coming back to test this deck out some more as I finally got my scalding tarns - one card I don't see discussed at all in this thread is disrupting shoal - between that and maybe even shining shoal I feel like one has to be correct. The deck is built to draw absurd amounts of cards so 2-for-1ing yourself is going to be way less painful than a normal deck.
Disrupting seems more likely since playing a bunch of counterspells is probably better than trying to jam a bunch of white cards to keep your shining shoal live. The only cool thing about shining shoal is that if they bolt your swan you can shoal something away to prevent that damage, then redirect the damage to the swans (I think that works) and draw 3 to replace the 2 you pitched.
But yeah in the UR list - it has to be reasonable to run 1-2 disrupting shoals here? And I do also like boros reckoner as a backup plan but if you're keeping on the skred train trying to hit RRR and either UU or WW is no joke. If the deck drops skred then its trivial- but it seemed like skred is kind of the main reason to play swans (and reckoner) anyways,
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Modern
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
Because there is nothing else for your opponent to path/terminate/counter so those spells sit in their hand doing nothing until you finally play your swan - the longer you wait for mana to protect it the more removal they end up holding. And while stubborn denial is an excellent answer, the snow manabase is asking a lot for you to have 2UU for swans and then a bunch more U for counterspells. Also denial is pretty atrocious without a swan, and when a swan sticks we win easily.
Had one game where I was on 4 lands and passed turn expecting to untap and skred. Opponent inquisitions.
I decide to lay my 5th land and wait 1 more turn so I can harvest pyre - I COULD have bolted instead but that did not seem like enough value for what amounted to my entire game plan... what happens next? He IoKs my harvest pyre, then snap-IoKs forcing me to bolt the snap... I'm left with a swans and nothing else in hand.
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Modern
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
Hi there, I wanna play this deck, is this post dead or something? I think this deck will be fine on the new meta, aff, infect etc will be the tier decks to beat, and this removal bassed deck seems awesome there
I'm going to be playing this tomorrow at my local event, will report back. Running a list very close to OP but with 2 Moons in the main.
As I don't own Snaps and V.Cliques what about using: 2x Grim Lavamancer and 2x Ral Zarek instead ?
They can both act as repeatable burn sources (for removal) that can also help draw cards with Swans.
Another option I considered is Goblin Dark-Dwellers but it seems rather slow (with already 4x Swans as my top-end) and doesn't work well with counterspells.
There is also Niblis of Frost which can be good with many cheap removal/cantrip spells and Stubborn Denial.
you should run some temur battlerage that way your swans will do more damage get the job done two turns sooner.
swans feels like a trap though in many of moderns match up. just turns bolt into ancestral recall for jund, which will get to either there, liliana or terminates faster. tron can exile it. scapeshift should be able to go around it, Affinity will block and draw lots of cards giving them the ability to wide and around. burn draws lots more burn. etc, etc.
Temur Battle Rage will probably be a dead card most of the time.
This is a control deck and not a combo deck so the plan is to control the game with counters+removal (which Swans should help draw enough of) and finish the game with a 4/3 flyer beats (or "bolt-snap-bolt" if you have Snapcaster).
Jund seems like a tough matchup unless I can counter them long enough (Stubborn Denial into Remand into Mana Leak) and hit the relevant removal on time (Bolt for Bob/Scooze and Skred/Flame Slash for Goyf/Grim Flayer/Kalitas)
I love this deck...its so troll and elegant at the same time.
So I'm mid build for Bant Spirits and Swan's a spirit...got me thinking.
Do you Think a Jeskai list like this with Drogskol Captain and rattlechains could be worth while as you turn your removal into draw/or to clear away early attacks until you stabilize and just get beats in in the air? You could flash swans in during their EoT to set up some pretty sick sequences if you have a rattlechains already on the board. Giving the swans hexproof helps keep the benefit one sided or protect other pieces. Also, Celestial Kirin for the lols...If you're drawing a ton of cards a turn, you can instant board clear certain cmc's if you wanted to. With Selfless Spirit it could even be one sided.
Probably too cute, but man that sounds troll as heck.
I would love to see a list.
the thing is that if you wanna do skred. then 3 colors get difficult. and you need some burn Spells to make swans good. but I like the interaction with drogskol captain I might take a look at a uw/r spirit list
#I wonder if it would be a good time to play this deck now with Lightning Bolt losing some popularity as it is less effective now against the big creatures that see play in top decks, making Swans of Bryn Argoll a safer play (except against "Burn").
#An interesting option (especially against Burn) can be to sideboard into Madcap Experiment + Platinum Emperion and maybe some Blood Moons as well (like "UR Blue Moon/Madcap Moon") against decks which can use the Swans against us or when it is not effective.
#Another idea is to pair Swans with Delver of Secrets to get some early pressure/damage and bait removal to clear the way for Swans later and then play the Swans and refuel, can this work ?
Disrupting seems more likely since playing a bunch of counterspells is probably better than trying to jam a bunch of white cards to keep your shining shoal live. The only cool thing about shining shoal is that if they bolt your swan you can shoal something away to prevent that damage, then redirect the damage to the swans (I think that works) and draw 3 to replace the 2 you pitched.
But yeah in the UR list - it has to be reasonable to run 1-2 disrupting shoals here? And I do also like boros reckoner as a backup plan but if you're keeping on the skred train trying to hit RRR and either UU or WW is no joke. If the deck drops skred then its trivial- but it seemed like skred is kind of the main reason to play swans (and reckoner) anyways,
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
removal. response, counter. removal. response, skred swans. removal...
Why?
Because there is nothing else for your opponent to path/terminate/counter so those spells sit in their hand doing nothing until you finally play your swan - the longer you wait for mana to protect it the more removal they end up holding. And while stubborn denial is an excellent answer, the snow manabase is asking a lot for you to have 2UU for swans and then a bunch more U for counterspells. Also denial is pretty atrocious without a swan, and when a swan sticks we win easily.
Had one game where I was on 4 lands and passed turn expecting to untap and skred. Opponent inquisitions.
I decide to lay my 5th land and wait 1 more turn so I can harvest pyre - I COULD have bolted instead but that did not seem like enough value for what amounted to my entire game plan... what happens next? He IoKs my harvest pyre, then snap-IoKs forcing me to bolt the snap... I'm left with a swans and nothing else in hand.
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
4 boros reckoner
4 lightning bolt
4 lightning helix
4 boros charm
that seems like a decent start. not sure where to go from there.
cards im considering:
Maybe isochron scepter.
UB Tezzerator
UBW Gifts
B 8Rack
Legacy
RB Goblins
UB Tezzerator
UBW Gifts
B 8Rack
Legacy
RB Goblins
I'm going to be playing this tomorrow at my local event, will report back. Running a list very close to OP but with 2 Moons in the main.
The deck seems very fun to play and rather affordable besides: Snapcaster Mage, Scalding Tarn, Cryptic Command, Vendilion Clique, Blood Moon and some SB cards.
As I don't own Snaps and V.Cliques what about using: 2x Grim Lavamancer and 2x Ral Zarek instead ?
They can both act as repeatable burn sources (for removal) that can also help draw cards with Swans.
Another option I considered is Goblin Dark-Dwellers but it seems rather slow (with already 4x Swans as my top-end) and doesn't work well with counterspells.
There is also Niblis of Frost which can be good with many cheap removal/cantrip spells and Stubborn Denial.
Here is my current build idea:
2x Grim Lavamancer
4x Swans of Bryn Argoll
Instant (21)
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Skred
3x Stubborn Denial
2x Spell Snare
3x Remand
2x Mana Leak
1x Izzet Charm
2x Anticipate
4x Serum Visions
1x Flame Slash
3x Anger of the Gods
Planeswalker (2)
2x Ral Zarek
Land (23)
3x Flooded Strand
3x Bloodstained Mire
10x Snow-Covered Island
5x Snow-Covered Mountain
2x Steam Vents
1x Anger of the Gods
1x Counterflux
1x Echoing Truth
1x Flame Slash
3x Goblin Dark-Dwellers
1x Izzet Staticaster
1x Mana Leak
2x Molten Rain
2x Pithing Needle
2x Shattering Spree
swans feels like a trap though in many of moderns match up. just turns bolt into ancestral recall for jund, which will get to either there, liliana or terminates faster. tron can exile it. scapeshift should be able to go around it, Affinity will block and draw lots of cards giving them the ability to wide and around. burn draws lots more burn. etc, etc.
This is a control deck and not a combo deck so the plan is to control the game with counters+removal (which Swans should help draw enough of) and finish the game with a 4/3 flyer beats (or "bolt-snap-bolt" if you have Snapcaster).
Jund seems like a tough matchup unless I can counter them long enough (Stubborn Denial into Remand into Mana Leak) and hit the relevant removal on time (Bolt for Bob/Scooze and Skred/Flame Slash for Goyf/Grim Flayer/Kalitas)
So I'm mid build for Bant Spirits and Swan's a spirit...got me thinking.
Do you Think a Jeskai list like this with Drogskol Captain and rattlechains could be worth while as you turn your removal into draw/or to clear away early attacks until you stabilize and just get beats in in the air? You could flash swans in during their EoT to set up some pretty sick sequences if you have a rattlechains already on the board. Giving the swans hexproof helps keep the benefit one sided or protect other pieces. Also, Celestial Kirin for the lols...If you're drawing a ton of cards a turn, you can instant board clear certain cmc's if you wanted to. With Selfless Spirit it could even be one sided.
Probably too cute, but man that sounds troll as heck.
http://www.starcitygames.com/article/34217_Video-UR-Swan-Skred-In-Modern.html
the thing is that if you wanna do skred. then 3 colors get difficult. and you need some burn Spells to make swans good. but I like the interaction with drogskol captain I might take a look at a uw/r spirit list
Against big creatures (Death's Shadow, Tarmogoyf, Eldrazi and Delve creatures) there is Skred (which takes some time to get going) and maybe Spite of Mogis/Harvest Pyre or Flame Slash/Lightning Axe/Roast (can't hit Swans) as backup.
There are some blue options like Pongify or Reality Shift as well.
#An interesting option (especially against Burn) can be to sideboard into Madcap Experiment + Platinum Emperion and maybe some Blood Moons as well (like "UR Blue Moon/Madcap Moon") against decks which can use the Swans against us or when it is not effective.
#Another idea is to pair Swans with Delver of Secrets to get some early pressure/damage and bait removal to clear the way for Swans later and then play the Swans and refuel, can this work ?
What do you think ?