The Communist Manifesto

[Oversoul]

I've been toying with the idea of making this Tax/Edge deck better. I named it after the Communist Manifesto (for no good reason, really, just one thing led to another, you know...)

I built it for fun originally. It can't compete with most of my other decks at all right now (at least not with any amount of consistency), but I think I can change that. It needs to be more focused, obviously. There were some changes I was already going to make, but I thought getting other opinions would be nice, especially from players more familiar with this type of deck...

4x Land Tax (first combo piece)
4x Land's Edge (second combo piece)
4x Zuran Orb
3x Balance
4x The Rack (synergy with Balance)
2x Seal of Cleansing
4x Enlightened Tutor (search for combo components)
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Ivory Tower
4x Scars of the Veteran
3x Storm Cauldron (fun, but not practical)
10x Mountain
10x Plains

 

[NorrYtt]

You need a more descriptive thread title.

My friend's deck does the same kind of thing with an Elf engine, Groundskeeper, and Seismic Assault.

I say 3 Zuran Orb. Balance is restricted.

 

[Oversoul]

The name origininated because the white and red colors reminded me of the guys in the Russian Revolution. I would attempt to spell them, but I hate spelling words wrong. Oh well, I'll give it a shot...

Bolsheviks and Mensheviks? Probably off, but you know who I'm talking about, the whites and the reds...

I think maybe something about land tax made me think of it too...

And that reminded me of Marx, and "The Communist Manifesto" struck me as a nice title for my deck. It has a ring to it somehow...

Anyway, I know that Balance is restricted. This deck isn't Type I, it's casual. I mean, it would get slaughtered by any Type I decks I've ever played with/against. I didn't think I needed to say that though what with the "casual decks/variants/etc" title of the board...

Sorry if that sounds like I have something against Type I or something, which I don't. I just couldn't find a way to word that last paragraph...

I've been considering Gamble, anyway, and maybe taking out the Racks along with the Storm Cauldrons (which are going regardless of how I change the deck, I think). I do need to make this deck more disruptive and/or speedy though, as opposed to just gaining life and waiting to combo them out...

I'm wondering about the 3 orb thing. Obviously, it only takes one to perform the desired function, and drawing multiples is annoying, but it can be important to the deck, and it's not like I don't have room for it at this point. If I can improve the deck and need more space for other cards though, I guess an orb does go...

 

[train]

Here's what always worked for me - Lodestone Baubles, and Howling Mines...

You get all the lands back so you can do it all over again!!!...

 

[Oversoul]

I don't need to do it over again, though. Killing someone once in a game is enough for me, usually...

That is unless of course it's multiplayer, but this isn't a multiplayer deck-yet...


Funny that you found a use for lodestone bauble though, reminds me of the time I used misinformation in a deck...

 

[train]

Lodestone is going to have more uses once Fifth Dawn comes out!...

 

[Oversoul]

Okay, made a few changes for the better, I think...

-3 Storm Cauldron
-4 The Rack

+4 Gamble
+2 Seal of Cleansing
+1 Lodestone Bauble

 

[Al0ysiusHWWW]

Hey, how about Wheel of fortune? A wheel after a balance after emptying your hand with Lands edge will push more cards into your hand. Though it kind of contradicts balancing their hand away, you could possibly edge them for more.

 

[Oversoul]

Wheel sounds pretty good, yeah...

I've been meaning to try it since last time you brought it up to me...

 

[Killerbob]

Back in the old days I was playng tourneys with a deck like that -actually with very much success.

The good thing about the deck is that you can go combo, if thats what you need, or control, if that is better. You cant counter anything, but white and red have some of the best removal cards.
The bad thing is that "remove-control" isnt a viable strategy anymore.
If you play control, you will usually tax all your basic lands out very fast, get control, because you dont draw land. In the meantime you have been discarding your lands, so you need feldons cane to get it back and win the game. Or to deckrun your opponent (actually that happened quite often!).

One great mistake people usually do when making this deck, is playing to much land , because "Land is good, it can do 2 damage". Major mistake. You dont need much land, because you play land tax, and can do with very cheap spells. Drawing spells is better.

My deck was something like this:

4 land tax
3 zuran orb
3 lands edge (yes, this is what makes you win, but it makes you loose too. Often its a dead card)
1 feldons cane
1 black vise
1 ivory tower (restricted then)

4 swords to plowshares
4 disenchant
1 balance
1 enlightened tutor (3 when it wasnt restricted)

4 lightning bolt
4 chain lightning
4 incinerate
2 earthquake
1 wheel of fortune

1 demonic tutor

4(!) strip mine
1 library of alexandria
4 undiscovered paradise
6 mountain
6 plains

in the sideboard is the second wincondition -blood moon. In these days people werent prepared for that. They all played multicollor deck with all the "good cards". Blood moon + black vise(or feldons cane) was a win.
When they restricted zuran orb I played Phyrexian war beast. Nice to have as a surprise sideboard card. Rathi dragon is also worth some consideration. And rainbow vale

I believe one of the world top players (Finkel?) played a more aggressive version with savannah lions, fireblast and maybe mishras.

 

[Oversoul]

Yeah, I know what you mean about the land count thing. I don't really feel the need to lower mine right now, but I think it could help. I want to add another Balance. They're just insane in it. I'll probably remove some land for some Wheels, as an experiment...

This deck is fun. I'm going to keep it around for a while...

 

[Killerbob]

if this isnt VERY VERY CASUAL, you cant play more that 1 balance and 1 wheel.
Winds of change is a posibility, but I never thought it was worthit.
Of course scroll rack works fine too. This deck is closely related to recent "Parfait".

 

[Oversoul]

Um, it's not VERY VERY CASUAL. It's just Casual. There's no restricted list for Casual, that's for Type I. This deck would get killed in Type I against all the Type I decks I've ever played with or against. I think we've already gone over that in this very thread...

Anyway, I don't think Winds of Change would work very well in this deck. I wonder about Strip Mine though...