So I took Sisters for a spin at a tourney with 41 players and a 2nd round bye at Pitt on the line...
Before I tell you what my record was, I want to say a couple things: First, the deck is very good. Second, it needs the right player. I was not that player today, and I will explain why.
Round 1: Infect
After all the gaming I have done, I have never played against Infect with Sisters. Lost game one by a turn (we were both on the turn four clock and he was on the play, one more turn was game over on my end). I took games 2 and 3 handily. (Bobo, I see your recent post... I thought it was an auto-loss for me, until I played several blockers. My opponent scooped one game to Spellskite... I don't feel like it's a great matchup, but I was very happy to win this one).
Round 2: UW Control
DRAW. LOL. We almost did not get to game three. Return to the Ranks would have been amazing...
Round 3: Jund
DRAW. One turn away from swinging with lethal. I think I attacked Liliana once at the wrong time, because that attack was the one attack that would have sealed the game. I actually conceded game 2 because I felt like I had a very good chance of winning the match if we just went to game 3. Also... for Cavern of Souls haters... it came back to bite me big time in Game Three. I had two plains and a Cavern in play during a very crucial turn... and Spectral Procession was in my hand. That would have been a win.
Round 4: Twin
Okay. I played a Twin player I had played against before. I won the first time we played at a big tournament. I was... I was mentally checked out. I had played almost three straight hours of Magic without a break, and I couldn't handle it. I was a poor sport, and even walked a sister into a Snapcaster Mage... it was that bad. I was an jerk to my opponent, but he was nice enough, and I gave him some store credit for putting up with me and forgiving me for being a jerk.
I went home after that. 1-1-2. It was a six-rounder with cut to T8, and there were a lot of burn players I did not get to see. I feel that a player who played a second faster every turn with Sisters would have won all those matches. I had to mulligan only once, ant it was in my last round. I think the deck took a long time to pilot, and I have prized with it at a big tournament before, but lost to myself. With the right player, this deck can do very well. I feel like one of you could do better with the same exact deck at a big tournament. I honestly won't play with another deck now in Modern, unless I know the meta is soft to 8Rack (lol... I know). I don't want to play mirror matches, and I don't want to spend the money on cards like Goyf... I can't find a way to justify for me, though I know it's a great card and worth it.
I have decided on non-negotiable sideboards cards for my version of the deck:
2 Leyline of Sanctity
1 (maybe 2) Mark of Asylum
1 or two Mirran Crusader
2 Spellskite
2 Stony Silence
1 (or 2) Rest in Peace
I brought a copy of Sunlance and brought it in against Infect but did not see it. I think the card would have been good if if I played against Elves, Burn, and would have been good against Infect.
I had Return to the Ranks in my deck until the last minute, and wish that I brought it. One of the big changes I made to my deck was taking out the Archangel of Thune completely... I have never been able to play it consistently in serious matches... I think only once or twice. Great card when I'm playing casually...
You guys can win with this deck. I played against some good players today... and I will tell you from experience, most people who play against Sisters feel a bit awkward because it's just not something they can predict easily. We just had two decklists from players who did well in state tournaments, and I feel like all of you can just take a chance and take it to the next level... I can't play Magic for several hours straight. I get worn down from it. I know how to play this deck pretty dang well, and I am always confident with it... but I lose games to myself. The deck has a lot going for it and a lot of surprises, not to mention an amazing sideboard.
One more thing... Ghost Quarter. The card must be in the deck.
(I would provide my decklist but I don't know how to make it look nice and tidy on here).
Do not be too hard on yourself man, I am one of those guys who refrain from taking part in any tournament because I do not have the stamina to play long stretches of any game. I get instantly exhausted if one of the first 2 opponents I meet happens to be those durdlily / trash talking / attempts to cheat every turn types.
Personally, I was never a fan of Archangel of Thrune even though her power is proven. I always felt that she fitted better in BW Tokens because that is a Midrange deck and Soul Sisters is more of a Aggro deck.
As for Return of the Ranks, yes, it should definitely be a one-off mainboard and possibly another copy in sideboard. I never left home without it.
I actually played against nice opponents, and I can only think of a handful of times where I played against an opponent who was not a good sport. I was actually a bad sport... during the twin matchup, I stormed away from the table for a moment to cool myself down.... my opponent did absolutely nothing wrong except win, lol. I think I was frustrated with two consecutive draws, and then may have been somewhat arrogant going up against twin, and then... it was a bit of an overload for me. My opponent was graceful enough to forgive me. I called over the judge and asked for a penalty in case I made it to another round, and ended up giving my opponent some store cred (he didn't want anything from me but I did it anyway without him knowing). I did not make it to another round... I was mentally checked out and really needed a break. I guess maybe I could have gone 3-1-2, and MAYBE squeaked in, but I doubt it. It was time for me to go home. This game does not need bad sportsmanship; I think I simply overloaded from all the heavy Magic matches. The games were actually a lot of fun... I had just reached my limit.
So the Soul Sisters deck is good, but there is a difference between a good player and a good deck. I have played in lengthy tournaments before and made it pretty high, only to just burn out completely near the end. I have no reservations about the majority of Magic players or tournaments, because it is more rare for me to come across someone who is a bit salty... and most of the time, that happens when I play with 8Rack anyway lol. I like to play grindier decks, even in Standard...
I sometimes try to assuage my opponents a bit when I know the opponent is a bit locked out. I want games to be fun for both of us.
I use fetches. I use black for Lingering Souls, but the deck is still technically Mono-White.
Flagstones of Trokair are very good, and work great with Ghost Quarter. It's arguably better to use the Flagstones in this deck rather than the fetches... However, I like the fetches... I can't verify that it makes a strategic difference, other than the fact that I want to cut down on the chance that I will play against Blood Moon (imagine having Flagstones in play, a plains, a GQ or another Flagstones in your hand... not good). I like the fetches because it will immediately pull a card out of the deck instead of waiting...
The mana base for this deck isn't the easiest, sometimes. I think you should do the fetches OR the Flagstones.
The card that I have found to be the most underwhelming in the meta is Ajani's Pridemate. I want try two Secure the Wastes and two Archangels, and maybe take out a Cavern of Souls for another Windbrisk Heights. A part of me wonders if going WIDE is better than the easily killed Pridemate. Brave the Elements would help the Pridemate a lot, I think, but it's so easily killed in response to triggers, etc.
I just wonder if I can hit that turn four or five Archangel... drop it off Heights during an attack and it becomes an immediate anthem effect that can pump more than once, depending on how many sisters you have out. I feel like all the creature pressure from the tokens has been huge for this deck, and the Pridemate... not so much. I think the next time I get to test, I will try this new combo of cards just for the heck of it.
Is it worth putting fetches like Windswept Heath when you're just playing Mono White SS ?
Never use fetches if you're not splashing. The deck thinning is negligible, and we can't abuse the graveyard. I only run 4 fetches because I splash green for the sideboard, and the 3 GQ + 4 Flagstones help the mana considerably.
I'm running an orzhov version of this deck, only with the flicker package from D&T to help with the incremental lifegain, but I keep getting denied by the counterspells twin and delver keep playing. The tempo is really intense and my board state dies to their burn/removal. Any suggestions?
Be careful with Flagstones if you lean on Rest in Peace in the sideboard, as you should.
Both of those decks struggle when we land creatures, so stick your creatures in the first 2 turns and then make them answer them before playing more. Watch for them to tap before landing what you think is your game ender. Two sisters on board is almost a lock for those two decks, so jam them down turn one and turn and then make them tap mana and lose cards by just drawing your card and passing. You don't have to play anything on their terms.
Last Friday, I realized just how nice Brave The Elements can be. Worth testing a Brave or two in the main to see if it works in your meta. It probably will if you have a lot of decks that go wide (Elves, Tokens) instead of big, as you can get a big Pridemate and then just name their color and swing through. Would have won me games back to back against Elves.
The only time Cavern of Souls is bad is when you want to cast spectral on turn three, which is kind of s big deal lol. Otherwise it does not hurt the deck to have it in there, since all the other non creature spells do not have double white. But yeah... It hurt one time in a moment that cost me... But for one card I don't know if I can justify taking it out because that is the only time it has been impossible for me to cast spectral. Having any of your creatures countered really hurts this deck because we don't have graveyard shenanigans unless you have return to the ranks main board. I recommend cavern of souls but I don't think it is a must for everyone.
When we ran Martyr, Ranger was more about getting the exact card we want, not just getting "more cards." Now that we're not running Martyr as often, it's worth testing. When I build the deck, it only has 16 targets, though. I would hate to spend 4 mana and not get two creatures out of it.
Any tips on playing vs control decks ? I know vs control, it's a rough match up for us... so I was wondering how should we play this deck against control, so we can have a chance of getting the win. Thanks!
You know I will say CAVERN OF SOULS... lol. In all seriousness, it helps, but it's not the cure or anything against control.
Even if you have Cavern, game two... be careful. Slow-play... Lingering Souls or Secure the Wastes are your best friends here, because board sweepers are hard to recover from. Ranger of Eos helps, too. Resist the impulse to go all-in and play all of your cards.
The matchup can become very complicated. UW Control, or even RWU control, run Supreme Verdict in the main sometimes. Ajani Vengeant and Jace are a pain, and you need a bit of luck to get the win against them (and Honor of the Pure... this power of Honor of the Pure against control is significant, to say the least).
Let me give you a scenario: Against RWU (I always called it RED-WHITE-BLUE just because), I ran into a scenario where we I had control of the board, but a Celestial Colonnade was able to swing for damage (because I needed the one attacked to deal serious damage). My opponent NEEDED Supreme Verdict, and I was... out of cards, to say the least. I became aggressive toward the middle of the game and it nearly cost me. I had a Path to Exile in my hand, and that was it. We were both a turn away from killing each other, depending on how things played out. If I used PATH TO EXILE on his Colonnade (it was a relevant play), I risked him playing REMAND and drawing a card. He actually cast a Snapcaster Mage a turn before and used Remand on HIMSELF because he needed Supreme Verdict. I ended up taking that game, but it came down to those last two turns. We both took huge risks and my gamble was lucky.
After I drop four lands, I will typically hold most of my lands for the rest of the game, unless I need to play Ranger, land, Sister. I guess it depends on the matchup, anyway. Return to the Ranks is a very relevant card against most control decks. Mark of Asylum and/or Burrenton Forge-Tender help a lot, too... though I prefer Mark of Asylum because there is far less enchantment hate and it stonewalls a lot of cards. Mark of Asylum is also sort of a surprise for most opponents... most of them pick up the card and read it... it's a card I hate to have in my sideboard, but when I play it, it feels very, very good.
CoCo is a horrid mana investment. We can get a potential 2 CMC advantage (6CMC worth for 4 CMC). We don't run any 3 CMC cards, and while it gives us card advantage, we only get 2 1/1s, or a Pridemate.
Agreed about Coco, it's not a good fit in the deck due to lack of 3CMC creatures. Given the presence of 1 and 2 mana creatures, though, what do you guys think about Aether Vial? It would make Windbrisk activations easier, and the uncounterable factor seems good.
Adding onto conversation about playing vs control, I think Return is great if they tap out and you have a board presence, but that's asking a lot in the matchup. Maybe a 1-of Boseiju in the SB? We can certainly spare the life. If not, I'd rather run RiP against any control that abuses the graveyard (UW, UWR, Grixis). Cavern seems great, especially if you're running Souls over Procession and don't need to worry about WWW.
So I took Sisters for a spin at a tourney with 41 players and a 2nd round bye at Pitt on the line...
Before I tell you what my record was, I want to say a couple things: First, the deck is very good. Second, it needs the right player. I was not that player today, and I will explain why.
Round 1: Infect
After all the gaming I have done, I have never played against Infect with Sisters. Lost game one by a turn (we were both on the turn four clock and he was on the play, one more turn was game over on my end). I took games 2 and 3 handily. (Bobo, I see your recent post... I thought it was an auto-loss for me, until I played several blockers. My opponent scooped one game to Spellskite... I don't feel like it's a great matchup, but I was very happy to win this one).
Round 2: UW Control
DRAW. LOL. We almost did not get to game three. Return to the Ranks would have been amazing...
Round 3: Jund
DRAW. One turn away from swinging with lethal. I think I attacked Liliana once at the wrong time, because that attack was the one attack that would have sealed the game. I actually conceded game 2 because I felt like I had a very good chance of winning the match if we just went to game 3. Also... for Cavern of Souls haters... it came back to bite me big time in Game Three. I had two plains and a Cavern in play during a very crucial turn... and Spectral Procession was in my hand. That would have been a win.
Round 4: Twin
Okay. I played a Twin player I had played against before. I won the first time we played at a big tournament. I was... I was mentally checked out. I had played almost three straight hours of Magic without a break, and I couldn't handle it. I was a poor sport, and even walked a sister into a Snapcaster Mage... it was that bad. I was an jerk to my opponent, but he was nice enough, and I gave him some store credit for putting up with me and forgiving me for being a jerk.
I went home after that. 1-1-2. It was a six-rounder with cut to T8, and there were a lot of burn players I did not get to see. I feel that a player who played a second faster every turn with Sisters would have won all those matches. I had to mulligan only once, ant it was in my last round. I think the deck took a long time to pilot, and I have prized with it at a big tournament before, but lost to myself. With the right player, this deck can do very well. I feel like one of you could do better with the same exact deck at a big tournament. I honestly won't play with another deck now in Modern, unless I know the meta is soft to 8Rack (lol... I know). I don't want to play mirror matches, and I don't want to spend the money on cards like Goyf... I can't find a way to justify for me, though I know it's a great card and worth it.
I have decided on non-negotiable sideboards cards for my version of the deck:
2 Leyline of Sanctity
1 (maybe 2) Mark of Asylum
1 or two Mirran Crusader
2 Spellskite
2 Stony Silence
1 (or 2) Rest in Peace
I brought a copy of Sunlance and brought it in against Infect but did not see it. I think the card would have been good if if I played against Elves, Burn, and would have been good against Infect.
I had Return to the Ranks in my deck until the last minute, and wish that I brought it. One of the big changes I made to my deck was taking out the Archangel of Thune completely... I have never been able to play it consistently in serious matches... I think only once or twice. Great card when I'm playing casually...
You guys can win with this deck. I played against some good players today... and I will tell you from experience, most people who play against Sisters feel a bit awkward because it's just not something they can predict easily. We just had two decklists from players who did well in state tournaments, and I feel like all of you can just take a chance and take it to the next level... I can't play Magic for several hours straight. I get worn down from it. I know how to play this deck pretty dang well, and I am always confident with it... but I lose games to myself. The deck has a lot going for it and a lot of surprises, not to mention an amazing sideboard.
One more thing... Ghost Quarter. The card must be in the deck.
(I would provide my decklist but I don't know how to make it look nice and tidy on here).
Do not be too hard on yourself man, I am one of those guys who refrain from taking part in any tournament because I do not have the stamina to play long stretches of any game. I get instantly exhausted if one of the first 2 opponents I meet happens to be those durdlily / trash talking / attempts to cheat every turn types.
I was like this until I started ignoring my opponents entirely after I confirmed the dice roll. Players do stuff like that on purpose. The state of the battlefield is all that matters. All my opponent gets out of me now are my eyes staring down his manabase.
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Do not be too hard on yourself man, I am one of those guys who refrain from taking part in any tournament because I do not have the stamina to play long stretches of any game. I get instantly exhausted if one of the first 2 opponents I meet happens to be those durdlily / trash talking / attempts to cheat every turn types.
Personally, I was never a fan of Archangel of Thrune even though her power is proven. I always felt that she fitted better in BW Tokens because that is a Midrange deck and Soul Sisters is more of a Aggro deck.
As for Return of the Ranks, yes, it should definitely be a one-off mainboard and possibly another copy in sideboard. I never left home without it.
Active thread contributor of Jeskai Prowess Tempo
UWR Control
Legacy:
W D&T
So the Soul Sisters deck is good, but there is a difference between a good player and a good deck. I have played in lengthy tournaments before and made it pretty high, only to just burn out completely near the end. I have no reservations about the majority of Magic players or tournaments, because it is more rare for me to come across someone who is a bit salty... and most of the time, that happens when I play with 8Rack anyway lol. I like to play grindier decks, even in Standard...
I sometimes try to assuage my opponents a bit when I know the opponent is a bit locked out. I want games to be fun for both of us.
Flagstones of Trokair are very good, and work great with Ghost Quarter. It's arguably better to use the Flagstones in this deck rather than the fetches... However, I like the fetches... I can't verify that it makes a strategic difference, other than the fact that I want to cut down on the chance that I will play against Blood Moon (imagine having Flagstones in play, a plains, a GQ or another Flagstones in your hand... not good). I like the fetches because it will immediately pull a card out of the deck instead of waiting...
The mana base for this deck isn't the easiest, sometimes. I think you should do the fetches OR the Flagstones.
I just wonder if I can hit that turn four or five Archangel... drop it off Heights during an attack and it becomes an immediate anthem effect that can pump more than once, depending on how many sisters you have out. I feel like all the creature pressure from the tokens has been huge for this deck, and the Pridemate... not so much. I think the next time I get to test, I will try this new combo of cards just for the heck of it.
Never use fetches if you're not splashing. The deck thinning is negligible, and we can't abuse the graveyard. I only run 4 fetches because I splash green for the sideboard, and the 3 GQ + 4 Flagstones help the mana considerably.
UWR Control
Legacy:
W D&T
Both of those decks struggle when we land creatures, so stick your creatures in the first 2 turns and then make them answer them before playing more. Watch for them to tap before landing what you think is your game ender. Two sisters on board is almost a lock for those two decks, so jam them down turn one and turn and then make them tap mana and lose cards by just drawing your card and passing. You don't have to play anything on their terms.
Last Friday, I realized just how nice Brave The Elements can be. Worth testing a Brave or two in the main to see if it works in your meta. It probably will if you have a lot of decks that go wide (Elves, Tokens) instead of big, as you can get a big Pridemate and then just name their color and swing through. Would have won me games back to back against Elves.
Even if you have Cavern, game two... be careful. Slow-play... Lingering Souls or Secure the Wastes are your best friends here, because board sweepers are hard to recover from. Ranger of Eos helps, too. Resist the impulse to go all-in and play all of your cards.
The matchup can become very complicated. UW Control, or even RWU control, run Supreme Verdict in the main sometimes. Ajani Vengeant and Jace are a pain, and you need a bit of luck to get the win against them (and Honor of the Pure... this power of Honor of the Pure against control is significant, to say the least).
Let me give you a scenario: Against RWU (I always called it RED-WHITE-BLUE just because), I ran into a scenario where we I had control of the board, but a Celestial Colonnade was able to swing for damage (because I needed the one attacked to deal serious damage). My opponent NEEDED Supreme Verdict, and I was... out of cards, to say the least. I became aggressive toward the middle of the game and it nearly cost me. I had a Path to Exile in my hand, and that was it. We were both a turn away from killing each other, depending on how things played out. If I used PATH TO EXILE on his Colonnade (it was a relevant play), I risked him playing REMAND and drawing a card. He actually cast a Snapcaster Mage a turn before and used Remand on HIMSELF because he needed Supreme Verdict. I ended up taking that game, but it came down to those last two turns. We both took huge risks and my gamble was lucky.
After I drop four lands, I will typically hold most of my lands for the rest of the game, unless I need to play Ranger, land, Sister. I guess it depends on the matchup, anyway. Return to the Ranks is a very relevant card against most control decks. Mark of Asylum and/or Burrenton Forge-Tender help a lot, too... though I prefer Mark of Asylum because there is far less enchantment hate and it stonewalls a lot of cards. Mark of Asylum is also sort of a surprise for most opponents... most of them pick up the card and read it... it's a card I hate to have in my sideboard, but when I play it, it feels very, very good.
UWR Control
Legacy:
W D&T
I experimented with CoCo for one hot minute in this deck and hated it. The build is dramatically different.
I was like this until I started ignoring my opponents entirely after I confirmed the dice roll. Players do stuff like that on purpose. The state of the battlefield is all that matters. All my opponent gets out of me now are my eyes staring down his manabase.
Signature by Rivenor of Miraculous Recovery Signatures
"In response.. Mana Leak?"
"Every game loss is due to your inability to interact with your opponent"