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At first look at this card, you would say that its nothing more than just an improved version of Clone, that gets better when the kicker cost is paid. What is actually hidden behind are the insane combos you can play together with this card. Let us discuss today the deck uses of Rite of Replication.

The Combos

First, let’s check a few creature cards we can replicate with. I’ve got a few ideas from NG Forum’s Two Card Amazing Combos thread and here are a few of them.

RoR + Tuktuk Grunts – pretty simple but you get huge and hasty attacking Goblin Warrior allies.

RoR + Hagra Diabolist – instantly kill your opponent with a kicked Rite on this Ally.

RoR + Bogardan Hellkite – my favorite combo which I will discuss the decklist later on.

The Cards

In building a deck around Rite of Replication, the goal is to get enough mana to get to pay the kicker cost. The options? Mana rampers and card drawers. It depends which way you choose but make sure though that you won’t get to miss your early land drops until turn 7, 8 or so. In my build for today, I’ll go with card drawers and a little of mana rampers/fixers. The base color of the deck is Grixis (blue-black-red) so here are my choices.

Courier’s Capsule – Can be played on turn two and can still be activated on turn three in case you missed your third land drop.

Jace Beleren – What I like about planeswalkers is that the can be a pseudo life gainer because the opponent has to deal with them first before you. Jace has a dual purpose against aggro and control decks and I think he is the best card drawer of the current Standard.

Armillary Sphere – Act as both mana fixer and increases your chance to draw non-land cards.

Spreading Seas – I can actually consider this card as a drawer and a disruption. It slows down Jund and Vamps and gives you an extra card. Pretty neat!

Sphinx of Lost Truths – A card drawer that sticks is a good inclusion for the deck.

Next, you need cards to stop early beatdown from aggro decks, mostly represented today by Jund, White Weenie and Vampires. Black and Red can provide you with those.

Terminate – Kills almost all of the creatures in the format, including fatties like Vampire Nocturnus and Baneslayer Angel.

Pyroclasm – Your first two turns are spent on mana fixing and card draws. This is where the deck’s opening if the opponent get to stick a first and second turn creature. Pyroclasm is the perfect answer for that.

Earthquake – This is another sweeper that can deal with three toughness creatures in the late game. I’m reconsidering this though because it can also deal damage to you which is a disadvantage against aggro decks.

Lightning Bolt – The best spot removal Red can offer to Standard. Nuff said.

Wretched Banquet – For additional spot removal for single creatures on the battlefield.

Also, we need counters for discard spells and other shenanigans.

Double Negative – This answers Cascade spells as cards like Bloodbraid Elf can go past your removals and single counter spells.

Negate – Additional counter support for a low cost of two mana.

Swerve – This is a pseudo counter spell and can also benefit you well against cards like Blightning and Mind Sludge.

Finally, we have the bombs.

Cruel Ultimatum – This sorcery is undisputedly the best weapon of control since the 5cc days. This can get you back in the game in case you haven’t setup your combo yet.

Bogardan Hellkite – The deck’s replication target. You can play it at end of opponent’s turn then play a kickered Rite on your turn. Good game!

The Decklist

With a few mana and color fix, here is my initial build.

The list looks like an ordinary Grixis control with a little combo twist. The sideboard choices would be Negate, Swerve, and Countersquall for mirror matches, additional Terminate and a fourth Pyro for Aggro and probably Thought Hemorrhage. You can also add a third copy of Rite of Replication to get the combo faster.

As a conclusion, Rite of Replication is a great card waiting to be utilized and work with as the meta slowly shapes up. With the coming of Worldwake next year, we’ll see what other bombs it can replicate with.

See you in the next post.

1. 

   sipoloy

   December 30, 2009 at 1:33 am

   nice combo… seconds ago, i just built one around the concept with fatestitchers. the problem i see is definitely that bogardan is an 8cc creature which dies to doom blade. you cant cancel all his 3 or 4 creature kills in his hand – coz theyll be dead cards till that dragon comes out – and then youll lose your only win condition.

   there are 5(+9rites) creatures in your deck against maybe 12 creature kills the opponent has. youre gonna lose every game… if sticking with this build, id suggest putting in Control Mind coz it functions as both removal AND summoning.

   coming to think of it, ramp+draw build with splash of the grunts and others are much better with rites combo IMO.
2. 

   Marc

   August 30, 2010 at 9:30 am

   This is cool. Alternatively for a multiplayer setting, Kokusho the Evening Star (spelling?) is killer.