Secrets of the Mausoleum 1B
Instant
Undergrowth - search your library for a black card with converted mana cost equal to or less than the number of creature cards in your graveyard, reveal it and add it to your hand, then shuffle your library.
Seems like a nice tutor, can find deathshadow, fatal push, thoughtseize, liliana etc. Can be enablesby street wraith early on.
Maybe architects of will could see a resurgence in order to enable this more often?
Idk if it will replace traverse but its does seem easier to enable, and more versatile that traverse.
Easier to enable than Traverse? I don't know about that. Shadow and Tarmogoyf aren't going to the graveyard unless you're playing against Mardu or Jund, and otherwise we have 4x Wraith as literally the only ways to get use out of Mausoleum Secrets. Architects would certainly help, but how many copies would we play? 1-2 at most?
Don't get me wrong, I was super excited for this card as well. I just don't know if this is the right shell. Maybe if we move closer to Sultai and thus commit to playing a bit of a slower game. It costs 2 instead of 1, but it is instant speed which is nice. It can't tutor Tarmogoyf but it's been rare that I Traverse for goyf (only happened 2-3 times that I recall). Being able to search up Shadow, Push, Thoughtseize/IOK, all with only one creature in the yard does seem pretty attractive. Maybe even Countersquall in the Sultai shell. If only there was a black effect similar enough to TBR for 2 or less mana then we could cut red out of the deck entirely.
Secrets of the Mausoleum 1B
Instant
Undergrowth - search your library for a black card with converted mana cost equal to or less than the number of creature cards in your graveyard, reveal it and add it to your hand, then shuffle your library.
Seems like a nice tutor, can find deathshadow, fatal push, thoughtseize, liliana etc. Can be enablesby street wraith early on.
Maybe architects of will could see a resurgence in order to enable this more often?
Idk if it will replace traverse but its does seem easier to enable, and more versatile that traverse.
Easier to enable than Traverse? I don't know about that. Shadow and Tarmogoyf aren't going to the graveyard unless you're playing against Mardu or Jund, and otherwise we have 4x Wraith as literally the only ways to get use out of Mausoleum Secrets. Architects would certainly help, but how many copies would we play? 1-2 at most?
Don't get me wrong, I was super excited for this card as well. I just don't know if this is the right shell. Maybe if we move closer to Sultai and thus commit to playing a bit of a slower game. It costs 2 instead of 1, but it is instant speed which is nice. It can't tutor Tarmogoyf but it's been rare that I Traverse for goyf (only happened 2-3 times that I recall). Being able to search up Shadow, Push, Thoughtseize/IOK, all with only one creature in the yard does seem pretty attractive. Maybe even Countersquall in the Sultai shell. If only there was a black effect similar enough to TBR for 2 or less mana then we could cut red out of the deck entirely.
Im obviously theorizing here, but it is much easier to turn on than traverse. Given that the only way to turn on traverse is by having Land, Sorcery, Instant AND Creature OR Artifact (im not counting planeswalker as that rarely influences our traverse by the time we need it played). You will always have or need either a creature (wraith) or an artifact in the grave (bauble) to enable traverse. Hence if we replaced all baubles for architects of will, we would still be on the same amount of "Traverse enablers" without having to worry about land, sorcery and instant. Plus we wouldnt need to run bauble if we arent running traverse.
Now I dont know how much it would change or affect the gameplan by trading a 0 mana cantrip into a 1 mana cantrip that could be played late game in a pinch. It would obviously make it more mana intensive since the tutor costs 2 instead of 1 for traverse, and we lose the ability to tutor up a basic land which is important.
Im not saying this will replace traverse but im throwing it out there to hear ideas and thoughts.
On another note, I think the assassins throphy hurts our deck If we run a 5c mana base. The whole purpose of running White as the extra color is to hedge against midrange decks, and this new card could see GBx back up and using it to get rid of our only white source. With our mana base being so fragile and running so few basics I wouldn't be surprised if 4c Maximum becomes the new rule moving forward.
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Those are fair points. I could see increasing land count by 1 and running 4x Architects instead of Baubles all together. Architects as a late game Fateseal sounds super sweet actually. Definitely a better topdeck than Bauble, plus you get the card right away.
That definitely seems to be the consensus regarding Mana. BGx will be attacking our manabase for sure so I think I'll start including a basic island, either main or side. My plan is to fight them with blue and drop white all together
It's been a couple of months since I've played any Magic but there is a PPTQ tomorrow and I figured I would try my hand at it. I decided to play 4 Color Traverse(maybe 5 Color)because I had the cards and because my only other deck is bad right now(Mono White DnT). Right now, I have 4 colors in the main with the old Godless Shrine action out of the board. I'm not really sold on it because it would open 4 more board slots which I feel would probably be better.
I'm looking for some help and any pointers I can get before tomorrow. I've never played the deck but it plays some of the cards I love in Magic.
Now for some explanations before we move onto the Side Board.(Please keep in mind, I never played the deck before and most is just theory) Ashiok, Nigtmare Weaver and Nissa, Steward of Elements- one of these are in place for a Lillana of the Veil. Let me explain some of the reasons why.
1. From what I've read, UW Control is a very bad match up for this deck. I know LotV can attack the hand, but I always find her so meh at best.From goldfishing the +1 from LotV is just okay(I rarely feel like I have cards I want to discard unless I'm flooding). The -2 is good but I don't feel it's good enough right now unless the field is full of Midrange decks(now there might be tomorrow but I'm willing to risk it). The Ult is amazing i give it that, but the plus never look appealing to me so it probably won't happen. And the big fear with LotV. Double Black. I fear not having access to double black when I need it and really don't want a dead card stuck in hand. It's a small fear I know but its something I don't want to risk.
I think eating away their deck with Ashiok could prove to be huge. If they are on the Terminus plan, it keeps messing that up hopefully. Comes down fairly early and the Ult would be backbreaking I'm sure. Though, it does take a few turns to get the Ult off so it may just be a living the dream moment for me.
Nissa, is something I saw in someone else's list and figured it was worth a try over Jace, the Mind Sculptor or Vendilion Clique. Both the former cards are double blue which scared me off and I think Nissa having the ability to help smooth draws and possible putting creatures and lands into play for free seems good. Not sure how good it really is but I think its worth testing but it comes down early.
Now I know earlier I said I didn't plan on seeing a bunch of Midrange decks so why would I run the Godless and Souls? I honestly don't know! I liked the idea of being 5 Color more but I just don't think it's worth running them which opens up 4 more board slots.
The Alpine Moon were huge in my Mardu Shadow deck I was playing around with. It hit so many lands I don't want to deal with. Celestial Colonnade Tron Lands, Manlands ect ect. They put in work so I don't think I would cut them.
If I do end up cutting the White from the board, my board would look more like this -
-1 Godless SHrine
-3 Lingering Souls
+1 Radiant Flames
+1 Delay
+2 ??
Looking for any pointers I can get before tomorrow. The deck looks super sweet all sleeved up but I'm not sure how well off the deck is right now.
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Abrade should be other two slots in your Sideboard. Lingering souls is really only for the Jund and Mardu matches and those decks don't seem to be very popular (in the 5x PPTQs I've played so far this summer). Abrade helps against Affinity, Infect, Spirits, and most importantly humans.
I really can't get behind Ashiok. I'll get around to trying Nissa Steward myself someday. She seems good. But I think Ashiok should be either one of the two Lilianas or even maybe a Snapcaster. Another Stubborn in the main certainly wouldn't hurt, helping your chances in g1 against KCI, Storm, and Tron.
The rest of your list looks solid. The removal package is always a cluster and I don't think they're is any proper configuration unless you know for sure what meta you'll be facing. But I've found that 8x main deck removal and 1x Snapcaster does the trick for me. I'm a lot more scared of Humans and Spirits in g1 than I am of Jund or UW because there's no way to tune your deck to beat the latter for g1. Best you can do is sideboard and pray. But Humans and Coco decks can be beat in g1 if you're prepared.
Best of luck to you in the PPTQ. I'll be playing tomorrow (Sunday) and will report back with my results.
Abrade should be other two slots in your Sideboard. Lingering souls is really only for the Jund and Mardu matches and those decks don't seem to be very popular (in the 5x PPTQs I've played so far this summer). Abrade helps against Affinity, Infect, Spirits, and most importantly humans.
I really can't get behind Ashiok. I'll get around to trying Nissa Steward myself someday. She seems good. But I think Ashiok should be either one of the two Lilianas or even maybe a Snapcaster. Another Stubborn in the main certainly wouldn't hurt, helping your chances in g1 against KCI, Storm, and Tron.
The rest of your list looks solid. The removal package is always a cluster and I don't think they're is any proper configuration unless you know for sure what meta you'll be facing. But I've found that 8x main deck removal and 1x Snapcaster does the trick for me. I'm a lot more scared of Humans and Spirits in g1 than I am of Jund or UW because there's no way to tune your deck to beat the latter for g1. Best you can do is sideboard and pray. But Humans and Coco decks can be beat in g1 if you're prepared.
Best of luck to you in the PPTQ. I'll be playing tomorrow (Sunday) and will report back with my results.
How have the Spell Snare and the Kolaghan's Command been working? I had 1x K Command in the rough draft of the board but three mana looked way to slow. And Snare?! I love the card but how good is it in Modern right now?
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Snare is experimental. I haven't played with it in competitive REL yet. My thinking is to use it against Burn, Jund, Jeskai, GWx Vizier, and Storm.
K-Command is really only against Mardu, Jund, KCI, Affinity, and Pyro Prison. Affinity in the form of Hardened Scales seems to be increasing in online presence so I wanna be prepared in paper just in case. I like it to help grind against Mardu, and since can bring in Ensnaring Bridge post-board I figured the artifact removal would be good.
What would you replace for the 4th stub ? I already have 3 counters in the sideboard that serve other purposes. I worry about having too many stubs because they're not always live.
Round 1 - Mono U Merfolk (1-2)
I pummeled him game one, winning turn 5 off a TBR. Game two and three I mulligan my 7 no lander, then a 6 no lander, and end up keeping a 5, both games. He had spreading seas to deal with my one land and the draws weren't good for me after that.
Round 2 - Ad Nauseum (2-0)
Game one he killed himself with Spoils of the Vault, but I some early board presence anyway. Game two I had enough disruption to stop his combo attempts and a giant Shadow took the game.
Round 3 - Hardened Scales Affinity (2-0)
Game one was long, and he could've went for it with Infect damage but he played it safe which gave me time to draw some answers. Very close game. Game two was way worse for him after SB. He couldn't stick anything and I won with a Shadow and TBR, but he sacrificed enough to ravager to keep himself at 1 life. Next turn I topdeck Fatal Push to kill his last blocker, but I had another TBR in hand anyway.
Round 4 - Green Tron (2-1)
Game one I got a great opening, killing him fairly quickly with Tarmogoyf and TBR. Game two he got a nuts draw where even with Inquisition & Thoughtseize on turns 1 and 2, he still had turn 3 Karn. I bolt the Karn but then must deal with turn 4 Ugin. Then he follows up with turn 5 Ulamog. Game three I opened with Alpine Moon in hand, so when I Thoughtseize I almost took his Oblivion Stone instead of Expedition Map, but I went for map instead and it won me the game. He later drew into a Thragtusk which he could've cast if I let him keep the map, which then would've stalled me considerably. I bolted myself twice on turn three, swinging with a 10/10 Shadow. Then killing him on turn four with another crack for 10.
Round 5 - Infect (0-2)
This is a strange match-up. It's freaky so favored to me in my testing but even though I drew fairly well both games, the inkmoth posed the biggest problem. It was the only creature he connected with all match. In retrospect I should've boarded in Alpine Moon. Another mistake was in game two - I cast Thoughtseize on turn one, but see he has only one land. I held answers for all his threats except his SB Geist of Saint Traft. I took the Geist but I should've taken Shapers Sanctuary because it ended up drawing him three cards, whereas he never got enough lands to even play the Geist.
Round 6 - Sultai Shadow, No Red (2-1)
Game one was long and grueling. Between the both of us we must've cast discard effects 6 or 7 times. It was topdeck mode and I got a threat+stub before he could answer it. I boarded out my Lightning bolts for more counterspells and K-Command. Game two I got stuck on one land for a while and his board got out of hand. I had a Shadow big enough to block his which kept me safe for a while until he topdecked a fetch land to beef his up during combat. My next topdeck needed to save me but it was a whiff. Game three almost went to time, as I got stuck on one land again for a long time. But the nonland cards I drew were total gas so I answered everything he did. Towards the end his last two topdecks were land and by then I had Shadow + Stub so he couldn't stay alive. Very good games all the way around. Kolaghan's Command was my MVP here.
Cut to top 8, first round of Single elimination and I'm up against the only undefeated player of the event that day.
Q-Finals - GWx Vizier Combo (0-2)
Game one was very drawn out but I missed an early opportunity to Bolt a Tireless Tracker which ended up getting out of hand, drawing him many cards off clues. Game two I was too patient, trying to hold my removal (Decay, Bolt, and Push all in hand) to keep him off critical creatures like his combo or Scavenging Ooze. But it ended up in vain because he just overran me with a bunch of small threats.
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I think I need to sideboard differently against against aggressive combo decks, such as Infect and GW Vizier. One guy suggested I board out all my Baubles in those matches, in favor of simply more interaction. Both matches I didn't board in much, only 2-4 cards.
I think I can bring out all Baubles in these matches in favor or of more removal, especially Collective Brutality. I didn't bring it in at all during the tournament, assuming it's only useful against Burn, but maybe that's not correct.
Nice job on the T8. Against the aggressive creature based combo decks, I definitely would not board out the baubles. Speed is key there, so you want to hit that early threat, e.g. via Traverse. And cutting baubles is effectively cutting lands, which can be problematic. I would definitely bring in Collective Brutality against Vizier - killing literally anything and taking a CoCo is exactly where you want to be. Taking a path is also great, if they don't have a CoCo. Brutality seems good in theory against infect, but I could never figure out what to cut for it. I'm not sure what the best way to SB against them is. We just have an embarassment of riches when it comes to sb options.
Thanks. Here's an interesting interaction that my spectating friend called me out on as a missplay, but I think I was correct.
I cast Thoughtseize on maybe turn 4 or 5 and see he's holding only Coco and Chord of Calling. He is one Mana short to cast Coco (only BOP and two lands in play) but he has other creatures so he can Chord for X=3 regardless of his next topdeck. I take the Chord hoping he doesn't topdeck a land. I have a 5/5 Shadow on board and Stubborn in hand, but no Mana untapped. If I can delay the Coco for one more turn, I'll be able to stub it. But he topdecks the land and casts Coco main phase. The Coco got him both Vizier and Devoted, forcing me to deal with the combo immediately.
I think I take CoCo there. He's, what, 40% to hit the land there? It just seems too likely.
That said, I'm not sure I tap out to Thoughtseize there (depending on how many lands you have, what's in your hand, etc). Holding up Stub, then Thoughtseize + hold up stub next turn might be the best play. Their most important spells tend to be instants.
I think I take CoCo there. He's, what, 40% to hit the land there? It just seems too likely.
That said, I'm not sure I tap out to Thoughtseize there (depending on how many lands you have, what's in your hand, etc). Holding up Stub, then Thoughtseize + hold up stub next turn might be the best play. Their most important spells tend to be instants.
IIRC I needed to cast the Thoughtseize to get Shadow big enough to turn on Stubborn, which was why I made the play in that order. I knew he had a Chord from an earlier Inquisition (can't remember what I took with that one) but in retrospect, if I kept stub up but offline, he still had barely the 4 to cast Coco after the topdeck land, so even soft Stub would've done the trick.
I didn't consider that interaction because I didn't know he had Coco
@FuneralofGod, what did your Side Board end up looking like for the PPTQ?
I see you said you opened up Alpine Moon round 4 but I don't remember you having them in the board you posted.
I will end up posting my results later today(spoiler,1-3 drop)and what I liked and disliked about the deck. Also plan on asking for more pointers for Side Boarding and whatnot
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hm, yeah, if you can only stub in force spike mode, then you probably do have to thoughtseize. You'll stub CoCo if he tries to cast it, maybe Chord, but maybe not, and not path.
Well after a 1-3 drop at the PPTQ yesterday, I've had time to go over my notes and reflect back on my day. I will start by saying the deck felt amazing vs the matches I played against. I never felt like I had any auto loss matches and I never felt like I needed to heavily board against any of the matches either. I definitely need to learn what to side in/out. Just about every game I felt lost when it came to what should come out. We can touch on that as we go. The mana base while shaky, felt solid all day. I think I may have fetched wrong a few times but I never felt like it cost me any games. My notes are kinda scattered and not very in depth(I should have wrote this up last night while it was fresh in my mind). You probably should just scroll down to the bottom for the questions section.
Round 1 - vs Sultai Shadow(no red or white splash)(0-2)
Game 1 - I win the roll and keep a very mild hand(1 shock, 1 fetch, Traverse, Shadow, Wraith, Goyf, TBR)start off with fetch pass. He goes fetch, shock, ThoughtSeize and knows he's in for a fun game. After a few turns we get into a board state where we each have a goyf and a shadow. Both in top deck mode and no cards in hand, he rips a Tombstalker and that's game for me. Was not expecting it.
I don't fully remember what I board in/out right now, but I found myself in a dilemma. In any Shadow match up, is it right to bring in the Stubs from the board? I elected not to and we will touch on that in a little bit.
Game 2 - Our early turns looked like mirror moves. Fetch, Shock, Inquisition, Bauble, pass. After a few turns of this I land a Goyf that is a 6/7 and attack in. He chooses to not block with his Shadow. I put him down to 3 life, and for whatever reason, didn't feel like playing the Bolt in my hand with him at 3 life and tapped out so instead elect to play Traverse into Shadow(don't ask). He draws and attached a Rancor onto his Shadow and deals lethal with the trample.
Let me start by saying my round one opponent was a super nice guy(I didn't stay till the end but I was rooting for him). He explained to me why he went with Sultai(He likes the colors and safer mana base). After our game he showed me what he boarded in and reveled to me he brought in his Stubs from the board. I didn't bother to ask him why and now feel a little stupid for not asking.
Round 2 - Lantern (2-0)
We sit down and start to shuffle when the judge notifies us we got the deck check this round. After talking to each other for a few minutes the judge comes back and notifies me that my opponent will receive a game one loss for something wrong with his deck sheet(I believe he wrote a number down wrong number of copies of something in his deck). Sadness. So off to game two.
Game 2 - I keep a hand of 2 Fetch, TS, Inquisition, DS, Goyf, Decay. I start with Fetch, Shock, TS. See he is on Lantern. It looks like he kept a very mild hand with a few lands, Codex, other mill artifact, Lantern, and Decay. I rip the Decay and pass the turn. He starts off land Lantern pass. I draw a Wraith and fetch shock play Goyf pass that turn. He draws, plays a land, and casts Ancient Stirrings to find a Mox Opal(assuming the other cards were nothing special for him to take Opal).Plays Opal and the other mill artifact and passes. End of his turn cycle the Wraith to draw Bauble. Draw for turn is TBR. Two quick turns later I put him to 0.
I wish this would have been more then just one game but he wasn't salty and I was happy to talk to him for a few minutes afterwards.
Round 3 - UG Infect
This match made me salty because I keep a hand with one of each hand hate, Decay, Goyf, Bauble, two fetch. I win the roll and start with fetch shock TS. His hand is 2x Blossoming, Might, Wild Defiance, G Elf, Forest, Inkmoth. I take the Elf. He draws and goes Forest Noble pass. I fetch shock on my next turn and discard the Might. Looking back now, I wish I would have Decayed his Noble when he was tapped out. Saldy, I never found any removal for the Inkmoth or counter magic this game and his Inkmoth takes me down a few turns later. Grinds my gears because the Decay felt so good when I kept.
I forgot what I boarded out but I brought in 2 Stubs, Collective Brutality, and Abrade. I didn't think about it at the time, but I think I should have also boarded in the Alpine Moons to keep the Inkmoths at bay.
Game 2 - Long story short, I again fail to find removal or counter magic and Inkmoth puts me down again in a few turns. Won't lie, this game really put me on tilt. I was going to drop after this match but sided against it so I could get more reps with the deck. Can't get better if you don't play right?
Round 4 - Living End(1-2)
I felt I had a spicy hand with some hand hate, Decay, Goyf, Wraith, Fetches. I won the roll and start with Fetch Shock TS to reveled to me a couple of cycling dudes and Violent Outburst and 2 Simian Spirit Guide. I take the outburst. He lays a land and passes. I land a 5/6 Goyf on the next turn and pass. He cycles two guys at the end of turn. He draws and plays a Outburst with some big boys in the yard. I die two turns later.
I board in the Spellbombs, Stubs and take out the Decays and 2 Bauble.
Game 2 - I was able to open with a Spellbomb and it held him at bay long enough for me to land a big Goyf and beat down quickly. It wasn't much of a game.
Game 3 - This was a feel bad game for me. All I remember is that Fulimnator Mage wreaked me this game. He destroyed my mana base and then then got there.
I decided to drop after this round. I probably should have stayed the last two rounds to get some more reps in but I didn't have it in me. I do have some questions now that I got to jam a few games.
Questions -
Is it correct to ever board out some number of Mishra's Baubles? I felt like I always wanted to keep the in to help grow Goyf and turn on Delirium.
Do we want to bring in the Stubs from the board vs Shadow decks? I was very unsure of this. On one hand I can see why it could be useful but with the hand hate I figured they wouldn't be needed. What do we board out of the main in Shadow match ups?
Would it have been a wrong move to bring in the Alpine Moons vs Infect? Maybe I'm just sore because I didn't find any removal.
Is there a extensive Side Board guide somewhere for me to study over?
I think that's all I have for now
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Is it correct to ever board out some number of Mishra's Baubles? I felt like I always wanted to keep the in to help grow Goyf and turn on Delirium.
Never board out Baubles, IMO. Shaving Street Wraith is right in matchups where your life total matters, or in grindy matchups that go long, and shaving Manamorphose is sometimes right against Thalia decks (if you're playing it), but otherwise you shouldn't side out cantrips. You can side out more if you're bringing in Nihil Spellbomb since it cantrips, and this is usually right against e.g. Mardu, where you can shave 2-3 Street Wraith and bring in 2 Spellbomb.
Do we want to bring in the Stubs from the board vs Shadow decks? I was very unsure of this. On one hand I can see why it could be useful but with the hand hate I figured they wouldn't be needed. What do we board out of the main in Shadow match ups?
The mirror is very grindy and stubs are apt to be stuck in your hand dead. It's too easy for them to T1 discard away your only threat, leaving you with a dead card in hand. Usually any given 75 has better options, but sometimes it's right to have 1 or even 2 post board.
Would it have been a wrong move to bring in the Alpine Moons vs Infect? Maybe I'm just sore because I didn't find any removal.
Alpine Moon is way too narrow against infect.
Is there a extensive Side Board guide somewhere for me to study over?
I had similar feelings to you after my recent PPTQ. I didn't bring in Alpine Moon against Infect, and I lost to Inkmoth, so that answers that for us. I would always use Stubborn when against another Shadow deck of any kind. I had 3 main, 1 SB yesterday and also faced Sultai Shadow. I brought in the 4th Stubborn and 1x Delay. They were great.
Now for a sideboard guide, this is probably the most difficult deck to write a SB guide for. We are literally 5 colors and the metagame is so insanely diverse right now that's it's difficult to write a one-size-fits-all sideboard plan. I'll do my best to help you in this area though, with my sideboard going through some fine tuning this summer. I've played in 6 PPTQs and these are my feelings. Spooly, Jund_em, or whocansay - are all probably more experienced than I am so any input on my thoughts are welcome here too.
Spooly, that was the article that made me really commit to the deck. I was looking into everything I could about the deck before I sleeved the deck up, it was one of the last things I read and it sealed the deal for me. Do you think running the Godless Shrine and Souls out of the board are still worth it? I love Lingering Souls as a card but do they really pull their weight now?
FuneralofGod, I'm curious to hear your thoughts about keeping in/boarding in the Stubs for Shadow match ups. I boarded mine out against the Shadow match up and felt like it was correct but when he told me he brought in more I felt dumb for taking mine out.
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Easier to enable than Traverse? I don't know about that. Shadow and Tarmogoyf aren't going to the graveyard unless you're playing against Mardu or Jund, and otherwise we have 4x Wraith as literally the only ways to get use out of Mausoleum Secrets. Architects would certainly help, but how many copies would we play? 1-2 at most?
Don't get me wrong, I was super excited for this card as well. I just don't know if this is the right shell. Maybe if we move closer to Sultai and thus commit to playing a bit of a slower game. It costs 2 instead of 1, but it is instant speed which is nice. It can't tutor Tarmogoyf but it's been rare that I Traverse for goyf (only happened 2-3 times that I recall). Being able to search up Shadow, Push, Thoughtseize/IOK, all with only one creature in the yard does seem pretty attractive. Maybe even Countersquall in the Sultai shell. If only there was a black effect similar enough to TBR for 2 or less mana then we could cut red out of the deck entirely.
Draft My Cube!
Im obviously theorizing here, but it is much easier to turn on than traverse. Given that the only way to turn on traverse is by having Land, Sorcery, Instant AND Creature OR Artifact (im not counting planeswalker as that rarely influences our traverse by the time we need it played). You will always have or need either a creature (wraith) or an artifact in the grave (bauble) to enable traverse. Hence if we replaced all baubles for architects of will, we would still be on the same amount of "Traverse enablers" without having to worry about land, sorcery and instant. Plus we wouldnt need to run bauble if we arent running traverse.
Now I dont know how much it would change or affect the gameplan by trading a 0 mana cantrip into a 1 mana cantrip that could be played late game in a pinch. It would obviously make it more mana intensive since the tutor costs 2 instead of 1 for traverse, and we lose the ability to tutor up a basic land which is important.
Im not saying this will replace traverse but im throwing it out there to hear ideas and thoughts.
On another note, I think the assassins throphy hurts our deck If we run a 5c mana base. The whole purpose of running White as the extra color is to hedge against midrange decks, and this new card could see GBx back up and using it to get rid of our only white source. With our mana base being so fragile and running so few basics I wouldn't be surprised if 4c Maximum becomes the new rule moving forward.
That definitely seems to be the consensus regarding Mana. BGx will be attacking our manabase for sure so I think I'll start including a basic island, either main or side. My plan is to fight them with blue and drop white all together
Draft My Cube!
I'm looking for some help and any pointers I can get before tomorrow. I've never played the deck but it plays some of the cards I love in Magic.
1x Nissa, Steward of Elements
1x Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
Artifacts -
4x Mishra's Bauble
Instants -
1x Tarfire
1x Dismember
2x Fatal Push
2x Lightning Bolt
2x Stubborn Denial
2x Abrupt Decay
2x Temur Battle Rage
4x Inquisition of Kozilek
4x Thoughtseize
4x Traverse the Ulvenwald
Creatures -
4x Death's Shadow
4x Tarmogoyf
4x Street Wraith
Lands -
1x Breeding Pool
1x Blood Crypt
1x Overgrown Tomb
1x Stomping Ground
1x Watery Grave
1x Forest
1x Swamp
1x Misty Rainforest
3x Bloodstained Mire
3x Verdant Catacomb
4x Polluted Delta
Now for some explanations before we move onto the Side Board.(Please keep in mind, I never played the deck before and most is just theory)
Ashiok, Nigtmare Weaver and Nissa, Steward of Elements- one of these are in place for a Lillana of the Veil. Let me explain some of the reasons why.
1. From what I've read, UW Control is a very bad match up for this deck. I know LotV can attack the hand, but I always find her so meh at best.From goldfishing the +1 from LotV is just okay(I rarely feel like I have cards I want to discard unless I'm flooding). The -2 is good but I don't feel it's good enough right now unless the field is full of Midrange decks(now there might be tomorrow but I'm willing to risk it). The Ult is amazing i give it that, but the plus never look appealing to me so it probably won't happen. And the big fear with LotV. Double Black. I fear not having access to double black when I need it and really don't want a dead card stuck in hand. It's a small fear I know but its something I don't want to risk.
I think eating away their deck with Ashiok could prove to be huge. If they are on the Terminus plan, it keeps messing that up hopefully. Comes down fairly early and the Ult would be backbreaking I'm sure. Though, it does take a few turns to get the Ult off so it may just be a living the dream moment for me.
Nissa, is something I saw in someone else's list and figured it was worth a try over Jace, the Mind Sculptor or Vendilion Clique. Both the former cards are double blue which scared me off and I think Nissa having the ability to help smooth draws and possible putting creatures and lands into play for free seems good. Not sure how good it really is but I think its worth testing but it comes down early.
Now for the Side Board -
1x Engineered Explosives
1x Collected Brutality
1x Golgari Charm
1x Maelstrom Pulse
1x Radiant Flames
2x Alpine Moon
2x Stubborn Denial
2x Nihil Spellbomb
3x Lingering Souls
Now I know earlier I said I didn't plan on seeing a bunch of Midrange decks so why would I run the Godless and Souls? I honestly don't know! I liked the idea of being 5 Color more but I just don't think it's worth running them which opens up 4 more board slots.
The Alpine Moon were huge in my Mardu Shadow deck I was playing around with. It hit so many lands I don't want to deal with. Celestial Colonnade Tron Lands, Manlands ect ect. They put in work so I don't think I would cut them.
If I do end up cutting the White from the board, my board would look more like this -
-1 Godless SHrine
-3 Lingering Souls
+1 Radiant Flames
+1 Delay
+2 ??
Looking for any pointers I can get before tomorrow. The deck looks super sweet all sleeved up but I'm not sure how well off the deck is right now.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=392928
Modern - Mardu Death's Shadow(needs work)
DnT(mono white cause I had the cards)
Legacy - RUG Delver(almost foiled out)
RG Lands
I really can't get behind Ashiok. I'll get around to trying Nissa Steward myself someday. She seems good. But I think Ashiok should be either one of the two Lilianas or even maybe a Snapcaster. Another Stubborn in the main certainly wouldn't hurt, helping your chances in g1 against KCI, Storm, and Tron.
The rest of your list looks solid. The removal package is always a cluster and I don't think they're is any proper configuration unless you know for sure what meta you'll be facing. But I've found that 8x main deck removal and 1x Snapcaster does the trick for me. I'm a lot more scared of Humans and Spirits in g1 than I am of Jund or UW because there's no way to tune your deck to beat the latter for g1. Best you can do is sideboard and pray. But Humans and Coco decks can be beat in g1 if you're prepared.
Best of luck to you in the PPTQ. I'll be playing tomorrow (Sunday) and will report back with my results.
4 Death's Shadow
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Street Wraith
1 Snapcaster
Spells
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Thoughtseize
4 Mishra's Bauble
3 Traverse the Ulvenwald
4 Lightning bolt
2 Dismember
1 Abrupt decay
1 Fatal Push
2 Faithless Looting
2 Temur Battle Rage
3 Stubborn denial
4 Verdant catacombs
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Polluted Delta
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Blood Crypt
1 Stomping ground
1 Steam vents
1 Watery Grave
1 Swamp
1 Forest
2 Abrade
1 Abrupt decay
2 Collective Brutality
2 Delay
1 Spell Snare
1 Golgari Charm
1 Fulminator mage
1 Radiant flames
1 Kolaghan's Command
1 Duress
2 Nihil Spellbomb
Draft My Cube!
Mardu Pyromancer
Grixis Shadow
Traverse Shadow
Jund
Abzan
The Rock
How have the Spell Snare and the Kolaghan's Command been working? I had 1x K Command in the rough draft of the board but three mana looked way to slow. And Snare?! I love the card but how good is it in Modern right now?
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=392928
Modern - Mardu Death's Shadow(needs work)
DnT(mono white cause I had the cards)
Legacy - RUG Delver(almost foiled out)
RG Lands
K-Command is really only against Mardu, Jund, KCI, Affinity, and Pyro Prison. Affinity in the form of Hardened Scales seems to be increasing in online presence so I wanna be prepared in paper just in case. I like it to help grind against Mardu, and since can bring in Ensnaring Bridge post-board I figured the artifact removal would be good.
What would you replace for the 4th stub ? I already have 3 counters in the sideboard that serve other purposes. I worry about having too many stubs because they're not always live.
Draft My Cube!
Round 1 - Mono U Merfolk (1-2)
I pummeled him game one, winning turn 5 off a TBR. Game two and three I mulligan my 7 no lander, then a 6 no lander, and end up keeping a 5, both games. He had spreading seas to deal with my one land and the draws weren't good for me after that.
Round 2 - Ad Nauseum (2-0)
Game one he killed himself with Spoils of the Vault, but I some early board presence anyway. Game two I had enough disruption to stop his combo attempts and a giant Shadow took the game.
Round 3 - Hardened Scales Affinity (2-0)
Game one was long, and he could've went for it with Infect damage but he played it safe which gave me time to draw some answers. Very close game. Game two was way worse for him after SB. He couldn't stick anything and I won with a Shadow and TBR, but he sacrificed enough to ravager to keep himself at 1 life. Next turn I topdeck Fatal Push to kill his last blocker, but I had another TBR in hand anyway.
Round 4 - Green Tron (2-1)
Game one I got a great opening, killing him fairly quickly with Tarmogoyf and TBR. Game two he got a nuts draw where even with Inquisition & Thoughtseize on turns 1 and 2, he still had turn 3 Karn. I bolt the Karn but then must deal with turn 4 Ugin. Then he follows up with turn 5 Ulamog. Game three I opened with Alpine Moon in hand, so when I Thoughtseize I almost took his Oblivion Stone instead of Expedition Map, but I went for map instead and it won me the game. He later drew into a Thragtusk which he could've cast if I let him keep the map, which then would've stalled me considerably. I bolted myself twice on turn three, swinging with a 10/10 Shadow. Then killing him on turn four with another crack for 10.
Round 5 - Infect (0-2)
This is a strange match-up. It's freaky so favored to me in my testing but even though I drew fairly well both games, the inkmoth posed the biggest problem. It was the only creature he connected with all match. In retrospect I should've boarded in Alpine Moon. Another mistake was in game two - I cast Thoughtseize on turn one, but see he has only one land. I held answers for all his threats except his SB Geist of Saint Traft. I took the Geist but I should've taken Shapers Sanctuary because it ended up drawing him three cards, whereas he never got enough lands to even play the Geist.
Round 6 - Sultai Shadow, No Red (2-1)
Game one was long and grueling. Between the both of us we must've cast discard effects 6 or 7 times. It was topdeck mode and I got a threat+stub before he could answer it. I boarded out my Lightning bolts for more counterspells and K-Command. Game two I got stuck on one land for a while and his board got out of hand. I had a Shadow big enough to block his which kept me safe for a while until he topdecked a fetch land to beef his up during combat. My next topdeck needed to save me but it was a whiff. Game three almost went to time, as I got stuck on one land again for a long time. But the nonland cards I drew were total gas so I answered everything he did. Towards the end his last two topdecks were land and by then I had Shadow + Stub so he couldn't stay alive. Very good games all the way around. Kolaghan's Command was my MVP here.
Cut to top 8, first round of Single elimination and I'm up against the only undefeated player of the event that day.
Q-Finals - GWx Vizier Combo (0-2)
Game one was very drawn out but I missed an early opportunity to Bolt a Tireless Tracker which ended up getting out of hand, drawing him many cards off clues. Game two I was too patient, trying to hold my removal (Decay, Bolt, and Push all in hand) to keep him off critical creatures like his combo or Scavenging Ooze. But it ended up in vain because he just overran me with a bunch of small threats.
----
I think I need to sideboard differently against against aggressive combo decks, such as Infect and GW Vizier. One guy suggested I board out all my Baubles in those matches, in favor of simply more interaction. Both matches I didn't board in much, only 2-4 cards.
Vizier - Out 1 Stubborn, 1 Bauble, 1 Wraith, 1 IOK
In - 2 Abrade, 1 Abrupt decay, 1 Spell Snare
Infect - out 1 Decay, 1 Looting
In - 2 Abrade
I think I can bring out all Baubles in these matches in favor or of more removal, especially Collective Brutality. I didn't bring it in at all during the tournament, assuming it's only useful against Burn, but maybe that's not correct.
Draft My Cube!
I cast Thoughtseize on maybe turn 4 or 5 and see he's holding only Coco and Chord of Calling. He is one Mana short to cast Coco (only BOP and two lands in play) but he has other creatures so he can Chord for X=3 regardless of his next topdeck. I take the Chord hoping he doesn't topdeck a land. I have a 5/5 Shadow on board and Stubborn in hand, but no Mana untapped. If I can delay the Coco for one more turn, I'll be able to stub it. But he topdecks the land and casts Coco main phase. The Coco got him both Vizier and Devoted, forcing me to deal with the combo immediately.
What would you have done?
Draft My Cube!
That said, I'm not sure I tap out to Thoughtseize there (depending on how many lands you have, what's in your hand, etc). Holding up Stub, then Thoughtseize + hold up stub next turn might be the best play. Their most important spells tend to be instants.
IIRC I needed to cast the Thoughtseize to get Shadow big enough to turn on Stubborn, which was why I made the play in that order. I knew he had a Chord from an earlier Inquisition (can't remember what I took with that one) but in retrospect, if I kept stub up but offline, he still had barely the 4 to cast Coco after the topdeck land, so even soft Stub would've done the trick.
I didn't consider that interaction because I didn't know he had Coco
Draft My Cube!
I see you said you opened up Alpine Moon round 4 but I don't remember you having them in the board you posted.
I will end up posting my results later today(spoiler,1-3 drop)and what I liked and disliked about the deck. Also plan on asking for more pointers for Side Boarding and whatnot
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=392928
Modern - Mardu Death's Shadow(needs work)
DnT(mono white cause I had the cards)
Legacy - RUG Delver(almost foiled out)
RG Lands
Round 1 - vs Sultai Shadow(no red or white splash)(0-2)
Game 1 - I win the roll and keep a very mild hand(1 shock, 1 fetch, Traverse, Shadow, Wraith, Goyf, TBR)start off with fetch pass. He goes fetch, shock, ThoughtSeize and knows he's in for a fun game. After a few turns we get into a board state where we each have a goyf and a shadow. Both in top deck mode and no cards in hand, he rips a Tombstalker and that's game for me. Was not expecting it.
I don't fully remember what I board in/out right now, but I found myself in a dilemma. In any Shadow match up, is it right to bring in the Stubs from the board? I elected not to and we will touch on that in a little bit.
Game 2 - Our early turns looked like mirror moves. Fetch, Shock, Inquisition, Bauble, pass. After a few turns of this I land a Goyf that is a 6/7 and attack in. He chooses to not block with his Shadow. I put him down to 3 life, and for whatever reason, didn't feel like playing the Bolt in my hand with him at 3 life and tapped out so instead elect to play Traverse into Shadow(don't ask). He draws and attached a Rancor onto his Shadow and deals lethal with the trample.
Let me start by saying my round one opponent was a super nice guy(I didn't stay till the end but I was rooting for him). He explained to me why he went with Sultai(He likes the colors and safer mana base). After our game he showed me what he boarded in and reveled to me he brought in his Stubs from the board. I didn't bother to ask him why and now feel a little stupid for not asking.
Round 2 - Lantern (2-0)
We sit down and start to shuffle when the judge notifies us we got the deck check this round. After talking to each other for a few minutes the judge comes back and notifies me that my opponent will receive a game one loss for something wrong with his deck sheet(I believe he wrote a number down wrong number of copies of something in his deck). Sadness. So off to game two.
Game 2 - I keep a hand of 2 Fetch, TS, Inquisition, DS, Goyf, Decay. I start with Fetch, Shock, TS. See he is on Lantern. It looks like he kept a very mild hand with a few lands, Codex, other mill artifact, Lantern, and Decay. I rip the Decay and pass the turn. He starts off land Lantern pass. I draw a Wraith and fetch shock play Goyf pass that turn. He draws, plays a land, and casts Ancient Stirrings to find a Mox Opal(assuming the other cards were nothing special for him to take Opal).Plays Opal and the other mill artifact and passes. End of his turn cycle the Wraith to draw Bauble. Draw for turn is TBR. Two quick turns later I put him to 0.
I wish this would have been more then just one game but he wasn't salty and I was happy to talk to him for a few minutes afterwards.
Round 3 - UG Infect
This match made me salty because I keep a hand with one of each hand hate, Decay, Goyf, Bauble, two fetch. I win the roll and start with fetch shock TS. His hand is 2x Blossoming, Might, Wild Defiance, G Elf, Forest, Inkmoth. I take the Elf. He draws and goes Forest Noble pass. I fetch shock on my next turn and discard the Might. Looking back now, I wish I would have Decayed his Noble when he was tapped out. Saldy, I never found any removal for the Inkmoth or counter magic this game and his Inkmoth takes me down a few turns later. Grinds my gears because the Decay felt so good when I kept.
I forgot what I boarded out but I brought in 2 Stubs, Collective Brutality, and Abrade. I didn't think about it at the time, but I think I should have also boarded in the Alpine Moons to keep the Inkmoths at bay.
Game 2 - Long story short, I again fail to find removal or counter magic and Inkmoth puts me down again in a few turns. Won't lie, this game really put me on tilt. I was going to drop after this match but sided against it so I could get more reps with the deck. Can't get better if you don't play right?
Round 4 - Living End(1-2)
I felt I had a spicy hand with some hand hate, Decay, Goyf, Wraith, Fetches. I won the roll and start with Fetch Shock TS to reveled to me a couple of cycling dudes and Violent Outburst and 2 Simian Spirit Guide. I take the outburst. He lays a land and passes. I land a 5/6 Goyf on the next turn and pass. He cycles two guys at the end of turn. He draws and plays a Outburst with some big boys in the yard. I die two turns later.
I board in the Spellbombs, Stubs and take out the Decays and 2 Bauble.
Game 2 - I was able to open with a Spellbomb and it held him at bay long enough for me to land a big Goyf and beat down quickly. It wasn't much of a game.
Game 3 - This was a feel bad game for me. All I remember is that Fulimnator Mage wreaked me this game. He destroyed my mana base and then then got there.
I decided to drop after this round. I probably should have stayed the last two rounds to get some more reps in but I didn't have it in me. I do have some questions now that I got to jam a few games.
Questions -
Is it correct to ever board out some number of Mishra's Baubles? I felt like I always wanted to keep the in to help grow Goyf and turn on Delirium.
Do we want to bring in the Stubs from the board vs Shadow decks? I was very unsure of this. On one hand I can see why it could be useful but with the hand hate I figured they wouldn't be needed. What do we board out of the main in Shadow match ups?
Would it have been a wrong move to bring in the Alpine Moons vs Infect? Maybe I'm just sore because I didn't find any removal.
Is there a extensive Side Board guide somewhere for me to study over?
I think that's all I have for now
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=392928
Modern - Mardu Death's Shadow(needs work)
DnT(mono white cause I had the cards)
Legacy - RUG Delver(almost foiled out)
RG Lands
Never board out Baubles, IMO. Shaving Street Wraith is right in matchups where your life total matters, or in grindy matchups that go long, and shaving Manamorphose is sometimes right against Thalia decks (if you're playing it), but otherwise you shouldn't side out cantrips. You can side out more if you're bringing in Nihil Spellbomb since it cantrips, and this is usually right against e.g. Mardu, where you can shave 2-3 Street Wraith and bring in 2 Spellbomb.
The mirror is very grindy and stubs are apt to be stuck in your hand dead. It's too easy for them to T1 discard away your only threat, leaving you with a dead card in hand. Usually any given 75 has better options, but sometimes it's right to have 1 or even 2 post board.
Alpine Moon is way too narrow against infect.
I have a sideboard guide for a lot of matchups in my old regionals report: https://deadonboardmtg.com/2017/11/08/the-ultimate-deaths-shadow-primer-and-tournament/
It's a bit old, so the decklist is out of date and some current matchups are missing, but it still might be helpful.
Now for a sideboard guide, this is probably the most difficult deck to write a SB guide for. We are literally 5 colors and the metagame is so insanely diverse right now that's it's difficult to write a one-size-fits-all sideboard plan. I'll do my best to help you in this area though, with my sideboard going through some fine tuning this summer. I've played in 6 PPTQs and these are my feelings. Spooly, Jund_em, or whocansay - are all probably more experienced than I am so any input on my thoughts are welcome here too.
(To be edited when I get to my computer)
Draft My Cube!
FuneralofGod, I'm curious to hear your thoughts about keeping in/boarding in the Stubs for Shadow match ups. I boarded mine out against the Shadow match up and felt like it was correct but when he told me he brought in more I felt dumb for taking mine out.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=392928
Modern - Mardu Death's Shadow(needs work)
DnT(mono white cause I had the cards)
Legacy - RUG Delver(almost foiled out)
RG Lands