A more detailed report will come soon, but here are my two cents:
On Molten Rain: It worked VERY WELL for me in certain matchups. They punish the opponent for fetching basics before Blood Moon comes down, make it very hard to reach triple-U for Cryptic Command, and can completely lock some opponents out of the game. It also keeps the number of blue sources available down to limit Control opponents to 1 counterspell per turn.
On Pia Nalaar: I never thought all the possible applications of the pumping effect under a Bridge. I'll definitely test this!
Blood Moon’s effect doesn’t affect supertypes and won’t turn any land into a basic land.
Two Gemstone Caverns keep the Legendary supertype as well as their name. So yes, if you play a second you have to sacrifice one of them. And you can still use Molten Rain to destroy a nonbasic for 2 dmg under Blood Moon.
It's FNM tonight, who's sleeving up and chucking cardboard?
Final tinkerings has me considering some experimental changes: 4 Molten Rain for my 4 Goblin Rabblemaster. Also, instead of a 2nd Piran: Octopusman mentioned Pia Nalaar a couple times on this thread. Initially, I dismissed the regal lady, as a lesser version of the partnered pair: Pia and Kiran Nalaar. But, then again.....
- She comes out one turn earlier. Significant since we're a bridge deck - also, fast decks will blast you before you reach 4-cmc.
- She doesn't conflict with the legendary rule on another Pia and Kiran Nalaar. You can have both on the field at the same time.
- Her pumping ability finally finds us a 'mana sink'.
- Against the very popular Lantern deck, I can pump my Spellskite to get under their bridge and smack face.
- Against the very popular Affinity deck, I can pump their Ornithopter or Signal Pest, so they can't get under my bridge. If I Chalice for 1, then Pia's protected from Galvanic Blast & that's GG!
Is this along the lines you were thinking, Octopus? It all seems pretty sound. I'll put her out on the dance floor and we'll see what happens tonight.
RULING QUESTION: Someone said earlier that 2 gemstone caverns under a cherry moon will trigger the legendary rule effect. Is this true? Does blood moon see past these now 'non-basic' mountains??
I think you went above and beyond finding uses for Pia not even counting the "target creature can't block"scenarios!
Here's the report on last week's duels. I ended up playing at a different FLGS than usual, so I didn't run Molten Rain main (keeping Slagstorm instead). Still, I sided them in all three matches.
WEEK 7 -
UB Faeries (2-0)
Turns out my opponent didn't run any basic lands, so once I could sneak in a Blood Moon, it was extremely hard for them to recover. Pia and Kiran Nalaar 's Thopters really shined here to stall the threat of Double- Bitterblossom before I could empty my hand to Ensnaring Bridge.
Eldrazi Tron (0-2)
Very tight matches, this could have likely ended 2-1 or even 2-0. In both games, a misplay on my part led to Ugin, the Spirit Dragon wiping out the board.
Grixis Control (2-0)
Despite maindeck Kolaghan's Command, this felt like a very good matchup (thank you Spellskite and Welding Jar). Blood Moon + Molten Rain really shined here, by keeping my opponent off triple-U (no Cryptic Command on my Ensnaring Bridge), limiting the number of available counterspells per turn, and making it difficult to use Tasigur, the Golden Fang.
LESSONS LEARNED
- I'm definitely sold on Pia and Kiran Nalaar. They act as good chump blockers to protect planeswalkers, they get under the Bridge (while flying above defenders). They forced an opponent spend three removal spells to get rid of the threat entirely. I've replaced one Chandra with them, maindeck.
- I'll try the maindeck Molten Rain tonight, but so far, it feels like this was the missing piece to strengthen the lock in my local metagame.
Ahhhhh, we've earned a convert! Pia and Kiran Nalaar enters the world of jfmajor's deck. As is often the best measuring stick of a card's worth: an opponent's reaction. You must have witnessed that same disdain that I universally see as well. Shoosh - 3 for 1 and a shock machine? Sold.
Your deck is shaping up nicely. So, you're sticking with the Molten Rain and a slight reduction in Planeswalker/Creature count? I did some testing as well, and had to move away from them. They simply don't advance the win enough for me. I had some in depth talks with some top-tier players who know Hammer's Slammer well. Their principle concern is "Threat Density". And, their measuring stick is Tron. They said that I can beat G/x Tron, but not U/x Tron. Just wondering about your deck - when put up against the Tron litmus test. I bet you have very few problems with Burn/Infect.
Reviewing your Match Report: U/B Faeries - sure, it's an outlier deck. Grixis? Yeah, I can see Molten Rain ruining a parade extremely well. I do struggle with Grixis/Jund (if I miss an early moon drop), and that would be the principal reason to keep it in our arsenal. Good luck out there tonight, and consider a 2nd look at Pia Nalaar. I ran her this weekend, and she almost single-handedly ran down G/x Tron for the win. I am a fan.
Considering it's a $1 bulk rare, yeah, I'll give Pia Nalaar a try. ;-)
So far, I never won a matchup against Tron (only individual games). Eldrazi Tron seems close, but I really can't seem to race G/R Tron. Naya Burn and Infect are my best matchups (never lost one so far). Monored Burn is difficult in game 1 (sooooo many dead cards!), but easy after sideboarding.
I'll give my Molten Rain experiment one serious try tonight then see if I stick to the "harder lock" route, or go the Aggro route like you're suggesting. Molten Rain is really a choice specific to my local metagame (Control and Infect heavy, with players knowing my deck well and playing around Blood Moon). I wouldn't run them maindeck for a large tournament.
I try to stick to just 5 threats at CMC 4+: I cut a Chandra, Torch of Defiance for Pia and Kiran Nalaar. With too many expensive cards in hand, I find it hard to get empty-handed quickly for the Bridge.
As part of its Titanium Series, my LGS hosted a $30.00 buy-in//1K Modern tourney this weekend. Hammer's Slammer laced up and delivered a kickin' dear friends. But, there is little evidence after the avalanche: No twitch stream, no posting to MTGtop8.com, and no winners/decklists posted on their webpage. I desperately want to see our archetype get published publicly again - let folks hear tale told of its winning ways. It's estimated that less than 2% of 'outlier' decks see play in Pro Tour Events. Thus, Tier 1 is defined by what is most popular, but not necessarily what is most effective. Hammer's Slammer, with a hefty price tag of entry [the power lock suite ain't cheap these days], has that double hurdle of a high entry cost. Bollocks - this motherhumper is delivering Koth mountain slaps to the mouth!
It's hardly the same as getting published on a known site, but I have attached a pic of the final standings after the Swiss Rounds where you can see Mountain Club member Raystack Kalhoun up at the top. It shows the remaining players who haven't 'dropped' at day's end, so only 38 headbangers listed. Alright, enough palabber, let's get to it....
There is so much to share. So much data to crunch. So much fun locking down opponents! Alright, so FNM was a 3-1 finish with a loss to Grixis. This was my last chance for tinkering before the main event the following Saturday. Here's the final manifesto:
It was a good representation of what's out there, and the players were all experienced. My first loss was in R4, against the State Champ, and my second loss was in the top 8 where my draws were just horrendous [in game 2, with just 3 spells in my kept opening hand, I didn't draw a single other spell in the entire game]. Otherwise, I have to note that my games against Burn/Infect were colossal victories. For the future, I'll be looking to shift my deck's focus away from fearing aggro and more towards taking down 'fair' decks.
Again, I'm not big on tournament reports - though I enjoy reading them - so, this is an abbreviated account of the day's action.
ROUND 1 - Grixis/Delver - WIN: I fear Grixis. With so much card advantage and the feared Kolaghan's Command, the game can get out of hand. I edge out game 1. Sideboard: reduce his 2-for-1 card advantage, so I take out 4 desperate ritual and 2 blood moon for 4 goblin rabblemaster and 2 anger of the gods. Long story short: Rabble, Rabble, Rabble or as I like to say, "bam bam", ala the Flinstones kid with his big wooden club.
ROUND 2 - Grixis/Control - WIN: This was a classic matchup with a new opponent that's totally unaware of the arts of Hammer's Slammer. The first opponent knows my deck well. But, this guy is dumbfounded about what he is playing against, and he pulls ahead for the win in game 1. Game 2, I bring in Bam Bam, and predictably he brought out his bolts. Rabble Rabble Rabble to a win. Game 3 is a Blood Moon and a subsequent win with a very bewildered player trying to figure out what just happened. Grixis typically doesn't have a lot to bring in against us...actually, that's pretty true of most decks when it comes to SBing against us, right?
ROUND 3 - BURN - WIN: Game 1, he is on the play and drops his hasty 1-drops: G guide followed by swiftspear. I go spellskite into blood moon into spellskite. The board is stabilized. Eventually, other locks fall into place and he doesn't get me below 8 life. Round 2? Oh, glorious Round 2. I go: Dragons Claw, Sun Droplet, Spellskite, Blood Moon, Chalice on 1, and Chalice on 2 aaaaaaand scoop.
ROUND 4 - MELIRA/COCO/CHORD - LOSS: The progressions in round 1 were very predictable. He built his board state to a point where Murderous Redcap goes machine gun to my punim. I expect as much, but my sideboard is ready for this: 2 Anger of the gods, 2 grafdigger's cage (most underrated card in today's meta, methinks). It's only 4 cards, but they are ravaging. The games are going very long at this point, so I play too quickly by throwing a spellskite in for a block that got overly exalted. D'eargh. It cost me the 2nd game. Chandra behind bridge would have brought home the gold, with a double-lock in place, but I lost my skite foolishly and lost the round which would have been a tie - no time for round 3.
ROUND 5 - INFECT - WIN: No need to worry after that loss, it's Infect! The difference between facing Burn and Infect? With Burn, you need to do some sideboarding. With Infect, you're already there. It was a slaughter.
ROUND 6 - G/x TRON - WIN: He trons on game 1. I chalice him on game 2 on the play, turn 1 which stops about 20 cards in a G/x deck. He never assembles, and Bam Bam for the win. Game 3 was a nailbiter. He never assembles and can't get to 6 mana (chalice on 1 and 2 to stop searching and sylvan scrying), and I'm holding 2 shattering spree if he does drop an oblivion stone. How did I win? Monkey beats and Pia Nalaar. Phew.
TOP 8
Round 1 - Bant Eldrazi - LOSS: The shame of this is that the opponent openly acknowledged that I was clearly favored to win with Blood Moon/Ensnaring Bridge. Nonetheless, that's the way the mountain crumbles. In game 1, I am destroying with a stacked board, but he Engineered Explosives for 3 Twice and rushes in for a win. In game 2, like I mentioned, I keep a 4 land/3spell hand and never see another spell.
So, who were the Most Valuable Players? Let's do the sideboard first. Goblin 'Bam Bam' Rabblemaster. I love it - total house with a huge back porch. Perfect go-to answer against the right decks and they pair really well with Mutavault {goblin!}. Otherwise, I will do some shifting around and add 1 molten rain. As for the maindeck? Crystal Ball. Thanks to whoever first suggested this card in the thread. Huge. I also like my land count at 22 with the 2 gemstone caverns. Walking Ballista and Pia Nalaar are newcomers. For the sake of curving out my mana ramp, I'll keep Pia and swap the Ballista out for an Outpost Siege. In reviewing Jfmajor's curve height, I believe you can go higher. I'm at (7) 4-cmc spells with a total of (30) mana sources [+4 if you count chandra +1] and (5) scrying tools - that's seems healthy.
At day's end, the deck did its job. It got lots of looks and praise, and my LGS community was championing it amidst the sea of new faces. I felt poised to go all the way. Well, until next time.......
.....I think it's time for me to revise the Official Primer in order to get more folks attracted to what's happening here. Matchup Favored/Unfavored seems like a good add. I'm asking for feedback. What other changes should I consider - please be honest and forthright with your constructive advice. Appreciated, mountainfolk.
Congratulations @Raystack on the SPECTACULAR finish! (Crystal Ball was my suggestion, I'm glad to see it's become a staple in your deck :-P)
This is very encouraging after a so-so evening on my end (detailed report coming soon). I have now seen the light, count me in as a convert: I'll be embracing the aggro side and going with your more "smash face" version of the deck.
Desperate Ritual provides +1 mana on the turn you cast it, and allows for more explosive 1st or 2nd turns. Later on, it's pretty much a dead card.
Mind Stone provides +1 mana on each subsequent turn (after a 1-turn commitment), and can eventually replace itself when you no longer need it.
In a deck that runs 4x Blood Moon and 2-3 Magus of the Moon, I see more value in Desperate Ritual (for the always-enjoyable 1st or 2nd turn Blood Moon). But with less commitment to the "Free Win" and a lot of cards that generate extra spell opportunities (multiple Chandra, Torch of Defiance and Outpost Siege), it feels like Mind Stone could help keep casting stuff, and provide one extra chance to draw something you REALLY need right now (ex: Ensnaring Bridge).
I love reading that our deck is kicking ass and congratulations to Raystack for his amazing performance. I have been playing it at my LGS recently but the modern crowds are very bad. It's usually just me and a merfolk player but the sideboard advice that SaffronOlive gave has been invaluable. He really has no answers to a chalice on 2 with a bridge on the board. The hard part is sometimes having to leave extra mana up to deal with the cursecatcher and force the bridge or chalice. He doesn't use manaleak which could really hurt us as it requires 6 mana to prepare for and by the time we get to that many lands, they've already overrun us.
I am still unfortunately not sold on Crystal Ball & Walking Ballista. Walking Ballista has be concerning because standard is loving it and it currently has an inflated price that cannot possibly be held up in the long term meta. Crystal Ball seems like it can be an OK card but when it's only a 1 of, I would want something that can help me out a lot more on the very rare chance that I draw it. I have been searching for a while on cards that can fit this slot better and work for us but I have yet to find something that really appeals to me with this deck. Without fail, I almost always sideboard out those two cards after the first round, regardless if I win or lose.
I'll let you all know if I come up with something but I am leaning to dropping both of them and adding 2 Lightning Bolt's so I can have a little more interaction/face damage when I need it.
Private Mod Note
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Modern - Pyro Prison
Modern - GW Tron
Modern - Mono G Tron
Modern - RWg Burn
Commander - Yisan, The Wanderer Bard cEDH build
Commander - Edric, Spymaster of Trest - Budget/Casual list - complete
Commander - Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis - $35 Budget upgrade
Commander - Edgar Markov - $150 upgrade
I love reading that our deck is kicking ass and congratulations to Raystack for his amazing performance. I have been playing it at my LGS recently but the modern crowds are very bad. It's usually just me and a merfolk player but the sideboard advice that SaffronOlive gave has been invaluable. He really has no answers to a chalice on 2 with a bridge on the board. The hard part is sometimes having to leave extra mana up to deal with the cursecatcher and force the bridge or chalice. He doesn't use manaleak which could really hurt us as it requires 6 mana to prepare for and by the time we get to that many lands, they've already overrun us.
I am still unfortunately not sold on Crystal Ball & Walking Ballista. Walking Ballista has be concerning because standard is loving it and it currently has an inflated price that cannot possibly be held up in the long term meta. Crystal Ball seems like it can be an OK card but when it's only a 1 of, I would want something that can help me out a lot more on the very rare chance that I draw it. I have been searching for a while on cards that can fit this slot better and work for us but I have yet to find something that really appeals to me with this deck. Without fail, I almost always sideboard out those two cards after the first round, regardless if I win or lose.
I'll let you all know if I come up with something but I am leaning to dropping both of them and adding 2 Lightning Bolt's so I can have a little more interaction/face damage when I need it.
I like a singleton goblin charbelcher. Sometimes we have a difficult time closing out the game, and belcher can end it in 1-2 turns.
With 22-23 lands, the average hit should be 4 damage (mountains double the damage dealt), and i have done 14 damage in one activation before. Also, with crystal ball, it brings up the average damage done, since we just sry away unwanted lands.
Private Mod Note
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pucatrade
big receipts
alpha mox emerald
beta time walk
4 goyfs received
3 liliana of the veil
4 karn liberated
3 force of will
4 grove of the burnwillows
snapcaster mage
3 horizon canopy
2 full art damnation
Goblin Charbelcher! Talk about mountain slaps to the face. I love it, as I run a near-landless Legacy deck called Belchertown, but can it work in Modern - in our deck? Is it the extra threat? 14 damage, PokerKingDave?? The obvious concern is that when it gets played, it does not affect the board or game state in any way. That has me leery. But, it's an extra win-con, albeit highly variable. How many pithing needles can opponent pack against us after knocking down Chandra and Koth? O.K., it's in line for some SB testing.
RULING QUESTION: Blood Moon doesn't mean that a revealed Gemstone Caverns is also a mountain when a charbelcher resolves, does it??
Also, appreciate jfmajor's thoughts on Desperate Ritual. Previous posters have identified Desperate Ritual as the single 'worst' card in our deck - even though it can sometimes be the 'best'. Agonizingly, I have shifted count on this card from 0-4 in so many testing sessions. As it's built for me right now, Firewalker seems to benefit more readily from Ritual than Mind Stone. Since you can start to pack in higher-cmc spells with Mind Stone: Pia and Kiran Nalaar, Goblin Charbelcher, Outpost Siege, and Wildfire, things can get tasty. Overall, I hazard that playing a turn faster in the early game is better than a turn faster in the mid-late game (in perpetuity and honoring the cantrip advantage), but could definitely be proven wrong...
What has surprised me the most, in testing and competitive play, is our resilience to Aggro decks. You'd think that Infect or Burn or Zoo would just mow us over. But, time and time again, I drop the hammer on them. This leaves a lot of room in how I plan on shifting my focus towards defeating fair/combo/control decks more consistently.
I'd like to get in some more testing with Affinity, but it doesn't seem to be out there as much as before. Once I get a sense of the line on how much I have to invest into stopping Affinity, then the sideboard can really take shape against the aforementioned decks. For instance, I plan on going down on the Shattering Spree count to 2, and swapping in a more adaptable answer or Molten Rain or Ratchet Bomb in its place.
RULING QUESTION: Blood Moon doesn't mean that a revealed Gemstone Caverns is also a mountain when a charbelcher resolves, does it??
I'm 99% sure that no. When a card affects other cards in graveyards/libraries (instead of just the battlefield), it usually specifies so. Ex: Painter's Servant(As Painter's Servant enters the battlefield, choose a color. All cards that aren't on the battlefield, spells, and permanents are the chosen color in addition to their other colors.)
Hey there fellow mono-red fans! New player here, I haven't played much paper but I've been playing this deck a bunch on Xmage and I had a few questions before I create my own list.
1. I see a single Witchbane Orb in most lists and I'm wondering why it's there. We don't have the kind of card filtering in order to effectively find 1 of's and I'm not sure which matchups this card is even worth it in.
2. Anyone have a mulligan/sequencing guide for this deck? I'm not sure what a good hand looks like in certain matchups and how aggressively I should mulligan for hate cards.
3. How many wincons/threats should I be running? I seem to be able to get somewhat of lock going but then I topdeck land for 5 turns and they find something to slip through.
4. I keep losing to mono-blue tron and other blue-based control decks online and I'm wondering how to beat them. They have better inevitability than we do and can deal with all our lock pieces/threats. Should I even bother trying to sideboard cards like Boil or Guttural Response, or are they such a small part of the meta-game that it isn't worth the sideboard slots?
Hey There, 1nnocentBystander - sounds like you know your chops. Firstly...Blue Tron, huh? I find it surprising that, of all decks out there, this outlier decks seems to keep popping up. It's a creature unto itself. No - I definitely wouldn't make the effort to cater my deck to more effectively defeat this unicorn.
Tron: love it or hate it, but there is no ground in between. Sure, I fear it (although, I'm 3-0 with G/x Tron in tourney play). I just hope that Infect/Affinity/Burn/Zoo knocks this deck into a loser column, before we get paired up on the dance floor. Again, at a recent 1K, 2 of the better players in Massachusetts were attempting to identify a deck that can 'handle' my mono-red control. They answered with....Blue Tron. Phenomenal! Why? It wasn't burn, nor grixis, nor storm, nor merfolk, nor elves, nor jund, nor etc. etc. etc. They landed onnnnnnnn, Blue Tron. Yup, I'm totally comfortable with accepting that hard truth.
As for Witchbane Orb, I admire this card to the point of a very short tryst of having it in my main deck. It's been a titan for me. Shuts down: Ad Nauseam, Scapeshift, Burn, Merfolk (hurkyl's recall), and it has enough collateral benefit when facing the outlier threats like planeswalkers and anything that 'targets opponent' -- easy swap in for Lock Pieces that blank against particular construction. I get that it is only a 1-of, and we don't have much in the way of a tutor. So much of what we incorporate into our designs create a situation where the game is waaaaaayyyyy slooooowwwwed down. It's prison. So, a singleton, aided by scry spells/effects, is actually more prevalent than a normal 1-of in most styles of decks.
This goes back to Vegitas doubt about Crystal Ball. I get that, on the surface, it seems like a wasted slot. It does nothing upon casting, and Modern is usually too fast to allow for this style of card. But, but, but....ours is not the normal. We have a lot more leniency in how we develop our game state than most might think. Remember, our traditional build will devastate Infect/Burn. So, if that is the case, that clock isn't ticking quite as loudly as some might think, thus: Crystal Ball!
Under the Microscope: Aggro decks are probably not all that concerned when it hits the board, but that's OK since we should be able to handle them. As for control decks, this is a problem for them. We are grooming between 2 and 4 of our top deck draws on each turn. That's huge. Here's how I view Crystal Ball: if I draw/play the card, and lose. I basically earned that loss. I was going to lose already. Ball is just about the only 'indulgent' card in my 60 that does little-to-nothing upon casting. BUT, if I play the card, and stay alive for a couple/few turns, then I am tremendously better positioned to take control of this game.
Mulligan/Sequencing Approaches: A guide of sorts would be a valuable add to the Official Primer. Generally....do it. Mulligan. I do it a lot, and come out fine. So much of what it takes for us to win is the right lock piece. Our mana base is reliable. We curve reasonably low. Find the right key for the right lock, and the win can feel automatic.
So I've ordered my 4 chalice of the void to buy into the deck and make my 13th modern deck. I had everything for Skred Red so that made it a lot easier to build. Here is my initial lineup. Please tell me what you think:
I'm thinking about adding 2 Ghost Quarter in in place of 2 mountains. I haven't had a chance to play the deck yet and I'll be doing online testing as well as side testing while running other decks at my local modern event. Any tips would be great. Thanks!!
So I've ordered my 4 chalice of the void to buy into the deck and make my 13th modern deck. I had everything for Skred Red so that made it a lot easier to build. Here is my initial lineup. Please tell me what you think:
I'm thinking about adding 2 Ghost Quarter in in place of 2 mountains. I haven't had a chance to play the deck yet and I'll be doing online testing as well as side testing while running other decks at my local modern event. Any tips would be great. Thanks!!
I think you have too many plane walkers. Some magma jet would be useful too. Without magus of the moon, I think you can cut a few rituals.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
pucatrade
big receipts
alpha mox emerald
beta time walk
4 goyfs received
3 liliana of the veil
4 karn liberated
3 force of will
4 grove of the burnwillows
snapcaster mage
3 horizon canopy
2 full art damnation
Welcome RyogAkari - The mighty one. When you run rituals, you run 'em deeeeeep. That's a lot of explosive mana acceleration. Turn 1 Win???!!!Simian Spirit Guide X 4. Play and Splice and Play Desperate Ritual X 2. Cast Goblin Charbelcher and activate......flip 10 spells into an 11th revealed card of....Mountain! 20 Damage delivered to the face! Ryog just broke Magic, ladies and Mountain Men!
Hey, could happen. Actually, I agree with everything that PokerKingDave wrote. The comfy curve spot for the right amount of rituals will vary depending on your build, but it seems like you're running a little too hot. As for Ghost Quarter, it's been pointed out that you end up assisting your opponent in locating basic land to sidestep your Blood Moon. Probably a bit daft. Good luck with your trials, and let us know what ends up working for you.
Lately, I've been experimenting with a lack of Spellskite. I know I've written that it is a must have in the main deck. Hear me out. If we are really that well positioned to win out against Infect/Burn/Bogles/Death's Shadow with the 'Power Lock Suite' [bridge/moon/chalice], then we can look to diversify our threats. 1nnocentBystander was inquiring about threat density - how many wincons is the right number?
What do you guys think of this approach? It's a little more aggressive than a spellskite build: shifting towards defeating the Combo/Control/Tron meta. And, somehow that single MD Molten Rain seems just right.
Another curious pivot has to do with Witchbane Orb. I just got done writing about how it shuts down some pesky decks, but running multiple Molten Rain foils those same decks (for the most part). And, Rain can better battle decks like Tron and Grixis Control. So, in this version Orb gets swapped for hot, liquid maaaagma.
The loss was a to an experienced opponent where he got me in the 3rd game, leaving a 1-2 record on the scorecard. Otherwise, I only lost one other game that night. The list was exactly what you see above.
ROUND 1: Goryo's Vengeance - This deck has been logging some serious wins on the premier circuit. But, it doesn't scare us much. It was a pretty easy lockdown with victory coming from Thopter Beats and Chandra in round 2. An early bridge in both games helped, but it's Grafdigger's Cage which just wrecks this deck. As a last stand in game 2, he hard cast a Griselbrand to block my pumpified Pia Nalaar Token Sideboard:
+2 Grafdigger's Cage // +2 Molten Rain // +4 Goblin Rabblemaster
-4 Blood Moon // -2 Slagstorm // -1 Magma Jet // -1 Anger of the Gods
ROUND 2: G/W Mid-Range - Lots of tricks like the Renegade Rallier in what was more of a beatdown design. Since, this isn't the Flickerwisp / Restoration Angel version, I was better positioned. His horde was swelling in game 1 and Qasali Pridemage tricks were a'plenty, but eventually the hog-tie restraints snugged up. In game 2, the board was at a standstill for a long spree. But, Walking Ballista pumps were clocking in at a 2 per turn, and then he Wave Motion Gunned for 16 points and the win. As for sideboarding, this is probably the toughest decision maker because you don't how hard to go after their mana (they are very resilient in that respect). Sideboard:
+2 Anger of the Gods // +1 Ratchet Bomb // +1 Molten Rain
-1 Pia Nalaar // -2 Magma Jet // -1 Desperate Ritual
ROUND 3: Grixis Delver - This is a *****er. Their critical plays are Snapcaster Mage and Kolaghan's Command. As for the game log, it's all pretty elementary - typical back and forth. I'm trying to slam a Moon down, and he's trying to Delver of Secrets and Tussledfur, the Hidden Wang. In the end, the sideboarding is difficult since an early and protected delver can win the game, but I also have to account for long games that come down to 'card advantage' - one of the reasons why Desperate Ritual is an easy swap out. You'll see in my next post, that I'm moving towards a more high-end and resilient deck style to better fight this archetype. Sideboard:
+2 Molten Rain // +4 Goblin Rabblemaster
-1 Anger of the Gods // -4 Desperate Ritual // -1 Simian Spirit Guide
ROUND 4: Burn - Where my Chalices at? Crunk! This matchup is a little less like Magic and little more like the classic War card game. Flip over the top cards, and see where you land. In game 1? It was chalice on 1 followed by chalice on 2. I found my Crunk! In game 2, it was Sun Droplet which got Smash to Smithereens followed by another Sun Droplet off the top of the deck. This landed the match into a win column. This was an actual mono-red burn deck, so it's more difficult of a sideboard and matchup than the multi-color cousin. Sideboard:
+2 Sun Droplet // +1 Ratchet Bomb // +4 Goblin Rabblemaster
-4 Blood Moon // -1 Crystal Ball // -1 Molten Rain // -1 Koth of the Hammer
My deck did well across a pretty diverse crowd of competitive players. But, what's next? Written by Todd Stevens on StarCityGames.com, here's a terrific article to reference as we all make our own deck adaptations to the newAether Revolt meta of Modern:
Here is what Todd writes as an summary of the SCG Regionals on 2/4/17:
Takeaways
Quote from Todd Writes: »
Zero copies of Puresteel Paladin in any Top 8 so far means the deck is probably overhyped right now, and I'm not convinced it's the real deal. I saw multiple people playing it in Plano, so I know it was around, but I'm not sure the deck has the consistency needed to win round after round in a big tournament yet.
Renegade Rallier is popping up in plenty of G/W Decks, most notably Abzan Company, whose resurgence may be attributed to a decline in graveyard hate.
Similarly, Goryo's Vengeance is putting up better results that it has in a long time, most likely due to the addition of Cathartic Reunion and a drop in graveyard hate.
Burn is well-positioned across the board right now, but the uptick in Abzan Company is worrisome.
Most people have likely abandoned Infect and Dredge for the time being until the decks start to prove themselves again. Only one copy on Infect and zero of Dredge Top 8ing was surprising.
Modern is still a great format with a countless number of decks that can take down any given tournament, and #SCGRegionals displayed plenty of new innovations across the board. This is going to be a big month for Modern with #GPVAN, #SCGBALT, and #SCGINDY all showcasing the popular format.
On Molten Rain: It worked VERY WELL for me in certain matchups. They punish the opponent for fetching basics before Blood Moon comes down, make it very hard to reach triple-U for Cryptic Command, and can completely lock some opponents out of the game. It also keeps the number of blue sources available down to limit Control opponents to 1 counterspell per turn.
On Pia Nalaar: I never thought all the possible applications of the pumping effect under a Bridge. I'll definitely test this!
On Gemstone Caverns and Blood Moon: From the Gatherer Rulings :
Two Gemstone Caverns keep the Legendary supertype as well as their name. So yes, if you play a second you have to sacrifice one of them. And you can still use Molten Rain to destroy a nonbasic for 2 dmg under Blood Moon.
I think you went above and beyond finding uses for Pia not even counting the "target creature can't block"scenarios!
WEEK 7 -
UB Faeries (2-0)
Turns out my opponent didn't run any basic lands, so once I could sneak in a Blood Moon, it was extremely hard for them to recover. Pia and Kiran Nalaar 's Thopters really shined here to stall the threat of Double- Bitterblossom before I could empty my hand to Ensnaring Bridge.
Eldrazi Tron (0-2)
Very tight matches, this could have likely ended 2-1 or even 2-0. In both games, a misplay on my part led to Ugin, the Spirit Dragon wiping out the board.
Grixis Control (2-0)
Despite maindeck Kolaghan's Command, this felt like a very good matchup (thank you Spellskite and Welding Jar). Blood Moon + Molten Rain really shined here, by keeping my opponent off triple-U (no Cryptic Command on my Ensnaring Bridge), limiting the number of available counterspells per turn, and making it difficult to use Tasigur, the Golden Fang.
LESSONS LEARNED
- I'm definitely sold on Pia and Kiran Nalaar. They act as good chump blockers to protect planeswalkers, they get under the Bridge (while flying above defenders). They forced an opponent spend three removal spells to get rid of the threat entirely. I've replaced one Chandra with them, maindeck.
- I'll try the maindeck Molten Rain tonight, but so far, it feels like this was the missing piece to strengthen the lock in my local metagame.
Here's my most recent decklist:
20 Mountain
3 Gemstone Caverns
Creatures
3 Spellskite
2 Magus of the Moon
4 Simian Spirit Guide
1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
Spells
4 Chalice of the Void
1 Crystal Ball
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Magma Jet
2 Molten Rain
4 Blood Moon
4 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Koth of the Hammer
3 Pithing Needle
3 Goblin Rabblemaster
1 Pyroclasm
2 Slagstorm
1 Witchbane Orb
2 Dragon's Claw
1 Molten Rain
2 Welding Jar
Your deck is shaping up nicely. So, you're sticking with the Molten Rain and a slight reduction in Planeswalker/Creature count? I did some testing as well, and had to move away from them. They simply don't advance the win enough for me. I had some in depth talks with some top-tier players who know Hammer's Slammer well. Their principle concern is "Threat Density". And, their measuring stick is Tron. They said that I can beat G/x Tron, but not U/x Tron. Just wondering about your deck - when put up against the Tron litmus test. I bet you have very few problems with Burn/Infect.
Reviewing your Match Report: U/B Faeries - sure, it's an outlier deck. Grixis? Yeah, I can see Molten Rain ruining a parade extremely well. I do struggle with Grixis/Jund (if I miss an early moon drop), and that would be the principal reason to keep it in our arsenal. Good luck out there tonight, and consider a 2nd look at Pia Nalaar. I ran her this weekend, and she almost single-handedly ran down G/x Tron for the win. I am a fan.
So far, I never won a matchup against Tron (only individual games). Eldrazi Tron seems close, but I really can't seem to race G/R Tron. Naya Burn and Infect are my best matchups (never lost one so far). Monored Burn is difficult in game 1 (sooooo many dead cards!), but easy after sideboarding.
I'll give my Molten Rain experiment one serious try tonight then see if I stick to the "harder lock" route, or go the Aggro route like you're suggesting. Molten Rain is really a choice specific to my local metagame (Control and Infect heavy, with players knowing my deck well and playing around Blood Moon). I wouldn't run them maindeck for a large tournament.
I try to stick to just 5 threats at CMC 4+: I cut a Chandra, Torch of Defiance for Pia and Kiran Nalaar. With too many expensive cards in hand, I find it hard to get empty-handed quickly for the Bridge.
Results after Swiss Rounds: 1st Place
Results after Top 8 Rounds: 5th Place Overall
http://mtgtop8.com/event?e=14579&d=287439&f=MO
As part of its Titanium Series, my LGS hosted a $30.00 buy-in//1K Modern tourney this weekend. Hammer's Slammer laced up and delivered a kickin' dear friends. But, there is little evidence after the avalanche: No twitch stream, no posting to MTGtop8.com, and no winners/decklists posted on their webpage. I desperately want to see our archetype get published publicly again - let folks hear tale told of its winning ways. It's estimated that less than 2% of 'outlier' decks see play in Pro Tour Events. Thus, Tier 1 is defined by what is most popular, but not necessarily what is most effective. Hammer's Slammer, with a hefty price tag of entry [the power lock suite ain't cheap these days], has that double hurdle of a high entry cost. Bollocks - this motherhumper is delivering Koth mountain slaps to the mouth!
It's hardly the same as getting published on a known site, but I have attached a pic of the final standings after the Swiss Rounds where you can see Mountain Club member Raystack Kalhoun up at the top. It shows the remaining players who haven't 'dropped' at day's end, so only 38 headbangers listed. Alright, enough palabber, let's get to it....
There is so much to share. So much data to crunch. So much fun locking down opponents! Alright, so FNM was a 3-1 finish with a loss to Grixis. This was my last chance for tinkering before the main event the following Saturday. Here's the final manifesto:
Creatures (5)
2 Spellskite
1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
1 Pia Nalaar
1 Walking Ballista
Accelerators (8)
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Desperate Ritual
Enchantments (4)
4 Blood Moon
Removal (7)
4 Magma Jet
2 Slagstorm
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Koth of the Hammer
4 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Artifacts (9)
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Chalice of the Void
1 Crystal Ball
Lands (22)
18 Mountains
2 Mutavault
2 Gemstone Caverns
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
3 Shattering Spree
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Sun Droplet
1 Dragon's Claw
1 Witchbane Orb
OPPONENTS:
R1 - Grixis/Delver
R2 - Grixis/Control
R3 - Burn
R4 - Melira/Coco/Chord
R5 - Infect
R6 - G/x Tron
-
R7 - Bant Eldrazi
It was a good representation of what's out there, and the players were all experienced. My first loss was in R4, against the State Champ, and my second loss was in the top 8 where my draws were just horrendous [in game 2, with just 3 spells in my kept opening hand, I didn't draw a single other spell in the entire game]. Otherwise, I have to note that my games against Burn/Infect were colossal victories. For the future, I'll be looking to shift my deck's focus away from fearing aggro and more towards taking down 'fair' decks.
Again, I'm not big on tournament reports - though I enjoy reading them - so, this is an abbreviated account of the day's action.
ROUND 1 - Grixis/Delver - WIN: I fear Grixis. With so much card advantage and the feared Kolaghan's Command, the game can get out of hand. I edge out game 1. Sideboard: reduce his 2-for-1 card advantage, so I take out 4 desperate ritual and 2 blood moon for 4 goblin rabblemaster and 2 anger of the gods. Long story short: Rabble, Rabble, Rabble or as I like to say, "bam bam", ala the Flinstones kid with his big wooden club.
ROUND 2 - Grixis/Control - WIN: This was a classic matchup with a new opponent that's totally unaware of the arts of Hammer's Slammer. The first opponent knows my deck well. But, this guy is dumbfounded about what he is playing against, and he pulls ahead for the win in game 1. Game 2, I bring in Bam Bam, and predictably he brought out his bolts. Rabble Rabble Rabble to a win. Game 3 is a Blood Moon and a subsequent win with a very bewildered player trying to figure out what just happened. Grixis typically doesn't have a lot to bring in against us...actually, that's pretty true of most decks when it comes to SBing against us, right?
ROUND 3 - BURN - WIN: Game 1, he is on the play and drops his hasty 1-drops: G guide followed by swiftspear. I go spellskite into blood moon into spellskite. The board is stabilized. Eventually, other locks fall into place and he doesn't get me below 8 life. Round 2? Oh, glorious Round 2. I go: Dragons Claw, Sun Droplet, Spellskite, Blood Moon, Chalice on 1, and Chalice on 2 aaaaaaand scoop.
ROUND 4 - MELIRA/COCO/CHORD - LOSS: The progressions in round 1 were very predictable. He built his board state to a point where Murderous Redcap goes machine gun to my punim. I expect as much, but my sideboard is ready for this: 2 Anger of the gods, 2 grafdigger's cage (most underrated card in today's meta, methinks). It's only 4 cards, but they are ravaging. The games are going very long at this point, so I play too quickly by throwing a spellskite in for a block that got overly exalted. D'eargh. It cost me the 2nd game. Chandra behind bridge would have brought home the gold, with a double-lock in place, but I lost my skite foolishly and lost the round which would have been a tie - no time for round 3.
ROUND 5 - INFECT - WIN: No need to worry after that loss, it's Infect! The difference between facing Burn and Infect? With Burn, you need to do some sideboarding. With Infect, you're already there. It was a slaughter.
ROUND 6 - G/x TRON - WIN: He trons on game 1. I chalice him on game 2 on the play, turn 1 which stops about 20 cards in a G/x deck. He never assembles, and Bam Bam for the win. Game 3 was a nailbiter. He never assembles and can't get to 6 mana (chalice on 1 and 2 to stop searching and sylvan scrying), and I'm holding 2 shattering spree if he does drop an oblivion stone. How did I win? Monkey beats and Pia Nalaar. Phew.
TOP 8
Round 1 - Bant Eldrazi - LOSS: The shame of this is that the opponent openly acknowledged that I was clearly favored to win with Blood Moon/Ensnaring Bridge. Nonetheless, that's the way the mountain crumbles. In game 1, I am destroying with a stacked board, but he Engineered Explosives for 3 Twice and rushes in for a win. In game 2, like I mentioned, I keep a 4 land/3spell hand and never see another spell.
So, who were the Most Valuable Players? Let's do the sideboard first. Goblin 'Bam Bam' Rabblemaster. I love it - total house with a huge back porch. Perfect go-to answer against the right decks and they pair really well with Mutavault {goblin!}. Otherwise, I will do some shifting around and add 1 molten rain. As for the maindeck? Crystal Ball. Thanks to whoever first suggested this card in the thread. Huge. I also like my land count at 22 with the 2 gemstone caverns. Walking Ballista and Pia Nalaar are newcomers. For the sake of curving out my mana ramp, I'll keep Pia and swap the Ballista out for an Outpost Siege. In reviewing Jfmajor's curve height, I believe you can go higher. I'm at (7) 4-cmc spells with a total of (30) mana sources [+4 if you count chandra +1] and (5) scrying tools - that's seems healthy.
At day's end, the deck did its job. It got lots of looks and praise, and my LGS community was championing it amidst the sea of new faces. I felt poised to go all the way. Well, until next time.......
.....I think it's time for me to revise the Official Primer in order to get more folks attracted to what's happening here. Matchup Favored/Unfavored seems like a good add. I'm asking for feedback. What other changes should I consider - please be honest and forthright with your constructive advice. Appreciated, mountainfolk.
This is very encouraging after a so-so evening on my end (detailed report coming soon). I have now seen the light, count me in as a convert: I'll be embracing the aggro side and going with your more "smash face" version of the deck.
I'd like to see what cards you're cutting for what you bring in vs. various matchups during sideboarding. Thanks so much for the report!
In a deck that runs 4x Blood Moon and 2-3 Magus of the Moon, I see more value in Desperate Ritual (for the always-enjoyable 1st or 2nd turn Blood Moon). But with less commitment to the "Free Win" and a lot of cards that generate extra spell opportunities (multiple Chandra, Torch of Defiance and Outpost Siege), it feels like Mind Stone could help keep casting stuff, and provide one extra chance to draw something you REALLY need right now (ex: Ensnaring Bridge).
What do you guys think?
I am still unfortunately not sold on Crystal Ball & Walking Ballista. Walking Ballista has be concerning because standard is loving it and it currently has an inflated price that cannot possibly be held up in the long term meta. Crystal Ball seems like it can be an OK card but when it's only a 1 of, I would want something that can help me out a lot more on the very rare chance that I draw it. I have been searching for a while on cards that can fit this slot better and work for us but I have yet to find something that really appeals to me with this deck. Without fail, I almost always sideboard out those two cards after the first round, regardless if I win or lose.
I'll let you all know if I come up with something but I am leaning to dropping both of them and adding 2 Lightning Bolt's so I can have a little more interaction/face damage when I need it.
Modern - GW Tron
Modern - Mono G Tron
Modern - RWg Burn
Commander - Yisan, The Wanderer Bard cEDH build
Commander - Edric, Spymaster of Trest - Budget/Casual list - complete
Commander - Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis - $35 Budget upgrade
Commander - Edgar Markov - $150 upgrade
I like a singleton goblin charbelcher. Sometimes we have a difficult time closing out the game, and belcher can end it in 1-2 turns.
With 22-23 lands, the average hit should be 4 damage (mountains double the damage dealt), and i have done 14 damage in one activation before. Also, with crystal ball, it brings up the average damage done, since we just sry away unwanted lands.
pucatrade
big receipts
alpha mox emerald
beta time walk
4 goyfs received
3 liliana of the veil
4 karn liberated
3 force of will
4 grove of the burnwillows
snapcaster mage
3 horizon canopy
2 full art damnation
RULING QUESTION: Blood Moon doesn't mean that a revealed Gemstone Caverns is also a mountain when a charbelcher resolves, does it??
Also, appreciate jfmajor's thoughts on Desperate Ritual. Previous posters have identified Desperate Ritual as the single 'worst' card in our deck - even though it can sometimes be the 'best'. Agonizingly, I have shifted count on this card from 0-4 in so many testing sessions. As it's built for me right now, Firewalker seems to benefit more readily from Ritual than Mind Stone. Since you can start to pack in higher-cmc spells with Mind Stone: Pia and Kiran Nalaar, Goblin Charbelcher, Outpost Siege, and Wildfire, things can get tasty. Overall, I hazard that playing a turn faster in the early game is better than a turn faster in the mid-late game (in perpetuity and honoring the cantrip advantage), but could definitely be proven wrong...
What has surprised me the most, in testing and competitive play, is our resilience to Aggro decks. You'd think that Infect or Burn or Zoo would just mow us over. But, time and time again, I drop the hammer on them. This leaves a lot of room in how I plan on shifting my focus towards defeating fair/combo/control decks more consistently.
I'd like to get in some more testing with Affinity, but it doesn't seem to be out there as much as before. Once I get a sense of the line on how much I have to invest into stopping Affinity, then the sideboard can really take shape against the aforementioned decks. For instance, I plan on going down on the Shattering Spree count to 2, and swapping in a more adaptable answer or Molten Rain or Ratchet Bomb in its place.
I'm 99% sure that no. When a card affects other cards in graveyards/libraries (instead of just the battlefield), it usually specifies so. Ex: Painter's Servant (As Painter's Servant enters the battlefield, choose a color. All cards that aren't on the battlefield, spells, and permanents are the chosen color in addition to their other colors.)
1. I see a single Witchbane Orb in most lists and I'm wondering why it's there. We don't have the kind of card filtering in order to effectively find 1 of's and I'm not sure which matchups this card is even worth it in.
2. Anyone have a mulligan/sequencing guide for this deck? I'm not sure what a good hand looks like in certain matchups and how aggressively I should mulligan for hate cards.
3. How many wincons/threats should I be running? I seem to be able to get somewhat of lock going but then I topdeck land for 5 turns and they find something to slip through.
4. I keep losing to mono-blue tron and other blue-based control decks online and I'm wondering how to beat them. They have better inevitability than we do and can deal with all our lock pieces/threats. Should I even bother trying to sideboard cards like Boil or Guttural Response, or are they such a small part of the meta-game that it isn't worth the sideboard slots?
Tron: love it or hate it, but there is no ground in between. Sure, I fear it (although, I'm 3-0 with G/x Tron in tourney play). I just hope that Infect/Affinity/Burn/Zoo knocks this deck into a loser column, before we get paired up on the dance floor. Again, at a recent 1K, 2 of the better players in Massachusetts were attempting to identify a deck that can 'handle' my mono-red control. They answered with....Blue Tron. Phenomenal! Why? It wasn't burn, nor grixis, nor storm, nor merfolk, nor elves, nor jund, nor etc. etc. etc. They landed onnnnnnnn, Blue Tron. Yup, I'm totally comfortable with accepting that hard truth.
As for Witchbane Orb, I admire this card to the point of a very short tryst of having it in my main deck. It's been a titan for me. Shuts down: Ad Nauseam, Scapeshift, Burn, Merfolk (hurkyl's recall), and it has enough collateral benefit when facing the outlier threats like planeswalkers and anything that 'targets opponent' -- easy swap in for Lock Pieces that blank against particular construction. I get that it is only a 1-of, and we don't have much in the way of a tutor. So much of what we incorporate into our designs create a situation where the game is waaaaaayyyyy slooooowwwwed down. It's prison. So, a singleton, aided by scry spells/effects, is actually more prevalent than a normal 1-of in most styles of decks.
This goes back to Vegitas doubt about Crystal Ball. I get that, on the surface, it seems like a wasted slot. It does nothing upon casting, and Modern is usually too fast to allow for this style of card. But, but, but....ours is not the normal. We have a lot more leniency in how we develop our game state than most might think. Remember, our traditional build will devastate Infect/Burn. So, if that is the case, that clock isn't ticking quite as loudly as some might think, thus: Crystal Ball!
Under the Microscope: Aggro decks are probably not all that concerned when it hits the board, but that's OK since we should be able to handle them. As for control decks, this is a problem for them. We are grooming between 2 and 4 of our top deck draws on each turn. That's huge. Here's how I view Crystal Ball: if I draw/play the card, and lose. I basically earned that loss. I was going to lose already. Ball is just about the only 'indulgent' card in my 60 that does little-to-nothing upon casting. BUT, if I play the card, and stay alive for a couple/few turns, then I am tremendously better positioned to take control of this game.
Mulligan/Sequencing Approaches: A guide of sorts would be a valuable add to the Official Primer. Generally....do it. Mulligan. I do it a lot, and come out fine. So much of what it takes for us to win is the right lock piece. Our mana base is reliable. We curve reasonably low. Find the right key for the right lock, and the win can feel automatic.
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Goblin Charbelcher
1 Crystal Ball
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
4 Simian Spirit Guide
// 4 Enchantment
4 Blood Moon
// 8 Instant
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Pyretic Ritual
22 Mountain
// 8 Planeswalker
4 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
4 Koth of the Hammer
// 3 Sorcery
3 Anger of the Gods
// 6 Artifact
4 Dragon's Claw
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Ricochet Trap
3 Sudden Shock
4 Shattering Spree
I'm thinking about adding 2 Ghost Quarter in in place of 2 mountains. I haven't had a chance to play the deck yet and I'll be doing online testing as well as side testing while running other decks at my local modern event. Any tips would be great. Thanks!!
RGWNaya BurnRGW+++RGWKiki ComboRGW
UGInfectUG+++++++++.++++++++UGMerfolkUG
GGNykthos WaveGG++++++++++GGStompyGG
BRVampiresBR+++++++.+++++++BRGoblinsBR
WGBogglesWG+++++++++++++CRSkred RedCR
UBRGDredgeUBRG++++++++++BB8 RackBB
URWJeskaiURW+++.++UBRGrixis DelverUBR
URStormUR++++++++UWGBant CompanyUWG
WUBRGHumansWUBRG+CCEldrazi TronCC
I think you have too many plane walkers. Some magma jet would be useful too. Without magus of the moon, I think you can cut a few rituals.
pucatrade
big receipts
alpha mox emerald
beta time walk
4 goyfs received
3 liliana of the veil
4 karn liberated
3 force of will
4 grove of the burnwillows
snapcaster mage
3 horizon canopy
2 full art damnation
Hey, could happen. Actually, I agree with everything that PokerKingDave wrote. The comfy curve spot for the right amount of rituals will vary depending on your build, but it seems like you're running a little too hot. As for Ghost Quarter, it's been pointed out that you end up assisting your opponent in locating basic land to sidestep your Blood Moon. Probably a bit daft. Good luck with your trials, and let us know what ends up working for you.
Lately, I've been experimenting with a lack of Spellskite. I know I've written that it is a must have in the main deck. Hear me out. If we are really that well positioned to win out against Infect/Burn/Bogles/Death's Shadow with the 'Power Lock Suite' [bridge/moon/chalice], then we can look to diversify our threats. 1nnocentBystander was inquiring about threat density - how many wincons is the right number?
What do you guys think of this approach? It's a little more aggressive than a spellskite build: shifting towards defeating the Combo/Control/Tron meta. And, somehow that single MD Molten Rain seems just right.
Creatures (4)
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
1 Pia Nalaar
1 Walking Ballista
Accelerators (8)
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Desperate Ritual
Enchantments (4)
4 Blood Moon
Removal (8)
4 Magma Jet
2 Slagstorm
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Molten Rain
1 Koth of the Hammer
4 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Artifacts (9)
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Chalice of the Void
1 Crystal Ball
Lands (22)
18 Mountains
2 Mutavault
2 Gemstone Caverns
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
2 Shattering Spree
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Sun Droplet
2 Molten Rain
1 Ratchet Bomb
Another curious pivot has to do with Witchbane Orb. I just got done writing about how it shuts down some pesky decks, but running multiple Molten Rain foils those same decks (for the most part). And, Rain can better battle decks like Tron and Grixis Control. So, in this version Orb gets swapped for hot, liquid maaaagma.
The loss was a to an experienced opponent where he got me in the 3rd game, leaving a 1-2 record on the scorecard. Otherwise, I only lost one other game that night. The list was exactly what you see above.
ROUND 1: Goryo's Vengeance - This deck has been logging some serious wins on the premier circuit. But, it doesn't scare us much. It was a pretty easy lockdown with victory coming from Thopter Beats and Chandra in round 2. An early bridge in both games helped, but it's Grafdigger's Cage which just wrecks this deck. As a last stand in game 2, he hard cast a Griselbrand to block my pumpified Pia Nalaar Token
Sideboard:
+2 Grafdigger's Cage // +2 Molten Rain // +4 Goblin Rabblemaster
-4 Blood Moon // -2 Slagstorm // -1 Magma Jet // -1 Anger of the Gods
ROUND 2: G/W Mid-Range - Lots of tricks like the Renegade Rallier in what was more of a beatdown design. Since, this isn't the Flickerwisp / Restoration Angel version, I was better positioned. His horde was swelling in game 1 and Qasali Pridemage tricks were a'plenty, but eventually the hog-tie restraints snugged up. In game 2, the board was at a standstill for a long spree. But, Walking Ballista pumps were clocking in at a 2 per turn, and then he Wave Motion Gunned for 16 points and the win. As for sideboarding, this is probably the toughest decision maker because you don't how hard to go after their mana (they are very resilient in that respect).
Sideboard:
+2 Anger of the Gods // +1 Ratchet Bomb // +1 Molten Rain
-1 Pia Nalaar // -2 Magma Jet // -1 Desperate Ritual
ROUND 3: Grixis Delver - This is a *****er. Their critical plays are Snapcaster Mage and Kolaghan's Command. As for the game log, it's all pretty elementary - typical back and forth. I'm trying to slam a Moon down, and he's trying to Delver of Secrets and Tussledfur, the Hidden Wang. In the end, the sideboarding is difficult since an early and protected delver can win the game, but I also have to account for long games that come down to 'card advantage' - one of the reasons why Desperate Ritual is an easy swap out. You'll see in my next post, that I'm moving towards a more high-end and resilient deck style to better fight this archetype.
Sideboard:
+2 Molten Rain // +4 Goblin Rabblemaster
-1 Anger of the Gods // -4 Desperate Ritual // -1 Simian Spirit Guide
ROUND 4: Burn - Where my Chalices at? Crunk! This matchup is a little less like Magic and little more like the classic War card game. Flip over the top cards, and see where you land. In game 1? It was chalice on 1 followed by chalice on 2. I found my Crunk! In game 2, it was Sun Droplet which got Smash to Smithereens followed by another Sun Droplet off the top of the deck. This landed the match into a win column. This was an actual mono-red burn deck, so it's more difficult of a sideboard and matchup than the multi-color cousin.
Sideboard:
+2 Sun Droplet // +1 Ratchet Bomb // +4 Goblin Rabblemaster
-4 Blood Moon // -1 Crystal Ball // -1 Molten Rain // -1 Koth of the Hammer
My deck did well across a pretty diverse crowd of competitive players. But, what's next? Written by Todd Stevens on StarCityGames.com, here's a terrific article to reference as we all make our own deck adaptations to the new Aether Revolt meta of Modern:
http://www.starcitygames.com/article/34518_How-Has-Modern-Changed.html
Here is what Todd writes as an summary of the SCG Regionals on 2/4/17:
Takeaways
Vewy, Vewy, Vewy Intewesting.....