I have been playing storm for a couple of months but I have my first real event coming up in a couple of weeks and would love some input on a couple of things.
For reference, this is the list I'm looking at right now:
The meta for the event is very UW and UWR heavy, which worries me, hence the gigadrowse. How is the matchup? I have heard very conflicting opinions, very time I play it I really struggle.
I hate playing an empty in the main but I really needed the space in the side.
Then I have a more general question. I follow Caleb and he advises removing sleight of hand postboard in lots of MUs. Even with the velocity of opt, isn't sleight of hand just the better card? Why is he siding out sleights instead of opt?
Take SB guides with a grain of salt, even coming from Caleb. It is often correct to SB slightly different depending on if you are on the play/draw, especially with such a play/draw dependant card as Remand in our deck. The most recent SB guide of Caleb for example tells you to always bring in Bolts against Hollow One, but those are only needed on the draw to kill Adepts and alleviate the pressure, otherwise the Bolts are very mediocre and can be a liabillity when you are on the play looking to win asap.
As for the Sleight/Opt question, just compare what both cards do to get your answer.
Both see 2 cards deep meaning that if you are looking for something specific they have the same value. If you bottom a card with Opt and draw another card you don't need, if it were a Sleight of Hand, you would be looking at 2 cards you don't need as well, but get to pick the slightly better one. This scenario is where Sleight is marginally better than Opt since you could for example bottom a desperate ritual and draw a pyretic which is a downgrade, but its a lose-lose scenario since (in this example) you ideally wouldn't want to draw either anyway.
Opt on the other hand lets you play at instant speed which, especially post-SB with more interaction in your deck, can be very relevant. It also postpones your decision making until the end of your opponents turn, letting you decide if you want to scry to the bottom/top depending on what your opponent did (ex: opponent thoughtseizes your Gifts Ungiven, you EOT Opt and keep another Gifts you otherwise would have possibly bottomed). Opt also lets you keep both of your top cards if you want them, something which is not possible with Sleight of Hand.
As a rule of thumb, if you plan on not interacting and the game is merely a race, Sleight of Hand has the potential to be slightly better by always giving you the better of both cards, otherwise Opt should have the upper hand.
These are my questions. Pieces of the Puzzle looks awesome, why is it in the sideboard of most decks and not in mainboard? Speaking of sideboards, how does mine look? Do I need an Empty the Warrens in main? Is it any particular things I should think about before playing the deck in a tournament? Do I always need a creature in my opening seven? Is 2x Remand better than one of it and one Unsubstantiate?
Echoing Truth is in my deck because at least two decks in my community plays Leyline of Sanctity in main deck and I need an answer for that if I am supposed to win those games. Other decks that are well represented by good pilots in my community is Humans, Arclight Blitz (one RW and one UR), 8-rack, Storm, Jund and Eldrazi Tron. Is this deck fitting good in that meta?
Sorry for the wall of questions, hopefully someone can answer a couple of them!
These are my questions. Pieces of the Puzzle looks awesome, why is it in the sideboard of most decks and not in mainboard? Speaking of sideboards, how does mine look? Do I need an Empty the Warrens in main? Is it any particular things I should think about before playing the deck in a tournament? Do I always need a creature in my opening seven? Is 2x Remand better than one of it and one Unsubstantiate?
Echoing Truth is in my deck because at least two decks in my community plays Leyline of Sanctity in main deck and I need an answer for that if I am supposed to win those games. Other decks that are well represented by good pilots in my community is Humans, Arclight Blitz (one RW and one UR), 8-rack, Storm, Jund and Eldrazi Tron. Is this deck fitting good in that meta?
Sorry for the wall of questions, hopefully someone can answer a couple of them!
Hey!
Pieces - It's not as good as gifts or as consistent as the usual combo, but it gets around graveyard hate to keep a spell chain going.
Your sideboard looks standard.
Before playing in a tournament - goldfish the combo alone at home so you know what you are doing. Once you are sick of that and have it down, do the same but discarding your best card in hand to 'thoughtseize'. Just be sure you know how the combo works, every
thing else is practice.
Do I need an Empty the Warrens in main? This is personal preference. Some like it, some don't. It can steal you wins but it can also be dead.
Do I always need a creature in my opening seven? No. Cantrips are often better so that you can sculpt your hand into what you need.
Is 2x Remand better than one of it and one Unsubstantiate? unsubstantiate has more uses because you can bounce meddling mages and what have you or your own creature to defend against removal, whilst also acting as a remand.
Your deck looks....ok for the meta. Humans and Jund are tough, but nothing else should really scare you.
Hope this helps.
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Modern: UR Gifts Storm URB Grixis Death's Shadow R12 Bolt
Pauper: UR Puzzle Pieces
EDH: UB Phenax, God of Deception UR The Locust God UR Saheeli the Gifted WBG Anafenza, the Foremost
Ok so it's time for me to get some feedback. Ive been on storm for a short time, at least in modern, and I need to solicite some information. Ive had some mixed results. 2-2 at a couple FNMs couple with a 4-0 FNM and 4-1 at a 1k event. That's what ive had the last month. The 2-2 performances seem to be a derived from the fact that I can't beat jund. When i dodge that deck I seem to do fine. I understand that Jund/Abzan is about as bad of a match as it gets for us. That being said it can't be a flat out auto loss. Every game I have against it I feel like im hanging tough, resolving a 5 copy empty etc, and still keep coming up short. I guess the biggest issue is Lilliana is just crushing against us, and bolt is insufficient to remove it from the field. Any tips that can help me turn this into a match that has a better outlook? For refrence here is my deck list
VickVega, the quickest fix to your lack of resiliency against BGx's combination of relentless hand attack and Scavenging Ooze is to double up on Past in Flames, so you get more than one shot at the kill if something goes wrong. I would cut the third Remand to make this room, as it's widely agreed that you should play 3 interactive cards, and I consider Noxious Revival to be interactive.
Additionally, it's widely agreed that you should turn two of your Island into Snow-Covered Island just in case you want to put both of them in a Gifts Ungiven pile.
Lastly, I would cut the third Lightning Bolt from the sideboard, as you have two Abrade and five three-damage effects is too many. I play one Dismember because it deals with extra toughness and becomes free with Goblin Electromancer.
Hey! Haven't played storm in a while but just took it out of storage and re-sleeved it!
Was wondering if there are any lists out there that mainboard Pyromancer Ascension and how they do in comparison? Was always a fan of that build prior to the days of Baral..
Other than that, it looks like the deck has remained the same for the most part! Can't wait to give it a try again
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UU"Brute force can sometimes kick down a locked door, but knowledge is a skeleton key"UU
With the ever-increasing amount of graveyard hate that modern has thrown at us storm players lately (UW/Jeskai running mainboard RIP...RIP us,etc), I have made some larger changes to my list...here it is:
Creatures
4 Baral, Chief of Compliance
3 Goblin Electromancer
Card Draw
4 Opt
4 Serum Visions
4 Sleight of Hand
2 Pieces of the Puzzle
4 Gifts Ungiven
Storm Spells
2 Grapeshot
1 Empty the Warrens
The Rest
4 Pyretic Ritual
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Manamorphose
1 Noxious Rivival
2 Past in Flames
Lands
4 Sprirebluff Canal
4 Steam Vents
4 Shivan Reef
2 Snow-Covered Island
2 Island
1 Mountain
Sideboard
2 Abrade
1 Echoing Truth
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Ignite Memories
3 Lightning Bolt
2 Pieces of the Puzzle
1 Shattering Spree
2 Thing in the Ice
1 Wipe Away
So, the reason I have made these changes are primarily because it gives us a much better game 1 against go-wide decks, or decks that are packing maindeck graveyard hate (like I mentioned above, RIP, Relic of Progenitus, etc). It also gives us the out of going Pieces into an empty game 1, which has won me quite a few matches. So far in testing (GP Milwaukee side events for 19 rounds, various FNM events) my record is 25-4 in matches. I went 15-4 in the 19 rounds played at the GP, and have 5-0'd 2 FNMs with it (my meta is heavy on Tron and UW control, which run lots of maindeck hate)
With the ever-increasing amount of graveyard hate that modern has thrown at us storm players lately (UW/Jeskai running mainboard RIP...RIP us,etc), I have made some larger changes to my list...here it is:
Creatures
4 Baral, Chief of Compliance
3 Goblin Electromancer
Card Draw
4 Opt
4 Serum Visions
4 Sleight of Hand
2 Pieces of the Puzzle
4 Gifts Ungiven
Storm Spells
2 Grapeshot
1 Empty the Warrens
The Rest
4 Pyretic Ritual
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Manamorphose
1 Noxious Rivival
2 Past in Flames
Lands
4 Sprirebluff Canal
4 Steam Vents
4 Shivan Reef
2 Snow-Covered Island
2 Island
1 Mountain
Sideboard
2 Abrade
1 Echoing Truth
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Ignite Memories
3 Lightning Bolt
2 Pieces of the Puzzle
1 Shattering Spree
2 Thing in the Ice
1 Wipe Away
So, the reason I have made these changes are primarily because it gives us a much better game 1 against go-wide decks, or decks that are packing maindeck graveyard hate (like I mentioned above, RIP, Relic of Progenitus, etc). It also gives us the out of going Pieces into an empty game 1, which has won me quite a few matches. So far in testing (GP Milwaukee side events for 19 rounds, various FNM events) my record is 25-4 in matches. I went 15-4 in the 19 rounds played at the GP, and have 5-0'd 2 FNMs with it (my meta is heavy on Tron and UW control, which run lots of maindeck hate)
Would love a dialogue/conversation on this.
I'm trying damn hard to figure out where to fit pieces in the main, but I'm hesitant to cut remand because of the old grapeshot-remand-grapeshot shenanigans.
I think cutting Noxious is more sensible since mainboard gy hate is everywhere.
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Modern: UR Gifts Storm URB Grixis Death's Shadow R12 Bolt
Pauper: UR Puzzle Pieces
EDH: UB Phenax, God of Deception UR The Locust God UR Saheeli the Gifted WBG Anafenza, the Foremost
What are your thoughts on Caleb's latest list? I think taking out Noxious Revival is a mistake, although I admit I might be biased after not drawing bears and being unable to Gifts for them since I had no Revivals two times yesterday (I would've won the game on the spot both times if I had a way to ensure I ended up with a bear). I do agree that a maindeck Empty the Warrens is a solid choice since you can play 3-4 spells and end the game in two turns through maindeck graveyard hate. Here's the list I'm running:
I'm not sold on his latest SB choices yet (subbing a Bolt for a Flame Slash to kill Spirits and Meddling Mage, and a Pieces for Spell Pierce), but I could be convinced on the Slash thing, if only because Spirits and Humans are probably our worst two matchups alongside Jund (which is practically nonexistant these days). I was playing the 4th Opt in place of Noxious Revival before the Gifts bear piles debacle yesterday. I still want to include the last Opt, but I'm unsure about what to cut, since Remand enables us to go for the kill with a really low Storm count, even more so when taking into account that people fetch aggressively against us, and through maindeck graveyard hate, while also protecting a bear from removal if we drop it with protection mana open against fairer decks.
So ive been toying around with a lot of different builds. I do modern at my LGS 2 or 3 times a week. My local meta has a loy of jund, humans, spirits, burn. All very bad matches. Last week i toyed around with having 3 MD empty the Warren. It paid big dividends. I beat humans twice with a T2 for 14 goblins. I'm gonna test it more to see if its an outlier but empty has been very very solid
Flame Slash/Dismember also kill Thing in the Ice out of the new phoenix deck. They are both worth playing depending on the expected meta, I don't find Spirits that bad of a MU honestly, I for example definitely have a positive winning rate against it, Burn is much worse and Humans is slightly unfavourable but also very winnable, this weekend in Liverpool for example I beat Humans 2-0 the only time I faced it and out of the three times v Spirits I only lost once to a list running 4 surgical in the side.
I feel it's not worth going for TiTi as we can simple race faster than they do. In the event that TiTi flips on turn 3 all it does is return a Storm bear which we can deploy next turn anyways and go in for the kill if we have two rituals and Manamorphose.
About spirits, I feel that G1 a turn 1 Mausoleum Wanderer is close to gg because they can simply grow it's power via flashing and vialing lords and other spirits to counter the key spells, also Spell Queller basically being able to eat anything from a ritual to Past in Flames / Gifts Ungiven. Post board things get a bit better with removal from the board, but I wouldn't call the matchup slightly unfavourable, as I wouldn't call Humans slightly unfavourable either as it's probably our worst matchup alongside Burn.
I feel it's not worth going for TiTi as we can simple race faster than they do. In the event that TiTi flips on turn 3 all it does is return a Storm bear which we can deploy next turn anyways and go in for the kill if we have two rituals and Manamorphose.
About spirits, I feel that G1 a turn 1 Mausoleum Wanderer is close to gg because they can simply grow it's power via flashing and vialing lords and other spirits to counter the key spells, also Spell Queller basically being able to eat anything from a ritual to Past in Flames / Gifts Ungiven. Post board things get a bit better with removal from the board, but I wouldn't call the matchup slightly unfavourable, as I wouldn't call Humans slightly unfavourable either as it's probably our worst matchup alongside Burn.
In the Spirits MU there are alot of mindgames involved, I've for example main phased a ritual before with no pay off in hand just to "force" them to sac a wanderer to prevent a possible grapeshot/other. Another example is cantripping before playing your second land to see if they sac the wanderer/spell queller hoping to mana screw you. The key to the Spirits MU however is having a bear out, the wanderers get alot worse and you can double spell to outpace a key Spell Queller.
Humans is a bit worse for us, you normally end up having to get slightly lucky with your draw steps. Differently than against Spirits though, Grapeshots are great here to alleviate the pressure, so playing 3 Grapeshot instead of the 2/1 split with Empty affects this MU quite a bit imo.
I find the biggest issue in both matchups to be a turn 1 Vial on the play, they get too efficient, start double spelling and playing at instant speed easier. Both MUs are very nuanced though so it's hard to pinpoint every situation and how to play it out.
Burn now adopting 2+ rest in peace is definitely worse than humans, you can't go the slow route of pieces reliably as they kill you too quickly and if they have the rip you're pretty much screwed since bounce spells are otherwise terrible against them.
IMO Warrens helps a lot when you're against decks with maindeck graveyard hate, when you face severe disruption so you only need to chain a ritual or two and a pair of cantrips to present a 2-turn clock (specially since you also have the storm bear and people tend to fetch and shock aggressively against us), or when you've emptied your hand to clear a board with Grapeshot.
I'm also up to 2 Remand and an Unsubstantiate now to win through graveyard hate, which has eased a lot of pressure in both going in for the kill when you fall short by Remanding your own Grapeshot and to win without the need of Past in Flames, which when coupled with Warrens gives us a lot of outs for a Leyline or Rip if we don't manage to draw our bounces or have to use them on something else.
how do you play against control decks, especially in games 2 and 3? cards in/out, strategy lines...
i'm a bit worried to go "all in" in the goblins line because of terminus and i fell the grapeshot line a little weak post board
how do you play against control decks, especially in games 2 and 3? cards in/out, strategy lines...
i'm a bit worried to go "all in" in the goblins line because of terminus and i fell the grapeshot line a little weak post board
Always bring in the Goblins, yes they have answers, but it's better to make them have it.
White control will have Rest in Peace, so -2 gifts -1 PiF +4 pieces.
Just take it nice and easy, build up a good manabase and a hand full of spells and be prepared to combo off with pieces. Mind games can be handy. I once played a baral and one land open, having not played a land for turn, cast a ritual, got it countered, then said "Fine. Steam Vents untapped for turn, take two...."
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Modern: UR Gifts Storm URB Grixis Death's Shadow R12 Bolt
Pauper: UR Puzzle Pieces
EDH: UB Phenax, God of Deception UR The Locust God UR Saheeli the Gifted WBG Anafenza, the Foremost
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You want to try and stay away from Permanent based SB cards imo
Pyromancer Ascension, Chandra, Torch of Defiance, and Search for Azcanta are just better options
URStormRU
GRTitanshift[mana]RG/mana]
I have been playing storm for a couple of months but I have my first real event coming up in a couple of weeks and would love some input on a couple of things.
For reference, this is the list I'm looking at right now:
2 goblin electromancer
2 grapeshot
1 empty the warrens
4 opt
4 sleight of hand
4 serum visions
4 gifts ungiven
4 pyretic ritual
4 desperate ritual
4 manamorphose
2 past in flames
1 noxious revival
1 repeal
1 unsubstaniate
1 remand
4 shivan reef
4 spirebluff canal
2 island
2 snow-covered island
1 mountain
4 pieces of the puzzle
2 abrade
2 lightning bolt
2 thing in the ice
1 gigadrowse
1 wipe away
1 echoing truth
2 empty the warrens
The meta for the event is very UW and UWR heavy, which worries me, hence the gigadrowse. How is the matchup? I have heard very conflicting opinions, very time I play it I really struggle.
I hate playing an empty in the main but I really needed the space in the side.
Then I have a more general question. I follow Caleb and he advises removing sleight of hand postboard in lots of MUs. Even with the velocity of opt, isn't sleight of hand just the better card? Why is he siding out sleights instead of opt?
Thanks for any input and criticism.
As for the Sleight/Opt question, just compare what both cards do to get your answer.
Both see 2 cards deep meaning that if you are looking for something specific they have the same value. If you bottom a card with Opt and draw another card you don't need, if it were a Sleight of Hand, you would be looking at 2 cards you don't need as well, but get to pick the slightly better one. This scenario is where Sleight is marginally better than Opt since you could for example bottom a desperate ritual and draw a pyretic which is a downgrade, but its a lose-lose scenario since (in this example) you ideally wouldn't want to draw either anyway.
Opt on the other hand lets you play at instant speed which, especially post-SB with more interaction in your deck, can be very relevant. It also postpones your decision making until the end of your opponents turn, letting you decide if you want to scry to the bottom/top depending on what your opponent did (ex: opponent thoughtseizes your Gifts Ungiven, you EOT Opt and keep another Gifts you otherwise would have possibly bottomed). Opt also lets you keep both of your top cards if you want them, something which is not possible with Sleight of Hand.
As a rule of thumb, if you plan on not interacting and the game is merely a race, Sleight of Hand has the potential to be slightly better by always giving you the better of both cards, otherwise Opt should have the upper hand.
My deck looks like this right now:
4x Baral, Chief of Compliance
3x Goblin Electromancer
Spells:
4x Opt
4x Serum Visions
4x Sleight of Hand
4x Gifts Ungiven
2x Past In Flames
1x Noxious Revival
1x Echoing Truth
1x Remand
1x Unsubstantiate
4x Pyretic Ritual
4x Desperate Ritual
4x Manamorphose
Wincons:
2x Grapeshot
Lands:
4x Shivan Reef
4x Steam Vents
4x Spirebluff Canal
1x Mountain
2x Island
2x Snow-Covered Island
1x Lightning Bolt
1x Ignite Memories
2x Empty the Warrens
1x Gigadrowse
1x Wipe Away
1x Repeal
2x Thing in the Ice
2x Abrade
4x Pieces of the Puzzle
These are my questions. Pieces of the Puzzle looks awesome, why is it in the sideboard of most decks and not in mainboard? Speaking of sideboards, how does mine look? Do I need an Empty the Warrens in main? Is it any particular things I should think about before playing the deck in a tournament? Do I always need a creature in my opening seven? Is 2x Remand better than one of it and one Unsubstantiate?
Echoing Truth is in my deck because at least two decks in my community plays Leyline of Sanctity in main deck and I need an answer for that if I am supposed to win those games. Other decks that are well represented by good pilots in my community is Humans, Arclight Blitz (one RW and one UR), 8-rack, Storm, Jund and Eldrazi Tron. Is this deck fitting good in that meta?
Sorry for the wall of questions, hopefully someone can answer a couple of them!
Hey!
Pieces - It's not as good as gifts or as consistent as the usual combo, but it gets around graveyard hate to keep a spell chain going.
Your sideboard looks standard.
Before playing in a tournament - goldfish the combo alone at home so you know what you are doing. Once you are sick of that and have it down, do the same but discarding your best card in hand to 'thoughtseize'. Just be sure you know how the combo works, every
thing else is practice.
Do I need an Empty the Warrens in main? This is personal preference. Some like it, some don't. It can steal you wins but it can also be dead.
Do I always need a creature in my opening seven? No. Cantrips are often better so that you can sculpt your hand into what you need.
Is 2x Remand better than one of it and one Unsubstantiate? unsubstantiate has more uses because you can bounce meddling mages and what have you or your own creature to defend against removal, whilst also acting as a remand.
Your deck looks....ok for the meta. Humans and Jund are tough, but nothing else should really scare you.
Hope this helps.
Pauper: UR Puzzle Pieces
EDH: UB Phenax, God of Deception UR The Locust God UR Saheeli the Gifted WBG Anafenza, the Foremost
Pauper: UR Puzzle Pieces
EDH: UB Phenax, God of Deception UR The Locust God UR Saheeli the Gifted WBG Anafenza, the Foremost
3x Baral, Chief of Compliance
3x Goblin Electromancer
Spells
4x Opt
4x Serum Visions
4x Sleight of Hand
4x Gifts Ungiven
1x Past In Flames
1x Noxious Revival
3x Remand
2x Grape shot
2x Empty the warrens
4x Pyretic Ritual
4x Desperate Ritual
4x Manamorphose
4x Shivan Reef
4x Steam Vents
4x Spirebluff Canal
1x Mountain
4x Island
3x Lightning Bolt
2x Abrade
1x Echoing Truth
1x Wipe Away
2x Gigadrowse
3x Pieces of the puzzle
2x Thing in the ice
1x Empty the warrens
Additionally, it's widely agreed that you should turn two of your Island into Snow-Covered Island just in case you want to put both of them in a Gifts Ungiven pile.
Lastly, I would cut the third Lightning Bolt from the sideboard, as you have two Abrade and five three-damage effects is too many. I play one Dismember because it deals with extra toughness and becomes free with Goblin Electromancer.
Was wondering if there are any lists out there that mainboard Pyromancer Ascension and how they do in comparison? Was always a fan of that build prior to the days of Baral..
Other than that, it looks like the deck has remained the same for the most part! Can't wait to give it a try again
With the ever-increasing amount of graveyard hate that modern has thrown at us storm players lately (UW/Jeskai running mainboard RIP...RIP us,etc), I have made some larger changes to my list...here it is:
Creatures
4 Baral, Chief of Compliance
3 Goblin Electromancer
Card Draw
4 Opt
4 Serum Visions
4 Sleight of Hand
2 Pieces of the Puzzle
4 Gifts Ungiven
Storm Spells
2 Grapeshot
1 Empty the Warrens
The Rest
4 Pyretic Ritual
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Manamorphose
1 Noxious Rivival
2 Past in Flames
Lands
4 Sprirebluff Canal
4 Steam Vents
4 Shivan Reef
2 Snow-Covered Island
2 Island
1 Mountain
Sideboard
2 Abrade
1 Echoing Truth
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Ignite Memories
3 Lightning Bolt
2 Pieces of the Puzzle
1 Shattering Spree
2 Thing in the Ice
1 Wipe Away
So, the reason I have made these changes are primarily because it gives us a much better game 1 against go-wide decks, or decks that are packing maindeck graveyard hate (like I mentioned above, RIP, Relic of Progenitus, etc). It also gives us the out of going Pieces into an empty game 1, which has won me quite a few matches. So far in testing (GP Milwaukee side events for 19 rounds, various FNM events) my record is 25-4 in matches. I went 15-4 in the 19 rounds played at the GP, and have 5-0'd 2 FNMs with it (my meta is heavy on Tron and UW control, which run lots of maindeck hate)
Would love a dialogue/conversation on this.
I'm trying damn hard to figure out where to fit pieces in the main, but I'm hesitant to cut remand because of the old grapeshot-remand-grapeshot shenanigans.
I think cutting Noxious is more sensible since mainboard gy hate is everywhere.
Pauper: UR Puzzle Pieces
EDH: UB Phenax, God of Deception UR The Locust God UR Saheeli the Gifted WBG Anafenza, the Foremost
4 Baral, Chief of Compliance
3 Goblin Electromancer
Land (17)
4 Spirebluff Canal
4 Steam Vents
4 Shivan Reef
4 Island
1 Mountain
Sorcery (13)
4 Serum Visions
4 Sleight of Hand
2 Past in Flames
2 Grapeshot
1 Empty the Warrens
4 Gifts Ungiven
4 Pyretic Ritual
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Manamorphose
3 Opt
2 Remand
1 Unsubstantiate
1 Noxious Revival
4 Pieces of the Puzzle
3 Lighting Bolt
2 Abrade
2 Empty the Warrens
1 Wipe Away
1 Echoing Truth
1 Gigadrowse
1 Dismember
I'm not sold on his latest SB choices yet (subbing a Bolt for a Flame Slash to kill Spirits and Meddling Mage, and a Pieces for Spell Pierce), but I could be convinced on the Slash thing, if only because Spirits and Humans are probably our worst two matchups alongside Jund (which is practically nonexistant these days). I was playing the 4th Opt in place of Noxious Revival before the Gifts bear piles debacle yesterday. I still want to include the last Opt, but I'm unsure about what to cut, since Remand enables us to go for the kill with a really low Storm count, even more so when taking into account that people fetch aggressively against us, and through maindeck graveyard hate, while also protecting a bear from removal if we drop it with protection mana open against fairer decks.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
About spirits, I feel that G1 a turn 1 Mausoleum Wanderer is close to gg because they can simply grow it's power via flashing and vialing lords and other spirits to counter the key spells, also Spell Queller basically being able to eat anything from a ritual to Past in Flames / Gifts Ungiven. Post board things get a bit better with removal from the board, but I wouldn't call the matchup slightly unfavourable, as I wouldn't call Humans slightly unfavourable either as it's probably our worst matchup alongside Burn.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
In the Spirits MU there are alot of mindgames involved, I've for example main phased a ritual before with no pay off in hand just to "force" them to sac a wanderer to prevent a possible grapeshot/other. Another example is cantripping before playing your second land to see if they sac the wanderer/spell queller hoping to mana screw you. The key to the Spirits MU however is having a bear out, the wanderers get alot worse and you can double spell to outpace a key Spell Queller.
Humans is a bit worse for us, you normally end up having to get slightly lucky with your draw steps. Differently than against Spirits though, Grapeshots are great here to alleviate the pressure, so playing 3 Grapeshot instead of the 2/1 split with Empty affects this MU quite a bit imo.
I find the biggest issue in both matchups to be a turn 1 Vial on the play, they get too efficient, start double spelling and playing at instant speed easier. Both MUs are very nuanced though so it's hard to pinpoint every situation and how to play it out.
Burn now adopting 2+ rest in peace is definitely worse than humans, you can't go the slow route of pieces reliably as they kill you too quickly and if they have the rip you're pretty much screwed since bounce spells are otherwise terrible against them.
I'm also up to 2 Remand and an Unsubstantiate now to win through graveyard hate, which has eased a lot of pressure in both going in for the kill when you fall short by Remanding your own Grapeshot and to win without the need of Past in Flames, which when coupled with Warrens gives us a lot of outs for a Leyline or Rip if we don't manage to draw our bounces or have to use them on something else.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
i'm a bit worried to go "all in" in the goblins line because of terminus and i fell the grapeshot line a little weak post board
Always bring in the Goblins, yes they have answers, but it's better to make them have it.
White control will have Rest in Peace, so -2 gifts -1 PiF +4 pieces.
Just take it nice and easy, build up a good manabase and a hand full of spells and be prepared to combo off with pieces. Mind games can be handy. I once played a baral and one land open, having not played a land for turn, cast a ritual, got it countered, then said "Fine. Steam Vents untapped for turn, take two...."
Pauper: UR Puzzle Pieces
EDH: UB Phenax, God of Deception UR The Locust God UR Saheeli the Gifted WBG Anafenza, the Foremost