> I've built a build of an interesting deck, that works pretty well if it can
> get going. My only problem is really against faster decks, although
> creatures aren't really a problem, as you'll see in the list:

> // Lands
> 8 Swamp
> 4 Tainted Isle
> 4 Forbidden Orchard
> 2 Deserted Temple
> 2 Island
> 2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
>
> // Spells
> 2 Cremate
> 4 Dark Ritual
> 4 Tainted AEther
> 4 Dingus Staff
> 4 Dingus Egg
> 4 Mana Leak
> 4 Undermine
> 2 Lobotomy
> 2 Telling Time
> 4 Damnation
> 4 Engineered Plague
>
> The idea is to get out an Engineered Plague set to Spirit, so I can then have the Tainted Aether to get my opponents down, with the Staff and Egg to make them lose life from me tapping the Forbidden Orchard.
>
> Any ideas? What I've thought of include Mishra's
> Bauble (To make the deck essentially be 56 cards big) and perhaps some tutors. Also, don't worry about cost - you can assume I own 4 of every card printed.
>
> Thanks, and your garage still interests me!
>
> Without Wax,
> Socks

Good to see that some people never lost faith in me.  It's about time I earned that vote of confidence.

First of all, this combo really entertains me.  I like that one of your most important combo pieces is a multicolor land, which you can then tap for mana to play your other combo pieces.  Good way to avoid having a combo piece be countered, I'd say.  Interestingly enough, all your other combo pieces are also either black or colorless.  Strictly speaking, there's no need to add a second color.  But with Forbidden Orchard in the deck, there's no reason not to dip into other colors.

That does put you in an interesting position.  You could just as easily run mono-black as you could splash any color for pretty much any card you wanted.  So what to run?

Well, first of all, you have no creatures.  The damage from Dingus Staff and Dingus Egg-- the Dingus Twins?-- is your only win condition, not counting Undermine damage.  And Engineered Plague and Tainted Aether are your only real means of triggering them, short of Damnation killing their creatures.  Meaning anyone with artifact or enchantment hate spells is going to be a tough fight for you-- I think going blue/black to include countermagic was the right decision.

As for tutors, I think Beseech the Queen will do nicely.  If you have the minimum three lands needed to cast it, you can fetch the Orchard and the Plague, and one more land gets you both Dinguses (Dingi?) and Tainted Aether.  Replace Lobotomy-- you'd rather search your own library for what you need than your opponent's for what you don't want, right?

Speaking of land, why is Urborg in this deck?  Your only lands that don't naturally tap for black mana are your 2 Islands, Deserted Temple, and the Tainted Isles.  You have no swampwalk, so giving your opponents swamps can't be the reason.  The only real reason to dye your lands black would be to activate Tainted Isle, and you could just as easily do that with more Swamps without worrying about the legendary rule if you draw two.  And with Forbidden Orchard providing any color on demand and the Dingi not demanding any color at all, it shouldn't be too bad if your Deserted Temple can't provide black mana for those Damnations and Undermines.

Next, since you have no creatures at all yourself, I'd like to see a little more ability to control your opponent's.  Replace Cremate (?) with Innocent Blood.  You won't have anything to lsoe yourself, and this also works to give the deck some teeth in multiplayer.  Not a lot, but some.

And finally, for added control of your opponent's options while you assemble your combo or watch it hobble and slowly kill off your opponent, how about bringing in Dismal Failure for Dark Ritual.  You don't really need the Ritual, even if you go turn one Orchard into Ritual into Plague, you still have to draw and play the Aether and the Dingi, and those you'll likely be waiting the full four turns for.  The Failures will add extra outs against Shatterstorm and the like, and 2-for-1 your opponent fairly often.  If they dont work out for you, then try some straight discard, like Coercion or Mind Rot.  See if that doesn't work better for you.

Good luck!

~BMoor

Epilogue: During the typing of this article, my spellcheck rejected "mana", "countermagic", and "Urborg".... but not "Dinguses".