MP - B/W Gain life, Pay life, rinse, repeat

[Mikeymike]

I've been acquiring some great black and white cards recently, and I'm hoping to refine a deck idea I've got.

Using various white and artifact lifegain spells, along with strong black/artifact 'pay life spells', followed up with artifact mana.

So far I've got...

Creatures - 8
4 Spectral Lynx
2 Soltair Visionary
2 Thrashing Wumpus

Life gain/pay spells - 16
3 Loxodon Warhammer (haven't tried these yet, I feel like they can be quite strong in here)
3 Death Grasp
1 Zuran Orb
3 Phyrexian Processor (creatures)
3 Promise of Power (creatures/cards)
3 Phyrexian Arena

Misc - 11
4 Vindicate
4 Wrath of God
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Balance
1 Enlightened Tutor (DCI Foil, thanks Train! )

Artifact Mana - 7
2 Gilded Lotus (all I own)
2 Thran Dynamo
1 Sol Ring
2 Moxen (hey I have them, might as well)

Lands - 18
2 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
4 Scrubland
11 Basics

Other cards I've considered Including:
* Angelic Chorus - mostly for the Phyrexian Processor Combo
* Honor the Fallen - but creature based decks seem to be running very light in my group recently
* STP - same as above
* Gerard Capashen - Creatures decks are light, and card drawing control is heavier
* Yawgmoth's Bargain/Necrologia/etc. - Want to see how this deck does before I really dip into the broken stuff
* A way to kill many artifacts w/o killing my own - Akroma's Vengeance scares me, more Balance effects would be nice
* Voltaic Key - Some pretty good targets for it in here.

I can't pinpoint it, but it appears to be missing something. Does anyone have any ideas, or any experience with this kind of deck?

Thanks.

 

[Spiderman]

Looks pretty good to me. I like StP because it's the cheapest removal, but since you have all that artifact mana, that probably doesn't matter.

 

[Reverend Love]

I ran this mutant cleric/lifegain/hatred/phyrexian processor deck once....

Here's my experience:

Cut a Processor. If one resolves and stays in play past 2 rounds your really not interested in drawing another. Also you can only pay it's cost a few times before you're feeling the pain.

I used to roll with two Noble Purpose to help with the lifegain. Worked Great to setup processor.

The exact number I can't recall but Academy Rector was used for tutor/acceleration. Worked VERY well I might add.

Had 4 Exalted Angels....F'n great! Especially with a Noble Purpose on the board.

??Chastise?? Eeh?

 

[Mikeymike]

I think you are correct on the Processor's RL.

I don't know what it is about Noble Purpose, but I don't like that card. There's no good reason for it, just sometimes a card doesn't agree with you. It even has Kevin Walker artwork, I should love it. From a slightly more objective perspective, I think the Warhammers do a lot of the work for me that the Purposes would. Granted they have an activation cost, but they also make my tokens much more scary.

If I go more enchantment heavy, I'll have to figure out a way to squeeze the Rectors in here. So far I've only got the Arenas to pull, but that could change.

Duh, how'd I forget Exalted Angel. I guess they have to be in here huh? It'd be fun to enchant her with a Warhammer - I'll gain 14.

Believe it or not I own zero Chastises, don't know how that happened. But I do have a play-set of Exiles - I could very easily add those.

 

[Reverend Love]

Academy Rector

Remember bro he puts both Artifacts and Enchantments DIRECTLY into play. All those fancy tricks you've got into your deck are one chump block away.

I've also discovered that good players will go out of their way to keep Rector in play. I've tagged people with the Rector for over 5 damage before they respond.....afterall would you want your opponent to tutor to play a Processor, Dynamo, Gilded Lotus, Warhammer, Angelic Chorus, etc?

.....Wrath of God, Barter in Blood, Akroma's Tantrum... all work great with Rector.

*Wow the boards clean and I'm sitting here with a 7 point Processor....hmmm*

You've got a good counterpoint with the hammer. However you'll find yourself doing many more "Kamakazee" runs with NP in play..."so what one of your creatures eats it...you'll gain 13 life to setup the processor" A common scenario I found myself in.

Another option is rolling with:

1 Noble Purpose
1 Pachyderm Hammer
4 Golden Wish (ooh so underrated)
1 Ivory Mask
etc, etc.

Wish for you needs?

 

[Mikeymike]

Alas, Academy Rector only gets Enchantments.

When ~this~ is put into a graveyard from play, you may remove ~this~ from the game. If you do, search your library for an enchantment card and put that card into play. Then shuffle your library.

If that old hag got artifacts too she'd be broken 10 ways to Tuesday.

Golden Wish would not be a bad idea at all. That'd really allow me to up my options. Hmm, very enticing....

 

[Reverend Love]

..................I cheated..........or Lord I cheated.

 

[Mikeymike]

Thanks RL, that's the best laugh I've had all day!

It looks like someone needs to update his "Beginning nOOB mistakes" thread...hehehe

But you didn't cheat, you made an oversight. Big difference.

 

[Spiderman]

Well, it looks like it's an oversight that led to cheating, however inadvertently.... it's like leaving your creature in play after being Sneaked 'cause you didn't read the card all the way through

 

[train]

Spidey - there's nothing wrong with that, as long as no one questions it...

As for cards - definitely go with a Vampiric tutor at the least...

And Angelic Chorus is a must if you're going to run the processor - free life every turn, and a creature for X mana...

Maybe those 3 tutors, and the drawing you can be doing is strong enough to get what you need, if not you can always run death wish - trust me, getting anything you want, is worth it, when you have life gain to replace what's missing...

 

[Spiderman]

train: Well, it's just a whole ethics thing... I mean, you could change your life if your opponent isn't paying attention, but should you?

 

[Mikeymike]

Originally posted by Spiderman
train: Well, it's just a whole ethics thing... I mean, you could change your life if your opponent isn't paying attention, but should you?

Ahh, but the difference is that by changing your life total you are making the conscious decision to cheat. RL never consciously mis-used the card, he mis-read its abilities which lead to its' being used inappropriately. Another important point is that no one else in the group caught this oversight, which in my opinion makes them as guilty as anyone.

 

[Spiderman]

Okay, so let me change my example to inadvertently forgetting to change your life total (say a bunch of things happened during damage dealing or there was a heated rules dispute or whatever).

I'm not saying the Reverend is a "conscious" cheater or set out to be, but the fact of the matter is, it was cheating, however inadvertent is was.

But I do agree that the rest of the group should have been paying attention too and let him "get away" with it.

 

[Mikeymike]

Fair enough Spidey. Chances are we're splitting hairs on this anyway. From a casual standpoint I'd have nothing wrong with what RL did, because there is no need to police it beyond asking him to play it properly. In a competitive tourney, I'd have to hold him to it.

 

[train]

II see it both ways... and it boils down to individuals... hopefully it all smooths out, and everyone can make adjustments properly...

that's just best for the game - if it ever comes to that...

 

[Reverend Love]

I'd also run some Rituals here just for the additional speed.

 

[Istanbul]

If you're going to Rector, remember that she drops something right into play.

How about a nice Sulfuric Vortex with that board-clearer, now that I've gained all that life and YOU'VE been refusing to block the Rectinator?

Oh, and Mikeymike...Rector IS broken 10 ways to Tuesday. If she fetched artifacts, she'd be broken 20 ways to Tuesday.

 

[train]

As long as she's not fetching blue cards - it's all good with me...