Reverse engineer seems like one of the best cards for a cherios list and that deck plays no copies. That just doesn't seem like the right direction to go in my opinion.
Whir of Invention is great. In play testing my opponent had a fragmentize and I was still able to go off early in the game by whirring end of their turn to get an Aetherflux Reservoir and storming off on mine. Being able to trim on Aetherflux Reservoir is nice as well. I don't get as many clunky opening hands with multiple reservoirs. You also get to play a few silver bullets so playing a single Inspiring Statuary main deck is more desirable now. For now I want a better deck vs aggro so I am going with a Filigree Familiar. I wasn't sold on Whir of Invention at first but after playing with it I've changed my mind.
No copies of Metallic Rebuke or Torrential Gearhulk? Seems like having an opening hand of Island, 2 Cheerios and Rebuke is exactly what this deck wants to be doing, not to mention Gearhulk can cast Paradoxical Income from GY and bounce himself as well to draw an additional card and be able to re-use. I'm also unsure about the exact #'s in this list, I'll throw in my version here in a sec.
Played my list from above in a five round standard tourny at my LGS today.
Match Reports
Round one was vs a newer player playing a mono black budged aetherborn deck. We played about 5 games total (some for fun/practice) and all were easy victories for me.
Round two was vs GW humans. He had two main deck Sigarda, Heron's Grace. Game one lasted about 45 min as this was a bit of a problem for me. He had a slow start so I took over the game quickly and was in control the whole time. I activate reservoir to kill sigarda, he uses a protection spell, I activate reservoir again in response. I'm out of life for activations so I can't kill him and pass the turn. If I was smarter I would have done this at the end of his turn but he was low on mana and I had just gained over 100 life. I felt I was in safe place so I was playing fast and careless. He drops a second sigarda after I pass. I eventually won by drawing almost my whole deck and casting my one main deck engulf the shore. Crush + reservoir in the same turn could also have got it done. We drew the second game and I won the match. He was winning G2 though, as he destroyed my reservoir. Sideboarded games vs aggro are tough as you want counterspells for their artifact hate and bounce spells to stay alive. It's difficult to do this without diluting your deck too much. My strategy today vs aggro was to not bring in any counterspells and just hope they don't draw their sideboard. I want all the bounce spells and don't want to dilute my deck.
Round three was vs UW control. This was an absolute landslide for me. There are so many threats in the deck that need to be answered. Being able to leave mana open for either Whir of Invention, Paradoxical Outcome, Metallic Rebuke, or Merchant's Dockhand activations was tough for him to deal with. On turn three I whir for Merchant's Dockhand eot. He let it resolve as I assume he was scared of Aetherflux Reservoir on my turn 4. I was then able to take over with Merchant's Dockhand. I got to cast 16 spells with two reservoirs in play. There is just so much card advantage in this deck and with the cherio synergies it comes way too quickly. Maybe if my draws were a bit weaker and my opponent was a bit stronger the games would be different. I also got to look at the top 13 cards of my deck with Merchant's Dockhand at one point. I drew a lot of spectators, people were loving it.
Round four vs GW humans again. Game one I made a misplay and let his Hanweir Militia Captain flip when I could have played Engulf the Shore on my turn to bounce it. After it flipped it was out of range. I had lots of terrible with creatures with equipment going so he can't really attack for a while. His start was also a bit slow. Eventually I am at 26 life through Filigree Familiar and blocking + bouncing my own creatures with Paradoxical Outcome. I have the choice to deploy an Aetherflux Reservoir or play Engulf the Shore to bounce everything except for the Hanweir Militia Captain. I chose the reservoir and next turn he kills me with exact damage. A bit risky on my part and without the misplay I think I could have won. Game two I bounce his stuff over and over and over again. He still gets me to 5 life after a number of turns and I've failed to find a reservoir. I crush and start putting on the pressure with an 8/8. My crappy creatures are keeping me alive and Filigree Familiar + Inventors' Fair bring me to 13 life. I find a Whir of Invention with Merchant's Dockhand and have him in a squeeze as I'm threatening to combo off and kill him with an 8/8. He has to do something and chooses to apply pressure with heron's grace champion to try and gain life by attacking with three creatures then maybe finish me off his next turn. It's not enough damage to kill me and I combo off the next turn. He is unable to cast the Appetite for the Unnatural that is in his hand since he tapped out to play the heron's grace champion. He was at 8 life so I don't blame he, I could have fizzled as I had to use Merchant's Dockhand to find a Paradoxical Outcome to win. I also had an Engulf the Shore in hand threatening to bounce all creatures except for my 8/8 and attack for lethal if he did not gain any life. I was winning from multiple angles so one misstep from him and the game was mine. Time is up after 2 games so we draw.
Round 5 is vs RG pummeler. This dudes deck is entirely foil, there's no messing around here. It's not a good match-up, I die on his turn 5 as I was unable to cast a crush on mine. Game two he mulls a lot and I manage to repeatedly force him to chump block with a crush 8/8 and two Bone Saw. I eventually win with a 3/11 Ornithopter after he uses pump spells defensively to kill my 8/8. Game three I have three lands with two Engulf the Shore in hand. I have to play Reverse Engineer instead to find my 4th land. The game continues for a few more turns but this loss of tempo costs me a lot. I eventually lose.
Summary
So in the end I went 3-1-1. There were 18 people and I placed 5th. Unfortunately only the top 4 get prizes. The deck was a blast to play. I just need to dodge pummeler and play a bit tighter + faster.
Renegade Map was well worth the slot especially with Glint-Nest Crane. Having an artifact in my deck to play at one mana was awesome. I could either get a land when I needed it in the first few turns, use it as a mind stone in the early game to cast improvise cards, thin the deck when I need to draw action, tap it to dig deeper with Merchant's Dockhand, use it as a cheap spell to help storm off, or use it as an extra permanent to draw more cards with Paradoxical Outcome. The only downside is that if I need a land to cast Engulf the Shore or Crush of Tentacles and draw Renegade Map instead it feels bad. That is a corner case and it did not happen to me today.
As for changes, I can see cutting the Prophetic Prism and maybe playing a 4th Crush of Tentacles or a 3rd Whir of Invention. One to three Metallic Rebuke main deck could also be a possibility, especially if your meta is Copy Cat heavy. My meta has a lot of aggro so I will not be going this route. This deck requires a critical mass of spells so diluting it was counterspells is not worth it imo. I will only play them main deck if there is stuff going around that I absolutely need to counter in game one. This would include other combo decks or aggressive decks backed up by counterspells in the main deck.
Baral, Chief of Compliance in the board was nice and let me cast bounce spells for cheaper or Whir of Invention more easily. Playing the spells you need to stabilize one turn faster is very desirable vs aggro. I would not bring it in vs control however, the second line of text may as well not even exist when playing him in this deck. He is for the aggro match ups, which this deck does struggle with.
Torrential Gearhulk seems win more to me. I had one in the board initially but took it out for a Merchant's Dockhand. Getting out on the board early with artifacts is what this deck is about. In play testing Torrential Gearhulk just didn't seem as good as the other things going on. It's a lot of mana to be a tutor target and it really only has synergy with 4 cards in the deck. Sometimes I would have it in hand and not even have an instant in the graveyard yet. It's a great card obviously, but feels a bit clunky in this deck.
I brought in Ghirapur Orrery in one match-up and didn't see it so I'm still a little unsure of how good it actually is in the control match-ups. I'm gonna keep one in the board until I get the chance to play with it and find out.
Yesterday I took my list to a 5 round win-a-box tournament with around 30 other players, I was able to play 4 rounds before dropping for a draft.
Overall I went 2-2.
Round 1 2-1 against Jeskai control, I never saw any combo, just a lot of removal and counterspells, Overwhelming Denial being the scariest. I lost game one and then sided in everything except for the familiars, disallow and rejection, taking out engulfs, reverse engineer and 2 rebuke. My opponent sided in Fevered visions (honestly, this card helps our deck so much) and i assume took out removal, I started beating down with an Ornithopter and eventually landed an Efficient Construction, which made 7 tokens before being destroyed and bought a lot of time. I won after he tapped most of the way out and I baited a counter eot on an Outcome,the next turn I whirred for gearhulk and flashed it back to go off. Game 3 nothing really changed for him, I landed an early Bastion Inventor and equipped it with a shield and saw, finishing up with an Ornithopter with 3 saws.
Round 2 1-2 I played vs Green White Tokens, He ramped into a Sram's Expertise which I rebuked and then he played Verdurous Gearhulk, which beat me down before I could draw an Engulf. Game 2 Brought in Disallows, familiars, constuction and negates. I whirred for aetherflux and was able to combo up to about 40 life, which bought me time to draw into more pieces. He tried to flip a Westvale Abbey, and I disallowed the ability, then combo-ed for the win. Game three I struggled on lands and by the time I had 4 he cast Gideon, I rebuked it and then he cast another gearhulk which was bigger than my island count and I had no counters for creatures in my hand.
Round 3 0-2 against Red Green Energy, game one I wasted my rebuke on Voltaic Brawler and they landed pummeler the next, then swung for enough. Game 2 I brought in Dispels, Familiars and Disallows, countered his pummeler, he played hydra, and I lost the next turn.
Round 4 2-0 vs Red Blue burn and some practice matches afterward.(Thermo-Alchemist, Stormchaser Mage etc.) Opponent landed 2 mages and a fevered visions early, visions accelerated me to combo off and win. Game 2 brought in dispel, Negate, bastion Inventor and Filigree Familiar. Got early Inventor and they were stuck without Islands, beat down win. Game 3 they played 2 visions and again gave me the combo, whirred several times familiars and bounced them back with paradoxical a few times.
Overall I feel like the deck is very good, just needs some better tuning and experience on my part for the aggro and tokens matchups. Whir of Invention is the best card for this deck, whirring for gearhulk is great especially when it comes back to your hand off of engulf or outcome, and not having to actually cast Resevoir is a huge help. Bastion Inventor has secured his spot in the sideboard, it's amazing against control when they rarely run fumigates. The card that felt the worst maindeck was definitely Merchant's Dockhand imo, I never wanted it and the few times I saw it it just died before doing anything. Efficient Construction has not had much effect yet, so it's up for consideration on whether or not I cut it.
Game 1 is nearly guarantee, If my hand doesn't that bad. But after SB it going 50/50.
Contraband Kingpin is more than OK. Hold the ground then gain some life though lifelink. Sometime if my hand is bad, equipped Cathar's Shield and Bone Saw to gain some life.
Colossus is where I can turn the tide against some control and also against White Gearhulk. 10/10 And hard to remove Colossus is OK and maybe I try to find some slot in this deck.
I will playtest more this week. Maybe against faster deck [but I think Mardu vehicle is fastest STD deck right now?] and maybe if anyone finishing Saheeli combo deck.
UW Spirits 2-0: I never felt this even a game...just work around the wanderer and they can't quell a Whir for the Reservoir. Crush of tentacles with Inspiring let me combo off in 1 turn with only 6 mana. I did bring in Bastion Inventor because I felt they would bring in more counters (negate) and it did a lot of work to put pressure.
GB Agro 2-0: This version did a turn 1 Dryad into t2 Flayer (met a Rebuke) - I was able to get a crush off to reset their board - the 8/8 just ate a fatal push. Whir for Reservoir end of turn and just won after that pretty easy.
Saheeli 2-1: I don't think this matchup is that bad but they do have a few counters to deal with and the combo looms over our heads. I lost to the combo when I didn't have a Rebuke for the Saheeli. Game 3 I boarded into Engulf the shores and it paid off when I was able to bounce their board with a negate back up to counter this negate.
Saheeli 1-2: I didn't have Rebuke and not much going on so I engineer on turn 3 and they landed a Saheeli - my lack of pressure they just simply kept +1 until they force me to use a crush and they countered, untap and cast cat... bringing in the 4/4 hexproof is key to the matchup
GB Counters: 2-1: Crush and Engulf seal the game up pretty easily. Waiting for a good spot to Whir for reservoir was key after board as they had access to appetite.
I might consider adding white for Authority if Saheeli becomes more of a problem.
All in all, I felt comfortable with the list. Dockhand can just give you that advantage when things seem to be stalled. My board is 3 Negate and the 4 Rebuke; I could consider increasing my counters to let me fight the UB and Saheeli control decks.
Today testing against BR Kiran PW Control
[I dont know how to called it. It is a deck like BR control with a lot of removal and little Chandra and Liliana then Heart of Kiran and kalitas.]
and Bant Eldrazi Aggro
Vs BR Kiran PW Control
Result is impressive. Win 15 Lose 6 [Win 71%]
Maybe it is because their removal is now dead card. Liliana can't kill Ornithopter or any of our creature. Contaband Kingpin contains Kalitas. And paradoxical outcome then GG.
Will test more TMR. Since 1st week my friend still dont prepare for this deck. But result is good and i have a lot of fun in this deck. I will keep update with you guys. Thx for reading
Today testing against BR Kiran PW Control
[I dont know how to called it. It is a deck like BR control with a lot of removal and little Chandra and Liliana then Heart of Kiran and kalitas.]
and Bant Eldrazi Aggro
Vs BR Kiran PW Control
Result is impressive. Win 15 Lose 6 [Win 71%]
Maybe it is because their removal is now dead card. Liliana can't kill Ornithopter or any of our creature. Contaband Kingpin contains Kalitas. And paradoxical outcome then GG.
Will test more TMR. Since 1st week my friend still dont prepare for this deck. But result is good and i have a lot of fun in this deck. I will keep update with you guys. Thx for reading
Black really the way to go? Just not sure what to remove ... I'm "all in" combo game 1 with come cool sideboard options, just not sure if diluting the deck is worth it. Agro isn't usually and issue for me as I can just win turn 4/5 in some games and 6/7 more often than not. Meanwhile I have Crush and Engulf to help keep pressure off the board.
IMHO, Game 1 vs any deck that dont prepare to go full hate on us is guarantee. But post SB is another things.
Worst match up is against White Gearhulk. Crush and engulf cant deal with it.
I splash back for Contraband Kingpin. Most of the time worst play of T2 Kingpin then T3 3 0CMC [+scry 1x3] then Reverse to draw 3 can turn the tide.
Also potential to SB tranform to UB Improvise too.
I tested this deck a lot. Also now want to include Sram. UB is now best type but Mono U is also good and easier to play.
I find that my problem was just counterspells. Faster than agro BG counters is an easy matchup. Saheeli is annoying but not terrible. UB control is what rekt me
IMHO, Game 1 vs any deck that dont prepare to go full hate on us is guarantee. But post SB is another things.
Worst match up is against White Gearhulk. Crush and engulf cant deal with it.
I splash back for Contraband Kingpin. Most of the time worst play of T2 Kingpin then T3 3 0CMC [+scry 1x3] then Reverse to draw 3 can turn the tide.
Also potential to SB tranform to UB Improvise too.
I tested this deck a lot. Also now want to include Sram. UB is now best type but Mono U is also good and easier to play.
I don't really think the worst match-up is white gearhulk, and that card doesn't see much if any play. Saheeli and RG pummeler can both kill on turn four and have ways to deal with interaction if they want to be patient. Not too mention other aggro decks that can potentially kill on turn 4 or control decks jam packed full of interaction. Casting something for 5 mana that can be countered doesn't worry me too much. Even if it does land, it's not game over. We may still have time to rebuild or have an outcome/engulf to bounce our stuff in response. Don't forget about Consulate crackdown either. It's the same CMC as white gearhulk and might be more fearful. It could also actually see play if more people start running the colossus or improvise deck. Crush does answer crackdown though so it's hard to say.
I like mono U right now. I played UB almost all of Kaladesh standard but switched to mono U with the new set. We just have so many options in blue now I don't feel the need to splash. I'm already finding it difficult to squeeze everything I want into the deck. Keeping the deck one colour makes it more consistent as well.
For now the splashes just aren't worth it IMO. If saheeli continues to see a lot of play and is dominate then I may try splashing white, if the meta turns into an aggro fest then I may go back to UB. The multi-colour deck has mana that's too inconsistent for me so I'm unlikely to play it.
I see your point and respect it. Some time T2 Contraband it means no T3 UUU for Whir inventions. It's just need adjustment.
UB is more greedy as your says. And I never face Copycat deck cuz It is too much hate at my local. And my local meta is aggro. SO i played UB.
I also build mono U at first. Just splash B recently and result is going OK. Still wanting to go back mono or anything else if i can. I will try to play more and keep updating.
Nothing says live the dream like turn 3 whir for Reservoir into untap cast inspiring and outcome for U and just win on the spot ... gotta love those turn 4 wins
HurleyV...your list still the same from page 5? That is the one i have been testing the most. Thinking about a UB list but I think it looses a lot of raw power that way.
HurleyV...your list still the same from page 5? That is the one i have been testing the most. Thinking about a UB list but I think it looses a lot of raw power that way.
Changes to the sideboard and I am running a Engulf over Baral's after testing more of the meta. I don't like diluting the combo at all when you are going full on combo so I try to be particular when I board.
GB agro (counters) - match up is pretty easy as we are just quicker
-1 Dockhand -1 Heart +2 Engulf
Saheeli - Can be rough but Engulf is pretty sweet
-3 Crush -1 Outcome -2 Engineer -1 Heart -1 Whir +3 Negate +3 Bastion +2 Engulf
UB Control - Game 1 just sucks but instant speed can sneak some wins (Heart is something you can play with but I've used the extra turn to set up a win by forcing them to counter items and take a turn)
-3 Crush -1 Engulf -2 Engineer -2 Shield -1 Outcome +3 Negate +2 Hope +4 Bastion (play) non-killable threat can come down t2/3
-3 Crush -1 Engulf -2 Engineer -1 Shield +3 Negate +4 Hope (draw) use Hope to set up the combo (4/4 less effective game 3 on the draw from my experience)
Whir is stupid good that lets you have less copies of Reservoir and Inspiring. Multiple Inspiring is juts a bad mind stone. You dilute your 0 drops so you have to use more mana to cast spells and you can't reduce thraben and the clue doesn't do much with outcome and mana sink isn't needed as you already spend it each turn.
Engineer is a very good card and I'm curious why you don't use that? Saheeli just wins right? You can't bounce instant speed and no counters main deck.
Sram is great when he's great but the reason I love the mono blue is it blank's their removal. I've seen people throw removal at my Ornithopter because they had nothing else to do. Sram just gives them a target. Second Sram makes using Hope of Ghirapur game 2/3 against control that much harder. They will keep in their removal and you won't be able to sneak a Hope win by Silence their turn.
I'm trying to play this deck on MODO but more than half of my games are against Saheeli combo. I'm not really happy with any of the cards that interact with the combo. so frustrating.
I'm trying to play this deck on MODO but more than half of my games are against Saheeli combo. I'm not really happy with any of the cards that interact with the combo. so frustrating.
Engulf, negate, crush bounces their board (forces saheeli + cat same turn), rebuke ... if you really feel it's that bad go white for authority. I have a White version that's pretty much the same - engulf is a little less effective.
HurleyV...your list still the same from page 5? That is the one i have been testing the most. Thinking about a UB list but I think it looses a lot of raw power that way.
Changes to the sideboard and I am running a Engulf over Baral's after testing more of the meta. I don't like diluting the combo at all when you are going full on combo so I try to be particular when I board.
GB agro (counters) - match up is pretty easy as we are just quicker
-1 Dockhand -1 Heart +2 Engulf
Saheeli - Can be rough but Engulf is pretty sweet
-3 Crush -1 Outcome -2 Engineer -1 Heart -1 Whir +3 Negate +3 Bastion +2 Engulf
UB Control - Game 1 just sucks but instant speed can sneak some wins (Heart is something you can play with but I've used the extra turn to set up a win by forcing them to counter items and take a turn)
-3 Crush -1 Engulf -2 Engineer -2 Shield -1 Outcome +3 Negate +2 Hope +4 Bastion (play) non-killable threat can come down t2/3
-3 Crush -1 Engulf -2 Engineer -1 Shield +3 Negate +4 Hope (draw) use Hope to set up the combo (4/4 less effective game 3 on the draw from my experience)
I like this list quite a bit. Have you tried renegade map? I've been very impressed with it.
Is 20 lands with no maps enough to reliably cast crush? Do you find yourself stuck on lands or does anticipate and inspiring santuary help enough with finding lands/casting high CMC spells?
How has Hope of Ghirapur performed for you? It's a 1 mana artifact which is great as they are at a premium in this deck. However, with spell queller existing in the format I'm hesistant to play it. Control decks may side in queller and shut it down pretty hard. Queller is a bit out of flavour though and cant be played in UB so maybe my fears aren't really justified. I just can't help but think more counters in the board would be better suited as they are good vs control in addition to copy cat. With that being said I could see myself playing one copy as a solid tutor target. I just wouldn't want to draw more than one of these.
I don't think splashing white for thraben + sram is that bad. Sram does have good upsides, but being hit by removal in game one is certainly undesirable. Having 4 copies of a legendary creature in your deck also has some downside.
I think you want to play Reverse Engineer, I can't really imagine playing the deck without it.
IMO Crush of Tentacles is a bit better in the Baral's Expertise slot. I don't think it's clear cut though, both have advantages and disadvantages. The expertise not bouncing your own reservoir is nice, but on the other hand it only bounces 3 of your opponents creatures instead of their whole board and there may be situations where you want to bounce your own stuff. It's the same case for the second effect. On one hand you get an 8/8 on the other hand you may get to cast a reservoir for free. Crush just seems a little more consistent to me, there may be times where you don't even cast anything for free with Baral's Expertise. Crush is also a threat on it's own in addition to being a reset, the 8/8 has won me many games.
Running four Inspiring Statuary has to be wrong. IMO this is a tutor target and should be played as a one of. Play some number of Whir of Invention instead here.
I'm trying to play this deck on MODO but more than half of my games are against Saheeli combo. I'm not really happy with any of the cards that interact with the combo. so frustrating.
Engulf, negate, crush bounces their board (forces saheeli + cat same turn), rebuke ... if you really feel it's that bad go white for authority. I have a White version that's pretty much the same - engulf is a little less effective.
I don't like any of these spells. Negate is probably the best card, but it's just impossible to find space for them + Dispels and Whirs, and I need both of those. The problem with Authority is that most of the control versions play multiple Nahiris in the MD, and they can just, you know, grind you do death if you use too much space on dead cards.
Have we considered Era of Innovation? It's clunky but it gives you an incentive to drop your eggs when normally they'd be dead cards. Maybe instead of Anticipate?
I played this deck at my first FNM in a year and had a blast I think the improvise cards made this deck very powerful.
I was playing a 3/3 split of Reservoir and Whir of Invention. I tried out a 1-of Inspiring Statuary but I really didn't like it. I never wanted to tutor it over a Reservoir. I would be interested in trying the renegade map, especially if I tried the lower land count some of you guys are doing. I played with 23 lands and even then would sometimes miss on critical land drops.
I was playing the mono blue version and definitely need to work on the sideboard. All I had was counter magic and the 4/4 hexproof guy which didn't seem that impactful. I got one swing in with him against control and then a torrential gearhulk blocked the path. Also what do you guys cut from the main deck when you side? I hate taking things away from the combo and it feels so tight.
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No copies of Metallic Rebuke or Torrential Gearhulk? Seems like having an opening hand of Island, 2 Cheerios and Rebuke is exactly what this deck wants to be doing, not to mention Gearhulk can cast Paradoxical Income from GY and bounce himself as well to draw an additional card and be able to re-use. I'm also unsure about the exact #'s in this list, I'll throw in my version here in a sec.
Match Reports
Round one was vs a newer player playing a mono black budged aetherborn deck. We played about 5 games total (some for fun/practice) and all were easy victories for me.
Round two was vs GW humans. He had two main deck Sigarda, Heron's Grace. Game one lasted about 45 min as this was a bit of a problem for me. He had a slow start so I took over the game quickly and was in control the whole time. I activate reservoir to kill sigarda, he uses a protection spell, I activate reservoir again in response. I'm out of life for activations so I can't kill him and pass the turn. If I was smarter I would have done this at the end of his turn but he was low on mana and I had just gained over 100 life. I felt I was in safe place so I was playing fast and careless. He drops a second sigarda after I pass. I eventually won by drawing almost my whole deck and casting my one main deck engulf the shore. Crush + reservoir in the same turn could also have got it done. We drew the second game and I won the match. He was winning G2 though, as he destroyed my reservoir. Sideboarded games vs aggro are tough as you want counterspells for their artifact hate and bounce spells to stay alive. It's difficult to do this without diluting your deck too much. My strategy today vs aggro was to not bring in any counterspells and just hope they don't draw their sideboard. I want all the bounce spells and don't want to dilute my deck.
Round three was vs UW control. This was an absolute landslide for me. There are so many threats in the deck that need to be answered. Being able to leave mana open for either Whir of Invention, Paradoxical Outcome, Metallic Rebuke, or Merchant's Dockhand activations was tough for him to deal with. On turn three I whir for Merchant's Dockhand eot. He let it resolve as I assume he was scared of Aetherflux Reservoir on my turn 4. I was then able to take over with Merchant's Dockhand. I got to cast 16 spells with two reservoirs in play. There is just so much card advantage in this deck and with the cherio synergies it comes way too quickly. Maybe if my draws were a bit weaker and my opponent was a bit stronger the games would be different. I also got to look at the top 13 cards of my deck with Merchant's Dockhand at one point. I drew a lot of spectators, people were loving it.
Round four vs GW humans again. Game one I made a misplay and let his Hanweir Militia Captain flip when I could have played Engulf the Shore on my turn to bounce it. After it flipped it was out of range. I had lots of terrible with creatures with equipment going so he can't really attack for a while. His start was also a bit slow. Eventually I am at 26 life through Filigree Familiar and blocking + bouncing my own creatures with Paradoxical Outcome. I have the choice to deploy an Aetherflux Reservoir or play Engulf the Shore to bounce everything except for the Hanweir Militia Captain. I chose the reservoir and next turn he kills me with exact damage. A bit risky on my part and without the misplay I think I could have won. Game two I bounce his stuff over and over and over again. He still gets me to 5 life after a number of turns and I've failed to find a reservoir. I crush and start putting on the pressure with an 8/8. My crappy creatures are keeping me alive and Filigree Familiar + Inventors' Fair bring me to 13 life. I find a Whir of Invention with Merchant's Dockhand and have him in a squeeze as I'm threatening to combo off and kill him with an 8/8. He has to do something and chooses to apply pressure with heron's grace champion to try and gain life by attacking with three creatures then maybe finish me off his next turn. It's not enough damage to kill me and I combo off the next turn. He is unable to cast the Appetite for the Unnatural that is in his hand since he tapped out to play the heron's grace champion. He was at 8 life so I don't blame he, I could have fizzled as I had to use Merchant's Dockhand to find a Paradoxical Outcome to win. I also had an Engulf the Shore in hand threatening to bounce all creatures except for my 8/8 and attack for lethal if he did not gain any life. I was winning from multiple angles so one misstep from him and the game was mine. Time is up after 2 games so we draw.
Round 5 is vs RG pummeler. This dudes deck is entirely foil, there's no messing around here. It's not a good match-up, I die on his turn 5 as I was unable to cast a crush on mine. Game two he mulls a lot and I manage to repeatedly force him to chump block with a crush 8/8 and two Bone Saw. I eventually win with a 3/11 Ornithopter after he uses pump spells defensively to kill my 8/8. Game three I have three lands with two Engulf the Shore in hand. I have to play Reverse Engineer instead to find my 4th land. The game continues for a few more turns but this loss of tempo costs me a lot. I eventually lose.
Summary
So in the end I went 3-1-1. There were 18 people and I placed 5th. Unfortunately only the top 4 get prizes. The deck was a blast to play. I just need to dodge pummeler and play a bit tighter + faster.
Renegade Map was well worth the slot especially with Glint-Nest Crane. Having an artifact in my deck to play at one mana was awesome. I could either get a land when I needed it in the first few turns, use it as a mind stone in the early game to cast improvise cards, thin the deck when I need to draw action, tap it to dig deeper with Merchant's Dockhand, use it as a cheap spell to help storm off, or use it as an extra permanent to draw more cards with Paradoxical Outcome. The only downside is that if I need a land to cast Engulf the Shore or Crush of Tentacles and draw Renegade Map instead it feels bad. That is a corner case and it did not happen to me today.
As for changes, I can see cutting the Prophetic Prism and maybe playing a 4th Crush of Tentacles or a 3rd Whir of Invention. One to three Metallic Rebuke main deck could also be a possibility, especially if your meta is Copy Cat heavy. My meta has a lot of aggro so I will not be going this route. This deck requires a critical mass of spells so diluting it was counterspells is not worth it imo. I will only play them main deck if there is stuff going around that I absolutely need to counter in game one. This would include other combo decks or aggressive decks backed up by counterspells in the main deck.
Baral, Chief of Compliance in the board was nice and let me cast bounce spells for cheaper or Whir of Invention more easily. Playing the spells you need to stabilize one turn faster is very desirable vs aggro. I would not bring it in vs control however, the second line of text may as well not even exist when playing him in this deck. He is for the aggro match ups, which this deck does struggle with.
Torrential Gearhulk seems win more to me. I had one in the board initially but took it out for a Merchant's Dockhand. Getting out on the board early with artifacts is what this deck is about. In play testing Torrential Gearhulk just didn't seem as good as the other things going on. It's a lot of mana to be a tutor target and it really only has synergy with 4 cards in the deck. Sometimes I would have it in hand and not even have an instant in the graveyard yet. It's a great card obviously, but feels a bit clunky in this deck.
I brought in Ghirapur Orrery in one match-up and didn't see it so I'm still a little unsure of how good it actually is in the control match-ups. I'm gonna keep one in the board until I get the chance to play with it and find out.
With 22 artifacts in my main deck Merchant's Dockhand was my MVP today.
Modern: Esper Mentor / UG Infect
Commander: Sidisi, Brood Tyrant / Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2x Aetherflux Reservoir
4x Bone Saw
4x Cathar's Shield
Creature (7)
2x Torrential Gearhulk
1x Merchant's Dockhand
4x Ornithopter
Instant (19)
4x Metallic Rebuke
4x Engulf the Shores
3x Anticipate
4x Whir Of Invention
4x Paradoxical Outcome
4x Reverse Engineer
Land (20)
2x Inventors' Fair
18x Island
2x Filigree Familiar
3x Dispel
3x Negate
1x Ceremonious Rejection
2x Disallow
2x Efficient Construction
2x Bastion Inventor
Yesterday I took my list to a 5 round win-a-box tournament with around 30 other players, I was able to play 4 rounds before dropping for a draft.
Overall I went 2-2.
Round 1 2-1 against Jeskai control, I never saw any combo, just a lot of removal and counterspells, Overwhelming Denial being the scariest. I lost game one and then sided in everything except for the familiars, disallow and rejection, taking out engulfs, reverse engineer and 2 rebuke. My opponent sided in Fevered visions (honestly, this card helps our deck so much) and i assume took out removal, I started beating down with an Ornithopter and eventually landed an Efficient Construction, which made 7 tokens before being destroyed and bought a lot of time. I won after he tapped most of the way out and I baited a counter eot on an Outcome,the next turn I whirred for gearhulk and flashed it back to go off. Game 3 nothing really changed for him, I landed an early Bastion Inventor and equipped it with a shield and saw, finishing up with an Ornithopter with 3 saws.
Round 2 1-2 I played vs Green White Tokens, He ramped into a Sram's Expertise which I rebuked and then he played Verdurous Gearhulk, which beat me down before I could draw an Engulf. Game 2 Brought in Disallows, familiars, constuction and negates. I whirred for aetherflux and was able to combo up to about 40 life, which bought me time to draw into more pieces. He tried to flip a Westvale Abbey, and I disallowed the ability, then combo-ed for the win. Game three I struggled on lands and by the time I had 4 he cast Gideon, I rebuked it and then he cast another gearhulk which was bigger than my island count and I had no counters for creatures in my hand.
Round 3 0-2 against Red Green Energy, game one I wasted my rebuke on Voltaic Brawler and they landed pummeler the next, then swung for enough. Game 2 I brought in Dispels, Familiars and Disallows, countered his pummeler, he played hydra, and I lost the next turn.
Round 4 2-0 vs Red Blue burn and some practice matches afterward.(Thermo-Alchemist, Stormchaser Mage etc.) Opponent landed 2 mages and a fevered visions early, visions accelerated me to combo off and win. Game 2 brought in dispel, Negate, bastion Inventor and Filigree Familiar. Got early Inventor and they were stuck without Islands, beat down win. Game 3 they played 2 visions and again gave me the combo, whirred several times familiars and bounced them back with paradoxical a few times.
Overall I feel like the deck is very good, just needs some better tuning and experience on my part for the aggro and tokens matchups. Whir of Invention is the best card for this deck, whirring for gearhulk is great especially when it comes back to your hand off of engulf or outcome, and not having to actually cast Resevoir is a huge help. Bastion Inventor has secured his spot in the sideboard, it's amazing against control when they rarely run fumigates. The card that felt the worst maindeck was definitely Merchant's Dockhand imo, I never wanted it and the few times I saw it it just died before doing anything. Efficient Construction has not had much effect yet, so it's up for consideration on whether or not I cut it.
I am considering a black splash for Battle at the Bridge, Contraband Kingpin and potentially Tezzeret's Touch. Cutting dockhand for a Pilgrim's Eye and running 1 swamp and 4 sunken hollow. Mostly to help with aggro matchups, but idk if it's worth it right now.
4 Contaband Kingpin
4 Ornithopter
2 Glint-Nest Crane
4 Whir the Inventipn
4 Paradoxaical Outcome
4 Aetherflux Reservoir
4 Bone Saw
4 Cathar's Shield
2 Sunken Hallow
16 Islands
Game 1 is nearly guarantee, If my hand doesn't that bad. But after SB it going 50/50.
Contraband Kingpin is more than OK. Hold the ground then gain some life though lifelink. Sometime if my hand is bad, equipped Cathar's Shield and Bone Saw to gain some life.
Colossus is where I can turn the tide against some control and also against White Gearhulk. 10/10 And hard to remove Colossus is OK and maybe I try to find some slot in this deck.
I will playtest more this week. Maybe against faster deck [but I think Mardu vehicle is fastest STD deck right now?] and maybe if anyone finishing Saheeli combo deck.
UW Spirits 2-0: I never felt this even a game...just work around the wanderer and they can't quell a Whir for the Reservoir. Crush of tentacles with Inspiring let me combo off in 1 turn with only 6 mana. I did bring in Bastion Inventor because I felt they would bring in more counters (negate) and it did a lot of work to put pressure.
GB Agro 2-0: This version did a turn 1 Dryad into t2 Flayer (met a Rebuke) - I was able to get a crush off to reset their board - the 8/8 just ate a fatal push. Whir for Reservoir end of turn and just won after that pretty easy.
Saheeli 2-1: I don't think this matchup is that bad but they do have a few counters to deal with and the combo looms over our heads. I lost to the combo when I didn't have a Rebuke for the Saheeli. Game 3 I boarded into Engulf the shores and it paid off when I was able to bounce their board with a negate back up to counter this negate.
Saheeli 1-2: I didn't have Rebuke and not much going on so I engineer on turn 3 and they landed a Saheeli - my lack of pressure they just simply kept +1 until they force me to use a crush and they countered, untap and cast cat... bringing in the 4/4 hexproof is key to the matchup
GB Counters: 2-1: Crush and Engulf seal the game up pretty easily. Waiting for a good spot to Whir for reservoir was key after board as they had access to appetite.
I might consider adding white for Authority if Saheeli becomes more of a problem.
All in all, I felt comfortable with the list. Dockhand can just give you that advantage when things seem to be stalled. My board is 3 Negate and the 4 Rebuke; I could consider increasing my counters to let me fight the UB and Saheeli control decks.
[I dont know how to called it. It is a deck like BR control with a lot of removal and little Chandra and Liliana then Heart of Kiran and kalitas.]
and Bant Eldrazi Aggro
Vs BR Kiran PW Control
Result is impressive. Win 15 Lose 6 [Win 71%]
Maybe it is because their removal is now dead card. Liliana can't kill Ornithopter or any of our creature. Contaband Kingpin contains Kalitas. And paradoxical outcome then GG.
Most troublesome card is Transgress the Mind.
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Vs Bant Eldrazi Aggro
Result is 8W 5L
It is easier IMO. Our creature block for the days. Most trouble thing I face is Displacer + Thought-Knot Seer to discard best card in our hand.
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Will test more TMR. Since 1st week my friend still dont prepare for this deck. But result is good and i have a lot of fun in this deck. I will keep update with you guys. Thx for reading
Black really the way to go? Just not sure what to remove ... I'm "all in" combo game 1 with come cool sideboard options, just not sure if diluting the deck is worth it. Agro isn't usually and issue for me as I can just win turn 4/5 in some games and 6/7 more often than not. Meanwhile I have Crush and Engulf to help keep pressure off the board.
Worst match up is against White Gearhulk. Crush and engulf cant deal with it.
I splash back for Contraband Kingpin. Most of the time worst play of T2 Kingpin then T3 3 0CMC [+scry 1x3] then Reverse to draw 3 can turn the tide.
Also potential to SB tranform to UB Improvise too.
I tested this deck a lot. Also now want to include Sram. UB is now best type but Mono U is also good and easier to play.
I don't really think the worst match-up is white gearhulk, and that card doesn't see much if any play. Saheeli and RG pummeler can both kill on turn four and have ways to deal with interaction if they want to be patient. Not too mention other aggro decks that can potentially kill on turn 4 or control decks jam packed full of interaction. Casting something for 5 mana that can be countered doesn't worry me too much. Even if it does land, it's not game over. We may still have time to rebuild or have an outcome/engulf to bounce our stuff in response. Don't forget about Consulate crackdown either. It's the same CMC as white gearhulk and might be more fearful. It could also actually see play if more people start running the colossus or improvise deck. Crush does answer crackdown though so it's hard to say.
I like mono U right now. I played UB almost all of Kaladesh standard but switched to mono U with the new set. We just have so many options in blue now I don't feel the need to splash. I'm already finding it difficult to squeeze everything I want into the deck. Keeping the deck one colour makes it more consistent as well.
I don't think playing UB is bad. You get access to battle at the bridge/contraband kingpin, and flaying tendrils/Yahenni's Expertise/Herald of Anguish if you're greedy. UB gives you access to great cards vs aggro, but if aggro is not your problem then I would steer away from this colour combination.
Other splashes are possible as well. White give you access to Authority of the Consuls/Sram, Senior Edificer/fragmentize, and fumigate if you're greedy. You can also do like Caleb Sherer and splash green for traverse the ulvenwald/attune with aether and play multiple other colours + radiant flames with the added fixing.
For now the splashes just aren't worth it IMO. If saheeli continues to see a lot of play and is dominate then I may try splashing white, if the meta turns into an aggro fest then I may go back to UB. The multi-colour deck has mana that's too inconsistent for me so I'm unlikely to play it.
Modern: Esper Mentor / UG Infect
Commander: Sidisi, Brood Tyrant / Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
UB is more greedy as your says. And I never face Copycat deck cuz It is too much hate at my local. And my local meta is aggro. SO i played UB.
I also build mono U at first. Just splash B recently and result is going OK. Still wanting to go back mono or anything else if i can. I will try to play more and keep updating.
Love to chat with you guys. Thx
4 Ornithopter
4 Bone Saw
4 Cathar's Shield
Draw/Tutor:(15)
4 Reverse Engineer
3 Whir of Invention
4 Anticipate
4 Paradoxical Outcome
Tutor Items:(5)
2 Aetherflux Reservoir
1 Merchant's Dockhand
1 Inspiring Statuary
1 Gonti's Aether Heart
4 Metallic Rebuke
3 Crush of Tentacles
1 Engulf the Shores
Lands:(20)
18 Island
2 Inventors' Fair
4 Bastion Inventor
4 Hope of Ghirapur
3 Negate
2 Engulf the Shores
1 Aetherflux Reservoir
Changes to the sideboard and I am running a Engulf over Baral's after testing more of the meta. I don't like diluting the combo at all when you are going full on combo so I try to be particular when I board.
GB agro (counters) - match up is pretty easy as we are just quicker
-1 Dockhand -1 Heart +2 Engulf
Saheeli - Can be rough but Engulf is pretty sweet
-3 Crush -1 Outcome -2 Engineer -1 Heart -1 Whir +3 Negate +3 Bastion +2 Engulf
UB Control - Game 1 just sucks but instant speed can sneak some wins (Heart is something you can play with but I've used the extra turn to set up a win by forcing them to counter items and take a turn)
-3 Crush -1 Engulf -2 Engineer -2 Shield -1 Outcome +3 Negate +2 Hope +4 Bastion (play) non-killable threat can come down t2/3
-3 Crush -1 Engulf -2 Engineer -1 Shield +3 Negate +4 Hope (draw) use Hope to set up the combo (4/4 less effective game 3 on the draw from my experience)
GW Tokens - combo and win
-1 Dockhand -1 Crush -1 Rebuke +2 Engulf +1 Reservoir
Still working on numbers
is this mono blue version better than the one with the white splash?
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Sram, Senior Edificer
3 Aetherflux Reservoir
4 Bone Saw
4 Cathar's Shield
4 Inspiring Statuary
3 Prophetic Prism
4 Paradoxical Outcome
4 Baral's Expertise
6 Plains
4 Port Town
4 Prairie Stream
1 Inventors' Fair
the creatures add a lot value
also the blue expertise can act as a mini paradoxical outcome that cheats the reservoir or an engulf
Engineer is a very good card and I'm curious why you don't use that? Saheeli just wins right? You can't bounce instant speed and no counters main deck.
Sram is great when he's great but the reason I love the mono blue is it blank's their removal. I've seen people throw removal at my Ornithopter because they had nothing else to do. Sram just gives them a target. Second Sram makes using Hope of Ghirapur game 2/3 against control that much harder. They will keep in their removal and you won't be able to sneak a Hope win by Silence their turn.
Just my 2 cents.
Youtube Channel
Engulf, negate, crush bounces their board (forces saheeli + cat same turn), rebuke ... if you really feel it's that bad go white for authority. I have a White version that's pretty much the same - engulf is a little less effective.
4 Ornithopter
4 Bone Saw
4 Cathar's Shield
Draw/Tutor:(15)
4 Reverse Engineer
3 Whir of Invention
4 Anticipate
4 Paradoxical Outcome
Tutor Items:(5)
2 Aetherflux Reservoir
1 Merchant's Dockhand
1 Inspiring Statuary
1 Gonti's Aether Heart
4 Metallic Rebuke
3 Crush of Tentacles
1 Engulf the Shores
Lands:(20)
4 Prairie Stream
4 Spire of Industry
12 Island
3 Bastion Inventor
3 Hope of Ghirapur
3 Negate
2 Engulf the Shores
4 Authority of the Consuls
I like this list quite a bit. Have you tried renegade map? I've been very impressed with it.
Is 20 lands with no maps enough to reliably cast crush? Do you find yourself stuck on lands or does anticipate and inspiring santuary help enough with finding lands/casting high CMC spells?
How has Hope of Ghirapur performed for you? It's a 1 mana artifact which is great as they are at a premium in this deck. However, with spell queller existing in the format I'm hesistant to play it. Control decks may side in queller and shut it down pretty hard. Queller is a bit out of flavour though and cant be played in UB so maybe my fears aren't really justified. I just can't help but think more counters in the board would be better suited as they are good vs control in addition to copy cat. With that being said I could see myself playing one copy as a solid tutor target. I just wouldn't want to draw more than one of these.
I don't think splashing white for thraben + sram is that bad. Sram does have good upsides, but being hit by removal in game one is certainly undesirable. Having 4 copies of a legendary creature in your deck also has some downside.
I think you want to play Reverse Engineer, I can't really imagine playing the deck without it.
IMO Crush of Tentacles is a bit better in the Baral's Expertise slot. I don't think it's clear cut though, both have advantages and disadvantages. The expertise not bouncing your own reservoir is nice, but on the other hand it only bounces 3 of your opponents creatures instead of their whole board and there may be situations where you want to bounce your own stuff. It's the same case for the second effect. On one hand you get an 8/8 on the other hand you may get to cast a reservoir for free. Crush just seems a little more consistent to me, there may be times where you don't even cast anything for free with Baral's Expertise. Crush is also a threat on it's own in addition to being a reset, the 8/8 has won me many games.
Running four Inspiring Statuary has to be wrong. IMO this is a tutor target and should be played as a one of. Play some number of Whir of Invention instead here.
Modern: Esper Mentor / UG Infect
Commander: Sidisi, Brood Tyrant / Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
I don't like any of these spells. Negate is probably the best card, but it's just impossible to find space for them + Dispels and Whirs, and I need both of those. The problem with Authority is that most of the control versions play multiple Nahiris in the MD, and they can just, you know, grind you do death if you use too much space on dead cards.
Youtube Channel
WUEmeria ControlUW
WUGifts TronUW
RGWNaya BurnWGR
RGTronGR
GUInfectUG
HAffinityH
I was playing a 3/3 split of Reservoir and Whir of Invention. I tried out a 1-of Inspiring Statuary but I really didn't like it. I never wanted to tutor it over a Reservoir. I would be interested in trying the renegade map, especially if I tried the lower land count some of you guys are doing. I played with 23 lands and even then would sometimes miss on critical land drops.
I was playing the mono blue version and definitely need to work on the sideboard. All I had was counter magic and the 4/4 hexproof guy which didn't seem that impactful. I got one swing in with him against control and then a torrential gearhulk blocked the path. Also what do you guys cut from the main deck when you side? I hate taking things away from the combo and it feels so tight.