Hi! I am Argetinean, I travelled with a couple friends for the weekend! Where were you? What were you playing? The magic world is a really small one! hahaha
Santi, I wanted to thank you for your tournament report. It was a lot of fun for me to read your experience with the deck at GP Sao Paulo. I think in the decklist you posted, you said you ran 2 detention spheres in the sideboard, but from reading the tournament write up, I think they were actually Damping Sphere, is that right?
After your tournament, what was your overall opinion on Archangel Avacyn? Good enough to keep in the Mainboard as a 1 of? seems great against cards like supreme verdict and oblivion stone. However, it also seems like the card has potential to backfire on us as well. If our board presence is our lower CMC like noble, skypawner, scions and or displacer, they can kill one thing and wrath our board. Has this happened to you yet? I realize blinking the angel gives the team indestructibility. However, it seems the wrath effect happens on the following turn after indestructibility has worn off. I've been looking for ways to improve my control match up. More so blue white control than Jeskai. Jeskai seems like an ok match up. Archangel Avacyn seems like a reasonable card to consider. I recently put 2 Gidoen, Ally of Zendikar in my sideboard to help with the control match up. I haven't been able to test them yet, but its possible Avavyn is better? Not sure as of yet. And of course, there is always the option for me to play the 4th cavern of souls. I'd just be unsure as of what land to cut.
As for the Aether hubs instead of the pain lands, I like how it opens up space for additional basic lands for blood moon and field of ruin. As a fellow Bant Eldrazi player, I can agree that Blood moon is significantly not fun to play against. My anti blood moon technology is 1 talisman of progress, 5 mana dorks and a basic island (which a lot of lists don't run) I'd like to cut the talisman for a better card, but I don't want to have 0 answers to a resolved blood moon. I can see that there are probably a lot of times where it'd be easy to be color screwed by the Aether hubs though. Especially with running 2 engineered explosives. (which i think is great for us and wouldn't recommend playing less than 2.) For me, I think pain lands are better, but i have never tried the aether hubs myself. In the last few days since posting the report, have you made a decision on what lands you'd play going forward?
Also, after the tournament, do you intend to continue to run 2 damping spheres in the sideboard? seems good against, storm, tron, and kci? but I don't think it has a whole lot of applicability in other match ups? unless I'm forgetting about a deck.
Hi! I am Argetinean, I travelled with a couple friends for the weekend! Where were you? What were you playing? The magic world is a really small one! hahaha
No problem ... I asked, because my English is bad, and it would be easier to speak Portuguese with you. I hope you understand me
About the GP ... I was from Eldrazi Tron, I played for over a year with the deck, and I was confident, even knowing that metagame didn't favor him! I made 10-5, with two very ridiculous defeats against KCI
How I found out about you ... My friend (he was playing Grixis DS) told me that he faced a player who was with Bant Eldrazi, and I was surprised and excited about this fact! And because of that, I decided to give the deck a chance again, I came to read some news, and I found your post talking about the GP São Paulo = PPP
About Bant Eldrazi .... I love this deck, I played with it since its creation, I did excellent results in 2016 and 2017, but I honestly did not think it had the strength to go far in the GP SP 2018, besides I was not training with he, so I made my choice at Eldra-Tron.
I read your report, and my thoughts are ...
- Pain lands: I believe the idea is good for preventing life in a format that is quite fast and aggressive. But I think the risk isn't worth it, maybe use both, I don't know, but I got to test and suffered sometimes not to have blue
- Worship: I think the fantastic idea, because of the many free victories in Game 1, I had already thought about it, and you reinforced my thinking.
- Avancy: I confess that I was surprised to see her on your list, never tested, and initially I don't like it, but I will test!
- Vizier Chord: There's a player on my team who plays for Counters Company, and the game is really bad! It isn't by chance that in the first Bant Eldrazi lists that came out in 2016, it contained 3x Graffdigger's Cage on the Sideboard, precisely because of decks with Company.
- New Suggestions:
1- A letter that I like very much on my list is Restoration Angel instead of a Drowner of Hope (+1x Restoration / -1x Drowner)! Because the format is faster, and you have 4x CMC6 on the deck is very heavy, I found the exchange valid. Restoration gives an interesting surprise effect, protects its creatures, makes blockers suppressed, and it + displacer are invincible, plus a 3/4 fly is not irrelevant in the Modern. I love Drowner, but I don't want him in my starting hand, so I found the number 3x very good.
2- I added a Mind stone, as my "5 dork", helps me against Blood Moon, and gives me a draw in the late game, that idea, I brought it from the Eldrazi Tron, do a test.
Finally, I wanted to hear from you that you are active with Bant Eldrazi, how you are doing in the main matchups, and how you feel about the deck.
Congratulations on the great result in GP SP. Very well deserved.
Santi, I wanted to thank you for your tournament report. It was a lot of fun for me to read your experience with the deck at GP Sao Paulo. I think in the decklist you posted, you said you ran 2 detention spheres in the sideboard, but from reading the tournament write up, I think they were actually Damping Sphere, is that right?
After your tournament, what was your overall opinion on Archangel Avacyn? Good enough to keep in the Mainboard as a 1 of? seems great against cards like supreme verdict and oblivion stone. However, it also seems like the card has potential to backfire on us as well. If our board presence is our lower CMC like noble, skypawner, scions and or displacer, they can kill one thing and wrath our board. Has this happened to you yet? I realize blinking the angel gives the team indestructibility. However, it seems the wrath effect happens on the following turn after indestructibility has worn off. I've been looking for ways to improve my control match up. More so blue white control than Jeskai. Jeskai seems like an ok match up. Archangel Avacyn seems like a reasonable card to consider. I recently put 2 Gidoen, Ally of Zendikar in my sideboard to help with the control match up. I haven't been able to test them yet, but its possible Avavyn is better? Not sure as of yet. And of course, there is always the option for me to play the 4th cavern of souls. I'd just be unsure as of what land to cut.
As for the Aether hubs instead of the pain lands, I like how it opens up space for additional basic lands for blood moon and field of ruin. As a fellow Bant Eldrazi player, I can agree that Blood moon is significantly not fun to play against. My anti blood moon technology is 1 talisman of progress, 5 mana dorks and a basic island (which a lot of lists don't run) I'd like to cut the talisman for a better card, but I don't want to have 0 answers to a resolved blood moon. I can see that there are probably a lot of times where it'd be easy to be color screwed by the Aether hubs though. Especially with running 2 engineered explosives. (which i think is great for us and wouldn't recommend playing less than 2.) For me, I think pain lands are better, but i have never tried the aether hubs myself. In the last few days since posting the report, have you made a decision on what lands you'd play going forward?
Also, after the tournament, do you intend to continue to run 2 damping spheres in the sideboard? seems good against, storm, tron, and kci? but I don't think it has a whole lot of applicability in other match ups? unless I'm forgetting about a deck.
Yes! I meant Damping Sphere, haha sorry! I never boarded them in so I have no idea whether they work or not, I believe they cripple us a bit because of the temples, but the upside outweighs the cons either crippling tron even more than ourselves, or blocking storm/KCI.
When it comes to Avacyn, it is true it can be a double edged sword, but I never played it if I couldn't have a good use for it. Let's say -make a better block than my opponent expected or sweeping the board where I'd take more from the opponent than what I'd lose to the sweep. Of course blinking her in response to the damage trigger to re-gain indestructibility for the team sounds awesome but I have to admit I never managed to actually do it; I believe the opponent would concede on the spot to something like that :D. Most of the time what I did was cast her end of turn, sac a scion to make her trigger on my upkeep and swing for lethal with her and the 5/5s on a clean board.
I haven't thought about playing Gideon, or any other planeswalker, I feel the fourth cavern is just to good (if you play creatures - I hate having my spells countered). Controls in my local meta play a bunch of wraths and terminus so it sounds viable, off the top of my head I feel I'd be a bit greedier and go for either baby karn (colorless -> Strrings) or Big Elspeth I always loved that PW.
As for the Hubs, I am still torn (stupid lands xD). Two times in Sao Paulo I managed to cast worship while being at one (I would have died using pain-lands) and one time I lost because I color screwed, so I don't know. I believe I will continue using the hubs in the short term, but this is the most uncertain I am about any deckbuilding matter. Plus, I love having a slot to play the Wastes (completely irracional - my bad). Plus 2, there is always the option of adding an extra color and playing EE on 4/5 (BoP can help us do it as well).
And finally, I think the sphere is a good sideboard card agains those 3 particular decks, I can't think of another match-up where I'd board it in. But sideboard is very meta dependent in my opinion, I wouldn't put it in the 15 if I know there is only one TRON player - already having avacyn mainboard, 3 stony silences and 2 beast withins. I would focus more on the tough match ups we have - like blood moon centered decks and vizier chord.
Hi! I am Argetinean, I travelled with a couple friends for the weekend! Where were you? What were you playing? The magic world is a really small one! hahaha
No problem ... I asked, because my English is bad, and it would be easier to speak Portuguese with you. I hope you understand me
About the GP ... I was from Eldrazi Tron, I played for over a year with the deck, and I was confident, even knowing that metagame didn't favor him! I made 10-5, with two very ridiculous defeats against KCI
How I found out about you ... My friend (he was playing Grixis DS) told me that he faced a player who was with Bant Eldrazi, and I was surprised and excited about this fact! And because of that, I decided to give the deck a chance again, I came to read some news, and I found your post talking about the GP São Paulo = PPP
About Bant Eldrazi .... I love this deck, I played with it since its creation, I did excellent results in 2016 and 2017, but I honestly did not think it had the strength to go far in the GP SP 2018, besides I was not training with he, so I made my choice at Eldra-Tron.
I read your report, and my thoughts are ...
- Pain lands: I believe the idea is good for preventing life in a format that is quite fast and aggressive. But I think the risk isn't worth it, maybe use both, I don't know, but I got to test and suffered sometimes not to have blue
- Worship: I think the fantastic idea, because of the many free victories in Game 1, I had already thought about it, and you reinforced my thinking.
- Avancy: I confess that I was surprised to see her on your list, never tested, and initially I don't like it, but I will test!
- Vizier Chord: There's a player on my team who plays for Counters Company, and the game is really bad! It isn't by chance that in the first Bant Eldrazi lists that came out in 2016, it contained 3x Graffdigger's Cage on the Sideboard, precisely because of decks with Company.
- New Suggestions:
1- A letter that I like very much on my list is Restoration Angel instead of a Drowner of Hope (+1x Restoration / -1x Drowner)! Because the format is faster, and you have 4x CMC6 on the deck is very heavy, I found the exchange valid. Restoration gives an interesting surprise effect, protects its creatures, makes blockers suppressed, and it + displacer are invincible, plus a 3/4 fly is not irrelevant in the Modern. I love Drowner, but I don't want him in my starting hand, so I found the number 3x very good.
2- I added a Mind stone, as my "5 dork", helps me against Blood Moon, and gives me a draw in the late game, that idea, I brought it from the Eldrazi Tron, do a test.
Finally, I wanted to hear from you that you are active with Bant Eldrazi, how you are doing in the main match-ups, and how you feel about the deck.
Congratulations on the great result in GP SP. Very well deserved.
Oh, my Portuguese is awful I can barely introduce myself and tell the 5 magic colors
I believe I played with your friend on the very last round, he had really unlucky draws and reality smasher is a really good magic card
I couldn't agree more with you regarding the lands, it is a really tough choice and both have their ups and downs.
Worship is awesome I agree 100% with you again!
Avacyn is really really good in the late game and it makes your opening hand horrible if she's there. It's quite similar to a drowner of hope or a reality smasher in a temple-less hand.
Restoration Angel sounds great, having a way to blink/safe a displacer sounds like the piece of tech I was missing - I am definitely gonna try it. More than often I have found myself naming Angel with a Cavern of Souls for Avacyn and having another creature to cast with it sounds neat
I play 4 nobles and 2 BoP I don't think adding a Mind Stone here would be a great idea. Perhaps playing Boreal Druid could be a good option against blood moon too but I should cut one or two chickens.
I would say, factoring out Blood Moon on really early turns and vizier chord, the deck has 50/50 or better chances against any Tier 1 deck at the moment. It is difficult to sideboard against (again, except blood moon :D) and most of the creatures 2 for 1 the opponent.
Overall, my opinion is that the main reason the deck is so good is because on Game 1 it can play super aggro like TKS t2 into Smasher t3 and it can also beat the most mid-rangy strategies with Displacers making magic with ETB triggers. And then, post-board, having access to such a wide variety of good sideboard cards is awesome, the limit is the pilot skill -so reading the meta corectly can be very rewarding.
I have to say I am really happy hearing from you guys! It's the first time I post something and I really really appreciate the feedback
PS: Weird pitch! How would you like to create an Eldrazi whatsapp group to share info on a more immediate manner - Text me if you're interested! (+54 9 351 7897763)
3 stubborn denial main deck? Its a stupid choice? 4 valkaut and 2/3 burn in top 16 1 kci 1uw jeskay and a lot of tron in the metagame at the last gp
I wouldn't say it's a stupid choice, but I wouldn't say it's the best choice either. I'd rather have threats in my hand, perhaps 2 main deck and the third one post board? Agains humans its a dead card unless you manage to force spike the vial on t1.
Yes, they didn't make top 16 this time, but they exist. Go-wide decks will always be there, Merfolk, Elves, Goblins, Eldrazis and unless you enter one of these big ass tournaments with byes on the first two or three rounds, chances are you will run into them... I insist, there are many other options I rather play before stubborn denial mainboard.
Worship on the other hand, it's just beautiful!
Since my last post, I have tested the Gideon's against blue white control and he felt mediocre. (Ill be honest, I didn't test him a whole lot, but I did get to play him a few times.) I have been having a really hard time against blue white control and am still looking to make the match up better. Field of Ruins can be rough, as well as Plainswalkers like Jace and Teferi. I'll be going to a PTTQ on August 28th, and I'm certain there will be a fair amount of control variants. I attended a higher stakes event recently at the same location as to where the PTTQ will be held, and the shop posted a metagame breakdown(see link below) https://www.meta-chart.com/share/modern-pro-series-fire-dice-71418
How am I supposed to board against blue white control and Jeskai Control? Maybe I'm over boarding? my blue white control plan involves
+3 stubborn denial
+2 Disdainful Strokes
+2 Gideons
-1 birds of paradise
-1 talisman of progress
-1 noble hierarch
-2 engineered explosives
-2 path
I Want to have room for some rest in peace and natural states... for Spreading Seas, Search for Azcanta, Detention Sphere, and a Crucible of Worlds I saw from the sideboard.
Maybe avacyn is the thing for me to try.
Also, I noticed this community as of late seems to value a 3rd stony silence over a 3rd rest in peace. I am a bit confused as to why. I don't always want to board in 3 Rest in Peace, but looking at mtg goldfish metagame break down, Id board in 3 against hollow one, Grixus Death Shadow, Mardu Pyromancer, Krark-clan Ironworks, Storm, Dredge, Jund, and some number of them against Jeskai and blue white control.
I think for it's best to go back to 4 Cavern of Souls. There have been at least 3 5-0 Bant Eldrazi finishes in the competitive leagues lately. My own league went 3-2 and another was 4-1. Both of those lists were experimental, not sure if Boreal Druid is good or just meh. I've seen some lists resemble the traditional Bant lists, with flex slots being the full playset of Matter Reshaper's, and 0 EE in the main. With how Dynamic modern is atm, we need to be on top of current trends. I was helping a friend last night in a modern league (he was on burn) and 3-4 of those matches were against Pyromancer. That leads to want EE and Boreal Druids. Good luck to all those playing this weekend.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Standard Arena: Eh? Gruul or Die
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now: G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record) C Eldrazi Tron (9-5) UG Infect RW Burn
Racerxen,
How have the Boreal Druids been working? I have the opportunity to go to a PTTQ this weekend and I was thinking about increasing my number of turn 1 mana accelerants. I currently play 5 mana dorks and a talisman.
I think I'm going to switch my mana dork package to 4 Noble Hierarch and 3 Boreal Druid.
It's possible adding more mana dorks in a control meta is not the right call for me to make, as in my sideboarded games against blue white, and jeskai, I often cut the talisman and 2 dorks.
I think In making this change I'd have to change my basic lands though. Basic Forest becomes more valuable in this set up. I was considering cutting basic Plains and running 2 Forest and an Island.
same as you. 4 skyspawners, 0 reshapers, 3 caverns, 1 island 1 forest, 1 plains.
I've also been having a hard time cutting a land for a 4th cavern.
I'm not sure which land Is the correct one to cut.
Current mana base is as follows.
4 eldrazi temple
3 cavern
3 Brushland
3 yavimaya coast
2 misty rainforest
2 windswept heath
1 forest
1 island
1 plains
1 breeding pool
1 hallowed fountain
1 temple garden
+ 3 Boreal Druid
However the meta I will be playing in will be heavy on control players. I think I'll leave my decklist the same as the link above for my event tomorrow. The Gideon in my sideboard is a flex spot and am not completely satisfied with him.
Also I have thought about cutting the 3rd yavimaya coast for the 4th cavern, but it feels bad as it's a Three color land for us. But going into tomorrow's meta, the fourth cavern is probably worth it.
What's your current list?
Still playing the stubborn denials main?
I could see thragtusk being ok against jund.
My experience with thragtusk against control is that it always gets countered. After playing serveral uncounterable Eldrazi, the control player usually has counter magic stranded in hand, As for scapeshift, it's definitely not a favored match up. But our deck has cards to beat it. Thought knot is very important in the match up. Displacer thought knot combo can be a very good way to beat them and it's necessary to pay attention to their mana and play in accordance to them being on 6th or 7th land drop. My two disdainful strokes from the sideboard are great in this match up.
I wanted to update after playing in my pttq yesterday. Made top 8.
Played
Jank red
Tron
Dredge
Tron
Jund
Dredge
Quarterfinals of top 8 --- spirits (I lost)
For thinking I'd see a lot of control, I didn't play a single control match up.
Match 1, Mediocre burn Aggro home brew. He was running multiple hazorets, Bomat courier, and ramunuip ruins. Saw a rabble master and swift spears.
I was a little confused as to what was going on for game 2 and he ended up playing kari zev's expertise, stole a smasher of mine and killed me with it. Felt bad to lose a game to what felt like a budget modern deck.
Game three I killed him while at 8 life.
Match 2: Tron
Game 1: He mulls to 5. Assembles Tron and fairly quickly and runs away with the game.
Game 2: game 1 ended before he pieced together what I was playing. He had seen Eldrazi skyspawner and engineered explosives game 1, and I think was just confused. Turn 2 I cast a stony silence which was great as he never drew an answer for it. I had cast a thought-knot seer revealing a hand of ugin and wormxoil engine (only relevant cards). I awkwardly took the Ugin because I had a path for the wurmcoil. Ended up drawing into a drowner of hope and saving the path for a potential ulamog that never happened. I tapped his wurmcoil for two turns. He played a walking ballista for 5 to try and make it so my thought knot and drowner couldn't get through. I swing with an exalted drowner of hope. He tried to block and ping my thought knot, but couldn't because of stony silence. Then I pathed his wurmcoil when he tried to attack and gain life and the game was over.
Game 3: He knew what I was on now and took out ugins. I had no stony silence game 3 but I did draw 4 thought knots. After all of my hand disruption and disdainful stoking two karns, I was able to win the match.
Match 3: Dredge
Round 1: my opponent mulls to 5 and try's to play off of 1 land and a faithless looting, which didn't find him a second land. He was mana screwed for several turns making it an easy win.
Round 2: opponent mulled to 5, scried to the bottom and passed turn. He kept a 0 lander and was mana screwed again.
This was my easiest match of the day as my opponent didn't even get to play magic.
Match 4: Tron
Match 1: He mulls to 5, assembles Tron and kills me with little to no effort. (Very similar to my previous Tron opponent )
Match 2: I thought knot him to see a hand with no pay offs but lots of mana. I take an ancient Stirrings, but he top decks one, cast it to find a Karn and casts it. I kill it with a smasher, but he kills smasher with an oblivion stone. I very quickly lose control of the game. (Also of note, in this match I cast my very first ancient stirrings that resulted in a whiff. I've been playing this deck for about 2 years now, and this had never happened to me before today. Cast ancient Stirrings, saw disdainful stroke, 2 stubborn denials, a stony silence, and another ancient Stirrings).
Match 5: Jund
Game 1: no hand disruption and I'm able to find an opening to engineered explosives a goyf and dark confidant away. Dark confidant had only drew him a single extra card before I was able to blow up both creatures. I don't remember exactly how I beat him game 1, but I out grinded jund like us bant eldrazi players do.
Game 2: He has turn 1 hand disruption and takes 1 of my 2 ancient Stirrings as it was what fixed my hand. (1 lander, 2 ancient Stirrings) I cast an early engineered explosives hoping he would maelstrom pulse it, and he did just that. Then I played a second engineered explosives (he didn't know about this one from his thought seize) and blew up a goyf and dark confidant again. Then I played a Rest In Peace and his ooze and goyfs were pretty useless going forward.
Not a whole lot to say about this match up, but I do think it's a very favorable match up for us. (Lists with Rabblemasters may make me double think that)
Match 6: Dredge
I'm a bit scared going into this match up because it's the deciding match to see who makes top 8.
Game: 1 I get steam rolled
Game 2: I'm on the play, and I play a turn 1 cage, turn two skyspawner, and a turn 3 smasher. Very hard for him to catch up. Being on the play this game made all the difference it the match. I out race him despite him using ancient grudge on my cage.
Game 3: I was on the draw. He goes land, pass turn. I go turn 1 cage. He plays his second land drop and passes turn. My turn two play was a Rest In Peace. At end step, he abrupt decays Rest In Peace. Then on his turn, he Abrupt decays the cage! And I think he played faithless looting. Discarding conflagerate and the land that dredges 2.
My turn comes along and I have two nobles to play for turn into a known conflagerate in his graveyard. I was trying to get to drowner of hope. His turn 4 play was cathartic reunion, flashback conflagerate, targeting two nobles and a scion. I am able to force spike (stubborn denial) and cast my drowner of hope the following turn. This was very much so the deciding factor of the game. Had he not made himself susceptible to the stubborn denial, it looked like his dredging could have started being relevant.
Ended up winning the match only losing to match 4 mono green tron
By top 8, I was #1 seat.
Quarter finals. Spirits
I was land stuck twice.
Had some bad luck with deck variance.
I felt it was hard to complain after my previous dredge match up. Felt like I used up all of my luck with a turn 1 cage turn 2 rip. Even though he had answered them both immediately with abrupt decay.
I ended up not playing the druids. I played the list I was most familiar with. Against dredge I cut 4 thought knots, 1 talisman, and 2 engineered explosives. Brought in 3 stubborn denial (conflagerate is a really good card against us) 2 cage, and 2 Rest In Peace.
I learned that them having the ability to instant speed dredge off of thought knot is really really bad for us.
As for skyspawner, you asking if he is good against dredge or Tron?
I think it's good against dredge as he provides two bodies and ramps us into our smashers so we can race.
Skyspawner against Tron is only mediocre.
Also I prefer skyspawner over reshaper...I realize that is what you were asking. Skyspawner Ramps us, makes two bodies, makes it so we can block evasive (flying) threats, vastly improves match up against affinity and infect, and any blood moon deck.
Big advocate of skyspawner over reshaper.
Hey all, just wanted to chime in and say that I played at a 95 man PPTQ and took 2nd with Tron. My 1 loss in the swiss was to my favorite deck in moder, yes Bant Eldrazi. Not only did Bant Eldrazi go undefeated in the 7 round swiss, it annihilated KCI in G2-G3. While KCI took down that PPTQ, the KCI pilot said that Bant Eldrazi Thrased him and that the games weren't close. I talked to the Bant player and he said that he had some different choices in his SB, namely, Thalia's and Rec sages. I am going to message him about his deck but, I felt that the MTG gods slapped me on the wrist for playing tron. They reminded that bant is favored VS tron and I was happy to lose to my fav deck.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Standard Arena: Eh? Gruul or Die
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now: G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record) C Eldrazi Tron (9-5) UG Infect RW Burn
Thanks so much for sharing your experience with all of us. As you know, It is very difficult to find fellow Bant Eldrazi pilots, and I would love to hear what his list looked like if you find out what he was running. Any cards stick out to you that were out of the normal that you saw while playing against him? Also, did you see reshapers or skyspawners, ... or both? I find it interesting that you said you feel Bant Eldrazi is favored against Green Tron. I have as of late, really been struggling with the match up. I know I've posted my list a few times, but I'll leave a link to my deck list below for reference. https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/26-12-16-OEE-bant-eldrazi/
Against Mono Green Tron, I usually board out 3 Engineered Explosives, 1 Talisman of Progress, 1 Skyspawner, 1 Displacer, 1 Drowner of Hope, and a Bird of Paradise
I board in 3 stony silence, 3 stubborn denial, 2 disdainful strokes, and recently, In an attempt to make the Tron match up better, I have been bringing in Damping Sphere. (not sure about the card in my sideboard, but been testing to make the Tron match up better)
Perhaps I am overvaluing or undervaluing some cards?
Should I be sideboarding differently given my list?
Hey guys, fellow Bant Eldrazi player, I've been on the deck for about a year now and I'm new to the site. I thought I'd put my deck list here and see what people think about it.
I've just recently added Thalia to the main, so I don't have a lot of things to say about her, but I'm liking what she does in the deck. My meta is kinda control and tron heavy, with a bit of combo floating around, so I thought it'd be a great time to try her out. Also, note that I don't play engineered explosives, solely because I don't own them. Thus, I just play stubborn denial in the main; however, it has won me lots of G1s because of surprise force spikes. I put in Avacyn, which I saw someone else here also did that, which is awesome! She has also taken some opponents by surprise and just won me games, some even being at 1 life.
I'd love to hear some suggestions and to share ideas with other players so that this deck can make it!
In my opinion, your list looks pretty solid. It actually incorporates a lot of cards that were talked about on this forum lately. Archangel Avacyn, fourth Cavern of Souls, Beast Within, and worship included. Have you been on the list posted above excluding your recent addition of Thalias for a while?
Also, Did you come to the decision to play the Archangel prior to reading the suggestions on this forum? I only ask because it was not an obvious inclusion into the deck for me. I still haven't adopted it into my list, and have not given it a fair amount of testing. Overall, the Avacyn has been good for you? My hesitations of playing the ArchAngel come from the anti synergy over the 4th Drowner of Hope. It doesn't get the discount of Eldrazi temple, can't be found off of Stirrings, more than likely cant be cast off of the first cavern of souls (likely naming eldrazi). The nice thing about it is it can grant the team indestructibility, which no Eldrazi can do.
As it appears you are a long time Bant Eldrazi player, I would recommend investing in the Engineered Explosives. The card has a lot of utility for us and improves a lot of match ups for us like humans, affinity, death shadow, infect, mardu pyromancer, lanturn, Jund, Elves, Bogels. .... the spirits deck that's gaining popularity. it can destroy cards that we otherwise have no outs to like ensnaring bridge. (you can counter it with stubborn denial, but once it resolves, your just stuck. There is always the thought knot displacer combo to put cards in opponents hand, but that is a long torturous process)
With your list, you might need to be extra careful about blood moon as you aren't playing a talisman or a basic island. You do however, have two Thalias to delay the moon a turn, and two main stubborn denials which probably help a lot.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your list, and welcome to the community. I'm glad to see new people join the forum and hope to both hear and learn more from you.
Hi everyone, after the GP São Paulo I returned to play Bant Eldrazi, my favorite deck. And I'm satisfied with my results! I'll be playing the PPTQ with him on Sunday, and I'm optimistic.
After testing several cards in more than 100 games in the last two weeks, I wanted to leave some comments to reflect and strengthen comments already written here.
2x Thalia main deck: Thalia is being spectacular for me, helps me in several games. Flexes my hands, disrupts the turns of Hollow One, Mardu, Jeskai, UW .... In addition to always take a removal of the opponent, freeing TKS and Smasher of the first removals. Another clear example, my history against Gifts Storm has always been the worst, but with it, I played 4 matches, and I won 4. And there is a second element that strengthened me more, and that I will speak now.
2x Damping Sphere in Side: This card is completing my side in a beautiful way, besides the versatility, it helps even more matches like Tron, Eldrazi Tron, KCI, Storm and other combos. I'm not sure if I'll play with two copies, but so far I don't want to throw them away.
MAIN DECK:
1 Breeding Pool
3 Brushland
3 Cavern of Souls
4 Eldrazi Temple
2 Forest
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Breeding Pool
1 Plains
1 Temple Garden
3 Windswept Heath
3 Yavimaya Coast
1 Scavenger Grounds
4 Path to Exile
4 Ancient Stirrings
1 Dismember
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Eldrazi Displacer
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Reality Smasher
4 Matter Reshaper
3 Drowner of Hope
2 Eldrazi Skyspawner
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Boreal Druid (I wanted to optimize TKS on t2, and at the same time help against Bmoon. It could be a Talisman, but with Thalia I want to decrease noncreatures spells maindeck)
SIDEBOARD:
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Natural State
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Stony Silence
2 Damping Sphere
2 Stubborn Denial
1 Unified Will - Testing and Loving
1 Pithing Needle - Testing (A more flexible slot)
1 Worship
1 All Is Dust (Could be a second copy of EEs)
I hope to achieve a good result in the PPTQ and have a favorable path. I think the old players need a second chance at the deck.
Leave your opinions, the more knowledge better
I had been looking at this forum for a little while and took some ideas here and there. I played a couple boreal druids in place of Thalia because RG was doing it and blood moon kills me.
On Avacyn, I actually had picked her up in a trade months ago, and just try her out. It's a really good way to blow out opponents in a tight situation, and it is also a win condition against ensnaring bridge, much better than Eldrazi Displacer + TKS. I actually beat mono red prison because of this card.
On the Engineered Explosives, I know I should pick them up sometime, it's just that I planned to buy them a while back and they spiked. It's something that I really wish I had for matchups like bogles, humans, and pyromancer. Matchups like affinity, death's Shadow, and jund actually feel really favored to me already, so I would love to see what else it can do.
The way I see blood moon, is that, it's really hard to beat before and after it drops, even with Engineered Explosives. The card just beats us, just like worship can just outright win us games against humans and other creature matchups.
I'm glad to contribute to the good way that is Bant Eldrazi, and I'd like to learn from the rest of you guys as well!
After your tournament, what was your overall opinion on Archangel Avacyn? Good enough to keep in the Mainboard as a 1 of? seems great against cards like supreme verdict and oblivion stone. However, it also seems like the card has potential to backfire on us as well. If our board presence is our lower CMC like noble, skypawner, scions and or displacer, they can kill one thing and wrath our board. Has this happened to you yet? I realize blinking the angel gives the team indestructibility. However, it seems the wrath effect happens on the following turn after indestructibility has worn off. I've been looking for ways to improve my control match up. More so blue white control than Jeskai. Jeskai seems like an ok match up. Archangel Avacyn seems like a reasonable card to consider. I recently put 2 Gidoen, Ally of Zendikar in my sideboard to help with the control match up. I haven't been able to test them yet, but its possible Avavyn is better? Not sure as of yet. And of course, there is always the option for me to play the 4th cavern of souls. I'd just be unsure as of what land to cut.
As for the Aether hubs instead of the pain lands, I like how it opens up space for additional basic lands for blood moon and field of ruin. As a fellow Bant Eldrazi player, I can agree that Blood moon is significantly not fun to play against. My anti blood moon technology is 1 talisman of progress, 5 mana dorks and a basic island (which a lot of lists don't run) I'd like to cut the talisman for a better card, but I don't want to have 0 answers to a resolved blood moon. I can see that there are probably a lot of times where it'd be easy to be color screwed by the Aether hubs though. Especially with running 2 engineered explosives. (which i think is great for us and wouldn't recommend playing less than 2.) For me, I think pain lands are better, but i have never tried the aether hubs myself. In the last few days since posting the report, have you made a decision on what lands you'd play going forward?
Also, after the tournament, do you intend to continue to run 2 damping spheres in the sideboard? seems good against, storm, tron, and kci? but I don't think it has a whole lot of applicability in other match ups? unless I'm forgetting about a deck.
No problem ... I asked, because my English is bad, and it would be easier to speak Portuguese with you. I hope you understand me
About the GP ... I was from Eldrazi Tron, I played for over a year with the deck, and I was confident, even knowing that metagame didn't favor him! I made 10-5, with two very ridiculous defeats against KCI
How I found out about you ... My friend (he was playing Grixis DS) told me that he faced a player who was with Bant Eldrazi, and I was surprised and excited about this fact! And because of that, I decided to give the deck a chance again, I came to read some news, and I found your post talking about the GP São Paulo = PPP
About Bant Eldrazi .... I love this deck, I played with it since its creation, I did excellent results in 2016 and 2017, but I honestly did not think it had the strength to go far in the GP SP 2018, besides I was not training with he, so I made my choice at Eldra-Tron.
I read your report, and my thoughts are ...
- Pain lands: I believe the idea is good for preventing life in a format that is quite fast and aggressive. But I think the risk isn't worth it, maybe use both, I don't know, but I got to test and suffered sometimes not to have blue
- Worship: I think the fantastic idea, because of the many free victories in Game 1, I had already thought about it, and you reinforced my thinking.
- Avancy: I confess that I was surprised to see her on your list, never tested, and initially I don't like it, but I will test!
- Vizier Chord: There's a player on my team who plays for Counters Company, and the game is really bad!
- New Suggestions:
1- A letter that I like very much on my list is Restoration Angel instead of a Drowner of Hope (+1x Restoration / -1x Drowner)! Because the format is faster, and you have 4x CMC6 on the deck is very heavy, I found the exchange valid. Restoration gives an interesting surprise effect, protects its creatures, makes blockers suppressed, and it + displacer are invincible, plus a 3/4 fly is not irrelevant in the Modern. I love Drowner, but I don't want him in my starting hand, so I found the number 3x very good.
2- I added a Mind stone, as my "5 dork", helps me against Blood Moon, and gives me a draw in the late game, that idea, I brought it from the Eldrazi Tron, do a test.
Finally, I wanted to hear from you that you are active with Bant Eldrazi, how you are doing in the main matchups, and how you feel about the deck.
Congratulations on the great result in GP SP. Very well deserved.
Yes! I meant Damping Sphere, haha sorry! I never boarded them in so I have no idea whether they work or not, I believe they cripple us a bit because of the temples, but the upside outweighs the cons either crippling tron even more than ourselves, or blocking storm/KCI.
When it comes to Avacyn, it is true it can be a double edged sword, but I never played it if I couldn't have a good use for it. Let's say -make a better block than my opponent expected or sweeping the board where I'd take more from the opponent than what I'd lose to the sweep. Of course blinking her in response to the damage trigger to re-gain indestructibility for the team sounds awesome but I have to admit I never managed to actually do it; I believe the opponent would concede on the spot to something like that :D. Most of the time what I did was cast her end of turn, sac a scion to make her trigger on my upkeep and swing for lethal with her and the 5/5s on a clean board.
I haven't thought about playing Gideon, or any other planeswalker, I feel the fourth cavern is just to good (if you play creatures - I hate having my spells countered). Controls in my local meta play a bunch of wraths and terminus so it sounds viable, off the top of my head I feel I'd be a bit greedier and go for either baby karn (colorless -> Strrings) or Big Elspeth I always loved that PW.
As for the Hubs, I am still torn (stupid lands xD). Two times in Sao Paulo I managed to cast worship while being at one (I would have died using pain-lands) and one time I lost because I color screwed, so I don't know. I believe I will continue using the hubs in the short term, but this is the most uncertain I am about any deckbuilding matter. Plus, I love having a slot to play the Wastes (completely irracional - my bad). Plus 2, there is always the option of adding an extra color and playing EE on 4/5 (BoP can help us do it as well).
And finally, I think the sphere is a good sideboard card agains those 3 particular decks, I can't think of another match-up where I'd board it in. But sideboard is very meta dependent in my opinion, I wouldn't put it in the 15 if I know there is only one TRON player - already having avacyn mainboard, 3 stony silences and 2 beast withins. I would focus more on the tough match ups we have - like blood moon centered decks and vizier chord.
Oh, my Portuguese is awful I can barely introduce myself and tell the 5 magic colors
I believe I played with your friend on the very last round, he had really unlucky draws
I couldn't agree more with you regarding the lands, it is a really tough choice and both have their ups and downs.
Worship is awesome I agree 100% with you again!
Avacyn is really really good in the late game and it makes your opening hand horrible if she's there. It's quite similar to a drowner of hope or a reality smasher in a temple-less hand.
Restoration Angel sounds great, having a way to blink/safe a displacer sounds like the piece of tech I was missing - I am definitely gonna try it. More than often I have found myself naming Angel with a Cavern of Souls for Avacyn and having another creature to cast with it sounds neat
I play 4 nobles and 2 BoP I don't think adding a Mind Stone here would be a great idea. Perhaps playing Boreal Druid could be a good option against blood moon too but I should cut one or two chickens.
I would say, factoring out Blood Moon on really early turns and vizier chord, the deck has 50/50 or better chances against any Tier 1 deck at the moment. It is difficult to sideboard against (again, except blood moon :D) and most of the creatures 2 for 1 the opponent.
Overall, my opinion is that the main reason the deck is so good is because on Game 1 it can play super aggro like TKS t2 into Smasher t3 and it can also beat the most mid-rangy strategies with Displacers making magic with ETB triggers. And then, post-board, having access to such a wide variety of good sideboard cards is awesome, the limit is the pilot skill -so reading the meta corectly can be very rewarding.
I have to say I am really happy hearing from you guys! It's the first time I post something and I really really appreciate the feedback
PS: Weird pitch! How would you like to create an Eldrazi whatsapp group to share info on a more immediate manner - Text me if you're interested! (+54 9 351 7897763)
I wouldn't say it's a stupid choice, but I wouldn't say it's the best choice either. I'd rather have threats in my hand, perhaps 2 main deck and the third one post board? Agains humans its a dead card unless you manage to force spike the vial on t1.
Worship on the other hand, it's just beautiful!
https://www.meta-chart.com/share/modern-pro-series-fire-dice-71418
I expect similar decks to show up at the PTTQ.
my current decklist (also, to include a 4th cavern of souls, what is the correct land to cut from the deck?)
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/26-12-16-OEE-bant-eldrazi/
How am I supposed to board against blue white control and Jeskai Control? Maybe I'm over boarding? my blue white control plan involves
+3 stubborn denial
+2 Disdainful Strokes
+2 Gideons
-1 birds of paradise
-1 talisman of progress
-1 noble hierarch
-2 engineered explosives
-2 path
I Want to have room for some rest in peace and natural states... for Spreading Seas, Search for Azcanta, Detention Sphere, and a Crucible of Worlds I saw from the sideboard.
Maybe avacyn is the thing for me to try.
Also, I noticed this community as of late seems to value a 3rd stony silence over a 3rd rest in peace. I am a bit confused as to why. I don't always want to board in 3 Rest in Peace, but looking at mtg goldfish metagame break down, Id board in 3 against hollow one, Grixus Death Shadow, Mardu Pyromancer, Krark-clan Ironworks, Storm, Dredge, Jund, and some number of them against Jeskai and blue white control.
Any feedback is much appreciated.
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
How have the Boreal Druids been working? I have the opportunity to go to a PTTQ this weekend and I was thinking about increasing my number of turn 1 mana accelerants. I currently play 5 mana dorks and a talisman.
I think I'm going to switch my mana dork package to 4 Noble Hierarch and 3 Boreal Druid.
It's possible adding more mana dorks in a control meta is not the right call for me to make, as in my sideboarded games against blue white, and jeskai, I often cut the talisman and 2 dorks.
I think In making this change I'd have to change my basic lands though. Basic Forest becomes more valuable in this set up. I was considering cutting basic Plains and running 2 Forest and an Island.
I've also been having a hard time cutting a land for a 4th cavern.
I'm not sure which land Is the correct one to cut.
Current mana base is as follows.
4 eldrazi temple
3 cavern
3 Brushland
3 yavimaya coast
2 misty rainforest
2 windswept heath
1 forest
1 island
1 plains
1 breeding pool
1 hallowed fountain
1 temple garden
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/26-12-16-OEE-bant-eldrazi/?cb=1532718499
See my previous post to see what changes I was contemplating making.
Thought about going
-1 bird
-1 talisman
-1 Engineered explosives (moved to sideboard)
+ 3 Boreal Druid
However the meta I will be playing in will be heavy on control players. I think I'll leave my decklist the same as the link above for my event tomorrow. The Gideon in my sideboard is a flex spot and am not completely satisfied with him.
Also I have thought about cutting the 3rd yavimaya coast for the 4th cavern, but it feels bad as it's a Three color land for us. But going into tomorrow's meta, the fourth cavern is probably worth it.
Still playing the stubborn denials main?
I could see thragtusk being ok against jund.
My experience with thragtusk against control is that it always gets countered. After playing serveral uncounterable Eldrazi, the control player usually has counter magic stranded in hand, As for scapeshift, it's definitely not a favored match up. But our deck has cards to beat it. Thought knot is very important in the match up. Displacer thought knot combo can be a very good way to beat them and it's necessary to pay attention to their mana and play in accordance to them being on 6th or 7th land drop. My two disdainful strokes from the sideboard are great in this match up.
Played
Jank red
Tron
Dredge
Tron
Jund
Dredge
Quarterfinals of top 8 --- spirits (I lost)
For thinking I'd see a lot of control, I didn't play a single control match up.
Match 1, Mediocre burn Aggro home brew. He was running multiple hazorets, Bomat courier, and ramunuip ruins. Saw a rabble master and swift spears.
I was a little confused as to what was going on for game 2 and he ended up playing kari zev's expertise, stole a smasher of mine and killed me with it. Felt bad to lose a game to what felt like a budget modern deck.
Game three I killed him while at 8 life.
Match 2: Tron
Game 1: He mulls to 5. Assembles Tron and fairly quickly and runs away with the game.
Game 2: game 1 ended before he pieced together what I was playing. He had seen Eldrazi skyspawner and engineered explosives game 1, and I think was just confused. Turn 2 I cast a stony silence which was great as he never drew an answer for it. I had cast a thought-knot seer revealing a hand of ugin and wormxoil engine (only relevant cards). I awkwardly took the Ugin because I had a path for the wurmcoil. Ended up drawing into a drowner of hope and saving the path for a potential ulamog that never happened. I tapped his wurmcoil for two turns. He played a walking ballista for 5 to try and make it so my thought knot and drowner couldn't get through. I swing with an exalted drowner of hope. He tried to block and ping my thought knot, but couldn't because of stony silence. Then I pathed his wurmcoil when he tried to attack and gain life and the game was over.
Game 3: He knew what I was on now and took out ugins. I had no stony silence game 3 but I did draw 4 thought knots. After all of my hand disruption and disdainful stoking two karns, I was able to win the match.
Match 3: Dredge
Round 1: my opponent mulls to 5 and try's to play off of 1 land and a faithless looting, which didn't find him a second land. He was mana screwed for several turns making it an easy win.
Round 2: opponent mulled to 5, scried to the bottom and passed turn. He kept a 0 lander and was mana screwed again.
This was my easiest match of the day as my opponent didn't even get to play magic.
Match 4: Tron
Match 1: He mulls to 5, assembles Tron and kills me with little to no effort. (Very similar to my previous Tron opponent )
Match 2: I thought knot him to see a hand with no pay offs but lots of mana. I take an ancient Stirrings, but he top decks one, cast it to find a Karn and casts it. I kill it with a smasher, but he kills smasher with an oblivion stone. I very quickly lose control of the game. (Also of note, in this match I cast my very first ancient stirrings that resulted in a whiff. I've been playing this deck for about 2 years now, and this had never happened to me before today. Cast ancient Stirrings, saw disdainful stroke, 2 stubborn denials, a stony silence, and another ancient Stirrings).
Match 5: Jund
Game 1: no hand disruption and I'm able to find an opening to engineered explosives a goyf and dark confidant away. Dark confidant had only drew him a single extra card before I was able to blow up both creatures. I don't remember exactly how I beat him game 1, but I out grinded jund like us bant eldrazi players do.
Game 2: He has turn 1 hand disruption and takes 1 of my 2 ancient Stirrings as it was what fixed my hand. (1 lander, 2 ancient Stirrings) I cast an early engineered explosives hoping he would maelstrom pulse it, and he did just that. Then I played a second engineered explosives (he didn't know about this one from his thought seize) and blew up a goyf and dark confidant again. Then I played a Rest In Peace and his ooze and goyfs were pretty useless going forward.
Not a whole lot to say about this match up, but I do think it's a very favorable match up for us. (Lists with Rabblemasters may make me double think that)
Match 6: Dredge
I'm a bit scared going into this match up because it's the deciding match to see who makes top 8.
Game: 1 I get steam rolled
Game 2: I'm on the play, and I play a turn 1 cage, turn two skyspawner, and a turn 3 smasher. Very hard for him to catch up. Being on the play this game made all the difference it the match. I out race him despite him using ancient grudge on my cage.
Game 3: I was on the draw. He goes land, pass turn. I go turn 1 cage. He plays his second land drop and passes turn. My turn two play was a Rest In Peace. At end step, he abrupt decays Rest In Peace. Then on his turn, he Abrupt decays the cage! And I think he played faithless looting. Discarding conflagerate and the land that dredges 2.
My turn comes along and I have two nobles to play for turn into a known conflagerate in his graveyard. I was trying to get to drowner of hope. His turn 4 play was cathartic reunion, flashback conflagerate, targeting two nobles and a scion. I am able to force spike (stubborn denial) and cast my drowner of hope the following turn. This was very much so the deciding factor of the game. Had he not made himself susceptible to the stubborn denial, it looked like his dredging could have started being relevant.
Ended up winning the match only losing to match 4 mono green tron
By top 8, I was #1 seat.
Quarter finals. Spirits
I was land stuck twice.
Had some bad luck with deck variance.
I felt it was hard to complain after my previous dredge match up. Felt like I used up all of my luck with a turn 1 cage turn 2 rip. Even though he had answered them both immediately with abrupt decay.
I learned that them having the ability to instant speed dredge off of thought knot is really really bad for us.
As for skyspawner, you asking if he is good against dredge or Tron?
I think it's good against dredge as he provides two bodies and ramps us into our smashers so we can race.
Skyspawner against Tron is only mediocre.
Also I prefer skyspawner over reshaper...I realize that is what you were asking. Skyspawner Ramps us, makes two bodies, makes it so we can block evasive (flying) threats, vastly improves match up against affinity and infect, and any blood moon deck.
Big advocate of skyspawner over reshaper.
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/26-12-16-OEE-bant-eldrazi/
Against Mono Green Tron, I usually board out 3 Engineered Explosives, 1 Talisman of Progress, 1 Skyspawner, 1 Displacer, 1 Drowner of Hope, and a Bird of Paradise
I board in 3 stony silence, 3 stubborn denial, 2 disdainful strokes, and recently, In an attempt to make the Tron match up better, I have been bringing in Damping Sphere. (not sure about the card in my sideboard, but been testing to make the Tron match up better)
Perhaps I am overvaluing or undervaluing some cards?
Should I be sideboarding differently given my list?
Creatures: 27
1 Birds of Paradise
2 Thalia, Gaurdian of Thraben
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Eldrazi Skyspawner
4 Eldrazi Displacer
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Reality Smasher
3 Drowner of Hope
1 Archangel Avacyn
Spells: 10
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Path to Exile
2 Stubborn Denial
Lands: 23
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Windswept Heath
1 Temple Garden
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Breeding Pool
3 Brushland
2 Yavimaya Coast
2 Forest
1 Plains
Sideboard:
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 Stubborn Denial
3 Stony Silence
2 Rest in Peace
2 Beast Within
2 Worship
2 Grafdigger's Cage
I've just recently added Thalia to the main, so I don't have a lot of things to say about her, but I'm liking what she does in the deck. My meta is kinda control and tron heavy, with a bit of combo floating around, so I thought it'd be a great time to try her out. Also, note that I don't play engineered explosives, solely because I don't own them. Thus, I just play stubborn denial in the main; however, it has won me lots of G1s because of surprise force spikes. I put in Avacyn, which I saw someone else here also did that, which is awesome! She has also taken some opponents by surprise and just won me games, some even being at 1 life.
I'd love to hear some suggestions and to share ideas with other players so that this deck can make it!
GBW Abzan Midrange
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/decks/9485-temur-evolve RUG
GBR Jund Flayer
Naya Zoo GRW
Pauper:
Izzet Blitz UR
Standard:
Izzet Drakes UR
UR Izzet Wizards
Also, Did you come to the decision to play the Archangel prior to reading the suggestions on this forum? I only ask because it was not an obvious inclusion into the deck for me. I still haven't adopted it into my list, and have not given it a fair amount of testing. Overall, the Avacyn has been good for you? My hesitations of playing the ArchAngel come from the anti synergy over the 4th Drowner of Hope. It doesn't get the discount of Eldrazi temple, can't be found off of Stirrings, more than likely cant be cast off of the first cavern of souls (likely naming eldrazi). The nice thing about it is it can grant the team indestructibility, which no Eldrazi can do.
As it appears you are a long time Bant Eldrazi player, I would recommend investing in the Engineered Explosives. The card has a lot of utility for us and improves a lot of match ups for us like humans, affinity, death shadow, infect, mardu pyromancer, lanturn, Jund, Elves, Bogels. .... the spirits deck that's gaining popularity. it can destroy cards that we otherwise have no outs to like ensnaring bridge. (you can counter it with stubborn denial, but once it resolves, your just stuck. There is always the thought knot displacer combo to put cards in opponents hand, but that is a long torturous process)
With your list, you might need to be extra careful about blood moon as you aren't playing a talisman or a basic island. You do however, have two Thalias to delay the moon a turn, and two main stubborn denials which probably help a lot.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your list, and welcome to the community. I'm glad to see new people join the forum and hope to both hear and learn more from you.
After testing several cards in more than 100 games in the last two weeks, I wanted to leave some comments to reflect and strengthen comments already written here.
2x Thalia main deck: Thalia is being spectacular for me, helps me in several games. Flexes my hands, disrupts the turns of Hollow One, Mardu, Jeskai, UW .... In addition to always take a removal of the opponent, freeing TKS and Smasher of the first removals. Another clear example, my history against Gifts Storm has always been the worst, but with it, I played 4 matches, and I won 4. And there is a second element that strengthened me more, and that I will speak now.
2x Damping Sphere in Side: This card is completing my side in a beautiful way, besides the versatility, it helps even more matches like Tron, Eldrazi Tron, KCI, Storm and other combos. I'm not sure if I'll play with two copies, but so far I don't want to throw them away.
MAIN DECK:
1 Breeding Pool
3 Brushland
3 Cavern of Souls
4 Eldrazi Temple
2 Forest
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Breeding Pool
1 Plains
1 Temple Garden
3 Windswept Heath
3 Yavimaya Coast
1 Scavenger Grounds
4 Path to Exile
4 Ancient Stirrings
1 Dismember
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Eldrazi Displacer
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Reality Smasher
4 Matter Reshaper
3 Drowner of Hope
2 Eldrazi Skyspawner
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Boreal Druid (I wanted to optimize TKS on t2, and at the same time help against Bmoon. It could be a Talisman, but with Thalia I want to decrease noncreatures spells maindeck)
SIDEBOARD:
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Natural State
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Stony Silence
2 Damping Sphere
2 Stubborn Denial
1 Unified Will - Testing and Loving
1 Pithing Needle - Testing (A more flexible slot)
1 Worship
1 All Is Dust (Could be a second copy of EEs)
I hope to achieve a good result in the PPTQ and have a favorable path. I think the old players need a second chance at the deck.
Leave your opinions, the more knowledge better
On Avacyn, I actually had picked her up in a trade months ago, and just try her out. It's a really good way to blow out opponents in a tight situation, and it is also a win condition against ensnaring bridge, much better than Eldrazi Displacer + TKS. I actually beat mono red prison because of this card.
On the Engineered Explosives, I know I should pick them up sometime, it's just that I planned to buy them a while back and they spiked. It's something that I really wish I had for matchups like bogles, humans, and pyromancer. Matchups like affinity, death's Shadow, and jund actually feel really favored to me already, so I would love to see what else it can do.
The way I see blood moon, is that, it's really hard to beat before and after it drops, even with Engineered Explosives. The card just beats us, just like worship can just outright win us games against humans and other creature matchups.
I'm glad to contribute to the good way that is Bant Eldrazi, and I'd like to learn from the rest of you guys as well!
GBW Abzan Midrange
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/decks/9485-temur-evolve RUG
GBR Jund Flayer
Naya Zoo GRW
Pauper:
Izzet Blitz UR
Standard:
Izzet Drakes UR
UR Izzet Wizards