Suggestions welcome! Im always tweaking and improving - I have a long way to go.
This was initially a defender deck I brewed up as I was looking for a reliable, albeit later win condition to pair it with. When it hits, it is an explosive blowout. In a sense this is a pseudo-combo deck that locks and OTK mills out of nowhere.
This is a rough sketch with a lot of the side/maybeboards being very interchangeable with mainboard sets. Here goes:
Phenax, God of Deception with large walls is quite obviously going to go very efficient repeatable mill that is hard to get rid of. After she resolves with the help of Pact of Negation or other counterspell. Your opponent does not get priority for removal until after you have tapped some walls. Worship allows you to tap out for multiple free turns; completely hoses aggro with high walls or removal with
Wall of Denial
- all with support from Pact of Negation to protect worship-lock. If you were wondering, "why pact?". After some playtesting, Pact of Negation 5 mana upkeep is on curve with your power cards Phenax, God of Deception, Jace, Memory Adept, Worship that need protection comes up big. Those plays swing the game a lot harder than anything I need to stop the opponent from doing. Several Path to Exile do fine for now.
Jace, Memory Adept can mill them single-handed if you have stabilized behind large walls. 5 turn clock even if you did not get ANY Archive Trap or Glimpse the Unthinkable.
High Ground
makes walls more likely to let him have his way. He is here for redundancy in case the slightly preferable Phenax does not show up.
Archive Trap rounds it out and gives Phenax + Jayce a little more redundancy. Ghost Quarter and Path to Exile to activate.
Here is some math on what deck size would be at turn 1. Games can drag out a long time with little the opponent can do to hurry it up even if your draws are suboptimal. Turn 15 is trivial to reach, just for reference.
Worship and
High Ground
relieves pressure. Worship prompts auto-concede G1 often enough to give you an idea of how strong it is. Its a tech-check for enchantment removal. They need to draw enough of them to beat any Pact of Negation and more copies of Worship I may have.
High Ground
makes people clutch their head in anguish.
Cavern of Souls Whether you name God or Wall you will likely get good value out of it against control decks. Can be sideboarded G2.
Tolaria West
Can search up Cavern of Souls, the Swamp splash you were missing, or a Pact of Negation. Can be sideboarded G2.
Surgical Extraction disarms specific threats to Worship as you mill or after you counter them.
Detention Sphere Catch-all problem permanent fixer. Only way we have of dealing with planeswalkers or Leyline of Sanctity. Also potentially baits out enchantment removal.
Relic of Progenitus against recursion post board. Hands down. Somewhat flex depending on meta.
Spellskite slot is also fairly flex. Stuff like Stony Silence, Leyline of Sanctity or normal counterspells to swap Pact of Negation out for when against aggro.
Tried out some draw spells, Serum Visions seems to be doing the best, but ill keep playing around with others. Distant Melody Names wall - if things are going south it will draw suboptimally. Ancestral Visions probably more consistent, but I would rather not topdeck it.
Dispel vs. Negate vs. Mana Leak vs. Pact of Negation Pact currently performing a lot better than the others in playtesting since protecting Worship and 5cmc mill engines is far more important than stopping opponent. If something is really dangerous, I bring in Surgical Extraction and Detention Sphere / Anguished Unmaking G2.
Would love to slam a playset of Wall of Omens but not really seeing an opening. Things would need to be cut first.
Slagwurm Armor shouldn't be needed, what with paths and negates. I would rather have a set of actual walls. Maybe a 2-of for testing.
Tree of Redemption
+ Freed from the Real Shenanagins?
Opponent's Leyline of Sanctity is a problem that needs more thought but for now Detention Sphere has done fine. Makes them use enchantment removal not on Worship. Considering putting in 1x Laboratory Maniac for the long-con in case of stalemate.
