I have a few questions for you on card choices: Magma spray over pillar of flame. Pillar has the same effect and can hit an opponent. The sacrifice for sorcery over instant seems mostly irrelevant. Rain of tears seems clunky and slow.
More abrupt decay seems good at least in the board if no where else. Squee, goblin nabob seems cute at best. It's probably not your best choice at a creature with recursion. Why not haakon, stromgald scourge. Running this with nameless inversion over smallpox should give you far more creature control and help death's shadow get huge when you're low on life.
Deathmark over something like vendetta or go for the throat.
Squee, has worked out for me fairly well so far - it works very well with faithless looting, small pox and liliana and as a permanent blocker in a pinch. I'd probably rather run fulminator mage than rain of tears I just don't have any -- I might try haakon to see if it puts more pressure on the opponent. The deck SB isn't really tuned that well but I was doing fairly well against tier decks. Smallpox punishes a lot of decks in the current meta.
Well you have all of my suggestions and questions. Keep me updated and we can continue to refine your list a bit. I am glad you have had luck with your list. I will most likely be trying a naya brew this Thursday for my LGS modern.
Darkbrew, the RUG version is indeed really solid - it's more effective against permission, and can recover easily from certain situations (it topdecks better than RG). I have all but a few games where I got color screwed (not considering "fetched the wrong land"), which is a good sign.
Nevertheless, it is surely more consistent as a deck, but it lacks the explosive potential of the pure RG to win in a pinch, or race against aggro/combo. Everytime I played against good Combo players, my permission spells got outplayed, and I think that straight RG could've assembled the win faster.
I came to think of the RUG lists (brewed quite a few variants based on the list you submitted here) as little-high;little-low when compared to RG. They are surely better against unknown metas (interactivity), but lose a lot of potential in an all-out race, which is prevalent on my local metagame. If I were to choose one or a larger tournment, I'd pick RUG simply because of permission spells.
Last week I was able to play a small FNM. While I played my Boros Midrange deck (and won :D), a friend of mine (who has been helping me with Assault Loam tests) piloted the RG version I had on paper, and he did very well. We'll start working on a proper sideboard soon, but for now I've been thinking:
I think it'd be sweet if I could just add some value enchantments on the SB - as I can easily dig them with Commune. Blood Moon plan is a bit suicidal, but sounds fun as hell - people won't ever expect Moon coming from a deck with mostly nonbasics. I only need 1 green source anyway. I doubt I'd run Moon along Finks or Baloth.
Running blood moon alongside finks or baloth probably isn't terrible, I mean are you looking to bring that combination of cards in for the same match ups. Probably not. Even if you have both it is probably ok since they are used in different match ups and are worth it for those match ups. Finks/baloth vs burn/aggro, blood moon vs control/midrange
Blitkun: What deck har You talking about when you mention RUG ?
And I heard that they will announce unbannings and bannings on the 19. Of January. Which cards would all of you like to see unbanned or banned when thinking about the assault loam deck?
Since the last list i posted i cut Gifts down to 3, rather than running the whole playset. Gifts is still amazing, and still a focal point of the deck, but running all 4, and a Treasure Cruise seemed like 1 too many big draw spells, so i dropped a Gifts, and it feels a little better. Gifts is stupid powerful in the deck, but you never really want 2 in your hand at once.
Another thing worth noting is that i actually rarely find myself Gifting for -Noxious Revival-Snapcaster Mage-Seismic Assault-Life From the Loam- to set up the combo. Usually you already have 1 or more pieces so you just don't need to Gift for that pile, or a lot of the time it's just better to Gift for answers instead.
Siege Rhino is a ***** against this deck though. If you don't have a Goyf available, or Assault online, there's really no good way to deal with him. There has been a few games now, where i was controlling the entire game, and kicking ass.. then Siege Rhino resolved and i lost. Pretty frustrating. I'm thinking about dropping Sudden Shock from the board for another Combust.
Combust is probably your best answer to a resolved rhino. Otherwise you're looking at 3 lands to assault it, or counter magic to stop it, which you don't really have.
Honestly i have found junk and pod a good matchup. Certainly favorable since they don't have much disruption outside decay. If they are landing Rhino and you don't have assault online you probably lose, but that shouldn't happen much since that will be like turn 4-5. Maybe you should run some Faithless looting. I think its one of the best cards in the deck if you use 2-3 Cruise.
As far as bug its pretty hard to play bug with a RRR enchantment being the key to the deck
I mean i'm not saying it's unwinnable, but BGx can definitely be a tricky match up.
As far as Faithless Looting, I was actually playing 3 in the original build of the deck, but found the card disadvantage was just too burdensome in a control build. There really just wasn't anything i wanted to discard ever. I'm not playing 3-4 Loam 3-4 Assault 3-4 Flame Jab like most of the other lists, so the extra chaff isn't really there to discard to Looting.
Combust is probably your best answer to a resolved rhino. Otherwise you're looking at 3 lands to assault it, or counter magic to stop it, which you don't really have.
well if Assault is online 3 lands is just 1 Life from the Loam so that's easy to achieve, but you don't always have Assault-Loam online. As far as countering, I do have 3 Mana Leaks, and 3 Remands, but those don't help if he's being Podded into play. I do think another Combust is probably the way to go.
I almost think the best reason to play GR or Naya is because Choke. That card is awesome..
Choke is just so meh cause of all the lands it doesnt hit. 4 sulfur falls, mountains, colonnades and such. If you have an opening to drop something i rather it be assault. Once thats in play its hard to lose unless you were already screwed
I definitely agree that combust seems the better option. If your worried about pod in general though why not some cages? Is shutting down snapcaster mage not worth stopping pod/chord? Plus you have ruins to get it back. Seems a possible fit.
@Darkbrew - Choke is insane against blue decks in general. They play a bunch of fetchlands as well as only a few non basics that aren't islands. It is completely worth it to tie up 3-4 lands especially considering cryptic command is a card. Add ghost quarter/tec edge to the choke package and you have quite the lock going on them.
I really Like The List. But is 7 creatures
enough?my only problem with the list is the 4 goyfs. I don't own a single one. Is there a good or okay replancement for it? Hoping for goyf reprint in mm15
Well, 7 creatures have been enough because they are merely complementary to the Assault-Loam plan. Works a bit like Patrick Dickmann's RUG Twin a couple years ago, you have the combo by the side of a few very efficient threats that, if unanswered, can steal the game on their own.
I'd suggest replacing the 4 Goyfs for, maybe:
+1 Young Pyromancer and either +3 Scavenging Oozes, Countryside Crushers or even Hooting Mandrills - given that Mandrills would require some adjustments to Treasure Cruise's numbers. If you're aiming at the beatdown plan, I'd keep 3 Pyromancers and prioritize Mandrills over the third Cruise, while if you're more comfortable with a more controllish version even some Snapcaster Mages could see play. Crushers are good, albeit slow.
Scavenging Ooze, Eternal Witness and Courser of Kruphix can all do nice things for much less than tarmogoyf. I would say courser probably the best of the bunch for lifegain and unboltable body. But the other two are possible sideboard or maindeck as 1-2 of
One card in fate reforged has got me into rebuilding this deck: monastery mentor. They say if you can get 8x of the same card (with young pyro) you can have a consistent deck. It even triggers upon casting seismic assault, and it is very good with flame jab + loam (and flame jab seems good right now with delver everywhere). Thoughts?
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modern:UW spirits, BR goblins
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2 Squee, Goblin Nabob
4 Bloodghast
4 Death's Shadow
3 Varolz, the Scar-Striped
1 Abrupt Decay
Spells
3 Life from the Loam
3 Liliana of the Veil
3 Raven's Crime
4 Lingering Souls
4 Smallpox
4 Faithless Looting
1 Darkblast
Lands
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Blood Crypt
1 Swamp
1 Stomping Ground
2 Bloodstained Mire
1 Snow-Covered Swamp
1 Mountain
1 Tectonic Edge
3 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Copperline Gorge
1 Forest
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Marsh Flats
1 Windswept Heath
1 Godless Shrine
1 Plains
2 Overgrown Tomb
3 Verdant Catacombs
1 Rain of Tears
2 Engineered Explosives
2 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Spellskite
1 Deathmark
2 Golgari Charm
4 Ancient Grudge
1 Magma Spray
Magma spray over pillar of flame. Pillar has the same effect and can hit an opponent. The sacrifice for sorcery over instant seems mostly irrelevant.
Rain of tears seems clunky and slow.
More abrupt decay seems good at least in the board if no where else.
Squee, goblin nabob seems cute at best. It's probably not your best choice at a creature with recursion. Why not haakon, stromgald scourge. Running this with nameless inversion over smallpox should give you far more creature control and help death's shadow get huge when you're low on life.
Deathmark over something like vendetta or go for the throat.
Darkbrew, the RUG version is indeed really solid - it's more effective against permission, and can recover easily from certain situations (it topdecks better than RG). I have all but a few games where I got color screwed (not considering "fetched the wrong land"), which is a good sign.
Nevertheless, it is surely more consistent as a deck, but it lacks the explosive potential of the pure RG to win in a pinch, or race against aggro/combo. Everytime I played against good Combo players, my permission spells got outplayed, and I think that straight RG could've assembled the win faster.
I came to think of the RUG lists (brewed quite a few variants based on the list you submitted here) as little-high;little-low when compared to RG. They are surely better against unknown metas (interactivity), but lose a lot of potential in an all-out race, which is prevalent on my local metagame. If I were to choose one or a larger tournment, I'd pick RUG simply because of permission spells.
Regarding Thought Scour, I've been testing with 3, I believe 4 is too much. Treasure Cruise was cut down to 2. Most games I end up siding out one of the Seismic Assaults to bring answers, and I like Flame Jab a lot better than Forked Bolt - especially with Young Pyromancer as an important wincon.
Last week I was able to play a small FNM. While I played my Boros Midrange deck (and won :D), a friend of mine (who has been helping me with Assault Loam tests) piloted the RG version I had on paper, and he did very well. We'll start working on a proper sideboard soon, but for now I've been thinking:
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Stomping Ground
2 Fire-Lit Thicket
2 Raging Ravine
1 Treetop Village
2 Tectonic Edge
2 Ghost Quarter
4 Mountain
1 Forest
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Young Pyromancer
2 Scavenging Ooze
1 Eternal Witness
//Spells
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Faithless Looting
3 Flame Jab
4 Life from the Loam
3 Commune with the Gods
2 Anger of the Gods
4 Seismic Assault
3 Chalice of the Void
3 Kitchen Finks
2 Choke
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Seal of Primordium
2 Blood Moon
1 Forest
I think it'd be sweet if I could just add some value enchantments on the SB - as I can easily dig them with Commune. Blood Moon plan is a bit suicidal, but sounds fun as hell - people won't ever expect Moon coming from a deck with mostly nonbasics. I only need 1 green source anyway. I doubt I'd run Moon along Finks or Baloth.
And I heard that they will announce unbannings and bannings on the 19. Of January. Which cards would all of you like to see unbanned or banned when thinking about the assault loam deck?
Darkbrew provided me this list. Based upon that, I changed a couple of things until I got:
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Misty Rainforest
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Steam Vents
1 Breeding Pool
1 Stomping Ground
2 Fire-Lit Thicket
2 Tectonic Edge
2 Raging Ravine
2 Mountain
1 Forest
1 Island
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Young Pyromancer
//Spells (25)
4 Faithless Looting
3 Thought Scour
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Flame Jab
2 Spell Pierce
2 Spell Snare
2 Izzet Charm
3 Life from the Loam
3 Treasure Cruise
//Enchantments (3)
3 Seismic Assault
1 Spell Pierce
1 Spell Snare
2 Negate
1 Batterskull
2 Ancient Grudge
3 Pyroclasm
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Flame Jab
3 Dragon's Claw
Sideboard is crappy, but it felt useful. Maindeck felt great, actually.
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Gifts Ungiven
1 Treasure Cruise
3 Remand
3 Spell Snare
3 Mana Leak
2 Izzet Charm
3 Lightning Bolt
2 Electrolyze
1 Flame Jab
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Slagstorm
1 Pyroclasm
2 Life From The Loam
1 Noxious Revival
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Sulfur Falls
2 Steam Vents
2 Stomping Ground
1 Breeding Pool
2 Island
1 Mountain
1 Forest
1 Raging Ravine
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Tectonic Edge
3 Dragon's Claw
2 Pithing Needle
1 Torpor Orb
1 Damping Matrix
1 Negate
1 Dispel
1 Combust
1 Sudden Shock
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Deglamer
1 Unravel the Æther
1 Keranos, God of Storms
Since the last list i posted i cut Gifts down to 3, rather than running the whole playset. Gifts is still amazing, and still a focal point of the deck, but running all 4, and a Treasure Cruise seemed like 1 too many big draw spells, so i dropped a Gifts, and it feels a little better. Gifts is stupid powerful in the deck, but you never really want 2 in your hand at once.
Another thing worth noting is that i actually rarely find myself Gifting for -Noxious Revival-Snapcaster Mage-Seismic Assault-Life From the Loam- to set up the combo. Usually you already have 1 or more pieces so you just don't need to Gift for that pile, or a lot of the time it's just better to Gift for answers instead.
Siege Rhino is a ***** against this deck though. If you don't have a Goyf available, or Assault online, there's really no good way to deal with him. There has been a few games now, where i was controlling the entire game, and kicking ass.. then Siege Rhino resolved and i lost. Pretty frustrating. I'm thinking about dropping Sudden Shock from the board for another Combust.
As far as bug its pretty hard to play bug with a RRR enchantment being the key to the deck
I mean i'm not saying it's unwinnable, but BGx can definitely be a tricky match up.
As far as Faithless Looting, I was actually playing 3 in the original build of the deck, but found the card disadvantage was just too burdensome in a control build. There really just wasn't anything i wanted to discard ever. I'm not playing 3-4 Loam 3-4 Assault 3-4 Flame Jab like most of the other lists, so the extra chaff isn't really there to discard to Looting.
well if Assault is online 3 lands is just 1 Life from the Loam so that's easy to achieve, but you don't always have Assault-Loam online. As far as countering, I do have 3 Mana Leaks, and 3 Remands, but those don't help if he's being Podded into play. I do think another Combust is probably the way to go.
I almost think the best reason to play GR or Naya is because Choke. That card is awesome..
2 Engineered Explosives
1 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Pack Rat
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Darkblast
2 Disfigure
3 Gifts Ungiven
1 Murderous Cut
2 Liliana of the Veil
1 Damnation
1 Drown in Sorrow
4 Life from the Loam
3 Raven's Crime
3 Smallpox
1 Academy Ruins
2 Breeding Pool
2 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Forest
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Hinterland Harbor
1 Island
1 Marsh Flats
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Swamp
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Tolaria West
1 Treetop Village
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Verdant Catacombs
1 Watery Grave
2 Woodland Cemetery
1 Bloodghast
1 Worm Harvest
SB: 3 Dragon's Claw
SB: 3 Golgari Charm
SB: 2 Surgical Extraction
SB: 3 Swan Song
SB: 2 Thoughtseize
SB: 1 Worm Harvest
SB: 1 Wurmcoil Engine
my Bug Loam list..been working out really well for me.
@Darkbrew - Choke is insane against blue decks in general. They play a bunch of fetchlands as well as only a few non basics that aren't islands. It is completely worth it to tie up 3-4 lands especially considering cryptic command is a card. Add ghost quarter/tec edge to the choke package and you have quite the lock going on them.
@blitkun
I really Like The List. But is 7 creatures
enough?my only problem with the list is the 4 goyfs. I don't own a single one. Is there a good or okay replancement for it? Hoping for goyf reprint in mm15
I'd suggest replacing the 4 Goyfs for, maybe:
+1 Young Pyromancer and either +3 Scavenging Oozes, Countryside Crushers or even Hooting Mandrills - given that Mandrills would require some adjustments to Treasure Cruise's numbers. If you're aiming at the beatdown plan, I'd keep 3 Pyromancers and prioritize Mandrills over the third Cruise, while if you're more comfortable with a more controllish version even some Snapcaster Mages could see play. Crushers are good, albeit slow.