MTG Salvation

As you all may already be aware: Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle + Scapeshift make for an instant win.

So it's time to brew!

And, again, as you may already be aware, Valakut is most famous when combined with another card: Scapeshift.

The combo is simple!

1. Ramp! You'll need at least five Mountains plus Valakut, so six lands is the minimum. You'll typically win with seven (the amount needed to do 18-20 damage) but sometimes six is enough.
2. Cast Scapeshift! Sacrifice all of your lands, then put into play 1-2 Valakuts and 5-6 Mountains (note that you sacrifice your lands as a part of Scapeshift's resolution not as a part of it's cost, so you don't lose lands even if it's countered; also, non-basic Mountains such as Stomping Grounds are counted).

It's just that easy!

So this will be the Scapeshift discussion thread for the time being. I feel we should wait on how to deck does in Daily's and at PT: RtR before a primer is written. Make sure the pros and Japanese discover all the tech first.

here's the decklists from old extended

http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/gpatl11/welcome#2

they used prismatic omen to help with activating valakut

also you can play primeval titan and use cavern so it doesn't get countered

Here is something I put together for pure speed. I'm also completely exhausted, so it's probably more than ready to be torn apart.

• 4 Explore
  
• 4 Harrow
  
• 4 Rampant Growth
  
• 4 Khalni Heart Expedition
  
• 3 Prismatic Omen
  
• 4 Scapeshift
  
• 4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
  
• 6 Forest
  
• 10 Mountain
  
• 4 Evolving Wilds
  
• 4 Terramorphic Expanse
  
• 4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
  
• 3 Bloodbraid Elf
  
• 2 Primeval Titan
  

Note: Deck would be stonger with proper fetchlands, but im not sure which ones to use. Then if fetches are used, which shocks to use.

I know some extended lists splashed blue and stuff, but I wonder if the best way to approach this is to just combo out as fast as possible. I don't think wargate is necessairily needed, we just need a way to get scapeshift.

EDITS: Without the majority of the cards that help the deck splash blue efficiently, is it worth splashing blue in this deck?

Needs a way to deal with Sowing Salt or other combo breakers, I think; personally going to be spamming SS until Valakut popularity dies down a bit. Sideboard Nature's Claim going to be a no-brainer as well, deal with annoying permanents like artifacts or Leyline of Sanctity.

Edit: Also, no love for Primeval Titan, Summoning Trap, Guttural Response or Cavern of Souls?

Well I sat down and played a couple of games with this:


Things I noticed, I haven't played any affinity or jund games yet, but I played against a merfolk deck and even with a good hand I wasn't able to win against their mass of creatures. However, post board the addition of combust really helped take the deck apart, and just put the deck out of the game. So, I feel like this deck will have problems with the hyper aggro decks, and possibly tron. Other than it seems to have an inevitability that no other decks can really match.

Did not know that... hmmm brewing time.

here is a list of some modern legal ramp spells.

• ramp spells
  
• explore
  
• farseek
  
• rampant growth
  
• scapeshift
  
• search for tomorrow
  
• summer bloom
  
• sylvan scrying
  
• ramp creatures
  
• solemn simulacrum
  
• azusa
  
• budoka gardener
  
• farhaven elf
  
• oracle of mul daya
  
• prime time
  
• sakura-tribe elder

Quote from u-579

Well I sat down and played a couple of games with this:

Hamlet Captain's DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
Creatures: 3 Coiling Oracle 4 Sakura-Tribe Elder 4 Wood Elves Instants: 3 Cryptic Command 4 Peer Through Depths 4 Remand 3 Repeal 2 Spell Snare 4 Scapeshift Lands: 4 Forest 3 Island 1 Mountain 1 Breeding Pool 2 Flooded Grove 2 Misty Rainforest 4 Steam Vents 4 Stomping Ground 2 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle	Sorceries: 3 Sleight of Hand 3 Lightning Bolt	Sideboard: 3 Sowing Salt 2 Combust 2 Torpor Orb 2 Firespout 3 Ancient Grudge

Things I noticed, I haven't played any affinity or jund games yet, but I played against a merfolk deck and even with a good hand I wasn't able to win against their mass of creatures. However, post board the addition of combust really helped take the deck apart, and just put the deck out of the game. So, I feel like this deck will have problems with the hyper aggro decks, and possibly tron. Other than it seems to have an inevitability that no other decks can really match.

This is very close to what I'm playing (courtesy of Lectrys).

Differences: no Cryptic Command, no Repeal, Visions instead of Sleight, Spell Pierce instead of Snare, Magma Jet instead of Lightning Bolt, two Augur of Bolas, two Explore, four Search for Tomorrow, and other subtle changes.

I highly recommend Augur of Bolas.

I'm afraid valakut might just be too slow in the current modern metagame. Storm and splinter twin kill faster. We can go blue or sideboard accordingly, but I'm not sure it'll be enough. The lack of GSZ also hurts

One of the reasons to go blue was for preordain/ponder/jace, which is no longer possible. Without it, we have basically no card filtering. A version will probably still do very well, as the mana is not bad with steam vents, and blue makes the deck a lot better against other combo I think. I feel like a version going control/combo might be the best build, but I'm unsure how to build it. As mentioned before, the lack of card filtering really hurts. My guess is you'd end up having permission spells and ramp spells at the wrong time a lot.

Quick decklist for RG, not sure how to build with blue yet.






Another idea is to go with the whole landfall route with scapeshift in an aggro shell, and have valakut/scapeshift as a backup plan.

Here's a list to try:


My guess is neither deck is good enough right now, but I think there will be a top deck with valakut in the future.

Quote from The Dead Weatherman

This is very close to what I'm playing (courtesy of Lectrys).

Differences: no Cryptic Command, no Repeal, Visions instead of Sleight, Spell Pierce instead of Snare, Magma Jet instead of Lightning Bolt, two Augur of Bolas, two Explore, four Search for Tomorrow, and other subtle changes.

I highly recommend Augur of Bolas.

Interesting changes, I'll have to digest them to see how I feel about them. Right now, cryptic command has already won me 3 games that I couldn't have won with out it so I feel like I shouldn't touch it, but we'll see I guess. I don't really like how search for tomorrow looks on paper, how has that actually performed?

augur could be good, I just don't know what I'd replace with him.

I think that you will find that boundless realms is to slow, and but requiring basics only, kind limits you to at most 2 colors. The version of this deck that I think is best right now is the RUG one, and with out blue, other combo decks will just roll over you.

Edit: if you are going to run prismatic omen I might also run glimmerpost as something to help you live against the aggro decks.

Sowing Salt only beats Valakut if its on the board before the Scapeshift. Scapeshift resolving automatically wins the game, if 7 lands are out.

I've been testing Lectrys's old list. I'm liking Scapeshift. It has a tough match vs Jund, and fast aggro is a race to 7 lands. But 1 card combo's are nothing to sneeze at, and it is very powerful. I wanna add 1 Kessig Wolf Run and 1 Inkmoth Nexus as a back up. Maybe 4 Glimmerpost's against aggro in a R/G Primeval Kut deck.

EDIT: Calling it now, by November, There will be a 'Kut deck in the Proven Subforum.

Quote from u-579

Interesting changes, I'll have to digest them to see how I feel about them. Right now, cryptic command has already won me 3 games that I couldn't have won with out it so I feel like I shouldn't touch it, but we'll see I guess. I don't really like how search for tomorrow looks on paper, how has that actually performed?

augur could be good, I just don't know what I'd replace with him.

You're probably right about Command. The Fog effect is far too good at, you know, keeping your butt alive.

Search for Tomorrow has been extremely good. Keep in mind that it puts the land in play untapped, so it effectively costs two, which allows you to usually do more than one thing if you hard cast it. I usually do. Typically Augur or Coiling Oracle.

Augur is also extremely good. It digs you a little bit but is also a body, which, again, is crucial at helping you not die as quick. It even blocks profitably with a few things, including Tiago, Bob, and Thalia, and doesn't die to Grim Lavamancer.

Yeah, I think it took me about three times reading it to notice the untapped clause. Can you post or PM me your current list?

Sure thing! There you go.

It's a rough draft for now. I now feel that Cryptic Command should be in there someplace; it saved my butt many a time back when I played Wolf Run RUG and I feel that it will serve a similar purpose here. Right now I'm feeling two maindeck and one in the board. I also want to try Repeal and find room for at least one Snapcaster Mage.

It might be a while before I have a perfect list hammered out.

On an unrelated note, I hope Valakut doesn't get too high in price. Right now the deck is super cheap!

Do you think that cutting down the wood elves count is good? I feel like I get more milage out of them than I do Sakura-Tribe Elder especially with only one actual mountain in my list. I'm thinking that I either am going to test cutting them or add another mountain.

The odd thing is that right now the only thing that has gained a lot of value is Prismatic Omen, which isn't even required for the deck.

Wouldn't vesuva be decent in here as at least a 1-2 of? more copies of Valakut just seems like a great idea to me.

Quote from Mcpatches

Wouldn't vesuva be decent in here as at least a 1-2 of? more copies of Valakut just seems like a great idea to me.

Not really, because you can't scapeshift for it unless you have another valakut already in play, and we already are only playing 2 or so Valakuts so you could just up that count first if you need more of them.

Yeah, probably would be all right. Wood Elves is basically just a fifth SFT that doesn't suspend in my list.

Omen does what? Lets you go off a little quicker? Problem is it opens the deck up to enchantment hate and bad draws. But it does make the deck a full two turns quicker, which is certainly something.

But the thing is you can certainly side them out against anything that isn't Thresh or Affinity. Jund is a good example, because you don't really need to race it as much as weather disruption. Jund isn't quick at all. I would probably side in more against something like Tron, a deck that we can most certainly race.

that's not a bad idea, I might put 2 in the board for tron and maybe affinity, or whatever else is fast that won't try and disrupt us.

Now I just thought of something, with leonin arbiter, would you have to pay for each land or just once?

Just once, I believe.