I also tried Krosan Grip and i think it underperforms. You normally can play around Nihil or Relic by out cycling it and destroying it with an ingot chewer/ beast within. I find that Ingot is way better in this case, regardless of Krosan grip effect is more powerful.
I cut the Beast within's main board to deal with the slew of fast decks that are currently in the meta. For example, even tough i love Archfiend of Ifnir, i think that haven a full set of them is to slow for matches like burn or zoo, so the best thing to do is to cut it for 2 and maindecking shriekmaw and Faerie macabre. The key to this configuration is figuring out what cards are most likely deck cards in most scenarios. Right now Faerie macabre is not a dead card in almost any scenario, having a legit grave hate or as a pump to Horror of the broken lands. Also this sideboard cruises on jeskai control with avalanche riders and 3 ricochet traps. Also a Jund charm that works as a Swiss option, including an extra pryoclasm for the humans matchup.
With this sideboard we can go toe to toe with the rest of the more competitive field. Humans get overwhelmed with the angers and shriekmaws; Jeskai, Tron, Valakut and Amulet titan get denied with your 2 extra land destruction engines; Jund, Mardu, Affinity and Bogles had always a bad matchup against us, so we are good. The only problem would be Burn, but you can't always win them all.
I've been thinking about the deck in the current meta, so I though I could share my list and deckbuilding choices as well. (Even if GP Las Vegas is probably going to change a few things...)
I hope this can help some of you. And feel free to discuss about it, I would be very interested to hear your thoughts. My comments are below.
Ok so I think the main ideas that should help to build a living end deck are:
- The meta is made of very diverse decks, most of which can kill on turn 3-4
- Living End is a relatively consistent deck that will often clear the board on turn 3 to win on turn 4. This gives an edge against most decks whose game plan rely on (at least) a few creatures.
- LE is sensitive to disruption (graveyard hate and cards that neutralize Living End, but it has a decent backup plan (cast creatures).
This lead me to the following conclusions for my deck:
- I want a lot of 1-mana cyclers. They make the deck more consistent, a bit more resilient to mulligans, and help you not to flood out
- I want the interactive cards in my 60 to be very generic.
- I want to play as much as possible at end of turn, giving me the opportunity to answer my opponent's plays
Here I will talk about the debatable choices.
In the deck, I have a lot of 3-mana spells. Because it's very difficult to play 2 of them in one turn, I tend to opt for 1-mana cards in SB, because they complement the 3-mana peak very well.
3 Beast Within + 0 SB: I think this is the best distribution. As this card is SO multipurpose, I want them in the main. This is an excellent way to generate targets for Demonic Dread on game 1 against decks that don't play creatures early, and I don't want to wait SB games for this. After SB it rarely comes out, and it can be backed up by 1 Maelstrom Pulse, which is just as good.
Playing so many of these cards enables me to have 4 answers to enchantments (mainly RiP and Leyline of the Void), 6 answers to artifacts (with 2 Ingot Chewers SB), and 7 land destruction.
1 Fulminator Mage + 3 SB: Mage is definitely more a SB card now. I thought about cutting them all, but Tron and Jeskai are very common currently and the Mages are too good against them. So I'm still playing 4 in total. Along with the Beast Withins, Tron players will have real trouble reaching their 7 mana.
2 Faerie Macabre + 2 SB: This card is so versatile as well. One will occasionally add the 2 damage you need to win on turn 2-3. But because most decks hardly use their graveyard and I don't like having 2 of them in my hand, I'm not playing 3 of them in the main.
0 Jund Charm : I would complement my SB with 1 of these if I wanted more graveyard hate. But because it costs 3, I don't think I can afford to play it as the Pyroclasm effect is just too inferior to casting a Living End.
2 Anger of the Gods SB: THIS is a much welcome addition to the usual way to wipe the board. Especially against Affinity and Humans.
2 Dead // Gone + 1 SB, 1 Shriekmaw SB: I think that Dead is definitely better than Shriekmaw here. You can remove at instant speed, you can remove and cycle a creature for Shriekmaw's cost, and this is a huge deal. Think about it. Thalia is the main reason to play removals in the main deck, and even against Thalia, I prefer to kill here at instant speed (so that my opponent doesn't have time to play another one, for instance). Even against Burn, you will lose 2 damage killing Eidolon of the great Revel while Shriekmaw is "free", but Dead can also kill their 1-mana creature before they have time to deal any damage. Also, the Gone mode offers some additional options at any time of the game against some creatures that your opponent would "cheat" onto the battlefield (like Gurmag Angler, for instance).
Of course I'm keeping in mind that Shriekmaw comes back after LE, but most of the time, Horror of the broken lands and Desert Cerodon just do the job well enough. Demonic Dread and Gone can help negate a blocker to deal the final blow.
3 Ricochet Trap SB: Control is a bad matchup and you want to resolve your Living Ends. I've also been happy with Choke, but I prefer a 3rd Ricochet Trap over it. Choke could be the next piece if I want even more hate, because I think it complements the Mages quite well.
0 Blood Moon : This could have been a good SB option against Tron, Control and Scapeshift, but it also destroys this deck even if I decided to play a basic forest, and a lot of Modern players have learnt how to play around it especially after SB. The enchantment remains powerful especially for decks that can often play it turn 1-2, but I think it's not strong enough for my deck.
20 cyclers: the choice is never easy. Cycling Archfiend is very costly, but can occasionally win the game. I like being able to chose between cycling him and cycling 2 other creatures. For 1-mana cyclers, I slightly prefer Lurching Rotbeast over Architects of Will, mostly because it hits for 4. The Architects' ability is good, but Lurching has another advantage: I can cast it, and it's cheap. I think this can be a good deal, as long as you know how to play around your opponents' removals.
The mana base: Probably 2-3 basics should be played in the Jund version. Because it's so handy to fetch for a Mountain (instead of a shockland) into Dead to combat aggro rushes, and because I run more red than green spells, I prefer to play a Mountain over a Forest. A Forest will help against Blood Moon, but is otherwise very restrictive. I chose to keep Beast Withins as my only answer to Blood Moon (taking the mana in pool in response to it, before destroying it).
I think that 3 Spirit Guides is enough, as it is almost always bad to draw 2 of them in a game.
And a little experience with a few matchups with this deck...
I will give a heads-up on the matchups. I'm just mentioning what kinds of cards to board in, not necessarily the exact numbers of cards to swap (because I'm mentioning general archetypes and not precise decks).
Humans: game 1 is hard, as their Thalia + Meddling Mage combination is very strong. Dead/Gone is an excellent, instant-speed response, and Beast Within can occasionally remove the nuisance as well. This gets much better post-SB, with different ways to wipe the board. They will bring Sin Collector.
So overall the matchup is roughly even, perhaps favorable. Beware of the Mantis Rider(s) post LE, as good players will try not to overextend.
In: Dead/Gone, Shriekmaw, Anger of the Gods, Maelstrom Pulse
Out: Faerie Macabre, Fulminator, maybe Lurching Rotbeast
Affinity: They tend to go all-in as well so they can be stopped easily with a single Living End, unless they have a Ravager that can keep their board intact. Fortunately, the many answers to bring post-SB clearly gives an edge.
In: Ingot Chewers, Dead/Gone, Faerie Macabres, Anger of the Gods
Out: Fulminator, Lurching Rotbeast, 1 Beast Within Burn: They still have a good matchup but Dead is nice against their early creatures, and it's sometimes good to be aggressive with Street wraiths, Faerie Macabres and Spirit Guides to cast a very early Living End.
In: Dead/Gone, Shriekmaw
Out: Fulminator, Archfiend
Other aggro decks: This is quite easy, as a resolved Living end will crush them and it is not difficult to play around CurseCatcher/Spell Pierce, Savenging Oozes, or the other few creatures that interact a bit with Living End.
In: removals
Out: Fulminator
Play Faerie Macabre if they rely on their graveyard to win.
Gx Tron: Game 1 is unfavorable, as they have a very reliable t3-4 blow and exiling one land will prevent a cascade spell to be cast (still, managing to cast a Violent Outburst in response can be enough to win). Land destruction (Beast Within and Fulminator) has to be cast on sight before they get their 3rd Urza land, whereas on their side 2-3 maindeck Relic of Progenitus can buy time for them as well. After SB, the situation improves greatly, as playing constantly land destruction and bringing Fulminator Mages back can prevent them from playing anything.
In: Fulminator, Ingot Chewers
Out: Dead/Gone, Faerie Macabre
Storm: The matchup is quite awful. Baral can be removed with Beast Within, but it's just a combo deck that is slightly faster than LE. Knowing how to use Faerie Macabre to hamper their plan can be key.
In: Dead/Gone, Faerie Macabres
Out: perhaps Fulminator on the draw only, and a few cyclers.
Jund: They rely heavily on their creatures and they're not as fast as aggro decks, so the deck is easy to defeat unless they set up their disruption plan early with thoughtseize and Liliana. Dead is perfect at removing Bob and early Ooze (and Inquisition can't remove it), and a late Ooze just won't be effective enough.
In: Fulminator, Shriekmaw, Pulse
Out: Spirit Guides
Mardu Pyromancer: Difficult games. They have many discards spells that will remove the cascade spells, but fortunately they are slow enough and still very vulnerable to an EOT Violent Outburst.
In: Faerie Macabre, Pulse
Out: Spirit Guides, Fulminator
Hollow One: As they heavily rely on creatures and tend to go all-in to win quickly, it's quite easy to stop them with a single Living End, but remember they have reach (Bolts, Collective Brutality, Flamewake Phoenix) and Street Wraith as well. They may also discard their big creatures through Faithless Looting. A single Faerie Macabre will ensure that casting a Living End is still very favorable. Beware of Blood Moon.
In: Faerie Macabre, Pulse, Dead/Gone, 1-2 Ingot Chewer
Out: 1 Beast Within, Lurching Rotbeast
Jeskai Control: As a control deck, it's a bad matchup as they mostly have to ensure that no Living End will resolve. Jeskai is able to win through burn spells, so fetching too aggressively (along with cycling Street Wraith) can be dangerous. It's important not to play Fulminator if there is no target for it, and playing more Living Ends and ricochet traps than the number of counters they have can be the path to victory. Current Jeskai versions tend not to play RiP, so far so good.
In: Ricochet Traps, Fulminators, 0-2 Faerie Macabre depending on the number of Snapcaster Mages they run
Out: Dead/Gone, 1 Demonic Dread, 1 Spirit Guide, possibly Lurching Rotbeast
Death's Shadow (both Grixis version or Traverse version): Hard. The removals and the other answers are not appropriate for them. They will usually put their fast threats into play, and if they have a Stubborn Denial to counter Living End, there is nothing to do. Good thing they are not always consistent.
In: 2 Ricochet Trap, 1 Faerie Macabre
Out: Fuminator, 2 Beast Within
Bogles: Living End has what most deck lacks of: a way to remove their hexproof babies, even through Leyline of Sanctity. It may be difficult to find a target for Demonic Dread, but apart from that the match should be just fine.
In: Pulse, Anger of the Gods
Out: Faerie Macabre
Infect: They are sneaky and we don't like their ability to win before we get 3 lands, but a turn 1 Dead on their creature can be just enough, and Spirit Guide into Violent Outburst will close the game just as well.
In: Dead/Gone, Shriekmaw
Out: Fulminator, Faerie Macabre
TitanShift: I have not played the matchup enough, but they have few ways to interact with LE (expect Relic post-SB), whereas a single Beast Within or Fulminator can easily buy enough time to win. Violent Outburst deals with their big creatures very well.
In: Fulminator, Pulse,
Out: Spirit Guide, maybe Faerie Macabre
Ad Nauseam: They are definitely favored, and Beast Within is the most valuable card game 1. PostSB, Land Destruction and Artifact hate can buy time.
In: Pulse, Ingot Chewer, Fulminator
Out: Dead/gone, Faerie Macabre
Krark-Clan Ironworks: They are heavily favored. Beast Within and other artifact hate helps, but Faerie Macabre is better at disrupting them.
In: Faerie Macabre, Pulse, Ingot Chewer
Out: Fulminator, Dead/gone
BW Tokens: Patience may be key in this matchup. Even if they can draw additional discard spells during the game, it may be best to wait a few turns as long as they don't threaten to win. If Living End is resolved too early, their ability to hold creatures thanks to Path to Exile and their many tokens can give them enough time to come back.
In: Pulse, Fulminator
Out: Faerie Macabre, Dead/Gone, maybe Spirit Guide
Eldrazi/Taxes: This deck has many variations (BW, W, Eldrazi or not), but their disruptive elements we care about are Thalia guardian of thraben, Rest in Peace, and possibly Chalice of the Void. Dead/gone is perfect to get rid of Thalia, and Beast Within is great for all of them. It's very good to be able to remove them at EOT, and it's important to make sure a single Ghost Quarter won't provoke a color death.
In: Dead/Gone, Shriekmaw, Pulse, Anger of the Gods
Out: Fulminator, 0-2 Spirit Guides, probably a few cyclers
Dredge: Fortunately this is hardly played at the moment, but it's good to know how to handle them. It's important to know their deck well to know when and how to discard Faerie Macabre. Even if they overwhelm the board, we can still have enough time to Play a cascade spell to wipe them and attack to be on the offensive. Anger of the gods or an Archfiend on the board will also crush them. So the match is not easy, but definitely not out of range.
In: Faerie Macabre, Anger of the Gods
Out: Fulminator, Beast Within
Hello all! I’ve been playing living end since I started playing magic in 2013. I’ve played every version. I’ve played twinning end, scapeshift in the 66 card special, mono blue living end, 5 color. I’ve sided out my living ends to cascade into death’s shadows. I’ve tried it all. And I’ve come to a 75 that I think is the best against the current meta: Hollow End.
The strategy here is that the core of the deck is only 45 cards, so you get 15 flex slots. I like to play sideboard cards maindeck, to make sure I always win game one. Here are my flex slots:
4 Simian Spirit Guide
2 Faerie Macabre
3 Deadshot Minotaur
2 Beast Within
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Archfiend of Ifnir
There’s a lot of dead cards there. But that’s okay, because we AWAYS side in Hollow One. This helps us so much, as we no longer care about graveyard hate. Your opponent will mulligan to 4 looking for a leyline of the void, and we can simply shrug and cast a 4/4 turn two. Against aggro decks, it gives us an early blocker. Here’s my sideboard:
4 Hollow One
2 Lost Legacy
1 Anger of the Gods
2 Dismember
2 Ingot Chewer
2 Crypt Incursion
You guys may notice a lack of tron hate. I don’t like fulminators or avalanche riders, namely because you need them turn two to actually shut them off tron. In that matchup, I just like to race. I also don’t have much graveyard hate. Anger of the Gods is amazing against dredge and hollow one, and Macabres pick up the rest. Don’t forget that Crypt Incursion can target yourself to gain ludicrous amounts of life, which gives you time to rebuild.
I feel very confident about this 75. I feel favored in almost every matchup, and I think this build of the deck has potential. If you would like my sideboard guide or have any questions, please let me know. Thank you so much!
hey chanceofastorm, about your deck, the first things that I notice is the questionable maindeck choices:
- Deadshot Minotaur's ability is irrelevant is the current meta, you'll kill your own faerie Macabre more often than it will be useful
- the dead cards like Anger of the gods
Despite the way you justify them, I think there are better alternatives aren't there?
Though, against which decks do you use Lost Legacy, and in your experience how good is it at winning games?
Hey ViciousBadger, thanks for your feedback. Please look at my tournament reports, they might be able to shed some light. Deadshot cycles under Blood Moon, kills Kitesail Freebooter, Lingering Souls tokens, Birds, Spell Quellers. I’ve been happy with it and it’s one of the first things that can be sided out. Even if it’s ability is irrelevant, it’s still a 3/4. I’m happy with that. In my local meta at least, Anger of the Gods is just a good card. It impacts almost all decks and I often wish for it in my opening hand. Anger is only dead against Tron and Control, and both of which we are only racing game one. In my experience, Living End’s worst matchups are creatureless combo decks, and that’s where Lost Legacy shines. Storm, Scapeshift, Ad Nauseum, decks like that all scoop to this card.
Are people seriously rotbeasting? I have never been a fan of Architects of Will but I think I would FAR sooner run them than rotbeast. If you are running rotbeast because it's a creature you can cast on 4 that just seems like a failing strategy to me, since it is so easily dealt with by so many removal spells that would be otherwise dead against you.
That being said I still run Deadshot and have not looked back. The ability has not been irrelevant, but the 2 colors cycling and 4 toughness have been gamewinners for me. I have always subscribed to the idea that any creature in your deck that does not sac itself (fulminator, Shriekmaw) should be bolt proof, just to invalidate many of your opponents cards as well as the common red board wipes like anger of the gods.
Are people seriously rotbeasting? I have never been a fan of Architects of Will but I think I would FAR sooner run them than rotbeast. If you are running rotbeast because it's a creature you can cast on 4 that just seems like a failing strategy to me, since it is so easily dealt with by so many removal spells that would be otherwise dead against you.
That being said I still run Deadshot and have not looked back. The ability has not been irrelevant, but the 2 colors cycling and 4 toughness have been gamewinners for me. I have always subscribed to the idea that any creature in your deck that does not sac itself (fulminator, Shriekmaw) should be bolt proof, just to invalidate many of your opponents cards as well as the common red board wipes like anger of the gods.
Playing Deadshot minotaur has a cost, tho. You can't play Faerie macabre in the main because you are going to kill it very often. And as for Graveyard haste is concerned, i think that the faerie is way better than Leyline of the void.
Are people seriously rotbeasting? I have never been a fan of Architects of Will but I think I would FAR sooner run them than rotbeast. If you are running rotbeast because it's a creature you can cast on 4 that just seems like a failing strategy to me, since it is so easily dealt with by so many removal spells that would be otherwise dead against you.
That being said I still run Deadshot and have not looked back. The ability has not been irrelevant, but the 2 colors cycling and 4 toughness have been gamewinners for me. I have always subscribed to the idea that any creature in your deck that does not sac itself (fulminator, Shriekmaw) should be bolt proof, just to invalidate many of your opponents cards as well as the common red board wipes like anger of the gods.
Playing Deadshot minotaur has a cost, tho. You can't play Faerie macabre in the main because you are going to kill it very often. And as for Graveyard haste is concerned, i think that the faerie is way better than Leyline of the void.
I use both, it has not been as much a factor as you think. If macabre removed 2 of their dudes and you living ended, chances are you can live without a 2/2 flyer. The consistency and the 4 toughness is more than worth it.
Let me explain.
To evaluate cyclers I use the following criteria in this order
1- Can cycle for 1 mana
2- Is good at goldfishing (because that's how you win, most of the time when your opponent plays during his turn and taps out, the EOT Violent Outburst followed by an attack will win the game)
3- Has good additional abilities (e.g. Archfiend's ability is insane)
4- Is resilient to "light" removals -> Note that Living End already runs creatures that die easily (Shriekmaw, Faerie Macabre). You win games because a single spell wraths the board and puts 5 creatures into play, not because the Fatal Push your opponents keeps in hand is useless at that time. LE is a super strong spell, and that's what matters
5- Can be cast. Note that a 7-mana creature will rarely be cast before turn 10, whereas a 4-mana creature could actually be cast much earlier and make your clock better.
It might be true that Deadshot Minotaur killing Faerie is not that problematic, but I'm still not a big fan... I may underestimate Architects' ETB effect though, that may be why I've been playing with Rotbeast for the versatility and to avoid playing a 3-power creature. So I'll give Architects a try.
Also PV's article explains why 2-mana cyclers are far worse than 1-mana cyclers. The format is way too quick for them and a couple of Archfiends may be the only exception.
Let me explain.
To evaluate cyclers I use the following criteria in this order
1- Can cycle for 1 mana
2- Is good at goldfishing (because that's how you win, most of the time when your opponent plays during his turn and taps out, the EOT Violent Outburst followed by an attack will win the game)
3- Has good additional abilities (e.g. Archfiend's ability is insane)
4- Is resilient to "light" removals -> Note that Living End already runs creatures that die easily (Shriekmaw, Faerie Macabre). You win games because a single spell wraths the board and puts 5 creatures into play, not because the Fatal Push your opponents keeps in hand is useless at that time. LE is a super strong spell, and that's what matters
5- Can be cast. Note that a 7-mana creature will rarely be cast before turn 10, whereas a 4-mana creature could actually be cast much earlier and make your clock better.
It might be true that Deadshot Minotaur killing Faerie is not that problematic, but I'm still not a big fan... I may underestimate Architects' ETB effect though, that may be why I've been playing with Rotbeast for the versatility and to avoid playing a 3-power creature. So I'll give Architects a try.
Also PV's article explains why 2-mana cyclers are far worse than 1-mana cyclers. The format is way too quick for them and a couple of Archfiends may be the only exception.
Oh I am totally on board with 1 mana cyclers, believe me, I just believe if you are going to run them they need to provide and I do not see that Rotbeast does that.
Yes you get 1 more power, which is my experience has often not mattered compared to the 2 toughness. Architects, a card I am not even a fan of, can buy you multiple turns of attacking at the cost of a single point of power. That seems like a much better trade off to me. I would also argue that Curator of Mysteries is FAR better than rotbeast and even worth the blue splash if that is the direction you think you need to go.
Also you guys have probably noticed the recent performances of Ironworks Combo. How good do you think Faerie Macabre is against this deck? I've found they can play around graveyard hate quite well. If they manage to put enough artifacts in play they can even respond to the Faerie's ability and eventually return the targeted artifacts anyway. This probably still slows them down, though.
Also, if Ingot Chewer is probably too weak against them, Krosan Grip on Krark-Clan Ironworks has to be strong. The deck is consistent enough to be able to put another copy of KCI into play, but again, slowing them down a bit can be just enough for a deck like Living End to win the game. Any thoughts?
KCI requires the holy grail of hate from us. Graveyard/artifact/lands/surgical to combat it's efficiency, durability, and redundancy.
The first three is to buy time at the very least so they have to spend time to rebuild hopefully as we pressure with a resolved living end. If they do have the tools to rebuild, hopefully we can land a slaughter games naming KCI.
KCI requires the holy grail of hate from us. Graveyard/artifact/lands/surgical to combat it's efficiency, durability, and redundancy.
The first three is to buy time at the very least so they have to spend time to rebuild hopefully as we pressure with a resolved living end. If they do have the tools to rebuild, hopefully we can land a slaughter games naming KCI.
Not really though. Their combo is slightly slower than us, so if you can keep him of 4 mana every turn you will probably kil them. I play a jund charm as a swiss for they do get to combo off though.
I would not say they are slower than us. A decent start for us is to Violent Outburst on t3 to attack on turn 4 with lethal damage. Demonic Dread may not be castable as they play few creatures before going off, and they don't lose life from their lands so it's not easy to achieve this t4 win.
On the other hand, they can quite reliably win on turn 4, and sometimes on turn 3. This probably means that whoever starts has a huge edge, right? Against such combo decks, perhaps Fulminator is quite good on the play. And it's probably too slow on he draw (still worth playing it), unless we have a lot of disruption on top of it (against KCI: graveyard hate, maybe Ingot chewer, etc.)
Yeah, gonna echo Badger. Our combo is definitely the slower one because we also need to attack as well on top of their deck not losing life to fetches and shocks. We need some element of disruption and even that isn't a guarantee as seen in the finals of Vegas where Matt Nass navigated to a win through Karn exiles.
The thing is this: combo decks you have to keeep a good hands. Couple of cyclers, at least 2 lands/SSG, and a cascade. Against them you also need utility, and i find that an early fulminator is the best against them. They in turn have to assemble 2 pieces together: Scrap trawler and Ironworks, all before turn 3. Consistency is key in the matchuo, i personally do very well against KCI (post-sideboard of course).
Against KCI I feel like I absolutely want to see my Fulminators early and often, which is why I am not a fan of decks that are removing them. They are more resilient to it than some other lists but it can still buy you a turn or 2 which may be enough. It is also the type of list where you need to aggressively and sometimes dangerously SSG and maybe even LE with a Cerodon, Street wraith, and Fulminator on turn 3.
I played with Living End em GP São Paulo 2018 (Brazil) and take a 23º Place with 12-3.
My little tournament report:
Day 1:
(1-0) BYE
(1-1) UB Tezzeret (1x2)
G1: Right away, I got a rather odd matchup. On G1, he made the thopther sword, but I had bent for great power at the table and with Archfiend of Ifnir! What made me win!
In G2, everything went well, but he did Ensnaring Bridge, I managed to destroy it, and he t with only one card in his hand had a Whir of Invention that sought another Bridge. I died 9 turns for Ghirapur AEther Grid!
In G3 I was locked fast! It opened with fast with Ensnaring Bridge, 2 Welding Jar and Torpor Orb (which stop my Ingot Chewer). I died for Tezzeret by giving 18 damage!
(1-2) Monogreen Tron (1x2)
In that round3 I got a "good matchup". In G1, he opened with Relic of Progenitus, who for a moment of displeasure of him, he was all "turned", giving me the window to fight and so I did and took the game!
In G2: Mulliguei to 6, and despite having attacked his grounds, I did not find any cascade card to try to win the game!
In the G3: He mulligou to 5, but who was no lands is me, that did not find the third ground and I lost the game, with 3 Fulminator Mage in the hand!
(2-2) Grishoalbrand (2x0)
Finally we have a badmatchup right ?! After all, playing against a deck that needs to drop a card in the Graveyard and then warping does not seem to me bad against a deck that returns the creatures to the game!
However, in G1: My opponent was not able to play Griselbrand in the graveyard and I commited to 11 of power, winning the g1 after 3 attacks (he still came to life with Nourishing Shoal).
In G2, I opened with Leyline of the Void in hand and the game became simpler! Won with a certain "tranquility"
(3-2) Boogles (2x0)
This is that matchup we cant loss! G1 still had the help that the opponent mulligou for 5! I was not even pressured! And win fast!
In G2, I mull to 5, but kept the hand with 2 lands 2 cyclings and 1 Violent Outburst.
However, it took me a long time to find the third land, when I thought it was 30 life. But Living end for 13 power and I killed in three turns!
(4-2) UW Control (2x1)
This matchup is one of those hideous! But in G1, my opponent was all covered in my EOT to make a Field of Ruin, I combo for 17 power! And I killed in two turns!
In G2, I was humiliated by the combination Rest in Peace, Counter, Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Teferi, Hero of Dominaria! Even the UW having mull to 6!
Already in G3, I had a window to fight very fast and finished the game thanks to a Land Destruction (Beast Within) that prevented a mass removal in the upkeep!
(5-2) UR Wizards (2x1)
At first I thought it was Storm, but then I saw it was UR Wizards, it gave me VARIOUS WINDOWS to warp in Game 1, but unfortunately I did not find any of the 8 cards that match! And I lost the g1!
In G2, he don't fiend the third land, tried to destroy the only blue in the EOT, he gave me Spell Pierce and I crashed on the back winning the game!
In G3, I felt I would be eliminated from the tournament! Everything was going wrong! I bought 2 Living End, and he always left an open blue showing (or maybe bluffing) that he had a Spell Pierce, I went to life 1 (having him 17) and combo with 5 lands! He gave the Spell Pierce, I paid for the mana, he turned two lands and I thought: I lost! He did Snapcaster Mage targeting the Spell Pierce, but I had a Faerie Macabre in my hand (the only one I had left post-sb won the game giving more than 20 damage in only one attack!
(6-2) Humans (2x1)
G1: The Opponent Begins, Cavern of Souls, Humans! OMG! It was bad. Badmatchup! I even managed to fight, but I was wrong! I was Rude! I was 7 alive! It had 2 Monstrous Carabid, 1Archfiend of Ifnir and 2 Street Wraith on the table! He was 11! I attacked only with the 4/4, he had on the table 1 Mantis Rider, 1 Kitesail Freebooter and a card in hand! He accepted the damage! It was 3! Made AEther Vial for the 2nd Mantis Rider! And at that moment I realized! I MESSED UP! I gave him several chances to win the game and he won. His Topdeck was the 3rd Mantis Rider, killing me!
In G2: I had cycled two cards already, he did the Kitesail Freebooter and saw my hand a Dead (Dead / Gone) and a Demonic Dread! He chose to take the Dead (Dead / Gone), I got it back and won the game!
In G3: The game was intense, but the Archfiend of Ifnir served as "God's wrath" and that's it! Had done my 5-0!
Day2:
(7-2) Boogles (2x1)
In G1: My opponent mull to 6, and when I went to fight, with only three lands he had a Mana Tithe, my luck is that I had a Simian Spirit Guide in hand, I paid the mana and won with an attack higher than 18 damage!
In G2: I mull to 5 and lost easy! I died in 4 turns! Before any attempt to combo!
In G3: He mull to 5! And it was my turn to win the game fast and prepared for a possible Mana Tithe.
(8-2) Affinity (2x0)
In G1: I've com bined for only 1 creatur:! Archfiend of Ifnir! He had 1 Arcbound Ravager, 2 Ornithopterus and 1 Signal Pest, i win with another cyclings!
G2: I opened with a wonderful hand against Affinity, Ingot Chewer, Archfiend of Ifnir, Faerie Macabre, 2 Lands, 1 Cycling of 1 Mana and 1 Combo Piece. It opened with Relic of Progenitus, and I with Ingot, and then Cycling Archfiend. He spit out the hand having an Arcbound Ravager, I started on the turn and took 2 bribes with the macabre and the Ingot killed one more, and Game!
(9-2) Humans (2x0)
In G1: This matchup was interesting! I comed turn 2 (with 1 Monkey) to just one Desert Cerodon in response to Meddling Mage and was focused on: I need to do the Archfiend of Ifnir turn 4 to try not to lose! Luckily I got the time and from then there was the turn of the game, when I came to three life!
In G2: He mull to 6 and did Kitesail Freebooter taking a quick combo for 14 damage on turn 3!
(10-2) Burn (2x1)
G1: He won the die, and even then I almost won if I had found one more cycling! He got 2 of life and finished me!
G2: Combo fast I got to race and I took the game!
G3: I mull for 6. But I kept my hand with Gemstone Caverns! I did cycling, but he opened Mana Swift's Monastery, and then Relic of Progenitus. I did another cycling and on my turn combo to two creatures 4/4! They broke Relic and after the resolving effect I did two more cyclings for a 6/4 and 3/4. We went to race, I gave 9 damage taking him to 8 (he had taken 3 of fetch and shock land) I casted a Simian Spirit Guide to give it lethal! I went to my turn, I gave damage 11, he gave me a Lightning Helix thinking he was 9 (he wrote it wrong). But Fortunately it was 8, and I won the game!
(10-3) UW Control (1x2)
G1: I got a window to fight and I won the game!
G2: In G2, the game got complicated, the double Rest in Peace and Counter came into action.
G3: I managed to fight for a considerable amount of power at the table, but in the final bid of the game, I took a Path to Exile topdeck from Azcanta, which killed my goal and beat me the game!
(11-3) Hollow One (2x0)
This matchup was pretty easy! In the G1 I managed to put 3 creatures on the grave and he put 2 (Gurmag Angler and Fenix from the Flaming Trail), I made Faerie Macabre and I drew them, fighting for victory!
In G2, I opened with Leyline of the Void and Gemstone Caverns and won the game quickly in turns 3 he concede !
(12-3) Storm (2x0)
In G1 I won after bending and he tried to find cards with Gifts Ungiven, but I had Faerie Macabre in hand, who exiled the Past in Flames, making me win the game!
In G2 I open with Leyline of the Void, fast combo taking the game.
Currently this is my list:
Creatures
4 Horror of the Broken Lands
4 Monstrous Carabid
3 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Street Wraith
4 Fulminator Mage
4 Desert Cerodon
4 Faerie Macabre
2 Shriekmaw
2 Archfiend of Ifnir
Instants
4 Violent Outburst
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Blood Crypt
1 Forest
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Stomping Ground
2 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Blooming Marsh
Sorceries
3 Demonic Dread
3 Living End
3 Ingot Chewer
2 Shriekmaw
2 Avalanche Riders
3 Ricochet Trap
2 Beast Within
1 Jund Charm
2 Anger of the Gods
I cut the Beast within's main board to deal with the slew of fast decks that are currently in the meta. For example, even tough i love Archfiend of Ifnir, i think that haven a full set of them is to slow for matches like burn or zoo, so the best thing to do is to cut it for 2 and maindecking shriekmaw and Faerie macabre. The key to this configuration is figuring out what cards are most likely deck cards in most scenarios. Right now Faerie macabre is not a dead card in almost any scenario, having a legit grave hate or as a pump to Horror of the broken lands. Also this sideboard cruises on jeskai control with avalanche riders and 3 ricochet traps. Also a Jund charm that works as a Swiss option, including an extra pryoclasm for the humans matchup.
With this sideboard we can go toe to toe with the rest of the more competitive field. Humans get overwhelmed with the angers and shriekmaws; Jeskai, Tron, Valakut and Amulet titan get denied with your 2 extra land destruction engines; Jund, Mardu, Affinity and Bogles had always a bad matchup against us, so we are good. The only problem would be Burn, but you can't always win them all.
I hope this can help some of you. And feel free to discuss about it, I would be very interested to hear your thoughts. My comments are below.
2 Archfiend of Ifnir
4 Desert Cerodon
2 Faerie Macabre
1 Fulminator Mage
4 Horror of the Broken Lands
2 Lurching Rotbeast
4 Monstrous Carabid
3 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Street Wraith
Spells (15)
2 Dead // Gone
3 Demonic Dread
3 Living End
3 Beast Within
4 Violent Outburst
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Blood Crypt
4 Bloodstained Mire
3 Blooming Marsh
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Mountain
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Stomping Ground
1 Swamp
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Ingot Chewer
1 Shriekmaw
3 Ricochet Trap
2 Faerie Macabre
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Dead // Gone
3 Fulminator Mage
Random thoughts when trying to custom the deck:
- The meta is made of very diverse decks, most of which can kill on turn 3-4
- Living End is a relatively consistent deck that will often clear the board on turn 3 to win on turn 4. This gives an edge against most decks whose game plan rely on (at least) a few creatures.
- LE is sensitive to disruption (graveyard hate and cards that neutralize Living End, but it has a decent backup plan (cast creatures).
This lead me to the following conclusions for my deck:
- I want a lot of 1-mana cyclers. They make the deck more consistent, a bit more resilient to mulligans, and help you not to flood out
- I want the interactive cards in my 60 to be very generic.
- I want to play as much as possible at end of turn, giving me the opportunity to answer my opponent's plays
Here I will talk about the debatable choices.
3 Beast Within + 0 SB: I think this is the best distribution. As this card is SO multipurpose, I want them in the main. This is an excellent way to generate targets for Demonic Dread on game 1 against decks that don't play creatures early, and I don't want to wait SB games for this. After SB it rarely comes out, and it can be backed up by 1 Maelstrom Pulse, which is just as good.
Playing so many of these cards enables me to have 4 answers to enchantments (mainly RiP and Leyline of the Void), 6 answers to artifacts (with 2 Ingot Chewers SB), and 7 land destruction.
1 Fulminator Mage + 3 SB: Mage is definitely more a SB card now. I thought about cutting them all, but Tron and Jeskai are very common currently and the Mages are too good against them. So I'm still playing 4 in total. Along with the Beast Withins, Tron players will have real trouble reaching their 7 mana.
2 Faerie Macabre + 2 SB: This card is so versatile as well. One will occasionally add the 2 damage you need to win on turn 2-3. But because most decks hardly use their graveyard and I don't like having 2 of them in my hand, I'm not playing 3 of them in the main.
0 Jund Charm : I would complement my SB with 1 of these if I wanted more graveyard hate. But because it costs 3, I don't think I can afford to play it as the Pyroclasm effect is just too inferior to casting a Living End.
2 Anger of the Gods SB: THIS is a much welcome addition to the usual way to wipe the board. Especially against Affinity and Humans.
2 Dead // Gone + 1 SB, 1 Shriekmaw SB: I think that Dead is definitely better than Shriekmaw here. You can remove at instant speed, you can remove and cycle a creature for Shriekmaw's cost, and this is a huge deal. Think about it. Thalia is the main reason to play removals in the main deck, and even against Thalia, I prefer to kill here at instant speed (so that my opponent doesn't have time to play another one, for instance). Even against Burn, you will lose 2 damage killing Eidolon of the great Revel while Shriekmaw is "free", but Dead can also kill their 1-mana creature before they have time to deal any damage. Also, the Gone mode offers some additional options at any time of the game against some creatures that your opponent would "cheat" onto the battlefield (like Gurmag Angler, for instance).
Of course I'm keeping in mind that Shriekmaw comes back after LE, but most of the time, Horror of the broken lands and Desert Cerodon just do the job well enough. Demonic Dread and Gone can help negate a blocker to deal the final blow.
3 Ricochet Trap SB: Control is a bad matchup and you want to resolve your Living Ends. I've also been happy with Choke, but I prefer a 3rd Ricochet Trap over it. Choke could be the next piece if I want even more hate, because I think it complements the Mages quite well.
0 Blood Moon : This could have been a good SB option against Tron, Control and Scapeshift, but it also destroys this deck even if I decided to play a basic forest, and a lot of Modern players have learnt how to play around it especially after SB. The enchantment remains powerful especially for decks that can often play it turn 1-2, but I think it's not strong enough for my deck.
20 cyclers: the choice is never easy. Cycling Archfiend is very costly, but can occasionally win the game. I like being able to chose between cycling him and cycling 2 other creatures. For 1-mana cyclers, I slightly prefer Lurching Rotbeast over Architects of Will, mostly because it hits for 4. The Architects' ability is good, but Lurching has another advantage: I can cast it, and it's cheap. I think this can be a good deal, as long as you know how to play around your opponents' removals.
The mana base: Probably 2-3 basics should be played in the Jund version. Because it's so handy to fetch for a Mountain (instead of a shockland) into Dead to combat aggro rushes, and because I run more red than green spells, I prefer to play a Mountain over a Forest. A Forest will help against Blood Moon, but is otherwise very restrictive. I chose to keep Beast Withins as my only answer to Blood Moon (taking the mana in pool in response to it, before destroying it).
I think that 3 Spirit Guides is enough, as it is almost always bad to draw 2 of them in a game.
And a little experience with a few matchups with this deck...
I will give a heads-up on the matchups. I'm just mentioning what kinds of cards to board in, not necessarily the exact numbers of cards to swap (because I'm mentioning general archetypes and not precise decks).
Humans: game 1 is hard, as their Thalia + Meddling Mage combination is very strong. Dead/Gone is an excellent, instant-speed response, and Beast Within can occasionally remove the nuisance as well. This gets much better post-SB, with different ways to wipe the board. They will bring Sin Collector.
So overall the matchup is roughly even, perhaps favorable. Beware of the Mantis Rider(s) post LE, as good players will try not to overextend.
In: Dead/Gone, Shriekmaw, Anger of the Gods, Maelstrom Pulse
Out: Faerie Macabre, Fulminator, maybe Lurching Rotbeast
Affinity: They tend to go all-in as well so they can be stopped easily with a single Living End, unless they have a Ravager that can keep their board intact. Fortunately, the many answers to bring post-SB clearly gives an edge.
In: Ingot Chewers, Dead/Gone, Faerie Macabres, Anger of the Gods
Out: Fulminator, Lurching Rotbeast, 1 Beast Within
Burn: They still have a good matchup but Dead is nice against their early creatures, and it's sometimes good to be aggressive with Street wraiths, Faerie Macabres and Spirit Guides to cast a very early Living End.
In: Dead/Gone, Shriekmaw
Out: Fulminator, Archfiend
Other aggro decks: This is quite easy, as a resolved Living end will crush them and it is not difficult to play around CurseCatcher/Spell Pierce, Savenging Oozes, or the other few creatures that interact a bit with Living End.
In: removals
Out: Fulminator
Play Faerie Macabre if they rely on their graveyard to win.
Gx Tron: Game 1 is unfavorable, as they have a very reliable t3-4 blow and exiling one land will prevent a cascade spell to be cast (still, managing to cast a Violent Outburst in response can be enough to win). Land destruction (Beast Within and Fulminator) has to be cast on sight before they get their 3rd Urza land, whereas on their side 2-3 maindeck Relic of Progenitus can buy time for them as well. After SB, the situation improves greatly, as playing constantly land destruction and bringing Fulminator Mages back can prevent them from playing anything.
In: Fulminator, Ingot Chewers
Out: Dead/Gone, Faerie Macabre
Storm: The matchup is quite awful. Baral can be removed with Beast Within, but it's just a combo deck that is slightly faster than LE. Knowing how to use Faerie Macabre to hamper their plan can be key.
In: Dead/Gone, Faerie Macabres
Out: perhaps Fulminator on the draw only, and a few cyclers.
Jund: They rely heavily on their creatures and they're not as fast as aggro decks, so the deck is easy to defeat unless they set up their disruption plan early with thoughtseize and Liliana. Dead is perfect at removing Bob and early Ooze (and Inquisition can't remove it), and a late Ooze just won't be effective enough.
In: Fulminator, Shriekmaw, Pulse
Out: Spirit Guides
Mardu Pyromancer: Difficult games. They have many discards spells that will remove the cascade spells, but fortunately they are slow enough and still very vulnerable to an EOT Violent Outburst.
In: Faerie Macabre, Pulse
Out: Spirit Guides, Fulminator
Hollow One: As they heavily rely on creatures and tend to go all-in to win quickly, it's quite easy to stop them with a single Living End, but remember they have reach (Bolts, Collective Brutality, Flamewake Phoenix) and Street Wraith as well. They may also discard their big creatures through Faithless Looting. A single Faerie Macabre will ensure that casting a Living End is still very favorable. Beware of Blood Moon.
In: Faerie Macabre, Pulse, Dead/Gone, 1-2 Ingot Chewer
Out: 1 Beast Within, Lurching Rotbeast
Jeskai Control: As a control deck, it's a bad matchup as they mostly have to ensure that no Living End will resolve. Jeskai is able to win through burn spells, so fetching too aggressively (along with cycling Street Wraith) can be dangerous. It's important not to play Fulminator if there is no target for it, and playing more Living Ends and ricochet traps than the number of counters they have can be the path to victory. Current Jeskai versions tend not to play RiP, so far so good.
In: Ricochet Traps, Fulminators, 0-2 Faerie Macabre depending on the number of Snapcaster Mages they run
Out: Dead/Gone, 1 Demonic Dread, 1 Spirit Guide, possibly Lurching Rotbeast
Death's Shadow (both Grixis version or Traverse version): Hard. The removals and the other answers are not appropriate for them. They will usually put their fast threats into play, and if they have a Stubborn Denial to counter Living End, there is nothing to do. Good thing they are not always consistent.
In: 2 Ricochet Trap, 1 Faerie Macabre
Out: Fuminator, 2 Beast Within
Bogles: Living End has what most deck lacks of: a way to remove their hexproof babies, even through Leyline of Sanctity. It may be difficult to find a target for Demonic Dread, but apart from that the match should be just fine.
In: Pulse, Anger of the Gods
Out: Faerie Macabre
Infect: They are sneaky and we don't like their ability to win before we get 3 lands, but a turn 1 Dead on their creature can be just enough, and Spirit Guide into Violent Outburst will close the game just as well.
In: Dead/Gone, Shriekmaw
Out: Fulminator, Faerie Macabre
TitanShift: I have not played the matchup enough, but they have few ways to interact with LE (expect Relic post-SB), whereas a single Beast Within or Fulminator can easily buy enough time to win. Violent Outburst deals with their big creatures very well.
In: Fulminator, Pulse,
Out: Spirit Guide, maybe Faerie Macabre
Ad Nauseam: They are definitely favored, and Beast Within is the most valuable card game 1. PostSB, Land Destruction and Artifact hate can buy time.
In: Pulse, Ingot Chewer, Fulminator
Out: Dead/gone, Faerie Macabre
Krark-Clan Ironworks: They are heavily favored. Beast Within and other artifact hate helps, but Faerie Macabre is better at disrupting them.
In: Faerie Macabre, Pulse, Ingot Chewer
Out: Fulminator, Dead/gone
BW Tokens: Patience may be key in this matchup. Even if they can draw additional discard spells during the game, it may be best to wait a few turns as long as they don't threaten to win. If Living End is resolved too early, their ability to hold creatures thanks to Path to Exile and their many tokens can give them enough time to come back.
In: Pulse, Fulminator
Out: Faerie Macabre, Dead/Gone, maybe Spirit Guide
Eldrazi/Taxes: This deck has many variations (BW, W, Eldrazi or not), but their disruptive elements we care about are Thalia guardian of thraben, Rest in Peace, and possibly Chalice of the Void. Dead/gone is perfect to get rid of Thalia, and Beast Within is great for all of them. It's very good to be able to remove them at EOT, and it's important to make sure a single Ghost Quarter won't provoke a color death.
In: Dead/Gone, Shriekmaw, Pulse, Anger of the Gods
Out: Fulminator, 0-2 Spirit Guides, probably a few cyclers
Dredge: Fortunately this is hardly played at the moment, but it's good to know how to handle them. It's important to know their deck well to know when and how to discard Faerie Macabre. Even if they overwhelm the board, we can still have enough time to Play a cascade spell to wipe them and attack to be on the offensive. Anger of the gods or an Archfiend on the board will also crush them. So the match is not easy, but definitely not out of range.
In: Faerie Macabre, Anger of the Gods
Out: Fulminator, Beast Within
The strategy here is that the core of the deck is only 45 cards, so you get 15 flex slots. I like to play sideboard cards maindeck, to make sure I always win game one. Here are my flex slots:
4 Simian Spirit Guide
2 Faerie Macabre
3 Deadshot Minotaur
2 Beast Within
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Archfiend of Ifnir
There’s a lot of dead cards there. But that’s okay, because we AWAYS side in Hollow One. This helps us so much, as we no longer care about graveyard hate. Your opponent will mulligan to 4 looking for a leyline of the void, and we can simply shrug and cast a 4/4 turn two. Against aggro decks, it gives us an early blocker. Here’s my sideboard:
4 Hollow One
2 Lost Legacy
1 Anger of the Gods
2 Dismember
2 Ingot Chewer
2 Crypt Incursion
You guys may notice a lack of tron hate. I don’t like fulminators or avalanche riders, namely because you need them turn two to actually shut them off tron. In that matchup, I just like to race. I also don’t have much graveyard hate. Anger of the Gods is amazing against dredge and hollow one, and Macabres pick up the rest. Don’t forget that Crypt Incursion can target yourself to gain ludicrous amounts of life, which gives you time to rebuild.
I feel very confident about this 75. I feel favored in almost every matchup, and I think this build of the deck has potential. If you would like my sideboard guide or have any questions, please let me know. Thank you so much!
List and Guide:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1S6s7XIw0SkoAHT7oXBjvhjHy8FzcW3WoNez-IKAYq1Y/edit?usp=sharing
Tournament Report:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wzDqMcC5EamW0ImrZC_7Wg3nhpVY6ADn5461qlDhA6I/edit?usp=sharing
- Deadshot Minotaur's ability is irrelevant is the current meta, you'll kill your own faerie Macabre more often than it will be useful
- the dead cards like Anger of the gods
Despite the way you justify them, I think there are better alternatives aren't there?
Though, against which decks do you use Lost Legacy, and in your experience how good is it at winning games?
That being said I still run Deadshot and have not looked back. The ability has not been irrelevant, but the 2 colors cycling and 4 toughness have been gamewinners for me. I have always subscribed to the idea that any creature in your deck that does not sac itself (fulminator, Shriekmaw) should be bolt proof, just to invalidate many of your opponents cards as well as the common red board wipes like anger of the gods.
Http://www.fantasticneighborhood.com/
Comedy gaming podcast. Listening to it makes you cool.
Yes, Lurching Rotbeast is an extremely subpar cycler, I would much rather play Architects than that, or even a 2 mana cycler like Archfiend of Ifnir or Twisted Abomination.
Playing Deadshot minotaur has a cost, tho. You can't play Faerie macabre in the main because you are going to kill it very often. And as for Graveyard haste is concerned, i think that the faerie is way better than Leyline of the void.
I use both, it has not been as much a factor as you think. If macabre removed 2 of their dudes and you living ended, chances are you can live without a 2/2 flyer. The consistency and the 4 toughness is more than worth it.
Http://www.fantasticneighborhood.com/
Comedy gaming podcast. Listening to it makes you cool.
To evaluate cyclers I use the following criteria in this order
1- Can cycle for 1 mana
2- Is good at goldfishing (because that's how you win, most of the time when your opponent plays during his turn and taps out, the EOT Violent Outburst followed by an attack will win the game)
3- Has good additional abilities (e.g. Archfiend's ability is insane)
4- Is resilient to "light" removals -> Note that Living End already runs creatures that die easily (Shriekmaw, Faerie Macabre). You win games because a single spell wraths the board and puts 5 creatures into play, not because the Fatal Push your opponents keeps in hand is useless at that time. LE is a super strong spell, and that's what matters
5- Can be cast. Note that a 7-mana creature will rarely be cast before turn 10, whereas a 4-mana creature could actually be cast much earlier and make your clock better.
It might be true that Deadshot Minotaur killing Faerie is not that problematic, but I'm still not a big fan... I may underestimate Architects' ETB effect though, that may be why I've been playing with Rotbeast for the versatility and to avoid playing a 3-power creature. So I'll give Architects a try.
Also PV's article explains why 2-mana cyclers are far worse than 1-mana cyclers. The format is way too quick for them and a couple of Archfiends may be the only exception.
Oh I am totally on board with 1 mana cyclers, believe me, I just believe if you are going to run them they need to provide and I do not see that Rotbeast does that.
Yes you get 1 more power, which is my experience has often not mattered compared to the 2 toughness. Architects, a card I am not even a fan of, can buy you multiple turns of attacking at the cost of a single point of power. That seems like a much better trade off to me. I would also argue that Curator of Mysteries is FAR better than rotbeast and even worth the blue splash if that is the direction you think you need to go.
Http://www.fantasticneighborhood.com/
Comedy gaming podcast. Listening to it makes you cool.
Also you guys have probably noticed the recent performances of Ironworks Combo. How good do you think Faerie Macabre is against this deck? I've found they can play around graveyard hate quite well. If they manage to put enough artifacts in play they can even respond to the Faerie's ability and eventually return the targeted artifacts anyway. This probably still slows them down, though.
Also, if Ingot Chewer is probably too weak against them, Krosan Grip on Krark-Clan Ironworks has to be strong. The deck is consistent enough to be able to put another copy of KCI into play, but again, slowing them down a bit can be just enough for a deck like Living End to win the game. Any thoughts?
The first three is to buy time at the very least so they have to spend time to rebuild hopefully as we pressure with a resolved living end. If they do have the tools to rebuild, hopefully we can land a slaughter games naming KCI.
Not really though. Their combo is slightly slower than us, so if you can keep him of 4 mana every turn you will probably kil them. I play a jund charm as a swiss for they do get to combo off though.
On the other hand, they can quite reliably win on turn 4, and sometimes on turn 3. This probably means that whoever starts has a huge edge, right? Against such combo decks, perhaps Fulminator is quite good on the play. And it's probably too slow on he draw (still worth playing it), unless we have a lot of disruption on top of it (against KCI: graveyard hate, maybe Ingot chewer, etc.)
Http://www.fantasticneighborhood.com/
Comedy gaming podcast. Listening to it makes you cool.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqOaAT4qSTL0uto_GxRnvRg
Pretty good content if you have the time for it
I played with Living End em GP São Paulo 2018 (Brazil) and take a 23º Place with 12-3.
My little tournament report:
Day 1:
(1-0) BYE
(1-1) UB Tezzeret (1x2)
G1: Right away, I got a rather odd matchup. On G1, he made the thopther sword, but I had bent for great power at the table and with Archfiend of Ifnir! What made me win!
In G2, everything went well, but he did Ensnaring Bridge, I managed to destroy it, and he t with only one card in his hand had a Whir of Invention that sought another Bridge. I died 9 turns for Ghirapur AEther Grid!
In G3 I was locked fast! It opened with fast with Ensnaring Bridge, 2 Welding Jar and Torpor Orb (which stop my Ingot Chewer). I died for Tezzeret by giving 18 damage!
(1-2) Monogreen Tron (1x2)
In that round3 I got a "good matchup". In G1, he opened with Relic of Progenitus, who for a moment of displeasure of him, he was all "turned", giving me the window to fight and so I did and took the game!
In G2: Mulliguei to 6, and despite having attacked his grounds, I did not find any cascade card to try to win the game!
In the G3: He mulligou to 5, but who was no lands is me, that did not find the third ground and I lost the game, with 3 Fulminator Mage in the hand!
(2-2) Grishoalbrand (2x0)
Finally we have a badmatchup right ?! After all, playing against a deck that needs to drop a card in the Graveyard and then warping does not seem to me bad against a deck that returns the creatures to the game!
However, in G1: My opponent was not able to play Griselbrand in the graveyard and I commited to 11 of power, winning the g1 after 3 attacks (he still came to life with Nourishing Shoal).
In G2, I opened with Leyline of the Void in hand and the game became simpler! Won with a certain "tranquility"
(3-2) Boogles (2x0)
This is that matchup we cant loss! G1 still had the help that the opponent mulligou for 5! I was not even pressured! And win fast!
In G2, I mull to 5, but kept the hand with 2 lands 2 cyclings and 1 Violent Outburst.
However, it took me a long time to find the third land, when I thought it was 30 life. But Living end for 13 power and I killed in three turns!
(4-2) UW Control (2x1)
This matchup is one of those hideous! But in G1, my opponent was all covered in my EOT to make a Field of Ruin, I combo for 17 power! And I killed in two turns!
In G2, I was humiliated by the combination Rest in Peace, Counter, Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Teferi, Hero of Dominaria! Even the UW having mull to 6!
Already in G3, I had a window to fight very fast and finished the game thanks to a Land Destruction (Beast Within) that prevented a mass removal in the upkeep!
(5-2) UR Wizards (2x1)
At first I thought it was Storm, but then I saw it was UR Wizards, it gave me VARIOUS WINDOWS to warp in Game 1, but unfortunately I did not find any of the 8 cards that match! And I lost the g1!
In G2, he don't fiend the third land, tried to destroy the only blue in the EOT, he gave me Spell Pierce and I crashed on the back winning the game!
In G3, I felt I would be eliminated from the tournament! Everything was going wrong! I bought 2 Living End, and he always left an open blue showing (or maybe bluffing) that he had a Spell Pierce, I went to life 1 (having him 17) and combo with 5 lands! He gave the Spell Pierce, I paid for the mana, he turned two lands and I thought: I lost! He did Snapcaster Mage targeting the Spell Pierce, but I had a Faerie Macabre in my hand (the only one I had left post-sb won the game giving more than 20 damage in only one attack!
(6-2) Humans (2x1)
G1: The Opponent Begins, Cavern of Souls, Humans! OMG! It was bad. Badmatchup! I even managed to fight, but I was wrong! I was Rude! I was 7 alive! It had 2 Monstrous Carabid, 1Archfiend of Ifnir and 2 Street Wraith on the table! He was 11! I attacked only with the 4/4, he had on the table 1 Mantis Rider, 1 Kitesail Freebooter and a card in hand! He accepted the damage! It was 3! Made AEther Vial for the 2nd Mantis Rider! And at that moment I realized! I MESSED UP! I gave him several chances to win the game and he won. His Topdeck was the 3rd Mantis Rider, killing me!
In G2: I had cycled two cards already, he did the Kitesail Freebooter and saw my hand a Dead (Dead / Gone) and a Demonic Dread! He chose to take the Dead (Dead / Gone), I got it back and won the game!
In G3: The game was intense, but the Archfiend of Ifnir served as "God's wrath" and that's it! Had done my 5-0!
Day2:
(7-2) Boogles (2x1)
In G1: My opponent mull to 6, and when I went to fight, with only three lands he had a Mana Tithe, my luck is that I had a Simian Spirit Guide in hand, I paid the mana and won with an attack higher than 18 damage!
In G2: I mull to 5 and lost easy! I died in 4 turns! Before any attempt to combo!
In G3: He mull to 5! And it was my turn to win the game fast and prepared for a possible Mana Tithe.
(8-2) Affinity (2x0)
In G1: I've com bined for only 1 creatur:! Archfiend of Ifnir! He had 1 Arcbound Ravager, 2 Ornithopterus and 1 Signal Pest, i win with another cyclings!
G2: I opened with a wonderful hand against Affinity, Ingot Chewer, Archfiend of Ifnir, Faerie Macabre, 2 Lands, 1 Cycling of 1 Mana and 1 Combo Piece. It opened with Relic of Progenitus, and I with Ingot, and then Cycling Archfiend. He spit out the hand having an Arcbound Ravager, I started on the turn and took 2 bribes with the macabre and the Ingot killed one more, and Game!
(9-2) Humans (2x0)
In G1: This matchup was interesting! I comed turn 2 (with 1 Monkey) to just one Desert Cerodon in response to Meddling Mage and was focused on: I need to do the Archfiend of Ifnir turn 4 to try not to lose! Luckily I got the time and from then there was the turn of the game, when I came to three life!
In G2: He mull to 6 and did Kitesail Freebooter taking a quick combo for 14 damage on turn 3!
(10-2) Burn (2x1)
G1: He won the die, and even then I almost won if I had found one more cycling! He got 2 of life and finished me!
G2: Combo fast I got to race and I took the game!
G3: I mull for 6. But I kept my hand with Gemstone Caverns! I did cycling, but he opened Mana Swift's Monastery, and then Relic of Progenitus. I did another cycling and on my turn combo to two creatures 4/4! They broke Relic and after the resolving effect I did two more cyclings for a 6/4 and 3/4. We went to race, I gave 9 damage taking him to 8 (he had taken 3 of fetch and shock land) I casted a Simian Spirit Guide to give it lethal! I went to my turn, I gave damage 11, he gave me a Lightning Helix thinking he was 9 (he wrote it wrong). But Fortunately it was 8, and I won the game!
(10-3) UW Control (1x2)
G1: I got a window to fight and I won the game!
G2: In G2, the game got complicated, the double Rest in Peace and Counter came into action.
G3: I managed to fight for a considerable amount of power at the table, but in the final bid of the game, I took a Path to Exile topdeck from Azcanta, which killed my goal and beat me the game!
(11-3) Hollow One (2x0)
This matchup was pretty easy! In the G1 I managed to put 3 creatures on the grave and he put 2 (Gurmag Angler and Fenix from the Flaming Trail), I made Faerie Macabre and I drew them, fighting for victory!
In G2, I opened with Leyline of the Void and Gemstone Caverns and won the game quickly in turns 3 he concede !
(12-3) Storm (2x0)
In G1 I won after bending and he tried to find cards with Gifts Ungiven, but I had Faerie Macabre in hand, who exiled the Past in Flames, making me win the game!
In G2 I open with Leyline of the Void, fast combo taking the game.
4 Desert Cerodon
3 Faerie Macabre
4 Horror of the Broken Lands
4 Monstrous Carabid
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Street Wraith
4 Demonic Dread
3 Living End
3 Beast Within
4 Violent Outburst
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Blood Crypt
1 Forest
1 Gemstone Caverns
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Stomping Ground
2 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Fulminator Mage
3 Ingot Chewer
3 Leyline of the Void
1 Slaughter Games
In this weekend i 2nd place in Modern Challenge in Magic Online with the same list!