So, seeing as how this won't be a real format for a month, and then only on MODO, we might as well pretend to care about it. Currently I'm looking at two decks.

First, with the most outrageously swingy plays I've seen in a while:
[deck]7 Forest
3 Swamp
3 Mountain
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Marsh Flats
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Arid Mesa

4 Rampaging Baloths
2 Terra Stomper
4 Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
4 Lotus Cobra
4 Hellkite Charger
4 Summoning Trap

4 Khalni Heart Expedition
4 Harrow
4 Marsh Casualties[/deck]

It's surprisingly good, but every bit as vulnerable as it looks. Even an opposing Mold Shambler makes it hard to win. Khalni Heart Expedition is really good with 12 fetchlands.

[deck]4 Swamp
4 Jwar Isle Refuge
5 Island
4 Marsh Flats
4 Sejiri Refuge
5 Plains

2 Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
4 Sphinx of Lost Truths
2 Sphinx of Jwar Isle
4 Emeria Angel

4 Disfigure
2 Luminarch Ascension
4 Hideous End
4 Into the Roil
4 Journey to Nowhere
4 Day of Judgment[/deck]

This second deck is inspired entirely by the realization that there is one card draw spell in the format, and the desire to play a deck with Wrath instead of losing to Wrath.

Red seems totally non-viable, but it might also be the best deck if built properly. White weenie is its usual boring self, but maybe slightly better than usual. I haven't checked out mono-black either. Is there anything I'm missing?

Mono black seems pretty good. Mind sludge seems like an utter beating vs both of those decks.

Other than MODO, is this a real format for more than one weekend?

I like Mono-Black as well, especially some kind of beatdown version. It has resilience via Bloodghast and Quest for the Gravelord (yeah, boo hiss, I like it), a card to get yourself back into the game later in Mind Sludge, and cheap efficient creatures aplenty. A la

4 Bloodghast
4 Vampire Lacerator
4 Vampire Hexmage
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir (never seems bad - hits a blocker, a Lotus Cobra, or a bomb)
4 Quest for the Gravelord
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Bloodchief Ascension (again, yeah boo hiss. I'm a big fan of activating this turn 4 and following it up with a lethal Mind Sludge next turn, though, and it seems fantastic against control)
4 Mind Sludge
4 Disfigure/4 Hideous End (probably don't want both)
8 Black Fetchlands
16 Swamp

It's a mess, but I think this is where to start for MBA.

i like bloodchief ascension, not so hot on quest for the gravelord maindeck though. isn't the 1/1 that turns into a 3/2 fear guy worth including?

It's a real deck for one weekend? Is there a PT? I didn't even know that. I just want to MODO it up.

Yeah, PT San Juan's constructed portion is block, end of May, so I believe ZendiWake.

Eh. It doesn't do anything for your Ascension, and if they're below 10 life you're already doing well without a guaranteed-win creature. I can understand the logic, but I like the Quest because it is your insurance policy against Day of Judgment, and the creature created is immune to Disfigure, the new Fireblast, and Hideous End, or half your average control deck's likely elimination elements.

Zendikar RDW, stab 1

4 Goblin Guide
4 Goblin Bushwhacker
4 Warren Instigator
4 Goblin Shortcutter
4 Plated Geopede
4 Goblin Ruinblaster.

4 Burst Lightning
4 Punishing Fire
4 Elemental Appeal

4 Teetering Peaks
4 Arid Mesa
4 Scalding Tarn
12 Mountain

Ruinous Minotaur seems like it just dies a lot, and doesn't really get in there for the face-punch on t4 a lot, especially if you hold back Peaks for Instigator or Geopede. Goblin War Paint is cute but seems unfeasible. Some of the equipment, like Blazing Torch, Trusty Machete, and Adventurer's Gear may have a place in the deck. Gear turns all your dudes into Geopede, which is really nice because most of them either have doublestrike or haste to get a real kick from the deal.

I was wondering if [card]Zektar Shrine Expedition[/card] would go well alongside Elemental Appeal to dodge Day of Judgment with some 7/1s to the face.

:rage:

[DECK]4 Guul Draz Vampire
4 Vampire Lacerator
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Bloodghast
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Malakir Bloodwitch
3 Disfigure
3 Quest for the Gravelord
3 Hideous End
3 Mind Sludge

24 Swamp

1 Mind Sludge
4 Marsh Casualties[/DECK]

No meaningful landfall cards so no fetches. Pretty sure Bloodwitch is better than Ob Nixilis since a lot of people will use [CARD]Journey to Nowhere[/CARD], I’m guessing. Only know those five cards for the sideboard so far. Other possibilities would be:

[DECK]Bloodchief Ascension
Blazing Torch
Guul Draz Specter
Heartstabber Mosquito
Ob Nixilis the Fallen[/DECK]

Feast of Blood not good enough?

Generally I'd rather deal 2 than gain 4.

My Lists:

[deck]4 Ior Ruin Expedition
4 Journey to Nowhere
4 Khalni Heart Expedition
4 Cancel
4 Harrow
4 Day of Judgement
1 Rite of Replication
4 Emeria Angel
4 Sphinx of Lost Truths
4 Conquerer's Pledge

2 UW Dual
2 GW Dual
3 W Fetch
4 UG Fetch
5 Plains
5 Island
4 Forest[/deck]

[deck]4 Quest for the Gravelord
4 Grim Discovery
4 Bloodghast
4 Gatekeeper
4 Vampire Hexmage
3 Hideous End
4 Vampire Nighthawk
3 Mind Sludge
4 Malakir Blood Witch
1 Ob Nixilis

8 B Fetches
17 Swamp[/deck]

[deck]4 Into the Roil
4 Ior Ruin Expedition
4 Journey to Nowhere
4 Cancel
4 Kor Sanctifiers
4 Day of Judgement
3 Mindbreak Trap
4 Emeria Angel
4 Sphinx of Lost Truths

4 UW dual
3 W Fetch
4 U Fetch
7 Plains
7 Island[/deck]

[deck]4 Journey to Nowhere
4 Khalni Heart Expedition
4 Harrow
4 Kor Sanctifiers
4 Day of Judgement
4 Emeria Angel
4 Summoning Trap
2 Rampaging Balots
3 Iona

4 W Fetch
4 G Fetch
4 GW Dual
9 Plains
1 Emeria
5 Forest[/deck]

Thrown together to see how fast you can ramp into something stupid.

[deck]
4 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Magosi, the Waterveil
4 Misty Rainforest
12 Forest
4 Island

4 Nissa's Chosen
3 River Boa
4 Lotus Cobra
4 Oracle of Mul Daya
4 Rampaging Baloths

4 Into the Roil
4 Harrow
3 Ior Ruin Expedition
4 Nissa Revane
1 Eldrazi Monument
[/deck]

I doubt its good enough but i really like Oracle of Mul Daya, it makes it very unlikely that you will draw land (needing clumps of 3) and helps feed landfall whilst accelerating you. Its likely baloth is not the best thing to ramp into, but it seemed the most obvious.
Nissa's Chosen seem pretty decent against all the vampire and kor decks that are likely to flood the format early. I also like that it does not trigger the black enchantments and can beat early to stop the white one completing its quest.

Nissa is another shuffle effect (to help fuel the Oracles), can feed a monument every turn and even just getting a 2/3 or better (thanks to Oran Rief) can be pretty back breaking.

Next im going to try accelerating out Ob Nixillis instead of a horde of beasts.

Seems like you'd want off-color fetches for the oracles and cobras.

I think you really really want Rampaging Baloths over the pledges here. Baloths+Fetchland is a clock that will be much harder to deal with than 6 1/1's, not to mention how insane he gets if you save up an expedition to go nuts.

Fair, I've been thinking that too. Also, it's only 2 pledges not 4 that's a typo. Pretty sure I haven't lost a match with that deck (amybe even a game :\), just beat kha after he got an absurd lotus cobra start ;s.

How has rite of replication been working for you?

It's a really fun fun-of.

Playing iConn's deck against a friend, who claimed he "built this deck in five seconds" and then 3-2'd me handily.

His weapon?

[deck]4 Hedron Crab
4 Sphinx of Lost Truths
3 Scute Mob
4 Nissa's Chosen
3 Nissa Revane

4 Archive Trap
3 Ior Ruin Expedition
3 Khalni Heart Expeditoin
4 Harrow
4 Spell Pierce

4 Misty Rainforest
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Verdant Catacombs
7 Island
6 Forest

4 Whiplash Trap
4 Cancel
7 ?[/deck]

Pretty far from optimal, but we don't know if mill is worthwhile. Nissa is not bad.

If there's a mill deck, I assume it wants the trap tutor.

EDIT: I'm a retard.

REDIT: I could definately see my deck losing to mill. My deck sucks vs. counterspells also (LUCKILY no one plays them except for me so far in the beta)

FINALEDIT: Also, spell pierce is a beating if they get my harrow.

The thing is that his deck does a decent imitation of NOT just being a mill deck.\

(But I happen to agree with you. The problem is that you're a major dog to aggro if they're not trying their damnedest to Landfall it up with fetchlands.)

But then you risk getting hit by Archive Trap.

WHAT A DILEMMA :runaway:

U/W mill, maybe?

4 Trapmaker's Snare
4 Archive Trap
4 Hedron Crab
2 Jwar Island Sphinx
1 Luminarch Ascension

4 Day of Judgement
2 Whiplash Trap
4 Pitfall Trap
3 Journey to Nowhere
4 Ior Ruin Expedition
3 Cancel
1 Mindbreak Trap

4 W fetch
4 U fetch
4 UW pleasureland
7 Island
7 Plains

The Snare allows you to tutor for removal, counters, bounce, and mill.

4 Ior Ruin Expedition
4 Journey to Nowhere
4 Khalni Heart Expedition
3 Into the Roul
4 Cancel
4 Harrow
4 Day of Judgement
2 Rite of Replication
4 Emeria Angel
2 Shroud Sphinx


2 UW Dual
2 GW Dual
3 W Fetch
4 UG Fetch
5 Plains
5 Island
4 Forest

SB:
4 Devout Ligtcaster
3 Pitfall Trap
4 Mold Shambler
4 Grazing Gladehart

New UWG list. Thinking spell pierce in the board for harrow mirror/sludge. Not sure yet, I like pitfall trap vs. white decks and vampires. Gladehart is good or bad depending on how much red people play.

won't red decks have [card]punishing fire[/card]?

Well, yes, but if you stick a t3 gladehart, you will probably gain more life than they can burn off. Later on, they need to keep mana open for it, and your real threats come online.

Is Emeria MWC a deck? There seem to be a lot of good white control cards, but it seems a) balls slow, and b) pretty foldy to Mind Sludge.

But why would they care about burning your life away? They'll just burn your creatures away letting you gain life.

It's usually a really bad idea to let red decks draw extra cards.

Gladeheart is a may ability. If there is a fire in the yard and R up, you just don't gain the life. If there isn't, you gain the life.

Moving on.

sup 3T.

Sure, but what do you do if they have 1RR open? Never gain life ever? Then you have an actual Gray Ogre in constructed.

EDIT: Not much Jarvis. You're arriving on the 7th right?

You. Choose. To. Gain. Life. On. Resolution.

If. The. Fire. Isn't. In. The. Yard. When. You. Resolve. You. Can. Gain. Life.

Purple Sweatshirt alerted me that you thought this.

I was talking about Kevin.

Ok, I'm just seeing this situation where you spend your turn 3 making a Gladeheart, you landfall, they burn off the Gladeheart, and you then don't gain any life and wasted 3 mana and a card. I clearly haven't tested or anything, I'm just trying to offer a dissenting opinion and debate. For example, if what you want is lots of lifegain, you could also rejigger your manabase for a few more plains and put Landbind Ritual in the board. Seems hard to a typical red deck to beat gaining 8 or 10 or so.

You wasted 3, they wasted 3, since they cast nothing the turn they sat on fire, and that last mana goes to waste.

Ok well I guess that depends on whether punishing fire is going to see a lot of play or not. Like, if its actually a good card against non-punishing-fire decks then cool, its probably worth playing still. And against the punishing fire decks you can just play it smart and activate when it's safe.

Note that I'm not saying the Gladeheart is good at all....Just not to discount it because of a card.

Though clearly you are getting the short end of the stick here because now you are in a situation where gladeheart is likely to be sucky since there's a pfire in their yard.