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Life's a Lich
Challenge: 4-3
Unlocks: (Phyrexian Negator)
Description: Win the challenge without dying to your own Lich
NavigationChallenge Index - Archive for Set 4


Please discuss this Challenge here!

Useful Quotes from the Archive :
These posts have been made ages ago, challenges might have been changed.

Nyktorion wrote:I only tested the Lich challenge yet, but I could beat it at the second try using tendrils storm (in the first try, the Lich got naturalized on the second turn, probably by the Spawnwrith deck). Since Lich only destroys your permanents for damage you take, but not for life that is "lost" or "paid", this deck has some very nice synergies with Lich (Dark Confidant, Fetchlands, Vampiric Tutor, unlimited card drawing with Necropotence), and the draw-for-lifegain ability of Lich is very useful if you have to play your first tendrils with a low storm counter.

;TPS2
;
;
;

.17 1 Black Lotus
.1424 1 Lotus Petal
.894 1 Mana Crypt
.165 1 Mox Emerald
.166 1 Mox Jet
.167 1 Mox Pearl
.168 1 Mox Ruby
.169 1 Mox Sapphire
.402 1 Sensei's Divining Top
.230 1 Sol Ring
.1734 3 Cabal Ritual
.1723 4 Dark Confidant
.55 4 Dark Ritual
.1890 1 Demonic Consultation
.62 1 Demonic Tutor
.1846 4 Duress
.1705 1 Necropotence
.1848 3 Tendrils of Agony
.1907 1 Thoughtseize
.333 1 Vampiric Tutor
.1910 1 Yawgmoth's Will*
.1 1 Ancestral Recall
.499 1 Brainstorm
.1891 1 Echoing Truth
.502 2 Hurkyl's Recall
.587 1 Meditate
.309 1 Windfall
.352 1 Mystical Tutor
.312 1 Ponder
.249 1 Time Walk
.250 1 Timetwister
.282 1 Wheel of Fortune
.9 1 Badlands
.1489 1 Bloodstained Mire
.1488 1 Flooded Strand
.126 1 Island
.1487 4 Polluted Delta
.239 2 Swamp
.258 3 Underground Sea
.1751 1 Gush

aww1979 wrote:hehehe, Life's a Lich, done IN STYLE!!! (1st attempt, too) I got tired of slugging away at the Pit Fighting; it's a tough one. Blood Moon cramps my style.

Life's a Lich

;lichkiller
;
;#oldgames
;
;27/12/2009
;1
;4th Edition
;

.1723 4 Dark Confidant
.55 4 Dark Ritual
.1910 1 Yawgmoth's Will*
.333 1 Vampiric Tutor
.712 4 Street Wraith
.613 1 Sorin Markov*
.1760 4 Pox
.1110 4 Phyrexian Arena
.1051 4 Graveborn Muse
.1103 4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
.62 1 Demonic Tutor
.1735 4 Carnophage
.1441 4 Bitterblossom
.239 17 Swamp
.17 1 Black Lotus
.166 1 Mox Jet
.230 1 Sol Ring

Gain ridiculous card advantage with Bob, Phyrexian Arena, and Graveborn Muse. Get faerie rogues for free, as well as carnophage. (who doubles as a zombie for Muse even) Pox doesn't do any damage to you, Street Wraiths don't cost life to cycle (and can be hardcast if desired), and to top it all off, Sorin Markov *draws you two cards* when you activate him! Suicide black at its finest. (well, as long as you have a free lich in play!)

Someone else suggested Necropotence and Yawgmoth's Bargain. I don't know how they interact in manalink, but I'm 99% sure IRL that you couldn't activate them with Lich in play, so I didn't put them in.

aww1979 wrote:

meesterhans wrote:For the first time i find a challenge really unfair...

life's a lich

every red burn deck gets a 1st turn kill...
some white decks, get a first turn kill...

need some help plz...

Try abusing the good parts about being a lich. Ivory Tower shines here, and Healing Salve is an unrestricted Ancestral Recall. I went black (my favourite colour) and used stuff like Dark Confidant and Carnophage that I didn't have to pay for. I also thought it was vastly amusing to sac Sarcomancies when I took damage with Lich in play :p

jatill wrote:You're either pursuing a bas strategy, are not great at this game, or are just really unlucky. I tried aww's deck and got to round 8 on the first try. Then I concocted this brew and won it on the first try. Your opponent should never make it to the 3rd turn. I have no qualms about using the "bugged" interaction of Lich and Yawgmoth's Bargain. Also, I have already beaten the Pit challenge, making the Lich challenge quite a bit easier.

;Challenge - Lich
;
;Underdogs
;no.spam@plea.se
;30/12/2009
;1
;4th Edition
;

.1507 1 Cadaverous Bloom
.349 4 Enlightened Tutor
.1704 1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
.17 1 Black Lotus
.230 1 Sol Ring
.165 1 Mox Emerald
.166 1 Mox Jet
.167 1 Mox Pearl
.168 1 Mox Ruby
.169 1 Mox Sapphire
.1424 1 Lotus Petal
.55 4 Dark Ritual
.1734 4 Cabal Ritual
.1892 3 Elvish Spirit Guide
.1904 2 Simian Spirit Guide
.65 2 Disintegrate
.108 4 Healing Salve
.1502 4 Infernal Contract
.216 4 Scrubland
.1635 4 Godless Shrine
.239 6 Swamp
.188 6 Plains
.62 1 Demonic Tutor
.333 1 Vampiric Tutor
.331 1 Imperial Seal

meesterhans wrote:I wanted to give it up... Thanks for all the advices... But taking 'lifepay' as main strategy was killing me... haha!

Soul Warden is DA WAY 2 GO!!!


;Challenge 4-03
;Life's a Lich
;
;
;31/12/2009
;1
;4th Edition
;

.108 4 Healing Salve
.1239 4 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
.1414 4 Knight of Meadowgrain
.213 4 Savannah Lions
.581 4 Soul Warden
.1453 4 Spectral Procession
.167 1 Mox Pearl
.17 1 Black Lotus
.188 22 Plains
.1558 4 Elite Vanguard
.913 4 Steppe Lynx
.1562 4 Honor of the Pure

a 1st turn warden is a storm creatures!!!

thedrigo wrote:I haven't played in months... New Update is AMAZING!! Gave Lich a try.
Here's my list. Two Words: Healing Salve. There's not much that's more broken than 4 Ancestral Recall in the same deck, there should be jailtime for something like this...

9 Plains
4 Flooded Strand
4 Marsh Flats
2 Chrome Mox
1 Mox Pearl

4 Soltari Priest
4 Soul Warden
4 Knight of Meadowgrain
4 Savannah Lions
1 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
3 Elite Vanguard

4 Honor of the Pure
4 Crusade
2 Ajani Goldmane
2 Circle of Protection: Red (CRUCIAL!)
1 Oblivion Ring

4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Healing Salve

I went through the challenge on the first try. The extra speed of the moxen will get those CoP: Red out on the first turn and save your ass from Lightning Bolts and what not. The sole Oblvion Ring might look useless but it really shines with a Worship or a Gauntlet of Might on the table... It's pretty shitty when you think you've got the game in the bag and then have to watch yourself fall into a bottomless pit when faced with an unkillable opponent or a horde of 12 1/2 Kobolds, tapped out with your opponent laughing at you at 2 life.
The Fetchlands work superb here when life is not important cuz they will thin out your deck at no expense, making valuable draws available with no drawback.

finished the challenge today with the following deck


.1414 4 Knight of Meadowgrain
.1935 3 Kitchen Finks
.1933 3 Figure of Destiny
.240 4 Swords to Plowshares
.1585 3 Baneslayer Angel
.694 1 Karakas
.17 1 Black Lotus
.167 1 Mox Pearl
.230 1 Sol Ring
.581 4 Soul Warden
.188 18 Plains
.20 4 Stoneforge Mystic
.520 1 Sword of Body and Mind
.450 1 Sword of Feast and Famine
.1833 1 Sword of Fire and Ice
.556 1 Sword of Light and Shadow
.283 4 White Knight
.1824 2 Soltari Monk
.823 3 Elspeth, Knight-Errant


just abusing the life gain/ draw engine

using swords to gain protection from the opponent deck
this challenge was easy, only really difficult match up is the burn one, a turn one lighting bolt, kills your lich

♥

EDIT: Its seems to be some issue, here with the interaction between lich/warden/mystic. when u play the stoneforge mystic, and u already have a warden u dont get to tutor for a equip

The Lich seems to be easy for everyone, but as usual it's not very easy for me. I've been getting disenchanted, naturalized, lightning bolted, and plain ol' Kithkined at least a dozen times on this one.

My idea for a deck is to combine some fast zombies/card gain that Lich allows with Entomb and free Reanimate for Emrakul. Usually one or the other works, but it's not consistent enough to win 10 (or maybe I'm just running into too much bad luck). Any suggestions? Am I overthinking it with Emrakul, and maybe I should just stick to Bitterblossum's, etc.?

Also, I'm surprised no one has used Death's Shadow yet, it's pretty sweet with Lich, although it interacts weirdly as it counts the number of permanents as your "life". I would assume it should just set life = 1, right?

.1735 3 Carnophage
.1103 2 Gatekeeper of Malakir
.1513 1 Tendrils of Corruption
.55 3 Dark Ritual
.1133 2 Go for the Throat
.239 21 Swamp
.166 1 Mox Jet
.17 1 Black Lotus
.230 1 Sol Ring
.1051 2 Graveborn Muse
.1180 2 Vampiric Spirit
.642 1 Volrath Stronghold
.1722 4 Reanimate
.1057 2 Rain of Daggers
.351 3 Entomb
.62 1 Demonic Tutor
.200 1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn*
.374 2 Grave Titan
.1566 2 Cemetery Reaper
.941 1 Ad Nauseam
.1993 1 Undead Warchief
.833 1 Urborg
.52 2 Death's Shadow

Death's Shadow wasn't coded at the time this challenge came out :p Also, some cards like Death's Shadow, Mirror Universe, and a few others do not work properly with Lich. It *should* treat your life as 0 when Lich is in play, but the program seems to just pull a random number out of its ass.

As for your strategy in this deck, it won't work, because if you Entomb Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, it will then be shuffled back into your library and won't be there to Reanimate, so if you want to continue with that strategy, you'll need some other big creature that doesn't shuffle back into your library.

Lifegain is probably the best strategy here. Another one that worked for me was a black deck with lots of cards that cost life to use, but were essentially free with Lich out, like Graveborn Muse, Carnophage, etc. Also, Sarcomancy is a good card in a black deck here, because it not only provides a 2/2 zombie for B, it provides a useless permanent to sac to lich.

Hum HornofAmmon, you can not put Emrakul in your graveyard with Entomb, because it will be shuffled in your library.

And if you want to play ad nauseam, I would advise you to play a combo deck only. One rule to make a deck is to commit into one strategy : combo (ad nausam-tendrils), controle(rain of daggers -very bad card though-) or aggro (a lot of zombies), but don't play every strategy at the same time. it will be too slow and you will die at random fast AI openings.

An other hint to build decks : you don't need cards that will save you in random games : Urborg, Rain of Daggers, Go for the throat. It is a better idea to improve your own strengths to win faster.

I know it is funnier to play decks with a lot of different cards because of the many ways to win, but it is far better to have 4 times each winning cards (Undead Warchief, Ad Nauseam, Death's Shadow -though bad-). The rule is "each card you want absolutely every game in 4 exemples, 3 exemples of each card you want each game but useless in 2 exemples (legends for exemple), 1 exemple for each card you will tutor).

In my opinion, you don't use enough cards abusing of life gain- life loss, and not the best cards in my opinion (why grave titan, urborg, vampiric spirit, volrath stronghold, rain of daggers ?)

My advice would be to commit on a ad nauseam - tendrills deck like this one. Some weird bugs with it, but if played cleverly, you won't lose even against burn decks.

.1911 4 Ad Nauseam
.1 1 Ancestral Recall
.499 1 Brainstorm
.1734 3 Cabal Ritual
.55 4 Dark Ritual
.1890 1 Demonic Consultation
.502 1 Hurkyl's Recall
.352 1 Mystical Tutor
.1851 4 Pact of Negation
.333 1 Vampiric Tutor
.62 1 Demonic Tutor
.1846 4 Duress
.1848 3 Tendrils of Agony
.1910 1 Yawgmoth's Will*
.1705 1 Necropotence
.17 1 Black Lotus
.1718 4 Chrome Mox
.1424 1 Lotus Petal
.894 1 Mana Crypt
.157 1 Mana Vault
.166 1 Mox Jet
.169 1 Mox Sapphire
.230 1 Sol Ring
.126 1 Island
.1487 4 Polluted Delta
.239 2 Swamp
.258 4 Underground Sea
.457 1 Mox Diamond
.514 1 Ornithopter
.521 1 Reconstruction
.331 1 Imperial Seal
.722 2 Gemstone Mine
.497 1 Preordain

Thanks Wronskian. I definitely have that problem of trying to do a little bit of everything, so your advice is very useful.

One thing, Emrakul does work with entomb, since it shuffles the rest of your graveyard into your library, but it remains in the library itself. It works really well when I can get it, since for two swamps I can Entomb/Reanimate that beast!

Just out of curiosity, why do you think Rain of Daggers and Death's Shadow are bad? Rain of Daggers doesn't hurt me because of Lich, and Death's Shadow starts off as 8/8 when I have 1 swamp, the two Library of Leng, and Lich. It gets weaker as I put down more stuff, but it can really do some damage in the first two turns.

Also two quick questions:

1) Are token creatures not supposed to count with sacrificing permanents for Lich? I can't sacrifice my zombies for Lich when I get damaged.
2) Has anyone else had the bug where Library of Leng seems to give you unlimited hand size? I've noticed that instead of discarding to the deck, I'm allowed to keep hands with more than 7 cards when I'm playing the challenge.

Attached: example of the fun stuff I get, this time on game 7. I discover, after entombing my Emrakul, that I'm playing a mirror match...

-If Emrakul is 'working' with Entomb, that IS a bug
-The main problem with Rain of Daggers is its hefty 4BB casting cost. It's actually a horrible card, though since you can skip the life payment, it becomes a cheaper Plague Wind and isn't too bad for just this challenge
-Library of Leng specifically says to "skip the discard phase" so you don't have to discard down to 7 cards at end of turn; this is normal and IS NOT a bug
-Death's Shadow is *great* in this challenge; not sure why it wouldn't be, except that sometimes the P/T is calculated incorrectly because it doesn't seem to know you have 0 life with Lich out. (For example, I once used Mirror Universe with Lich out expecting the AI to die, and instead it ended up with 17 life or something weird :p)

for Death's Shadow : I agree it is a big beast, but without trample or any evasion skill, it is pretty useless, one single little creature can block a 13/13. Decks for challenges usually contains mass creatures.

Moreover, the more you play cards, the weaker is Death's Shadow (just here, because of the bug counting permanents as life). That's why it does not allow you to play consistently with it. If you keep only a few permanents to have high Death's Shadow, you may die flooded by little crea, if you put many other creatures in play, its strength will reduce. Zombies need lots of permanents for putting them into play.

But as life count is bugged, some other strange counts can help you to turn around those effects. I don't know, I haven't played it much in this challenge because it was bugged.

Conclusion : it is not that bad for this challenge, but not a auto-win card and not very synergic with zombies.

Thanks guys for all the answers! Since Emrakul does work with Entomb, I will (very sadly) have to report it to the bugs section for correction. What would be the next best thing to take its place - Blightsteel Colossus, or another one of the Eldrazi that doesnt have the library shuffle effect? I just love that for BB, sometimes on the first turn, I can get out any monster I want for free with Lich and Entomb/Reanimate.

Also, just one question you guys didn't answer, should token creatures count as permanents for Lich? Currently they don't.

I think I've played Lich more times than ANY other challenge so far, mainly because it is still fun after all these tries, but I've gotten insta-killed so many times (Chain Lightning hell) it's hard to count. I don't know how you guys got through this in just one or two tries, but I'm feeling like I have to splash blue and get some damn Force of Will to beat this thing!

Edit: I'm going to list when and how I died the next ten times I play this, sort of the opposite of a tutorial on how to win:

1) Game 1, Demystify on turn 1
2) G3, beaten by two Tarmogoyf
3) G1, three Lightning Bolt's and Black Vise
4) G4, game crashes during a mirror matchup when the comp plays a Dark Ritual, fml
5) G2, Naturalize on turn 2 right after I get my Emrakul out
6) G2, unstoppable Tarmogoyf and Force of Will again
7) G10, I autolose for NO FREAKING REASON ON TURN 1. WTF
-- oh wait, oh wait, it only had 9 rounds and I actually won the challenge

Ok, in case anyone wants to repeat my struggles with a bad deck, here it was, god am I glad this is over with:


.1735 4 Carnophage
.1103 2 Gatekeeper of Malakir
.55 4 Dark Ritual
.1133 2 Go for the Throat
.239 21 Swamp
.166 1 Mox Jet
.17 1 Black Lotus
.230 1 Sol Ring
.1051 2 Graveborn Muse
.1722 4 Reanimate
.351 3 Entomb
.62 1 Demonic Tutor
.200 1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn*
.374 1 Grave Titan
.833 1 Urborg
.776 1 Avatar of Discord
.63 2 Creakwood Liege
.1110 2 Phyrexian Arena
.1180 1 Vampiric Spirit
.1723 2 Dark Confidant
.1513 1 Tendrils of Corruption
.1907 2 Thoughtseize

Blightsteel Colossus won't work as an animation target either, for the same reason as Emrakul. (unless that's bugged, too)

I haven't played reanimator in a very long time, but either of the Akromas would work well, I'd think. (though with the white one, since it has protection black, Animate Dead wouldn't work, though Reanimate will. To contradict myself, I think there's a bug where Animate Dead will animate protection black creatures. In IRL you can cast it on the dead creature, but then as soon as it comes into play, protection black destroys Animate Dead and it dies again)

Any of the eldrazi that don't shuffle themselves into your library would definitely be good targets. Iona, Shield of Emeria is also a wonderful choice.

Looking at the fattie list in manalink right now, those of casting cost 7 or higher, I would recommend Akroma (haste + protection/evasion), Angel of Despair (permanent destruction), any eldrazi that doesn't shuffle into library, Godsire (8/8s every turn!), Iona, Shield of Emeria (control 1 colour of opponent), Phantom Nishoba (REALLY hard to kill, plus lifegain), Sphinx of the Steel Wind (lifelink + protections), Woodfall Primus (permanent control and persist)

HornofAmmon wrote:The Lich seems to be easy for everyone, but as usual it's not very easy for me. I've been getting disenchanted, naturalized, lightning bolted, and plain ol' Kithkined at least a dozen times on this one.

My idea for a deck is to combine some fast zombies/card gain that Lich allows with Entomb and free Reanimate for Emrakul. Usually one or the other works, but it's not consistent enough to win 10 (or maybe I'm just running into too much bad luck). Any suggestions? Am I overthinking it with Emrakul, and maybe I should just stick to Bitterblossum's, etc.?

Also, I'm surprised no one has used Death's Shadow yet, it's pretty sweet with Lich, although it interacts weirdly as it counts the number of permanents as your "life". I would assume it should just set life = 1, right?

.1735 3 Carnophage
.1103 2 Gatekeeper of Malakir
.1513 1 Tendrils of Corruption
.55 3 Dark Ritual
.1133 2 Go for the Throat
.239 21 Swamp
.166 1 Mox Jet
.17 1 Black Lotus
.230 1 Sol Ring
.1051 2 Graveborn Muse
.1180 2 Vampiric Spirit
.642 1 Volrath Stronghold
.1722 4 Reanimate
.1057 2 Rain of Daggers
.351 3 Entomb
.62 1 Demonic Tutor
.200 1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn*
.374 2 Grave Titan
.1566 2 Cemetery Reaper
.941 1 Ad Nauseam
.1993 1 Undead Warchief
.833 1 Urborg
.52 2 Death's Shadow

maybe it was easy because, at least me, finished the enchated one, that makes your enchantments indestructible.

and other thing, u cant entomb emrakul, when he hit graveyard he just shuffle back to the library along with all your grave

Just to see what would happen, I used the "restart the game" ability of Karn Liberated and ended up with the Lich and both Library of Leng s in my new opening hand along with two Conundrum Sphinx es (locked, since I haven't done that challenge yet) in play (which is odd considering I had eaten cards from the Faeries deck's hand). Also, I was invincible since I remained on "Lich life" (I assume it's hardcoded to be irreversible) but the "sacrifice permanents" and "lose the game" triggers are both on the Lich card itself (which was no longer in play), so when you take damage nothing happens. Then again if you can pull off a Karn reboot you're probably going to win anyway, so this is rather trivial however weird.

Otherwise, I'm messing around with Cadaverous Bloom to try to do absurd things like third-turn Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.

Snapcaster Mage+flashback draws 3 cards make hand full of counter spells.

.2285 4 Force of Will
.3977 4 Cloud of Faeries
.11636 4 Mental Misstep
.9265 4 Spellstutter Sprite
.9264 1 Sower of Temptation
.12079 4 Snapcaster Mage
.720 4 Mana Drain
.108 4 Healing Salve
.48 3 Counterspell
.169 1 Mox Sapphire
.254 4 Tundra
.1486 4 Polluted Delta
.1 1 Ancestral Recall
.1487 4 Flooded Strand
.126 10 Island
.240 4 Swords to Plowshares