Unravel and deglamer are presumably for things like keranos? Seems like you could trim 1 of those for another grudge if you are that worried about things like relic. Keranos costs a lot of mana and we can usually race it. With your list you can probably just counter it since 5 mana is usually a tap out moment. There are also options like annul if affinity, relics and keranos are what you are looking to beat out with boarding options. It is a pretty quick and easy answer for 1 mana. Also counters splinter twin which is worth an honorable mention. You also do have the damping matrix for things like ooze and relic. Which I am not fond of, but I see why it is in there so I can't argue. I had a love affair with that card in standard.
I've come to be a pretty big fan of Negate over Mana Leak at the moment, but that's metagame dependent for sure.
Whether flip-Jace is a lightning rod matters. Your deck as configured, he's far and away the best Bolt target (he's not steering Bolts off your Nacatls or Delvers for example) which is a strike against him.
The other question is, are you playing enough proactive spells for his primary ability to matter? I think your deck probably is, but another line of thinking is you're already playing Snapcaster which is very similar of course, and Jace, like almost everything else is hosed by graveyard hate.
I think rather than make room for flip-Jace, if you did carve out room I'd be looking for threats that come from a different, ideally non-gy based, angle.
I will say a single Savage Knuckleblade has had his moments of being pretty decent, and I have had good experience with running a single Courser of Kruphix in RUG.
I like the suggestion of knuckle blade. He is bolt proof, with pump can kill goyf, angler, etc and survive. Off the top he has haste later in the game. He seems like a great direction to go in rug.
Thanks for the interest, and responses on the list.
Ok, so the Deglamer, Unravel the Æther, in the sideboard are indeed for things like Keranos, God of Storms, but also for things like Wurmcoil Engine, and is just a well rounded catch all for any Enchantment or Artifact you can run into, and to have enough of the effect for Gift piles.
- Why is this a loam deck, the engine doesn't seem that great in this deck.
This is a Loam deck, because this is a Seismic Assault deck.
- Why no flame jab, feels like you want some graveyard value.
We had Flame Jab in there before, but replaced it with Molten Vortex. Jab was best when Dragon's Claw was sided in, but didn't prove to be all that great of a card at the end of the day. Been testing Molten Vortex in its place as a Seismic Assault lite.
- Why no academy ruins? Combining that with an engineered explosives and some other trinkets seems like it ads some great tools.
Way too slow. Really there's only a few artifact you would want to bring back with Ruins, obviously Engineered Explosives being the main choice. The problem is that engine is just too slow, and is competing for space in an already tight tight list. Assault-Loam, is the go to engine to slay endless creatures here anyway.
- What do your normally gifts for?
Mainly using Gifts for value here, but there are a few interesting piles that can be made to accomplish certain things, beat certain board states, or hate out certain match-ups.
You can use this same principal to set up spot removal, or counterspell packages also.
Generally speaking Gifts is mostly just getting us value. Most of the time, you have 1 or 2 pieces of a pile you would want to make and just throw different things in depending on what you would need. This is one of the aspects that makes the deck so powerful; the ability to overcome most board states, and strategies. Gifts provides tutoring ability, incredible value, and card advantage.
Gifts in the early game can grab answers to keep you alive, mid game can grab the missing piece of the combo in value packages, and end game can set up the entire combo, essentially sealing the deal.
Out of the side it can do some fun things as well for specific match ups.
So I think you can get the idea now, as to how Gifts can be used for incredible value in the deck.
I think if we are talking about match-ups specifically, then I do have to mention BGx. Really, and i'm being seriously honest here, the only deck I would consider a bad match, is BGx. It's just such a frustrating match up to play. You can control the entire game and be kicking ass, then a Siege Rhino Resolves and you're screwed. They just have so much disruption, and efficient threats, it can be hard to have the resources to deal with everything they play. They can disrupt your hand, stop your combo, destroy Assault, disrupt your graveyard, and kill you with cheap under costed fatties. I have played around with different sideboard options, but I can't seem to figure out anything that gives me a significant edge in the match, without diluting other match-ups significantly.
Almost every other match feels great though. I never feel like a fish out of water against anything but BGx.
I recently cut out the Spellskite in the main, for the 3rd Seismic Assault. I havent tested flip-Jace yet, and I may not actually after really thinking about. The comment on here about having enough proactive effects to really make use of him, compounded with the fact he's a creature hate lightning rod, I just don't know how good he would end up being. I like the option of throwing him in Gifts piles for potential value, but I just don't think he's going to cut it after all.
Well I have tested it before, and though I didn't find it to be amazing, I suppose I would be willing to test it some more. My biggest issue with Engineered Explosives, is fitting in Academy Ruins. Right now there is 2 colorless lands in the deck, and 1 manland. The 2 colorless lands being a Ghost Quarter, and a Tectonic Edge. Manland being Raging Ravine. So if I were to put in Ruins, I'm most likely taking out a colorless land. Which one should I take out? Also as far as the manlands go, Raging Ravine seems like the best option available, any opinions?
I'm not quite sure how I feel about Ruins with only Explosives to bring back, but it is another engine, and I do like the fact that it can deal with problem permanents outside of creatures. The thing for me, there really isn't any other artifact worth bringing back, at least that I could think of.
As far as Flame Jab, I am a little torn on it. I do like how it interacts with Dragon's Claw, that it can slip into Gifts piles easy, and has nice synergy with Life from the Loam, it's just that Molten Vortex is so much stronger. Dealing 2 over 1 is actually a big deal. It's a tough call.
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I did test a list that ran 2 realms uncharted for a bit that also ran EE and a ruins. It was a great card to go get a ravine, ruins, ghost quarter and a fetchland/filter land whatever I may want. Gifts seems like a much better option for things of that nature. Especially given that it is instant speed it really helps with the style of a RUG list to be able to hold up counter magic and then go grab the cards necessary for an EE lock.
The SB is definitely just a generic board; I haven't gone through all the major archetypes and thought about what I needed for them yet.
The deck has a lot going on. The first potentially non-obvious item of note is it is a RG deck that wants WU later by design. I want to only need RG early, which is why Serum Visions isn't in the list. I also want as many Plains and Forests as is feasible for Knight activations and I think the new dual lands are worth experimenting with.
There are four primary lines of attack:
Vortex / Loam combo
Knight / Retreat combo
Ghost Quarter / Loam mana denial
generic Zoo beatdown with Nacatls, Goyfs and Knights
Of these, what I have liked the least so far are the Wild Nacatl part of the beatdown plan. Nacatl is great and Green, but Nacatl into getting mountains and plains on the battlefield asap sometimes is a mess or a lot of life loss for the mana to support.
I like my support spell package, though there are always tough decisions and metagame considerations. One thing I have considered is dumping the Nacatls for 3 more spells. One more Magmatic Insight and 2 U counters (Spell Pierce, Stubborn Denial or Spell Snare) would make the deck much less aggressive, but might be better.
Why not scythe leopard since you are working off landfall anyway? With 8 fetches it is likely to be a turn 3 beat anyway. With loam you can do that most every turn if that is the plan you need to be on.
Why not scythe leopard since you are working off landfall anyway? With 8 fetches it is likely to be a turn 3 beat anyway. With loam you can do that most every turn if that is the plan you need to be on.
Interesting. Scythe Leopard just doesn't seem good enough, but I haven't tested with him. I assume it will get played in the Standard open this weekend which I'll probably watch some of and see how it does. Another option along those lines would be Experiment One.
I am just thinking that it could be a second creature alongside knight of the reliquary to synergize with retreat.
Actually, I hadn't considered the recurring Loam into Landfall Creature line...I'm a little tempted to play Plated Geopede in that slot potentially. 3/3 first strike with a normal land, 5/5 with a fetch. Thanks, both the Scythe Leopard and Plated Geopede are worth testing I think. I think I like those better than Makindi Sliderunner...
The sliderunner having trample is definitely nice, but the first strike on geopede paired with the extra buff is definitely scarier in combat. I like leopard just for its 1 mana price tag to start getting value on turn 2 for 3 damage like nacatl while not having to mess with your mana as you suggested. Geopede with that 2 mana price tag really almost seems worth it given the buff from landfall. He kill tasigur and angler really nicely
I think 5 dig spells to see cards is about right, 4 seems like too few, but I'm playing very little control now so I don't have the luxury of too much hand sculpting. The Plated Geopedes are definitely worth consideration, between Landfall and Exalted triggers they are very annoying. I am only playing 2 though for fear of Pyroclasm or Electrolyze killing multiples when they are 1/1s.
I tested a bunch this weekend; didn't like the results. The Knights were really awkward trying to keep them alive. Vortex/Loam did a ton of work and I am keeping as the core of the deck, but I am going to try to rebuild to be faster with more interaction. Playing against me was too comfortable for the opponent.
Plated Geopede was a beating, Bug + Loam is very threatening and should be kept in mind.
I would have to say that perhaps you should drop the knight/coralhelm package as it is a bit slow and clunky or reduce it to 3/2 knights and only 1 retreat. The scry can be nice from landfall so retreat probably isn't horrible to have in your deck. Maybe try adding 2 cryptic command for a good control card and a dispel for some cheap on the stack interaction? Not sure what kind of issues you had with testing. Could even just require more time to get to know and feel out the deck?
I would have to say that perhaps you should drop the knight/coralhelm package as it is a bit slow and clunky or reduce it to 3/2 knights and only 1 retreat. The scry can be nice from landfall so retreat probably isn't horrible to have in your deck. Maybe try adding 2 cryptic command for a good control card and a dispel for some cheap on the stack interaction? Not sure what kind of issues you had with testing. Could even just require more time to get to know and feel out the deck?
It could be I just need more time with the deck, and I won quite a few games, but I didn't feel like I was making my opponent work hard, everything was too straightforward and sorcery speed. I won when I had overpowering Vortex/Loam hands in about a mid-range time frame.
A lot of games came down to fighting over a Knight either to resolve it or to keep it from being Path'd, Wrath'd or Abrupt Decay'd. The tools to do so were Negate's which are great, but Negate's saving a Knight aren't being used to stop what the opponent is up to. Also, I just don't think the deck as constituted has enough game against aggro decks. Its entirely dependent on either Vortex/Loam getting online right away against creature and pump aggro or comboing out with Knight before we're killed and those don't come together fast enough.
I agree with you on de-emphasizing (or maybe eliminating) the Knight combo. Coursers, Knights, Retreats and Commune and Pridemage are too many cards and sorcery speed mana to run, some of that stuff has to go for Lightning Bolts and/or other faster cards.
Having said that, Courser was really nice once it was in play, and Retreat to Coralhelm invalidating blockers or scrying had its moments too. It just needs more work.
One thing I will note about the knight coralhelm combo is that it is all 3 mana sorcery speed cards. Which is modern is honestly really slow to not be backed by proactive cards like inquisition, thoughtseize, etc. When you are running a blue control package you need your threats to be cheap and efficient.
Round 1 beat grixis twin 2-0
Game 1 - I crimed early and often and grinded the game out with assault and loam. He was not too familiar with the match up and took loam both times he used discard and should have taken assault.
Game 2 - He resolved a top deck blood moon which locked him out of the game as he fetched all non basics. I top decked forest and loam before he found a basic and killed him very quickly with all the red mana to cast assault without issue.
Round 2 - Kiki-chord 2-1
Game 1 - My deck didn't cooperate and it was difficult to find enough land in time to do much. He used assault formation to kill me with courser, resto and wall of omens while I failed to do much.
Game 2 - raven's crime and molten vortex controlled early and I had an assault to follow up the destruction of my molten vortex. I won slowly after a bit of a grind fest with him finding chords and witnesses off the top and me criming away the reclaimed cards.
Game 3 - a long and grindy game. I killed him with 3 cards left in my library right after he landed rest in peace. Raging ravine and Pharoah brought him down from 24 life to 2 with me drawing a land with creatures on board to kill him. He destroyed 2 vortex, 1 assault, 1 Outpost siege during this game. He chorded with resto in play after I foolishly spent my last land to kill a random eternal witness. Luckily I found out that he boarded out kiki #2. I made a mistake and luckily didn't have to pay the penalty.
Round 3 - grixis twin 0-2
Game 1 - I could not find land #3 or a loam after 5 turns and looting cast twice, so I scooped out of frustration.
Game 2 - I couldn't find loam early enough to get any engine online and he got tasigur and snap caster in early to kill me after countering assault and a terminate.
Reflections:
Mainboard seems pretty well stocked to handle most any match up. Liliana never really did much of anything and should likely become either another decay and 2 kolaghans command or smallpox, or even flame jab.
Sideboard should drop wurmcoil engines and possibly buried ruins/EE shenanigans. Not really sure what else to run in their place though. Probably young pyro if I get flame jabs back. If not then Haakon and nameless inversion will likely finally find slots.
i run a list similar to yours (except i play smallpox over liliana) and i'm really struggling against the burn matchup. Being nearly creatureless means we don't have a fast clock and discard is not that good because their deck is so redundant they will draw more burn anyways.
I'm considering adding some number of huntmaster of the fells instead of lightning bolts. Bolt is ok but useless when we have vortex/assault, and with 6 copies and all the digging we see they more than we used to pre origins. Huntmaster seems like it can take over the game, they seem good in any matchup i think, but against burn i like how the dodge eidolon of the great revel damage and make a 2/2 to block it, and can kill any creature they have when he flips.
Thoughts?
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Whether flip-Jace is a lightning rod matters. Your deck as configured, he's far and away the best Bolt target (he's not steering Bolts off your Nacatls or Delvers for example) which is a strike against him.
The other question is, are you playing enough proactive spells for his primary ability to matter? I think your deck probably is, but another line of thinking is you're already playing Snapcaster which is very similar of course, and Jace, like almost everything else is hosed by graveyard hate.
I think rather than make room for flip-Jace, if you did carve out room I'd be looking for threats that come from a different, ideally non-gy based, angle.
I will say a single Savage Knuckleblade has had his moments of being pretty decent, and I have had good experience with running a single Courser of Kruphix in RUG.
Ok, so the Deglamer, Unravel the Æther, in the sideboard are indeed for things like Keranos, God of Storms, but also for things like Wurmcoil Engine, and is just a well rounded catch all for any Enchantment or Artifact you can run into, and to have enough of the effect for Gift piles.
- Why is this a loam deck, the engine doesn't seem that great in this deck.
This is a Loam deck, because this is a Seismic Assault deck.
- Why no flame jab, feels like you want some graveyard value.
We had Flame Jab in there before, but replaced it with Molten Vortex. Jab was best when Dragon's Claw was sided in, but didn't prove to be all that great of a card at the end of the day. Been testing Molten Vortex in its place as a Seismic Assault lite.
- Why no academy ruins? Combining that with an engineered explosives and some other trinkets seems like it ads some great tools.
Way too slow. Really there's only a few artifact you would want to bring back with Ruins, obviously Engineered Explosives being the main choice. The problem is that engine is just too slow, and is competing for space in an already tight tight list. Assault-Loam, is the go to engine to slay endless creatures here anyway.
- What do your normally gifts for?
Mainly using Gifts for value here, but there are a few interesting piles that can be made to accomplish certain things, beat certain board states, or hate out certain match-ups.
The "combo pile" would be:
-Seismic Assault, Life from the Loam, Snapcaster Mage, Noxious Revival-
Thats gonna set up the Assault-Loam combo all in one pile.
If you already have Loam, you could throw something else in that pile for more value.
If you already have Assault, you can throw Loam into any pile to set up the combo.
if you already have Snapcaster, or Revival, you could throw Ghost Quarter, or Tectonic Edge in there, for more Loam value.
The sweeper pile:
-Anger of the Gods, Slagstorm, Pyroclasm, Snapcaster Mage-
Grab this if you're playing aggro, or any creature heavy strategy like elves, and be able to sweep multiple times.
You can use this same principal to set up spot removal, or counterspell packages also.
Generally speaking Gifts is mostly just getting us value. Most of the time, you have 1 or 2 pieces of a pile you would want to make and just throw different things in depending on what you would need. This is one of the aspects that makes the deck so powerful; the ability to overcome most board states, and strategies. Gifts provides tutoring ability, incredible value, and card advantage.
Gifts in the early game can grab answers to keep you alive, mid game can grab the missing piece of the combo in value packages, and end game can set up the entire combo, essentially sealing the deal.
Out of the side it can do some fun things as well for specific match ups.
Affinty pile:
-Ancient Grudge, Deglamer, Unravel the Æther, Snapcaster Mage/ Damping Matrix-
Twin pile:
-Combust, Rending Volley, Torpor Orb, Damping Matrix/ Snapcaster Mage/ Noxious Revival/ Spellskite-
So I think you can get the idea now, as to how Gifts can be used for incredible value in the deck.
I think if we are talking about match-ups specifically, then I do have to mention BGx. Really, and i'm being seriously honest here, the only deck I would consider a bad match, is BGx. It's just such a frustrating match up to play. You can control the entire game and be kicking ass, then a Siege Rhino Resolves and you're screwed. They just have so much disruption, and efficient threats, it can be hard to have the resources to deal with everything they play. They can disrupt your hand, stop your combo, destroy Assault, disrupt your graveyard, and kill you with cheap under costed fatties. I have played around with different sideboard options, but I can't seem to figure out anything that gives me a significant edge in the match, without diluting other match-ups significantly.
Almost every other match feels great though. I never feel like a fish out of water against anything but BGx.
I recently cut out the Spellskite in the main, for the 3rd Seismic Assault. I havent tested flip-Jace yet, and I may not actually after really thinking about. The comment on here about having enough proactive effects to really make use of him, compounded with the fact he's a creature hate lightning rod, I just don't know how good he would end up being. I like the option of throwing him in Gifts piles for potential value, but I just don't think he's going to cut it after all.
I'm not quite sure how I feel about Ruins with only Explosives to bring back, but it is another engine, and I do like the fact that it can deal with problem permanents outside of creatures. The thing for me, there really isn't any other artifact worth bringing back, at least that I could think of.
As far as Flame Jab, I am a little torn on it. I do like how it interacts with Dragon's Claw, that it can slip into Gifts piles easy, and has nice synergy with Life from the Loam, it's just that Molten Vortex is so much stronger. Dealing 2 over 1 is actually a big deal. It's a tough call.
Here's the list:
1 Breeding Pool
3 Cinder Glade
4 Flooded Strand
2 Forest
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
1 Treetop Village
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Commune with the Gods
4 Life from the Loam
2 Magmatic Insight
4 Molten Vortex
3 Negate
2 Retreat to Coralhelm
2 Simic Charm
//Creatures
1 Courser of Kruphix
4 Knight of the Reliquary
3 Noble Hierarch
2 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Wild Nacatl
3 Rhox War Monk
3 Anger of the Gods
3 Ancient Grudge
2 Dromoka's Command
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Loxodon Smiter
2 Rending Volley
The SB is definitely just a generic board; I haven't gone through all the major archetypes and thought about what I needed for them yet.
The deck has a lot going on. The first potentially non-obvious item of note is it is a RG deck that wants WU later by design. I want to only need RG early, which is why Serum Visions isn't in the list. I also want as many Plains and Forests as is feasible for Knight activations and I think the new dual lands are worth experimenting with.
There are four primary lines of attack:
Vortex / Loam combo
Knight / Retreat combo
Ghost Quarter / Loam mana denial
generic Zoo beatdown with Nacatls, Goyfs and Knights
Of these, what I have liked the least so far are the Wild Nacatl part of the beatdown plan. Nacatl is great and Green, but Nacatl into getting mountains and plains on the battlefield asap sometimes is a mess or a lot of life loss for the mana to support.
I like my support spell package, though there are always tough decisions and metagame considerations. One thing I have considered is dumping the Nacatls for 3 more spells. One more Magmatic Insight and 2 U counters (Spell Pierce, Stubborn Denial or Spell Snare) would make the deck much less aggressive, but might be better.
Interesting. Scythe Leopard just doesn't seem good enough, but I haven't tested with him. I assume it will get played in the Standard open this weekend which I'll probably watch some of and see how it does. Another option along those lines would be Experiment One.
Thanks for the feedback.
Actually, I hadn't considered the recurring Loam into Landfall Creature line...I'm a little tempted to play Plated Geopede in that slot potentially. 3/3 first strike with a normal land, 5/5 with a fetch. Thanks, both the Scythe Leopard and Plated Geopede are worth testing I think. I think I like those better than Makindi Sliderunner...
1 Breeding Pool
3 Cinder Glade
4 Flooded Strand
2 Forest
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
1 Treetop Village
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Commune with the Gods
1 Scavenging Ooze
4 Life from the Loam
2 Magmatic Insight
4 Molten Vortex
3 Negate
2 Retreat to Coralhelm
//Creatures
2 Courser of Kruphix
4 Knight of the Reliquary
3 Noble Hierarch
2 Plated Geopede
2 Qasali Pridemage
1 Scavenging Ooze
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Rhox War Monk
3 Anger of the Gods
3 Ancient Grudge
2 Dromoka's Command
2 Loxodon Smiter
2 Rending Volley
1 Scavenging Ooze
I think 5 dig spells to see cards is about right, 4 seems like too few, but I'm playing very little control now so I don't have the luxury of too much hand sculpting. The Plated Geopedes are definitely worth consideration, between Landfall and Exalted triggers they are very annoying. I am only playing 2 though for fear of Pyroclasm or Electrolyze killing multiples when they are 1/1s.
Plated Geopede was a beating, Bug + Loam is very threatening and should be kept in mind.
It could be I just need more time with the deck, and I won quite a few games, but I didn't feel like I was making my opponent work hard, everything was too straightforward and sorcery speed. I won when I had overpowering Vortex/Loam hands in about a mid-range time frame.
A lot of games came down to fighting over a Knight either to resolve it or to keep it from being Path'd, Wrath'd or Abrupt Decay'd. The tools to do so were Negate's which are great, but Negate's saving a Knight aren't being used to stop what the opponent is up to. Also, I just don't think the deck as constituted has enough game against aggro decks. Its entirely dependent on either Vortex/Loam getting online right away against creature and pump aggro or comboing out with Knight before we're killed and those don't come together fast enough.
I agree with you on de-emphasizing (or maybe eliminating) the Knight combo. Coursers, Knights, Retreats and Commune and Pridemage are too many cards and sorcery speed mana to run, some of that stuff has to go for Lightning Bolts and/or other faster cards.
Having said that, Courser was really nice once it was in play, and Retreat to Coralhelm invalidating blockers or scrying had its moments too. It just needs more work.
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Blood Crypt
2 Bloodstained Mire
1 Forest
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Graven Cairns
2 Overgrown Tomb
2 Raging Ravine
1 Stomping Ground
1 Swamp
1 Treetop Village
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Verdant Catacombs
2 Wooded Foothills
1 Vengeful Pharaoh
Spells 24
2 Abrupt Decay
3 Anger of the Gods
4 Faithless Looting
4 Life from the Loam
3 Lightning Bolt
3 Liliana of the Veil
4 Magmatic Insight
3 Molten Vortex
3 Raven's Crime
3 Seismic Assault
2 Terminate
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Buried Ruin
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
2 Dragon's Claw
2 Engineered Explosives
3 Fulminator Mage
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Outpost Siege
2 Wurmcoil Engine
Round 1 beat grixis twin 2-0
Game 1 - I crimed early and often and grinded the game out with assault and loam. He was not too familiar with the match up and took loam both times he used discard and should have taken assault.
Game 2 - He resolved a top deck blood moon which locked him out of the game as he fetched all non basics. I top decked forest and loam before he found a basic and killed him very quickly with all the red mana to cast assault without issue.
Round 2 - Kiki-chord 2-1
Game 1 - My deck didn't cooperate and it was difficult to find enough land in time to do much. He used assault formation to kill me with courser, resto and wall of omens while I failed to do much.
Game 2 - raven's crime and molten vortex controlled early and I had an assault to follow up the destruction of my molten vortex. I won slowly after a bit of a grind fest with him finding chords and witnesses off the top and me criming away the reclaimed cards.
Game 3 - a long and grindy game. I killed him with 3 cards left in my library right after he landed rest in peace. Raging ravine and Pharoah brought him down from 24 life to 2 with me drawing a land with creatures on board to kill him. He destroyed 2 vortex, 1 assault, 1 Outpost siege during this game. He chorded with resto in play after I foolishly spent my last land to kill a random eternal witness. Luckily I found out that he boarded out kiki #2. I made a mistake and luckily didn't have to pay the penalty.
Round 3 - grixis twin 0-2
Game 1 - I could not find land #3 or a loam after 5 turns and looting cast twice, so I scooped out of frustration.
Game 2 - I couldn't find loam early enough to get any engine online and he got tasigur and snap caster in early to kill me after countering assault and a terminate.
Reflections:
Mainboard seems pretty well stocked to handle most any match up. Liliana never really did much of anything and should likely become either another decay and 2 kolaghans command or smallpox, or even flame jab.
Sideboard should drop wurmcoil engines and possibly buried ruins/EE shenanigans. Not really sure what else to run in their place though. Probably young pyro if I get flame jabs back. If not then Haakon and nameless inversion will likely finally find slots.
I'm considering adding some number of huntmaster of the fells instead of lightning bolts. Bolt is ok but useless when we have vortex/assault, and with 6 copies and all the digging we see they more than we used to pre origins. Huntmaster seems like it can take over the game, they seem good in any matchup i think, but against burn i like how the dodge eidolon of the great revel damage and make a 2/2 to block it, and can kill any creature they have when he flips.
Thoughts?