I mean, it depends what you're boarding in and the matchup right? Cutting things like maps in some matchups for extra interaction is often the right choice. Maps help your deck run smoother, sure, but disruption out of the board is usually more important in games 2-3.
Cool, I appreciate it. Ed I don't normally care too much about expedition map. fast Tron is nice but not needed a lot of the time. we have so much card draw and some filtering that I don't miss the 4th and don't mind going down even below 3 post board.
Tells Wurmcoil Engine to go to hell, but I don't think it will see much play. Of note in only hits colorless creatures so it doesn't hit other important pieces like walkers, O-stones, Mindslaver, etc.
Infernal Judgement's good against Eldrazi and Affinity in addition to Tron, so I think it'll see play, which really sucks. Wurmcoil is definitely our best wincon against BGx, and now we can't rely on it to gain value.
I like the expedition maps as there are a lot of games that it enables turn 3 urza tron and we can just bulldoze the opponent. It also grabs tolaria west and academy ruins, which are too important. Against control expedition maps will set up a walking ballista that can loop back around every turn, or you can just set up a mindslaver lock. Tolaria west grabs chalice of the void which is great against storm and so many other decks.
I would not worry about infernal judgment at all. The card is basically good against wurmcoil and thats it. Sure you can exile an ulamog - you still got three-for-oned and are probably in trouble.
For everything else push and terminate (or cast down) do the job. Infernal j is too narrow and not even really great at what it does. Nobody is going to blow sideboard spots for this.
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Modern
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
You're down to ten artifacts by my count. Doesnt that have an impact on thirst for knowledge?
I feel like not running one ostone and one slaver is just incorrect, unless you feel that academy ruins will never stick. Those are two inevitability engines that bust through problem permanents. Your list seems to have two repeals to deal with something like ensnaring bridge where a normal list also has cyclonic rift, ostone, and slaver.
Modern is pretty wide and counterspells are flakey as "universal outs". I do agree with the idea of just adjusting the type of interaction to the match. I also think theres a point where balistas and tks start to beg the question of why you arent playing e-tron
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Modern
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
Tks is at its best vs combo where its disruption and a decent clock, but its rare that the card is ever actually bad because it forces a response making it more likely your next threat sticks, or it strips their answer making sure the next threat sticks. Maybe not what you want vs attrition decks because you'll end up whiffing on the etb and actually give them ca when they kill it, but I bring them in vs aggro because it lowers my curve and gives me a blocker early on.
The advantage of playing them out of the board is that oponent boards out some or most of their removal making them stick more easily. You can also md them and board them out hoping your opponent leaves their terminates and pushes in. Or you just md and leave them in and hope your opponent boards as though you took them out.
I would guess md vs sb is a meta call. Lots of combo? Md. Lots of midrange? Sb.
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Modern
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
I prefer not to play them at all because I'm liking the artifact heavy ramp/Karn strategy atm, BUT when I was playing TKS it felt great against Burn if you see a lot of it. Strips a burn spell and is a thicc enough body to absorb all their attackers. In order to remove it they have to point burn at it for a turn. As others said it's also good against combo and forces an answer from Control to potentially clear a path for your bigger things. Only matchup I don't like it in is the Hollow One/Affinity/Elves type decks that barf out their hand super fast. It's definitely a powerful and diverse card and has a place in the 75 if you're not scared of getting cut off of casting it (Blood Moon went from being a minor annoyance to a real problem when I main-decked 4 TKS).
I'd vote 1 maindeck and some more in the board if you really like it.
I've noticed squelch has been cut pretty often from most SB these days. I think its interesting considering the prevalence of field of ruin. It was good against ghost quarter and it still seems good now. It also has the surprise factor that when you board it in sometimes you just stone rain your opponent when they activate a fetch. In the match ups its good in its actually great. Against Jeskai it hits their PW, Celestial collonade, and field of ruin. SO, the question remains why not run it?
One of the only answers that makes sense to me is that we just don't care as much anymore about assembling tron, especially in a rabbit style list. His list is essentially a more consistent midrange U deck vs a shok deck which is a toolbox deck.
I went 2-1 drop (ole ball and chain was on my ass about being home by 11) last night with @bloody 's list except -1 Ambush Viper and +1 Dismember in the main. And +1 ghost quarter in the board. I only have 1 Ambush Viper.
Smoked mono white kithkin (casual deck) and had 2 really good matches vs Mardu.
TKS seemed pretty solid. His big butt and aggressiveness seemed pretty relevant in all matches. Granted he slammed into 10,000 tokens, but nevertheless.
Best game was a hand of Supreme Will, 4 tron lands, map and wurmcoil. I never played a blue source and drew ballista off the top. Game was over on turn 5.
I just picked up my first Ambush Viper and am absolutely loving it. I totally agree that it's a staple in the deck. It felt so good replaying a surgical and a thirst (different games) and having a random blowout blocker.
No it's far too small and a chunk of people cut sundering Titan which normally would do more when it hit the board. Card is kinda meh for us and in general. 3 land 3/3 is just too slow.
Tells Wurmcoil Engine to go to hell, but I don't think it will see much play. Of note in only hits colorless creatures so it doesn't hit other important pieces like walkers, O-stones, Mindslaver, etc.
For everything else push and terminate (or cast down) do the job. Infernal j is too narrow and not even really great at what it does. Nobody is going to blow sideboard spots for this.
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
I feel like not running one ostone and one slaver is just incorrect, unless you feel that academy ruins will never stick. Those are two inevitability engines that bust through problem permanents. Your list seems to have two repeals to deal with something like ensnaring bridge where a normal list also has cyclonic rift, ostone, and slaver.
Modern is pretty wide and counterspells are flakey as "universal outs". I do agree with the idea of just adjusting the type of interaction to the match. I also think theres a point where balistas and tks start to beg the question of why you arent playing e-tron
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
To those that do play it, what are it’s good matchups? Like for what do you board it in/out?
The advantage of playing them out of the board is that oponent boards out some or most of their removal making them stick more easily. You can also md them and board them out hoping your opponent leaves their terminates and pushes in. Or you just md and leave them in and hope your opponent boards as though you took them out.
I would guess md vs sb is a meta call. Lots of combo? Md. Lots of midrange? Sb.
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
I'd vote 1 maindeck and some more in the board if you really like it.
STANDARD
UB Midrange
Modern
U-Tron
CETronC
WUBGRHumansWUBGR
UMerfolkU
GU
InfectGURBGx
DredgeRBGxOne of the only answers that makes sense to me is that we just don't care as much anymore about assembling tron, especially in a rabbit style list. His list is essentially a more consistent midrange U deck vs a shok deck which is a toolbox deck.
Smoked mono white kithkin (casual deck) and had 2 really good matches vs Mardu.
TKS seemed pretty solid. His big butt and aggressiveness seemed pretty relevant in all matches. Granted he slammed into 10,000 tokens, but nevertheless.
Best game was a hand of Supreme Will, 4 tron lands, map and wurmcoil. I never played a blue source and drew ballista off the top. Game was over on turn 5.
I just picked up my first Ambush Viper and am absolutely loving it. I totally agree that it's a staple in the deck. It felt so good replaying a surgical and a thirst (different games) and having a random blowout blocker.
Shoktroopa practically toys with all these decks before slamming down the slaver lock.
His list has an absurd win rate against control I think.
I see it as an option for planes walkers. It would be a meta call I suppose. The body is very weak.