I'd rather board out weak combo pieces (Melira, Seer, Archangel Spike) against them. Board in all your removal. Orzhov Pontiff often wrecks them (I don't maindeck it or Abrupt Decay, though).
Speaking of this, which matchups are best to start boarding out combo pieces?
With my list, the Combo Elves match-up is unfavourable pre-board but definitely winnable. Slam down Linvala ASAP, then kill their most threatening mana dorks (Elvish Archdruid is the main guy to kill). I think you can typically outrace neutered Elves before they can chain Nykthos into Craterhoof.
I'd rather board out weak combo pieces (Melira, Seer, Archangel Spike) against them. Board in all your removal. Orzhov Pontiff often wrecks them (I don't maindeck it or Abrupt Decay, though).
Speaking of this, which matchups are best to start boarding out combo pieces?
I board out weak combo pieces against combo--i.e. any match-up where Chord of Calling consistently searches for that one-creature combo called a hate bear (such as Linvala vs. Elves/Twin, Scavenging Ooze vs. Living End, Aven Mindcensor vs. Scapeshift). Try slamming down multiple hate bears against combo, as they will often kill your first one. Combo tends to die to enough hate bears--when crippled, they can't attempt to outlast you long enough to force you to combo off.
Couldn't I just try and get my combo going off first? or do you think Elves is too consistent and would probably get their combo off before mine?
What's your Deck list look like?
From my testing against Combo Elves, Elves consistently goes off faster, but we can interrupt them with Linvala before they can go off somewhat often. I recommend going down to one Melira, cutting out Archangel Spike, then going down to 1 Seer when sideboarding against them.
After Linvala neuters their mana ramp and Deathrite taunting, their plan B is to go all Aggro Elves on us, so killing Archdruid and sometimes Joraga Warcaller is your next priority. Luckily for those who like comboing off, Redcap can kill any Elf (except for double Archdruid and some Warcallers) and Elves is removal-light!
My current decklist is my deck in the primer, -1 Nykthos (made colourless mana more often than scads of coloured mana), +1 Horizon Canopy (didn't fail me the first time I tried it). I am currently testing +1 Courser of Kruphix, -1 Voice--I have a fair chance of switching back based on my testing so far.
I board out weak combo pieces against combo--i.e. any match-up where Chord of Calling consistently searches for that one-creature combo called a hate bear (such as Linvala vs. Elves/Twin, Scavenging Ooze vs. Living End, Aven Mindcensor vs. Scapeshift). Try slamming down multiple hate bears against combo, as they will often kill your first one. Combo tends to die to enough hate bears--when crippled, they can't attempt to outlast you long enough to force you to combo off.
From my testing against Combo Elves, Elves consistently goes off faster, but we can interrupt them with Linvala before they can go off somewhat often. I recommend going down to one Melira, cutting out Archangel Spike, then going down to 1 Seer when sideboarding against them.
After Linvala neuters their mana ramp and Deathrite taunting, their plan B is to go all Aggro Elves on us, so killing Archdruid and sometimes Joraga Warcaller is your next priority. Luckily for those who like comboing off, Redcap can kill any Elf (except for double Archdruid and some Warcallers) and Elves is removal-light!
My current decklist is my deck in the primer, -1 Nykthos (made colourless mana more often than scads of coloured mana), +1 Horizon Canopy (didn't fail me the first time I tried it). I am currently testing +1 Courser of Kruphix, -1 Voice--I have a fair chance of switching back based on my testing so far.
Yea, Linvala, Keeper of Silence is definitely a great card against Combo Elves, the only thing is, I can only see her coming out turn 4 or maybe turn 3 if you have some mana dorks...well that's even if you draw her in your starting 7. Would you say to run a set? I guess if you do happen to have Birthing Pod in your starting hand, I could see you cheating Linvala in with him...though you'd have to sacrifice a creature with a cmc of at least 3, which in the end isn't too bad if you get to bring her out and disrupt their Combo Elves from going off.
I'm sure in a perfect world you'd want Seer turn 1, Melira turn 2, Kitchen Finks turn 3 and then Murderous Recap out turn 4...doubt that'd happen every time you play...but I could see ways of getting there quickly
I could definitely see running more removal/burn spells maybe...to hold them off and disrupt them a bit with Lightning Bolt, thoughtseize, or Abrupt Decay?
So this is how the decklist would turn out with your edits and then this is what edited from there:
I'm just starting to play the deck and I'm pretty stoked on it. Wanted to pose a couple questions to the experienced players out there:
What do you think about dropping Ranger of Eos (for the people running it)? What exactly is his role in the Pod chain outside of getting Viscera Seer? A couple DRS/Birds in hand? I understand that sometimes we need more 1 drops to start Pod-ing again from a lower CMC... but the deck it FULL of them and we draw them fairly naturally.
How often are we actually combo-ing with Melira? I'm almost of a mind to switch her out for more Archangel of Thune, and try to be a little more controlling in the early game until we combo w/ the angel.
I'm just starting to play the deck and I'm pretty stoked on it. Wanted to pose a couple questions to the experienced players out there:
What do you think about dropping Ranger of Eos (for the people running it)? What exactly is his role in the Pod chain outside of getting Viscera Seer? A couple DRS/Birds in hand? I understand that sometimes we need more 1 drops to start Pod-ing again from a lower CMC... but the deck it FULL of them and we draw them fairly naturally.
How often are we actually combo-ing with Melira? I'm almost of a mind to switch her out for more Archangel of Thune, and try to be a little more controlling in the early game until we combo w/ the angel.
@Lectrys - Where can I find your current list?
Which Angel would you combo off with? I'm pretty new to this deck as well and was curious and I like Melira, Sylvok Outcast, though I guess the -1/-1 wouldn't really matter, since Kitchen Finks and Murderous Recap would survive, unless I am wrong somehow?
Ok I'm still new to the deck but consider myself at least an average magic player but I got completely housed last night at FNM against a Merfolk and Restore Balance/border post deck. I probably didn't mulligan properly against borderpost cause I had played the guy multiple times previously and won but the merfolk matchup was terrible. How do you guys matchup against merfolk? What do you bring in from the SB and what do you typically take out.
...Emergency primer update, me adding Courser of Kruphix to the primer (it's good enough at grinding out games from my testing that I'll leave it in my list for now), emergency post-BNG decklist finalization, Orzhov Pontiff looking better in the post-Bitterblossom meta...
...Your non-banned, non-Birds of Paradise (Birds are an auto-4-of, IMO, because they fix mana very well and they fly) mana dork options include Noble Hierarch (I swapped them out for Deathrites back in the day; time to swap back), Wall of Roots (for anti-aggro lists--predict people hopping onto Small Naya Nacatl E1 Zoo?), Avacyn's Pilgrim (for when you really need that 1 power and white mana), and more.
Hm, what do we do now? Switch to Noble Hierarch? Doesn't fix black so feels like that will really weaken the deck. What are the other options?
Probably Noble, if you need black instead use Elves of Deep Shadow, you take some pain but when you no longer need the black you can pod them away so it's not that bad.
Most lists have been gradually moving further white with cards like Voice and Archangel anyways, but haven't updated their manabases appropriately.
I play a pretty stock list, and the only card that seems like it will be more difficult to cast now is the 2X redcaps. I may be over worrying about it. Having the guaranteed extra white fixing is pretty good though.
Overall this doesn't actually seem too bad, playing against DRS was kind of a pain - so there is that at least.
And if zoo becomes more prelevent I feel that's actually pretty good for melira pod since I think we're pretty well positioned with the finks and all the built in lifegain - is that actually correct? I havn't done any playtesting.
Wall of Roots does a great job stonewalling a t1 Nacatl, for a couple turns anyway, and Wall makes Chord better, and Chord is great against the Fae. So that's the direction I'll be moving. Probably playing more Voices and Decays too.
I wouldn't mind throwing in KoTR as a one of with perhaps a Bojuka Bog to fetch up for the really nasty GY strategies that will be reemerging. She'll also be a little stronger without DRS munching up her lands. But yea, 4 Birds, 4 Hierarch for me. Hitting that turn 2 Pod is extremely important. The black DRS produced was rarely relevant; easy enough to get with our fetches. I will miss Ranger-ing for 2 DRS to grind out games though...I remember having 3 DRS on the table one time, gg.
You'll be fine without deathrite. Look what Cuneo played to 2nd at GP Lincoln (pre deathrite). The current melira pod builds are much heavier white with voice and angel.
Speaking of this, which matchups are best to start boarding out combo pieces?
Gotcha...so you're saying that it would be better to just side board Melira, Sylvok Outcast, Viscera Seer, Archangel of Thune and Spike Feeder and just include more Abrupt Decay and Orzhov Pontiff?
Couldn't I just try and get my combo going off first? or do you think Elves is too consistent and would probably get their combo off before mine?
What's your Deck list look like?
I board out weak combo pieces against combo--i.e. any match-up where Chord of Calling consistently searches for that one-creature combo called a hate bear (such as Linvala vs. Elves/Twin, Scavenging Ooze vs. Living End, Aven Mindcensor vs. Scapeshift). Try slamming down multiple hate bears against combo, as they will often kill your first one. Combo tends to die to enough hate bears--when crippled, they can't attempt to outlast you long enough to force you to combo off.
From my testing against Combo Elves, Elves consistently goes off faster, but we can interrupt them with Linvala before they can go off somewhat often. I recommend going down to one Melira, cutting out Archangel Spike, then going down to 1 Seer when sideboarding against them.
After Linvala neuters their mana ramp and Deathrite taunting, their plan B is to go all Aggro Elves on us, so killing Archdruid and sometimes Joraga Warcaller is your next priority. Luckily for those who like comboing off, Redcap can kill any Elf (except for double Archdruid and some Warcallers) and Elves is removal-light!
My current decklist is my deck in the primer, -1 Nykthos (made colourless mana more often than scads of coloured mana), +1 Horizon Canopy (didn't fail me the first time I tried it). I am currently testing +1 Courser of Kruphix, -1 Voice--I have a fair chance of switching back based on my testing so far.
Yea, Linvala, Keeper of Silence is definitely a great card against Combo Elves, the only thing is, I can only see her coming out turn 4 or maybe turn 3 if you have some mana dorks...well that's even if you draw her in your starting 7. Would you say to run a set? I guess if you do happen to have Birthing Pod in your starting hand, I could see you cheating Linvala in with him...though you'd have to sacrifice a creature with a cmc of at least 3, which in the end isn't too bad if you get to bring her out and disrupt their Combo Elves from going off.
I'm sure in a perfect world you'd want Seer turn 1, Melira turn 2, Kitchen Finks turn 3 and then Murderous Recap out turn 4...doubt that'd happen every time you play...but I could see ways of getting there quickly
I could definitely see running more removal/burn spells maybe...to hold them off and disrupt them a bit with Lightning Bolt, thoughtseize, or Abrupt Decay?
So this is how the decklist would turn out with your edits and then this is what edited from there:
- 1 Polukranos, World Eater, -1 Qasali Pridemage, +3 Abrupt Decay, +1 Thoughtseize...not sure if this edit is effective, but what do you think?
3 Gavony Township
2 Razorverge Thicket
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Temple Garden
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Godless Shrine
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Marsh Flats
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Forest
1 Plains
1 Swamp
Creatures 28
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Deathrite Shaman
1 Viscera Seer
1 Cartel Aristocrat
1 Varolz, the Scar-Striped
1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast
4 Kitchen Finks
2 Murderous Redcap
1 Eternal Witness
1 Reveillark
2 Tidehollow Sculler
2 Voice of Resurgence
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Shriekmaw
3 Birthing Pod
3 Abrupt Decay
3 Chord of Calling
1 Thoughtseize
1 Harmonic Sliver
2 Fulminator Mage
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Spellskite
1 Obstinate Baloth
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Orzhov Pontiff
1 Path to Exile
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Thoughtseize
2 Lingering Souls
I'm just starting to play the deck and I'm pretty stoked on it. Wanted to pose a couple questions to the experienced players out there:
What do you think about dropping Ranger of Eos (for the people running it)? What exactly is his role in the Pod chain outside of getting Viscera Seer? A couple DRS/Birds in hand? I understand that sometimes we need more 1 drops to start Pod-ing again from a lower CMC... but the deck it FULL of them and we draw them fairly naturally.
How often are we actually combo-ing with Melira? I'm almost of a mind to switch her out for more Archangel of Thune, and try to be a little more controlling in the early game until we combo w/ the angel.
@Lectrys - Where can I find your current list?
Which Angel would you combo off with? I'm pretty new to this deck as well and was curious and I like Melira, Sylvok Outcast, though I guess the -1/-1 wouldn't really matter, since Kitchen Finks and Murderous Recap would survive, unless I am wrong somehow?
I believe this is Lectrys Primer Deck List
Melira’s Junky Pod (Lectrys’s List)
3 Gavony Township
2 Razorverge Thicket
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Temple Garden
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Godless Shrine
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Marsh Flats
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Forest
1 Plains
1 Swamp
Creatures
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Deathrite Shaman
1 Viscera Seer
1 Cartel Aristocrat
1 Varolz, the Scar-Striped
2 Melira, Sylvok Outcast
4 Kitchen Finks
2 Murderous Redcap
1 Eternal Witness
1 Reveillark
2 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Voice of Resurgence
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Polukranos, World Eater
1 Shriekmaw
4 Birthing Pod
3 Chord of Calling
1 Harmonic Sliver
2 Fulminator Mage
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Spellskite
1 Obstinate Baloth
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Orzhov Pontiff
1 Path to Exile
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Thoughtseize
2 Lingering Souls
Currently playing in Modern:
BBB8Rack
Currently Playing in Legacy:
Foil BELCHER
"Never interrupt your opponent while he's making a mistake"
I'm guessing Wall of Roots is a 3-4 of now.
...Emergency primer update, me adding Courser of Kruphix to the primer (it's good enough at grinding out games from my testing that I'll leave it in my list for now), emergency post-BNG decklist finalization, Orzhov Pontiff looking better in the post-Bitterblossom meta...
...Your non-banned, non-Birds of Paradise (Birds are an auto-4-of, IMO, because they fix mana very well and they fly) mana dork options include Noble Hierarch (I swapped them out for Deathrites back in the day; time to swap back), Wall of Roots (for anti-aggro lists--predict people hopping onto Small Naya Nacatl E1 Zoo?), Avacyn's Pilgrim (for when you really need that 1 power and white mana), and more.
Probably Noble, if you need black instead use Elves of Deep Shadow, you take some pain but when you no longer need the black you can pod them away so it's not that bad.
Most lists have been gradually moving further white with cards like Voice and Archangel anyways, but haven't updated their manabases appropriately.
Overall this doesn't actually seem too bad, playing against DRS was kind of a pain - so there is that at least.
And if zoo becomes more prelevent I feel that's actually pretty good for melira pod since I think we're pretty well positioned with the finks and all the built in lifegain - is that actually correct? I havn't done any playtesting.
It's really not a big deal, the deck predates DRS.
Figuring out what to do about graveyard hate is something to consider though.
Not comfortable with having just 1 Ooze MB now.
UWRUWR Midrange/GeistRWU
Retired
GWBMelira PodBWG
Grand Prix Lincoln 2012Magic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
1 Dryad Arbor
4 Forest
1 Godless Shrine
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Horizon Canopy
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Razorverge Thicket
1 Swamp
1 Temple Garden
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Woodland Cemetery
Creatures 28
4 Birds of Paradise
1 Entomber Exarch
1 Eternal Witness
1 Harmonic Sliver
4 Kitchen Finks
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
3 Melira, Sylvok Outcast
1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
1 Murderous Redcap
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Ranger of Eos
1 Reveillark
3 Viscera Seer
4 Wall of Roots
4 Birthing Pod
3 Chord of Calling
2 Thoughtseize
2 Dismember
2 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Fulminator Mage
1 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Obstinate Baloth
1 Orzhov Pontiff
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Shriekmaw
2 Thoughtseize
Currently playing in Modern:
BBB8Rack
Currently Playing in Legacy:
Foil BELCHER
"Never interrupt your opponent while he's making a mistake"