Open the curtains to the improved Pili-Pala combo! And a crazy deck style idea I had...
There's a well-known infinite mana combo between Pili-Pala and Grand Architect that goes out turn 3. My motivation was finding a way to make it go out on turn 2. I succeded on that with Sol Ring! With it I could cast Pili-Pala T1 and Grand Architect T2 already leaving 1 floating colorless mana! However, I still had to attack with Pili to trigger the combo... that's when I thought of Training Grounds and Paradise Mantle. I can equip the mantle onto pili anda tap it to produce the 1 mana necessary to untap him and produce one floating mana!
Thus, my combo idea is: Paradise Mantle + Pili-Pala + Training Grounds
Equip Paradise Mantle onto Pili-Pala while Training Grounds is on the battlefield. Now pili's ability costs 1 mana to activate. So you tap pili for 1 mana and use it to trigger its untap ability to generate 1 floating mana of any color. Repeat to infinite mana!
Once you have the combo you can finish the game with either Banefire, Exsanguinate (appropriate for multiple opponents) or even Train of Thought (by mill)! These are the basic 3 win-cons, but the deck is meant to be rather versatile and dynamic.
T1: Island, tap to cast Sol Ring, tap to cast Pili-Pala
T2: Island and Paradise Mantle, tap both Islands to cast Training Grounds and equip Paradise Mantle to Pili-Pala. Tap Pili-Pala to add one mana to trigger its untap ability...infinite mana...win with Banefire, Exsanguinate or Train of Thought
Before explaining the deck idea and side/maybeboard I'll go through the cards:
Banefire is first win-con, because above 5 damage it cannot be countered or prevented.
Exsanguinate is win-con same as Banefire, but it works in multiple opponents.
Train of Thought is win-con by milling. However it can also be used to draw like 85% of your library to dig in for other cards.
Muddle the Mixture is used as control and as a tutor. This deck is based on the Transmute ability as tutor! Many cards have transmute and are able to tutor all the cards needed for the combo and win-cons. It will also be used to tutor the cards in sideboard. This tutors cards with CMC 2.
Dizzy Spell is used as control and tutor the same way as Muddle the Mixture. It tutors for CMC 1.
Sol Ring is mana ramp used to cast Pili-Pala T1.
Spell Pierce and Vapor Snag are control cards with CMC 1 used to stall the game until I have the combo or to get rid of boring spells and creatures.
Academy Ruins is used to get my artifacts back in case an opponent succesfully destroys them or makes me discard them.
Tolaria West tutors for Paradise Mantle and some sideboard cards.
DECK IDEA AND SIDEBOARD
These cards and the ones used in the combo are what will be hereon called the "core cards". The deck idea is to have 4 "variable cards" that will be constantly exchanged with sideboard cards depending on the opponent's deck.
The regular variable cards are the 2 Fog Bank 's and the 2 Wall of Tears's. They're here to stall the game until I have the combo, to protect my life points and to act as decoys. The main idea is to exchange these 4 cards (that will almost always como in doubles) with two doubles from the sideboard depending on the opponent's deck.
If I'm up against a heavy burn, removal deck or a deck with board-wipe cards, the change will be:
-2x Fog Bank, -2x Wall of Tears, +2x Lightning Greaves, +2x Apostle's Blessing.
Important to note that I can tutor any of those cards! The sideboard was made so that almost all cards in them have CMC 0, 1 or 2, so that they can be tutored.
If it's a an artifact deck, the changes will be:
-2x Fog Bank, -2x Wall of Tears, +2x Hurkyl's Recall, +2x Cyclonic Rift
If it's an heavy enchantment deck:
-2x Fog Bank, -2x Wall of Tears, +2x Boomerang, +2x Cyclonic Rift
If it's a graveyard or ressurection deck:
-2x Fog Bank, -2x Wall of Tears, + 2x Tormod's Crypt, +2xGrafdigger's Cage
If it's an infect or curse deck:
-2x Fog Bank OR -2x Wall of Tears, +2x Witchbane Orb, OR 2xMelira, Sylvok Outcast, It shouldn't be a problem casting Melira since I have Paradise Mantle.
If it's a combo deck, here are the combobreakers:
-2x Fog Bank, -2x Wall of Tears, +2x Gitaxian Probe, +2x Thoughtseize
If it's a heavy creature deck, mostly aggro decks, there are a few possibilities:
if it's a deck based on tokens:
-2x Fog Bank, -2x Wall of Tears, +2x Echoing Truth, +2x Evacuation, since they're both token killers!
if the deck doesn't have countermeasures against control, just do:
-2x Fog Bank, -2x Wall of Tears, +4x Psychic Barrier
If it's an aggro based in theme creatures like goblins, elves, zombies there are a couple strategies:
-2x Fog Bank, -2x Wall of Tears, +2x Ensnare, +2x Evacuation
OR
-2x Fog Bank OR -2x Wall of Tears, +2x Ensnare OR 2x Cyclonic Rift
OR
-2x Fog Bank OR -2x Wall of Tears, +2xEvacuation OR +2x Ensnare
It will depend on the synergie of the opponent's deck.
At last, but certainly not least, the elegant change. It's to be used when neither of the 3 win-cons are possible or when you got bored of winning with them or when you want to try something new or when you just want to be a show off:
-2x Fog Bank, -2x Wall of Tears, +1x Blightsteel Colossus, +1x Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, +1x Aqueous Form, +1x Rancor
You can draw your deck with Train of Thought to get the eldrazi out, then cast them with your infinite mana. If you put Aqueous Form in Blightsteel Colossus you have an unblockable one blow Infect win. With Rancor in Emrakul, the Aeons Torn you can take your time trampling over the opponent's life total.
This is the deck construction idea and its main features.
MAYBEBOARD
These cards are ones I'm considering replacing ones in the main or sideboard.I'm thinking about advantages and disadvantages..
Cryptoplasm is considered in the place of Wall of Tears. It also has the funcion of stalling, but it may be better to copy an oponnent's creature or even Emrakul, or maybe Pili-Pala just in case he's destroyed.
Blue Sun's Zenith would come in the place of Train of Thought since it does the same things but can be reshuffled into the library. However, I cannot tutor for him and if I'm in a pinch, Train of Thought allows a single draw..
Counterspell is to give the deck some extra control. Maybe in the place of Spell Pierce for late game control or as a double in sideboard for Boomerang or Psychic Barrier.
AAAAAND that's it. Sorry for the poor english! Any suggestions, comments, critics are very welcome!
