Just want to test certain heavy hitters (because of budget reasons) like Gitrog Monster and Ishkhanah. I want to turn on Delirium more reliably so I am fiddling with the idea of some Wooded Foothills as I find myself always short of 1 card type to enable it. and I do not want to use Vessel of Nascency. I might bump the land count to 10 because of that.
i might drop 1 copy of Belcher for a lone copy of Splendid Reclamation.
With the two events I've gone 4-4 and I think most of my losses have come with lack of knowledge on the deck, such as when to mulligan hands against certain decks and knowing when I need to go faster than my opponent as far as comboing. Overall though I love the deck and it's definitely going to be my pet deck for future events, I plan on moving forward with a couple of changes.
I'd like to add one more Myr Battlesphere or Wurmcoil Engine seeing as the madcap nearly killed me a time or two. Then a couple of changes to the sideboard all meta related so posting those would be of no effect.
There's a GP in my area in the next couple of weeks so I'll be putting the deck down for that event and running either Ad Nauseam or RG Breach for the event. Once that's over with I'll be focusing on tuning this deck more and more cause it's some of the most fun I've had playing modern as of late.
@bent1337, your list is a bit susceptible to mulligan due to the number of high-cost cards. I understand that Madcap Experiment sometimes might backfire, but your current count of 11 artifacts seems to many, as what Frank Karsten has computed. It is still up to your comfort preference, though.
My concern is that, 2 Myr Battlesphere seems to much. Very few times do we have 7 mana immediately, and the Battlesphere is a bad early card. I'd rather have an additional Wurmcoil Engine than it. It seems it is a bit mitigated by the number of Batterskulls you play, but I suggest cutting one for another lower-costing threat (if that's where you're comfortable with).
Also, I noticed you didn't play with Vessel of Nascency. Consensus is that the card is a very big boon to the deck, a tutor for all our threats (except Madcap Experiment) and lands as well. An additional benefit is it has some minor potential of turning on Delirium for Traverse the Ulvenwald. Have you tried playtesting with it?
So i just happened to find this thread by accident, but damn this deck looks sweet! Are there any budget replacements for batterskulls and wurmcoils? Otherwise the deck is super cheap and i will probably buy into it soon! How often do you acctually win, is it consistent enough? I mean it looks pretty inconsistent, though i can imagine that when it works it works wonders!
i moved away from the black splash (too seductive to ruin the deck balance with other cards / lack of consistency) and moved to something more reliable. I am currently splashing Colorless for Thought-Knot Seer.
Sylvan Scrying: Coz to tutor the Wastes although its a tad bit redundant as there are already 12 cards in deck able to fetch it. Those of you who own Ancient Stirrings can replace that 1:1. Ancient Stirrings also hit TKS so I would definitely go with that.
Manamorphose: Cantrip. Help Delirum
Chromatic Star: Cantrip. Help Delirum
Prime-Time: Beats and help fish out all the lands in the deck for an eventual lethal Charbelcher activation
Steel Hellkite: Beats and board control
Thought-Knot Seer: Best 4 drop in Modern that gets powered out in this deck on turn 3. Turn 2 is possible with a nut draw and careful sequencing.
Standard guide lines to opening hands remain the same. A Chancellor of the Tangle + 1 land Tutor gets it going. Prepare sideboard with enchantment/artifact mass destruction and go to town. All is Dust is a viable option but I prefer Fracturing Gust
Nice list for the colorless splash. Though I advocate including Talisman of Impulse in colorless builds due to some decks running Ghost Quarters, where your Thought-Knot Seer becomes a dead card if the Wastes is dealt with. At least a 2-of I think... It also helps that it can produce R for a post-board Firespout, Kozilek's Return or Pyroclasm.
Since you're going the colorless way, why not include Reality Smasher? It's a trampling beatstick that is easy to cast and hard to answer in the current meta of targeted removal. I see it as a better replacement for Steel Hellkite.
You've already highlighted the significance of Ancient Stirrings in your build, as it can fetch both a land and any of your threats. I just want to highlight it more here.
Now, I think it is a matter of preference whether to include additional cantrip cards to the deck. Based on my experience though, Vessel of Nascency is better than both Manamorphose and Chromatic Star given the explanation you stated for both cards. Vessel accelerates Delirium much better, and instead of just cantripping, it will help you dig for lands or business. (Again, I am an advocate of Vessel of Nascency, so I may be a bit biased here.)
So i just happened to find this thread by accident, but damn this deck looks sweet! Are there any budget replacements for batterskulls and wurmcoils? Otherwise the deck is super cheap and i will probably buy into it soon! How often do you acctually win, is it consistent enough? I mean it looks pretty inconsistent, though i can imagine that when it works it works wonders!
You hit the nail in the head when you said when it works, it works wonders. Of course a deck with 7 lands + 4 initial G(Chancellor of the Tangle) will be inconsistent. But, the deck digs very frequently, to the point that when you're used to playing with the deck, you eventually mulligan less. It wins, but it is not a tier 1 or tier 1.5 deck.
Good catch with the Talisman of Impulse. I was thinking about Mind Stone too because of the Cantrip. I will still run 1 copy of Wastes just for redundancy. This deck is like Tron, it can take a lot of redundancy for consistency.
I gave Reality Smasher a miss because its 5CC and its just a beat stick. Sometimes you just want some real evasion like flying and Steel Hellkite's ability is pretty decent when the board is not to your favor (eg. against aggressive decks that have a bunch of 1/1s in play). But Reality Smasher is good for the deck, I can advocate that too!
a 2nd or 3rd turn TKS is very very very very powerful. I cannot stress this enough, it MAY be the missing link to this deck (as a plan B).
Vessel of Nascency is a good card in this deck as it digs harder than Manamorphose or Chromatic Star. I think we can drop Manamorphose altogether and go with 4 Chromatic Star and 4 Vessel of Nascency for stronger Delirum trigger.
Against burn I simply use Dragon's Claw. never had a problem. if they blow it up it only fuels Delirum and I am always ahead enough to go for the Blecher kill.
Yeah, your list definitely needs the Wastes. Just add the Talisman there for more C.
I am leaning towards the more aggressive approach in the main, that is why I like Reality Smasher than Steel Hellkite. Costs 1 less to cast, has Trample and Haste, and is annoying to remove (Path to Exile becomes a 3 for 1 exchange here). Besides, against aggressive decks, it seems that if they swarm this list, it is very very hard to come back, even after you've cast the hellkite. I think it is better on board so that the focus on the main is to be aggressive enough for an early kill.
I can't emphasize enough the benefits of Vessel of Nascency in the deck. Such a very good utility card at a very low cost.
I agree Dragon's Claw is nice board answer to Burn, but they already sides Destructive Revelry against us, so there's that. Well, at least, the claw absorbs removal that should have been meant for Belcher.
its a bit of a joke deck for me. it can take people totally surprise especially when i get a crazy draw and drop a turn 2 TKS. a turn 3 TKS isn't shabby either.
Match 1: vs. BW Tokens: Game 1: I mulliganed to 5, but had an explosive opening, while his are Thoughtseize and no threats other than the lone Auriok Champion. Got to Belch at turn 5 for lethal.
Match 2: vs. WBG Melira Combo: Game 1: He did not know what I am trying to play with, until I ran a turn 3 Wurmcoil Engine (which he Pathed, then another Wurmcoil Engine. He blocked with Kitchen Finks and Scavenging Ooze, while I managed to get all of my lands, and then Belch for around 25 damage (He's down to 6 at that time).
Game 2: He opened with Leyline of Sanctity (I forgot to board in Nature's Claim!!!), while I started with 2 Chancellor of the Tangles. Cast turn 2 Belcher, but since I had no way to fire it to his face, I used it as creature removal. He inserted 2 Praetor's Grasp, taking first my Batterskull, then Wurmcoil Engine. We reached the point where he both cast those, and I was out of lands on my deck, and casting Chancellors left and right. Had a very bad play wherein after rearranging my deck with Belcher, I put to the top Wheel of Sun and Moon, missing that he's on Leyline. So I conceded.
Game 3: He again opened with Leyline, and I again opened with a Chancellor. This time, I had a Claim, and a turn 2 Blood Moon. But before I was able to cast my Belcher, he cast Pithing Needle. So the game took long again, until I had my second Claim. I fired Belcher 3 times, but since I had few land search prior, I fired short of his life total (2, 2, 5), but I know I had him because I know I have exactly 3 lands left, all of which are at the bottom now. So when he cast Eternal Witness (probably to get the Needle), I responded with a Belch, and promptly killed him.
Game 2: He had a slower hand, and before he was able to kill me, I killed him with Belcher. He actually should have won, but he missed the timing on Chord of Calling for Spellskite, wherein he let me reveal the top of my deck, and then when he determined the damage (42, 21 cards plus Stomping Ground) he responded with Chord. This is a soft reminder to players new to Belcher, that once you announce the activation of Belcher and the target, your opponent must respond. Otherwise, if he let you start revealing cards from the top of your library, he does not have any time to respond because the determination of damage via revealing is part of the resolution of activating Belcher (NOT part of the cost of activating Belcher) and thus, cannot be responded in that scenario.
I'm mostly living the Cheeri0s life these days, but Renegade Map is a solid addition. It can be awkward if you can't play the land immediately, but it's excellent with Stirrings and generally makes that cantrip better.
I'm mostly living the Cheeri0s life these days, but Renegade Map is a solid addition. It can be awkward if you can't play the land immediately, but it's excellent with Stirrings and generally makes that cantrip better.
Cheerios is so easy to play with Sramm! It is very fun to play!
Renegade Map is a great addition. Unbridled Growth is another one for the deck. You can sacrifice it to cantrip and fuel Delirium. I really like Aether Revolt as a deck brewer's set... so many of the common & uncommons are very strong and is finding place in some of my decks.
I was thinking about writing a little about renegade map also. It does help simian spirit guide be a turn one mana source to get us rolling, albeit a bit slower due to coming into play tapped.
I have not had a chance to mess with madcap experiment so couldn't say if the nonbo by adding non-win-con artifacts to the deck is worth it. But getting renegade map in the graveyard may help our old friend traverse the ulvenwald get delerium.
On another note: if fatal push slows the the format, will it help our deck grind out wins?
I don't study the meta that much so I am going into unknown territory.
One thing about Fatal Push is I think it will allow fringe Delver builds to be more playable. Both Sultai and Esper Delver decks are a lot better now because of Fatal Push.
Esper Delver benefits from BOTH Collective Brutality and Blessed Alliance. It will also pack Path to Exile AND Fatal Push.
Sultai Delver will run its usual array of Abrupt Decay and Maelstorm Pulse. Fatal Push and Collective Brutality are icing on the cake.
Both decks might not be as powerful as Grixis because of Kolaghan's Command and Lightning Bolt but have stronger removal in certain respects.
Overall, I think Aether Revolt will make Belcher stronger but it also mixes up the meta abit. I think the hyper aggro decks will still exist unless they ban something from Dredge and Infect.
at least the slower tempo decks have another arsenal in their decks now in the form of Fatal Push. But Fatal Push doesn't stop Dredge, which is imho the biggest bugbear in Modern now.
Map is not good. It sucks if you're relying on a Lay of the Land effect in order to make your land drop for the turn, but said effect is Map (can't crack it immediately).
Renegade Map is certainly not Lay of the Land but it's a card in the right direction for a green-less build. Being able to have all mountains means we can hit lethal with 7-10 cards. Imagine pairing that as well as some Wanderer's Twig variants with Pia's Revolution of course someone who knows the deck could shut it down with Nature's Claim. I think it's close to working for us.
I agree Dragon's Claw is nice board answer to Burn, but they already sides Destructive Revelry against us, so there's that. Well, at least, the claw absorbs removal that should have been meant for Belcher.
Why do people ever use Dragon's Claw, instead of Sun Droplet against Burn. Sun Droplet heals ALL damage, regular damage and combat damage, 1 life each upkeep, yours and your opponents upkeep. Much stronger than Dragon's Claw.
I agree Dragon's Claw is nice board answer to Burn, but they already sides Destructive Revelry against us, so there's that. Well, at least, the claw absorbs removal that should have been meant for Belcher.
Why do people ever use Dragon's Claw, instead of Sun Droplet against Burn. Sun Droplet heals ALL damage, regular damage and combat damage, 1 life each upkeep, yours and your opponents upkeep. Much stronger than Dragon's Claw.
I second this. I only run claw in my Skred sideboard.
I've been on four basic forest and a single stomping ground for awhile now and it feels more consistent. I lost a few games because I couldn't belch deep enough before I hit a land,with five lands I get deeper.
I also run four simian spirit guide and four chancellor of the tangle.
As for claw,its better against storm and usually against mono red burn because you get the life gain right away, sometimes waiting is too late,other than that I'd say it's personal choice/local meta.My local for instance suits claw better than droplet for me.
Renegade Map is certainly not Lay of the Land but it's a card in the right direction for a green-less build. Being able to have all mountains means we can hit lethal with 7-10 cards. Imagine pairing that as well as some Wanderer's Twig variants with Pia's Revolution of course someone who knows the deck could shut it down with Nature's Claim. I think it's close to working for us.
I was intrigued by the idea of artifact based belcher deck and have been goldfishing this list for a couple days.
Faithless looting is sweet; ditch the chancellor after it has done its job, throw away an extra belcher (or put your belcher in the bin to grab it back with trash for treasure).
Both blasts pull double duty; they keep us alive if we are under pressure, or can act as reach after a sub-par belch.
4x Chancellor of the Tangle
1x Ishkanah, Grafwidow
4x Sakura-Tribe Elder
2x Steel Hellkite
1x Terra Stomper
1x The Gitrog Monster
4x Wall of Roots
4x Safewright Quest
4x Sylvan Scrying
4x Traverse the Ulvenwald
4x Manamorphose
4x Utopia Sprawl
4x Goblin Charbelcher
5x Forest
1x Overgrown Tomb
1x Stomping Ground
Just want to test certain heavy hitters (because of budget reasons) like Gitrog Monster and Ishkhanah. I want to turn on Delirium more reliably so I am fiddling with the idea of some Wooded Foothills as I find myself always short of 1 card type to enable it. and I do not want to use Vessel of Nascency. I might bump the land count to 10 because of that.
i might drop 1 copy of Belcher for a lone copy of Splendid Reclamation.
Active thread contributor of Jeskai Prowess Tempo
My current list looks likes this (sorry on phone) :
4x Birds of Paradise
4x Wall of Roots
4x Simian Spirit Guide
4x Sakura Tribe Elder
4x Chancellor of the Tangle
2x Myr Battlesphere
2x Wurmcoil Engine
3x Batterskull
4x Utopia Sprawl
4x Ancient Stirrings
3x Traverse the Ulvenwald
3x Safewright Quest
4x Caravan Vigil
4x Goblin Charbelcher
4x Madcap Experiment
6x Forest
1x Stomping Ground
Sideboard
3x Blood Moon
3x Obstinate Baloth
2x Spellskite
4x Nature's Claim
2x Gutteral Response
1x Fracturing Gust
With the two events I've gone 4-4 and I think most of my losses have come with lack of knowledge on the deck, such as when to mulligan hands against certain decks and knowing when I need to go faster than my opponent as far as comboing. Overall though I love the deck and it's definitely going to be my pet deck for future events, I plan on moving forward with a couple of changes.
I'd like to add one more Myr Battlesphere or Wurmcoil Engine seeing as the madcap nearly killed me a time or two. Then a couple of changes to the sideboard all meta related so posting those would be of no effect.
There's a GP in my area in the next couple of weeks so I'll be putting the deck down for that event and running either Ad Nauseam or RG Breach for the event. Once that's over with I'll be focusing on tuning this deck more and more cause it's some of the most fun I've had playing modern as of late.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
My concern is that, 2 Myr Battlesphere seems to much. Very few times do we have 7 mana immediately, and the Battlesphere is a bad early card. I'd rather have an additional Wurmcoil Engine than it. It seems it is a bit mitigated by the number of Batterskulls you play, but I suggest cutting one for another lower-costing threat (if that's where you're comfortable with).
Also, I noticed you didn't play with Vessel of Nascency. Consensus is that the card is a very big boon to the deck, a tutor for all our threats (except Madcap Experiment) and lands as well. An additional benefit is it has some minor potential of turning on Delirium for Traverse the Ulvenwald. Have you tried playtesting with it?
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
Really any big beater between 4-6 CMC should work.
I've been jamming Polukranos, World Eater, and it's worked out pretty well.
See also: Thragtusk, Vorapede, Ant Queen, Arbor Colossus, Imperiosaur, Precursor Golem.
View on CubeTutor
Draft it!
Test List:
4x Chancellor of the Tangle
1x Primeval Titan
4x Sakura-Tribe Elder
1x Steel Hellkite
4x Thought-Knot Seer
4x Wall of Roots
4x Manamorphose
4x Traverse the Ulvenwald
4x Sylvan Scrying
4x Caravan Vigil
4x Safewright Quest
4x Goblin Charbelcher
1x Wastes
5x Forest
1x Stomping Ground
Some explanations:
Sylvan Scrying: Coz to tutor the Wastes although its a tad bit redundant as there are already 12 cards in deck able to fetch it. Those of you who own Ancient Stirrings can replace that 1:1. Ancient Stirrings also hit TKS so I would definitely go with that.
Manamorphose: Cantrip. Help Delirum
Chromatic Star: Cantrip. Help Delirum
Prime-Time: Beats and help fish out all the lands in the deck for an eventual lethal Charbelcher activation
Steel Hellkite: Beats and board control
Thought-Knot Seer: Best 4 drop in Modern that gets powered out in this deck on turn 3. Turn 2 is possible with a nut draw and careful sequencing.
Standard guide lines to opening hands remain the same. A Chancellor of the Tangle + 1 land Tutor gets it going. Prepare sideboard with enchantment/artifact mass destruction and go to town. All is Dust is a viable option but I prefer Fracturing Gust
Active thread contributor of Jeskai Prowess Tempo
Since you're going the colorless way, why not include Reality Smasher? It's a trampling beatstick that is easy to cast and hard to answer in the current meta of targeted removal. I see it as a better replacement for Steel Hellkite.
You've already highlighted the significance of Ancient Stirrings in your build, as it can fetch both a land and any of your threats. I just want to highlight it more here.
Now, I think it is a matter of preference whether to include additional cantrip cards to the deck. Based on my experience though, Vessel of Nascency is better than both Manamorphose and Chromatic Star given the explanation you stated for both cards. Vessel accelerates Delirium much better, and instead of just cantripping, it will help you dig for lands or business. (Again, I am an advocate of Vessel of Nascency, so I may be a bit biased here.)
On board, Fracturing Gust is better than All is Dust based on the CMC alone. Since your deck lacks lifelinkers, I worry a bit about survival towards the midgame against Burn. So I suggest Kitchen Finks/Huntmaster of the Fells/Obstinate Baloth.
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
As what RiotInferno stated. The only catch here is that Ancient Stirrings cannot get the non-colorless threats. Wurmcoil Engine and Batterskull also happen to have lifelink, which is important when you're trying to survive towards the midgame. With that taken into consideration, I suggest Thragtusk, Pelakka Wurm, Ant Queen, Obstinate Baloth, Huntmaster of the Fells as replacements for them.
You hit the nail in the head when you said when it works, it works wonders. Of course a deck with 7 lands + 4 initial G(Chancellor of the Tangle) will be inconsistent. But, the deck digs very frequently, to the point that when you're used to playing with the deck, you eventually mulligan less. It wins, but it is not a tier 1 or tier 1.5 deck.
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
I gave Reality Smasher a miss because its 5CC and its just a beat stick. Sometimes you just want some real evasion like flying and Steel Hellkite's ability is pretty decent when the board is not to your favor (eg. against aggressive decks that have a bunch of 1/1s in play). But Reality Smasher is good for the deck, I can advocate that too!
a 2nd or 3rd turn TKS is very very very very powerful. I cannot stress this enough, it MAY be the missing link to this deck (as a plan B).
Vessel of Nascency is a good card in this deck as it digs harder than Manamorphose or Chromatic Star. I think we can drop Manamorphose altogether and go with 4 Chromatic Star and 4 Vessel of Nascency for stronger Delirum trigger.
Against burn I simply use Dragon's Claw. never had a problem. if they blow it up it only fuels Delirum and I am always ahead enough to go for the Blecher kill.
Active thread contributor of Jeskai Prowess Tempo
I am leaning towards the more aggressive approach in the main, that is why I like Reality Smasher than Steel Hellkite. Costs 1 less to cast, has Trample and Haste, and is annoying to remove (Path to Exile becomes a 3 for 1 exchange here). Besides, against aggressive decks, it seems that if they swarm this list, it is very very hard to come back, even after you've cast the hellkite. I think it is better on board so that the focus on the main is to be aggressive enough for an early kill.
I can't emphasize enough the benefits of Vessel of Nascency in the deck. Such a very good utility card at a very low cost.
I agree Dragon's Claw is nice board answer to Burn, but they already sides Destructive Revelry against us, so there's that. Well, at least, the claw absorbs removal that should have been meant for Belcher.
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
4 Chancellor of the Tangle
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Wall of Roots
1 Reality Smasher
1 Primeval Titan
4 Caravan Vigil
4 Safewright Quest
4 Traverse the Ulvenwald
3 Manamorphose
1 Talisman of Impulse
3 Goblin Charbelcher
4 Vessel of Nascency
4 Utopia Sprawl
1 Wastes
its a bit of a joke deck for me. it can take people totally surprise especially when i get a crazy draw and drop a turn 2 TKS. a turn 3 TKS isn't shabby either.
Active thread contributor of Jeskai Prowess Tempo
If I'm to modify it further, I'd increase the Talisman to 2, and add some Simian Spirit Guides.
TKS is such a great card, that I'll be doing the colorless list in the near future.
In other news, a tournament report! Placed 4th on my LGS last Friday:
6 Snow-Covered Forest
1 Stomping Ground
Creature(22)
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
4 Wall of Roots
3 Simian Spirit Guide
3 Wurmcoil Engine
4 Chancellor of the Tangle
4 Goblin Charbelcher
1 Batterskull
Enchantment (8)
4 Vessel of Nascency
4 Utopia Sprawl
Sorcery (18)
4 Ancient Stirrings
3 Caravan Vigil
3 Madcap Experiment
4 Safewright Quest
4 Traverse the Ulvenwald
3 Nature's Claim
1 Wheel of Sun and Moon
2 Blood Moon
1 Ancient Grudge
2 Choke
3 Firespout
1 Huntmaster of the Fells
2 Fracturing Gust
Match 1: vs. BW Tokens:
Game 1: I mulliganed to 5, but had an explosive opening, while his are Thoughtseize and no threats other than the lone Auriok Champion. Got to Belch at turn 5 for lethal.
Boarded 3 Nature's Claim, 3 Firespouts. (Note: I did not note down what I took out on all of my games, other than I always board out Madcap Experiment.
Game 2: He again opened Thoughtseize, followed by Intangible Virtue, followed by Spectral Procession, then Sorin, Solemn Visitor. I did not find my Firespouts, and lost.
Game 3: He opened with Bitterblossom, then Auriok Champion, then Sorin again.
Standing: 0-1 (1-2)
Match 2: vs. WBG Melira Combo:
Game 1: He did not know what I am trying to play with, until I ran a turn 3 Wurmcoil Engine (which he Pathed, then another Wurmcoil Engine. He blocked with Kitchen Finks and Scavenging Ooze, while I managed to get all of my lands, and then Belch for around 25 damage (He's down to 6 at that time).
Boarded 2 Blood Moons, 1 Wheel of Sun and Moon.
Game 2: He opened with Leyline of Sanctity (I forgot to board in Nature's Claim!!!), while I started with 2 Chancellor of the Tangles. Cast turn 2 Belcher, but since I had no way to fire it to his face, I used it as creature removal. He inserted 2 Praetor's Grasp, taking first my Batterskull, then Wurmcoil Engine. We reached the point where he both cast those, and I was out of lands on my deck, and casting Chancellors left and right. Had a very bad play wherein after rearranging my deck with Belcher, I put to the top Wheel of Sun and Moon, missing that he's on Leyline. So I conceded.
Boarded 3 Nature's Claim
Game 3: He again opened with Leyline, and I again opened with a Chancellor. This time, I had a Claim, and a turn 2 Blood Moon. But before I was able to cast my Belcher, he cast Pithing Needle. So the game took long again, until I had my second Claim. I fired Belcher 3 times, but since I had few land search prior, I fired short of his life total (2, 2, 5), but I know I had him because I know I have exactly 3 lands left, all of which are at the bottom now. So when he cast Eternal Witness (probably to get the Needle), I responded with a Belch, and promptly killed him.
Standing: 1-1 (3-3)
Match 3: vs. BG Elves
Game 1: He overrun me with Elves (Heritage Druid, Nettle Sentinel, Elvish Archdruid, Chorded for Ezuri, Renegade Leader).
Boarded in 3 Firespouts
Game 2: He had a slower hand, and before he was able to kill me, I killed him with Belcher. He actually should have won, but he missed the timing on Chord of Calling for Spellskite, wherein he let me reveal the top of my deck, and then when he determined the damage (42, 21 cards plus Stomping Ground) he responded with Chord. This is a soft reminder to players new to Belcher, that once you announce the activation of Belcher and the target, your opponent must respond. Otherwise, if he let you start revealing cards from the top of your library, he does not have any time to respond because the determination of damage via revealing is part of the resolution of activating Belcher (NOT part of the cost of activating Belcher) and thus, cannot be responded in that scenario.
Game 3: I won a nailbiter. I forgot the interactions, but it involved Heritage Druid, Nettle Sentinel, Elvish Archdruid, Ezuri, Renegade Leader, and me having turn 3 Wurmcoil Engine, turn 4 Wurmcoil Engine, Chancellor of the Tangle, Birds of Paradise, Wall of Roots, 2 Firespouts after Ezuri was down. Last thing I remember was I wiped the board clean after combat (including my Wurm tokens, leaving me with a lone wall, and fired Belcher for lethal.
Standing: 2-1 (5-4)
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
thanks for the tip with regards to lay of the land. i didn't know they reprinted it and thus making it modern legal!
Active thread contributor of Jeskai Prowess Tempo
Cheerios is so easy to play with Sramm! It is very fun to play!
Renegade Map is a great addition. Unbridled Growth is another one for the deck. You can sacrifice it to cantrip and fuel Delirium. I really like Aether Revolt as a deck brewer's set... so many of the common & uncommons are very strong and is finding place in some of my decks.
My playtest deck:
4x Sakura-Tribe Elder
4x Thought-Knot Seer
4x Wall of Roots
1x Primeval Titan
1x Reality Smasher
4x Ancient Stirrings
4x Caravan Vigil
4x Utopia Sprawl
4x Unbridled Growth
4x Vessel of Nascency
4x Renegade Map
2x Chromatic Star
1x Talisman of Impulse
5x Forest
1x Stomping Ground
1x Wastes
Active thread contributor of Jeskai Prowess Tempo
I have not had a chance to mess with madcap experiment so couldn't say if the nonbo by adding non-win-con artifacts to the deck is worth it. But getting renegade map in the graveyard may help our old friend traverse the ulvenwald get delerium.
On another note: if fatal push slows the the format, will it help our deck grind out wins?
I don't study the meta that much so I am going into unknown territory.
Esper Delver benefits from BOTH Collective Brutality and Blessed Alliance. It will also pack Path to Exile AND Fatal Push.
Sultai Delver will run its usual array of Abrupt Decay and Maelstorm Pulse. Fatal Push and Collective Brutality are icing on the cake.
Both decks might not be as powerful as Grixis because of Kolaghan's Command and Lightning Bolt but have stronger removal in certain respects.
Overall, I think Aether Revolt will make Belcher stronger but it also mixes up the meta abit. I think the hyper aggro decks will still exist unless they ban something from Dredge and Infect.
at least the slower tempo decks have another arsenal in their decks now in the form of Fatal Push. But Fatal Push doesn't stop Dredge, which is imho the biggest bugbear in Modern now.
Active thread contributor of Jeskai Prowess Tempo
Abundant Growth is better than Unbridled Growth.
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
GModern Belcher
GGreen Deck Wins
3I'm the King
RBlazeTron
Why do people ever use Dragon's Claw, instead of Sun Droplet against Burn. Sun Droplet heals ALL damage, regular damage and combat damage, 1 life each upkeep, yours and your opponents upkeep. Much stronger than Dragon's Claw.
I second this. I only run claw in my Skred sideboard.
I also run four simian spirit guide and four chancellor of the tangle.
As for claw,its better against storm and usually against mono red burn because you get the life gain right away, sometimes waiting is too late,other than that I'd say it's personal choice/local meta.My local for instance suits claw better than droplet for me.
5 forest
1 breeding pool
1 temple garden
Creatures (28)
3 birds of paradise
3 noble hierarch
2 wall of roots
4 sakura tribe-elder
3 voice of resurgence
1 spellskite
2 aven riftwatcher
1 eternal witness
1 glen elendra archmage
2 mulldrifter
2 reveillark
4 chancellor of the tangle
4 traverse the ulvenwald
4 safewright quest
4 renegade map
3 path to exile
4 unbridled growth
2 abundant growth
4 goblin charbelcher
2 negate
2 dispel
2 ghostly prison
2 stony silence
2 blessed alliance
2 reclamation sage
2 wheel of sun and moon
1 spellskite
Quite consistent after goldfish testing. It is less explosive but it has a long game for sure. I will test against friends tomorrow.
I was intrigued by the idea of artifact based belcher deck and have been goldfishing this list for a couple days.
4x Faithless looting
4x Renegade Map
4x Wanderer's Twig
4x Traveler's Amulet
2x Mycosynth Wellspring
8x Mountain
Ramp
4x Mind Stone
4x Talisman of Impluse
4x Talisman of Indulgence
4x Chancellor of the Tangle
4x Simian Spirit Guide
4x Galvanic Blast
4x Shrapnel Blast
Belch
4x Goblin Charbelcher
2x Trash for Treasure
Some observations:
I think I want to tinker with this list a bit more; any interactions I missed/ suggestions?