Extended season came early for me this year. I finally got to come home from college and pull out all the old decks I had made. My local card store holds tourneys every Sunday and I was told that the format was going to be extended. Hmm…so I decided to make changes to my old decks because, unfortunately, since Odyssey came out, I was busy in the realm of academia. Then I decided I was going to build an entirely new and fun deck, and maybe, just maybe it would win me a tourney. What to build, what to build… I came across an interesting combo on a message board somewhere on the Internet that fascinated me. It used Academy Rectors, Phyrexian Ghouls, Pattern of Rebirths, and Saproling Bursts. This is how it works:

Turn one: Land, Fyndhorn Elf
Turn two: Land, Ghoul
Turn three: Land, Rector

Once the rector hits the table declare an attack with the ghoul. If unblocked, sacrifice the rector for a pattern of rebirth; put it on the birds. Then sacrifice the birds to the ghoul again (now 6/6) and get a rector (with the pattern). Sacrifice the rector again for a Saproling Burst. Pull off six tokens and sac them all to the ghoul. This adds up to twenty damage and should have your opponent scratching his head.

I saw this and I was ecstatic. I hadn’t seen such innovation since the original toolbox of extended, survival. I learned that the deck was called Carpe Noctum. I am quite certain that the name was coined by David Zadok Stroud, but I am not totally positive as to whether or not he invented the deck. Nevertheless, I do not take any credit for this deck, except that I added some cards to give it my own touch, but that is the extent of it.

Here is the original deck list that David used.

4 Birds of Paradise
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Phyrexian Ghoul
4 Academy Rector
4 Pattern of Rebirth
4 Duress
3 Addle
2 Vampiric Tutor
1 Saproling Burst
1 Phyrexian Plaguelord
1 Verdant Force
2 Confiscate
1 Masticore
1 Aura of Silence
1 Spike Weaver

4 City of Brass
4 Brushland
1 Tropical Island
2 High Market
1 Gemstone Mine
2 Undiscovered Paradise
4 Forest
4 Swamp

The first thing I wanted to do was to make this operate a bit more like survival, which used to be my deck of choice prior to the bannings. So I started by getting rid of the elves and replaced them by wall of roots. The land was very easy. I just swept the board clean and played the appropriate duals a tower and one undiscovered paradise. I figured that this deck needed a couple more tools to add to the “toolbox,” so I added a Monk Idealist for getting back enchantments and an oath of ghouls for getting back my minions. Pernicious deed, my favorite card ever…if there was ever a card that needs to be played in extended, this one is it. It kills sligh, destroys stompy and, pulverizes white weenie. I cannot stress to you how well this card works in any B/G deck! Ok, now I had to adjust a few things around and make it so I could fit in some more bursts and I would be golden.

Here is the final deck I ended up playing

4 Birds of Paradise
4 Wall of Roots
4 Phyrexian Ghoul
4 Academy Rector
4 Pattern of Rebirth
4 Duress
3 Saproling Burst
1 Monk Idealist
1 Verdant Force
1 Argothian Enchantress
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Aura of Silence
1 Confiscate
2 Pernicious Deed
1 Recurring Nightmare
1 Oath of Ghouls
1 Worship

4 City of Brass
4 Scrubland
4 Bayou
4 Savannah
4 Gemstone Mine
2 Tropical Island
1 Phyrexian Tower

Sideboard:
1 Confiscate
1 Ivory Mask
1 City of Solitude
2 Seal of Cleansing
1 Sacred Ground
2 Pernicious Deed
1 Masticore
2 Hailstorm
1 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Tranquil Grove
1 Spike Feeder

After extensive play testing against all of the different archetypes with one of my friends, I felt confident that I could do well with this deck. So off to the tourney I went.

I showed up roughly ten minutes before the tourney and did some final checks before it began. There were fifteen people, not too bad. We rolled for the bye and I didn’t win, oh well.

My first opponent was playing nine or ten land stompy (I can’t really remember right now). My hand is not too bad, I had a rector and a bird, so I was happy. I play the birds and tell him to go. At the end of my turn he plays a vine dryad. Next he plays: forest, remove elvish spirit guide, rancor, rancor, swing for five. Needless to say he beat the crap out of me…not a promising first game…on to game two. I sided in hailstorms and two deeds and took out four duress’. I start off with birds. He plays a pouncing jaguar and says go. I draw a ghoul and play it jubilantly (I had a rector in my hand). He plays more 1cc creatures, I draw another rector, get a deed blast his weenies and easily combo him out shortly after (damn it feels good to say combo out again…I miss necro). Now onto game three…he mulled down to six and got off to a slow start, an early deed and a verdant force joined the ranks…via pattern, and I easily take the win.

Record 1-0, 2-1

The second match I had to play something I was not used to, trix, or trick. I knew I should have added those emerald charms! The game gets off to a slow start; as we both lay lands and say go. He impulsed and counters all my little threats and finally I get duress through. He was tapped out and I had four more mana to use for a rector or a ghoul. I was amused to find that his hand consisted of three islands and a sapphire medallion. After that it was all down hill, as I get a verdant force and he doesn’t draw his capsize in time…on to game two. Fortunate for me, he had almost nothing to side in against me accept bounce, and I had no problem with that at all. I side in two seals, a feeder and a city. I get off to an early start with birds and walls, he has no answers, a city hits the table followed by a seal, and you see where this is going…Yee Haw!

Record 2-0, 4-1

The next deck I played was a sligh deck (talk about variety!). His deck was red control with pillages, stone rains, wastelands, and tangle wires…gulp. I win the coin toss so I play. Luckily for me those good old birdies stared me in the face once again, and I drop em down. He lays wasteland and blows up my savannah…sure. I lay a bayou and play a wall. He plays a scroll. It comes back to me and I lay a ghoul. He goes, mountain, mogg, shock you for two. I smile and say okay…I draw the needed land; he never gets a wire, I combo him out shortly there after…on to game two. I side in the COP, sacred ground, a mask and a seal. He says he will play. He lays, mox diamond, mountain, scroll, pup…hmm…I play savannah…”Go.” Mountain, stone rain, swing for two. I stick it out for a while, and then a wire hits the table…I frown and scoop. I side in the other seal and I tell him that I will play. My hand is five lands a wall of roots and a pattern. I lay land and tell him to go. He lays a land. On my turn I play the wall. His turn…nothing. My turn I lay a land, then a pattern on the wall. He plays a land and stone rains. I sit pretty for a while until I draw a Phyrexian tower; I look down at my cards in play to see two trops and two savannahs. I sac the wall, get a verdant force, and use the black mana to cast a deed as I proceed to wipe the board clean of two cursed scrolls a mox and a pup…mmm I love that card. I beat down with the force the rest of the game and I secure myself a spot in the finals.

Record 3-0, 5-2

My final opponent was playing draw-go…I hate draw go! Back when I used to play survival I would constantly lose to counter decks…I hoped I could change that with my new deck…on we go. He wins the toss and elects to play. He lays a couple man lands down and I lay some walls. Eventually he gets an amazing fact for fiction, it was something ridiculous that’s all I remember, and gets a morphling out. With tons of counter magic to back him up, he quickly puts me down to sleep…now I had to get down and dirty. I side in city of solitude and confiscate…I could have used more cards in my sideboard to deal with counter, but oh well. I played a bayou, then he wastes it. I play a city; he wastes it. I play a tower…no answer. Next turn I get the enchantress into play. He plays a man land and says go…I duress and take a force, and played an oath of ghouls shortly there after. From there on out I had an ample supply of mana and was picking up a rector from my graveyard and recasting it until finally it goes through, I sacked it to the tower and got the city…boom, he conceded and now onto the moment of truth! He decided to play first; he played an island and said go. I dropped a mine and duressed him, in response he brainstorms…I end up having to take an impulse. I drew nothing but land for another five turns and he plays morphling. It comes back to me and I played a pattern on my birds…counter. Swing for five…I play a rector…counter…swing for five…I play pattern on birds…ah ha! No counter this time, he attacks me and I block with birds and I get a rector…he raises his eyebrow and said okay (I had nothing but the rector, a tower and some other lands in play) my turn I draw duress and duress him, he has nothing but a force and a keg, I sac the rector and get good ol confiscate and steal Mr. morphling. I beat him down with morphling and he got conclaves and a keg out, but it wasn’t enough to stop the brute force that morphling puts out…. victory was mine.

Final Record 4-0, 7-3

I was very happy with the outcome. I found myself a new extended deck! I just want to say thanks to my friend Trav for helping me remember every little detail about the games I played.

Please let me know your thoughts on either the deck or my article in general, both criticisms and praises are welcome…preferably the latter. Happy Thanksgiving!

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(0 o)
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Cool deck btw

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Run.... but you can't hide!
m.de.vries6@chello.nl

quote:

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Originally posted by incubussr:
I am quite certain that the name was coined by David Zadok Stroud, but I am not totally positive as to whether or not he invented the deck.

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