Hey all,
I got into vintage (as I would imagine many people did) by playing hate decks, and while I have mostly given that up for blue decks, the itch sometimes needs to be scratched. Since there has been some talk on twitter about the idea that beating both Storm and Workshops is impossible, I have been working on the following deck. This list is very much a work in progress, and while it started with the idea of beating Storm and Shops, it has come around a lot toward beating my particular meta. It also, as you can see from the title, is my plan for champs if I can't borrow power. I recently sold my power, because I was buying a house, and I am still down for champs, so I decided to build a back-up deck to try and win the unpowered prize. Yes, this deck would be better with power, it is specifically built around not being able to play with power.
Full disclaimer: all hatebears decks are meta specific, not that anyone would want to, but net decking these types of decks make very little sense.
Deck: Mardu Hatebears {W}{B}{R}
Main:
- 4 Dark Confidant
- 4 Simian Spirit Guide
- 2 Elvish Spirit Guide
- 1 Lotus Petal
- 4 Deathrite Shaman
- 4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
- 3 Stony Silence
- 4 Phyrexian Revoker
- 2 Hammer Mage
- 1 Demonic Tutor
- 1 Vampiric Tutor
- 2 Goblin Welder
- 3 Marsh Flats
- 2 Arid Mesa
- 3 Plateau
- 3 Scrubland
- 1 Savannah
- 3 Wasteland
- 1 Strip Mine
- 2 Plains
- 1 Wear // Tear
- 2 Stoneforge Mystic
- 1 Batterskull
- 3 Containment Priest
- 2 Goblin Sharpshooter
- 1 Swords to Plowshares
Sideboard:
- 3 Ingot Chewer
- 1 Wasteland
- 2 Path to Exile
- 2 Sulfur Elemental
- 1 Stony Silence
- 4 Leyline of the Void
- 2 Aegis of the Gods
I want to talk about a couple choices. First the colors: I think white is basically the most important color in any hatebears deck, Thalia and Stony Silence are the reasons to play hatebears (if there is any reason). That brings me to Phyrexian Revoker, this card is absolutely insane, and should be a 4-of in most hate decks, it is basically extra copies of Thalia with some more flexibility. I added in Red for a couple reasons: First, Hammer Mage + Welder along-side sideboard cards to just wreck shops day. Secondly, trying to beat Mentor, Tiny Robots, and Young Pyromancer with Goblin Sharpshooter, after a discussion with friends (works surprisingly well). Finally, I added in black late in the development, because 1) the tutors allow you to play lower numbers of the best cards. Dark Confidant give you a midgame, and honestly I think Deathrite Shaman is one of the best cards against shops still.
If anyone has thoughts about building hatebears specifically for Champs, feel free to bring that discussion here, even if it isn't necessarily RWB splashing green.