i have a question for Ludafish...Fauna shaman is a good tutor? i've have seveal doubts on this card..chord, from my point of view, is a deck that want to create value thanks to 2x1 cards or EtB effects...the shaman to me seams like a cards that goes against that..discarding a creature could be very punishing IMHO. So basically my question is: shaman worth 3 slots? do you activate her ability in early game stage?or for the first 3-5 turns she is a 2/2 bear? thank you..i would like to see you playing your deck, do you record your game online?
Was Survival of the Fittest ever a bad card? When is discarding a creature to get a better creature punishing? Turn 1 Bird into Turn 2 Fauna Shaman opens up a tutor for the best creature in any specific MU on 3 providing you have the 2nd-3rd land. I do not currently stream my deck anywhere, you can reference some video series put together by both Sam Black and Sam Pardee below:
Luda how the christ do you beat Jeskai Control? What a terrible matchup.
Thrun, Blood Moon, Fulminator Mage and Burrenton Forge-Tender... it's a really tough MU for any creature based deck and probably this decks worst outside of Scapeshift.
Thanks, yeah.. Scapeshift is just absolutely miserable.
Did you ever run Courser of Kruphix? What was your experience with it if so?
I'd tried different splits of Courser, Finks and Eternal Witness and always just favored 3 Witness / 3 Finks / 0 Courser. It was always just meh.. I disliked giving away so much information and the slow life gain never really shored up Burn MUs.. Card filtering and a 2/4 body however were relevant.. but nowhere near as good as Kitchen Finks on its own.
Luda what would your sideboard look like for a GPT with an unknown meta?
The only thing I can assume is a lot of Jund as it seems to be popular in Poland.
Filling out a perfect 8 right now would be pretty tough.. but I can sort of walk you through how I'd put one together. If I had to pick 8 decks I'd want to be ready for at a GP it would probably look something like this right now:
1. Jund
2. Affinity
3. Infect
4. Jeskai Nahiri
5. Bushwhacker Zoo
6. RG Tron
7. Abzan Company
8. Merfolk
From there, I want to select cards with the most crossover between all 8 MU's. I'm looking at cards that will improve at least 3+ Matchups when filling slots with the exception of Kataki, but if it means my post board MU skyrockets I'll take it as I always expect a good amount of Affinity at GPs. Thrun is the same way currently. Cards having utility outside of those big 8 is a major perk as well.
Usually there's 1 deck that you just have to accept losing to.. it's usually Merfolk for me as it's not the worst without devoting a ton of sideboard cards.. but not the best either.
Sometimes I try to take an Elephant style approach to help sculpt my MD toolbox as well.. If I had to pick a 15 right now.. it would probably the 15 I ran at GP Charlotte:
1. Path to Exile could potentially swap for Celestial Purge.
2. A second ace against Nahiri could be a big deal, specifically Sigarda, Host of Herons as it does work against Jund as well.
3. 2 Blood Moons could be Fulminators 3-4.
4. Aven Mindcensor is... Aven Mindcensor.. I never bring this in just to hit Fetches... Typically looking at Scapeshift, Tron, Jeskai Nahiri, Abzan Company and Kiki Chord.
Wish I could offer up more.. hopefully that helps.
Thanks man, much appreciated and very useful. I'll definitely use that as a guideline. Surprised that you're not worried about Scapeshift more, although perhaps I am overstating its presence a bit.
A more specific question - if you're up against a deck that's weak to Moon and they see Magus in the first game, do you board in Blood Moon in the second one, since they're probably gonna play around it anyway?
This scenario came up for me today against Jund. I still boarded in Moon to shut down his Ravines but I don't know if this was the right call.
Thanks man, much appreciated and very useful. I'll definitely use that as a guideline. Surprised that you're not worried about Scapeshift more, although perhaps I am overstating its presence a bit.
A more specific question - if you're up against a deck that's weak to Moon and they see Magus in the first game, do you board in Blood Moon in the second one, since they're probably gonna play around it anyway?
This scenario came up for me today against Jund. I still boarded in Moon to shut down his Ravines but I don't know if this was the right call.
Fortunately all of your big mana hate crosses over from Tron to Scapeshift.. so that's a plus.
For Jund, I still do. For Abzan Company, I don't.. primarily because if they keep dorks in it becomes pretty pointless.
What would you guys say is the best strategy against zoo? I'm having some trouble with the match up using my list. (It might simply be to not playing right tho since I'm still new to the deck)
What would you guys say is the best strategy against zoo? I'm having some trouble with the match up using my list. (It might simply be to not playing right tho since I'm still new to the deck)
Which zoo builds? Either way, prepare to block. Try to have removal and blockers.
What would you guys say is the best strategy against zoo? I'm having some trouble with the match up using my list. (It might simply be to not playing right tho since I'm still new to the deck)
Opening hand should have walls/VoR's/Path, post board opener should have walls/VoR/Path/Engineered Explosives/Lightning Helix.
A valid strategy is also having a Scooze in the opener and blocking aggressively to eat your own creatures and stabilize + grow the Scooze.
besides engineered explosives, how are you dealing with merfolks?
Path + Ewit and EE are the best cards in the MU. Staticaster with a early Resto blink can clean up a not out of control boardstate... Also takes care of Elementals off Master. Nahiri blows up Spreading Seas allowing you to block.
1-2 drop today, beat Jund 2-1, lost to Jund 1-2, lost to Elves 1-2 (as expected).
I'd recently substituted my single basic Mountain for a second Gavony Township as per your list, Luda, and it cost me the Jund game as I couldn't hardcast Kiki with Angel already on the field and the opponent tapped out... I'm reversing that change
Elves is just horrible horrible, even Phantasmal Image + Staticaster on the field and Kiki in hand wasn't enough to pull through once he had both Archdruid and Ezuri out.
Kind of considering a singleton Trinket Mage in the sideboard to bring in along with EE... but I don't think I can afford to cut something for it. Maybe Dauntless Escort can go, he never seems to be around when I need him most.
What would you guys say is the best strategy against zoo? I'm having some trouble with the match up using my list. (It might simply be to not playing right tho since I'm still new to the deck)
Which zoo builds? Either way, prepare to block. Try to have removal and blockers.
The main zoo build I'm having a lot of trouble with is Bushwhacker naya zoo. The one that runs Burning Tree Emissary and Goblin bushwhacker to do as much damage as it can as quickly as possible. I don't think there's much of a problem with the zoo decks that are more midrangy or the ones that run tarmogoyf tho.
What would you guys say is the best strategy against zoo? I'm having some trouble with the match up using my list. (It might simply be to not playing right tho since I'm still new to the deck)
Opening hand should have walls/VoR's/Path, post board opener should have walls/VoR/Path/Engineered Explosives/Lightning Helix.
A valid strategy is also having a Scooze in the opener and blocking aggressively to eat your own creatures and stabilize + grow the Scooze.
In my play testing against bushwhacker zoo, I was only able to win around 1 out of every 7 games or even less, even when I tried all the stuff you guys suggested. I did win sideboarded games more often, but it still was no where near an even match, there were a lot of games where I just got completely blown out of the water before I could do much of anything. It seems like a really tough match up do you guys have similar experiences with it?
In my play testing against bushwhacker zoo, I was only able to win around 1 out of every 7 games or even less, even when I tried all the stuff you guys suggested. I did win sideboarded games more often, but it still was no where near an even match, there were a lot of games where I just got completely blown out of the water before I could do much of anything. It seems like a really tough match up do you guys have similar experiences with it?
Nope. I find bushwhacker zoo to be reasonably advantageous for our deck. A coin flip pre-board, advantaged post board. Walls of any form are huge in this matchup. They have a lot of trouble with a wall of omens or a wall of roots, and Nahiri can put the game away. Key idea, by the way, is to board our chords for G2 and G3. There's no silver bullet creature we run that's very good against them.
If I were regularly against elves, btw, I'd up that EE count to 3, or add Linvala.
How do we feel about Hoogland's recent Chord developments? I think 4 Nahiri plus Emrakul is mostly correct, but I'm not sure about the blue splash. Staticaster/Pontiff is pretty even, each has it's own situations where it is better, I'm not sure I like the Deceiver Exarch, but it has it's uses, however, what I'm really unsure about is Glen Elendra Archmage over Sin Collector. Obviously Glen Elendra is more powerful, but it's a four-drop, and takes mana to activate, making it more like a five-drop if you draw it. So, what are you guys' thoughts on the matter?
This has been discussed over and over and over - please read the last 10 pages or so. There is no consensus and our thoughts on the matter have been posted many times already.
The new evolution card looks exciting, its like a single use birthing pod for 3 mana, lets you tutor away useless dorks, finks becomes more valuable like the old pod days were you can persist and evolve, i like that for 3 mana you can jump 2 evolutions and go straight from a finks to a kiki. Clearly not as busted as pod and instant of chord is huge but i can see myself suplimenting the deck with probably 2 of them
The new evolution card looks exciting, its like a single use birthing pod for 3 mana, lets you tutor away useless dorks, finks becomes more valuable like the old pod days were you can persist and evolve, i like that for 3 mana you can jump 2 evolutions and go straight from a finks to a kiki. Clearly not as busted as pod and instant of chord is huge but i can see myself suplimenting the deck with probably 2 of them
Kitchen Finks becomes Kiki-Jiki. I like this card a lot...
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Was Survival of the Fittest ever a bad card? When is discarding a creature to get a better creature punishing? Turn 1 Bird into Turn 2 Fauna Shaman opens up a tutor for the best creature in any specific MU on 3 providing you have the 2nd-3rd land. I do not currently stream my deck anywhere, you can reference some video series put together by both Sam Black and Sam Pardee below:
http://www.starcitygames.com/article/31925_Video-Kiki-Company-In-Modern.html
http://www.channelfireball.com/videos/channel-pardee-time-modern-4c-company/
Thrun, Blood Moon, Fulminator Mage and Burrenton Forge-Tender... it's a really tough MU for any creature based deck and probably this decks worst outside of Scapeshift.
Did you ever run Courser of Kruphix? What was your experience with it if so?
Abzan Traverse / Traverse Shadow / UR Kiki
I'd tried different splits of Courser, Finks and Eternal Witness and always just favored 3 Witness / 3 Finks / 0 Courser. It was always just meh.. I disliked giving away so much information and the slow life gain never really shored up Burn MUs.. Card filtering and a 2/4 body however were relevant.. but nowhere near as good as Kitchen Finks on its own.
Follow the link for nice cheap clothing.
Playing:
Death's Shadow Jund
Played:
Kiki Chord, Zoo variants, Goblins, Burn
The only thing I can assume is a lot of Jund as it seems to be popular in Poland.
Abzan Traverse / Traverse Shadow / UR Kiki
Filling out a perfect 8 right now would be pretty tough.. but I can sort of walk you through how I'd put one together. If I had to pick 8 decks I'd want to be ready for at a GP it would probably look something like this right now:
1. Jund
2. Affinity
3. Infect
4. Jeskai Nahiri
5. Bushwhacker Zoo
6. RG Tron
7. Abzan Company
8. Merfolk
From there, I want to select cards with the most crossover between all 8 MU's. I'm looking at cards that will improve at least 3+ Matchups when filling slots with the exception of Kataki, but if it means my post board MU skyrockets I'll take it as I always expect a good amount of Affinity at GPs. Thrun is the same way currently. Cards having utility outside of those big 8 is a major perk as well.
Fulminator Mage: Jund, Infect, Jeskai Nahiri, RG Tron, Abzan Company
Blood Moon: Jund, Infect, Jeskai Nahiri, RG Tron, Abzan Company
Engineered Explosives: Jund, Affinity, Infect, Bushwhacker Zoo, Merfolk
Scavenging Ooze: Jund, Jeskai Nahiri, Bushwhacker Zoo, Abzan Company
Etc...
Usually there's 1 deck that you just have to accept losing to.. it's usually Merfolk for me as it's not the worst without devoting a ton of sideboard cards.. but not the best either.
Sometimes I try to take an Elephant style approach to help sculpt my MD toolbox as well.. If I had to pick a 15 right now.. it would probably the 15 I ran at GP Charlotte:
1x Aven Mindcensor
2x Blood Moon
1x Burrenton Forge-Tender
1x Eidolon of Rhetoric
1x Engineered Explosives
2x Fulminator Mage
1x Izzet Staticaster
1x Kataki, War's Wage
1x Path to Exile
1x Scavenging Ooze
1x Spellskite
1x Stony Silence
1x Thrun, the Last Troll
Couple of thoughts...
1. Path to Exile could potentially swap for Celestial Purge.
2. A second ace against Nahiri could be a big deal, specifically Sigarda, Host of Herons as it does work against Jund as well.
3. 2 Blood Moons could be Fulminators 3-4.
4. Aven Mindcensor is... Aven Mindcensor.. I never bring this in just to hit Fetches... Typically looking at Scapeshift, Tron, Jeskai Nahiri, Abzan Company and Kiki Chord.
Wish I could offer up more.. hopefully that helps.
A more specific question - if you're up against a deck that's weak to Moon and they see Magus in the first game, do you board in Blood Moon in the second one, since they're probably gonna play around it anyway?
This scenario came up for me today against Jund. I still boarded in Moon to shut down his Ravines but I don't know if this was the right call.
Abzan Traverse / Traverse Shadow / UR Kiki
Fortunately all of your big mana hate crosses over from Tron to Scapeshift.. so that's a plus.
For Jund, I still do. For Abzan Company, I don't.. primarily because if they keep dorks in it becomes pretty pointless.
Which zoo builds? Either way, prepare to block. Try to have removal and blockers.
Follow the link for nice cheap clothing.
Playing:
Death's Shadow Jund
Played:
Kiki Chord, Zoo variants, Goblins, Burn
Opening hand should have walls/VoR's/Path, post board opener should have walls/VoR/Path/Engineered Explosives/Lightning Helix.
A valid strategy is also having a Scooze in the opener and blocking aggressively to eat your own creatures and stabilize + grow the Scooze.
Path + Ewit and EE are the best cards in the MU. Staticaster with a early Resto blink can clean up a not out of control boardstate... Also takes care of Elementals off Master. Nahiri blows up Spreading Seas allowing you to block.
1-2 drop today, beat Jund 2-1, lost to Jund 1-2, lost to Elves 1-2 (as expected).
I'd recently substituted my single basic Mountain for a second Gavony Township as per your list, Luda, and it cost me the Jund game as I couldn't hardcast Kiki with Angel already on the field and the opponent tapped out... I'm reversing that change
Elves is just horrible horrible, even Phantasmal Image + Staticaster on the field and Kiki in hand wasn't enough to pull through once he had both Archdruid and Ezuri out.
Kind of considering a singleton Trinket Mage in the sideboard to bring in along with EE... but I don't think I can afford to cut something for it. Maybe Dauntless Escort can go, he never seems to be around when I need him most.
Abzan Traverse / Traverse Shadow / UR Kiki
The main zoo build I'm having a lot of trouble with is Bushwhacker naya zoo. The one that runs Burning Tree Emissary and Goblin bushwhacker to do as much damage as it can as quickly as possible. I don't think there's much of a problem with the zoo decks that are more midrangy or the ones that run tarmogoyf tho.
In my play testing against bushwhacker zoo, I was only able to win around 1 out of every 7 games or even less, even when I tried all the stuff you guys suggested. I did win sideboarded games more often, but it still was no where near an even match, there were a lot of games where I just got completely blown out of the water before I could do much of anything. It seems like a really tough match up do you guys have similar experiences with it?
Nope. I find bushwhacker zoo to be reasonably advantageous for our deck. A coin flip pre-board, advantaged post board. Walls of any form are huge in this matchup. They have a lot of trouble with a wall of omens or a wall of roots, and Nahiri can put the game away. Key idea, by the way, is to board our chords for G2 and G3. There's no silver bullet creature we run that's very good against them.
If I were regularly against elves, btw, I'd up that EE count to 3, or add Linvala.
WGR Naya Rock
Abzan Traverse / Traverse Shadow / UR Kiki
Abzan Traverse / Traverse Shadow / UR Kiki
Kitchen Finks becomes Kiki-Jiki. I like this card a lot...