Just perused some decklists and have noticed that Scapeshift has picked Anticipate up as a 3-4 off in recent Top8 lists from the State Champs. Saw at least a couple other decks, Twin, UWR, and Grixis that have dabbled in it, but not as many copies and less reliably. Not sure if that means its good enough, but certainly hopeful that it seems to be becoming a staple in one of the tier 2 decks.
Not sure if anyone's posted these yet, but here are a couple UWR a came across that did well with a couple copies:
The SCG deck is great! I'd only swap the planeswalker MB for a 2nd Supreme Verdict, but it seems very fine and close to what I run. UWR Control and even 4-Color Control is coming along great in the past weeks!
I'm still not sold on splashing black I just hate having to stretch the mana base that already has very specific requirements and only further hurting ourselves against land destruction and hosing type effects.
I really hate the blood moon in the board with the amount of cards it actually hurts from our side. I guess it's so unexpected from a 4 colour control deck that you could catch someone out though unless it just colds them we've sacrificed so much to cast it (lost colonnade, can't flashback souls, can't cast gideon, likely can't cast our cryptics and such too).
1 of sideboards with anticipate is defensible but when you're looking for early hate the single copy most of the time won't show up. I'm surprised that there's no stony silence or relic/GY hate because tron and graveyard decks are 2 of the worse matchups in my opinion.
Yeah. Blood Moon was one of the cards I raised an eyebrow to. I suppose he's likely to side out of the black splash when bringing in that card. Though, I'd rather have something like Stony Silence or Shatterstorm in that spot. Perhaps Fracturing Gust since you can fetch it with MB 1x Mystical Teachings, but the triple white is pretty difficult.
I'm becoming more and more pro the black splash for Lingering Souls though. When you look at the manabase, he basically cuts 2x Tectonic Edge in order to add a Godless Shrine and Blood Crypt. It shouldn't effect the normal color spread as a result. The splash is so light (only required for flashback in mainboard) that fetching early and taking extra damage is not really going to be a factor.
There's no problem at all with the black splash. I ran it since Sukenik made 3-4 at the SCG Baltimore without never being mana screwed. I lost life with fetching for sure, but never the black splash was a problem. Lingering Souls is good and I'm more comfortable running 4-Colour Control than plain UWR Control.
News about States : Robert Seder did it and took down is state! Finished 1st with this Four-Colour Control list (the Sukenik one that I'm running too!):
Anticipate is real good. Anyways, here's my list from States (I came in 3rd-4th). Jace was terrible out of the SB, so that should be something else. YMMV.
Thank you. It performed well. 3-0-2 in the Swiss with ID last round and drew against a friend who was playing taking turns (I could have won the third game if not for time). I don't like the splash for souls, myself, but then again I prioritize having easier ways to interact with man/utility lands in Ghost Quarter and a SB plan of Shackles with the extra island to bring in as well (and usually take out a GQ for the island in MU's where the GQ is just a colorless land). The mana-base is super impervious to blood moon. I decided to try out the Secure the Wastes on a whim, and it performed decently. I think it is just a better White Suns all around (easier to cast, can cast it for lower cost and more power, especially in a format with a lot of x/1's and bigger threats that you can chump all day). I could easily seeing playing the 2nd Negate MB and putting another in the side. It hits so much in the format and is really mana efficient.
It is paper, and not many around here have Tarmogoyfs so the BGx decks are pretty limited, so no need for Sphinx's. Beat UWR delver in the quarters then lost 2 close games to UR twin in the semi's. It felt fluid and streamlined, which is something I tend to prioritize. Anticipate lets you keep a lot of hands you'd otherwise have to mulligan. Real real good. It also saved my bacon against my friends UWR Geist deck in Round 4, after he cliqued away my Verdict, I shuffled with a fetch and then anticipated into it after I had all ready killed one geist with snapcaster block. It also lets you play a more diverse SB imho.
How were the vedalken shackles out of the board? what did you bring them in against?
Pretty much any creature deck, and they would have been really good (taking monastery mentor, keeping twin off ever combo'ing, etc.), but everytime I played it, they had their 1-2 of artifact hate in hand, which I thought was a bit odd - but I suppose they did so on the fear of batterskull...It's also a good way to hose unsuspecting BGx players in the SB games after they've taken out their abrupt decays.
There's no problem at all with the black splash. I ran it since Sukenik made 3-4 at the SCG Baltimore without never being mana screwed. I lost life with fetching for sure, but never the black splash was a problem. Lingering Souls is good and I'm more comfortable running 4-Colour Control than plain UWR Control.
Are you finding that you successfully race decks like Twin and Junk with Souls? I think the power of UWR is in Snapcaster -> Bolt and the life swings it brings, and I'm still trying to find cards that leverage that. I have my doubts about racing the Midrange decks with Lingering Souls, though. Looks like a chump blocker to me.
There's no problem at all with the black splash. I ran it since Sukenik made 3-4 at the SCG Baltimore without never being mana screwed. I lost life with fetching for sure, but never the black splash was a problem. Lingering Souls is good and I'm more comfortable running 4-Colour Control than plain UWR Control.
Are you finding that you successfully race decks like Twin and Junk with Souls? I think the power of UWR is in Snapcaster ; Bolt and the life swings it brings, and I'm still trying to find cards that leverage that. I have my doubts about racing the Midrange decks with Lingering Souls, though. Looks like a chump blocker to me.
I'm fine with Junk, UR Twin is always a rough matchup even with the black splash though. Lingering Souls can buy time against Junk and be a great defensive asset too with chump-blocking Goyf: I love it! I think that the best chance we have against Twin is to win game one, then board Counterflux or the necessary hate and grind it out after they adjusted with their SB.
Interesting. Twin is even or even favorable for this deck without Souls. I still don't see where that card is actually good. Chump blocking Tarmogoys and such isn't worth a card unless you're going to just wipe the floor with them when you hit midgame.
News about States : Robert Seder did it and took down is state! Finished 1st with this Four-Colour Control list (the Sukenik one that I'm running too!):
Interesting. Twin is even or even favorable for this deck without Souls. I still don't see where that card is actually good. Chump blocking Tarmogoys and such isn't worth a card unless you're going to just wipe the floor with them when you hit midgame.
I'm not an experienced UWR Control player : I've seen lots of game, but I don't consider myself a top pilot for this deck (I've always been a RWg Burn and Stompy player). This might explain my difficulties against Twin. But the most interesting thing with Souls is the flashback : that can save you! I've been saved twice against Junk and Infect with that flashback thing. And even more, it's most of the time chump-blocking, but with flyers it can become a threat if you have like 4 on the board.
I'm not trying to sell this black splash idea to anyone, but I'm just reporting my personal experiences with it and how it's been great for me (and also for the UWR Control decks that have ranked lately with Sukenik and Seder finishing first with 4-Colour Control).
So a 1st place control list but without any anticipate. I wonder if splashing black stops you from having the free spots for cards like that
The black splash takes away space for cards like Anticipate for sure : you're running 4 Souls and then it's either 2 Shadow of Doubt or 2 Anticipate in my opinion.
I play the black splash, it helps in matchups like infect to give effective blockers, it also gives you a way to beat tron and other decks of that nature because you can play a tempo game and actually have a clock that's cheaper than colonnade and just as fast. Otherwise, it just helps slow down a lot of decks, sometimes you just need a turn to breath and lingering souls gives you a ton of time.
Anticipate lets you keep a lot of hands you'd otherwise have to mulligan. Real real good. It also saved my bacon against my friends UWR Geist deck in Round 4, after he cliqued away my Verdict, I shuffled with a fetch and then anticipated into it after I had all ready killed one geist with snapcaster block. It also lets you play a more diverse SB imho.
I am Aegraen's friend that was playing UWR Geist. As an opponent to a control deck utilizing Anticipae, the spell seemed very very good. Everytime the spell was cast I felt like he was able to begin sculpting a hand that ha everything he needed to win, which he ultimately did.
I have also been casting Anticiate in various builds of UWR Control and Esper Control and I am convinced the spell has a home as a 4 of in both builds. Both decks have had ways to gain card advantage, but they lacked efficient instant speed selection. There has been many times that I have anticipated into 2 lands and another Anticipate which I was then able to cast and go down an additional 3 cards. When digging for an answer, I'm very glad to be able to skip past the dead land draws and find what I need.
Anticipate lets you keep a lot of hands you'd otherwise have to mulligan. Real real good. It also saved my bacon against my friends UWR Geist deck in Round 4, after he cliqued away my Verdict, I shuffled with a fetch and then anticipated into it after I had all ready killed one geist with snapcaster block. It also lets you play a more diverse SB imho.
I am Aegraen's friend that was playing UWR Geist. As an opponent to a control deck utilizing Anticipae, the spell seemed very very good. Everytime the spell was cast I felt like he was able to begin sculpting a hand that ha everything he needed to win, which he ultimately did.
I have also been casting Anticiate in various builds of UWR Control and Esper Control and I am convinced the spell has a home as a 4 of in both builds. Both decks have had ways to gain card advantage, but they lacked efficient instant speed selection. There has been many times that I have anticipated into 2 lands and another Anticipate which I was then able to cast and go down an additional 3 cards. When digging for an answer, I'm very glad to be able to skip past the dead land draws and find what I need.
I haven't been around the format much lately, but I have used anticipate in standard quite a bit. From my experience it is a great card, but is kinda slow against faster matchups. It would be great against twin to find hate cards in games 2 and 3, but will take up valuable turns early against junk. For this reason I would max out at two in the main deck and maybe run 1 in the board if you have an open slot.
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Anticipate lets you keep a lot of hands you'd otherwise have to mulligan. Real real good. It also saved my bacon against my friends UWR Geist deck in Round 4, after he cliqued away my Verdict, I shuffled with a fetch and then anticipated into it after I had all ready killed one geist with snapcaster block. It also lets you play a more diverse SB imho.
I am Aegraen's friend that was playing UWR Geist. As an opponent to a control deck utilizing Anticipae, the spell seemed very very good. Everytime the spell was cast I felt like he was able to begin sculpting a hand that ha everything he needed to win, which he ultimately did.
I have also been casting Anticiate in various builds of UWR Control and Esper Control and I am convinced the spell has a home as a 4 of in both builds. Both decks have had ways to gain card advantage, but they lacked efficient instant speed selection. There has been many times that I have anticipated into 2 lands and another Anticipate which I was then able to cast and go down an additional 3 cards. When digging for an answer, I'm very glad to be able to skip past the dead land draws and find what I need.
I haven't been around the format much lately, but I have used anticipate in standard quite a bit. From my experience it is a great card, but is kinda slow against faster matchups. It would be great against twin to find hate cards in games 2 and 3, but will take up valuable turns early against junk. For this reason I would max out at two in the main deck and maybe run 1 in the board if you have an open slot.
I have tested 2 and 3 mb, but i settled at 2 and put in the 4th path again. from my experience it is good at finding stuff you need or sculpting a hand, but against affinity, infect and zoo I wish i had something else like a helix or a path in hand. It have however helped me find sided stuff to stabilize agains burn, twin, uwr midrange and a mono red shamans at my local store so I'll keep 2 for now (I play a more flashy uwr with restos and cliques).
Anticipate lets you keep a lot of hands you'd otherwise have to mulligan. Real real good. It also saved my bacon against my friends UWR Geist deck in Round 4, after he cliqued away my Verdict, I shuffled with a fetch and then anticipated into it after I had all ready killed one geist with snapcaster block. It also lets you play a more diverse SB imho.
I am Aegraen's friend that was playing UWR Geist. As an opponent to a control deck utilizing Anticipae, the spell seemed very very good. Everytime the spell was cast I felt like he was able to begin sculpting a hand that ha everything he needed to win, which he ultimately did.
I have also been casting Anticiate in various builds of UWR Control and Esper Control and I am convinced the spell has a home as a 4 of in both builds. Both decks have had ways to gain card advantage, but they lacked efficient instant speed selection. There has been many times that I have anticipated into 2 lands and another Anticipate which I was then able to cast and go down an additional 3 cards. When digging for an answer, I'm very glad to be able to skip past the dead land draws and find what I need.
I haven't been around the format much lately, but I have used anticipate in standard quite a bit. From my experience it is a great card, but is kinda slow against faster matchups. It would be great against twin to find hate cards in games 2 and 3, but will take up valuable turns early against junk. For this reason I would max out at two in the main deck and maybe run 1 in the board if you have an open slot.
I always feel like I want to draw anticipate against junk. They'll only discard your business spells at the start anyway so being able to see the top 3 can make a big difference. I'd also be happy to see it against burn just to help dig for my life gain cards.
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The SCG deck is great! I'd only swap the planeswalker MB for a 2nd Supreme Verdict, but it seems very fine and close to what I run. UWR Control and even 4-Color Control is coming along great in the past weeks!
Aggro: Naya Burn RWG
Combo: Scapeshift RG
Control: Jeskai Control UWR
Legacy
Control: Miracles UW
Aggro: Burn R
I really hate the blood moon in the board with the amount of cards it actually hurts from our side. I guess it's so unexpected from a 4 colour control deck that you could catch someone out though unless it just colds them we've sacrificed so much to cast it (lost colonnade, can't flashback souls, can't cast gideon, likely can't cast our cryptics and such too).
1 of sideboards with anticipate is defensible but when you're looking for early hate the single copy most of the time won't show up. I'm surprised that there's no stony silence or relic/GY hate because tron and graveyard decks are 2 of the worse matchups in my opinion.
I'm becoming more and more pro the black splash for Lingering Souls though. When you look at the manabase, he basically cuts 2x Tectonic Edge in order to add a Godless Shrine and Blood Crypt. It shouldn't effect the normal color spread as a result. The splash is so light (only required for flashback in mainboard) that fetching early and taking extra damage is not really going to be a factor.
Modern: R Skred -- WBG Melira Co -- URW Nahiri Control
Legacy: R Mono Red Burn -- UWB Stoneblade
Commander: R Krenko, Mob Boss -- WUBRG Scion of the Ur-Dragon -- WUBRG Maze’s End
Other: R No Rares Red (Standard) -- URC Izzet Tron (Pauper)
Aggro: Naya Burn RWG
Combo: Scapeshift RG
Control: Jeskai Control UWR
Legacy
Control: Miracles UW
Aggro: Burn R
4 Snapcaster Mage
Lands (25)
3 Island
1 Plains
2 Arid Mesa
1 Blood Crypt
3 Celestial Colonnade
4 Flooded Strand
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Godless Shrine
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Steam Vents
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Tectonic Edge
2 Cryptic Command
2 Electrolyze
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Lightning Helix
3 Mana Leak
1 Mystical Teachings
4 Path to Exile
2 Remand
2 Shadow of Doubt
2 Spell Snare
1 Sphinx's Revelation
4 Lingering Souls
2 Supreme Verdict
1 Crucible Of Worlds
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Stony Silence
1 Celestial Purge
1 Counterflux
1 Dispel
1 Negate
1 Wear
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Gideon Jura
1 Jace, Architect of Thought
2 Timely Reinforcements
1 Ghost Quarter
Aggro: Naya Burn RWG
Combo: Scapeshift RG
Control: Jeskai Control UWR
Legacy
Control: Miracles UW
Aggro: Burn R
Thank you. It performed well. 3-0-2 in the Swiss with ID last round and drew against a friend who was playing taking turns (I could have won the third game if not for time). I don't like the splash for souls, myself, but then again I prioritize having easier ways to interact with man/utility lands in Ghost Quarter and a SB plan of Shackles with the extra island to bring in as well (and usually take out a GQ for the island in MU's where the GQ is just a colorless land). The mana-base is super impervious to blood moon. I decided to try out the Secure the Wastes on a whim, and it performed decently. I think it is just a better White Suns all around (easier to cast, can cast it for lower cost and more power, especially in a format with a lot of x/1's and bigger threats that you can chump all day). I could easily seeing playing the 2nd Negate MB and putting another in the side. It hits so much in the format and is really mana efficient.
It is paper, and not many around here have Tarmogoyfs so the BGx decks are pretty limited, so no need for Sphinx's. Beat UWR delver in the quarters then lost 2 close games to UR twin in the semi's. It felt fluid and streamlined, which is something I tend to prioritize. Anticipate lets you keep a lot of hands you'd otherwise have to mulligan. Real real good. It also saved my bacon against my friends UWR Geist deck in Round 4, after he cliqued away my Verdict, I shuffled with a fetch and then anticipated into it after I had all ready killed one geist with snapcaster block. It also lets you play a more diverse SB imho.
Esper draw go Control!
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Pretty much any creature deck, and they would have been really good (taking monastery mentor, keeping twin off ever combo'ing, etc.), but everytime I played it, they had their 1-2 of artifact hate in hand, which I thought was a bit odd - but I suppose they did so on the fear of batterskull...It's also a good way to hose unsuspecting BGx players in the SB games after they've taken out their abrupt decays.
Are you finding that you successfully race decks like Twin and Junk with Souls? I think the power of UWR is in Snapcaster -> Bolt and the life swings it brings, and I'm still trying to find cards that leverage that. I have my doubts about racing the Midrange decks with Lingering Souls, though. Looks like a chump blocker to me.
I'm fine with Junk, UR Twin is always a rough matchup even with the black splash though. Lingering Souls can buy time against Junk and be a great defensive asset too with chump-blocking Goyf: I love it! I think that the best chance we have against Twin is to win game one, then board Counterflux or the necessary hate and grind it out after they adjusted with their SB.
Aggro: Naya Burn RWG
Combo: Scapeshift RG
Control: Jeskai Control UWR
Legacy
Control: Miracles UW
Aggro: Burn R
So a 1st place control list but without any anticipate. I wonder if splashing black stops you from having the free spots for cards like that.
I'm not an experienced UWR Control player : I've seen lots of game, but I don't consider myself a top pilot for this deck (I've always been a RWg Burn and Stompy player). This might explain my difficulties against Twin. But the most interesting thing with Souls is the flashback : that can save you! I've been saved twice against Junk and Infect with that flashback thing. And even more, it's most of the time chump-blocking, but with flyers it can become a threat if you have like 4 on the board.
I'm not trying to sell this black splash idea to anyone, but I'm just reporting my personal experiences with it and how it's been great for me (and also for the UWR Control decks that have ranked lately with Sukenik and Seder finishing first with 4-Colour Control).
Aggro: Naya Burn RWG
Combo: Scapeshift RG
Control: Jeskai Control UWR
Legacy
Control: Miracles UW
Aggro: Burn R
The black splash takes away space for cards like Anticipate for sure : you're running 4 Souls and then it's either 2 Shadow of Doubt or 2 Anticipate in my opinion.
Aggro: Naya Burn RWG
Combo: Scapeshift RG
Control: Jeskai Control UWR
Legacy
Control: Miracles UW
Aggro: Burn R
I am Aegraen's friend that was playing UWR Geist. As an opponent to a control deck utilizing Anticipae, the spell seemed very very good. Everytime the spell was cast I felt like he was able to begin sculpting a hand that ha everything he needed to win, which he ultimately did.
I have also been casting Anticiate in various builds of UWR Control and Esper Control and I am convinced the spell has a home as a 4 of in both builds. Both decks have had ways to gain card advantage, but they lacked efficient instant speed selection. There has been many times that I have anticipated into 2 lands and another Anticipate which I was then able to cast and go down an additional 3 cards. When digging for an answer, I'm very glad to be able to skip past the dead land draws and find what I need.
I haven't been around the format much lately, but I have used anticipate in standard quite a bit. From my experience it is a great card, but is kinda slow against faster matchups. It would be great against twin to find hate cards in games 2 and 3, but will take up valuable turns early against junk. For this reason I would max out at two in the main deck and maybe run 1 in the board if you have an open slot.
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I have tested 2 and 3 mb, but i settled at 2 and put in the 4th path again. from my experience it is good at finding stuff you need or sculpting a hand, but against affinity, infect and zoo I wish i had something else like a helix or a path in hand. It have however helped me find sided stuff to stabilize agains burn, twin, uwr midrange and a mono red shamans at my local store so I'll keep 2 for now (I play a more flashy uwr with restos and cliques).
I always feel like I want to draw anticipate against junk. They'll only discard your business spells at the start anyway so being able to see the top 3 can make a big difference. I'd also be happy to see it against burn just to help dig for my life gain cards.