+1d, I LOOOVVE Loam Pox. Do you have this list in Paper? If so how has ir performed?

+1 Looks pretty brutal. Mishra's Factory is a great card. I like the new art from the dual deck series better than the old ones. Prints with the different seasons on them are like crazy expensive too.

Hi to you both. @ Gspot: Yes, this is exactly my paper copy. I haven't got the Sinkholes for the list yet, but I will be getting them from a trade early next week, and they will replace some of the cards currently mainboard. I also run a loam/pox modern deck, and it is brutal. I really don't know what to expect from this particular iteration of the strategy, though. I used to run a similar list many moons ago, with good results, but now with the additions of Lili, and Chalice, and worm harvest, I really think it will rock. Then again, I will probably drop the worm harvest as one of my cuts for the sinkholes. @ chicagobearz: Yes, indeed. Sadly, I suppose that this is a case of the expensiveness of any non-burn/blecher legacy deck, though. I like the new art, too, though. I love the old art for flavor, and the new art for color, as is usually the case.

Why no Vampire Hexmage for dark depths?

This is a prison deck first and a combo deck second. Hexmage isn't integral with locking out the opponent.

I like the hexmage, but the Thespian's Stage does the same thing for me, and I can tutor it up with Crop Rotation, whereas I am trying to not rely on creatures that I cannot find when necessary. Also, I can reanimate a Thespian's Stage, where I cannot reanimate a hexmage with my current build. Hexmage fits better in a different format of the deck. I know where that is going, though. The stage copies the land without the counters, which means it instantly sacs into the 20/20 Marit Lage. :)

@ kescher. Yes, what Gspot said, and everything I said too. The 'combo' is the secondary win con. The reality is that the original win con is the lock out and man land beatdown.

Oh, very cool, I didn't know that Thespian's Stage copied without counters. Good to know, anyways I like the build a lot pox is definitely one of my favorite archetypes. Good job

Actually, I'll check why it does so, but I know it's an instant Marit lage trigger.

Since Dark Depths enters with counters, when you copy it with Thespian's Stage 2 things happen:

The game sees two legendary permanens and you must sac one (the original Dark Depths

Thespian's Stage now a Dark Depths sees itself with no counters and a triggered ability goes off making the token.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought. Anyway, instant 20/20. Pretty scary.

You may want to consider adding Glacial Chasm since you just sack it each turn and return it to you hand using the Life from the Loam which you can dredge if none are in your hand. The only issue here is that you would need to add in something like Exploration to allow for additional land drops.

I'm not sure that glacial chasm solves the issues I had. The Emrakul sneak and show would eviscerate it from the board and swing through, anyway, unless I force a sack. The Dark Maverick would just fetch a waste to nix it if I didn't have the removal for the knights, which I had bad luck with on Saturday. As far as exploration goes, what would you remove for it? I had issues cutting to 61, as it was....

You seem to be running a lot of conditional removal/sacrifice cards which, while useful, I feel too many are present. My first thought is to move Black Sun's Zenith sideboard and remove Necroplasm. Black Sun's Zenith can be useful but its not ideal, and Necroplasm is just too easy to remove.

I just saw you are running Raven's Crime and believe Thoughtseize would be a better option, sure you can only cast it once but you get to see their hand, which can easily win you the match, plus you choose which card is discarded, rather than risk them having reanimate effects available. The same can also be said for Hymn to Tourach, though that is more a preference I have developed for not using 'at random' spells.

Considering that Ensnaring Bridge is in your sideboard the Glacial Chasm isn't as necessary, plus preventing from attacking keeps annihilation triggers from happening, should have paid attention to the sideboard it seems.

Yeah, and I did sb in the bridges vs. Omnishow. Sadly, I never saw them and got spaghettied to death. I like thoughtseize, but it isn't recurrable endlessly, which believe me, is a thing. I would consider swapping the seizes or some Inquisition of Kozilek for the hymns, but I do love the hymns. They force the force, as it is.

I took the advice about swapping the black sun for the necroplasm. I put in a single Nether Spirit, which is something upon which I am honestly not sold.

I think Karakas could solve S&T, but Geth's Verdict or Diabolic Edict would solve Omni-Show. Those in conjunction with Ensnaring Bridge, of course. You could have mulliganed into your SB answers, perhaps.

Raven's Crime is a beast here, but I do concur that targeted discard ala Duress or Thoughtseize can oft be better vs combo decks.

I had actually had both the geth's verdict and the diabolic edict in the deck's list or maybe-board until I realized that they didn't really do much in competitive play. If someone sticks an omnicscience, and you don't remove it...the diabolic edict or geth's verdict isn't going to be removing a spaghetti monster. It hits the monster game one, but by game two, you're screwed if you don't grab the omniscience. I'd rather have the grips on the SB. I like Thoughtseize, in theory, but I usually get my opponent to dump their hands relatively quickly. Duress doesn't hit as much, but I like the seize. It should be on the cusp for being included if I cut something. Right now, the only thing I might cut is the Nether Spirit, as it really didn't add much to the deck in the actual PPTQ I played. I do like Karakas, and as I run a bunch of Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoths, I would agree it should be included. Sad that I sold both of mine, but I suppose I could always get another through some trades.

Oh, and I did mullighan into some answers in game two. Damn omniscience stuck, I didn't have a krosan, and then down came the Blood Moon. Blargh. It was my first time playing omnishow, but next time I will know better. Lol.

I actually had the geth's verdict, PS in game two. It doesn't remove the omni, and he stuck it and then just hardcast the emrakul, with a force which he also hardcast, and then stuck the blood moon, too, I should specify.

Gotcha. I concur that practice is better in theory. Omni-Tell is a tough one, I've gathered. And Grip is great tech!

love the deck my its a work of art, I stopped playing at the tournament level a few years back, then took time off when I got married, now we have been together for a couple years, i would love to get back into it.

Thanks! When you have time, you will. It's a struggle for me to find time, too. Thus is an older build. I'm on junk colors now for more options and utility. I'd love to write a pox primer. I probably should.

that would be a great idea :)