Where do you guys think this deck will stand in the new standard? It seems well positioned in an aggro-biased meta, and the haunted dead / prized amalgam shell lets you grind very effectively. We lost gather the pack and tiny jace with rotation but gained filigree familiar as great emerge fodder so I think it should still be playable. Here's what I'm working with so far:
Sideboard is just a draft atm so you can safely ignore it. The mana is also kinda rough because of how high the coloured mana requirements are on elder deep-fiend, even though we have 2 fastlands and sunken hollow. So it might end up that RUG Emerge is better choice overall because of how much more useful Kozilek's Return becomes and how much easier the mana is. What do you think?
Also it's possible that playing some number of Scrapheap Scrounger is correct, but in my testing I've found that 2cmc means it's non-optimal for emerge and 4x haunted dead is consistent enough at reanimating prized amalgams that I feel running extras of that effect is unnecessary. Most of the time you're not going to have many expendable creatures in the graveyard so advanced stitchwing is probably a better choice in that slot (if it's necessary).
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Modern
Dredge (117-70 W/L in games) (Pre-GGT ban: 103-70 W/L in games)
I think the deck needs enablers to replace Gather the Pack. It might be Corpse Churn; it might be Contingency Plan; it might be something else entirely. I've seen lists that incorporate Smuggler's Copter as the Jace replacement - that may be an area to explore.
I don't like Filigree Familiar much in this deck. The deck doesn't lack emerge fodder given all the recursion, and it just doesn't advance the game plan.
@ Rondiggity Noose Constrictor is necessary so we can discard haunted deads stuck in our hand to reanimate them for cheap. I don't think I'd ever cut them tbh
Also @ jar75, what would you replace the Filigree Familiar's with? Contingency Plan seems fine in this deck but we might also want Pilgrim's Eye to smooth our land drops (but eye also dies to liliana, so it's less useful as an emerge target)
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Modern
Dredge (117-70 W/L in games) (Pre-GGT ban: 103-70 W/L in games)
Consider replacing Filigree Familiar with Scrapheap Scrounger. It's an artifact for Ishkanah and other delirium but it also is good to mill or discard and makes Prized Amalgams even better. I know that it is 2 instead of 3 for emerge but the upside does seem worthwhile.
@ Rondiggity Noose Constrictor is necessary so we can discard haunted deads stuck in our hand to reanimate them for cheap. I don't think I'd ever cut them tbh
Also @ jar75, what would you replace the Filigree Familiar's with? Contingency Plan seems fine in this deck but we might also want Pilgrim's Eye to smooth our land drops (but eye also dies to liliana, so it's less useful as an emerge target)
I haven't done any testing; I'm going to see how the first week of standard plays out before really diving in.
Contingency Plan might be a necessary evil. I've certainly cast Gathers where I've purposefully chosen nothing, but that card is so bad in a vacuum that I don't know if I can justify it. This deck would kill for a Satyr Wayfinder.
The land base is much better imo with the fast lands. I haven't tested kld cards yet, except fast lands. I was trying grim flayer, but had mediocre results. Might test him again to be sure. I know lots of people are against lili, especially being bb, but I find her a very useful piece of the puzzle. Kiora reeeeally shines in the mirror, where you can untap your elder deep in the elder deep wars... lol.
1x Distended Mindbender
4x Elder Deep-Fiend
3x Filigree Familiar
4x Haunted Dead
1x Ishkanah, Grafwidow
4x Noose Constrictor
4x Prized Amalgam
Instant (8)
4x Grapple with the Past
4x Kozilek's Return
3x Blooming Marsh
4x Botanical Sanctum
4x Evolving Wilds
4x Forest
2x Island
3x Sunken Hollow
3x Swamp
Sorcery (4)
4x Traverse the Ulvenwald
Enchantment (4)
4x Vessel of Nascency
1x Distended Mindbender
1x Emrakul, the Promised End
1x Ishkanah, Grafwidow
2x Lost Legacy
1x Mountain
2x Pick the Brain
2x Pulse of Murasa
2x Sinister Concoction
3x To the Slaughter
Sideboard is just a draft atm so you can safely ignore it. The mana is also kinda rough because of how high the coloured mana requirements are on elder deep-fiend, even though we have 2 fastlands and sunken hollow. So it might end up that RUG Emerge is better choice overall because of how much more useful Kozilek's Return becomes and how much easier the mana is. What do you think?
Also it's possible that playing some number of Scrapheap Scrounger is correct, but in my testing I've found that 2cmc means it's non-optimal for emerge and 4x haunted dead is consistent enough at reanimating prized amalgams that I feel running extras of that effect is unnecessary. Most of the time you're not going to have many expendable creatures in the graveyard so advanced stitchwing is probably a better choice in that slot (if it's necessary).
Dredge (117-70 W/L in games) (Pre-GGT ban: 103-70 W/L in games)
I don't like Filigree Familiar much in this deck. The deck doesn't lack emerge fodder given all the recursion, and it just doesn't advance the game plan.
UR Blue-Red Control
Modern:
UBR Grixis Control
UWR Jeskai Control
C Long Live Eldrazi C
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=11439737#post11439737
Reality is only what man allows it to be. Few shape it so that many may accept it.
Also @ jar75, what would you replace the Filigree Familiar's with? Contingency Plan seems fine in this deck but we might also want Pilgrim's Eye to smooth our land drops (but eye also dies to liliana, so it's less useful as an emerge target)
Dredge (117-70 W/L in games) (Pre-GGT ban: 103-70 W/L in games)
This is where I'd start:
4x Blooming Marsh
4x Botanical Sanctum
4x Evolving Wilds
4x Forest
2x Island
2x Swamp
2x Sunken Hollow
1x Distended Mindbender
4x Elder Deep-Fiend
4x Haunted Dead
1x Ishkanah, Grafwidow
3x Noose Constrictor
4x Prized Amalgam
1x Stitchwing Skaab
2x Smuggler's Copter
Instant (10)
2x Corpse Churn
4x Grapple with the Past
4x Kozilek's Return
Sorcery (4)
4x Traverse the Ulvenwald
Enchantment (4)
4x Vessel of Nascency
I haven't done any testing; I'm going to see how the first week of standard plays out before really diving in.
Contingency Plan might be a necessary evil. I've certainly cast Gathers where I've purposefully chosen nothing, but that card is so bad in a vacuum that I don't know if I can justify it. This deck would kill for a Satyr Wayfinder.
UR Blue-Red Control
Modern:
UBR Grixis Control
UWR Jeskai Control
1 Distended mindbender
4 Elder deep-fiend
4 Haunted dead
4 Prized amalgam
1 ishkanah, grafwidow
1 kalitas, traitor of ghet
1 stitchwing skaab
2 liliana, the last hope
4 oath of jace
2 vessel of nascency
4 kozilek's return
4 traverse the ulvenwald
The land base is much better imo with the fast lands. I haven't tested kld cards yet, except fast lands. I was trying grim flayer, but had mediocre results. Might test him again to be sure. I know lots of people are against lili, especially being bb, but I find her a very useful piece of the puzzle. Kiora reeeeally shines in the mirror, where you can untap your elder deep in the elder deep wars... lol.