Standard Discard

by Jingle on 03 March 2011

Main Deck (60 cards)

Sideboard (15 cards)

Creatures (2)


Sorceries (5)

Instants (2)


Submit a list of cards below to bulk import them all into your sideboard. Post one card per line using a format like "4x Birds of Paradise" or "1 Blaze", you can even enter just the card name by itself like "Wrath of God" for single cards.


Deck Description

This is just a simple discard deck created for standard tournaments which, so far, has earned consistent success. It's essentially equally divided into creature removal, creature/non-combat damage, and discard. The two main areas that still need improving is 'Go For the Throat' and artifact/enchantment conflict. Currently I do not own any 'Go For the Throat', so I didn't add them, but they will likely replace four cards in the sideboard, probably Suffer the Past and Horrifying Revelation. Until then, I swap in Quag Sickness for black removal, and I also find it useful to contest indestructibles. Black unfortunately lacks enchantment/artifact removal, so I'd be interested in any ideas that could be useful against 'Quest for the Holy Relic', 'Luminarch Ascension', etc. The only card I know currently that could prove useful is 'Vampire Hexmage', which may only be useful against some counter cards, but not all artifacts/enchantments.

The concept of this deck is rather simple: whither their hand and remove their creatures during the early game until they can only play the card they draw each turn. Of the low-cost discard spells to activate on turn 1, 'Inquisition of Kozilek' and 'Duress' prove the most useful. 'Inquisition of Kozilek' allows you to view their entire hand, prepare for what they will play, and also attempt to prevent them from playing early game threats by removing cards with less than 3 mana. 'Duress' has a similar technique, but can only be used on non-creatures/non-lands, and therefore is useful after 'Inquisition of Kozilek' to remove larger spells. Follow this up with removal spells, such as 'Doom Blade' and 'Grasp of Darkness'. Creatures are not priority unless 'Gatekeeper of Malikir' is used for creature removal.

After the first few turns, your opponent's hand will typically be exhausted from discarding, playing land, and playing creatures. More than likely they've managed to save their best cards whenever you forced them to discard, so activating 'Liliana's Specter', 'Bloodhusk Ritualist', or 'Mind Rot' should further limit their abilities. From this point on, you will have enough mana to play creatures that either double as offense/defense and creature removal or discard while maintaining control of the battlefield and your opponent's hand. 'Sign in Blood' can be used to replenish your own hand, and your larger creatures can be used or saved to maintain the game. 'Liliana Vess' is useful for its multiple potentials and Mimic Vat combines well with most of your creatures, not to mention you can use it with your opponent's creatures. Of the creatures that have on-cast abilities, combining 'Liliana's Specter' with Mimic Vat will allow you to bring in a token of the card at any time for only three mana. If your opponent has no cards, Mimic Vat can be used after they draw, forcing them to discard that card unless it's an instant spell they can activate.

As a final note, I've tested 'Sangromancer' and 'Massacre Wurm' and I have found them both to be generally useful cards for a standard discard deck. 'Sangromancer' not only provides a flying 3/3, but allows you to gain life whenever a card enters your opponent's graveyard. 'Massacre Wurm' was originally added as a counter for spawn decks, as it typically will decimate an opponent's field of 'Eldrazi Tokens', but I've also found it to be useful in other circumstances. It provides offense and defense, and combined with Mimic Vat you only need to pay three mana to return it to the field, activate its effect, and attack/block your opponent.

Deck Tags

  • Tournament

Deck at a Glance

Social Stats

4
Likes

This deck has been viewed 2,968 times.

Mana Curve

Mana Symbol Occurrence

005700

Card Legality

  • Not Legal in Standard
  • Legal in Modern
  • Legal in Vintage
  • Legal in Legacy

Deck discussion for Standard Discard

always like discard decks

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Posted 03 March 2011 at 19:18

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Very very nice. I'd probably find some room for caress but that's just me because I love that card.

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Posted 03 March 2011 at 23:41

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It's a great card, I just don't think it works well with this deck. If anything, I'd eventually add them into the sideboard, but they never seem to help much in the actual deck. It's difficult to believe, but even in a discard-based deck you are seldom able to discard consistently. The way this deck is currently set up focuses on using quick discard spells in the beginning to exhaust their hand. After that, they'll be top-decking, and therefore you will be unable to discard much more unless they do not play the card they draw.

'Liliana's Caress", on average, might do 6 damage in this deck. You'd have to play it during your second turn, and then focus on discarding from then on. Not only would your opponent run out of cards before you could effectively use it, but the turns you'd spend playing the enchantment and discarding cards will leave you vulnerable to other threats. The only time 'Liliana's Caress' could be used to win the game is with the 'Mimic Vat' and 'Liliana's Specter' combo, but at that point you're probably already going to win regardless since your opponent can no longer draw. In exchange for 'Liliana's Caress', I've found 'Quest for the Nihil Stone' to be slightly more useful. It only costs one black mana, allowing me to play it whenever I have spare mana left over. Furthermore, it only takes two discarded cards to become active, and then proceeds to deal five damage to your opponent each turn they have no hand. Essentially, this card works faster and more efficiently than the other enchantment, but even then I rarely find myself focusing on playing it early in the game.

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Posted 04 March 2011 at 18:20

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Yeah I understand what you are saying completely. I tried to splash blue in for leyline of anticipation to discard their card whenever they drew one immediately unless it was an instant so caress would have a better effect, however, it just didn't work out too well haha. Your idea is much better. Nihil stone has won me the game numerous times.

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Posted 05 March 2011 at 08:58

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I like this deck, as a suggestion Mires Toll is a pretty good discard mid game if you have a good amount of swamps down. Maybe not so good as a first turner. But when you have at least 4 swamps down you can easily discard some of there more powerful cards.

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Posted 07 June 2011 at 09:07

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