If you are interested in a deck that it's becoming a bit more popular these days, but having it a bit different from the rest, welcome to the Lands of the dinosaurs, in Modern.
Goal of the deck
As any Ponza, it will focus on having 3-4 mana in second turn, and because of this advantage, we can start destroying our opponents way of playing.
Destroying the mana base of your opponent
The way to destroy the mana base of your opponent is achieved by two ways:
With land destruction we ensure they won't be having enough mana to play their spells.
With Trinisphere we ensure that until third turn, they won't be playing anything. If we started the game, that means that they won't do anything in their following 2 turns.
For achieving our goal of control, we really need a first turn card accelerator. Any of the following cards will give us the 3 or even 4 mana in our second turn.
Sometimes, we match up a deck that can haves threatening creatures for 1 or 2 mana, and we couldn't manage to control the early game as we wished, for example, if they start first. What we can do in this situations?
One option could be entering a very nice bunch of creatures to block or put some pressure on the opponent, while we can generate enough mana in the following turns to control their mana base or by adding even more pressure with bigger threats that they put on us.
All of the creature above are great finishers, even more if you can combine them with Regisaur Alpha for haste. Etali, Primal Storm it's also a magnificent card for playing for free cards exiled from both sides (meanwhile they are not lands), let's imagine playing for free a Ghalta, Primal Hunger, so wonderful... Chandra, Torch of Defiance it's also a great card. It ramp us 2 mana, clear some threats, playing cards... Even you can play her on third turn along a Regisaur Alpha!
Sideboard against those decks, you know, those
Thrashing Brontodon: the Qasali Pridemage has become a dinosaur, but only green. Anger of the Gods: Affinity, Boggles, Stompy... go away with those very little mana cost cards! Crumble to Dust: Tron, Celestial Colonnades... Blood Moon: Even you can add this to main, it depends on your personal taste. Thragtusk: Nice against burn decks. Winning 5 life are a lot against them. Fracturing Gust: Boggles, Affinity... They can tear us down fast if we don't act fast. A third turn we could destroy all their army while gaining life at instant speed. Sorry Inkmoth Nexus. Deathgorge Scavenger: I would add this Dinosaur to side, but may your preferences would like it into main. Soulflayer, Dredge... will have a bad time against this big-little dino.
Community decks
So, if by far you liked the way of this deck, here I leave my deck. If any of you have your own deck (with or without dinos, I won't hate you, promise), leave it on the comments below and when I can I will post it here.
Got any other card suggestions? Let us know, and it can be added to the list.
Here I leave of some match-ups went the last games I played. Report your match-ups to give more detailed information about the deck when playing against others.
I have to admin one thing, I don't like playing a "copy-paste" deck. Also, I liked the dinos theme and some of their abilities, and it was stated in the first line, if you don't like playing the same as everyone, here is a nice change.
Regisaur Alpha has a playset in this deck for some reasons.
A nice attack/defense creature for third turn.
Gives other dinos haste.
Creates an attacker.
Regisaurs most of the times hits the board before any other dino, so when Etali, Ghalta or Carnage hits the battlefield, they came with haste too.
Etali, Primal Storm it's a nice creature too. Keeping opponents cards, or exiling a land that can be crucial to them, it's something I find very interesting.
About Ghalta, I haven't got much trouble playing it. One Regisaur with it's token it mostly all you need to play it, thanks to Arbor Elf and Utopia Sprawl.
Blood Moon is something I want to add to main board, I will have to think what to change so they can enter without altering much the deck.
Thanks for the advice @Dos_Rouge. It also can help against some decks removing a creature to gain some life. Or by hitting a bit more each turn. I'll add it to the recommended cards when I can =)
If you are interested in a deck that it's becoming a bit more popular these days, but having it a bit different from the rest, welcome to the Lands of the dinosaurs, in Modern.
Goal of the deck
As any Ponza, it will focus on having 3-4 mana in second turn, and because of this advantage, we can start destroying our opponents way of playing.
Destroying the mana base of your opponent
The way to destroy the mana base of your opponent is achieved by two ways:
- Land destruction
- Elevating the costs of cards of 1 and 2 mana.
With land destruction we ensure they won't be having enough mana to play their spells.With Trinisphere we ensure that until third turn, they won't be playing anything. If we started the game, that means that they won't do anything in their following 2 turns.
1 Stone Rain
1 Mwonvuli Acid-Moss
Accelerating our hand
For achieving our goal of control, we really need a first turn card accelerator. Any of the following cards will give us the 3 or even 4 mana in our second turn.
1 Utopia Sprawl
1 Birds of Paradise
Life is not a path of roses
Sometimes, we match up a deck that can haves threatening creatures for 1 or 2 mana, and we couldn't manage to control the early game as we wished, for example, if they start first. What we can do in this situations?
One option could be entering a very nice bunch of creatures to block or put some pressure on the opponent, while we can generate enough mana in the following turns to control their mana base or by adding even more pressure with bigger threats that they put on us.
1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
1 Regisaur Alpha
1 Lightning Bolt
Head to victory
We won't win by only destroying lands. So, what about of adding some neat creatures to finish it?
1 Ghalta, Primal Hunger
1 Carnage Tyrant
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
All of the creature above are great finishers, even more if you can combine them with Regisaur Alpha for haste. Etali, Primal Storm it's also a magnificent card for playing for free cards exiled from both sides (meanwhile they are not lands), let's imagine playing for free a Ghalta, Primal Hunger, so wonderful...
Chandra, Torch of Defiance it's also a great card. It ramp us 2 mana, clear some threats, playing cards... Even you can play her on third turn along a Regisaur Alpha!
Sideboard against those decks, you know, those
Thrashing Brontodon: the Qasali Pridemage has become a dinosaur, but only green.
Anger of the Gods: Affinity, Boggles, Stompy... go away with those very little mana cost cards!
Crumble to Dust: Tron, Celestial Colonnades...
Blood Moon: Even you can add this to main, it depends on your personal taste.
Thragtusk: Nice against burn decks. Winning 5 life are a lot against them.
Fracturing Gust: Boggles, Affinity... They can tear us down fast if we don't act fast. A third turn we could destroy all their army while gaining life at instant speed. Sorry Inkmoth Nexus.
Deathgorge Scavenger: I would add this Dinosaur to side, but may your preferences would like it into main. Soulflayer, Dredge... will have a bad time against this big-little dino.
Community decks
So, if by far you liked the way of this deck, here I leave my deck. If any of you have your own deck (with or without dinos, I won't hate you, promise), leave it on the comments below and when I can I will post it here.
Got any other card suggestions? Let us know, and it can be added to the list.
2 Birds of Paradise
4 Arbor Elf
1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
3 Siege-Gang Commander
4 Regisaur Alpha
2 Etali, Primal Storm
1 Carnage Tyrant
1 Ghalta, Primal Hunger
Enchantment
4 Utopia Sprawl
Land
5 Forest
4 Mountain
4 Stomping Ground
3 Ghost Quarter
1 Fire-Lit Thicket
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Lightning Bolt
Sorcery
4 Stone Rain
4 Molten Rain
4 Mwonvuli Acid-Moss
Planeswalker
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
3 Thrashing Brontodon
1 Thragtusk
3 Blood Moon
1 Pithing Needle
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Ancient Grudge
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Crumble to Dust
Match-ups stats: gathering data
Here I leave of some match-ups went the last games I played. Report your match-ups to give more detailed information about the deck when playing against others.
Just for the flavor of playing dinosaurs ?
Inferno Titan and Stormbreath Dragon are better finishers (Ghalta is inconsistent, Etali is slow, Carnage is good though)
and there are no CA options here like Bloodbraid Elf and Tireless Tracker + Courser of Kruphix and also Blood Moon to shut down manabases.
Overall it just seems like a clunkier (mana curve wise) and more fragile version of the deck which will stumble more often.
Regisaur Alpha has a playset in this deck for some reasons.
- A nice attack/defense creature for third turn.
- Gives other dinos haste.
- Creates an attacker.
Regisaurs most of the times hits the board before any other dino, so when Etali, Ghalta or Carnage hits the battlefield, they came with haste too.Etali, Primal Storm it's a nice creature too. Keeping opponents cards, or exiling a land that can be crucial to them, it's something I find very interesting.
About Ghalta, I haven't got much trouble playing it. One Regisaur with it's token it mostly all you need to play it, thanks to Arbor Elf and Utopia Sprawl.
Blood Moon is something I want to add to main board, I will have to think what to change so they can enter without altering much the deck.
Deathgorge Scavenger added to sideboard section =)