I don't have nearly enough Magic time any more - but on my lunch hour, I like to either read Magic content or tinker with decks in Apprentice. Lately, of course, Extended is on my mind, with three PTQs coming up locally while I'm on break from teaching! With three, I must be going to make at least one, right?

As a math teacher, I like to start each problem off with the requirements or constraints. It seems like a deck needs early disruption and/or creature kill (preferably both) and to have decent matchups with Oath, Reanimator (B and U/B) and Sligh. The card that seems like it has been undeservedly missing from extended is Haunting Echoes. That card is Graveyard Hate^tm to the maximum. The best way to beat Oath is to have no creatures, and a way to deal with Villages.

So Haunting Echoes means I get to play with all the black goodies: Duress, Cabal Therapy, Vampiric Tutor, Diabolic Edict. But with no creatures, what should the kill condition be? Corrupt? Soul Burn? Both worth including for the life gain, as it can provide the needed time versus beatdown to find the answer, or provide cushion to Scry for a solution.

No, I think, the card that has synergy with the Echoes, and a traditional kill for control decks through the ages... Millstone!

I'll now give you the sentence that makes the Back button look so good: This deck struggles more with Sligh than it should. (Sigh.) If it gets the magic burn hand with the haste creatures besides... that's why the ghastly demise and terror are in. If you expect a lot of Sligh, you may wish to increase the Ghastly Demise count, if you expect a lot of Verdant Forces, you may want to increase the Terror count.

Mana:
21 Swamp
3 Cabal Coffers

It can run less than traditional MBC because it's more focused on the early disruption and creature control.

Discard:
2 Blackmail
4 Duress
3 Unmask

It misses the Cabal Therapies - but my playtesting has shown that Blackmail is surprisingly good in such a fast format.

Critter control:
4 Diabolic Edict
3 Innocent Blood
2 Ghastly Demise
1 Terror

Tutors and targets:
1 Mutilate
1 Mirari
1 Soul Burn
2 Corrupt
2 Skeletal Scrying
2 Vampiric Tutor
2 Diabolic Tutor

The kill:
3 Haunting Echoes
3 Millstone

Sideboard:
1 Perish
2 Mutilate
4 Phyrexian Negator
3 Engineered Plague
1 Masticore
1 Visara The Dreadful
1 Urborg Shambler
1 Tainted Aether
1 Mirari

General Strategy: Fight to resolve the Echoes. Clear the way with discard versus control, and creature kill versus beatdown. A resolved echoes lowers their threat density so much, that they will be drawing land. Don't get too greedy with the Echoes, if you can remove two or three cards that appear in multiples in their deck it is worth going for. The Echoes is also surprisingly good against the new sac lands as many decks are relying on those to balance the mana base.

Rough matchup percentages:

Match up specifics and sideboarding:
Versus non-Oath control, consider siding the Negators in for the Innocent Bloods. Versus Oath, you only do this with the idea that they may be siding their Oaths out. Against blue control, you are in decent shape: Fight for the Millstones and the Mirari, and the second Mirari is there for that matchup. Visara can be brought in to neutralize hand-cast fatties versus either Reanimator. Against monoblack Reanimator you might want to bring in the Masticore in hopes that they went for the Negators.

Against most beats, bring in the Plagues and Mutilates, Masticore and possibly Visara. Clearly, the Plagues belong in versus Goblin Sligh. Against a deck like Mack's from Reims... Well, that's one of the reasons the Tainted Aether is in there to try. I would also keep the Plague for Wizards or Cats. Masticore is your lifeblood, but the discard can probably go out. Their burn is mostly sorcery-speed - but what you want is the Echoes to remove that, as it will be pointed at your head once they figure out the no creature plan. That's why the Lavamancer is a high-priority target. Biggest problem: Firecats and Cursed Scroll. Keep instant-speed removal for the Cats if at all possible.

Against Aluren, the Plagues and Shambler come in for obvious reasons. Kill the Savage if you can.

Why Not Four Vampiric Tutors?
Because of the dicey burn match up. Midgame, the deck can afford the diabolic tutors, and late game they are what you want to fork with Mirari.

Why Millstone when people are already filling their graveyard on purpose?
Mainly because of the synergy with the Echoes. Check for reanimation spells with your discard, or hold off milling until the Echoes is close. Note that with a 'Stone out, people really have to think before they Vampiric Tutor... But be careful of putting their fatty into the grave for them.

Vindicate
Vindicate was originally in because of Cursed Scroll and other pesky permanents. It finally came out because the extra lands required for the white pushed other things out the deck that I wanted to try there.

Pernicious Deed
That's really tempting, as the Deed is excellent right now - and it does solve the Cursed Scroll and hasted creatures problem. What I had tried was:

+ 4 Pernicious Deed
+ 4 Tainted Woods
+ 2 Llanowar Wastes

-3 Millstone
-2 Swamp
-2 Unmask
-1 Coffer
-1 Terror

Plus, I could put Spiritmongers in the sideboard.

I think the deck could be fun, in a slightly malicious, sadistic Millstoning way. Part of what made me write this up was seeing Ben Bleiweiss's Stone Cold Favorite Card, thinking that maybe others enjoy it too. If you do try it or have suggestions, drop me a line at goldenj@gvsu.edu.

Peace,
John