There are certain matchups that you just want hard-counters. I'd imagine they'd always come in versus living end, ad naus and other unfair decks where you REALLY have to nab a certain spell or it's curtains. Yes the taxing effects in the deck itself help against that stuff but sometimes I'd imagine (and in my experience) you just want that 2 mana counter as well. Interested to hear what you do think about them Zac.
Hey Shadowgripper. Congratulations on the great GP run! Noticed the deck was having a few issues with Eldrazi Tron and I'm seeing a fair amount in my meta at the moment. I wondered, and I know the idea has been mentioned before, whether you thought that Myr Superion may help out in this matchup? If so what would you replace because as far as I can tell the main is real tight on space? If not is there any other tech you could suggest?
Round 1 - Racist.deck - 2-0
Got matched with a janky mono-white deck where all the creatures had protection from black, and he was running Painter's Servant to turn everything black. Would actually have been pretty hard to battle through all that unblockable lifelink except that G1 and G2 I got Basilisk Collar on Walking Ballista to shoot first Painter's Servant and then the rest of his board.
Hey Neal. I was the janky pro black player. I should have followed my heart and played this deck I thought the pro black taxes angle was a decent meta choice with Death Shadow variants everywhere. Saw exactly 0. Go figure.
My list cuts the two signal pest for Pili-Pala to get instant wins with Walking Ballista. Still looking for another outlet for infinite mana without changing the composition of the deck.
The deck is totally a meta call. The sideboard needed more tweaking than what I ran. It destroys Death Shadow and any black or red deck. Burn folds pretty quick to this.
I've ran this deck for a over a year now so if you have any questions about card choices, DM me and we can move the conversation out of this channel.
Has this deck considered Molten-tail Masticore? I'm glad somebody made a blue artifact themed deck. I have this list(Tolarian Academy Reloaded) of cards on tappedout but no decklist or anything. I was headed in the right direction but hadn't looked at the list with new sets that came out since then.
Commander GUR Maelstrom Wanderer BWU Sydri, Galvanic Genius BGB Meren of Clan Nel Toth WGW Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith RRR Feldon of the Third Path WWW Heliod, God of the Sun
Something different I'm going to try out when I have time.
Now that GW Vizier is a thing there needs to be a good reason to try the Pili-Pala combo. I decided to max out on the tax effects and run the full 8 Cursecatchers to protect the combo. I think the biggest issue will be finding a win con without access to Chord/CoCo/Duskwatch Recruiter.
That's right but if the combo is online you could get the Staff to win. I didn't want to use Whir since it's hit by both Thorn and Lodestone Golem but I guess they can both Improvise to negate their taxing effect. Probably better than Trophy Mage at least.
Hey Neal. I was the janky pro black player. I should have followed my heart and played this deck I thought the pro black taxes angle was a decent meta choice with Death Shadow variants everywhere. Saw exactly 0. Go figure.
Hey Shane! sorry about the unkind words. my friend called it the racism deck as I was describing it to him and I thought it was a funny summary of a deck where everything hates on black. I still think it's a really fun idea, you just gotta find some way to protect that Painter's Servant. Maybe run that Pentarch Ward like you suggested - it even cantrips!
And that's why i said "if you want to combo via whir". I think idea here is that whir can search two of three your combo pieces. Still does not search for Architect..
Yeah, I think Pili-Pala takes the deck in a direction that doesn't work with the aggro plan. Too many slots are going to be used for finding combo pieces. The 1 of Expedition Map and Tolaria West are interesting though. In addition to Walking Ballista it's a good way to find a Academy Ruins or Inventors' Fair for some recursion/utility.
I wouldn't play Tolaria West. With transmute costing 3 mana it's really slow and a land that comes into play tapped is really not what an aggro deck wants.
Ceremonious Rejection to help more against Eldrazi Tron. Dismember works too, as well as helps against creature-based combo decks like Devoted Druid or U/R storm even. The Wurmcoil Engine in the main is to help against midrange and Death Shadow decks, and the one in the side to bring it for extra value. It's really hard for many decks to deal with, including decks like E. Tron.
Ceremonious Rejection to help more against Eldrazi Tron. Dismember works too, as well as helps against creature-based combo decks like Devoted Druid or U/R storm even. The Wurmcoil Engine in the main is to help against midrange and Death Shadow decks, and the one in the side to bring it for extra value. It's really hard for many decks to deal with, including decks like E. Tron.
Has anyone had any success in finding a card draw effect that fits well into the list?
I've been testing Bident of Thassa but more often then not it feels clunky. The times it's drawn me a lot of cards I was already ahead usually. Academy Ruins has been great but being a one of it's obviously not too reliable. I find myself wanting a card to get ahead in card advantage against the grindy decks like Jund, Abzan, and Death's Shadow varieties. Any one have any suggestions?
Ceremonious Rejection to help more against Eldrazi Tron. Dismember works too, as well as helps against creature-based combo decks like Devoted Druid or U/R storm even. The Wurmcoil Engine in the main is to help against midrange and Death Shadow decks, and the one in the side to bring it for extra value. It's really hard for many decks to deal with, including decks like E. Tron.
Very much like the idea of no unified will!
I did mess around with wurmcoil some time ago. Yes if it resolves its great vs non-path midrange but the issue i found is those decks kill you stuff a lot, making it difficult for us to reach the mana for the wurm. I think i like scrap trawler better here because you get some value off of sweepers and spot removal.
Let us know how it goes, i'd love it if it worked!
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Hey Neal. I was the janky pro black player. I should have followed my heart and played this deck I thought the pro black taxes angle was a decent meta choice with Death Shadow variants everywhere. Saw exactly 0. Go figure.
My list cuts the two signal pest for Pili-Pala to get instant wins with Walking Ballista. Still looking for another outlet for infinite mana without changing the composition of the deck.
4 Walking Ballista
2 Judge's Familiar
4 Mausoleum Wanderer
4 Chief Engineer
4 Etherium Sculptor
2 Pili-Pala
4 Grand Architect
2 Master of Etherium
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Smuggler's Copter
2 Throne of the God-Pharaoh
2 Whir of Invention
Lands:22
1 Academy Ruins
4 Blinkmoth Nexus
1 Inventors' Fair
16 Island
1 Hangarback Walker
1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
2 Trinket Mage
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Ceremonious Rejection
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Pithing Needle
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Thorn of Amethyst
2 Unified Will
1 Aethersphere Harvester
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/674033-paint-it-black
The deck is totally a meta call. The sideboard needed more tweaking than what I ran. It destroys Death Shadow and any black or red deck. Burn folds pretty quick to this.
I've ran this deck for a over a year now so if you have any questions about card choices, DM me and we can move the conversation out of this channel.
3 Auriok Champion
4 Leonin Arbiter
4 Painter's Servant
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Devout Lightcaster
4 Mirran Crusader
2 Paladin en-Vec
2 Stillmoon Cavalier
3 Restoration Angel
1 Deathbringer Liege
4 AEther Vial
4 Path to Exile
1 Distorting Lens
3 Always Watching
Lands:21
2 Cavern of Souls
4 Ghost Quarter
15 Plains
2 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Celestial Purge
2 Rest in Peace
2 Runed Halo
2 Stony Silence
3 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Worship
GURB Grixis/Jund Shadow
RBG Dredge
xUx U Ballista Tron
Commander
GUR Maelstrom Wanderer
BWU Sydri, Galvanic Genius
BGB Meren of Clan Nel Toth
WGW Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith
RRR Feldon of the Third Path
WWW Heliod, God of the Sun
Whir of Invention > Walking Ballista if combo is onlineNon-boIf Grand Architect and Walking Ballista are online > Whir of Invention into Pili-Pala at opponents end step.
That's right but if the combo is online you could get the Staff to win. I didn't want to use Whir since it's hit by both Thorn and Lodestone Golem but I guess they can both Improvise to negate their taxing effect. Probably better than Trophy Mage at least.
Yeah, it does. I forgot it goes onto the battlefield without allowing you to pay any mana. However, it would live if Master of Etherium was out.
Kinda clunky in any case. Would need a 1 of as a mana sink to search out and win with Ballista being a no-go. Something 1 or 2 mana.
Sacred Armory ?
Edit: In the end I think the staff may be the way to go since it is a guaranteed win.
Hey Shane! sorry about the unkind words. my friend called it the racism deck as I was describing it to him and I thought it was a funny summary of a deck where everything hates on black. I still think it's a really fun idea, you just gotta find some way to protect that Painter's Servant. Maybe run that Pentarch Ward like you suggested - it even cantrips!
If you want to combo via whir you can play 1-of Expedition Map + Tolaria West. Not sure if it's worth it in aggro version though.
Why so complicated? Trinket Mage is a card most lists play and besides Walking Ballista it also fetches silver bullets like Relic of Progenitus or Pithing Needle.
And that's why i said "if you want to combo via whir". I think idea here is that whir can search two of three your combo pieces. Still does not search for Architect..
4 Etherium Sculptor
4 Chief Engineer
4 Walking Ballista
4 Grand Architect
4 Master of Etherium
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Smuggler's Copter
4 Blinkmoth Nexus
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
15 Island
1 Pili-Pala
1 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Throne of the God-Pharaoh
2 Judge's Familiar
1 Academy Ruins
1 Ceremonious Rejection
2 Quicksilver Fountain
2 Trinket Mage
2 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Pithing Needle
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Chalice of the Void
I never missed the Signal Pest and was happy to combo one game on turn 4 with Pili-Pala, Grand Architect and Walking Ballista.
I know Engineered Explosives seems weird in the sideboard when playing only one color but its purpose is take away Death's Shadow and auras, it's also useful agains't elves.
I didn't have the chance to get value from Academy Ruins but I can see it being a game-winner in top-deck wars where you can recycle Walking Ballista.
I assume being able to use EE the same turn you play it let alone tutor for it makes it much nicer, perhaps ratchet bomb is completely subpar.
40+ tickets on modo eeeek, well at least the deck is generally cheap.
how would you use ee in a mono blue deck? it would be only for 1
4 Mausoleum Wanderer
4 Etherium Sculptor
4 Chief Engineer
4 Grand Architect
4 Master of Etherium
4 Walking Ballista
4 Lodestone Golem
1 Wurmcoil Engine
4 Smuggler's Copter
2 Throne of the God-Pharaoh
16 Island
4 Blinkmoth Nexus
1 Academy Ruins
1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
2 Thorn of Amethyst
2 Ceremonious Rejection
2 Dismember
1 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Trinket Mage
1 Hangarback Walker
1 Pithing Needle
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Grafdigger's Cage
Ceremonious Rejection to help more against Eldrazi Tron. Dismember works too, as well as helps against creature-based combo decks like Devoted Druid or U/R storm even. The Wurmcoil Engine in the main is to help against midrange and Death Shadow decks, and the one in the side to bring it for extra value. It's really hard for many decks to deal with, including decks like E. Tron.
Very much like the idea of no unified will!
I've been testing Bident of Thassa but more often then not it feels clunky. The times it's drawn me a lot of cards I was already ahead usually. Academy Ruins has been great but being a one of it's obviously not too reliable. I find myself wanting a card to get ahead in card advantage against the grindy decks like Jund, Abzan, and Death's Shadow varieties. Any one have any suggestions?
(Merchant's Dockhand, Quicksmith Spy)
I did mess around with wurmcoil some time ago. Yes if it resolves its great vs non-path midrange but the issue i found is those decks kill you stuff a lot, making it difficult for us to reach the mana for the wurm. I think i like scrap trawler better here because you get some value off of sweepers and spot removal.
Let us know how it goes, i'd love it if it worked!