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Yet another powerful and reliable control deck. It proved itself at the world and continues to do so at smaller T1 tournaments.
Creatures
Psychatog. Your win condition, protect him with spells and eat them up later. Generally wins in one attack.
Draw:
Gush. Draw cards in tight istuations, or better for free get four cards in your hand for your 'Tog to eat up. Its flexability in this deck can be truely amazing.
Ancestral Recall. As everyone knows three cards for is amazing, and card advantage wins the game, and nothing can be truer in this deck. Combine it with 'Tog and you can get +5/+5 for only , doesn't get much better then that.
Brainstorm. Ancestral Recalls little brother, drawing three for with the 'draw back' of putting two cards on top of your library in any order (not really a draw back, as you can stack your next two turns).
Accumulated Knowledge. As stated before card advantage is essential to this deck, more so then in most other T1 decks. Combine this with the fact that most decks run this card, it is potential to draw 7 cards for 1.
Deep Analysis. Discard this during combat then pay its flashback to get three more cards you can use later. All in all any deck that has a discard engine will most likely run this card.
Control:
Duress. Like most decks in T1, this deck has troble with combo decks, so play this card and target a card in their hand that is needed for their combo. If not playing against combo target a card that could cause some serious damage to your deck.
Force of Will. A counterspell that only costs one life and a blue card in hand is a powerful card in T1. Gives you a safety line if by some chance you tap out during your turn or mid-way through theirs.
Mana Drain. A counterspell that gives you mana during your next turn has been proven to be powerful, and it still is. This card is one of the most hated counterspells, and will most likely remain thus.
Wasteland. Helps control against all non-basic lands. Anything from Bazaar to Library, to even duals. Not all variants run this card.
Strip Mine. The big brother of Wasteland, instead of non-basic lands being its only target, all lands are fair game. Not all variants run this card.
The Tutors:
Merchant Scroll. Use it to get disruption or other tutors. Either of which is a good thing and thins out your deck out for those late game occurances. Plus it will give you one half of the food 'Tog needs.
Cunning Wish. Tool Boxing has proven to be a powerful addition to T1, and it remains the same in this deck. Basically gives you X number of copies of up to fifteen cards in your sideboard maindecked.
Demonic Tutor Arguably the most powerful tutor in the game, and in this deck you get a card you need (ie 'Tog) and food for your win condition.
Mystical Tutor. If Brainstorm is Ancestrall Recalls little brother this card is Merchant Scrolls big brother. Works in a similar method but instead of being limited to just instants, it covers the sorcery base as well. Best used at the end of opponents turn.
Vampiric Tutor. The life lose this card brings is an excellent trade off. Best used at the end of opponents turn.
Intuition. Gives you a card you absolutely need, and food for 'Tog. Proven to be an excellent card, and it lives up to that name in this deck. This card is most often used in conjunction with Deep Analysis and Accumulated Knowledge.
Broken Line Up:
Library of Alexandria. As stated before card advantage is everything to this deck, so why not include the arguably tenth most powerful card in the game. Tap during your draw phase, or at the end of your opponents turn get a card, its as simple as that.
Mind Twist. Disruption to as powerful as you want to make it. Essential against decks that like yours relies heavily on card advantage - watch out for this card yourself.
Yawgmoth's Will. Often called Yawgmoth's Win and for a very good reason. Reuse cards (ie power) that have been used and use them again, or reuse tutors to help thin your deck even more.
Time Walk. Taking two consecutive turns is a bad thing, especially if you took out all blockers the turn before. Combine it with Yawgs Win and you get three consecutive turns. Most decks have trouble dealing with such a threat.
Artifact Mana:
Standard SoLoMoxen - Please note that some variants don't run off coloured moxen and Sol Ring.
The Sideboard:
Artifact Mutation Your opponent using an artifact you would rather live without? Use this guy to give him some chump blockers that your 'Tog will just walk all over. Used best with Cunning Wish.
Coffin Purge Reanimator and Dragon hate, one of the best solutions to both those decks. Made even better because it can be combined with Cunning Wish.
Pernicious Deed Helps you remove pests, annoying artifacts and enchantments. An excellent card to have in the wings against certain decks (ie WW)
Red Elemental Blast Having problems with blue? Same with most people. One of the best solutions to this problem and made even better because it can be used with Cunning Wish.
Naturalize Your one step solution to problematic enchantments such as The Abyss and Moat. Best used with Cunning Wish.
Fire / Ice Deal with weenies or deal that last bit of damage to an opponent. Or better yet tap a creature and draw a card. Combined with Cunning Wish it can become a very dangerous threat.
Blue Elemental Blast Like REB this card helps you solve your problems against red decks such as Sligh. Can be used with Cunning Wish.
Berserk Not enough cards to kill them outright with 'Tog? Use Cunning Wish get this card and use less cards to finish the game.
Lim-Dul's Vault For two mana and some life you can stack the top five cards of your library. Can be a real powerful asset in a late game scenerio. Made better because it can be usesd with Cunning Wish.
Terminate Destroy target creature and it can't be regenerated. A great card and works like, most other cards in the Side Board, with Cunning Wish
Diabolic Edict One step Morphling solution, also works against other decks that rely on only one other creature. Again works well with Cunning Wish.
Stifle Ends certain annoy abilities for the duration of the turn (unless it is multiple activated). Or counters a particular part of an annoying spell. Some variants will run this main decked if the metagame demands it.
Gorilla Shaman Aptly named Mox Monkey. In a powered environment he can be your best friend. Some variants will run this main decked if the metagame demands it.
Fling Not up for the cost of a berserk, this card will work well in a pinch.
Morphling For those decks that run massive creature hate, this guy can come in and save the day during the next game. Though can't win the game in one turn it can in three (when used with Berserk). This card is rarely ever used.
The Deck:
-by Stephen Menendian
The Creature:
3x Psychatog
Draw:
1x Gush
1x Ancestral Recall
4x Brainstorm
4x Accumulated Knowledge
Control:
4x Duress
4x Force of Will
4x Mana Drain
The Tutors:
2x Merchant Scroll
3x Cunning Wish
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Mystical Tutor
2x Intuition
The Broken Line Up:
1x Library of Alexandria
1x Mind Twist
1x Yawgmoth's Will
1x Time Walk
Artifact Mana:
1x Black Lotus
5x Moxen
Land:
4x Underground Sea
3x Flooded Strand
4x Polluted Delta
2x Volcanic Island
2x Tropical Island
1x Island
-by Carl Winter
The Creature:
3x Psychatog
Draw:
1x Ancestral Recall
4x Brainstorm
4x Accumulated Knowledge
2x Deep Analysis
Control:
3x Duress
4x Force of Will
4x Mana Drain
The Tutors:
2x Merchant Scroll
3x Cunning Wish
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Mystical Tutor
2x Intuition
The Broken Line Up:
1x Library of Alexandria
1x Yawgmoth's Will
1x Time Walk
Artifact Mana:
SoLoMoxen
Lands:
2x Island
2x Polluted Delta
3x Flooded Strand
3x Volcanic Island
2x Tropical Island
4x Underground Sea
The Budget Deck:
Since this deck can easily be converted to a budget deck here is a sample deck list:
The Budget Hulk Smash
-by Nyphe
The Creature:
3x Psychatog
Draw:
4x Brainstorm
4x Accumulated Knowledge
1x Fact or Fiction
Control:
4x Duress
4x Force of Will
4x Counterspell
2x Fire / Ice
2x Pernicious Deed
The Tutors:
3x Cunning Wish
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Mystical Tutor
2x Intuition
The Broken Line Up:
1x Yawgmoth's Will
Lands:
4x Island
4x Polluted Delta
4x Flooded Strand
4x Volcanic Island
4x Tropical Island
4x Underground Sea
Matchup:
This deck is independently powerful deck, which abuses the Intution/Accumulated Knowledge Combo. It also has the potential to Wish out Berserk and stampede an enormous Tog over the opponent.
Weakness
Rector Trix and focused discard can prove very detrimental to this deck, and there is little that Hulk can do about a resolved Academy Rector, though it has some solutions in Stifle and Coffin Purge. This deck has the same problems that most blue-based control decks have against the Workshop decks, and in particular Stax. They are generally too slow to deal with Sphere of Resistence, Tangle Wire, and Smokestack (let alone Goblin Welder) unless they have decided to bring in a lot of hate, though like before it has solutions in stifle, gorilla shaman, fire/ice, artifact mutation, rack and ruin, and pernicious deed, thought it will still be a difficult matchup, but very winnable. And Hurkyl's Recall is generally too slow to deal with the problem, as Hulk lacks the pressure that GroAtog had. There is also going to be a proliferation of Red Elemental Blasts in various sideboards at Gencon - something no Psychatog build is pleased to see. Also, decks like Suicide Black can pose a real problem if they force discard on an Accumulated Knowledge or attack the mana base early on. |
