MTG Salvation

Well, Dreadbore hits Karn and Primeval Titan, but it hits only useless creatures against UGr Scapeshift Combo. Fulminator Mage always takes out essential lands against both Tron and all Valakut variants, and Slaughter Games takes out playsets of future threats (Scapeshift, Emrakul, etc.).

BlippytheSlug announces the first Valakut decks to hit Modern Dailies are 2 UGr Scapeshift Combo decks and one RG Valakut Ramp deck.

Quote from Lectrys

Well, Dreadbore hits Karn and Primeval Titan, but it hits only useless creatures against UGr Scapeshift Combo. Fulminator Mage always takes out essential lands against both Tron and all Valakut variants, and Slaughter Games takes out playsets of future threats (Scapeshift, Emrakul, etc.).

BlippytheSlug announces the first Valakut decks to hit Modern Dailies are 2 UGr Scapeshift Combo decks and one RG Valakut Ramp deck.

If you're going to settle for the sorcery speed w/ dreadbore, you might as well just pay the extra mana for the added versatility and potetial for blowouts with Maelstrom Pulse.

Anyway, I've done a bit of testing on cockatrice and I'm currently 6-0 in matches , and 12-1 in games with this bad boy:

4 Treetop Village
4 Verdant Catacomb
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
3 Raging Ravine
2 Overgrown Tomb
2 Swamp
2 Twilight Mire
1 Marsh Flats
1 Blood Crypt
1 Stomping Ground
1 Forest

4 Dark Confidant
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Bloodbraid Elf

4 Liliana of the Veil

4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Thoughtseize
2 Maelstrom Pulse

4 Lightning Bolt
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Jund Charm

Sideboard:
2 Graffdigger's Cage
1 Obstinate Baloth
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Seal of Primordium
3 Ancient Grudge
1 Doom Blade
1 Jund Charm
3 Molten Rain
2 Thoughtseize


Valakut being a thing made me push back up to 4 Lilianas, and add the 2nd maindeck Thoughtseize. It also convinced me to drop the Huntmaster for the 4th Maindeck Finks, since it comes down a turn earlier.

Abrupt decay is the real deal and much better than Terminate, but it does leave us a little weak to Restoration Angel, so I like to have access to a Doom Blade or two post board.

Has anyone else been testing with the new cards?

Quote from Blad01

I have been testing for GP Lyon, and I'm not convinced by the deck. I expect a lot of Jund, and Jund mirrors must be the most boring mirror...

So I have been wondering how to gain an edge in the mirror ? I've thought about Deathrite Shaman, or Blightning.

Actually, if the metagame is less aggro and more combo/control/ramp/etc... I could see maindecking Blightning again. It's really good against anything non-Affinity, non-Delver.

The problem with Blightning is that post board, the Jund mirror usually brings in Obstinate Baloth. That being said, I could see a case for Blightning in the board, since it seems like it might be decent against Valakut and the UW deck.

As for good cards in the mirror, if you aren't playing 4 Kitchen finks, do so; they're insane in the mirror. I also like Thrun, Huntmaster and Grim Lavamancer. I also think Molten Rains are fine on the play, but I'm not a fan of them on the draw; but I haven't tested enough to say how good molten rain really is.

Quote from leh1982

Blightning is actually a bad card to bring in against the mirror, it's the same reason I board out Thoughtseize - Obstinate Baloth will just kick you in the teeth. Cards I like against the mirror are: Anathemancer (does crazy damage and then makes a great chump blocker and will kill your opponent if it comes back), Thrun (hexproof and Regenerate on a 4/4 body), other removal spells, Baloths (free 4 life AND 4/4 creature when your opponent charges up Lilly, what's not to like) - I'm not a huge fan of LD against Jund, it generally ends up being tempo loss due to the number of lands Jund plays, but some people love it.

disagree. bloodbraid elf into motlen rain is one of THE most tempo plays in magic. i love it when my elves make it rain. destruction.

i board 3-4 rains in against any deck with any kind of manland and definitely 4 against any control deck. having the mana potential advantage will be a deciding factor in any mirror MU.

think about it like this: you could literally play turns 1-3 identically, but if u hit one of the opponents lands turn 3-4 u have a mana advantage. not only have you delayed their bloodbraids by a turn or two, but you will gain an extra turn advantage in the game. kicker time: since this deck runs and needs 3 colors, chances are you can cut off an entire color in the mirror jund MU. cutting of GG cuts off finks, huge card in this MU. cutting off B gets rid of their removal. R maybe not so important, but looking at the mana bases in most lists the R lands, generally are attached to some other color.


EDIT: most important. molten rain deals 2 damage, every time if u play it right. also keeping up with the goal of beating your opponent's face in. this coupled with blightning and lightning bolt, i run 29 pts of damage post board. in addition to the 2 cards blightning takes and the tempo rain gives u.

edit 2: list post rtr:


still not sold completely about anything in RTR. and i stand by everything i ever said about inquisition of kozilek and thoughtseize in this deck with bloodbraid.

Quote from neversober13

i love it when my elves make it rain. destruction.

lol.

A turn 4 BBE into molten rain can win the game for you, against not only jund, but several 3 color decks.

I really like molten rain, I'd recommend more people use it.

My problem with it is that it isn't a threat. Sure, it helps your nut draw, but when you're trying to grind someone out, or are in topdeck mode, it's usually not of too much use.

Quote from honestabe

My problem with it is that it isn't a threat. Sure, it helps your nut draw, but when you're trying to grind someone out, or are in topdeck mode, it's usually not of too much use.

ok so if ur only siding it in against control, generally i'm siding out maelstrom pulse (removal). and generally control runs manlands. so in topdeck mode u kill their creeping tar pit or celestial colonnade and molten rain suddenly is VERY relevant.

Quote from Blad01

I have been testing for GP Lyon, and I'm not convinced by the deck. I expect a lot of Jund, and Jund mirrors must be the most boring mirror...

So I have been wondering how to gain an edge in the mirror ? I've thought about Deathrite Shaman, or Blightning.

Actually, if the metagame is less aggro and more combo/control/ramp/etc... I could see maindecking Blightning again. It's really good against anything non-Affinity, non-Delver.

I love Thrun in the mirror. I've sang these praises for awhile now because he is such a house. Once you untap with him on board he is pretty much staying (except against terminus but I don't see it much in modern). Behind that a little LD and you should be alright.

Quote from leh1982

Outside of Cascading it with BBE it just doesn't effect your opponent enough and costs you a turn to play it. I would much rather be dropping Anathemancer against Jund, it's just devastating against them. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Molten Rain is a bad, I just prefer something that represents a threat against the mirror rather than disruption. Also, it doesn't hurt that the Jund mirror generally goes on long enough to Unearth him, at which point he is just wins the game on the spot.

what does mancer do for u vs. jund? and don't tell me you've ever unearthed it

Quote from leh1982

Have you seen the average Jund manabase? The average manabase for Jund contains about 3 basic land with a total of 24-25 land in all. Therefore, what Anathemancer does vs Jund is hit them for a ton of damage alongside a 2/2 body. I actually unearth him probably a lot more than you'd imagine, the mirror is as heavy on removal and disruption as you are so both decks are aiming to prolong the game by trading threats, etc. As a result, reaching 7 mana in a deck thats game plan is to slow its opponent down and is running 24-25 land really isn't that unreasonable.

define "ton of damage". what turn are u casting him? have u lost the game by then already realistically because he's a waste of a card in mirror?


and i busted a nut testing deathrite shaman today.

it went all over the place still cleaning.

EVERYONE needs to test this card. its a blowout.

edit:
NEW LOOK JUND:



Deathrite is a house. He accels you. he requires added fetch lands which helps removing dead draws late game. he gains life to supplement bob. he controls GYs most importantly. shuts off gifts combo for unburial rites + iona. he shuts off snapcaster mage. eternal witness. goryo's vengeance. anything with persist/undying kitchen finks. think twice. past in flames.

my fav play is with 1 fetchland and T2 Blightning. bc usually the opponent dumps lands that u can use to pump t3 bloodbraid.

I havent had a chance to test with rtr yet because i play jund on mtgo but i envision deathrite being very good very few matchups will he be irrelavent like against tron and scapeshift but other than than he seems very good the arguement could be made for a bad cascade but certainly no worse than a thoughtseize or iok with the opponent in top deck i will deff be testing him

Quote from neversober13

edit:
NEW LOOK JUND:

deathrite jundMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
Land (24): 4 Verdant Catacombs 3 Misty Rainforest 2 Marsh Flats 1 Blood Crypt 1 Stomping Ground 1 Overgrown Tomb 4 Blackcleave Cliffs 1 Mountain 1 Swamp 2 Forest 2 Raging Ravine	Creatures (20): 3 Deathrite Shaman 4 Tarmogoyf 4 Dark Confidant 4 Bloodbraid Elf 4 Kitchen Finks 1 Eternal Witness Good Stuff: 3 Lightning Bolt 3 Terminate 2 Abrupt Decay 3 Maelstrom Pulse 4 Blightning 1 Sword of Light and Shadow	SB: 4 Molten Rain 3 Ancient Grudge 3 Combust 1 Sword of Fire and Ice 2 Duress 2 Rakdos Charm

Interesting choice to cut 4 tree tops and 4 lilianas to play this card. I also think the only time you're only remembering the times this card is good. I'm sure there are plenty of times he does nothing the first couple turns of the game.

Played last night in weekly modern event. Went 3-0 with Jund. Cut my two huntsmasters for 2 mainboard fulminator mage, since the local meta has a lot of Tron. Merfolk, UW tron, RG Tron were my matchups. Another merfolk deck went 3-0. 10 players overall. Sideboard runs Thruns, molten rain, some other artifact hate. I can post my full list later tonight.

Quote from rickster_

Interesting choice to cut 4 tree tops and 4 lilianas to play this card. I also think the only time you're only remembering the times this card is good. I'm sure there are plenty of times he does nothing the first couple turns of the game.

Obviously every card in every deck is going to be dead at some special apex of bad. but im tellin u man. those 3 deathrites boost mana early and then GY control the rest of the game. and that lifegain is soooooo important in most MUs. i can t1 deathrite and then t2 & t3 bob in a midrange/control MU and just just get so far ahead without having to worry so much about the dmg im taking. think about it, every single deck with the exception of scapeshift HAS to remove this card. if not, the life totals will be heavily in your favor after about 1-2 turns of activation. its the perfect t1 drop we could have asked for ever.

treetop is part of what makes this deck so good. I'd rather leave it in.

Quote from John Doe

Tron decks will also ignore Shaman. There's no worry about little lifegain when there is an Eldrazi ont he other side of the table blowing up your permanents and bitting your life total in double digits.

Also, Jund lists will probably be a little different than the one you suggested. I'm honestly not seeing Jund cutting all manlands, since it makes you a lot weaker to mass removal. Engineered Explosives is still played, although not that frequently. RUG will play Bonfires and wipe your board. GR Tron will Pyroclasm / Stone all your creatures with relative ease. And, UW decks will just bring from the sideboards Supreme Verdict / Wrath of God because you are now heavier on creatures thus adding more value to their sweepers. Manlands help diminish that problem.

plz tell me u just disregarded the 2 raging ravine in my list? im trying to fit in more manlands, but the fetches are kinda needed for shaman

^ a lot of accurate things said here. i agree with all of them except this:

Quote from aspasia

- it's not a discard spell (really liked having 6 discard spells)

Overall as you can see, I like the card very much. The resulting deck gains in early (and brutal) aggression. I'm not sure if 3 or 4 is the good number for this card. I also wonder if we can change the build a little to make it even more brutal but you would then lose some of the cards that make this deck so great. The land count is also debatable 24 or 25.

t2 molten rain is awesome on the play. also becuase u for sure RFGing their land t3. t2 blightning is WAY better, bc early game like that opponents usually will dump a land (or two) so t3 u will have a land target as well.


i used to think the land count was 25, but with shaman i htink it should be 24.

Quote from sheik80

It can be a very good card: the fact that it is uncounterable is very good against twin and delver decks, and it's still amazing against opposing Goyfs, KoTR and all Martyr dudes. The fact that it can kill things like Scepter or a PW it's insane too. It can be better than Terminate in this meta full of tempo decks, but i'm sure i will miss a lot Terminate when my opponent drops a large fatty (Griselbrand? Elesh Norn? Sun Titan?). The fact that with it you can't kill Kiki-jiki or Restoration Angel is pretty bad too. Imho, in a deck like Jund Terminate is better: killing Delvers throught counterspells isn't a problem, since even a Bolt can do that, and Combust is a card too. Same thing with Exarch Twin, having access to Combust makes Abrupt Decay useless. And nonland permanents are food for pulse. But well, being able to kill EVERYTHING that cost 3 or less is too good to ignore, i'll def try it out

Run both Terminate and Abrupt Decay, reduce the Maelstrom Pulse count, the only thing relevant you can kill with Pulse is the Birthing Pod

Quote from Shed

Run both Terminate and Abrupt Decay, reduce the Maelstrom Pulse count, the only thing relevant you can kill with Pulse is the Birthing Pod

Maelstrom pulse is still relevant in many situations because it blows up multiple cards, not just because of permanents that cost more than 3. Though being able to blow up things like Birthing Pod and Elspeth, Knight Errant is nice, we have better options for those specific cards anyway if that's really what you're worried about (like ancient grudge or dreadbore). Many of the format's most popular decks run 4 of many different permanents. Keep that in mind before you just decide to cut maelstrom pulses for abrupt decays or anything else. Abrupt decay is still good, but maelstrom pulse has a lot more relevancy than just blowing up birthing pod. Also, tokens is likely to become more popular again with the new populate mechanic, which is another perfectly good reason to run maelstrom pulse.

Ceddy Phillips has been streaming a list with 4 Blightning and 4 Geralf's Messenger with some pretty good results. Since Scapeshift is a thing now, I think it might actually be a good idea to get a bit more aggressive.