Post by rupusj on Mar 17, 2012 1:37:39 GMT -5
From personal experience it seems like Rats is the Merfolk of Pauper, i.e. once the predominant Aggro-Control deck; now obsolete and replaced by more Delvery tempo decks. The Daily results seem to confirm my belief. I remember seeing some Bu variants having success and since the deck doesn't really have T1 plays the mana is probably fine. Corrupt and Tendrils (also Mire's Toll in the board and Spinning Darkness and Crypt Rats to an extent) would be the reasons not to splash.
The number one thing that needs to happen before I pick the deck up again is getting the Post matchup to be at least even. I've played everything from 4 of each of the big 3 LD spells to a cute curve of Evil Presence and Contaminated Ground into Choking Sands (IMO the best LD for the match since it almost always shocks and Rancid Earth won't get value as a sweeper). I've rocked lists with and without Corrupt, Duress, Mire's Toll, Unearth (even Undying Evil as Unearth 5 and up), and Crypt Rats in varying numbers both main and board; I even flirted with Rotting Rats both in a typical list and one more graveyard/recursion oriented. The things I haven't tried are more than 14 non-Crypt Rat guys, any Okiba-Gang Shinobi, any Distress, more than 2 Corrupt in my 75, and more than 2 Crypt Rats.
Anyway here is the most recent list from Dailies as well as a Bu list and a Br list I found (which seems like a worse splash, IMO):
JairoPerez (3-1) on 03/16/2012
Main Deck
3 Barren Moor
19 Swamp
22 lands
2 Augur of Skulls
4 Chittering Rats
2 Okiba-Gang Shinobi
4 Phyrexian Rager
4 Ravenous Rats
16 creatures
2 Corrupt
3 Disfigure
3 Echoing Decay
4 Geth's Verdict
4 Sign in Blood
2 Tendrils of Corruption
2 Undying Evil
2 Unearth
22 other spells
Sideboard
2 Choking Sands
4 Distress
4 Duress
1 Echoing Decay
2 Rancid Earth
2 Victim of Night
Sirtompe (3-1) on March 11, 2012
Maindeck
4 Evolving Wilds
5 Island
1 Seat of the Synod
10 Swamp
2 Vault of Whispers
4 Chittering Rats
4 Fume Spitter
3 Mulldrifter
4 Ravenous Rats
4 Trinket Mage
2 Dead Weight
3 Deep Analysis
4 Diabolic Edict
2 Duress
4 Echoing Decay
2 Executioner's Capsule
1 Grim Harvest
1 Sylvok Lifestaff
Sideboard
4 Choking Sands
1 Dead Weight
2 Duress
4 Icequake
3 Last Rites
1 Viridian Longbow
kzhellkite1 (3-1) on March 6, 2012
Maindeck
1 Bojuka Bog
7 Mountain
11 Swamp
2 Chittering Rats
2 Crypt Rats
3 Lava Zombie
4 Liliana's Specter
4 Phyrexian Rager
4 Ravenous Rats
4 Blightning
2 Diabolic Edict
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Sign in Blood
2 Staggershock
4 Terminate
2 Unearth
Sideboard
2 Bojuka Bog
1 Diabolic Edict
2 Duress
3 Echoing Decay
2 Geth's Verdict
3 Order of the Ebon Hand
2 Staggershock
I haven't tried either splash but I just don't see the incentive to play this list over Faeries. Even the more controlling versions seem just worse than blue based control. I remember one of you guys (I want to say Matt) on PttP was a champion of mono black; even like a month or two ago saying if built and piloted well it was the best deck in the format. To everyone (but extra specifically to whoever I'm thinking of): Is Rats as bad right now as it seems? If so is it simply a hostile meta or is Rats legit dead? Can a splash revive the archetype? Spinning Darkness is my favorite spell in the format (it's at least top 10 in general too; I'm a sucker for free spells) so I would rather cast it than have to return a number Islands to my hand to get my free spell fix. Still, I can't shake the feeling that I need to get used to returning Islands, paying 2 life, or (god help me) allowing the opponent to gain 3 life if I want to cast spells I don't always pay alternate casting costs, but when I do I prefer exiling the top three black cards of my graveyard.
NOTE: That was "god help me" was in reference to Infect as a deck being bad; not a horrible aversion to Healing Salve, you. I felt I should clarify because it could be taken either way and overvaluing life gain is mostly restricted to new players (and the corner case casual (read: bad) player). Feel free to point out my other flaws as a player, deck builder, or even a human being but let no man say that I think Healing Salve is, was, or will ever be playable enough to so much as warrant consideration. Because it inevitably comes up when Healing Salve is mentioned, "herp, derp it's Ancestral with Necro." To which I would respond sarcastically, "ah, so that's why Necro decks play 4." Even though 99% of people will get my original intent, meaning reading this note was a waste of time; and while my heart aches for every second of yours I take and can sadly never return, I have precious little credibility and would gladly steal minutes from you to protect it from the slightest breeze.
EDIT: A mostly unrelated note but I can't understand not rocking at least 3 Funeral Charms. They are never dead and draw step Charm feels sooo good (not to mention one of the few ways to keep Post opponents from undoing all your discard with a Mulldrifter, etc off the top). Not to mention how it kills guys or even pumps a Rager to lethal now and then. The swampwalk was probably relevant in the mirror match once or twice. When it's not doing insane amounts of work and being a general versatile team player, it can just be a Raven's Crime which isn't the worst use of your mana. Plus you can make "magically delicious" jokes as your opponent bitches about you having all 4 back to back.
EDIT EDIT: If this thread convinces me that Rats isn't a waste of time I could probably put in entire minutes and make this into a primer. I will not, however, write a primer simply for posterity's sake.
The number one thing that needs to happen before I pick the deck up again is getting the Post matchup to be at least even. I've played everything from 4 of each of the big 3 LD spells to a cute curve of Evil Presence and Contaminated Ground into Choking Sands (IMO the best LD for the match since it almost always shocks and Rancid Earth won't get value as a sweeper). I've rocked lists with and without Corrupt, Duress, Mire's Toll, Unearth (even Undying Evil as Unearth 5 and up), and Crypt Rats in varying numbers both main and board; I even flirted with Rotting Rats both in a typical list and one more graveyard/recursion oriented. The things I haven't tried are more than 14 non-Crypt Rat guys, any Okiba-Gang Shinobi, any Distress, more than 2 Corrupt in my 75, and more than 2 Crypt Rats.
Anyway here is the most recent list from Dailies as well as a Bu list and a Br list I found (which seems like a worse splash, IMO):
JairoPerez (3-1) on 03/16/2012
Main Deck
3 Barren Moor
19 Swamp
22 lands
2 Augur of Skulls
4 Chittering Rats
2 Okiba-Gang Shinobi
4 Phyrexian Rager
4 Ravenous Rats
16 creatures
2 Corrupt
3 Disfigure
3 Echoing Decay
4 Geth's Verdict
4 Sign in Blood
2 Tendrils of Corruption
2 Undying Evil
2 Unearth
22 other spells
Sideboard
2 Choking Sands
4 Distress
4 Duress
1 Echoing Decay
2 Rancid Earth
2 Victim of Night
Sirtompe (3-1) on March 11, 2012
Maindeck
4 Evolving Wilds
5 Island
1 Seat of the Synod
10 Swamp
2 Vault of Whispers
4 Chittering Rats
4 Fume Spitter
3 Mulldrifter
4 Ravenous Rats
4 Trinket Mage
2 Dead Weight
3 Deep Analysis
4 Diabolic Edict
2 Duress
4 Echoing Decay
2 Executioner's Capsule
1 Grim Harvest
1 Sylvok Lifestaff
Sideboard
4 Choking Sands
1 Dead Weight
2 Duress
4 Icequake
3 Last Rites
1 Viridian Longbow
kzhellkite1 (3-1) on March 6, 2012
Maindeck
1 Bojuka Bog
7 Mountain
11 Swamp
2 Chittering Rats
2 Crypt Rats
3 Lava Zombie
4 Liliana's Specter
4 Phyrexian Rager
4 Ravenous Rats
4 Blightning
2 Diabolic Edict
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Sign in Blood
2 Staggershock
4 Terminate
2 Unearth
Sideboard
2 Bojuka Bog
1 Diabolic Edict
2 Duress
3 Echoing Decay
2 Geth's Verdict
3 Order of the Ebon Hand
2 Staggershock
I haven't tried either splash but I just don't see the incentive to play this list over Faeries. Even the more controlling versions seem just worse than blue based control. I remember one of you guys (I want to say Matt) on PttP was a champion of mono black; even like a month or two ago saying if built and piloted well it was the best deck in the format. To everyone (but extra specifically to whoever I'm thinking of): Is Rats as bad right now as it seems? If so is it simply a hostile meta or is Rats legit dead? Can a splash revive the archetype? Spinning Darkness is my favorite spell in the format (it's at least top 10 in general too; I'm a sucker for free spells) so I would rather cast it than have to return a number Islands to my hand to get my free spell fix. Still, I can't shake the feeling that I need to get used to returning Islands, paying 2 life, or (god help me) allowing the opponent to gain 3 life if I want to cast spells I don't always pay alternate casting costs, but when I do I prefer exiling the top three black cards of my graveyard.
NOTE: That was "god help me" was in reference to Infect as a deck being bad; not a horrible aversion to Healing Salve, you. I felt I should clarify because it could be taken either way and overvaluing life gain is mostly restricted to new players (and the corner case casual (read: bad) player). Feel free to point out my other flaws as a player, deck builder, or even a human being but let no man say that I think Healing Salve is, was, or will ever be playable enough to so much as warrant consideration. Because it inevitably comes up when Healing Salve is mentioned, "herp, derp it's Ancestral with Necro." To which I would respond sarcastically, "ah, so that's why Necro decks play 4." Even though 99% of people will get my original intent, meaning reading this note was a waste of time; and while my heart aches for every second of yours I take and can sadly never return, I have precious little credibility and would gladly steal minutes from you to protect it from the slightest breeze.
EDIT: A mostly unrelated note but I can't understand not rocking at least 3 Funeral Charms. They are never dead and draw step Charm feels sooo good (not to mention one of the few ways to keep Post opponents from undoing all your discard with a Mulldrifter, etc off the top). Not to mention how it kills guys or even pumps a Rager to lethal now and then. The swampwalk was probably relevant in the mirror match once or twice. When it's not doing insane amounts of work and being a general versatile team player, it can just be a Raven's Crime which isn't the worst use of your mana. Plus you can make "magically delicious" jokes as your opponent bitches about you having all 4 back to back.
EDIT EDIT: If this thread convinces me that Rats isn't a waste of time I could probably put in entire minutes and make this into a primer. I will not, however, write a primer simply for posterity's sake.