Skullcage Deck

[Homestar]

Hey all, i was flippin through the ol' binder the other day and saw skullcage. i think it has some potential. heres what my deck would look like.... I need help filling in the blanks.

Creatures:
????????

Instants/Sorceries:
Boomerang x4
Regress x4
?????????

Artifacts:
Sculpting Steel x4
Skullcage x4
Isochron Scepter x4

those are what i know i am putting in, and, the usual thee questions:

Do you think its a good idea?

What should i add?

What should i take out?

 

[Oversoul]

I don't really like this card. I know that a lot of people have tried to use Rack/Vise together to ensure that you're going to take some damage unless you can keep your handsize within that narrow 3-4 range...

But it's painfully obvious that this is what this card was designed for...

Only problem is, that such is not the correct use for Rack or Vise...

Still, I suppose it's possible to build a deck around it...

Some similar artifacts...

Pauper's Cage
The Rack (broken)
Black Vise (even more broken)
Wheel of Torture
Iron Maiden
Viseling
Rackling
Cursed Rack
Miser's Cage
Scalding Tongs
Thumbscrews
Copy Artifact (costs only two mana and can become any of these, including Skullcage)

Most of which (but definitely not Cursed Rack) is outright better than Skullcage and could also be used in conjunction with it...

The advantage I see with Skullcage is that you are not concerned about emptying anyone's hand or filling it for that matter...

You only have to make sure that it is either below 3 or above 4, then the damage kicks in and is the same every time...

The color I see being used here to get that effect and keep you alive while Skullcage does its work is (sorry, Train) blue.

The reason? Discard is not instant speed generally, and some opponents are resilient and able to keep a full hand...

Bounce spells, on the other hand, let Skullcage do its work...

If they have below three cards, don't bounce stuff until after Skullcage hurts them. If they have three or more cards, bounce stuff. Easy...

Now I'm not positive as to how you would want to go about this...

Boomerang (the best)
Capsize (insane)
Rescind
Temporal Adept (really cool)
Sunder
Evacuation
Hurkyl's Recall (can't use Rebuild--it would bounce your Cages)
Seal of Removal
Word of Undoing
Rushing River
Erratic Portal
Equilibrium
Unsummon
Man-o'-war
Snap
Stern Proctor
AEther Burst
AEther Spellbomb
Waterfront Bouncer
Noetic Scales
Barrin, Master Wizard
Chain of Vapor
Echo Tracer
Time Elemental
Hoodwink
Cowardice
Regress
Wash Out
Curfew
Sigil of Sleep
Distorting Wake
Withdraw
Crystal Shard
Recantation
Glowing Anemone
Echoing Truth
Into Thin Air
Churning Eddy
Repulse

That's plenty. Now you're going to have to decide what to use. I'd go with some countermagic, a considerable supply of bouncing stuff, Skullcages and maybe some of the other artifacts that are similar to it (listed above somewhere). Umbilicus also might be nice. You'd also want stuff to generally slow the opponent down. Mana Short, Strip Mine, Rishadan Port, that sort of thing. Lastly, some artifact mana and Tinkers to bring in the Cages and speed yourself up...

The other way I think it could work would be U/B. That would allow more for reducing the opponent's handsize and could deal with different types of threats more easily perhaps. As well as bringing in tutors...

 

[Spiderman]

Hm. I have more experience in trying to keep cards in my opponent's hand than not, so I'll go with that. Either along or instead of the bounce theme, you can use Winter Orb to lock down your opponent's mana and make it very difficult for him to cast spells (unless he's playing a cheap cc deck). Along to that end you can use Stormseeker or the red version to hit him upside the head for 7 to 8 points of damage (depending on when you time it). And of course you need alternate mana sources of your own so you don't get affected by the Orb.

So some possibilities is using Green for BoPs and Stormseeker and Blue for the Counter/Bounce/Steal Creatures, or a mono-type Green for Elf Mana and cheap Elves and controlling spells like Desert Twister/Creeping Mold. If you use red, you can also use that red spell that does damage if they cast a 2 cc or less spell (can't remember the name) that would help against their cheap spell casting.

 

[Homestar]

i want it to be type 2

 

[f-6]

Echoing truth is nice so add 4 of those. Also add 2 Fabricate to get the artifacts that you need. Regress is not so good in this deck as it can not be put under the scepter, but it should probably stay anyway. Perhaps add 4 Thirst for knowledge to browse through your library. Serum visions is a nice way to dig and improve card quality as well. Pulse of the grid should be great as well as your hope would be to keep the opponents hand well stocked.

The deck could be fun to play, but it will not be all that good I think. It looks a bit slowish if you can not get the Scepter in your start hand. Hm, it might help if you add 4 Serum powder to the deck. I'm not sure if it is good/decent/bad yet (most things indicate bad...).

 

[Homestar]

yes you can put regress on the scepter...........its converted is 2 but cc is 2U.

 

[Tabasco]

Serum Visions...

Regress cannot be put on the scepter

yes you can put regress on the scepter...........its converted is 2 but cc is 2U.

No I think you're misunderstanding converted mana cost.....

converted mana cost is the sum or the colorless and colored mana in the cost.....for example

Regress 2U.........converted mana cost 2 colorless + 1 U = 3

It cannot be imprinted on the happy stick.


I like the pulsing your opponent idea f-6 after all you will get the spell back repeatedly.

Homestar definitely take f-6's advice....I don't know him, but he seems to know his cards....welcome to the CPA btw f-6

 

[Reverend Love]

It's 1:38 in the morning and I've got work tomarrow but if I can find the time I'll write some ideas I've got down for this card.

1. Is to go the obvious route and use blue with tons of cheesy bounce like:

Boomerang
Echoing Truth
Isochron Scepter
Early Frost -Not bounce but REALLY annoying-

2. Use some funky green cards like Plow Under, Rebuking Ceremony, and others to stall the opponent.

3. Some other stuff...

 

[Homestar]

o darn, sry f-6 (im sorta a newb) but n e way, back to business, i have this deck on paper:

Creatures:
(still not sure, im still looking tho, i need help n this area)

Instants/Sorceries:
Boomerang x4
Regress x3
Echoing Truth x4
Serum Visions x4
Early Frost x3
Pulse OF The Grid x2
Fabricate x4

Artifacts:
Skullcage x4
Sculpting Steel x4
Happy Stick x4 (thats a great name for it tabasco)

 

[f-6]

@Homestar: No problem. Every day that we learn something new is a good day, yada, yada, words of wisdom Hope the deck works for you.

@Tabasco: Thanks for the welcome and the credits. I have been looking in at CPA every now and then for quite some time, but for some reason I have allways missed the forums.

 

[Oversoul]

Ah, wish you'd said "Type 2" beforehand, because that changes things...

It eliminates your ability to use certain good cards...

But more importantly, it weakens the competition...

All right, after browsing through what others said, I think everything so far sounds good though...

Nothing to add right now...

That Plow Under bit really caught my attention. I consulted Appr. and saw something interesting...

Wow, it was reprinted! So, if we were to work outside the blue idea and use green instead or in tandem with it (not something I think should be done right now, but I don't know T2 very well) then Plow Under would be just great...

Sure, it doesn't put cards in hand, but it's one of my old favorites for slowing the opponent down...

 

[mythosx]

Originally posted by Homestar
i want it to be type 2

type 2? OK....But wouldn't type 1 or type 1.5 be so much more fun? Oh we would have an ever happy.

On the good ship, weatherlight...

 

[Oversoul]

Weatherlight?

I think Tempest would be the more appealing set here, thanks to the beauty of Capsize...

 

[Spiderman]

I think it was more of a play on the song "On the Good Ship Lollipop", only he was trying to turn it into a Magic reference...

 

[Homestar]

yes i want it to be T2 cuzi love playing all my decks in tourneys and havent found a T1 tourney yet. and why is capsize so good?

 

[Spiderman]

When you use the buyback, though it's 6 mana, it's a reusable Boomerang - you always return something to your opponent's hand AND you get to keep Capsize - it doesn't go to your graveyard.

Once you get the 6 mana, it's very annoying to your opponent - you can always return something to his hand at the end of his turn.

 

[Homestar]

o well i knew the buyback, but i thought since it was 3 mana it wouldnt be to good. but now i see.

 

[mythosx]

buyback/bizzare of wonders is a hilarious deck. I got worked by it once.

 

[train]

capsize and buybacking your own library of alexandria is nice too!...

 

[Oversoul]

Capsize also proves very generous in Highlander...