A heavier commitment to black seems a solid option, but I'd still play some Serum visions to dig for your cards while you're disrupting your opponent's.
But good call on the blossoms, I think I'll try it as a 1-of
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Modern only RG Breach UW Midrange UWB Zur RUG Scapeshift
I think the original sub-theme of this deck was control however, I do like the black route as well except for the fact that I can't counter pre-Grapeshot antics nor any other shenanigans that the other decks in the meta can cook up. Also, 4x LotV's are out of my budget haha. I was too dumb to continue buying Innistrad instead of sinking $300 in 3 boxes of Gatecrash back when it was released.....I think I was on the Boros Reckoner hype.
I know this sounds crazy but I'm tossing in a Temur Ascendancy and play testing it to see how wel it interacts with GoST's angel token. Replaced 2 of my mana for a Blood Crypt and a Temple Garden. Haven't ran into many problems so far as all are fetchable via marsh flats and Zur.
Yup, Zuritos has done it twice! This time, it couldn't take down Ascendancy Storm...
Given Ascendancy Storm's rise, I'd probably swap Rule of Law out of and Eidolon of Rhetoric into Zuritos's sideboard; Eidolon gets hit by a couple more answers from Ascendancy than Rule, but a nonzero chance of swinging with a 4/4 (or even just a 3/6) hate bear cannot be ignored.
The idea behind Temur Ascendancy is to have GoST's angel token draw a card every time it comes into play. It also allows Zur to go enchantment hunting the turn he comes into play. The second, original, variation of this deck I was running had 2 Eidolon of Rhetoric in it with no Master of the Feast or Temur Ascendancy.
Awesome, I have an almost identical "Doran, the Enchanter" list built but with only 5 mana dorks. I've never tried the deck in a competitive level event though. I would love to hear about the matchups and how it played for them.
Awesome, I have an almost identical "Doran, the Enchanter" list built but with only 5 mana dorks. I've never tried the deck in a competitive level event though. I would love to hear about the matchups and how it played for them.
It must be playing well because I've seen that deck 3 times on The Council so far!
Awesome, I have an almost identical "Doran, the Enchanter" list built but with only 5 mana dorks. I've never tried the deck in a competitive level event though. I would love to hear about the matchups and how it played for them.
It must be playing well because I've seen that deck 3 times on The Council so far!
The green list looks sweet! Sadly I won't be buying goyfs anytime soon on MTGO or paper.
How have you been finding Master of the Feast/Temur Ascendancy? I played this deck some back was DRS was legal, and I haven't forgotten it mostly because it was incredibly fun to play. I miss playing a T2 Geist or T3 Zur. I think with all of the fetches the deck could support a splash for Birds, but DRS did so much more than just ramp im not sure it's worth it.
It was fun while it lasted, but I found them both to be a waste of a spot that could be filled with something quicker and in Esper's colors (Vapor Snag), so I decided to go with this build:
That's close to my list, it's mainly just the numbers in the main. Only real difference is I like disfigure/darkblast and i've been testing Bitterblossom.
How has bitterblossom been working? After play-testing some I noticed that this deck has trouble against Living end decks and obviously the mirrors. I wish I could find room for Lingering Souls and Lilliana, but I just don't know where to trim the fat. Possibly Thassa and a Sculler, but other than that, everything seems necessary in the main.
I'm not in love with Bitterblossom but haven't completely ruled it out for GP Omaha. If I come to any more definitive update I'll let you know but I've been doing very well against Fatesticher and RUG Delver.
How do you like Psychic Surgery btw, i've been meaning to test it forever but it always looks too cute.
I'm not in love with Bitterblossom but haven't completely ruled it out for GP Omaha. If I come to any more definitive update I'll let you know but I've been doing very well against Fatesticher and RUG Delver.
How do you like Psychic Surgery btw, i've been meaning to test it forever but it always looks too cute.
I honestly haven't had much playtesting time with it. It was a thought but I'm reconsidering it just for the simple fact that I don't want to throw too many enchantments in the sideboard when I need slots to deal with these new U/R Delver/Ascendancy decks. I love the idea of it since there is a lot of fetching and searching in modern, but it seems like it might only be optimal against Pod decks and even then they're still getting what they're searching for. Please, please, please post your results from the GP. I'm tired of this being a semi dead thread and I'm really curious to see how it handles the new meta post-Treasure Cruise and Dig Through Time.
Hey have you put any thought into Phyrexian Arena?
Will do, I've got some GPTs to play before then but they're all in standard which is not my forte right now. That said I just changed my list again but I was doing very well in most of the testing and I think I'm more confidant I will stick with it.
Current slightly less tested list, jury is still out on Bitterblossom. Oh, and i've been playing with the mana base quite a bit since removing all Dig through Time. The mana is still not right but I have absolutely no problems now with on-color fetches. Most of my tournaments with the list were with Mistys and Marshs.
Wow, you made some changes. What was the reasoning behind going back to Meddling Mage over Sculler? No criticism, just want to know so I can tweak it if necessary. Also, I noticed you cut Thassa. Was she not as useful as another option? Deck looks super solid. I really need to get some Spreading Seas.
Meddling Mage is better in a vacuum and in practice. Too many situations where Mage is better and Sculler is what it is always. Examples would be if they have two lightning bolts in hand or naming Grapeshot against Storm in game 1. That's all besides sometimes having to beat down with a steel of the godhead on it.
I still like Thassa but I cut it because a lot of the time I used to win was by turning on Thassa with Speading Seas and Threads. Now that they're all gone from the main deck it seems worse on the denial plan than Vendilion Clique. That said I hate clique and love Thassa so if I really start to miss the unblockable clause with Geist then it might go back.
I'm just trying to find the way i'd like to attack the meta. Again, still not sold on Bitterblossom.
Counter spells? Delver and Ascendancy play to "go off" and stack Cruise ammo in the graveyard, so if you can counter their cantrips that's the only idea that has crossed my mind so far. And of course graveyard hate against delve. Seriously considering Suffer the Past as a main deck against those decks. Against pod? Aven Mindcensor and Shadow of Doubt, maybe. Amulet? Spreading seas, but then again they could just bounce the land and be good to go, so maybe counter spells again?
I have 3 points I want to hit with this deck since it's pretty much a control deck with an attack plan.
-Attack and control their hand (probe, IoK, Thoughtseize)
-Don't let them get things on the battlefield that I didn't grab from their hands (counter spells)
-If they manage to get something on the board, have a way to deal with it. (Path to Exile, Detention Sphere, Supreme Verdict and I've considered splashing red for bolts or just adding a doomblade or dismember)
Avoid green cards unless you are willing to play a Doran build. Besides that Arena is usually worse than Thassa and if you need more removal look to black instants: Smother, GftT, Dismember, or Doom Blade.
4x Liliana
6-7x Thoughtseize/IoK
3-4x Lingering Souls
2-4x Tidehollow Scullers
2-4x Bitterblossoms
And I would not use any of the blue spells except for the Geists and the Zurs.
But good call on the blossoms, I think I'll try it as a 1-of
RG Breach
UW Midrange
UWB Zur
RUG Scapeshift
Downsides are sculler is a 2/2 and it benefits from the old style wording
but on the plus, Maggot is easier to cast and can be searched out by zur which seems nice.
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Temple Garden
2 Overgrown Tomb
2 Godless Shrine
2 Marsh Flats
2 Windswept Heath
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Forest
1 Breeding Pool
1 Plains
1 Woodland Cemetery
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Swamp
1 Watery Grave
23 CREATURES
4 Zur the Enchanter
4 Doran, the Siege Tower
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Spellskite
2 Birds of Paradise
2 Courser of Kruphix
3 Abrupt Decay
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Path to Exile
2 Thoughtseize
5 OTHER SPELLS
3 Detention Sphere
1 Threads of Disloyalty
1 Unflinching Courage
1 Thoughtseize
2 Thrun, the Last Troll
2 Swan Song
2 Stony Silence
3 Spreading Seas
1 Rule of Law
1 Illness in the Ranks
1 Choke
1 Aegis of the Gods
1 Ghostly Prison
Given Ascendancy Storm's rise, I'd probably swap Rule of Law out of and Eidolon of Rhetoric into Zuritos's sideboard; Eidolon gets hit by a couple more answers from Ascendancy than Rule, but a nonzero chance of swinging with a 4/4 (or even just a 3/6) hate bear cannot be ignored.
3 Marsh Flats
2 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Watery Grave
1 Steam Vents
1 Temple Garden
2 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Eiganjo Castle
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Seachrome Coast
2 Tectonic Edge
1 Island
1 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Snapcaster Mage
3 Tidehollow Sculler
4 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Master of the Feast
1 Thassa, God of the Sea
3 Zur the Enchanter
Spells (28)
4 Gitaxian Probe
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Path to Exile
1 Spell Snare
3 Thoughtseize
2 Remand
2 Detention Sphere
3 Steel of the Godhead
1 Temur Ascendancy
1 Threads of Disloyalty
1 Illness in the Ranks
1 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Rest in Peace
1 Spirit of the Labyrinth
1 Stony Silence
1 Blind Obedience
1 Psychic Surgery
2 Negate
2 Eidolon of Rhetoric
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Nevermore
1 Supreme Verdict
The idea behind Temur Ascendancy is to have GoST's angel token draw a card every time it comes into play. It also allows Zur to go enchantment hunting the turn he comes into play. The second, original, variation of this deck I was running had 2 Eidolon of Rhetoric in it with no Master of the Feast or Temur Ascendancy.
It must be playing well because I've seen that deck 3 times on The Council so far!
The green list looks sweet! Sadly I won't be buying goyfs anytime soon on MTGO or paper.
How have you been finding Master of the Feast/Temur Ascendancy? I played this deck some back was DRS was legal, and I haven't forgotten it mostly because it was incredibly fun to play. I miss playing a T2 Geist or T3 Zur. I think with all of the fetches the deck could support a splash for Birds, but DRS did so much more than just ramp im not sure it's worth it.
3 Marsh Flats
2 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Watery Grave
2 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Eiganjo Castle
2 Glacial Fortress
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Darkslick Shores
1 Seachrome Coast
2 Tectonic Edge
1 Island
1 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Snapcaster Mage
3 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Thassa, God of the Sea
3 Zur the Enchanter
Spells (26)
4 Gitaxian Probe
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Path to Exile
1 Spell Snare
3 Thoughtseize
2 Vapor Snag
2 Remand
2 Detention Sphere
3 Steel of the Godhead
3 Dig Through Time
1 Illness in the Ranks
1 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Rest in Peace
1 Spirit of the Labyrinth
1 Stony Silence
1 Blind Obedience
1 Psychic Surgery
2 Negate
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Nevermore
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Threads of Disloyalty
How do you like Psychic Surgery btw, i've been meaning to test it forever but it always looks too cute.
I honestly haven't had much playtesting time with it. It was a thought but I'm reconsidering it just for the simple fact that I don't want to throw too many enchantments in the sideboard when I need slots to deal with these new U/R Delver/Ascendancy decks. I love the idea of it since there is a lot of fetching and searching in modern, but it seems like it might only be optimal against Pod decks and even then they're still getting what they're searching for. Please, please, please post your results from the GP. I'm tired of this being a semi dead thread and I'm really curious to see how it handles the new meta post-Treasure Cruise and Dig Through Time.
Hey have you put any thought into Phyrexian Arena?
Current slightly less tested list, jury is still out on Bitterblossom. Oh, and i've been playing with the mana base quite a bit since removing all Dig through Time. The mana is still not right but I have absolutely no problems now with on-color fetches. Most of my tournaments with the list were with Mistys and Marshs.
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Eiganjo Castle
3 Flooded Strand
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Godless Shrine
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Island
2 Marsh Flats
1 Plains
3 Polluted Delta
1 River of Tears
1 Swamp
1 Watery Grave
2 Bitterblossom
2 Detention Sphere
4 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Gitaxian Probe
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Meddling Mage
4 Path to Exile
4 Remand
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Spell Snare
2 Steel of the Godhead
3 Thoughtseize
1 Vendilion Clique
4 Zur the Enchanter
2 Negate
2 Rest in Peace
1 Rule of Law
2 Spellskite
3 Spreading Seas
2 Stony Silence
2 Threads of Disloyalty
I still like Thassa but I cut it because a lot of the time I used to win was by turning on Thassa with Speading Seas and Threads. Now that they're all gone from the main deck it seems worse on the denial plan than Vendilion Clique. That said I hate clique and love Thassa so if I really start to miss the unblockable clause with Geist then it might go back.
I'm just trying to find the way i'd like to attack the meta. Again, still not sold on Bitterblossom.
I have 3 points I want to hit with this deck since it's pretty much a control deck with an attack plan.
-Attack and control their hand (probe, IoK, Thoughtseize)
-Don't let them get things on the battlefield that I didn't grab from their hands (counter spells)
-If they manage to get something on the board, have a way to deal with it. (Path to Exile, Detention Sphere, Supreme Verdict and I've considered splashing red for bolts or just adding a doomblade or dismember)
Zur and Geist allow me to not remain in the responsive role and ideally finish the game.
Cards I've Considered:
-Suffer the Past
-Phyrexian Arena
-Mana Leak
-Abrupt Decay
-Shadow of Doubt
-Death Mark
-Choke