All things considered, I ran with 5c Cascade, and the split between control aspects (Cruel Ultimatum/Cryptic Command) and the more aggro-oriented aspects (Boggart Ram-Gang/Putrid Leech/Bloodbraid Elf), didn't turn out for me as well as I'd have liked.
With Zendikar's prerelease in a few weeks - and its release a few weeks afterwards - I find my attentions drawing from improving a deck that'll be gone in a little under a month's time to focusing upon a deck that'll be a winner with the new Standard. With this in mind, and noticing that nobody commented, this thread is officially closed. =)
Quote:
When Zendikar comes out on 10/2/09, 5c Cruel Control/Cascade will be thrown out along with the rest of Lorwyn due to its reliance upon Reflecting Pool, Vivid AND Filter lands, Cryptic Command (Which is debatable, considering how effective 4c Cascade is without it), and Kitchen Finks. While I'm hoping Zendikar has a boatload of effective counterspells and mass removal to revive Control in the format, for the moment I'm going to shoot for one last several-month-long run for one of the more versatile decks of the format.
Tom's 5c Cascade
Land (26):
Exotic Orchard x2
Fire-Lit Thicket x1
Forest x1
Graven Cairns x1
Island x1
Mystic Gate x3
Reflecting Pool x4
Sunken Ruins x2
Vivid Crag x3
Vivid Creek x3
Vivid Grove x2
Vivid Marsh x2
Vivid Meadow x1
Instants (14):
Bituminous Blast x3
Cryptic Command x4
Jund Charm x4
Path to Exile x2
Sorceries (5):
Cruel Ultimatum x2
Maelstrom Pulse x4
Creatures (15):
Anathemancer x3
Bloodbraid Elf x4
Kitchen Finks x4
Putrid Leech x4
Sideboard (15):
Ajani Vengeant x2
Anathemancer x1
Austere Command x1
Celestial Purge x3
Hallowed Burial x1
Path to Exile x2
Pithing Needle x2
Runed Halo x2
Thought Hemorrhage x1
Reasons -
Land choice - If given the option, I'd go for 4 Vivid Marshes, 4 Vivid Groves, and some Twilight Mires for good measure. The trouble, naturally, is that I don't have much in the way of these cards. I'm hoping that the mana base isn't going to turn on me in-game, but the worst-case scenario is that I borrow the necessary cards from friends. =)
Bituminous Blast - I’m kind of on the fence as to whether or not this should be a 2-of or a 3-of; it’s just that every time I’ve played this spell, it’s made me smile. I’d consider taking one out for either another Anathemancer or another Path to Exile, though - but overall, the only reason I’d want to is due to Chameleon Colossus.
Jund Charm - I’m using four of these because, frankly, there isn’t much in the way of counterspells going on in the Standard format, and it’s an out against the Time Sieve combo - which I expect to see a bit.
Cruel Ultimatum - I’ve been considering taking this card out. It isn’t that I dislike the card, so much as it’s yet to really finish the game for me against many of the more popular decks I’ve gone up against, lately. Engima Sphinx or even Enlisted Wurm would often have been a little more effective - to be fair, however, I’m still really hesitant to take the card out JUST because it tips the tables so much into my favor when it does go off during the late-game. The problem is, a lot of the decks in the current meta don’t wait for the late-game very often.
Putrid Leech/Kitchen Finks/Boggart Ram-Gang/Anathemancer - This has been a hard decision for me - which of these to put in, and which to keep out. Playing Bloodbraid Elf into a Boggart Ram-Gang and swinging for six is just retardedly sick. In the end, however, I went for the ones that could either turn into 4/4’s or the ones with come-into-play effects - it’s a little more defensive, but the end result has done well for me so far.
Sideboard -
Ajani Vengeant vs. aggro/mirror
Anathemancer vs. Anything else with abundant nonbasic lands
Austere Command & Hallowed Burial vs. Aggro with plenty of creatures with a toughness of 3+
Celestian Purge vs. anything with red and/or black creatures.
Path to Exile vs. Chameleon Colossus and anything else that can’t be eaten by Maelstrom Pulse.
Pithing Needle vs. Tezzeret the Seeker and any other Planeswalkers.
Runed Halo vs. RB Blightning and Anathemancer
Thought Hemorrhage vs. Mirror and any other non-aggro (I know, I need one more of this..)
I know that the mana base isn’t optimal, and the sideboard is -really- not optimal. Still, assistance and advice on both would be appreciated. =)
Tom's 5c Cascade
Land (26):
Exotic Orchard x2
Fire-Lit Thicket x1
Forest x1
Graven Cairns x1
Island x1
Mystic Gate x3
Reflecting Pool x4
Sunken Ruins x2
Vivid Crag x3
Vivid Creek x3
Vivid Grove x2
Vivid Marsh x2
Vivid Meadow x1
Instants (14):
Bituminous Blast x3
Cryptic Command x4
Jund Charm x4
Path to Exile x2
Sorceries (5):
Cruel Ultimatum x2
Maelstrom Pulse x4
Creatures (15):
Anathemancer x3
Bloodbraid Elf x4
Kitchen Finks x4
Putrid Leech x4
Sideboard (15):
Ajani Vengeant x2
Anathemancer x1
Austere Command x1
Celestial Purge x3
Hallowed Burial x1
Path to Exile x2
Pithing Needle x2
Runed Halo x2
Thought Hemorrhage x1
Reasons -
Land choice - If given the option, I'd go for 4 Vivid Marshes, 4 Vivid Groves, and some Twilight Mires for good measure. The trouble, naturally, is that I don't have much in the way of these cards. I'm hoping that the mana base isn't going to turn on me in-game, but the worst-case scenario is that I borrow the necessary cards from friends. =)
Bituminous Blast - I’m kind of on the fence as to whether or not this should be a 2-of or a 3-of; it’s just that every time I’ve played this spell, it’s made me smile. I’d consider taking one out for either another Anathemancer or another Path to Exile, though - but overall, the only reason I’d want to is due to Chameleon Colossus.
Jund Charm - I’m using four of these because, frankly, there isn’t much in the way of counterspells going on in the Standard format, and it’s an out against the Time Sieve combo - which I expect to see a bit.
Cruel Ultimatum - I’ve been considering taking this card out. It isn’t that I dislike the card, so much as it’s yet to really finish the game for me against many of the more popular decks I’ve gone up against, lately. Engima Sphinx or even Enlisted Wurm would often have been a little more effective - to be fair, however, I’m still really hesitant to take the card out JUST because it tips the tables so much into my favor when it does go off during the late-game. The problem is, a lot of the decks in the current meta don’t wait for the late-game very often.
Putrid Leech/Kitchen Finks/Boggart Ram-Gang/Anathemancer - This has been a hard decision for me - which of these to put in, and which to keep out. Playing Bloodbraid Elf into a Boggart Ram-Gang and swinging for six is just retardedly sick. In the end, however, I went for the ones that could either turn into 4/4’s or the ones with come-into-play effects - it’s a little more defensive, but the end result has done well for me so far.
Sideboard -
Ajani Vengeant vs. aggro/mirror
Anathemancer vs. Anything else with abundant nonbasic lands
Austere Command & Hallowed Burial vs. Aggro with plenty of creatures with a toughness of 3+
Celestian Purge vs. anything with red and/or black creatures.
Path to Exile vs. Chameleon Colossus and anything else that can’t be eaten by Maelstrom Pulse.
Pithing Needle vs. Tezzeret the Seeker and any other Planeswalkers.
Runed Halo vs. RB Blightning and Anathemancer
Thought Hemorrhage vs. Mirror and any other non-aggro (I know, I need one more of this..)
I know that the mana base isn’t optimal, and the sideboard is -really- not optimal. Still, assistance and advice on both would be appreciated. =)
