Grand Re-Opening of Hammer's Slammer // Koth's Mono-Red Prison
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Like a Restaurant that rushed to throw open its doors too soon, this thread was rushed into production. Haphazard and Untested Ideas were Getting Tossed about by the Author, and He Begs Your Pardon. Without Further Adieu...
Finally found time to do the dissection. LAND Let's start with the basics: Laaaaaaand. So, in the beginning, I was obsessed with starting out with turn 3 mana production. I called it '3rd Base - Already got there dude'. Scaling it back was the right play. First, we lose the Gemstone Caverns. They were the bomb when I had them in hand - no doubt - but a drawn card was horrid. AND, they're legendary, so I couldn't play doubles. So, they're out. Next, Cavern of Souls. Sweet Sauce, but now my creature base is diversified, so they're out. In? Mutavault. Of course, it's elementary. They also help to juice my Rabblemaster.
The Perfect Draw - with no further drawing assists or prison plays:
T1 - Mutavault / Simian Spirit Guide / Desperate Ritual / Goblin Rabblemaster. Cast him out and attack with your 1/1 = 1 Damage
T2 - Attack with 2 1/1 goblins, Rabblemaster, and the Mutavault = 9 Damage
T3 - Attack with 3 1/1 goblins, Rabblemaster, and the Mutavault = 10 Damage
MANA SOURCESDesperate Ritual (3) and Simian Spirit Guide (4). It feels good. I don't flood up too much - the ape can be cast in a pinch, and both of these cards assist with landing The Power Suite of Locks as soon as possible: Blood Moon / Chalice of the Void / Ensnaring Bridge. As for mana dumps in deck, there aren't many. I somewhat miss Kargan Dragonlord, but he was a tad slow.
LOCKS I looked at playing with the count on the Holy Trinity (chalice/moon/bridge), but time and time again, I kept coming back to maxing these out at (4) with a Magus of the Moon for even added protection.
CONTROL Rift Bolt / Magma Jet / Slagstorm / Chandra, Flamecaller / Spellskite & More
-- Rift Bolt. Obviously, this was selected, because it can sidestep a Chalice of the Void. It's noteworthy to mention that very few 1 drop spells were in consideration for Hammer's Slammer. Honestly? Lightning Bolt aaaannnd...Lightning Bolt. So, Chalice of the Void became a no-brainer. A playtest partner protested at its sorcery/suspend speed, but that can actually play even better than a bolt. Check this out: I'm on the play and suspend a rift bolt against a blind opponent. Seems strange, right? Nope. They will not drop that noble hierarch, or bird of paradise, or Delver of secrets or key 1-drop creature since they can just wait one turn to dodge the bolt. O.K. They lay a land and pass. My Turn: bolt the face and drop a chalice of the void on 1. Not only do I not have to waste a bolt on a bird, I don't ever even have to see the bird come out. I just timewalked the bastahd and his 1-drops are stuck in his hand. Sooooo much better than a bolt.
CREATURES The primary obstacle was coming up with creatures that didn't conflict with Ensnaring Bridge. Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh / Chandra, Roaring Flame as well as Jaya Ballard, Task Mage looked promising as damage delivery, but they are slow and inconsistent depending upon the opponent. Prophetic Flamespeaker is definitely missed as an early one of those just housed, and with the addition of 6 bolt, I could get him through all those pesky walls and midrange creatures. Ultimately, he's just a little too easy to kill and mid-game he doesn't present a strong threat. The Rabblemaster closes out a game much more quickly.
-- Goblin Rabblemaster: This dude is a free Bitterblossom, and I can meter the Ensnaring Bridge to shore up a growing army - such that he doesn't actually conflict with a bridge
-- Spellskite: It seems odd, right? I am rarely displeased to see this fella. I don't have blockers, so he protects against early Burn/Zoo/Merfolkk beats and can redirect Bogles and Infect.
So, I'll wrap it up on my outlier decision card of Spellskite. It was a long road with a bunch of bad turns, but I feel like I made it to Grandma's House. And, Koth is happily smoking his pipe on the front porch while Chandra cooks up a turkey in the kitchen.
Interesting deck idea. What do you think about one copy of Bottled Cloister in main? Along side Ensnaring Bridge it will completely lock opponent's attack but will let you do yours while providing more card draws.
For side or main I suggest Purphoros, God of the Forge if you face another deck playing prison. He is not so easy to remove and has a great synergy with Goblin Rabblemaster while you can use your extra mana to pump your army. If that is not enough 1 copy of Norin the Wary will put more pressure under Ensnaring Bridge protection
Interesting deck idea. What do you think about one copy of Bottled Cloister in main? Along side Ensnaring Bridge it will completely lock opponent's attack but will let you do yours while providing more card draws.
For side or main I suggest Purphoros, God of the Forge if you face another deck playing prison. He is not so easy to remove and has a great synergy with Goblin Rabblemaster while you can use your extra mana to pump your army. If that is not enough 1 copy of Norin the Wary will put more pressure under Ensnaring Bridge protection
Since I play very few instant effects, the Cloister could work.
Secondly, I consider what kind of 'game state disruption' will result in its casting. It works wonderfully with Bridge, and it does get me an extra card each turn. Hmmm...by the time, I do have 4 mana, I am generally dumped down pretty low, such that the only creatures that I would fear would be Infect and Affinity - so I don't know if the bridge enhancer would come into play all that often. My spell curve is pretty low to the ground. All in all, I don't think it gets the spot, Master_Hades.
Purphoros, God of the Forge is an intriguing suggestion though! Like you said, he works extraordinarily well with Rabble Rabble and (6) damage from Pia and Kiran Nalaar is no slouch move either. The pump on the attack is reasonably cool, and it's mathematically possible that devotion could result in a 6/5 Barrel-chested Bruiser. Me Likey. I suppose I could see him scooching in for a swap out of the 3rd Desperate Ritual. I like the ritual, but they really only grant me one extra mana and it's not like I need the three-red that they garner. Only Mutavault provides colorless land in this deck. Still ---- Given the option of Purphoros or a 3rd Pia and Kiran Nalaar, I don't see how I could possibly say no to the power of The Parents. Yet, again, some very strong suggestions - appreciated.
Since I do run a heavy red land base (and potentially a devotion God) as well as rituals and SSGs, should I be looking at red-intensive mana spells? Any good brainstorms on that? The one that always pops to mind is Ball Lightning, but that's obviously a non-starter in a deck with bridges. A fun guy that can really cleans up in my EDH is Cyclops Gladiator, but again....'Bridge is Out'.
Raystack, I'm Peter Niemeier. Author of the Modern Nexus article.
A primer/evolution post for Bloody Humans was on the back-burner but you have my complete blessing and wholeheartedly support yours and the community's commitment to the further development of this strategy.
I had swapped Koths for Pia and Kiran and haven't looked back. Updated sideboard to Shatterstorms and still thinking about how to attack Tron after the Twin banning since they just make land drops (even with moon) and then resolve a natural Wyrmcoil ftw.
I am extremely sad to see Flamespeaker gone from the list (and SoWP), but since it looks like you're focusing on a Bridge strategy, I suppose that makes sense. If you go back to Bridgeless, I'd be curious to see it.
For now, I will just lurk in this thread as my involvement in Modern right now is dubious at best.
My playtest buddy since Antiquities forwarded me your article/deck, and said, 'did you write this?'. You and I started Magic at the same time, and both enjoy soft-lock prison style strategies (sidenote: I qualified for one Pro Tour Event and was 1 play away from making it to a 2nd - Ray Karkman). Folks can see the full article here: http://modernnexus.com/bloody-humans-15th-at-scg-vegas/ The write-up and analysis is superb (particularly since this was your first Modern tournament), and the feedback thread below the article is equally illuminating. Here is the deck list.
Pete freely admits that it was an instinctive build - not playtested very thoroughly. As I said in the primer, it's rad.....but a little narrow for me.
As for updates and the synthesis of Hammer's Slammer with decks like Free Win Red and Skred, I agree that Pia and Kiran Nalaar have shown their worth. I've gone from 0 to 3 of them in the main - as they can hold back fatties when the bridge doesn't hold. Indeed, I'm still going the way of Ensnaring Bridge which limits creature selection, but not the viability of Piran and Goblin Rabblemaster. You commented on the noted absence of Prophetic Flamespeaker and Sword of War and Peace. When these fell to the Bridge limitations, I also dropped my Red Dark Ritual count as well as Magus of the Moon count. My build is becoming more 'fair' and adaptable to threats at the cost of explosive early mana production.
Should I stay more linear/fragile and hope for the right matchups? The strange thing about Bloody Humans is that it has absolutely No Main Deck Removal or Sweepers. None. I've since added 4 bolts and 2 slagstorm (really rocking card). As it was commented in your thread feedback and this thread, there are a butt ton of ways this style of play can go. Let's keep brewing and would love to see your decklist!
I've played Modern once since Las Vegas and only only made the changes I mentioned in my last post.
They were good but I couldn't land a Chalice on 1 vs. Boggles and I had the Tron issue where I couldn't close out the game before Wyrmcoil was cast off of 6 lands.
My relics didn't help at all vs. a ton of Snapcaster shenanigans.
I'd like to hear your thoughts about Slagstorm vs. Anger of the Gods. Is it simply the added reach? The exile effect on Anger of the Gods really appeals to me to prevent recursion and Thragtusk stuff but maybe no one plays that. I can't remember my sideboard off the top of my head but I had 3 Anger of the Gods in there, I believe. I'll keep thinking and lurking.
In Regards to Bloody Humans (and how it relates to its offspring creations), I found this commentary from a poster on Modern Nexus particularly insightful (this commentary addresses the deck design of Pete's Bloody Human deck --- It DOES NOT address Hammer's Slammer, still I think some of the analysis translates):
Darcy Hartwick says:
December 21, 2015 at 12:39 pm
This just seems like such high variance – but I guess that’s the nature of skred red, all-in red, and “ham sandwich boros” decks that lean on pumping out fast chalices/moons from the maindeck. You need those cards to cripple your opponent and if you draw the wrong ones for the wrong matchups you pretty much have no way to win.
Where this version differs is you have literally no removal MD – most would use skred/bolt and chalice decks will run lightning helix, all will usually run some MD sweeper like anger of the gods or wrath of god. Your win conditions also die to a stiff breeze, which means you better chalice for 1 if you want to not lose to lightning bolt or path to exile AND/OR get a moon out so they can’t just abrupt decay your tiny dudes. Koth is used as a playset in skred red because if they can’t kill him they lose so it doesn’t matter if you have multiples.
A monored deck can’t realistically beat worship + hexproof. You could conceivably beat worship by koth ult and then machine gunning the board. And you can technically rachet bomb up to 4 I guess, so tot he extent there are answers you kind of already have them.
I do applaud flamespeaker+sword though, and it must be sweet flipping rituals to flamespeaker since a common problem with him is flipping too many cards you can’t actually use and wasting the “CA” even if he gets through
Hey everyone, been brewing around with all-in turn 1 Moon decks for awhile & I'm glad there's a thread for it now. I'm also pretty into the idea of Ensnaring Bridge (my original brews focused on Chalice & Moon, but no Bridge) & I'm glad you guys came around to Rabblemaster, I think he's great in this deck.
Since trying the deck with Bridge, I've been missing something; I've been trying to come up with a good mana sink for the deck to give more utility to extra rituals & Spirit Guides, and also something to fill in the lower end of the curve because I've found times where I'll SSG + Ritual out a T1 Moon only to stall on 2 or 3 lands (because I burned up my cards T1) with more expensive cards like Rabblemasters and Koths.
Kargan Dragonlord was perfect for that role before I was testing with Bridge; Dragonlord's low on the curve & offers a great mana-sink that can turn extra rituals into a faster win, along with giving a nice use for Koth's -2 ability. Problem ofc is that that just doesn't apply anymore with Ensnaring Bridge in the deck.
Anybody have any ideas for something like this to replace that slot? Gotta be under 4 mana (2 would be the best, imo), something to dump extra mana (ideally in small installments, so it can be used without rituals easily) from rituals into for some advantage towards winning the game, that works well with Bridge & Moon (ie low power for creatures, and not a land like Scrying Sheets).
Hey everyone, been brewing around with all-in turn 1 Moon decks for awhile & I'm glad there's a thread for it now. I'm also pretty into the idea of Ensnaring Bridge (my original brews focused on Chalice & Moon, but no Bridge) & I'm glad you guys came around to Rabblemaster, I think he's great in this deck.
Since trying the deck with Bridge, I've been missing something; I've been trying to come up with a good mana sink for the deck to give more utility to extra rituals & Spirit Guides, and also something to fill in the lower end of the curve because I've found times where I'll SSG + Ritual out a T1 Moon only to stall on 2 or 3 lands (because I burned up my cards T1) with more expensive cards like Rabblemasters and Koths.
Kargan Dragonlord was perfect for that role before I was testing with Bridge; Dragonlord's low on the curve & offers a great mana-sink that can turn extra rituals into a faster win, along with giving a nice use for Koth's -2 ability. Problem ofc is that that just doesn't apply anymore with Ensnaring Bridge in the deck.
Anybody have any ideas for something like this to replace that slot? Gotta be under 4 mana (2 would be the best, imo), something to dump extra mana (ideally in small installments, so it can be used without rituals easily) from rituals into for some advantage towards winning the game, that works well with Bridge & Moon (ie low power for creatures, and not a land like Scrying Sheets).
Okay, so maybe I'm more interested than in just lurking.
I'll do some looking around in Gatherer later, but what about Ashling the Pilgrim? It can stay on board as insurance or to clear the board of creatures that came down before Bridge was deployed. Has reach. [Edit: by reach I mean the extra damage to a player can close out the game not the keyword... damn it.]
MaverickZero - Exactly - Extremely well said. If it's bridgeless, I can get behind Bloody Humans, but bridge in game 1 is too important. I've been searching on Gatherer a little bit, but I think our best source for viable options is the Skred thread. Those guys are mono-red, and been trying to solve the riddle of a competitive mono-red deck (that's not Burn) a long time: http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/developing-competitive-modern/491196-skred-red?page=66
To answer Octopusman's query on Slagstorm, it's been mint to me so far. It's a bolt or a sweeper, and they're both needed in my estimation. If my creatures, (rabble and pia) were beefier, then I would just turn it into an Anger of the Gods. Instead, it's my 5th and 6th bolt.
Ashling, eh? I'd like it more if I knew she could live past her ultimate. Still, it's a thought as she can crank from under a bridge, and the counters are permanent...could be a Rocket Launcher. I will tell what foxy lady has got some real potential: Jaya Ballard, Task Mage: I'm so close to including her in the Main Deck. The other day, after mooning, I cranked 15 damage into an eldrazi deck's face. She might be the answer of what to do with late drawn mana.
Other option, though I just don't like this guy, Hangarback Walker. What I really want to find is an outlier card that only we can exploit, because it requires a lot of red mana symbols to run
MaverickZero - Exactly - Extremely well said. If it's bridgeless, I can get behind Bloody Humans, but bridge in game 1 is too important. I've been searching on Gatherer a little bit, but I think our best source for viable options is the Skred thread. Those guys are mono-red, and been trying to solve the riddle of a competitive mono-red deck (that's not Burn) a long time: http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/developing-competitive-modern/491196-skred-red?page=66
To answer Octopusman's query on Slagstorm, it's been mint to me so far. It's a bolt or a sweeper, and they're both needed in my estimation. If my creatures, (rabble and pia) were beefier, then I would just turn it into an Anger of the Gods. Instead, it's my 5th and 6th bolt.
Ashling, eh? I'd like it more if I knew she could live past her ultimate. Still, it's a thought as she can crank from under a bridge, and the counters are permanent...could be a Rocket Launcher. I will tell what foxy lady has got some real potential: Jaya Ballard, Task Mage: I'm so close to including her in the Main Deck. The other day, after mooning, I cranked 15 damage into an eldrazi deck's face. She might be the answer of what to do with late drawn mana.
Other option, though I just don't like this guy, Hangarback Walker. What I really want to find is an outlier card that only we can exploit, because it requires a lot of red mana symbols to run
Had my eye on Knollspine Invocation for a while. Only problem I see is that you're not spending the mana created by rituals... rather, you already have the mana and turn them into direct damage. 3 to pitch a spirit guide for 3 damage, 2 to shock with a ritual. Maybe you get there by pitching extra walkers. [Edit] Other problem is doesn't do anything on its own so it's definitely card disadvantage.
What do people think of the 'transformative sideboard'? We go bridge in game 1 and then Big Red: thundermaw hellkite and the like.
This approach gives 2 clear paths of a build, and it's easy to identify opposing decks that don't care about bridge: combo/control.
If big red, is avaricious dragonviable. I had him as a 2 slot in a previous sideboard.
When I consider 2 drops, Maverick, I have to reconcile that red won't be given beef since its damage removal suite is simply too strong. We are left w low tier options like Ashling (which I'm not ruling out), but pales in comparison to other colors 'Bears'. I propose looking at the 4 slot more carefully, and just hoping the mana accelerators get drawn in the right proportion.
Ok - which 4cmc (or 3) shall it be??
EDIT: swapped my 1 spellskite for an earthquake - love the sweep and damage combo. Am I onto something?
I really don't like the idea of running more 4s and just hoping the rituals line up. I think the deck tends to have 1 (sometimes 2) huge ahead-of schedule plays in an opening hand, and I don't like the idea of making that play and then sitting around for 3 turns with 4-drops in my hand. T1 Koth is a great play but it's not likely to happen and even if it does you certainly aren't playing another 4 drop the next turn. If we have a high curve we're setting ourselves up to usually do nothing on that next turn.
I do think Spellskite is strong against enough decks to hang out main (esp Infect, which can often slip under a Bridge before the 'gate' ie our hand size drops), and I actually like Earthquake too. I'm testing Earthquake now & it's nice with excess rituals etc, but I really wish we had a card that could avoid hitting players or had the option of going to the face or players (I know Slagstorm does this, but I value the flexible cost of Earthquake more).
Agree on Spellskite, I put it back as a 1-of Maindeck, and it's certainly possible that it could become a 2-of [I've since gone to 2 Skite in Maindeck, and love it]. When you are running a 'prison deck' with no countermagic, you need either protection or multiples of your locks - and, I'm not going to look at such narrow strategies as Welding Jar. Spellskite fits both, offers an early blocker, and fills that need of a 2-drop that you are seeking Maverickzero.
For me, the 5-Star contenders for 2-CMC plays in a mono-red control deck are: Spellskite, Desperate Ritual and Ratchet Bomb. That's about it, but I'm all ears on other thoughts. The only reason why I don't run a lot of these is that I want 'double-edged swords': Spells that can affect boardstate and/or inflict damage to an opponent's 20. Man can't win a game with ratchet bomb alone.
I'm also thinking that using Pia and Kiran + Thopters may mean you could run maindeck Ensaring Bridge with Phyrexian Revoker (for more fuel) if our spaghetti overlords become a problem. I may run Roast/Dismember over Magma Jet or try to include them in the SB, but that's still up for testing. The upside of Hangarback has been that I'm able to block a lot more things and focus on being proactive with Flamespeaker.
Some neat synergies, Wasabizod. So, this version follows Niemeier's Bloody Humans style deck construction. There is a noted reduction in mana production. The original had 7 more mana accelerators: 4 Wild Cantor and 3 Pyretic Ritual. Do you find that you're missing these elements in your deck?
One of the issues with Prophetic Speaker is that you need mana to use the drawn cards. Also, Kargan Dragonlord definitely needs mana to ramp up into significance. I do like the high creature count: Hangarback Walker and Pia and Kiran Nalaar at (7) gives the deck some heft and it can hold up in the attrition war that will ensue when you're facing Zoo and Burn. But, what about Infect, Affinity, and Merfolk? Can you hold back their explosive starts.
The missing link: Sweepers and Ensnaring Bridge - You have none of these in your main deck. Hmmm....these are the cards that can stop so much of this Aggro tide that is cropping up in the face of the Eldrazi menace. Plus, Bridge stops Eldrazi cold. Are you able to handle Eldrazi - first and foremost, and secondly, you're going aggro with elements of control - is it enough to slow 'em down and then go over the top? Have you considered Goblin Rabblemaster?
On your sideboard: I like the addition of Roast, but I don't know I can get behind Damping Matrix - it does a little to a lot of decks, but there seems to be better options out there.
As for the card that Maverickzero was looking for, I think I found it: Arc Trail. I have replaced Rift Bolt with Arc Trail in my Hammer's Slammer deck. I wrote about this in the Skred thread. I see that you're still going with Magma Jet, Wasabizod, presumably for the scry and instant bonus. Is Instant as important? Albeit slower, Sorcery will offer more sizzle. Arc Trail is especially devastating when you view the current gamescape: it's essentially Burn-Aggro-Infect-Zoo-Merfolk-Affinity vs. Eldrazi/Tron. Magma Jet (scry notwithstanding) is as useless against Tron as arc trail (arc trail can definitely 2-for-1 Eldrazi decks with Eldrazi Mimic, Matter Reshaper, Endless One and Eldrazi Tokens)....Buuuuut, Arc Trail is better against Burn-Aggro-Infect-Zoo-Merfolk-Infect (for the most part). Picture the scene in facing the previously named quick decks or even a green deck with mana dorks or Abzan with Lingering Souls, and it's turn 2. What do you want to cast? Either a 1-for-1 Jet? Or a 2-for-1 arc trail?
Raystack thanks for all the feedback. You're right about the lack of mana with Flamespeaker, but usually Chalice and Blood Moon is such a lock that not being able to cast things off Flamespeaker is not a huge issue.
I do like your point about Bridge and I think that's something I haven't had to face much yet. I think if I were to go to the bridge route, I'd probably focus more on the Hangarback/Pia and Kiran plan, since 1/1 thopters will make their way over the bridge. I could also see Rabblemaster being helpful in that spot, since he can sneak under.
With regards to sweepers, are you running those main or in the side?
So, changes may include
- 4 Kargan Dragonlord
- 4 Prophetic Flamespeaker
- 2 Swords
I'm not sure about Magma Jet versus Arc Trail. I've often been using Magma Jet during combat in concern with first strike damage to kill bigger creatures, then letting flamespeaker swing through with trample, but I could see arc trail being more helpful. I may just switch that to Dismember though.
RESULT: 1st Place - Intentional Draw with the other Undefeated Deck: Eldrazi
Sound Pretty Boss? It is. Buuuuut, it was an excrutiatingly small tournament: 8 players. I beat Mardu Good Stuff and then B/W Tokens. Then, it was an Intentional Draw with Eldrazi. Nonetheless, it was our first reported tournament appearance as well as our first win all at the same time. Boomshanka. We'll take it.
The build hums right along - tracing a careful path of advantage between aggro and eldrazi/control. Admittedly, there is a contradictory inclusion: Ensnaring Bridge vs. Goblin Rabblemaster. Nonetheless, the deck does employ creatures that are for the most part complementary to bridge limitations. Similarly, the planeswalkers welcome the Power Prison Suite: Chalice of the Void, Blood Moon, and Ensnaring Bridge. The addition of Spellskite only furthers the lockdowns.
Other alterations are the Mutavaults which takes advantage of a mono-color deck by enhancing the aggressive slant (plus, it is a goblin) and a few slagstorm which toggle between defensive sweeps and pointed damage to an opponent.
Like a Restaurant that rushed to throw open its doors too soon, this thread was rushed into production. Haphazard and Untested Ideas were Getting Tossed about by the Author, and He Begs Your Pardon. Without Further Adieu...
Creatures (8)
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
1 Spellskite
1 Magus of the Moon
Accelerators (7)
4 Simian Spirit Guide
3 Desperate Ritual
Enchantments (4)
4 Blood Moon
Instant/Sorcery (7)
4 Rift Bolt
2 Magma Jet
1 Slagstorm
2 Koth of the Hammer
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Chandra, Flamecaller
Artifacts (8)
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Chalice of the Void
Lands (22)
18 Mountain
4 Mutavault
3 Dragon's Claw
3 Pyroclasm
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Shattering Spree
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Ratchet Bomb
Finally found time to do the dissection.
LAND Let's start with the basics: Laaaaaaand. So, in the beginning, I was obsessed with starting out with turn 3 mana production. I called it '3rd Base - Already got there dude'. Scaling it back was the right play. First, we lose the Gemstone Caverns. They were the bomb when I had them in hand - no doubt - but a drawn card was horrid. AND, they're legendary, so I couldn't play doubles. So, they're out. Next, Cavern of Souls. Sweet Sauce, but now my creature base is diversified, so they're out. In? Mutavault. Of course, it's elementary. They also help to juice my Rabblemaster.
The Perfect Draw - with no further drawing assists or prison plays:
T1 - Mutavault / Simian Spirit Guide / Desperate Ritual / Goblin Rabblemaster. Cast him out and attack with your 1/1 = 1 Damage
T2 - Attack with 2 1/1 goblins, Rabblemaster, and the Mutavault = 9 Damage
T3 - Attack with 3 1/1 goblins, Rabblemaster, and the Mutavault = 10 Damage
MANA SOURCES Desperate Ritual (3) and Simian Spirit Guide (4). It feels good. I don't flood up too much - the ape can be cast in a pinch, and both of these cards assist with landing The Power Suite of Locks as soon as possible: Blood Moon / Chalice of the Void / Ensnaring Bridge. As for mana dumps in deck, there aren't many. I somewhat miss Kargan Dragonlord, but he was a tad slow.
LOCKS I looked at playing with the count on the Holy Trinity (chalice/moon/bridge), but time and time again, I kept coming back to maxing these out at (4) with a Magus of the Moon for even added protection.
CONTROL Rift Bolt / Magma Jet / Slagstorm / Chandra, Flamecaller / Spellskite & More
-- Rift Bolt. Obviously, this was selected, because it can sidestep a Chalice of the Void. It's noteworthy to mention that very few 1 drop spells were in consideration for Hammer's Slammer. Honestly? Lightning Bolt aaaannnd...Lightning Bolt. So, Chalice of the Void became a no-brainer. A playtest partner protested at its sorcery/suspend speed, but that can actually play even better than a bolt. Check this out: I'm on the play and suspend a rift bolt against a blind opponent. Seems strange, right? Nope. They will not drop that noble hierarch, or bird of paradise, or Delver of secrets or key 1-drop creature since they can just wait one turn to dodge the bolt. O.K. They lay a land and pass. My Turn: bolt the face and drop a chalice of the void on 1. Not only do I not have to waste a bolt on a bird, I don't ever even have to see the bird come out. I just timewalked the bastahd and his 1-drops are stuck in his hand. Sooooo much better than a bolt.
-- Slagstorm and Chandra, Flamecaller: These guys allow me to play 'pyroclasm' and not have it be a dead draw when I have a Pia and Kiran Nalaar or Goblin Rabblemaster rocking some damage.
CREATURES The primary obstacle was coming up with creatures that didn't conflict with Ensnaring Bridge. Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh / Chandra, Roaring Flame as well as Jaya Ballard, Task Mage looked promising as damage delivery, but they are slow and inconsistent depending upon the opponent. Prophetic Flamespeaker is definitely missed as an early one of those just housed, and with the addition of 6 bolt, I could get him through all those pesky walls and midrange creatures. Ultimately, he's just a little too easy to kill and mid-game he doesn't present a strong threat. The Rabblemaster closes out a game much more quickly.
-- Goblin Rabblemaster: This dude is a free Bitterblossom, and I can meter the Ensnaring Bridge to shore up a growing army - such that he doesn't actually conflict with a bridge
-- Pia and Kiran Nalaar: They do so much, and can chuck a bridge when need be.
-- Spellskite: It seems odd, right? I am rarely displeased to see this fella. I don't have blockers, so he protects against early Burn/Zoo/Merfolkk beats and can redirect Bogles and Infect.
So, I'll wrap it up on my outlier decision card of Spellskite. It was a long road with a bunch of bad turns, but I feel like I made it to Grandma's House. And, Koth is happily smoking his pipe on the front porch while Chandra cooks up a turkey in the kitchen.
For side or main I suggest Purphoros, God of the Forge if you face another deck playing prison. He is not so easy to remove and has a great synergy with Goblin Rabblemaster while you can use your extra mana to pump your army. If that is not enough 1 copy of Norin the Wary will put more pressure under Ensnaring Bridge protection
Creatures (9)
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
2 Spellskite
1 Magus of the Moon
Accelerators (6)
4 Simian Spirit Guide
2 Desperate Ritual
Enchantments (4)
4 Blood Moon
Sorcery (7)
3 Arc Trail
3 Slagstorm
1 Earthquake
2 Koth of the Hammer
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
Artifacts (8)
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Chalice of the Void
Lands (22)
17 Mountain
4 Mutavault
1 Gemstone Caverns
3 Dragon's Claw
2 Shattering Spree
1 Volcanic Fallout
1 Pyroclasm
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Spellskite
Since I play very few instant effects, the Cloister could work.
When it comes to Bottled Cloister, the first thing that I think about is the likelihood that it will stay alive (in Game 1), and I don't lose my hand to permanent exile. Main Deck Cards to fear: Kolaghan's Command, Cryptic Command, Reclamation Sage, Qasali Pridemage, Maelstrom Pulse, Flickerwisp, Karn, Liberated and Oblivion Stone all come to mind.
Secondly, I consider what kind of 'game state disruption' will result in its casting. It works wonderfully with Bridge, and it does get me an extra card each turn. Hmmm...by the time, I do have 4 mana, I am generally dumped down pretty low, such that the only creatures that I would fear would be Infect and Affinity - so I don't know if the bridge enhancer would come into play all that often. My spell curve is pretty low to the ground. All in all, I don't think it gets the spot, Master_Hades.
Purphoros, God of the Forge is an intriguing suggestion though! Like you said, he works extraordinarily well with Rabble Rabble and (6) damage from Pia and Kiran Nalaar is no slouch move either. The pump on the attack is reasonably cool, and it's mathematically possible that devotion could result in a 6/5 Barrel-chested Bruiser. Me Likey. I suppose I could see him scooching in for a swap out of the 3rd Desperate Ritual. I like the ritual, but they really only grant me one extra mana and it's not like I need the three-red that they garner. Only Mutavault provides colorless land in this deck. Still ---- Given the option of Purphoros or a 3rd Pia and Kiran Nalaar, I don't see how I could possibly say no to the power of The Parents. Yet, again, some very strong suggestions - appreciated.
Since I do run a heavy red land base (and potentially a devotion God) as well as rituals and SSGs, should I be looking at red-intensive mana spells? Any good brainstorms on that? The one that always pops to mind is Ball Lightning, but that's obviously a non-starter in a deck with bridges. A fun guy that can really cleans up in my EDH is Cyclops Gladiator, but again....'Bridge is Out'.
A primer/evolution post for Bloody Humans was on the back-burner but you have my complete blessing and wholeheartedly support yours and the community's commitment to the further development of this strategy.
I had swapped Koths for Pia and Kiran and haven't looked back. Updated sideboard to Shatterstorms and still thinking about how to attack Tron after the Twin banning since they just make land drops (even with moon) and then resolve a natural Wyrmcoil ftw.
I am extremely sad to see Flamespeaker gone from the list (and SoWP), but since it looks like you're focusing on a Bridge strategy, I suppose that makes sense. If you go back to Bridgeless, I'd be curious to see it.
For now, I will just lurk in this thread as my involvement in Modern right now is dubious at best.
Best wishes,
Pete
My playtest buddy since Antiquities forwarded me your article/deck, and said, 'did you write this?'. You and I started Magic at the same time, and both enjoy soft-lock prison style strategies (sidenote: I qualified for one Pro Tour Event and was 1 play away from making it to a 2nd - Ray Karkman). Folks can see the full article here: http://modernnexus.com/bloody-humans-15th-at-scg-vegas/ The write-up and analysis is superb (particularly since this was your first Modern tournament), and the feedback thread below the article is equally illuminating. Here is the deck list.
4 Magus of the Moon
4 Prophetic Flamespeaker
4 Wild Cantor
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Kargan Dragonlord
Artifacts (6)
4 Chalice of the Void
2 Sword of War and Peace
4 Blood Moon
Instants (7)
4 Desperate Ritual
3 Pyretic Ritual
Planeswalkers (2)
2 Koth of the Hammer
Lands (21)
13 Mountain
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Gemstone Caverns
2 Trinisphere
3 Shattering Spree
3 Pyroclasm
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Relic of Progenitus
Pete freely admits that it was an instinctive build - not playtested very thoroughly. As I said in the primer, it's rad.....but a little narrow for me.
As for updates and the synthesis of Hammer's Slammer with decks like Free Win Red and Skred, I agree that Pia and Kiran Nalaar have shown their worth. I've gone from 0 to 3 of them in the main - as they can hold back fatties when the bridge doesn't hold. Indeed, I'm still going the way of Ensnaring Bridge which limits creature selection, but not the viability of Piran and Goblin Rabblemaster. You commented on the noted absence of Prophetic Flamespeaker and Sword of War and Peace. When these fell to the Bridge limitations, I also dropped my Red Dark Ritual count as well as Magus of the Moon count. My build is becoming more 'fair' and adaptable to threats at the cost of explosive early mana production.
Should I stay more linear/fragile and hope for the right matchups? The strange thing about Bloody Humans is that it has absolutely No Main Deck Removal or Sweepers. None. I've since added 4 bolts and 2 slagstorm (really rocking card). As it was commented in your thread feedback and this thread, there are a butt ton of ways this style of play can go. Let's keep brewing and would love to see your decklist!
They were good but I couldn't land a Chalice on 1 vs. Boggles and I had the Tron issue where I couldn't close out the game before Wyrmcoil was cast off of 6 lands.
My relics didn't help at all vs. a ton of Snapcaster shenanigans.
I'd like to hear your thoughts about Slagstorm vs. Anger of the Gods. Is it simply the added reach? The exile effect on Anger of the Gods really appeals to me to prevent recursion and Thragtusk stuff but maybe no one plays that. I can't remember my sideboard off the top of my head but I had 3 Anger of the Gods in there, I believe. I'll keep thinking and lurking.
Again, very excited to see this thread.
Darcy Hartwick says:
Since trying the deck with Bridge, I've been missing something; I've been trying to come up with a good mana sink for the deck to give more utility to extra rituals & Spirit Guides, and also something to fill in the lower end of the curve because I've found times where I'll SSG + Ritual out a T1 Moon only to stall on 2 or 3 lands (because I burned up my cards T1) with more expensive cards like Rabblemasters and Koths.
Kargan Dragonlord was perfect for that role before I was testing with Bridge; Dragonlord's low on the curve & offers a great mana-sink that can turn extra rituals into a faster win, along with giving a nice use for Koth's -2 ability. Problem ofc is that that just doesn't apply anymore with Ensnaring Bridge in the deck.
Anybody have any ideas for something like this to replace that slot? Gotta be under 4 mana (2 would be the best, imo), something to dump extra mana (ideally in small installments, so it can be used without rituals easily) from rituals into for some advantage towards winning the game, that works well with Bridge & Moon (ie low power for creatures, and not a land like Scrying Sheets).
Okay, so maybe I'm more interested than in just lurking.
I'll do some looking around in Gatherer later, but what about Ashling the Pilgrim? It can stay on board as insurance or to clear the board of creatures that came down before Bridge was deployed. Has reach. [Edit: by reach I mean the extra damage to a player can close out the game not the keyword... damn it.]
To answer Octopusman's query on Slagstorm, it's been mint to me so far. It's a bolt or a sweeper, and they're both needed in my estimation. If my creatures, (rabble and pia) were beefier, then I would just turn it into an Anger of the Gods. Instead, it's my 5th and 6th bolt.
Ashling, eh? I'd like it more if I knew she could live past her ultimate. Still, it's a thought as she can crank from under a bridge, and the counters are permanent...could be a Rocket Launcher. I will tell what foxy lady has got some real potential: Jaya Ballard, Task Mage: I'm so close to including her in the Main Deck. The other day, after mooning, I cranked 15 damage into an eldrazi deck's face. She might be the answer of what to do with late drawn mana.
Other option, though I just don't like this guy, Hangarback Walker. What I really want to find is an outlier card that only we can exploit, because it requires a lot of red mana symbols to run
Had my eye on Knollspine Invocation for a while. Only problem I see is that you're not spending the mana created by rituals... rather, you already have the mana and turn them into direct damage. 3 to pitch a spirit guide for 3 damage, 2 to shock with a ritual. Maybe you get there by pitching extra walkers. [Edit] Other problem is doesn't do anything on its own so it's definitely card disadvantage.
This approach gives 2 clear paths of a build, and it's easy to identify opposing decks that don't care about bridge: combo/control.
If big red, is avaricious dragonviable. I had him as a 2 slot in a previous sideboard.
When I consider 2 drops, Maverick, I have to reconcile that red won't be given beef since its damage removal suite is simply too strong. We are left w low tier options like Ashling (which I'm not ruling out), but pales in comparison to other colors 'Bears'. I propose looking at the 4 slot more carefully, and just hoping the mana accelerators get drawn in the right proportion.
Ok - which 4cmc (or 3) shall it be??
EDIT: swapped my 1 spellskite for an earthquake - love the sweep and damage combo. Am I onto something?
I do think Spellskite is strong against enough decks to hang out main (esp Infect, which can often slip under a Bridge before the 'gate' ie our hand size drops), and I actually like Earthquake too. I'm testing Earthquake now & it's nice with excess rituals etc, but I really wish we had a card that could avoid hitting players or had the option of going to the face or players (I know Slagstorm does this, but I value the flexible cost of Earthquake more).
For me, the 5-Star contenders for 2-CMC plays in a mono-red control deck are: Spellskite, Desperate Ritual and Ratchet Bomb. That's about it, but I'm all ears on other thoughts. The only reason why I don't run a lot of these is that I want 'double-edged swords': Spells that can affect boardstate and/or inflict damage to an opponent's 20. Man can't win a game with ratchet bomb alone.
I started an intuitive shift from direct damage/kill spells to sweepers: (1) Earthquake and (2) Slagstorm which left me with only (3) Rift Bolt - Lightning Bolt and (2) Chandra, Pyromaster to address li'l uns that slip through. Any non-adjustable sweeper that kills our Goblin Rabblemaster becomes self defeating.
Any further thoughts on sideboards or decklists to kick around?
EDIT: I'm hearing a lot of chatter on the Skred site (I view it as a cousin site), about the exact mechanics getting championed here:
(4) Chalice of the Void - at the expense of dropping Lightning Bolt and Skred
(4) Ensnaring Bridge - at the expense of dropping Stormbreath Dragon & Boros Reckoner
(4+1) Blood Moon
(4) Simian Spirit Guide
(2+) Pia and Kiran Nalaar
Koth of the Hammer and Chandra, Pyromaster
I'm exceedingly pleased with where this deck is falling in the current meta, and I just want to see some more headbangers at this party.
4x Hangarback Walker
4x Kargan Dragonlord
3x Magus of the Moon
3x Pia and Kiran Nalaar
4x Prophetic Flamespeaker
4x Simian Spirit Guide
4x Blood Moon
Instant (8)
4x Desperate Ritual
4x Magma Jet
Artifact (6)
4x Chalice of the Void
2x Sword of War and Peace
Land (20)
4x Cavern of Souls
16x Mountain
3x Damping Matrix
3x Pyroclasm
2x Roast
3x Shattering Spree
2x Tormod's Crypt
2x Trinisphere
I'm also thinking that using Pia and Kiran + Thopters may mean you could run maindeck Ensaring Bridge with Phyrexian Revoker (for more fuel) if our spaghetti overlords become a problem. I may run Roast/Dismember over Magma Jet or try to include them in the SB, but that's still up for testing. The upside of Hangarback has been that I'm able to block a lot more things and focus on being proactive with Flamespeaker.
One of the issues with Prophetic Speaker is that you need mana to use the drawn cards. Also, Kargan Dragonlord definitely needs mana to ramp up into significance. I do like the high creature count: Hangarback Walker and Pia and Kiran Nalaar at (7) gives the deck some heft and it can hold up in the attrition war that will ensue when you're facing Zoo and Burn. But, what about Infect, Affinity, and Merfolk? Can you hold back their explosive starts.
The missing link: Sweepers and Ensnaring Bridge - You have none of these in your main deck. Hmmm....these are the cards that can stop so much of this Aggro tide that is cropping up in the face of the Eldrazi menace. Plus, Bridge stops Eldrazi cold. Are you able to handle Eldrazi - first and foremost, and secondly, you're going aggro with elements of control - is it enough to slow 'em down and then go over the top? Have you considered Goblin Rabblemaster?
On your sideboard: I like the addition of Roast, but I don't know I can get behind Damping Matrix - it does a little to a lot of decks, but there seems to be better options out there.
As for the card that Maverickzero was looking for, I think I found it: Arc Trail. I have replaced Rift Bolt with Arc Trail in my Hammer's Slammer deck. I wrote about this in the Skred thread. I see that you're still going with Magma Jet, Wasabizod, presumably for the scry and instant bonus. Is Instant as important? Albeit slower, Sorcery will offer more sizzle. Arc Trail is especially devastating when you view the current gamescape: it's essentially Burn-Aggro-Infect-Zoo-Merfolk-Affinity vs. Eldrazi/Tron. Magma Jet (scry notwithstanding) is as useless against Tron as arc trail (arc trail can definitely 2-for-1 Eldrazi decks with Eldrazi Mimic, Matter Reshaper, Endless One and Eldrazi Tokens)....Buuuuut, Arc Trail is better against Burn-Aggro-Infect-Zoo-Merfolk-Infect (for the most part). Picture the scene in facing the previously named quick decks or even a green deck with mana dorks or Abzan with Lingering Souls, and it's turn 2. What do you want to cast? Either a 1-for-1 Jet? Or a 2-for-1 arc trail?
I do like your point about Bridge and I think that's something I haven't had to face much yet. I think if I were to go to the bridge route, I'd probably focus more on the Hangarback/Pia and Kiran plan, since 1/1 thopters will make their way over the bridge. I could also see Rabblemaster being helpful in that spot, since he can sneak under.
With regards to sweepers, are you running those main or in the side?
So, changes may include
- 4 Kargan Dragonlord
- 4 Prophetic Flamespeaker
- 2 Swords
+ 3 (4?) Ensnaring Bridge
+ 3 Phyrexian Revoker
+ 4 Goblin Rabblemaster
I'm not sure about Magma Jet versus Arc Trail. I've often been using Magma Jet during combat in concern with first strike damage to kill bigger creatures, then letting flamespeaker swing through with trample, but I could see arc trail being more helpful. I may just switch that to Dismember though.
Here's a potential update:
4x Goblin Rabblemaster
4x Hangarback Walker
2x Magus of the Moon
3x Pia and Kiran Nalaar
4x Simian Spirit Guide
2x Spellskite
Land (20)
16x Mountain
4x Mutavault
4x Desperate Ritual
2x Dismember
Sorcery (3)
1x Earthquake
2x Slagstorm
Artifact (8)
4x Chalice of the Void
4x Ensnaring Bridge
Enchantment (4)
4x Blood Moon
1x Dismember
3x Painter's Servant
2x Phyrexian Revoker
2x Roast
3x Shattering Spree
2x Tormod's Crypt
2x Trinisphere
EDIT: Now that I'm thinking about it and going down this road, it may make sense to run 3-4 Shrapnel Blast to make use of all these robots.
Sound Pretty Boss? It is. Buuuuut, it was an excrutiatingly small tournament: 8 players. I beat Mardu Good Stuff and then B/W Tokens. Then, it was an Intentional Draw with Eldrazi. Nonetheless, it was our first reported tournament appearance as well as our first win all at the same time. Boomshanka. We'll take it.
Creatures (9)
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
2 Spellskite
1 Magus of the Moon
Accelerators (6)
4 Simian Spirit Guide
2 Desperate Ritual
Enchantments (4)
4 Blood Moon
Sorcery (7)
3 Arc Trail
3 Slagstorm
1 Earthquake
2 Koth of the Hammer
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
Artifacts (8)
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Chalice of the Void
Lands (22)
17 Mountain
4 Mutavault
1 Gemstone Caverns
3 Dragon's Claw
3 Shattering Spree
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Pyroclasm
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Trading Post
1 Spellskite
The build hums right along - tracing a careful path of advantage between aggro and eldrazi/control. Admittedly, there is a contradictory inclusion: Ensnaring Bridge vs. Goblin Rabblemaster. Nonetheless, the deck does employ creatures that are for the most part complementary to bridge limitations. Similarly, the planeswalkers welcome the Power Prison Suite: Chalice of the Void, Blood Moon, and Ensnaring Bridge. The addition of Spellskite only furthers the lockdowns.
Other alterations are the Mutavaults which takes advantage of a mono-color deck by enhancing the aggressive slant (plus, it is a goblin) and a few slagstorm which toggle between defensive sweeps and pointed damage to an opponent.
How did rabblemaster perform for you? Would you rather have had a different creature?