I've been playing Ad Nauseam for about half a year now and am still trying to find the most optimal build, this is the list I'm playing right now, I'm trying our opt instead of peer through depths/ spoils of the vault. with peer, I constantly find myself needing to dig for ramp but being unable to and I just personally hate spoils because almost every time I cast it I accidently die and there's nothing I can do. (by die, I mean exile my win cons)
4 simian spirit guide
1 laboratory maniac
2 pact of negation
4 opt
4 ad nauseam
4 angel's grace
4 sleight of hand
4 serum visions
3 phyrexian unlife
4 lotus bloom
4 pentad prism
1 lightning storm
1 mystical teachings
4 darkslick shores
4 seachrome coast
4 temple of deceit
2 temple of enlightenment
4 gemstone mine
1 island
1 calciform pools
Reporting back from SCG Cincinnati:
Finished the day 5-3-1, picked up my last loss in round 9 so I was in contention for day 2 for all nine rounds. Really disappointing, truth be told, but I did fairly well considering this was my first major tournament.
Round 1: Jeskai 2-1
He let me resolve a Mystical Teachings game 1 to go get a Pact of Negation, knew I had it from there. Game 2 he got me with a critical mass of counterspells and resolved a Sphinx's Rev for 6 and I scooped. Game 3 I made him counter a Spoils of the Vault, a Peer Through Depths, and two Mystical Teachings. I figured I had it at that point with the combo + 1 Pact in hand.
Round 2: Slivers 2-1
This man unironically brought Slivers to an Open. Nothing to see here except that Bontu's Last Reckoning is an MVP and I would've died if it was a Damnation a turn later.
Round 3: 8 Rack 2-0
He could never really get a critical mass of discard spells and I wiped him up post-board with a Leyline, nothing crazy.
Round 4: 8 Rack 2-1
Pretty open-and-shut games 1 and 2, but game three I'm facing lethal rack triggers so I launch off an Ad Nauseam barebacked and rip a Spoils, a Grace, a Lotus and 13 lands. I had Lab Man in my hand prior to this, so I coast through the rack triggers unscathed and Spoils of the Vault naming Ass Whuppin'. That man's face will be forever etched into my mind.
Round 5: Jund 1-2
I got Junded. Died to Spoils game one, comboed out successfully game two, and died to 2 Goblin Rabblemasters + Abrupt Decay on a Phyrexian Unlife. Bad beats.
Round 6: Mirror Match ID
This is the true story of the day. My opponent starts game 1 with a Leyline, it takes us both about 2 seconds to realize what's happened, and things looked pretty bad. He Pact + Graced my combo and was poised to win, and the second I realized I was going to lose I offered to draw so we wouldn't have to play sideboarded games. He considered carefully and agreed, and I got out of there like a shot before he could realize what a terrible mistake he'd made. I walked past him getting yelled at by his teammates over it a few minutes later and almost bust out laughing.
Round 7: UR Gifts Storm 1-2
This is the one that really hurts because I screwed up and would've won. I went City of Brass -> Serum Visions -> go, and set my hand face-down on the table to do so. Doing this caused me to forget that I had a Lotus Bloom in hand that I needed to suspend. I dies with combo in hand and that Lotus on 1. Idiot. I won game two pretty easily and he comboed me out game 3 through an Angel's Grace.
Round 8: Counters Company 2-0
My opponent was the only one left at this point who looked younger than me (18.) I think he felt dejected at X-2-1 and it made him play sloppily. At one point he could've easily scryed to a Duskwatch Recruiter with the Anafenza combo and just... didn't. He whiffed on about half of his CoCos and I mopped him up.
Round 9: UR Gifts Storm 1-2
Nothing eventful games one or two (I got the first, he the second) and game three I have the combo turn four, but turn three he goes into a 32-step combo that involves Remanding his own Echoing Truth 3 times to draw 6 cards and discard 3 (with the combined effects of Remand and Baral, Chief of Compliance) while digging for his Grapeshot. He found it. I died.
All things considered, I got pretty lucky. I didn't have to play Tron or Shadow (or even Affinity, for that matter) and I probably would've Day 2'd if I didn't forget that lotus in round 7. I'm probably going to be pissed about that literally forever.
There's a few notable new pros on the deck if you take a peek at the results of the newest starcity classic and main event. Likely pros are feeling the deck too. Keep an eye out...
Some weird choices out of them too--ones that don't look like typos.
Extra Wincons
Conflagrate
Lightning Storm
Laboratory Maniac
Grave Titan
Playing Grave Titan in the sideboard is a transformational strategy: the idea is that your opponent will take out their removal since you have no creatures, so you board in Grave Titan to take advantage of that. It is quite a rare sight though, as it requires 4 sideboard slots.
Why does it take 4 sideboard slots to use Grace Titan? What other cards go along here?
I've had great success with Grave Titans in a known meta filled with BGX. Especially with a LoTV ticking up as long as their Goyfs are just 5/6s. I usually just put in 2-3. This is also a safety valve against a no Leyline keep and they Surgical Extraction your Ad Nauseams. It's usually game over if they can't draw a removal for the Grave Titan in 2 turns (really good when your opponent is hellbent) I like it more than the Godhead of Awes. Anyone siding the Godhead of Awes against Eldrazi decks? Any other new sideboard cards you guys have been tinkering with?
Private Mod Note
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plays Ad Nauseam and Amulet Bloom in Modern
"He traded sand for skins, skins for gold, gold for life. In the end, he traded life for sand."
—Afari, Tales
Played a game, lost it. Haven't had much time to play with school and work, but the deck seems to be tuned more for Storm and Affinity now. Looking to tweak it to beat these two ones. Rule of Law, Stony Silence, Rest in Peace, Hurkyl's Recall are coming off the top of my head.
Hey, been playing a little more again recently. Still playing 3 Leylines main instead of Pacts. For the few more local metas I have with Storm, GDS (I know the pacts would be nice for their denials but stopping their hand disruption seems better imo although I may be wrong) and Grishoalbrand etc, it seems a lot better so I've stuck with it. I'm sure I'll switch to pacts for my next GP (Madrid) but that depends on the European meta between now and then.
What is everyones current sideboards?
Mine is
3 Pact of Negation
1 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Grafdiggers Cage
2 Path to Exile
2 Bontu's Last Reckoning
2 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Echoing Truth
1 Wear // Tear
I know it isn't the best sideboard but for what I come up against locally it seems to do fine and I need to be quite reactive.
Cheers
Private Mod Note
():
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When the task spilled over into undeath, he stopped calling it his life's work.
Decks
Standard: GBGB EnergyGB GRGR EnergyGR
Modern: RBUWAd NauseamRBUW GRGR TitanshiftGR UBLUE STEEEEEELU UR Storm U Turbo Turns
Guys, I have an important announcement. The humans matchup is not good. Between Thalia increasing our costs and Meddling Mage naming Ad Nauseam, it looks like an uphill battle. Is there any way to improve it without resorting to the sideboard?
I have 3 Fatal Push in the side for this match, and that's it. I have one mainboard Slaughter Pact
Guys, I have an important announcement. The humans matchup is not good. Between Thalia increasing our costs and Meddling Mage naming Ad Nauseam, it looks like an uphill battle. Is there any way to improve it without resorting to the sideboard?
I have 3 Fatal Push in the side for this match, and that's it. I have one mainboard Slaughter Pact
maindeck echoing truth to remove restrictions in the end step before you want to combo?
+1 Bontu's Last Reckoning
+4 Leylines
+1 Fatal Push
+1 Wear//Tear
+1 Echoing Truth
+1 Slaughter Pact
-4 Lotus Bloom
-3 Pact of Negation
-1 Spoils of the Vault
-1 Pentad Prism
Reasoning:
You lose games where they go Thalia, Arbiter + strip mines or TKS. Leyline protects from TKS and Tidehollow Sculler.
Pact of Negation is cleary terrible.
Lotus Bloom gets eaten by their eldrazi processor and they occasionally have stony silence and it's a terrible terribile topdeck. Games slow down quite a lot so you want to answer as many things as possible (they have 0 card draw) and combo off very late into the game. It's not about comboing fast because they need very little to disrupt a fast combo which then would just fall apart.
That sideboard plan seems fine to me.
Actually have you considered cutting some number of Angel's Graces as well? It is also a terrible topdeck, whereas Phyrexian Unlife is a much better one.
For Eldrazi and Taxes, that is one matchup I would love to have Grave Titans against. They probably sideboard out all of their creature removal, and good luck trying to use Eldrazi Displacer on it. That card will run away with the game guaranteed, and is an excellent topdeck. Great vs Death's Shadow too, another awful matchup
P.S. My favorite part about the Death and Taxes matchup is how Thalia allows you to cast a Pentad Prism for 3 charge counters.
4 simian spirit guide
1 laboratory maniac
2 pact of negation
4 opt
4 ad nauseam
4 angel's grace
4 sleight of hand
4 serum visions
3 phyrexian unlife
4 lotus bloom
4 pentad prism
1 lightning storm
1 mystical teachings
4 darkslick shores
4 seachrome coast
4 temple of deceit
2 temple of enlightenment
4 gemstone mine
1 island
1 calciform pools
Any suggestions?
Finished the day 5-3-1, picked up my last loss in round 9 so I was in contention for day 2 for all nine rounds. Really disappointing, truth be told, but I did fairly well considering this was my first major tournament.
Round 1: Jeskai 2-1
He let me resolve a Mystical Teachings game 1 to go get a Pact of Negation, knew I had it from there. Game 2 he got me with a critical mass of counterspells and resolved a Sphinx's Rev for 6 and I scooped. Game 3 I made him counter a Spoils of the Vault, a Peer Through Depths, and two Mystical Teachings. I figured I had it at that point with the combo + 1 Pact in hand.
Round 2: Slivers 2-1
This man unironically brought Slivers to an Open. Nothing to see here except that Bontu's Last Reckoning is an MVP and I would've died if it was a Damnation a turn later.
Round 3: 8 Rack 2-0
He could never really get a critical mass of discard spells and I wiped him up post-board with a Leyline, nothing crazy.
Round 4: 8 Rack 2-1
Pretty open-and-shut games 1 and 2, but game three I'm facing lethal rack triggers so I launch off an Ad Nauseam barebacked and rip a Spoils, a Grace, a Lotus and 13 lands. I had Lab Man in my hand prior to this, so I coast through the rack triggers unscathed and Spoils of the Vault naming Ass Whuppin'. That man's face will be forever etched into my mind.
Round 5: Jund 1-2
I got Junded. Died to Spoils game one, comboed out successfully game two, and died to 2 Goblin Rabblemasters + Abrupt Decay on a Phyrexian Unlife. Bad beats.
Round 6: Mirror Match ID
This is the true story of the day. My opponent starts game 1 with a Leyline, it takes us both about 2 seconds to realize what's happened, and things looked pretty bad. He Pact + Graced my combo and was poised to win, and the second I realized I was going to lose I offered to draw so we wouldn't have to play sideboarded games. He considered carefully and agreed, and I got out of there like a shot before he could realize what a terrible mistake he'd made. I walked past him getting yelled at by his teammates over it a few minutes later and almost bust out laughing.
Round 7: UR Gifts Storm 1-2
This is the one that really hurts because I screwed up and would've won. I went City of Brass -> Serum Visions -> go, and set my hand face-down on the table to do so. Doing this caused me to forget that I had a Lotus Bloom in hand that I needed to suspend. I dies with combo in hand and that Lotus on 1. Idiot. I won game two pretty easily and he comboed me out game 3 through an Angel's Grace.
Round 8: Counters Company 2-0
My opponent was the only one left at this point who looked younger than me (18.) I think he felt dejected at X-2-1 and it made him play sloppily. At one point he could've easily scryed to a Duskwatch Recruiter with the Anafenza combo and just... didn't. He whiffed on about half of his CoCos and I mopped him up.
Round 9: UR Gifts Storm 1-2
Nothing eventful games one or two (I got the first, he the second) and game three I have the combo turn four, but turn three he goes into a 32-step combo that involves Remanding his own Echoing Truth 3 times to draw 6 cards and discard 3 (with the combined effects of Remand and Baral, Chief of Compliance) while digging for his Grapeshot. He found it. I died.
All things considered, I got pretty lucky. I didn't have to play Tron or Shadow (or even Affinity, for that matter) and I probably would've Day 2'd if I didn't forget that lotus in round 7. I'm probably going to be pissed about that literally forever.
Some weird choices out of them too--ones that don't look like typos.
U needto name a real magic card.
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Leyline x4 inside.
You dont have it? so sad my bro, let me seize that adn
Why does it take 4 sideboard slots to use Grace Titan? What other cards go along here?
How can he win through Angel's Grace?
"He traded sand for skins, skins for gold, gold for life. In the end, he traded life for sand."
—Afari, Tales
Aggro: Naya Burn RWG
Combo: Scapeshift RG
Control: Jeskai Control UWR
Legacy
Control: Miracles UW
Aggro: Burn R
What is everyones current sideboards?
Mine is
3 Pact of Negation
1 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Grafdiggers Cage
2 Path to Exile
2 Bontu's Last Reckoning
2 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Echoing Truth
1 Wear // Tear
I know it isn't the best sideboard but for what I come up against locally it seems to do fine and I need to be quite reactive.
Cheers
Decks
Standard:
GBGB EnergyGB
GRGR EnergyGR
Modern:
RBUWAd NauseamRBUW
GRGR TitanshiftGR
UBLUE STEEEEEELU
UR StormU Turbo TurnsI have 3 Fatal Push in the side for this match, and that's it. I have one mainboard Slaughter Pact
Yeah, but then you actually have to draw Echoing Truth. Slaughter Pact is better because it cost 0
Bontu's Last Reckoning seems great against the deck as well, might try and squeeze one or two of those in the sideboard
That sideboard plan seems fine to me.
Actually have you considered cutting some number of Angel's Graces as well? It is also a terrible topdeck, whereas Phyrexian Unlife is a much better one.
For Eldrazi and Taxes, that is one matchup I would love to have Grave Titans against. They probably sideboard out all of their creature removal, and good luck trying to use Eldrazi Displacer on it. That card will run away with the game guaranteed, and is an excellent topdeck. Great vs Death's Shadow too, another awful matchup
P.S. My favorite part about the Death and Taxes matchup is how Thalia allows you to cast a Pentad Prism for 3 charge counters.
share your team mates deck
Decks
Standard:
GBGB EnergyGB
GRGR EnergyGR
Modern:
RBUWAd NauseamRBUW
GRGR TitanshiftGR
UBLUE STEEEEEELU
UR StormU Turbo TurnsMy team is not sure still bout the third deck, but the secon one is 4c humans.
Decks
Standard:
GBGB EnergyGB
GRGR EnergyGR
Modern:
RBUWAd NauseamRBUW
GRGR TitanshiftGR
UBLUE STEEEEEELU
UR StormU Turbo Turns