Can a straight BG rock thrive in it's Abzan brethren's meta???
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I want a reason to pilot a build utilizing [[phyrexian obliterator]], and I think IT is our guy...thing.
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BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT A BIT, AND HERE'S HOW IT
STACKS UP:
-Resilient against [[siege rhino]] and [[tasigur, the golden fang]]. Other popular creatures such as: a very big [[scavenging ooze]], an average size [[tarmogoyf]], [[wild nacatl]], etc.
-Being dealt damage means clearing [[lingering souls]]/[[Voice of resurgence]] tokens or other aggressive builds that swarm; Affinity, Merfolk, Zoo, etc.
-Terrible target for 'Bolts or any other choice burn spells
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THE DOWNSIDE:
-Those party pooping [[path to exile]]s, [[dismember]]s and [[maelstrom pulse]]s are EVERYWHERE, thusly hurting dear 'ol 'Rex. Therefore, we have the singleton [[sword of light and shadow]] and by popular demand, [[spellskite]]. I am considering replacing sword because it clogs up the 3 cmc slot, so in it's stead, possibly a [[vines of vastwood]] that can also severely pump 'Rex or maybe a [[mutagenic growth]]; dropping this for the Phyrexian Mana = mind f@#$ed opponent for the rest of the game. We shall see after many, many games.
- I also just have to say in the advent of being "Pathed", "whatever, we still have 'Goyfs..."
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THERE ARE A FEW ODD LOOKING CHOICES IN THIS ROCK BUILD:
-[[courser of kruphix]] -- At first she seems mediocre, in fact, at most times she is. Without [[dark confidant]] and with the prevalence of Burn in the current meta, she's in. She acts as a wall against other builds and deters them from combat, not to mention her incidental life gain is much appreciated in a meta in which we ping/shock ourselves a majority of the time for mana fixing.
-[[sword of light and shadow]] -- Not really odd, I've seen some builds main this gem. Defensively, it's our contingency against premium removal pointed at 'Rex. Offensively, it makes him an unfair nightmare. Equip it to another creature as well for a similar effect. This devastates the G1 mirror.
-[[bojuka bog]] -- Deals with flashbacks, snaps, ooze food, shrinks 'goyfs, and maybe any 'yard shenanigans we may run into. Though it's pretty viable in this meta, I'm weary of so many land coming into play tapped (4x [[treetop village already]]), so I'm testing the waters and will swap for [[swamp]] if it slows the deck too much.
-[[spellskite]] -- Our "Plan B" to our "Plan B". Bites the proverbial bullet for 'Rex or any other of the deck's several win conditions that, given enough time, will grind for us until they achieve the W.
*Being that it is an "artifact'' creature, the cost of dying would help increase our marvelous 'Goyf pets. As of right now, I count their stats at a possible 7/8. Looking at the inclusion of [[bitterblossom]] to max it.
-[[pit fight]] -- I initially had this space reserved for [[victim of night]] but the synergy this spell has with 'Rex makes it a potential X-for-1 or better yet, board wipe including lands. One example PF shines is when using Rex as a wall against multiple attackers. Respond to the opponents alpha strike, have 'Rex step into the ring with one creature, and the opponent will have to sacrifice that many permanents; the bigger the creature the better the results. Most of the time they'll opt for sacrificing creatures before lands but its always a mixture of both. This card abuses Rex's ability and literally makes it an Eldrazi with "Annihilator X". Another great thing about PF is that it doesn't care about [[blood moon]], and using the card may potentially cause the opponent to sacrifice the enchantment. Either way I see it, this combo will send them back to the stone age.
A FEW ODD SB CHOICES:
-[[bow of nylea]] -- It is a toolbox of sorts. 'Goyf battles do not end up being board stalls; whether you're the aggressor or, are piloting your way into a more "controlled" victory. It can hit birds and even a soul with a single [[gavony township]] counter on it (as I write this, it occured to me that 'the Bow's" +1/+1 counter ability acts as a smaller gavony as it costs less and targets a single creature). In the face of Burn, it blanks a third of their deck. It can also get cards back from the 'yard, a mediocre ability but it's still printed on this card making that a total of 5 different options at your disposal.
-[[dragon's claw]] -- Again, Anti-Burn.
-[[night of souls' betrayal]] -- It blanks X/1 creatures. Here's a small list of popular cards in the immediate modern meta:
-[[inkmoth nexus]]
-[[noble hierarch]]
-[[birds of paradise]]
-[[pestermite]]
-[[deceiver exarch]]
-[[slippery bogle]]
-[[llanowar elves]]
-[[memnite]]
-[[signal pest]]
-[[glistener elf]]
-[[cursecatcher]]
-[[master of waves]] (and all his tokens)
-[[blighted agent]]
-[[ichorclaw myr]]
etc.
It's drawback is it being "Legendary" so that it cannot be abused, but it in fact can be pseudo-abused. Play a second copy and the board state will reach pandemonium as any and all creatures will receive a -2/-2. I do not believe I need to go into detail with another list of creatures of the X/2 variety in the format. Afterwards, you pick which one to keep as a result of the "Legendary Rule" and all is right with the world again.
DECKS COMBO:
[[sword of light and shadow + phyrexian obliterator]]
[[pit fight + phyrexian obliterator]]
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What do you guys think???
Any ideas, please make yourself heard!!!