So guys, I was reading the sticky at the top of this forum on what makes a tier 2 deck.
And infect is considered tier 2 strictly because of the appearance on magic online. But upon closer inspection infect no longer meets the posted requirements on the sub-forum.
It needed 12 or more 4-0 finishes or 3-1 finishes in a given 6 month period in dailys.
According to mtg goldfish infect has not met these requirements this year.
It does not meet any other requirement ( like the top 8 at pro tour or 1.5% meta of day 2 Grand Prix in a given period)
So is this now a tier 3 deck?
Not asking if it's a tier 3 deck in your opinion, or your opinion on how well it does at your local game store.
Asking if it should be re- classified under deck creation rather than "established" under this websites strict standards for deck classification.
Humorous update, this AM I killed Karn with Birds of Paradise, a first for me. RG tron and he landed Karn turn 3 after my agent had just hit for 9. Exile agent, Birds kill karn, drop Glistener, all is dust, lands new Karn, lands some eldrazi that kills land etb, scoop. Games 1 had elf with assault strobe, giant+mutagenic on turn 2. Game three he scoops on turn 3. I've moved to a RUG build, agent is just so good.
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Modern UB Tezzerator UBW Gifts B 8Rack
Legacy RB Goblins
I don't play MTGO, but I do grind as many paper events as humanly possible while maintaining a 40-hour a week job. I'm also relatively new to this game (started playing at the end of the 'Theros' set, prior to BtG), but I have caught on very quickly and do little aside from Magic and hang with my girlfriend. Thus, I've amassed this 75 that I'll be entering at GP Worcester-Boston in roughly a week and a half. This is my metagame call for this GP; going into the Modern Mayhem events at GP Washington DC last month, my call was a B/W Hatebears 'Death and Taxes'-style list, focusing on combat tricks involving Aether Vial, Restoration Angel, Kitchen Finks, and that cast of characters. I wanted a deck that had raw power; I saw that in Round 1 of the Modern Mayhem event (in which I ended up 2-3, drop, Denny's). I'd seen this guy somewhere in Magic coverage on Youtube somewhere before, but the name didn't sound familiar when I went back to look it up on my DCI records. Nevertheless, he crushed me on turn 3 in both rounds, and while I realize it's a bad match for the particular deck I was playing, I knew if I was going to play a deck in this format that didn't have Lightning Bolt in it, I wanted to be playing a deck that had Glistener Elf in it.
I took Tom Ross's list as a good starting point. I felt that it was geared a lot for a Minneapolis-style metagame, something really post-Richmond (which was either amazing for a Fish player, or horrible, as was my experience at my first Grand Prix, en route to 1-3 drop). I didn't feel that Viridian Corrupter in the 75 would suffice in a meta as large as Worcester, and my LGS meta is very reflective of a larger event meta like this. Rather, I have opted for 3 Gitaxian Probe (turn 1 information is essential with this deck), and 2 maindeck Spellskite. Rather than opting for a speed finish with this deck, you have to be willing to 'grind' to turns 5-8, and to do so, you really need to shut off removal, and certain game-ending effects (Splinter Twin). Why drop a game one without an answer anywhere in your 60 when you absolutely did not have to? My maindeck Simic Charm is a direct response to Electrolyze, and Wild Defiance is just too good to not have access to 4-of in my 75.
I am open to any and all feedback. I've put nearly every hour I can testing this deck vs. top meta proxies with players far more experienced than I for the past three weeks now, and the only seriously rough matchups I come across are RUG Twin and comboless UWR. Affinity is not a terrible matchup, and the Pod matchup is okay, so long as you don't see T2 Melira, Sylvok Outcast (let's get there, Blighted Agent.)
(Note: My last big decisions are whether or not some number of Dismember are actually needed in the 75, and whether to also include Spell Pierce or Spell Snare somewhere in the 75. These are all cards that have been either maindeck or sideboarded at some point or another within this build, but are not currently, most recent being Twisted Image coming into the sideboard over Spell Snare. Any feedback in regards to these inquiries is especially appreciated.)
so you want people to critique on a decklist that you built for your local competitive meta? how is anyone going to make a suggestion without knowing how the grand prix decks play in your region?
not to mention, you're most likely going to shoot down any suggestions immediately.
why not just post your list, delete the entire blurb about your life story, what you and your girlfriend like to do on weekends, and tell us how you did at the grand prix in great detail? AFTER you get back.
when you head to the grand prix, take notes on what you play and share it here!
just grab a sign in blood brand notepad and write down the deck archetype where you kept your life total and then come on here and post memorable plays and such
Does anyone have a RUG list they've been running? I'm very interested in adding Ghor Clan Rampager and Assault Strobe to the UG list I've been running for some extra speed. I'm worried that the deck would lose too much of its protection and evasion with adding red. Are there more issues that arise with keeping things alive?
Relative to each other, RUG would be more like a super aggressive combo deck, while UG is usually more like a tempo deck that gets a threat and protects it. Both obviously want to win on/by turn 4 in most cases; so, the differences aren't going to be all too vast.
To really push the deck's speed with RUG, has anyone thought about or tried Simian Spirit Guide? This would probably push the deck all the way into the combo realm, but a turn 1 Blighted Agent can't hurt.
so you want people to critique on a decklist that you built for your local competitive meta? how is anyone going to make a suggestion without knowing how the grand prix decks play in your region?
not to mention, you're most likely going to shoot down any suggestions immediately.
why not just post your list, delete the entire blurb about your life story, what you and your girlfriend like to do on weekends, and tell us how you did at the grand prix in great detail? AFTER you get back.
when you head to the grand prix, take notes on what you play and share it here!
just grab a sign in blood brand notepad and write down the deck archetype where you kept your life total and then come on here and post memorable plays and such
Well, I wasn't trying to ruffle any feathers, I just didn't know if this was a list worthwhile of taking to GP. I've done the testing and whatnot against the top tier decks, and it seems to perform well enough, I'm just really new to the game still, so I wanted input. I'm not going to shoot anyone's suggestions down; I haven't even been playing the game for a year yet. I'll just keep my mouth shut until I go, then.
I figured this was an okay community to pitch some ideas to. Sorry I'm not an old-timer elitist, I just want to talk about some Magic.
Hi everyone. I've been following this thread for sometime, and I decided to finally build MonoGreen Infect on paper after getting good results practicing online (9-3 in matches against metagame decks). Is the following list okay?
so you want people to critique on a decklist that you built for your local competitive meta? how is anyone going to make a suggestion without knowing how the grand prix decks play in your region?
not to mention, you're most likely going to shoot down any suggestions immediately.
why not just post your list, delete the entire blurb about your life story, what you and your girlfriend like to do on weekends, and tell us how you did at the grand prix in great detail? AFTER you get back.
when you head to the grand prix, take notes on what you play and share it here!
just grab a sign in blood brand notepad and write down the deck archetype where you kept your life total and then come on here and post memorable plays and such
Well, I wasn't trying to ruffle any feathers, I just didn't know if this was a list worthwhile of taking to GP. I've done the testing and whatnot against the top tier decks, and it seems to perform well enough, I'm just really new to the game still, so I wanted input. I'm not going to shoot anyone's suggestions down; I haven't even been playing the game for a year yet. I'll just keep my mouth shut until I go, then.
I figured this was an okay community to pitch some ideas to. Sorry I'm not an old-timer elitist, I just want to talk about some Magic.
well im not trying to be mean, i can tell from the attitude you're not really open to suggestions
like if someone told you that generally it's not a good idea to run so many 1-ofs and half answers to everything
your go to answer isn't going to be "sure! thanks!"
it's going to be i play-tested this for 3 weeks against proxies!!!! I KNOW MY DECK!!!!
i mean why waste the time, in that case your deck looks great. GOOD LUCK. why knows maybe the secret to getting an infect list to day 2 on the grand prix is to run a singlton version of the meta-deck. who knows, maybe your meta is 100% G/R Tron infects best matchup and you go 8-0 on day 1 and are in contention for first who knows
so you want people to critique on a decklist that you built for your local competitive meta? how is anyone going to make a suggestion without knowing how the grand prix decks play in your region?
not to mention, you're most likely going to shoot down any suggestions immediately.
why not just post your list, delete the entire blurb about your life story, what you and your girlfriend like to do on weekends, and tell us how you did at the grand prix in great detail? AFTER you get back.
when you head to the grand prix, take notes on what you play and share it here!
just grab a sign in blood brand notepad and write down the deck archetype where you kept your life total and then come on here and post memorable plays and such
Well, I wasn't trying to ruffle any feathers, I just didn't know if this was a list worthwhile of taking to GP. I've done the testing and whatnot against the top tier decks, and it seems to perform well enough, I'm just really new to the game still, so I wanted input. I'm not going to shoot anyone's suggestions down; I haven't even been playing the game for a year yet. I'll just keep my mouth shut until I go, then.
I figured this was an okay community to pitch some ideas to. Sorry I'm not an old-timer elitist, I just want to talk about some Magic.
Your decklist is pretty good in my opinion. Not everyone in this community is an old-timer elitist. I play quite a similar list. I can confirm:
Spell pierce is a solid card, Id recommend 1-2 in your 75. Dispel is another option, although I personally prefer pierce.
Dismember is not necessarily needed as a 4-of, but it does really help in many matchups. Ive been playing 2 main/2 side, but 1 main/2 side or 2 main/1 side could also be correct. If its a card you want vs pod, twin, jund, and affinity, its probably good enough to maineck.
Twisted image is great. Id recommend 2 side.
I have found UWR control to be a good matchup for the deck. I face competent UWR players on a regular basis and feel even to favored. You have 4 wild defiance, which is great vs them. If you are really scared of this matchup, dispel over pierce will help, but honestly it may be either your playstyle or your decklist choices holding you back.
RUG twin can be tough. One of the biggest weaknesses in your list is tormod's crypt over relic of progenitus. You shrink goyf's. They often bring in spellskite, so you may want twisted image anyways, and image+relic kills a goyf (cast image first). You also turn off snapcaster and grim lavamancer. If you make the switch to relic, the matchup should be close. Good luck at the GP. If you are interested in more detailed advice let me know.
Im not saying I am the best player of anything, but my record with U/G infect at FNM's is 58-12 and in the only PTQs Ive played in I used it both times to go 6-2 and 6-1-1 (Top 4), which I think shows the deck is pretty reasonable. I feel comfortable playing just about anything.
Also, lingering souls junk may be on the rise. Just one more reason relic may be a good idea. You can find my list earlier in the thread. If it interests you, or you have questions about my advice, Ill try to answer.
not sure i can agree with some of the mainboard quantities. such as the spell pierce, seems like the random 1 of spell pierce would just get lost in the 75
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Hey guys! Been playing mono-G for a while and I sometimes got pissed at being locked off G because of the many colorless sources we run, but what was more common was not being able to have GG early on, either for a double pump or for a kicked Vines of Vastwood. Even running 4x Sylvan scrying, as Magnus has advised, would not significantly help to fix the issue of colorless hands since the spell itself costs G already, so... There comes the idea: I'm trying a 2/2 split 'tween Sylvan Scrying and Expedition map tonight. Cons (obvious): it costs 1 more in the long run. Pros: helps us play out even in colorless hands; can be cracked end-of-turn if no pump or protection have been needed and to fetch the best answer possible to the new board state -- which fits the mono-G mindset of grinding it out slow(lier) but sure(lier), I think. Note: how often are we playing Sylvan scrying turn 2 anyway? We have many creature T2 plays. I found myself more often relying on Sylvan Scrying as mid or late game fuel or fetch for the right bullet to close. Expedition map can play that same role. Also noteworthy that the map is a good T1 play, something we don't have too many of, also making the 3 total easier to cope with. Just idea storming, let me know what you think! I'll let you know how it rolls
not sure i can agree with some of the mainboard quantities. such as the spell pierce, seems like the random 1 of spell pierce would just get lost in the 75
1 rancor? why bother with rancor at all?
Hi TheRogue, did not notice you were from michigan before. The list you reference is mine.
The reason rancor is a 1-of is because I only want 1 of the effect. If you look at the list, youll notice I use sylvan scrying as an infect creature (inkmoth), and inkmoth + nexus is a lot of mana. Multiple rancor are typically bad, and it can be easy for removal heavy decks to blow you out if you use rancor. Also, growing goyf is a real risk.
So why 1 at all? I only run 2 apostle's blessing. I want enough ways to get through damage on a stalled board. With rancor, I have ~7 reasonable answers to a card like lingering souls in the maindeck (2 blessing, 1 rancor, 4 agent). Why not run a third blessing? Because, blessing is just dead in some matchups, and just is a mediocre effect in general. The only reason I run it, is because it is colorless. I like having 4 colorless spells main, so I can use my inkmoth nexus mana more effectively.
Rancor is very good against both affinity and melira out of the commonly played decks. It competes with distortion strike as a finisher type card, but I have always preferred rancor. rancor is easier to cast, and is much better in a relatively common scenario - dealing normal damage through melira. Its actually not to hard to deal 20 if you have agent + rancor vs a melira. This actually happened at the PTQ. In fact, the 1-of rancor single-handedly won me a match at each of the PTQs I played (the other match was vs jund).
To understand the maindeck spell pierce, you need to consider the deck as a whole, and not simply the 60 card maindeck. I feel strongly the deck wants a spell pierce (I certainly wouldnt fault someone for wanting 2-3 pierce/dispel), and if I put it in the sideboard I dont have that slot to play a card like nature's claim or twisted image. Also, by maindecking a card like pierce, once your opponent sees it, they will likely respect it the rest of the match, which is a slight advantage.
Speaking of T1 plays, I don't think anyone has actually played this: Ancient Stirrings. It's kind of like Sylvan Scrying in that it can get Infect creatures or Cathedral. It isn't guaranteed to get what you want, but it is cheaper. Also comparable to Sleight of Hand in UG, but Stirrings digs much deeper and lets you stay in one color.
I wouldn't play it without 4 Necropede and 4 Ichorclaw Myr though, so I'd start with a mono-green deck with 4 of both and cut two Rancors for Stirrings:
Speaking of T1 plays, I don't think anyone has actually played this: Ancient Stirrings. It's kind of like Sylvan Scrying in that it can get Infect creatures or Cathedral. It isn't guaranteed to get what you want, but it is cheaper. Also comparable to Sleight of Hand in UG, but Stirrings digs much deeper and lets you stay in one color.
I wouldn't play it without 4 Necropede and 4 Ichorclaw Myr though, so I'd start with a mono-green deck with 4 of both and cut two Rancors for Stirrings:
I tested stirrings for GP detroit. In the end, it was simply too weak. Actually, it was fine, but more problematically, it forces you to play with bad cards.
Went to a FNM of 25-ish people. Finished 3-0 with mono-G playing a 2-2 split between Sylvan scrying and Expedition map. Saw the map a couple of times and its been very good; never wished it was a Sylvan Scrying instead. It also (as anticipated) saved me from being color screwed in an otherwise good hand.
Won 2-1 against Merfolk, 2-1 against BG graveyard shanenigans homebrew revolving around Lotleth Troll, and finally 2-1 against UWR Geist, where everything happened on the stack. Will keep testing the Map split. Also contemplating Life from the loam as an engine to get back Inkmoth Nexi (1x @ SB?)
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And infect is considered tier 2 strictly because of the appearance on magic online. But upon closer inspection infect no longer meets the posted requirements on the sub-forum.
It needed 12 or more 4-0 finishes or 3-1 finishes in a given 6 month period in dailys.
According to mtg goldfish infect has not met these requirements this year.
It does not meet any other requirement ( like the top 8 at pro tour or 1.5% meta of day 2 Grand Prix in a given period)
So is this now a tier 3 deck?
Not asking if it's a tier 3 deck in your opinion, or your opinion on how well it does at your local game store.
Asking if it should be re- classified under deck creation rather than "established" under this websites strict standards for deck classification.
UB Tezzerator
UBW Gifts
B 8Rack
Legacy
RB Goblins
1 Birds of Paradise
4 Glistener Elf
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Blighted Agent
2 Spellskite
1 Distortion Strike
3 Gitaxian Probe
4 Groundswell
4 Might of Old Krosa
4 Mutagenic Growth
4 Vines of Vastwood
1 Apostle's Blessing
1 Simic Charm
2 Wild Defiance
4 Forest
4 Inkmoth Nexus
2 Pendelhaven
3 Misty Rainforest
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Hunt the Hunter
4 Nature's Claim
2 Twisted Image
1 Spellskite
2 Torpor Orb
2 Wild Defiance
I don't play MTGO, but I do grind as many paper events as humanly possible while maintaining a 40-hour a week job. I'm also relatively new to this game (started playing at the end of the 'Theros' set, prior to BtG), but I have caught on very quickly and do little aside from Magic and hang with my girlfriend. Thus, I've amassed this 75 that I'll be entering at GP Worcester-Boston in roughly a week and a half. This is my metagame call for this GP; going into the Modern Mayhem events at GP Washington DC last month, my call was a B/W Hatebears 'Death and Taxes'-style list, focusing on combat tricks involving Aether Vial, Restoration Angel, Kitchen Finks, and that cast of characters. I wanted a deck that had raw power; I saw that in Round 1 of the Modern Mayhem event (in which I ended up 2-3, drop, Denny's). I'd seen this guy somewhere in Magic coverage on Youtube somewhere before, but the name didn't sound familiar when I went back to look it up on my DCI records. Nevertheless, he crushed me on turn 3 in both rounds, and while I realize it's a bad match for the particular deck I was playing, I knew if I was going to play a deck in this format that didn't have Lightning Bolt in it, I wanted to be playing a deck that had Glistener Elf in it.
I took Tom Ross's list as a good starting point. I felt that it was geared a lot for a Minneapolis-style metagame, something really post-Richmond (which was either amazing for a Fish player, or horrible, as was my experience at my first Grand Prix, en route to 1-3 drop). I didn't feel that Viridian Corrupter in the 75 would suffice in a meta as large as Worcester, and my LGS meta is very reflective of a larger event meta like this. Rather, I have opted for 3 Gitaxian Probe (turn 1 information is essential with this deck), and 2 maindeck Spellskite. Rather than opting for a speed finish with this deck, you have to be willing to 'grind' to turns 5-8, and to do so, you really need to shut off removal, and certain game-ending effects (Splinter Twin). Why drop a game one without an answer anywhere in your 60 when you absolutely did not have to? My maindeck Simic Charm is a direct response to Electrolyze, and Wild Defiance is just too good to not have access to 4-of in my 75.
I am open to any and all feedback. I've put nearly every hour I can testing this deck vs. top meta proxies with players far more experienced than I for the past three weeks now, and the only seriously rough matchups I come across are RUG Twin and comboless UWR. Affinity is not a terrible matchup, and the Pod matchup is okay, so long as you don't see T2 Melira, Sylvok Outcast (let's get there, Blighted Agent.)
(Note: My last big decisions are whether or not some number of Dismember are actually needed in the 75, and whether to also include Spell Pierce or Spell Snare somewhere in the 75. These are all cards that have been either maindeck or sideboarded at some point or another within this build, but are not currently, most recent being Twisted Image coming into the sideboard over Spell Snare. Any feedback in regards to these inquiries is especially appreciated.)
not to mention, you're most likely going to shoot down any suggestions immediately.
why not just post your list, delete the entire blurb about your life story, what you and your girlfriend like to do on weekends, and tell us how you did at the grand prix in great detail? AFTER you get back.
when you head to the grand prix, take notes on what you play and share it here!
just grab a sign in blood brand notepad and write down the deck archetype where you kept your life total and then come on here and post memorable plays and such
Relative to each other, RUG would be more like a super aggressive combo deck, while UG is usually more like a tempo deck that gets a threat and protects it. Both obviously want to win on/by turn 4 in most cases; so, the differences aren't going to be all too vast.
To really push the deck's speed with RUG, has anyone thought about or tried Simian Spirit Guide? This would probably push the deck all the way into the combo realm, but a turn 1 Blighted Agent can't hurt.
Well, I wasn't trying to ruffle any feathers, I just didn't know if this was a list worthwhile of taking to GP. I've done the testing and whatnot against the top tier decks, and it seems to perform well enough, I'm just really new to the game still, so I wanted input. I'm not going to shoot anyone's suggestions down; I haven't even been playing the game for a year yet. I'll just keep my mouth shut until I go, then.
I figured this was an okay community to pitch some ideas to. Sorry I'm not an old-timer elitist, I just want to talk about some Magic.
4x Cathedral of War
2x Pendelhaven
12x Forest
4x Glistener Elf
4x Ichorclaw Myr
4x Necropede
2x Ranger's Guile
4x Vines of Vastwood
4x Rancor
4x Groundswell
4x Giant Growth
4x Mutagenic Growth
2x Ranger's Guile
4x Nature's Claim
4x Dismember
4x Tormod's Crypt
1x Spellskite
well im not trying to be mean, i can tell from the attitude you're not really open to suggestions
like if someone told you that generally it's not a good idea to run so many 1-ofs and half answers to everything
your go to answer isn't going to be "sure! thanks!"
it's going to be i play-tested this for 3 weeks against proxies!!!! I KNOW MY DECK!!!!
i mean why waste the time, in that case your deck looks great. GOOD LUCK. why knows maybe the secret to getting an infect list to day 2 on the grand prix is to run a singlton version of the meta-deck. who knows, maybe your meta is 100% G/R Tron infects best matchup and you go 8-0 on day 1 and are in contention for first who knows
Your mainboard looks pretty good, I would add a couple Guttural Response and probably a Creeping Corrosion to your board though.
I think that at least two of the Dismembers deserve to be in your mainboard as you need the removal against a lot of decks.
Have you looked into playing Sylvan Scrying at all for your Pendelhaven and possibly a Cathedral of War?
Your decklist is pretty good in my opinion. Not everyone in this community is an old-timer elitist. I play quite a similar list. I can confirm:
Spell pierce is a solid card, Id recommend 1-2 in your 75. Dispel is another option, although I personally prefer pierce.
Dismember is not necessarily needed as a 4-of, but it does really help in many matchups. Ive been playing 2 main/2 side, but 1 main/2 side or 2 main/1 side could also be correct. If its a card you want vs pod, twin, jund, and affinity, its probably good enough to maineck.
Twisted image is great. Id recommend 2 side.
I have found UWR control to be a good matchup for the deck. I face competent UWR players on a regular basis and feel even to favored. You have 4 wild defiance, which is great vs them. If you are really scared of this matchup, dispel over pierce will help, but honestly it may be either your playstyle or your decklist choices holding you back.
RUG twin can be tough. One of the biggest weaknesses in your list is tormod's crypt over relic of progenitus. You shrink goyf's. They often bring in spellskite, so you may want twisted image anyways, and image+relic kills a goyf (cast image first). You also turn off snapcaster and grim lavamancer. If you make the switch to relic, the matchup should be close. Good luck at the GP. If you are interested in more detailed advice let me know.
Im not saying I am the best player of anything, but my record with U/G infect at FNM's is 58-12 and in the only PTQs Ive played in I used it both times to go 6-2 and 6-1-1 (Top 4), which I think shows the deck is pretty reasonable. I feel comfortable playing just about anything.
Also, lingering souls junk may be on the rise. Just one more reason relic may be a good idea. You can find my list earlier in the thread. If it interests you, or you have questions about my advice, Ill try to answer.
http://www.tcdecks.net/deck.php?id=14132&iddeck=104014
not sure i can agree with some of the mainboard quantities. such as the spell pierce, seems like the random 1 of spell pierce would just get lost in the 75
1 rancor? why bother with rancor at all?
Twitter- RogueSource.
Decks: "Name one! I probably got it built In one of these boxes."
---------------------------------------------------
Vintage will rise again! Buy a Mox today!
---------------------------------------------------
[I]Some call it dig through time, when really your digging through CRAP!
Merfolk! showing magic players what a shower is since Lorwyn!
New video is up Mono Green vs Mono Red Burn! (a Christmas colours match-up)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6s4u1_rJHw&feature=youtu.be&a
Enjoy!
---------------------------------------
This video taught me not to be super super careful and sometimes you just have to jam it. Something that I'm starting to try and do more.
no, i got the same problem from time to time...i guess being over cautious is the wrong way...keep it up!
OLD SCHOOL 93/94 «The Pain Train» Black Sligh, Esper «Machine Gun» Artifacts, Jund «Psycho» Ponza-Disko.
Hi TheRogue, did not notice you were from michigan before. The list you reference is mine.
The reason rancor is a 1-of is because I only want 1 of the effect. If you look at the list, youll notice I use sylvan scrying as an infect creature (inkmoth), and inkmoth + nexus is a lot of mana. Multiple rancor are typically bad, and it can be easy for removal heavy decks to blow you out if you use rancor. Also, growing goyf is a real risk.
So why 1 at all? I only run 2 apostle's blessing. I want enough ways to get through damage on a stalled board. With rancor, I have ~7 reasonable answers to a card like lingering souls in the maindeck (2 blessing, 1 rancor, 4 agent). Why not run a third blessing? Because, blessing is just dead in some matchups, and just is a mediocre effect in general. The only reason I run it, is because it is colorless. I like having 4 colorless spells main, so I can use my inkmoth nexus mana more effectively.
Rancor is very good against both affinity and melira out of the commonly played decks. It competes with distortion strike as a finisher type card, but I have always preferred rancor. rancor is easier to cast, and is much better in a relatively common scenario - dealing normal damage through melira. Its actually not to hard to deal 20 if you have agent + rancor vs a melira. This actually happened at the PTQ. In fact, the 1-of rancor single-handedly won me a match at each of the PTQs I played (the other match was vs jund).
To understand the maindeck spell pierce, you need to consider the deck as a whole, and not simply the 60 card maindeck. I feel strongly the deck wants a spell pierce (I certainly wouldnt fault someone for wanting 2-3 pierce/dispel), and if I put it in the sideboard I dont have that slot to play a card like nature's claim or twisted image. Also, by maindecking a card like pierce, once your opponent sees it, they will likely respect it the rest of the match, which is a slight advantage.
I wouldn't play it without 4 Necropede and 4 Ichorclaw Myr though, so I'd start with a mono-green deck with 4 of both and cut two Rancors for Stirrings:
1 Pendelhaven
4 Cathedral of War
4 Inkmoth Nexus
4 Glistener Elf
4 Ichorclaw Myr
4 Necropede
4 Giant Growth
4 Groundswell
4 Vines of Vastwood
4 Apostle's Blessing
2 Rancor
2 Ancient Stirrings
2 Dismember
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
I tested stirrings for GP detroit. In the end, it was simply too weak. Actually, it was fine, but more problematically, it forces you to play with bad cards.
Won 2-1 against Merfolk, 2-1 against BG graveyard shanenigans homebrew revolving around Lotleth Troll, and finally 2-1 against UWR Geist, where everything happened on the stack. Will keep testing the Map split. Also contemplating Life from the loam as an engine to get back Inkmoth Nexi (1x @ SB?)
OLD SCHOOL 93/94 «The Pain Train» Black Sligh, Esper «Machine Gun» Artifacts, Jund «Psycho» Ponza-Disko.