I've been looking at my sideboard a lot lately and I can't decide on which cards to play. Notably, I've been thinking long and hard on jongsl5's recommendation on removing the Stony Silence altogether. I always ran a combination of this card and Kataki, War's Wage at 3 specifically for affinity and Lanter control, and I must admit it was out of pure habitude, and sided them extremely rarely otherwise. I could really use the space for other options against other decks, namely Eldrazi, as it's growing in my meta, or simply to cover some of the deck's weaknesses.
Running a lot of Artifact/Enchantment hate because, well I hate Floodgate type cards like Ensnaring Bridge and Worship. My deck is constructed so if those get out game 1, I just scoop and go straight to game 2 with proper answers to those. I'm probably overkilling it though... Runed Halo and Blessed Alliance saved my rear many time against Eldrazi, Boggle and infect. Halo also served me well against some combo decks (Ad nauseum) and Alliance helps a lot against Burn, especially if they play aggro. I currently consider them my extra spot removal of choice, but again, two of each might be overkill.
The rest is self-explainatory. Some grave hate for Dredge and Living end And Selfless Spirit for sweeper protection. Pithing needle mostly for problematic lands/Planeswalkers, occasionnally a creature. I could replace it with more discard, but this little needle stops way more stuff than I thought. Probably gonna stay at two, since it stops Engineered explosives and I don't have Stony silence anymore for that.
I've also took a quick peek at some of the decklist in everybody's signature and I have a couple questions on sideboard card choice:
-Is Damping Matrix Good? I see it as a potential Mega Pithing Needle, but it not affecting planeswalkers or land really bugs me.
-Ghostly Prison Worth a try? My meta is kind of high on aggro decks.
-I feel like Memoricide is better than Stain the mind, But I don't really like either. Lost Legacy Is where I'd put my money on. Or maybe I should stick to the classic Discard effect/Ghost Quarter + Surgical Extraction? Dunno. I don't really miss the card, and I'm not really looking for land disruption as no one is playing tron and few play Titan shift/valakut in my meta. Combo decks are more popular.
-Why the Celestial Purge? Is it because of Nahiri? Blood Moon? What else relevant does it stops?
-Flaying Tendrils?? Is Wrath of god not better? Or is the exile clause relevant?
-How do you deal with siding-in Worship? Do you removes some or all of your Bitterblossom or do you leave then in hoping you'll get one or the other? Just want to know because I already killed myself by doing the lather out of pure curiosity.
-Any recommendations? I mostly want something good against eldrazies.
Celestial Purge hits any Black or Red Permanent. Blood Moon, Nahiri, Koth, Tasigur, Liliana, Night of Souls Betrayal, etc. Just a very solid 1 of hate card. Additionally activated manlands (ex. Raging Ravine) and mountains from Koth's +1 have colors. Flaying Tendrils is usually going to be better, it's a turn faster, exile is relevant against Company/Dredge/Revolt Zoo, and it's colorless which is rarely relevant but could have applications at some point. Worship is always going to be a nonbo with Bitterblossom, just a fact of life, but the times it's good it's very good. You can either play around it, lifegain back up (blocking with Lifelink), or just be prepared to blow away blossom if it comes to that. Also remember you can activate a manland before damage to control a creature, it only cares when damage is dealt.
I've been looking at my sideboard a lot lately and I can't decide on which cards to play. Notably, I've been thinking long and hard on jongsl5's recommendation on removing the Stony Silence altogether. I always ran a combination of this card and Kataki, War's Wage at 3 specifically for affinity and Lanter control, and I must admit it was out of pure habitude, and sided them extremely rarely otherwise. I could really use the space for other options against other decks, namely Eldrazi, as it's growing in my meta, or simply to cover some of the deck's weaknesses.
Running a lot of Artifact/Enchantment hate because, well I hate Floodgate type cards like Ensnaring Bridge and Worship. My deck is constructed so if those get out game 1, I just scoop and go straight to game 2 with proper answers to those. I'm probably overkilling it though... Runed Halo and Blessed Alliance saved my rear many time against Eldrazi, Boggle and infect. Halo also served me well against some combo decks (Ad nauseum) and Alliance helps a lot against Burn, especially if they play aggro. I currently consider them my extra spot removal of choice, but again, two of each might be overkill.
The rest is self-explainatory. Some grave hate for Dredge and Living end And Selfless Spirit for sweeper protection. Pithing needle mostly for problematic lands/Planeswalkers, occasionnally a creature. I could replace it with more discard, but this little needle stops way more stuff than I thought. Probably gonna stay at two, since it stops Engineered explosives and I don't have Stony silence anymore for that.
I've also took a quick peek at some of the decklist in everybody's signature and I have a couple questions on sideboard card choice:
-Is Damping Matrix Good? I see it as a potential Mega Pithing Needle, but it not affecting planeswalkers or land really bugs me.
-Ghostly Prison Worth a try? My meta is kind of high on aggro decks.
-I feel like Memoricide is better than Stain the mind, But I don't really like either. Lost Legacy Is where I'd put my money on. Or maybe I should stick to the classic Discard effect/Ghost Quarter + Surgical Extraction? Dunno. I don't really miss the card, and I'm not really looking for land disruption as no one is playing tron and few play Titan shift/valakut in my meta. Combo decks are more popular.
-Why the Celestial Purge? Is it because of Nahiri? Blood Moon? What else relevant does it stops?
-Flaying Tendrils?? Is Wrath of god not better? Or is the exile clause relevant?
-How do you deal with siding-in Worship? Do you removes some or all of your Bitterblossom or do you leave then in hoping you'll get one or the other? Just want to know because I already killed myself by doing the lather out of pure curiosity.
-Any recommendations? I mostly want something good against eldrazies.
As far as I am concerned:
1- Ghostly Prison is a great SB card in my opinion. In my SB, the 2 slots that they use were Blessed alliances at some point. After some thought, I think the Ghostly Prison is stronger for what I use it. It has an effect that can be compared to a permanent Hour of reckoning, for example against merfolks, elves, zoo, tokens, and even infect and bogles have a hard time if they have to spend 2 more mana each turn. While blessed alliace is better against eldrazi, burn, and infect, my MB is well prepared for the two latters and eldrazi is meh anyway (and runed halo is still there for those smashers). Summing up, while Blessed Alliance is a wider card, I think Ghostly Prison makes a more significant impact on the battlefield.
2- Damping matrix, I wanted to try them instead of Stony silence because they seem more relevant against worse matchups while preserving most of the relevant functionalities of the stony silence. Now:
-pros: colorless (survives all is dust and ugin, the spirit dragon), affects relevant creatures (like eldrazi displacer, endbringer, drowner of hope, scavenging ooze, tasigur, the golden fang, Knight of the Reliquary, Sakura-Tribe Elder, Spike feeder, kiki-jiki, mirror breaker, Glen Elendra Archmage, ezuri, renegade leader, Griselbrand... ).
-cons: takes a 3cmc slot (highly packed in our deck), costs 1 more.
3- Stain the mind is huuuuge. It is slow, yes, but it deals with ensnaring bridge (F O R E V E R) and is relatively easy to cast for 3 mana turn 3 or 4 (I run raise the alarm, so I guess that helps too). However, I think this discussion is perfectly legit, and I have myself doubts about which cards to use in that slot. I would really like to try surgical extraction because of ghost quarter and f**g tron, but they are really expensive right now and it is something I don't really need.
I've been playing a lot of Legacy lately (way more fun than Modern imo) so I haven't had much time to test BW Tokens until recently. My new changes to the sideboard are split between what I am sure on and what I am not:
100% sure of:
1 zealous persecution
2 lost legacy
2 sundering growth (had to take out fragmentize due to chalice on 1 and night betrayal ruining my day)
2 runed halo (the card is insane right now, against Eldrazi and DS Jund. Could see myself cutting 1 because of space issues)
2 selfless spirit (for obvious reasons)
1 pithing needle (planeswalkers, engineered explosives, etc.)
Cards on the fence:
(a) Stony silence --> In my opinion, you either run 3 or don't run them at all. You absolutely need this in your opening hand against Tron+ Ad Nauseam and preferably early against Affinity as well for Cranial Plating and Steel Overseer. In the late game, it's still good against Affinity but useless against Tron. If your meta is tron heavy, would consider 3 in the side as well as some ghost quarter main.
(b) Ensnaring Bridge: Really good against the big midrange decks. Actually, it's good against little aggros like Merfolk and Affinity as well in the late game. Ghostly prison is usually better right on curve (turn 3) but if you are only running 1 copy of either, expect to draw it late. I also prefer Bridge against decks like Dredge which can accumulate mana easily with Life of the Loam. Worship is also a strong card but I keep Bitterblossom for decks like Eldrazi.
(c) Auriok Champion vs Burrenton: I didn't like Auriok in the previous meta but now with Death Shadow builds becoming more popular as well as Liliana the Last Hope just pinning down my burrenton, this is becoming a much more likeable option.
(d) Celestial Purge: becoming better for the same reasons Auriok Champion is getting better. However, my sideboard is already heavily dedicated to the 2-drop slot. I think pithing needle will handle most of what I want to handle with Purge.
(e) Nihil Spellbomb: solid additional graveyard hate that cycles, but I think the issue is whether I have space for it.
(f) Flaying Tendrils: against a solid card against Dredge and Company but space issues...But this is a much better alternative than Grafdigger's Cage as it can be played later in the game.
(g) Liliana of the Veil: just an insane card against combo and other grindy matches. If Titanshift player doesn't see Liliana game 1, it is easily your best card as they probably won't side in Obstinate Baloth. Versatile enough to serve as additional removal against aggro too. I have 2 in the main but am considering moving those to lower the curve of the deck.
I've tested Blessed Alliance but I am not a huge fan. Collective Brutality can be great and I want some additional buffer against Burn; however, I don't know if it is a better card than any of my main/side considering it is dead in a good number of match-ups.
Collective Brutality can be great and I want some additional buffer against Burn; however, I don't know if it is a better card than any of my main/side considering it is dead in a good number of match-ups.
Can you elaborate a bit on Collective Brutality? I haven't tested it yet and you're the first one who mention it in a bad light. I've only heard praise from it and I'm interested in earing some cons for the card.
Also, wow. Thanks y'all for your input on my sideboard questions. Definitely taking notes here.
Collective Brutality can be great and I want some additional buffer against Burn; however, I don't know if it is a better card than any of my main/side considering it is dead in a good number of match-ups.
Can you elaborate a bit on Collective Brutality? I haven't tested it yet and you're the first one who mention it in a bad light. I've only heard praise from it and I'm interested in earing some cons for the card.
Also, wow. Thanks y'all for your input on my sideboard questions. Definitely taking notes here.
I don't think this is a bad card but I do think it is overrated. Being a -2 sorcery removal and bad duress is only relevant against like 1/3 of the meta. For instance, look at decks like Eldrazi or Grixis control which absolutely do not care for either effects. Tokens don't care about taking away spot removals so that already eliminates a good chunk of instants we could care about. We also deal with opposing flyers really well unlike other decks that run brutality. Brutality can hit boardwipes but most cards we are scared of post board tend to be artifacts, enchantments, and planeswalkers post board.
Against Burn is where Brutality reallly shine as we are happy to interact card for card in order to buy time.
collective brutality is usually a very nice card to have in hand. It amplifies versatility not only by offering 2 good options (and some lifegain in case you need it because of BB for example), but also helping you filtering bad draws into somewhat value. In other words, if you have a deck a bit more tilted towards versatility than to consistency (as I think mine is), is sort of transforms part of this versatility into consistency when you want.
Example: I draw a timely reinforcements (meant to give my deck a better 1st game against aggro matchups, i.e., versatility) against some control deck -> now I can duress them and make some use out of the TR other than take a slot in my hand (transforms part of the risk that versatility implies into value, while you always have the option to cast the discarded card if you want to)... This example is meant to be one of the worst case scenarios for the card, but still is better than nothing. Transforming a BB and a TS into all the three modes of the card against burn is just priceless.
But again, I really think it depends on your deck. For mine is a solid 1-of main.
Also, @jongsl5, no rest in peace? I was considering swapping one for a nihil spellsbomb, but always maintaining 2 slots for GY hate.
collective brutality is usually a very nice card to have in hand. It amplifies versatility not only by offering 2 good options (and some lifegain in case you need it because of BB for example), but also helping you filtering bad draws into somewhat value. In other words, if you have a deck a bit more tilted towards versatility than to consistency (as I think mine is), is sort of transforms part of this versatility into consistency when you want.
Example: I draw a timely reinforcements (meant to give my deck a better 1st game against aggro matchups, i.e., versatility) against some control deck -> now I can duress them and make some use out of the TR other than take a slot in my hand (transforms part of the risk that versatility implies into value, while you always have the option to cast the discarded card if you want to)... This example is meant to be one of the worst case scenarios for the card, but still is better than nothing. Transforming a BB and a TS into all the three modes of the card against burn is just priceless.
But again, I really think it depends on your deck. For mine is a solid 1-of main.
Also, @jongsl5, no rest in peace? I was considering swapping one for a nihil spellsbomb, but always maintaining 2 slots for GY hate.
I forgot to add 2 RiP. Thanks for pointing it out. I prefer to have at least 3 graveyard hate.
In regards to collective brutality, how good is a "if you have an unnecessary card you can at least drain for 2 life" though? Tokens either win big or loses hard. CB is playable in the meta depending on how versatile and relevant the other two modes are. If you were consistently using only one mode on this card it is terrible for 2 mana.
In regards to collective brutality, how good is a "if you have an unnecessary card you can at least drain for 2 life" though? Tokens either win big or loses hard. CB is playable in the meta depending on how versatile and relevant the other two modes are. If you were consistently using only one mode on this card it is terrible for 2 mana.
Totally agree with that, but again, depends on the aim you want to give to the deck. I would like to try Liliana of the Veil instead, but ($$$) in the meanwhile, it covers the gap.
Hey there, just a brief summary of my FNM yesterday. I went 1-3 and I felt like I played very poorly.
1-2 RG Tron: It was not as bad as it usually is. It was tron, and it had red. Nothing to remark.
0-2 Land Destruction: game 1 was close but I actually didnt play very well. Game 2 I SB in a runed halo thath made NO SENSE at all and I was too concerned about the blood moon not to play it turn 2. After that, I couldn't do anything else because I lost my lands (which I could have avoided if I had played raise the alarm t2 and then path my own soldiers to get basics. He topdecked a bit but I played super dumb.
2-0 Abzan company: this was pretty straight forward. Just linear playing and getting rid of their creatures when needed. I sticked a rest in peace, and a damping matrix g2 that sealed the match.
1-2 Kiki-chord: g2 I kept a very poor hand and g3 he topdecked orzhov pontiff into reclamation sage against my virtue. Still, I thing I didn´t pathed what I should have. A damping matrix would have been great in the matchup, but I saw none.
Points:
-Damping matrix plays quite good and I think I am going to stick to that for a little longer.
-I would like to hear some key plays against chord-like decks. I felt that I needed to race him so hard.
-how does aven mindcensor fit our SB? I feel it could be great against tron, chord, valakut, any fetchlands...
Mindsensor is good when one has some means of slowing one's opponent's development; think Hatebears. It can also work better when one has ramp. It can still catch something without those things but it doesn't seem to be fast enough to be reliable for the Tron match-up. It's better for decks that need four or more mana-sources to run. If Tron has to play something other than a Tron land in the first three turns, Mindcensor has a shot. It's obviously better on the play but one can't miss a land drop.
-how does aven mindcensor fit our SB? I feel it could be great against tron, chord, valakut, any fetchlands...
The big problem with Aven Mindcensor is the mana cost. Not only does it conflict with our 3-drop spot (It might not be a big downside, but it's a big pet peeve of mine), it's also a bit too slow for a lot of cards. Most of tron land search can go off on turn 2, which means that even if we're on the play, they get to search before we get the censor on the battlefield. Same thing goes for fetchlands.
pzbw7z mentionned Hallowed Moonlight (Which is pretty nice, and most probably better than the card I'm gonna Mention), grafdigger's cage is also a nice anti-coco + anti-Dredge tech. It does nothign against Living end though, and it can jam our Lingering souls.
We generally want to avoid 3 mana sideboard cards unless it is plannes for something grindy or it wins you the game. Mindcensor is too mediocre from testing.
Hallowd moonlight has been discussed before. The problem is this deck is mostly sorcery speed and you don't want mana up for a what-if scenario.
Finally had time to post my deck on pc. A week from now i will have a modcon tournament near me, will expect many burns and affinities. How does my list fare?
Hi , i m playing a very similar list , i d like to sugest u about play AURIOK CHAMPION ,instead kor firewalker in sideboard , and - 1 fatal push + 1 timely reiforcement, in side - 1 timely + combo hate like runed halo nevermore or lost legacy ...
I'll try to explain , auriok can also chumblock Death shadow , and in general is more versatile , if you expect a lot of burns why not play 1 timely maindeck is just too great even you play against midrange or zoo decks , so you can play other cards in sideboard to fight our worst mu.
Actually im playing also a little green splash only 1 gw shockland for 2 Gavony township and usually is a preatty solid choise ,because we can pump our tokens with all the floating .
I hope you can understand my bad english, and can found some usefull ideas from this post ,good luck for the event !
Finally had time to post my deck on pc. A week from now i will have a modcon tournament near me, will expect many burns and affinities. How does my list fare?
I would really play something else instead of the two Kor Firewalker. Something like Burrenton Forge-Tender, Auriok Champion, or even extra copies of Timely Reinforcements. It may be because I'm not a fan of the card, but I feel like it JUST counters burn. Burrenton has the ability to stop red sweepers, which burn will definitely side-in against you, and Auriok will be near impossible to remove and will just make it an uphill battle for your opponent.
For the rest, Deck looks solid. And the fact that you run the usual life gaining package while being low on Bitterblossom will probably give you a natural edge on burn. With that in mind, you could definitely give Worship a try. This card definitely kills burn as well as stops lots of aggro decks.
As for affinity, you already run lots of cheap spot removal, as well as Stony Silence. I could recommend an additional Pithing needle, but really I think you're ready to take affinity on with that list.
Sorry guys, as much as i like to bring auriok, i cant really afford them at the moment. Reasons being it is a bit hard to look for near my place, and i also spent my earnings on something else.
For affinity, yeah i tested with my friend all day and only lost 4times when my hand is bad, so i got that going for me which is nice.
Burn, not so good, still 50v50 on game 1 and a tight 55v45 on my favor after sideboard. If many people uses burn, i might change timely to mainboard. Thanks for the input guys!
Oh, and what's the consensus/general opinion on Liliana of the veil? is it worth it as a one of? Wasn't interested in the card before, but I just opened one in a MM2017 draft yesterday, and now I'm definitely interested in trying the card. From what I can gather from memory of what I read on the card and a strong "Judge a book by the cover"-type opinion:
Pros:
-Discard effect is more detrimental to our opponent then to us, seeing as we can discard excess lands, as well as Lingering Souls for potential value.
-Sacrifice effect is some nice protection/removal, that also gives us an edge agains aggro decks that likes having one big creature instead of many little ones. I can see this being killer against Infect and Boggle.
-Ultimate is game winning. Like if you come back form this, you deserve to win.
-At the very worst, she looks like a fine decoy to diverge the attention of our opponent from our life points/other planeswalker.
-At best? We have plenty of tokens to protect her, and I'm pretty sure resolving a Sorin or Gideon alongside her has to be at least backbreaking.
Cons:
-Two black man in the cost can be meh. This could make it not come out on turn 3 sometimes (Which, admitingly, I'm not sure we necessarily want). Mana base could be adapted, but then Spectral Procession becomes the problem. I don't want to cast this for 4, even if it's really not that bad doing so.
-Also Yeah, it costs 3 mana. Conflictin a bit with our 3-drop spots which is already home to most of our beloved token generators.
-Not gonna lie, I don't see myself pull off an ultimate on this card against any serious deck. Except maybe for slow control decks.
-I really can't see it being that good of a card in the mirror.
-Pretty sure 8-rack, dredge and Living end start laughing when you play the card.
Again, Very, VERY premature opinion here. If you want to shill/shun the card to me, now is the time. And it would be very appreciated.
That is fine. Money can often be a big hurdle sometimes, and in all seriousness, 2xKor Firewalker + 2xTimely reinforcements will definitely do the job for now. I'd even argue that Reinforcements is generally better than Auriok in BW Tokens. I'd also like to point out I play a similar deck to yours in a meta full of burn decks and I rarely run into one that I can't deal with.
If you're really concerned with Burn decks, Marcofra17 has a nice idea in trying to mainboard a Timely reinforcements or two. I personnally main 1 at the moment and would recommend it. It does wonder for me.
I have actually cut Stony Silence completely, Affinity is so naturally favorable that it's basically run just for Ad Naus/Tron at this point. Ad Naus is entirely beatable through discard/pressure, and Tron is just not going to happen so don't run hate just for it. Auriok is very good currently, but it is rather pricy and can be hard to find.
Celestial Purge hits any Black or Red Permanent. Blood Moon, Nahiri, Koth, Tasigur, Liliana, Night of Souls Betrayal, etc. Just a very solid 1 of hate card. Additionally activated manlands (ex. Raging Ravine) and mountains from Koth's +1 have colors.
Flaying Tendrils is usually going to be better, it's a turn faster, exile is relevant against Company/Dredge/Revolt Zoo, and it's colorless which is rarely relevant but could have applications at some point.
Worship is always going to be a nonbo with Bitterblossom, just a fact of life, but the times it's good it's very good. You can either play around it, lifegain back up (blocking with Lifelink), or just be prepared to blow away blossom if it comes to that. Also remember you can activate a manland before damage to control a creature, it only cares when damage is dealt.
As far as I am concerned:
1- Ghostly Prison is a great SB card in my opinion. In my SB, the 2 slots that they use were Blessed alliances at some point. After some thought, I think the Ghostly Prison is stronger for what I use it. It has an effect that can be compared to a permanent Hour of reckoning, for example against merfolks, elves, zoo, tokens, and even infect and bogles have a hard time if they have to spend 2 more mana each turn. While blessed alliace is better against eldrazi, burn, and infect, my MB is well prepared for the two latters and eldrazi is meh anyway (and runed halo is still there for those smashers). Summing up, while Blessed Alliance is a wider card, I think Ghostly Prison makes a more significant impact on the battlefield.
2- Damping matrix, I wanted to try them instead of Stony silence because they seem more relevant against worse matchups while preserving most of the relevant functionalities of the stony silence. Now:
-pros: colorless (survives all is dust and ugin, the spirit dragon), affects relevant creatures (like eldrazi displacer, endbringer, drowner of hope, scavenging ooze, tasigur, the golden fang, Knight of the Reliquary, Sakura-Tribe Elder, Spike feeder, kiki-jiki, mirror breaker, Glen Elendra Archmage, ezuri, renegade leader, Griselbrand... ).
-cons: takes a 3cmc slot (highly packed in our deck), costs 1 more.
3- Stain the mind is huuuuge. It is slow, yes, but it deals with ensnaring bridge (F O R E V E R) and is relatively easy to cast for 3 mana turn 3 or 4 (I run raise the alarm, so I guess that helps too). However, I think this discussion is perfectly legit, and I have myself doubts about which cards to use in that slot. I would really like to try surgical extraction because of ghost quarter and f**g tron, but they are really expensive right now and it is something I don't really need.
BW BW Tokens
RG Dredgeplendid Reclamation
RW Boros Burn
GB Elves
RB Dark Goblins
WU Azorius' Relic
100% sure of:
1 zealous persecution
2 lost legacy
2 sundering growth (had to take out fragmentize due to chalice on 1 and night betrayal ruining my day)
2 runed halo (the card is insane right now, against Eldrazi and DS Jund. Could see myself cutting 1 because of space issues)
2 selfless spirit (for obvious reasons)
1 pithing needle (planeswalkers, engineered explosives, etc.)
Cards on the fence:
(a) Stony silence --> In my opinion, you either run 3 or don't run them at all. You absolutely need this in your opening hand against Tron+ Ad Nauseam and preferably early against Affinity as well for Cranial Plating and Steel Overseer. In the late game, it's still good against Affinity but useless against Tron. If your meta is tron heavy, would consider 3 in the side as well as some ghost quarter main.
(b) Ensnaring Bridge: Really good against the big midrange decks. Actually, it's good against little aggros like Merfolk and Affinity as well in the late game. Ghostly prison is usually better right on curve (turn 3) but if you are only running 1 copy of either, expect to draw it late. I also prefer Bridge against decks like Dredge which can accumulate mana easily with Life of the Loam. Worship is also a strong card but I keep Bitterblossom for decks like Eldrazi.
(c) Auriok Champion vs Burrenton: I didn't like Auriok in the previous meta but now with Death Shadow builds becoming more popular as well as Liliana the Last Hope just pinning down my burrenton, this is becoming a much more likeable option.
(d) Celestial Purge: becoming better for the same reasons Auriok Champion is getting better. However, my sideboard is already heavily dedicated to the 2-drop slot. I think pithing needle will handle most of what I want to handle with Purge.
(e) Nihil Spellbomb: solid additional graveyard hate that cycles, but I think the issue is whether I have space for it.
(f) Flaying Tendrils: against a solid card against Dredge and Company but space issues...But this is a much better alternative than Grafdigger's Cage as it can be played later in the game.
(g) Liliana of the Veil: just an insane card against combo and other grindy matches. If Titanshift player doesn't see Liliana game 1, it is easily your best card as they probably won't side in Obstinate Baloth. Versatile enough to serve as additional removal against aggro too. I have 2 in the main but am considering moving those to lower the curve of the deck.
I've tested Blessed Alliance but I am not a huge fan. Collective Brutality can be great and I want some additional buffer against Burn; however, I don't know if it is a better card than any of my main/side considering it is dead in a good number of match-ups.
Also, wow. Thanks y'all for your input on my sideboard questions. Definitely taking notes here.
(W/B)BW Tokens(W/B) | (B/R)Rakdos Burn(B/R) | (U/R)Gift Storm(U/R)
I don't think this is a bad card but I do think it is overrated. Being a -2 sorcery removal and bad duress is only relevant against like 1/3 of the meta. For instance, look at decks like Eldrazi or Grixis control which absolutely do not care for either effects. Tokens don't care about taking away spot removals so that already eliminates a good chunk of instants we could care about. We also deal with opposing flyers really well unlike other decks that run brutality. Brutality can hit boardwipes but most cards we are scared of post board tend to be artifacts, enchantments, and planeswalkers post board.
Against Burn is where Brutality reallly shine as we are happy to interact card for card in order to buy time.
Example: I draw a timely reinforcements (meant to give my deck a better 1st game against aggro matchups, i.e., versatility) against some control deck -> now I can duress them and make some use out of the TR other than take a slot in my hand (transforms part of the risk that versatility implies into value, while you always have the option to cast the discarded card if you want to)... This example is meant to be one of the worst case scenarios for the card, but still is better than nothing. Transforming a BB and a TS into all the three modes of the card against burn is just priceless.
But again, I really think it depends on your deck. For mine is a solid 1-of main.
Also, @jongsl5, no rest in peace? I was considering swapping one for a nihil spellsbomb, but always maintaining 2 slots for GY hate.
BW BW Tokens
RG Dredgeplendid Reclamation
RW Boros Burn
GB Elves
RB Dark Goblins
WU Azorius' Relic
I forgot to add 2 RiP. Thanks for pointing it out. I prefer to have at least 3 graveyard hate.
In regards to collective brutality, how good is a "if you have an unnecessary card you can at least drain for 2 life" though? Tokens either win big or loses hard. CB is playable in the meta depending on how versatile and relevant the other two modes are. If you were consistently using only one mode on this card it is terrible for 2 mana.
Totally agree with that, but again, depends on the aim you want to give to the deck. I would like to try Liliana of the Veil instead, but ($$$) in the meanwhile, it covers the gap.
BW BW Tokens
RG Dredgeplendid Reclamation
RW Boros Burn
GB Elves
RB Dark Goblins
WU Azorius' Relic
1-2 RG Tron: It was not as bad as it usually is. It was tron, and it had red. Nothing to remark.
0-2 Land Destruction: game 1 was close but I actually didnt play very well. Game 2 I SB in a runed halo thath made NO SENSE at all and I was too concerned about the blood moon not to play it turn 2. After that, I couldn't do anything else because I lost my lands (which I could have avoided if I had played raise the alarm t2 and then path my own soldiers to get basics. He topdecked a bit but I played super dumb.
2-0 Abzan company: this was pretty straight forward. Just linear playing and getting rid of their creatures when needed. I sticked a rest in peace, and a damping matrix g2 that sealed the match.
1-2 Kiki-chord: g2 I kept a very poor hand and g3 he topdecked orzhov pontiff into reclamation sage against my virtue. Still, I thing I didn´t pathed what I should have. A damping matrix would have been great in the matchup, but I saw none.
Points:
-Damping matrix plays quite good and I think I am going to stick to that for a little longer.
-I would like to hear some key plays against chord-like decks. I felt that I needed to race him so hard.
-how does aven mindcensor fit our SB? I feel it could be great against tron, chord, valakut, any fetchlands...
BW BW Tokens
RG Dredgeplendid Reclamation
RW Boros Burn
GB Elves
RB Dark Goblins
WU Azorius' Relic
Aven Mindcensor is a bit slow but it flys and it beats. It affects Sylvan Scrying and Expedition Map in Tron and they can play either before you can play Mindsensor.
Mindsensor is good when one has some means of slowing one's opponent's development; think Hatebears. It can also work better when one has ramp. It can still catch something without those things but it doesn't seem to be fast enough to be reliable for the Tron match-up. It's better for decks that need four or more mana-sources to run. If Tron has to play something other than a Tron land in the first three turns, Mindcensor has a shot. It's obviously better on the play but one can't miss a land drop.
Frenzy-Affinity-Ghost Quarter-Rock-Tokens- RGWPhyrexian Zoo- WVial KnightsStandard:
BW Knights(Rotated)Pioneer: RW Knights - BW Rally Zombies - UW Heroes
Commander:WUG
Jenara, Asura of War- WGSigarda, Host of HeronsCasualties of economicsLegacy: Good-night, sweet prince. Mono-R Burn
It does do wonders against Chord of Calling, Primeval titan and scapeshift however. But it does nothing against Coco, and I feel like this is a big downside here.
pzbw7z mentionned Hallowed Moonlight (Which is pretty nice, and most probably better than the card I'm gonna Mention), grafdigger's cage is also a nice anti-coco + anti-Dredge tech. It does nothign against Living end though, and it can jam our Lingering souls.
EDIT: Oh, Aven Mindcensor comboes nice with Path to exile and Ghost Quarter, but at this point, I'd go more with Leonin Arbiter.
(W/B)BW Tokens(W/B) | (B/R)Rakdos Burn(B/R) | (U/R)Gift Storm(U/R)
Hallowd moonlight has been discussed before. The problem is this deck is mostly sorcery speed and you don't want mana up for a what-if scenario.
4 Spectral Procession
4 Lingering Souls
3 Raise the Alarm
2 Bitterblossom
Instants (10)
4 Path to Exile
4 Fatal Push
2 Zealous Persecution
Disruption (6)
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Thoughtseize
Planeswalker (4)
3 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
4 Intangible Virtue
Lands (23)
4 Marsh Flats
2 Arid Mesa
2 Windswept Heath
1 Fetid Heath
1 Vault of the Archangel
2 Shambling Vent
3 Godless Shrine
3 Concealed Courtyard
4 Plains
1 Swamp
2 Stony Silence
2 Rest in Peace
2 Collective Brutality
2 Sundering Growth
2 Timely Reinforcement
2 Kor Firewalker
1 Pithing Needle
2 Duress
I'll try to explain , auriok can also chumblock Death shadow , and in general is more versatile , if you expect a lot of burns why not play 1 timely maindeck is just too great even you play against midrange or zoo decks , so you can play other cards in sideboard to fight our worst mu.
Actually im playing also a little green splash only 1 gw shockland for 2 Gavony township and usually is a preatty solid choise ,because we can pump our tokens with all the floating .
I hope you can understand my bad english, and can found some usefull ideas from this post ,good luck for the event !
For the rest, Deck looks solid. And the fact that you run the usual life gaining package while being low on Bitterblossom will probably give you a natural edge on burn. With that in mind, you could definitely give Worship a try. This card definitely kills burn as well as stops lots of aggro decks.
As for affinity, you already run lots of cheap spot removal, as well as Stony Silence. I could recommend an additional Pithing needle, but really I think you're ready to take affinity on with that list.
(W/B)BW Tokens(W/B) | (B/R)Rakdos Burn(B/R) | (U/R)Gift Storm(U/R)
For affinity, yeah i tested with my friend all day and only lost 4times when my hand is bad, so i got that going for me which is nice.
Burn, not so good, still 50v50 on game 1 and a tight 55v45 on my favor after sideboard. If many people uses burn, i might change timely to mainboard. Thanks for the input guys!
Pros:
-Discard effect is more detrimental to our opponent then to us, seeing as we can discard excess lands, as well as Lingering Souls for potential value.
-Sacrifice effect is some nice protection/removal, that also gives us an edge agains aggro decks that likes having one big creature instead of many little ones. I can see this being killer against Infect and Boggle.
-Ultimate is game winning. Like if you come back form this, you deserve to win.
-At the very worst, she looks like a fine decoy to diverge the attention of our opponent from our life points/other planeswalker.
-At best? We have plenty of tokens to protect her, and I'm pretty sure resolving a Sorin or Gideon alongside her has to be at least backbreaking.
Cons:
-Two black man in the cost can be meh. This could make it not come out on turn 3 sometimes (Which, admitingly, I'm not sure we necessarily want). Mana base could be adapted, but then Spectral Procession becomes the problem. I don't want to cast this for 4, even if it's really not that bad doing so.
-Also Yeah, it costs 3 mana. Conflictin a bit with our 3-drop spots which is already home to most of our beloved token generators.
-Not gonna lie, I don't see myself pull off an ultimate on this card against any serious deck. Except maybe for slow control decks.
-I really can't see it being that good of a card in the mirror.
-Pretty sure 8-rack, dredge and Living end start laughing when you play the card.
Again, Very, VERY premature opinion here. If you want to shill/shun the card to me, now is the time. And it would be very appreciated.
(W/B)BW Tokens(W/B) | (B/R)Rakdos Burn(B/R) | (U/R)Gift Storm(U/R)
If you're really concerned with Burn decks, Marcofra17 has a nice idea in trying to mainboard a Timely reinforcements or two. I personnally main 1 at the moment and would recommend it. It does wonder for me.
(W/B)BW Tokens(W/B) | (B/R)Rakdos Burn(B/R) | (U/R)Gift Storm(U/R)