Crucible Pox

He's in sideboard, it's Nyxathid.

I've usually got enough discard and pox effects that I don't have to worry about crowd control, but BSZ is actually a pretty good idea. I'm thinking maybe -1 scroll for it, and having another in the board in place of my second Syphon Life.

Oh and thanks for the compliment on the mana base, that's where I actually had to put in the most work. It didn't take long to make a spell list that worked, what took me so long(since before I made the lands deck) to build this deck was the support, and the mana base.

I had to build around the poxes, which means I had to have alternative mana(moxxen), and an easily recurring suite of lands. I've spent most of my time with this tweaking, and I'm pretty proud of how its turned out.

That's the plan, I've got to test this more, but I actually dunno if I can do Poxtraction with this kind of list. I won't be able to get the most bang for my buck.

I'm considering trying U/B for the Poxtraction, it'd be a bit contorted probably, but it SHOULD work.

U/B huh? That'll be cool =]

Is it gonna run countertop? Maybe even countertop braids? Christ would that be mean...

It is probably going to run countertop, but running braids would change the deck yet even farther off course sadly. It wouldn't really work while trying to throw in bitterbombs.

I am totally going to have to try and make a countertop braids one since you mentioned it though, that just sounds stupidly evil.

I've been at a friends house for a couple days, I've had no contact with magic, so I haven't been able to work on it >_<

-_-

A likely story...

Dude, I live in redneck country, the only time I get to play magic is at FNM pretty much, and now that it's standard I have to get used to magic workstation...

I spent my week skeet shooting old bottles, playing with dogs, and eating barbecue. Welcome to spring break in south eastern USA lol

=/

That sucks dude

I can understand why it's going standard though, I just hate the limitations on the format... Granted, I've pulled a mythic every other pack, so hopefully I'll keep getting swords lol

I honestly hate what standard has become. The other day I won a local tourney against 4 EXACT copies of my KuldothaCry deck and then 2 CAW-Blades. I beat the copies because they had no idea how to play them. Literally one kid said "Yeah man I just bought this deck last night".

-_-

With standard being a store-bought format now, players are not taking the time to learn the game and build their own decks. It's making bad players! You know how I got so good at extraction? I built my own! And, I built my own decks, and played my friends' own self-built decks, so I learned how decks work...Their mechanics, their strengths and weaknesses, etc.

If you ask most standard players why Jace is good, they won't be able to give you a very good answer, they just know he is for some reason. Similarly, give them a deck and they'll have no idea how it works. I might sound like an "old coot", but seriously, kids these days can't play magic for crap.

I started in the Zendikar block, and have to agree. I didn't like the looks of standard, and still don't, I know legacy sees a lot of mirrors, but there's a change in design in all of them at least...
I've seen a lot of countertop decks, probably more than I have caw-go, but they had fundamental differences each and every one. I've never even seen two identical(or near identical) Countertop Progenitus builds!

Jace -2.0 should NOT be in every blue deck to me, I've actually had a lot of decks that the original was better for. I only use him in I think one deck, and that's because his brainstorm-for-free effect is a game changing deal in legacy. He's just not powerful enough to warrant a play set, and finally, extended has at least realized this.


Overall, I think standard needs to get a full overhaul, and try and learn that there's more than four valid decks :/
I'm trying to build something of a toolbox deck for it, because I've always loved the idea of using batmans utility belt, and after seeing Joe's... It looks dangerous enough that I'll at least try and find a style of it for myself.



I have never just outright net decked, this is actually probably the closest I've ever come. I make sure I fully understand each piece before adding it, and why things are here.
It makes a better player, to be a better builder.

Exactly. I'm glad to know you're one of the hopeful exceptions to the tainting that standard has been spreading.

Also, at my local shop we have what we call "unplugged" tourneys. These are tourneys of all different formats that don't allow netdecks. I highly recommend that everyone try and get their local shop to start holding unplugged tourneys. They have made our shop so much more fun and diverse, and it has made all the newer players much better.

I've also never netdecked, but have been netdecked multiple times. Sometimes it is pretty cool and flattering, but sometimes (like this tourney) it's just annoying.

We pretty much only play like that, we like to build from the ground up, and with little input till the test drive stage.

I've seen but one solitary netdeck of my decks, and it was while I was using it on the workstation... I had a very interesting game, and taught them how to use my reanimator properly during the match lol

On the standard topic, I personally love it. It may be that I can't really contrast it to any other formats just yet, but I like having a set of limitations, and seeing what connections I can make to take down the "top decks". The limitations sort of make it a tad harder, (assuming you're not going to just copy somebody's deck).

But I've never played a deck I didn't make down to FNM. Never have, never will.

Unless of course me AND my friends made it, then it's still in a sense my creation :P

I've played in every format, and I dislike standard because you'll only see the top tier decks played at a tourney. In legacy you see a lot of weird decks, and in extended the current throne is rested upon by three types of deck, but there's a very different way to play all of them.

Standard is just to heavily limited to me, the limited card pool has allowed decks to become optimized faster.

Yeah I can see that, but the fun part is not making a top tier deck ;P

but what are the top 3 extended?
my guess is faeries for one.

but yeah, i can see how more variety and originality could be incorporated in other formats.

The top for extended is Faeries, Jund, and Valakut. I like Faeries and all(my current casual deck is legacy fae XD), but I'm leaning towards toolboxes and Valakut for competitive play. I just find them the most enjoyable.

I think EVERY format needs more variety, in legacy you see a bunch of things, because so many decks actually work right now it's insane. I've seen Goblins beat TES, and I've seen Countertop Progenitus beat Reanimator(rarely, mind you). There are a few decks that are better suited for the current meta, but really there's just so many competitive decks in legacy it's all about who you get matched with, and skill.

Ahhhh I see. Seems a bit overwhelming for me, haha

That reminds me, my "Nex est via et Reverentia" fearie deck is absolutely wrecking local tourneys I go to. I've lost once.

Oh, and my poxtraction is that suspend deck. I uses Pox and CotC.

hey surewhynot, what exactly is an extraction deck?
and whats a bitterbomb lol.

sorry, i havent been around long enough to familiarize myself with those terms D:

I wouldn't exactly call it a pox deck, it runs Curse and pox yeah, but it runs more like another one of your countertop extractions than anything.


Extraction is also called disabler, it basically goes through somebodies deck, and picks it apart. A popular method(and seemingly Sure's favourite) is putting the card Hide/Seek on Isochron Scepter, and going through every turn... It pulls somebody to bits pretty dang fast, like a mill deck on crack, at least I believe is how it was first described to me :)

Yep. Iso-Seek is probably my favorite method simply because it's so consistent. Extraction is called such because you "extract" out the opponent's key cards, preying on the weaknesses of their deck. Sometimes, if you REALLY know how to play extraction, you can leave certain cards in their deck that passively slow their deck down. That's called "mana burden" and I looooooooove doing this.

Now, Bitterbomb refers to a combo with the card Bitter Ordeal. Basically you use a spell to make a huge gravestorm effect and follow it with a Bitter Ordeal. The "bomb" part of Bitterbombs is the fact that they're sudden blasts of deck exiling, versus Iso-Seek, which is much more consistent. A well played Bitterbomb can destroy someone's deck however.

Extraction is my favorite deck type because it can adapt to basically anything, and it benefits from a player who really knows how decks work...something I pride myself on =] Also I love how much extraction completely DESTROYS combo decks, specifically storm (sorry WnB =P)

Extraction's biggest weakness is Lands decks. Those decks that use like...30-36 lands. Very hard to extract anything worth while, very hard to effect lands...just hard to deal with. =/

The other 2 tough match-ups for extraction is "turn 2 aggro" which is a loose term for Goblins/Affinity and, believe it or not, other extraction decks! Extraction vs Extraction usually ends by who decks out first...they're intense...

Hope that answers your questions =]

since this is the comment slot that started me back building poxtraction, and the overall focus of this section seems to be extraction, I find it the perfect place to say this; I made a rough draft of poxtract, and I seem to be addicted to using ";" at six AM.

" I SLEEP NOW." - The lost skeleton of Cadavra

Ahhhhh I see. Sounds interesting, but kinda hard.

Thanks :3

and although I hate to ask this, but could you guys check my new naya deck? its my first tri outside of esper colors, and I'd just like some feedback on it.

thanks guys (:

I don't either. If I see someone with a really cool deck, I'll tell them, and maybe try to make my own version. I won't just buy it though, that's dumb, and I wouldn't learn anything.

I kinda have to disagree with you about the artwork thing. Sure, some old-school artwork is amazing, but a number of newer cards have excellent artwork.

Netdecking has never been okay for me, I've tried three tcgs(yugioh, pokemon, and of course magic), and in all of them, the most powerful decks I've seen have all been something done through building the decks yourself. Yeah, we used common archetypes, but we never out right net decked. It just makes a bad player to be a lazy builder.

And I'm actually that guy who's in the middle on the artwork, I love the art on some newer cards, and hate it on others. But the same can be said of older cards as well, so it's in equilibrium.
My favourite piece of card art is on the snow-covered Swamp from Coldsnap, it's just brilliant to me.

Memory lapse has awesome art, I can't remember what set but honestly they all look pretty cool. Stunted growth is also one of my favorites! ^_^ but yeah I guess not all new art is bad, just most :p

I'd considered bitterblossom, but it just didn't really make the cut here with me.

I've actually very rarely been forced to lose a tombstalker, and I'm fine with people killing it. I've never actually NEEDED it to to win but once, I usually win off of ye olden chisel method.

Hehe ok. It looks really solid to me. your deck.
Keep it up couse the world need more Pox Decks. COuse it is 1 of the most random decks in Legacy in my opinion

While i guess its still fair since the competition is equal but the style is more like a race to get the flashy cards out first

There had been at least nine broken cards back in ye olden days... Nine pretty dang broken cards, that if you still have you can sell them, and buy a custom order guitar.

Basically the deck is loaded up with threats, and they just chisel the hell out of people till they die. The Rack is a great one because it's an early game threat, and it makes pox even more dangerous.

Nether Spirit is a pretty interesting threat, but I just found it more efficient to have just one. And sadly it barely ever fits in my building style, so it makes me happy to have found a use for one finally.

Nether Spirit is Awesoem. I use one in my Mono B control deck and it works really good. I will try poxdeck soon I think. the look on my friends will be priceless when i throw out Smallpox and later Pox

they doesn't understand sometimes why I'm willing to almost kill myself to beat them ^^

I'm that guy who has to resist the suicidal tendencies of magic(Bob, Reanimate, Putrid Leech, etc), almost all of my decks that I make to use personally, wind up doing more damage to me than my opponent usually does.

That's why I want to see what your interpretation of poxtraction will end up being. You've seen mine right? It's a much...safer version. I feel like yours is going to nearly kill you every time while ripping the opponent a new asshole every time as well.

I don't think you posted one, I know you have your bitterbombs deck with sacrifice, but I've not seen a pox deck from you I do believe.

I usually win games with my decks in the 10-4 range in life lol, a lot of people think that's a bad idea, but if you barely ever see burn, I see no reason not to play a playset of Bob & Friends.

Danke Schoen Ethan, truth be told I'm shocked it made front page. Especially over a couple of thoughts on standard... 'it's the way she goes' I guess, but now I'm afraid my house will catch fire to make up for this... Over FRIES

Erm... I already checked it out two days before your comment...

It's also generally a good idea to give your thoughts, to get the thoughts of others.

i guess mine is just a simpler version of yours, now that i look at it more. but i did look at yours first for ideas, and just dim it down to a more standard fit for me

Will do, I again have overextended, and need sleep. But I'll check it out, and wish you luck with that... Cause I've been working on trying to get a poxtraction running, and it's some complicated crap.

I like the idea of B/r pox, but I've never really been good with red. And I can see Blightning being a massive pain to anybody who goes against it, so if it's on here I'll very gladly check it out.