So I really like the New Perspectives card, but I hate Standard, so I thought I'd see what I could do about making a modern deck for it. First thing's first, here's the list I came up with.
Obviously it's not super great, though I've pulled out a few wins in the eight or so games I've tried it in, so I might be on to something. Thoughts, improvements for it, etc?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
It's flavor-tastic
Sig made by Tiiratore. PM him if you want one.
Disappointing avatar made by Mirror Entity at Disappointing Signets Inc.
My Decks:
Modern:
(online)Enduring Ideal
(online)BUG
(paper)Mono White Control
Standard:
(paper) Whatever I can throw together
(online) UWR Control
You probably also want to play the full 4x Shadow of the Grave as it is the key part of the combo.
you can also add Street Wraith as another cycler to the deck.
Summoner's Pact doesn't seem good enough here as it is very narrow (and not a very reliable kill condition with Hive Mind).
The standard version ran Traverse the Ulvenwald and it should work pretty well here too (and help with reducing the land count).
Censor is pretty weak as a counterspell, another cycler that can help stay in the game longer can be Angelsong. Cast Out is another cheap cycler that can be cast as removal.
Shefet Monitor is decent in Standard but probably not good enough for Modern as it is too expensive to cycle for the regular cost and has no additional utility.
It won't do anything outside of the combo turn.
The Hive Mind + Resounding Wave + Pact plan seems too complicated and requires too many pieces to work (gets disrupted easily by discard).
I'd suggest going for an easier win condition, maybe multiple copies (3-4) of Resounding Thunder that you can cycle multiple times to burn out the opponent or Faith of the Devoted as a slower win condition.
Not sure why you would think fertile ground is better than utopia. They are basically the same effect as long as you make sure all your shocks are green based except fertile ground costs an extra mana. Can't have that. Sprawl is miles better.
Street Wraith is required. Free cycle that basically let's you play 56 card deck. Therefore getting combo faster and more consistently.
For that reason I'd also suggest bauble. Also running this makes traverse better.
Cultivate is probably the best turn 2 play. It ramps and replaces the card in your hand. That way when you hit perspectives you are more likely to have 7 in hand. While also thinning out 2 basic lands.
Must run 4 Shadows. It's key to the combo and allows you to dig early to find combo. Cycle wraith, cast out, street wraith and play shadow for instance. This gets your hand size up also so you can have 7 for perspectives.
Shadows is so strong you want to run a Snapcaster or two. He allows you to burn a shadow early... For cards then have less chance to brick mid combo. Between your untap cyclers and your overgrowth and sprawls youll not have mana problems. He's also so good with traverse.
Reduces your cycle untappers to 6 or so. You won't need all 8.
Your kill can be whatever you like but I feel the current one does seem convoluted. I don't see a problem with second son. 1 card. and a faith of the devoted.
If I had to choose I'd play 1 second sun and 1 faith with a drake haven in the board with a conjurers bauble main.
You can also play day's undoing to make sure you definitely hit 7 cards in hand and replace from all that discard you'll maybe be facing. Could make that a 1 of. But that card works better with Faith of the devoted.
I don't see how can a 4-color manabase work with Utopia Sprawl while also having enough cycle-lands for smooth comboing and enough basic lands for Traverse/Edge. Fertile Ground doesn't have this restriction and also taps for the color you want instead of a single color you chose when you cast it which can be useful in a 4C deck like this one.
Street Wraith is good but I'm not sure where it fits in here.
I'd hesitate to cut Angelsong as it should help survive and reach 6-mana but maybe Resounding Thunder can be trimmed down to 2x and maybe also replace the land-cycling creature.
Snapcaster Mage isn't necessary here imho, the deck should have enough redundency as it is and most of the instants/sorceries should be cycled anyway.
Thought about Snapcaster is he basically acts as shadows 5 or more. While also able to target a discarded shadows from the early game should you get hit with a IoK or seize.
It's not really a 4 color deck so much as a 3 color deck that has a single black card in it. If you play a shockland you can easily figure out what the named color should be. Temple Garden for instance. You would sprawl for blue. Now you have access to all 3 colors. Later you can worry about making that single black source. Maybe run a few gemstone mines or mana confluences to shore up any mana issues.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
// 12 Creature
4 Shefet Monitor
4 Esper Sojourners
4 Vizier of Tumbling Sands
// 12 Enchantment
4 New Perspectives
4 Overgrowth
1 Hive Mind
2 Utopia Sprawl
2 Shadow of the Grave
2 Resounding Wave
3 Summoner's Pact
2 Pact of Negation
4 Censor
// 24 Land
4 Fetid Pools
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Polluted Delta
3 Island
2 Swamp
4 Scattered Groves
3 Forest
2 Breeding Pool
Basically, the plan is ramp up to be able to cast New Perspectives, Vizier of Tumbling Sands and Esper Sojourners will untap most of your lands, especially in conjunction with Overgrowth. Shefet Monitor ramps too. Summoner's Pact can search up Monitor. It's hard not to be able to go through the whole deck when you have Shadow of the Grave. Once you've gone through most of your deck, drop Hive Mind, and play another pact. Resounding Wave their lands back to their hand so they can't pay the cost regardless. Pact of Negation protects your combo from counters or other stuff.
Obviously it's not super great, though I've pulled out a few wins in the eight or so games I've tried it in, so I might be on to something. Thoughts, improvements for it, etc?
Modern:
(online)Enduring Ideal
(online)BUG
(paper)Mono White Control
Standard:
(paper) Whatever I can throw together
(online) UWR Control
Legacy:
(paper)The Gate
(paper)Dream Halls
Another option is Idyllic Tutor that can also find other enchantments.
You probably also want to play the full 4x Shadow of the Grave as it is the key part of the combo.
you can also add Street Wraith as another cycler to the deck.
Summoner's Pact doesn't seem good enough here as it is very narrow (and not a very reliable kill condition with Hive Mind).
The standard version ran Traverse the Ulvenwald and it should work pretty well here too (and help with reducing the land count).
Fertile Ground seems like a more efficient option than Overgrowth and better mana fixing than Utopia Sprawl.
I'd probably go with 4x Fertile Ground + 2x Overgrowth.
Censor is pretty weak as a counterspell, another cycler that can help stay in the game longer can be Angelsong.
Cast Out is another cheap cycler that can be cast as removal.
Pentad Prism/Lotus Bloom (or Talisman of Dominance or Edge of Autumn/Farseek) can be used to speed up the deck and play less lands (24 is too much for a combo deck).
Sanctum Plowbeast and Jhessian Zombies can also cycle for lands (like the cycling lands to keep going).
Shefet Monitor is decent in Standard but probably not good enough for Modern as it is too expensive to cycle for the regular cost and has no additional utility.
It won't do anything outside of the combo turn.
The Hive Mind + Resounding Wave + Pact plan seems too complicated and requires too many pieces to work (gets disrupted easily by discard).
I'd suggest going for an easier win condition, maybe multiple copies (3-4) of Resounding Thunder that you can cycle multiple times to burn out the opponent or Faith of the Devoted as a slower win condition.
4x Esper Sojourners
4x Vizier of Tumbling Sands
1x Jhessian Zombies
Sorcery (9)
4x Traverse the Ulvenwald
4x Edge of Autumn
1x Idyllic Tutor
Instant (11)
4x Angelsong
4x Shadow of the Grave
3x Resounding Thunder
Enchantments (9)
4x Fertile Ground
2x Overgrowth
3x New Perspectives
3x Misty Rainforest
2x Flooded Strand
1x Polluted Delta
1x Temple Garden
4x Scattered Groves
2x Fetid Pools
2x Irrigated Farmland
3x Forest
2x Island
1x Plains
1x Swamp
4x Cast Out
2x Haze of Pollen
2x Censor
2x Countervailing Winds
2x Faith of the Devoted
3x Leyline of Sanctity
Street Wraith is required. Free cycle that basically let's you play 56 card deck. Therefore getting combo faster and more consistently.
For that reason I'd also suggest bauble. Also running this makes traverse better.
Cultivate is probably the best turn 2 play. It ramps and replaces the card in your hand. That way when you hit perspectives you are more likely to have 7 in hand. While also thinning out 2 basic lands.
Must run 4 Shadows. It's key to the combo and allows you to dig early to find combo. Cycle wraith, cast out, street wraith and play shadow for instance. This gets your hand size up also so you can have 7 for perspectives.
Shadows is so strong you want to run a Snapcaster or two. He allows you to burn a shadow early... For cards then have less chance to brick mid combo. Between your untap cyclers and your overgrowth and sprawls youll not have mana problems. He's also so good with traverse.
Reduces your cycle untappers to 6 or so. You won't need all 8.
Your kill can be whatever you like but I feel the current one does seem convoluted. I don't see a problem with second son. 1 card. and a faith of the devoted.
If I had to choose I'd play 1 second sun and 1 faith with a drake haven in the board with a conjurers bauble main.
You can also play day's undoing to make sure you definitely hit 7 cards in hand and replace from all that discard you'll maybe be facing. Could make that a 1 of. But that card works better with Faith of the devoted.
Fertile Ground doesn't have this restriction and also taps for the color you want instead of a single color you chose when you cast it which can be useful in a 4C deck like this one.
Street Wraith is good but I'm not sure where it fits in here.
I'd hesitate to cut Angelsong as it should help survive and reach 6-mana but maybe Resounding Thunder can be trimmed down to 2x and maybe also replace the land-cycling creature.
Snapcaster Mage isn't necessary here imho, the deck should have enough redundency as it is and most of the instants/sorceries should be cycled anyway.
It's not really a 4 color deck so much as a 3 color deck that has a single black card in it. If you play a shockland you can easily figure out what the named color should be. Temple Garden for instance. You would sprawl for blue. Now you have access to all 3 colors. Later you can worry about making that single black source. Maybe run a few gemstone mines or mana confluences to shore up any mana issues.