MTG Salvation

Marit Lage's Slumber
Ice-Fang Coatl
Glacial Revelation
Dead of Winter
scrying sheets

These cards seem to enable an interesting BUG control shell.
I feel like this deck would still be heavily blue, with black and green support. Glacial Revelation can fill our hand and put a Echo of Eons in our graveyard.

Anyone have any input? I think there's potential here...

I'll be adding some possible decklists in a bit.

I have a 60 to begin with :



Abominable Treefolk is either a joke or a decent threat. It's very easily an 8/8+ and could be legit.

Deck is slow af. I wish there was a lifegain snow permanent, or any snow thing that buys more time. Dead of Winter is one, though only vs creature decks.

For such a slow deck won't some number of PW's make sense ?
Be it Teferi (1,2), Gideon (1,2) or Elspeth ?

What is Bring to Light here for ?
It can't get enchantments and there doesn't seem to be any good targets for it here.

Snapcaster Mage might not be too bad here even if it mainly gets to flashback Visions and Into the North.
The deck probably needs more interaction like Path to Exile or some countermagic like Absorb (to gain some life as well).

As far as defensive snow permanents I wonder if Cover of Winter might be playable.

I feel like running blue is a trap. Marit Lage's Slumber is too slow, and Ice-Fang Coatl isn't worth it. Dead of Winter, however, is a three mana one-sided board wipe if you're running mainly snow threats. Here's my take:


The idea is to be a midrange deck that first ramps for a bit, then shreds the opponent's threats with Dead of Winter and punches them to death with Phyrexian Soulgorger before they can recover. Glacial Revelation mills all non-snow stuff, including Lingering Souls and Bloodghast as fuel for the Soulgorger.

Quote from Lord_Mektar »

I feel like running blue is a trap. Marit Lage's Slumber is too slow, and Ice-Fang Coatl isn't worth it. Dead of Winter, however, is a three mana one-sided board wipe if you're running mainly snow threats. Here's my take:

BlazingRagnarok's DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
4 Boreal Druid 4 Phyrexian Soulgorger 4 Ohran Viper 4 Lingering Souls 4 Bloodghast	4 Glacial Revelation 4 On Thin Ice 4 Dead of Winter 4 Coldsteel Heart 4 Arcum's Astrolabe	3 Scrying Sheets 17 Other Lands

The idea is to be a midrange deck that first ramps for a bit, then shreds the opponent's threats with Dead of Winter and punches them to death with Phyrexian Soulgorger before they can recover. Glacial Revelation mills all non-snow stuff, including Lingering Souls and Bloodghast as fuel for the Soulgorger.

Phyrexian Soulgorger is going to backfire quite a lot, I'd wager. Even disregarding the times where your opponent can just remove it or force it to kill itself, you really can't afford to control it for more than a turn or three, assuming you hit your fodder. If your opponent can just manage to not die during that time, which isn't actually that hard, your board will self-destruct.

Well, Saddled Rimestag is a decent beater, probably better than the viper.

Maybe creature beatdown isn't the best strategy for this deck as the snow creature aren't good enough.
That is why I suggested using PW's.

I think Ice-Fang Coatl is the *reason* why we want to play a Snow deck. It's so much value. It's Baleful Strix for Modern - it makes none UW control viable!

here's my take - inspired by Temur Monkey Grow



It's possible this deck just wants Goyfs over Golems

The traditional modern snow deck has been SkRED.
and it only runs 2 cards that really benefit from snow: Scrying Sheets & Skred
waaaaay back when the deck first got put together, you might see the occasional coldsteel heart or phyrexian ironfoot, but as time's gone on it's become pretty clear that stuff was just clutter.

looking at the new snow-cards, the only ones that stand out as worthwhile payoffs are Dead of Winter* & Ice-Fang Coatl
On Thin Ice & Arcum's Astrolabe get honorable mentions for interacting positively with scrying sheets while doing a good enough job at fulfilling their respective roles should we need spot removal or color filter.

*as far as Dead of Winter is concerned though, It's only worthwhile as a payoff so long as we have a reasonable amount of snow-creatures. frankly, that seems like a pipe-dream. If it turns out that snow decks are just better-off including black, then obviously we'd play Dead of Winter, but as it stands, I don't think Dead of Winter is worth going black for. We could just as easily go white, play a bunch of PW's & wrath effects, and get the same one-sided board clears.
this has basically been SkRED's approach, play stuff like koth of the hammer & chandra, torch of defiance so that your Anger of the Gods type cards are one-sided.

all this in-mind, i feel like temur or bant snow is the way to go (or just sticking to SkRED, idk).
temur would use skred + bolt for spot removal, bant would use on thin ice + path for spot removal.
the deciding factor would be whichever color combo has the best threats/how badly we'd want wrath of god over anger of the gods (or vice/versa)
the final issue is whether or not coatl is worth it. unfortunately he means splashing 2 colors rather than 1. Abominable Treefolk seems like it might not be half-bad in a temur list, as it'd survive all our board-wipes & lock-down whatever survives. I'm pretty hesitant to play glacial revelation though, i'm not confident in it's ability to draw us gas consistently enough.
honestly, the more i think about what the best snow-deck would look like, the more i think it's probably just skred + seasoned pyromancer & pillage
oh, and as long as it's still mono/mono+splash frostwalk bastion probably makes the list

It's not exactly snow.deck but my concept of how Marit Lage's Slumber would work is just take Azorious Control as it exists and replace the Celestial Colonnade long-term beat stick with Marit Lage, put in as many snow basics as makes sense in the mana base, replace Path with On Thin Ice, and maybe sneak in a copy or two of Starfield of Nyx (take out whatever random cards you can spare for 2 or 3 copies of Marit Lage's slumber ofc), so when the time comes (somewhere turn 10+). It's probably worse than just normal Azorious control, but it's the best way I can think of to play snow anything to be honest.

Playing a turbo Marit Lage Snow.dec is not going to work in my opinion. All of ramp, and what...to play a 20/20 with suspend 1, while also playing bad snow cards that don't interact with the opponent? Not my bag baby.

I see Marit Lage as more of an incidental card filtering engine like Azcanta, while having another win con. Something like Temur Control or Sultai Control, with Skred/Coatl/Madcap/Dead of Winter/etc. Include a tasteful amount of ramp with Steve or Growth Spiral, and eventually you could get to 10 permanents (or 9 not including Marit Lage).

Regardless of what configuration is played, it'll probably want to run all basics, alongside 4x fetches and 4x prismatic vista to fetch them. No dual lands/creature lands/utility lands/etc, not to mention Cryptic Command. Ofc this is only if you're aiming for a Marit Lage alternate win con, or Dead of Winter to be useful.

I think the "snow deck" is still just Skred, you have a manland now and you might splash white for on thin ice or black for dead of winter and get access to some pretty neat sideboard options.

I've actually been trying to make a Turboland Snow deck, and it's almost there. It needs one more pushed "landfall" payoff.

So the deck looks god awful. 4 color snows? Why? For what reason would you do this?

Why not?

Color Fixing:
7x Tradition Fetch Lands: Fetches allow us to grab one of two colors of snows. This is set up to grab us the colors needed more often for the deck.

4x Prismatic Vista: This allows us to grab ANY snow. Autoinclude.

4x Arcum's Astrolabe and 4x Coldsteel Heart: Lets us grab exactly the color we want while providing card draw/ramp.

Card draw:
4x Arcum's Astrolabe: Same as before. Does great stuff.

4x Ice-Fang Coatl: Good removal as well.

4x Glacial Revelation: On average this draws us 4 cards and discards lands we don't need.

Scrying:
2x Scrying Sheets: Free scrying with extra mana? Hell yeah. Hits 2/3 of the deck

4x Marit Lage's Slumber: Scrying twice a turn just for playing the deck? Super hell yeah!

Control:
4x Ice-Fang Coatl: Removal and card draw. Neat.

4x Dead of Winter: Remove opponent's board. Neat.

4x Cover of Winter: This is a weird card to include. I find it works really well in this shell that's already so mana dependant. Opponent's board can't deal damage while we ramp up to our late threats.

4x On Thin Ice: W: Exile target creature. Works wonders in our list.

2x Frostwalk Bastion: Helps us in the early game, helps us vs their big threats. Pretty good manland for us.

4x Abominable Treefolk: Tapping a creature and not letting it untap still helps. Big threats can't get in versus us, plus this thing is generally huge.

Endgame Threats:
4x Abominable Treefolk: This thing is generally HUGE. An absolute unit.

4x Marit Lage's Slumber: A 20/20 Indestructible Flying is generally pretty nuts.


ENDING THOUGHTS

This is a bad deck. But hey, it kind of does it's job. It controls the board and has late threats. Please try it out and let me know how it feels for you. Sideboard is currently a WIP.

They did make snow duels. Even though they are God awful. Would still count towards the 10 snow perms and also get your mana fixed. Run 1 or 3 if primary purpose is to be searched with into the north they have no drawback.

my apologies i'm tired and snarky today (YAY insomnia :/ ) also you get a double helping of incoherent rant as yes im dyslexic so parts may just be random collections of letter rather coherent text. (double YaY)

ok time to back to deck building principles with this i think

reasons to run snow
Ice-Fang Coatl: solid tempo card
Dead of Winter: solid board wipe
Marit Lage's Slumber: an ok wincon, not having haste is a big downside and ledgendy type means multiples are bad.

On Thin Ice: honestly not worth running, putting ourselves into 4 color when trying to function of basics seems silly and no one runs chained to the rocks for a reason

Snow stuff is new, cool and trendy again: yes totally agree, im hear right

so if we include the first three we have a tempo shell with a possible combo wincon
we need snow permanents which means mostly lands, we need to draw out the game so counterspells and board wipes with a land ramp package while avoiding cards with heavy mono color commitments.

so in the order i think of them

snow
4 Ice-Fang Coatl: pure tempo advantage and maybe sometimes removal
3 Dead of Winter : its dead in a control matchup and we have blue for snap casters if need be, solid board wipe
2 Marit Lage's Slumber: its a legendary permanent and without haste so should be used as a alt wincon and card selection engin.

ramp
3 growth spirals: does everything we what the deck to do, except chump block
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder, chump blocks!!! , ramping and fetching needed colors

more filteringing
1 Search for Azcanta: card selection and ramp
1 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy: snapcaster that doesn't die to board wipes

removal
2 Fatal Push: stuff needs to die
1 Abrupt Decay: along with everything else
2 Assassin's Trophy: even lands

other tempo auto includes
2 Snapcaster Mage: beautiful graveyard value!!!!
4 Remand : stall + cantrip
2 Cryptic Command: very high color requirements but its the best
2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang: because awesome and a wincon

my hatred for humanity
1 Tamiyo, Collector of Tales: value engin, hate survives board wipes.... also i hate 8rack
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor: what can i say, i hate everyone else two

and 24 lands
3 frost march: yes they are bad but where control we can a few tapped land
4 Prismatic Vista: come to mummy
2 Verdant Catacombs: just two more fetchland
1 Breeding Pool: and a shock
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth: The best dual land of all
2 Field of Ruin: Hate Tron, Fetches snow... YAY!
5 Snow island
4 Snow Forest
2 Snow Swamps

notable omissions
White, personally i think the deck either runs White or Green, White is basically esper control with a much worse wincon and a much more clunky land package

bitterblossom: really tempted and they may well work in the deck.

wilderness rec + Teachings package: another solid direction for the deck, but i felt the inclusion of so many socerys and cretures made it a tad to clunky
red/scred definite maybe in if the deck needs more spot removal

more cryptics: guys casting cost, i feel like 2 might be a little to optimistic

Scrying Sheets: ok maybe i could make room for one or two but i think the deck needs the colors and interaction

frostwalk bastion: again maybe, but it would need to be only a 2 or 1 color decks as we need those colors and this is no colonnade or tarpit

either/both snow rocks: no they are bad, if they where not snow permanents this wouldn't even be being discussed

Abominable Treefolk: NOOOOO... like really

Ohran Viper: the only other snow creature that i would consider in a tempo deck, if it had flash, maybe but as is its a stinkweed imp and ninja of the deep hours, but worse that either so no.

Glacial Revelation: only in a wilderness rec list, as tapping out three mana to get a couple of lands is pretty bad, Into the North is better as the land goes into the battlefield an its a true tutor effect for sheets or the color you need. i also think that using glacial hoping to mill eons is a little cute better just to use......
collective brutality: ok im on the fence about this one and i'm totally willing to have my mind changed, its superbe in all ist modes and works in most situations

the deck may end up wanting some more counter spells and answers, and i think the planeswalkers and tribe elders are the best place to look for changing things out
its not a great deck but please when brewing guy don't play bad card just because they are new,

the deck could also fit a eons, narset combo quite well and that could be very fun. but im waiting to see how that works out before adding it hear.


lastly hoping for some more snow support in future standard sets, if this dose come to pass this deck may well get a large power boost.

Here's my starting point for this Friday. Having a three mana one-sided wrath is very strong. Black for disruption. Marit Lage's Slumber is really there for the scry, if we happen to win with it once or twice, that's just bonus. Scrying sheets hits under half the time, so maybe one is plenty.

I feel like skred, dead of winter, scrying sheets are your big pay offs for staying snow. Removal removal and CA.

Sheets plays very well with courser of kruphix or marit lage's slumber because it gives you a ton of volocity and makes sure you keep hittting snow permanents. But it's a late game card imo because turns 1-3 are so critical in modern.

Skred/dead of winter can easily handle creatures.

What the deck needs imo is something for combo, burn, and planeswalkers. None of the creatures are very resilient and coatl isn't very threatening to a teferi ticking up every turn. I dunno if there is a snow payoff that can stand up to Uxx control decks. They don't have to answer the coatls, just stuff like the rimestag.

So imo the choice comes down to:

Red, black, or both are needed to answer creature decks.

Green gives you dig (glacial revelation) and some payoffs coatl and Rimestag.

Blue gives you counters and bounce to handle the decks red/black can't interact with and refutable scry in marit lage's slumber.

I think UGx may be the way to go? Possible something like temur tempo or bloodbraid elf. I think dead of winter is a trap because the best snow creatures are still bad compared to the mediocre creatures that could fill that slot if you're in black. I think skred is the way to go.

Here is a conceptual deck. The more explosive draws can put down 5-6 snow permanents on turn 2 and power out a Marit Lage pretty quickly. Plan A is that every card can put down a permanent and a sizable amount of them cantrip. Glacial revelation is often a draw 4, and potentially draw 6. Can bin Maximize Velocity while you dig for your permanents. You want a heavy amount of mana so that you can keep the train rolling with those big draws. The sideboard is pretty effective as Marit Lage's Slumber helps you dig to your answers very quickly. Treefolk is under rated. A 10/10+ trampler that does a frost titan impression for 4 is actually really really good. Potentially better than Marit Lage good.

Dead of Winter is so good in this deck, I'm not sure why you would run skred with this around. Can kill Ulamog, for 3 mana. In a one sided wipe. That's just nuts.

Quote from IusCustos »

Lectrys's DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
Creatures 4 Abominable Treefolk 4 Ice-Fang Coatl 4 Boreal Druid 3 Icehide Golem Spells 3 Growth Spiral 3 Into The North 2 Dead of Winter 4 Glacial Revelation 1 Maximize Velocity	Artifacts 4 Arcum's Astrolabe Enchantments 3 Marit Lage's Slumber 4 On Thin Ice Lands 4 Prismatic Vista 1 Scrying Sheets 7 Snow-Covered Forest 7 Snow-Covered Island 1 Snow-Covered Plains 1 Snow-Covered Swamp	Sideboard 2 Damping Sphere 2 Dead of Winter 2 Weather the Storm 3 Remand

Here is a conceptual deck. The more explosive draws can put down 5-6 snow permanents on turn 2 and power out a Marit Lage pretty quickly. Plan A is that every card can put down a permanent and a sizable amount of them cantrip. Glacial revelation is often a draw 4, and potentially draw 6. Can bin Maximize Velocity while you dig for your permanents. You want a heavy amount of mana so that you can keep the train rolling with those big draws. The sideboard is pretty effective as Marit Lage's Slumber helps you dig to your answers very quickly. Treefolk is under rated. A 10/10+ trampler that does a frost titan impression for 4 is actually really really good. Potentially better than Marit Lage good.

Dead of Winter is so good in this deck, I'm not sure why you would run skred with this around. Can kill Ulamog, for 3 mana. In a one sided wipe. That's just nuts.

Tried a tweaked version of your deck against Humans and Jund (took out 2 Snow Island and 2 Snow Forest for 4 Misty Rainforest to boost consistency, replaced Maximize Velocity with Reckless Charge). This deck generally creamed Humans. It's the control against them, but they can't possibly name everything or take everything away with their disruptive dudes. On Thin Ice is cheap removal that they might Meddling Mage first given your decklist, but then they're exposed to Dead of Winter. Abominable Treefolk is a staller, bomb, and fast win con they also have to name (it being a Turn 3 6/6 is not uncommon), as it dodges Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Kitesail Freebooter. They then need to save a Reflector Mage for popped Marit Lage's Slumber, but then they're still vulnerable to the CA-and-blocker plan of Glacial Revelation and Ice-Fang Coatl (which sometimes has Deathtouch on Turn 2). The only way they can win is to tempo you out.

This deck was close to 50/50 against Jund, which sometimes disrupts you hard enough to win.

My next changes are going to be replacing an Icehide Golem with an Ohran Viper for further CA and to replace 2 Into the Norths with Sakura-Tribe Elder because I always tutored for basics and rarely activated Scrying Sheets, and I definitely could use the additional blockers. Alternately, there's keeping Into the North and finding slots for 1-2 Frostwalk Bastion or Mouth of Ronom.

As for the sideboard, I think 3-4 Force of Negation will be a staple; this is a proactive, Gx Tron-like deck with enough blue cards to support FoN.

the best i can come up with right now; 4 colors is way too clunky and it makes u miss on scrying sheets, which i believe is the best reason to play snow still.

this probably strongarms any creature based deck while taking a beating to other decks.

the key is, possibly, in the strenght of glacial revelation. this list keeps snow count at 49 cards. 3 mana draw 5 is fairly busted play that's kept fair by the average power of snow cards.

I already made this deck. It's ok, i also added into the north, it's mostly green and blue, i splashed black for dead of winter

Here is a version that I found on Reddit, and made some minor tweaks to, and it's been doing pretty well for me at FNM-level events. I plan to take this to SCG Columbus if I can get a bit more practice with it and can playtest some of the matchups I have yet to face. It's 4c Snow Control and the only deck I've ran into that I've struggled against is Jund, though I still haven't gotten to play against Tron or Infect yet.

The deck definitely still needs more tuning, but I've been enjoying it a lot so far and would appreciate any advice! The cards I've been kinda "meh" about so far have been Force of Negation (I usually just hard cast it) and Fact or Fiction. Growth Spiral has been surprisingly good, but they can always be swapped to Opt. I'd also really like to squeeze a Dovin's Veto and a 2nd Celestial Purge in the Sideboard.