Not a bad idea. I think the complex mana can be a problem with no DRS, but Doran helps our Affinity matchup - at least nullifying Cranial Plating while making Thopters into 2/2's.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Also, consider that Liliana counts as occasional mana denial, and it starts to become a significant portion of our strategy.
Doran, the Siege Tower does make the Affinity matchup a lot better. Also, Doran gets by Ensnaring Bridge if you face decks running it such as 8Rack. Most people will write him off as just a beatstick, but with the addition of Courser of Kruphix, I think he can be a great addition to the deck.
The newly spoiled B/W god, Athreos, God of Passage seems pretty cool. Bolt back a bolted Bob, potentially save a number of things. An effect that's cheap, payable, and very difficult to get rid of. Also not impossible to trigger the devotion depending on your build via Lilianas and Finks.
I quite like the new god. I've been brewing quite a bit with him for awhile. Though what looks good on paper and what plays out in a match is two very different things. Ill post a list later when I have some free time. Either way I think I'll pick up a couple come release day and give it a try. He makes tidehallow sculler look a lot better.
What do you think of cutting tidehollow sculler for phyrexian obliterator or Restoration Angel? Just cuz your 2 slot is already really clogged and both of those cards do good things for the deck.
Obliterator is a really strong finisher and will be a *huge* pain to deal with Atheros.
Angel is just dumb good with kitchen finks, and can create card advantage late game via helping your dudes dodge removal.
I think I just have an aversion to path in general, but maybe go down to two so you arent forced to use it early game.
Maelstrum pulse, another pact, i also really like bile blight right now against most of the field.
This is the current list I'm looking to try and build as well. I'm also looking into Voices once they drop a bit in price, I think they could also find a good place with Athreos.
What do you think of cutting tidehollow sculler for phyrexian obliterator or Restoration Angel? Just cuz your 2 slot is already really clogged and both of those cards do good things for the deck.
Obliterator is a really strong finisher and will be a *huge* pain to deal with Atheros.
Angel is just dumb good with kitchen finks, and can create card advantage late game via helping your dudes dodge removal.
I think I just have an aversion to path in general, but maybe go down to two so you arent forced to use it early game.
Maelstrom Pulse, another pact, i also really like bile blight right now against most of the field.
I'm hesitant about using the Obliterator, at least as anything more than a one-of. It's very difficult to play unless you have an Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth which I mean you CAN fetch with KotR. Obliterator works very well for a stronger BG build. I think Tidehollow will be better in this build though since it works well with Athreos and I've never found it to be a dead card. Restoration Angel is a preference but I wouldn't want it in this deck.
What do you think of cutting tidehollow sculler for phyrexian obliterator or Restoration Angel? Just cuz your 2 slot is already really clogged and both of those cards do good things for the deck.
Obliterator is a really strong finisher and will be a *huge* pain to deal with Atheros.
Angel is just dumb good with kitchen finks, and can create card advantage late game via helping your dudes dodge removal.
I think I just have an aversion to path in general, but maybe go down to two so you arent forced to use it early game.
Maelstrum pulse, another pact, i also really like bile blight right now against most of the field.
I don't think restoration angel does enough for the deck. Playing 4 drops with bob means it has to win me the game. I also feel that tidehallow is a great addition. It grabs anything, and if you have athreos out not only is it 2 devotion but now they have to burn a card to remove him and pay 3 life to ensure they keep that card.
I feel like obliterator should be exclusive to the BG rock build. He is great but not consistant enough in a junk/jund shell. If deathrite wasn't banned he might be playable otherwise getting BBBB is a much more difficult task.
Also on the note of voice of resurgence. It could be a good addition but again I'm
not entirely sure if it does what the deck wants. In a more creature heavy junk shell he would likely be really good. Almost like a GW hatebears deck splash black for athreos. I feel like I value the removal and discard over and extra value bear.
Resto resetting finks offsets the life loss enough, and with only 3 in the deck flipping it off bob isnt that likely.
My problem w/ Tidehollow is it cloggs up the 2 slot, and with 6 1cmc discard spells plus 3 Lily OTV youre going to put your opponent into topdeck mode pretty quickly. Making your post t4 scullers nothing more than a 2/2 bear.
Nothing costs double white, you could get away with playing bg filters and urborg pretty easily to accommodate obliterator if you really wanted to.
The hatebear version seem entertainable. Abusing the Kitchen finks, blade splicer, flickerwisp, resto package with athreos seems strong.
Hey guys! I've been having a lot of success with this Junk Glittering Wish midrange deck! It is a little susceptible to Affinity, but otherwise has been outstanding. Being able to Wish up an answer, threat, or matchup breaking card has been both fun and an amazing strategy!
The main board is pretty self explanatory. I do want to explain the sideboard though: Damping Matrix- hoses the top 3 decks: Twin, pod, and Affinity Damnation- Zoo, affinity, Aggro hoser Thoughtseize- combo and control hoser
Wishboard: Maelstrom pulse Fulminator Mage Castigate- This 3 card combo allows me to answer any threat on the board or in the opponent's hand. Can really get me out of a jam.
Sigarda, Host of Herons- Amazing finisher and hoser vs. BG Rock Culling Sun- the weakest card but best sweeper available in these colors that can be wished for. Pure // Simple- Bogle hoser Fracturing Gust- Affinity hoser and Bogle hoser Ajani, Mentor of Heroes- Control hoser, alternate finisher Loxodon Hierarch- "Break in case of Emergency" card. Gains life and plays defense well against zoo. Can play offense as well after stabilizing.
I'm curious to get feedback about this deck and to see how I can improve the Affinity matchup. I highly recommend a Glittering Wish build. It's fun to play, unexpected to play against and really gets results. This deck can also win by playing aggressive, playing conservative or grinding the game out in top deck mode.
Hello fellow Junk players. I'm a long time MtG player (started in '94) who was inactive through most of Modern (didn't touch anything between Fifth Dawn and Innistrad). I decided I really liked Smallpox as that's exactly the style of card I've always enjoyed playing, and I found it naturally pulled me towards a Junk shell. Here is the list I've been working on, but I'd really like to get feedback on some of the design decisions I've made up to this point. Please keep in mind that almost all design decisions in the deck were made based on the notion of resolving Smallpox.
Would love to hear thoughts on the build and some suggestions for tuning it. Took it to my first tournament last night and was really happy with the performance. Took out a rogue Mono-U aggro in the first round and a fully powered RUG Twin deck in the second round. Ran into a Bant Exalted deck that came out swinging too hard for me to keep pace, which prompted a few changes that are reflected in the list above.
Hey guys! I've been having a lot of success with this Junk Glittering Wish midrange deck! It is a little susceptible to Affinity, but otherwise has been outstanding. Being able to Wish up an answer, threat, or matchup breaking card has been both fun and an amazing strategy!
The main board is pretty self explanatory. I do want to explain the sideboard though: Damping Matrix- hoses the top 3 decks: Twin, pod, and Affinity Damnation- Zoo, affinity, Aggro hoser Thoughtseize- combo and control hoser
Wishboard: Maelstrom pulse Fulminator Mage Castigate- This 3 card combo allows me to answer any threat on the board or in the opponent's hand. Can really get me out of a jam.
Sigarda, Host of Herons- Amazing finisher and hoser vs. BG Rock Culling Sun- the weakest card but best sweeper available in these colors that can be wished for. Pure // Simple- Bogle hoser Fracturing Gust- Affinity hoser and Bogle hoser Ajani, Mentor of Heroes- Control hoser, alternate finisher Loxodon Hierarch- "Break in case of Emergency" card. Gains life and plays defense well against zoo. Can play offense as well after stabilizing.
I'm curious to get feedback about this deck and to see how I can improve the Affinity matchup. I highly recommend a Glittering Wish build. It's fun to play, unexpected to play against and really gets results. This deck can also win by playing aggressive, playing conservative or grinding the game out in top deck mode.
Looks interesting, Im mostly just worried about glittering wish losing too much tempo. Ive found BG decks to be really susceptible to tempo decks in general. Imagine t1 discard, t2 wish, t3 cast wish target they remand it. Lategame I can see it being good though. Maybe put more threats in the side, Id say a doran, smiter, or KotR.
Fetid Heath or Urborg, tomb of yawgmoth with flagstones for a t2 smallpox is disgustingly good.
I dont know how much youve tested yet, but I think the hardest part of the deck will be perfecting the mana base.
The one of treetop village and leechridden swamp seem out of place. for lategame you'd probably be best off w/ gavonry township. Resetting Finks and pumping tokens.
The overall concept of the deck looks great tho, if anything, the numbers just need playing with. Slaughter Pact is really good right now, Id probably replace a tragic slip or abrupt decay with it.
I'd probably swap the SB IoK for a MD thoughtseize.
IoK hits mot everything you need to hit in the format save for Splint Twin, Pod, and Karn.
SB:
Fulminator Mage is usually best as a 3-4 of. Engineered Explosives would probably be good against that exalted deck for you.
Thank you for the suggestions Throst54. I should clarify something though, Glittering Wish is almost never a turn 2 play. It's usually a turn 4 play where you can cast Goyf, Confidant or another spell along side Wish to set up your turn 5 nicely and not lose tempo. And yes, as you mentioned, glittering wish is amazing late game, especially in top deck mode. Arguably the best top deck in modern, it really is that powerful. The exception to the "Turn 4 wish rule" is against specific decks that you have a game altering answer for. So basically against Bogle, turn 2 Wish for Pure // Simple is fine. But that's about it. Against zoo or affinity, wait until turn 4 to wish for culling sun or fracturing gust. On turn two you're going to need that mana to destroy whatever they cast or play a roadblock.
As far as other bomb creatures in the wish board, I don't think they are necessary. I've tried a wish board with Doran and Smiter and found that they were almost never wished for because there were better options/more important needs to wish for. I think 3 finishers of Sigarda, Ajani, and Hierarch are plenty.
My build still struggles against affinity. I'm thinking of adding Bitterblossom or Lingering Souls To help get rid of those pesky flyers they have but don't know what to cut. Any ideas?
SoundReason, I like the deck idea, but it seems to be a little creature light. I'm also not a fan of the way it chips away damage with bloodghast and Bitterblossoms. In this heavy combo meta you need to throw haymakers, not jabs. If you leave the door open a little bit, which is what happens if you chip away life, It gives these combos a chance to top deck their combo pieces multiple turns in a row and gives them a chance to steal the game. Tarmogoyf, Vengevine, Doran or KotR could do some serious damage in your build. I also like Courser of Kruphix to help get land back post-smallpox
Thanks for the feedback, Throst54. To answer your questions and generally respond to your suggestions:
Mana base -
I agree that these numbers need tweaking. The card I'm least sure of is actually Temple Garden, which I'm not sure shouldn't just be another Godless Shrine. I mentioned that the deck had seen some changes since last night. One of those was taking 4 Gravecrawlers out for 2 Scavenging Oozes and 2 Tragic Slips. I was feeling a lack of one drops in the deck with Deathrite Shaman being booted from the format, so I was trying Gravecrawler to keep my curve a little smoother while working well with Smallpox, and then had two Mutavaults where the Treetop Village and Leechridden Swamp are now, since they'd allow Zombie casts from the yard. Earlier versions of this deck had played with Geralf's Messenger and Haakon, Stromgald Scourge + Nameless Inversion package as zombies that gave incentive to run Gravecrawler, but I felt the card was much too weak in actual gameplay. Given the way this deck tends to really grindy games with Bitterblossom I thought it was a move in the right direction to focus on early game removal with Tragic Slip. Scavenging Ooze is a natural fit for the deck, and really helps curb certain obnoxious things like Snapcaster Mage and Finks + Melira shenanigans.
As for Gavony Township, I've been playing with the idea of running the card but haven't actually tested it yet. I hadn't thought about the Finks interaction, and the synergy with Lingering Souls and Bitterblossom is clearly there, so I can see myself swapping it in and trying it as a one-of instead of Treetop Village. I haven't tested Leechridden Swamp in this shell yet, but my gut is telling me the card quality is there, so I want to feel that out before I make any decisions about not running it.
Slaughter Pact -
Totally a worthy candidate for inclusion. I hadn't previously given this card a lot of thought, but looking over lists in this thread today has me considering its virtues. I can definitely see myself testing it as a one-of in the deck, either over a Tragic Slip or Abrupt Decay as you mentioned. I'd more likely swap it in over the Slip as the unconditional ability of Decay to screw with Twin strategies has a lot of appeal to me, plus the range of other permanents it can nail (other Lilis, Bitterblossoms, float mana in response to a Blood Moon, etc.).
SB -
I would consider both of those suggestions. The Fulminator number was more dictated by local card availability, as two is really what I've been able to find. I could see myself running more, but I'm happy to keep testing with two for now. Similarly, EE is a valid option. I don't know if I agree with swapping the SB IoK maindeck over a Thoughtseize. I whiffed once with an IoK on a 4 CMC card that came down the next turn to close out the game, and that was a really, really *****ty feeling. I know the life loss is non-trivial, but I'd way rather have fewer restrictions on my targeting. Still, I'll definitely consider the input and may try testing different disruption configurations.
Life from the Loam -
Interesting question, as it seems like an obvious inclusion in the deck. Indeed, when I was initially testing it was a two-of in the main deck, as I assumed it would work well with Smallpox. However, in practice, I found that I didn't get enough tangible benefit from the Loam effect. My curve tops out at 3, and the only card that really benefits from Loam is Bloodghast being returned off of landfall triggers, but that seems inevitable off of natural draws, anyway. In the end, I think Loam felt like it was losing me tempo for not enough tangible benefit. This deck is already crafted to be good in a resource poor environment, so I didn't feel like I needed to compensate. I would consider Loam again if I was also going to try going for a Raven's Crime lock, but I consider the targeted disruption of IoK and Thoughtseize to be more valuable effects than letting the opponent select their card, plus full hand information is very valuable.
SoundReason, I like the deck idea, but it seems to be a little creature light. I'm also not a fan of the way it chips away damage with bloodghast and Bitterblossoms. In this heavy combo meta you need to throw haymakers, not jabs. If you leave the door open a little bit, which is what happens if you chip away life, It gives these combos a chance to top deck their combo pieces multiple turns in a row and gives them a chance to steal the game. Tarmogoyf, Vengevine, Doran or KotR could do some serious damage in your build. I also like Courser of Kruphix to help get land back post-smallpox
Apologies for the double-post. I was already in the midst of writing my reply to Throst54 when BK-V's post went up, and it seems more appropriate to quote and reply to it separately rather than make an edit at this point.
BK-V
I hear where you're coming from on the "haymakers vs. grind" comment, but I'm not sure I agree that it is how my deck is configured to operate. I'll address a few of my card choices individually (going over the suggestions you made and what my reasoning around their inclusion was) but first, I want to point out that I consider combo decks to be my absolute best match-up, which was part of the appeal in building this style of deck in the current Modern metagame. The list I have is very good at attacking a combo player's most important resources, which are cards in hand. Between 5 one-mana hand disruption spells, 4 Smallpoxes, and the Liliana of the Veils, it is really easy to keep an opponent in top-deck mode, which is where Bitterblossom shines, and combo has a really awkward time trying to dig their way back out.
Courser of Kruphix - This was never really on my radar as an inclusion. I agree that it is a strong card, but as a card advantage engine it is a little slow to get rolling. That said, the main drawback is actually the GG in the casting cost. The question I have to ask myself is, if I bring Courser in, what am I taking out? In that regard, Finks seems like the only slot I could make the swap into, and Finks is much better at having an immediate impact as well as being durable vs removal and Smallpox casts, so I think it has the edge as a choice.
Vengevine - Doesn't fit at all. I will almost never be casting multiple creatures in a turn, especially because (as mentioned) this deck quickly pushes the game into top-deck mode for both players. Lili +1 all day, every day
Tarmogoyf - This one is tricky. Obviously any modern deck playing Green should consider this card during the design process. The slot this got trumped in was Bitterblossom. Bitterblossom is the incremental advantage engine the deck leans on to snowball in a resource poor environment. It also puts much more strain on opposing removal as enchantment removal is much less common than creature removal, making it harder to interact with. Smallpox is another 2 drop that is non-negotiable, as it's the central design concept! Abrupt Decay is just too strong of a reactive card, and really helps to shut down Twin (take that, end step flashed Deceiver Exarch), so I'm hesitant to run any fewer than max. Scavenging Ooze is likely the closest card to being "negotiable", but I like Scooze for the ability to interact with any graveyard play over just the body of 'Goyf. In the end this is a very efficient threat that just doesn't quite justify its presence as well as the other choices.
Doran, the Siege Tower - An interesting idea, for sure. The two things keeping me from wanting to go in on this are A) the tri-colour casting cost, meaning potentially awkward draws for my deck that is otherwise 80% black, 10% green, 10% white, and B) none of my other threats are have a high toughness to power ratio, meaning this would actually be most likely to aid my opponents more than it does me. Those other threats are definitely where I want to be, as Bloodghast in particular is probably the strongest threat available in the world of Smallpox.
Knight of the Reliquary - This is easily the most interesting option to include for a number of reasons, and I'm not convinced I shouldn't be playing it... I just don't know what I would move to fit it in. Kitchen Finks is a critically important card for this deck, because the life-gain is super relevant with all of the damage I'm taking from my mana base, Bitterblossom, and Smallpox. Liliana of the Veil is also a really critical card, so I wonder where in my list I can make some cuts to fit KotR in. Thoughts for what I can cut include some number of Tragic Slip, Dismember, Maelstrom Pulse(I feel like this should stay), or possibly a single Scavenging Ooze. The other concern is that it will necessitate significant changes to the mana-base. The mana isn't set in stone, but I'd need to think hard about how I can still meet the requirements, as the list currently runs a comparatively small number of Forests and Plains (5 total) as G and W are both "splash" colours in the deck. That said, KotR has great synergy with many deck elements. I'm especially fond of the capability for its ability to get a Bloodghast back out of the 'yard in a pinch, which might be all the justification I need.
I top 8'd a modern premier event with this pile of cards:
I basically wanted to see if the archangel/spike feeder combo is good without tutor effects. No they are not good with out tutor effects. Archangel is pretty much win more and you have to put crappy cards in your deck like auriok champion and spike feeder to make it work.
I choose not to put goyf in the deck to make the deck less reliant on the graveyard. And I wanted to have RIP in the board. People brought in relics vs my deck which was amusing. RIP was pretty bad in my experience since every time I had it out I had a 2/2 ooze. I think 4 oozes + cage is probably enough graveyard hate.
The auriok champions were okay. I am short some white sources so they are somewhat hard to cast. I won game 1 vs twin since I had 2 of them out. And the auriok champion attacked through the storm deck and made empty the warrens awkward.
If I were to make changes to the deck, i'd probably cut the maelstrom pulse for a hierarch. And probably play more sweepers/removal/threats in the sideboard, removing the souls, liliana and fulminators. I had too many hands that didn't do anything since I could only cast 1 spell per turn, or didn't have the right colored mana.
I like Knight alot, mostly to tutor up Vault of the Archangel and Stirring Wildwood. Smiter is also amazing, since uncounterability and the 4/4 body is super relevant in Modern. I think I play more removal than average lists, so my deck play more like Jund in the sense I have the traditional 6 discard spells but alot of removals. I think smiter/knight/goyf and lingering souls are plenty of threats. I may add some amount of tidehollow scullers in the sideboard as well versus combo/control decks. I think maybe taking a look at sudden death might be a viable sideboard card versus Twin, since it kills any of their threats, whether it is tarmo twin or fairy twin, plus sudden death doesnt care about spellskite either.
interesting idea @Rickster! Impressive finish, sorry it didn't work out how you hoped. I agree with your analysis of playing the combo forcing you to play some cards you may not want to actually be playing. Although Auriok Champion is an interesting tech against a few decks like twin and pod, especially in multiples. It's also a hard card to kill for those decks.
@SoundReason, I agree with your analysis about the cards I suggested. I'm not an expert an analyzing mana bases, but if you are capable of finding a way to incorporate KotR and/or Tarmogoyf. I think you will find much more consistency with your deck and an increased win percentage. Based on what you stated, I'm actually trying to figure out a way of working lingering souls/Bitterblossom into my main board. Such good tech vs. so many match ups and never a dead card vs. any matchup.
+3 Bitterblossom
-1 thoughtseize
-1 Doran
-1 Victim of Night
Sideboard
+1 Loxodon Smiter
-1 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
I'll see how this plays. Unfortunately Ajani would whiff occasionally with his searching, which is especially frustrating when he reveals bitter blossom. So I had to cut him due to consistency issues. Smiter takes over as the "Control hoser"
@Rickster_, I think the thing to take away from these decks is the use of Lingering Souls. The BW midrange deck and the BGw Midrange deck (9th place) both ran 4 lingering souls main board and you ran 3 main board with one in the side. Lingering souls may be something we want to add because it gives us some presence in the skies and is very powerful vs. some match ups such as Affinity, UWR Control/Midrange, and any BGx Midrange deck. Even against Zoo, 4 chump blockers is essentially a time walk vs. those guys. It also puts a decent clock on combo decks. I was also surprised by the lack of Affinity in this tournament. Any particular reason for that? Looking at sideboards and main boards, there doesn't seem to be any additional hate on Affinity than the standard 3-4 sideboard slots dedicated to the matchup for most decks.
-MTG Salvation.
BWGJunkBWG
BRGJundBRG
B1Eldrazi ShopsB1
UAzami, Lady of ScrollsU
BGMeren of Clan Nel TothBG
BUWJenara, Asura of WarBUW
GURAnimar, Soul of ElementsGUR
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Dark Confidant
2 Athreos, God of Passage
3 Scavenging Ooze
3 Tidehallow Sculler
3 Path of Exile
1 Slaughter Pact
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Thoughtseize
Obliterator is a really strong finisher and will be a *huge* pain to deal with Atheros.
Angel is just dumb good with kitchen finks, and can create card advantage late game via helping your dudes dodge removal.
I think I just have an aversion to path in general, but maybe go down to two so you arent forced to use it early game.
Maelstrum pulse, another pact, i also really like bile blight right now against most of the field.
Mimeoplasm Midrange, CHAINER CHAINER HIGH VOLTAGE
Rafiq of the Astral Slide, 67land.dec Child of Alara, Gisela <3 Sunforger
TRADE!?WUBRGMy Pauper Cube
Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper, Phage the Uncastable, Azusa Lost but Stompy, Crosis Combo Breaker, All-In-Skullbriar, Rafiq/Jenara ETB army, Hazezon Swarm, Glissa Voltron!, Jarad Zombie Tribal, Zedruu Pillowfort, Reaper King Artifact Shenanagains
This is the current list I'm looking to try and build as well. I'm also looking into Voices once they drop a bit in price, I think they could also find a good place with Athreos.
I'm hesitant about using the Obliterator, at least as anything more than a one-of. It's very difficult to play unless you have an Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth which I mean you CAN fetch with KotR. Obliterator works very well for a stronger BG build. I think Tidehollow will be better in this build though since it works well with Athreos and I've never found it to be a dead card. Restoration Angel is a preference but I wouldn't want it in this deck.
BWGJunkBWG
BRGJundBRG
B1Eldrazi ShopsB1
UAzami, Lady of ScrollsU
BGMeren of Clan Nel TothBG
BUWJenara, Asura of WarBUW
GURAnimar, Soul of ElementsGUR
I don't think restoration angel does enough for the deck. Playing 4 drops with bob means it has to win me the game. I also feel that tidehallow is a great addition. It grabs anything, and if you have athreos out not only is it 2 devotion but now they have to burn a card to remove him and pay 3 life to ensure they keep that card.
I feel like obliterator should be exclusive to the BG rock build. He is great but not consistant enough in a junk/jund shell. If deathrite wasn't banned he might be playable otherwise getting BBBB is a much more difficult task.
Also on the note of voice of resurgence. It could be a good addition but again I'm
not entirely sure if it does what the deck wants. In a more creature heavy junk shell he would likely be really good. Almost like a GW hatebears deck splash black for athreos. I feel like I value the removal and discard over and extra value bear.
My problem w/ Tidehollow is it cloggs up the 2 slot, and with 6 1cmc discard spells plus 3 Lily OTV youre going to put your opponent into topdeck mode pretty quickly. Making your post t4 scullers nothing more than a 2/2 bear.
Nothing costs double white, you could get away with playing bg filters and urborg pretty easily to accommodate obliterator if you really wanted to.
The hatebear version seem entertainable. Abusing the Kitchen finks, blade splicer, flickerwisp, resto package with athreos seems strong.
Mimeoplasm Midrange, CHAINER CHAINER HIGH VOLTAGE
Rafiq of the Astral Slide, 67land.dec Child of Alara, Gisela <3 Sunforger
TRADE!?WUBRGMy Pauper Cube
Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper, Phage the Uncastable, Azusa Lost but Stompy, Crosis Combo Breaker, All-In-Skullbriar, Rafiq/Jenara ETB army, Hazezon Swarm, Glissa Voltron!, Jarad Zombie Tribal, Zedruu Pillowfort, Reaper King Artifact Shenanagains
(Creatures: 15)
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Dark Confidant
3 scavenging ooze
3 Courser of Kruphix
1 Doran, the Siege Tower
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 thoughtseize
3 path to exile
4 abrupt decay
1 Victim of night
3 glittering Wish
4 Liliana of the Veil
3 Damping Matrix
1 thoughtseize
2 damnation
1 castigate
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Fulminator Mage
1 Sigarda, host of herons
1 Culling Sun
1 pure // simple
1 fracturing gust
1 Ajani, mentor of heroes
1 Loxodon Hierarch
The main board is pretty self explanatory. I do want to explain the sideboard though:
Damping Matrix- hoses the top 3 decks: Twin, pod, and Affinity
Damnation- Zoo, affinity, Aggro hoser
Thoughtseize- combo and control hoser
Wishboard:
Maelstrom pulse
Fulminator Mage
Castigate- This 3 card combo allows me to answer any threat on the board or in the opponent's hand. Can really get me out of a jam.
Sigarda, Host of Herons- Amazing finisher and hoser vs. BG Rock
Culling Sun- the weakest card but best sweeper available in these colors that can be wished for.
Pure // Simple- Bogle hoser
Fracturing Gust- Affinity hoser and Bogle hoser
Ajani, Mentor of Heroes- Control hoser, alternate finisher
Loxodon Hierarch- "Break in case of Emergency" card. Gains life and plays defense well against zoo. Can play offense as well after stabilizing.
I'm curious to get feedback about this deck and to see how I can improve the Affinity matchup. I highly recommend a Glittering Wish build. It's fun to play, unexpected to play against and really gets results. This deck can also win by playing aggressive, playing conservative or grinding the game out in top deck mode.
UWRUWR MidrangeUWR
BUGSultai MidrangeBUG
BUGRTraverse MidrangeBUGR (currently brewing)
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Marsh Flats
2 Overgrown Tomb
2 Godless Shrine
1 Temple Garden
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Flagstones of Trokair
3 Swamp
1 Twilight Mire
1 Fetid Heath
1 Treetop Village
1 Leechridden Swamp
4 Bloodghast
2 Scavenging Ooze
3 Kitchen Finks
(Spells)
4 Thoughtseize
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Tragic Slip
3 Bitterblossom
4 Abrupt Decay
1 Dismember
4 Smallpox
1 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Lingering Souls
3 Liliana of the Veil
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Dismember
2 Fulminator Mage
2 Creeping Corrosion
2 Stony Silence
2 Rule of Law
2 Relic of Progenitus
3 Spellskite
Would love to hear thoughts on the build and some suggestions for tuning it. Took it to my first tournament last night and was really happy with the performance. Took out a rogue Mono-U aggro in the first round and a fully powered RUG Twin deck in the second round. Ran into a Bant Exalted deck that came out swinging too hard for me to keep pace, which prompted a few changes that are reflected in the list above.
Looks interesting, Im mostly just worried about glittering wish losing too much tempo. Ive found BG decks to be really susceptible to tempo decks in general. Imagine t1 discard, t2 wish, t3 cast wish target they remand it. Lategame I can see it being good though. Maybe put more threats in the side, Id say a doran, smiter, or KotR.
Fetid Heath or Urborg, tomb of yawgmoth with flagstones for a t2 smallpox is disgustingly good.
I dont know how much youve tested yet, but I think the hardest part of the deck will be perfecting the mana base.
The one of treetop village and leechridden swamp seem out of place. for lategame you'd probably be best off w/ gavonry township. Resetting Finks and pumping tokens.
The overall concept of the deck looks great tho, if anything, the numbers just need playing with.
Slaughter Pact is really good right now, Id probably replace a tragic slip or abrupt decay with it.
I'd probably swap the SB IoK for a MD thoughtseize.
IoK hits mot everything you need to hit in the format save for Splint Twin, Pod, and Karn.
SB:
Fulminator Mage is usually best as a 3-4 of.
Engineered Explosives would probably be good against that exalted deck for you.
Did your list ever contain Life From the Loam, and why or why not?
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As far as other bomb creatures in the wish board, I don't think they are necessary. I've tried a wish board with Doran and Smiter and found that they were almost never wished for because there were better options/more important needs to wish for. I think 3 finishers of Sigarda, Ajani, and Hierarch are plenty.
My build still struggles against affinity. I'm thinking of adding Bitterblossom or Lingering Souls To help get rid of those pesky flyers they have but don't know what to cut. Any ideas?
SoundReason, I like the deck idea, but it seems to be a little creature light. I'm also not a fan of the way it chips away damage with bloodghast and Bitterblossoms. In this heavy combo meta you need to throw haymakers, not jabs. If you leave the door open a little bit, which is what happens if you chip away life, It gives these combos a chance to top deck their combo pieces multiple turns in a row and gives them a chance to steal the game. Tarmogoyf, Vengevine, Doran or KotR could do some serious damage in your build. I also like Courser of Kruphix to help get land back post-smallpox
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Mana base -
I agree that these numbers need tweaking. The card I'm least sure of is actually Temple Garden, which I'm not sure shouldn't just be another Godless Shrine. I mentioned that the deck had seen some changes since last night. One of those was taking 4 Gravecrawlers out for 2 Scavenging Oozes and 2 Tragic Slips. I was feeling a lack of one drops in the deck with Deathrite Shaman being booted from the format, so I was trying Gravecrawler to keep my curve a little smoother while working well with Smallpox, and then had two Mutavaults where the Treetop Village and Leechridden Swamp are now, since they'd allow Zombie casts from the yard. Earlier versions of this deck had played with Geralf's Messenger and Haakon, Stromgald Scourge + Nameless Inversion package as zombies that gave incentive to run Gravecrawler, but I felt the card was much too weak in actual gameplay. Given the way this deck tends to really grindy games with Bitterblossom I thought it was a move in the right direction to focus on early game removal with Tragic Slip. Scavenging Ooze is a natural fit for the deck, and really helps curb certain obnoxious things like Snapcaster Mage and Finks + Melira shenanigans.
As for Gavony Township, I've been playing with the idea of running the card but haven't actually tested it yet. I hadn't thought about the Finks interaction, and the synergy with Lingering Souls and Bitterblossom is clearly there, so I can see myself swapping it in and trying it as a one-of instead of Treetop Village. I haven't tested Leechridden Swamp in this shell yet, but my gut is telling me the card quality is there, so I want to feel that out before I make any decisions about not running it.
Slaughter Pact -
Totally a worthy candidate for inclusion. I hadn't previously given this card a lot of thought, but looking over lists in this thread today has me considering its virtues. I can definitely see myself testing it as a one-of in the deck, either over a Tragic Slip or Abrupt Decay as you mentioned. I'd more likely swap it in over the Slip as the unconditional ability of Decay to screw with Twin strategies has a lot of appeal to me, plus the range of other permanents it can nail (other Lilis, Bitterblossoms, float mana in response to a Blood Moon, etc.).
SB -
I would consider both of those suggestions. The Fulminator number was more dictated by local card availability, as two is really what I've been able to find. I could see myself running more, but I'm happy to keep testing with two for now. Similarly, EE is a valid option. I don't know if I agree with swapping the SB IoK maindeck over a Thoughtseize. I whiffed once with an IoK on a 4 CMC card that came down the next turn to close out the game, and that was a really, really *****ty feeling. I know the life loss is non-trivial, but I'd way rather have fewer restrictions on my targeting. Still, I'll definitely consider the input and may try testing different disruption configurations.
Life from the Loam -
Interesting question, as it seems like an obvious inclusion in the deck. Indeed, when I was initially testing it was a two-of in the main deck, as I assumed it would work well with Smallpox. However, in practice, I found that I didn't get enough tangible benefit from the Loam effect. My curve tops out at 3, and the only card that really benefits from Loam is Bloodghast being returned off of landfall triggers, but that seems inevitable off of natural draws, anyway. In the end, I think Loam felt like it was losing me tempo for not enough tangible benefit. This deck is already crafted to be good in a resource poor environment, so I didn't feel like I needed to compensate. I would consider Loam again if I was also going to try going for a Raven's Crime lock, but I consider the targeted disruption of IoK and Thoughtseize to be more valuable effects than letting the opponent select their card, plus full hand information is very valuable.
Apologies for the double-post. I was already in the midst of writing my reply to Throst54 when BK-V's post went up, and it seems more appropriate to quote and reply to it separately rather than make an edit at this point.
BK-V
I hear where you're coming from on the "haymakers vs. grind" comment, but I'm not sure I agree that it is how my deck is configured to operate. I'll address a few of my card choices individually (going over the suggestions you made and what my reasoning around their inclusion was) but first, I want to point out that I consider combo decks to be my absolute best match-up, which was part of the appeal in building this style of deck in the current Modern metagame. The list I have is very good at attacking a combo player's most important resources, which are cards in hand. Between 5 one-mana hand disruption spells, 4 Smallpoxes, and the Liliana of the Veils, it is really easy to keep an opponent in top-deck mode, which is where Bitterblossom shines, and combo has a really awkward time trying to dig their way back out.
Courser of Kruphix - This was never really on my radar as an inclusion. I agree that it is a strong card, but as a card advantage engine it is a little slow to get rolling. That said, the main drawback is actually the GG in the casting cost. The question I have to ask myself is, if I bring Courser in, what am I taking out? In that regard, Finks seems like the only slot I could make the swap into, and Finks is much better at having an immediate impact as well as being durable vs removal and Smallpox casts, so I think it has the edge as a choice.
Vengevine - Doesn't fit at all. I will almost never be casting multiple creatures in a turn, especially because (as mentioned) this deck quickly pushes the game into top-deck mode for both players. Lili +1 all day, every day
Tarmogoyf - This one is tricky. Obviously any modern deck playing Green should consider this card during the design process. The slot this got trumped in was Bitterblossom. Bitterblossom is the incremental advantage engine the deck leans on to snowball in a resource poor environment. It also puts much more strain on opposing removal as enchantment removal is much less common than creature removal, making it harder to interact with. Smallpox is another 2 drop that is non-negotiable, as it's the central design concept! Abrupt Decay is just too strong of a reactive card, and really helps to shut down Twin (take that, end step flashed Deceiver Exarch), so I'm hesitant to run any fewer than max. Scavenging Ooze is likely the closest card to being "negotiable", but I like Scooze for the ability to interact with any graveyard play over just the body of 'Goyf. In the end this is a very efficient threat that just doesn't quite justify its presence as well as the other choices.
Doran, the Siege Tower - An interesting idea, for sure. The two things keeping me from wanting to go in on this are A) the tri-colour casting cost, meaning potentially awkward draws for my deck that is otherwise 80% black, 10% green, 10% white, and B) none of my other threats are have a high toughness to power ratio, meaning this would actually be most likely to aid my opponents more than it does me. Those other threats are definitely where I want to be, as Bloodghast in particular is probably the strongest threat available in the world of Smallpox.
Knight of the Reliquary - This is easily the most interesting option to include for a number of reasons, and I'm not convinced I shouldn't be playing it... I just don't know what I would move to fit it in. Kitchen Finks is a critically important card for this deck, because the life-gain is super relevant with all of the damage I'm taking from my mana base, Bitterblossom, and Smallpox. Liliana of the Veil is also a really critical card, so I wonder where in my list I can make some cuts to fit KotR in. Thoughts for what I can cut include some number of Tragic Slip, Dismember, Maelstrom Pulse(I feel like this should stay), or possibly a single Scavenging Ooze. The other concern is that it will necessitate significant changes to the mana-base. The mana isn't set in stone, but I'd need to think hard about how I can still meet the requirements, as the list currently runs a comparatively small number of Forests and Plains (5 total) as G and W are both "splash" colours in the deck. That said, KotR has great synergy with many deck elements. I'm especially fond of the capability for its ability to get a Bloodghast back out of the 'yard in a pinch, which might be all the justification I need.
I basically wanted to see if the archangel/spike feeder combo is good without tutor effects. No they are not good with out tutor effects. Archangel is pretty much win more and you have to put crappy cards in your deck like auriok champion and spike feeder to make it work.
I choose not to put goyf in the deck to make the deck less reliant on the graveyard. And I wanted to have RIP in the board. People brought in relics vs my deck which was amusing. RIP was pretty bad in my experience since every time I had it out I had a 2/2 ooze. I think 4 oozes + cage is probably enough graveyard hate.
The auriok champions were okay. I am short some white sources so they are somewhat hard to cast. I won game 1 vs twin since I had 2 of them out. And the auriok champion attacked through the storm deck and made empty the warrens awkward.
If I were to make changes to the deck, i'd probably cut the maelstrom pulse for a hierarch. And probably play more sweepers/removal/threats in the sideboard, removing the souls, liliana and fulminators. I had too many hands that didn't do anything since I could only cast 1 spell per turn, or didn't have the right colored mana.
@SoundReason, I agree with your analysis about the cards I suggested. I'm not an expert an analyzing mana bases, but if you are capable of finding a way to incorporate KotR and/or Tarmogoyf. I think you will find much more consistency with your deck and an increased win percentage. Based on what you stated, I'm actually trying to figure out a way of working lingering souls/Bitterblossom into my main board. Such good tech vs. so many match ups and never a dead card vs. any matchup.
Edit: Updated deck list
(Creatures: 14)
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Dark Confidant
3 scavenging ooze
3 Courser of Kruphix
(Non-Creature spells: 22)
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 thoughtseize
3 path to exile
4 abrupt decay
3 glittering Wish
4 Liliana of the Veil
3 Bitterblossom
3 Damping Matrix
1 thoughtseize
2 damnation
1 castigate
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Fulminator Mage
1 Sigarda, host of herons
1 Culling Sun
1 pure // simple
1 fracturing gust
1 Loxodon Smiter
1 Loxodon Hierarch
+3 Bitterblossom
-1 thoughtseize
-1 Doran
-1 Victim of Night
Sideboard
+1 Loxodon Smiter
-1 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
I'll see how this plays. Unfortunately Ajani would whiff occasionally with his searching, which is especially frustrating when he reveals bitter blossom. So I had to cut him due to consistency issues. Smiter takes over as the "Control hoser"
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