Date: Tue, 02 Dec 1997 11:18:04 +0000 From: Maarten Ferguson To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Subject: deck workshop article Hi I would like to share my experiences with the Schneider Pox deck. I saw the posts about this deck at your site and built my own version. See for the original version of this deck and credits the posts of Arthur Kimes and Jay Luo The Deck (Maarten Ferguson version) 18 swamp 3 wasteland (cut down one, because of the many mono colour decks played lately) 2 quicksand (a must agains celerity creatures when you haven't a edict or something or are tapped out) 1 stalking stone 4 cursed scroll (This is THE card, it rules) 4 stupor 4 pox 4 funeral charm (got a lot of funny looks about this card, until I hurt them over and over again with it) 2 disks (usefull against the many enchantment / artifact combo decks played lately 3 steel golum 2 evicar justice (I found 4 is too much, too much mana in CC and it hurts yourself) 4 diabolic edict ( wonderfull) 4 drain life 2 spinning darkness (dropped 2 of the original 4 because too often after I play the first I didn't have 3 cards in graveyard left ) 2 vamperic tutor 2 dark ritual (these slots are open, don't know what to put here yet and fast mana is very good in a pox deck, for quick golum, bigger drain, justice etc, because the pox costs a lot of land.) SBoard 2 coercion against blue 2 touchstone against Worb 2 vamperic tutor against blue (explained later) 2 perish may drop 1 for another coercion because stompie is dead in my environment 2 disk against earthcraft and other stupid combo decks 3 dreath of night white weenie pro black is bad 2 ????? lifegaining against red suggestions welcome aditional notes This deck is very solid and a lot of fun to play. mono colour is boring usually but this deck surprised me every time. In play testing I wrecked every deck with lots of creatures (black weenies, blue merfolk deck, red/green creatures, stompie, (I laugh at stompie), mono blue tradewind ryder styles, 4CB, 5CG) I played like 20 games and won 16 of them before sideboarding. First time when I played mono blue control (counters/ ovidian/ buyback) I lost 1-5. They just could counter every key card. I added 2 tutors and dark rituals for more speed, and aftewards I played 4-3 (before sideboarding). The key is to play a turn 1 cursed scroll (or turn 2-3 if they are stupid enough to play a turn 2 medallion) so they can't counter. The scroll is a pain in the ass for them and as soon as they discover that they try to disk it. when they are tapped out I play the pox , this costs them so much land and cards that their defense is broken. stupor next turn and I win. Of course they try to counter and if they are smart they won't play a disk with no mana left. But this means the disk comes later and I also will have more mana for more disruption. In that case, after the disk I will first try to stupor and when that gets countered I play the pox etc. The vamperic tutors are the key to the 1-2 turn scroll. The other problem is of course mono red burn. But as Arthur or Jay pointed out this deck can have a decent chance. I played 3-1 against a sligh deck and 3-4 against another burn deck. The golums and justice are key against the red weenies, the diaboloic edict and quicksand take care of the ball lightnings etc. Very important is the pox and when too play it. I found out I can only consistantly win agaianst red if I get maximum card advantage out of the pox. So I only pox when they have like 4 cards in hand, 4 land and a creature, this way they loose 2 lands, 2 cards and a creature against me 1 card 1-2 land and no creature. Try to pox only when they are tapped out or you will get 2 incinerate/kindle thrown at you. the fireblast is no real danger because when they play it in reaction to the pox they will loose 3 lands and won't recover afterwards (because I will stupor the remaining of their hand, heh heh) The drain life and even more the spinning darkness give me enough life after the pox. I often won with playing 2-3 times pox against red and finish them with the scroll. (typical they would have only 1 land left then, no or 1 cards in hand and no creatures, with me 3 land 1 cursed scroll or golum and no cards in hand. (me at 1-5 life) They have zero defense against scrolling except for disks (if they have those) The goblin vandals don't have much of a chance against my 24 ways to get rid of them :) Other thoughts: this deck ruins prosperbloom etc because of the fast amount of hand and land disruption I haven't played them lately but I think my chances are at least 70% General: This deck is so cool because almost nobody knows what to sideboard against it if they play it for the first time. I do know what to sideboard against them and that's often an extra free win. (I.E. I am mana screwed first game, they think i play black creatures and sidebaord in extra earthquakes) And if they know the deck they often still have nothing usefull against it in the sideboard Final thoughts: This deck looks very solid against most of the current popular decks. Unfortunately it has the most trouble with 2 of the most popular strategies red burn/sligh and U control. Still I believe in the deck and keep playing it until I win a tourney with it or get convinced it is not good enough. If you like the idea try it, It is fun and it works (If you like to frustrate people you definately want to play it) Rememeber don't play the deck if you know or think half the field will play red burn and another 25% blue. But it is possible to win against them and in an creature based field it is one of the better metagame decks I think. Don't forget to practise a lot before because you have to get the 'TO POX or NOT TO POX, that's the question' feeling. Also the use of cursed scroll, stupor against counterdecks need a little practise because you have to play with a low mana suply often. I heared the original deck idea came from Jay Schneider so I want to thank him for it Also thanks to Arthur Kimes and Jay Luo for posting the deck play analys and for Frank Kusumoto for keeping up this great site. Comments and aditional strategy tips very welcome! Maarten Ferguson Holland m.h.ferguson@student.utwente.nl