Breaking Block: Spoiling the Party with Ponza

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Just had a quick deck idea I wanted to roll around before I got back to following up the previous post. If you read the title of this entry on your way here, you already probably figured out that I’m going to explore a Block Ponza variant. The efficacy of a deck like this depends in part on how much the format slows down and how much (blanked here) mass removal is going to be floating around. That said there’s plenty of excellent burn available, and even a red Wrath (Chain Reaction), providing a Big Red deck with plenty of options.

With the spoiling of the functional reprint of Terramorphic Expanse, Evolving Wilds, I will also take a look at what the deck picks up from its two fetch-allied colors, blue and white. **Spoiler alert** Spreading Seas fits in nicely with red’s mana denial elements. I’m aware that black and green splashes are supported by the creature-lands (which are natural fits for a Ponza plan), but the idea is to avoid turning on opposing Tectonic Edges as much as possible.

Ponza

4 Goblin Ruinblaster
4 Roiling Terrain
4 Everflowing Chalice
4 Spawning Breath
2 Lavaball Trap
4 Burst Lightning
3 Staggershock
1 Comet Storm
2 Chandra Ablaze
2 Chain Reaction
4 Kargan Dragonlord
1 Searing Blaze
4 Tectonic Edge
2 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
4 Scalding Tarn
15 Mountain

The mana is squeaky clean, with Spawning Breath, Edge, and Valakut providing additional functionality while Breath and Chalice add an element of explosiveness that make the mana denial elements not just reasonable, but exciting. Double-kicked Chalices lead to hardcast Lavaball Traps rather quickly.

Speaking of mana denial, Ruinblaster and Roiling Terrain both deal damage in the exchange and late-game Terrains not only feed off earlier ones, but also off of the fetch lands that define the format. On top of that, I can’t imagine any bigger blowout than responding to a turn 2 Treespeaker level-up with a Spawning Breath into turn 3 LD. And we’re off.

Once again, I was looking for an opportunity to squeeze in a Seer’s Sundial, but I didn’t want to play that many fetches and Chandra Ablaze is probably going to be a much more powerful card-advantage engine, in addition to being able to kill creatures and players. Ponza decks, when they’re clicking, strand many cards in opposing hands; Chandra lets them exchange those uncastables for the chance at the land needed to operate, but at the expense of sculpting their plans for what happens when they do draw more land. Besides, you’ll probably only use that option when your own hand is depleted and you don’t yet have your foot on their throat. Otherwise, you’re going to play her, burn some things, and close out the game with your graveyard full of more burn and LD.

Searing Blaze is clearly a better spell than Chain Reaction, but for game 1′s there are going to be matchups where both are dead to varying degrees. Blaze will be less dead in those matchups, for sure, but those are the situations where the rest of the deck should excel. However, in the game 1′s where I want access to both of these spells, Chain Reaction is for sure the one I want to lean on. Especially considering the deck has ample spot removal already.

For the monored build, Kargan Dragonlord seems like the best win condition available, just for the investment flexibility it provides compared to some of the pre-Rise options like Obsidian Fireheart and Hellkite Charger. Unfortunately, the splash variants probably play one too many non-Mountains for the leveler; it seems frustrating having only RRR in play and not being able to reach the next tier in a single turn. So, I’ll probably turn to Chargers. The splashes also cost Valakut, which should be a powerhouse in the long game. Let’s see if it’s worth it:

Ru Ponza

4 Goblin Ruinblaster
4 Roiling Terrain
4 Everflowing Chalice
4 Spawning Breath
2 Lavaball Trap
4 Burst Lightning
4 Spreading Seas
3 Staggershock
2 Chandra Ablaze
2 Chain Reaction
2 Hellkite Charger
4 Evolving Wilds
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Tectonic Edge
1 Island
12 Mountain

As you can see, the core is pretty much exactly the same. A few of the late-game spells swap out for Spreading Seas. Interestingly, by adding blue we speed up the deck’s core early-game plan and lose some of the late game. If that proves too much of a sacrifice, I’ll look at adding more finishers to the deck, but so far I like where this is at, especially as Seas is the best mana denial available in two blocks worth of cards. It also looks like there may be enough Mountains for Dragonlord, so I’ll keep that in mind.

After board, this build gets access to Jace and Spell Pierce in the slower matchups. In fact, if actual results with the Mind Sculptor are any indication, it probably belongs in the maindeck. Spreading Seas is vulnerable to All is Dust, which should be kept in mind for other decks looking to leverage it, but here you’re doing something wrong if you can’t keep them off the seven-mana Disk. At least, that’s how I expect it to work out.

For a splash-white build, I think World Queller will excel as the finisher of choice. Either Day of Judgment, Wall of Omens, or some mix of the two will replace Searing Blaze and Chain Reaction for controlling early pressure. Of note, Day and Queller are both white heavy. This build definitely gives up Valakut and the Dragonlord, but it does pick up Journey to Nowhere out of the board for Bloodghasts, Vengevines, and anything else that threatens to overwhelm Ponza’s spot removal. Gideon Jura has strong interactions with Day of Judgment so it may make the cut as well.

The final list of the article:

Rw Ponza

4 Goblin Ruinblaster
4 Roiling Terrain
4 Everflowing Chalice
4 Spawning Breath
2 Lavaball Trap
4 Burst Lightning
3 Staggershock
2 Chandra Ablaze
1 Gideon Jura
3 World Queller
2 Day of Judgment
3 Wall of Omens
4 Arid Mesa
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Plains
4 Tectonic Edge
10 Mountain

The numbers on Day and Wall may seem odd, but they’re supplementary cards, replacing Blaze and Chain Reaction because they are less often irrelevant. Gideon Jura also adds to the creature control elements while serving as a significant win condition. World Queller is similarly synergistic, filling in any and all holes in the game plan while it sticks around; it may be that the deck ends up playing all four. This build seems to have a much better long game than the blue version, but may sacrifice too much mana consistency.

After an eyeball, I like all three builds and only expect to understand the major differences after playing with them. They efficiently suppress your opponent’s plans and board development from a variety of angles. They are resilient to and take advantage of Tectonic Edge extremely well, which is important in a format that may be defined in part by Temple mana, creature-lands, and 10+ drops. They also have answers for a variety of threats from aggro rushes to planeswalkers (mostly in the form of efficient burn). Most of the cards in each build advance the cause of ending the game while the opponent cannot operate at speed, in true Ponza fashion.

Notable exclusions:

Zektar Shrine Expedition, Goblin Guide (obviously), Plated Geopede, and all of the aggressive options don’t fit the deck’s M.O. There’s certainly a deck there, and one that I’ll be building soon, but these aren’t it.

Obsidian Fireheart is outclassed by better finishers on the high and low end. It’s also unnecessary as a redundant finisher given that almost everything you play can kill an opposing mage. That said, it’s a perfectly reasonable card to keep in mind for sideboard action.

Cunning Sparkmage makes more sense in a creature-heavy, aggro Red/X deck that can take better advantage of Basilisk Collar.

I’ve already discussed why Searing Blaze belongs in the sideboard (assuming a certain metagame). If most decks are going to have aggressive creatures that you want to kill fast and painfully, these will certainly migrate maindeck.

Tuktuk Scrapper is redundant LD against decks packing Chalice and (oh please, oh please) Dreamstone Hedron, but at this point, it’s strictly SB material (as is Spell Pierce).