Throwback Magic: the Gathering Deck – Blue-Black Psychatog

The Magic: The Gathering Psychatog deck refers to a deck archetype that was popular in the game’s history, particularly during the Odyssey block in the early 2000s. The deck took its name from its key card, “Psychatog,” a creature card with a powerful ability that is relevant in the mid-to-late game.

The main strategy of the Psychatog deck was to control the game by disrupting the opponent’s plans while building up a strong board presence. The deck focused on filling the graveyard with cards and then using Psychatog’s ability to exile those cards from the graveyard to pump its power and toughness. This made Psychatog a formidable threat that could quickly take down opponents.

The deck typically included cards that allowed for efficient card draw, discard spells to disrupt the opponent’s hand, solid counterspells to counter their spells & preventing to resolve threats, and removal spells to deal with relevant creatures on the battlefield.

Some versions of the deck also incorporated cards with the “Threshold” mechanic, which granted additional benefits when there were seven or more cards in the graveyard.

The Psychatog deck was known for its flexibility and adaptability, as it could play defensively or aggressively depending on the matchup. It was considered a strong deck during its time and had success in both casual and competitive play. However, it’s worth noting that the metagame and card availability have evolved significantly since then, so the specific card choices and strategies may vary if you’re looking to build a Psychatog deck that is legal for older formats such as Legacy.

Here’s below is an example decklist for a Psychatog deck.

Maindeck
Creatures
4 Nightscape Familiar
4 Psychatog
 
Instants/Sorceries 
3 Chainer’s Edict
4 Counterspell
3 Memory Lapse
3 Circular Logic
3 Cunning Wish
4 Repulse 
3 Deep Analysis
3 Fact or Fiction
2 Upheaval
 
Lands
2 Cephalid Coliseum
1 Darkwater Catacombs
10 Island
4 Salt Marsh
3 Swamp
4 Underground River
 
Sideboard
1 Coffin Purge
4 Duress
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Gainsay
3 Ghastly Demise
1 Hibernation
1 Mana Short
1 Recoil
1 Slay
1 Teferi’s Response

The deck remains a memorable part of Magic’s history as an archetype that combined graveyard manipulation, control elements, and a strong win condition in the form of Psychatog.