Written by Revik on March 21, 2007
The New Tier 1: BW Teysatraitor
by RevikI recently built a deck based off of a list I had seen somewhere else before (I'm not sure where, but it was a deck based off of being able to bounce back post-Wrath). I was intrigued by this idea and remembered it as soon as Planar Chaos came out, seeing as there was a second Wrath effect in the format (Damnation). I needed a way to play Aggro without fearing the horror that is global removal, as it's very common and wrecks most aggor decks. The first build was named something like Teysa control, but I added Nether Traitor making it Teysatraitor. I've tested a bit, and finally got it to a point where I'm comfortable running it and find it enjoyable to play. Well, without further adieu, here's the list:
| Teysatraitor | ||
|---|---|---|
| Main Deck | Sideboard | |
|
4 Caves of Koilos 4 Godless Shrine 2 Orzhov Basilica 2 Flagstones of Trokair 5 Plains 6 Swamp 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth 4 Plagued Rusalka 3 Savannah Lions |
4 Dark Confidant 4 Nether Traitor 3 Teysa, Orzhov Scion 4 Nantuko Husk 3 Ghost Council of Orzhova 3 Orzhov Pontiff 4 Castigate 4 Temporal Isolation |
3 Sudden Death 1 Mindslicer 2 Withered Wretch 1 Dodecapod 2 Extirpate 2 Damnation 1 Wrath of God 3 Deathmark |
Ghost Dad? Not quite.
The deck's strategy is simple enough: basically BW aggro with a bunch of extra synergy-ish cards to make it purr. The Nether Traitors are the decks best used card, providing engines with many of the cards, and the Pontiffs give me a way to beat MGA without needing Wrath of God to hurt my own strategy. It's not hard to properly play it, just don't make mistakes and maximize your card advantage as much as possible, drop Teysa with Traitors and Husks down and kill them.
The sideboard strategy isn't too hard either, Deathmark VS. MGA or other Green/White decks, Wrath and Damnation against other aggro, Slicer against control, Dodecapod against discard, Wretch against graveyard manipulation, Sudden Death against any Teferi deck or Pickles, and Extirpate against anything that suits your fancy.
Match-up breakdown:
Worst match ups:
RWU Angelfire
For this matchup, the game-breaker tends to be if you can disrupt them early with Castigate and then get traitor going. If you cant you will quickly succumb to the incredibly explosive mid-game of Angelfire.
Sideboard:
-4 plagued rusulka
+3 Sudden Death
+1 Mindslicer
And if you'd like:
-1 Teysa, Orzhov Scion
-1 Ghost Council of Orzhova
+2 Extirpate
MGA
This ones not so bad, but it can be tedious if you don't draw well. Your favorite card in the first game is Pontiff, as he destroys any uncloaked Elf, Walker, or Birdy. Game two is better, just be sure to Sideboard in Wrath and Damnation and possibly an Extirpate or twp in place of Traitor, as you don't want something that can't block. Deathmark helps, too.
Sideboard:
-4 Nether Traitor
-2 Nantuko Husk
+2 Damnation
+1 Wrath of God
+3 Deathmark
Best match-ups:
Dralnu, Beach House, Triscuit, MUC, UW control, Izzetron, Other control decks
An early Confidant spells doom for most control decks, even more if you can get some early Castigates. You should only lose this game if they manage to draw into some good removal, even though Traitor should keep you active until the end. Dralnu can be a problem, but be sure you side in those Sudden Deaths and keep Traitor active early.
Sideboard:
-4 Plagued Rusulka
-1 Teysa, Orzhov Scion
-1 Ghost Council of Orzhova
+2 Extirpate
+1 Mindslicer
+3 Sudden Death
TSPS, Dragonstorm, Project X, Other combo decks
Again, Castigate is one of the stars in this game. TSPS loses to Pontiff on the Empty the Warrens route, and Ignite shouldn't hurt you too bad. Dragonstorm should be able to be handled with Mindslicer sideboarded, although you might want to consider some Persecute if that's your way. A fast start should always net you at the VERY least a close game. Game two shouldn't be too hard, although Dragonstorm can win on any given turn.
Sideboard:
-1 Plagued Rusulka
-1 Teysa, Orzhov Scion
-1 Ghost Council of Orzhova
+1 Mindslicer
+2 Extirpate
Everything else is a favorable, but not great, match-up.
At this point I decided to give it a few test runs against folks from Magic-League. Maybe I could obtain some valuable insight or tips from people, who knows?
Me (BW Teysatraitor) vs. MTGfanatic (UG pickletron)
Game one was a rout up until he got the combo going. Things looked very bleak with me having four or five guys tapped and a Husk untapped. I dropped a few lands and then drew into Temporal Isolation, the card I was hoping for. I threw it onto Husk and sacrificed everything to it before damage. With damage on the stack I sacrificed Husk to itself and thus making the Isolations “prevention” part irrelevant. He took eight while sitting at five, so it was on to game two.
I get off to a slow start, with a few Rusulkas and a Savannah Lions. He managed to eliminate them though, which meant I was in a much tougher position. He dropped two Serrated Arrows, quickly dispatching most of everything I played. I dropped a Ghost Council and a Teysa, forcing him down to ten. The game was 22 to ten and I had a 2/2 Council thanks to Arrows and a 2/3 Teysa, and a few lands down. He was without Tron, but played another Arrows with the intention of killing Council. M and Extirpate. MWSplay errored right here, but my next 3 draws were Pontiff, Sudden Death, was also holding 2 Husk. Since I had 22 life and he only had ten without 'Tron down, we decided to award the game to me.
This game showed to me that my deck can have issues with Serrated Arrows. Note to self, consider boarding enchantment/artifact hate.
Me (BW Teysatraitor) vs. Haro (Solar flare?)
Game one all he got to see was disruption and lands, while I was getting more guys on the field snowball-style. He succumbed to my superior force after he Remanded an Orzhov Pontiff twice at five life.
Game two started as a bit of a dual, with me on the draw and having my hand shredded by Persecute and Castigate. I got a Dark Confidant down on turn two to refuel me as I laid the smack down and he drew into nothing but Court Hussars and lands. Finally he surrendered staring down a Nantuko Husk backed by an army of other critters.
It's not much of a challenge playing against decks that have mana issues. Particularly newer builds like this one. A lesson can be learned to not “blow off” the manabase of your deck. I run twenty-four and hardly ever get screwed or flooded, and I'm running AGGRO for crying out loud! Oh well, on to the next game.
Me (BW Teysatraitor) vs. CMA-Flippi (RWU Numot winmore.dec)
Game one I got torn apart. I got him down to ten life before he started dropping threats, finally getting a Numot through followed by a huge Demonfire pointed at my head.
I decided to board in Extirpates and Mindslicer, as disruption seemed to be my best route to go against this match up. I castigated turn two, hitting a Wildfire, but after getting him down to four life he took over and finished me. It isn't easy to deal with two Lightning Angels on consecutive turns.
After this game, I decided some changes were needed. The first thing I realized was I needed more concrete removal than just Temporal Isolation, and luckily I have some of the best in the business available through Mortify. To improve my control match up, I put in a few Loxodon warhammer, as added defense against myself and aggro, plus uncounterable +3 power vs. control. Thanks to CMA for that suggestion. To make room for these I took out some copies of 4-ofs or 3-ofs, hopefully not affecting the deck's consistency too much.
Overall changes:
-1 Plagued Rusulka
-1 Savannah Lions
-1 Teysa, Orzhov scion
-1 Ghost Council of Orzhova
-1 Temporal Isolation
+3 Mortify
+2 Loxodon Warhammer
I also made some changes to the sideboard, firstly because I noticed how helpful Extirpate was post sideboard in somany games, and secondly because of some suggestions made by people. I took out the Wretches for two more Extirpate because it seemed to be much better graveyard hate than Wretch and it had the whole uncounterable thing going for it. Although MGA is my worst match ups, I took out the Deathmarks and the single Dodecapod for four Pally En-Vecs, hoping that the first strike will help against pesky Groundbreakers and Solifuges and hopefully improving my Boros match up.
Overall changes:
-2 Withered Wretch
-1 Dodecapod
-3 Deathmark
+2 Extirpate
+4 Paladin En-Vec
Making the decklist look something like:
| Teysatraitor | ||
|---|---|---|
| Main Deck | Sideboard | |
|
4 Caves of Koilos 4 Godless Shrine 2 Orzhov Basilica 2 Flagstones of Trokair 5 Plains 6 Swamp 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth 3 Plagued Rusalka 2 Savannah Lions 4 Dark Confidant |
4 Nether Traitor 2 Teysa, Orzhov Scion 4 Nantuko Husk 2 Ghost Council of Orzhova 3 Orzhov Pontiff 4 Castigate 3 Temporal Isolation 3 Mortify 2 Loxodon Warhammer |
3 Sudden Death 1 Mindslicer 4 Extirpate 2 Damnation 1 Wrath of God 4 Paladin en-Vec |
Me (BW Teysatraitor) vs. Maltabus (Thallids)
Game one made me feel sorry for ever insulting Mono Green when I was on seven life by turn five, while he was stuck on two lands (!!!). I played around his onslaught of two guys, with Dark Confidant netting me extra cards, eventually drawing me into Loxodon Warhammer, bring me up from an uncomfortable life total. I got Ghost Council down to back up my board, and eventually swung for the win with it using some blocking combat tricks a la Council.
Game two I boarded in Damnations and Wrath of Gods to deal with a large army, and It payed off when I was facing down three 0/5 defenders. I got a single spirit with a previously played Teysa post-Damnation and dropped a Nether Traitor with a Warhammer equipped to it, swinging away for the win.
Me (BW Tesyatraitor) vs. Dee Dee Dee (Beach House Blink)
Game one he utterly wrecked me with Hierarch and near endless blinks. That's all that was important on that game. Game two I sideboarded in Extirpates and played the game out ending up with a Traitor in the 'yard, a Loxodon Warhammer on the field, and a Traitor on the field, meaning that I had the lock. I then got this:
It is now the Beginning Phase, Untap Step
Dee dee dee untaps his/her permanents
It is now the Beginning Phase, Upkeep Step
It is now the Beginning Phase, Draw Step
Dee dee dee draws a card
It is now the Precombat Main Phase
<<System>> Player Lost
These are always disappointing, but it was a random MWSplay game, so it happens. I pretty much award myself this win due to lock, and I award myself the match due to concession. Eh, probably some loser from another gaming site.
Overall the deck performed admirably. I like the synergy it gives and the challenge I get from playing it. Please, PM me on the magic-league server and feel free to give any suggestions, or if you just feel like giving this deck a shot to play against. Thanks for reading!*
--Revik
*Special thanks to my opponents, and particularly CMA-Flippi for all his help with the deck.**
**If anybody has any ideas for a deckname, I'm open to suggestions, Teysatraitor doesn't seem quite cool enough.***
***I knew you'd read this one. Gotcha :P.
Daveslusher- on 2007-03-21 19:32 MST omg first!
by
st4x on 2007-03-21 19:36 MST OMG BARN!!!!
http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11109767&postcount=71
by
Revik on 2007-03-21 19:54 MST OMG THIRD
St4x...THANKS...THATS WHERE I SAW IT BEFORE! <3
Edit: Maybe thats not it, the list I saw was on the mtg.com forums but there was no Traitor...oh well, whatever, this deck is so much better now than it is in that list anyways.
by
Carados on 2007-03-21 19:56 MST 4th.
Good article
by
Shooter on 2007-03-21 20:25 MST I guess you could play 23 lands. So play 1 more lion.
I don't like the mortifies =/ Prob b vs. angelfire/beach house/good stuff decks,but I guess sudden death is enough. So md,-1 lands,+1 lion,-all mortifies,+1 council,+1 teysa and +1 isolation (which's the best card in the deck).
I sse extirpate as a worse cabaç therapy, so if u want disruption,play blackmail/persecute. I guess darkblast will help many aggros MUs. prob my sb would be something like 4 blackmail,3 darkblast,3 wog effects,3 sudden death,2 mindslicer.
cya
by
Quantumdemon on 2007-03-21 20:34 MST It's like Ghost husk, but not as good...
nice article =)
by
Ffancrzy on 2007-03-21 20:51 MST good article man well done and written.
good deck too
by
Bozo on 2007-03-21 21:24 MST Excellent article, although I am dubious of your m/u analysis. Don't really like the deck, but you should keep on writing.
by
Balthazar88 on 2007-03-22 02:35 MST Intresting deck. Seems quite good in the meta game if you just improve the Angelfire matchup.
by
Shagrath on 2007-03-22 04:15 MST lol.... u beat control decks easily? How about playing against GOOD players using control decks?
The article is good but i strongly disagree with you in your m/u analysis.
by
CMA-Flippi on 2007-03-22 05:13 MST his UWR testing partner, me ;) was a good control player.
by
Arima on 2007-03-22 05:49 MST Nice Article Revik, I'm going to test your final list ^^ Maybe i can take it for some tourney =P Gratz =*
by
Holzi on 2007-03-22 06:04 MST Nice deck, i always thought that Traitor is a good card especially with Husk, bit i always played it BR with mogg war marshall ( +6 for Husk) and the rusalkas and a lot other sac outlets...
and even 2x Kher Keep whis is always useful in the deck...
by
Shagrath on 2007-03-22 11:31 MST by CMA-Flippi on 2007-03-22 11:13 GMT
his UWR testing partner, me ;) was a good control player.
You say well.........WAS a good control player. :P
by
CMA-Flippi on 2007-03-22 12:22 MST once upon i time, yes
by
ringman on 2007-03-22 12:31 MST if cma flippi is not a god player at least he his the best judge here:P
and dude i think i learned more about english in this article than with my english teacher. So very well written but i dont think that deck will have as many impact as it had in old t2 :s i loved orzhov but i dont find it competitive now
by
Vlada on 2007-03-22 13:03 MST by CMA-Flippi on 2007-03-22 12:13 CET
his UWR testing partner, me ;) was a good control player.
You are fking retard, you suck hard in playing mtg, and you will suck 4ever, you are not bad judge, and you are ok with rules, but your talent and knowledge in mtg is ROFLMAO, people who test with you is better to do some goldfish
Revik, article is so good, that if i didnt know you, i would think that some1 good wrote it ;)))
Hehe, not bad article, after this and sprout thing i can only say Revik>Blackdragon
jajajajaja
by
ChristPunchr on 2007-03-22 13:39 MST So...much...language...skills...in...replies... /groan.
Good article though. Keep testing, looks like a neat deck. Since I could win with just about anything at an fnm here, maybe I'll throw it together for shits 'n giggles.
(_));;;;;;;;;;D
by
_That_ on 2007-03-22 14:54 MST Nice Article, GO #TheNewTier1 !
:D
by
TheDarkMan on 2007-03-22 19:10 MST Nice play with the Husk-Isolation.
by
SpareSocks on 2007-03-22 20:54 MST You're dumb i hate you
But seriously you are a homo.
by
CookieCutter on 2007-03-23 14:53 MST Finally, you changed the damn name!
woot.
:D
by
yavin1 on 2007-03-23 22:01 MST sparesocks, ure the reason ppl think us americans are stupid. DIE
by
Revik on 2007-03-24 09:19 MST yavin, you're the reason ppl come back to magic-league. LIVE. <3
by
poopascoopa on 2007-03-24 18:07 MST This deck would get crushed by any good control player.
by
Tird_Ape on 2007-03-25 09:45 MST I love/hate you all!
by
DESTRUCTOR on 2007-03-25 11:50 MST good article, nice deck, but is not a great choice in this metagame
by
Peter_Akeley on 2007-03-26 15:17 MST Yea there is a guy at my FNM that has been playing that exact list for like 2 months... with out expates lol.
Great write up tho keep up the good work and all
by
The_Matt on 2007-03-27 08:34 MST Very nice list, I've been working on a b/w aggro deck that can easily bounce back from mass removal for a while and it's good to see our lists are similar. I personally use pit keeper over savanna lions (it can return a critter, and isn't white, making it unaffected by sulfur elementals. Which, by the return of r/u tron, are everywhere.). I never thought of the tempO idea. Making a husk unblockable, n then swinging for the win. Great idea, and great article.
by
yavin1 on 2007-03-27 21:45 MST by Revik on 2007-03-24 11:19 EDT
yavin, you're the reason ppl come back to magic-league. LIVE. <3
Is that a compliment. I hope =D
by
DS_McWerp on 2007-03-30 21:05 MST Revik this deck sucks. This will never be tier 1. Stop trying to make your jank decks sound good.
by
Mijitdragun on 2007-03-31 07:14 MST I'm loving it man.
It's a sligh Ghost Dad, minus the Dad of course, and I think it's great.
Teysatraitor does seem like a janky name.
If it wasn't for Treachery being a Magic Card name I'd say that one, seeing as Orzhov is full of untrustworthy types.
Since it's Orzhov I also thought of Church of Hard Knocks, but thats way too long.
Theres an Audio Adrenaline song named Church Punks, you could use that name, lol.
Anyway, enough of that jazz, good deckmaking and article writing. I really enjoy seeing details on sideboard card choices, matchup options and just an all around dissection of everything the deck is/does.
by
Revik on 2007-03-31 21:29 MST Thanks for all the compliments. I didnt netdeck this, I got bored and applied an idea I remember seeing a while ago, so dont EVEN say i netdecked it. Maybe I should write another article...
