I've recently put together Melira Pod and I'm finding that there are times when I want to Ranger of Eos or Chord of Calling for 1 to get something more substantial than a mana dork or viscera seer. What I have done is gone from 3 Noble Heirarch to a 2/1 Noble Heirarch/Avacyn's Pilgrim split, and it has worked out reasonably well. However I would like to find something with a bit more impact.
From the primer, I have Dryad Militant for an option. I have also considered Student of Warfare, but he seems a bit mana-intensive. Has anyone had success with other 1-drops?
I thought this way when I first picked up the deck, and the extra bodies Ranger of Eos brings with it are good enough on their own. It doesn't matter what else is written on your 1-drops, really, because you're either going to turn them into attackers/combo pieces with Pod or upgrade them with Township, so the ones that have flying, exalted, and sac a creature: do a cool thing are really all you need. If Ranger and its friends won't help the situation, then get Redcap or Linvala or Resto or Thrun or Metamorph or whatever instead, and if you happen to draw it and you don't need it, well, that's a toolbox deck for you.
Also, outside of grabbing Burrenton Forge-Tender to blank Anger of the Gods, I can't think of much of a reason I'd ever want to fire off Chord for 1. You can usually find a time where you can use it to sneak in a Voice/Finks at end of turn instead if you need pressure, or just hold it and grab protection/the one card your opponent doesn't want to see mid/late-game.
Two questions:
1. Is Melira Pod as competitive as Angel Pod? More? Less?
2. Is this the right thread to discuss Meliraless/Angel Pod lists? If not, where's the right thread and would we need a different primer?
You can discuss it here, since they are essentially the same deck. And yes, both are pretty competitive, just with slightly different strenghts/weaknesses. For example, Angel Pod is worse against Zoo/Burn with its lone Finks and higher curve, while Melira Pod has the advantage with 3-4.
Speaking of GR tron matchup, anyone have any helpful hints/tips on surviving that matchup? I'm pretty sure I've been crushed 99% in that game. I haven't found much help elsewhere, maybe its just one of those "auto loss" matchups?
When Tron was popular I played Realm Razer, and it is the best sideboard card you can have (even trumping 4-of Fulminator Mages). But it just improves the matchup from unwinnable to barely winnable. Personally I don't think it's worth it, less so if you need to play Stomping Ground just to have a chance to cast it.
Hey guys I have some questions in particular one is about Persist. Today I was playing a game and managed to get the combo off with Archangel of Thune and Spike Feeder. In addition, I had a Murderous Redcap on the field, along with a Kitchen Finks. Since these get as many +1/+1 counters as I want (lets say 500), they were very large. My opponent managed to kill these with an Oblivion Stone though (the very next turn, he got it off the top), and of course, they persisted. Since these had tons of +1/+1 counters on them, how does that work? Do they just re-enter the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on them and ignore the previous +1/+1 counters placed on them, or does it use the "last known information"? (since it looks at the card when it was previously on the battlefield)? I'm assuming it works by them just become a 1/1 and 2/1 again respectively, but correct me if I'm wrong. I had remembered reading somewhere it might be the opposite but could not remember.
Secondly, I played against Tron today and it was probably the toughest match I've had so far playing this deck. A turn 3 or 4 Wormcoil engine or Karn really blows. What do you guys sideboard against those particular decks?
Hey guys I have some questions in particular one is about Persist. Today I was playing a game and managed to get the combo off with Archangel of Thune and Spike Feeder. In addition, I had a Murderous Redcap on the field, along with a Kitchen Finks. Since these get as many +1/+1 counters as I want (lets say 500), they were very large. My opponent managed to kill these with an Oblivion Stone though (the very next turn, he got it off the top), and of course, they persisted. Since these had tons of +1/+1 counters on them, how does that work? Do they just re-enter the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on them and ignore the previous +1/+1 counters placed on them, or does it use the "last known information"? (since it looks at the card when it was previously on the battlefield)? I'm assuming it works by them just become a 1/1 and 2/1 again respectively, but correct me if I'm wrong. I had remembered reading somewhere it might be the opposite but could not remember.
Secondly, I played against Tron today and it was probably the toughest match I've had so far playing this deck. A turn 3 or 4 Wormcoil engine or Karn really blows. What do you guys sideboard against those particular decks?
They just return as the card itself with a -1/-1 counter on it. Last known information is for when an ability originates from something on the battlefield and is needed to be checked on resolution. For example if you have a Murderous Redcap come into play from persist and target a player with its ETB ability and in response the Redcap is killed. When the ETB ability goes to resolve it needs to know what the Redcap's power was (and the Redcap card in the graveyard has no relation in the game rules) so it looks at what its power was immediately prior to death.
As for sideboarding against Tron you are in a rough spot. Tron is probably the hardest match up and there isn't a lot Melira Pod can do against them. Depending on what you have take out things like Orzhov Pontiff and Thrun. Side in Thoughtseize, try to combo off quickly, and hope they don't natural Tron.
@DaGarver
I've dabbled in the deck and have to agree. You really miss the seemingly narrow cards. The most suprising to me has been Noble Hierarch tbh. Not producing green has been suprisingly annoying (partially from me having a 4-2-2 split for verdant-misty-flats). And the beats from t2 finks with exalted is just sweet.
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Two questions:
1. Is Melira Pod as competitive as Angel Pod? More? Less?
2. Is this the right thread to discuss Meliraless/Angel Pod lists? If not, where's the right thread and would we need a different primer?
Based on MTGO results, Melira Pod and Archangel Spike Junk Pod are about as competitive as each other. Heck, a significant number of decks run both combos. Oddly, I haven't seen as many paper results for Archangel Spike Junk No Melira Pod as Any Melira Pod, though. (I've found that the Archangel Spike combo does dodge graveyard hate and Torpor Orb and require fewer pieces, and a fizzled combo where Archangel survives still turns out pretty well, but the Archangel Spike combo does not necessarily kill that turn (say Archangel and Spike are your only creatures and Archangel is summoning sick) and can be trolled by a stream of Cryptic Commands.)
This is now Archangel Spike Junk Pod's unofficial home; I will change the primer to reflect this with the M15 update.
On Hushwing Gryff:
...Flying Torpor Orb definitely makes us diversify our creature-based hate (along with Linvala the Flying One-Sided Damping Matrix). Luckily, it dies to Abrupt Decay, but if you don't want to luck your way into killing it, there's Orzhov Pontiff's Haunt (blech, you lose the Pontiff and another guy in the process), Polukranos, World Eater (needs 2G up to kill, beware of removal in response), Garza's Assassin (BBB can be rough), Mangara of Corondor (needs to stop being summoning sick), and Necrotic Sliver (needs 3 up to kill).
You don't really need any of these cards to make the deck work, though. There's alternatives to the fetches and Hierarch and you only need one Linvala; Chords don't have any replacement at all, let alone a budget one, so it was the big barrier to building a starter version of the deck where the Evolving Wilds/Avacyn's Pilgrims could be replaced later.
You don't really need any of these cards to make the deck work, though. There's alternatives to the fetches and Hierarch and you only need one Linvala; Chords don't have any replacement at all, let alone a budget one, so it was the big barrier to building a starter version of the deck where the Evolving Wilds/Avacyn's Pilgrims could be replaced later.
Damn right, I started to buy this deck the last few weeks expecting Chords reprint. Now I just need fetches in the fall to be optimal. Hierarch will have to wait.
Interestingly with the reprint coming (yay!) I have a mostly built deck minus the Chords and Heirarchs. And tonight I *finally* get to move from gold fishing to a real event. Without Chords, Wall of Roots seems... not bad... but not fantastic. I'm thinking of using Sylvan Caryatid to help with colored mana.
Benefits of the Wall are not tapping to use and having a bigger butt. The Caryatid taps for any color, doesn't get smaller, and is hexproof. My question is how many sweepers deal 3-4 points of damage? Anger of the Gods and... ??? It's an unknown meta, but judging the Standard decks, I'm expecting aggro, so I want a nice blocker/accelerator.
Firespout as another sweeper that deals 3 damage. You won't block much aggro with a Sylvan Caryatid, other than the occasional Goblin Guide or Kird Ape. Most other aggro creatures have 3+ power. You have fetchlands, right? Colored mana shouldn't be that much of a problem.
1. Is the threat of a combo win really essential for this deck? I find myself winning most if not all of my recent games with just value beatdown, but maybe that's because I'm mostly playing against Affinity, UWR Control and Scapeshift. I could certainly see myself cutting combo pieces for resilient/value cards like Lingering Souls, Restoration Angel, Thrun, the Last Troll, Sigarda, Host of Herons, Ob Nixilis, Unshackled and Sun Titan. I feel like people are so used to Melira/Angel Pod being in the meta that they could still play around combos that I do not even have in my deck, giving me an advantage in addition to the virtual card advantage of people maindecking/siding in hate cards like Anger of the Gods, graveyard hate, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, etc.
2. How do you play against the mirror? Do you attack their dorks, try to stick a Pod onto the battlefield, search up hate cards like Linvala? Watching GP Minneapolis, the strategy seems to be to go for their dorks, but maybe that's wrong. I'm also wondering why they always go for turn 2 Scavenging Ooze, when it's one of the best cards in the matchup and you want to have it active in the late game, rather than have it die to an early Abrupt Decay that could've went for a different creature?
3. The deck has changed quite a bit since Sam Pardee's GP Portland win, but the manabase is still the same. Are people not taking the time to tweak it to accommodate the recent changes, or is it really still optimal even though we lost Deathrite Shaman and decks are now running more white and less black? I know I still use the old manabase out of laziness, but I would've thought that someone would've figured out the optimal configuration by now.
4. Has Ulvenwald Tracker been discussed before for lists that run Ranger of Eos? If so, what was the consensus? If not, what do you think?
1. Is the threat of a combo win really essential for this deck? I find myself winning most if not all of my recent games with just value beatdown, but maybe that's because I'm mostly playing against Affinity, UWR Control and Scapeshift. I could certainly see myself cutting combo pieces for resilient/value cards like Lingering Souls, Restoration Angel, Thrun, the Last Troll, Sigarda, Host of Herons, Ob Nixilis, Unshackled and Sun Titan. I feel like people are so used to Melira/Angel Pod being in the meta that they could still play around combos that I do not even have in my deck, giving me an advantage in addition to the virtual card advantage of people maindecking/siding in hate cards like Anger of the Gods, graveyard hate, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, etc.
2. How do you play against the mirror? Do you attack their dorks, try to stick a Pod onto the battlefield, search up hate cards like Linvala? Watching GP Minneapolis, the strategy seems to be to go for their dorks, but maybe that's wrong. I'm also wondering why they always go for turn 2 Scavenging Ooze, when it's one of the best cards in the matchup and you want to have it active in the late game, rather than have it die to an early Abrupt Decay that could've went for a different creature?
3. The deck has changed quite a bit since Sam Pardee's GP Portland win, but the manabase is still the same. Are people not taking the time to tweak it to accommodate the recent changes, or is it really still optimal even though we lost Deathrite Shaman and decks are now running more white and less black? I know I still use the old manabase out of laziness, but I would've thought that someone would've figured out the optimal configuration by now.
4. Has Ulvenwald Tracker been discussed before for lists that run Ranger of Eos? If so, what was the consensus? If not, what do you think?
That's all for now, thanks!
The threat of a combo win in the overall meta is essential to keep opponents honest. As long as they're playing around the combo, they either need hate permanents or they can't tap out or go Hellbent. Other combo decks don't play around the combo threat quite so much, though, so I board out combo pieces against them. Now whether you want to cut combo pieces entirely...I think that's dicey because you can actually plausibly gain infinite life fast enough against Scapeshift and Affinity from my testing (well, in a high enough percentage of games that the actual combo is relevant against them). The latest lists tend to go with 1 Melira/1 Seer/1 Archangel/1 Spike, though.
I tend to find Linvala ASAP against Pod mirrors. I also try to blow up Pod ASAP, stick Aven Mindcensor, and nuke mana dorks if I get lucky. Sometimes, I'll have to stick Ooze with no creatures in the graveyard in the Melira Pod mirror if I have no other outs in hand. Maybe the pros have no other outs in hand, either.
I don't know what the optimal mana base is. I'm not convinced I'm using the optimal mana base for my build. I'm surprised so few other people use the basic Plains, though--I've searched for it often enough (but maybe that's because I play Tidehollow Sculler).
I tried Ulvenwald Tracker before. It couldn't actually kill stuff consistently or quickly enough (without losing something significant, at least). It gets a little better nowadays because it can nail Hushwing Gryff, but then Ranger of Eos most likely can't find it.
The M15 Archangel Spike update will be today, so keep your eyes peeled!
1. Is the threat of a combo win really essential for this deck? I find myself winning most if not all of my recent games with just value beatdown, but maybe that's because I'm mostly playing against Affinity, UWR Control and Scapeshift. I could certainly see myself cutting combo pieces for resilient/value cards like Lingering Souls, Restoration Angel, Thrun, the Last Troll, Sigarda, Host of Herons, Ob Nixilis, Unshackled and Sun Titan. I feel like people are so used to Melira/Angel Pod being in the meta that they could still play around combos that I do not even have in my deck, giving me an advantage in addition to the virtual card advantage of people maindecking/siding in hate cards like Anger of the Gods, graveyard hate, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, etc.
2. How do you play against the mirror? Do you attack their dorks, try to stick a Pod onto the battlefield, search up hate cards like Linvala? Watching GP Minneapolis, the strategy seems to be to go for their dorks, but maybe that's wrong. I'm also wondering why they always go for turn 2 Scavenging Ooze, when it's one of the best cards in the matchup and you want to have it active in the late game, rather than have it die to an early Abrupt Decay that could've went for a different creature?
3. The deck has changed quite a bit since Sam Pardee's GP Portland win, but the manabase is still the same. Are people not taking the time to tweak it to accommodate the recent changes, or is it really still optimal even though we lost Deathrite Shaman and decks are now running more white and less black? I know I still use the old manabase out of laziness, but I would've thought that someone would've figured out the optimal configuration by now.
4. Has Ulvenwald Tracker been discussed before for lists that run Ranger of Eos? If so, what was the consensus? If not, what do you think?
That's all for now, thanks!
The threat of a combo win in the overall meta is essential to keep opponents honest. As long as they're playing around the combo, they either need hate permanents or they can't tap out or go Hellbent. Other combo decks don't play around the combo threat quite so much, though, so I board out combo pieces against them. Now whether you want to cut combo pieces entirely...I think that's dicey because you can actually plausibly gain infinite life fast enough against Scapeshift and Affinity from my testing (well, in a high enough percentage of games that the actual combo is relevant against them). The latest lists tend to go with 1 Melira/1 Seer/1 Archangel/1 Spike, though.
I tend to find Linvala ASAP against Pod mirrors. I also try to blow up Pod ASAP, stick Aven Mindcensor, and nuke mana dorks if I get lucky. Sometimes, I'll have to stick Ooze with no creatures in the graveyard in the Melira Pod mirror if I have no other outs in hand. Maybe the pros have no other outs in hand, either.
I don't know what the optimal mana base is. I'm not convinced I'm using the optimal mana base for my build. I'm surprised so few other people use the basic Plains, though--I've searched for it often enough (but maybe that's because I play Tidehollow Sculler).
I tried Ulvenwald Tracker before. It couldn't actually kill stuff consistently or quickly enough (without losing something significant, at least). It gets a little better nowadays because it can nail Hushwing Gryff, but then Ranger of Eos most likely can't find it.
The M15 Archangel Spike update will be today, so keep your eyes peeled!
1. Is the threat of a combo win really essential for this deck? I find myself winning most if not all of my recent games with just value beatdown, but maybe that's because I'm mostly playing against Affinity, UWR Control and Scapeshift. I could certainly see myself cutting combo pieces for resilient/value cards like Lingering Souls, Restoration Angel, Thrun, the Last Troll, Sigarda, Host of Herons, Ob Nixilis, Unshackled and Sun Titan. I feel like people are so used to Melira/Angel Pod being in the meta that they could still play around combos that I do not even have in my deck, giving me an advantage in addition to the virtual card advantage of people maindecking/siding in hate cards like Anger of the Gods, graveyard hate, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, etc.
2. How do you play against the mirror? Do you attack their dorks, try to stick a Pod onto the battlefield, search up hate cards like Linvala? Watching GP Minneapolis, the strategy seems to be to go for their dorks, but maybe that's wrong. I'm also wondering why they always go for turn 2 Scavenging Ooze, when it's one of the best cards in the matchup and you want to have it active in the late game, rather than have it die to an early Abrupt Decay that could've went for a different creature?
3. The deck has changed quite a bit since Sam Pardee's GP Portland win, but the manabase is still the same. Are people not taking the time to tweak it to accommodate the recent changes, or is it really still optimal even though we lost Deathrite Shaman and decks are now running more white and less black? I know I still use the old manabase out of laziness, but I would've thought that someone would've figured out the optimal configuration by now.
4. Has Ulvenwald Tracker been discussed before for lists that run Ranger of Eos? If so, what was the consensus? If not, what do you think?
That's all for now, thanks!
The threat of a combo win in the overall meta is essential to keep opponents honest. As long as they're playing around the combo, they either need hate permanents or they can't tap out or go Hellbent. Other combo decks don't play around the combo threat quite so much, though, so I board out combo pieces against them. Now whether you want to cut combo pieces entirely...I think that's dicey because you can actually plausibly gain infinite life fast enough against Scapeshift and Affinity from my testing (well, in a high enough percentage of games that the actual combo is relevant against them). The latest lists tend to go with 1 Melira/1 Seer/1 Archangel/1 Spike, though.
I tend to find Linvala ASAP against Pod mirrors. I also try to blow up Pod ASAP, stick Aven Mindcensor, and nuke mana dorks if I get lucky. Sometimes, I'll have to stick Ooze with no creatures in the graveyard in the Melira Pod mirror if I have no other outs in hand. Maybe the pros have no other outs in hand, either.
I don't know what the optimal mana base is. I'm not convinced I'm using the optimal mana base for my build. I'm surprised so few other people use the basic Plains, though--I've searched for it often enough (but maybe that's because I play Tidehollow Sculler).
I tried Ulvenwald Tracker before. It couldn't actually kill stuff consistently or quickly enough (without losing something significant, at least). It gets a little better nowadays because it can nail Hushwing Gryff, but then Ranger of Eos most likely can't find it.
The M15 Archangel Spike update will be today, so keep your eyes peeled!
What does that last sentence mean?
I just updated the primer with M15 cards, an Archangel Spike "Angel Pod" decklist, and updated card descriptions!
1. Is the threat of a combo win really essential for this deck? I find myself winning most if not all of my recent games with just value beatdown, but maybe that's because I'm mostly playing against Affinity, UWR Control and Scapeshift. I could certainly see myself cutting combo pieces for resilient/value cards like Lingering Souls, Restoration Angel, Thrun, the Last Troll, Sigarda, Host of Herons, Ob Nixilis, Unshackled and Sun Titan. I feel like people are so used to Melira/Angel Pod being in the meta that they could still play around combos that I do not even have in my deck, giving me an advantage in addition to the virtual card advantage of people maindecking/siding in hate cards like Anger of the Gods, graveyard hate, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, etc.
2. How do you play against the mirror? Do you attack their dorks, try to stick a Pod onto the battlefield, search up hate cards like Linvala? Watching GP Minneapolis, the strategy seems to be to go for their dorks, but maybe that's wrong. I'm also wondering why they always go for turn 2 Scavenging Ooze, when it's one of the best cards in the matchup and you want to have it active in the late game, rather than have it die to an early Abrupt Decay that could've went for a different creature?
3. The deck has changed quite a bit since Sam Pardee's GP Portland win, but the manabase is still the same. Are people not taking the time to tweak it to accommodate the recent changes, or is it really still optimal even though we lost Deathrite Shaman and decks are now running more white and less black? I know I still use the old manabase out of laziness, but I would've thought that someone would've figured out the optimal configuration by now.
4. Has Ulvenwald Tracker been discussed before for lists that run Ranger of Eos? If so, what was the consensus? If not, what do you think?
That's all for now, thanks!
The threat of a combo win in the overall meta is essential to keep opponents honest. As long as they're playing around the combo, they either need hate permanents or they can't tap out or go Hellbent. Other combo decks don't play around the combo threat quite so much, though, so I board out combo pieces against them. Now whether you want to cut combo pieces entirely...I think that's dicey because you can actually plausibly gain infinite life fast enough against Scapeshift and Affinity from my testing (well, in a high enough percentage of games that the actual combo is relevant against them). The latest lists tend to go with 1 Melira/1 Seer/1 Archangel/1 Spike, though.
I tend to find Linvala ASAP against Pod mirrors. I also try to blow up Pod ASAP, stick Aven Mindcensor, and nuke mana dorks if I get lucky. Sometimes, I'll have to stick Ooze with no creatures in the graveyard in the Melira Pod mirror if I have no other outs in hand. Maybe the pros have no other outs in hand, either.
I don't know what the optimal mana base is. I'm not convinced I'm using the optimal mana base for my build. I'm surprised so few other people use the basic Plains, though--I've searched for it often enough (but maybe that's because I play Tidehollow Sculler).
I tried Ulvenwald Tracker before. It couldn't actually kill stuff consistently or quickly enough (without losing something significant, at least). It gets a little better nowadays because it can nail Hushwing Gryff, but then Ranger of Eos most likely can't find it.
The M15 Archangel Spike update will be today, so keep your eyes peeled!
What does that last sentence mean?
I just updated the primer with M15 cards, an Archangel Spike "Angel Pod" decklist, and updated card descriptions!
Great job, thanks!
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I thought this way when I first picked up the deck, and the extra bodies Ranger of Eos brings with it are good enough on their own. It doesn't matter what else is written on your 1-drops, really, because you're either going to turn them into attackers/combo pieces with Pod or upgrade them with Township, so the ones that have flying, exalted, and sac a creature: do a cool thing are really all you need. If Ranger and its friends won't help the situation, then get Redcap or Linvala or Resto or Thrun or Metamorph or whatever instead, and if you happen to draw it and you don't need it, well, that's a toolbox deck for you.
Also, outside of grabbing Burrenton Forge-Tender to blank Anger of the Gods, I can't think of much of a reason I'd ever want to fire off Chord for 1. You can usually find a time where you can use it to sneak in a Voice/Finks at end of turn instead if you need pressure, or just hold it and grab protection/the one card your opponent doesn't want to see mid/late-game.
Erebos B | Ghost Council WB | Grimgrin UB | Jhoira UR
Jor Kadeen RW | Melek UR | Mimeoplasm GUB | Rasputin WU
Savra BG | Sisay GW | Teneb BGW | Thada Adel U | Wort BR
I draft and play EDH. If a Standard player can't understand who a card is for, it's probably for me.
I also write things about good films.
You can discuss it here, since they are essentially the same deck. And yes, both are pretty competitive, just with slightly different strenghts/weaknesses. For example, Angel Pod is worse against Zoo/Burn with its lone Finks and higher curve, while Melira Pod has the advantage with 3-4.
When Tron was popular I played Realm Razer, and it is the best sideboard card you can have (even trumping 4-of Fulminator Mages). But it just improves the matchup from unwinnable to barely winnable. Personally I don't think it's worth it, less so if you need to play Stomping Ground just to have a chance to cast it.
Secondly, I played against Tron today and it was probably the toughest match I've had so far playing this deck. A turn 3 or 4 Wormcoil engine or Karn really blows. What do you guys sideboard against those particular decks?
Melira Pod - Modern
They just return as the card itself with a -1/-1 counter on it. Last known information is for when an ability originates from something on the battlefield and is needed to be checked on resolution. For example if you have a Murderous Redcap come into play from persist and target a player with its ETB ability and in response the Redcap is killed. When the ETB ability goes to resolve it needs to know what the Redcap's power was (and the Redcap card in the graveyard has no relation in the game rules) so it looks at what its power was immediately prior to death.
As for sideboarding against Tron you are in a rough spot. Tron is probably the hardest match up and there isn't a lot Melira Pod can do against them. Depending on what you have take out things like Orzhov Pontiff and Thrun. Side in Thoughtseize, try to combo off quickly, and hope they don't natural Tron.
I may actually build it now (barring fetches, as all my lands are UR).
URW Control
WBG Abzan
GRW Burn
EDH
GR Rosheen Meanderer
(Verdant Catacombs, Misty Rainforest, Marsh Flats, Noble Hierarch, Linvala....)
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
I've dabbled in the deck and have to agree. You really miss the seemingly narrow cards. The most suprising to me has been Noble Hierarch tbh. Not producing green has been suprisingly annoying (partially from me having a 4-2-2 split for verdant-misty-flats). And the beats from t2 finks with exalted is just sweet.
Based on MTGO results, Melira Pod and Archangel Spike Junk Pod are about as competitive as each other. Heck, a significant number of decks run both combos. Oddly, I haven't seen as many paper results for Archangel Spike Junk No Melira Pod as Any Melira Pod, though. (I've found that the Archangel Spike combo does dodge graveyard hate and Torpor Orb and require fewer pieces, and a fizzled combo where Archangel survives still turns out pretty well, but the Archangel Spike combo does not necessarily kill that turn (say Archangel and Spike are your only creatures and Archangel is summoning sick) and can be trolled by a stream of Cryptic Commands.)
This is now Archangel Spike Junk Pod's unofficial home; I will change the primer to reflect this with the M15 update.
On Hushwing Gryff:
...Flying Torpor Orb definitely makes us diversify our creature-based hate (along with Linvala the Flying One-Sided Damping Matrix). Luckily, it dies to Abrupt Decay, but if you don't want to luck your way into killing it, there's Orzhov Pontiff's Haunt (blech, you lose the Pontiff and another guy in the process), Polukranos, World Eater (needs 2G up to kill, beware of removal in response), Garza's Assassin (BBB can be rough), Mangara of Corondor (needs to stop being summoning sick), and Necrotic Sliver (needs 3 up to kill).
You don't really need any of these cards to make the deck work, though. There's alternatives to the fetches and Hierarch and you only need one Linvala; Chords don't have any replacement at all, let alone a budget one, so it was the big barrier to building a starter version of the deck where the Evolving Wilds/Avacyn's Pilgrims could be replaced later.
Erebos B | Ghost Council WB | Grimgrin UB | Jhoira UR
Jor Kadeen RW | Melek UR | Mimeoplasm GUB | Rasputin WU
Savra BG | Sisay GW | Teneb BGW | Thada Adel U | Wort BR
I draft and play EDH. If a Standard player can't understand who a card is for, it's probably for me.
I also write things about good films.
Damn right, I started to buy this deck the last few weeks expecting Chords reprint. Now I just need fetches in the fall to be optimal. Hierarch will have to wait.
Benefits of the Wall are not tapping to use and having a bigger butt. The Caryatid taps for any color, doesn't get smaller, and is hexproof. My question is how many sweepers deal 3-4 points of damage? Anger of the Gods and... ??? It's an unknown meta, but judging the Standard decks, I'm expecting aggro, so I want a nice blocker/accelerator.
Thanks!
The Soup
GWUB 4C Gifts Control
Commander:
GWU Derevi
BGW Ghave
BUG Muldrotha
Tiny Leaders:
BGW Doran
BGU Leovold
1. Is the threat of a combo win really essential for this deck? I find myself winning most if not all of my recent games with just value beatdown, but maybe that's because I'm mostly playing against Affinity, UWR Control and Scapeshift. I could certainly see myself cutting combo pieces for resilient/value cards like Lingering Souls, Restoration Angel, Thrun, the Last Troll, Sigarda, Host of Herons, Ob Nixilis, Unshackled and Sun Titan. I feel like people are so used to Melira/Angel Pod being in the meta that they could still play around combos that I do not even have in my deck, giving me an advantage in addition to the virtual card advantage of people maindecking/siding in hate cards like Anger of the Gods, graveyard hate, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, etc.
2. How do you play against the mirror? Do you attack their dorks, try to stick a Pod onto the battlefield, search up hate cards like Linvala? Watching GP Minneapolis, the strategy seems to be to go for their dorks, but maybe that's wrong. I'm also wondering why they always go for turn 2 Scavenging Ooze, when it's one of the best cards in the matchup and you want to have it active in the late game, rather than have it die to an early Abrupt Decay that could've went for a different creature?
3. The deck has changed quite a bit since Sam Pardee's GP Portland win, but the manabase is still the same. Are people not taking the time to tweak it to accommodate the recent changes, or is it really still optimal even though we lost Deathrite Shaman and decks are now running more white and less black? I know I still use the old manabase out of laziness, but I would've thought that someone would've figured out the optimal configuration by now.
4. Has Ulvenwald Tracker been discussed before for lists that run Ranger of Eos? If so, what was the consensus? If not, what do you think?
That's all for now, thanks!
GWUB 4C Gifts Control
Commander:
GWU Derevi
BGW Ghave
BUG Muldrotha
Tiny Leaders:
BGW Doran
BGU Leovold
The M15 Archangel Spike update will be today, so keep your eyes peeled!
What does that last sentence mean?
Thanks Hero's of the Plane
Modern
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xRxAffinityxRx
I just updated the primer with M15 cards, an Archangel Spike "Angel Pod" decklist, and updated card descriptions!
Great job, thanks!