That first list would be my 'real' list, the second was throwing stuff against the wall and seeing if anything would stick.
I anticipate playing the list a little slower than you do, so I made a few changes to accommodate for that. Its not a criticism, but I don't think the clock is really that fast, and if I'm going even a slower I really want to be packing counters. I think you have great game against affinity/BGx, but I don't know if I like what I expect the twin/uwr/pod matchup to look like without some of my adjustments (and once they adjust and include cruise as well). Also I'm never buying serum visions.
I got rid of the Serum Visions altogether for some Remand and +1 Lilly -1 Dismember. The sideboard is to combat Affinity, creature decks, graveyard shenanigans, and Pod / Twin, alongside with a SoWaP for UWR and Naya matchups, and the Flash creatures are great at fighting Combo and Pod while carrying a Sword and having evasion. I'd like to get the Serum Visions in again, but honestly I don't know what to take out.
On a totally unrelated note, what do you guys think of both Murderous Cut and Sorin, Lord of Innistrad? Sorin could make a nice 2-of alongside 3 Lillys to fight attrition and grind out other decks: he provides plenty of tokens to chumpblock and carry swords, and they have Lifelink too, which gives us a way to gain life on the MB. His second ability puts a permanent Anthem that can't get rid of to always boost our creatures, which makes chumpblocking even more attractive: we can now take on X/2's and our swings will always deal 1 more damage (a Hawk or Soul equipped with a sword deals 4 damage each time now, which accelerates our clock from 7 hits to 5). His ulti is not that unreachable or unrealistic either, as we can simply make 3 tokens to equip swords while ticking him up in order to close a game, and alongside with Lilly's ulti, he can really take us back into an already lost match. Bitterblossom can also be an option, but, while cheaper, it also pings us every turn and lacks the sheer utility Sorin has.
On the other hand, Sorin, Solemn Visitor has its roles somewhat switched. It's now it's +1 the one that pumps our creatures, and it gives lifelink to boot, but it's not permanent. On the other hand, the tokens he makes are bigger and have evasion, and he comes up with 4 Loyalty, so we only have to tick him up twice to have an unremovable The Abyss emblem in play.
I think you are both going to want to eventually add back in Serum Visions. Smoothing out your draws while fueling Treasure Cruise is exactly what you want. I am currently running 4 of them, but 3 may be the right number.
On Murderous Cut, I think it is a great card but I wouldn't run it in our deck since we have Snapcaster, Souls and Treasure Cruise to fuel. Also, your version is runnign 3 snapcasters to my 2, 4 discard instead of 6 and 0 serum visions to my 4. I think you may find it much more difficult to fuel treasure cruise or snap/cruise (my most common snap target).
I think Sorin, Lord of Innistrad is great w/ Lingering Souls. I wouldn't be against testing him. He hasn't seen much play in Modern yet and I can only assume it is due to power level but he is def worth at least trying.
I think your version is fine but if you are set with running a playset of remands I would go down to 2 treasure cruise. Let me know how you like Remands. If they overperform then I'll have to try them out!
As for the SB, I wouldn't run Torpor Orb as it shuts down snaps, hawks and clique. They probably should just be something like Spellskites. I would also just change one of the darkblast to slaughter pact (it is great vs a lot of decks but especially vs. Twin). As for wraths, I would have at least 1 of them be Wrath of God, the regeneration matters vs. green decks and the color casting requirements are relevant.
- 1 Snapcaster Mage (Although this hurts since he's very BIG with Remand and removal)
- 1 Liliana of the Veil (Can suck in multiples and it's Abrupt Decay fodder. By giving Decay less targets we're letting it sit dead in their hand and that's a way to combat it)
- 1 Remand (I'd like to run the full playset but oh well)
And I'm looking at what to take for the 4th Serum Visions, although if I can find something to take out and get the 4th Remand back in I'll be more than happy.
Well I would just run 4 remands. I think they are worth testing so to make sure you see them in each game you should run 4. When I generally test a card I always have 3/4 copies before shaving/cutting. I could see going down to 1 steelshapers, cutting a lili and a snap for 3 serum visions.
After you've tested remand further then you can decide if you think they are worth keeping or if they would be better off as the 4th visions, 4th lili, a snap/steelshapers and a 5th discard, etc.
let me know what you think of remand. I think extra discard is better vs combo and control and fuels cruise and snap faster but again I haven't tested it so I don't know.
Ended up going 1-1-1 yesterday. I played UWR Geist (One win and one loss) in the first and third round and UR Delver in the second (Tie). The funny part is that the UWR Geist deck that I lost to is the same guy that I play tested with earlier and won 10 out of 15 games. My deck dismantled the other UWR Geist player though. The UR Delver matchup ended up being extremely grindy game 1 and he ended up drawing perfect 3 turns in a row to win game 1. I wiped the floor with him game 2 though and we never got to game 3. The post-board matchup vs. UR Delver is still grindy but much heavier in our favor.
I haven't posted in here much, but I did want to give some encouragement that I'm following the developments in here closely, and hopefully sometime soon I will be able to build this and test it too! I searched up some recent "CawBlade" type decks, and I found a video of one that used Restoration Angel along with Blade Splicer. Maybe the Splicer could be added to the primer for more creature-heavy builds? Another piece of tech I saw a couple of lists run was Trinket Mage with some 1-of artifacts in the sideboard. Maybe worth a shot if there was room for it. However, most of the lists I found were also UW, not Esper.
I played some more test games vs. the UWR Geist player that beat me 2-0 last Wednesday. We played 7 games, 3 pre-board and 4 post-board and I won every game but 1 post-board game.
Question Chaarm, Do you find that 4 hawks and 2 snaps are just too few for the current meta. I just feel like against UR delver, I play my hawks, they get wrecked, then I have no gas the rest of the game. I have had great success with a 1 of Venser, shaper servant actually, he is such a huge momentum boost when he comes down. I think we could also consider the new Jace as an option in our deck (or maybe elspeth the 4 drop). I just feel like we are a bit light on the gas if our hawks die which they do a lot with the rise in forked bolts/electrolyze in the meta.
Also, have you considered 2x geist of saint tract in the sideboard for slower, control match ups? That guy hoses every slow deck single handedly.
Edit: I think you should also consider possibly doing timely reinforcements over phyrexian unlife. Whereas phyrexian does give us 10 more health, timely just seems so much better considering our game plan, and its still incredible gains in health, but assists our board position. Also, snap+timely is just crushing to burn lists
Building this IRL right now, currently about 75% of the way complete with my list since I had most of the stuff laying around anyways.
Im running a lot more creatures than most lists ive seen on here, 4 Squadron Hawk, 2 Snapcaster (I have two more in the sideboard against control, though I really think I just want 1 in the main), 1 Aven Mindcensor, 1 Geist of Saint Traft, 1 Restoration Angel, and 1 Tidehollow Sculler. I love the variety and the deck can attack from a few different directions, I blew out one guy playing UWR control, I was on the play and he cracked two fetches (held priority, thinking this would be faster) and I flashed in Mindcensor so we went to game 2.
My entire sideboard is just 1 ofs, it has a Gift's package with Rites and Elesh Norn but also has tons of fuel to fight the fair decks. So far I haven't ever played a game feeling behind, especially against Delver, which is a first for me.
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Considering a main win con is artifact equipment in your deck which are destroyed due to Abrupt Decay i would suggest adding in Academy Ruins. Would also allow you to pitch them to LotV for her +1 if you get desperate as well.
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Standard: No Time
Modern: Jund Midrange BRG
Legacy: Shardless Bug BUG
Considering a main win con is artifact equipment in your deck which are destroyed due to Abrupt Decay i would suggest adding in Academy Ruins. Would also allow you to pitch them to LotV for her +1 if you get desperate as well.
Well if our main win condition is Batterskull then we don't need it in the main. We have plenty of ways to win and Decay doesn't hit Skull.
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Considering a main win con is artifact equipment in your deck which are destroyed due to Abrupt Decay i would suggest adding in Academy Ruins. Would also allow you to pitch them to LotV for her +1 if you get desperate as well.
Well if our main win condition is Batterskull then we don't need it in the main. We have plenty of ways to win and Decay doesn't hit Skull.
Thanks for the quick response. This deck actually looks really fun i'll have to look around for spare pieces when i get the chance.
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Standard: No Time
Modern: Jund Midrange BRG
Legacy: Shardless Bug BUG
Anyone looked at this deck since the banning? I personally think that with the meta slowing down, more fair decks coming out of the wood works, this deck may be better positioned against the meta (still not GREAT, but a lot better). Is anyone still playing this at all?
I was working on a list for this sort of deck when I realized maybe cutting blue in favor of green for Siege Rhino,Abrupt Decay,Qasali Pridemage, and maybe Knight of the Reliquary.It plays basically like Abzan Midrange and focuses on hand disruption and finding an equipment and putting it on an efficient beater. Also playing 4 Dark Confidant. Probably wrong. It might just be a different deck. I don't have a list yet but will post later.
Thats actually really solid tech. I may try that out, I will say one card you an look at who has been an all star for me is blood baron of vizkopa in the sideboard. He has been so good in my control and my GBx matchups. He blocks rhino and actually gets 4 health off of it. And with lingering souls, lili is usually useless at removing him. In control matchups, it forces them to have their 1-2 board wipes. Again, its early testing, but I have been trying to solve that matchup.
Have you determined anything to help with the burn matchup? I just cannot seem to not get wrecked by them. I stabilize within double burn range usually, and it hurts for sure. I am thinking making my TS's into duress.
Edit: What is your take on liliana of the veil? In my testing she has been extremely lackluster in the deck. Maybe as a 1-2 of, but I really don't like drawing her in a large majority of my matches.
I am working on finishing mine. But long story short I added in some Tasigur's and thoughtscours in place of treasure cruises (thought scour is a test, but seems good between murderous cut and Tasigur). I am also testing a Blood Baron of Vizkopa.
I feel like new cards and my old work from the caw-blade decks Badd Business and I were discussing from the earlier days of modern makes me want to mess around with this archetype again. But I dont really hold liliana that highly in reference to the strategy now that treasure cruise is gone (I did like dig through time better actually)
ANyway, I believe the card Anticipate is definitely where this deck wants to be. Right card at the right time with mana backup really seems like a boon. But I think the deck fits better into a tapout midrange control strategy with solid draw-go control threats like gideon jura out of the board or token subthemes with cards like Sorin, Solemn Visitor to compliment liliana.
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Decks I have in my bag of tricks- Needless to say, someone who wants to play will probably have a deck UB/x Faeries UR Storm XURWB Affinity G Elves UW control
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I anticipate playing the list a little slower than you do, so I made a few changes to accommodate for that. Its not a criticism, but I don't think the clock is really that fast, and if I'm going even a slower I really want to be packing counters. I think you have great game against affinity/BGx, but I don't know if I like what I expect the twin/uwr/pod matchup to look like without some of my adjustments (and once they adjust and include cruise as well). Also I'm never buying serum visions.
3 polluted delta
3 marsh flats
3 flooded strand
1 watery grave
1 hallowed fountain
2 godless shrine
2 creeping tarpit
2 celestial colonnade
2 darkslick shores
1 vault of the archangel
1 tectonic edge
1 swamp
1 island
1 plains
6 Creatures
4 squadron hawks
2 snapcaster mage
3 liliana
4 lingering souls
3 thoughtseize
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 treasure cruise
1 steelshaper’s gift
4 path to exile
2 mana leak
2 remand
1 go for the throat
1 slaughter pact
3 Blades
1 batterskull
1 sword of fire and ice
1 sword of war and peace
2 timely reinforcements
1 surpreme verdict
1 wrath of god
1 hallowed burial
1 hibernation
1 torpor bird
1 feeling of dread
3 disenchant
1 darkblast
1 aven mindcensor
2 countersquall
3 Snapcaster Mage
4 Squadron Hawk
Instant (10)
4 Path to Exile
2 Smother
4 Remand
Planeswalker (4)
4 Liliana of the Veil
Sorcery (13)
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Thoughtseize
2 Steelshaper's Gift
4 Lingering Souls
3 Treasure Cruise
Equipment (3)
1 Batterskull
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
2 Celestial Colonnade
4 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
2 Marsh Flats
2 Godless Shrine
2 Watery Grave
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Swamp
1 Island
1 Plains
1 Vault of the Archangel
2 Darkslick Shores
2 Darkblast
3 Supreme Verdict
3 Aven Mindcensor
2 Vendilion Clique
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Torpor Orb
1 Sword of War and Peace
I got rid of the Serum Visions altogether for some Remand and +1 Lilly -1 Dismember. The sideboard is to combat Affinity, creature decks, graveyard shenanigans, and Pod / Twin, alongside with a SoWaP for UWR and Naya matchups, and the Flash creatures are great at fighting Combo and Pod while carrying a Sword and having evasion. I'd like to get the Serum Visions in again, but honestly I don't know what to take out.
On a totally unrelated note, what do you guys think of both Murderous Cut and Sorin, Lord of Innistrad? Sorin could make a nice 2-of alongside 3 Lillys to fight attrition and grind out other decks: he provides plenty of tokens to chumpblock and carry swords, and they have Lifelink too, which gives us a way to gain life on the MB. His second ability puts a permanent Anthem that can't get rid of to always boost our creatures, which makes chumpblocking even more attractive: we can now take on X/2's and our swings will always deal 1 more damage (a Hawk or Soul equipped with a sword deals 4 damage each time now, which accelerates our clock from 7 hits to 5). His ulti is not that unreachable or unrealistic either, as we can simply make 3 tokens to equip swords while ticking him up in order to close a game, and alongside with Lilly's ulti, he can really take us back into an already lost match. Bitterblossom can also be an option, but, while cheaper, it also pings us every turn and lacks the sheer utility Sorin has.
On the other hand, Sorin, Solemn Visitor has its roles somewhat switched. It's now it's +1 the one that pumps our creatures, and it gives lifelink to boot, but it's not permanent. On the other hand, the tokens he makes are bigger and have evasion, and he comes up with 4 Loyalty, so we only have to tick him up twice to have an unremovable The Abyss emblem in play.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
On Murderous Cut, I think it is a great card but I wouldn't run it in our deck since we have Snapcaster, Souls and Treasure Cruise to fuel. Also, your version is runnign 3 snapcasters to my 2, 4 discard instead of 6 and 0 serum visions to my 4. I think you may find it much more difficult to fuel treasure cruise or snap/cruise (my most common snap target).
I think Sorin, Lord of Innistrad is great w/ Lingering Souls. I wouldn't be against testing him. He hasn't seen much play in Modern yet and I can only assume it is due to power level but he is def worth at least trying.
I think your version is fine but if you are set with running a playset of remands I would go down to 2 treasure cruise. Let me know how you like Remands. If they overperform then I'll have to try them out!
As for the SB, I wouldn't run Torpor Orb as it shuts down snaps, hawks and clique. They probably should just be something like Spellskites. I would also just change one of the darkblast to slaughter pact (it is great vs a lot of decks but especially vs. Twin). As for wraths, I would have at least 1 of them be Wrath of God, the regeneration matters vs. green decks and the color casting requirements are relevant.
- 1 Snapcaster Mage (Although this hurts since he's very BIG with Remand and removal)
- 1 Liliana of the Veil (Can suck in multiples and it's Abrupt Decay fodder. By giving Decay less targets we're letting it sit dead in their hand and that's a way to combat it)
- 1 Remand (I'd like to run the full playset but oh well)
And I'm looking at what to take for the 4th Serum Visions, although if I can find something to take out and get the 4th Remand back in I'll be more than happy.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
After you've tested remand further then you can decide if you think they are worth keeping or if they would be better off as the 4th visions, 4th lili, a snap/steelshapers and a 5th discard, etc.
let me know what you think of remand. I think extra discard is better vs combo and control and fuels cruise and snap faster but again I haven't tested it so I don't know.
Going to be playing a 3 round tournament today.
Edit: I think you should also consider possibly doing timely reinforcements over phyrexian unlife. Whereas phyrexian does give us 10 more health, timely just seems so much better considering our game plan, and its still incredible gains in health, but assists our board position. Also, snap+timely is just crushing to burn lists
Im running a lot more creatures than most lists ive seen on here, 4 Squadron Hawk, 2 Snapcaster (I have two more in the sideboard against control, though I really think I just want 1 in the main), 1 Aven Mindcensor, 1 Geist of Saint Traft, 1 Restoration Angel, and 1 Tidehollow Sculler. I love the variety and the deck can attack from a few different directions, I blew out one guy playing UWR control, I was on the play and he cracked two fetches (held priority, thinking this would be faster) and I flashed in Mindcensor so we went to game 2.
My entire sideboard is just 1 ofs, it has a Gift's package with Rites and Elesh Norn but also has tons of fuel to fight the fair decks. So far I haven't ever played a game feeling behind, especially against Delver, which is a first for me.
U Tron
GW Bogles
RG Loam
UR Blue Breach
RBU Grixis Goryo
BRU Grixis Delver
GBR Jund
GBW Junk
Active Legacy Decks
BR Reanimator
Modern: Jund Midrange BRG
Legacy: Shardless Bug BUG
Well if our main win condition is Batterskull then we don't need it in the main. We have plenty of ways to win and Decay doesn't hit Skull.
U Tron
GW Bogles
RG Loam
UR Blue Breach
RBU Grixis Goryo
BRU Grixis Delver
GBR Jund
GBW Junk
Active Legacy Decks
BR Reanimator
Thanks for the quick response. This deck actually looks really fun i'll have to look around for spare pieces when i get the chance.
Modern: Jund Midrange BRG
Legacy: Shardless Bug BUG
Have you determined anything to help with the burn matchup? I just cannot seem to not get wrecked by them. I stabilize within double burn range usually, and it hurts for sure. I am thinking making my TS's into duress.
Edit: What is your take on liliana of the veil? In my testing she has been extremely lackluster in the deck. Maybe as a 1-2 of, but I really don't like drawing her in a large majority of my matches.
Modern
URGTemur ScapeshiftGRU
EDH
WGKarametra EnchantressGW
UBGSidisi, Brood Tyrant ReanimatorGBU
UBRKess DoomsdayRBU
WBGGhave TokensGBW
WUBZur RebelsBUW
WUBErtai CursesBUW
WRFiresong and Sunspeaker Spell SlingerRW
ANyway, I believe the card Anticipate is definitely where this deck wants to be. Right card at the right time with mana backup really seems like a boon. But I think the deck fits better into a tapout midrange control strategy with solid draw-go control threats like gideon jura out of the board or token subthemes with cards like Sorin, Solemn Visitor to compliment liliana.
UB/x Faeries
UR Storm
XURWB Affinity
G Elves
UW control