As a refresher, here is the updated deck list for the Animal Jund deck:
Creatures (33)
- 2 Shriekmaw
- 4 Boggart Ram-Gang
- 4 Demigod of Revenge
- 2 Kitchen Finks
- 4 Putrid Leech
- 4 Bloodbraid Elf
- 1 Anathemancer
- 4 Cunning Sparkmage
- 4 Vengevine
- 4 Fauna Shaman
Lands (27)
Sideboard
As much as it pains me to admit this (as this is a deck lacking Cryptic Command), Jund — that is, this Jund — is my favorite deck to play
in Extended. With the addition of Thoughtseize, it seems to be able to compete with everything (even if you aren’t necessarily favored).
Two notes:
1) I have never flashed back Anathemancer. Part of that is that Ancient Ziggurat isn’t helpful for that. The other part of the problem is that I have
been siding this guy out almost every matchup, so I have been in less of a position to use it. I could see substituting a third Shriekmaw for this guy.
2) Royal Assassin has been a Royal ASSassin if you know what I mean. I finally tapped this guy FOR THE FIRST TIME last night. It was against a pretty
cool BUG Vengevine / Mulldrifter / good stuff-ish deck. I played like third-turn Royal Assassin, and he did not tap for almost the whole game. I
finally got a bunch of guys and attacked into his Molten-Tail Masticore; he blocked my Bloodbraid Elf or Kitchen Finks or whatever 3/x I had sent in,
and then I played a Cunning Sparkmage and shot the Masticore for the last point. Obviously, my opponent regenerated, but I knew something you might not
know because it doesn’t come up very often… regenerating creatures tap. So I finally got to tap the Royal Assassin! Finally!
This guy is not good enough. After finally getting a tap out of him, I switched to a Thought Hemorrhage. I could see Spitebellows as an incremental
Shriekmaw, but right now, you have one too many cards against beatdown / Naya (1 Obstinate Baloth + 2 Shriekmaw + 2 Kitchen Finks + 1 Royal Assassin =
6 cards; meaning you have to side out 1 Anathemancer, 4 Boggart Ram-Gangs, and 1 Putrid Leech… Obviously the Ram-Gangs are whatever, but the
Putrid Leech is simply the least good of a group of good cards). Long story short, especially to shore up, I would play a card along the lines of the
Thought Hemorrhage.
Animal Jund vs. Big Naya (lotsa games):
Animal Jund vs. U/W Control (fair number of games):
Animal Jund vs. RDW:
Animal Jund vs. Doran (Spoilers! Nothing to see here; skip this one):
Animal Jund vs. Valakut:
Animal Jund vs. Actual Jund:
As I said, as much as it pains me to say so, I like this deck best, and if I were to PTQ, this would be my weapon of choice.
I argued — not in a public forum as far as I recall — that banning Survival of the Fittest was unnecessary. I can only assume I was dead
wrong. This deck utterly demolishes most decks if it can untap with the Fauna Shaman in play maybe two times. Survival… Not even in the same
league. No wonder those guys won every tournament!
LOVE
MIKE