I like where you are going with this. However, A lot of the time I think you'll want to be saccing to Sorin over Bombardment which can be redundant.
Also, if you're running Silversmote, you need X4 sorin and a way to pitch him into the grave. Silversmote is really not that good, trying to get 3 life without sorin on the field is very tough.
Honestly, zombies/goblins do this kind of deck much better than we can, since they can recur or flood the field. Maybe look into pawn of ulamog for benefits off of saccing. Him plus cordial and a sac outlet should win almost on the spot.
the vampires hive...but less good,pay life to add colored mana is something not good considering we are heavy in color mana cost, the late game potential pay 5 tap add 1 blood token is fine ( we can pay less if we control some vampires ) idk if is worth some life loss during the game but the ability to fix draw step lategame is nice, at least one will be added also in a two or more color deck (maybe in a mono black is not recommanded ) is more usefull
hypothetic x1
what do you think about it , and what do you think about the 3cmc creatures like Florian, Voldaren Scion and dominating vampire?
(don't look the red mana cost, just the card)
Voldaren Estate: I think most of the time this will cost 4 mana altogether to get a blood token. I dont know about you, but if I even have that much mana lying around the game is usually over. Naturally in a weenie style of deck this cards gets better, Im think that there might be a way to combine blood tokens and kalastria... After all Bloodghast, Falkenrath forebearer would love to be discarded via a Blood token.
Florian, Voldaren Scion: Loving the first strike, that alone makes this card much better. All good decks have an "engine" either thats card draw or some other value. I love the bloodghast/Sorin engine but this is a great way to keep the cards flowing. Great late game topdeck, my only real complaint with this card is the fact that the 3cmc slot is crowded and hes a bit slow. 3/3 First Strike is actually pretty decent as a defender as well when behind.
dominating vampire: I like this card. My first thought with this guy was take someones creature, swing at them and then sac it to viscera seer. Would be a good fit in a captivating and or kalastria deck I think.
Is Slaughter Specialist worth the slots? That's the main problem.
Falkenrath Forebear is not that bad, but blood tokens aren't good for now and 3 cmc is a lot.
Edit: they spoiled Bloodvial Purveyor and in my opinion it's good, but the fact that he pumps only for the opponent blood and that Bloodcaster flips with your blood is a bit anti sinergy
slaughter shine in a list whit removal and at least need attention, imho is worth a sloth, probably against aggro deck, you side out but against midrange is good falkenrath forebear has a lot of issue at least in a tribal vampire deck(modern) ,
1) stats, 3/1 is not enough for a 3cmc
2) can't block
3) to create value has to connect ( survive an entire turn and attack )
4) we currently doesn't have a good blood token engine
5) we connect twice, we pay mana for... just bring back a 3/1 that can't block
6) can't play Lurrus with this creature
7) if you want some type of combo, bloodghast or silversmote ghoul are a better option
Bloodvial Purveyor, i'm not in love with this card because the 4cmc but i understand that is good, 4 mana 5/6 flying trample (hypothetic a 6/6 7/6... ) whit a minus downside has potential, the power level is near the nocturnus, also play on turn 3 create a real clock to your opponent,as you said we lack blood token synergy but i'would give a chance to this card but is not guaranteed that will make the cut
falkenrath forebear I like that she can be discarded with a blood token to bypass her CMC of 3, but I agree with your 4th point; we dont have a blood token engine yet.
Even then, Im still not sold on blood tokens yet.
Bloodvial Purveyor Remember Abyssal Persecutor? this card saw play in legacy. Bloodvial is just better than that. The fact that while the blood tokens help our opponent they also power this boi up which is great. There needs to be an errata for this guy tho, as its written right now, he would keep the buffs he gets per turn. If its till end of turn or not, it really doesnt matter, there needs to be a clean way to track it.
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Honestly, I think this is one of the best 4cmc vamps we have. Not only is this great to drop turn 3 with sorin, but we can also actually cast this card, and not have to solely rely on cheating it in. Flying + trample is a very scary combo and the fact that he continues to grow as the game goes on is even better. Ill test a couple mixed with noc and see how it goes.
Why every spoiled Vampire card costs one mana more to be good (except the bloodvial)? I think that a lot of cards should have been good with one mana less, like Sorin for example. The main reason is the comparison with the already printed Vampires, if they make worst cards instead of alternatives it's useless
I never liked him too, most of the time is just a 1/1 lifelink, the ability is hard to activate proactively, i mean you at the same time should have A) 2 mana open, B) enough creatures to bring value to the boost effect , C) nothing to do with extra mana ( like removal,activate mutavault ecc...) D) oppo that cast a removal or a chump block to not sac for free your creatures
imho is not worth
With Indulgent, you get much more value out of him if you attack before casting anything that turn, see how they respond and act accordingly. If you always play something and then attack, he will seem terrible and useless. Having said that, he functions better in vamp decks with little/sackable creatures. (Bloodghast, dusk legion zealot, 1 drops and himself when needed, etc.)
have you seen the new card vampire socialite imho has some potential
1) has menace so can easily trigger the lost life effect
2) has great synergy with aether vial, if opponent fetch/shock, you can vial that turn to boost all your vampires
3) is hard to block
4) also you can "cheat" two +1/+1 counter on a creature with aether vial: example-> attack with a vampire, oppo lose life , cast
vampire socialite, trigger on the stack, activate aether vial , another vampire enter the battlefield, another trigger,
that specific vampire entering the battle by aether vial enter with two +1/+1 counter
My biggest problem with her is that your opponent HAS to lose life for her to do ANYTHING. This can force you to overextend just to get that dmg in so you can get the effect off. Now KotEL also has this, but he has a built-in way to do secure 4 dmg, or at least kill a creature.
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Also, at the end of the day, what does she do? If everything works out, she functions like a lord who drops +1/+1 counters instead of an aura, which is nice, with a bonus of menace. Sad to say but at least with legion lieutenant, you know when you drop him your guys are getting a +1/+1 bonus no matter what. I will continue to test, but she feels too situational.
what do you think about Slaughter Specialist? 3/3 that growth for two sound good,also some tip, you can vial on rensponse a blocked creature or a removal to growth instant
yeah the 1/1 give to your oppo for free is not good but i think is ok.
in my list i shoud cut gifted aetherborn for it , do you think is a good idea ?
I originally dismissed this card, and then I reread the second line. This 2nd clause creates a problem for them especially when cordial hits the field. 1 counter and this thing really starts getting out of control.
She combines well with Sorins Helix, Cordial, Captain and of course Noc. Also having a 3/3 turn 2 really helps give us some time, much scarier than a t2 bloodghast or dusk legion. The human so far hasnt been a problem, its almost been a pseudo-buff since we have an easy target to helix, push or trade with.
This MIGHT be a better meta card in the 2 drop slot.
I don't like the new set for now, Sorin is the only good card, but one mana too much and there are better things at 4. Olivia is 6 mana and even with Sorin maybe you can't reborn nothing on turn 3. Bloodcaster is x/1 and too hard to flip. I like the 3 cmc -2/-2 to every creature, but it's meta dependent and red. Pit Fighter is mana intensive and also mono red, so with Nocturnus is not that good. Dominant is also red and not always good.
Nocturnus, have you a new list vs this meta?
Yes as of right now, Ive seen nothing from the vamp set thats good for us. Right now the best card Ive seen is Voldaren bloodcaster, and thats not something we can use.
Are you trying to save your creatures, or slow down your opponent?
Mariner fits well into decks that already have some taxes/counters like spirits/merfolk.
He doesn't fit into just any deck, also remember that vamps are black, and they don't really mind dying a lot of the time.
Some vamp decks run white still (idk why, Cordial Vampire is better than legion lieutenant) so in that case it wouldn't seem so disastrous to just add a color.
But now either you have a VERY painful manabase or anytime you have a swamp on t1 or t2 you, cant play Mariner, until t3 at the earliest.
Remember our vamps are very mana hungry, and cordial and bloodghastneed BB.
So you'll be down to 14 life t2 consistently if you get your sacs into your shocks, unless you get a cavern.
I assume you dont have any cards youd run with blue, none of the blue vamps are worth it, and I couldnt imagine any blue spells helping vamps gameplan more than a fatal push would.
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If you have 4 cavern of souls you dont need unclaimed territory... Some even have less than 3 caverns. Just get some sacs (for ghast and noc) and 1-2 shocks (Blood crypt or Godless shrine) I've never had a problem playing stromkirk captain on t3. Silent clearing is nice too, it has saved me many games.
This is a good question. I personally like vampire of the dire moon more b/c I can play her and never again have to invest mana into her. Shes a 1/1 threat that can trade with anything lacking strong evasion (indestructible, pro-black, etc.) She also gains life, now 1 life isn't much, but 2-4 a hit IS meaningful when shes backed up by lords.
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Knight of the ebon legion has its pros too though. He can beat 1/1s in a fight which is more relevant than you think. (deathrite shaman being a 1/2 is such a big deal in legacy) Also, you get rewarded for dealing good damage and he grows and becomes a problem after only a couple pumps. However, dont try to chase the goal of 4 life, b/c its sometimes a little too much. I think if it was 3 life to get bigger hed be MUCH better. Sorins Smiting Helix would be that much stronger...
Swinging with a pair of KotEBs with 3 mana up is a lot of fun, because of the flexibility you're going to kill something or pump one/both of your guys up (after of them hits as a 4/5.)
But again, you need mana to do this. I think in a deck that needs flexible mana like kalastria highborn variants, VotDM is better. More mana for kalastria.
Than again if running kalastria you need viscera seer primarily.
She looks much better she is. If your ok with her being a 3/1 for 1B then by all means. (you shouldnt be)
So the only real place for her is the madness variant, but even then, shes not that consistent. She does combo quite well with stromkirk captain though.
Having said that, the madness variant is just overall worse than Vampire Nocturnus or Kalastria Highborn versions. You have a more nuts hand than the other variants but on average your hands are worse. Also if they get rid of stromkick condemned its hard to recover. You need to finish the game very early or get overran. Voldaren Pariah can be killed in response to her ability as well and you lose, 4 to 1!!! over a fricken bolt...
If someone has a great madness list please post it, but as of now the Madness Variant is either non-vampire or its a Gamblers deck.
"not for a madness build but just for the effect and the body, is a good card draw engine? or just a worse version of dusk legion zeloat"
Kneejerk reaction was initially hes not bad, nothing too crazy.
But flying haste is pretty hard to deal with, and dropping a 4/4 flying haste from sorin turn 3 is def. a win.
silversmote ghoul always struck me as too slow. However I think I might add a couple, but only a couple.
With sorin on board this guy is more value then bloodghast, Helix every turn unless THEY stop it, which is quite nice.
So much card advantage..
However without sorin on board, is he good enough? Def. dont need more than 1 on the board at once so I think 2s about right.
As you mentioned sac on command draw a card/pump our dudes is great.
I think I'd always rather see Sorin or Captain but worth the testing.
In the Grind game, this and bloodghast are MVP.
Back when he was standard, I cant tell you how many times I nuked some ungodly strong evasion creature with this little boi.
Shrouded Sphinxs, Huge Beatsticks, Eldrazis lol.
I cant tell you how many games I won just by playing this card.
(Gatekeeper & Malakir Bloodwitch won me many more games than Nocturnus & Vampire Nighthawk ever did.)
Since the meta was slower he worked really well.
He also fits well in Legacy, look up THE GATE, its a cool black deck that uses him along with fun stuff like Abyssal Percy, bitterblossom, etc.
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So for modern...
He does nothing when sorin-ed or vialed in, which is a big deal.
There are times I wish I had gatekeeper, but I found that sorin would do that same job but better, 9/10 times.
If I want to have a better field, Stromkirk Captain will almost always pull more weight if you have at least 1 other vamp.
It seems like in the speedy modern format (from what Ive seen/played against) by the time this guy gets out, they just sac a token, or their mana dork.
Most modern decks dont run HUGE creatures unless they have a strategy to get them out cheaply/quickly.
Also against many control decks, hes a 2/2 black bear, esp. if the player has hexproof/shroud which is the worst feeling.
In those matchups, Sorin and captain can still do things. Captain is much weaker but still will provide his 1/1 buffs to the team.
TL;DR: Is he good? yes. Is he good in modern B/R vamps? possibly.
Not sure who you are referring to when you say Zargas.
Im drawing a blank.
I like the idea of CHampion of dusk, and I think he shines in Edgar Markov Commander.
However I think you'll find dropping him on turn 3 with sorin is a bit underwhelming.
If he had some sort of evasion like flying Id like him a lot more, but just a vanilla 4/4 hurts.
When playing 5 drop vamps I have a rule, either they immediately do something awesome when they hit the board, or they have incredible evasion and will win the game for you.
Not a necro I think most of us were waiting for this Zendikar set to see of any fun vamps on the horizon.
SO far I havent seen anything that is modern playable.
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"what do you think about Nullpriest of Oblivion?"
The one downside of the Kicker mechanic is that its anti synergistic with vial and Sorin.
Nullpriest of Oblivion is cool, but if you can ever get to 6 mana in vamps, you're probably not going to win anyway.
On top of that, we dont have super scary creatures to bring back. A Nocturnus is cool but other than that I dont see this being value town.
This card strikes me as great for Commander tho, where the game is slower with scarier creatures.
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However, this card does make me think about Morophon the boundless.
Sorin can get him out turn 3, and null priest can bring him back later.
This seems more like kitchen table magic now, but maybe theres something here.
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New drana is cool, but 5 mana, no evasion, takes a turn to swing before doing anything...
With sorin maybe shes better, but cards that rely on other cards to be useful usually arent. (Unless its a backbreaking effect)
The 5 drops I think that are good for vial/sorin vamps would be bloodwitch and blood baron since they have great evasion.
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The new nighthawk has potential but I think he would be the finisher.
Id imagine a weenie vamps deck, with the new nighthawk as the finisher, with IOKs and Thoughtseize to eliminate threats and fill the opponent's graveyard.
Ex: 4/3 Flying, Lifelink, Deathtouch makes racing an absolute Nightmare for the opponent.
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The Nighthawk is slow, but if you build a hand hate, control style of deck I think he would shine.
Part of me wonders what Jund would think of this card...
Yes the 2 drop slot is always a little full in vamps.
I like condemned but personally I would only run him if you wanted to run a madness vairant. Aka asylum visitor or something like Oathsworn vampire to get full benefit out of the discard. 4 bloodghasts isnt really enough.
In addition, I would also throw in Gorger to get those crazy explosive turns. Of course that changes the deck but with vamps, I believe you HAVE to have synergy.
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In terms of IOK over duress, in the control matchup, Duress hits everything basically, however in Modern ( and sideboards in general) you want options. Usually its better to pick a GOOD option that hits a lot of different decks than a GREAT option that only hits a couple.
IOK will always be useful against every deck, unless they dont run 3CMC or lower cards...?
You can get by with it if you only use it in control and combo matchups but Its worth the investment. If you need MORE reach that IOK offers and still want to everything, I would run thoughtseize. Naturally you'll want to make sure you have a little life gain to balance. Even a 1/1 lifelink can outrace a lot of decks when combined with the right lord.
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In terms of deck optimizing, I'll just give you my feelings based on what you posted. Run whatever you like, these are just my initial feelings.
4x guul draaz vampire = best case scenario its pretty good, worst case its pretty bad. This is a card to judge on the worst case. If you want evasion, vampire cutthroat isnt bad. I personally like Vampire of the Dire Moon, Indulgent Aristocrat & Knight of the Ebon Legion.
2x vicious conquistador = not a bad card, but I think the other 3 cards above are just better most of the time.
4x dusk Legion zealot = keeps the deck moving, important card
4x cordial Vampire = makes vamps a modern threat
4x bloodghast = best vamp ever?
3x stromkirk captain = since you committed 10 cards in your mana base to run him, Id run 4
3x vampire nocturnus = 4 isnt too many with vials and sorin
3x vampire nighthawk = I love this card but hes just too slow for this style of deck, if you want the same effect, run Vampire of the Dire moon or gifted aetherborn. (VotDM is one of our best cards imo)
3x sorin imperious bloodlord = One of the key pieces that makes vamps a real threat, try to get that 4th.
4x tragic slip = make fatal push ASAP, 9/10 times its a pure upgrade
4x aether vial = great card
Im assuming these are because of your budget which is fine. You'll run into plays where you have 2 DSs in your hand and itll suck but you have to do what you have to do. Also, you dont need 22 lands to play this deck, Try 20. Its better to get stuck on 3 lands then get flooded. You have vial and sorin.
I would try to find 4-7 of the cheapest swamp sac lands I could find. I think marsh flats is the cheapest atm.
Im sure you know cavern of souls is the way to go, but sadly its pretty pricey.
Overall the deck looks pretty good. Try tweaking the numbers around a bit, remember you want to play as many of your BEST cards as possible.
Against Control decks in general, hand hate (IoK/Thoughtseize) will always shine. However, don't get too carried away with hand hate as we need to be placing creatures on the board as rapidly as possible.
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This will help your board wipe problem, but you really need to learn to not overextend. A good rule of thumb is only to have 2 vamps out against a control deck, but dont count your blooghasts. So 2 zealots and a bloodghast is fine.
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Also sorin does some heavy lifting here bc of his ability to cheat vamps into play as well as pump up a little vamp every time by 1 and give him lifelink. That clock starts speeding up real quick, and Ive had control players WRATH my lone zealot with sorin counters. VALUE.
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Vial, sorin all make counter/control decks easier to deal with, but it can also be a trap. If you place too many vamps out oo fast you'll get blown out and wont be able to recover. So do what you can to get your sorin to stick and let him do the heavy lifting.
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Also if you run stormkirk captain & pushes, those should go out for hand hate and whatever else you might have. I leave noc in bc he can swing the game so quick, 1 turn might be all you need.
Also, if you're running Silversmote, you need X4 sorin and a way to pitch him into the grave. Silversmote is really not that good, trying to get 3 life without sorin on the field is very tough.
This deck would make good use of Collective Brutality I think.
Honestly, zombies/goblins do this kind of deck much better than we can, since they can recur or flood the field. Maybe look into pawn of ulamog for benefits off of saccing. Him plus cordial and a sac outlet should win almost on the spot.
Also check out some of the white vamps, as they can generate more tokens for you. Stuff like Martyr of Dusk, Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle and def. Legion's Landing
I think you'll really need to think outside of the box for this deck, but I like the plan. Hungry for more worth testing for sure.
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Voldaren Estate: I think most of the time this will cost 4 mana altogether to get a blood token. I dont know about you, but if I even have that much mana lying around the game is usually over. Naturally in a weenie style of deck this cards gets better, Im think that there might be a way to combine blood tokens and kalastria... After all Bloodghast, Falkenrath forebearer would love to be discarded via a Blood token.
Florian, Voldaren Scion: Loving the first strike, that alone makes this card much better. All good decks have an "engine" either thats card draw or some other value. I love the bloodghast/Sorin engine but this is a great way to keep the cards flowing. Great late game topdeck, my only real complaint with this card is the fact that the 3cmc slot is crowded and hes a bit slow. 3/3 First Strike is actually pretty decent as a defender as well when behind.
dominating vampire: I like this card. My first thought with this guy was take someones creature, swing at them and then sac it to viscera seer. Would be a good fit in a captivating and or kalastria deck I think.
falkenrath forebear I like that she can be discarded with a blood token to bypass her CMC of 3, but I agree with your 4th point; we dont have a blood token engine yet.
Even then, Im still not sold on blood tokens yet.
Bloodvial Purveyor Remember Abyssal Persecutor? this card saw play in legacy. Bloodvial is just better than that. The fact that while the blood tokens help our opponent they also power this boi up which is great. There needs to be an errata for this guy tho, as its written right now, he would keep the buffs he gets per turn. If its till end of turn or not, it really doesnt matter, there needs to be a clean way to track it.
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Honestly, I think this is one of the best 4cmc vamps we have. Not only is this great to drop turn 3 with sorin, but we can also actually cast this card, and not have to solely rely on cheating it in. Flying + trample is a very scary combo and the fact that he continues to grow as the game goes on is even better. Ill test a couple mixed with noc and see how it goes.
Henrika Domnathi
Absolutely, Bolted at CMC4 is just sooo bad. Against non-red decks her other abilities arent bad the turn she comes out.
Once transformed she's a 3/4 Nighthawk. 3 mana +1/+0 creature pump that doesnt always affect all your vamps? Meh.
If you want a deathtouch/lifelink vamp play the better options we have lower CMCs.
1CMC - Vampire of the Dire Moon
2CMC -Gifted Aetherborn
3CMC - Nighthawk Scavenger
Or use Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord's 1st ability.
Man I hope the new Edgar is good. Fingers crossed.
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With Indulgent, you get much more value out of him if you attack before casting anything that turn, see how they respond and act accordingly. If you always play something and then attack, he will seem terrible and useless. Having said that, he functions better in vamp decks with little/sackable creatures. (Bloodghast, dusk legion zealot, 1 drops and himself when needed, etc.)
My biggest problem with her is that your opponent HAS to lose life for her to do ANYTHING. This can force you to overextend just to get that dmg in so you can get the effect off. Now KotEL also has this, but he has a built-in way to do secure 4 dmg, or at least kill a creature.
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Also, at the end of the day, what does she do? If everything works out, she functions like a lord who drops +1/+1 counters instead of an aura, which is nice, with a bonus of menace. Sad to say but at least with legion lieutenant, you know when you drop him your guys are getting a +1/+1 bonus no matter what. I will continue to test, but she feels too situational.
I originally dismissed this card, and then I reread the second line. This 2nd clause creates a problem for them especially when cordial hits the field. 1 counter and this thing really starts getting out of control.
She combines well with Sorins Helix, Cordial, Captain and of course Noc. Also having a 3/3 turn 2 really helps give us some time, much scarier than a t2 bloodghast or dusk legion. The human so far hasnt been a problem, its almost been a pseudo-buff since we have an easy target to helix, push or trade with.
This MIGHT be a better meta card in the 2 drop slot.
Yes as of right now, Ive seen nothing from the vamp set thats good for us. Right now the best card Ive seen is Voldaren bloodcaster, and thats not something we can use.
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Hopefully in the next few days that'll change.
Falkenrath pit fighter, Ability: -2 mana, -1 card, -1 vamp for +2 cards. (net gain +1 card.)
In response to removal, this (cost-wise) would have been close to Indulgent. (2mana, sac a vamp for some benefit)
Except for the part where they have to lose life for you even to be able to activate this in the first place.
...I'll pass
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Maybe I'll make it...
"What do you think about unsettled mariner?"
My question to YOU is, what do you need him for?
Are you trying to save your creatures, or slow down your opponent?
Mariner fits well into decks that already have some taxes/counters like spirits/merfolk.
He doesn't fit into just any deck, also remember that vamps are black, and they don't really mind dying a lot of the time.
You have Viscera seer Indulgent Aristocrat Cordial Vampire Bloodghast, etc... who all get benefits from things getting targeted and dying.
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Now you have the mana base problem...
Some vamp decks run white still (idk why, Cordial Vampire is better than legion lieutenant) so in that case it wouldn't seem so disastrous to just add a color.
But now either you have a VERY painful manabase or anytime you have a swamp on t1 or t2 you, cant play Mariner, until t3 at the earliest.
Remember our vamps are very mana hungry, and cordial and bloodghastneed BB.
So you'll be down to 14 life t2 consistently if you get your sacs into your shocks, unless you get a cavern.
I assume you dont have any cards youd run with blue, none of the blue vamps are worth it, and I couldnt imagine any blue spells helping vamps gameplan more than a fatal push would.
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If you have 4 cavern of souls you dont need unclaimed territory... Some even have less than 3 caverns. Just get some sacs (for ghast and noc) and 1-2 shocks (Blood crypt or Godless shrine) I've never had a problem playing stromkirk captain on t3. Silent clearing is nice too, it has saved me many games.
"and maybe cut vampire nocturnus?"
...get out
"Between knight of the ebon legion and vampire of the dire moon, if you have to choose just one, which is better, and why ?"
This is a good question. I personally like vampire of the dire moon more b/c I can play her and never again have to invest mana into her. Shes a 1/1 threat that can trade with anything lacking strong evasion (indestructible, pro-black, etc.) She also gains life, now 1 life isn't much, but 2-4 a hit IS meaningful when shes backed up by lords.
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Knight of the ebon legion has its pros too though. He can beat 1/1s in a fight which is more relevant than you think. (deathrite shaman being a 1/2 is such a big deal in legacy) Also, you get rewarded for dealing good damage and he grows and becomes a problem after only a couple pumps. However, dont try to chase the goal of 4 life, b/c its sometimes a little too much. I think if it was 3 life to get bigger hed be MUCH better. Sorins Smiting Helix would be that much stronger...
Swinging with a pair of KotEBs with 3 mana up is a lot of fun, because of the flexibility you're going to kill something or pump one/both of your guys up (after of them hits as a 4/5.)
But again, you need mana to do this. I think in a deck that needs flexible mana like kalastria highborn variants, VotDM is better. More mana for kalastria.
Than again if running kalastria you need viscera seer primarily.
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"what do you think aboutasylum visitor?"
She looks much better she is. If your ok with her being a 3/1 for 1B then by all means. (you shouldnt be)
So the only real place for her is the madness variant, but even then, shes not that consistent. She does combo quite well with stromkirk captain though.
Having said that, the madness variant is just overall worse than Vampire Nocturnus or Kalastria Highborn versions. You have a more nuts hand than the other variants but on average your hands are worse. Also if they get rid of stromkick condemned its hard to recover. You need to finish the game very early or get overran. Voldaren Pariah can be killed in response to her ability as well and you lose, 4 to 1!!! over a fricken bolt...
If someone has a great madness list please post it, but as of now the Madness Variant is either non-vampire or its a Gamblers deck.
"not for a madness build but just for the effect and the body, is a good card draw engine? or just a worse version of dusk legion zeloat"
In that case its 99% of the time a worse version of dusk legion zealot.
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Kneejerk reaction was initially hes not bad, nothing too crazy.
But flying haste is pretty hard to deal with, and dropping a 4/4 flying haste from sorin turn 3 is def. a win.
Combos great with stromkirk captain which is always good.
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silversmote ghoul always struck me as too slow. However I think I might add a couple, but only a couple.
With sorin on board this guy is more value then bloodghast, Helix every turn unless THEY stop it, which is quite nice.
So much card advantage..
However without sorin on board, is he good enough? Def. dont need more than 1 on the board at once so I think 2s about right.
As you mentioned sac on command draw a card/pump our dudes is great.
I think I'd always rather see Sorin or Captain but worth the testing.
In the Grind game, this and bloodghast are MVP.
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"what do you think about gatekeeper of malakir?
is a manideckable card?"
Back when he was standard, I cant tell you how many times I nuked some ungodly strong evasion creature with this little boi.
Shrouded Sphinxs, Huge Beatsticks, Eldrazis lol.
I cant tell you how many games I won just by playing this card.
(Gatekeeper & Malakir Bloodwitch won me many more games than Nocturnus & Vampire Nighthawk ever did.)
Since the meta was slower he worked really well.
He also fits well in Legacy, look up THE GATE, its a cool black deck that uses him along with fun stuff like Abyssal Percy, bitterblossom, etc.
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So for modern...
He does nothing when sorin-ed or vialed in, which is a big deal.
There are times I wish I had gatekeeper, but I found that sorin would do that same job but better, 9/10 times.
If I want to have a better field, Stromkirk Captain will almost always pull more weight if you have at least 1 other vamp.
It seems like in the speedy modern format (from what Ive seen/played against) by the time this guy gets out, they just sac a token, or their mana dork.
Most modern decks dont run HUGE creatures unless they have a strategy to get them out cheaply/quickly.
Also against many control decks, hes a 2/2 black bear, esp. if the player has hexproof/shroud which is the worst feeling.
In those matchups, Sorin and captain can still do things. Captain is much weaker but still will provide his 1/1 buffs to the team.
TL;DR: Is he good? yes. Is he good in modern B/R vamps? possibly.
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Im drawing a blank.
I like the idea of CHampion of dusk, and I think he shines in Edgar Markov Commander.
However I think you'll find dropping him on turn 3 with sorin is a bit underwhelming.
If he had some sort of evasion like flying Id like him a lot more, but just a vanilla 4/4 hurts.
When playing 5 drop vamps I have a rule, either they immediately do something awesome when they hit the board, or they have incredible evasion and will win the game for you.
Ill test him a little more and see what I get.
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SO far I havent seen anything that is modern playable.
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"what do you think about Nullpriest of Oblivion?"
The one downside of the Kicker mechanic is that its anti synergistic with vial and Sorin.
Nullpriest of Oblivion is cool, but if you can ever get to 6 mana in vamps, you're probably not going to win anyway.
On top of that, we dont have super scary creatures to bring back. A Nocturnus is cool but other than that I dont see this being value town.
This card strikes me as great for Commander tho, where the game is slower with scarier creatures.
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However, this card does make me think about Morophon the boundless.
Sorin can get him out turn 3, and null priest can bring him back later.
This seems more like kitchen table magic now, but maybe theres something here.
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New drana is cool, but 5 mana, no evasion, takes a turn to swing before doing anything...
With sorin maybe shes better, but cards that rely on other cards to be useful usually arent. (Unless its a backbreaking effect)
The 5 drops I think that are good for vial/sorin vamps would be bloodwitch and blood baron since they have great evasion.
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The new nighthawk has potential but I think he would be the finisher.
Id imagine a weenie vamps deck, with the new nighthawk as the finisher, with IOKs and Thoughtseize to eliminate threats and fill the opponent's graveyard.
Ex: 4/3 Flying, Lifelink, Deathtouch makes racing an absolute Nightmare for the opponent.
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The Nighthawk is slow, but if you build a hand hate, control style of deck I think he would shine.
Part of me wonders what Jund would think of this card...
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I like condemned but personally I would only run him if you wanted to run a madness vairant. Aka asylum visitor or something like Oathsworn vampire to get full benefit out of the discard. 4 bloodghasts isnt really enough.
In addition, I would also throw in Gorger to get those crazy explosive turns. Of course that changes the deck but with vamps, I believe you HAVE to have synergy.
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In terms of IOK over duress, in the control matchup, Duress hits everything basically, however in Modern ( and sideboards in general) you want options. Usually its better to pick a GOOD option that hits a lot of different decks than a GREAT option that only hits a couple.
IOK will always be useful against every deck, unless they dont run 3CMC or lower cards...?
You can get by with it if you only use it in control and combo matchups but Its worth the investment. If you need MORE reach that IOK offers and still want to everything, I would run thoughtseize. Naturally you'll want to make sure you have a little life gain to balance. Even a 1/1 lifelink can outrace a lot of decks when combined with the right lord.
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In terms of deck optimizing, I'll just give you my feelings based on what you posted. Run whatever you like, these are just my initial feelings.
4x guul draaz vampire = best case scenario its pretty good, worst case its pretty bad. This is a card to judge on the worst case. If you want evasion, vampire cutthroat isnt bad. I personally like Vampire of the Dire Moon, Indulgent Aristocrat & Knight of the Ebon Legion.
2x vicious conquistador = not a bad card, but I think the other 3 cards above are just better most of the time.
4x dusk Legion zealot = keeps the deck moving, important card
4x cordial Vampire = makes vamps a modern threat
4x bloodghast = best vamp ever?
3x stromkirk captain = since you committed 10 cards in your mana base to run him, Id run 4
3x vampire nocturnus = 4 isnt too many with vials and sorin
3x vampire nighthawk = I love this card but hes just too slow for this style of deck, if you want the same effect, run Vampire of the Dire moon or gifted aetherborn. (VotDM is one of our best cards imo)
3x sorin imperious bloodlord = One of the key pieces that makes vamps a real threat, try to get that 4th.
4x tragic slip = make fatal push ASAP, 9/10 times its a pure upgrade
4x aether vial = great card
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4x dragonskull summit
4x foreboding ruins
2x blood crypt
10x swamp
2x unclaimed territory
Im assuming these are because of your budget which is fine. You'll run into plays where you have 2 DSs in your hand and itll suck but you have to do what you have to do. Also, you dont need 22 lands to play this deck, Try 20. Its better to get stuck on 3 lands then get flooded. You have vial and sorin.
I would try to find 4-7 of the cheapest swamp sac lands I could find. I think marsh flats is the cheapest atm.
Im sure you know cavern of souls is the way to go, but sadly its pretty pricey.
Overall the deck looks pretty good. Try tweaking the numbers around a bit, remember you want to play as many of your BEST cards as possible.
Hope this helped!
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This will help your board wipe problem, but you really need to learn to not overextend. A good rule of thumb is only to have 2 vamps out against a control deck, but dont count your blooghasts. So 2 zealots and a bloodghast is fine.
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Also sorin does some heavy lifting here bc of his ability to cheat vamps into play as well as pump up a little vamp every time by 1 and give him lifelink. That clock starts speeding up real quick, and Ive had control players WRATH my lone zealot with sorin counters. VALUE.
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Vial, sorin all make counter/control decks easier to deal with, but it can also be a trap. If you place too many vamps out oo fast you'll get blown out and wont be able to recover. So do what you can to get your sorin to stick and let him do the heavy lifting.
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Also if you run stormkirk captain & pushes, those should go out for hand hate and whatever else you might have. I leave noc in bc he can swing the game so quick, 1 turn might be all you need.
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Hope this helps.
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What list did you use?
We're super pumped to hear that
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I found that Captivating Vampire was just an over-costed Legion lieutenant most of the time.
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