brutality and inq out. aven (if they have chord/knight), zealous, wrath in. I dont have a problem with these kinds of decks, we have relic, souls, paths, stranglers, herders. you may have been unlucky and it is also can be a tricky matchup, but test it out, get comfortable, and youll be fine
Nothing from Amonkhet.
third GQ would have to be over a temple, if I did that swap I'd replace a Thought Knot with a Night's Whisper.
Thoughtknots are slightly worse on the draw, usually i board them out against terminate and LOTV decks too. Blight Herder rarely comes out, you always want the closing power, even against decks that you cant reliably process against like affinity. Sculler is something i trim on the draw against decks where the body doesnt matter like affinity, also cut them against kolaghans command decks. also its the only guy who dies to bolt and spell snare, so board them out if you think those cards will still be in after boarding. Strangler I sometimes trim one against control, if they dont have visions. Its good against stuff like tron cause its often a 3/2 for 2 which is very aggressive. Sorin I bring out against infect.
I will be cutting an aven from the board for a fragmentize for a big event this weekend, it is the only way to answer a leyline of sanctity on turn 1 and is flexible
nothing in the deck is weak or questionable in the main. the board aven wrath stony lotv and blessed are all cards i feel like are the best for their slots, but over time with meta shifts could all end up not in the 75 down the line
Against jund board out all your seizes and inqs, if you are familiar with jund mirrors youll know why
oh, most important thing with boarding...collective brutality. board it out in most matchups, it rarely stays in. it is so nice to have an easy cut to make room for sick sb stuff, and the card is so insane in certain matchups and never that bad in others that its absolutely great to play main
Any thoughts on budget alternatives to Liliana of the Veil in the board? I know she isn't an easily replaced card, but any thoughts on other cards that help shore up her match ups?
You don't replace her, you construct a sb without her that still covers all of the matchups you want. Easier said than done, but elephanting out the deck and testing every matchup you consider likely to face is how you can go about doing that. Given that Lili is a stopgap against random bull*****, good against big mana decks, combo, and midrange, you want to cover all of those bases, though not necessarily with the same slots. For example run an extra fulminator (big mana), and anguished unmaking(bull*****, midrange and tron), and a Lili last hope(mindrange and affinity), and cut a stony silence, this way you really only weaken each matchup lili was good in by a bit, flat on slots for affinity, midrange, lose one on tron, and your already good combo matchup suffers the biggest loss. Not ideal, but very workable
After all the Blight Herder love in the past few pages, I've started running a mix of Smasher/Herder (from just 4 Smashers).
I feel like they are a good complement to each other; herder can fix for smasher/TKS and does nice things like protect against a LOTV minus. It's also super great to have the double process in your pocket for the rare times it is relevant.
I've been playing this deck exclusively for little over a month now.
Went 2-2 at my last fnm (wins: 8-whack, mono-blue boomerang; losses: UW Control, 8 rack) and 1-3-0 at the fnm before that (3 draws against Living end, Grixis Delver and a fevered visions deck and 1 win against UR Control) XD.
I've been enjoying gemstone caverns a lot as it potentially enables more turn 2 & 3 TKS and turn 3 & 4 Smashers respectively (last game I had, played a turn 2 TKS, turn 3 Smasher and t4 Sorin (with another Smasher in hand)). I tried doing a search of the thread but couldn't find much discussion concerning Gemstone Caverns. I cut Seagate Wreckage and a GQ in favour of it (been feeling GQ is a little lackluster against anything other than manlands as most of the time I need the mana it would otherwise produce and Seagate Wreckage was doing nothing for me. So I cut 1 of each from my previous list. Although, I could've been playing both wrong.)
I don't get enough practice in with the deck and find myself losing to misplays. Seeing the benefit of celestial purge now (will be acquiring some soon and will probably take out the wails). Thinking of getting 2 Marsh Flats later this month and might consider running Crucible of Worlds. I see Deadrift asked for anyone's thoughts on Sacred Ground as opposed to Crucible quite a while back. I would also be very much interested if anyone has any thoughts on this card. I'm assuming it hasn't made the sb cut because it's too narrow and we can't use it recur lands we sac ourselves?
Was wondering if anyone has removal suggestions agains U & W Planeswalkers and the UW control match-up in general. Do we ever SB out Strangler if they have visions? Lost the second game to UW Control because I assumed they'd remove Ancestral Visions mb after I processed one g1. g3 I straight-up lost to a resolved Elspeth (took out a Jace with Anguished Unmaking the turn before) couldn't deal with the token generation.
Warms my heart to see that he found a way to get through Eldrazi Tron, according to his interview. I basically gave up on this style of deck, either WB or BR, since the Eldrazi Tron matchup was so hopeless. I would not have thought that Tidehollow Sculler would do so much work to turn that matchup around. I'll have to test myself!
I am also curious about those Mutavaults, not because of mana issues, but because I would have imagined that you would have wanted Ghost Quarter instead.
Fascinating land choices there, all in on Mutavault and zero Shambling Vent, Vault, Cavern, Wreckage, Wastes, or even Ghost Quarter. Seems counter-intuitive to me for sure. Mutavault is great, but that great? I would love to talk to him about his choices and lines. Gotta say I am not feeling the 2x SB Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet and have no idea what that's all about with 4x Path and only 2x Push.
Anyway the results speak for themselves, congrats to Joe Soh!
Zero fetches too which is nice to see. I never thought of adding Mutavault either. It is indeed strange to not see some GQ, Wastes, Shambling Vent or Wreckage. I guess the vaults are better at applying pressure while the lifegain might not matter as much? Interesting take for sure. All we can do is congratulate him on the win!
Commander GUR Maelstrom Wanderer BWU Sydri, Galvanic Genius BGB Meren of Clan Nel Toth WGW Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith RRR Feldon of the Third Path WWW Heliod, God of the Sun
Did not like the Kobe build... Sculler pressures the mana base pretty hard and dies to everything. It is a tempo play at best and needing Strangler for it not to suck is pretty unreliable.
In general BW Processors as a control-oriented midrange build is super fun, but too slow and not proactive enough in a wide-open meta like the current Modern scene.
I REALLY don't like his build... With 4 scullers, ghost quarter is also a mana fix. No fetches mean he will often draw the wrong basic land, and mutavault does eat resources to be useful in a deck that is extremely Mana hungry.
I myself turned back from herders to smashers, but kept 2-3 tidehollows and feel they are extremely strong, even outside of curve. Death shadow, breach and Tron hate to see this guy, knowing he will be followed by TKS and smasher and they NEED the removals for them. He is a tempo play, but a strong one.
I can't see me playing 4 stranglers also, and 3 smashers. Last, but no less important... Shriekmaw? Why not just play go for the throat or doom blade or a third push?
I think he got really lucky instead of having a goood build, and will wait if anyone here can test further his choices to see if it is really that powerful.
My thoughts after the matches:
- I need a better sideboard against fast creature aggro. Are there any better board wipes in white/black than Drown in Sorrow / Toxic Deluge / Flaying Tendrils for 3 mana or less? I want to have one for the sideboard. Wrath of God would probably have been a turn too late even had I drawn it
What do you think of the new board wipe that was spoiled today? 3 Mana damnation and a turn offline... Seems a fair drawback if we can follow with a land for path/push/IoK
Also switching from thoughtseize to IoK. Metagame is flooding with burn decks!
I thought Joe Soh's deck was great. Everything makes a lot of sense for the deck to compete. I would probably put in a single Eldrazi Displacer over a dismember or something though.
This deck isn't going to out ramp Bant or Tron versions, so it has do play to it's strengths with B and W. Which is discard and removal. And it does that wonderfully, turn 1 path/push/discard, turn 2, discard, turn 3, more discard, then turn 4, with a good solid creature suite and removal, it can push through. It has mainboard grave hate, which is nice. The only real strong weakness is the lack of card draw, but the discard should be more than able to make up for it.
Nothing from Amonkhet.
third GQ would have to be over a temple, if I did that swap I'd replace a Thought Knot with a Night's Whisper.
Thoughtknots are slightly worse on the draw, usually i board them out against terminate and LOTV decks too. Blight Herder rarely comes out, you always want the closing power, even against decks that you cant reliably process against like affinity. Sculler is something i trim on the draw against decks where the body doesnt matter like affinity, also cut them against kolaghans command decks. also its the only guy who dies to bolt and spell snare, so board them out if you think those cards will still be in after boarding. Strangler I sometimes trim one against control, if they dont have visions. Its good against stuff like tron cause its often a 3/2 for 2 which is very aggressive. Sorin I bring out against infect.
I will be cutting an aven from the board for a fragmentize for a big event this weekend, it is the only way to answer a leyline of sanctity on turn 1 and is flexible
nothing in the deck is weak or questionable in the main. the board aven wrath stony lotv and blessed are all cards i feel like are the best for their slots, but over time with meta shifts could all end up not in the 75 down the line
Against jund board out all your seizes and inqs, if you are familiar with jund mirrors youll know why
oh, most important thing with boarding...collective brutality. board it out in most matchups, it rarely stays in. it is so nice to have an easy cut to make room for sick sb stuff, and the card is so insane in certain matchups and never that bad in others that its absolutely great to play main
I feel like they are a good complement to each other; herder can fix for smasher/TKS and does nice things like protect against a LOTV minus. It's also super great to have the double process in your pocket for the rare times it is relevant.
I've been playing this deck exclusively for little over a month now.
Went 2-2 at my last fnm (wins: 8-whack, mono-blue boomerang; losses: UW Control, 8 rack) and 1-3-0 at the fnm before that (3 draws against Living end, Grixis Delver and a fevered visions deck and 1 win against UR Control) XD.
This is my current list:
2 Gemstone caverns
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Eldrazi Temple
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmouth
3 Plains
2 Swamp
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Shambling Vent
1 Vault of the Archangel
2 Godless Shrine
Creatures:
3 Matter Reshaper
3 Wasteland Strangler
4 Thought-knot Seer
4 Reality Smasher
3 Mindstone
4 Relic of Progenitus
Instants and Sorceries:
2 Thoughtseize
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Path to Exile
1 Collective Brutality
4 Lingering Souls
1 Anguished Unmaking
Planeswalkers:
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
1 Thoughtseize
1 Pithing Needle
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Collective Brutality
2 Warping Wail
2 Ratchet Bomb
1 Blessed Alliance
3 Stony Silence
1 Eternal Scourge
2 Day of Judgment
I've been enjoying gemstone caverns a lot as it potentially enables more turn 2 & 3 TKS and turn 3 & 4 Smashers respectively (last game I had, played a turn 2 TKS, turn 3 Smasher and t4 Sorin (with another Smasher in hand)). I tried doing a search of the thread but couldn't find much discussion concerning Gemstone Caverns. I cut Seagate Wreckage and a GQ in favour of it (been feeling GQ is a little lackluster against anything other than manlands as most of the time I need the mana it would otherwise produce and Seagate Wreckage was doing nothing for me. So I cut 1 of each from my previous list. Although, I could've been playing both wrong.)
I don't get enough practice in with the deck and find myself losing to misplays. Seeing the benefit of celestial purge now (will be acquiring some soon and will probably take out the wails). Thinking of getting 2 Marsh Flats later this month and might consider running Crucible of Worlds. I see Deadrift asked for anyone's thoughts on Sacred Ground as opposed to Crucible quite a while back. I would also be very much interested if anyone has any thoughts on this card. I'm assuming it hasn't made the sb cut because it's too narrow and we can't use it recur lands we sac ourselves?
Was wondering if anyone has removal suggestions agains U & W Planeswalkers and the UW control match-up in general. Do we ever SB out Strangler if they have visions? Lost the second game to UW Control because I assumed they'd remove Ancestral Visions mb after I processed one g1. g3 I straight-up lost to a resolved Elspeth (took out a Jace with Anguished Unmaking the turn before) couldn't deal with the token generation.
Thanks in advance guys!
I am also curious about those Mutavaults, not because of mana issues, but because I would have imagined that you would have wanted Ghost Quarter instead.
Fascinating land choices there, all in on Mutavault and zero Shambling Vent, Vault, Cavern, Wreckage, Wastes, or even Ghost Quarter. Seems counter-intuitive to me for sure. Mutavault is great, but that great? I would love to talk to him about his choices and lines. Gotta say I am not feeling the 2x SB Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet and have no idea what that's all about with 4x Path and only 2x Push.
Anyway the results speak for themselves, congrats to Joe Soh!
Surprising that he thinks the deck is well positioned against Eldrazi Tron but not against normal Tron.
GURB Grixis/Jund Shadow
RBG Dredge
xUx U Ballista Tron
Commander
GUR Maelstrom Wanderer
BWU Sydri, Galvanic Genius
BGB Meren of Clan Nel Toth
WGW Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith
RRR Feldon of the Third Path
WWW Heliod, God of the Sun
In general BW Processors as a control-oriented midrange build is super fun, but too slow and not proactive enough in a wide-open meta like the current Modern scene.
I myself turned back from herders to smashers, but kept 2-3 tidehollows and feel they are extremely strong, even outside of curve. Death shadow, breach and Tron hate to see this guy, knowing he will be followed by TKS and smasher and they NEED the removals for them. He is a tempo play, but a strong one.
I can't see me playing 4 stranglers also, and 3 smashers. Last, but no less important... Shriekmaw? Why not just play go for the throat or doom blade or a third push?
I think he got really lucky instead of having a goood build, and will wait if anyone here can test further his choices to see if it is really that powerful.
What do you think of the new board wipe that was spoiled today? 3 Mana damnation and a turn offline... Seems a fair drawback if we can follow with a land for path/push/IoK
Also switching from thoughtseize to IoK. Metagame is flooding with burn decks!
This deck isn't going to out ramp Bant or Tron versions, so it has do play to it's strengths with B and W. Which is discard and removal. And it does that wonderfully, turn 1 path/push/discard, turn 2, discard, turn 3, more discard, then turn 4, with a good solid creature suite and removal, it can push through. It has mainboard grave hate, which is nice. The only real strong weakness is the lack of card draw, but the discard should be more than able to make up for it.
Modern Tallowisp Spirits - A Modern Tallowisp Deck UW
Eldrazi Ninjas - Summoning Octopus Jutsu YYYYAAAHHHH!
STANDARD
Naban Wizards