Caverns is interesting and not having a draw back about going second is pretty sweet but you also now have 3 to 4 strictly cololess sources that don't help the deck at all if they aren't in your opener. And passing priority when u could be Inquisitioning their hand b4 they get to drop their potential 1 drop seems better to me. especially against affinity or Tron
That's true. To go cavern is a concession that your deck's goal is not to control the game but to invite them to answer you or lose. I think if you get the combo or an unanswered bridge most decks in the format fold... so my build is a lunge in that direction.
@OFWGTA and @Disipleofbolas: Caverns looks interesting, but if it's not in the opener, it's really bad. I noticed there are no Darkslick Shores in this build. They are fast, give us untapped mana in all the colours we usually need, and are great even when drawn up to turn three. Running 4 of these seems like a no-brainer to me now that I have them. And running 4 Darkslick Shores pretty much excludes Gemstone for me, because there's simply not enough land slots left. Plus, I still cling onto my last remaining 1-2 Citadels, which I regularily use even in a Whir build.
Arguments for Citadel:
- Run into a build where Bridge is not good, but neither is their removal? Tezz enables Citadel Beatdown or endless blocks.
- No GQ targets, but need that blue source desperately? With a Citadel in play, your GQs become painless Fetches.
- Artifact count for metalcraft, Spire and Tezz.
- Survives massed land/artifact destruction. Rare case, I know, but still...
- Got an Opal out already and need another Mana? Tezz+ or Whir for Citadel.
At least 1 can't hurt. And even behind a Bridge, an indestructible emergency blocker cannot hurt, especially against Infect (stops Hierarch beatdown).
CITADELS//
Obviously very dope, lots of synergy. I just had enough games of limping out a prism for one to turn on my opal and just looking at the win in my hand if I had access to untapped blue. As a 5/5 I saw it eat paths and Lilly plus ones far too often. People leave in paths way too much against this deck? I'm definitely with you, a ton of upside... I'm just making a speed and efficiency of combo build so I'll keep testing that front and we can compare notes.
DARKSLICK//
I think hitting a four drop damnation or tezzeret in this deck is one of the top goals, darkslick kept making me stumble on that. My current configuration OCCASIONALLY makes me miss a turn three whir, if I draw only my swamp but I typically have that tempo play on my side, which is a good feeling. In other situations I would get the combo on w three lands, desperately need an untapped fourth to stabilize and rip a shores. I decided my life total was less important than getting access to untapped mana with every land in the deck. But again, obviously a great card and just making a judgement call on prioritizing getting the combo quickly and having surefire untapped mana thereafter.
GEMSTONE CAVERNS//
Yes, drawing them later is a bit of a bummer... but not as bad as you'd think. With this build generally colored mana isn't a problem so it's a colorless land, sometimes a colorless lotus petal if I already have one in play, and sometimes easy fodder for collective brutality. The interaction with thopter foundry/bridge/abrupt decay/whir make Tez the best candidate deck in modern for the card.
But that upside... when you go turn one thopter foundry turn two sword with activation mana up against burn, you will know this is a vital part of the deck. My match slip is usually the first one turned back in because of this card. There is a downside, but you simply must try it out. You will see the light!
Thank you @Systrill and @Xremag for the feedback! Much appreciated!
@Systrill: I bring in Herald against a variety of decks, but usually not as a set-in-stone sideboard strategy, but as a mindgame. Did they side out spot removal? In comes the Herald! If it comes to game 3, out he goes again... sooometimes. The only matches where I never ever side him hin are, of course, the ones where Bridge is absolutely vital and essential (like against tribal flood strategies like Merfolk, Elves and most Token builds). Against others, he's king. I also bring him in against Burn sometimes, because failing to find the Combo, a T3 Herald can be a fast clock, and usually they still have a spell or two left in their hand that gets discarded, saving me three life. He dodges, then kills, Eidolon, and kills all their creatures. Against Infect, Bridge does almost nothing, so that's another match where Herald is king.
@OFWGTA and @Disipleofbolas: Caverns looks interesting, but if it's not in the opener, it's really bad. I noticed there are no Darkslick Shores in this build. They are fast, give us untapped mana in all the colours we usually need, and are great even when drawn up to turn three. Running 4 of these seems like a no-brainer to me now that I have them. And running 4 Darkslick Shores pretty much excludes Gemstone for me, because there's simply not enough land slots left. Plus, I still cling onto my last remaining 1-2 Citadels, which I regularily use even in a Whir build.
Arguments for Citadel:
- Run into a build where Bridge is not good, but neither is their removal? Tezz enables Citadel Beatdown or endless blocks.
- No GQ targets, but need that blue source desperately? With a Citadel in play, your GQs become painless Fetches.
- Artifact count for metalcraft, Spire and Tezz.
- Survives massed land/artifact destruction. Rare case, I know, but still...
- Got an Opal out already and need another Mana? Tezz+ or Whir for Citadel.
At least 1 can't hurt. And even behind a Bridge, an indestructible emergency blocker cannot hurt, especially against Infect (stops Hierarch beatdown).
CITADELS//
Obviously very dope, lots of synergy. I just had enough games of limping out a prism for one to turn on my opal and just looking at the win in my hand if I had access to untapped blue. As a 5/5 I saw it eat paths and Lilly neg twos far too often. People leave in paths way too much against this deck? I'm definitely with you, a ton of upside... I'm just making a speed and efficiency of combo build so I'll keep testing that front and we can compare notes.
DARKSLICK//
I think hitting a four drop damnation or tezzeret in this deck is one of the top goals, darkslick kept making me stumble on that. My current configuration OCCASIONALLY makes me miss a turn three whir, if I draw only my swamp but I typically have that tempo play on my side, which is a good feeling. In other situations I would get the combo on w three lands, desperately need an untapped fourth to stabilize and rip a shores. I decided my life total was less important than getting access to untapped mana with every land in the deck. But again, obviously a great card and just making a judgement call on prioritizing getting the combo quickly and having surefire untapped mana thereafter.
GEMSTONE CAVERNS//
Yes, drawing them later is a bit of a bummer... but not as bad as you'd think. With this build generally colored mana isn't a problem so it's a colorless land, sometimes a colorless lotus petal if I already have one in play, and sometimes easy fodder for collective brutality.
But that upside... when you go turn one thopter foundry turn two sword with activation mana up against burn, you will know this is a vital part of the deck. My match slip is usually the first one turned back in because of this card. There is a downside, but you simply must try it out. You will see the light!
HERALD// Seems so dope, ran two early on, eventually moved toward other more impactful SB cards. Still on the fence about him though cause he's rad.
Before I had baubles I was running 2 mox. Now I'm running 3 with the baubles and a single talisman of dominance instead of the 4th mox I've tried both ways and I'm a pretty big fan of the talisman I've whired for it several times to get guaranteed tezz mana or 5th mana source to go infinite with sieve when I get whir flooded.
Is there any consensus on Thoughtsieze vs Inquisition? I assume its fairly meta dependant, but I've been running into some issues when I draw an Inquisition mid-late game and can't take a powerful, 3+ mana card. Notably CoCo from Collected Counters or Ugin from U-Tron/E-Tron. (meta is weird where I'm at, 4ish storm players, 2 DS players and most others on jank/altered brews)
Edit: In the same vein, Academy Ruins vs Inventors Fair?
Is there any consensus on Thoughtsieze vs Inquisition? I assume its fairly meta dependant, but I've been running into some issues when I draw an Inquisition mid-late game and can't take a powerful, 3+ mana card. Notably CoCo from Collected Counters or Ugin from U-Tron/E-Tron. (meta is weird where I'm at, 4ish storm players, 2 DS players and most others on jank/altered brews)
It seems like thoughtseize would better against the decks that are hard for us. We could take their big spells that are hard for us to deal with. If we ran thoughtseize would surgical extraction be a good in the sideboard against scapeshift and control/grindy matchups? Take their scapeshift or titan then surgical extract it. They can still ramp and naturally trigger valakut but they couldn't intantly kill us.
On another thought, for the builds that run maindeck fatal push, would trading those out for maindeck abrupt decay be good? It hits almost the same things but can hit Liliana, cranial plating, bloodmoon (if you can float the green in response), aether vial, ect. The downside is it couldn't hit man lands and thought-knot seer.
I run 3 inquisitions 1 thoughtseize mainboard, 2 thoughtseizes sideboard. I also play 2 collective brutality main (so 6 discard main 2 side)
I like starting with inquisitions because it can take out their early plays, once we hit the late game I'm generally (Except vs tron) going to crush them anyway. Taking away their tempo or way to get ahead is great. It also gets both Kataki and Stony Silence G2.
I use +2 thoughtseize against combo decks an Tron. Lifetax can be rough because you want to hit them T1 with some discard.
LAtegame you can just discard them to Liliana, it's also a reason inquisition is a tad preferred.
Hey guys, I've been running my esper Tezz on MTGO recently to a couple 4-1's (a few misplays away from 5-0's). The meta is down on big mana decks it seems, which means the grindier tezz is a better option than the combo stuff I've been running. Liliana of the Veil has been very good for me, and as Systrill mentioned, Tezz is really best for beating stalemates and hate cards, so he is in the board.
Tasigur has been very good to either be a big-butt blocker or provide a clock against control, though he does get sided out in a lot of matches for hate cards. With all the 1 cmc spells and bauble and fetches, he's usually cast on turn 3 for 1-2. This deck is geared to beat shadow decks, with champion in the SB and a lot of grindy cards. LotV + Bridge is as sweet as ever, and even though her +1 typically makes it a little harder to whir efficiently, it hasn't been that hard to make correct decisions.
And the 4-of Ethersworn Canonist is definitely a meta call, but it's such a beating for a lot of decks, most notably storm.
So I think I've finalized my list for this upcoming pptq season with the only cards I'm still uncertain of being: 3rd rainbow land vs academy ruins and if 2x damnation really deserve their slot.
So running through another league with some changes. Mostly small. Cutting a citadel for an Academy Ruins, an Inquisition for a Brutality. But the big one was cutting Tezzeret down to 2. I find I rarely need/want Tezz in game 1, as I find it's mostly about thopter sword and bridge, and I'd rather have Whir to find them. So now I'm down to 2 Tezz and liking it so far. I did move him to the board, so I have 3 in the 75, as he's still important to beat Stony Silence, Rest in Peace, Jace AoT. But otherwise, he's not very important imo
To be honest, I think if you're not playing a Pithing Needle main, you're doing it wrong. The thing has saved my ass so many times
So I think I've finalized my list for this upcoming pptq season with the only cards I'm still uncertain of being: 3rd rainbow land vs academy ruins and if 2x damnation really deserve their slot.
I'd love to discuss my thought process on particular cards so please let me know what you think and what questions you have if any.
I like the look of this list overall and its the next one I'll try. I have not loved the collective brutality in the main and was moving back towards fatal push. It's so frustrating to get hit with Thalia/Arbiter/Kataki/Druid type cards and be somehow stuck unable to brutality. I've also been stuck looking at scvaenging oozes and spell quellers that brutality can't kill. The # of times I have whiffed on the duress are considerable, and the drain is pretty fringe outside of the burn match.
Decisions that stick out:
1) Infernal Tutor. I think you mentioned before this is a decent card but a totally optional fun-of at the end of the day.
2) Maindeck cage over relic/spellbomb. Unable to cantrip it when its useless, but I'm guessing the idea is its way higher impact when it actually matters. I'll try it but I'm skeptical - this feels more like a metagame call than anything else?
3)Single talisman. I like the idea of whirring for it when I'm choked on mana with an opal out already, I'm just not sure that ever comes up in reality.
4) Torpor Orb. I don't get what people are doing with this card. It shuts off your own primary win condition. You lay it down and now you pray to draw a tezzeret I guess? Or do you at some point sac it to foundry and make a bunch of tokens? (eg you have established thopter/sword/sieve?)? I need to know how to win once this comes down because the nonbo with our deck is real.
5) spellskite. For bogles? Curious when/why this comes in when we have jars. I guess it hits cryptic/echoing truth bounces and flickerwisp exiles?
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Modern
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
What do you all think bitterblossom? It seems like it would be good against death shadow, affinity, and eldrazi, and any other grindy or control matchup.If nothing else it would give us chump blockers until we get brigde or thopter combo out. Just a thought I could be wrong since I haven't played with them yet.
What do you all think bitterblossom? It seems like it would be good against death shadow, affinity, and eldrazi, and any other grindy or control matchup.If nothing else it would give us chump blockers until we get brigde or thopter combo out. Just a thought I could be wrong since I haven't played with them yet.
Too slow to stop aggro, and too similar to plan A (thopter tokens). We also have no way to get rid of it so when you're sitting behind a bridge being cool you may end up just losing to your own blossom life loss.
But most importantly its just not something the deck wants or needs. If you want to stymie aggro focus on dumping hand to bridge, getting fast thopter/sword, or disrupting with IoK/Push.
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Modern
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
So I think I've finalized my list for this upcoming pptq season with the only cards I'm still uncertain of being: 3rd rainbow land vs academy ruins and if 2x damnation really deserve their slot.
I'd love to discuss my thought process on particular cards so please let me know what you think and what questions you have if any.
I like the look of this list overall and its the next one I'll try. I have not loved the collective brutality in the main and was moving back towards fatal push. It's so frustrating to get hit with Thalia/Arbiter/Kataki/Druid type cards and be somehow stuck unable to brutality. I've also been stuck looking at scvaenging oozes and spell quellers that brutality can't kill. The # of times I have whiffed on the duress are considerable, and the drain is pretty fringe outside of the burn match.
Decisions that stick out:
1) Infernal Tutor. I think you mentioned before this is a decent card but a totally optional fun-of at the end of the day.
2) Maindeck cage over relic/spellbomb. Unable to cantrip it when its useless, but I'm guessing the idea is its way higher impact when it actually matters. I'll try it but I'm skeptical - this feels more like a metagame call than anything else?
3)Single talisman. I like the idea of whirring for it when I'm choked on mana with an opal out already, I'm just not sure that ever comes up in reality.
4) Torpor Orb. I don't get what people are doing with this card. It shuts off your own primary win condition. You lay it down and now you pray to draw a tezzeret I guess? Or do you at some point sac it to foundry and make a bunch of tokens? (eg you have established thopter/sword/sieve?)? I need to know how to win once this comes down because the nonbo with our deck is real.
5) spellskite. For bogles? Curious when/why this comes in when we have jars. I guess it hits cryptic/echoing truth bounces and flickerwisp exiles?
1) this card is a lot better the more I play it the fact that it can be whir 5 is awesome but grabbing an impactful sideboard card (damnation, demon, decay, grid) is a huge bonus. Even grabbing a tezz is game 1s when you whir out bridge is huge.
2) firstly my 2 main deck bullet slots are relic amd cage. cage never hurts us and playing it out on turn 1 can cause people to scoop potentially (This card has stolen so many game 1s from storm) cage in the main has replaced my pithing needle as I've had so many games where I wanted to play pithing needle turn 1 to enable moxes while being mana efficient (no serum or inq) but I don't have enough information to call a card blind.
3) talisman is a concession to the atrocity that is double mox openers with no way to enable them or even use the lotus petal quickly. It will also help with the new 3 mana "lands don't untap" wrath.its also good for whirring out from time to time like when you have all parts of your combo in hand but only 2 lands plus pentad
4) torpor orb is just good vs hate bears style decks with an abundance of ten effects it gives you time to assemble the combo (much like bridge does against midrange decks) then you eat your orb and go off ezpz.
5) spellskite is just antihate for exile/bounce (most notably storm and flicker wisp as you brought up)
Just another nod in favour of time sieve - without it beating the various taking turns decks popping up would be incredibly tough. With it the matchup may even be in our favour as long as we draw decently. They need a howling mine to really go for it by turn 5, which increases our draws to hit combo and whir/sieve. As long as we get there first they generally cant do anything about it
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Modern
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
Nice find! Quite a few cringe-worthy misplays unfortunately haha but the basic swamp at least means that was the first iteration. Will try to record sometime after I'm done moving.
Meanwhile, glad to see we have a steamer now thanks for the vids Racing!
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That's true. To go cavern is a concession that your deck's goal is not to control the game but to invite them to answer you or lose. I think if you get the combo or an unanswered bridge most decks in the format fold... so my build is a lunge in that direction.
Arguments for Citadel:
- Run into a build where Bridge is not good, but neither is their removal? Tezz enables Citadel Beatdown or endless blocks.
- No GQ targets, but need that blue source desperately? With a Citadel in play, your GQs become painless Fetches.
- Artifact count for metalcraft, Spire and Tezz.
- Survives massed land/artifact destruction. Rare case, I know, but still...
- Got an Opal out already and need another Mana? Tezz+ or Whir for Citadel.
At least 1 can't hurt. And even behind a Bridge, an indestructible emergency blocker cannot hurt, especially against Infect (stops Hierarch beatdown).
CITADELS//
Obviously very dope, lots of synergy. I just had enough games of limping out a prism for one to turn on my opal and just looking at the win in my hand if I had access to untapped blue. As a 5/5 I saw it eat paths and Lilly plus ones far too often. People leave in paths way too much against this deck? I'm definitely with you, a ton of upside... I'm just making a speed and efficiency of combo build so I'll keep testing that front and we can compare notes.
DARKSLICK//
I think hitting a four drop damnation or tezzeret in this deck is one of the top goals, darkslick kept making me stumble on that. My current configuration OCCASIONALLY makes me miss a turn three whir, if I draw only my swamp but I typically have that tempo play on my side, which is a good feeling. In other situations I would get the combo on w three lands, desperately need an untapped fourth to stabilize and rip a shores. I decided my life total was less important than getting access to untapped mana with every land in the deck. But again, obviously a great card and just making a judgement call on prioritizing getting the combo quickly and having surefire untapped mana thereafter.
GEMSTONE CAVERNS//
Yes, drawing them later is a bit of a bummer... but not as bad as you'd think. With this build generally colored mana isn't a problem so it's a colorless land, sometimes a colorless lotus petal if I already have one in play, and sometimes easy fodder for collective brutality. The interaction with thopter foundry/bridge/abrupt decay/whir make Tez the best candidate deck in modern for the card.
But that upside... when you go turn one thopter foundry turn two sword with activation mana up against burn, you will know this is a vital part of the deck. My match slip is usually the first one turned back in because of this card. There is a downside, but you simply must try it out. You will see the light!
CITADELS//
Obviously very dope, lots of synergy. I just had enough games of limping out a prism for one to turn on my opal and just looking at the win in my hand if I had access to untapped blue. As a 5/5 I saw it eat paths and Lilly neg twos far too often. People leave in paths way too much against this deck? I'm definitely with you, a ton of upside... I'm just making a speed and efficiency of combo build so I'll keep testing that front and we can compare notes.
DARKSLICK//
I think hitting a four drop damnation or tezzeret in this deck is one of the top goals, darkslick kept making me stumble on that. My current configuration OCCASIONALLY makes me miss a turn three whir, if I draw only my swamp but I typically have that tempo play on my side, which is a good feeling. In other situations I would get the combo on w three lands, desperately need an untapped fourth to stabilize and rip a shores. I decided my life total was less important than getting access to untapped mana with every land in the deck. But again, obviously a great card and just making a judgement call on prioritizing getting the combo quickly and having surefire untapped mana thereafter.
GEMSTONE CAVERNS//
Yes, drawing them later is a bit of a bummer... but not as bad as you'd think. With this build generally colored mana isn't a problem so it's a colorless land, sometimes a colorless lotus petal if I already have one in play, and sometimes easy fodder for collective brutality.
But that upside... when you go turn one thopter foundry turn two sword with activation mana up against burn, you will know this is a vital part of the deck. My match slip is usually the first one turned back in because of this card. There is a downside, but you simply must try it out. You will see the light!
HERALD// Seems so dope, ran two early on, eventually moved toward other more impactful SB cards. Still on the fence about him though cause he's rad.
Edit: In the same vein, Academy Ruins vs Inventors Fair?
It seems like thoughtseize would better against the decks that are hard for us. We could take their big spells that are hard for us to deal with. If we ran thoughtseize would surgical extraction be a good in the sideboard against scapeshift and control/grindy matchups? Take their scapeshift or titan then surgical extract it. They can still ramp and naturally trigger valakut but they couldn't intantly kill us.
On another thought, for the builds that run maindeck fatal push, would trading those out for maindeck abrupt decay be good? It hits almost the same things but can hit Liliana, cranial plating, bloodmoon (if you can float the green in response), aether vial, ect. The downside is it couldn't hit man lands and thought-knot seer.
I like starting with inquisitions because it can take out their early plays, once we hit the late game I'm generally (Except vs tron) going to crush them anyway. Taking away their tempo or way to get ahead is great. It also gets both Kataki and Stony Silence G2.
I use +2 thoughtseize against combo decks an Tron. Lifetax can be rough because you want to hit them T1 with some discard.
LAtegame you can just discard them to Liliana, it's also a reason inquisition is a tad preferred.
https://youtu.be/WtWmeW9X3Q4
OLD SCHOOL 93/94 «The Pain Train» Black Sligh, Esper «Machine Gun» Artifacts, Jund «Psycho» Ponza-Disko.
List:
4 Mishra's Bauble
3 Mox Opal
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Pithing Needle
4 Thopter Foundry
3 Sword of the Meek
1 Spellskite
2 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Liliana of the Veil
2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
Instants/Sorceries: 14
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Serum Visions
1 Collective Brutality
1 Lingering Souls
4 Whir of Invention
Land:
20 No-colorless lands
2 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Thoughtseize
1 Extirpate
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Pithing Needle
2 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
1 Auriok Champion
1 Runed Halo
1 Felidar Cub
2 Fragmentize
1 Welding Jar
Tasigur has been very good to either be a big-butt blocker or provide a clock against control, though he does get sided out in a lot of matches for hate cards. With all the 1 cmc spells and bauble and fetches, he's usually cast on turn 3 for 1-2. This deck is geared to beat shadow decks, with champion in the SB and a lot of grindy cards. LotV + Bridge is as sweet as ever, and even though her +1 typically makes it a little harder to whir efficiently, it hasn't been that hard to make correct decisions.
And the 4-of Ethersworn Canonist is definitely a meta call, but it's such a beating for a lot of decks, most notably storm.
4 Whir of Invention
4 Serum Visions
1 Infernal Tutor
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
Artifacts
3 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Grafdigger's Cage
4 Mishra's Bauble
3 Mox Opal
4 Pentad Prism
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Sword of the Meek
1 Talisman of Dominance
3 Thopter Foundry
1 Time Sieve
2 Welding Jar
3 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Lands
1 Breeding Pool
4 Darkslick Shores
1 Inventors' Fair
2 Island
2 Misty Rainforest
4 Polluted Delta
3 Spire of Industry
1 Swamp
2 Watery Grave
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Collective Brutality
2 Damnation
1 Ghirapur Aether Grid
1 Herald of Anguish
1 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Pithing Needle
1 Spellskite
1 Torpor Orb
1 Trinisphere
1 Witchbane Orb
I'd love to discuss my thought process on particular cards so please let me know what you think and what questions you have if any.
4x Whir of Invention
Planeswalker (2)
2x Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Artifact (24)
3x Ensnaring Bridge
4x Mishra's Bauble
3x Mox Opal
3x Pentad Prism
1x Pithing Needle
1x Relic of Progenitus
3x Sword of the Meek
4x Thopter Foundry
2x Welding Jar
Sorcery (10)
3x Collective Brutality
3x Inquisition of Kozilek
4x Serum Visions
1x Academy Ruins
1x Breeding Pool
3x Darkslick Shores
1x Inventors' Fair
2x Island
4x Polluted Delta
4x Spire of Industry
1x Steam Vents
1x Swamp
2x Watery Grave
2x Abrupt Decay
1x Damnation
1x Flaying Tendrils
1x Ghirapur AEther Grid
1x Grafdigger's Cage
1x Herald of Anguish
1x Lost Legacy
2x Maelstrom Pulse
1x Pithing Needle
2x Relic of Progenitus
1x Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
1x Trinisphere
So running through another league with some changes. Mostly small. Cutting a citadel for an Academy Ruins, an Inquisition for a Brutality. But the big one was cutting Tezzeret down to 2. I find I rarely need/want Tezz in game 1, as I find it's mostly about thopter sword and bridge, and I'd rather have Whir to find them. So now I'm down to 2 Tezz and liking it so far. I did move him to the board, so I have 3 in the 75, as he's still important to beat Stony Silence, Rest in Peace, Jace AoT. But otherwise, he's not very important imo
To be honest, I think if you're not playing a Pithing Needle main, you're doing it wrong. The thing has saved my ass so many times
I like the look of this list overall and its the next one I'll try. I have not loved the collective brutality in the main and was moving back towards fatal push. It's so frustrating to get hit with Thalia/Arbiter/Kataki/Druid type cards and be somehow stuck unable to brutality. I've also been stuck looking at scvaenging oozes and spell quellers that brutality can't kill. The # of times I have whiffed on the duress are considerable, and the drain is pretty fringe outside of the burn match.
Decisions that stick out:
1) Infernal Tutor. I think you mentioned before this is a decent card but a totally optional fun-of at the end of the day.
2) Maindeck cage over relic/spellbomb. Unable to cantrip it when its useless, but I'm guessing the idea is its way higher impact when it actually matters. I'll try it but I'm skeptical - this feels more like a metagame call than anything else?
3)Single talisman. I like the idea of whirring for it when I'm choked on mana with an opal out already, I'm just not sure that ever comes up in reality.
4) Torpor Orb. I don't get what people are doing with this card. It shuts off your own primary win condition. You lay it down and now you pray to draw a tezzeret I guess? Or do you at some point sac it to foundry and make a bunch of tokens? (eg you have established thopter/sword/sieve?)? I need to know how to win once this comes down because the nonbo with our deck is real.
5) spellskite. For bogles? Curious when/why this comes in when we have jars. I guess it hits cryptic/echoing truth bounces and flickerwisp exiles?
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
Too slow to stop aggro, and too similar to plan A (thopter tokens). We also have no way to get rid of it so when you're sitting behind a bridge being cool you may end up just losing to your own blossom life loss.
But most importantly its just not something the deck wants or needs. If you want to stymie aggro focus on dumping hand to bridge, getting fast thopter/sword, or disrupting with IoK/Push.
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
1) this card is a lot better the more I play it the fact that it can be whir 5 is awesome but grabbing an impactful sideboard card (damnation, demon, decay, grid) is a huge bonus. Even grabbing a tezz is game 1s when you whir out bridge is huge.
2) firstly my 2 main deck bullet slots are relic amd cage. cage never hurts us and playing it out on turn 1 can cause people to scoop potentially (This card has stolen so many game 1s from storm) cage in the main has replaced my pithing needle as I've had so many games where I wanted to play pithing needle turn 1 to enable moxes while being mana efficient (no serum or inq) but I don't have enough information to call a card blind.
3) talisman is a concession to the atrocity that is double mox openers with no way to enable them or even use the lotus petal quickly. It will also help with the new 3 mana "lands don't untap" wrath.its also good for whirring out from time to time like when you have all parts of your combo in hand but only 2 lands plus pentad
4) torpor orb is just good vs hate bears style decks with an abundance of ten effects it gives you time to assemble the combo (much like bridge does against midrange decks) then you eat your orb and go off ezpz.
5) spellskite is just antihate for exile/bounce (most notably storm and flicker wisp as you brought up)
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
Meanwhile, glad to see we have a steamer now thanks for the vids Racing!