Created: Fri Mar 2 20:23:00 UTC 2010 Design Philosophy: Solid axis of UB. Play instant one mana cyclers; results in weaker threats but allows more slots for reanimate spells, and faster counters. Prefer instant discard outlets over sorcery speed; allows more slots for counters. Play every free cantrips for delve fodder and cycle through the deck (Street Wraith, Baubles...). Try to keep mana simple and blue: Gush, Thwart, Foil... Edit: Instant one mana cyclers were too weak for reanimation and did not establish board presence. Deck is like created for delve mechanics, but again, creatures were too weak (Gurmag Angler, Tasigur). Mana couldn't be kept basic, as black can't be just splashed; fast tempo of the deck required mana to work, which resulted in lot of UB-nonbasics, thus, Gush, Thwart and Foil could not be played. 100 Mana (26): 4 Island 1 Snow-Covered Island 1 Swamp 1 Snow-Covered Swamp 1 Snow-Covered Swamp 1 Bloodstained Mire 1 Flooded Strand 1 Polluted Delta 1 Scalding Tarn 1 Verdant Catacombs 1 Marsh Flats 1 Misty Rainforest 1 Watery Grave 1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge 1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds 1 Underground Sea 1 Cephalid Coliseum 1 River of Tears 1 Underground River 1 Darkslick Shores 1 Ipnu Rivelet 1 Sunken Hollow Some more Mana: 1 Chrome Mox 1 Lotus Petal 1 Deathrite Shaman Fatties (18): 1 Inkwell Leviathan 1 Ashen Rider 1 Stormtide Leviathan ?1 Rune-Scarred Demon (or do I want Hoarding Broodlord instead?) 1 Tidespout Tyrant +1 Archon of Cruelty 1 Terastodon +1 Entomb +1 Street Wraith +1 Architects of Will +1 Striped Riverwinder +1 Curator of Mysteries +1 Troll of Khazad-Dum (discard outlet itself, can fetch Undergroud Sea for Foil) +1 Oliphaunt (+1 Badlands/Volcanic Island as Swamp/Island) +1 Generous Ent (+1 Bayou/Tropical Island as Swamp/Island) +1 Colossal Skyturtle (Discard in itself, allows the deck play more disruption and less bad draw/discard spells) +1 Waker of Waves +1 Unmarked Grave Reanimators (12): 1 Reanimate 1 Animate Dead 1 Dance of the Dead 1 Exhume 1 Life/Death (This one along Reanimate are sometimes unusable if below 8 life points) +1 Persist 1 Necromancy (best target at instant speed: Woodfall Primus) 1 Makeshift Mannequin (best targets: Archangel / Inkwell Leviathan) +1 Murktide Regent +1 Ethereal Forager +1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang +1 Soulflayer Digging, draw, tutor, (14): 1 Gitaxian Probe 1 Brainstorm 1 Ponder +1 Consider 1 Demonic Consultation 1 Careful Study 1 / Otherworldly Gaze +1 Tainted Indulgence +1 Collective Brutality 1 Demonic Tutor 1 Frantic Search 1 Dig Through Time ?1 Imperial Seal Disruption, counters, utility (17): +1 Grief 1 Mental Misstep 1 Cabal Therapy (Nice bonus that can also target myself.) 1 Duress 1 Thoughtseize 1 Inquisition of Kozilek 1 Force of Will 1 Force of Negation 1 Misdirection 1 Daze (also potential discard on the draw) 1 Spell Pierce (pending) 1 Spell Snare 1 Flusterstorm 1 Swan Song 1 Force Spike 1 Mana Drain 1 Counterspell SB: -1 Recoil (bad bounce, what was I thinking?) -1 Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund (stupid beater #2, already got one better and that's enough here.) -1 Angel of Despair (Didn't do much and Woodfall Primus was better spot tutor target for entomb anyway.) -1 Boomerang (Wasn't needed, never played this; this also means that the deck dies to resolved Humility. Too bad.) -1 Kaervek the Merciless (should screw combo, but screws everything else though.) -1 Strategic Planning (Doesn't fit the plan well as doesn't interact with the hand zone thus can't choose what want to discard, and I don't have too many fatties to dig into anyway) -1 Mesmeric Fiend -1 Bonded Fetch -1 Zombify (costs too much) -1 Psychatog -1 Magus of the Bazaar -1 UB Borderpost -1 Mind Twist (and banned) -1 Ill-Gotten Gains -1 Recall -1 Ostracize -1 Putrid Imp -1 Raven's Crime -1 Mind Bomb -1 Mind Peel -1 Skull Fracture -1 Library of Alexandria (Even on play I can sometimes afford to skip the first land drop and simply use this then as a discard outlet) -1 Kederekt Leviathan (somewhat synergy with Animate and Dance of the Dead or Necromancy) -1 Fact or Fiction -1 Deep Analysis (the lone entomb target if GY is already filled with a necessary fatty) -1 Breakthrough -1 Remand -1 Delay -1 Multani, Maro-Sorcerer -1 Hellkite Overlord (stupid beater #1) -1 Blazing Archon (Feels better than Karrthus, showstopper for aggro) Blackmail -1 Cry of Contrition -1 Oona's Prowler ? (Discard outlet for opponent too) -1 Divert -1 Negate -1 Mana Leak -1 Trickbind (pending) -1 Thwart -1 Simic Sky Swallower -1 Empyrial Archangel (proactive against aggro) -1 Looter il-Kor -1 Thought Courier -1 Merfolk Looter -1 Consecrated Sphinx -1 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight -1 Dimir Charm -1 Sylvan Primordial -1 Unmask -1 Read the Runes -1 Living Death (if this is in opening hand against aggro, care must be taken if countering/killing opponent's creatures before casting this) -1 Woodfall Primus (Nice synergy with Cabal Therapy, prefer this over Angel of Despair. Edit: Ashen Rider now exists) -1 Razia, Boros Archangel (surprisingly good in matchups, 2 relevant abilities in one) -1 Victimize (Pending) -1 Diabolic Servitude -1 Compulsive Research -1 Phantasmal Image -1 Sickening Dreams -1 Oath of Jace -1 Stubborn Denial -1 Geier Reach Sanitarium -1 Wharf Infiltrator -1 Whispers of Emrakul -1 Simian Spirit Guide (add for speed, but with curve so slow, the r mana here hoses) -1 Sire of Insanity -1 Curator of Mysteries -1 Horror of the Broken Lands -1 Archfiend of Ifnir -1 Fatal Push (Gives nothing for dedicated combo deck, i.e. doesn't contribute to game plan) -1 Circular Logic -1 Faerie Macabre -1 Necropolis Fiend -1 Gurmag Angler -1 Chart a Course -1 Disrupting Shoal -1 Overseer of the Damned -1 Smallpox (Can't be splashed) -1 Pieces of the Puzzle -1 Dimir Aqueduct (allows to discard on draw, but too slow) -1 Vodalian Merchant -1 Owl Familiar -1 Thirst for Knowledge (costs too much) -1 Liliana of the Veil (too slow for combo deck) -1 Merfolk Traders -1 Enclave Cryptologist (leveling up opens window for blow back) -1 Drowned Rusalka (costs two to discard, too much) -1 Stifle (One lone insurance against Tormod's Crypts etc. Can occasionally blow up now post zen more common fetchlands) -1 Arcane Artisan -1 Spellseeker -1 Archon of Valor's Reach -1 Rotting Regisaur -1 Scheming Symmetry -1 Vilis, Broker of Blood -1 Specter's Shriek -1 Thassa's Oracle (banned) -1 False Memories (I much rather sculpt my hand) -1 Arcum's Astrolabe -1 Archon of Coronation -1 The Modern Age (too slow?) -1 Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant (replaces Velomachus) -1 Yahenni's Expertise -1 Personal Tutor (I either want to draw the threats, or need better tutors, this is card disadvantage) -1 Lim-Dul's Vault -1 Portent (I can use this to setup 8th card in counterwars) -1 Mishra's Bauble -1 Treasure Cruise (banned) -1 Urza's Bauble -1 Dispel (Miscast is better) -1 Disrupt -1 Intuition (too costly, no synergies for this) -1 Sleight of Hand -1 Trickster Mage -1 Hapless Researcher -1 Stitch Together (not enough creatures for this) -1 Preordain (replaced by Consider) -1 Show and Tell (if graveyard already has fatties, leaving one in hand is usually a good play in case this one is topdecked/tutored) -1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite (Pending, replaces Blazing Archon. Legendary, screws Persist.) -1 Iona, Shield of Emeria (Replaces Kaervek. Legendary, screws Persist.) -1 Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur. Legendary, screws Persist, hit by Karakas.) -1 Hymn to Tourach (if black is splash, can't cater this) -1 Sheoldred, Whispering One. Legendary, screws Persist, hit by Karakas. Archon of Cruelty is better). +1 Otawara, Soaring City +1 Miscast +1 Bone Shards +1 Mission Briefing +1 Foil (Discard outlet at the same time) +1 Atraxa, Grand Unifier (but legendary) +1 Gush (Low land count + Foil, could work here as a good draw.) -1 Snapcaster Mage (too slow) -1 Drowned Catacomb -1 Wasteland (against Karakas, but really needed?) -1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse -1 Sunken Ruins -1 Temple of Deceit ?1 Tainted Pact