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RUG Pod

Started by Nastaboi, 08-12-2011, 05:22:44 PM

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Nastaboi

I wanted to create RUG deck that plays some like Pod decks in Standard and some like RUG Delver decks in Legacy. Delver itself ended up never flipping, but the deck itself proved to be quite competent. Mostly it just beats face. More advise is always needed, so here goes:

Lands (34):

9 fetch
3 dual
3 shock
3 filter
3 M10/INN dual
Copperline Gorge
4 Island
2 Forest
Mountain
Raging Ravine
Treetop Village
Dryad Arbor
Wasteland
Tectonic Edge

The deck is very hungry for colored mana, which makes playing around hate somewhat difficult. I take it as a calculated risk.

Creatures (35):

Birds of Paradise
Noble Hierarch
Fyndhorn Elves
Llanowar Elves
Arbor Elf
Orcish Lumberjack
Grim Lavamancer

Sakura-Tribe Elder
Lotus Cobra
Tarmogoyf
Fauna Shaman
Scavenging Ooze
Phantasmal Image
Snapcaster Mage

Edric, Spymaster of Tresh
Vithian Renegades
Kitchen Finks
Eternal Witness
Vendilion Clique
Burning-Tree Shaman
Phyrexian Metamorph

Vengevine
Bloodbraid Elf
Hero of the Oxid Ridge
Venser, Shaper Savant
Thrun, the Last Troll
Glen Elendra Archmage
Flametongue Kavu
Sower of Temptation

Urabrask, the Hidden
Acidic Slime
Arc-Slogger
Precursor Golem

Inferno Titan
Primeval Titan / Progenitus

Notice flat mana curve. I could use more good two-drops, but there are not that many. Haste guys are quite effective, I wonder if there are other worth playing. Guide maybe. Not sure about NO target, Titan is hardcastable but not always game over.

Counters (11):

Stifle
Spell Snare
Spell Pierce
Daze
Counterspell
Mana Drain
Mana Leak
Remand
Memory Lapse
Cryptic Command
Force of Will

Mostly there to generate tempo. Stifle was just thrown there, could be in or out. Other options include Miscalculation, Deprive, Logic Knot.

Burn (6):

Lightning Bolt
Chain Lightning
Magma Jet
Psionic Blast
Char
Brimstone Volley

Searing Blaze was left out due its difficult mana cost. Other options (Fire/Ice, Staggershock, Electrolyze) seem worse to me unless you can prove otherwise.

Stuff (14):

Sensei's Divingin Top
Brainstorm
Preordain
Ponder
Into the Roil
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Feast and Famine
Birthing Pod
Garruk Wildspeaker
Jace, the Mind Scuptor
Natural Order
Treachery
Bribery
Green Sun's Zenith

Don't know about the other sword, but the rest is pretty solid. Other options include Control Magic and more creatures/burn/counters. While cantrips are okay, I don't want to be drawing cards and not advancing board position in any point of a game.

So; bad cards, obvious misses, any suggestions, questions welcome!
Quote0:13:51 [Nastaboi] Nastaboi plays Invincible Hymn from Hand
0:14:25 [Nastaboi] Nastaboi's life total is now 221 (+213)

W0lf

No kiki jiki?
fail...

W0lf

also no tezzeret to fetch for pod, and burning tree shaman is really bad

Nastaboi

Thanks for your constructive and well reasoned feedback.

Kiki-Jiki does not beat face or help ramping to titan really efficiently, sucks without Pod and is even really difficult to cast. This deck wants to beat face, not to be too cute. For same reason I'm running efficient damage sources like Burning-Tree Shaman. I don't know if I want another Pod that costs 5, my instincts say no. The deck can operate without it pretty well, but I will consider it.
Quote0:13:51 [Nastaboi] Nastaboi plays Invincible Hymn from Hand
0:14:25 [Nastaboi] Nastaboi's life total is now 221 (+213)

Tabris

Here is my list (much more like a RUG-Control rather than Aggro)

http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/rug-control-34/


Nastaboi

Hm, Avalanche Riders is one haste creature I did not try out, though it comes with a price. I'd play Boggart Ram-Gang if fetching basic island wasn't so appealing.
Quote0:13:51 [Nastaboi] Nastaboi plays Invincible Hymn from Hand
0:14:25 [Nastaboi] Nastaboi's life total is now 221 (+213)

Tabris

yeah people dont expect haste creatures (except BBE and the Gang and that only in aggro decks) and it is a good pod creature to fetch

W0lf

Why wouldn`T you play kiki jiki? he always copies your best creature like inferno titan or avanlanche riders.
No point in not playing him in this deck.
And yes you want another pod trust me on this :D

W0lf

Besides that, i don`t think that this is good enough to be Tier 1 as an aggro deck, list jsut looks like a worse naya to me, better built it more controlish m8

so_not

Quote from: W0lf on 09-12-2011, 05:43:02 PM
Why wouldn`T you play kiki jiki? he always copies your best creature like inferno titan or avanlanche riders.
No point in not playing him in this deck.
And yes you want another pod trust me on this :D

If you have Inferno in play you should be winning anyway. Problem with Kiki-Jiki is that you must have another creature (preferably a good one) in play. It costs 5 (triple caster) which is a lot if you use it to copy low cost creatures. Also being a 2/2 makes it too vulnerable to removal for a five cost creature. If you look at the list, there are lots of Legendary creatures and creatures that doesn't produce very much value when copied (like BBE, Vengevine, Image, Sower, Arc-Slogger, Scavenging Ooze, Fauna Shaman etc.). So actually there's no point playing him without the combo.

Tezzeret also costs too much and doesn't have enough utility to be played. The deck should be evolved in a very different direction to have sufficient support for Tezzeret. But that wouldn't be the same deck any more :(

W0lf

You shouldn`t underestimate the Power of Birthing Pod, even for 5 mana this is rediciously good.
Also Precursor+ kiki sick-o xD

Tiggupiru

#11
I don't know. Tezzeret just as a tutor for Birthing Pod seems okay to me. It doesn't do a whole lot if the Pod is in the bin, but it certainly gives a presence that your opponent under most circumstances can't ignore even though it has no significant value to you. If you have Pod out, Tez gives you an extra activation every turn. Also, him fetching Feast and Famine or SDT is not entirely horrible. Fire & ice shouldn't be in the deck, I think. Drawing two swords is just terribad.

What comes to the deck itself, I think removing every mediocre non-creature for a mediocre creature seems good. For example, Stifle always has a target, but outside of Stifling an early fetch, they rarely are worth of a card. It's also a spell that requires you to tie one mana every turn just to hope you see a target worthy enough. Having a creature as a Pod target is more valuable than having an equally good spell (especially a reactive one) that does the same.

Cards I would consider:

Hero of Oxid Ridge - I guess this is in the deck already, or you have some sweet tech ;)
Giant Solifuge - Seems better than Vengevine.
Siege-Gang Commander - Probably superior to Arc-Slogger due to Pod. This a lot coming from a guy *loves* the old Slogs. Having them both seems okay, though.
Kessig Wolf Run - Might be impossible to add because of mana problems, but gives a sweet target for Primeval. Not good enough you you change the NO target.

I would consider cutting the Preordains and Ponders as they lose a _lot_ of value due to spoils-mulligan. They are good later or when you have a empty slot in curve, but you don't need them to help you keep otherwise poor hands as you can just mulligan towards better hand. If you actively look for Pod, or plan to abuse the hell of it, I think you are better off just having more creatures to exploit. I do know those are very good spells, so if you have cards you find underperforming on a regular basis, or just don't have creatures to add, they are great placeholders. It's very rare to be disappointed when you just topdecked a Preordain.

EDIT - fixed a typo

W0lf

Kessig wolf run is rly nice in this deck, adds some power to your whimpy creatures + kills phantasmal image

Nastaboi

I could cut Ponder but will keep Preordain. I had Wolf Run in the deck for a short while and it ended up just plain sucking. Stifle is just a placeholder as already mentioned.
Quote0:13:51 [Nastaboi] Nastaboi plays Invincible Hymn from Hand
0:14:25 [Nastaboi] Nastaboi's life total is now 221 (+213)

so_not

I think there are plenty of ways to build RUG right now. At the moment this version looks a bit too all over the place. You could go more aggro route by playing some fish and tempo stuff or controlish by adding a few bombs and tweaking manas to support them or even play a ramp version with Scapeshift! Strongest versions I have seen so far were in fact the combo versions. As a midrangey deck this does indeed look like a worse Bant (not naya). Personally I will surely be playing some sort of Delver/Mongoose-version in the near future :)