I've mentioned elsewhere that I have a lot of nostalgia for Fiery Temper, and as soon as I saw it was returning in SOI (along with Lightning Axe), I started imagining possibilities with Goblin Dark-Dwellers. The rest of this deck started falling into place when Nahiri, the Harbinger was previewed--a number of ideas were borrowed from Jarvis Yu's article.
The creatures in this deck are mostly chosen for their synergy with Eldrazi Displacer. Cleric of the Forward Order may look odd, but this deck is not really running enough Plains for Knight of the White Orchid (and there is no R/W battle land anyway). Cleric provides some early interaction against aggro; the 2/2 body is serviceable and the lifegain is nice, especially in multiples.
This version is slightly tweaked after my experience at the Open; I was originally running a tiny black splash for Kolaghan's Command, which turned out to be lackluster. Two cards that did impress me were Declaration in Stone and Eerie Interlude--the latter plays well with all the ETB effects, and can be flashed back with the Dark-Dwellers. The Drownyard Temples are something else I am trying out to provide some additional fodder for the discard outlets.
I am wanting to work a deck around Ojutai's Exemplars x4 and Nahiri x4. 4 Fiery Temper and the pump enchantment from SOI with a madness of 1R. After that, who knows. I do like the idea of Chandra Flamecaller and Goblin Darkdwellers, but I am not sure of the numbers 2 & 2? Otherwise, I was just thinking of small spells/creatures to stay alive until the engine comes on line. Fiery impulse, maybe some prowess creatures?
Whereas Batuhan Ucuzal is running something much more similar to what I initially outlined as far as creatures, but eschewing the Madness package for Declaration in Stone and Draconic Roar:
I've been playing around with this a bit more, trying out other cards in place of the Clerics--I had Hedron Crawler in there for a while, but despite it occasionally powering out turn-3 Nahiri, overall I was not satisfied. I am now trying Tormenting Voice instead, and have been pleased with it.
I took my latest version to a local tournament and went 2-1 overall:
First round, against B/G Aristocrats: I got him down to 2, but underestimated just how quickly he could refill his board--Nantuko Husk and Zulaport Cutthroat let him just barely one-shot me from 14. For the second game I brought in Seismic Rupture--between those and my burn spells, I was able to keep his board clear, and beat him down with Displacer and assorted tokens. The third game went much like the second, and I was able to take the match. Overall, as long as I could keep Cutthroats off the battlefield, this felt like an easy match--Thopters were practically unblockable, sweepers were very good against his random dudes, and he never seemed to have removal for my Displacers, which kept his Husks and Abbeys at bay.
Second round was against Esper Planeswalkers. First game I kept a creature-light hand; he killed my one guy and then Narset-locked me. This actually played to my advantage in the second game--he told me afterwards that he thought I was on the Goggles version and boarded out his creature removal, while I got a much faster start that curved out into Avacyn. Third game he brought it back in, and a timely Languish turned things in his favor, after which Ob Nixilis buried me in card advantage.
Third round was against a B/R Madness deck of some sort--unfortunately for him, he seemed to be relying on Avaricious Dragon, and both games I had removal for it soon after he discarded his hand.
After some tweaking, this is probably what I'll try for Game Day:
As promised, I took the above list to Game Day, finishing 4-1-1.
Round 1 I faced off against Esper Control. First game had a good deal of back and forth, but he seemed to have trouble getting his removal to line up against my guys. Needle Spires was particularly key in keeping his Planeswalkers under control. Second game he got stuck on mana, and I got a fast start--not much of a game.
Round 2 was against B/G Cryptocrats. As I mentioned in my last post, it feels like this deck lines up very well against that one. In the first game, he had the upper hand for a while, until I topdecked Linvala with Displacer in play. In just a couple of turns, I went from 2 to 17, and he went from about 30 to scooping. Second game was less memorable, but I won.
Third round was against a Bant Company build who was splashing for Eldrazi Displacers of his own. He mulliganed to five in game 1, I mulliganed to five in game 2, and I won a more reasonable game 3.The Lightning Axe/Fiery Temper combo was particularly potent in dealing with his midsize creatures efficiently, and he didn't seem to have too many good ways to deal with Thopter tokens.
Round 4, my opponent and I were the only 3-0 players, so we drew into Top 4.
In the semifinals, I played against the Esper Planeswalker deck. Game 1, I was creature-light, and he had enough spot removal for my Needle Spires. Game 2 I boarded out Lightning Axes and brought in more creatures--this time I got a fast start and he had trouble getting a board together. Third game was much the same; he stumbled on mana and I curved Thopter Engineer into Pia and Kiran.
Finals were a rematch against my Bant Company opponent. Again it went to three games, but in game three he was able to quickly rebuild a board of multiple Reflector Mages after my Chandra cleared things out.
Maybe it's just my local metagame, but it really seems like the Thopter package is well-positioned at the moment, and the burn spells are good even without Goggles...
Cleric of the Forward Order was originally in my maindeck; I moved it over to the side with the intention of bringing it in against aggro opponents. However, lately I've been getting more use out of it as additional early pressure against control. There are probably better options for that; I'm considering both Hangarback Walker and Eldrazi Obligator as possible replacements. Neither has much synergy with our Displacers, but the Walker is more resistant to sweepers and the Obligator haste haste for surprise pressure and can potentially snag a guy of theirs.
Rending Volley: These upgrade our burn suite, both against Humans and anything with Ojutai or Avacyn.
Seismic Rupture: Currently running this since all of our creatures but Pia and Kiran survive it. However, Radiant Flames might be a better option even if it destroys some of our guys--a possible third point of damage could help against Bant Company, and it could probably played off a few additional pain lands.
Hallowed Moonlight: This is mostly to bring in vs. Company, but once you do, there are some fun tricks you can play with this, Displacer, and a few spare mana.
Eerie Interlude: Intended to protect us against Languish, but to be honest, I don't think I've ever had it in hand at the right time. With the ETB effects in here, sometimes it's worth blinking a couple of guys to save one of them from spot removal.
Tears of Valakut: Can hit a few things the Volley can't, but probably not worth the spot unless Mindwrack Demon becomes popular. This one will probably be the first to go.
I am interested in hearing other suggestions or recommendations...
Decided to try out some of the other sideboarding options at FNM last night. For the mainboard, I took out a pair of Mountains for Shivan Reefs. For the side, I replaced the Clerics and the Tears of Valakut with two Eldrazi Obligators and three Hangarback Walkers, and the Seismic Ruptures with Radiant Flames.
First round, I played against some sort of 4.5-color Rites/Company mashup. (Not sure how better to describe it--at various points I saw Reflector Mage, Reality Smasher, and all the elements of the Displacer/Brood Monitor/Cutthroat combo). Game 1, he went wide, and I didn't see much by way of removal--he was eventually able to just attack around my board with a bunch of Mages, Scion tokens, and Loam Dryads. For the second game, I took out the Lightning Axes (since I hadn't seen many targets) and one of my Displacers (flickering his guys is less effective when so many have ETB effects, especially Reflector Mage). I brought in the two Hallowed Moonlight and three Radiant Flames. Game two, I had plenty of burn, which made it difficult for him to develop his board much. I believe this was also the game where I cast Declaration in Stone on his Reality Smasher, then discarded Fiery Temper to kill his Sylvan Advocate. At some point I landed Avacyn with a Displacer in play, which pretty much sealed the deal. The third game was the closest; I dealt with his early creatures and started attacking with Thopters. One Reality Smasher was dealt with by Nahiri, but not before bringing me to 8. A few other creatures on my side led to a big attack that brought him to 2; he top-decked another Smasher but could only get me to 1, and I took the game and match. (1-0)
Second round was against one of these U/R Tutelage/Visions decks; this one featured Chandra and Thing in the Ice as well. I've played against these kinds of decks a couple of times and found the match-up to be pretty favorable; having Nahiri, the Harbinger as maindeck enchantment removal certainly helps. I won both games, despite facing triple Fevered Visions at one point in the second game--since my opponent wasn't applying any other pressure to my life total, I could just keep playing lands, dropping creatures, and throwing the occasional burn spell at him. For the sideboard, I took out a couple of Lightning Axes (the only creatures I saw were Jace and Thing) for the Eldrazi Obligators. In retrospect, I should probably have taken out the other two Axes as well for Rending Volley... (2-0)
Third round was against one of these Jund Delirium decks, with Goblin Dark-Dwellers, Mindwrack Demon, Traverse the Ulvenwald, etc. The first game I got him down to 1 before several Demons got he; I ended up playing Chandra and using her 0-ability to look for a burn spell, but with no luck. I looked at my sideboard before game 2 and didn't see much of anything worth bringing in; nothing seemed better than what I already had. Game 2 saw us both off to a slow start; my Needle Spires got in for three attacks unopposed, and I had a handful of burn to finish him off. Game 3 was much faster; I curved Thopter Engineer into Pia and Kiran Nalaar and that was pretty much that. (3-0)
Fourth and final round was against a landfall-oriented R/G Ramp deck, with Explosive Vegetation and Blighted Woodland leading up to Worldbreaker, Dragonlord Atarka, and... Omnath, Locus of Rage! Game 1 I seemed to have all the answers for his cards; Declaration in Stone took care of Omnath and Displacer dealt with the Elemental tokens. Game 2, I kept a plausible hand (Engineer into Pia & Kiran) but I walked into a Kozilek's Return and then flooded out pretty badly. Game 3 was sort of the opposite; I got stuck on three lands, which let me get out a few early creatures, but Worldbreaker turned things in his favor. Sideboard was Walkers and Obligators in and some burn out, but I never saw any of them... (3-1)
Overall, I think the sideboard changes were an improvement; I did miss the Tears of Valakut in my game against Jund, but I never found myself wishing for the Clerics. And I did manage to cast Flames for 3 in the first round, where Seismic Rupture might not have done the trick. So for now I think I will stick with the changes and see if I can get a bit more data...
I had not really considered it; having a repeatable discard outlet that does damage could be interesting, but Dark-Dwellers synergize very nicely with Eldrazi Displacer, and the ETB effect means you get some use out of them even if your opponent kills them right away. Menace can be surprisingly handy too. The Wolf does survive Grasp of Darkness and Languish, but I don't think that's enough for me to prefer it.
Now, one odd card I have been idly considering is Odric, Lunarch Marshal, which I saw in a list somewhere as a proposed Nahiri target. Between Dark-Dwellers, Needle Spires, and Thopter tokens, this deck actually has a variety of abilities to spread around...
It also runs Scourge Wolf which can be turned on reliably. Deck runs 6 subtypes.
Skin Invasion fits very well in this deck. Its doubles as a enchantment for delirium. A 3/4 creature when used in conjugation with Insolent Neonate. The deck as a lot of good blocking options so it could be used as a removal spell. Finally the card taps non-vigilance creatures for Nahiri, the Harbinger.
I've recently picked up a playset of paper Nahiris. I'm hoping for the investment to pay off eventually, maybe with something in the upcoming new sets, more likely with a new Modern deck (beyond just the Emrakul interaction, etc.), bottom line is I definitely wanted to get them now in case lightning strikes again and they go through the roof (ala LotV).
But what's important right now is that I really want to use them in a standard deck while we still can. I'm just not sure which direction to take it in the current environment. I like the RW aggro approach (I always lean toward aggro even when I probably shouldn't); I'm not nearly as fond of trying anything Jeskai-based.
Ionius, I forgot to mention this; please forgive me if this is the dumbest question ever asked (long-time forum reader, first time poster), but ... why the 4x Shivan Reef? I don't see anything requiring blue; or is there some other reason to play those over four basic mountains?
I expect ionius is running the Reefs as additional colorless sources; their build looks a bit heavier on the Eldrazi...
Right, right. Okay. Now I get it. I suppose I was getting hung up on why he wouldn't run something else that produces colorless, as there would never be any need for the blue (beyond some weird tech of which I'm not aware), but now I realize what's going on. Reefs in this deck are colorless sources that still *could* make red if he really needed it. Thanks for the reply!
Now, one odd card I have been idly considering is Odric, Lunarch Marshal, which I saw in a list somewhere as a proposed Nahiri target. Between Dark-Dwellers, Needle Spires, and Thopter tokens, this deck actually has a variety of abilities to spread around...
Oh, yeah, I meant to mention this, too. If you do get Odric to work out for you, I'd love to hear about it.
I just think that card has SO much potential. There has to be some way(s) to really abuse some of those potential synergies.
Well, I finally made it back out last night and took this deck for another spin. No changes since my last update.
First round was against some sort of homebrew U/W Mill deck, featuring Sphinx's Tutelage and Startled Awake. Both games I was able to outrace him, and Thopter Engineer does a good job of blanking Persistent Nightmare.
Second round was against one of our better local players with an interesting U/G Clue deck--it had Engulf the Shore and Part the Waterveil along with Erdwal Illuminators and various Clue-generators. First game I just beat down with the usual suspects; second game I landed both Nahiri and Chandra, which gave me board presence despite multiple Engulfs. Chandra's tokens eventually sealed the deal.
Third round was against what I believe was Bant Humans, with Collected Company, Eldrazi Displacer, Reflector Mage, Thalia's Lieutenant, and Lambholt Pacifists. First game I was able to keep his board clear, and beat him down with a Displacer of my own. The Axe/Temper combo was pretty crucial there. Second game he landed three Lieutenants, and I was not able to kill them in time. Third game, I was a bit land-light and he was a little flooded, but that meant I could drop some Engineers and attack while still handling his threats.
Overall, the deck still feels pretty sweet, though I would be interested in seeing how it stacks up outside my oddly mill-heavy meta. If anyone has results with a similar deck, I'd be interested in hearing about them. (Matt Higgs over at SCG seems to have been trying R/W Madness with Stern Constables--anyone else given that a try?)
Just came fresh from a 7-3 finish in our Standard WMCQ which was good for 45th out of 470+ players. Here's the list I played which I took from a page out of Mihara's Goggles list with a few changes.
It was an excruciating 10 rounder so I can't remember all the matchups.
RD 1 vs Jund L(2-1)
Game 1 was the only game I played perfectly sitting on my burn spells with Goggles in play and him draining his life with his card draw searching for an answer. Games 2 and 3 spelled differently though with him landing multiple Kalitas and me not drawing enough action to counter it. Game 3 ended with him at 7 life, me needing 1 more mana to finish him off with Fall of the Titans + Fiery Temper.
RD 2 vs Esper Control W(2-0)
Not really what's up with his deck but he literally countered all of my card draw spells. That paved the way to a resolved Chandra which he literally had no answer. Game 2 was the same. I baited all of my TKS and Smashers, kept pressuring with Needle Spires and when he literally gassed his hand, I resolved Chandra for the win.
RD 3 vs Esper Control W(2-1)
Game 1 was a nightmare. He literally had an answer to everything I had and when he resolved a Sphinx of the Final word, I scooped. Game 2, I boarded in my Eldrazi suite and was able to come back on a curve of TKS to Smasher. Game 3 was where he made a crucial misplay. My hand was Thought Knot Seer (which he bounced previously using Silumgar's Command), Chandra, a couple of burn spells and Goggles. He has 6 lands and proceeded to play Narset, leaving him 2 mana open. Her +1 revealed a Negate. I was expecting him to pass the turn leaving mana for Negate but instead, he opted to cast Transgress the Mind. I'm thinking he has a removal spell of some sort. Oddly enough, he took out TKS. That gave me a window to resolve Chandra and I won the game right there as he had no answer.
RD 4 vs RG Goggles Ramp W(2-0)
Never really put up a fight and was rattled when he received a warning (casted a Tormenting Voice without a red source). I just waited till I resolved a Chandra and won from there.
RD 5 vs GW Tokens W(2-0)
Game 1 he was stuck at 3 lands and Game 2 he flooded badly. This is a bad MU for me and I don't consider this as a legit win. Although Game 2 had me curving TKS at 4 which prevented him from casting a turn 5 Avacyn that sealed the deal.
RD 6 vs U/W with Skyspawner W(2-0)
Not sure what his deck was but I managed to kill him twice with Fall of the Titans + Goggles. for 12 damage Game 1 then for 15 the next game. Mage Ring Network is sometimes a crazy card if unchecked.
RD 7 vs Bant Displacer/Humans not sure W(2-1)
Probably the best magic I have played for a long time. Game 1 he wrecks me with multiple Cocos and me running out of burn spells for his creatures. Game 2 I fought back behind a resolved Goggles which effectively killed all creatures he put out with Collected Company. Game 3 is a nailbiter. He casted Coco on T4 and revealed 2 Displacers. I was thinking oh well I put out a good fight and was on defense the whole game. In a couple of turns I was down to 1 and was staring at a board of 2 Displacers, a Reflector Mage (which bounced my Goblin DD) and a 5/4 Tireless Tracker. Luckily enough, I drew Chandra in time, proceeded to wipe the board and then successfully resolved Goggles the next turn. I won the game with my lone Goblin DD while sitting on burn spells to fend off his creatures.
RD 8 vs RW Humans L(2-1)
Punted this one big time. Won Game 1 in a comfortable fashion, sitting back on Goggles + burn spells to kill of his creatures. Game 2, I had him on the ropes. I had Stasis Snare, Radiant Flames, Chandra and Goggles. Just needed to sequence them properly to pull out the win. He had 2 creatures in play + Needle Spires and 3 cards in hand. I'm not sure what I was thinking but I wanted to hit the homerun. So I resolved Chandra and proceeded to wipe the board completely forgetting the fact that he has an active Needle Spires in play. It snowballed from there with Spires killing Chandra and me not getting any board presence after. Game 3 I was stuck on 3 lands and was completely annihilated by multiple Lieutenants.
I think the correct line of play was to cast Radiant Flames for 2 and pass the turn. If he has another creature, I should have killed it with a burn spell or Stasis Snare and then casted Chandra. Fatigue probably got the best of me.
Round 9 vs BW Control L(2-0)
Completely outdrawn and outplayed in this matchup. Couldn't keep up with his card advantage and always curving out with Gideon + Ob Nixilis to Secure the Wastes. At this point I was completely out of T8 contention
Round 10 vs Bant Company W(2-0)
Another intense matchup. Game 1 I burned him out with Fall + Goggles. Game 2 I was again down to 1 life before I was able to pull of a gigantic Fall of the Titans + Goggles again.
Overall, deck was a blast to play. If I would change anything in the deck, it would be the sideboard. Those Radiant Flames are too slow. Probably replace them with Kozilek's Return or Dual Shot. Not sure. Also, I want to make space for a third Stasis Snare but not sure what to cut.
Also, Nahiri was boarded out a lot of times. Not sure what should I do with her in the future.
Kozilek's Return definitely seems better than Flames in your deck, since I don't see any sources for a third color, and Return can at least be gotten back with Dark-Dwellers. I guess neither really plays well with Goggles...
Something about Nahiri that just occurred to me--you can ultimate her to grab Goggles. Is this something that ever becomes relevant? Should let you quadruple a spell if you already have Goggles, right?
Kozilek's Return definitely seems better than Flames in your deck, since I don't see any sources for a third color, and Return can at least be gotten back with Dark-Dwellers. I guess neither really plays well with Goggles...
Something about Nahiri that just occurred to me--you can ultimate her to grab Goggles. Is this something that ever becomes relevant? Should let you quadruple a spell if you already have Goggles, right?
Yeah, my opponents were always wary when she was at 8 (for some reason they think I have an Ulamog in the deck LOL). Game 1 she is fantastic as I can dig my deck for key burn spells and such. But when on the draw, she is a liability and I always shave some copies to make room for TKS.
Also, I failed to mention that when she hits 8, I am so far ahead in terms of card advantage that I stuck with using her +2 all throughout. In a way, it mitigate my flooding issue since I just pitched the lands I drew to her ability.
I've been considering how to update this deck, and was noticing that with a bit of tweaking, it could probably incorporate a Thalia's Lancers package. Possible targets would include Thalia, Avacyn, Linvala, Pia and Kiran, and possibly Geier Reach Sanitarium, which would provide anotger Madness outlet as well as letting the Lancers pick up a land. Lancers would have the benefit of playing well with both Eldrazi Displacer and Nahiri's ultimate.
On the other hand, Eldrazi Displacer seems like it will probably be less amazing against the newer versions of Bant Company with Spell Queller...
(A side note: while I had initially dismissed Alchemist's Greeting, it does have the advantage of not being Quellable...)
Spell Queller makes Insight and Voice terrible. If we take those cards out though we lose our card draw with Goggles. Not sure how to fix that though, but I don't want to be playing cards that can 2-1 myself into Queller.
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The creatures in this deck are mostly chosen for their synergy with Eldrazi Displacer. Cleric of the Forward Order may look odd, but this deck is not really running enough Plains for Knight of the White Orchid (and there is no R/W battle land anyway). Cleric provides some early interaction against aggro; the 2/2 body is serviceable and the lifegain is nice, especially in multiples.
4 Battlefield Forge
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Caves of Koilos
2 Drownyard Temple
6 Mountain
3 Plains
1 Wastes
4 Thopter Engineer
4 Eldrazi Displacer
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
3 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
1 Archangel Avacyn
1 Linvala, the Preserver
1 Declaration in Stone
3 Avacyn's Judgment
1 Eerie Interlude
4 Fiery Temper
2 Nahiri, the Harbinger
2 Chandra, Flamecaller
This version is slightly tweaked after my experience at the Open; I was originally running a tiny black splash for Kolaghan's Command, which turned out to be lackluster. Two cards that did impress me were Declaration in Stone and Eerie Interlude--the latter plays well with all the ETB effects, and can be flashed back with the Dark-Dwellers. The Drownyard Temples are something else I am trying out to provide some additional fodder for the discard outlets.
3 Chandra, Flamecaller
1 Nahiri, the Harbinger
2 Eldrazi Displacer
2 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
2 Matter Reshaper
4 Thought-Knot Seer
2 Magmatic Insight
4 Tormenting Voice
2 Fall of the Titans
3 Fiery Impulse
3 Fiery Temper
3 Lightning Axe
3 Pyromancer's Goggles
4 Battlefield Forge
2 Caves of Koilos
3 Drownyard Temple
8 Mountain
4 Needle Spires
2 Plains
1 Shivan Reef
2 Westvale Abbey
1 Nahiri, the Harbinger
2 Eldrazi Obligator
2 Linvala, the Preserver
1 Avacyn's Judgment
1 Dual Shot
2 Hallowed Moonlight
1 Planar Outburst
2 Rending Volley
3 Secure the Wastes
More Eldrazi, fewer Thopters, less Madness, more... Goggles?
Mihara's deck seems to have shifted all the creatures to the sideboard to focus on the Goggles/burn plan:
4 Chandra, Flamecaller
3 Nahiri, the Harbinger
1 Avacyn's Judgment
3 Magmatic Insight
4 Tormenting Voice
4 Fall of the Titans
4 Fiery Impulse
4 Fiery Temper
3 Lightning Axe
4 Pyromancer's Goggles
4 Battlefield Forge
4 Drownyard Temple
4 Mage-Ring Network
8 Mountain
4 Needle Spires
2 Stone Quarry
3 Eldrazi Obligator
2 Linvala, the Preserver
4 Reality Smasher
4 Thought-Knot Seer
2 Dual Shot
Whereas Batuhan Ucuzal is running something much more similar to what I initially outlined as far as creatures, but eschewing the Madness package for Declaration in Stone and Draconic Roar:
2 Chandra, Flamecaller
3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
3 Nahiri, the Harbinger
3 Archangel Avacyn
4 Eldrazi Displacer
3 Knight of the White Orchid
1 Linvala, the Preserver
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
4 Thopter Engineer
4 Declaration in Stone
3 Draconic Roar
2 Rending Volley
4 Battlefield Forge
3 Caves of Koilos
2 Foundry of the Consuls
4 Mountain
4 Needle Spires
4 Plains
2 Shivan Reef
3 Stone Quarry
2 Rending Volley
3 Eldrazi Obligator
3 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Kozilek's Return
2 Quarantine Field
2 Tragic Arrogance
I took my latest version to a local tournament and went 2-1 overall:
First round, against B/G Aristocrats: I got him down to 2, but underestimated just how quickly he could refill his board--Nantuko Husk and Zulaport Cutthroat let him just barely one-shot me from 14. For the second game I brought in Seismic Rupture--between those and my burn spells, I was able to keep his board clear, and beat him down with Displacer and assorted tokens. The third game went much like the second, and I was able to take the match. Overall, as long as I could keep Cutthroats off the battlefield, this felt like an easy match--Thopters were practically unblockable, sweepers were very good against his random dudes, and he never seemed to have removal for my Displacers, which kept his Husks and Abbeys at bay.
Second round was against Esper Planeswalkers. First game I kept a creature-light hand; he killed my one guy and then Narset-locked me. This actually played to my advantage in the second game--he told me afterwards that he thought I was on the Goggles version and boarded out his creature removal, while I got a much faster start that curved out into Avacyn. Third game he brought it back in, and a timely Languish turned things in his favor, after which Ob Nixilis buried me in card advantage.
Third round was against a B/R Madness deck of some sort--unfortunately for him, he seemed to be relying on Avaricious Dragon, and both games I had removal for it soon after he discarded his hand.
After some tweaking, this is probably what I'll try for Game Day:
6 Mountain
2 Plains
4 Battlefield Forge
2 Caves of Koilos
4 Drownyard Temple
4 Needle Spires
4 Stone Quarry
4 Eldrazi Displacer
4 Thopter Engineer
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
1 Archangel Avacyn
2 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
1 Linvala, the Preserver
4 Lightning Axe
3 Avacyn's Judgment
1 Declaration in Stone
4 Tormenting Voice
4 Fiery Temper
2 Nahiri, the Harbinger
2 Chandra, Flamecaller
If anyone else is trying out a version of this deck, I would be very interested in hearing about it!
Round 1 I faced off against Esper Control. First game had a good deal of back and forth, but he seemed to have trouble getting his removal to line up against my guys. Needle Spires was particularly key in keeping his Planeswalkers under control. Second game he got stuck on mana, and I got a fast start--not much of a game.
Round 2 was against B/G Cryptocrats. As I mentioned in my last post, it feels like this deck lines up very well against that one. In the first game, he had the upper hand for a while, until I topdecked Linvala with Displacer in play. In just a couple of turns, I went from 2 to 17, and he went from about 30 to scooping. Second game was less memorable, but I won.
Third round was against a Bant Company build who was splashing for Eldrazi Displacers of his own. He mulliganed to five in game 1, I mulliganed to five in game 2, and I won a more reasonable game 3.The Lightning Axe/Fiery Temper combo was particularly potent in dealing with his midsize creatures efficiently, and he didn't seem to have too many good ways to deal with Thopter tokens.
Round 4, my opponent and I were the only 3-0 players, so we drew into Top 4.
In the semifinals, I played against the Esper Planeswalker deck. Game 1, I was creature-light, and he had enough spot removal for my Needle Spires. Game 2 I boarded out Lightning Axes and brought in more creatures--this time I got a fast start and he had trouble getting a board together. Third game was much the same; he stumbled on mana and I curved Thopter Engineer into Pia and Kiran.
Finals were a rematch against my Bant Company opponent. Again it went to three games, but in game three he was able to quickly rebuild a board of multiple Reflector Mages after my Chandra cleared things out.
Maybe it's just my local metagame, but it really seems like the Thopter package is well-positioned at the moment, and the burn spells are good even without Goggles...
3 Rending Volley
3 Seismic Rupture
2 Hallowed Moonlight
2 Eerie Interlude
1 Tears of Valakut
A little about each of these:
Cleric of the Forward Order was originally in my maindeck; I moved it over to the side with the intention of bringing it in against aggro opponents. However, lately I've been getting more use out of it as additional early pressure against control. There are probably better options for that; I'm considering both Hangarback Walker and Eldrazi Obligator as possible replacements. Neither has much synergy with our Displacers, but the Walker is more resistant to sweepers and the Obligator haste haste for surprise pressure and can potentially snag a guy of theirs.
Rending Volley: These upgrade our burn suite, both against Humans and anything with Ojutai or Avacyn.
Seismic Rupture: Currently running this since all of our creatures but Pia and Kiran survive it. However, Radiant Flames might be a better option even if it destroys some of our guys--a possible third point of damage could help against Bant Company, and it could probably played off a few additional pain lands.
Hallowed Moonlight: This is mostly to bring in vs. Company, but once you do, there are some fun tricks you can play with this, Displacer, and a few spare mana.
Eerie Interlude: Intended to protect us against Languish, but to be honest, I don't think I've ever had it in hand at the right time. With the ETB effects in here, sometimes it's worth blinking a couple of guys to save one of them from spot removal.
Tears of Valakut: Can hit a few things the Volley can't, but probably not worth the spot unless Mindwrack Demon becomes popular. This one will probably be the first to go.
I am interested in hearing other suggestions or recommendations...
First round, I played against some sort of 4.5-color Rites/Company mashup. (Not sure how better to describe it--at various points I saw Reflector Mage, Reality Smasher, and all the elements of the Displacer/Brood Monitor/Cutthroat combo). Game 1, he went wide, and I didn't see much by way of removal--he was eventually able to just attack around my board with a bunch of Mages, Scion tokens, and Loam Dryads. For the second game, I took out the Lightning Axes (since I hadn't seen many targets) and one of my Displacers (flickering his guys is less effective when so many have ETB effects, especially Reflector Mage). I brought in the two Hallowed Moonlight and three Radiant Flames. Game two, I had plenty of burn, which made it difficult for him to develop his board much. I believe this was also the game where I cast Declaration in Stone on his Reality Smasher, then discarded Fiery Temper to kill his Sylvan Advocate. At some point I landed Avacyn with a Displacer in play, which pretty much sealed the deal. The third game was the closest; I dealt with his early creatures and started attacking with Thopters. One Reality Smasher was dealt with by Nahiri, but not before bringing me to 8. A few other creatures on my side led to a big attack that brought him to 2; he top-decked another Smasher but could only get me to 1, and I took the game and match. (1-0)
Second round was against one of these U/R Tutelage/Visions decks; this one featured Chandra and Thing in the Ice as well. I've played against these kinds of decks a couple of times and found the match-up to be pretty favorable; having Nahiri, the Harbinger as maindeck enchantment removal certainly helps. I won both games, despite facing triple Fevered Visions at one point in the second game--since my opponent wasn't applying any other pressure to my life total, I could just keep playing lands, dropping creatures, and throwing the occasional burn spell at him. For the sideboard, I took out a couple of Lightning Axes (the only creatures I saw were Jace and Thing) for the Eldrazi Obligators. In retrospect, I should probably have taken out the other two Axes as well for Rending Volley... (2-0)
Third round was against one of these Jund Delirium decks, with Goblin Dark-Dwellers, Mindwrack Demon, Traverse the Ulvenwald, etc. The first game I got him down to 1 before several Demons got he; I ended up playing Chandra and using her 0-ability to look for a burn spell, but with no luck. I looked at my sideboard before game 2 and didn't see much of anything worth bringing in; nothing seemed better than what I already had. Game 2 saw us both off to a slow start; my Needle Spires got in for three attacks unopposed, and I had a handful of burn to finish him off. Game 3 was much faster; I curved Thopter Engineer into Pia and Kiran Nalaar and that was pretty much that. (3-0)
Fourth and final round was against a landfall-oriented R/G Ramp deck, with Explosive Vegetation and Blighted Woodland leading up to Worldbreaker, Dragonlord Atarka, and... Omnath, Locus of Rage! Game 1 I seemed to have all the answers for his cards; Declaration in Stone took care of Omnath and Displacer dealt with the Elemental tokens. Game 2, I kept a plausible hand (Engineer into Pia & Kiran) but I walked into a Kozilek's Return and then flooded out pretty badly. Game 3 was sort of the opposite; I got stuck on three lands, which let me get out a few early creatures, but Worldbreaker turned things in his favor. Sideboard was Walkers and Obligators in and some burn out, but I never saw any of them... (3-1)
Overall, I think the sideboard changes were an improvement; I did miss the Tears of Valakut in my game against Jund, but I never found myself wishing for the Clerics. And I did manage to cast Flames for 3 in the first round, where Seismic Rupture might not have done the trick. So for now I think I will stick with the changes and see if I can get a bit more data...
Now, one odd card I have been idly considering is Odric, Lunarch Marshal, which I saw in a list somewhere as a proposed Nahiri target. Between Dark-Dwellers, Needle Spires, and Thopter tokens, this deck actually has a variety of abilities to spread around...
R
4 Insolent Neonate
1 Lightning Berserker
4 Ravenous Bloodseeker
4 Scourge Wolf
4 Incorrigible Youths
2 Thought-Knot Seer
2 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
3 Skin Invasion
Instant: 7
4 Fiery Temper
3 Lightning Axe
Planeswalker: 3
3 Nahiri, the Harbinger
Sorcery: 3
3 Avacyn's Judgment
Lands: 23
4 Battlefield Forge
4 Needle Spires
2 Crumbling Vestige
7 Mountain
4 Shivan Reef
2 Sea Gate Wreckage
1 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
2 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Kozilek's Return
1 Nahiri, the Harbinger
1 Avacyn's Judgment
4 Declaration in Stone
The idea of the deck is to start off aggressive with the madness shell and then burn out with Avacyn's Judgment, Fiery Temper and Goblin Dark-Dwellers.
I've recently picked up a playset of paper Nahiris. I'm hoping for the investment to pay off eventually, maybe with something in the upcoming new sets, more likely with a new Modern deck (beyond just the Emrakul interaction, etc.), bottom line is I definitely wanted to get them now in case lightning strikes again and they go through the roof (ala LotV).
But what's important right now is that I really want to use them in a standard deck while we still can. I'm just not sure which direction to take it in the current environment. I like the RW aggro approach (I always lean toward aggro even when I probably shouldn't); I'm not nearly as fond of trying anything Jeskai-based.
I expect ionius is running the Reefs as additional colorless sources; their build looks a bit heavier on the Eldrazi...
I hear you, sadly.
Right, right. Okay. Now I get it. I suppose I was getting hung up on why he wouldn't run something else that produces colorless, as there would never be any need for the blue (beyond some weird tech of which I'm not aware), but now I realize what's going on. Reefs in this deck are colorless sources that still *could* make red if he really needed it. Thanks for the reply!
Oh, yeah, I meant to mention this, too. If you do get Odric to work out for you, I'd love to hear about it.
I just think that card has SO much potential. There has to be some way(s) to really abuse some of those potential synergies.
First round was against some sort of homebrew U/W Mill deck, featuring Sphinx's Tutelage and Startled Awake. Both games I was able to outrace him, and Thopter Engineer does a good job of blanking Persistent Nightmare.
Second round was against one of our better local players with an interesting U/G Clue deck--it had Engulf the Shore and Part the Waterveil along with Erdwal Illuminators and various Clue-generators. First game I just beat down with the usual suspects; second game I landed both Nahiri and Chandra, which gave me board presence despite multiple Engulfs. Chandra's tokens eventually sealed the deal.
Third round was against what I believe was Bant Humans, with Collected Company, Eldrazi Displacer, Reflector Mage, Thalia's Lieutenant, and Lambholt Pacifists. First game I was able to keep his board clear, and beat him down with a Displacer of my own. The Axe/Temper combo was pretty crucial there. Second game he landed three Lieutenants, and I was not able to kill them in time. Third game, I was a bit land-light and he was a little flooded, but that meant I could drop some Engineers and attack while still handling his threats.
Overall, the deck still feels pretty sweet, though I would be interested in seeing how it stacks up outside my oddly mill-heavy meta. If anyone has results with a similar deck, I'd be interested in hearing about them. (Matt Higgs over at SCG seems to have been trying R/W Madness with Stern Constables--anyone else given that a try?)
4 Needle Spires
4 Battlefield Forge
4 Drownyard Temple
4 Mage-Ring Network
3 Stone Quarry
7 Mountain
Craetures
2 Goblin Dark Dwellers
Instants/Sorceries
4 Fiery Impulse
4 Fiery Temper
4 Tormenting Voice
3 Lightning Axe
3 Exquisite Firecraft
3 Fall of the Titans
2 Magmatic Insight
3 Pyromancers Goggles
Planeswalkers
3 Nahiri, The Harbringer
3 Chandra, Flamecaller
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Reality Smasher
2 Hallowed Moonlight
2 Stasis Snare
2 Radiant Flames
1 Exquisite Firecraft
It was an excruciating 10 rounder so I can't remember all the matchups.
RD 1 vs Jund L(2-1)
Game 1 was the only game I played perfectly sitting on my burn spells with Goggles in play and him draining his life with his card draw searching for an answer. Games 2 and 3 spelled differently though with him landing multiple Kalitas and me not drawing enough action to counter it. Game 3 ended with him at 7 life, me needing 1 more mana to finish him off with Fall of the Titans + Fiery Temper.
RD 2 vs Esper Control W(2-0)
Not really what's up with his deck but he literally countered all of my card draw spells. That paved the way to a resolved Chandra which he literally had no answer. Game 2 was the same. I baited all of my TKS and Smashers, kept pressuring with Needle Spires and when he literally gassed his hand, I resolved Chandra for the win.
RD 3 vs Esper Control W(2-1)
Game 1 was a nightmare. He literally had an answer to everything I had and when he resolved a Sphinx of the Final word, I scooped. Game 2, I boarded in my Eldrazi suite and was able to come back on a curve of TKS to Smasher. Game 3 was where he made a crucial misplay. My hand was Thought Knot Seer (which he bounced previously using Silumgar's Command), Chandra, a couple of burn spells and Goggles. He has 6 lands and proceeded to play Narset, leaving him 2 mana open. Her +1 revealed a Negate. I was expecting him to pass the turn leaving mana for Negate but instead, he opted to cast Transgress the Mind. I'm thinking he has a removal spell of some sort. Oddly enough, he took out TKS. That gave me a window to resolve Chandra and I won the game right there as he had no answer.
RD 4 vs RG Goggles Ramp W(2-0)
Never really put up a fight and was rattled when he received a warning (casted a Tormenting Voice without a red source). I just waited till I resolved a Chandra and won from there.
RD 5 vs GW Tokens W(2-0)
Game 1 he was stuck at 3 lands and Game 2 he flooded badly. This is a bad MU for me and I don't consider this as a legit win. Although Game 2 had me curving TKS at 4 which prevented him from casting a turn 5 Avacyn that sealed the deal.
RD 6 vs U/W with Skyspawner W(2-0)
Not sure what his deck was but I managed to kill him twice with Fall of the Titans + Goggles. for 12 damage Game 1 then for 15 the next game. Mage Ring Network is sometimes a crazy card if unchecked.
RD 7 vs Bant Displacer/Humans not sure W(2-1)
Probably the best magic I have played for a long time. Game 1 he wrecks me with multiple Cocos and me running out of burn spells for his creatures. Game 2 I fought back behind a resolved Goggles which effectively killed all creatures he put out with Collected Company. Game 3 is a nailbiter. He casted Coco on T4 and revealed 2 Displacers. I was thinking oh well I put out a good fight and was on defense the whole game. In a couple of turns I was down to 1 and was staring at a board of 2 Displacers, a Reflector Mage (which bounced my Goblin DD) and a 5/4 Tireless Tracker. Luckily enough, I drew Chandra in time, proceeded to wipe the board and then successfully resolved Goggles the next turn. I won the game with my lone Goblin DD while sitting on burn spells to fend off his creatures.
RD 8 vs RW Humans L(2-1)
Punted this one big time. Won Game 1 in a comfortable fashion, sitting back on Goggles + burn spells to kill of his creatures. Game 2, I had him on the ropes. I had Stasis Snare, Radiant Flames, Chandra and Goggles. Just needed to sequence them properly to pull out the win. He had 2 creatures in play + Needle Spires and 3 cards in hand. I'm not sure what I was thinking but I wanted to hit the homerun. So I resolved Chandra and proceeded to wipe the board completely forgetting the fact that he has an active Needle Spires in play. It snowballed from there with Spires killing Chandra and me not getting any board presence after. Game 3 I was stuck on 3 lands and was completely annihilated by multiple Lieutenants.
I think the correct line of play was to cast Radiant Flames for 2 and pass the turn. If he has another creature, I should have killed it with a burn spell or Stasis Snare and then casted Chandra. Fatigue probably got the best of me.
Round 9 vs BW Control L(2-0)
Completely outdrawn and outplayed in this matchup. Couldn't keep up with his card advantage and always curving out with Gideon + Ob Nixilis to Secure the Wastes. At this point I was completely out of T8 contention
Round 10 vs Bant Company W(2-0)
Another intense matchup. Game 1 I burned him out with Fall + Goggles. Game 2 I was again down to 1 life before I was able to pull of a gigantic Fall of the Titans + Goggles again.
Overall, deck was a blast to play. If I would change anything in the deck, it would be the sideboard. Those Radiant Flames are too slow. Probably replace them with Kozilek's Return or Dual Shot. Not sure. Also, I want to make space for a third Stasis Snare but not sure what to cut.
Also, Nahiri was boarded out a lot of times. Not sure what should I do with her in the future.
Kozilek's Return definitely seems better than Flames in your deck, since I don't see any sources for a third color, and Return can at least be gotten back with Dark-Dwellers. I guess neither really plays well with Goggles...
Something about Nahiri that just occurred to me--you can ultimate her to grab Goggles. Is this something that ever becomes relevant? Should let you quadruple a spell if you already have Goggles, right?
Yeah, my opponents were always wary when she was at 8 (for some reason they think I have an Ulamog in the deck LOL). Game 1 she is fantastic as I can dig my deck for key burn spells and such. But when on the draw, she is a liability and I always shave some copies to make room for TKS.
Also, I failed to mention that when she hits 8, I am so far ahead in terms of card advantage that I stuck with using her +2 all throughout. In a way, it mitigate my flooding issue since I just pitched the lands I drew to her ability.
On the other hand, Eldrazi Displacer seems like it will probably be less amazing against the newer versions of Bant Company with Spell Queller...
(A side note: while I had initially dismissed Alchemist's Greeting, it does have the advantage of not being Quellable...)