Comeuppance and Narset Transcendent are out. I thought comeuppance prevented damage to creatures, too; it doesn't. Narset strikes out too much. How do we feel about Sunder as a budget Ravages of War? Seems like a decent card for a tempo build and works well with Jace, et al.
I don't know, you might try it but the power of armageddon is the fact your opponent will most likely not play lands for a few turns, giving you enough time to finish him. 5 mana is a LOT more than 4 in this deck and may not allow you to keep counterspell back up or mana to play another spell.
I would not play it especially in this meta. Armageddon is strong against ramp (one of the few ways to win against maelstrom wanderer, and ramp), can be good if nothing is going on and you have some action in hand. But in todays metagame, I feel like a lot of decks are more present than us on the board, making armageddon a dead card: Anafenza, Doran, Titania, Elfball (Ezuri, Yisan), Prossh, Daretti, Tasigur (armageddon is especially awefull against him), Jenara, Animar (and the list goes on).
It is good against Narset, Wanderer and sometimes GAA which are bad matchups for us, but I am considering removing Armageddon from my deck at the moment, as I am very rarely happy to draw it
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Smokko, I would LOVE to run Ravages of War but it's not in the budget at the moment. I'm hoping the judge promo is cheaper within a year or so. I completely forgot about *trying* Sunder. I think it still might work for the short term. It is still big tempo loss for them either way.
Good luck for that, I am impatient to hear about the results. Just took a look at your current decklist, I see you don't run Monastery Mentor anymore, any thoughts on the card?
How do you feel about trinket mage? Seems to be a good tech with top but I feel he is really slow? I also see you run treasure cruise, which I have cut as I could not fill my graveyard fast enough to pay only U for the spell, and 3U or 2U in ritual was too much for me, what is your feeling about the card?
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thanks for the ideas, I will change a little my list, it works well but I have not been entierly satisfied with some of the cards. I will post an update with a tournament report as soon as I go to FNM with the deck again
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I know how you feel about MW, the matchup is terrible, I have a friend who plays it and I am never able to win "fairly" (without armaggedon or nevermore): even when I am strongly in control of the game, a MW can win out of nowhere
Maxence Achoun went in the final of the Show and Tell tournament in Paris (52 players) and ID with Clique I believe. I think he was running a more control-oriented list that will be posted shortly into mtgtop8, this may be the way to go in the current meta
Hey guys, I've been lurking for a few days because I'm taking part in a tournament series, the second part of which is Duel Commander. I've obviously selected GoST for my commander. However, for reasons that confuse and befuddle, they're using the multiplayer ban list for the event. This means that Serra Ascendant and Sol Ring are in.
The first iteration of my list was pretty similar to ones I've seen bandied about here, but I'm reluctant to streamline mine like these. The main reason is that there isn't really a duel commander meta in my area, and I think a lot of people are bringing existing decks, which can all run the gamut when it comes to power and speed. I'm expecting at least two Maelstrom Wanderer decks, so I've included Render Silent and Curse of Exhaustion. I've also included Dragonlord Ojutai, Mana Web, Icefall Regent, Black Vise, Pact of Negation and a few others that I haven't seen in many lists in this forum.
Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions, I would certainly like to get a dialogue going. Thanks so much!
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Can you name all of the creature types with at least 20 cards? Try my Sporcle Quiz! Last Updated: 6/29/20 (Core Set 2021).
maybe you could post your full list for discussion?
If you are running multiplayer banlist, it means that most players may bring multiplayer decks, and these will get cruished by a well constructed GoST. You should consider all additions that are banned in french, on the top of my head:
-Back To basics: you can't not run this card
- Strip Mine
- Fast Mana
Dragonlord Ojutai is to slow ans does not do enough. If you want big Spells, play p^laneswalkers: Elspeth Knight Errant, Jace, and even Elspeth Sun's Champion if you really want to go big (though I tested her and she was most of the tme uncastable). I don't like pact of negation in a deck that doesn't have a combo finish, tapping out on your upkeep is not good.
To fight MW, add Meddling Mage, Nevermore, Teferi, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Misdirection (for time walks), Armaggedon effects, artifact hate (depending on the version) but I would consider playing a GAA deck in a meta with lots of MW, as the matchup is not good for us
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You'll find the deck list below. Clearly, my mind was still in multiplayer mode when I made this list originally. I'm guessing I need more efficient spells, fewer creatures, cheaper creatures etc. Clearly the mana base isn't as efficient as it should be, and just like most of the deck's notable exclusions, it's because of availability. I've got a few changes in mind, but this is the list as it currently exists:
@Bastos: nice report and props for testing a lot of odd cards. Winning against Thrun is not easy so I think you did well in that match. If you have the wrath's in the deck, that means you are the control player. You don't have to lead with any creatures or with Geist, so you can clear their board when hey overcommit with theirs. How many lands do you run in the deck? Mulligan to 5 both games on he play is almost unwinnable vs GAAIV. Against Sigarda, you have to deny his early mana accelerators, and also use your wasteland effects to keep him off one color of mana. If you get the Parallax Tide w/ Stifle - that will also allow you a few turns to drop his life total. Thassa has been off my list for a few months now, as it's prett slow and has no impact as she comes into play vs aggro decks. Replace with acqueous form, or Steelshaper's Gift to tutor your swords.
Hello, sorry for the shameless post, but do you guys play duel commander IRL? I'm from Manila as well, and me and 2 of my friends are looking for places to playtest. I go to glorietta or regran once in a while but they all play tiny leaders now.. You'll be helping us out big time just by pointing us in the right direction, thanks!!
You'll find the deck list below. Clearly, my mind was still in multiplayer mode when I made this list originally. I'm guessing I need more efficient spells, fewer creatures, cheaper creatures etc. Clearly the mana base isn't as efficient as it should be, and just like most of the deck's notable exclusions, it's because of availability. I've got a few changes in mind, but this is the list as it currently exists:
EDIT: Apparently, exporting from tappedout using its "MTGSalvation" mode produces an ugly mess, so I just left the link.
So the way I see it:
1x Aegis of the Gods: I don't see what it does? Burn does not exist in the format
1x Consecrated Sphinx: we are more tempo/midrange than control, this is way to expensive for what it does in the deck
1x Dragonlord Ojutai: same
1x Ephara, God of the Polis: you don't run that many flash creature or blink effects, plus it costs a lot
1x Geist of Saint Traft
1x Grand Abolisher: only if you expect a lot of control
1x Icefall Regent: only if you expect lots of creature decks/MW
1x Phyrexian Metamorph: Run phantasmal image if tyou want clones
1x Phyrexian Revoker: does not always have a great target
1x Sun Titan: way too expensive
1x Thassa, God of the Sea: I prefer acqueous form, you will most likely not have devotion, and she needs a lot mana to work. But she is ok
I would consider Porcelain Legionnaire if you want to run lots of creatures and an aggro plan
1x Bident of Thassa: you run a lot of creatures so I can see it working, but seems a little slow and situationnal to me
1x Black Vise: doesn't really do anything
1x Cursed Rack: same here
1x Mana Web: same
1x Pithing Needle
1x Sol Ring
1x Sword of Feast and Famine
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
1x Talisman of Progress
1x Umezawa's Jitte
Planeswalker (1)
1x Gideon Jura: this is more a control card, and the creatures you run make your deck more midrange/aggro oriented
mana short: doesn't really do anything, just run a counter, or silence effect if you really want to go all-in the tempo route
mental mistep: only if you expect a lot of elves, otherwise is not that great
pact of negation: don't run this card in a non-combo deck
sphinx revelation: we are not a control deck, especially in your version, you will never have enough mana up to make it good, especially since you run so many sorcery speed cards. Play Dig or cruise
taplands: play basics instead
control magic: you don't need to steal their creatures, just kill them: too situationnal and costs too much to make it worth it, by the point you cast it, you will want to attack with creature and protect with counters
curse of exhaustion: pay eidolon of rhetoric if you want that effect against Wanderer, or rule of law. This one costs too much
Telepathy: does not do anything. Run peek and Probe if you want information
in your maybe board, you should run spell pierce and maybe spell snare. The other spells are not good in this deck. You should run the planeswalkers and expensive creature only if you expect a really slow metagame, 40 life and multiplayer decks in front of you. You should run more cheap counters too
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Thanks for the advice! The biggest issue I have with streamlining this deck to Duel Commander standards is that I'm not sure what to expect from this meta, as it's really just a one-time thing. I'm concerned that if I don't get the best start, these midrange/combo decks will overtake me. That's why I went with stuff like Icefall Regent and Consecrated Sphinx. I even had Aetherling in at one point. Having said all that, a few questions for you:
1. Regarding Eidolon of Rhetoric/Rule of Law, how much do you think the symmetry of the effect will hurt me, as opposed to Curse of Exhaustion?
2. Mental Misstep. I've seen this in a few lists, and I was thinking of all of the T1 plays I could hobble with it, like Sol Ring or a Green Sun's Zenith for zero.
3. For Ephara, God of the Polis, you don't think that synergy with the angel token is enough? I'm sure you're right about it though, like the rest of your recommendations.
4. Aegis of the Gods. I was actually more concerned about discard. Is that a thing in this format?
yes Mental misstep is good turn 1, especially in a format with sol ring, but it is a bad top deck. It is definitely playable though.
If you want to play stuff like eidolon or rule of law, it is mostly for the MW matchup, but can be good against control too: once you resolved a Geist, you don't have to play that many spells.
For the midrange matchup outpacing you, I would play some wraths. You have a fast clock, counters, bounces and draw spells, this is enough to beat midrange and combo. Consecrated Sphinx is really too slow: tap 6 mana at sorcery and has no impact on the board when he comes into play. your opponent will have removal. If you want big stuff, use Elspeth Sun's Champion, she just ends the game. Most problematic matchups for the deck are elfball and fast green combo decks Yisan (some lists become really scary in france) Titania, Maelstrom Wanderer and control matchups like Narset (they have many thing to kill Geist and they have more draw and late game potential
For Ephare, yes there is this synergy, but it is really slow and you won't have devotion most of the time. Plus, Geist will not be able to attack all the time, and will most likely be removed at some point. And this is when you need to deraw cards, and Ephara does nothing in that situaiton. Just play Coercitive portal, Future Sight, Jaces... if you want the CA
I see your point for discard, but running a card that does nothing except prevent a 1 for 1 trade is not good. Discard does not run your gameplan, your deck is lands, counters and creatures and all of them do the same job. A thoughtseize hitting one of your draw spells is tough but otherwsise its ok. Run mental misstep to prevent discard, it is far more efficient
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Ok, so I've made a few changes, but I have yet to pull the trigger on others. Among other things, I cracked open my FTV:20 for Jace 2. I have a few more questions/thoughts for you.
1. What is your opinion of Monastery Mentor?
2. What is your opinion of Monastery Siege?
3. How often do Force Spike variants become dead in your hand? I've added a few more counters, and I'm considering Disdainful Stroke too.
4. I think I'm going to make room for Valorous Stance. I like the flexibility.
5. Is Tamiyo, the Moon Sage worth a look?
6. Upon looking at your list, how are the Elspeths working for you?
Thanks again for your help. I'm gonna try to track down an Aven Mindcensor, but I'm not optimistic.
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Can you name all of the creature types with at least 20 cards? Try my Sporcle Quiz! Last Updated: 6/29/20 (Core Set 2021).
For monastery mentor, I still play him although he is not as good as creatures such as True-Name Nemesis. Smokko does not play him, as he explained on the previous page. Late game he is a powerhouse, early, he is not as good
Monastery Siege can be ok, but I think most players don't use it because there are better cards to play, but you can try it
Force spike and mana tithe are good, since you have a general that comes down early and you want to put pressure. it is also good with dust bowl, wasteland parallax tide etc. I only plau mana tithe, sinced drawing them later is not good. Disdainful stroke is ok if you expect a meta with very expensive spells.
Valorous stance does not hit most of the targets in the meta, and does not protect geist from most of the things that actually kill him (edict effects, toxic deluge...). it is not a bad card to lay, but I prefer to run counterspells rather than this card for flexibility. Tamiyo is really slow and good only if you want to win on the late game, with Geist we want to win midgame since our cards become bad topdecks (cheap counters, not a lot of draw spells). You could do a more control version with late game spells and draw (basically i GAA deck with Geist as a general) and it should work though
My list changed from the last time I posted it, I will do an update. In my experience, Elspeth Knight Errant is really awesome: majke a token to protect from edicts, hit really hard with geist or other creatures...Sun's champion should win you tyhe game immediately but for the time I played her, i never casted her: when I wanted, I didn't have enough mana, and even when I had I couldn't keep counterspell back up (when you can cast 6 drops, you are most likely against control)
I think more than 4 mana for a spell is too much for the classic Geist version. But I still think she can work, but in a control deck built as traditional GAA UW control, with geist as yur general
You can try Kick Engines in Cubao Expo, as they do regular monthly, or bi-monthly tournaments. There's also Robotboi in Philcoa Commonealth Avenue - every Wednesday and Friday night is Duel Commander, and tournaments fire even if there are only 4 players sometimes. Pat Sessions in Legarda also holds tournaments, but I'm not sure of the regularity for that shop. In any case, try joining the facebook group for MTG Commander Philippines for updated schedules of upcoming tournaments.
Thanks for the recommendations, KingBrago and Smokko. I really appreciate it. While I won't be taking all of the suggestions offered, I will be using most of them. I still can't shake the feeling that I'll need a few beefier creatures. However, you should've seen the list before I posted it here; it had Frost Titan, Aetherling and freakin' Drogskol Reaver!
Again, your guidance and decklists have been most helpful. The whole thing is odd because there is no real Duel Commander meta to speak of in this area. The organizer of the event is using the multiplayer banlist, starting life of 40, and the matches are a single game! The event is tomorrow night. I'll let you know how it goes if anyone is interested.
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Can you name all of the creature types with at least 20 cards? Try my Sporcle Quiz! Last Updated: 6/29/20 (Core Set 2021).
I really don't think so. Even creature-eavy lists don't run that many creatures (typically 6 to 10), and the only 1 toughness one is clique, which you don't want to sac to draw cards, since she is used as a beater to get in some points of damage. Remember clamp is good only in a list running mana dorks which are dead cards at a certain point.
so you would be running clamp as a +1 attack and I draw cards if you kill my dude, which is fine, but not worth the slot in my opinion, as cards like SoFI, Jitte...are far better and we don't want to run too much equipment.
Clamp would draw you cards if you have a creature and when your opponent kills him, so most likely not when you really need to draw cards.
In geist, if you want to draw cards, just run more draw spells. Perilous research is a bad card in my opinion. It is not CA unless you sac the angel token, which makes you play it on your turn, which is really not what you want to do when you have an active Geist.
I think you could play it, but you would have to make your list a lot more aggro-oriented, with lots of creatures. And in the current metagame, I think the best Geist list is basically a GAA deck with Geist as a General: it has better game against elfball, ramp and control
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I don't feel Skullclamp on Geist is too bad to negate sweepers somewhat but that being said I have cut it as the one toughness is really a big blow.
For draw, what about Frantic Search? I'm going to test it along with Cephalid Coliseum as I find a lot of time I have extra sweepers in my hand that are somewhat dead or sometimes need a counterspell which FS helps with...thoughts?
I think it can be good in the tempo list, as card filtering is good in a tempo game plan: find the answers you need and kill them before CA is an issue. Then, it is raw card disadvantage, so we have to see if there are not better options (gush?).
I think that in the current metagame, raw card advantage and shifting more towards control may be a good call. Then I am working on anafenza at the moment so I have not been able to test such a list.
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I want to report back on Monastery Mentor, too. He is not terrible but he is extremely underwhelming here. He wants to be good so bad and with the right hand he can be good but I just haven't had much luck with him, honestly. Anybody else feel differently? I have cut him for now.
As it has been said in this thread, Monastery Mentor did not live up to the expectations most of us had. We were expecting a 3rd Geist/ 2nd True-Name for the deck, and it does not work like one.
I steel feel he is a good late-game threat, when the game is more or less in topdeck mode and you have a conterspell to protect him. I think he could really shine in a Geist control build, and he does not do enough in the "classic" version.
I did not play geist for some time but I could see cutting him if I pick up the deck and maybe play Brimaz instead, or just more controlling cards and card draw to keep up with more controlling decks and elfball, which are starting to become really strong and consistant
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Ok cool. I feel the same. I see you've picked up Ana, too, Brago! She's great, isn't she? Very fun deck. My Marath deck is about to transition to an elfball build too hope it's as strong as consistent as you say they are!
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I would not play it especially in this meta. Armageddon is strong against ramp (one of the few ways to win against maelstrom wanderer, and ramp), can be good if nothing is going on and you have some action in hand. But in todays metagame, I feel like a lot of decks are more present than us on the board, making armageddon a dead card: Anafenza, Doran, Titania, Elfball (Ezuri, Yisan), Prossh, Daretti, Tasigur (armageddon is especially awefull against him), Jenara, Animar (and the list goes on).
It is good against Narset, Wanderer and sometimes GAA which are bad matchups for us, but I am considering removing Armageddon from my deck at the moment, as I am very rarely happy to draw it
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How do you feel about trinket mage? Seems to be a good tech with top but I feel he is really slow? I also see you run treasure cruise, which I have cut as I could not fill my graveyard fast enough to pay only U for the spell, and 3U or 2U in ritual was too much for me, what is your feeling about the card?
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Currently Playing:
Modern Grixis Shadow, Storm
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Duel Commander: Kess High Tide
Vintage Big blue(MTGO)
Maxence Achoun went in the final of the Show and Tell tournament in Paris (52 players) and ID with Clique I believe. I think he was running a more control-oriented list that will be posted shortly into mtgtop8, this may be the way to go in the current meta
Currently Playing:
Modern Grixis Shadow, Storm
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The first iteration of my list was pretty similar to ones I've seen bandied about here, but I'm reluctant to streamline mine like these. The main reason is that there isn't really a duel commander meta in my area, and I think a lot of people are bringing existing decks, which can all run the gamut when it comes to power and speed. I'm expecting at least two Maelstrom Wanderer decks, so I've included Render Silent and Curse of Exhaustion. I've also included Dragonlord Ojutai, Mana Web, Icefall Regent, Black Vise, Pact of Negation and a few others that I haven't seen in many lists in this forum.
Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions, I would certainly like to get a dialogue going. Thanks so much!
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If you are running multiplayer banlist, it means that most players may bring multiplayer decks, and these will get cruished by a well constructed GoST. You should consider all additions that are banned in french, on the top of my head:
-Back To basics: you can't not run this card
- Strip Mine
- Fast Mana
Dragonlord Ojutai is to slow ans does not do enough. If you want big Spells, play p^laneswalkers: Elspeth Knight Errant, Jace, and even Elspeth Sun's Champion if you really want to go big (though I tested her and she was most of the tme uncastable). I don't like pact of negation in a deck that doesn't have a combo finish, tapping out on your upkeep is not good.
To fight MW, add Meddling Mage, Nevermore, Teferi, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Misdirection (for time walks), Armaggedon effects, artifact hate (depending on the version) but I would consider playing a GAA deck in a meta with lots of MW, as the matchup is not good for us
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Duels of Saint Traft
EDIT: Apparently, exporting from tappedout using its "MTGSalvation" mode produces an ugly mess, so I just left the link.
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Hello, sorry for the shameless post, but do you guys play duel commander IRL? I'm from Manila as well, and me and 2 of my friends are looking for places to playtest. I go to glorietta or regran once in a while but they all play tiny leaders now.. You'll be helping us out big time just by pointing us in the right direction, thanks!!
So the way I see it:
1x Aegis of the Gods: I don't see what it does? Burn does not exist in the format
1x Consecrated Sphinx: we are more tempo/midrange than control, this is way to expensive for what it does in the deck
1x Dragonlord Ojutai: same
1x Ephara, God of the Polis: you don't run that many flash creature or blink effects, plus it costs a lot
1x Geist of Saint Traft
1x Grand Abolisher: only if you expect a lot of control
1x Icefall Regent: only if you expect lots of creature decks/MW
1x Phyrexian Metamorph: Run phantasmal image if tyou want clones
1x Phyrexian Revoker: does not always have a great target
1x Sun Titan: way too expensive
1x Thassa, God of the Sea: I prefer acqueous form, you will most likely not have devotion, and she needs a lot mana to work. But she is ok
I would consider Porcelain Legionnaire if you want to run lots of creatures and an aggro plan
1x Bident of Thassa: you run a lot of creatures so I can see it working, but seems a little slow and situationnal to me
1x Black Vise: doesn't really do anything
1x Cursed Rack: same here
1x Mana Web: same
1x Pithing Needle
1x Sol Ring
1x Sword of Feast and Famine
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
1x Talisman of Progress
1x Umezawa's Jitte
Planeswalker (1)
1x Gideon Jura: this is more a control card, and the creatures you run make your deck more midrange/aggro oriented
mana short: doesn't really do anything, just run a counter, or silence effect if you really want to go all-in the tempo route
mental mistep: only if you expect a lot of elves, otherwise is not that great
pact of negation: don't run this card in a non-combo deck
sphinx revelation: we are not a control deck, especially in your version, you will never have enough mana up to make it good, especially since you run so many sorcery speed cards. Play Dig or cruise
taplands: play basics instead
control magic: you don't need to steal their creatures, just kill them: too situationnal and costs too much to make it worth it, by the point you cast it, you will want to attack with creature and protect with counters
curse of exhaustion: pay eidolon of rhetoric if you want that effect against Wanderer, or rule of law. This one costs too much
Telepathy: does not do anything. Run peek and Probe if you want information
in your maybe board, you should run spell pierce and maybe spell snare. The other spells are not good in this deck. You should run the planeswalkers and expensive creature only if you expect a really slow metagame, 40 life and multiplayer decks in front of you. You should run more cheap counters too
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1. Regarding Eidolon of Rhetoric/Rule of Law, how much do you think the symmetry of the effect will hurt me, as opposed to Curse of Exhaustion?
2. Mental Misstep. I've seen this in a few lists, and I was thinking of all of the T1 plays I could hobble with it, like Sol Ring or a Green Sun's Zenith for zero.
3. For Ephara, God of the Polis, you don't think that synergy with the angel token is enough? I'm sure you're right about it though, like the rest of your recommendations.
4. Aegis of the Gods. I was actually more concerned about discard. Is that a thing in this format?
Looks like I've got work to do! Thanks again.
My 720 Peasant Cube
If you want to play stuff like eidolon or rule of law, it is mostly for the MW matchup, but can be good against control too: once you resolved a Geist, you don't have to play that many spells.
For the midrange matchup outpacing you, I would play some wraths. You have a fast clock, counters, bounces and draw spells, this is enough to beat midrange and combo. Consecrated Sphinx is really too slow: tap 6 mana at sorcery and has no impact on the board when he comes into play. your opponent will have removal. If you want big stuff, use Elspeth Sun's Champion, she just ends the game. Most problematic matchups for the deck are elfball and fast green combo decks Yisan (some lists become really scary in france) Titania, Maelstrom Wanderer and control matchups like Narset (they have many thing to kill Geist and they have more draw and late game potential
For Ephare, yes there is this synergy, but it is really slow and you won't have devotion most of the time. Plus, Geist will not be able to attack all the time, and will most likely be removed at some point. And this is when you need to deraw cards, and Ephara does nothing in that situaiton. Just play Coercitive portal, Future Sight, Jaces... if you want the CA
I see your point for discard, but running a card that does nothing except prevent a 1 for 1 trade is not good. Discard does not run your gameplan, your deck is lands, counters and creatures and all of them do the same job. A thoughtseize hitting one of your draw spells is tough but otherwsise its ok. Run mental misstep to prevent discard, it is far more efficient
Currently Playing:
Modern Grixis Shadow, Storm
Legacy: Grixis Delver, Sneak and Show
Duel Commander: Kess High Tide
Vintage Big blue(MTGO)
1. What is your opinion of Monastery Mentor?
2. What is your opinion of Monastery Siege?
3. How often do Force Spike variants become dead in your hand? I've added a few more counters, and I'm considering Disdainful Stroke too.
4. I think I'm going to make room for Valorous Stance. I like the flexibility.
5. Is Tamiyo, the Moon Sage worth a look?
6. Upon looking at your list, how are the Elspeths working for you?
Thanks again for your help. I'm gonna try to track down an Aven Mindcensor, but I'm not optimistic.
My 720 Peasant Cube
Monastery Siege can be ok, but I think most players don't use it because there are better cards to play, but you can try it
Force spike and mana tithe are good, since you have a general that comes down early and you want to put pressure. it is also good with dust bowl, wasteland parallax tide etc. I only plau mana tithe, sinced drawing them later is not good. Disdainful stroke is ok if you expect a meta with very expensive spells.
Valorous stance does not hit most of the targets in the meta, and does not protect geist from most of the things that actually kill him (edict effects, toxic deluge...). it is not a bad card to lay, but I prefer to run counterspells rather than this card for flexibility. Tamiyo is really slow and good only if you want to win on the late game, with Geist we want to win midgame since our cards become bad topdecks (cheap counters, not a lot of draw spells). You could do a more control version with late game spells and draw (basically i GAA deck with Geist as a general) and it should work though
My list changed from the last time I posted it, I will do an update. In my experience, Elspeth Knight Errant is really awesome: majke a token to protect from edicts, hit really hard with geist or other creatures...Sun's champion should win you tyhe game immediately but for the time I played her, i never casted her: when I wanted, I didn't have enough mana, and even when I had I couldn't keep counterspell back up (when you can cast 6 drops, you are most likely against control)
I think more than 4 mana for a spell is too much for the classic Geist version. But I still think she can work, but in a control deck built as traditional GAA UW control, with geist as yur general
Currently Playing:
Modern Grixis Shadow, Storm
Legacy: Grixis Delver, Sneak and Show
Duel Commander: Kess High Tide
Vintage Big blue(MTGO)
You can try Kick Engines in Cubao Expo, as they do regular monthly, or bi-monthly tournaments. There's also Robotboi in Philcoa Commonealth Avenue - every Wednesday and Friday night is Duel Commander, and tournaments fire even if there are only 4 players sometimes. Pat Sessions in Legarda also holds tournaments, but I'm not sure of the regularity for that shop. In any case, try joining the facebook group for MTG Commander Philippines for updated schedules of upcoming tournaments.
Anyway, I did manage to pick up a few things today that I need to make room for: Daze, Remand, Cryptic Command and Aven Mindcensor.
Again, your guidance and decklists have been most helpful. The whole thing is odd because there is no real Duel Commander meta to speak of in this area. The organizer of the event is using the multiplayer banlist, starting life of 40, and the matches are a single game! The event is tomorrow night. I'll let you know how it goes if anyone is interested.
My 720 Peasant Cube
so you would be running clamp as a +1 attack and I draw cards if you kill my dude, which is fine, but not worth the slot in my opinion, as cards like SoFI, Jitte...are far better and we don't want to run too much equipment.
Clamp would draw you cards if you have a creature and when your opponent kills him, so most likely not when you really need to draw cards.
In geist, if you want to draw cards, just run more draw spells. Perilous research is a bad card in my opinion. It is not CA unless you sac the angel token, which makes you play it on your turn, which is really not what you want to do when you have an active Geist.
I think you could play it, but you would have to make your list a lot more aggro-oriented, with lots of creatures. And in the current metagame, I think the best Geist list is basically a GAA deck with Geist as a General: it has better game against elfball, ramp and control
Currently Playing:
Modern Grixis Shadow, Storm
Legacy: Grixis Delver, Sneak and Show
Duel Commander: Kess High Tide
Vintage Big blue(MTGO)
For draw, what about Frantic Search? I'm going to test it along with Cephalid Coliseum as I find a lot of time I have extra sweepers in my hand that are somewhat dead or sometimes need a counterspell which FS helps with...thoughts?
I think that in the current metagame, raw card advantage and shifting more towards control may be a good call. Then I am working on anafenza at the moment so I have not been able to test such a list.
Currently Playing:
Modern Grixis Shadow, Storm
Legacy: Grixis Delver, Sneak and Show
Duel Commander: Kess High Tide
Vintage Big blue(MTGO)
I steel feel he is a good late-game threat, when the game is more or less in topdeck mode and you have a conterspell to protect him. I think he could really shine in a Geist control build, and he does not do enough in the "classic" version.
I did not play geist for some time but I could see cutting him if I pick up the deck and maybe play Brimaz instead, or just more controlling cards and card draw to keep up with more controlling decks and elfball, which are starting to become really strong and consistant
Currently Playing:
Modern Grixis Shadow, Storm
Legacy: Grixis Delver, Sneak and Show
Duel Commander: Kess High Tide
Vintage Big blue(MTGO)