Deadguy Ale, a Black and White midrange deck, is a powerful and customizable archetype in Premodern Magic. This guide delves into the history, core strategies, and variations of Deadguy Ale, providing a comprehensive overview for players looking to master this iconic deck. While a dark ritual guide bf might sound like something else entirely, here, it refers to using Dark Ritual to power out your Black and White spells for a strong, fast advantage.
The Legacy of Deadguy Ale
Originally popularized in the early 2000s by Chris Pikula and “Team Deadguy,” Deadguy Ale was known for its disruptive elements and efficient creature base. This BW midrange deck operates on a low mana curve, utilizing an array of removal and answers to control the board. The deck’s name, “rogue homebrew,” reflects its innovative nature at the time.
Most Deadguy Ale builds feature discard spells for disruption and land destruction to hinder the opponent’s mana base. These elements are coupled with the burst mana provided by Dark Ritual and a suite of efficient creatures. Cards like Nantuko Shade, Hypnotic Specter, and Withered Wretch are staples due to their low cost and impactful abilities that complement the deck’s disruptive strategy.
Different versions of Deadguy Ale emphasize various aspects. Some builds lean heavily on discard, resembling classic BW discard decks, while others focus on creature-based aggression, incorporating cards like Knight of Stromgald or Phyrexian Negator. A creatureless variant utilizes cards like Pox and Ensnaring Bridge to control the board and win with The Rack and Bottomless Pit.
My Ultra-Rogue Build: Deadguy Pangolin Ale
One unique take on Deadguy Ale is Deadguy Pangolin Ale, a brew that incorporates some unexpected card choices for a twist on the archetype.
Creature Choices:
- Hypnotic Specter: This is your discard engine, forcing the opponent to discard.
- Prowling Pangolin: This is a surprisingly effective finisher, offering both power and a form of removal.
Key Spells:
- Dark Ritual: This is a key card, providing the burst mana necessary for early disruption and threats.
- Duress, Stupor, Gerrard’s Verdict: These are your primary discard spells, stripping your opponent of key cards and controlling their hand.
- Vindicate: This is a versatile removal spell, capable of destroying any permanent.
- The Rack, Megrim: The Rack is the main win condition, capitalizing on your opponent’s empty hand. Megrim adds additional discard-based damage.
- Pox: This card is used for more disruption.
- Swords to Plowshares: This offers additional removal for creatures.
- Disenchant: Used to get rid of artifacts and enchantments.
- Cabal Therapy: Allows you to target discard specific cards.
- Enlightened Tutor: Searches your deck for key artifact or enchantment cards.
Card Spotlights:
- Cabal Therapy: While often a four-of in black decks, this build utilizes only two. The goal is to maximize guaranteed discard with Duress, Stupor, and Gerrard’s Verdict to quickly empty the opponent’s hand.
- Megrim: Often overlooked, Megrim can be surprisingly effective, adding extra damage alongside The Rack.
- Prowling Pangolin: A six-power creature for a relatively low cost can be a game-changer. The “enters-the-battlefield drawback” can be strategically used as creature removal, especially against creature-heavy decks.
With only 23 creatures in the Premodern card pool that meet certain power/toughness requirements and CMC limits, Prowling Pangolin stands out as a solid choice.
Alternative Deadguy Ale Builds
Deadguy Ale offers several variations, each with its unique strengths and weaknesses.
Typical Pikula-Style Build:
This build emphasizes mana denial with Rancid Earth or Choking Sands, alongside efficient creatures like Nantuko Shade and Knight of Stromgald. Phyrexian Arena provides card advantage, while Wasteland disrupts the opponent’s mana base.
Creature-Heavy Build:
This build focuses on overwhelming the opponent with a diverse array of creatures, including Mother of Runes, Phyrexian Negator, and Spectral Lynx. Cursed Scroll provides additional reach, while Phyrexian Arena offers card advantage.
Suicide Black-Style Build:
This version eschews creatures in favor of discard, removal, and direct damage. Mox Diamond accelerates mana, allowing for early disruption with Duress and Gerrard’s Verdict. The Rack and Cursed Scroll provide a win condition, while Ensnaring Bridge protects against creature-based attacks. Pox and Innocent Blood disrupt the board, and Vindicate removes problematic permanents.
Limitations of Deadguy Ale
Despite its strengths, Deadguy Ale has some weaknesses. Black and white are common targets for hate cards, such as Karma, Gloom, and Light of Day. These cards can significantly hinder the deck’s strategy.
The deck’s lack of blue or red cards means it misses out on Pyroblasts and Hydroblasts in the sideboard. Furthermore, without hand disruption, the deck can struggle against combo decks or opponents who can quickly rebuild their board presence.
Mastering Deadguy Ale: A Summary
Deadguy Ale is a rewarding midrange deck that offers a blend of disruption, control, and aggression. With its customizable nature and strategic depth, it can be tailored to suit various playstyles and metagames. While the deck has its limitations, its strengths and flexibility make it a compelling choice for players looking to make their mark in Premodern Magic. Understanding how to leverage Dark Ritual and efficient threats is key to piloting this deck to victory.
