[Masters] FoX Praxis Ramp (Video included) [Gauntlet ready]

My last Master's deck was a non-FoX list, so I decided to make a FoX list this time. This is my take on the Praxis Ramp into Kairos deck.

"There's several of those already, what makes this one so special?", you may ask.

I have a different philosophy from other deckbuilders here. I do not like putting cards into my deck that become useless after the first few turns. This means that common "ramp" cards that are popular in these lists like Initiate of the Sands, Devotee of the Sands, and Trail Maker I refuse to include, because I think they're absolute shit.

1. They must be in your starting hand to be useful. If you draw them later in the game, especially once you're at 5+ power, they're dead cards.
2. If they get removed (very easy), your entire gameplan is utterly ruined.
3. They make the deck into an all-in strategy which, if it fails, results in an instant concede. Hoping/Gambling that all the stars align so that you can quickly ramp into 9 mana and play Kairos is not a great plan.

I do not like decks that rely on cheesy or gimmicky all-in strategies to accomplish one specific win-condition and must otherwise concede, hence I refuse to make decks using this design philosophy.

This is technically a Praxis Ramp deck that uses Kairos, but ultimately doesn't need Kairos to win, as it has many other win conditions, and all the cards (with the exception of Nocturnal Creeper who is included for synergy purposes) are individually strong on their own merits.

In other words, Kairos, Grand Champion is simply the icing on the cake. It is not necessary or required to win, and in many cases is only used to seal the deal, if used it all. I don't think making a deck that relies on a 9 cost card to win is ever a great idea (unless in the case of Reanimator that allows you to play it much earlier. However, even this is risky due to answers like Adjudicator's Gavel and Vanquisher's Blade). So that's the difference between my deck and the other iterations I've seen of Praxis Ramp. There are many win conditions here that have nothing to do with Kairos. There is ramp, but not at the sacrifice of card quality, and not for the purpose of a gimmicky all-in strategy that any good player is going to spot from a mile away and shut down.

I've tried the other Praxis Ramp lists and I don't think they're very good, for the aforementioned reasons. This however is a much more stable and consistent version that is more resistant to counter-play, and can achieve victory utilizing many different methods. I encourage you to try it out and see for yourself.

This is a great Gauntlet list as well. Its gameplan is relatively quick, and since the computer does not carry as much removal as the average player (or target your ramp), it's much easier to slam Kairos and win the game. Try it there first if you want to get a feel for how it plays. I've also included a video as well, with a few games to show how it works.

Gameplan:

The gameplan is really simple. Either beat your opponent down with your huge bodies (Sandstorm Titan, Ramba, Worldbearer Behemoth, Heart of the Vault, etc.) or stall the game long enough to slam Kairos and win.

Step 1:
Play Teacher of Humility or Nocturnal Creeper on turn 2 for extra card draw. If no other option, play Treasure Troves to dig deeper into the deck.

Always try to play Teacher of Humility on turn 2 if possible. Putting the cursed relic on your opponent increases your win probability dramatically for the rest of the game. It also reduces the downside of Nightfall from Nocturnal Creeper and Twilight Hunt, if that makes sense.

Step 2:
Player Ramba, Tocas, or the Merchant in that order. The earlier you get Ramba down the better because it has a higher chance to hit the enemy player. Tocas is better than Merchant early (but not as good as Ramba) because it has 3 more stats than Merchant and can Twist for further Ramp.

Ramba, Arena Showman is really the MVP here. I think this is the BEST card of the new set. When I first saw this card in the FoX preview reveals on Reddit, I kind of just thought, "meh". Boy, was I wrong. This card is like some unholy love-abomination between Knight-Chancellor Siraf and Great-Kiln Titan. It's a 3 drop like Siraf, but with a better stat line. However, it has a passive ability that allows you to reduce the cost of all your cards if it hits the opposing player. Then, at 7 mana you can play the top card of your deck. This is what makes it like Great-Kiln Titan. However, it's even better because it doesn't have to survive to the end of the turn to activate, and it costs 7, as opposed to the Titan's 8 cost. What's even crazier is that this ability IS NOT an Ultimate. You can use it every turn, or even several times in a turn if you have the mana. It's freaking bonkers, and demands that your opponent removes it or face the penalty of an ever-growing inevitability. Its ability is MUCH stronger than Siraf's in most cases because playing the top card of your deck is much more likely to assist your gameplan than playing a random creature that may be completely useless. Man, I could just go on and on about this card forever, but suffice it to say, it's fucking insane. It's insane early on (great stat line, the incredible passive ability), and great in the mid to late-game because of its active ability. It's insane no matter when you play it, and even more insane if your opponent uses removal on it because they're wasting their removal on a 3 drop...

Step 3:
Play Sandstorm Titan to defend yourself against aggressive decks or apply pressure against control.

Step 4:
Play Worldbearer Behemoth and Heart of the Vault to Ramp and/or apply further pressure to your opponent.

Step 5:
Play Kairos and win, if you haven't already won.

A good starting hand includes:
1. 3-4 Power cards
2. Seek Power
3. Torch
4. Teacher of Humility or Nocturnal Creeper

A mediocre starting hand includes:
1. AT LEAST 2 Power cards
2. Three Drops like Merchant or Ramba
3. At least one of your power being a Crest that can Scout for more power.

If you don't have at least 2 power cards in your starting hand, and a card you can play that costs 3 or less, mulligan.

FAQs:

1. Why is Nocturnal Creeper in this list?

Originally, I had included Temple Scribe over Nocturnal Creeper. However, I realized that one of the only ways this deck can lose is if your opponent has a massive threat. Praxis has no removal that can deal with massive, oversized threats. It doesn't have hard removal like Justice or Shadow, or stun options like Primal. I realized that I was losing some percentage of games (maybe 10-15%) to threats that were so big that even an 8/9 Behemoth with Killer could not deal with. Thus, I recognized that given Twilight Hunt is already in the deck, combining it with Nocturnal Creeper's poison gives you a reliable option for taking out even the biggest of enemies. In the end, Creeper has a similar role as Temple Scribe. It draws you an extra card, though obviously the downside (Nightfall) is that it draws your opponent a card as well. It's still better than Scribe in this list because of its synergy with Twilight Hunt. It's also much better as a defender than a vanilla 1/1, which can sometimes make a difference against aggro and midrange (or eat a removal like Torch or Permafrost).

2. For a Ramp list, there's not much ramp...

Isn't there? Merchant, Tocas, and Behemoth all Ramp you pretty reliably. Ramba and Heart of the Vault Ramp you indirectly by reducing the cost of your cards. That's technically 20 "ramp" cards in the list. It's just that they're all useful and individually good, as opposed to dedicated 1-2 cost Ramp garbage that have no other purpose and are useless after the first few turns.

3. How do you use the Market in this list?

A. Most of the time when you go into the Market, especially on turn 3, you'll be pulling Worldbearer Behemoth. Behemoth is a strong option in most situations as it puts a huge threat on the board, applies a ton of pressure to your opponent, and further Ramps you towards Kairos. It's also a massive form of removal with Twilight Hunt.

B. However, you'll also be pulling Praxis Banner occasionally, especially if not doing so will make you miss a power on that turn. With this deck you need to be playing a power EVERY turn, no exceptions. So if Merchant allows you to play a power that you otherwise couldn't, it's usually the best option.

C. Xenan Initiation is a substitute for Twilight Hunt and is used for the same reasons, as removal or ramp (with Behemoth).

D. Kairos is a great choice if you're near or already at 9 mana and you're ready to end the game.

E. Infinite Hourglass is the choice you'll be using the least, but is good in some situations against curse or stun-heavy lists, or in Gauntlet.

If you're not sure what to choose, Behemoth is usually a safe bet.

4. Any Budget options for this list?

1. Yes, you can swap Kairos out of the main deck for 3-4x Merizo, Gladiator Hero.
2. You can swap 4x Xo out for Saber-Tooth Prideleader or Yushkov, the Usurper, depending on your preference.
3. You can swap Teacher of Humility out for Temple Scribe.
4. You can swap Tocas out for Devotee of the Sands.
5. You can swap Sandstorm Titan out, again, for Yushkov or Prideleader.

Worldbearer Behemoth is pretty important. It would be difficult to replace in this list.

Tutorial video with further explanation and gameplay footage.

EDIT:
Swapped out Saber-tooth Prideleader for Xo of the Endless Hoard. Prideleader is good in some situations (like against Aggro or Relic decks), but ultimately Xo's ability to give you extra card draw and Market fodder helps the deck much more substantially. Since it's a Ramp deck, it's also not impossible to play him at a reasonable time.