Not expecting to win with this, but the idea was to fun to not put together.
Gameplan:The deck is fairly straightforward. Generally you want to follow this cycle: Creature -> Cipher / Aura -> SwingThe only real strategy involved is choosing the order in which things enter the battlefield and what spells are put onto which creature.
Lands:Since almost all lands are dual lands and come into play tapped, knowing which one to prioritize can make or break the flow of the deck.Dimir Aqueduct should be played as soon as possible for that nice 2 Mana boost. Preferably after the lands it returns to the hand has been used for something. Said land should be either Jwar Isle Refuge or Darkslick Shores in the early game since it can often be brought back into play untapped. (2 Aqueducts and a Darkslick Shore are the optimal starting mana for speed)
Creatures:Dimir Infiltrator is top drawer here. It's a bit tougher than most of the rest and can benefit from both effects on Helm of the Ghastlords (making it a 3/5 with card draw and discard)Additionally, the Transmute effect can be used to fetch other creatures should the situation call for it. Especially the Invisible Stalker should the Hexproof be needed.Always keep in mind that Inkfathom Infiltrator and
Ghastlord of Fugue
can get the same benefit from Helm of the Ghastlords if you pay with both mana colors. Which should never be an issue.(A
Ghastlord of Fugue
with a Helm of the Ghastlords can be a win condition in and of itself)
Spells:Remember to use
Hidden Strings
liberally in order to boost your mana. Untapping two Dimir Aqueduct to use in your second main phase can do wonderful things for you.The rest is fairly self explanatory. Put Vampiric Link on whatever has the highest attack.
Helm of the Ghastlord
on dual colored as mentioned above.The rest can go whereever, but Invisible Stalker is the safest target since he's harder to remove than the rest, keeping your stuff in play for longer.Hands of Binding and Undercity Plague can slow down most decks considerably. So use them in combination with Darkness and Mizzium Skin to protect yourself and delay the opponent as much as possible.
Win Conditions:The deck is not made to "win" so much as to "have fun" with it.The self imposed restrictions of only unblockable creatures and spells that interact with them leave it severely lacking in many departments.
Ghastlord of Fugue
is the only thing that can end things "quickly" for you. Especially if it's buffed with
Helm of the Ghastlord
or Undercity Plague. (Unlikely to get one out with both of those, but oh so worth it if it happens)Otherwise you're looking to inflict the death of a thousand cuts.
The main problem is that the deck has little to no way of countering almost anything and the meager life gain it has through stuff like Vampiric Link don't offset what other decks can do to you if you don't block their attacks (which you shouldn't in most cases)Creature removal and board wipes can also really ruin your day and most life gain decks can easily outpace the damage you do to them.Still lots of fun to play though... just not at all very competitive.
