Death Cloud

[Nastaboi]

Here's my latest list. It is extended-style BG Death Cloud control with light U and W splashes to gain Gifts Rock style versatility. Please do not suggest cards with UU, WW or UW in their casting costs. This is not an usual "15 utility creatures and survival" BG, this is dedicated board control deck. The list below has cards categorized by their main purpose and sorted by curve.

// Lands (39)

    1 Orzhov Basilica
    1 Polluted Delta
    1 Simic Growth Chamber
    1 Bloodstained Mire
    1 Golgari Rot Farm
    1 Reflecting Pool
    1 Krosan Verge
    1 Mutavault
    1 Mishra's Factory
    1 Rishadan Port
    1 Thawing Glaciers
    1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
    1 Treetop Village
    1 Underground Sea
    1 Bayou
    1 Dimir Aqueduct
    1 Scrubland
    1 Windswept Heath
    1 Twilight Mire
    1 Tropical Island
    1 Snow-Covered Swamp
    1 Wooded Foothills
    1 Snow-Covered Forest
    1 Snow-Covered Forest
    1 Snow-Covered Swamp
    1 Snow-Covered Plains
    1 Snow-Covered Island
    1 Wasteland
    1 Overgrown Tomb
    1 Savannah
    1 Temple of the False God
    1 Flooded Strand
    1 Volrath's Stronghold
    1 City of Brass
    1 Selesnya Sanctuary
    1 Forest
    1 Swamp
    1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
    1 Llanowar Wastes

// Rampant (12)

    1 Birds of Paradise
    1 Search for Tomorrow

    1 Nature's Lore
    1 Rampant Growth
    1 Farseek
    1 Edge of Autumn
    1 Three Visits
    1 Into the North
    1 Sakura-Tribe Elder

    1 Kodama's Reach

    1 Solemn Simulacrum
    1 Garruk Wildspeaker


// Removal (17)

    1 Maze of Ith

    1 Swords to Plowshares
    1 Ghastly Demise

    1 Terror
    1 Smother
    1 Shriekmaw
    1 Viridian Zealot

    1 Vindicate
    1 Mortify
    1 Putrefy
    1 Pernicious Deed

    1 The Abyss
    1 Damnation
    1 Masticore

    1 Crime/Punishment
    1 Profane Command
    1 Engineered Explosives

// Disruption (7)

    1 Thoughtseize
    1 Duress

    1 Persecute
    1 Nether Void

    1 Plow Under
    1 Primal Command

    1 Death Cloud

// Draw/tutor/other CA (18)

    1 Sensei's Divining Top

    1 Tainted Pact
    1 Demonic Tutor
    1 Regrowth
    1 Sylvan Library
    1 Life from the Loam

    1 Phyrexian Arena
    1 Intuition
    1 Buried Alive
    1 Beseech the Queen
    1 Eternal Witness
    1 Shadowmage Infiltrator
    1 Mulldrifter

    1 Graveborn Muse
    1 Etched Oracle
    1 Gifts Ungiven

    1 Genesis
    1 Liliana Vess

// Great blockers and occasional finishers (7)

    1 Bitterblossom
    1 Tarmogoyf

    1 Kitchen Finks

    1 Loxodon Hierarch
    1 Ravenous Baloth
    1 Chameleon Colossus

    1 Meloku the Clouded Mirror


The cards that might change:

-lands: they might be one too many, but I don't want cut any single source.
-Profane Cmd: haven't really ever drawn into it, so don't know if is any good.
-Crime/Punishment: versatile, but rather expensive on what it does.
-Graveborn Muse: unorthodox, but I like it - maybe too much.
-Shadowmage Infiltrator: great when gets online, but doesn't have instant effect on game. Muse at least blocks every turn.
-Mulldrifter: recurrable card draw - good, but might not be needed.
-Colossus: great blocker and only real offensive threat besides Meloku, but again might not be needed. Evades the Abyss though.
-Bitterblossom: has been working, but can be terrible topdeck (like arena and muse as well). Suffers the "no instant impact" cause.
-Kodama's Reach and Jens: could they be too many? I'll shave lands before.

Things that might get added:

-More grave hate? Alternatives are Crypt, Furnace and Wretch.
-Trinket Mage? Propably only if Crypt or Furnace is been added. Then might consider Executioner's Capsule.
-More mass removal? Have thought of Infest and Decree of Pain, and slover creature versions name Bane of the Living, Thrashing Wumpus, maybe even Kagemaro. 
-More discard? Addle and Raven's Crime were not so hot. I like Cabal Interrogator and Nezumi Shortfang, but they are great in some matchups and suck in others, and eat my own mass removal. Distress, Hymn and Verdict can't be reliably casted on turn 2. Mind Shatter? 
-More draw? Scrying, Night's Whisper, Deep Analysis, Fact, even Promise of Power...
-Dragons? Kokusho and Visara are respectable creatures, but I hate tapping out just for one spell. Are they that great against anything?

I might have forgot something, but tell me if something crossed your mind.

[pyyhttu]

Looks solid, as your builds often do. I tested this build of yours in one quick game last Saturday against Autio, and he beat me badly with his men, but can't say anything on basis of that yet. I'd say your deck only needs some heavy and wide gauntlet tests before I'd do any tweaks.

But something I'd change: I'd try first some universal answers like Nevinyrral Disk which early Sol Malka Rock (and his millions) builds used to have alongside Böse Tat. Also, I'd try Nantuko Monastery which evades the Deed and Disk delivering the punch after that.

Also, I often use deckcheck's comparison tool when building generally known archetypes and need some advice what cards to try:  <-- used 'rock' as the query word now.

[Mythrandir]

It seems solid, however i think you should play some of these:

Flagstones of trokair -> works well with cloud
Riftsone portal -> again, works well with cloud

Like pyyhttu said, i would add nantuko monastery and consider adding crop rotation in order to get u those utilites lands/manlands (crop also works well with the lands i said before).

U have LFTL, but no cycle lands?!

I would definitely play with raven crime and more grave hate, you should play with furnace or scrabbling since they have a can trip if you dont need them. Or even necrogenesis, but this wont get rid of LFTL

As for drawing you should play deep since you use intuition, gifts.

Have u consider adding necromancy? or animate dead?

Since the deck is all about board control why no try using spike weaver, this is 1 card i´ve been wanting to test for a long time.

Hope it helped

[Nastaboi]

Thanks for responses.

I decided to cut Rishadan Port and Thawing Glaciers, but am not willing to add more lands as the deck has already plenty. I agree that I am not utilizing Loam to its most, but I see no need for it. I went and added Collective Restrain to handle fast aggro, so I have already one slot open and considering more cuts to add some goodies, like grave hate. I would play Sylvan Scying before Crop Rotation.

Other cards that have crossed my mind are Dimir House Guard and Night of Soul's Betrayal.

[Nastaboi]

I don't need more cards that are good with cloud. If I cloud I win anyway.

I've cut Bitterblossom to include Furnace and Trinket Mage - getting Top is just too important. But I don't know what to cut for DA and Raven's Crime. Deep Analysis is an awesome card on its own, and that it could sometimes be thrown into intuition/gifts piles is just bonus. Raven's Crime, I think, is too unreliable. You rarely just draw into it and Loam, and I usually have more broken things to intuition for. But I have to test it before writing it totally off.

Monastery could be added, but I don't know which land to cut for it.

[Mythrandir]

I would play Sylvan Scying before Crop Rotation.

Dont really aggree but ok. The fact that crop is instant is really important and you play a o lot of land fetchers, so i dont think the problem of being screw is huge on this deck.

Try the 2 and decide, its best 

Is night of soul that good? Have u had good results? g i think i would prefer a bane of the living..

[Nastaboi]

NOSB is just a thought, I am not really going to play one. And I am very likely not play either land searcher but just Intuition+Loam on what I need.

[so_not]

Why white? You only have couple of target removal spells and hierarch from white?

[Nastaboi]

Those spells are pretty good, and Oracle is nothing to snuff at. But yes, cutting white could actually make deck better. I allowed more basics and maybe Academy Ruins. White was mainly added because of ease of splashing, but I've never played Crime side of C/P for example. Have to test BGu when I have time.

[Nastaboi]

Here's the three color version.

// Lands (37)

    1 Polluted Delta
    1 Simic Growth Chamber
    1 Bloodstained Mire
    1 Golgari Rot Farm
    1 Reflecting Pool
    1 Mutavault
    1 Mishra's Factory
    1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
    1 Treetop Village
    1 Underground Sea
    1 Bayou
    1 Dimir Aqueduct
    1 Windswept Heath
    1 Twilight Mire
    1 Tropical Island
    2 Snow-Covered Swamp
    1 Wooded Foothills
    2 Snow-Covered Forest
    1 Snow-Covered Island
    1 Wasteland
    1 Overgrown Tomb
    1 Temple of the False God
    1 Flooded Strand
    1 Volrath's Stronghold
    1 City of Brass
    2 Forest
    2 Swamp
    1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
    1 Llanowar Wastes
    1 Island
    1 Academy Ruins
    1 Sunken Ruins/Watery Grave
    1 Flooded Grove/Breeding Pool

// Rampant (12)

    1 Birds of Paradise
    1 Search for Tomorrow

    1 Nature's Lore
    1 Rampant Growth
    1 Farseek
    1 Edge of Autumn
    1 Three Visits
    1 Into the North
    1 Sakura-Tribe Elder

    1 Kodama's Reach

    1 Solemn Simulacrum
    1 Garruk Wildspeaker


// Removal (18)

    1 Maze of Ith

    1 Ghastly Demise
    1 Executioner's Capsule

    1 Terror
    1 Smother
    1 Shriekmaw
    1 Viridian Zealot

    1 Putrefy
    1 Pernicious Deed
    1 Bane of the Living

    1 Murderous Redcap
    1 Wickerbough Elder
    1 The Abyss
    1 Damnation
    1 Masticore

    1 Crime/Punishment
    1 Profane Command
    1 Engineered Explosives

// Disruption (8)

    1 Thoughtseize
    1 Duress
    1 Raven's Crime
    1 Phyrexian Furnace

    1 Persecute

    1 Plow Under
    1 Primal Command

    1 Death Cloud

// Draw/tutor/other CA (20)

    1 Sensei's Divining Top

    1 Tainted Pact
    1 Demonic Tutor
    1 Regrowth
    1 Sylvan Library
    1 Life from the Loam

    1 Phyrexian Arena
    1 Intuition
    1 Buried Alive
    1 Beseech the Queen
    1 Eternal Witness
    1 Shadowmage Infiltrator
    1 Mulldrifter
    1 Trinket Mage
    1 Hag Hedge-Mage

    1 Graveborn Muse
    1 Deep Analysis
    1 Gifts Ungiven

    1 Genesis
    1 Liliana Vess

// Great blockers and occasional finishers (5)

    1 Tarmogoyf

    1 Kitchen Finks

    1 Ravenous Baloth
    1 Chameleon Colossus

    1 Meloku the Clouded Mirror

[Mythrandir]

Solid build again.
I really like the capsule + trinket mage. (even in the W build you could add the W capsule).
Now that u only have 3 colors why dont use cycle lands?

Once again crop rotation isnt tehre :p have u teste it?

Btw, is masticore that good? i know it goes well with the abyss, but i dont know.. doesnt seem that good, unless you have LFTL going.

[Nastaboi]

Now that u only have 3 colors why dont use cycle lands?

I'd never Intuition for them. When I go for Loam I always want either Wasteland + Crime or Stronghold + Witness or Ruins + stuff and start recurring straight what I need.

Once again crop rotation isnt tehre :p have u teste it?

No, but I could test Sylvan Scrying if something proves itself too weak in the deck. But then again, I could run another tutor which gets me straight threat/answer, so I'd play Grim Tutor or Dimir House Guard before it.

Btw, is masticore that good? i know it goes well with the abyss, but i dont know.. doesnt seem that good, unless you have LFTL going.

I don't like Masticore in general, but in this deck it has worked well. It is cheap enough to come down turn three if needed, and can dominate table midgame with usual eight or ten mana available. Its regeneration ablility is also very relevant.

Oh, and I forgot: SHM/EVE filters or RGD shocklands? I'm leaning towards filters, but like to hear your opinion on it.

[Mythrandir]

I'd never Intuition for them. When I go for Loam I always want either Wasteland + Crime or Stronghold + Witness or Ruins + stuff and start recurring straight what I need

.

I dont mean u should intuition with them. But having them enables you to draw a card, instead of putting another land in play. + if you happen to have LFTL, just better. i dont mean you should turn this into a LFTL draw engine

No, but I could test Sylvan Scrying if something proves itself too weak in the deck. But then again, I could run another tutor which gets me straight threat/answer, so I'd play Grim Tutor or Dimir House Guard before it.

Crop being instant is very relevant, i´d prefer crop instead of sylvan, but if u want another tutor, ok, i understand u prefer dimir o grim instead of crop.

I don't like Masticore in general, but in this deck it has worked well. It is cheap enough to come down turn three if needed, and can dominate table midgame with usual eight or ten mana available. Its regeneration ablility is also very relevant.

ok, but the discard isnt hard on the deck? it seems suboptimal, thats why i asked, but if you´re having good results, just keep it

Oh, and I forgot: SHM/EVE filters or RGD shocklands? I'm leaning towards filters, but like to hear your opinion on it.

My opinion is shocklands are better because of basic land type, however since you only play with 3 colors, fetching for colors isnt that huge. i´d probably add a combination of both. add shocks of the most relevant combination of colors, or those combinations you want early on.

[Payron]

Man I tested the deck because I don t think i found a deck I rly love and whats good enought to be play at the GP ... but I rly start to like your deck ... I tested it a lot with only BGu ...

I don t know I want to try exploration and Crusible because if you get life or Crusible + exploration and wastland for example that would be just awsome ... had some more ideas in mind .. do you had new sugsestons after testing ?? I am not rly happy with Hag Hedged-Mage don't know when I draw him its mostly like I would like to had a other car instead ..

[Nastaboi]

I try to avoid having too many non-land permanents in the way of my sweepers. I have gone - Hedge-Mage - Redcap + Mind Shatter + Worm Harvest.