Post by: Scaredgirl on December 15, 2009, 10:09:48 pm
Got Poison?
Very easy deck to play. I fought against top-50 rainbows and won every time.
EDIT: Ok, after another 10+ matches I did lose once
- Poison opponent with Deadly Poison, Arsenic and Physalia
- Congeal nasty characters to buy time
Post by: Finale on December 15, 2009, 10:09:48 pm
when i'll have time and money i'll try it ;)
Post by: jplar on December 15, 2009, 10:09:48 pm
actually non-upgraded chyrsoaras(cant spell it) are better against firewall and procrastinaion shield, and one damage is not gamebreaking those are my personal opinions though
Post by: Scaredgirl on December 15, 2009, 10:09:49 pm
actually non-upgraded chyrsoaras(cant spell it) are better against firewall and procrastinaion shield, and one damage is not gamebreaking those are my personal opinions thoughI thought about it. Fortunately those 2 shields are very rare in top-50 today. Everyone is using Bone Walls and Phase Shields, and Chrysaoras are good for taking out that Bone Wall so that Arsenic can poison the opponent.
And that 2 damage they do, it does add up. Two guys for 5 rounds and it's 10% of opponents health.
Post by: Uncle Jellyfish on December 15, 2009, 10:09:49 pm
Lol, I like how you're coming up with theme decks, too. =D I made something like this once, but I found it rather drab. =/
Post by: Parabol on December 15, 2009, 10:09:49 pm
There's a few different poison decks to water/death I thought of:
1) Death/Aether: Spam Deadly Poison using Mark of Death to fuel, whilst stalling with Dimensional Shields and building up to using phase dragons in the event that they have Purify.
2) Water/Grav: Spam Pufferfish, put momentum on pufferfish, mark of gravity, probably go with water control methods (i.e. congeal) and keep deck size to 30, no grav pillars.
3) Water/Mark of Death: Main damage comes from Deadly Poison, with Arsenic as a weapon SOMETIMES providing a little more. Puffer Fish are preferred over Chrysaora, although a few Chrys won't hurt, with Ice bolt included to finish off the enemy. Again, limited to 30 cards so the death-fuelled cards will turn up early and do maximum damage.
That last is similar to this deck but...more aggressive, with less defence.
Of course, Poison is AWESOME because it is damage that cuts through shields and costs just 1 death, and so can be thrown into any mono deck by just adding mark of death.
Post by: Scaredgirl on December 15, 2009, 10:09:49 pm
There's a few different poison decks to water/death I thought of:1.
1) Death/Aether: Spam Deadly Poison using Mark of Death to fuel, whilst stalling with Dimensional Shields and building up to using phase dragons in the event that they have Purify.
2) Water/Grav: Spam Pufferfish, put momentum on pufferfish, mark of gravity, probably go with water control methods (i.e. congeal) and keep deck size to 30, no grav pillars.
3) Water/Mark of Death: Main damage comes from Deadly Poison, with Arsenic as a weapon SOMETIMES providing a little more. Puffer Fish are preferred over Chrysaora, although a few Chrys won't hurt, with Ice bolt included to finish off the enemy. Again, limited to 30 cards so the death-fuelled cards will turn up early and do maximum damage.
That last is similar to this deck but...more aggressive, with less defence.
Of course, Poison is AWESOME because it is damage that cuts through shields and costs just 1 death, and so can be thrown into any mono deck by just adding mark of death.
I don't like Puffer Fish that much. It's relatively expensive and has to HIT to poison. This means Sundial, Phase Shield, Boneyard, all of these make Puffer Fish useless. You can put momentum on him but Sundials still own him. Also with only 4 HP they are easy food for Otyughs.
Chrysaoras are easy to kill but they are cheap and can poison even if shields or Sundials are up.
I'm using 6 x Poison, 3 x Chysaoras and 2 x Arsenic which is usually enough poison to kill anyone.
Personally I think Water/Death is hands down the best combo to use when you want to poison someone.
Post by: Parabol on December 15, 2009, 10:09:49 pm
Yeah I agree, but poison makes a nice addition to any deck, simply because it requires that they draw purify or die.
It's one of the reasons (along with unstoppable force only being 1 grav) that I don't think "true" mono decks CAN be better than those which dabble in another Element.
Post by: Uncle Jellyfish on December 15, 2009, 10:09:53 pm
I did some tinkering with a Poison deck of my own, and then remembered that you had this post here...so I guess I'll just post it here instead of making a duplicate thread. ;D
Mark is WATER
(http://i28.tinypic.com/23j4c1x.jpg)
You'll notice that I run six Physalia in this one. I've tinkered with fewer, but I think that this kills faster. Also, the one Arsenic isn't a game winner, it's just there for early game damage and poison, and it doesn't matter if it's stolen or destroyed. I built this more for speed, so there is no defence other than Congeals (damn Otyughs...). The Flesh Recluses are there for quick damage, and they are priority targets for the AI over my tiny 2/2 Physalia.
These are a just a few games that I won. Out of about 30 games, I only lost three due to HORRIBLY bad draws (no Towers, or no Congeals).
They Firestormed me. D:
(http://i32.tinypic.com/dc7aty.jpg)
Mostly a bad draw on their end, I think o-o
(http://i32.tinypic.com/2a5hnyw.jpg)
I love how shields don't stop poison...lovely. ^^
(http://i27.tinypic.com/29kz0ae.jpg)
Not even Eternity can stop me! *laughs evily*
(http://i32.tinypic.com/2eq54pi.jpg)
You'll notice that in these screenies, I had about 15 cards left in my deck, which was an average with all the games. That means that the game was usually won in around eight turns.
Honestly, after trying out a LOT of strange and ultimately crappy ideas, I think I might settle on a deck like this. I don't have the rares to make a better deck, and I don't have the patience to farm them, so I spent a couple hours trying to come up with decks that didn't require rares that I didn't have, and that were relatively cheap, fun, and effective.
Post by: Scaredgirl on December 15, 2009, 10:09:53 pm
I did some tinkering with a Poison deck of my own, and then remembered that you had this post here...so I guess I'll just post it here instead of making a duplicate thread. ;DI disagree with a couple of things.
Mark is WATER
(http://i28.tinypic.com/23j4c1x.jpg)
You'll notice that I run six Physalia in this one. I've tinkered with fewer, but I think that this kills faster. Also, the one Arsenic isn't a game winner, it's just there for early game damage and poison, and it doesn't matter if it's stolen or destroyed. I built this more for speed, so there is no defence other than Congeals (damn Otyughs...). The Flesh Recluses are there for quick damage, and they are priority targets for the AI over my tiny 2/2 Physalia.
First of all, yes six Physalias kills faster. The more damage dealers you take, the faster you do damage. Unfortunately you also DIE faster. :)
6 x Congeal is only defense you have and I don't think it's nearly enough. You will be owned by all speed decks out there because poison just isn't fast enough. I used Bone Wall and Plague because I find it to be a very good combo. When you play Bone Wall just before opponent characters die, you will get a nice big Wall that will keep you alive until your opponent dies.
Arsenic is great for poison decks and I would never play with only one. It's very important to get Arsenic early on because you can get tons on poison on your opponent before he can do anything about it. If you play Arsenic later in the game, it will be destroyed/stolen as soon as you play it. I think 2-3 Arsenic in a deck of 30 is optimal.
Those 2 Flesh Recluses seems a bit random and out of place but I haven't tried them so I don't know for sure.
And about quantum usage.. you have 12 cards that use water quantum and only have a mark of water. That might be a bit much because most of your opening hands will have cards that you cannot play for a while.
Post by: Uncle Jellyfish on December 15, 2009, 10:09:53 pm
I disagree with a couple of things.Yes, I know. It's built for speed.
First of all, yes six Physalias kills faster. The more damage dealers you take, the faster you do damage. Unfortunately you also DIE faster. :)
6 x Congeal is only defense you have and I don't think it's nearly enough. You will be owned by all speed decks out there because poison just isn't fast enough.I beat Mono-Fire and Mono-Dark more often than not. Yes, one of the games I lost was against Mono-Dark, but I won all the rest. Perhaps I just got lucky?
I used Bone Wall and Plague because I find it to be a very good combo. When you play Bone Wall just before opponent characters die, you will get a nice big Wall that will keep you alive until your opponent dies.I thought of that, but decided that it would only slow it down.
Arsenic is great for poison decks and I would never play with only one. It's very important to get Arsenic early on because you can get tons on poison on your opponent before he can do anything about it. If you play Arsenic later in the game, it will be destroyed/stolen as soon as you play it. I think 2-3 Arsenic in a deck of 30 is optimal.I made this deck based on the rares I have. I only have one Arsenic.
Those 2 Flesh Recluses seems a bit random and out of place but I haven't tried them so I don't know for sure.I said above that they are meant for quick damage and priority targets over my Physalia
And about quantum usage.. you have 12 cards that use water quantum and only have a mark of water. That might be a bit much because most of your opening hands will have cards that you cannot play for a while.With each spell costing only one Water quantum, I've never had a problem with playing stuff. Sure, only one Physalia per turn, but that's really all you need.
I orignally ran Ivory Dragons instead of the Flesh recluses, but I found that I rarely had the quantum for them, so I switched. I tried it with Plague and Bonewall, but it was just too slow for me. I wanted a FAST deck. Look at the screenshots above; all of them have more than 20 poison counters before they died on or around turn eight. That's pretty fast for poison, I would think.
Ultimately, it's a preference. Killing faster, or surviving longer. It really just depends on your opponents.
Post by: Uncle Jellyfish on December 15, 2009, 10:09:53 pm
Okay, I've switched out the Phase Recluses for Improved Plagues, to see how it worked, but the problem is that they are really only effective when your opponent has plenty of creatures in play. They just don't kill fast enough, and the extra damage priority targets are just much more useful. Usually, by the time I have a chance to use a Plague or two, it's endgame.
Post by: Scaredgirl on December 15, 2009, 10:09:53 pm
@ Jellyfish
You were right, and I was wrong.
I did some vigorous testing with this deck this is what I found to be the most effective:
(http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/6782/poisonw.jpg)
While in some situations Bone Wall + Plague was awesome, it usually just slowed you down, and the worst part is that Bone Wall is very expensive. When you get rid of them you can take 4 extra water cards. With 6 Physalias and Congeals, you generally have at least one of each in your starting hand which is very important. Having only a mark to play for these was not as big of a problem as I thought.
It's good to have 2 Arsenics so that you get one relative early. Once the opponent gets his shields up, Arsenic is pretty much useless. Arsenics could also be replaced but I didn't find anything better. One option would be to take that death shield because it costs only 1 quantum but I didn't find it to be that great. Also some kind of permanent removal would be awesome but that's just not possible.
You could play this with 9 Towers as well but I like to have some extra quantum production just in case.
This is an awesome deck that pretty much owns most of the top-50 decks. It's surprisingly fast for a poison deck. Mono death seems to be the biggest its weakness.
Post by: vice123 on December 15, 2009, 10:09:53 pm
Has anyone here tried using dials in the pure poison deck? They have no cost and stall the game for 2 rounds, sound great for a poisoners. I'll try this one in the trainer.
Post by: Scaredgirl on December 15, 2009, 10:09:53 pm
Has anyone here tried using dials in the pure poison deck? They have no cost and stall the game for 2 rounds, sound great for a poisoners. I'll try this one in the trainer.I tried this same deck with just 6 upgraded Sundials added earlier today. They helped when I fought Gods but against a human player they just slow things down. One option would be to take 2-3 of them and save them to the endgame. Then when you are just about to die, start chaining them and hope that the opponent dies (and doesn't destroy/steal your Sundials).
Post by: Uncle Jellyfish on December 15, 2009, 10:09:53 pm
The problem with testing sundials in the trainer is that they are still broken. However, I've noticed that, in the trainer, Sundials work HOW THEY SHOULD for the AI players, which is very frustrating.
@Scaredgirl: I'd run two Arsenics if I had them. I'll try to win another from Morte. If I do manage to get another one, I'd build the deck you have above. However, with what I have now, I like my build a tad more. Also, Stolen Sundials still work for both players but, like a Dim Shield, they expire a turn earlier.
Post by: Scaredgirl on December 15, 2009, 10:09:53 pm
The problem with testing sundials in the trainer is that they are still broken. However, I've noticed that, in the trainer, Sundials work HOW THEY SHOULD for the AI players, which is very frustrating.Actually with this deck Sundials work perfectly. If you don't draw any extra cards, Sundials lasts 2 turns like in non-trainer version. And you probably won't be drawing any extra cards because you have no light quantum. :)
Post by: Uncle Jellyfish on December 15, 2009, 10:09:53 pm
Though sometimes, even when I didn't Hasten, they still only lasted one turn for me. This happened randomly, and often it was gamebreaking, as I thought I was safe for an extra turn, and then suddenly, BAM!. Perhaps they last one turn less even if your OPPONENT draws, since this happens when I use an Hourglass, too.The problem with testing sundials in the trainer is that they are still broken. However, I've noticed that, in the trainer, Sundials work HOW THEY SHOULD for the AI players, which is very frustrating.Actually with this deck Sundials work perfectly. If you don't draw any extra cards, Sundials lasts 2 turns like in non-trainer version. And you probably won't be drawing any extra cards because you have no light quantum. :)
Post by: vice123 on December 15, 2009, 10:09:53 pm
This deck is for fighting AI only I presume? Dials don't get stolen or deflaged by the computer, which would give it a lot more oomph fighting top50. I wouldn't use it against anything else though.
Post by: Scaredgirl on December 15, 2009, 10:09:53 pm
This deck is for fighting AI only I presume? Dials don't get stolen or deflaged by the computer, which would give it a lot more oomph fighting top50. I wouldn't use it against anything else though.Well, I've done some PvP and duels with it and haven't lost once. Although I won one duel with only 5 HP left.
You don't need Sundials to fight top-50. They are very easy. That basic rainbow gets owned by this deck. They will die before they even have a chance to use Miracle.
Post by: Scaredgirl on December 15, 2009, 10:09:53 pm
Though sometimes, even when I didn't Hasten, they still only lasted one turn for me. This happened randomly, and often it was gamebreaking, as I thought I was safe for an extra turn, and then suddenly, BAM!. Perhaps they last one turn less even if your OPPONENT draws, since this happens when I use an Hourglass, too.I'm not sure if I understand that last part.. are you saying opponents Sundial lasts only one turn when YOU use Hourglass? Or something else?
You probably know this but you cannot draw any cards from Sundial OR Hourglass. If you do, Sundial only lasts one turn.
Post by: Uncle Jellyfish on December 15, 2009, 10:09:53 pm
I'm saying that MY Sundials only stop me for ONE turn when my OPPONENT uses Hasten with their own Hourglasses.
Post by: Evil Hamster on December 15, 2009, 10:09:53 pm
Unupgraded this deck gets stomped by top 50 :'(
Post by: Uncle Jellyfish on December 15, 2009, 10:09:54 pm
Unupgraded this deck gets stomped by top 50 :'(Yes, it does. I designed this deck to be fully upgraded, because I'm currently trying to find a non-rainbow endgame deck that I will mainstream if I ever get into the t50.
Post by: Uncle Jellyfish on December 15, 2009, 10:09:54 pm
Did some more play-testing, and managed to win a game with this deck in FIVE turns. XD
(http://i30.tinypic.com/34eia.jpg)
Look at the deck count remaining. The deck is thirty cards. My opponents lack of cards in play doesn't mean a damn thing. If he didn't have Purify, he'd still have that much poison on him, regardless.
Post by: joob on December 15, 2009, 10:09:56 pm
I wouldn't say that. I've been using it unupped with Plagues in t50, and it still wins a lot of games. However, it's a lot more susceptible to a bad draw and isn't as fast. Upped is obviously better (as it is in almost all cases), but it's still decent for an unupped deck at taking on the t50.Unupgraded this deck gets stomped by top 50 :'(Yes, it does. I designed this deck to be fully upgraded, because I'm currently trying to find a non-rainbow endgame deck that I will mainstream if I ever get into the t50.
Post by: Uncle Jellyfish on December 15, 2009, 10:09:56 pm
Well, yes, it works on occassion, but really only because of the abundance of Rainbow decks in the Top 50. However, like you said, it isn't nearly as fast, it's win percentage is much lower, and it's more vulnerable to bad draws.
Post by: Evil Hamster on December 15, 2009, 10:09:57 pm
By stomped I mean wins less that half :DI wouldn't say that. I've been using it unupped with Plagues in t50, and it still wins a lot of games. However, it's a lot more susceptible to a bad draw and isn't as fast. Upped is obviously better (as it is in almost all cases), but it's still decent for an unupped deck at taking on the t50.Unupgraded this deck gets stomped by top 50 :'(Yes, it does. I designed this deck to be fully upgraded, because I'm currently trying to find a non-rainbow endgame deck that I will mainstream if I ever get into the t50.
Post by: joob on December 15, 2009, 10:09:57 pm
By stomped I mean wins less that half :DI definitely had more than a 50% win rate. Probably ~70%, but I didn't keep a record.
Post by: 3hirty6ix on December 15, 2009, 10:10:02 pm
How does this deck fare against False Gods? I have a half-upgraded deck that's working pretty well against T50.
Post by: Uncle Jellyfish on December 15, 2009, 10:10:02 pm
How does this deck fare against False Gods? I have a half-upgraded deck that's working pretty well against T50.This is NOT a deck that can compete with the Fake Gods, so it stands little to no chance unless you get a VERY lucky hand and the Fake God doesn't draw anything but crap for most of the match. =/ But then again, most decks could beat the Fake Gods under those conditions.
Post by: Scaredgirl on December 15, 2009, 10:10:02 pm
The version with Bone Wall and Plague can beat some of the Gods but not very consistently.How does this deck fare against False Gods? I have a half-upgraded deck that's working pretty well against T50.This is NOT a deck that can compete with the Fake Gods, so it stands little to no chance unless you get a VERY lucky hand and the Fake God doesn't draw anything but crap for most of the match. =/ But then again, most decks could beat the Fake Gods under those conditions.
Post by: Koppany on January 06, 2010, 12:53:32 pm
10 Bone Towers
6 Deadly poison
3 Improved plague
2 Arsenic
6 Chrysaora (unupped)
3 Congeal
You want to use the Chrysaora unupped, because this way they are neither affected by the fire shield nor by the time shield.
for the unupped version use the following setup:
10 Bone pillars
6 Poison
2 Plague
2 Arsenic
6 Chrysaora (unupped)
4 freeze
If you are lacking arsenics it can be replaced by plague or freeze. The reason of the variation of plague/freeze with the unupped version, is the price of the plague and the shorter term of the freeze then congeal.
Of course the upped version is faster, but the unupped is usuable as well. Naturally it can not take on false gods r L5 because it is lacking the defense to survive long enough for them to die, but it works pretty well againts L3 T50 nad in PVP also.
As any other deck it has it's weaknesses, but the opponent has to have a lucky draw and an understanding of your strategy, before he is mortally poisoned. ;-)
Post by: 6Lime9 on January 07, 2010, 07:12:19 pm
Post by: 6Lime9 on January 07, 2010, 08:16:32 pm
Post by: Celidion on January 08, 2010, 03:28:41 am
Post by: Koppany on January 08, 2010, 05:53:13 pm
Post by: Chironex on December 06, 2010, 10:24:30 pm
I'm playing it unupped at the moment and 3 freezes + 3 bone walls seem to work better for me than 6 freezes.
Post by: TheForbiddenOracle on December 08, 2010, 02:18:50 am
Post by: Kuroaitou on July 12, 2011, 01:08:41 pm
Is there anything that could replace the arsenics?It's been over a year, and I -know- it's bad to revive old threads, but this question has never been answered... ^^;
After thinking about it, one could theoretically put in a Dagger | Dirk (since it benefits off the mark) or a Long Sword for damage, but even then, the deck is called Speed Poison for a reason. Unless another rare weapon comes out that is capable of racking up poison like Arsenic, there's really no card that can effectively replace the rare weapon, unless I'm not thinking of something.
Post by: UndeadSpider1990 on February 12, 2012, 02:30:47 pm
The new deck (here (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,36592.0.html)) is exactly the same -3 Bone Towers and +3 Shard of Patience. The idea was to explore the benefits of the new Shard.
[*Edit* At the time of this post, Shard of Patience was a SPELL - it's affect only happened once, at the time you played it.]
(http://elementscommunity.org/images/Cards/ShardOfPatienceUpgraded.png)
They are as follows:
- Extra HP to give your Physalia more survivability.
- Extra damage [after a delay] from you Physalia (but they can still use their abilities before you play the shard).
Calindu pointed out that I have strained quanta in the deck by doing this. He is correct.
Is there anything that could replace the arsenics?Maybe there is, TheForbiddenOracle! That depends if you think they are worth it.
So my opinion-seeking question is
Do you think the Shard of Patience adds something good to this deck; or are they just an unnecessary complication?
Post by: Poker Alho on February 12, 2012, 03:31:41 pm
Usually I wouldn't disregard the big red flag saying this post is a million years old (and indeed the fact that the image of the deck is clearly from way-back-when), but I'm making an exception since I was linked to this discussing a pretty similar deck!reviving old threads huh? well here's what i think
The new deck (here (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,36592.0.html)) is exactly the same -3 Bone Towers and +3 Shard of Patience. The idea was to explore the benefits of the new Shard.
(http://elementscommunity.org/images/Cards/ShardOfPatienceUpgraded.png)
They are as follows:
- Extra HP to give your Physalia more survivability.
- Extra damage [after a delay] from you Physalia (but they can still use their abilities before you play the shard).
Calindu pointed out that I have strained quanta in the deck by doing this. He is correct.Is there anything that could replace the arsenics?Maybe there is, TheForbiddenOracle! That depends if you think they are worth it.
So my opinion-seeking question is
Do you think the Shard of Patience adds something good to this deck; or are they just an unnecessary complication?
SoP is a BAD card for this deck
why?
1) despite the buff it gives to your physalias, it considerably slows down your deck, even if you play them all at once
2) buffing physalias has nothing to do with poison
3)changing SoP for arsenic is pure nonsense, i would rather change them for freezes and that would also be bad for the deck, losing its very useful stalling power to let poison do its job
Post by: UndeadSpider1990 on February 12, 2012, 03:54:59 pm
2) buffing physalias has nothing to do with poisonIncluding SoP would change the name of the game a little, because it's trying to make genuine attackers out of what have been described in different words (I beleive by Scaredgirl) as weenies whose best purpose is bringing down a bonewall so that Arsenic can resume its fun. In other words, trying to use SoP necessitates reducing the Poisonousness of the deck (contrary to its principle).
I still wonder if it could work, but I think you are right that it is not good for this deck. What I like is that the Shards protect your Physalia. In that sense it may be thinkable to remove a Congeal (as one or two would probably go an Otyugh's way anyway), and maybe even a Poison (the theory being that the empowered Physalia would make up for it), but ultimately this is not the deck for SoP. Perhaps in a (relatively) slow poison deck - where the likes of Deadly Poison are replaced with Plagues and Bonewall - but I'm just speculating.
Anyway, thanks for your thoughts! =)
Post by: Poker Alho on February 12, 2012, 04:57:32 pm
All valid points Poker. I'm particularly interested inthe real problem is the card itself, Sop was voted UP by most and largely unnused, except for some strange flood decks and as a Sosa counter2) buffing physalias has nothing to do with poisonIncluding SoP would change the name of the game a little, because it's trying to make genuine attackers out of what have been described in different words (I beleive by Scaredgirl) as weenies whose best purpose is bringing down a bonewall so that Arsenic can resume its fun. In other words, trying to use SoP necessitates reducing the Poisonousness of the deck (contrary to its principle).
I still wonder if it could work, but I think you are right that it is not good for this deck. What I like is that the Shards protect your Physalia. In that sense it may be thinkable to remove a Congeal (as one or two would probably go an Otyugh's way anyway), and maybe even a Poison (the theory being that the empowered Physalia would make up for it), but ultimately this is not the deck for SoP. Perhaps in a (relatively) slow poison deck - where the likes of Deadly Poison are replaced with Plagues and Bonewall - but I'm just speculating.
Anyway, thanks for your thoughts! =)
Post by: UndeadSpider1990 on February 12, 2012, 05:32:55 pm
the real problem is the card itself, Sop was voted UP by most and largely unnused, except for some strange flood decks and as a Sosa counterLol I know :( That's what makes me so determined XD
Post by: silinda on April 18, 2012, 07:03:39 pm
a few pendulums could also be swapped out for a few towers to level things out a bit if really needed though there should be plenty of water even with purify and without pendulums.
with this much poison, shards of patience definitely can't hurt.
Post by: UndeadSpider1990 on July 24, 2012, 03:52:04 am
I thought this was worth reviving since SoP is now a permanent and can be popped off for free once the shard is played. So swapping out 2 freezes and 1 tower (maybe two) and swapping in shards gives the critters a very powerful bump but won't get around sosac because of the poison...for that, throwing in a purify or two and two shards could easily help out the deck steamroll sosac decks.
a few pendulums could also be swapped out for a few towers to level things out a bit if really needed though there should be plenty of water even with purify and without pendulums.
with this much poison, shards of patience definitely can't hurt.
This is a very slow revival :P But this deck is such a classic why shouldn't we keep spamming posiony-related fun?! :D
Yes, now that SoP is a Permanent it has become pretty powerful. I have made it work in a different water-death deck, but that one is significantly different to this. 'Got Poison' is, as I see it, a poison rush. My deck uses squids and bonewalls and all sorts of slowness :P
You're right about Sacrifice, Shard of Patience is always a winner against that just like Sundials ;) In this deck though, I would think no more than 2 Patience would work out. They're not key to the deck, they could just be useful to buff / protect Physalias (and offer some resistance to Sacrifice).
I still love this deck to bits. The unupped version is a noobs best friend, too! ^^