theory for my current mana base.

Thanks for the comments skilla, aldaryn Smile

It does seem a lot of fun to make plays 1+3 right?

Isperia, yeah, that's one of the things I was thinking. I tend to only like to count Tolaria West as half a land, due to it coming into played tapped and filtering the land you're going to draw for the rest of the game. So if I want 23 land then adding Tolaria Wests might look like 24 instead

16x Island
4x Mutavault
2x Tolaria West
2x Ronom

and drop the main dec to 2 Dark Depths from 3 (but with Tolaria that makes a total of 4 virtual Dark Depths)

Vedrfolner · Joined: 04 Apr 2006 Posts: 1401

With Tolaria West, you can drop Dark Depths to 1, actually. I don't think I would ever want multiples of that card. But the 2 free slots should be used for something that fits the theme of moving counters around.

skilla420 · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 258

I think Vedrfolner is right. If someone for example, extirpates a fate transfer, then the rest of the game will probably be painful and slow going.
And the tolaria west idea is actually really good now that I think about it, simply because it does free up a few slots for alternatives. The question now is what can fit those slots that moves counters?

Panimu · Joined: 04 Oct 2006 Posts: 38

You need double dark depths for when the first token is bounced and you want to do it again Smile

As for extirpate, if I have a Fate Transfer in the bin presumably it's because I cast it and I'm currently wrecking their world with multiple Zoa's or 20/20 men.

Thinking that kind of thing earlier today, I only want to make countermagic to stop them screwing with my combos so I probably want to drop Cryptic Commands to Negates, e.g.

-4 Cryptic Command
+3 Negate
+1 Prismatic Lens

Also given what the dec is about (fun combos) then Deserts may be the option, not Mutavaults, once you've gone there then you could even add Vesuva and get enough Deserts to kill a 'goyf!

OK, maybe I won't do that last bit. I am tempted however to run Tolaria's, Ronoms and Terramorphic Expanse in mono blue, then add Crucible of Worlds for never ending land drops. This would also facilitate running a single Dark Depths.

skilla420 · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 258

Yeah, this may be the first time where I may object.
First off, cryptic commands are good, so at the very LEAST keep 2. Think of it this way, if you are able to bring out the 20/20 doom, you can tap all opponent's creatures and swing for a shit load of damage.
Secondly, don't put in too many non-creauter spells like counters (aka negate) and prismatic lens. Why prismatic lens?
Third, don't surround yourself with colorless mana so that you don't have any blue.
Fourth, vesuva will only work with the desert or mouth of ronom, and I'm not sure if it'll work
Lastly, we still need to figure out what to put in that gets rid of counters on creatures or whatever.

But don't get me wrong, I like where this deck is going, but don't stray from the main theme.

skilla420 · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 258

Yeah, this may be the first time where I may object.
First off, cryptic commands are good, so at the very LEAST keep 2. Think of it this way, if you are able to bring out the 20/20 doom, you can tap all opponent's creatures and swing for a shit load of damage.
Secondly, don't put in too many non-creauter spells like counters (aka negate) and prismatic lens. Why prismatic lens?
Third, don't surround yourself with colorless mana so that you don't have any blue.
Fourth, vesuva will only work with the desert or mouth of ronom, and I'm not sure if it'll work
Lastly, we still need to figure out what to put in that gets rid of counters on creatures or whatever.

But don't get me wrong, I like where this deck is going, but don't stray from the main theme.

Panimu · Joined: 04 Oct 2006 Posts: 38

skilla420 · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 258

That's the spirit! Have you tested the deck out at all yet? If so how does it play? Any specific problems?

And I see what you mean with the mana acceleration. I guess it is rather mind stone-esque and will help with conversion to blue. The only hazard is mana juggling by having to pay and tap out of an extra mana

By the way, what was the verdict on mutavault? Out I'd hope....

skilla420 · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 258

Here, try this deck on for size:
prototype zoa fate:

24 lands (that's legal right?)
2 Mouth of ronom
2 Desert
2 Tolaria West
2 Dark Depths
16 Snow-covered islands

22 Spells
4 mind stone
4 ancestral visions
4 rune snag
4 fate transfer
3 Cryptic Command
2 Boomerang

4 Balduvian Frostwaker
4 Chronozoa
3 Plume Veil
3 Leech Bonder

skilla420 · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 258

Wait even better- +2 venser, -2 boomerang for more creatures, and maybe add some pongify, like 2 of. And maybe check out guile? not sure since he is afterall 6.