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Author Topic: [Standard] Deck Critique - Sultai Soulflayer  (Read 594 times)

Churchill42

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[Standard] Deck Critique - Sultai Soulflayer
« on: July 30, 2015, 06:05:17 pm »
Hi all,

I'm returning to the game after a fairly long hiatus.  I wanted to get thoughts/critiques of the following Standard deck:

Sultai Soulflayer

Two Pronged: Focus is Delve Effects and use of Mirror Mockery

The general thrust of the deck is to make use of two mechanisms--Mirror Mockery and Delve effects--with the Mirror effects locking out an opponent (and accelerating the Delve) and the Delve effects accelerating the ability to play big creatures.

I've playtested a bit, and I do find that I'm having some trouble getting too far behind to aggro decks.  Also, the land count may be a bit low--considering bumping it up to 22 or 23.

Just a few notes/restrictions:
1. Trying to keep costs down, so Languish and Tasigur, the Golden Fang are out, at least for now. The Sidisi, Brood Tyrant alone was nearly half the cost of the deck.
2.  Because the older releases expire in early October, I'm limiting my card selection to the Origins/Takrir/Fate Regorged block.

I very much appreciate any advice you all may have.


 
« Last Edit: July 30, 2015, 06:23:08 pm by Churchill42 »

Drunk Cynic

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Re: [Standard] Deck Critique - Sultai Soulflayer
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2015, 07:14:24 pm »
Even with the option of delve, you will need 23-24 lands, largely due to the abundance of tri-color spells in your deck.

For a Delve Deck, there is a shortage of cards that fill your graveyard: Taigam's Scheming

If the Soulflayer is your beat stick, bracketed by Rackshasa Vizier, than focus on small creatures that will buff the Soulflayer. Remove everything else, shifting your mana curve.

Remove: Icefall Regent, Merciless Executioner, Priest of the Blood rite, Terra Stomper, Kheru Lich Lord.

Consider: Gurmag Swiftwing and Heir of the Wilds.
Perpetual Johnny. Interactions and originality are preferable to winning, though winning doesn't hurt.
If I throw statistics at you, they likely came from:
http://stattrek.com/online-calculator/hypergeometric.aspx

Churchill42

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Re: [Standard] Deck Critique - Sultai Soulflayer
« Reply #2 on: July 30, 2015, 09:42:43 pm »
Thanks for the reply. 

I agree regarding the removal of Kheru Lich Lord.  That may also resolve, to some limited degree, the outstanding tricolor issues.

Regarding Taigam's Scheming, this may be a preferable card to the Monastery Siege, ramping the Delve effect early.

The thought with Terra Stomper was that it would be available to either be used for the purposes of delve or Necromantic Summons. There are several alternatives to this, and I could review these and make sure that the TS is the choice.  I suppose that it is probably suboptimal for this approach because its "cannot be countered" doesn't apply to the Soulflayer.

Regarding Icefall Regent, Merciless Executioner, and Priest of the Blood Rite, those were intended to work with Mirror Mockery.  Excluding them would essentially mean recasting the deck to exclusively Delve, which while viable wasn't really my intention.

My thought isn't necessarily for Soulflayer to be the beatstick.  The thought is for the two approaches (Mirror, Delve) to assist one another, e.g. through Become Immense and the discarding effect of using Sidisi.

Drunk Cynic

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Re: [Standard] Deck Critique - Sultai Soulflayer
« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2015, 11:06:52 pm »
Mirror Mockery on Priest of Blood Rite is a gain; free 5/5 every turn. Mirror Mockery on Merciless Executioner is fair; you sac the token, they sac a creature. What do you sac when he enters play the first time though? 8 Targets (mana ramp, death touch, or champion), 5 of them good choices on curve. Mirror Mockery on Icefall Regent is a wash one creature, without hexproof, is prevented from being a blocker. Each of these situations is only effective until they kill the creature.

Separately, Mirror Mockery on the Abzan main stay Seige Rhino is a 6 point life swing if they attack and a free blocker.

On the Terra Stomper; Terra stomper, with the heavy green casting cost, is practically limited to a delve target or Necromantic Summons, making it a dead draw. There is likely an option that is friendly to the hard cast option.
Perpetual Johnny. Interactions and originality are preferable to winning, though winning doesn't hurt.
If I throw statistics at you, they likely came from:
http://stattrek.com/online-calculator/hypergeometric.aspx