Look at the card. Now back to Jace. Now back to that card, now back to Jace! Sadly, it isn't Jace, but if it stopped being a junk rare and became relevant, it could act like it's Jace. Crack some Worldwake. What do you have? You have a Jace, the card you wish this card could be like. Look again. THE CARD IS NOW A $75 BILL. Anything possible when you play Magic with Jace and not junk rares. This is probably spam.
Yes, but it's value after the first turn drops significantly in non-control decks. Even in control decks, most would rather try to play other card draw spells other than Ancestral Vision because of how bad it can be as a top deck later in the game. It's a little less bad with Desolate Lighthouse or Nahiri, the Harbinger.
Appreciate your response. I still find it weird that no recent top 8ed list even in other archetypes (Grixis for example) plays it instead of the common Serum Visions. It almost feels like Ancestral Vision is still banned lol. I guess people value the quality instead of the quantity.
Whoa people are getting annoyed by opinions on a website about card games again!
Ontopic, I agree with theAller on Logic Knot, I see very little reason to play Negate over the third Knot, although I could see arguments for Negate over the fourth one.
The reason AV isn't played much is that the grindy matchups do not tend to be the dangerous ones; Modern's diversity is the bigger issue for control decks, which is why card selection is valued more over card advantage.
Disallow has been tried, it's fine. Personally I think Counterflux is the better cmc3 counter. And try using the search function before asking questions about single cards.
Yes, but it's value after the first turn drops significantly in non-control decks. Even in control decks, most would rather try to play other card draw spells other than Ancestral Vision because of how bad it can be as a top deck later in the game. It's a little less bad with Desolate Lighthouse or Nahiri, the Harbinger.
Appreciate your response. I still find it weird that no recent top 8ed list even in other archetypes (Grixis for example) plays it instead of the common Serum Visions. It almost feels like Ancestral Vision is still banned lol. I guess people value the quality instead of the quantity.
You hit the nail on the head. Card quality is far more significant than raw card advantage. Don't get me wrong. If games on average lasted longer, raw card advantage would definitely have a bigger, better place in Modern (my opinion). That said, Ancestral Vision isn't completely terrible. I've considered going back to a solid control she'll with it the last few weeks.
Negate is in no way 'strictly worse' than Logic Knot. I dont think you understand what those words mean.
I do. And I confirm what I said. That is: "strictly worse than the third Logic Knot". Key word you missed out: "third". The fourth copy is debatable, but playing a Negate over the third one, well...in my opinion, it's just wrong. Of course, sideboard Negate is a whole other story. I don't see the reason for ad hominem attacks while discussing magic cards by the way, but to each his own.
Rutherjc is right. What you mean is "clearly worse", not "strictly worse". For example, if you had an instant that costs 1U and says "Counter target non-creature spell. Scry 1", then Negate would be STRICTLY worse than that card. If there are situations where Negate would be better than Logic Knot, then it cannot be "strictly" worse. For example, your opponent casts a non-creature spell you want to counter, but you only have an island and a plains untapped, or you have no cards in your graveyard.
The mana base has been performing really really well the fortress and canal are really no trouble and i find in games where you really need to have the mana up colonnade doesnt work with you. So so far i am very pleased with the mana base.
On the fetches i run 6 bc i have cut down to 22 lands and too much filtering will thin out lands too much. With a split of 3/3 of serum and opt this has done me well.
I also now am testing a 3/1 split of cryptic and disallow and disallow. This has been decent though i have only had the opportunity to use disallow to its full potential in only one game (against solemnity angels countering the sigil trigger twice with disallow and snappy)
I have been testing a one of steel of the godhead and i have found that because of the nature of this deck which is to stall and stabalize it is fairly decent and when it does indeed stick to a geist it completely turns the tide of the game in your favor and have yet to not see this so.
I have played only 6 matches with my new modified list and have only lost 1 vs E-tron
Game 1
Vs solemnity angels
Match 1
Had a great opening hand game 1 and was able to counter and control his/her enchantments until my geist was dropped.
Match 2
They mulled aggressively to find some hate down to 4 cards and it was gg when by turn 4 they only had two plains
Game 2
Vs burn
Match 1
Had a great opening hand with steel and geist, helix, two lands, bolt and cryptic on the draw
Turn one they play goblin and give me a land off the top. I fetch for a mountain. Turn two they play burning rage and swing i bolted gobby revealing another helix.
Play hallowed fountain untapped pass.
They play swiftspear and two spikes if i remember correctly and i helix the swiftspear.
Turn three play geist pass
They play another swiftspear and pass.
I play steel on gesit and swing in for 4 lifelink and an angel and it was gg from there.
Match 2
I lost horribly.
Match 3
sideboard in spreading seas as they have been playing both games with only 3-4 mana and thought id give it a shot. Spreading seas their first two lands and they get stuck at 1 with their swiftspear bolted.
Slowed them down immensely and i was also lucky to have drawn two seas in my opener.
Game 3
vs infect
Lose match one to their god hand and my mana flooded opener which im not sure why i kept.
Matches 2 - 3
i am fairly certain they were flooded as i only bolted two creatures and was able to beat in with queller and geist. All while all they played was land.
Game 4.
Etron.
I was beat both games though I had steel and geist out i was no match for the aggressive fattys and great colorless removal tech (all is dust, ugin, karn)
Disallow gave me hope when i countered a turn three wurmcoil however. I was no match for the smasher and endbringer that followed.
I mulled aggresively to find some hate but couldnt and stopped at a 1 lander 4 carder in match 2.
There was no coming back from that.
Game 5
Affinity
Match 1
Lost but the bolts and paths help me put up a fight.
Match 2 sided in an anger of the gods just to see how it could help. Never saw anger. But electrolyze and spell snare were king and i take back what i said about them.
I was brought down to about 3-4 life but was able to cryptic to bounce a master and swing in my next turn with geist with a steel for 8 damage and a helix for 3 more. And they conceded.
Match 3
I was so lucky and drew basically all my removal all game. Beat in with colonnade to the win.
Game 6
Some odd necrotic ooze graveyard strategy with oone queen of the fae.
I was beat turn four and i had no idea wth they did but a morsal hoarder and oone in the grave and they played ooze off of cavern and won instantly.
Match 2
I sided in relic
They attempted to devoted druid and ballista after i cleared their grave but i shot down the druid with bolt before ballista hit.
Match 3
Was dreadfully slow they were able to cast oona which a quelled which was destroyed which i then pathed the oona and played a geist (whichbwas a poor decision on my part)
Was able to win beating in with a snappy and a geist.
My conclusion is that the deck is good and a steel of the godhead was never really in the way. I am curious to see how this deck would do vs UW control. And how my modifications would do vs counters company again.
I will keep play testing but so far its been good and the mana base has not given me any trouble.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Modern RUAffinityUR GMono Green StompyG CEldrazi TronC URWJeskai GeistWRU WRBoros BurnRW BRWMardu PyromancerWRB
In the meantime I've messed around with Jeskai Kiki for a bit, working as intended; already stole several unwinnable games by just slamming kiki and praying. It is a lot worse at topdeckwars however as I don't run Cryptic Command (makes the list too high in CMC and is very awkward on the manabase)
Lots of cantripping, very much still WIP. I will probably add some catchall like Engineered Explosives or a Wear/Tear as I got got by artifacts a bunch
Definitely! I would really recommend running some number of Wall of Omens in a Kiki list, as without anything relevant to blink, Resto is kind of a mediocre card outside of the combo. You also occasionally get to go off in a topdeck war copying walls with Kiki
I'm new to this deck. Right now I have trouble deciding between a more aggressive version with Spell Quellers vs a traditional more controlling build. Any suggestions?
I went 3-1 last night at FNM last night, beaking Grixis Dragons, Dredge, and Grixis delver/control(?) and losing to Grixis Death's Shadow. Before the rounds started I realized I had a stone rain in my deck, since I play most of my decks in the same sleeves it probably snuck in from goldfishing decks against each other at home and was never corrected. Since rounds were being called I quickly moved an engineered explosives from my side to the main and added a grafdigger's cage, since I knew two people in the room were on dredge. This morning I recounted the deck, and I was missing a lightning bolt. So with that stated, my list;
Round 1 vs Garrett on Grixis Dragons (on the play)
Game 1 I got gotten. I start off with a hand with two spell quellers and a geist, and an interaction or two. I get double inquisitioned, when I go to cast geist my opponent casts Silumgar's Scorn and then turns around into a Tasigur and Thunderbreak Regent. I bricked on more lands and died.
-4 Spell Quellers, -1 Engineered Explosives, -3 Helix. He showed me a lot of cards with CMC > 4, and some burn. I decided to go full control and brought in about half my sideboard. +1 Celestial Purge, +2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar, +2 Disdainful Stroke, +2 Dispel, +1 Clique.
I don't have great notes for the next two matches. In the second match, I kept a hand with no draw, 1 Colonnade, and 1 Mountain that I feared I would be punished for, but I had counter spell's for day's, so I landed a Geist that hard carried me. In the third match I was threat light, and so started attacking with a snapcaster that he eventually cleared. I eventually played Pia and Kiran, he tapped out for a Thunderbreak Regent, I pathed. On my turn, attacked, flung the tokens at him for the match win. Post board I had so many counters that lined up exceptionally well versus his deck at almost all stages of the game.
Round 2 vs Kody on Grixis Death's Shadow (on the play)
Game 1 Kody spent the first few turns trying to sculpt his hand, and I eventually got to Spell Queller his first Death's Shadow that he instantly followed up with a second. When I was at 9, and he was at 7, I went to cryptic bounce the death's shadow knowing I had a bolt on top, that he snap pushed my queller in response. In hindsight this was still a huge misplay, but after the match he told me he also had angler/another snap in his hand, and I'm not sure if I could have won through those with my hand and an active shadow on board.
I didn't track my sideboard for the rest of the matches because I'm an idiot.
I kept a hand with some Spell Quellers, Geist, and land. I got double inquisitioned, drew a third land, and then bricked on land until I died.
Round 3 Vs Jack on Dredge (on the play, hey, I was super lucky here!)
Game one I was just totally out of it, and had a bunch of counters but didn't counter/queller anything he played.
I think I sideboard in both relics, cage, and supreme verdict. I take out things like cryptic command, and some spell queller here.
Game two he starts off with neonating a blodghast. I realize he must have a super slow hand, I play and burst one of my Relic's, drop a threat, and draw into my second Relic. Between that I seem to just chip him down without much of a board presence.
Game three he gets an early double Narcomeba's, I drop Geist, and he lets me swing with it a few times while trying to race me with the Narco's. I again get both my relic's to keep his graveyard from exploding, then mix of burn and removal carries me.
Round 4 vs Mitchell on Grixis Control
He starts off acting like he's on grixis death's shadow. I try to just rush a Geist to get information, and it eats a mana leak. He plays a Tasigur, and the theme of the evening is that Tasigur on turn 2 is pretty good. When I go to snap path he spell snare's it. This game takes 35 minutes of grinding each other out, about half way through I drop a Search for Azcanta and start digging. Mitchell gets two tasigur activations, kologhan's command's me twice. But burn and Lightning Helix carries the day.
At this point there's 15 minutes in the round, and I decide to be that guy and go for the 1-0 win. I again board in things like dispel, celestial purge, and supreme verdict over my EE- since his last play of the previous game was to drop a Young Pyro.
Game 2 he starts off with a delver on one, but doesn't flip. Eventually I get to electrolyze it and him, and start just trying to hold him back. He again drops Tasigur and gets an activation, and since he has only 1 card left in hand and I have to give him either action or draw to sandbag turns I give him Dispel. With round called he drops young pyro, but is too low on resources to drop me from 13 life thanks to some earlier Lightning Helix's. I leave a colonnade activation available, and win the round at 1-0 on turns.
3-1, got 3 packs. Traded some stuff in my binder for 3 Onslaught Flooded Plains for my legacy deck and went home happy with the night.
Went 3-0-1 at a local Modern event on Wednesday (my final round opponent and I ID'd so that we could leave early). Was running running the more control based below list:
My mainboard is based on a Jeskai control list that did well in an MTGO challenge a few weeks back. The sideboard was something of a scramble since I'm still waiting for a few copies of some cards, the Geists will likely become Pia and Kiran Nalaar, the Stony Silences will become Wear//Tear, and I want to fit an Engineered Explosives in somewhere. I'm also still trying to figure out what I want my sideboard grave hate card to be. I keep flipping between Surgical and Relic, and I'm not sure which I prefer.
To go over my matchups:
Round 1 vs Jund Living End (2-0)
Game one is a nail bitter. My opponent gets off an early living end, although I'm able to clean it up with paths and helixes my life total starts to get low. I manage to stabilize and am able to counter his second living end and kill him with bolts and beats before he can get his third.
Sideboard: -1 Ajani, -1 Avacyn, -2 Spell Snare, +2 Surgicals, +1 Negate, +1 Azcanta
I'm concerned about exactly 1 card in this matchup, Living End. Unless I get blown out by a living end I'll eventually win, so I side out Ajani and Avacyn for more ways to answer living ends. Spell snare also comes out since it's dead in the matchup (Jund Living end can't run any CMC 2 spells, although note that the As Foretold build can). I considered brining in Detention Sphere, but decided against it after seeing Beast Within in my opponents maindeck.
Game two sees my opponent mull to 6 and then miss a third land drop after cycling multiple times. I'm able play Search for Azcantaon turn 2 and then go shields up and my opponent scoops after I counter all of his living ends. The most relevant play I made was playing around my opponent having multiple Simian Spirit Guide in hand when he cast his 2nd living end. Post-game he mentioned that I was correct to do so since he had 2 in hand, and he also shared that he felt that Living End's best chance of winning vs control was to try to go for a T2 living end.
Round 2 - Eldrazi Tron (2-0)
I won the die roll and lead with a fetch and was very unhappy to see a tron land on turn 1. Although my opponent had a Matter Reshaper T2 off of Eldrazi Temple, I was able deal with both on T3 using a combination of Field of Ruin and path. Although my opponent soon is playing Thought-Knot Seers, I'm able to hold them off with a mix of Quellers and removal, and eventually win by bolting him to 4 and swinging with Colonnade
Sideboard: - 1 Clique, -1 Avacyn, -1 Ajani, -2 Electrolyze, -1 Helix, +2 Surgical, + 1 Search, + 2 Detention Sphere, + 1 Blessed Alliance
In retrospect I boarded poorly here. Clique probably should have stayed in since it is a reasonable clock and does provide some hand distruption, even though it does die to Walking Ballista. I also don't think I should have boarded in the surgicals. Unlike straight UW (I alternate between the two have have just switched back to Jeskai), there isn't a deep land denial package in jeskai which makes the surgicals less useful against tron. Additionally, E tron feels less reliant on its lands than the traditional GX builds, and I think the upside of surgicaling away a tron land or temple isn't worth the card slot. I should have brought in Verdict instead. Additionally, I forgot about Chalice of the Void for X=1 being very good against me, so I should have taken out a bolt instead of a helix to lessen the impact.
The game started poorly for me. My opponent lead with a tron land and I followed with a Colonnade, only for my opponent to play chalice for X=1, stranding a visions and a surgical in my hand. I'm able to follow up with a Search for Azcanta before my opponent starts chaining Thought-Knot Seers. I'm fortunately able to find a Queller for his second Seer. Even though he kill my queller the next turn, I'm able to answer both seers with a top-decked Detention Sphere, which draws me 2 cards and puts me back into the game. I feed a couple of the spells in my hand to the chalice in order to flip Azcanta, and even though my opponent has Ghost Quarter for it I'm able to get one dig from it to find a Cryptic, which gives me the time to get back into the game.
Round 3 vs UG Infect (2-1)
Game 1 was a typical interactive matchup vs Infect. He plays his creatures and I kill them as soon as I can. I quickly deplete his resources and manage to avoid getting blown out. Game was tense but not particularly interesting.
Sideboard choices were based around the fact that I turn the corner quickly if I can survive the first few turns. Slow cards like Avacyn and Ajani come out, more answers come in. I brought in Negate since the real danger in their deck is their pump spells, particularly the ones that give some kind of protection (and Become Immense), and Negate is brought in to fight them.
Game 2 has me keep a slowish hand full of powerful 3 mana answers. T1 has my opponent play a Glistener Elf and follow it up with a second (with mana up). T3 he plays a land, attacks me for 2 poison (putting me at 3) and passes. At this point, in my hand, I have a land that comes into play untapped, a bolt, a Electrolyze, and a D Sphere (and some other cards that aren't relevant). At this point my good lines are as follows: 1: Kill one elf now and attempt to get the other with D Sphere, 2: Kill one elf and attempt to get the other with Electrolyze, 3: Attempt to get a 2 for 1 with D sphere, 4: Attempt a 3 for 1 with Electrolyze. I don't like lines 3 and 4 since if my opponent has any kind of protection spell than a pump spell to back it up, I'm probably dead. I decide to try to kill one elf with bolt EoT, and then try to kill the second with Electrolyze. I make the mistake of trying to kill the second elf on his turn, however, in order to bait a pump spell. My opponent has a second to back it up and I die. In retrospect, I should have just tried to kill the second elf on my own turn with the D-Sphere, because at least that way if I force him to spend a spell protecting it, he then has one fewer pump spell to kill me.
Game 3 plays out much like game 1. I get a huge tempo boost when I'm able to kill my opponents Inkmoth Nexus when he is on 3 lands, and then am able to play Field of Ruin, which essentially locks down his second nexus. I quickly deplete my opponent's resources through 1-for-1 trading and he concedes.
Overall, the deck felt good and I was very pleased with my performance, apart from the one misplay in game 2 vs infect. As some thoughts on key cards:
Spell Snare: Spell snare feels good right now, particularly in this store's metagame. There are a few matchups where its dead, but in most others its one of the better cards in the deck.
Detention Sphere: The card is an all-star in the board and although it was a last-minute substitution, I'm going to keep it in. The fact that it hits any permanent is great, although the fact that it got me a game winning 4-for-1 vs E-Tron may be colouring my opinion slightly.
Field of Ruin: The card is great for us. Being able to answer key lands without setting our mana back is clutch. I would play a second in a heartbeat if I could find room (I like Desolate Lighthouse too much and don't want to go up to 25 lands, but cutting the lighthouse may be right).
Archangel Avacyn: I wanted to test the card after seeing her in a couple of lists, but so far she hasn't come up a lot and I've been consistently boarding her out. I like that she's a flash threat that plays surprisingly well with Queller, but it might just be that she's a dead slot.
Serum Visions/Opt: I'm torn on which card is better. Visions does a better job of finding what you need, but means that you have to sometimes make tough decisions regarding your lands when playing it. Opt is less powerful, but it is instant speed and helps you get the card you need right away. Opt is also a decent think to Snapcaster Mage back on your opponent's end step. I'm currently happy with my 3/2 split, but might try to find room for a 3rd opt.
Spell Queller: The 2nd best card in the deck after Snapcaster Mage. I want to try to find room for a 4th, but I'm not convinced that the 4th Queller is better than the 1st Clique. Maybe if I cut Avacyn I'll add in a 4th queller.
I'd contemplate dropping the Colonnade out of the Kiki list, but thats just me.
I think you do want some number of Colonnades; the math of my deck works out right now mostly because I have eleven flipping cantrips, but perhaps going down to 2 Colonnades could work
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
only until you leave.
URURxUR
UWUWxUW
Just reflecting the effort you put into your question.
What do you guys think about a 1 of steel of the god head in a list with 3 geist and 4 queller?
RUAffinityUR
GMono Green StompyG
CEldrazi TronC
URWJeskai GeistWRU
WRBoros BurnRW
BRWMardu PyromancerWRB
Creature [14]
3x Geist of Saint Traft
2x Nimble Obstructionist
2x Restoration Angel
3x Snapcaster Mage
4x Spell Queller
Planeswalker [2]
2x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
Instant [18]
2x Electrolyze
4x Lightning Bolt
3x Lightning Helix
3x Logic Knot
4x Path to Exile
2x Spell Snare
4x Serum Visions
Land [22]
3x Island
2x Plains
2x Celestial Colonnade
4x Flooded Strand
2x Hallowed Fountain
1x Sacred Foundry
4x Scalding Tarn
3x Spirebluff Canal
1x Steam Vents
2x Rest In Peace
2x Stony Silence
2x Ceremonious Rejection
2x Cryptic Command
2x Negate
1x Wear // Tear
2x Crumble to Dust
2x Supreme Verdict
Looking for feedback, what do you all think of this list?
TappedOut
Would love to have more input to improve!
Appreciate your response. I still find it weird that no recent top 8ed list even in other archetypes (Grixis for example) plays it instead of the common Serum Visions. It almost feels like Ancestral Vision is still banned lol. I guess people value the quality instead of the quantity.
RBUGrixis ControlUBR
GUSimic MerfolkUG
WUUW ControlUW
RBUGrixis ControlUBR
BUUB MillUB
Colorless Eldrazi Tron
WRBurnRW
GUSimic MerfolkUG
UMono U TurnsU
WGGenesis Wave EnchantressGW
I based my deck shell on this Japanese deck.
http://www.hareruyamtg.com/en/k/kD01966T/
TappedOut
Would love to have more input to improve!
Thanks you very much DarkNightCavalier for the Sig.
Ontopic, I agree with theAller on Logic Knot, I see very little reason to play Negate over the third Knot, although I could see arguments for Negate over the fourth one.
The reason AV isn't played much is that the grindy matchups do not tend to be the dangerous ones; Modern's diversity is the bigger issue for control decks, which is why card selection is valued more over card advantage.
Disallow has been tried, it's fine. Personally I think Counterflux is the better cmc3 counter. And try using the search function before asking questions about single cards.
You hit the nail on the head. Card quality is far more significant than raw card advantage. Don't get me wrong. If games on average lasted longer, raw card advantage would definitely have a bigger, better place in Modern (my opinion). That said, Ancestral Vision isn't completely terrible. I've considered going back to a solid control she'll with it the last few weeks.
Rutherjc is right. What you mean is "clearly worse", not "strictly worse". For example, if you had an instant that costs 1U and says "Counter target non-creature spell. Scry 1", then Negate would be STRICTLY worse than that card. If there are situations where Negate would be better than Logic Knot, then it cannot be "strictly" worse. For example, your opponent casts a non-creature spell you want to counter, but you only have an island and a plains untapped, or you have no cards in your graveyard.
On the fetches i run 6 bc i have cut down to 22 lands and too much filtering will thin out lands too much. With a split of 3/3 of serum and opt this has done me well.
I also now am testing a 3/1 split of cryptic and disallow and disallow. This has been decent though i have only had the opportunity to use disallow to its full potential in only one game (against solemnity angels countering the sigil trigger twice with disallow and snappy)
I have been testing a one of steel of the godhead and i have found that because of the nature of this deck which is to stall and stabalize it is fairly decent and when it does indeed stick to a geist it completely turns the tide of the game in your favor and have yet to not see this so.
I have played only 6 matches with my new modified list and have only lost 1 vs E-tron
Game 1
Vs solemnity angels
Match 1
Had a great opening hand game 1 and was able to counter and control his/her enchantments until my geist was dropped.
Match 2
They mulled aggressively to find some hate down to 4 cards and it was gg when by turn 4 they only had two plains
Game 2
Vs burn
Match 1
Had a great opening hand with steel and geist, helix, two lands, bolt and cryptic on the draw
Turn one they play goblin and give me a land off the top. I fetch for a mountain. Turn two they play burning rage and swing i bolted gobby revealing another helix.
Play hallowed fountain untapped pass.
They play swiftspear and two spikes if i remember correctly and i helix the swiftspear.
Turn three play geist pass
They play another swiftspear and pass.
I play steel on gesit and swing in for 4 lifelink and an angel and it was gg from there.
Match 2
I lost horribly.
Match 3
sideboard in spreading seas as they have been playing both games with only 3-4 mana and thought id give it a shot. Spreading seas their first two lands and they get stuck at 1 with their swiftspear bolted.
Slowed them down immensely and i was also lucky to have drawn two seas in my opener.
Game 3
vs infect
Lose match one to their god hand and my mana flooded opener which im not sure why i kept.
Matches 2 - 3
i am fairly certain they were flooded as i only bolted two creatures and was able to beat in with queller and geist. All while all they played was land.
Game 4.
Etron.
I was beat both games though I had steel and geist out i was no match for the aggressive fattys and great colorless removal tech (all is dust, ugin, karn)
Disallow gave me hope when i countered a turn three wurmcoil however. I was no match for the smasher and endbringer that followed.
I mulled aggresively to find some hate but couldnt and stopped at a 1 lander 4 carder in match 2.
There was no coming back from that.
Game 5
Affinity
Match 1
Lost but the bolts and paths help me put up a fight.
Match 2 sided in an anger of the gods just to see how it could help. Never saw anger. But electrolyze and spell snare were king and i take back what i said about them.
I was brought down to about 3-4 life but was able to cryptic to bounce a master and swing in my next turn with geist with a steel for 8 damage and a helix for 3 more. And they conceded.
Match 3
I was so lucky and drew basically all my removal all game. Beat in with colonnade to the win.
Game 6
Some odd necrotic ooze graveyard strategy with oone queen of the fae.
I was beat turn four and i had no idea wth they did but a morsal hoarder and oone in the grave and they played ooze off of cavern and won instantly.
Match 2
I sided in relic
They attempted to devoted druid and ballista after i cleared their grave but i shot down the druid with bolt before ballista hit.
Match 3
Was dreadfully slow they were able to cast oona which a quelled which was destroyed which i then pathed the oona and played a geist (whichbwas a poor decision on my part)
Was able to win beating in with a snappy and a geist.
My conclusion is that the deck is good and a steel of the godhead was never really in the way. I am curious to see how this deck would do vs UW control. And how my modifications would do vs counters company again.
I will keep play testing but so far its been good and the mana base has not given me any trouble.
RUAffinityUR
GMono Green StompyG
CEldrazi TronC
URWJeskai GeistWRU
WRBoros BurnRW
BRWMardu PyromancerWRB
// 12 Creature
4 Snapcaster Mage
3 Restoration Angel
2 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
2 Wall of Omens
1 Vendilion Clique
// 22 Instant
3 Opt
3 Logic Knot
3 Remand
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Lightning Helix
4 Path to Exile
2 Spell Snare
1 Dispel
3 Serum Visions
// 23 Land
3 Celestial Colonnade
3 Flooded Strand
2 Arid Mesa
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Mountain
2 Island
1 Plains
2 Steam Vents
2 Sulfur Falls
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
3 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Spreading Seas
1 Stony Silence
2 Dispel
2 Counterflux
1 Jace, Architect of Thought
2 Supreme Verdict
Lots of cantripping, very much still WIP. I will probably add some catchall like Engineered Explosives or a Wear/Tear as I got got by artifacts a bunch
The more controlling build im thinking of:
4 Celestial Colonnade
2 Field of Ruin
4 Flooded Strand
2 Hallowed Fountain
4 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Steam Vents
CREATURES 6
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendilion Clique
4 Cryptic Command
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
3 Logic Knot
4 Path to Exile
4 Serum Visions
1 Spell Snare
1 Sphinx's Revelation
3 Supreme Verdict
OTHER SPELLS 2
2 Search for Azcanta
1 Blessed Alliance
3 Ceremonious Rejection
1 Disdainful Stroke
2 Dispel
1 Izzet Staticaster
2 Negate
2 Runed Halo
1 Secure the Wastes
1 Settle the Wreckage
1 Surgical Extraction
The spell queller one:
1 Arid Mesa
3 Celestial Colonnade
4 Flooded Strand
1 Hallowed Fountain
3 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Steam Vents
1 Sulfur Falls
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Spell Queller
2 Vendilion Clique
INSTANTS and SORC. 26
3 Cryptic Command
1 Electrolyze
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
3 Logic Knot
4 Opt
4 Path to Exile
3 Serum Visions
2 Search for Azcanta
1 Celestial Purge
1 Ceremonious Rejection
2 Crumble to Dust
1 Disdainful Stroke
2 Dispel
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Izzet Staticaster
1 Kozilek's Return
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Settle the Wreckage
1 Stony Silence
1 Wear / Tear
Basilisk Collar? $5.00
Shooting down a baneslayer angel? Priceless
Spirits
4 Flooded Strand
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
2 Sulfur Falls
4 Celestial Colonnade
// Creatures 11
4 Snapcaster Mage
3 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Spell Queller
2 Search for Azcanta
4 Serum Visions
2 Spell Snare
3 Logic Knot
3 Cryptic Command
3 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
1 Electrolyze
4 Path to Exile
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Supreme Verdict
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
2 Dispel
1 Vendilion Clique
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Disdainful Stroke
1 Wear // Tear
1 Izzet Staticaster
1 Celestial Purge
1 Grafdigger's Cage
Round 1 vs Garrett on Grixis Dragons (on the play)
Game 1 I got gotten. I start off with a hand with two spell quellers and a geist, and an interaction or two. I get double inquisitioned, when I go to cast geist my opponent casts Silumgar's Scorn and then turns around into a Tasigur and Thunderbreak Regent. I bricked on more lands and died.
-4 Spell Quellers, -1 Engineered Explosives, -3 Helix. He showed me a lot of cards with CMC > 4, and some burn. I decided to go full control and brought in about half my sideboard. +1 Celestial Purge, +2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar, +2 Disdainful Stroke, +2 Dispel, +1 Clique.
I don't have great notes for the next two matches. In the second match, I kept a hand with no draw, 1 Colonnade, and 1 Mountain that I feared I would be punished for, but I had counter spell's for day's, so I landed a Geist that hard carried me. In the third match I was threat light, and so started attacking with a snapcaster that he eventually cleared. I eventually played Pia and Kiran, he tapped out for a Thunderbreak Regent, I pathed. On my turn, attacked, flung the tokens at him for the match win. Post board I had so many counters that lined up exceptionally well versus his deck at almost all stages of the game.
Round 2 vs Kody on Grixis Death's Shadow (on the play)
Game 1 Kody spent the first few turns trying to sculpt his hand, and I eventually got to Spell Queller his first Death's Shadow that he instantly followed up with a second. When I was at 9, and he was at 7, I went to cryptic bounce the death's shadow knowing I had a bolt on top, that he snap pushed my queller in response. In hindsight this was still a huge misplay, but after the match he told me he also had angler/another snap in his hand, and I'm not sure if I could have won through those with my hand and an active shadow on board.
I didn't track my sideboard for the rest of the matches because I'm an idiot.
I kept a hand with some Spell Quellers, Geist, and land. I got double inquisitioned, drew a third land, and then bricked on land until I died.
Round 3 Vs Jack on Dredge (on the play, hey, I was super lucky here!)
Game one I was just totally out of it, and had a bunch of counters but didn't counter/queller anything he played.
I think I sideboard in both relics, cage, and supreme verdict. I take out things like cryptic command, and some spell queller here.
Game two he starts off with neonating a blodghast. I realize he must have a super slow hand, I play and burst one of my Relic's, drop a threat, and draw into my second Relic. Between that I seem to just chip him down without much of a board presence.
Game three he gets an early double Narcomeba's, I drop Geist, and he lets me swing with it a few times while trying to race me with the Narco's. I again get both my relic's to keep his graveyard from exploding, then mix of burn and removal carries me.
Round 4 vs Mitchell on Grixis Control
He starts off acting like he's on grixis death's shadow. I try to just rush a Geist to get information, and it eats a mana leak. He plays a Tasigur, and the theme of the evening is that Tasigur on turn 2 is pretty good. When I go to snap path he spell snare's it. This game takes 35 minutes of grinding each other out, about half way through I drop a Search for Azcanta and start digging. Mitchell gets two tasigur activations, kologhan's command's me twice. But burn and Lightning Helix carries the day.
At this point there's 15 minutes in the round, and I decide to be that guy and go for the 1-0 win. I again board in things like dispel, celestial purge, and supreme verdict over my EE- since his last play of the previous game was to drop a Young Pyro.
Game 2 he starts off with a delver on one, but doesn't flip. Eventually I get to electrolyze it and him, and start just trying to hold him back. He again drops Tasigur and gets an activation, and since he has only 1 card left in hand and I have to give him either action or draw to sandbag turns I give him Dispel. With round called he drops young pyro, but is too low on resources to drop me from 13 life thanks to some earlier Lightning Helix's. I leave a colonnade activation available, and win the round at 1-0 on turns.
3-1, got 3 packs. Traded some stuff in my binder for 3 Onslaught Flooded Plains for my legacy deck and went home happy with the night.
4 Snapcaster Mage
3 Spell Queller
1 Archangel Avacyn
1 Vendilion Clique
27 Spells
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
3 Cryptic Command
3 Lightning Helix
3 Serum Visions
2 Opt
2 Logic Knot
2 Spell Snare
2 Electrolyze
1 Search for Azcanta
1 Ajani Vengeant
4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Flooded Strand
3 Scalding Tarn
1 Arid Mesa
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Steam Vents
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Spirebluff Canal
1 Field of Ruin
1 Desolate Lighthouse
3 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Search for Azcanta
1 Blessed Alliance
1 Negate
1 Lightning Helix
2 Detention Sphere
2 Supreme Verdict
1 Izzet Staticaster
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Stony Silence
2 Geist of Saint Traft
My mainboard is based on a Jeskai control list that did well in an MTGO challenge a few weeks back. The sideboard was something of a scramble since I'm still waiting for a few copies of some cards, the Geists will likely become Pia and Kiran Nalaar, the Stony Silences will become Wear//Tear, and I want to fit an Engineered Explosives in somewhere. I'm also still trying to figure out what I want my sideboard grave hate card to be. I keep flipping between Surgical and Relic, and I'm not sure which I prefer.
To go over my matchups:
Round 1 vs Jund Living End (2-0)
Game one is a nail bitter. My opponent gets off an early living end, although I'm able to clean it up with paths and helixes my life total starts to get low. I manage to stabilize and am able to counter his second living end and kill him with bolts and beats before he can get his third.
Sideboard: -1 Ajani, -1 Avacyn, -2 Spell Snare, +2 Surgicals, +1 Negate, +1 Azcanta
I'm concerned about exactly 1 card in this matchup, Living End. Unless I get blown out by a living end I'll eventually win, so I side out Ajani and Avacyn for more ways to answer living ends. Spell snare also comes out since it's dead in the matchup (Jund Living end can't run any CMC 2 spells, although note that the As Foretold build can). I considered brining in Detention Sphere, but decided against it after seeing Beast Within in my opponents maindeck.
Game two sees my opponent mull to 6 and then miss a third land drop after cycling multiple times. I'm able play Search for Azcantaon turn 2 and then go shields up and my opponent scoops after I counter all of his living ends. The most relevant play I made was playing around my opponent having multiple Simian Spirit Guide in hand when he cast his 2nd living end. Post-game he mentioned that I was correct to do so since he had 2 in hand, and he also shared that he felt that Living End's best chance of winning vs control was to try to go for a T2 living end.
Round 2 - Eldrazi Tron (2-0)
I won the die roll and lead with a fetch and was very unhappy to see a tron land on turn 1. Although my opponent had a Matter Reshaper T2 off of Eldrazi Temple, I was able deal with both on T3 using a combination of Field of Ruin and path. Although my opponent soon is playing Thought-Knot Seers, I'm able to hold them off with a mix of Quellers and removal, and eventually win by bolting him to 4 and swinging with Colonnade
Sideboard: - 1 Clique, -1 Avacyn, -1 Ajani, -2 Electrolyze, -1 Helix, +2 Surgical, + 1 Search, + 2 Detention Sphere, + 1 Blessed Alliance
In retrospect I boarded poorly here. Clique probably should have stayed in since it is a reasonable clock and does provide some hand distruption, even though it does die to Walking Ballista. I also don't think I should have boarded in the surgicals. Unlike straight UW (I alternate between the two have have just switched back to Jeskai), there isn't a deep land denial package in jeskai which makes the surgicals less useful against tron. Additionally, E tron feels less reliant on its lands than the traditional GX builds, and I think the upside of surgicaling away a tron land or temple isn't worth the card slot. I should have brought in Verdict instead. Additionally, I forgot about Chalice of the Void for X=1 being very good against me, so I should have taken out a bolt instead of a helix to lessen the impact.
The game started poorly for me. My opponent lead with a tron land and I followed with a Colonnade, only for my opponent to play chalice for X=1, stranding a visions and a surgical in my hand. I'm able to follow up with a Search for Azcanta before my opponent starts chaining Thought-Knot Seers. I'm fortunately able to find a Queller for his second Seer. Even though he kill my queller the next turn, I'm able to answer both seers with a top-decked Detention Sphere, which draws me 2 cards and puts me back into the game. I feed a couple of the spells in my hand to the chalice in order to flip Azcanta, and even though my opponent has Ghost Quarter for it I'm able to get one dig from it to find a Cryptic, which gives me the time to get back into the game.
Round 3 vs UG Infect (2-1)
Game 1 was a typical interactive matchup vs Infect. He plays his creatures and I kill them as soon as I can. I quickly deplete his resources and manage to avoid getting blown out. Game was tense but not particularly interesting.
Sideboard: -1 Ajani, -1 Avacyn, -1 Search, -3 Cryptics, -1 Logic Knot, -1 Clique, + 1 Negate, + 2 Verdict, + 2 D Sphere, + 1 Staticaster, + 1 Blessed Alliance, + 1 Lightning Helix
Sideboard choices were based around the fact that I turn the corner quickly if I can survive the first few turns. Slow cards like Avacyn and Ajani come out, more answers come in. I brought in Negate since the real danger in their deck is their pump spells, particularly the ones that give some kind of protection (and Become Immense), and Negate is brought in to fight them.
Game 2 has me keep a slowish hand full of powerful 3 mana answers. T1 has my opponent play a Glistener Elf and follow it up with a second (with mana up). T3 he plays a land, attacks me for 2 poison (putting me at 3) and passes. At this point, in my hand, I have a land that comes into play untapped, a bolt, a Electrolyze, and a D Sphere (and some other cards that aren't relevant). At this point my good lines are as follows: 1: Kill one elf now and attempt to get the other with D Sphere, 2: Kill one elf and attempt to get the other with Electrolyze, 3: Attempt to get a 2 for 1 with D sphere, 4: Attempt a 3 for 1 with Electrolyze. I don't like lines 3 and 4 since if my opponent has any kind of protection spell than a pump spell to back it up, I'm probably dead. I decide to try to kill one elf with bolt EoT, and then try to kill the second with Electrolyze. I make the mistake of trying to kill the second elf on his turn, however, in order to bait a pump spell. My opponent has a second to back it up and I die. In retrospect, I should have just tried to kill the second elf on my own turn with the D-Sphere, because at least that way if I force him to spend a spell protecting it, he then has one fewer pump spell to kill me.
Game 3 plays out much like game 1. I get a huge tempo boost when I'm able to kill my opponents Inkmoth Nexus when he is on 3 lands, and then am able to play Field of Ruin, which essentially locks down his second nexus. I quickly deplete my opponent's resources through 1-for-1 trading and he concedes.
Overall, the deck felt good and I was very pleased with my performance, apart from the one misplay in game 2 vs infect. As some thoughts on key cards:
Spell Snare: Spell snare feels good right now, particularly in this store's metagame. There are a few matchups where its dead, but in most others its one of the better cards in the deck.
Detention Sphere: The card is an all-star in the board and although it was a last-minute substitution, I'm going to keep it in. The fact that it hits any permanent is great, although the fact that it got me a game winning 4-for-1 vs E-Tron may be colouring my opinion slightly.
Field of Ruin: The card is great for us. Being able to answer key lands without setting our mana back is clutch. I would play a second in a heartbeat if I could find room (I like Desolate Lighthouse too much and don't want to go up to 25 lands, but cutting the lighthouse may be right).
Archangel Avacyn: I wanted to test the card after seeing her in a couple of lists, but so far she hasn't come up a lot and I've been consistently boarding her out. I like that she's a flash threat that plays surprisingly well with Queller, but it might just be that she's a dead slot.
Serum Visions/Opt: I'm torn on which card is better. Visions does a better job of finding what you need, but means that you have to sometimes make tough decisions regarding your lands when playing it. Opt is less powerful, but it is instant speed and helps you get the card you need right away. Opt is also a decent think to Snapcaster Mage back on your opponent's end step. I'm currently happy with my 3/2 split, but might try to find room for a 3rd opt.
Spell Queller: The 2nd best card in the deck after Snapcaster Mage. I want to try to find room for a 4th, but I'm not convinced that the 4th Queller is better than the 1st Clique. Maybe if I cut Avacyn I'll add in a 4th queller.
I think you do want some number of Colonnades; the math of my deck works out right now mostly because I have eleven flipping cantrips, but perhaps going down to 2 Colonnades could work