1) In a meta with a lot of blue based decks and a few BGx decks, the best option is Thoughtcast or Ensoul Artifact ??
2) Should I side out Ensoul Artifact against burn, in order to avoid 2x1 while casting them, or just keep them to possibly make a 5/5 Vault Skirge and win the race?
You can avoid 2 for 1 most of the time if you just Enchant a non-creature Artifact.
That is of course unless they have Smash to Smithereens, which would 2 for 1 you regardless.
I've actually liked keeping in Etched Champion vs. Burn. Instead, I tend to side out Memnites and shave a few Steel Overseers.
Back when I ran Affinity, I actually ran the Etched Champion in the side-board and brought them in for the Steel Overseer when faced with things like Burn.
Champ carries Cranial Plating like, well, like a Champ. You don't want your guy burned out from under the Plating. Master of Etherium is the other guy I wanted to see when playing burn.
Currently building... XGRUrzaTron in Modern, WUBEsper Control in Modern, BGRJund in Modern, UWRThopter Miracles in Legacy, BUWGDelver-Tog in Legacy (My guilty pleasure)
What are everyone's thoughts on Ghostfire Blade as a potential card for affinity players? Now of course this is going alongside cranial plating because less than 4 platings is just blasphemous. 1cc 1 to equip for anything not named master of etherium or vault skirge. Main reason is +2 toughness. Granted bolt still kills the creature but no longer lets the American player go electrolyze 1 to it 1 to you anymore. Just as a 1-2 of since 8 equips is pushing things
I've been using 2x Welding Jar recently to improve the matchup against UWR and BGx, and only 2 Galvanic Blast main deck.
In a meta composed mainly of blue decks is it a good choice to cut them for the other 2 Galvanic Blast, in order to improve the combo matchup?
You'll get a lot more mileage out of Spellskite than you will with Jar. Etched Champion is amazing against UWR and GB Rock. They have practically no way of dealing with it, except for board wipes. After a lot of testing against UWR, I found it helpful to attack first, and then play your spell. You also want to prioritize your spells when bating out counter spells. I would say the cards I want to resolve the most from greatest to least are Champion, Plating, Spellskite, MoE, Ravager, Ensoul Artifact, and Overseer. I actually find burn spells to be good against Rock decks since they're killing themselves with shock lands, and Dark Confidant. As for adding more Galvanic Blasts, well that depends on how much creature based combo is in your meta.
Having big problems with zoo in my meta. Damn Nacatls and Kird Apes are ruining my day, that along bolts and other annoying removal cards.
What remedy do you suggest for such decks?
Thanks in advance
Etched Champion blocks their creatures all day, everyday, and Master of Etherium wins every round of fisty cuffs against goyf. Galvanic Blast kills their Loam Lions, Nacatls, and Apes (oh my!). Spellskite eats their bolts and can block those creatures, but you probably shouldn't block with it since they can bolt it after combat damage. Affinity is just faster than Zoo. How are you losing this matchup?
3-0 last night.
game 1 vs rogue Rakdos beat
game 2 vs rogue RDW
game vs Junk
the first 2 match are not really strong. didn't see much hate. ensouled artefact and swing for 5 turn 2 is very strong and give a fast clock.
game 3 against the rogue RDW, steel overseer, etched champion and vault skirge help swing the game to my favour after a few pump from steel overseer. I supposed the opponent is still rather new to modern and not sure what are problematic cards that they need to get rid of.
last match against junk, win game 1 fast with ensouled artifact and cranial plating beatdown.
game 2 is a close one as he resolved a turn 2 stony silence. I topdecked a wear//tear and played glimmervoid and destroy the stony silence immediately. subsequent turn saw a lot of removal. 1 good play is he targeted dismember on my ravage and I use spellskite ability to redirect it to spellskite and before spell resolution sacrifice to ravager. manland helps a lot in this match to increase my creature count.
sideboarded 8 cards against junk.
-2 memnite
-2 master of etherium
-4 galvanic blast
+2 thoughtseize
+2 wear//tear
+2 spellskite
+2 etched champion.
Thanks for the feedback, I side the master out because of the coloured mana and the high casting cost. based on your suggestion, I might side out signal pest and board in relics of progenitus and whipflare as well. this sounds good. I am more worried of colour screwed due to stony silence rather than mass removal like shattering storm as I can choose not to overextend in the situation where I knew he had it, but I can't do anything once stony silence resolved, other than wait for wear// tear and glimmervoid. spellskite is mainly to redirect removal, I know it will be stopped by stony silence, but it is still a good wall and also if there is no stony silence, I can warrant a hit with plating without fear of removal.
Been playing Affinity for about four weeks nogw and I am loving it, did not touch my Gruul Zoo since I started with Affinity.
I love my list and I am winning quite some games but there is one question that came up just now.
I know we play the island for path but why do we not play Steam Vents? It is an Island Mountain so we can search it up and it gives us blue and red mana.
Is there something I am missing? Sorry if this is already explained but I cant find it.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Legacy - Reanimator
Modern - Burn
EDH - Neheb the Eternal
Been playing Affinity for about four weeks nogw and I am loving it, did not touch my Gruul Zoo since I started with Affinity.
I love my list and I am winning quite some games but there is one question that came up just now.
I know we play the island for path but why do we not play Steam Vents? It is an Island Mountain so we can search it up and it gives us blue and red mana.
Is there something I am missing? Sorry if this is already explained but I cant find it.
I would rather side out etched champion than ensoul artefact. I will usually board in ancient grudge and wear//tear as well for more hate. if you have better sideboard options against mirror, boarding out ensoul artefact is also a good option. a 5/5 indestructible swinging turn 2 is too good to pass up on.
I liked a maindeck Spellskite even before Ascendancy Storm got big; in addition to being good against all the decks you listed, it's also great against Lightning Bolt. Now that there's another bad matchup that Spellskite is good against, I'd consider running a second copy.
ensoul is very bad in the mirror match and it is the first card i side out.
in the change thought cast -> ensoul the mirror match is one of the match ups which loses more from it.
Ensoul is fine in the mirror. First thing sided out should be etched champion. It has won me many games against the mirror. I run 4 blast 3 ensoul...if im worried about too many colored spells i cut 1 and 1 for ancient grudge.
the tournament had nothing to say, in swiss i faced good matchups (burn, mirror, merfolks, mirror, jund, intentional draw). i wanted to try relic of progenitus as a one of because there were a lot of guys playing pod, and it has been nuts against jund, shutting down 2 goyfs and a ooze. i really liked it.
Would like to see a list. Also, how did the top 8 go?
Congratulations on the top 8. I'm running a very similar list, basicly +1 Galvanic Blast -1 Memnite. How do you like the third Memnite? Do you feel removal light without the extra Blast?
ensoul is very bad in the mirror match and it is the first card i side out.
in the change thought cast -> ensoul the mirror match is one of the match ups which loses more from it.
Ensoul is fine in the mirror. First thing sided out should be etched champion. It has won me many games against the mirror. I run 4 blast 3 ensoul...if im worried about too many colored spells i cut 1 and 1 for ancient grudge.
I also side out Ensoul in the Mirror.
-2 Etched Champion
-3 Ensoul Artifact
-2 Memnite
+2 Ancient Grudge
+2 Spellskite
+1 Wear/Tear
+1 Master of Etherium
+1 Dismember
You can avoid 2 for 1 most of the time if you just Enchant a non-creature Artifact.
That is of course unless they have Smash to Smithereens, which would 2 for 1 you regardless.
Thanks to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the amazing sig.
NO RUG: Primer
Tempo Thresh: Primer
Back when I ran Affinity, I actually ran the Etched Champion in the side-board and brought them in for the Steel Overseer when faced with things like Burn.
Champ carries Cranial Plating like, well, like a Champ. You don't want your guy burned out from under the Plating. Master of Etherium is the other guy I wanted to see when playing burn.
As far as Ensoul Artifact goes, - best case - put it on Darksteel Citadel and just watch 'em cry.
Frenzy-Affinity-Ghost Quarter-Rock-Tokens- RGWPhyrexian Zoo- WVial KnightsStandard:
BW Knights(Rotated)Pioneer: RW Knights - BW Rally Zombies - UW Heroes
Commander:WUG
Jenara, Asura of War- WGSigarda, Host of HeronsCasualties of economicsLegacy: Good-night, sweet prince. Mono-R Burn
3x Memnite
4x Ornithopter
4x Signal Pest
4x Vault Skirge
3x Arcbound Ravager
3x Steel Overseer
2x Etched Champion
1x Master of Etherium
1x Spellskite
Spells (17)
4x Cranial Plating
4x Galvanic Blast
4x Springleaf Drum
3x Mox Opal
2x Ensoul Artifact
4x Inkmoth Nexus
4x Blinkmoth Nexus
4x Glimmervoid
4x Darksteel Citadel
1x Island
1x Tomb of the Spirit Dragon
2x Etched Champion
1x Master of Etherium
1x Ancient Grudge
2x Blood Moon
2x Whipflare
2x Spell Pierce
2x Relic of Progenitus
1x Sword of War and Peace
2x Torpor Orb
Just polished off the last pieces I needed for this list.
I elected for no Thoughtcast and 4 Galvanic Blast because it's more aggressive and my meta allows me to do this.
GWBAbzan Midrange in standard.
XRU Affinity in Modern
Currently building...
XGRUrzaTron in Modern, WUBEsper Control in Modern, BGRJund in Modern, UWRThopter Miracles in Legacy, BUWGDelver-Tog in Legacy (My guilty pleasure)
Trade list is coming soon.
I initially ran no Thoughtcast either until I played a mirror match and the power of it is just awesome.
You'll get a lot more mileage out of Spellskite than you will with Jar. Etched Champion is amazing against UWR and GB Rock. They have practically no way of dealing with it, except for board wipes. After a lot of testing against UWR, I found it helpful to attack first, and then play your spell. You also want to prioritize your spells when bating out counter spells. I would say the cards I want to resolve the most from greatest to least are Champion, Plating, Spellskite, MoE, Ravager, Ensoul Artifact, and Overseer. I actually find burn spells to be good against Rock decks since they're killing themselves with shock lands, and Dark Confidant. As for adding more Galvanic Blasts, well that depends on how much creature based combo is in your meta.
Etched Champion blocks their creatures all day, everyday, and Master of Etherium wins every round of fisty cuffs against goyf. Galvanic Blast kills their Loam Lions, Nacatls, and Apes (oh my!). Spellskite eats their bolts and can block those creatures, but you probably shouldn't block with it since they can bolt it after combat damage. Affinity is just faster than Zoo. How are you losing this matchup?
game 1 vs rogue Rakdos beat
game 2 vs rogue RDW
game vs Junk
the first 2 match are not really strong. didn't see much hate. ensouled artefact and swing for 5 turn 2 is very strong and give a fast clock.
game 3 against the rogue RDW, steel overseer, etched champion and vault skirge help swing the game to my favour after a few pump from steel overseer. I supposed the opponent is still rather new to modern and not sure what are problematic cards that they need to get rid of.
last match against junk, win game 1 fast with ensouled artifact and cranial plating beatdown.
game 2 is a close one as he resolved a turn 2 stony silence. I topdecked a wear//tear and played glimmervoid and destroy the stony silence immediately. subsequent turn saw a lot of removal. 1 good play is he targeted dismember on my ravage and I use spellskite ability to redirect it to spellskite and before spell resolution sacrifice to ravager. manland helps a lot in this match to increase my creature count.
sideboarded 8 cards against junk.
-2 memnite
-2 master of etherium
-4 galvanic blast
+2 thoughtseize
+2 wear//tear
+2 spellskite
+2 etched champion.
I love my list and I am winning quite some games but there is one question that came up just now.
I know we play the island for path but why do we not play Steam Vents? It is an Island Mountain so we can search it up and it gives us blue and red mana.
Is there something I am missing? Sorry if this is already explained but I cant find it.
Modern - Burn
EDH - Neheb the Eternal
Path to Exile
Steam Vents
List of Basic Lands:
Mountain
Island
Forest
Plains
Swamp
Basically, anything other than those 5 land cards, are not basic lands. It's the same reason we don't search up Glimmervoid when we get Path'd
Thanks to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the amazing sig.
NO RUG: Primer
Tempo Thresh: Primer
I thought I was being smart, my mistake.
Modern - Burn
EDH - Neheb the Eternal
Thanks Hero's of the Plane
Modern
-------------
xRxAffinityxRx
Ensoul is fine in the mirror. First thing sided out should be etched champion. It has won me many games against the mirror. I run 4 blast 3 ensoul...if im worried about too many colored spells i cut 1 and 1 for ancient grudge.
Would like to see a list. Also, how did the top 8 go?
I also side out Ensoul in the Mirror.
-2 Etched Champion
-3 Ensoul Artifact
-2 Memnite
+2 Ancient Grudge
+2 Spellskite
+1 Wear/Tear
+1 Master of Etherium
+1 Dismember
Thanks to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the amazing sig.
NO RUG: Primer
Tempo Thresh: Primer