No games with it yet, but your comment on being able to copy it with image and then get something new is just great when image is otherwise rotting in your hand. The immediate value and the dig for your answer is great. Cards like Kataki come to mind, which are arguably better when dropped down a little later in the game.
Love the fact you took jeskai as your foe of choise, the deck has all the tools to battle Humans. And let's be honest, all humans die to all of their removal, so wearing them out truely is a remakable feat.
I played with it a bunch against Burn, Affi, Bogles and Jeskai. Didn't take the time against other decks. It does what he's asked to, i.e find the SB pieces in G2-3. It has been great in MUs where the SB pieces are backbreaking. So the MU where it was the least impressive was Jeskai, because we have nothing unconditionally strong against them.
It's very strong when you have Vial on the board. I could see it being good in a Copycat deck with Vial.
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Pioneer - A bunch of stuff Modern - Humans Legacy - Grixis Phoenix / Death & Taxes
CoCo is, surprisingly, too slow for Modern to be played in a fair deck. Even if you accelerate it on turn 3, adding random Humans to the battlefield would barely make up for the close to useless 1/1 mana dorks that you’ve played T1-T2.
CoCo is, however, a good way to put together a Combo. That’s why it’s so good in Abzan Company and Elves (two unfair decks). Digging for 6 cards to put together a 2-3 cards combo that can win the game instantly is excellent. Even more so if the mana dorks are actually part of the combo (and they are, in both Elves and Abzan Company).
Abzan Company is not restrained to the Human theme to put together an efficient toolbox (hey, we need an Elf or a Cat to deal with artifacts or enchantments). Chord of Calling is very good in that deck for that reason. Toolbox aspect of the deck is what makes Abzan Company better than Elves, and Humans needs a lot more cards printed to be a fair rival in that field.
If a Human Bushwhacker would be printed, CoCo could be considered in our deck. Because CoCo brings two creatures and Bushwhacker grants Haste and a mini anthem, now we would have a sort of aggressive combo to present lethal damage in an unexpected fashion.
Conclusion : CoCo in Modern is just a cute shenanigan, unless casting it is actually a finisher (through a combo or synergies of monstrous proportions). Even Slivers and Merfolks don’t sport CoCo (and they have more synergies than Humans), and Werewolves, a tribe that was expected to benefit from CoCo, is not competitive at all (with or without CoCo).
You’ll notice that most Allies mentioned above are Humans. I once tried to put together a Human/Ally deck. But it didn’t worked out. The synergy lost by playing non-Human Allies was too great to make the addition of Lieutenant or Champion of the Parish worthwhile. But if you can crack this beast and come up with a better deck, be my guest!
(I would love to see, in a future set based on Zendikar, a land that adds the Ally subtype to any creatures).
Crazy idea ? Nightshade Peddler + Izzet Staticaster, put together with Militia Bugler.
Update : Tandem Lookout is bad. Don't event bother testing it. Kessig Malcontents is better. Deputy of Acquittals is better. Restoration Angel is supposedly good. And Militia Bugle is on a clock to fill our flex spots.
I've lost tonight, again, versus Abzan Company (2-1). After winning game 1 (thank you, Reflector Mage), he managed to Combo on turn 3 during game 2. Game 3... I've kept a one-lander with Vial and tons of 2 drops (including Meddling Mage). But I missed a land drop, and with Vial on 1 counter, opponent destroyed it with an early Qasali Pridemage (thanks to a turn one accelerator). I still managed to squeeze in a Meddling Mage later, naming Walking Ballista, but he already had infinite mana, and 3 or 4 Kitchen Finks that wouldn't die thanks to Vizier of Remedy. Game over.
Won 2-0 vs mono-green Stompy, and 2-1 vs RW Death and Taxes. Last game vs DnT was fun. It took forever, and the crowd was all watching our game. At one point, opponent destroyed my 3 lands (including a Plains, so no fetch back), but I already had 4 Noble Hierarch on the battlefield (along with a fat Champion, Thalia, Auriok and a Freebooter that fizzled on all lands/creatures hand). I was at 30ish life, thanks to Auriok, but opponent had quite a board (2 Resto Angels, Thalia, Pia and Kiran Nalaar, some Thopters, and a few other creatures). Pridemage from SB added a fifth Exalted trigger, and I proceeded to attack every turn with Thalia (7/6 first strike), which was the best way of attacking into Needle Spires, opposing Thalia and Splicer. The game went on like that, with me killing one blocker per turn (he was at 10 life), for 10+ turns, limiting his expansion. During that time, I could develop a bigger army, until I could finally go lethal with a top decked Lieutenant... and still zero land!!! Thank god, 4 Hierarch could cast everything I've drawn, except a single Freebooter. Everybody was surprised I could recover with no land in play for more than half the game. Me too!!!
I still have to find a way to deal with that Abzan Company deck. I’m tired of losing against this guy, but I really don't know what I can do, except Mulligan more aggressively. I probably couldn't prevent the turn 3 Combo, and keeping the one-lander/Vial was the right call, I think. Harsh Mentor would kill his Combo for sure, but that's about it. Damping Sphere would not help, however (who cares for a tax when one has infinite mana?). Dismember could be good, too.
But my SB featured none of these two cards. Instead : 2 Sin Collector, 2 Dire Fleet Daredevil, 2 Damping Sphere, 1 Pridemage, 2 Auriok Champion, 2 Kataki, 2 Gut Shot, 2 Staticaster.
GP Vegas 2018 breakdown, Top 16 :
6 Tron
3 KCI
2 Toolbox Company
2 Humans
1 Death's Shadow
1 UWx Control
1 Hollow One
Top 32 was mostly more Humans, some more of the above culprits, and Mardu Pyromancer. From now on, until the metagame shifts away from Humans hate, not being prepared for Tron, KCI and Toolbox Company will be a big mistake, IMHO. These decks are our predators, and they're good at it (and the reasons why Humans won't get a card banned).
The more I think of it, Harsh Mentor is probably a card that we now want in some, if not all, of these matchups. It kills Toolbox Company when they go infinite mana, stops their infinite life combo (and they'll die to multiples), and punishes every activation of Duskwatch Recruiter, Walking Ballista, Gavony Township, Horizon Canopy or any fetchland, as well as Scavenging Ooze post SB.
Harsh Mentor doesn't totally stop KCI, but will punish activations of Buried Ruin, Inventors' Fair and Mind Stone while they try to assemble the combo. Hopefully, this and combat damage will bring them low enough to kill them before they can go lethal with Pyrite Spellbomb or Ghirapur Aether Grid (they still have to take damage to get rid of Mentor).
Tron is probably the less punished by Mentor. Expedition Map and Relic of Progenitus will hurt them a bit while they try to assemble Tron. And it will at least punish Walking Ballista and Oblivion Stone. But it won't help against Ugin or Karn... Is that enough to justify siding in Harsh Mentor in that matchup?
Damping Sphere continues to be the best option vs Tron and KCI (just like Storm). Kataki, War's Wage is most probably good vs KCI, too. But it doesn't hurt to have more options against difficult matchups. Do you also think Harsh Mentor should make a comeback? In the SB? Or even maybe in the main deck?
I'm probably biased after two consecutive losses against Toolbox Company, where Mentor would really shine...
Although it doesn’t have the human subtype, I have found gaddock teeg really helpful in several matchups. Naming walking ballista with meddling Mage and then being able to play Teeg has worked well for me. Also really useful against counters Company etc. I have had it in my sideboard for past few months and haven’t regretted it. That said, none of the Pros play it (or none of the most recent lists).... so really it comes down to your meta and how you think it has performed.
As an aside, I was recently thinking about two cards that haven’t been included in any lists; odric, lunarch marshal and knight of new alara. I’m pretty sure the reasons are that they are win-more, but I was still wondering on their use.
Odric gives a must answer threat if Thalia and Mantis Rider are in play. However, he does die to bolt, push and path and is only useful pre-combat, as opposed to being vialled in post blockers. However, being left unchecked would leave an army of flying, vigilance, hast and first strike (even better if anyone is still playing mirran crusader!). However, by the time we play him, are we already in a winning position?
Knight of new Alara, seems like it could be quite useful. Not only can you screw combat math, but also give the illusion of playing restoration angel as that is when Vial is most likely to be on 4, but it takes Mantis Rider and Meddling Mage out of bolt territory. Makes Reflector Mage a reasonable beater. Also benefits Staticaster and Gaddock out of the sideboard. Again, is it too situational and are we likely to be in a winning position when we play this card?
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Knight of New Alara is not good. We passed at Mayor of Avabruck, which is 2 mana and can take over a game by himself if flipped and unchecked. We’ll go back to Mayor before ever trying KNA.
Odric checks for Freebooter, Thalia and Mantis Rider to do something relevant, and at 4 mana. He’s an extra Rider when it’s already on the battlefield, and that could be good. But is that enough to make it worthy of a slot? It is indeed a win-more card, but that is no different than Kessig Malcontents. I hate putting Vial on 4, but it could be fun playing Odric at instant speed with Thalia in play, and wiping opponent’s board. Add deathtouch and lifelink, and I’m in!
A card that I think should make a comeback in the main deck is Thalia, Heretic Cathar. More first strike to face aggro is good, as is tapping their new creatures. Less blockers play into our aggressive plan, and denying haste is awesome. What’s more is she can slow down our current predators : Tron, KCI and CoCo. All of Tron’s lands will ETB tapped, and that’s a huge set back. Not only Wurmcoil Engine will be cast a turn later, it won’t even be able to block on that delayed turn! KCI needs 4 lands to starts its engine. Delay that for a turn, and we may get to win before they do. Same for CoCo, with extra bonus that instant speed creatures from CoCo or Chord can’t ambush our attackers, and that all their fetchlands are doubled punished (fetchland ETB tapped, and fetched land will also ETB tapped if they can’t get a basic).
Add baby Thalia to the deal, and not only are we taxing KCI and CoCo to 5 mana, but also making sure they can’t do so on the 5th land drop! Same reasoning for Ugin and Karn : both will cost 8, but Tron won’t be able to tap for that much mana until turn 5 (instead of turn 3).
Big Thalia can also be very annoying for Control. Tapped Snapcaster means one more attacker gets through. And their tapped lands delay Cryptic Command, their sweepers and PWs for a full turn, plus making chaining removals and Snapcaster impossible until turn 5.
As much as I believe the crowd that Restoration Angel is good, I don’t think it can do that much good for us in these difficult matchups.
Militia Bugler will be a strong contender to take Big Thalia’s spot. But can it do so much for us in these matchups? Card advantage is good as long as we haven’t lost already, and time to cast extra spells is a luxury we generally don’t have vs our predators.
Humans sits on the Aggro side of the clock, a prey to Combo and Midrange. We thrived for as long as these weren’t too pushed in the metagame. BTW, sweepers are Midrange cards, so Jeskai Control really is Midrange (they play removals, not permissions). Tron is both Combo and Midrange.
To fight Combo and Midrange, we have to play more Control cards (Combo and Midrange’s predator). Big Thalia’s disruption fits that role (akin to permission). Resto Angel and Malcontents don’t (they’re enhancing our aggressivity, but that’s not where we’re weak). Confidant and Bugler’s card advantage is only great for the long game. But do we want to even get there? It’s where our predators are at their best.
TLDR : No to Odric and Knight of New Alara. No to Angel, Malcontents, Confidant and Bugler. Big Thalia is what we need in the current metagame, at least 2. And probably the 4th Baby Thalia (Illusion or RefMage down to 3?).
I'm with you on this. I also think Thalia is a gem and i want her on the battlefield every game. Only in the mirror the tax effect is worthless, everywhere else she's good, whereas Meddling Mage is a strategy hoser agains some and sometimes a gamble against others.
Together with Kitesail Freebooter i'd rather have a follow up mage though.
What i know for certain is that the meta has adapted its plan for dealing with humans, in that is has spread the removal over more cards. you don't see 4 fatal push as a staple removal spell in every black deck anymore. Even Jeskai has gone up and wider in removal in favor of countermagic.
Against decks like that, on the play: T1 Vial, T2 Thalia + hiararch, T3 Freebooter + mage + image is the dream (and probably magical Christmas land but lights out if you hit it) with the opponent only able to remove one human and you can just lock out the rest of the spells.
Sorry if i have missed this, but maybe this has been discussed before.
I'd like to be sure. Why would the humans deck run Reclamation Sage over Vithian Renegades?
Obviously it gets enchantments, but what do we hope to hit with it and why? Blood Moon (very unlikely without vial on 3), Worship, Search, am i missing anything obvious? Is it to give an otherwise unwinnable matchup a slight chance of winning?
Curious to hear your own experience with the card.
Daybreak Coronet is choice number 1 vs Bogles, indeed. It's better to FreeB or Med Mage that card if possible. Otherwise, look at the board state and destroy the aura that is the most threatening.
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Pioneer - A bunch of stuff Modern - Humans Legacy - Grixis Phoenix / Death & Taxes
Although I haven't tested it yet, I feel that Qasali Pridemage is the go-to artifact/enchantment removal card. It also happens to be a Wizard, like Meddling Mage and Reflector Mage.
There are some Humans' players locally that have tried different things for Humans and I think this one and Shalai, Voice of Plenty are the best ones I've seen.
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Legacy - Sneak Show, BR Reanimator, Miracles, UW Stoneblade
Premodern - Trix, RecSur, Enchantress, Reanimator, Elves https://www.facebook.com/groups/PremodernUSA/ Modern - Neobrand, Hogaak Vine, Elves
Standard - Mono Red (6-2 and 5-3 in 2 McQ)
Draft - (I wish I had more time for limited...)
Commander - Norin the Wary, Grimgrin, Adun Oakenshield (taking forever to build) (dead format for me)
Although I haven't tested it yet, I feel that Qasali Pridemage is the go-to artifact/enchantment removal card. It also happens to be a Wizard, like Meddling Mage and Reflector Mage.
There are some Humans' players locally that have tried different things for Humans and I think this one and Shalai, Voice of Plenty are the best ones I've seen.
I posted this a few weeks back when folks were asking how to handle Torpor Orb and I couldn't agree more about The Cat Wizard. Haven't tried Shalai, Voice of Plenty but have seen it pop up on a few lists; what exactly are people bringing it in for?
And what would we typically like to hit in this Matchup, coronet?
if I'm not mistaken, you should target the other aura enchanting the creature that has Daybreak Coronet. That way, Coronet becomes illegally attached (because it isn’t enchanting a creature that has another aura attached to), and will be put in the graveyard as a state-based action. Thus, we're destroying two auras in one trigger.
Shalia, Voice of Plenty comes in against Valakut, Storm, Ad Nauseam, Burn, and probably more. I realize that 3 of these are already good matchups. I personally had to face it when I was on RG Titanshift (Valakut). Scary times...
@Patbou - That definitely does work, but I want to also let you know that a good Bogles player (I know, Oxymoron) will make sure to enchant the creature with multiple Auras before Daybreak Coronet if they have a chance. Now sometimes they need to enchant it right away or risk Kitesail Freebooter nabbing it or Meddling Mage naming it, but these are all considerations that a Bogles player does during the game.
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Legacy - Sneak Show, BR Reanimator, Miracles, UW Stoneblade
Premodern - Trix, RecSur, Enchantress, Reanimator, Elves https://www.facebook.com/groups/PremodernUSA/ Modern - Neobrand, Hogaak Vine, Elves
Standard - Mono Red (6-2 and 5-3 in 2 McQ)
Draft - (I wish I had more time for limited...)
Commander - Norin the Wary, Grimgrin, Adun Oakenshield (taking forever to build) (dead format for me)
And what would we typically like to hit in this Matchup, coronet?
if I'm not mistaken, you should target the other aura enchanting the creature that has Daybreak Coronet. That way, Coronet becomes illegally attached (because it isn’t enchanting a creature that has another aura attached to), and will be put in the graveyard as a state-based action. Thus, we're destroying two auras in one trigger.
This……… is great
Can you tell i've never faced this deck ever?
Qasali vs Rec Sage is interesting. I believe the fact the Cat is still pretty tough on the mana, and makes you sac it so you can't Image it are the 2 main factors against it.
It's a good card if you expect Torpor effects at your FNM, but in a wide meta, in a 50+ player tournament, I doubt it's worth it for now.
Shalai, Voice of Plenty comes in against Valakut, Storm, Ad Nauseam, Burn, and probably more
Shalai doesn't protect you from Ad Naus because they draw their whole deck and have Slaughter Pact (and maybe Laboratory Maniac).
It's ok VS Lantern too. Idk, it's a 4-drop, we saw plenty so far and they're all ok but not stellar. She's a good meta call at best.
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Pioneer - A bunch of stuff Modern - Humans Legacy - Grixis Phoenix / Death & Taxes
Any sideboard guides floating around for the current Humans iterations? I've been playing the decks since Vegas steadily, and for the most part it all seems pretty intuitive, but I'd like to see what other folks are doing.
Izzet Staticaster has seemed downright terrible to me, and I'm curious on others thoughts. When are you bringing it in, and how effective has it been. Gut Shot is another card that has underperformed for me, and could be used to free up slots.
How often do you folks board out Aether Vile?
On another note, Gerry mentioned in a recent GAM podcast that he felt Meddling Mage has been underperforming a bit, as the meta has started to adapt by spreading its removal out, and he thought the deck was at its best when it was playing one drops. He mentioned possible cutting Meddling Mage for some amount of Experiment One as another early threat. While, it seems a bit crazy to me to cut Meddling Mage, it can definitely be a hot or cold card, I think he's right on the money about the 1 drops and the Experiment seems interesting.
My flex slots right now are Big Thalia, which has been a monster in the matchups where she is useful, but I'm curious if her place isn't better in the sideboard (after making some room by cutting the chaff) and using the flex slots for additional 1 drop threats.
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Love the fact you took jeskai as your foe of choise, the deck has all the tools to battle Humans. And let's be honest, all humans die to all of their removal, so wearing them out truely is a remakable feat.
I'll sure be trying out a copy or two.
Modern: WUBRG Humans - GBW Traverse - GWU Knightfall - GRW Bushwhacker Zoo -
It's very strong when you have Vial on the board. I could see it being good in a Copycat deck with Vial.
CoCo is, however, a good way to put together a Combo. That’s why it’s so good in Abzan Company and Elves (two unfair decks). Digging for 6 cards to put together a 2-3 cards combo that can win the game instantly is excellent. Even more so if the mana dorks are actually part of the combo (and they are, in both Elves and Abzan Company).
Abzan Company is not restrained to the Human theme to put together an efficient toolbox (hey, we need an Elf or a Cat to deal with artifacts or enchantments). Chord of Calling is very good in that deck for that reason. Toolbox aspect of the deck is what makes Abzan Company better than Elves, and Humans needs a lot more cards printed to be a fair rival in that field.
If a Human Bushwhacker would be printed, CoCo could be considered in our deck. Because CoCo brings two creatures and Bushwhacker grants Haste and a mini anthem, now we would have a sort of aggressive combo to present lethal damage in an unexpected fashion.
I had this Ally deck with CoCo that could win on turn 3 (fact based, actually happened with 20+ damage). All creatures were lords to the others (Hada Freeblade, Akoum Battlesinger, Kazandu Blademaster, Oran-Rief Survivalist and Jwari Shapeshifter to copy the best), and I could go very wide super fast with Vial, Harabaz Druid and CoCo (and Kabira Evangel to grant evasion).
Conclusion : CoCo in Modern is just a cute shenanigan, unless casting it is actually a finisher (through a combo or synergies of monstrous proportions). Even Slivers and Merfolks don’t sport CoCo (and they have more synergies than Humans), and Werewolves, a tribe that was expected to benefit from CoCo, is not competitive at all (with or without CoCo).
You’ll notice that most Allies mentioned above are Humans. I once tried to put together a Human/Ally deck. But it didn’t worked out. The synergy lost by playing non-Human Allies was too great to make the addition of Lieutenant or Champion of the Parish worthwhile. But if you can crack this beast and come up with a better deck, be my guest!
(I would love to see, in a future set based on Zendikar, a land that adds the Ally subtype to any creatures).
1st, GP Toronto Sunday Super Series 2016 : Ally Company RWBG
Top 8, PPTQ Shadows over Innistrad : Boros Humans WR.
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Bugler looks like an intriguing option.
Update : Tandem Lookout is bad. Don't event bother testing it. Kessig Malcontents is better. Deputy of Acquittals is better. Restoration Angel is supposedly good. And Militia Bugle is on a clock to fill our flex spots.
I've lost tonight, again, versus Abzan Company (2-1). After winning game 1 (thank you, Reflector Mage), he managed to Combo on turn 3 during game 2. Game 3... I've kept a one-lander with Vial and tons of 2 drops (including Meddling Mage). But I missed a land drop, and with Vial on 1 counter, opponent destroyed it with an early Qasali Pridemage (thanks to a turn one accelerator). I still managed to squeeze in a Meddling Mage later, naming Walking Ballista, but he already had infinite mana, and 3 or 4 Kitchen Finks that wouldn't die thanks to Vizier of Remedy. Game over.
Won 2-0 vs mono-green Stompy, and 2-1 vs RW Death and Taxes. Last game vs DnT was fun. It took forever, and the crowd was all watching our game. At one point, opponent destroyed my 3 lands (including a Plains, so no fetch back), but I already had 4 Noble Hierarch on the battlefield (along with a fat Champion, Thalia, Auriok and a Freebooter that fizzled on all lands/creatures hand). I was at 30ish life, thanks to Auriok, but opponent had quite a board (2 Resto Angels, Thalia, Pia and Kiran Nalaar, some Thopters, and a few other creatures). Pridemage from SB added a fifth Exalted trigger, and I proceeded to attack every turn with Thalia (7/6 first strike), which was the best way of attacking into Needle Spires, opposing Thalia and Splicer. The game went on like that, with me killing one blocker per turn (he was at 10 life), for 10+ turns, limiting his expansion. During that time, I could develop a bigger army, until I could finally go lethal with a top decked Lieutenant... and still zero land!!! Thank god, 4 Hierarch could cast everything I've drawn, except a single Freebooter. Everybody was surprised I could recover with no land in play for more than half the game. Me too!!!
I still have to find a way to deal with that Abzan Company deck. I’m tired of losing against this guy, but I really don't know what I can do, except Mulligan more aggressively. I probably couldn't prevent the turn 3 Combo, and keeping the one-lander/Vial was the right call, I think. Harsh Mentor would kill his Combo for sure, but that's about it. Damping Sphere would not help, however (who cares for a tax when one has infinite mana?). Dismember could be good, too.
But my SB featured none of these two cards. Instead : 2 Sin Collector, 2 Dire Fleet Daredevil, 2 Damping Sphere, 1 Pridemage, 2 Auriok Champion, 2 Kataki, 2 Gut Shot, 2 Staticaster.
1st, GP Toronto Sunday Super Series 2016 : Ally Company RWBG
Top 8, PPTQ Shadows over Innistrad : Boros Humans WR.
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and use TopDecked to manage your decks and collection on your Apple or Android device.
6 Tron
3 KCI
2 Toolbox Company
2 Humans
1 Death's Shadow
1 UWx Control
1 Hollow One
Top 32 was mostly more Humans, some more of the above culprits, and Mardu Pyromancer. From now on, until the metagame shifts away from Humans hate, not being prepared for Tron, KCI and Toolbox Company will be a big mistake, IMHO. These decks are our predators, and they're good at it (and the reasons why Humans won't get a card banned).
The more I think of it, Harsh Mentor is probably a card that we now want in some, if not all, of these matchups. It kills Toolbox Company when they go infinite mana, stops their infinite life combo (and they'll die to multiples), and punishes every activation of Duskwatch Recruiter, Walking Ballista, Gavony Township, Horizon Canopy or any fetchland, as well as Scavenging Ooze post SB.
Harsh Mentor doesn't totally stop KCI, but will punish activations of Buried Ruin, Inventors' Fair and Mind Stone while they try to assemble the combo. Hopefully, this and combat damage will bring them low enough to kill them before they can go lethal with Pyrite Spellbomb or Ghirapur Aether Grid (they still have to take damage to get rid of Mentor).
Tron is probably the less punished by Mentor. Expedition Map and Relic of Progenitus will hurt them a bit while they try to assemble Tron. And it will at least punish Walking Ballista and Oblivion Stone. But it won't help against Ugin or Karn... Is that enough to justify siding in Harsh Mentor in that matchup?
Damping Sphere continues to be the best option vs Tron and KCI (just like Storm). Kataki, War's Wage is most probably good vs KCI, too. But it doesn't hurt to have more options against difficult matchups. Do you also think Harsh Mentor should make a comeback? In the SB? Or even maybe in the main deck?
I'm probably biased after two consecutive losses against Toolbox Company, where Mentor would really shine...
1st, GP Toronto Sunday Super Series 2016 : Ally Company RWBG
Top 8, PPTQ Shadows over Innistrad : Boros Humans WR.
Use a hypergeometric calculator for your deckbuilding maths,
and use TopDecked to manage your decks and collection on your Apple or Android device.
As an aside, I was recently thinking about two cards that haven’t been included in any lists; odric, lunarch marshal and knight of new alara. I’m pretty sure the reasons are that they are win-more, but I was still wondering on their use.
Odric gives a must answer threat if Thalia and Mantis Rider are in play. However, he does die to bolt, push and path and is only useful pre-combat, as opposed to being vialled in post blockers. However, being left unchecked would leave an army of flying, vigilance, hast and first strike (even better if anyone is still playing mirran crusader!). However, by the time we play him, are we already in a winning position?
Knight of new Alara, seems like it could be quite useful. Not only can you screw combat math, but also give the illusion of playing restoration angel as that is when Vial is most likely to be on 4, but it takes Mantis Rider and Meddling Mage out of bolt territory. Makes Reflector Mage a reasonable beater. Also benefits Staticaster and Gaddock out of the sideboard. Again, is it too situational and are we likely to be in a winning position when we play this card?
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Odric checks for Freebooter, Thalia and Mantis Rider to do something relevant, and at 4 mana. He’s an extra Rider when it’s already on the battlefield, and that could be good. But is that enough to make it worthy of a slot? It is indeed a win-more card, but that is no different than Kessig Malcontents. I hate putting Vial on 4, but it could be fun playing Odric at instant speed with Thalia in play, and wiping opponent’s board. Add deathtouch and lifelink, and I’m in!
A card that I think should make a comeback in the main deck is Thalia, Heretic Cathar. More first strike to face aggro is good, as is tapping their new creatures. Less blockers play into our aggressive plan, and denying haste is awesome. What’s more is she can slow down our current predators : Tron, KCI and CoCo. All of Tron’s lands will ETB tapped, and that’s a huge set back. Not only Wurmcoil Engine will be cast a turn later, it won’t even be able to block on that delayed turn! KCI needs 4 lands to starts its engine. Delay that for a turn, and we may get to win before they do. Same for CoCo, with extra bonus that instant speed creatures from CoCo or Chord can’t ambush our attackers, and that all their fetchlands are doubled punished (fetchland ETB tapped, and fetched land will also ETB tapped if they can’t get a basic).
Add baby Thalia to the deal, and not only are we taxing KCI and CoCo to 5 mana, but also making sure they can’t do so on the 5th land drop! Same reasoning for Ugin and Karn : both will cost 8, but Tron won’t be able to tap for that much mana until turn 5 (instead of turn 3).
Big Thalia can also be very annoying for Control. Tapped Snapcaster means one more attacker gets through. And their tapped lands delay Cryptic Command, their sweepers and PWs for a full turn, plus making chaining removals and Snapcaster impossible until turn 5.
As much as I believe the crowd that Restoration Angel is good, I don’t think it can do that much good for us in these difficult matchups.
Militia Bugler will be a strong contender to take Big Thalia’s spot. But can it do so much for us in these matchups? Card advantage is good as long as we haven’t lost already, and time to cast extra spells is a luxury we generally don’t have vs our predators.
Greatest MTG article of all time :
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/370207/what-i-know-about-magic-gathering
Humans sits on the Aggro side of the clock, a prey to Combo and Midrange. We thrived for as long as these weren’t too pushed in the metagame. BTW, sweepers are Midrange cards, so Jeskai Control really is Midrange (they play removals, not permissions). Tron is both Combo and Midrange.
To fight Combo and Midrange, we have to play more Control cards (Combo and Midrange’s predator). Big Thalia’s disruption fits that role (akin to permission). Resto Angel and Malcontents don’t (they’re enhancing our aggressivity, but that’s not where we’re weak). Confidant and Bugler’s card advantage is only great for the long game. But do we want to even get there? It’s where our predators are at their best.
TLDR : No to Odric and Knight of New Alara. No to Angel, Malcontents, Confidant and Bugler. Big Thalia is what we need in the current metagame, at least 2. And probably the 4th Baby Thalia (Illusion or RefMage down to 3?).
1st, GP Toronto Sunday Super Series 2016 : Ally Company RWBG
Top 8, PPTQ Shadows over Innistrad : Boros Humans WR.
Use a hypergeometric calculator for your deckbuilding maths,
and use TopDecked to manage your decks and collection on your Apple or Android device.
Together with Kitesail Freebooter i'd rather have a follow up mage though.
What i know for certain is that the meta has adapted its plan for dealing with humans, in that is has spread the removal over more cards. you don't see 4 fatal push as a staple removal spell in every black deck anymore. Even Jeskai has gone up and wider in removal in favor of countermagic.
Against decks like that, on the play: T1 Vial, T2 Thalia + hiararch, T3 Freebooter + mage + image is the dream (and probably magical Christmas land but lights out if you hit it) with the opponent only able to remove one human and you can just lock out the rest of the spells.
Modern: WUBRG Humans - GBW Traverse - GWU Knightfall - GRW Bushwhacker Zoo -
I'd like to be sure. Why would the humans deck run Reclamation Sage over Vithian Renegades?
Obviously it gets enchantments, but what do we hope to hit with it and why? Blood Moon (very unlikely without vial on 3), Worship, Search, am i missing anything obvious? Is it to give an otherwise unwinnable matchup a slight chance of winning?
Curious to hear your own experience with the card.
Modern: WUBRG Humans - GBW Traverse - GWU Knightfall - GRW Bushwhacker Zoo -
And what would we typically like to hit in this Matchup, coronet?
Modern: WUBRG Humans - GBW Traverse - GWU Knightfall - GRW Bushwhacker Zoo -
WUBRGHumansWUBRG
EDH:
WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG
UGEdric, Spymaster of TrestUG
There are some Humans' players locally that have tried different things for Humans and I think this one and Shalai, Voice of Plenty are the best ones I've seen.
Premodern - Trix, RecSur, Enchantress, Reanimator, Elves https://www.facebook.com/groups/PremodernUSA/
Modern - Neobrand, Hogaak Vine, Elves
Standard - Mono Red (6-2 and 5-3 in 2 McQ)
Draft - (I wish I had more time for limited...)
Commander -
Norin the Wary, Grimgrin, Adun Oakenshield (taking forever to build)(dead format for me)I posted this a few weeks back when folks were asking how to handle Torpor Orb and I couldn't agree more about The Cat Wizard. Haven't tried Shalai, Voice of Plenty but have seen it pop up on a few lists; what exactly are people bringing it in for?
1st, GP Toronto Sunday Super Series 2016 : Ally Company RWBG
Top 8, PPTQ Shadows over Innistrad : Boros Humans WR.
Use a hypergeometric calculator for your deckbuilding maths,
and use TopDecked to manage your decks and collection on your Apple or Android device.
@Patbou - That definitely does work, but I want to also let you know that a good Bogles player (I know, Oxymoron) will make sure to enchant the creature with multiple Auras before Daybreak Coronet if they have a chance. Now sometimes they need to enchant it right away or risk Kitesail Freebooter nabbing it or Meddling Mage naming it, but these are all considerations that a Bogles player does during the game.
Premodern - Trix, RecSur, Enchantress, Reanimator, Elves https://www.facebook.com/groups/PremodernUSA/
Modern - Neobrand, Hogaak Vine, Elves
Standard - Mono Red (6-2 and 5-3 in 2 McQ)
Draft - (I wish I had more time for limited...)
Commander -
Norin the Wary, Grimgrin, Adun Oakenshield (taking forever to build)(dead format for me)This……… is great
Can you tell i've never faced this deck ever?
Modern: WUBRG Humans - GBW Traverse - GWU Knightfall - GRW Bushwhacker Zoo -
It's a good card if you expect Torpor effects at your FNM, but in a wide meta, in a 50+ player tournament, I doubt it's worth it for now.
Shalai doesn't protect you from Ad Naus because they draw their whole deck and have Slaughter Pact (and maybe Laboratory Maniac).
It's ok VS Lantern too. Idk, it's a 4-drop, we saw plenty so far and they're all ok but not stellar. She's a good meta call at best.
Izzet Staticaster has seemed downright terrible to me, and I'm curious on others thoughts. When are you bringing it in, and how effective has it been. Gut Shot is another card that has underperformed for me, and could be used to free up slots.
How often do you folks board out Aether Vile?
On another note, Gerry mentioned in a recent GAM podcast that he felt Meddling Mage has been underperforming a bit, as the meta has started to adapt by spreading its removal out, and he thought the deck was at its best when it was playing one drops. He mentioned possible cutting Meddling Mage for some amount of Experiment One as another early threat. While, it seems a bit crazy to me to cut Meddling Mage, it can definitely be a hot or cold card, I think he's right on the money about the 1 drops and the Experiment seems interesting.
My flex slots right now are Big Thalia, which has been a monster in the matchups where she is useful, but I'm curious if her place isn't better in the sideboard (after making some room by cutting the chaff) and using the flex slots for additional 1 drop threats.