Was going around looking as spoilers and found tidehollow sculler #5-8. The card advantage they provide all depends on how you play. I've tested on Cockatrice and have found some success. UWR Control was for sure the toughest match-up I've had so far. They just seem to out CA me. Not unwinnable, but not in our favor. Before you scoff at Athreos, I know making your opponents make choices are usually bad, but a bolt to the face every time a creature dies adds up, or you really don't gain from killing my creatures. Honestly, no clue on the SoLaS because I still have never drawn one, but on paper it seems very strong.
The goal of the deck is simple, play guys, get benefits, then punish them when they try and get a card back. I have juggled removal spells on tidehollow sculler and brain maggot while a kitchen finks just attacked relentlessly. Obvious the card you steal depends from match to match, but in general taking their only removal is safe, or take an important piece and let them use their only removal to get it back, clearing a way for confidant to do what he does.
Finally, I apologize the card format may not be right/optimal. This is my first post (long time viewer) and just thought this deck might hold some ground worth testing. Any and all feedback is appreciated,and I can handle the criticism, just make it constructive!
I happen to be one of your brothers friends who has toyed around with hand sculpting decks like this and I have a few potential ideas you may like.
1: Smallpox? It'd have some interesting interactions with Atheros if he was out and you can always fall back on your manlands. Generally when playing a Pox style deck I'd play with Persist creatures , graveyard strategies , or manlands. You always have a little for the first and former.
2: Provided you like the Smallpox idea. Add Green for Treetop Village? I used to run a RocksPox list that was built around discard and you'd have a lot to gain from the Green Removal Suite (at least in the sideboard)in addition to one more creature you can cheat around Smallpox.
3: I always found 2 Swords to be to much and kept one in the main and another in the side.
Here's my B/G RocksPox list if you wanted some reference:
I happen to be one of your brothers friends who has toyed around with hand sculpting decks like this and I have a few potential ideas you may like.
1: Smallpox? It'd have some interesting interactions with Atheros if he was out and you can always fall back on your manlands. Generally when playing a Pox style deck I'd play with Persist creatures , graveyard strategies , or manlands. You always have a little for the first and former.
2: Provided you like the Smallpox idea. Add Green for Treetop Village? I used to run a RocksPox list that was built around discard and you'd have a lot to gain from the Green Removal Suite (at least in the sideboard)in addition to one more creature you can cheat around Smallpox.
3: I always found 2 Swords to be to much and kept one in the main and another in the side.
Here's my B/G RocksPox list if you wanted some reference:
How do you do with balancing your life total running fetches, shocks, bob, thoughtseize, smallpox, and bitterblossom in one deck? I have always had that problem with B/G decks like yours. Feel free to check out and reply in "the gate in modern thread" - many people there are asking the same kinds of questions and we can learn a lot from your experience... Thanks
On the above list - I like it, but I feel it needs more umph - Is there a better way to abuse the mechanics you are building around? It seems that once your opponents hand is gone, recurring a Brain Maggot isn't that great.
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Legacy:B The Gate // B Pox Modern:RGB Dredge // RBG Goblins // B The Gate // UBR Tezz AoB Control // RBG Prison Pox EDH:RBU Thraximundar // R Norin the Wary // RWB Kaalia of the Vast // BUR Grixis Combos // BU Gisa and Geralf Tribal Tiny Leaders:BUW Sydri, Galvanic Genius // R Feldon of the Third Path
Hey, i toyed with pox before and it seemed good. but as jwelt said: how do you manage to kept your life in check? I have made junk decks before and have never managed to make them work...
@jwelt do you have a suggestion for a little more "umph"? by the time my opponent has no hand i feel like I'm winning the game. Maybe Brimaz, King of Oreskos or Hero of Bladehold? its a methodical beatdown. slowly win the game. Even if I don't gain alot of value from recurring a maggot it is still another creature I can keep attacking and blocking with. The hand exile,at the point in the game you are refering to, is just gravy.
Since you are running w/b you need a VERY good reason to not run lingering souls, Athreos isn't enough. Just think about the top decks right now, twin, storm, affinity, pod, etc... they either don't care if you recur guys, or don't care enough about their life total to not pay. If you really want to make athreos work, I think you need an aristocrats deck with blood artist, cartel aristocrat, and maybe teysa. It needs to be a deck where you have a critical mass of creatures, and the creatures need to be able to pressure your opponent. Sure athreos provides some value, but it's not enough by himself and you will have a hard time turning him on.
About the rest of the deck:
Go for the throat is generally worse than doom blade right now since it can't interact with affinity.
Shrieking Grotesque is a poor creature, because in a top deck war it doesn't do anything, and it can't block effectively. It should be something like brimaz, king of oreskos or just the 3rd kitchen finks.
I think you also have too many 1cmc discard effects in the main. I run a similar deck and I feel that 6 is the right number since you have 4 scullers and 4 maggots.
I don't like the maindeck damnation, it will kill all of your maggots and scullers and it cost 4 so you won't be able to really use your creatures effectively until turn 5. There are some decks where you need to wipe the board (pod, affinity, maybe catching a hexproof creature from bogles, merfolk, d&t, etc...) but in that case Drown in Sorrow is better because it only costs 3 so you can commit to the board quicker, and -2/-2 is a sweeper in modern, there are very few creatures that won't die to that. And regardless of which sweeper you choose, it needs to be in the sideboard, since there are only a handful of matchups where you need one.
Vault of the Archangel is a very powerful card, and is one of the main reasons to play b/w (along with lingering souls), you should fit in at least one, i'd play it over a mutavault.
I also like sword of war and peace more than light and shadow because it not only offers bolt protection (which is HUGE against uwr) but it lets you gain more life than you could with light and shadow, and it can deal damage. You probably aren't running enough creatures to really get use out of light and shadow anyway.
You should really run lingering souls, it is one of the most powerful cards in these colors.
The deck you are playing is basically dead guy ale and you should look here for other decklists, as this is a deck that can 3-1 or 4-0 an mtgo daily event.
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If MTG is a part of your life, the formats are like relationships:
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring
I usually didn't keep my life total in check at all since I was going all in with the Goyfs and tempo'd a lot harder than you. Also it'd be worth noting that when I was playing that deck it was against a very heavy combo meta.
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4 Tidehollow Sculler
4 Brain Maggot
4 Dark Confidant
2 Athreos, God of Passage
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Shrieking Grotesque
4 Path to Exile
2 Go for the Throat
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Thoughtseize
1 Damnation
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
3 Liliana of the Veil
2 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Fetid Heath
2 Godless Shrine
3 Isolated Chapel
4 Marsh Flats
2 Mutavault
2 Techtonic Edge
4 Plains
5 Swamp
SB
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Aven Mindcensor
3 Fumlinator Mage
1 Kitchen Finks
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Celestial Purge
2 Deathmark
Was going around looking as spoilers and found tidehollow sculler #5-8. The card advantage they provide all depends on how you play. I've tested on Cockatrice and have found some success. UWR Control was for sure the toughest match-up I've had so far. They just seem to out CA me. Not unwinnable, but not in our favor. Before you scoff at Athreos, I know making your opponents make choices are usually bad, but a bolt to the face every time a creature dies adds up, or you really don't gain from killing my creatures. Honestly, no clue on the SoLaS because I still have never drawn one, but on paper it seems very strong.
The goal of the deck is simple, play guys, get benefits, then punish them when they try and get a card back. I have juggled removal spells on tidehollow sculler and brain maggot while a kitchen finks just attacked relentlessly. Obvious the card you steal depends from match to match, but in general taking their only removal is safe, or take an important piece and let them use their only removal to get it back, clearing a way for confidant to do what he does.
Finally, I apologize the card format may not be right/optimal. This is my first post (long time viewer) and just thought this deck might hold some ground worth testing. Any and all feedback is appreciated,and I can handle the criticism, just make it constructive!
-EmperorStan
1: Smallpox? It'd have some interesting interactions with Atheros if he was out and you can always fall back on your manlands. Generally when playing a Pox style deck I'd play with Persist creatures , graveyard strategies , or manlands. You always have a little for the first and former.
2: Provided you like the Smallpox idea. Add Green for Treetop Village? I used to run a RocksPox list that was built around discard and you'd have a lot to gain from the Green Removal Suite (at least in the sideboard)in addition to one more creature you can cheat around Smallpox.
3: I always found 2 Swords to be to much and kept one in the main and another in the side.
Here's my B/G RocksPox list if you wanted some reference:
4 Bitterblossom
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Scavenging Ooze
3 Dark Confidant
4 Treetop Village
Discard Suite
3 Thoughtseize
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Smallpox
3 Liliana of the Veil
2 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
Alt Win-Con
1 Worm Harvest
2 Life from the Loam
Lands
2 Marsh Flats
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Twilight Mire
3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Overgrown Tomb
1 Forest
2 Swamp
@Volku2
How do you do with balancing your life total running fetches, shocks, bob, thoughtseize, smallpox, and bitterblossom in one deck? I have always had that problem with B/G decks like yours. Feel free to check out and reply in "the gate in modern thread" - many people there are asking the same kinds of questions and we can learn a lot from your experience... Thanks
On the above list - I like it, but I feel it needs more umph - Is there a better way to abuse the mechanics you are building around? It seems that once your opponents hand is gone, recurring a Brain Maggot isn't that great.
Modern: RGB Dredge // RBG Goblins // B The Gate // UBR Tezz AoB Control // RBG Prison Pox
EDH: RBU Thraximundar // R Norin the Wary // RWB Kaalia of the Vast // BUR Grixis Combos // BU Gisa and Geralf Tribal
Tiny Leaders: BUW Sydri, Galvanic Genius // R Feldon of the Third Path
Projects:
Gisa and Geralf Extreme-Tribal EDH
Esper Eldrazi Processor Control
Brewing with Kuldotha Forgemaster
Primer: "The Gate" - Mono Black in Modern
Modern Prison Pox - building a better plague
Since you are running w/b you need a VERY good reason to not run lingering souls, Athreos isn't enough. Just think about the top decks right now, twin, storm, affinity, pod, etc... they either don't care if you recur guys, or don't care enough about their life total to not pay. If you really want to make athreos work, I think you need an aristocrats deck with blood artist, cartel aristocrat, and maybe teysa. It needs to be a deck where you have a critical mass of creatures, and the creatures need to be able to pressure your opponent. Sure athreos provides some value, but it's not enough by himself and you will have a hard time turning him on.
About the rest of the deck:
Go for the throat is generally worse than doom blade right now since it can't interact with affinity.
Shrieking Grotesque is a poor creature, because in a top deck war it doesn't do anything, and it can't block effectively. It should be something like brimaz, king of oreskos or just the 3rd kitchen finks.
I think you also have too many 1cmc discard effects in the main. I run a similar deck and I feel that 6 is the right number since you have 4 scullers and 4 maggots.
I don't like the maindeck damnation, it will kill all of your maggots and scullers and it cost 4 so you won't be able to really use your creatures effectively until turn 5. There are some decks where you need to wipe the board (pod, affinity, maybe catching a hexproof creature from bogles, merfolk, d&t, etc...) but in that case Drown in Sorrow is better because it only costs 3 so you can commit to the board quicker, and -2/-2 is a sweeper in modern, there are very few creatures that won't die to that. And regardless of which sweeper you choose, it needs to be in the sideboard, since there are only a handful of matchups where you need one.
Vault of the Archangel is a very powerful card, and is one of the main reasons to play b/w (along with lingering souls), you should fit in at least one, i'd play it over a mutavault.
I also like sword of war and peace more than light and shadow because it not only offers bolt protection (which is HUGE against uwr) but it lets you gain more life than you could with light and shadow, and it can deal damage. You probably aren't running enough creatures to really get use out of light and shadow anyway.
You should really run lingering souls, it is one of the most powerful cards in these colors.
The deck you are playing is basically dead guy ale and you should look here for other decklists, as this is a deck that can 3-1 or 4-0 an mtgo daily event.
Standard/Block = The on-again, off-again holiday fling
Modern/Vintage/Legacy = Stable, homely. A ***** after absence/misreading
Limited/Sealed = Heart breaking free spirit
Commander/Cube = Agreeable, needy and expensive
Pauper/Peasant = Sweet, kind, practical, but shy and boring