Death and Taxes

[ilovejess2]

Death and Taxes
...it's just a white weenie deck

Death and taxes (DnT) has been sorely absent from our deck section for too long! DnT was my first legacy deck and I have played almost nothing else for almost a year and a half. It's fun, it's tricky, it can give a game to almost anything in the field, it sits under the radar of all but the most dedicated legacy heads, and best of all it's cheap. The cost should really be my starting point as its what led me to build the deck in the first place. When I first came to legacy I spent a little time masturbating with LED less Ichorid as it is the cheapest competitive deck in legacy. I hated it though and and very quickly started looking at more interactive and fun budget decks. I picked DnT and now and that was a year and a half ago. The most expensive things in the decks are, I expect, the Rishadan Ports/Jittes/Wastelands/Vials/Chants as these actually see play in other decks. The rest is either budget rares or modern uncommons. I found a workable version very easy to assemble and added things like ports/jittes when I came across them. (Bare in mind if you want to try a splash this will considerably raise your budget as you get into sac/dual land territory).

In terms of game play DnT can be very difficult to pilot as it is full of cool, but sometimes unintuitive, little tricks. I have certainly "lost" games that I should of won because I misunderstood or did not see an interaction.

DnT basic tricks include:
Mangara of Corondor + Karakas
As above but with Aether Vial
-----
Mangara of Corondor+ Aether Vialon 3 + Flickerwisp
-----
Oblivion Ring + Aether Vial + Flickerwisp
----
Managara+ Stonecloaker
----
Flickerwisp + Chalice of The Void/Chrome Mox/Mox Diamond/Dreadnought/Tokens
----
Karakas + Isamaru = One dude fog
----
Karakas + opponents legendary creatures

Finally DnT has very few really bad matchups. The 4 Orims Chant in the sideboard are huge part of this and are a mandatory. DnT is one of a small minority of decks that has a decent game 1 against dredge.

Here are some lists (with a kind of built in history of the decks recent evolution)...

Example of an early list
Source

4 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
3 Jötun Grunt
3 Mangara of Corondor
2 Samurai of the Pale Curtain
4 Serra Avenger
3 Silver Knight
3 Stonecloaker
4 Mana Tithe
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Cataclysm
4 Aether Vial
3 Umezawa's Jitte
2 Flagstones of Trokair
4 Karakas
8 Plains
2 Rishadan Port
4 Wasteland

Sideboard:
1 Jötun Grunt
1 Tivadar of Thorn
3 True Believer
2 Disenchant
2 Orim's Chant
2 Seal of Cleansing
4 Thorn of Amethyst

A more refined list from 2008
Source

3 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
3 Jötun Grunt
3 Mangara of Corondor
3 Samurai of the Pale Curtain
4 Serra Avenger
3 Stonecloaker
2 True Believer
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Cataclysm
3 Oblivion Ring
4 Aether Vial
3 Umezawa's Jitte

3 Flagstones of Trokair
4 Karakas
11 Plains
4 Rishadan Port

Sideboard:
3 Glowrider
3 Tivadar of Thorn
4 Orim's Chant
1 Cataclysm
1 Oblivion Ring
3 Seal of Cleansing

The discovery of Flickerwisp
Source

3 Flickerwisp
3 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
2 Jötun Grunt
3 Mangara of Corondor
3 Samurai of the Pale Curtain
4 Serra Avenger
3 Stonecloaker
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Cataclysm
3 Oblivion Ring
4 Aether Vial
3 Umezawa's Jitte
3 Flagstones of Trokair
4 Karakas
11 Plains
4 Rishadan Port

Sideboard:
4 Ethersworn Canonist
3 Glowrider
1 Jötun Grunt
1 Samurai of the Pale Curtain
4 Abeyance
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Seal of Cleansing

The release of Canonist
Source

4 Ethersworn Canonist
4 Flickerwisp
3 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
3 Mangara of Corondor
4 Serra Avenger
3 Stonecloaker
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Cataclysm
3 Oblivion Ring
4 Aether Vial
3 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Eiganjo Castle
3 Flagstones of Trokair
4 Karakas
10 Plains
4 Rishadan Port

Sideboard:
2 Glowrider
3 Silver Knight
3 Disenchant
4 Orim's Chant
3 Relic of Progenitus

The green splash + mother of runes
Source

3 Ethersworn Canonist
3 Gaddock Teeg
3 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
3 Mangara of Corondor
2 Mother of Runes
3 Qasali Pridemage
4 Serra Avenger
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Living Wish
4 Aether Vial
1 Forest
3 Karakas
3 Plains
4 Rishadan Port
4 Savannah
4 Wasteland
4 Windswept Heath

Sideboard:
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Faerie Macabre
1 Harmonic Sliver
1 Jötun Grunt
1 Mangara of Corondor
1 Tivadar of Thorn
3 Krosan Grip
4 Orim's Chant
1 Karakas
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale

The Green-Black list
Source

4 Dark Confidant
4 Flickerwisp
2 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
3 Mangara of Corondor
3 Qasali Pridemage
4 Serra Avenger
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Path to Exile
2 Swords to Plowshares
2 Living Wish
4 Thoughtseize
4 Aether Vial
3 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Bayou
1 Forest
3 Karakas
4 Marsh Flats
1 Plains
2 Savannah
3 Scrubland
1 Swamp
3 Windswept Heath

Sideboard:
3 Gaddock Teeg
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Mangara of Corondor
4 Tidehollow Sculler
2 Krosan Grip
2 Path to Exile
1 Karakas

Eight and a half tails
Source

2 Eight-and-a-Half-Tails
1 Epochrasite
4 Figure of Destiny
4 Flickerwisp
4 Mangara of Corondor
4 Serra Avenger
3 Spectral Lynx
4 Swords to Plowshares
2 Cataclysm
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Aether Vial
2 Umezawa's Jitte
2 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Karakas
15 Plains
2 Rishadan Port
4 Wasteland

Sideboard:
1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
1 Tivadar of Thorn
2 Enlightened Tutor
2 Ghostly Prison
1 Runed Halo
2 Chalice of the Void
2 Pithing Needle
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Tormod's Crypt

Finn's Current List
I have no idea who Finn is. I do know he is accredited with the invention of DnT on serval boards of note and keeps this thread up to date with his latest tinkers and tunings. I would happily sleeve up whatever 75 he suggests and give it go at a local event. As you can see he is currently playing mono white and with the new Worldwake card Stoneforge Mystic.

4 Wasteland
4 Rishadan Port
4 Karakas
10 Plains

3 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
3 Mother of Runes
3 Stoneforge Mystic
3 Jotun Grunt
4 Serra Avenger
4 Flickerwisp
3 Mangara of Corondor

4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Oblivion Ring
4 Aether Vial
2 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of Light and Shadow

Board
4 Children of Korlis
4 Ethersworn Canonist
3 Retribution of the Meek
4 Orim's Chant

I hope people find this useful.
Further and frankly better reading:
The Salvation Thread
The Source Thread

[Mictlantecuhtli]

I have never played against DnT in real life - just a couple of times on MWS against crappy versions so that barely counts. Thanks for posting this! I have to make sure to play a few games against you next time i'm in London

[suares]

Wow his list is almost exactly what I was talking to Dave about on the way back from Madrid with the Utility Equipment/Mystic package though I wonder if 3 isn't a bit much when you have Stone cloacker and Flickerwisp to potentialy combo with it. I also am a big fan of the Children of Korlis in the board just can't wait to see the look on AnT players faces when you vial him in with there combo on the stack. Though it does give them a lot of time to rebuild but I couldn't say that was relevant given that I haven't played the match up Ed

[ilovejess2]

His list does looks good. Going to try it out for a while although I have no intention of taking it to a tournament. Have you settled on a build yet dude?

[suares]

I haven't set an exact 75 as I thought it would be pointless given that i won't be able to get the cards till forever (sucks being punished for liking Legacy just as the price rockets) so I have a hit list of cards I will definately be playing a Stoneforge tool box though. I might have to drop the Mangara/Karakas stuff as i can't see myself affording the Karakas' anytime soon though . I'll probably try and make a faster version some how and thus negate some of the costlier cards.

Also I will be in London for the PTQ this coming Saturday so why not come down to the games club it'll be cool (If you do could you bring that stuff I left round yours cheers)

Ed