Racialist Bloodchiefs: The Return

I was very surprised by the reactions that people had to the HDC list I posted earlier this week.  The deck was a jank combo that tried to win by getting bloodchief online with a Decimator Web and then mill for lethal damage.  And what happened?  People took it seriously.  I had gotten asked for playtesting results, various choices I had made in the deckbuilding process, what I would do for a sideboard in the tournament meta, etc. etc.  It seems that there's actually a market for a deck along these lines and it quickly became one of my more frequently viewed articles, so I began thinking about how I would actually build it.
First of all, I cut blue.  I know, cutting blue in a mill deck seems odd, but all I need is one source of mill.  And that comes from Sword of Body and Mind.  And that comes from Stoneforge Mystic.  And he's white.

Stephen Colbert may not see color, but I do.  And this is white.

White also gives me access to a great sword target; the Mirran Crusader, who can mill the opponent for 20 cards in a single swing, meaning that I don't even need an online Bloodchief if he goes through twice.

The closest we'll ever get to a reprint of Jihad.

White fills out the rest of my deck with Journey to Nowhere and Day of Judgment, two cards necessary to beat a creature-heavy meta, but also ways to get around the Sword of Feast and Famine that I wouldn't otherwise have.

I like swords.

Then there's black, who obviously supplies the Bloodchief Ascensions.  Also included is Vampire Lacerator and Pulse Tracker, two creatures that are able to ramp my quest.  Why not, say, Elite Vanguard?  Because I want to be able to play a T1 swamp every game and not hold back plays.  I run four each of Vampire Hexmage and Sign in Blood, so running anything that costs a single white mana will limit my early plays significantly.  The mana base for these colors is hard enough, so this method is the easiest way to smooth out my early tempo.

He's just too white for my tastes.

Add three Go for the Throats for more kill, two Sword of Body and Minds and one Sword of Feast and Famine, and voila.  Instant deck; just add lands.

I need to find a way to turn Liliana into a nonartifact creature so I can deepthroat her.

Combo Packages (11)

• 4 Bloodchief Ascension
• 4 Stoneforge Mystic
• 2 Sword of Feast and Famine
• 1 Sword of Body and Mind

Quest Ramp (19)

• 4 Pulse Tracker
• 4 Vampire Lacerator
• 4 Vampire Hexmage
• 3 Mirran Crusader
• 4 Sign in Blood

Removal (8)

• 3 Go for the Throat
• 3 Journey to Nowhere
• 2 Day of Judgment

Land (22)

• 4 Marsh Flats
• 10 Swamp
• 8 Plains

Sideboard (15)

• 4 Celestial Purge
• 2 Divine Offering
• 1 Day of Judgment
• 4 Leonin Arbiter
• 4 Marsh Casualties

Estimated value: $235

The deck's plan is pretty simple, get a creature to ramp the quest and keep the board clear of blockers while you do so.  Without a Quest, use the Mystic to pull a sword and win that way, preferably on Mirran Crusader but any of your cheap threats becomes relevant with a sword in play.  Your removal then focuses on taking out your opponent's threats since it's not necessary to hit EVERY turn.  Don't have a sword, a mystic, or a quest?  You mulligan until you do.  Plain and simple.

The sideboard is clearly geared toward stopping aggro decks, but each of the cards suits a different one.  Marsh Casualties is for Goblins or Boros, Celestial Purge is for Vampires, Leonin Arbiter is for Boros, and Day of Judgment is best suited for Elves or Tempered Steel.  There is a pair of two Divine Offerings to use against Cawblade and Boros decks, but for most control decks it's the only card you'll side in.

That's it for today's article, check back next time when I'll be talking about more submissions for mtgUK's Design-a-Deck challenge.

-Don't forget to check us out on Facebook and Twitter!-