2) I have sided out 4 Amulet of Vigor and 4 Explore vs. the really grindy decks like Jund, Grixis Shadow, and BUG (essentially BGx with Logic Knot and ScM). Is this not correct? It seems to work. I put in a bunch more creatures, in fact all of them.
I used to loooove Serum Visions in this deck. In fact, I even liked it more than Ancient Stirrings, although admittedly Ancient Stirrings is a better card in many ways. But I think that Blue is tough to get early, in fact it is the main reason I'm "scared" to side in 3 Spell Pierce.
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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)
1) I'll just have to be a bit more careful then with Titan no 1, instead of going the default mode of garison + stronghold, maybe tolaria + simicbounce should be a bit more common. I'll certainly take that into stronger consideration next time I play the deck.
2) That's exactly my point of view as well. Thus, I will test cutting one Explore for a single Tracker, and see where that goes. I also like the idea of Nissa that you mentioned.
Have you (or anyone for that matter), tried Primal Command? It feels relevant, especially as a way to bridge the gap between 5 and 6 mana (gain 7, draw Titan, play Titan next turn).
Against any deck with removal, the correct land pile is almost always chamber + tolaria west. And if you really want to bridge the gap between 5 and 6 just play Simian spirit guide or thragtusk. We are a combo deck first and primal command is a little slow.
Also going back to your original statement about being threat light, the two pump lands plus any creature is at least 6 damage a turn, just have to get creative. UW control has a tough time beating plants.
2) I have sided out 4 Amulet of Vigor and 4 Explore vs. the really grindy decks like Jund, Grixis Shadow, and BUG (essentially BGx with Logic Knot and ScM). Is this not correct? It seems to work. I put in a bunch more creatures, in fact all of them.
I used to loooove Serum Visions in this deck. In fact, I even liked it more than Ancient Stirrings, although admittedly Ancient Stirrings is a better card in many ways. But I think that Blue is tough to get early, in fact it is the main reason I'm "scared" to side in 3 Spell Pierce.
i normally side out amulets and stirrings in grindy matchups, and maybe some scouts. the reason to take out stirrings even being a really good card is that without amulet, and with so much more creatures than in g1, i feel that it loses a lot of value (you dont always find tolaria to transmute :P) but explore is an awesome card against midrange
Ah this is your list! Nice. Quick questions if I may:
1. How good is your BGx match-up? Does leyline make up for the fact that you don't have a creature back-up plan?
2. How good has SSG been?
3. Any changes you'd make going forward?
Really like the look of your list, going to test it when I can afford some leylines!
1. The BGx match-up is extremely favored. Leyline puts in work, and my creature back-up plan is also very hard for slow decks to deal with. Sigarda Herons grace is one of the best cards in the match-up. Usually its the last card you pact for, and at that point your graveyard is quite full. It acts like a hornet queen, but you cant pulse the tokens.
2. SSG is purely a game one card. I want to play as unfairly as possible before sideboard, and it does that well. Its also a clean swap with the creatures in my board vs the discard/control decks.
3. I have played this 75 for a long time, and really wouldnt make any changes. The only flex is second K return or firespout. Firespout was a concession to humans, but if affinity is ever top dog again i would switch back.
I can go into more depth if people are interested, I approach deckbuilding a little differently and would be happy to talk more about some of the changes.
I like the sound of Sigarda in the board. I've always been a fan of that card but it's not easy to find room for. Did you ever wish you had Ruric Thar, the Unbowed? I personally never leave home without it but I suppose if you have leylines and Sigarda it's less necessary for storm. Also curious about the 2nd Vesuva. I've never wished I had another one and it often makes your early turns clunky if you don't have many lands to work with.
Ruric Thar has only ever been good for me against storm and lantern, and that feels a little narrow to take a sideboard slot. As for the vesuva, I think its one of the most important lands in the deck. The second one can just steal games from people. Gaining you extra radiant fountain triggers, and providing extra copies of slayer's stronghold and cavern is really important. I managed to beat a burn opponent in swiss through a bridge because I had two active slayer's strongholds and extra copies of khalni garden. It will win you more games, than lose.
I had a rough 26 person FNM with this deck tonight.
Round 1 vs. UR Wizards. He gets a Monastery Swiftspear into Bolt on Azusa, but I drew a 2nd Amulet and had Explore to go off for lethal on my turn 2. I lose the next game after Summoner's Pact doesn't get double Forest, only 1. He Blood Moons me and I scoop. The next game is similar to game 1. I figure the only way I lose is to get triple Bolted and not block a Swiftspear while a Stormchaser Mage gets through. I was going to block though since I had a Plant token coming up and Obstinate Baloth with Slayer's Stronghold and Boros Garrison to knock him potentially to 2. Got there as he scooped. 2-1.
Round 2 vs. Jeskai Delver. So, my friend on Merfolk played this guy in round 1, getting mana screwed and drawing a million lands in the other game. Two Delvers on turn 4. I don't play much. I play stuff that gets countered, but make sure to resolve an Ancient Stirrings to find a 6th mana source. I cast Prime Time and it ... resolves. Bolt, ScM/Bolt EoT, go to his turn, same thing after a double swing with Delvers. Nice! In the next game, he gets turn 1 Delver into flip right away. Pretty consistent Delver flipping deck here. It kills me after he plays Deprive and Remand X 3 on my threats. He got stuck on 2 mana, but just needed to counter all of my stuff. I lament not getting Cavern of Souls or Tolaria West for it. 0-2.
Round 3 vs. BUG. My first 5 draws steps were Karoo lands, but his hand is less than stellar and I get Prime Time. It dies to Maelstrom Pulse, than another dies to Murderous Cut, but he doesn't have removal for the 3rd one and Bojuka Bog screwed up his clock with Goyf. In the next 2 games, he eeked them out. In the next game, Rain of Tears and ScM/Rain of Tears slows me down and I get stuck on 4, then 5 lands. I finally get 6 and get a Prime Time countered, then another Murderous Cut into activate Treetop Village, and kill me with that, Goyf, and ScM. The final game just had me flood out. My threats got killed and I didn't have time to get more. He had Damping Sphere to slow me down and top decked Tireless Tracker into Verdant Catacombs, which I called exactly the next turn. Got me on turn 3 of turns. I drew more lands. I needed something that wasn't a land. Got a Pact for Obstinate Baloth in response to Thoughtseize to put the Baloth in play, but it got Murderous Cut right away. That card is good! 1-2.
Round 4 vs. Burn. Dood didn't show up, but I'm pretty sure I beat this fellow anyway. I was looking forward to it too, but he left early. 2-0.
I finish 2-2. I can't figure out how to beat BUG with several different decks, unless I hedge specifically for it or play the best deck - Hoomans.
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)
Two questions.
The first one: I've heard there's an active Amulet discord channel, does anyone have an invite to it?
The main question: Does anyone have any advice for the Jeskai matchup? I honestly thought my gameplan was pretty good and that the matchup was okay, but now I'm realizing that in my last 7 games (in MODO competitive leagues) against Jeskai I've gone 1-6. I think I feel like it's a good matchup because in general, I'm doing quite well against UW control and I tend to lump UW/Jeskai together in my head (despite them playing differently and my sideboard plan being a bit different).
What's the basic plan against Jeskai? I feel like unless I can find cavern game 1 or I have a crazy explosive draw, it's pretty hard to do anything and then I just get beaten down/burned out by snaps or locked out by Teferi. After SB, the spell pierces help, but I find that it still requires a pretty strong draw. If my draw is too slow, I lose to cryptics and field of ruins/ghost quarters on my bouncelands.
I think perhaps I'm not mulliganing aggressively enough in the matchup? What are other people's experiences? Am I playing the matchup poorly or is it just not a great matchup?
I am not very experienced vs. Jeskai, but I feel that it could be a tough matchup. If you draw Cavern, it's cool, but I also don't know if you actively search for Cavern off Tolaria West if you don't have another threat in hand. I am curious about this as well.
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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)
Honestly one of the best plays for Amulet against jeskai is to just search out Cavern, its very hard for them to beat you if you do. There is no way they can just burn you out either if you just keep a radiant fountain chain going. I would also never board in spell pierce vs jeskai, that card is just for the combo match-ups.
Honestly one of the best plays for Amulet against jeskai is to just search out Cavern, its very hard for them to beat you if you do. There is no way they can just burn you out either if you just keep a radiant fountain chain going. I would also never board in spell pierce vs jeskai, that card is just for the combo match-ups.
I actually didn't board it in, but I definitely considered it afterward. I just didn't want to have potentially dead cards in hand. I just wanted more threats.
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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)
I played it at the weekly win a box at my lgs. Needless to say I did won the box. But that's fnm, might takeit to the next modern scg
I'm a bit confused on sigarda though, I think I'm going to move a gq main and cut the 3rd peirce for hornet queen and either obaloth or dromoka or maybe bskull is good again? Not sure but I've thought sigarda was always one of the weakest alt win cons
I guess she is just there for jund match ups and midrange. A quick clock if they don’t have a sweeper like wrath you win. Worth one slot in my opinion. I have a feeling batterskull could be good again. I’m not 100% on the idea though.
Eh what exactly are emrakul decks lately though? Breach is at all time low, jund is already good, living end and eldrazi tron are also extinct
Hornet queen is insane in so many matches it's been borderline md-able in some metagames, just not sure his logic on it
Has anyone used qasali over rec sage as well? I see more lists with torper orb for humans lately and I'm sure many of them realize the cross application to amulet
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I used to loooove Serum Visions in this deck. In fact, I even liked it more than Ancient Stirrings, although admittedly Ancient Stirrings is a better card in many ways. But I think that Blue is tough to get early, in fact it is the main reason I'm "scared" to side in 3 Spell Pierce.
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)Against any deck with removal, the correct land pile is almost always chamber + tolaria west. And if you really want to bridge the gap between 5 and 6 just play Simian spirit guide or thragtusk. We are a combo deck first and primal command is a little slow.
Also going back to your original statement about being threat light, the two pump lands plus any creature is at least 6 damage a turn, just have to get creative. UW control has a tough time beating plants.
i normally side out amulets and stirrings in grindy matchups, and maybe some scouts. the reason to take out stirrings even being a really good card is that without amulet, and with so much more creatures than in g1, i feel that it loses a lot of value (you dont always find tolaria to transmute :P) but explore is an awesome card against midrange
http://www.starcitygames.com/decks/121325
Went X-1 in swiss with my one loss being a mulligan to 4 and 5.
1. The BGx match-up is extremely favored. Leyline puts in work, and my creature back-up plan is also very hard for slow decks to deal with. Sigarda Herons grace is one of the best cards in the match-up. Usually its the last card you pact for, and at that point your graveyard is quite full. It acts like a hornet queen, but you cant pulse the tokens.
2. SSG is purely a game one card. I want to play as unfairly as possible before sideboard, and it does that well. Its also a clean swap with the creatures in my board vs the discard/control decks.
3. I have played this 75 for a long time, and really wouldnt make any changes. The only flex is second K return or firespout. Firespout was a concession to humans, but if affinity is ever top dog again i would switch back.
I can go into more depth if people are interested, I approach deckbuilding a little differently and would be happy to talk more about some of the changes.
Modern
Value Town
Amulet Titan
Legacy
4C Loam
My Peasant Cube
http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/11667
Round 1 vs. UR Wizards. He gets a Monastery Swiftspear into Bolt on Azusa, but I drew a 2nd Amulet and had Explore to go off for lethal on my turn 2. I lose the next game after Summoner's Pact doesn't get double Forest, only 1. He Blood Moons me and I scoop. The next game is similar to game 1. I figure the only way I lose is to get triple Bolted and not block a Swiftspear while a Stormchaser Mage gets through. I was going to block though since I had a Plant token coming up and Obstinate Baloth with Slayer's Stronghold and Boros Garrison to knock him potentially to 2. Got there as he scooped. 2-1.
Round 2 vs. Jeskai Delver. So, my friend on Merfolk played this guy in round 1, getting mana screwed and drawing a million lands in the other game. Two Delvers on turn 4. I don't play much. I play stuff that gets countered, but make sure to resolve an Ancient Stirrings to find a 6th mana source. I cast Prime Time and it ... resolves. Bolt, ScM/Bolt EoT, go to his turn, same thing after a double swing with Delvers. Nice! In the next game, he gets turn 1 Delver into flip right away. Pretty consistent Delver flipping deck here. It kills me after he plays Deprive and Remand X 3 on my threats. He got stuck on 2 mana, but just needed to counter all of my stuff. I lament not getting Cavern of Souls or Tolaria West for it. 0-2.
Round 3 vs. BUG. My first 5 draws steps were Karoo lands, but his hand is less than stellar and I get Prime Time. It dies to Maelstrom Pulse, than another dies to Murderous Cut, but he doesn't have removal for the 3rd one and Bojuka Bog screwed up his clock with Goyf. In the next 2 games, he eeked them out. In the next game, Rain of Tears and ScM/Rain of Tears slows me down and I get stuck on 4, then 5 lands. I finally get 6 and get a Prime Time countered, then another Murderous Cut into activate Treetop Village, and kill me with that, Goyf, and ScM. The final game just had me flood out. My threats got killed and I didn't have time to get more. He had Damping Sphere to slow me down and top decked Tireless Tracker into Verdant Catacombs, which I called exactly the next turn. Got me on turn 3 of turns. I drew more lands. I needed something that wasn't a land. Got a Pact for Obstinate Baloth in response to Thoughtseize to put the Baloth in play, but it got Murderous Cut right away. That card is good! 1-2.
Round 4 vs. Burn. Dood didn't show up, but I'm pretty sure I beat this fellow anyway. I was looking forward to it too, but he left early. 2-0.
I finish 2-2. I can't figure out how to beat BUG with several different decks, unless I hedge specifically for it or play the best deck - Hoomans.
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)The first one: I've heard there's an active Amulet discord channel, does anyone have an invite to it?
The main question: Does anyone have any advice for the Jeskai matchup? I honestly thought my gameplan was pretty good and that the matchup was okay, but now I'm realizing that in my last 7 games (in MODO competitive leagues) against Jeskai I've gone 1-6. I think I feel like it's a good matchup because in general, I'm doing quite well against UW control and I tend to lump UW/Jeskai together in my head (despite them playing differently and my sideboard plan being a bit different).
What's the basic plan against Jeskai? I feel like unless I can find cavern game 1 or I have a crazy explosive draw, it's pretty hard to do anything and then I just get beaten down/burned out by snaps or locked out by Teferi. After SB, the spell pierces help, but I find that it still requires a pretty strong draw. If my draw is too slow, I lose to cryptics and field of ruins/ghost quarters on my bouncelands.
I think perhaps I'm not mulliganing aggressively enough in the matchup? What are other people's experiences? Am I playing the matchup poorly or is it just not a great matchup?
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 actually didn't board it in, but I definitely considered it afterward. I just didn't want to have potentially dead cards in hand. I just wanted more threats.
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)Do you have a list?
All hist recent finishes that I see are pretty standard.
It focuses a lot more on white. SB cards look strong. Might be due to the increase in eggs.
I'm a bit confused on sigarda though, I think I'm going to move a gq main and cut the 3rd peirce for hornet queen and either obaloth or dromoka or maybe bskull is good again? Not sure but I've thought sigarda was always one of the weakest alt win cons
Hornet queen is insane in so many matches it's been borderline md-able in some metagames, just not sure his logic on it
Has anyone used qasali over rec sage as well? I see more lists with torper orb for humans lately and I'm sure many of them realize the cross application to amulet