I like the look of the mainboard in the Azcanta Flash list, but I feel like the sideboard is a little all over the place. I have never liked sideboard Ajani, and playing Abrade and W/T seems like overkill. Any insights as to why you play these?
I like the look of the mainboard in the Azcanta Flash list, but I feel like the sideboard is a little all over the place. I have never liked sideboard Ajani, and playing Abrade and W/T seems like overkill. Any insights as to why you play these?
I'm with you on not understanding sideboard Ajani (for me it's MD or not at all). Abrade is a good sideboard option in a meta that is soft to bolt, it acts as bolt number 4-5 and additional artifact removal to splash other MUs. It's pretty meta specific though - you have to see a lot of critter decks and artifacts to be worth a spot. Good vs. Humans.
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Modern Decks
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I like the look of the mainboard in the Azcanta Flash list, but I feel like the sideboard is a little all over the place. I have never liked sideboard Ajani, and playing Abrade and W/T seems like overkill. Any insights as to why you play these?
Well Ajani is in the Pia and Kiran Nalaar slot. I don’t know for a while I was sold on P&K then I started to realize it’s often lackluster. Midrange decks, against whom P&K excels, are struggling and don’t see a lot of play outside of GDS. I found P&K lackluster outside of those MUs. Ajani is better vs big mana decks and aggro decks outside of Affinity. I guess it’s a meta call. If I were to expect more BGx and Affinity I would play P&K instead, but right now, BGx and Affinity are down. Also, you can take Ajani with Azcanta, can’t take P&K.
Abrade because there’s a lot of Vial decks in my meta. UG Merfolks, Eldrazi & Taxes, Death & Taxes, Humans. Abrade excels against these. And it’s just a very versatile card in general. Can’t cut Wear//Tear though, ‘cause I always want 2 cards that can remove a Blood Moon in my sideboard.
You do have Celestial Purge to remove Blood Moon too. Really interesting tech you have with the Abrade. It seems really good vs Aether Vial decks, since it can hit creatures or the Vial itself if you feel it's more relevant.
I have been playing 2 Field of Ruins on my main deck, and I'm liking them for now. Maybe 2 of them is too much. But I'm gonna keep both for now. Almost all decks have relevant lands to blow out. When I watched the SCG Final and saw both Nycolich and Jones struggling to fight his opponent's Azcanta/Colonnades with Cryptics, I decided I wanted a few main deck hate.
How do you guys feel about Crumble to Dust to try to beat Tron and maybe Valakut? I dislike that card because I think it's too narrow, but since the deck is so soft on land hate even with my 2 FoRs, and my meta has a lot of those, I'm thinking of giving this card a try on my sideboard.
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Modern RBWMardu Pyromancer R.I.P. BG The Rock
Commander W Nahiri, the Lithomancer
I REALLY dislike crumble, it's too slow and mostly irrelevant versus eldrazi, and useless against valakut unless they drop valakut itself prematurely which is sonething good pilots will avoid doing. It's only good versus tron but even then it can be too slow and they can use ghost quarter to protect themselves.
Hi guys! Just picked up Jeskai recently and have been playing about a month now. I've been running 2 Rest in Peace in the sideboard as my graveyard hate, but I'm a bit torn, I feel like the correct number might be 0-2 and that Relic of Progenitus might be better. Against things like dredge it's of course great and in matchups like GDS and Grixis control it hurts your opponent more than you, but it still makes Logic Knot and Snapcaster Mage awkward. Wanted to hear your thoughts on it!
I don't like RiP in Jeskai right now, especially in lists with 4x snap, more than 1 logic knot, and Search for Azcanta. If you're not on Azcanta and run 1 or fewer logic knots then it's powerful enough to warrant a spot in the right meta.
Relic is better for Jeskai usually.
Against Grixis (shadow) we don't really need grave hate as we have all the tools already to beat them.
If dredge is the concern then it's better to construct a sideboard that works for the wider meta and splashes on to dredge - Anger of the Gods, Settle the Wreckage, Izzet Staticaster, Celestial Purge, Detention Sphere, Runed Halo can all do work for you against dredge while not diluting your sideboard to the wider meta and not threatening your own graveyard. The dredge MU will still not be great but your not a dog to it at least.
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Modern Decks
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Hello guys. I finally manage to find 2 copies of search for azcanta and I would like to try the pure control version! Is there a sideboarding guide with the most typical match ups? Just to compare my choices with someone else Thanks a lot!
I've been putting a lot of rounds in versus humans and boy that deck can get really spicy. If they do not have the turn one vial it's quite manageable but otherwise turn four wraths are often just too late through all their disruption. I often feel like I have too many cards to cut; basically all countermagic can come out except for maybe a singleton spell snare and cryptic, queller can't block very well and is too slow. Even Electrolyze seems really medium versus the deck. I might just try and fit the fourth lightning helix in the 75 as it is our best card against them and I feel this matchup is just all about trading 1 for 1 as their individual cards are all kind of mediocre
I've been putting a lot of rounds in versus humans and boy that deck can get really spicy. If they do not have the turn one vial it's quite manageable but otherwise turn four wraths are often just too late through all their disruption. I often feel like I have too many cards to cut; basically all countermagic can come out except for maybe a singleton spell snare and cryptic, queller can't block very well and is too slow. Even Electrolyze seems really medium versus the deck. I might just try and fit the fourth lightning helix in the 75 as it is our best card against them and I feel this matchup is just all about trading 1 for 1 as their individual cards are all kind of mediocre
I feel this deck and tropical merfolk are the reasons you could convince me to play Abrade.
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I want to try out Ben's list with -Spell Snare +Field of Ruin MB. I don't have Runed Halo and don't intend to buy one unless it's necessary.
What should I be packing in my SB for my meta?
My local meta is full of creatures so I think the deck's positioned relatively well.
A typical FNM involves around 2-3 Humans, 3-4 Hatebears (Eldrazi, mono-white, WB, etc), 2-3 E-Tron, 1-2 Lantern, 2-3 Jeskai Midrange, 3-4 Death's Shadow (4c & Grixis), 3-4 Jund/Abzan, 1-2 Affinity, 1-2 Storm, and some other decks here and there like Burn and Gx Tron.
This was what I was thinking, but please let me know if there's anything I should be considering:
Sideboard (15)
1x Abrade
2x Celestial Purge
1x Detention Sphere
3x Dispel
1x Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1x Engineered Explosives
1x Negate
1x Spell Snare
1x Supreme Verdict
2x Vendilion Clique
1x Wear / Tear
I've been putting a lot of rounds in versus humans and boy that deck can get really spicy. If they do not have the turn one vial it's quite manageable but otherwise turn four wraths are often just too late through all their disruption. I often feel like I have too many cards to cut; basically all countermagic can come out except for maybe a singleton spell snare and cryptic, queller can't block very well and is too slow. Even Electrolyze seems really medium versus the deck. I might just try and fit the fourth lightning helix in the 75 as it is our best card against them and I feel this matchup is just all about trading 1 for 1 as their individual cards are all kind of mediocre
I feel this deck and tropical merfolk are the reasons you could convince me to play Abrade.
Yeah, I've been looking at Abrade as well. Relying on Stony or Wear/Tear to kill Vial is risky because you need every card you can get versus the vial decks. I will probably end up cutting Runed Halo, it hasn't performed that well.
I mean if aether vial is a problem why not sorcerous spyglass for the SB? They are very relevant for this deck and help our future decisions in what to counter and play as well as shut vial off.
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Modern RUAffinityUR GMono Green StompyG CEldrazi TronC URWJeskai GeistWRU WRBoros BurnRW BRWMardu PyromancerWRB
I mean if aether vial is a problem why not sorcerous spyglass for the SB? They are very relevant for this deck and help our future decisions in what to counter and play as well as shut vial off.
Spyglass is a good card, I like it quite a bit, and it hits walkers so that is nice. But the only target for it in Humans / Merfolk is vial and it would feel bad drawing it with no vial on the table. Abrade is never dead in those MU's.
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What do you think about Spell Queller? They run barely any removal and it can block somewhat decently given they can't vial Thalia's Leutenant in, so it's potentially worth a lot of life and card advantage, but it is also very slow. I'm considering taking them out on the draw but leaving them in on the play. I'm also assuming they take out Reflector Mage vs us.
What would be considered the best version of jeskai in the current meta, and what are opinions on jeskai nahiri
Both Jeskai Queller/Geist and Jesaki Draw-Go are currently equally viable. The latter has been giving more results recently, but ultimately it comes down to preference. Jeskai Nahiri, although I love the deck, hasn't shown any results recently and there isn't an agreed configuration on how it should look.
They have very powerful disruption with meddling mage, freebooter and thalia combined. With a vial on 2 you also constantly have to be wary of them flashing in a leutenant in response to burn or meddling mage in response to snap targeting. Once the original onslaught is over they have to rely on horizon canopy to get back in which generally means you win, but their clock is as fast as affinity backed up with much better disruption.
Draw-Go utilizes it better IMO, but there's some Flash lists that run Azcanta. I believe Bearscape and TheAller could provide you with a couple. Just so you know, there's a big difference in a new guy asking for help and demanding everything. Keep it in mind.
UWR Control
BR Hollow One
I'm with you on not understanding sideboard Ajani (for me it's MD or not at all). Abrade is a good sideboard option in a meta that is soft to bolt, it acts as bolt number 4-5 and additional artifact removal to splash other MUs. It's pretty meta specific though - you have to see a lot of critter decks and artifacts to be worth a spot. Good vs. Humans.
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URW Jeskai Control
GUWRB Amulet Titan
GR Ponza
You do have Celestial Purge to remove Blood Moon too. Really interesting tech you have with the Abrade. It seems really good vs Aether Vial decks, since it can hit creatures or the Vial itself if you feel it's more relevant.
I have been playing 2 Field of Ruins on my main deck, and I'm liking them for now. Maybe 2 of them is too much. But I'm gonna keep both for now. Almost all decks have relevant lands to blow out. When I watched the SCG Final and saw both Nycolich and Jones struggling to fight his opponent's Azcanta/Colonnades with Cryptics, I decided I wanted a few main deck hate.
How do you guys feel about Crumble to Dust to try to beat Tron and maybe Valakut? I dislike that card because I think it's too narrow, but since the deck is so soft on land hate even with my 2 FoRs, and my meta has a lot of those, I'm thinking of giving this card a try on my sideboard.
RBW
Mardu PyromancerR.I.P.BG The Rock
Commander
W Nahiri, the Lithomancer
I don't like RiP in Jeskai right now, especially in lists with 4x snap, more than 1 logic knot, and Search for Azcanta. If you're not on Azcanta and run 1 or fewer logic knots then it's powerful enough to warrant a spot in the right meta.
Relic is better for Jeskai usually.
Against Grixis (shadow) we don't really need grave hate as we have all the tools already to beat them.
If dredge is the concern then it's better to construct a sideboard that works for the wider meta and splashes on to dredge - Anger of the Gods, Settle the Wreckage, Izzet Staticaster, Celestial Purge, Detention Sphere, Runed Halo can all do work for you against dredge while not diluting your sideboard to the wider meta and not threatening your own graveyard. The dredge MU will still not be great but your not a dog to it at least.
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URW Jeskai Control
GUWRB Amulet Titan
GR Ponza
If you are an SGG premium subscriber, Benjamin Nikolich's sideboard guide is available here; http://www.starcitygames.com/article/36435_The-Search-Is-Over-The-New-Jeskai-Control-Guide.html
I have my guide for my personal list at hone somewhere and I'll try to post it when I've got time in between work.
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URW Jeskai Control
GUWRB Amulet Titan
GR Ponza
I feel this deck and tropical merfolk are the reasons you could convince me to play Abrade.
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URW Jeskai Control
GUWRB Amulet Titan
GR Ponza
What should I be packing in my SB for my meta?
My local meta is full of creatures so I think the deck's positioned relatively well.
A typical FNM involves around 2-3 Humans, 3-4 Hatebears (Eldrazi, mono-white, WB, etc), 2-3 E-Tron, 1-2 Lantern, 2-3 Jeskai Midrange, 3-4 Death's Shadow (4c & Grixis), 3-4 Jund/Abzan, 1-2 Affinity, 1-2 Storm, and some other decks here and there like Burn and Gx Tron.
This was what I was thinking, but please let me know if there's anything I should be considering:
Sideboard (15)
1x Abrade
2x Celestial Purge
1x Detention Sphere
3x Dispel
1x Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1x Engineered Explosives
1x Negate
1x Spell Snare
1x Supreme Verdict
2x Vendilion Clique
1x Wear / Tear
Modern
Mono U-Tron U
Jeskai Control UWR
EDH
Ezuri, Renegade Leader UG
Tasigur, the Golden Fang UGB
Yeah, I've been looking at Abrade as well. Relying on Stony or Wear/Tear to kill Vial is risky because you need every card you can get versus the vial decks. I will probably end up cutting Runed Halo, it hasn't performed that well.
RUAffinityUR
GMono Green StompyG
CEldrazi TronC
URWJeskai GeistWRU
WRBoros BurnRW
BRWMardu PyromancerWRB
Spyglass is a good card, I like it quite a bit, and it hits walkers so that is nice. But the only target for it in Humans / Merfolk is vial and it would feel bad drawing it with no vial on the table. Abrade is never dead in those MU's.
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URW Jeskai Control
GUWRB Amulet Titan
GR Ponza
UB Faeries (15-6-0)
UWR Control (10-5-1)/Kiki Control/Midrange/Harbinger
UBR Cruel Control (6-4-0)/Grixis Control/Delver/Blue Jund
UWB Control/Mentor
UW Miracles/Control (currently active, 14-2-0)
BW Eldrazi & Taxes
RW Burn (9-1-0)
I do (academic) research on video games and archaeology! You can check out my open access book here: https://www.sidestone.com/books/the-interactive-past
RBW
Mardu PyromancerR.I.P.BG The Rock
Commander
W Nahiri, the Lithomancer
Modern
Mono U-Tron U
Jeskai Control UWR
EDH
Ezuri, Renegade Leader UG
Tasigur, the Golden Fang UGB
UWR Control
BR Hollow One