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The Best Deck You Weren't Playing At Regionals

(Or how I stopped worrying and learnt to love the 0-3 Drop)

By Matthew 'The Wedges' Hare

Welcome to 'The Wedges' first article, obviously because I am the greatest magic player you have ever seen, I had some seriously '1337' technology for States.

....Or maybe not, especially considering my recent failure at magic.

I do however, have one interesting MBC list.
(Mono-black combo to those in the industry)

Behold:

Jankity Jank.Jank

4 Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
4 Skeletal Changeling
4 Basal Sliver
3 Homing Sliver (Coloured black with permanent marker obv.)

4 Smallpox
4 Diabolic Tutor
4 Damnation
2 Liliana Vess
3 Nameless Inversion
4 Bitter Ordeal

2 Mouth of Ronom
2 Urza's Factory
20 Snow Covered Swamp

Confused with how the deck works? So was I, until that voice inside my head told me: "It has Haakon + Inversion, you win obv".

Actually the real 'combo' is Haakon+Basal Sliver+Skeletal Changeling, which cycles Skeletal Changeling an insane amount. Bitter Ordeal is just the kill card (In-colour makes it > Grapeshot. It also beats Turbofog).

As for the Sideboard:
4 Tarmogoyf
11 Island
Because this deck is bad, I just added 4 Tarmogoyf! And since Island is the best land ever, I added 11 Island!!111oneoneshiftone!!11

The 'Special' Sideboard:
4 Tombstalker
4 Oona's Prowler
4 Thoughtsieze
3 Distress

A transformation sideboard if you suspect they have GY hate game 2 or just to add discard instead of other stuff.(Like Smallpox/Damnation when you're on the draw/against Control).

Onto the card choices:
Haakon+Changeling+Basal+Ordeal: The combo obv.

Inversion: Good with Haakon

Smallpox: It's a strong card, also a discard outlet for Haakon

Homing Sliver: Can fetch either the Basal Sliver or the Changeling

Damnation: Buys you enough time vs Aggro/random other deck.

Diabolic Tutor: Finds you Damnation/Whatever combo pieces you're missing.

Liliana Vess: Discard outlet for Haakon/Tutor for Combo pieces.

Mouth of Ronom: Teferi

Swamp: Is tech for casting black spells. And charging your PEWPEW Haakon+Inversion lazer.

Urza's Factory: Alternate Win-Condition.

Whilst this deck is probably not going to utterly dominate standard, it is fun, and it is rogue.

Matchups:

Turbofog: Almost unloseable. Bitter Ordeal your Recursion/Relevant cards? Draw the combo from mines/rites? Sure buddy.

Aggro: The Haakon+Inversion combo and Damnation can buy you time, especially since Skeletal Changeling can chumpblock Tarmogoyf.

Teachings-style control: Strong game one because they often do not have enough counterspells/threats to kill you quickly.

After sideboard you can bring in Tombstalkers and Prowlers to just kill them quickly. Making all their Graveyard Hate and lack of removal a killer for them.

Pickles: Untested although Theoretically Changeling+Basal Sliver itself can provide enough mana for the Bitter Ordeal.

Obviously when 'The Wedges' is piloting the deck I just crush onwards to World Domination, but for you lesser mortals it is a fun deck and makes people go 'WTF I lost to THAT!'.

Thanks for reading this tiny article.
Until next time.
'The Wedges', Unofficial Scrub of Team 3am.