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BMoor's Magic The
Gathering
Deck Garage
Normally,
I
take
decks
and
fix
them
on a
"first
come,
first
serve"
basis.
I've
managed
to
reduce
my
estimated
wait
time
to
just
over
three
weeks,
but
sometimes
even
that
isn't
good
enough.
I
don't
give
special
treatment
to
frequent
submitters
or
based
on
who
the
submitter
is
(even
William
Hung
had
to
wait
almost
a
month),
but
when
a
correspondent
says
that
their
deck
fix
request
is
time-sensitive
for
a
compelling
enough
reason,
I
usually
try
to
accommodate,
so
the
person
can
have
my
input
in
time
for
their
tournament
or
whatever.
Tournaments
are
the
usual
reason
for
a
correspondent
wanting
a
fast
reply,
but
today
I
received
an
E-mail
from
a
man
who
will
be
entering
the
Peace
Corps
in
September.
And
even
though
I
surely
would've
gotten
to
him
before
September
anyway,
I
can't
deny
such
a
noble
act
of
altruism
at
such
personal
cost,
so
I'm
sure
you'll
all
understand
if I
let
Tom
here
jump
to
the
front
of
the
line.
Hey there,
As it happens, I was working on a Dimir Mill just yesterday and was considering the topic of "pinpoint library removal" as a result. What a coincidence that this man among men would send in a deck regarding that topic today. But there's a lot going on in this deck. I think the first step in understanding how the deck works would be a card-by-card analysis of each card in the deck, to figure out what it does, how good it is, and whether it contributes enough to the deck as a whole. So here's the decklist again, with my 'director's commentary' alongside. Go go copy and paste!
Creatures:
2 Circu, Dimir Lobotomist (fun, with a Meddling Mage-like ability, but you can't pick the card it 'bans', and if it removes a land, you feel cheated. Also, you must play appropriate colored spells to ban a card with it.) 4 Meddling Mage  (excellent P/T-to-cost ratio, and the 'ban' effect is nice.)Artifacts: 4 Jester's Cap (It is colorless in a three-color deck, which is good, and it can cause major problems) 4 Pithing Needle (a good way to deal with meddlesome artifacts and utility creatures) Instants: 2 Quash(excellent means to stop what your opponent manages to draw) 2 Corpse Dance(good for recurring Meddling Mages...for one turn. I'd rather see reanimation that doesn't wear off at end of turn) 4 Brainstorm(the nuts and bolts of the deck) 2 Mystical Tutor(tutors are always good) 2 Swords to Plowshares(awesome removal) 2 Diabolic Edict(less awesome, but still removal) Sorceries/Enchantments: 4 Lobotomy(the purpose of the deck boiled down to one card) 4 Cranial Extraction(cruel and unusual beatings) 2 Faith's Fetters(more answers to the stuff that slips through the cracks) 2 Eradicate(very nice) 1 Neverending Torment(one of my favorites, and a solid workhorse) Land:(I don't know how you obtained such an expensive mana base, but I'm almost afraid to touch it.) 4 Scrubland 4 Underground Sea 4 Tundra 3 Polluted Delta 3 Flooded Strand 2 Swamp 61 cards, 32% land (the numbers look good.)
Well, that was informative, wasn't it? Decks that run six creatures need to be awfully controlling to not get run over, and while Tom here can absolutely wrech his opponent's libraries, I'm a bit worried that whatever the opponent manages to draw will be too much for him before he can get going. I've got some ideas, but let's start by making room, and that means cutting some cards. We'll start with Corpse Dance and Diabolic Edict. The Edicts can become Mortify, for added utility and accuracy, and the Corpse Dances we'll replace with Hell's Caretaker. With a Caretaker, you can trade a Meddling Mage in your graveyard for one in play, thus allowing you to name a different card and effectively 'reset' your Mages as needed.
Next, I really don't think you need Pithing Needle. It fits the theme of the deck, but it's a sideboard card at best. In its place, add one copy each of the three relevant Guildmages from Ravnica block (Dimir, Orzhov, Azorius). This accomplishes quite a few things for you:
~It gives you 3 more 2/2's for two, which makes it easier for you to win through Bear beats once you immobilize your opponent's strategy.
~The hybrid mana costs will work well with your 3-color deck (though with your pimped-out mana base, it's not likely to matter too much).
~Hell's Caretaker likes plenty of creatures around.
~The activated abilities give you something to do with your mana once Neverending Torment resolves.
~Dimir Guildmage is card advantage and can deal with your opponent's hand
~Orzhov Guildmage can be an alternate win condition given enough mana.
~Azorius Guildmage gums up anything that your opponent can cast despite your lobotomizing.
That drops four cards but only adds in three, so we're at 60 cards-- a good place to be.
Also, I'm a but underwhelmed by Circu. As I said earlier, his effect is like a Meddling Mage, but you have to play another spell, and it must be a black or blue spell, to ban a card, and even then you don't pick the card; it has to be the top card of the offending player's library. And if that card is a land, then you're out of luck. I think a much better option would be Supreme Inquisitor, since you've got 7 Wizards in the deck now not counting the Inquisitor himself, whom you can tap for his ability. And if you find yourself short a Wizard or two, you can sacrifice the Caretaker himself to get one back. If you do choose this method, I recommend finding an excuse to add more Wizards.
Speaking of adding things, I'm also disturbed by your
 admitted lack of a win condition. Yes, you've got Wizard beats, and now you've got Orzhov Guildmage life loss, but that's not enough. Two cards come to mind immediately-- Eternal Dominion and Bribery. You've already made it clear that you're willing to use Epic spells, so the Dominion seems like a perfect way to further neuter your opponent while you turn her cards against her. Bribery is less impactful, but it costs half as much, so you get what you pay for. I'm just wondering if your opponent's deck will have anything worth stealing left in it by the time you can play these cards-- after you spent the whole game ensuring there's nothing harmful in there. Tell you what, we'll go over the 60-card limit just this once to add in Dominion, and an Angel of Despair (one copy each-- let's not go overboard) to make SURE you've got something that can end the game for you proper. Just promise me you'll compensate by also adding in four Diabolic Tutor. Going over the 60-card limit is alright IF you can ensure lots of card draw or tutors to make up for the reduced odds of drawing anything. Maybe an extra Swamp or two, to maintain the land percentage. Though you clearly know what you're doing as far as mana goes.
That'll just about do it, Tom. You've got some more creatures, and some more potent spells, so I see good things for you in the future of Magic. And so I end this article with nothing but good wishes for you, Tom, in Magic and in the Peace Corps. May you find a warm welcome and a Magic playgroup wherever you travel, may you defeat your opponents gently yet unstoppably as peace should be, and may you leave stories of a beloved, celebrated man with a loathed, feared deck in your wake. And that goes double for all my readers as well.
~BMoor
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