Concerning the sideboard I think that you want a 2nd Stony Silence (Affinity is always a thing and it helps vs Tron as well) and a 2nd Rending Volley (since Twin is popular). Not sure if Ajani in the board is worthwhile. What would you side him in against? Not sure what else you would potentially cut. I like having access to a wrath, but maybe it isn't worth it since we don't really want to play that sort of game and Engineered Explosives does a modest sweeper impression.
I liked Ajani coming in against aggro and for any grindy matchups (Abzan or Control), but I'm not certain that's the best thing to do. I took the list to my LGS modern night on Wednesday and it performed fairly well for me. I went 3-1 defeating Esper Mentor (2-0), Elves (2-0), and Burn (2-1) while losing to a homebrew Dredge deck (0-2). Any graveyard deck is going to be hard to beat without ANY sideboard hate. I think I should try to squeeze in a Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, or Rest In Peace for the sideboard. I think I could probably cut the Wrath in this case.
Ajani just feels like a maindeck card to me. He doesn't particularly hate on any particular matchup but is versatile on offense and defense. I kind of think of him as being another lightning helix, but with upside. That's just me though.
I like Relic, as it can sit around eating something each turn. The opponent is forced to try to go off to make you pop it, otherwise it will eat their graveyard anyway. This makes it surprisingly more friendly for Snapcaster than you might expect. Cycling is pretty nice too.
How is this deck doing in the current B/G/x heavy meta? I'm currently having a tough time of playing Twin and am looking for an alternative to build. I was going to build G/R Tron until I could build UWR midrange for about half the price. What do you guys think? My meta has nearly no combo, just lots of b/g/x decks and some esper mentor from time to time. I figured this deck would do well with all the removal it plays.
I know my matchups and I know my role in most of them. I've got just one big headache - GW Hatebears. There is guy in my LGS and he is destroying me(and everyone else :P). I can't do anything. I'm trying to 1 for 1 his creatures but there's moment in a game when we've got like 2 cards in hand - I've got Geist and Remand. He's got Blade Splicer and Restoration Angel. And it's GG.
He's playing GW Blink version, I'm thinking about Supreme Verdict in sideboard. Thoughts?
You can try some number of Sulfur Elemental in the sideboard depending on how many X/1s they run , it also makes our guys stronger so we can race and is not completely dead against other matchups. The verdict seems a bit too hard to cast with all the Thalias and Leonin Arbiter + Ghost quarter they run.
I wanted to give an update on the PPTQ I attended yesterday. I'm not certain on the attendance, but I think it was at least 40 people. Here's the list I registered:
There were six rounds of swiss before cut to Top 8. I thought it might be useful to give some matchup reports, so hopefully I remember everything!
Round 1 B/W Dead Guy Ale
I'm pretty sure that's was up against, as this was definitely not just a tokens strategy (Dark Confidant, Tidehollow Sculler). I keep an ok starting hand for game one, but the best action is immediately taken with Inquisition of Kozilek. He begins to accumulate some Souls tokens and plays a Lily. I'm able to remove the Lily with Bolt+Lightning angel, but his Sword of Light and Shadow on the tokens is too much and I begin to flood out. Game 2 proceeds in a very similar fashion with T1 discard taking the best thing I've got going. I'm able to purge a Lily, but I've fallen behind on board with my Geist to his Souls. I flood out once again and am unable to stop Pack Rat from going out of control. In a very inauspicious start, I lose the match 0-2. In: Sulfur Elemental, 2xEE, Wear//Tear, Purge Out: 2 Remand, Lightning Helix, Resto Angel, Path Record: 0-1
Round 2 Grixis Delver Burn
Being in the 0-X bracket exposed me to some less tuned list like this Delver deck. In addition to Delver I saw Serum Visions, Bump in the Night, Lightning Bolt, and Lava Spike. I had plenty of Spell Snare and Lightning Helix action for this game. G1 was a fairly easy victory with snapped Helices. G2 I get a lot of sideboard counters and Timely and so I was never really threatened and an unchecked Geist takes the game. Win 2-0. In: Flashfreeze, Negate, Counterflux, 2x Timely, Purge, Out: Thundermaw, some Remand, some Angels Record 1-1
Round 3 U/G Infect
Playing against infect can be quite scary especially when the opponent lands a Wild Defiance. His only threat is an Inkmoth Nexus. He makes a move to attack and I have to let him resolve pump spells and just pray that my Path will resolve. The Nexus becomes lethal and I'm forced to cast the Path. He has the Apostle's Blessing, so I die to a OHKO. I'm keenly aware of the Wild Defiance so I make sure to bring in the Wear//Tear. He doesn't play it this game, but he does manage to land a Blighted Agent. I Flashfreeze his Vines of Vastwood, but this allows a Become Immense to resolve putting me at 7 poison. I take one more Agent hit without pump, but my Lightning Angel beatdowns and bolt-snap-bolt end the game. My opponent has to mulligan to 5 in G3 while I keep on OK hand. He actually makes a game of it and begins to beat down with a doubly exalted Noble Hierarch. He's limited on cards, but manages to snag two of my attempts to remove the Hierarchs with a Dispel and Spell Pierce. I finally Electrolyze the both of them which lets me run away with the game. In: 2x Wear // Tear, Flashfreeze, Counterflux, Negate, EE Out: Thundermaw, Batterskull, some angels and maybe a geist Win 2-1. Record 2-1
Round 4 Jund
I feel better about this matchup as opposed to Junk. He mulligans to six and keeps a hand he doesn't seem thrilled about. I'm on the play G1, but I lose my Geist to Inquisition (this happens a lot!). His manabase hurts him a bit as I start sniping with Burn spells. I draw another Geist and it resolves and he has no Lily, so geist takes it. G2 is somewhat similar. He takes a Path instead of a snapcaster with his Inquistion. This allows me to snap+path his Tarmogoyf and he grabs a swamp. I start beating down and he plays an Outpost Siege. I take a turn to animate Colonnade and bash in with Lightning Angel joining the assault to leave him at one. His siege finds a Stomping Ground and he contemplates a little bit before conceding. Apparently he could have won if his deck ran a single mountain as he need another red mana to Thundermaw + 2x Bolt to finish me off. In: Celestial Purge, Flashfreeze, 1 Wear // tear, 1 Explosives Out: Resto, Thundermaw, Forked Bolt, Remand Win 2-0 Record 3-1
Round 5 U/R Delver
G1 is very close as his burn spells get me perilously low, but he can't keep a threat due to my fistful of removal. He floods a bit late game and were' both sitting at precarious lifetotals (I'm at 4 he's at 5 or so). He plays a Young Pyromancer with 1 card in hand. I've got 4 lands in play including a Flooded Strand, and if I crack it I can burn him out. I bite the bullet and hope he does have the bolt. He doesn't and we go to G2. I have plenty of removal for his threats once again and he spends most of his turns casting cantrips. I take a chance on resolving a Batterskull and it sticks. He has no way to remove it and concedes. In: Rending Volley, Flashfreeze, Negate, EE, Celestial Purge Out: Thundermaw, Lightning Angels, 2 Remand. Record 3-1
Round 6 Griselbrand Reanimator
Due to my first round loss, I am sitting at 8 in the standings (the bottom of the x-1's). 1-6 all ID to Top 8, while I don't quite have that luxury as the #9 player would beat me on breakers if he won. I'm a little worried because I know what I'm up against (this guy played next to me earlier). He does a lot of Faithless Looting in the first game after a mulligan to 5, but I never see a Griselbrand go the yard. Snapcaster, bolt and a spirit token from his Forbidden Orchard get there before he finds anything. I'm relieved to find Relic in my opening hand for G2 and slam it down T2 with activation mana. Unfortunately, all of my burn spells are rendered rather useless due to his T0 Leyline. I land a geist and begin the beatdowns always leaving up mana for relic. He's furiously digging with multiple Lootings + Flashback, but never casts anything I have to worry about. He eventually just dies while I have a hand of 3 Lightning Helix and 2 Bolt. In: Relic, Negate, Counterflux, Flashfreeze, Purge Out: Thundermaw, Batterskull, Forked Bolt, 2 Angels Record 5-1
TOP 8
Due to playing in the last round I wind up as the #2 seed, so I'll get to be on the play for at least the first 2 rounds of the playoff. Quarterfinals RWg Burn
I have a lot of experience playing burn, so I don't mind be matched up against it as I'm usually prepared. Being on the play helps here, but I'm stuck with a questionable keep with a Remand and path in hand with Snap, but only Colonnade, Plains, and Ghost Quarter for Lands. Usually Remand is not great here, but I'm able to hit the best target Rift Bolt twice. I get my red source eventually as my draws wind up being decent. He resolves a Eidolon of the Great Revel on T4, but it's essentially useless as I respond with a Lightning Angel and start a race he cannot win (hooray for Vigilance!). All the hate comes in for G2 and I wind up seeing plenty of it. Flashfreeze, Snare, and Helix all make an appearance which are made all the worse (for him) with Snapcaster Mage. Geist closes out the game and I'm of to the Semis. SB: See Round 2 Semifinals RWg Burn
Burn again! I'm glad I am on the play, but I wind up keeping a rather slow hand with good mana but only Angels for action. I'm simply unable to hold off the assault and die pretty quickly. I'm pretty nervous at this point as I'll need to win 2 games in a row to escape, but I know my sideboard will help. G2 is somewhat close, but I draw just enough in the form of counterspells to stay healthy. Once again Geist saves the day by ending the game as quickly as possible. More of the hate cards arrive in G3 and my opponent has to mulligan to 6. The game is relatively close, but once I'm able to hold up mana he starts feeling the pressure. I make sure to helix when he's tapped out or in response to Atarka or Skullcrack and Geist delivers. Phew! SB: See Rd 2
Finals Abzan
The finals was against Abzan, a deck I never look forward to playing against. To make matters worse I as up against a player I know is prone to get REALLY salty, so I definitely did not want to lose this one. I'm the higher seed for the finals as well so I opt for the play and keep a hand of 4 lands, Remand, Electrolyze, Geist. Geist gets taken by the T1 Inquisition of course, so it looks like I'll have to win via another route. I begin to draw land after land after land, but fortunately my opponent has the opposite issue and is stuck on 2 lands until he begins to discard. His attempt to flashback a discard souls eats remand, but I continue to draw land. He finally hits three begins to accumulate souls and the match becomes a Colonnade vs Souls battle. I eventually start drawing some threats, but the my angel eats path. In the late game he's down to 4 life with tokens blocking the lethal colonnade. I have helix in hand, but just need a bolt or snapcaster to finish it. He plays a Finks to go up to six and leaves one black mana up, and then I finally draw my bolt. I cast the helix and wait to hear if it resolves or if he has a response. Seeing as he does nothing I assume it does, so I go to cast bolt. The salt is real as he assumes I'm just slow rolling him. This combined with his mana screw makes him rather grouchy and he's mumbling under his breath. I try not to let it get to me and look at the judge who's smiling so I just end up grinning the entire time and enjoying the fact that he's just putting himself on tilt.
G2 opens up with a fetch+shock Steam Vents to Snare his T2 Scavenging Ooze. He's is quite upset by this muttering something like "yeah of course, what is that a 1-of in the sideboard". I just said I maindeck it and left it at that. From there I begin remanding multiple times (Remanding Tasigur is sweet btw) and then snap+remand to begin snap beats. Snap eats a Decay and he finally resolves a Finks I've been remanding. This scenario leads to my favorite sequence of the day. EOT I bolt the Finks to get it's persist trigger and it comes back to the battlefield. I then flash in Sulfur Elemental to give it -1 toughness and kill it. Untap, take the opening to play Geist and swing with the elemental bringing him to 14. He plays a Batterskull on his turn which I can't prevent from resolving and leaves 2 mana up. I look at the Celestial Purge in hand and consider if I want to save it for the Tasigur, but I feel I need to try to close the game out with a huge swing from Geist and Elemental so I EOT Purge the black Germ token. I swing in with the team on my turn and he attempts to decay the Elemental. Restoration Angel saves the day by blinking the AB target and angel plus geist get in for damage. He says six which I correct to 8 as both the Geist and the Angel get +1 from the still living Sulfur Elemental. I can tell he's very frustrated at this point and facing down lethal on the next turn he cranks out a Lingering Souls with 2 flashbacks and the Tasigur. I point out that the souls all die due to state-based actions from the static ability of Sulfur Elemental. It didn't even matter as I had EE in hand and enough flying damage for tasigur to be useless. GAME! Win 2-0
I got a Booster Box of Dragons of Tarkir and invitation to the RPTQ for the victory! I apologize for the wall of text, but this is the biggest win I've had playing Magic so far so I'm a little excited. Here are some stray notes/observations:
- I definitely prefer Sulfur Elemental to Izzet Staticaster due to it being far more proactive. Cool Card
- I like that this deck has a good (imo) burn matchup. Helix and Geist work wonders.
- I felt some tension at times with Lightning Angel not being a flash threat in some games where I was not willing to tap out. In other instances it performed admirably, and it's a more resilient threat than Clique.
- "Cute", "Lightning Angel?", "Is that Modern legal?","Huh" -- some of the responses to Lightning Angel being cast
- Although I know there were at least some Affinity and Twin players, I don't think any made the Top 8. I think the deck is fine against Affinity, but I haven't tested the Twin matchup much.
- Cards I never cast: Counterflux, Wear // Tear, Keranos, Thundermaw, Stony Silence
- Electroyzed myself in the Rd 6 just to draw a card
How is this deck doing in the current B/G/x heavy meta? I'm currently having a tough time of playing Twin and am looking for an alternative to build. I was going to build G/R Tron until I could build UWR midrange for about half the price. What do you guys think? My meta has nearly no combo, just lots of b/g/x decks and some esper mentor from time to time. I figured this deck would do well with all the removal it plays.
How is this deck doing in the current B/G/x heavy meta? I'm currently having a tough time of playing Twin and am looking for an alternative to build. I was going to build G/R Tron until I could build UWR midrange for about half the price. What do you guys think? My meta has nearly no combo, just lots of b/g/x decks and some esper mentor from time to time. I figured this deck would do well with all the removal it plays.
Anyone?
Tron has a very good match-up against BGx, and would perform well in a comboless meta. I would personally say BGx has the advantage over UWr midrange, but the matchup is not unbeatable.
Private Mod Note
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Modern Active: BGRock/Jund/JunkRW GRTron 0Affinity0 WGRZoo
How is this deck doing in the current B/G/x heavy meta? I'm currently having a tough time of playing Twin and am looking for an alternative to build. I was going to build G/R Tron until I could build UWR midrange for about half the price. What do you guys think? My meta has nearly no combo, just lots of b/g/x decks and some esper mentor from time to time. I figured this deck would do well with all the removal it plays.
Anyone?
Tron has a very good match-up against BGx, and would perform well in a comboless meta. I would personally say BGx has the advantage over UWr midrange, but the matchup is not unbeatable.
I've heard this said before actually. Why does Tron have such a good match up vs bg decks?
Probably because they go completely over the top of GBx. The usual removal doesn't really help vs their early game. A lot of the enabler spells and artifacts are redundant, their threats can be fetched or dug for, so discard isn't particularly good either. Tron struggles against fast combo as its very slow to put pressure on and doesn't have much interaction for non-creature spells.
Modern tournaments are often quite diverse in terms of meta, so UWR control will always have a shot at it. The main problem is that threats are getting more powerful, so a straight control plan is harder and harder. Furthermore, while GBx is beatable, they are not an easy matchup. So if they are popular, we have less free-wins and more grindfests we have to really work for.
How is this deck doing in the current B/G/x heavy meta? I'm currently having a tough time of playing Twin and am looking for an alternative to build. I was going to build G/R Tron until I could build UWR midrange for about half the price. What do you guys think? My meta has nearly no combo, just lots of b/g/x decks and some esper mentor from time to time. I figured this deck would do well with all the removal it plays.
Anyone?
Tron has a very good match-up against BGx, and would perform well in a comboless meta. I would personally say BGx has the advantage over UWr midrange, but the matchup is not unbeatable.
I've heard this said before actually. Why does Tron have such a good match up vs bg decks?
Abrupt decay doesnt hit anything except for Eggs and O-Stone. The removal is sub-optimal against wurmcoil except for Path(if Junk), a resolved Karn will out value them, and a resolved Ugin will steal the boardstate regardless of what's there with it's -x and be able to bolt to boot. As Nevlo said the discard isn't as efficient either, and Main Board relics shut Goyf down and keep Lingering Souls in check.
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Modern Active: BGRock/Jund/JunkRW GRTron 0Affinity0 WGRZoo
Worth playing Valorous stance maindeck with all the troublesome BG/X stuff around?
I think that valorous stance is never a dead card,it saves geist, kills creatures with cranial plating, glistener elf bumped, spellskite, exarch..
Valorous Stance is definitely a good card and strong in many matchups, but it is dead against Affinity and Burn and only kills Deceiver Exarch against Twin, which can be problematic.
Well,it kills any thing equipped with cranial plating,or something (not darksteel citadel) enchanted with ensoul artifact. However, in that matchup, electrolyze shines over VS
Valorous Stance seems like a solid sideboard card. It sort of fits the mold of cards like Celestial Purge. I don't think it's strong enough to maindeck as it is more or less a miss against several big decks.
Awesome write-up PurpleSunsZenith, and congratulations on your win. I've been looking for an UWr list and I absolutely love yours, so I have some questions:
1. How often did vigilance on Lightning Angel matter? Considering Resto has flash, is only half a turn slower and is less difficult to cast, I think I'd rather first max out on Resto before adding a Lightning Angel.
2. Is the 1-of Forked Bolt worth it? I see it a lot in UWr Geist lists but I think I'd rather just have a third Spell Snare or Electrolyze.
3. Was Shinka useful? I'm on the fence between that, Eiganjo Castle and the fourth Colonnade
4. How much did you playtest with Sulfur Elemental? For one thing I think it's a very clever bit of tech, being Izzet Staticaster while also being able to attack.I do however wonder how much I'd miss Staticaster versus Affinity, and can imagine some horror scenario against tokens where they drop an anthem after Sulfur Elemental resolves and then a Spectral Procession for 3 3/1 flyers
Again, awesome list, I am really hard-pressed to think of something I'd change myself
1. Does ride down fit in this deck as maybe a 2 SB. With the popularity of cards like tarmogoyf, siege rhino, gurmag angler, tasigur, mono green decks (fringe but they exist) does this card make sense to protect your geist? If a grixis delver lands an early tasigur our only recourse is a path to exile or remand.
Awesome write-up PurpleSunsZenith, and congratulations on your win. I've been looking for an UWr list and I absolutely love yours, so I have some questions:
1. How often did vigilance on Lightning Angel matter? Considering Resto has flash, is only half a turn slower and is less difficult to cast, I think I'd rather first max out on Resto before adding a Lightning Angel.
2. Is the 1-of Forked Bolt worth it? I see it a lot in UWr Geist lists but I think I'd rather just have a third Spell Snare or Electrolyze.
3. Was Shinka useful? I'm on the fence between that, Eiganjo Castle and the fourth Colonnade
4. How much did you playtest with Sulfur Elemental? For one thing I think it's a very clever bit of tech, being Izzet Staticaster while also being able to attack.I do however wonder how much I'd miss Staticaster versus Affinity, and can imagine some horror scenario against tokens where they drop an anthem after Sulfur Elemental resolves and then a Spectral Procession for 3 3/1 flyers
Again, awesome list, I am really hard-pressed to think of something I'd change myself
Hey, thanks for reading!
1. Vigilance on the Lightning Angel can be surprisingly relevant. The two scenarios that come to mind are for fighting through Lingering Souls and when racing burn. Although Resto also avoids the trigger from Eidolon, Lightning Angel can start attacking while still preventing the burn player from making a profitable attack. There was an occasion or two where I would have liked the ability to flash in EOT though. When against something like Infect or twin, it can be a risky proposition to tap out for Lightning Angel even if it does play defense. If you're more comfortable with Resto, then I think it's a fine choice. Vendilion Clique is also a good choice, though it's terrible versus Lingering Souls.
2. I've liked the Forked Bolt as another way to clear out Lingering Souls or Pyromancer. Electrolyze is a much slower way to answer some of your opponents threats, but it's definitely much better as the game drags on. If your meta lacks good targets, then swapping out for either of the cards you mentioned is probably a good choice.
3. I think I drew and played Shinka once over all the matches that day, so it had little bearing on any outcome. I haven't done enough playtesting to say whether I like it or not (tough I personally I think it looks really cool). Initially I had planned to include a fourth colonnade at the expense of the 2nd Hallowed Fountain. However, the card didn't arrive in the mail on time, so I stuck with 3. I think you 3 of Colonnade at a minimum.
4. I had used Sulfur Elemental in the sideboard of Grixis Delver before. I brought it in against B/W tokens one time, and my opponent nearly Inquisitioned it before realizing taking the EE was far better. He then proceeded to play 3 Intangible Virtue. Luckily for me he never drew any token producers. If you know your opponent is on the token plan, then the Elemental might not work to your advantage. It should be noted that staticaster is basically useless once they play an anthem as well though. With respect to affinity, Staticaster is definitely useful, but I felt like my affinity matchup is already ok. Maybe it actually isn't, but I haven't had the privilege of playing against affinity very often.
So the Abzan matchup is manageable? I just imagine it being fairly hard to safely swing with Geist with all the fatties they play.
I think it's manageable. If you're looking to have a clear advantage versus GBx decks, then this probably isn't the deck to play. While the playstyle of the decks is markedly different, both UWR and Abzan are similar in that they tend to have fairly even matchups against most of the metagame. Abzan can be a grind for sure, and I think it's probably correct to side out at least one Geist and maybe more for high impact cards from the sideboard.
I liked Ajani coming in against aggro and for any grindy matchups (Abzan or Control), but I'm not certain that's the best thing to do. I took the list to my LGS modern night on Wednesday and it performed fairly well for me. I went 3-1 defeating Esper Mentor (2-0), Elves (2-0), and Burn (2-1) while losing to a homebrew Dredge deck (0-2). Any graveyard deck is going to be hard to beat without ANY sideboard hate. I think I should try to squeeze in a Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, or Rest In Peace for the sideboard. I think I could probably cut the Wrath in this case.
I like Relic, as it can sit around eating something each turn. The opponent is forced to try to go off to make you pop it, otherwise it will eat their graveyard anyway. This makes it surprisingly more friendly for Snapcaster than you might expect. Cycling is pretty nice too.
Modern: R Skred -- WBG Melira Co -- URW Nahiri Control
Legacy: R Mono Red Burn -- UWB Stoneblade
Commander: R Krenko, Mob Boss -- WUBRG Scion of the Ur-Dragon -- WUBRG Maze’s End
Other: R No Rares Red (Standard) -- URC Izzet Tron (Pauper)
You can try some number of Sulfur Elemental in the sideboard depending on how many X/1s they run , it also makes our guys stronger so we can race and is not completely dead against other matchups. The verdict seems a bit too hard to cast with all the Thalias and Leonin Arbiter + Ghost quarter they run.
I wanted to give an update on the PPTQ I attended yesterday. I'm not certain on the attendance, but I think it was at least 40 people. Here's the list I registered:
3x Celestial Colonnade
2x Steam Vents
2x Hallowed Fountain
2x Sacred Foundry
4x Flooded Strand
3x Polluted Delta
1x Bloodstained Mire
1x Sulfur Falls
1x Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep
2x Island
1x Plains
1x Mountain
2x Ghost Quarter
4x Geist of Saint Traft
3x Snapcaster Mage
3x Restoration Angel
2x Lightning Angel
1x Thundermaw Hellkite
Spells:(21)
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Path to Exile
4x Remand
4x Lightning Helix
2x Electrolyze
2x Spell Snare
1x Forked Bolt
Artifact: (1)
1x Batterskull
2x Engineered Explosives
1x Stony Silence
2x Timely Reinforcements
1x Flashfreeze
1x Counterflux
2x Wear/Tear
1x Keranos, God of Storms
1x Negate
1x Celestial Purge
1x Sulfur Elemental
1x Relic of Progenitus
1x Rending Volley
There were six rounds of swiss before cut to Top 8. I thought it might be useful to give some matchup reports, so hopefully I remember everything!
Round 1 B/W Dead Guy Ale
I'm pretty sure that's was up against, as this was definitely not just a tokens strategy (Dark Confidant, Tidehollow Sculler). I keep an ok starting hand for game one, but the best action is immediately taken with Inquisition of Kozilek. He begins to accumulate some Souls tokens and plays a Lily. I'm able to remove the Lily with Bolt+Lightning angel, but his Sword of Light and Shadow on the tokens is too much and I begin to flood out. Game 2 proceeds in a very similar fashion with T1 discard taking the best thing I've got going. I'm able to purge a Lily, but I've fallen behind on board with my Geist to his Souls. I flood out once again and am unable to stop Pack Rat from going out of control. In a very inauspicious start, I lose the match 0-2. In: Sulfur Elemental, 2xEE, Wear//Tear, Purge Out: 2 Remand, Lightning Helix, Resto Angel, Path
Record: 0-1
Round 2 Grixis Delver Burn
Being in the 0-X bracket exposed me to some less tuned list like this Delver deck. In addition to Delver I saw Serum Visions, Bump in the Night, Lightning Bolt, and Lava Spike. I had plenty of Spell Snare and Lightning Helix action for this game. G1 was a fairly easy victory with snapped Helices. G2 I get a lot of sideboard counters and Timely and so I was never really threatened and an unchecked Geist takes the game. Win 2-0. In: Flashfreeze, Negate, Counterflux, 2x Timely, Purge, Out: Thundermaw, some Remand, some Angels
Record 1-1
Round 3 U/G Infect
Playing against infect can be quite scary especially when the opponent lands a Wild Defiance. His only threat is an Inkmoth Nexus. He makes a move to attack and I have to let him resolve pump spells and just pray that my Path will resolve. The Nexus becomes lethal and I'm forced to cast the Path. He has the Apostle's Blessing, so I die to a OHKO. I'm keenly aware of the Wild Defiance so I make sure to bring in the Wear//Tear. He doesn't play it this game, but he does manage to land a Blighted Agent. I Flashfreeze his Vines of Vastwood, but this allows a Become Immense to resolve putting me at 7 poison. I take one more Agent hit without pump, but my Lightning Angel beatdowns and bolt-snap-bolt end the game. My opponent has to mulligan to 5 in G3 while I keep on OK hand. He actually makes a game of it and begins to beat down with a doubly exalted Noble Hierarch. He's limited on cards, but manages to snag two of my attempts to remove the Hierarchs with a Dispel and Spell Pierce. I finally Electrolyze the both of them which lets me run away with the game. In: 2x Wear // Tear, Flashfreeze, Counterflux, Negate, EE Out: Thundermaw, Batterskull, some angels and maybe a geist Win 2-1.
Record 2-1
Round 4 Jund
I feel better about this matchup as opposed to Junk. He mulligans to six and keeps a hand he doesn't seem thrilled about. I'm on the play G1, but I lose my Geist to Inquisition (this happens a lot!). His manabase hurts him a bit as I start sniping with Burn spells. I draw another Geist and it resolves and he has no Lily, so geist takes it. G2 is somewhat similar. He takes a Path instead of a snapcaster with his Inquistion. This allows me to snap+path his Tarmogoyf and he grabs a swamp. I start beating down and he plays an Outpost Siege. I take a turn to animate Colonnade and bash in with Lightning Angel joining the assault to leave him at one. His siege finds a Stomping Ground and he contemplates a little bit before conceding. Apparently he could have won if his deck ran a single mountain as he need another red mana to Thundermaw + 2x Bolt to finish me off. In: Celestial Purge, Flashfreeze, 1 Wear // tear, 1 Explosives Out: Resto, Thundermaw, Forked Bolt, Remand Win 2-0
Record 3-1
Round 5 U/R Delver
G1 is very close as his burn spells get me perilously low, but he can't keep a threat due to my fistful of removal. He floods a bit late game and were' both sitting at precarious lifetotals (I'm at 4 he's at 5 or so). He plays a Young Pyromancer with 1 card in hand. I've got 4 lands in play including a Flooded Strand, and if I crack it I can burn him out. I bite the bullet and hope he does have the bolt. He doesn't and we go to G2. I have plenty of removal for his threats once again and he spends most of his turns casting cantrips. I take a chance on resolving a Batterskull and it sticks. He has no way to remove it and concedes. In: Rending Volley, Flashfreeze, Negate, EE, Celestial Purge Out: Thundermaw, Lightning Angels, 2 Remand.
Record 3-1
Round 6 Griselbrand Reanimator
Due to my first round loss, I am sitting at 8 in the standings (the bottom of the x-1's). 1-6 all ID to Top 8, while I don't quite have that luxury as the #9 player would beat me on breakers if he won. I'm a little worried because I know what I'm up against (this guy played next to me earlier). He does a lot of Faithless Looting in the first game after a mulligan to 5, but I never see a Griselbrand go the yard. Snapcaster, bolt and a spirit token from his Forbidden Orchard get there before he finds anything. I'm relieved to find Relic in my opening hand for G2 and slam it down T2 with activation mana. Unfortunately, all of my burn spells are rendered rather useless due to his T0 Leyline. I land a geist and begin the beatdowns always leaving up mana for relic. He's furiously digging with multiple Lootings + Flashback, but never casts anything I have to worry about. He eventually just dies while I have a hand of 3 Lightning Helix and 2 Bolt. In: Relic, Negate, Counterflux, Flashfreeze, Purge Out: Thundermaw, Batterskull, Forked Bolt, 2 Angels
Record 5-1
TOP 8
Due to playing in the last round I wind up as the #2 seed, so I'll get to be on the play for at least the first 2 rounds of the playoff.
Quarterfinals RWg Burn
I have a lot of experience playing burn, so I don't mind be matched up against it as I'm usually prepared. Being on the play helps here, but I'm stuck with a questionable keep with a Remand and path in hand with Snap, but only Colonnade, Plains, and Ghost Quarter for Lands. Usually Remand is not great here, but I'm able to hit the best target Rift Bolt twice. I get my red source eventually as my draws wind up being decent. He resolves a Eidolon of the Great Revel on T4, but it's essentially useless as I respond with a Lightning Angel and start a race he cannot win (hooray for Vigilance!). All the hate comes in for G2 and I wind up seeing plenty of it. Flashfreeze, Snare, and Helix all make an appearance which are made all the worse (for him) with Snapcaster Mage. Geist closes out the game and I'm of to the Semis. SB: See Round 2
Semifinals RWg Burn
Burn again! I'm glad I am on the play, but I wind up keeping a rather slow hand with good mana but only Angels for action. I'm simply unable to hold off the assault and die pretty quickly. I'm pretty nervous at this point as I'll need to win 2 games in a row to escape, but I know my sideboard will help. G2 is somewhat close, but I draw just enough in the form of counterspells to stay healthy. Once again Geist saves the day by ending the game as quickly as possible. More of the hate cards arrive in G3 and my opponent has to mulligan to 6. The game is relatively close, but once I'm able to hold up mana he starts feeling the pressure. I make sure to helix when he's tapped out or in response to Atarka or Skullcrack and Geist delivers. Phew! SB: See Rd 2
Finals Abzan
The finals was against Abzan, a deck I never look forward to playing against. To make matters worse I as up against a player I know is prone to get REALLY salty, so I definitely did not want to lose this one. I'm the higher seed for the finals as well so I opt for the play and keep a hand of 4 lands, Remand, Electrolyze, Geist. Geist gets taken by the T1 Inquisition of course, so it looks like I'll have to win via another route. I begin to draw land after land after land, but fortunately my opponent has the opposite issue and is stuck on 2 lands until he begins to discard. His attempt to flashback a discard souls eats remand, but I continue to draw land. He finally hits three begins to accumulate souls and the match becomes a Colonnade vs Souls battle. I eventually start drawing some threats, but the my angel eats path. In the late game he's down to 4 life with tokens blocking the lethal colonnade. I have helix in hand, but just need a bolt or snapcaster to finish it. He plays a Finks to go up to six and leaves one black mana up, and then I finally draw my bolt. I cast the helix and wait to hear if it resolves or if he has a response. Seeing as he does nothing I assume it does, so I go to cast bolt. The salt is real as he assumes I'm just slow rolling him. This combined with his mana screw makes him rather grouchy and he's mumbling under his breath. I try not to let it get to me and look at the judge who's smiling so I just end up grinning the entire time and enjoying the fact that he's just putting himself on tilt.
G2 opens up with a fetch+shock Steam Vents to Snare his T2 Scavenging Ooze. He's is quite upset by this muttering something like "yeah of course, what is that a 1-of in the sideboard". I just said I maindeck it and left it at that. From there I begin remanding multiple times (Remanding Tasigur is sweet btw) and then snap+remand to begin snap beats. Snap eats a Decay and he finally resolves a Finks I've been remanding. This scenario leads to my favorite sequence of the day. EOT I bolt the Finks to get it's persist trigger and it comes back to the battlefield. I then flash in Sulfur Elemental to give it -1 toughness and kill it. Untap, take the opening to play Geist and swing with the elemental bringing him to 14. He plays a Batterskull on his turn which I can't prevent from resolving and leaves 2 mana up. I look at the Celestial Purge in hand and consider if I want to save it for the Tasigur, but I feel I need to try to close the game out with a huge swing from Geist and Elemental so I EOT Purge the black Germ token. I swing in with the team on my turn and he attempts to decay the Elemental. Restoration Angel saves the day by blinking the AB target and angel plus geist get in for damage. He says six which I correct to 8 as both the Geist and the Angel get +1 from the still living Sulfur Elemental. I can tell he's very frustrated at this point and facing down lethal on the next turn he cranks out a Lingering Souls with 2 flashbacks and the Tasigur. I point out that the souls all die due to state-based actions from the static ability of Sulfur Elemental. It didn't even matter as I had EE in hand and enough flying damage for tasigur to be useless. GAME! Win 2-0
I got a Booster Box of Dragons of Tarkir and invitation to the RPTQ for the victory! I apologize for the wall of text, but this is the biggest win I've had playing Magic so far so I'm a little excited. Here are some stray notes/observations:
- I definitely prefer Sulfur Elemental to Izzet Staticaster due to it being far more proactive. Cool Card
- I like that this deck has a good (imo) burn matchup. Helix and Geist work wonders.
- I felt some tension at times with Lightning Angel not being a flash threat in some games where I was not willing to tap out. In other instances it performed admirably, and it's a more resilient threat than Clique.
- "Cute", "Lightning Angel?", "Is that Modern legal?","Huh" -- some of the responses to Lightning Angel being cast
- Although I know there were at least some Affinity and Twin players, I don't think any made the Top 8. I think the deck is fine against Affinity, but I haven't tested the Twin matchup much.
- Cards I never cast: Counterflux, Wear // Tear, Keranos, Thundermaw, Stony Silence
- Electroyzed myself in the Rd 6 just to draw a card
If you made it this far, then thanks for reading!
Anyone?
Tron has a very good match-up against BGx, and would perform well in a comboless meta. I would personally say BGx has the advantage over UWr midrange, but the matchup is not unbeatable.
Active:
BGRock/Jund/JunkRW
GRTron
0Affinity0
WGRZoo
I've heard this said before actually. Why does Tron have such a good match up vs bg decks?
Modern tournaments are often quite diverse in terms of meta, so UWR control will always have a shot at it. The main problem is that threats are getting more powerful, so a straight control plan is harder and harder. Furthermore, while GBx is beatable, they are not an easy matchup. So if they are popular, we have less free-wins and more grindfests we have to really work for.
Modern: R Skred -- WBG Melira Co -- URW Nahiri Control
Legacy: R Mono Red Burn -- UWB Stoneblade
Commander: R Krenko, Mob Boss -- WUBRG Scion of the Ur-Dragon -- WUBRG Maze’s End
Other: R No Rares Red (Standard) -- URC Izzet Tron (Pauper)
Abrupt decay doesnt hit anything except for Eggs and O-Stone. The removal is sub-optimal against wurmcoil except for Path(if Junk), a resolved Karn will out value them, and a resolved Ugin will steal the boardstate regardless of what's there with it's -x and be able to bolt to boot. As Nevlo said the discard isn't as efficient either, and Main Board relics shut Goyf down and keep Lingering Souls in check.
Active:
BGRock/Jund/JunkRW
GRTron
0Affinity0
WGRZoo
UWRUWR Delver/Lynx TempoUWR-------UWRUWR Midrange GeistUWR-------UWRUWR Nahiri ControlUWR-------UWRUWR SaheeliUWR
BGRJund / Jund ShadowBGR-------BGWAbzan / Abzan ShadowBGW
Commander (Leviathan/MTGO): UWGeist of Saint TraftUW
Valorous Stance is definitely a good card and strong in many matchups, but it is dead against Affinity and Burn and only kills Deceiver Exarch against Twin, which can be problematic.
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
You should probably read Valorous Stance and Cranial Plating again.
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
Modern: R Skred -- WBG Melira Co -- URW Nahiri Control
Legacy: R Mono Red Burn -- UWB Stoneblade
Commander: R Krenko, Mob Boss -- WUBRG Scion of the Ur-Dragon -- WUBRG Maze’s End
Other: R No Rares Red (Standard) -- URC Izzet Tron (Pauper)
1. How often did vigilance on Lightning Angel matter? Considering Resto has flash, is only half a turn slower and is less difficult to cast, I think I'd rather first max out on Resto before adding a Lightning Angel.
2. Is the 1-of Forked Bolt worth it? I see it a lot in UWr Geist lists but I think I'd rather just have a third Spell Snare or Electrolyze.
3. Was Shinka useful? I'm on the fence between that, Eiganjo Castle and the fourth Colonnade
4. How much did you playtest with Sulfur Elemental? For one thing I think it's a very clever bit of tech, being Izzet Staticaster while also being able to attack.I do however wonder how much I'd miss Staticaster versus Affinity, and can imagine some horror scenario against tokens where they drop an anthem after Sulfur Elemental resolves and then a Spectral Procession for 3 3/1 flyers
Again, awesome list, I am really hard-pressed to think of something I'd change myself
1. Does ride down fit in this deck as maybe a 2 SB. With the popularity of cards like tarmogoyf, siege rhino, gurmag angler, tasigur, mono green decks (fringe but they exist) does this card make sense to protect your geist? If a grixis delver lands an early tasigur our only recourse is a path to exile or remand.
2. Is keranos a SB for control match ups?
Hey, thanks for reading!
1. Vigilance on the Lightning Angel can be surprisingly relevant. The two scenarios that come to mind are for fighting through Lingering Souls and when racing burn. Although Resto also avoids the trigger from Eidolon, Lightning Angel can start attacking while still preventing the burn player from making a profitable attack. There was an occasion or two where I would have liked the ability to flash in EOT though. When against something like Infect or twin, it can be a risky proposition to tap out for Lightning Angel even if it does play defense. If you're more comfortable with Resto, then I think it's a fine choice. Vendilion Clique is also a good choice, though it's terrible versus Lingering Souls.
2. I've liked the Forked Bolt as another way to clear out Lingering Souls or Pyromancer. Electrolyze is a much slower way to answer some of your opponents threats, but it's definitely much better as the game drags on. If your meta lacks good targets, then swapping out for either of the cards you mentioned is probably a good choice.
3. I think I drew and played Shinka once over all the matches that day, so it had little bearing on any outcome. I haven't done enough playtesting to say whether I like it or not (tough I personally I think it looks really cool). Initially I had planned to include a fourth colonnade at the expense of the 2nd Hallowed Fountain. However, the card didn't arrive in the mail on time, so I stuck with 3. I think you 3 of Colonnade at a minimum.
4. I had used Sulfur Elemental in the sideboard of Grixis Delver before. I brought it in against B/W tokens one time, and my opponent nearly Inquisitioned it before realizing taking the EE was far better. He then proceeded to play 3 Intangible Virtue. Luckily for me he never drew any token producers. If you know your opponent is on the token plan, then the Elemental might not work to your advantage. It should be noted that staticaster is basically useless once they play an anthem as well though. With respect to affinity, Staticaster is definitely useful, but I felt like my affinity matchup is already ok. Maybe it actually isn't, but I haven't had the privilege of playing against affinity very often.
I think it's manageable. If you're looking to have a clear advantage versus GBx decks, then this probably isn't the deck to play. While the playstyle of the decks is markedly different, both UWR and Abzan are similar in that they tend to have fairly even matchups against most of the metagame. Abzan can be a grind for sure, and I think it's probably correct to side out at least one Geist and maybe more for high impact cards from the sideboard.
3 Restoration Angel
3 Wall of Omens
2 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Vendilion Clique
4 Electrolyze
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Remand
3 Path to Exile
2 Mana Leak
2 Spell Snare
2 Cryptic Command
1 Batterskull
3 Celestial Colonnade
3 Flooded Strand
2 Arid Mesa
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Steam Vents
2 Tectonic Edge
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Cascade Bluffs
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Desolate Lighthouse
2 Island
1 Plains
1 Mountain
3 Wear // Tear
2 Kor Firewalker
2 Engineered Explosives
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
1 Keranos, God of Storms
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Wrath of God
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Counterflux
1 Stony Silence
1 Spellskite