what are your thoughts about taking out our 4 drops or top end? if i play a traditional BOB-less Junk, what do i take out? if i have a perfect sideboard merfolk what would i take in? let's say i only expect merfolk and all 15 cards sideboard will be dedicated to merfolk
Against merfolk, you want to bring in all the removal you can. So if you run wraths, disfigures, etc, bring them in. Merfolk relies on having a critical mass of creatures that synergize together and if you can limit the number of folk on the field, you can go over the top.
That being said, I take out a copy of Abzan Charm since none of their creatures are >2 power. I take out Sorin because theyre creatures are often unblockable via lord + Spreading Seas so I cant protect him. Then, I cut a 3rd Ooze because I dont want to draw multiples in the matchup and its one less creature hit by Tidebinder Mage.
Merfolk cant beat a Worship so its brought in as well.
Overall, discard is good in the matchup. You want every piece of interactive removal and 1 mana, strip a merfolk is stellar. Prioritize removing the lords first. If they land a Merrow Reejerey turn 3, KILL THAT THING ASAP. If they untap with it, they just go off and clutter the board.
Another good tip is when playing vs. Merfolk, always fetch your duals. Spreading Seas can strip you of your colors so taking an extra shock will be worth it, even though its vs an aggro deck.
Next, it might be intuititive to Abrupt Decay a lord, but if you have a good read and your opponent has multiple lords, if they swing with their team, you can Decay their Spreading Seas instead, losing islandwalk and block and kill their fish. Its a fun play. Another way to do this is Ghost Quartering your own Spreaded land if the opposing player is unaware.
Lastly, dont cut your top end. Merfolk cant kill you before turn 4 so if they dont have island walk, Rhino can block them for days and trample over when you stabilize.
Overall, it is a hard matchup. Definitely 40-60. And, they have more creatures than we have removal, its difficult to win. Just hope you draw removal than they have fish and you should be fine.
what are your thoughts about taking out our 4 drops or top end? if i play a traditional BOB-less Junk, what do i take out? if i have a perfect sideboard merfolk what would i take in? let's say i only expect merfolk and all 15 cards sideboard will be dedicated to merfolk
Cards that kill creatures and enchantments are also super.
Abrupt Decay - you would absolutely want four-of here. Maelstrom Pulse - really good here, at least two-of and maybe three-of.
I'm sure there are plenty more but it's early and I'm not fully awake yet.
If I were tuning just to play Merfolk, I would definitely include Glissa, the Traitor and Executioner's Capsule. It's a good combo against some other match-ups but probably not what you want for play beyond FNM, but as you said, we're talking about Merfolk here.
Yes! I should have clarified better. Merfolk cant DESTROY Worship. So if you can play around their Snags/ Dismembers/ Truths, it should be fine. They only run a limited amount of removal anyway.
The same reasoning for bringing it in against burn players who dont bring in their Destructive Revalrys. Some players also board in paths and searing blazes so they have removal, but it shouldnt be enough to turn off Worship
So has anyone in this thread actually extensively tested Kalitas in Abzan? I tried out Jund for a little bit and I must say, Kalitas is a HOUSE. It just creates so much value through combat even, let alone removal. It has already been said that our exile removal are a nonbo, but is Kalitas still good enough? Swap out our 4th path for a slaughter pact?
I think he's still solid in Junk although obviously not as good as he is in Jund. This is partly because of the anti synergy with Path to Exile and partly due to less removal. When you play Kalitas you want to play lots of cheap and efficient removal to make maximum value out of him and because Junk doesn't have so much of it and so efficient one Kalitas is not that good. He's still fine to play in Junk in my opinion just not as good as he is in Junk where he really is a house. If you decide to play him I agree with swapping 4th Path to Exile with Slaughter Pact which is great with Kalitas.
So do you think Sorin, Solemn Visitor is better? Or Kalitas + Slaughter Pact? I have a main deck Sorin and its been pretty solid but I am wondering if Kalitas is better.
Hi there,
This will be my first modern deck and my deck that i put together seems like a very different deck than the ones I'm seeing here. Do you think I can still do alright in an fnm setting? Let me know what you think. I cant afford goyfs or lillys
So has anyone in this thread actually extensively tested Kalitas in Abzan? I tried out Jund for a little bit and I must say, Kalitas is a HOUSE. It just creates so much value through combat even, let alone removal. It has already been said that our exile removal are a nonbo, but is Kalitas still good enough? Swap out our 4th path for a slaughter pact?
I'm running 2 Kalitas and I think he is the best 4-cost card we can play. I have adapted my removal to maximize him:
-2 disfigure
-3 abrupt decay
-3 path to exile
-2 maelstrom pulse
-1 slaughter pact
-4 lilianas
I mentioned it in the primer, but this thread is primarily for competitive discussion of the traditional variants and therefore the treefolk discussion should probably go under its own thread.
Hey guys, I've asked a few questions recently and appreciate the feedback. I've just 100%'ed the deck and will be playing abzan for the first time in a 5 round modern tourney at GeekFortress this Saturday.
I've got one last question though, my lgs always sees lots of fish, zoo/burn, and URx(wbg) control. For those 3 decks specifically could you recommend how to sideboard going into game 2?
Here is the decklist I'm running:
“I am confident that if anyone actually penetrates our facades, even the most perceptive would still be fundamentally unprepared for the truth of House Dimir.”
Willy Edel was playing Abzan at GP LA and he played Sorin, Solemn Visitor instead of Siege Rhinos in the main board. Sorin, Solemn Visitor feels like a win-more card to me, excellent when you're ahead or equal on the board but feels weak when you're behind. Siege Rhino stabilizes life totals, provides a bit of reach and is good when ahead, equal or behind on the board. Both are weak against blue decks where they usually don't resolve. What was the meta in GP LA that made Willy completely cut Siege Rhinos?
Thank you so much, that's really helpful. I'll let you guys know how i do!
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“I am confident that if anyone actually penetrates our facades, even the most perceptive would still be fundamentally unprepared for the truth of House Dimir.”
It seems like Junk has been putting up some decent results online lately and had good finishes in the SCG Modern IQs. Given the rise of Jund I figure now would be a good time to get back on the Junk train. Or does Kalitas just make Jund outright better in most metas?
Slowly getting frustrated with modern; can't seem to turn the corner. 10 of the last 11 outings I have gone 2-2 but this is not good enough for store credit. I did so well last year too. What decks are well positioned? What sideboard cards are good right now? I miss getting free wins off of boil/choke and rending volley. But Twin is gone and these grixis decks are using fewer islands in the deck.
Thanks, I need to rework my sideboards. As well as not playing a different deck every week. I'll watch some online videos of tournament play, and take my time during matches. I think I need to slow down a bit.
Hey, I havent played much recently but school gets out on thursday so im thinking this is the perfect time to go and have fun at an FNM. I've been collecting the cards for this deck over the past month and heres what I'm at. What suggestions do you have for this? I can't really afford Lillys or Goyfs so please steer clear if possible Thank you!
1 Forest
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Godless Shrine
1 Hissing Quagmire
2 Marsh Flats
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Plains
1 Shambling Vent
1 Stirring Wildwood
2 Swamp
1 Temple Garden
1 Twilight Mire
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Windswept Heath
3 Scavenging Ooze
4 Tarmogoyf
1 Kitchen Finks
3 Siege Rhino
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
Sorcerys (12)
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Thoughtseize
4 Lingering Souls
2 Maelstrom Pulse
Instant (8)
4 Path to Exile
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Abzan Charm
Planeswalkers (4)
3 Liliana of the Veil
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
1 Creeping Corrosion
1 Damnation
1 Duress
1 Engineered Explosives
3 Fulminator Mage
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Memoricide
1 Painful Truths
2 Stony Silence
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Worship
This is my current list and against a standard Merfolk list, I would make the following swaps
-1 Scavenging Ooze
-1 Abzan Charm
-1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
+1 Damnation
+1 Engineered Explosives
+1 Worship
Against merfolk, you want to bring in all the removal you can. So if you run wraths, disfigures, etc, bring them in. Merfolk relies on having a critical mass of creatures that synergize together and if you can limit the number of folk on the field, you can go over the top.
That being said, I take out a copy of Abzan Charm since none of their creatures are >2 power. I take out Sorin because theyre creatures are often unblockable via lord + Spreading Seas so I cant protect him. Then, I cut a 3rd Ooze because I dont want to draw multiples in the matchup and its one less creature hit by Tidebinder Mage.
Merfolk cant beat a Worship so its brought in as well.
Overall, discard is good in the matchup. You want every piece of interactive removal and 1 mana, strip a merfolk is stellar. Prioritize removing the lords first. If they land a Merrow Reejerey turn 3, KILL THAT THING ASAP. If they untap with it, they just go off and clutter the board.
Another good tip is when playing vs. Merfolk, always fetch your duals. Spreading Seas can strip you of your colors so taking an extra shock will be worth it, even though its vs an aggro deck.
Next, it might be intuititive to Abrupt Decay a lord, but if you have a good read and your opponent has multiple lords, if they swing with their team, you can Decay their Spreading Seas instead, losing islandwalk and block and kill their fish. Its a fun play. Another way to do this is Ghost Quartering your own Spreaded land if the opposing player is unaware.
Lastly, dont cut your top end. Merfolk cant kill you before turn 4 so if they dont have island walk, Rhino can block them for days and trample over when you stabilize.
Overall, it is a hard matchup. Definitely 40-60. And, they have more creatures than we have removal, its difficult to win. Just hope you draw removal than they have fish and you should be fine.
You want cards that kill multiple creatures.
Maelstrom Pulse
Engineered Explosives
Damnation
Languish
Bile Blight
Drown in Sorrow (maybe a little weak)
Cards that kill creatures and enchantments are also super.
Abrupt Decay - you would absolutely want four-of here.
Maelstrom Pulse - really good here, at least two-of and maybe three-of.
I'm sure there are plenty more but it's early and I'm not fully awake yet.
If I were tuning just to play Merfolk, I would definitely include Glissa, the Traitor and Executioner's Capsule. It's a good combo against some other match-ups but probably not what you want for play beyond FNM, but as you said, we're talking about Merfolk here.
Frenzy-Affinity-Ghost Quarter-Rock-Tokens- RGWPhyrexian Zoo- WVial KnightsStandard:
BW Knights(Rotated)Pioneer: RW Knights - BW Rally Zombies - UW Heroes
Commander:WUG
Jenara, Asura of War- WGSigarda, Host of HeronsCasualties of economicsLegacy: Good-night, sweet prince. Mono-R Burn
Yes! I should have clarified better. Merfolk cant DESTROY Worship. So if you can play around their Snags/ Dismembers/ Truths, it should be fine. They only run a limited amount of removal anyway.
The same reasoning for bringing it in against burn players who dont bring in their Destructive Revalrys. Some players also board in paths and searing blazes so they have removal, but it shouldnt be enough to turn off Worship
So do you think Sorin, Solemn Visitor is better? Or Kalitas + Slaughter Pact? I have a main deck Sorin and its been pretty solid but I am wondering if Kalitas is better.
Frenzy-Affinity-Ghost Quarter-Rock-Tokens- RGWPhyrexian Zoo- WVial KnightsStandard:
BW Knights(Rotated)Pioneer: RW Knights - BW Rally Zombies - UW Heroes
Commander:WUG
Jenara, Asura of War- WGSigarda, Host of HeronsCasualties of economicsLegacy: Good-night, sweet prince. Mono-R Burn
This will be my first modern deck and my deck that i put together seems like a very different deck than the ones I'm seeing here. Do you think I can still do alright in an fnm setting? Let me know what you think. I cant afford goyfs or lillys
Walkers:
Sorin, Solemn Visitor x1
Creatures:
Birds of Paradise x4
Dark Confidant x4
Voice of Resurgence x4
Scavenging Ooze x2
Anafenza, the Foremost x1
Knight of the Reliquary x2
Loxodon Smiter x3
Siege Rhino x3
Spells:
Thoughtseize x4
Path to Exile x4
Lingering Souls x4
Lands:
Windswept Heath x4
Bloodstained Mire x3
Temple Garden x3
Overgrown Tomb x3
Godless Shrine x1
Isolated Chapel x2
Gavony Township x2
Vault of the Archangel x1
Plains x2
Swamp x2
Forest x1
I'm using a Kalitas in my list. She's good, and might replace the Tasigur or something. http://deckbox.org/sets/1409910
I mentioned it in the primer, but this thread is primarily for competitive discussion of the traditional variants and therefore the treefolk discussion should probably go under its own thread.
Modern Junk Primer
Legacy ANT Primer
L1 Judge
I've got one last question though, my lgs always sees lots of fish, zoo/burn, and URx(wbg) control. For those 3 decks specifically could you recommend how to sideboard going into game 2?
Here is the decklist I'm running:
1 Gavony Township
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Godless Shrine
4 Marsh Flats
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Plains
1 Shambling Vent
2 Stirring Wildwood
2 Swamp
1 Temple Garden
1 Twilight Mire
2 Verdant Catacombs
4 Windswept Heath
2 Kitchen Finks
3 Scavenging Ooze
3 Siege Rhino
4 Tarmogoyf
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Lingering Souls
1 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Path to Exile
1 Slaughter Pact
4 Thoughtseize
3 Liliana of the Veil
2 Painful Truths
2 Stony Silence
1 Batterskull
1 Wrath of God
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Zealous Persecution
1 Thragtusk
1 Kitchen Finks
4 Dark Confidant
4 Voice of Resurgence
3 Scavenging Ooze
2 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
2 Knight of the Reliquary
2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
2 Siege Rhino
3 Path to Exile
3 Abrupt Decay
2 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Lingering Souls
4 Windswept Heath
3 Bloodstained Mire
3 Overgrown Tomb
3 Temple Garden
1 Godless Shrine
1 Isolated Chapel
2 Stirring Wildwood
1 Shambling Vent
2 Gavony Township
1 Vault of the Archangel
1 Swamp
1 Forest
1 Plains