FNM Preperations
Deck Help forum
Posted on March 19, 2014, 2:15 p.m. by Rocknj06
Ok, so, this is the last week I have before I take this deck, Voices of the Silent to my local FNM. Right now I have a few questions about my deck.
Is the 22 lands enough?
Keep the main board Thoughtsieze
About my side board
Finding away to get in a few Doom Blade
I feel that the 22 lands is enough, but run a 23rd land in the side for when I need to side in more 3 and 4 casting cost cards. Is this a decent idea, or should I just run the 23rd swamp?
I do like the Thoughtseize in the deck, however, does it benefit me to have them in this deck that wants to drop creatures and win quick?
I feel that I have answers to just about anything in my side, however, do I really need Duress in there? Or should I replace them with something else?
This branches over from the previous question, because I could replace the Duress with Doom Blade . But, do I really need the Doom Blade 's?
This is probably my biggest question. I do have both cards, so take out which is easier to acquire from any internal debate. Nightveil Specter is just killer. He provides evasion and steals opponents topdecks, which can be awesome in the mirror match. But, Herald of Torment also provides evasion. It also offers the added benefit of being more flexible. Where Nightveil Specter can't do anything on the turn it's dropped, if it's the late game and I have the open mana, I can bestow Herald of Torment onto a creature already on the field. This provides instant board impact, making any creature I have flying and +3/+3 with the drawback of losing a life on my upkeep.
Please take the time to look over my deck and offer advice, or give me a report of a playtest you've conducted.
I'll answer your questions as best and as well as I can in order, since you were nice enough to phrase them that way, haha.
First off, I feel like if you're wanting to run a land in the sideboard in order to be able to play what you want that's probably a good indicator that you need another land in the mainboard. If it were me, though, I'd say 22 lands is fine for a deck with an average CMC of 2, since that's what you really should be concerned about.
As far as Thoughtseize goes, a good way to think of it is on turn 1 are you going to play the Thoughtseize or the Rakdos Cackler first? 9 times out of 10 it'll be the Cackler, and the one time you won't will be against control. Try taking the Thoughtseize out of main and putting them in side, as in game 1 your plan is to punch them in the face as hard as you can and see if that works. This also answers your third question, as you can just drop Duress in the side and replace them with Thoughtseize .
I think your removal is fine for an aggro deck, by the way. Ultimate Price is a better choice than Doom Blade , but Hero's Downfall is an even better choice than Ultimate Price and although it will raise your average CMC a bit with 22 lands you should still be fine.
And in a creature aggro deck, Herald of Torment is miles ahead of Nightveil Specter in terms of usefulness. Nightveil is only played in Mono-Black devotion for the 3 mana symbols, not really for the damage or deck disruption, though those are great bonuses.
Another card I'd really suggest is Lifebane Zombie , as he is a creature and if you like Thoughtseize he can give you information on their hand while also giving you another creature on the field. I'd replace Xathrid Necromancer with him, honestly, but that's just me. You can do what you want in that regard.
March 19, 2014 2:56 p.m.
Thank you for the time.
As for the land goes, I am comfortable playing with 22 pre side board tech. It's when I start to add in the Nighthowler , Hero's Downfall , and Desecration Demon to the main is when I start to get uncomfortable.
Got it, Thoughtsieze will be pushed to the side when I get the chance after some more testing. You echo my thoughts exactly, Most of the time, turn 1 I want to play Rakdos Cackler
or Tormented Hero
.
So, stop thinking Doomblade. Got it. It was just something that I didn't want to do, but friends were suggesting in place of Ultimate Price . Once again, echoing thoughts are making things more clear. Main boarding Hero's Downfall is just something I'm weary about with 22 lands. I'll probably make the switch though.
No need to further question the Nightveil Specter . Your explanation cleared any thoughts of using it.
If I had the Lifebane Zombie I would use it right away. I just don't have them. I will be making a stop at the game store I buy my rares from before FNM, so if they have them, I'll pick them up.
March 19, 2014 3:33 p.m.
I don't want to make it seem like Doom Blade is "better" or "worse" than Ultimate Price , though. They're both good, just meant for different things. It really depends on what decks people there are running and what's more common in your local meta, and honestly it's not as big of a difference as you might think. If everyone there is running Rakdos Aggro and "woo yeah black is awesome woo" then Ultimate Price is probably better. If everybody's trying to play Selesnya Aggro or G/R Monsters or something then Doom Blade works fine too. It all comes down to personal preference and personal experience there, and I don't want to tell you how to play the game when it comes to that. All that stuff being said, best of luck at FNM! R/B aggro is a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy this deck.
Rocknj06 says... #2
Voices of the Silent Playtest
Standard Rocknj06
SCORE: 4 | 6 COMMENTS | 841 VIEWSMarch 19, 2014 2:16 p.m.