Below I have attached pictures of my current deck list. I won three matches and lost one yesterday at my LGS. First match was Treasure Hunt combo where I won 2-1. The last match was decided when I flashed in a Snapcaster Mage to block to avoid lethal damage and my opponent died due to milling from my 'mine' effects. Second match was Tron where I Commandeer'd my opponents Ugin, the Spirit Dragon and got to ultimate it off (so fun!!). I won 2-0. Third match was versus a UR blood moon deck where I won 2-1. The game I lost involved Surgical Extraction cast on my Time Warp and Dictate of Kruphix. Final match I lost 0-2 to a BR deck with a splash of W that used the graveyard, tokens, discard effects and a sideboard Kambal, Consul of Allocation. I'll have to work on that matchup for the future and I am thinking of removing one Fatal Push and possibly two Remand from my sideboard to add a Dismember and possibly two Rest In Peace. If I add the two Rest In Peace I will add a Hallowed Fountain and remove a Watery Grave from my main deck. Let me know any suggestions if you have any.
Hey guys! So I just signed up for Starcity Worcester next weekend, was hoping to get some last minute opinions on my decklist I'll be bringing. I've been working on how I want to sideboard against certain matchups and I usually have difficulty figuring out what to trim/cut
I imagine there will be a lot of Mardu Pyromancer, KCI, and Humans there since they are kind of the top decks of the format currently.. That formed most of my decision with the sideboard (I think the Chalice are very strong against Mardu given most of their deck runs on one mana spells and without their faithless looting they brick easily) and the Terminus are obviously strong against Humans..
Does anyone have any suggestions though?
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Mardu decks run a couple of maindeck kolaghan's command and they'll keep them in against you. Chalice isn't necessarily the best against them although given a favourable draw from your perspective, a mardu player could get walled off. Unfortunately they don't play much in the way of one drops that matter against you, and primarily they'll beat you with two and three drops. I wouldn't sideboard chalice against them specifically.
Also, bear in mind... Terminus is very situational and possibly not even that good. Worth considering critically how often you're likely to be able to reliably set up the top of your library. It's probably less often than you think.
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Modern: G Tron, Vannifar, Jund, Druid/Vizier combo, Humans, Eldrazi Stompy (Serum Powder), Amulet, Grishoalbrand, Breach Titan, Turns, Eternal Command, As Foretold Living End, Elves, Cheerios, RUG Scapeshift
You do raise good points.. so what would be a more favorable choice for side boarding then? I have tried supreme verdict in the past in place of several terminus and it feels iffy..
I agree I wasn't as much of a fan of the Chalice but they seemed like the best option against them. Should I just run more counter spells instead?
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Jace isn't necessary but he is very good. We ran the deck without jace for quite some time, so there should be some reasonable lists around which operate without jace. Just checking as well; you are running snapcaster, right? I'd argue that snappy is more necessary than jace.
I agree with Purkle that Jace isn't necessary, and Snapcaster is more important. You can still run lists with few or no Jace/Snapcasters, just understand that they'll play slightly worse than lists with those cards.
I am starting to play modern with this 'new' mono Ux living end deck. It has a lot of blue spells and I think that blue spells are what I like to play in modern. I would like to try one version of taking turns without either Jace and Snapcaster because I cannot afford to buy those cards. It is sad but invest in those cards are a big thing, a set of Snapcasters could buy another deck. Sorry to bring this up.
That's why I asked if there is a list without those cards that is powerful enought to have some fun playing. To be fully transparent it is not necessary to have a great win rate, I just like to have some playing, always felling that I have a lot of answers and options and this will decide if I will win of not (that's why I love blue).
Sorry to hit you guys with the double posts here but I wanted to share something I have been working on for those who play the UW build..
I have done tweaking to my sideboard and currently it is as followed
For those inclined I have compiled all of the "most played" decks currently as of the past several months of Starcity coverage with their average sideboards and have broken down my strategy for side boarding and how I will most likely attack the tournament next weekend (Note this doesn't include EVERY deck, just the ones I do not already have a lot of experience against as is or what I consider to be "difficult" matchups
Modern Cheat Sheet – Taking Turns
Mardu Pyromancer:
o Average Sideboard –
• Engineered Explosives
• Nihil Spellbomb
• Surgical Extraction
• Kambal, Consul of Allocation
• Liliana of the Veil/The Last Hope
• Molten Rain/Land Destruction
• (+) Collective Brutality
• Kolghan’s Command/Discard
o They will most likely bring in more hand disruption and graveyard hate (doesn’t do much against us – may consider side boarding out a snapcaster mage given how the match goes)
o Strategy: -1 Dictate, -1 Island, - 2 Remand, +3 Timely Reinforcements, +1 Commandeer
Humans:
o Average Sideboard –
• Auriok Champion – Strong against red decks (unimportant)
• Dark Confidant
• Hostage Taker (Exile Creature or Artifact – May then cast)
• Izzet Staticaster (Good against low power creatures)
• Reclamation Sage
• Sin Collector (THREAT)
• Dismember
• Gaddock Teeg (THREAT)
• Kataki, War’s Wage
o They will probably bring in Kambal if they have it and Sin Collector to attack the hand in the early turns
o Strategy: -1 Howling Mine, -1 Island, -1 Gigadrowse, -1 Remand, +3 Terminus, +1 Supreme Verdict
Jeskai Control:
o Average Sideboard –
• Runed Halo
• Celestial Purge
• Disdainful Stroke
• Dispel
• Negate
• Vendilion Clique
• Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
• Engineered Explosives
• Wear//Tear
o They will probably side in more counter magic and Vendilion Clique for hand disruption – Focus on using gigadrowse/exhaustion to tap their mana down and avoid Cryptic Command
o Strategy: -1 Dictate, -1 Path to Exile, -1 Remand, - 1 Island, +2 Swan Song, +1 Commandeer, +1 Dispel
Ironworks Combo:
o Average Sideboard –
• Defense Grid
• Ensnaring Bridge
• Wurmcoil Engine
• Silence
• Lightning Bolt
• Nature’s Claim
• Ghirapur Aether Grid
• Guttural Response
o They will probably have difficulty siding in effective cards, watch out for Guttural Response (one mana counters blue instant spell) and silence on our combo turns – cast time warp effects first just in case
o Strategy: -1 Dictate, -1 Path to Exile, -1 Island, -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor, +2 Swan Song, +1 Stony Silence, +1 Runed Halo (naming Pyrite Spellbomb or Sideboard threat)
G/R Land Destruction:
o Average Sideboard –
• Relic of Progenitus
• Trinisphere (THREAT)
• Ancient Grudge/Abrade
• Chandra Planeswalkers
o They will probably board in Choke if they have that or Trinisphere so Disenchant will be important, They will probably cut a blood moon after game one if they see enough islands
o Strategy: -1 Howling Mine, -1 Path to Exile, -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor, -1 Gigadrowse, -1 Fetch, +3 Terminus, +1 Disenchant, +1Swan Song
Burn:
o Average Sideboard –
• Ensnaring Bridge
• Rest in Peace
• Destructive Revelry
• Path to Exile
o This is already a tough matchup as is, avoid destructive revelry and only use Howling Mine effects when absolutely ready to combo as them drawing extra cards is dangerous
o Strategy: -1 Dictate, -1 Path to Exile, -1 Fetch, -1 Howling Mine, -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor, +3 Timely Reinforcements, +2 Dispel
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Jace isn't necessary but he is very good. We ran the deck without jace for quite some time, so there should be some reasonable lists around which operate without jace. Just checking as well; you are running snapcaster, right? I'd argue that snappy is more necessary than jace.
I agree with Purkle that Jace isn't necessary, and Snapcaster is more important. You can still run lists with few or no Jace/Snapcasters, just understand that they'll play slightly worse than lists with those cards.
I am starting to play modern with this 'new' mono Ux living end deck. It has a lot of blue spells and I think that blue spells are what I like to play in modern. I would like to try one version of taking turns without either Jace and Snapcaster because I cannot afford to buy those cards. It is sad but invest in those cards are a big thing, a set of Snapcasters could buy another deck. Sorry to bring this up.
That's why I asked if there is a list without those cards that is powerful enought to have some fun playing. To be fully transparent it is not necessary to have a great win rate, I just like to have some playing, always felling that I have a lot of answers and options and this will decide if I will win of not (that's why I love blue).
I have been playing mono U variant without Snapcaster Mage and no Jace and have a decent win rate. This is my list if it interests you:
I'm in the middle of overhauling the sideboard, but I'm fairly happy with the mainboard. The landbase is just for insurance against boil/choke, you can easily get away with replacing most of the expensive lands with islands. The only lands that are necessary are the Mikokoro, Center of the Sea and the Inkmoth Nexus. The last local 3 local tournaments I took this to, I went 3-0-1(I was 3 turns away from winning ), 3-1, and 2-2, so I manage to do reasonably well.
Hi guys, is there any chance to play this deck without Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Snapcaster Mage? I know how powerful they are in this deck but I won't invest that much if it is necessary. I have a good card list base to mount this deck besides those two. If possible, may you give me a deck list without those cards?
Hey guys! So I just signed up for Starcity Worcester next weekend, was hoping to get some last minute opinions on my decklist I'll be bringing. I've been working on how I want to sideboard against certain matchups and I usually have difficulty figuring out what to trim/cut
I imagine there will be a lot of Mardu Pyromancer, KCI, and Humans there since they are kind of the top decks of the format currently.. That formed most of my decision with the sideboard (I think the Chalice are very strong against Mardu given most of their deck runs on one mana spells and without their faithless looting they brick easily) and the Terminus are obviously strong against Humans..
Does anyone have any suggestions though?
Hopefully I can help both of you.
I've had plenty of success in my local meta with this list. I regularly 3-1-0, and 3-0-1, with it, and sometimes pull 4-0-0. It has developed quite the local rep, I often hear regular opponents chide new players to "have fun not playing magic this round".
I tested many variants but ive been pushed toward this list because:
Id rather have it than have to dig for it - so no serum visions
Id rather have it and not have to mully for it - so 4 Gigadrowse, and 4 Exhaustion, 4 Thing in the Ice, and 10 Engines
Id rather not have to pay 2 extra mana for it - so no Snapcaster
Win Conditions MUST COST 3 MANA OR LESS so we dont expose ourselves after turn 3 - so no Mind Sculptor
White has the most powerful sideboard cards in all of the modern format.
Angels grace often causes total blowouts against a huge variety of decks(anything that doesn't run bolt).
Im usually on here ranting about how powerful the white sideboard is, but this time I'm just pointing out you can have a plenty powerful list without the Mind Scuptor, and without Snapcater.
I've had plenty of success in my local meta with this list. I regularly 3-1-0, and 3-0-1, with it, and sometimes pull 4-0-0. It has developed quite the local rep, I often hear regular opponents chide new players to "have fun not playing magic this round".
I tested many variants but ive been pushed toward this list because:
Id rather not have to pay 2 extra mana for it - so no Snapcaster
Win Conditions MUST COST 3 MANA OR LESS so we dont expose ourselves after turn 3 - so no Mind Sculptor
Im usually on here ranting about how powerful the white sideboard is, but this time I'm just pointing out you can have a plenty powerful list without the Mind Scuptor, and without Snapcater.
Thank you guys, I will give some test and work with those decklists, I hope to give you guys a return later.
Hey Seba, hopefully you will see this..
I was wondering why from the looks of your streams lately you run a split of Terminus, Settle the Wreckage, and Supreme Verdict? That's a lot of variety
I do a 3-1 split of Terminus and Supreme Verdict.. just wondering what your thought process is on also having Settle the Wreckage
Thanks!
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Hey Seba, hopefully you will see this..
I was wondering why from the looks of your streams lately you run a split of Terminus, Settle the Wreckage, and Supreme Verdict? That's a lot of variety
I do a 3-1 split of Terminus and Supreme Verdict.. just wondering what your thought process is on also having Settle the Wreckage
Thanks!
I would consider Settle the Wreckage to be very bad against every deck but Hollow One. Giving our opponents lands devalues our Gigadrowse. When it comes to boardwipes. I consider Supreme Verdict to be our best option. And I must honorable mention Porphyry Nodes. At only one mana, we can run it out early against aggro decks and it will either buy us a turn while they stop casting creatures, or play through it and watch it 5 for 1 them over the next several turns. But against the decks where it really matters (Fish or Elves) the Nodes ends up being just a little bit too slow most hands.
Yeah I am not a fan of Settle the Wreckage either.. but I am hoping Seba will see this and be able to shed some insight
I imagine it is must be because the tucking creature effect that Terminus gives is far better then destroying the creatures but at 6 mana if not set up to miracle is a major drawback so doing it for 4 cmc is far better..
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Humans:
o Average Sideboard –
• Auriok Champion – Strong against red decks (unimportant)
• Dark Confidant
• Hostage Taker (Exile Creature or Artifact – May then cast)
• Izzet Staticaster (Good against low power creatures)
• Reclamation Sage
• Sin Collector (THREAT)
• Dismember
• Gaddock Teeg (THREAT)
• Kataki, War’s Wage
o They will probably bring in Kambal if they have it and Sin Collector to attack the hand in the early turns
o Strategy: -1 Howling Mine, -1 Island, -1 Gigadrowse, -1 Remand, +3 Terminus, +1 Supreme Verdict
Thanks for this write-up! Your sideboard strategies seem very solid, but I do have a comment about the Humansn matchup in particular. Gigadrowse lines up very well against Phantasmal Image and can buy you a reasonable amount of time against cards like Champion of the Parish or Thalia's Lieutenant, even when cast for very little mana. I would probably keep all of them in. Without knowing your maindeck it's hard to know what to cut instead, but Remand strikes me as a card that lines up very poorly against a deck with Aether Vial and Cavern of Souls. EDIT: Oops, just noticed your post a few above with the full decklist. Definitely worth trimming or cutting Remand entirely against Humans in my opinion.
Thank you so much! I feel like the hardest part is definitely what to take out lol!
Will definitely fix that for Sunday!
Will anyone be at Starcity Worcester?
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I've had plenty of success in my local meta with this list. I regularly 3-1-0, and 3-0-1, with it, and sometimes pull 4-0-0. It has developed quite the local rep, I often hear regular opponents chide new players to "have fun not playing magic this round".
I tested many variants but ive been pushed toward this list because:
Id rather not have to pay 2 extra mana for it - so no Snapcaster
Win Conditions MUST COST 3 MANA OR LESS so we dont expose ourselves after turn 3 - so no Mind Sculptor
Im usually on here ranting about how powerful the white sideboard is, but this time I'm just pointing out you can have a plenty powerful list without the Mind Scuptor, and without Snapcater.
Thank you guys, I will give some test and work with those decklists, I hope to give you guys a return later.
If you have any questions feel free to ask. Best of luck!
Ugh sideboards are such a pain lol...
Seba or TimeWalkinOnSunshine can you explain Chalice of the Void in your sideboard... like when you brought in it during GP Vegas and your impression?
Every time I put it in I feel like it does nothing for me lol
I own 3 so I may work them in but currently I like the Swan song and dispel since I'm sure there will be a million jeskai lists running rampant lol
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Below I have attached pictures of my current deck list. I won three matches and lost one yesterday at my LGS. First match was Treasure Hunt combo where I won 2-1. The last match was decided when I flashed in a Snapcaster Mage to block to avoid lethal damage and my opponent died due to milling from my 'mine' effects. Second match was Tron where I Commandeer'd my opponents Ugin, the Spirit Dragon and got to ultimate it off (so fun!!). I won 2-0. Third match was versus a UR blood moon deck where I won 2-1. The game I lost involved Surgical Extraction cast on my Time Warp and Dictate of Kruphix. Final match I lost 0-2 to a BR deck with a splash of W that used the graveyard, tokens, discard effects and a sideboard Kambal, Consul of Allocation. I'll have to work on that matchup for the future and I am thinking of removing one Fatal Push and possibly two Remand from my sideboard to add a Dismember and possibly two Rest In Peace. If I add the two Rest In Peace I will add a Hallowed Fountain and remove a Watery Grave from my main deck. Let me know any suggestions if you have any.
Cheers!
Congrats on the finish and thanks for the write-up! Your deck looks very solid to me, and I especially like the 1-of Darkness in the mainboard (how many people expect Fog out of UB?) How has that card been working out for you?
Ugh sideboards are such a pain lol...
Seba or TimeWalkinOnSunshine can you explain Chalice of the Void in your sideboard... like when you brought in it during GP Vegas and your impression?
Every time I put it in I feel like it does nothing for me lol
I own 3 so I may work them in but currently I like the Swan song and dispel since I'm sure there will be a million jeskai lists running rampant lol
I wrote a sideboard guide early this year, before the Jace unban. The exact details are outdated now, but the overarching ideas remain the same. Chalice comes in against Burn (on 1 then 2), some versions of Grixis Death's Shadow (on 1 against cantrip-heavy builds), Affinity (when you're on the play to put on 0), Storm (on 2), Ad Nauseam (on 0, usually, but 1 or 3 can work), Bogles (on 1 then 2), and against certain fringe decks like Bushwacker Goblins (on 1). Against all of those decks, it shuts off far more of the opponent's deck than your deck. Keep in mind that Chalice is often better than it appears to you, because when you draw Serum Visions after putting a Chalice on 1 it feels bad, but you don't see the Lightning Bolt, Goblin Guide, Lava Spike, and Swiftspear stuck in your opponent's hand unless they show you after the game. That kind of trade off is worth it, even if it feels bad. Here's an example of what I mean by feeling bad cutting off your own spells and what I mean when I say the trade-off is worth it. More examples of Chalice being great: against Kiln Fiend, against Burn, against Grixis Death's Shadow. EDIT: I should ask, when are you bringing in Chalice? There are plenty of matchups where it does very little even when it seems good at first glance (eg Humans because of Cavern of Souls and Aether Vial), and it's possible that those kinds of matchups are why it seems so bad for you.
Thanks timewalkinonsunshine! =D The Darkness has worked well so far, but I only played it that night. I get one night a week to play Modern if I am lucky. It definitely saved me one game though. I will report back more in the future. I love this deck!! =D
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Modern:UB Taking Turns Modern:URW Madcap Experiment Pauper: MonoU Tempo Delver
Thank you!
I think my biggest problem with Chalice of the void is that on the draw playing it on turn 2 for x=1 your opponent can then untap and cast kolghan's command or another artifact removal spell.. That opinion came mostly from playing against Jund and Mardu Pyromancer so it may be wrong to sideboard it in against those matchups...
I will agree with burn I have watched it close games up quickly as you mentioned
I definitely have a few spots left in my sideboard (not really liking the Runed Halo as much as I thought I would - it's better in like jeskai and other control builds) and I could see going down to 2x Swan Song, 1x Dispel to make room for Chalice
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Thanks timewalkinonsunshine! =D The Darkness has worked well so far, but I only played it that night. I get one night a week to play Modern if I am lucky. It definitely saved me one game though. I will report back more in the future. I love this deck!! =D
Thanks for the update! This deck is a blast to play, hope you get to play more Turns in the future
Thank you!
I think my biggest problem with Chalice of the void is that on the draw playing it on turn 2 for x=1 your opponent can then untap and cast kolghan's command or another artifact removal spell.. That opinion came mostly from playing against Jund and Mardu Pyromancer so it may be wrong to sideboard it in against those matchups...
I will agree with burn I have watched it close games up quickly as you mentioned
I definitely have a few spots left in my sideboard (not really liking the Runed Halo as much as I thought I would - it's better in like jeskai and other control builds) and I could see going down to 2x Swan Song, 1x Dispel to make room for Chalice
I don't think Chalice come in against those decks. When you bring Chalice in, it should either shut off a huge amount (15+ cards) of your opponent's deck, or shut down key cards that vastly improve your matchup (eg Mox Opal against Affinity, or Pact of Negation and Lotus Bloom against Ad Nauseam). A reasonable heuristic is to ask yourself if it will do one of those against your opponent, and Chalice does neither of those against Jund or Mardu Pyromancer. One could argue that it does do a lot against Mardu Pyromancer, hitting 17 maindeck cards from this list that won Sao Paulo, but I think that's misleading. 6 of the 1-drops in the maindeck of that list are Fatal Push or Lightning Bolt, which are generally bad against our deck and likely to be sideboarded out for non-1-drop cards. If your intention is to stop the "key cards" Inquisition or Thoughtseize (neither of which I would actually consider a key card), Chalice doesn't work. If your opponent has a lot of 1-drops still in hand, they will take the Chalice on turn 1, and Chalice was only as good as any other card your opponent would have taken. If your opponent doesn't care about their 1-drops still in hand, they ignore the Chalice and take a better card, leaving you with a now close-to-useless Chalice in your hand. Overall, Chalice just doesn't contribute anything meaningful to those matchups, which also explains why it seems so bad to you.
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Below I have attached pictures of my current deck list. I won three matches and lost one yesterday at my LGS. First match was Treasure Hunt combo where I won 2-1. The last match was decided when I flashed in a Snapcaster Mage to block to avoid lethal damage and my opponent died due to milling from my 'mine' effects. Second match was Tron where I Commandeer'd my opponents Ugin, the Spirit Dragon and got to ultimate it off (so fun!!). I won 2-0. Third match was versus a UR blood moon deck where I won 2-1. The game I lost involved Surgical Extraction cast on my Time Warp and Dictate of Kruphix. Final match I lost 0-2 to a BR deck with a splash of W that used the graveyard, tokens, discard effects and a sideboard Kambal, Consul of Allocation. I'll have to work on that matchup for the future and I am thinking of removing one Fatal Push and possibly two Remand from my sideboard to add a Dismember and possibly two Rest In Peace. If I add the two Rest In Peace I will add a Hallowed Fountain and remove a Watery Grave from my main deck. Let me know any suggestions if you have any.
Cheers!
Modern: URW Madcap Experiment
Pauper: MonoU Tempo Delver
My EDH Commanders:
Aminatou, The Fateshifter UBW
Azami, Lady of Scrolls U
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed B
Edric, Spymaster of Trest UG
Glissa, the Traitor BG
Arcum Dagsson U
2 Snapcaster Mage
Spells:
3 Exhaustion
3 Remand
3 Gigadrowse
4 Serum Visions
2 Opt
2 Path to Exile
2 Cryptic Command
4 Time Warp
3 Temporal Mastery
3 Part the Waterveil
2 Howling Mine
4 Dictate of Kruphix
Planeswalkers:
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Lands:
4 Flooded Strand
2 Scalding Tarn
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Geir Reach Sanitarium
1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
2 Hallowed Fountain
3 Glacial Fortress
8 Island
4 Terminus
3 Timely Reinforcements
3 Chalice of the Void
2 Swan Song
1 Disenchant
2 Stony Silence
I imagine there will be a lot of Mardu Pyromancer, KCI, and Humans there since they are kind of the top decks of the format currently.. That formed most of my decision with the sideboard (I think the Chalice are very strong against Mardu given most of their deck runs on one mana spells and without their faithless looting they brick easily) and the Terminus are obviously strong against Humans..
Does anyone have any suggestions though?
Also, bear in mind... Terminus is very situational and possibly not even that good. Worth considering critically how often you're likely to be able to reliably set up the top of your library. It's probably less often than you think.
I agree I wasn't as much of a fan of the Chalice but they seemed like the best option against them. Should I just run more counter spells instead?
I am starting to play modern with this 'new' mono Ux living end deck. It has a lot of blue spells and I think that blue spells are what I like to play in modern. I would like to try one version of taking turns without either Jace and Snapcaster because I cannot afford to buy those cards. It is sad but invest in those cards are a big thing, a set of Snapcasters could buy another deck. Sorry to bring this up.
That's why I asked if there is a list without those cards that is powerful enought to have some fun playing. To be fully transparent it is not necessary to have a great win rate, I just like to have some playing, always felling that I have a lot of answers and options and this will decide if I will win of not (that's why I love blue).
I have done tweaking to my sideboard and currently it is as followed
3 Terminus
1 Supreme Verdict
3 Timely Reinforcements
2 Swan Song
2 Dispel
1 Stony Silence
1 Commandeer
1 Runed Halo
1 Disenchant
For those inclined I have compiled all of the "most played" decks currently as of the past several months of Starcity coverage with their average sideboards and have broken down my strategy for side boarding and how I will most likely attack the tournament next weekend (Note this doesn't include EVERY deck, just the ones I do not already have a lot of experience against as is or what I consider to be "difficult" matchups
Modern Cheat Sheet – Taking Turns
Mardu Pyromancer:
o Average Sideboard –
• Engineered Explosives
• Nihil Spellbomb
• Surgical Extraction
• Kambal, Consul of Allocation
• Liliana of the Veil/The Last Hope
• Molten Rain/Land Destruction
• (+) Collective Brutality
• Kolghan’s Command/Discard
o They will most likely bring in more hand disruption and graveyard hate (doesn’t do much against us – may consider side boarding out a snapcaster mage given how the match goes)
o Strategy: -1 Dictate, -1 Island, - 2 Remand, +3 Timely Reinforcements, +1 Commandeer
Humans:
o Average Sideboard –
• Auriok Champion – Strong against red decks (unimportant)
• Dark Confidant
• Hostage Taker (Exile Creature or Artifact – May then cast)
• Izzet Staticaster (Good against low power creatures)
• Reclamation Sage
• Sin Collector (THREAT)
• Dismember
• Gaddock Teeg (THREAT)
• Kataki, War’s Wage
o They will probably bring in Kambal if they have it and Sin Collector to attack the hand in the early turns
o Strategy: -1 Howling Mine, -1 Island, -1 Gigadrowse, -1 Remand, +3 Terminus, +1 Supreme Verdict
Jeskai Control:
o Average Sideboard –
• Runed Halo
• Celestial Purge
• Disdainful Stroke
• Dispel
• Negate
• Vendilion Clique
• Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
• Engineered Explosives
• Wear//Tear
o They will probably side in more counter magic and Vendilion Clique for hand disruption – Focus on using gigadrowse/exhaustion to tap their mana down and avoid Cryptic Command
o Strategy: -1 Dictate, -1 Path to Exile, -1 Remand, - 1 Island, +2 Swan Song, +1 Commandeer, +1 Dispel
Ironworks Combo:
o Average Sideboard –
• Defense Grid
• Ensnaring Bridge
• Wurmcoil Engine
• Silence
• Lightning Bolt
• Nature’s Claim
• Ghirapur Aether Grid
• Guttural Response
o They will probably have difficulty siding in effective cards, watch out for Guttural Response (one mana counters blue instant spell) and silence on our combo turns – cast time warp effects first just in case
o Strategy: -1 Dictate, -1 Path to Exile, -1 Island, -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor, +2 Swan Song, +1 Stony Silence, +1 Runed Halo (naming Pyrite Spellbomb or Sideboard threat)
G/R Land Destruction:
o Average Sideboard –
• Relic of Progenitus
• Trinisphere (THREAT)
• Ancient Grudge/Abrade
• Chandra Planeswalkers
o They will probably board in Choke if they have that or Trinisphere so Disenchant will be important, They will probably cut a blood moon after game one if they see enough islands
o Strategy: -1 Howling Mine, -1 Path to Exile, -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor, -1 Gigadrowse, -1 Fetch, +3 Terminus, +1 Disenchant, +1Swan Song
Burn:
o Average Sideboard –
• Ensnaring Bridge
• Rest in Peace
• Destructive Revelry
• Path to Exile
o This is already a tough matchup as is, avoid destructive revelry and only use Howling Mine effects when absolutely ready to combo as them drawing extra cards is dangerous
o Strategy: -1 Dictate, -1 Path to Exile, -1 Fetch, -1 Howling Mine, -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor, +3 Timely Reinforcements, +2 Dispel
4 Dictate of Kruphix
4 Gigadrowse
3 Cryptic Command
3 Unsubstantiate
2 Boomerang
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
4 River of Tears
1 Sunken Ruins
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Inkmoth Nexus
4 Serum Visions
4 Exhaustion
4 Part the Waterveil
2 Walk the Aeons
I'm in the middle of overhauling the sideboard, but I'm fairly happy with the mainboard. The landbase is just for insurance against boil/choke, you can easily get away with replacing most of the expensive lands with islands. The only lands that are necessary are the Mikokoro, Center of the Sea and the Inkmoth Nexus. The last local 3 local tournaments I took this to, I went 3-0-1(I was 3 turns away from winning ), 3-1, and 2-2, so I manage to do reasonably well.
Commander
U Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive
RG Zilortha, Strength Incarnate
WU Yorion, Sky Nomad
Hopefully I can help both of you.
I've had plenty of success in my local meta with this list. I regularly 3-1-0, and 3-0-1, with it, and sometimes pull 4-0-0. It has developed quite the local rep, I often hear regular opponents chide new players to "have fun not playing magic this round".
4 Remand
4 Exhaustion
4 Cryptic Command
4 Time Warp
3 Part the Waterveil
4 Dictate of Kruphix
1 Jace Beleren
1 Day's Undoing
4 Howling Mine
4 Thing in the Ice
4 Flooded Strand
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Prairie Stream
2 Mystic Gate
3 Glacial Fortress
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Cascading Cataracts
4 Angel's Grace
3 Supreme Verdict
2 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
I tested many variants but ive been pushed toward this list because:
Id rather have it than have to dig for it - so no serum visions
Id rather have it and not have to mully for it - so 4 Gigadrowse, and 4 Exhaustion, 4 Thing in the Ice, and 10 Engines
Id rather not have to pay 2 extra mana for it - so no Snapcaster
Win Conditions MUST COST 3 MANA OR LESS so we dont expose ourselves after turn 3 - so no Mind Sculptor
White has the most powerful sideboard cards in all of the modern format.
Angels grace often causes total blowouts against a huge variety of decks(anything that doesn't run bolt).
Im usually on here ranting about how powerful the white sideboard is, but this time I'm just pointing out you can have a plenty powerful list without the Mind Scuptor, and without Snapcater.
Uw Taking Turns
The Bad Moon
Small Mardu Midrange
Big Mardu Midrange
Grixis Waste Not Combo
Bw 8-Rack
Bw Midrange
Thank you guys, I will give some test and work with those decklists, I hope to give you guys a return later.
I was wondering why from the looks of your streams lately you run a split of Terminus, Settle the Wreckage, and Supreme Verdict? That's a lot of variety
I do a 3-1 split of Terminus and Supreme Verdict.. just wondering what your thought process is on also having Settle the Wreckage
Thanks!
I would consider Settle the Wreckage to be very bad against every deck but Hollow One. Giving our opponents lands devalues our Gigadrowse. When it comes to boardwipes. I consider Supreme Verdict to be our best option. And I must honorable mention Porphyry Nodes. At only one mana, we can run it out early against aggro decks and it will either buy us a turn while they stop casting creatures, or play through it and watch it 5 for 1 them over the next several turns. But against the decks where it really matters (Fish or Elves) the Nodes ends up being just a little bit too slow most hands.
Uw Taking Turns
The Bad Moon
Small Mardu Midrange
Big Mardu Midrange
Grixis Waste Not Combo
Bw 8-Rack
Bw Midrange
I imagine it is must be because the tucking creature effect that Terminus gives is far better then destroying the creatures but at 6 mana if not set up to miracle is a major drawback so doing it for 4 cmc is far better..
Thanks for this write-up! Your sideboard strategies seem very solid, but I do have a comment about the Humansn matchup in particular. Gigadrowse lines up very well against Phantasmal Image and can buy you a reasonable amount of time against cards like Champion of the Parish or Thalia's Lieutenant, even when cast for very little mana. I would probably keep all of them in. Without knowing your maindeck it's hard to know what to cut instead, but Remand strikes me as a card that lines up very poorly against a deck with Aether Vial and Cavern of Souls. EDIT: Oops, just noticed your post a few above with the full decklist. Definitely worth trimming or cutting Remand entirely against Humans in my opinion.
Will definitely fix that for Sunday!
Will anyone be at Starcity Worcester?
Commander
U Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive
RG Zilortha, Strength Incarnate
WU Yorion, Sky Nomad
Seba or TimeWalkinOnSunshine can you explain Chalice of the Void in your sideboard... like when you brought in it during GP Vegas and your impression?
Every time I put it in I feel like it does nothing for me lol
I own 3 so I may work them in but currently I like the Swan song and dispel since I'm sure there will be a million jeskai lists running rampant lol
I wrote a sideboard guide early this year, before the Jace unban. The exact details are outdated now, but the overarching ideas remain the same. Chalice comes in against Burn (on 1 then 2), some versions of Grixis Death's Shadow (on 1 against cantrip-heavy builds), Affinity (when you're on the play to put on 0), Storm (on 2), Ad Nauseam (on 0, usually, but 1 or 3 can work), Bogles (on 1 then 2), and against certain fringe decks like Bushwacker Goblins (on 1). Against all of those decks, it shuts off far more of the opponent's deck than your deck. Keep in mind that Chalice is often better than it appears to you, because when you draw Serum Visions after putting a Chalice on 1 it feels bad, but you don't see the Lightning Bolt, Goblin Guide, Lava Spike, and Swiftspear stuck in your opponent's hand unless they show you after the game. That kind of trade off is worth it, even if it feels bad. Here's an example of what I mean by feeling bad cutting off your own spells and what I mean when I say the trade-off is worth it. More examples of Chalice being great: against Kiln Fiend, against Burn, against Grixis Death's Shadow. EDIT: I should ask, when are you bringing in Chalice? There are plenty of matchups where it does very little even when it seems good at first glance (eg Humans because of Cavern of Souls and Aether Vial), and it's possible that those kinds of matchups are why it seems so bad for you.
Modern: URW Madcap Experiment
Pauper: MonoU Tempo Delver
My EDH Commanders:
Aminatou, The Fateshifter UBW
Azami, Lady of Scrolls U
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed B
Edric, Spymaster of Trest UG
Glissa, the Traitor BG
Arcum Dagsson U
I think my biggest problem with Chalice of the void is that on the draw playing it on turn 2 for x=1 your opponent can then untap and cast kolghan's command or another artifact removal spell.. That opinion came mostly from playing against Jund and Mardu Pyromancer so it may be wrong to sideboard it in against those matchups...
I will agree with burn I have watched it close games up quickly as you mentioned
I definitely have a few spots left in my sideboard (not really liking the Runed Halo as much as I thought I would - it's better in like jeskai and other control builds) and I could see going down to 2x Swan Song, 1x Dispel to make room for Chalice
I don't think Chalice come in against those decks. When you bring Chalice in, it should either shut off a huge amount (15+ cards) of your opponent's deck, or shut down key cards that vastly improve your matchup (eg Mox Opal against Affinity, or Pact of Negation and Lotus Bloom against Ad Nauseam). A reasonable heuristic is to ask yourself if it will do one of those against your opponent, and Chalice does neither of those against Jund or Mardu Pyromancer. One could argue that it does do a lot against Mardu Pyromancer, hitting 17 maindeck cards from this list that won Sao Paulo, but I think that's misleading. 6 of the 1-drops in the maindeck of that list are Fatal Push or Lightning Bolt, which are generally bad against our deck and likely to be sideboarded out for non-1-drop cards. If your intention is to stop the "key cards" Inquisition or Thoughtseize (neither of which I would actually consider a key card), Chalice doesn't work. If your opponent has a lot of 1-drops still in hand, they will take the Chalice on turn 1, and Chalice was only as good as any other card your opponent would have taken. If your opponent doesn't care about their 1-drops still in hand, they ignore the Chalice and take a better card, leaving you with a now close-to-useless Chalice in your hand. Overall, Chalice just doesn't contribute anything meaningful to those matchups, which also explains why it seems so bad to you.