Stolen Identity is a card you could look into. It's insane when you're ahead, and complete garbage when you're behind. You'd have to play more creatures with come into play abilities to make it pay off.
I've tried Grixis before, and the problem with it is that it doesn't have a cheap two for one for aggro and it doesn't have any cheap big creatures, except for wight of precinct six, but he's conditional. You need one of those to consistently beat aggro. However, it's really good against just about every other deck.
I would drop thrill kill assassin, niv mizet, and dimir charm. I would add in 4 consuming abberation and 3 wight of precinct six.
Dimir charm is probably your weakest card, there might be a few times where it really comes in handy, but I know when I played it I always wished it was something else.
Consuming abberation is a cheaper and meaner finisher than niv mizzet. It can win simply by being on the field (happens more than you would think) Plus you can play multiples. Trust me, this is the finisher you want in this deck.
Wight of Precinct Six is amazing in this kind of deck, obviously not against control, but against any other deck it's awsome. You have so much removal (possibly the best spot removal in block) that it's not hard to get a bunch of creatures in your opponent's graveyard early.
I know that this is a somewhat budget deck, but jace is really perfect for this deck too. If you change out what i was talking about before you should have 2 empty slots, I would also take out izzet charm and put in a full playset of jace, architect of thought, he really is that good. And he's really good agianst aggro.
Some of your sideboard I don't quite understand. Like illness in the ranks, I can't think of any deck that this really effects. And you main deck psychic strike but board in syncopate? Shouldn't it be the other way around?
This is my personal preference but this is what my sideboard looks like for grixis. I have 2 syncopates and 2 counterflux main deck.
4 mugging, 2 electrickery, 3 slaughter games, 2 counterflux, 2 dispel, 2 underworld connections.
Obviously mugging and elecktrickery are for mono red. Electrickery is one of our best cards against them since it can act as a mini sweeper under the right circumstances.
Another good sideboard option for aggro is frostburn wierd.
If MTG is a part of your life, the formats are like relationships:
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring
Here is the Current List I am using for Grixis, it has posted good numbers against control decks and midrange decks, mainly esper - Jund decks. I have not yet faced a RDW as it seems to be dying down due to the amount of esper players out now.
I apologize ahead of time, I do not know how to make this look neat. I dont know the codes yet as to having the links for each card.
So I took some idea from this forum thread (Mainly the sideboard and using Consuming Abberation). I went for the more control build since the field is mostly control now a days with a few Jund players. ]
Consuming Abberation - Wow, this card is nuts.....You definately want to play this card when they are in top deck mode, meaning run everything out such as Desecration Demons, even Rakdos Keyrunes to get them to waste their removal. Even Jace gets hit with Dreadbore from time to time, which is fine by me since I already got his ability once. Being able to go off with Consuming Abberation and Counters to back him up on an open field is BONKERS. I can't count how many times people concede once he hits the board.
Rakdos Return - Yes, it's main decked, why? Simple. What I'm seeing is a trend in DE's and even PE's, It's always control or jund on the top now a days, people want to always look for the top deck, sleeve it up and go play. Hence why I have had a TON of success with this card main board, it's a 2 of so you will barely if ever get clogged by this card.
Sideboard Talk - As it is, troublesome cards are Sphinx's Revelation, Obzedat & the occasional RDW. Hence why the sideboard is the way it is now.
4x mugging is pretty self explanatory(RDW if it's not obvious to all)
3x Dispel - the best and easiest spell against this expensive card, always feels good to watch them cast it, and here you go, 1 mana card, 7 cents, NO! I always laugh when this happens. (Sphinx's Revelation)
3x Slaughter Games - Good for just about any deck you go against minus RDW. Obzedat a problem? Gone! Sphinx's Revelation annoying? Gone! I even named Lotleth Troll, because he's annoying
2xUnderworld Connections - Efficient way to refill against control/jund
1x Syncopate + 2x Counterflux - I generally dont touch these but if I just want to get annoying, I do.
I went for the more control build since the field is mostly control now a days with a few Jund players.
I don't think we are playing in the same meta... Just look at the last block daily and pe results. It's esper, uwr, mono red, jund/gr aggro, WBR, and sometimes naya that's been winning lately. The more controlling version of jund doesn't see play now, WBR is the better version of that deck, but jund will be back after DGM. Mono red is the most played deck in block.
Anyway:
Your deck is only 51 cards....
You have alot of guildgates, I would definitely only play two of each guildgate and use 6 basics. Having to play a tapped land against mono red in the early turns is terrible.
I also wouldn't run as many counters as you do, in my grixis deck i only run 2 counterflux main and 2 in the side. The other control decks run around 4-6 counter in the maindeck and side, so dispel doesn't really help you too much. Plus since you have counterflux, you don't get into counter wars.
Honestly, I've been running into either decks that play assemble the legion which this deck basically auto-loses too, or mono red (jund aggro is actually a somewhat easy match) so my deck is tuned more to beating aggro. I run 4 mugging and 4 staticasters in the sideboard now. Staticaster also blanks assemble the legion.
I'm surprised you aren't running dreadbore, it's probably the best removal spell you have access to, certianly better than mortars in most cases. Primarily because it can kill walkers. You do not have many ways to deal with opposing jace. Personally I run 4 mortars, 4 devour flesh, 4 dreadbore, 2 izzet charms, and 2 cyclonic rift. The rifts are for enchantments that I can't deal with like assemble the legion.
In the past I have really been a fan of desecration demon, but I'm not a huge fan anymore, against aggro he isn't a reliable blocker. I play wight of precinct six over him, you run so much removal (or you should, play dreadbore!) so making him a turn 3-4 3/3 and growing isn't very hard, obviously he is bad againt u/w/x decks, but unless they land assemble the legion, it should be an easy match for you without him. I'm not sure about how many mono red decks you have run into (it is about 30% of the meta) but wight is very very good against them. Making abbberation a 4-of would also be better than playing the demons, just because they are wayyyy bigger and they can't get tapped by opponents sacing creatures.
Other than that, I really like your deck, it's really close to what I'm running in grixis. But I've stopped playing block until DGM comes in because I don't want to play a u/w/x control deck, and while the mono red match is doable, assemble the legion wrecks grixis.
If MTG is a part of your life, the formats are like relationships:
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring
Staticaster, cyclonic rift, izzet charm, psychic strike, and syncopate should hose that card pretty well. I've never played block constructed though so maybe i'm not one to talk
I don't think we are playing in the same meta... Just look at the last block daily and pe results. It's esper, uwr, mono red, jund/gr aggro, WBR, and sometimes naya that's been winning lately. The more controlling version of jund doesn't see play now, WBR is the better version of that deck, but jund will be back after DGM. Mono red is the most played deck in block.
Anyway:
Your deck is only 51 cards....
You have alot of guildgates, I would definitely only play two of each guildgate and use 6 basics. Having to play a tapped land against mono red in the early turns is terrible.
I also wouldn't run as many counters as you do, in my grixis deck i only run 2 counterflux main and 2 in the side. The other control decks run around 4-6 counter in the maindeck and side, so dispel doesn't really help you too much. Plus since you have counterflux, you don't get into counter wars.
Honestly, I've been running into either decks that play assemble the legion which this deck basically auto-loses too, or mono red (jund aggro is actually a somewhat easy match) so my deck is tuned more to beating aggro. I run 4 mugging and 4 staticasters in the sideboard now. Staticaster also blanks assemble the legion.
I'm surprised you aren't running dreadbore, it's probably the best removal spell you have access to, certianly better than mortars in most cases. Primarily because it can kill walkers. You do not have many ways to deal with opposing jace. Personally I run 4 mortars, 4 devour flesh, 4 dreadbore, 2 izzet charms, and 2 cyclonic rift. The rifts are for enchantments that I can't deal with like assemble the legion.
In the past I have really been a fan of desecration demon, but I'm not a huge fan anymore, against aggro he isn't a reliable blocker. I play wight of precinct six over him, you run so much removal (or you should, play dreadbore!) so making him a turn 3-4 3/3 and growing isn't very hard, obviously he is bad againt u/w/x decks, but unless they land assemble the legion, it should be an easy match for you without him. I'm not sure about how many mono red decks you have run into (it is about 30% of the meta) but wight is very very good against them. Making abbberation a 4-of would also be better than playing the demons, just because they are wayyyy bigger and they can't get tapped by opponents sacing creatures.
Other than that, I really like your deck, it's really close to what I'm running in grixis. But I've stopped playing block until DGM comes in because I don't want to play a u/w/x control deck, and while the mono red match is doable, assemble the legion wrecks grixis.
Assemble the Legion is barely ever an issue for me, Jace's first ability takes care of that and the oodles of counterspells in your disposal has them thinking what to play most of the time, which means your rakdos return will hit their 1 of Assemble.
RDW isn't popular anymore I see, I've been facing Jund/BWR/America/Esper. And none of these I'm having an issue with.
Cyclonic Rift is such a dead card in most ways, reason being, you have so much removal and counterspells, am I ever going to use the Overload? probably not.
Less counterspells you say? The reason I play counterspells by the bunches is simply to protect Consuming. As well as play mind games with opponents who are second guessing if they should drop something.
Staticaster, cyclonic rift, izzet charm, psychic strike, and syncopate should hose that card pretty well. I've never played block constructed though so maybe i'm not one to talk
Assemble the Legion is barely ever an issue for me, Jace's first ability takes care of that and the oodles of counterspells in your disposal has them thinking what to play most of the time, which means your rakdos return will hit their 1 of Assemble.
The problem that I have is that they will bait a counterspell before they play the legion, so I have to ask yourself if they have an assemble in hand when they play sphinx's revelation, or jace, or if they try to remove one of my win-cons. Because when it hits, it's over, I'm just hoping to get a cyclonic rift or one of the 1-2 staticasters that I board in.
RDW isn't popular anymore I see, I've been facing Jund/BWR/America/Esper. And none of these I'm having an issue with.
In the last daily that they posted, 9 decks got into the money, 4 of which were mono-red and it's varients. It's still very much alive. But PE's are a different meta, which leans more towards slower decks. So Grixis probably has a better chance in a PE than in a daily.
Mtggoldfish.com does show that it's now just as popular as esper though, so maybe they are starting to phase out. Mono red is still one of the most played decks right now, maybe you've just gotten lucky and haven't had to face them alot.
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If MTG is a part of your life, the formats are like relationships:
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring
The problem that I have is that they will bait a counterspell before they play the legion, so I have to ask yourself if they have an assemble in hand when they play sphinx's revelation, or jace, or if they try to remove one of my win-cons. Because when it hits, it's over, I'm just hoping to get a cyclonic rift or one of the 1-2 staticasters that I board in.
In the last daily that they posted, 9 decks got into the money, 4 of which were mono-red and it's varients. It's still very much alive. But PE's are a different meta, which leans more towards slower decks. So Grixis probably has a better chance in a PE than in a daily.
Mtggoldfish.com does show that it's now just as popular as esper though, so maybe they are starting to phase out. Mono red is still one of the most played decks right now, maybe you've just gotten lucky and haven't had to face them alot.
So what are u afraid of? Them sphinxing? I don't care, lol. Dispel cost 1 mana, and even if I had a different counter spell, I would save 1 for assemble, what's America's win condition, 1 Assemble? 1 Niv-Mizzet if even at all? I've posted great results against this deck, Infact I've screenshot a few games wherey opponent was at 21, my abberition was out, 21/21. I don't care so much about sphinx against America deck.
Now as far as RDW, I just faced one just about 30 minutes ago, he had me down to 9 before I had my 6th mana, and overloaded on Mizzium Mortars, sure enough, he insta quit because the turn before I took out 3 cards from random return, also, Jace was out against his 2/2's, kept +1 going, until the last turn I said it's do or die. Used the -2 ability to search for the 6th land, got there on a blood crypt, paid 2 life, overload, rage quit. So I'm 1-0 against RDW, I have no issues with RDW, now.....Jund, is a different story, I find myself struggling now with Jund
I really think this deck has a shot of being competitive. Give it a whirl before critiquing it. I think once you understand what your goal is with this deck and understanding what win conditions are from the other decks, it all falls to place.
I have been playing this off and on ever since gatecrash came out, I'm just talking about the biggest weaknesses of the deck.
Most UWR decks (might be all now, not sure) main deck at least 3 assemble the legion, I've seen several that main deck 4. BWR is now playing assemble the legion in the sideboard. Assemble is reletively new to competetive play, but people are catching on. Pretty soon any deck that can support it will play it at least in the sideboard. Hell there was a naya aggro deck that 4-0ed two days ago and it played 3 assemble the legion maindeck, along with bte's and firefist striker (never thought I would see the day lol). I don't think anyone plays niv mizzet, at least no one that wins :).
But i did try out a few different things, I'm now playing 3 counterflux main and 3 izzet charms main, with a counterflux and a psychic strike in the sideboard. It's been working out, I almost 3-1ed a daily with it but I timed out right before the damage from my game ending swing was dealt. Seriously my abberation was tapped and i just had to click "ok" but timed out right before it, it absolutly blew. I only lost to wbr but I think I didn't mulligan when I should have. The other matches were selesnya aggro (probably the easiest match for us), rakdos aggro, and the match were I timed out was against esper.
I really think that we need a way to deal with enchantments. But besides that I have always felt that this was a competetive deck, possibly even teir one, eventhough it's often over-looked because we don't play revelation.
I'm wondering why you are using inactive injunction? Is it just because it draws a card? Seems like you could make great use out of Wight of Precinct Six in that slot.
If MTG is a part of your life, the formats are like relationships:
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring
I'm wondering why you are using inactive injunction? Is it just because it draws a card? Seems like you could make great use out of Wight of Precinct Six in that slot.
Inaction Injuction nets me 1 card as well as it stalls creatures like Ahlms Beast & Desecration Demon, even Boros Reckoner. Sure, Izzet Charm can draw 2, but if something is threatening on the board, you have no answers, inaction gives u an extra turn and 2 draws essentially.
I don't think we need any other creatures other than desecration and abberition, I feel we need to be more controlling and be patient and know,what's truly important when it comes to knowing are opponents deck.
Inaction Injunction doesn't net you a card since it costs a card, sure you get to thin out your deck, but you still have to deal with that creature. Might as well just run removal.
Wight is better than the demon against creature heavy decks. He's a reliable blocker, and against aggro he he will usually get bigger than desecration demon. Plus turn 4 you can lay down wight and still kill a creature, where as the demon could come down turn 4, they play a creature, sac it, then swing through.
You might not be playing it turn 4 but you get what I'm saying.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
If MTG is a part of your life, the formats are like relationships:
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring
Inaction Injunction doesn't net you a card since it costs a card, sure you get to thin out your deck, but you still have to deal with that creature. Might as well just run removal.
Wight is better than the demon against creature heavy decks. He's a reliable blocker, and against aggro he he will usually get bigger than desecration demon. Plus turn 4 you can lay down wight and still kill a creature, where as the demon could come down turn 4, they play a creature, sac it, then swing through.
You might not be playing it turn 4 but you get what I'm saying.
There's got to be another card. Was thinking agoraphobia, but I thought inaction Injuction is just better. It's really not a dead card, sure you lose a card but you gain a card and stop them for 1 turn.
I don't see what else I can put that will benefit the control style, probably a cyclone rift, but that doesn't do much. Spend all that mana to drop it down w/ overload and then they play it back.
Looked into stab wound, your thoughts? Even deaths approach? Something cheap that slows them down.
I've seen a few winning lists with one agoraphobia in them, but I'm sure agoraphobia isn't why they are winning. Stab-wound doesn't kill alot of things, but it seems like it's better than agoraphobia. They are both bad in a deck with devour flesh, since they will just sac the guy with the enchantment. And you're right cylconic rift is really bad, that's why i took it out of my deck, just underperformed. If you are looking for a card to just hold them off, aetherize is better than cyclonic rift, although it's still bad. Death's approach is alright, but I'd hate to have an opening hand with just that as your removal.
Wight is cheap, since he's usually bigger than their guys they won't attack, and he's usually bigger than their removal, so they can't kill him. He can also win you the game. Have you tried him out?
Private Mod Note
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If MTG is a part of your life, the formats are like relationships:
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring
I've seen a few winning lists with one agoraphobia in them, but I'm sure agoraphobia isn't why they are winning. Stab-wound doesn't kill alot of things, but it seems like it's better than agoraphobia. They are both bad in a deck with devour flesh, since they will just sac the guy with the enchantment. And you're right cylconic rift is really bad, that's why i took it out of my deck, just underperformed. If you are looking for a card to just hold them off, aetherize is better than cyclonic rift, although it's still bad. Death's approach is alright, but I'd hate to have an opening hand with just that as your removal.
Wight is cheap, since he's usually bigger than their guys they won't attack, and he's usually bigger than their removal, so they can't kill him. He can also win you the game. Have you tried him out?
I'll give him a shot, but I already see the countless amounts of removal he is going to walk into and underperform.
I'll give him a shot, but I already see the countless amounts of removal he is going to walk into and underperform.
As predicted, he flopped. No bueno. The only thing that came good out of him was someone played devour flesh and net me huge amounts of life. But he simply underperformed. The way I see it, the less permanents, the better.
Far/Away is probably the main reason thy this deck is viable. It's so powerful to force a sac and bounce a guy with one card. That's a pretty huge tempo loss for an aggro deck.
Ral Zarek is the other main reason. I ran a version of this without zarek because I wasn't completely sold on him, but he's great in here, if not amazing. Not only is he a repeatable source of removal, but he can let you cast aetherling a turn early since he can untap a blue source and he can be a win condition (happened several times)
Aetherling has been as great as I thought he would be, I don't think I need to say much more. Cast him turn 9 with 3 blue sources up and it's GG.
Warped Physique has been great. I almost want one more, but I'm afraid of top decking it really late in the game. It can take out any of the problem creatures in the golgari deck and it's an answer to reckoner and it can potentially answer obzedat.
Pilfered Plans is pretty nice, this deck needed cheap card draw and thoughtflare is too expensive. This can also fuel a crypt incursion against aggresive decks.
Crypt Incursion is better than I thought it would be. Not only does it gain you massive ammounts of life (Got 24 life off of it one game), but it shuts of varolz which is very important in the late game.
The only cards that I have problems with are Voice of resurgence and assemble the legion. Obviously I can't answer assemble in these colors. The only way I can beat it is to plus one jace until I can win (actually won twice doing that). And I hate hate hate playing against voice, Unless I can set up a far/away or overloaded mizzium mortars I get 2 for 1ed everytime. And I have to deal with it before I have enough mana to do any of that because it's a turn 2 play. Needless to say, the only decks I consistently lose to are the voice decks.
But other than that this has very good matchup's against the whole field. I have beaten mono red, and I can get around slaughter games since I can win off of aetherling, the keyrunes, ral zarek, and sire in the sideboard.
I am much much happier with this than with the older version.
Thoughts?
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
If MTG is a part of your life, the formats are like relationships:
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring
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http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Digital/MagicOnlineTourn.aspx?x=mtg/digital/magiconline/tourn/5264283
The current list is:
4 Blood Crypt
2 Dimir Guildgate
4 Izzet Guildgate
2 Mountain
4 Rakdos Guildgate
4 Steam Vents
4 Watery Grave
Creatures:
4 Desecration Demon
2 Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
4 Thrill-Kill Assassin
4 Devour Flesh
3 Dimir Charm
4 Dreadbore
2 Izzet Charm
3 Mizzium Mortars
3 Psychic Strike
4 Rakdos Keyrune
3 Rakdos's Return
3 Dispel
2 Illness in the Ranks
4 Slaughter Games
3 Soul Ransom
1 Syncopate
2 Underworld Connections
Just trying to be a cheapskate and play something different.
I would drop thrill kill assassin, niv mizet, and dimir charm. I would add in 4 consuming abberation and 3 wight of precinct six.
Dimir charm is probably your weakest card, there might be a few times where it really comes in handy, but I know when I played it I always wished it was something else.
Consuming abberation is a cheaper and meaner finisher than niv mizzet. It can win simply by being on the field (happens more than you would think) Plus you can play multiples. Trust me, this is the finisher you want in this deck.
Wight of Precinct Six is amazing in this kind of deck, obviously not against control, but against any other deck it's awsome. You have so much removal (possibly the best spot removal in block) that it's not hard to get a bunch of creatures in your opponent's graveyard early.
I know that this is a somewhat budget deck, but jace is really perfect for this deck too. If you change out what i was talking about before you should have 2 empty slots, I would also take out izzet charm and put in a full playset of jace, architect of thought, he really is that good. And he's really good agianst aggro.
Some of your sideboard I don't quite understand. Like illness in the ranks, I can't think of any deck that this really effects. And you main deck psychic strike but board in syncopate? Shouldn't it be the other way around?
This is my personal preference but this is what my sideboard looks like for grixis. I have 2 syncopates and 2 counterflux main deck.
4 mugging, 2 electrickery, 3 slaughter games, 2 counterflux, 2 dispel, 2 underworld connections.
Obviously mugging and elecktrickery are for mono red. Electrickery is one of our best cards against them since it can act as a mini sweeper under the right circumstances.
Another good sideboard option for aggro is frostburn wierd.
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring
I apologize ahead of time, I do not know how to make this look neat. I dont know the codes yet as to having the links for each card.
2x Dimir Guildgates
4x Watery Grave
4x Blood Crypt
4x Rakdos Guildgate
4x Izzet Guildgate
4x Steam Vents
2x Mountains
4x Mizzium Mortars
4x Devour Flesh
3x Rakdos Keyrune
2x Counterflux
4x Jace, Architect of Thought
3x Desecration Demon
2x Consuming Abberation
2x Rakdos's Return
3x Syncopate
Sideboard:
1x Syncopate
3x Dispel
2x Underworld Connections
4x Mugging
2x Counterflux
3x Slaughter Games
So I took some idea from this forum thread (Mainly the sideboard and using Consuming Abberation). I went for the more control build since the field is mostly control now a days with a few Jund players. ]
Consuming Abberation - Wow, this card is nuts.....You definately want to play this card when they are in top deck mode, meaning run everything out such as Desecration Demons, even Rakdos Keyrunes to get them to waste their removal. Even Jace gets hit with Dreadbore from time to time, which is fine by me since I already got his ability once. Being able to go off with Consuming Abberation and Counters to back him up on an open field is BONKERS. I can't count how many times people concede once he hits the board.
Rakdos Return - Yes, it's main decked, why? Simple. What I'm seeing is a trend in DE's and even PE's, It's always control or jund on the top now a days, people want to always look for the top deck, sleeve it up and go play. Hence why I have had a TON of success with this card main board, it's a 2 of so you will barely if ever get clogged by this card.
Sideboard Talk - As it is, troublesome cards are Sphinx's Revelation, Obzedat & the occasional RDW. Hence why the sideboard is the way it is now.
4x mugging is pretty self explanatory(RDW if it's not obvious to all)
3x Dispel - the best and easiest spell against this expensive card, always feels good to watch them cast it, and here you go, 1 mana card, 7 cents, NO! I always laugh when this happens. (Sphinx's Revelation)
3x Slaughter Games - Good for just about any deck you go against minus RDW. Obzedat a problem? Gone! Sphinx's Revelation annoying? Gone! I even named Lotleth Troll, because he's annoying
2xUnderworld Connections - Efficient way to refill against control/jund
1x Syncopate + 2x Counterflux - I generally dont touch these but if I just want to get annoying, I do.
I don't think we are playing in the same meta... Just look at the last block daily and pe results. It's esper, uwr, mono red, jund/gr aggro, WBR, and sometimes naya that's been winning lately. The more controlling version of jund doesn't see play now, WBR is the better version of that deck, but jund will be back after DGM. Mono red is the most played deck in block.
Anyway:
Your deck is only 51 cards....
You have alot of guildgates, I would definitely only play two of each guildgate and use 6 basics. Having to play a tapped land against mono red in the early turns is terrible.
I also wouldn't run as many counters as you do, in my grixis deck i only run 2 counterflux main and 2 in the side. The other control decks run around 4-6 counter in the maindeck and side, so dispel doesn't really help you too much. Plus since you have counterflux, you don't get into counter wars.
Honestly, I've been running into either decks that play assemble the legion which this deck basically auto-loses too, or mono red (jund aggro is actually a somewhat easy match) so my deck is tuned more to beating aggro. I run 4 mugging and 4 staticasters in the sideboard now. Staticaster also blanks assemble the legion.
I'm surprised you aren't running dreadbore, it's probably the best removal spell you have access to, certianly better than mortars in most cases. Primarily because it can kill walkers. You do not have many ways to deal with opposing jace. Personally I run 4 mortars, 4 devour flesh, 4 dreadbore, 2 izzet charms, and 2 cyclonic rift. The rifts are for enchantments that I can't deal with like assemble the legion.
In the past I have really been a fan of desecration demon, but I'm not a huge fan anymore, against aggro he isn't a reliable blocker. I play wight of precinct six over him, you run so much removal (or you should, play dreadbore!) so making him a turn 3-4 3/3 and growing isn't very hard, obviously he is bad againt u/w/x decks, but unless they land assemble the legion, it should be an easy match for you without him. I'm not sure about how many mono red decks you have run into (it is about 30% of the meta) but wight is very very good against them. Making abbberation a 4-of would also be better than playing the demons, just because they are wayyyy bigger and they can't get tapped by opponents sacing creatures.
Other than that, I really like your deck, it's really close to what I'm running in grixis. But I've stopped playing block until DGM comes in because I don't want to play a u/w/x control deck, and while the mono red match is doable, assemble the legion wrecks grixis.
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring
Staticaster, cyclonic rift, izzet charm, psychic strike, and syncopate should hose that card pretty well. I've never played block constructed though so maybe i'm not one to talk
My apologies, I guess I didn't post all the cards
4x Dreadbore
4x Inaction Injuction
4x Rakdos Keyrune (Not 3)
Assemble the Legion is barely ever an issue for me, Jace's first ability takes care of that and the oodles of counterspells in your disposal has them thinking what to play most of the time, which means your rakdos return will hit their 1 of Assemble.
RDW isn't popular anymore I see, I've been facing Jund/BWR/America/Esper. And none of these I'm having an issue with.
Cyclonic Rift is such a dead card in most ways, reason being, you have so much removal and counterspells, am I ever going to use the Overload? probably not.
Less counterspells you say? The reason I play counterspells by the bunches is simply to protect Consuming. As well as play mind games with opponents who are second guessing if they should drop something.
The problem that I have is that they will bait a counterspell before they play the legion, so I have to ask yourself if they have an assemble in hand when they play sphinx's revelation, or jace, or if they try to remove one of my win-cons. Because when it hits, it's over, I'm just hoping to get a cyclonic rift or one of the 1-2 staticasters that I board in.
In the last daily that they posted, 9 decks got into the money, 4 of which were mono-red and it's varients. It's still very much alive. But PE's are a different meta, which leans more towards slower decks. So Grixis probably has a better chance in a PE than in a daily.
Mtggoldfish.com does show that it's now just as popular as esper though, so maybe they are starting to phase out. Mono red is still one of the most played decks right now, maybe you've just gotten lucky and haven't had to face them alot.
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring
So what are u afraid of? Them sphinxing? I don't care, lol. Dispel cost 1 mana, and even if I had a different counter spell, I would save 1 for assemble, what's America's win condition, 1 Assemble? 1 Niv-Mizzet if even at all? I've posted great results against this deck, Infact I've screenshot a few games wherey opponent was at 21, my abberition was out, 21/21. I don't care so much about sphinx against America deck.
Now as far as RDW, I just faced one just about 30 minutes ago, he had me down to 9 before I had my 6th mana, and overloaded on Mizzium Mortars, sure enough, he insta quit because the turn before I took out 3 cards from random return, also, Jace was out against his 2/2's, kept +1 going, until the last turn I said it's do or die. Used the -2 ability to search for the 6th land, got there on a blood crypt, paid 2 life, overload, rage quit. So I'm 1-0 against RDW, I have no issues with RDW, now.....Jund, is a different story, I find myself struggling now with Jund
Most UWR decks (might be all now, not sure) main deck at least 3 assemble the legion, I've seen several that main deck 4. BWR is now playing assemble the legion in the sideboard. Assemble is reletively new to competetive play, but people are catching on. Pretty soon any deck that can support it will play it at least in the sideboard. Hell there was a naya aggro deck that 4-0ed two days ago and it played 3 assemble the legion maindeck, along with bte's and firefist striker (never thought I would see the day lol). I don't think anyone plays niv mizzet, at least no one that wins :).
But i did try out a few different things, I'm now playing 3 counterflux main and 3 izzet charms main, with a counterflux and a psychic strike in the sideboard. It's been working out, I almost 3-1ed a daily with it but I timed out right before the damage from my game ending swing was dealt. Seriously my abberation was tapped and i just had to click "ok" but timed out right before it, it absolutly blew. I only lost to wbr but I think I didn't mulligan when I should have. The other matches were selesnya aggro (probably the easiest match for us), rakdos aggro, and the match were I timed out was against esper.
I really think that we need a way to deal with enchantments. But besides that I have always felt that this was a competetive deck, possibly even teir one, eventhough it's often over-looked because we don't play revelation.
I'm wondering why you are using inactive injunction? Is it just because it draws a card? Seems like you could make great use out of Wight of Precinct Six in that slot.
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring
Inaction Injuction nets me 1 card as well as it stalls creatures like Ahlms Beast & Desecration Demon, even Boros Reckoner. Sure, Izzet Charm can draw 2, but if something is threatening on the board, you have no answers, inaction gives u an extra turn and 2 draws essentially.
I don't think we need any other creatures other than desecration and abberition, I feel we need to be more controlling and be patient and know,what's truly important when it comes to knowing are opponents deck.
Wight is better than the demon against creature heavy decks. He's a reliable blocker, and against aggro he he will usually get bigger than desecration demon. Plus turn 4 you can lay down wight and still kill a creature, where as the demon could come down turn 4, they play a creature, sac it, then swing through.
You might not be playing it turn 4 but you get what I'm saying.
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring
There's got to be another card. Was thinking agoraphobia, but I thought inaction Injuction is just better. It's really not a dead card, sure you lose a card but you gain a card and stop them for 1 turn.
I don't see what else I can put that will benefit the control style, probably a cyclone rift, but that doesn't do much. Spend all that mana to drop it down w/ overload and then they play it back.
Looked into stab wound, your thoughts? Even deaths approach? Something cheap that slows them down.
Wight is cheap, since he's usually bigger than their guys they won't attack, and he's usually bigger than their removal, so they can't kill him. He can also win you the game. Have you tried him out?
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring
I'll give him a shot, but I already see the countless amounts of removal he is going to walk into and underperform.
As predicted, he flopped. No bueno. The only thing that came good out of him was someone played devour flesh and net me huge amounts of life. But he simply underperformed. The way I see it, the less permanents, the better.
4 - Watery Grave
4 - Blood Crypt
4 - Steam Vents
2 - Rakdos Guildgate
2 - Izzet Guildgate
2 - Dimir Guildgate
4 - Island
2 - Swamp
2 - Mountain
Creatures: 2
2 - Aetherling
Other Spells: 32
4 - Dreadbore
4 - Mizzium Mortars
4 - Far/Away
3 - Izzet Charm
2 - Warped Physique
3 - Rakdos Keyrune
3 - Pilfered Plans
2 - Counterflux
1 - Crypt Incursion
3 - Jace, Architect of Thought
2 - Ral Zarek
1 - Syncopate
3 - Dispel
2 - Underworld Connections
1 - Crypt Incursion
3 - Mugging
1 - Counterflux
2 - Sire of Insanity
3 - Slaughter Games
About the new additions:
Far/Away is probably the main reason thy this deck is viable. It's so powerful to force a sac and bounce a guy with one card. That's a pretty huge tempo loss for an aggro deck.
Ral Zarek is the other main reason. I ran a version of this without zarek because I wasn't completely sold on him, but he's great in here, if not amazing. Not only is he a repeatable source of removal, but he can let you cast aetherling a turn early since he can untap a blue source and he can be a win condition (happened several times)
Aetherling has been as great as I thought he would be, I don't think I need to say much more. Cast him turn 9 with 3 blue sources up and it's GG.
Warped Physique has been great. I almost want one more, but I'm afraid of top decking it really late in the game. It can take out any of the problem creatures in the golgari deck and it's an answer to reckoner and it can potentially answer obzedat.
Pilfered Plans is pretty nice, this deck needed cheap card draw and thoughtflare is too expensive. This can also fuel a crypt incursion against aggresive decks.
Crypt Incursion is better than I thought it would be. Not only does it gain you massive ammounts of life (Got 24 life off of it one game), but it shuts of varolz which is very important in the late game.
The only cards that I have problems with are Voice of resurgence and assemble the legion. Obviously I can't answer assemble in these colors. The only way I can beat it is to plus one jace until I can win (actually won twice doing that). And I hate hate hate playing against voice, Unless I can set up a far/away or overloaded mizzium mortars I get 2 for 1ed everytime. And I have to deal with it before I have enough mana to do any of that because it's a turn 2 play. Needless to say, the only decks I consistently lose to are the voice decks.
But other than that this has very good matchup's against the whole field. I have beaten mono red, and I can get around slaughter games since I can win off of aetherling, the keyrunes, ral zarek, and sire in the sideboard.
I am much much happier with this than with the older version.
Thoughts?
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring