This deck is NOT to be confused with the Legacy Tendrils-Storm deck named "Spanish Inquisition." I dubbed my baby thusly because absolutely NO ONE expected this deck in Standard, and, well, . . . demons.
The point of this deck is to disrupt your opponent's hand and control whatever they play to maintain a constant tempo advantage via card advantage. The win cons are obviously the underrated Shrieking Affliction (which stacks for anyone who didn't know) and my demons swinging for hot damage.
I've gone 4-0 and 3-1 a number of times since rotation, and the best part is that there are very few ways to side in against this deck except maybe more draw spells (which most likely aren't in your sideboard).
It poops on control decks with ease, demolishes games 2&3 against ramp decks, and does the same against most aggro. The hardest matchup is Selesnya Aggro since this deck is all about tempo and that deck is very undercosted with respect to mana.
Also: Loxodon Smiter . . . -___-
This deck is designed to keep your opponent at a constant disadvantage through tempo manipulation.
Early game you play things like Thoughtseize to get a look at your opponent's hand and take away the biggest threat you see that you might not have other answers to.
If you're not killing things, you play a Mind Rot to make them make a tough decision and allow them room to misplay. You'd be surprised at the number of people who will forego their mid-game cards for end-game cards. And if you can't do these things, then you can always Read the Bones to dig balls-deep for more answers.
Mid-game is where you shine. You either play a demon to control more or pose a threat, or you play Rakdos's Return to disrupt further (the damage is a bonus). Since they've been trying to maintain some semblance of a tempo, they'll likely be hand-less when you play it.
The key to this deck is its flexibility. Not only is the tempo and sideboard flexible (I'll get ot that later), but the mainboard creatures are extremely versatile. Here's how:
Thrill-kill Assassin:
DEFENSE: Don't Unleash it, and it's a 1/2 with deathtouch that can trade-up to anything it blocks. = Doom Blade. This has made it a great deterrent, as your opponent usually won't want to kill off their prized creatures (unless it's aggro, see sideboarding).
OFFENSE: Unleash it, and it's an under-costed beatstick that they won't want to block, and if it eats a kill spell, then it essentially turned into a Duress for the discard side of your deck as your goal isn't to attack to win. That's not a strategy for the cunning.
Desecration Demon:
DEFENSE: This guy will block pretty much everything in Standard that you haven't already made them discard, and it will more than likely eat some creatures. = free Doom Blades. If by some odd occurance they do kill it dead, then, like the Assassin, they discarded a card and spent mana to do so, netting you tempo advantage. if they sac dudes to it, then it pumps him up in preparation for . . .
OFFENSE: The guy is a freaking MONSTER. he swings for an arm and a leg, and he gets bigger when he's spewing out free Doom Blades.
Master of Cruelties:
DEFENSE: This guy insta-kills pretty much anything he comes into contact with. More free Doom Blades. He'll also deter your opponent from swinging out, because . . .
OFFENSE: He'll eat your face. This guy will demolish your opponent. He's unaffected by Fog effects and only needs to get through once. I've won a few games by taking them to 1 HP (often from over 15) and passed turn to let Shrieking Affliction kill them at their own Upkeep. It's great to see just how demoralized someone gets when they lose on their own turn.
Sire of Insanity:
DEFENSE: Just like the past two Demons, this guy will pretty much trade favorably with anything it goes against and survive. The sheer disruption is great alone, sending everyone into top-deck mode (where this deck shines).
OFFENSE: Another great beatstick. When it comes to them killing it, they're damned if they do, damned if they don't (much pun intended). If they kill it, then they didn't kill something else of yours, and they still don't have a win-con. If they don't kill it, then either it will kill them by being a McDemon fat fattie, or Shrieking Affliction will kill them because they aren't doing enough to turn the game in their favor.
When running The Spanish Demonquisition, you need to be able to see what your opponent plans to do, so you can plan out your turns accordingly. This deck is almost completely reactionary, and sometimes you play cards to react to your opponent's future moves (e.g. the creatures).
Here's how I sideboard against certain matchups and my reasons why:
Mill, Azorious/Esper Control
- 4x Thrill-Kill Assassin
- 1x Swamp
+ 2x Slaughter Games
+ 2x Magma Jet
+ 1x Pithing Needle
The Thrill-Kill Assassin s will just be destroyed or forced to be sacrificed or put on top of my library. I want my turn 1/2 to be at least 1 Thoughtseize or Duress . The Slaughter games are to get rid of some annoying Super Friends planeswalkers or the infamous AEtherling or Blood Baron of Vizkopa . The pithing needle deals with those threats save for Blood Baron. I take out the Swamp to keep the deck at 60 mana, and given the stall-out path that control usually takes, I have time to get mana, I side in the Magma Jet s for two reasons.
1. A lot of times you need to dig for more answers/disruption, and it fills the second turn nicely slot nicely.
2. The burn is always useful, especially when I get Master of Cruelties to swing-and-drain. Sometimes the Shrieking Afflictions aren't reaching for that next upkeep and you really want to taste that win.
RDW or other Aggro EZ Modes
- 2x Duress
- 3x Mind Rot
- 2x Rakdos's Return
- 1x Sire Of Insanity
+ 2x Ratchet Bomb
+ 2x Magma Jet
+ 4x Anger of the Gods
I side out the Duress es because I need to control creatures, not stab in the dark at noncreatures. The Mind Rot s aren't what I want to be doing turn 3, which is my crucial stabilizing turn. I either want to be wiping with Anger of the Gods , killing something threatening, or digging to China for answers with Read the Bones as a last resort. Making them discard 2 won't affect the boardstate, which is the only way I can stall out long enoguh against aggro to get to my midgame where Desecration Demon and Master of Cruelties will turn the tides for me. The beauty of those Bad muthas is that Anger of the Gods leaves them untouched allowing them to swing freely after blocking weenies a bit. The Sire Of Insanity is far too slow and useless against aggro, as I need my hand for more control, and turn 6 I'll either be playing my other demons or killing more things.
The side-in is pretty explanatory, and the Magma Jet can allow me to dig a bit while controlling. I've considered Mizzium Mortars to also side in against Blood Baron of Vizkopa and possibly for the overload, but I'd rather be able to dig at instant speed.
Selesnya Aggro
These sides are in addition to those described above for RDW & Co.:
- 4x Thoughtseize
+4x Lifebane Zombie
Due to the sheer speed and undercosted-ness of this deck, the Thoughtseize s won't slow down their first few turns, and I'll just be losing life and gaining no clear tempo advantage. Lifebane Zombie s are there for the obvious reasons of remove Loxodon Smiter & friends and possibly trade off.
I'll add more matchups later, and please let me know which ones you might want ot know about.
I've put a lot of work and tweaking into this deck, and it is damn near the best thing I've made. This being said, I'd still love suggestions if you guys have any, and I would love it if some of you played my deck at your local FNM and beat face with the deck that no one expects.