Is Sunlance seriously the best available card for that role? Or has it just been popping up in every deck because of net-decking? I personally like Leonin Relic-Warder or even Condemn better. What are all your thoughts?
Sunlance is a pretty good card, for the reasons stated above. Hitting a mana dork with Path to Exile doesn't really get you the result you want, and popping small-to-medium-size creatures for W is a great way to interact while saving your Paths for the big stuff (or simply have more removal density). I was always glad to have it as mono-W.
How deep would you try to mulligan to a piece of graveyard hate against Dredge post-board? I brought in 5 pieces last night (2 RIP, 2 Relic, 1 Cage), was on the draw game three, and mulled down to 4 without seeing one before I decided to play a hand with land, land, creature, path. I obviously lost, but should I have mulled to 3 in that situation? The math probably says I should have (I was thinking it was a similar situation to Bazaar of Baghdad in Vintage Dredge where they mull to oblivion to get their Bazaar)
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Modern UR Storm URB Grixis Delver W Death and Taxes
Basically anything with Scalding Tarn
Dredge against this deck is honestly pretty hit and miss. If they can set up a early board presence and race, it is a pretty hard matchup. If Dredge doesn't hit good dredgers then this deck is quite favored.
Can't decide if I like Scavenger Grounds here or not. As much as I like the "free" graveyard hate, is there ever a case where turn 3 is fast enough?
Either way, Shefet Dunes is great. Would run it even without other deserts.
Have settled on a favorite B microsplash build, though I'm sure the sideboard could use work. I'm still not convinced it's good, however. Essentially, in the original list, Lingering Souls was used at the spot in the curve where current lists use Restoration Angel which, with the current tech available to this deck, it's simply wrong to play less than 4 of.
“Modern has provided us a non-rotating format that is far more accessible than Legacy or Vintage, but still retains many of the qualities that people enjoy in those formats—such as a more stable metagame, the ability to play and tweak the same deck week after week, and simply a much more powerful card pool than Standard.”
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
Check Todd Stevens' GW Company deck which won the Modern part of the SCG Team Constructed tournament this weekend. It is not a Death and Taxes deck, but its goal is also land destruction, and it does it extremely well.
Tested out Shefet Dunes like @Chalupacabra suggested, it's pretty solid. The life loss off it was pretty marginal, and the threat of a team pump for very little warping of the mana base was great. Also, if you're running Sea Gate Wreckage, it gives you additional ways of activating it so you don't need to worry about keeping an extra GQ or Tec Edge around
I also think Scavenger Grounds could be worthwhile, but if we also want to run playsets of GQ and Tec Edge, we're starting to run a bit low on colored sources. I've also got Wreckage in my list which compounds that problem. I don't think the turn 3 thing is much to worry about however, because there's alot of upside even if it's not incredibly fast. It can make a Snapcaster play tricky, neuter a medium speed hand from Dredge, shrink Goyfs, disrupt Storm, etc. And all of that is good beyond turn 3
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Modern UR Storm URB Grixis Delver W Death and Taxes
Basically anything with Scalding Tarn
I think I'll make something like this.
Main:
-1 Restoration Angel
+1 Blade Splicer
Sideboard:
-X ¿Blessed Alliance or Timely Reinforcement?, -1 Fatal Push
+1 Big Game Hunter, +X ¿what?
Can you help me with some suggestions?
I really like the spice of Gonti, Lord of Luxury in the sideboard. How are the result of it in use at a tournament?
Jund Death's Shadow is a hard matchup for a lot of decks now days unfortunately. I suggest Condemn as an option for sideboard against them. Condemn "really" helps in stops them in times to stop their combat.
I like Condemn specifically against Death's Shadow, but Fatal Push is an overall better card against other matchups.
Talking about Gonti, he is there against Jund/Junk/Grixis, or any deck that has good topdecks.
Stealing a Liliana/Maelstrom Pulse/Dark Confidant/Huntmuster of the Fells/Kolaghan's... etc, is a nice trick against them.
Also, you can flick Gonti for extra card advantage and he has deathtouch when you want to block.
Gonti, Lord of Luxury has definitely made it's way into Modern recently and I really like it. As for Death's Shadow decks and honestly any deck that is like Jund, it is a very tough matchup. The best way I have found from friends that play D&T a lot is that Jund, and Death's Shadow builds more specifically, can't really deal with land hate. Tectonic Edge and Ghost Quarter really hurts them. Aside that, essentially play around all the hate decks from 'Removal.deck'.
So this is the list I am trying out presently. I have more burn in my meta than control, which is why the caverns was replaced. The only thing I don't like about this deck list, so far, is that I don't think I'm able to run stony silence in the board because of the nombos. I haven't found a replacement,yet. They can have a problem with worship, but stony also helps against random decks like lantern control and kci. I definitely think the copters are better than avengers, but am wondering if the mb comes at too great a cost of the sb.
2 dusk//dawn (which I discovered is key for the random non meta matchups)
1 linvala, keeper of silence
1 worship
2 sunlance
2 burrington forge-tender
2 mirran crusader
4 relic of progenitus
1 graftdiggers cage
I like the look of 2 Smuggler's copter! I've long been thinking of adding a few myself. Hope to hear the results on that. Overall, I think that Smuggler's Copter might have a place in Modern, its just nobody has tried yet. In the same way Legacy D&T was the first to actively make use of Stoneforge Mystic, maybe Modern D&T can be the first to actively make use of another undercosted 2 drop, Smuggler's Copter! Looking forward to hear if it translates well to Modern.
People here have been testing it for a while, from what I saw. It's a much needed way for D&T to get the right cards for the situation, just like Thraben Inspector. Altough I don't think a full playset is the right amount, one or two copies can be really strong.
And three power in the air, which our deck can crew easily, is always powerful.
There was a brief dalliance with Copter in Merfolk as well. The conclusion that most of us came to on that side was that the vulnerability to Kolaghan's Command, Stony Silence, and similar types of artifact hate was a bit too much to overcome. I suspect something similar will be the case for D&T, especially given that this is one of the decks packing Stony.
Yeah, it does turn on kolgath's command a bit more, but the flip side to that is you can mitigate wrath effects. I don't play merfolk and I suspect with tribal decks the downsides of copter are more apparent. I do think you are echoing my original point though, copter is amazing in the deck, but is it good enough to compensate the lack of stony...
A lot of PPTQ are coming near my area and here's the list I thought I would run. I don't have the Canopies but I believe I'd be able to borrow them so I want to focus on the main elements of the deck. Cavern of Souls naming Cat, Human or Angel is very good. Iterating on Merry's list I've cut one Mirran Crusader and one Serra Avenger to make room for a Brimaz, King of Oreskos and a Gisela, the Broken Blade. The latter is more of a meta call, since a lot of decks are now replacing Lightning Bolt in favor of Terminate. Once Gisela hits the battlefield it requires immediate action before she starts snowballing into a victory which in turn, leaves the main engine in place. In match-ups where Bolts are played (Blue Moon, Red, some variants of Jeskai Control) she can be easily boarded out for Dusk // Dawn (which I believe is a must verses control to out-value them and keep up tempo-wise).
The Brimaz on the other-end is just an all-around good creature. With vial on three, opponents will be playing around a Flickerwisp, not a Brimaz. It can quickly fill up your board to put even more pressure without capitalizing too much on board presence while also dodging Bolts on the few match-up where they are present.
All around I think the main deck list is quite good, I've been playing it for some days on MTGO and I think it does fine. My only problem right now is the sideboard. I feel like control match-ups are the worst against us. That's why Linvala and Dusk // Dawn are here. The former shots down man lands and planeswalker while the second one gets all our critters back once they've been countered. Sunlance is there for creatures that need-to-be-bolted-but-we're-stuck-in-white like Noble HierarchSignal Pest and a bunch of others. BFT is a must for the Burn and Storm MU. Overrall I think the sideboard covers a lot of the meta, but I'd like to hear you guys.
A lot of PPTQ are coming near my area and here's the list I thought I would run.
If you're playing in ptqs then I feel you should expect a large portion of Death Shadow decks right now, as they are without doubt the highest performing decks in the meta currently, regardless of variant. Mirran Crusader will pay dividends here as he's nearly unkillable against Grixis and Jund doesn't have very many tools to deal with him. As you said, many decks are dropping bolt since it doesn't kill very many things right now. Gisella is not a weak card and I could totally see her value, but I think sticking to the standard list with your flex spots including 2-4 Crusader between md and sb allowing you to go farther than her. I'm playing the standard 54 card mono-W list as played by Brian Coval with 3 md Crusader, 2 md Serra Avenger, and with my 23rd land/60th card being Weathered Wayfarer and I've had a very favorable matchup vs all Death Shadow decks. I feel like that is the best approach in such an open tournament with people looking to play the best deck.
On the other hand, cards like Gisella and Brimaz shine against red decks, which will also be plentiful in a PTQ enviroment and I've had a lot of problems with them with the standard white list. Linvala could be changed into something like Kitchen Finks to help here. I've also like a 2/3 split with 2 Cage/3 Relic because Vizer/Druid combo is difficult. Good luck. (Sorry for my formatting, been a couple years since I last posted and forgot all the card hotlinks and whatnot).
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Leonin Relic-Warder isn't really better than Disenchant, Recruiter of the Guard can't find it in modern, Mother of Runes isn't there to protect it in modern.
Sunlance kills mana dorks and other small creatures. Condemn is fairly inflexible due the the attacking requirement.
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
UR Storm
URB Grixis Delver
W Death and Taxes
Basically anything with Scalding Tarn
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
For sideboard against Dredge, honestly speaking from being a prominent Dredge player, Rest In Peace and Grafdigger's Cage tends to be the best cards against it. Surgical Extraction on key pieces such as Stinkweed Imp, Life from the Loam, Bloodghast, and honestly Prized Amalgam hurts extremely much. Relic of Progenitus is good against us but Dredge can play around it. Against Dredge, if bought in early game, it does make things slower for the Dredge player.
Either way, Shefet Dunes is great. Would run it even without other deserts.
Have settled on a favorite B microsplash build, though I'm sure the sideboard could use work. I'm still not convinced it's good, however. Essentially, in the original list, Lingering Souls was used at the spot in the curve where current lists use Restoration Angel which, with the current tech available to this deck, it's simply wrong to play less than 4 of.
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Ghost Quarter
4 Plains
2 Scavenger Grounds
2 Shambling Vent
4 Shefet Dunes
3 Mutavault
Creatures (26):
4 Blade Splicer
1 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
4 Flickerwisp
2 Mirran Crusader
4 Restoration Angel
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Leonin Arbiter
4 Aether Vial
Instants (4):
4 Path to Exile
Sorceries (3):
3 Lingering Souls
3 Auriok Champion
2 Dusk // Dawn
3 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Relic of Progenitus
3 Stony Silence
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
How to Use Spoiler Tags
Starting Over: The Origins of the Mulligan Rule
Practical Approach to Slow Play
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 2: SWARM and TOOLBOX
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 3
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 4
These videos are by MTG Salvation Moderator Lantern!
Introduction to Tempo
Controlling Tempo
Elements of Tempo
Roadblocks to Tempo
How Not To Build A Deck - Tempo
Learn How To Sideboard, Dammit!
Mulligan's Island
The Art of the Mulligan
The Art of the Mulligan: Eight Case Studies
Fundamentals: The Mulligan
Some Mulligan Exercises
A Mulligan Is Worth Three Cards
The Mulligan Debate
Common Sense: The Art of the Mulligan
Who's The Beatdown?
3 Caves of Koilos
3 Eldrazi Temple
2 Fetid Heath
3 Godless Shrine
4 Ghost Quarter
3 Plains
3 Shambling Vent
2 Tectonic Edge
Artifacts (4):
4 Æther Vial
4 Path to Exile
Creatures (29):
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Eldrazi Displacer
3 Fiend Hunter
4 Flickerwisp
4 Serra Avenger
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Wasteland Strangler
3 Chalice of the Void
2 Dismember
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Rest in Peace
3 Stony Silence
3 Surgical Extraction
3 Flooded Strand
6 Island
3 Polluted Delta
3 Steam Vents
3 Sulfur Falls
Creatures (16):
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Stormchaser Mage
2 Gut Shot
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Mutagenic Growth
3 Spell Pierce
3 Twisted Image
3 Vapor Snag
Sorceries (8):
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Blood Moon
2 Dispel
1 Forked Bolt
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Repeal
2 Roast
1 Spell Snare
2 Spellskite
1 Vapor Snag
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Copperline Gorge
5 Mountain
3 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
4 Wooded Foothills
Creatures (14):
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Guide
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Atarka's Command
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
3 Searing Blaze
Sorceries (8):
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
2 Deflecting Palm
4 Destructive Revelry
2 Kor Firewalker
2 Path to Exile
2 Rending Volley
3 Skullcrack
19 Forest
3 Treetop Village
Creatures (24):
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Dryad Militant
2 Dungrove Elder
4 Experiment One
4 Leatherback Baloth
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Rancor
Instants (10):
3 Aspect of Hydra
4 Vines of Vastwood
3 Dismember
2 Choke
2 Gut Shot
2 Deglamer
2 Feed the Clan
2 Oxidize
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Skylasher
1 Unravel the Æther
WBC Eldrazi & Taxes CBW
UR Keep on Cantripin' (UR Phoenix) RU
WU Surprise! It's not UW Control! (UW Midrange) UW
BG The Rock, Straight BG
U Mono-Blue Fish U
RBW Mardu Pyromancer BWR
RG Rabble! Rabble! (GR Blood Moon Aggro) GR
Legacy
W Death & Taxes W
I also think Scavenger Grounds could be worthwhile, but if we also want to run playsets of GQ and Tec Edge, we're starting to run a bit low on colored sources. I've also got Wreckage in my list which compounds that problem. I don't think the turn 3 thing is much to worry about however, because there's alot of upside even if it's not incredibly fast. It can make a Snapcaster play tricky, neuter a medium speed hand from Dredge, shrink Goyfs, disrupt Storm, etc. And all of that is good beyond turn 3
UR Storm
URB Grixis Delver
W Death and Taxes
Basically anything with Scalding Tarn
Any SB suggestion?
My current deck:
2 Godless Shrine
3 Concealed Courtyard
4 Caves of Koilos
2 Shambling Vent
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Ghost Quarter
1 Vault of the Archangel
2 Plains
1 Swamp
Spells
4 Aether Vial
4 Path to Exile
1 Fatal Push
4 Leonin Arbiter
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Tidehollow Sculler
4 Flickerwisp
4 Eldrazi Displacer
3 Wasteland Strangler
4 Thought-Knot Seer
2 Restoration Angel
2 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
2 Blessed Alliance
2 Timely Reinforcements
1 Celestial Purge
1 Zealous Persecution
1 Orzhov Pontiff
1 Fatal Push
I think I'll make something like this.
Main:
-1 Restoration Angel
+1 Blade Splicer
Sideboard:
-X ¿Blessed Alliance or Timely Reinforcement?, -1 Fatal Push
+1 Big Game Hunter, +X ¿what?
Can you help me with some suggestions?
I really like the spice of Gonti, Lord of Luxury in the sideboard. How are the result of it in use at a tournament?
Jund Death's Shadow is a hard matchup for a lot of decks now days unfortunately. I suggest Condemn as an option for sideboard against them. Condemn "really" helps in stops them in times to stop their combat.
Talking about Gonti, he is there against Jund/Junk/Grixis, or any deck that has good topdecks.
Stealing a Liliana/Maelstrom Pulse/Dark Confidant/Huntmuster of the Fells/Kolaghan's... etc, is a nice trick against them.
Also, you can flick Gonti for extra card advantage and he has deathtouch when you want to block.
Any more suggestions?
4 tectonic edge
4 ghost quarter
1 eiganjo castle
8 plains
4 horizon canopy
1 flagstones of trokair
1 radiant fountain
4 path to exile
4 aether vial
4 Thraben inspector
1 phyrexian revoker
1 weathered wayfarer
4 flickerwisp
4 leonin arbiter
4 thalia, guardian of thraben
4 restoration angel
1 mirran crusader
4 blade splicer
2 smuggler’s copter
2 dusk//dawn (which I discovered is key for the random non meta matchups)
1 linvala, keeper of silence
1 worship
2 sunlance
2 burrington forge-tender
2 mirran crusader
4 relic of progenitus
1 graftdiggers cage
I like the look of 2 Smuggler's copter! I've long been thinking of adding a few myself. Hope to hear the results on that. Overall, I think that Smuggler's Copter might have a place in Modern, its just nobody has tried yet. In the same way Legacy D&T was the first to actively make use of Stoneforge Mystic, maybe Modern D&T can be the first to actively make use of another undercosted 2 drop, Smuggler's Copter! Looking forward to hear if it translates well to Modern.
And three power in the air, which our deck can crew easily, is always powerful.
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
The Brimaz on the other-end is just an all-around good creature. With vial on three, opponents will be playing around a Flickerwisp, not a Brimaz. It can quickly fill up your board to put even more pressure without capitalizing too much on board presence while also dodging Bolts on the few match-up where they are present.
All around I think the main deck list is quite good, I've been playing it for some days on MTGO and I think it does fine. My only problem right now is the sideboard. I feel like control match-ups are the worst against us. That's why Linvala and Dusk // Dawn are here. The former shots down man lands and planeswalker while the second one gets all our critters back once they've been countered. Sunlance is there for creatures that need-to-be-bolted-but-we're-stuck-in-white like Noble HierarchSignal Pest and a bunch of others. BFT is a must for the Burn and Storm MU. Overrall I think the sideboard covers a lot of the meta, but I'd like to hear you guys.
(I've been thinking about trying out some Selfless Spirit, Gideon, Ally of Zendikar or Spellskite in the sideboard)
1x Eiganjo Castle
4x Ghost Quarter
13x Plains
4x Tectonic Edge
4x Path to Exile
4x Aether Vial
4x Thraben Inspector
1x Weathered Wayfarer
4x Leonin Arbiter
4x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1x Phyrexian Revoker
4x Blade Splicer
4x Flickerwisp
1x Mirran Crusader
4x Restoration Angel
1x Gisela, the Broken Blade
1x Brimaz, King of Oreskos
2x Sunlance
2x Stony Silence
1x Mirran Crusader
2x Dusk // Dawn
1x Grafdigger's Cage
4x Relic of Progenitus
1x Linvala, Keeper of Silence
If you're playing in ptqs then I feel you should expect a large portion of Death Shadow decks right now, as they are without doubt the highest performing decks in the meta currently, regardless of variant. Mirran Crusader will pay dividends here as he's nearly unkillable against Grixis and Jund doesn't have very many tools to deal with him. As you said, many decks are dropping bolt since it doesn't kill very many things right now. Gisella is not a weak card and I could totally see her value, but I think sticking to the standard list with your flex spots including 2-4 Crusader between md and sb allowing you to go farther than her. I'm playing the standard 54 card mono-W list as played by Brian Coval with 3 md Crusader, 2 md Serra Avenger, and with my 23rd land/60th card being Weathered Wayfarer and I've had a very favorable matchup vs all Death Shadow decks. I feel like that is the best approach in such an open tournament with people looking to play the best deck.
On the other hand, cards like Gisella and Brimaz shine against red decks, which will also be plentiful in a PTQ enviroment and I've had a lot of problems with them with the standard white list. Linvala could be changed into something like Kitchen Finks to help here. I've also like a 2/3 split with 2 Cage/3 Relic because Vizer/Druid combo is difficult. Good luck. (Sorry for my formatting, been a couple years since I last posted and forgot all the card hotlinks and whatnot).