I like Sun Titan personally, but I have a few friends (and I've seen a few people in this thread) swear by Realm Razer as a good finisher in the grindy matchups (and also our only way to beat tron). However, I don't like having to splash my mana base a bit to make room for SB options. I'd choose Sun Titan both because it's powerful, but also you can theoretically hardcast it.
Most of the cards in the primer are viable, the meta just has to change or we have to realize they're good in the deck. Restoration Angel for example had been listed since the card was first spoiled. It just wasn't until recently that someone influential realized the card is still good.
Both Reveillark and Eternal Witness are lower on the pod chain and lower CMC. I don't think more recursion is needed, and in the turns where you'd want to cast Sun Titan, you're usually pressing incremental advantage (Gavony Township), holding back removal to stop a combo, or trying to combo out. I suppose it's OK for a SB option for a grindy match, but other options out of the side (Thrun, the Last Troll, Sin Collector, Thoughtseize) are usually enough for those games.
Sun Titan ended up being too slow to build up a pod chain with. If we had something like Zealous Conscripts like Kiki Pod does the 6 drops would still see play. As it is though it's not something we can really Chord or Pod for, so we're looking to just naturally draw it. Another problem was that in the pod chain Reveillark is just so good that if it dies you should just win the game anyways so going up to 6 and trying to jump through a few more hoops ended up being inefficient.
It suffers the same problem as Sun Titan, though it's worth noting that the legacy pod deck (BUG Nic Fit) actually plays Grave Titan or Frost Titan. It's kind of weird they go higher up the curve than we do.
It suffers the same problem as Sun Titan, though it's worth noting that the legacy pod deck (BUG Nic Fit) actually plays Grave Titan or Frost Titan. It's kind of weird they go higher up the curve than we do.
They have much better ramp, card quality, disruption and Brainstorm. That's why.
Another 6-drop worth considering is Mikaeus, the Unhallowed. He can be another Melira and protect the board against wraths.
It suffers the same problem as Sun Titan, though it's worth noting that the legacy pod deck (BUG Nic Fit) actually plays Grave Titan or Frost Titan. It's kind of weird they go higher up the curve than we do.
They have much better ramp, card quality, disruption and Brainstorm. That's why.
Another 6-drop worth considering is Mikaeus, the Unhallowed. He can be another Melira and protect the board against wraths.
I'm aware of the reasons, there's a lot working against 6 drops in Modern. Veteran Explorer into Cabal Therapy, all 3 fetches, Brainstorm, more removal, and so on. I just find it odd that the legacy version goes for the bigger/longer game. Titans are considerably easier to cast and Sun Titan is even similar in effect.
Not that Mikaeus is unusable or anything, I remember a lot of testing with him when he came out but the triple black really hurts these days. In order to use him you really need a deck that seeks to minimize the white which impacts cards like Linvala and Archangel, even Voice becomes tougher to run.
Nic Fit isn't that great of a deck in Legacy (interesting, and I'm sure fun, but certainly not tier 1), whereas the Junk Pod archtype is a top deck, if not the best deck, in Modern.
Thus, I'm not sure the lessons should be flowing in the direction of Nic Fit to Pod.
As for 6 drops, I concur it's too costly and you should generally be winning once you get to a 5 drop; if not, you probably weren't going to win with a 6 drop either.
Yes my friend took down the Premier IQ, and I can confirm he wasn't running Eidolon of Blossoms... haha
I finished in 12th and was very happy with my list. Some of my changes:
- 2nd Wall of Roots over the 3rd Noble Hierarch: Wall of Roots is amazing with Chord, and creates a mana advantage that is difficult to kill with damage spells, particularly Anger or Electrolyze. It also blocks Goyfs, Bobs, and Oozes in the early game when every point matters
- 2 Maindeck Orzhov Pontiffs: Pontiff is a very metagame-dependent card, but when he's good he's one of the best cards in the deck. I expected a lot of Pod mirrors, Affinity, and B/G/x. Pontiff is obviously powerful versus Pod and Affinity, but I like it as an efficient answer to Bob G1 vs. B/G/x decks. G2 against B/G/x I take one out, but it's a very powerful card.
Sigarda's like a souped-up version of Thrun - same kind of huge impossible-to-remove body, but with evasion instead of an out to Supreme Verdict. Since there's other ways to punish decks loaded with countermagic (T1 discard, Voice), along with Thrun's uncounterability only mattering when you actually cast him fairly, Sigarda makes a more attractive choice for the role of "giant hammer to beat your opponent senseless".
Weathering Liliana isn't as bad as it could be, since there's often a mana dork or a Finks to absorb her -2 and decks that run her lost Deathrite Shaman, cutting down the amount of times she'd be on the table T2 before you can develop a proper board presence. Living End (game 1, anyway) just sort of spins its wheels if you can Chord for Viscera Seer and eat up your board in response to them trying to go off - they get some vanilla-ish guys and you get to reuse all your 187s and dig quite deep to find what to need to hold off said vanillas.
...Sigarda also theoretically buys you a turn against Flying Spaghetti Monster, the Aeons Torn, but the likelihood of having her on board (or having the kind of board capable of Chording in a 5-drop) against decks that play Emrakul is more unlikely than her being on the table early enough to mess up Living End/LotV.
After Baltimore, I will not play Melira Pod without Sigarda, Host of Herons somewhere in my 75. She is incredibly powerful versus Jund and the control decks of the format, and is often just a better Thrun, as she can close out a game over a clogged board of Goyfs and Oozes. In round 8 I played against an Angel Pod deck, and in game 3 I decided on boarding out one Chord for my Sigarda, and she won me that game.
Where she shines is where opponents focus on hating out the traditional parts of Pod. I beat Jund three times in Baltimore, only dropping one game between the three matches. In each of those matches I boarded out my combo and Chords for Sigarda, Thrun, Entomber Exarch and extra removal. My opponents had Grafdigger's Cage and other "hate cards" such as Anger of the Gods, but my creatures were just so much bigger after board.
Currently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebearsCurrently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebearsThey have much better ramp, card quality, disruption and Brainstorm. That's why.
Another 6-drop worth considering is Mikaeus, the Unhallowed. He can be another Melira and protect the board against wraths.
I'm aware of the reasons, there's a lot working against 6 drops in Modern. Veteran Explorer into Cabal Therapy, all 3 fetches, Brainstorm, more removal, and so on. I just find it odd that the legacy version goes for the bigger/longer game. Titans are considerably easier to cast and Sun Titan is even similar in effect.
Not that Mikaeus is unusable or anything, I remember a lot of testing with him when he came out but the triple black really hurts these days. In order to use him you really need a deck that seeks to minimize the white which impacts cards like Linvala and Archangel, even Voice becomes tougher to run.
Thus, I'm not sure the lessons should be flowing in the direction of Nic Fit to Pod.
As for 6 drops, I concur it's too costly and you should generally be winning once you get to a 5 drop; if not, you probably weren't going to win with a 6 drop either.
GWUB 4C Gifts Control
Commander:
GWU Derevi
BGW Ghave
BUG Muldrotha
Tiny Leaders:
BGW Doran
BGU Leovold
1 Godless Shrine
1 Swamp
1 Temple Garden
2 Marsh Flats
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Overgrown Tomb
3 Forest
3 Gavony Township
3 Razorverge Thicket
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Woodland Cemetery
// Creatures
1 Archangel of Thune
1 Eternal Witness
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Murderous Redcap
1 Orzhov Pontiff
1 Restoration Angel
1 Reveillark
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Spellskite
1 Spike Feeder
3 Voice of Resurgence
2 Noble Hierarch
4 Birds of Paradise
2 Wall of Roots
1 Nekrataal
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Sin Collector
4 Birthing Pod
3 Chord of Calling
2 Abrupt Decay
3 Thoughtseize
Here is the List im Using. Can anyone help with sideboarding for a few of the key matchups?
I finished in 12th and was very happy with my list. Some of my changes:
- 2nd Wall of Roots over the 3rd Noble Hierarch: Wall of Roots is amazing with Chord, and creates a mana advantage that is difficult to kill with damage spells, particularly Anger or Electrolyze. It also blocks Goyfs, Bobs, and Oozes in the early game when every point matters
- 2 Maindeck Orzhov Pontiffs: Pontiff is a very metagame-dependent card, but when he's good he's one of the best cards in the deck. I expected a lot of Pod mirrors, Affinity, and B/G/x. Pontiff is obviously powerful versus Pod and Affinity, but I like it as an efficient answer to Bob G1 vs. B/G/x decks. G2 against B/G/x I take one out, but it's a very powerful card.
- 3 maindeck removal spells and 2 Chords
My Modern decks:
B/R/G Living End G/R/B
G/R Tron R/G
U/W/G/R Gargageddon R/G/W/U
R/W/G Naya Burn G/W/R
Weathering Liliana isn't as bad as it could be, since there's often a mana dork or a Finks to absorb her -2 and decks that run her lost Deathrite Shaman, cutting down the amount of times she'd be on the table T2 before you can develop a proper board presence. Living End (game 1, anyway) just sort of spins its wheels if you can Chord for Viscera Seer and eat up your board in response to them trying to go off - they get some vanilla-ish guys and you get to reuse all your 187s and dig quite deep to find what to need to hold off said vanillas.
...Sigarda also theoretically buys you a turn against Flying Spaghetti Monster, the Aeons Torn, but the likelihood of having her on board (or having the kind of board capable of Chording in a 5-drop) against decks that play Emrakul is more unlikely than her being on the table early enough to mess up Living End/LotV.
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.
Where she shines is where opponents focus on hating out the traditional parts of Pod. I beat Jund three times in Baltimore, only dropping one game between the three matches. In each of those matches I boarded out my combo and Chords for Sigarda, Thrun, Entomber Exarch and extra removal. My opponents had Grafdigger's Cage and other "hate cards" such as Anger of the Gods, but my creatures were just so much bigger after board.
Currently playing:
GCasual 8-post
R Casual Land Destruction
UBRWG Legacy Dredge
WGB Modern Melira Pod
RUG EDH