MTG Salvation

Just for fun, I brought a second deck at FNM, and played it between games. I was amazed by the results (4-1 on games, not matchups, and the game I lost, opponent was down to 1 life). I think the deck may be well positionned in the current metagame.


I think it is Shock that makes the deck again possible and competitive. It is quite fast, can kill creatures or burn the dome. Spirebluff Canal also helps fix the colors and ensure an untapped land in the first few crucial turns (to cast the permanents).

I don't have a SB at this time, but Negate and Hungry Flames may be a good choices. I'm clueless about the rest.

Goal is to cast a flurry of spells to trigger Thing and Alchemist. Goal is achieved by controlling the board with spot removals, and through card digging (Reunion and Visions). It wasn't rare to cast 3 spells in a turn to flip Thing out of nowhere (opponent always thinks he has more time). And Thermo Alchemist really delivers a punch in the same circumstances. With both on the battlefield, I could deal 16 damage in a single turn with only 3 mana : Shock on you, Axe your dude, Temper on you, Alchemist x4, flip Thing to wipe the board and attack for 7 = 16.

Maybe 4 Lightning Axe is a bit too much ; Cathartic Reunion is a bad top deck on a empty hand ; and Collective Defiance packs a lot, but it also costs a lot and doesn't play in the "Machinegun" strategy. Maybe I should reduce each to three, and replace them with Just the Wind for discard synergy and very low cost (as well as adding a card to opponent's hand to make sure Visions deal damage), or plain counterspells (Unsubstantiate, Negate, etc.).

I think instead of Lightning Axe you should run Hungry Flames or Flame Lash. If a card doesn't go to the face (in addition to hitting a creature), I'd put it in the sideboard. I have a similar opinion of Galvanic Bombardment.

I think instead of Cathartic Reunion (which, btw, is a card I really like), your deck would rather have Bedlam Reveler. It's a much better topdeck.

I gave up.. everything dies to fatal push and there is too much aggro that fevered visions doesn't win the game anymore.

If you don't have lightning axe you just die to heart of kiran or grim flayer with delierium or Snake with a +1/+1 counter. you go down on mana effiencey if you use anything else.

This was my deck before I pulled it apart.

Quote from Ronnie328 »

I think instead of Lightning Axe you should run Hungry Flames or Flame Lash. If a card doesn't go to the face (in addition to hitting a creature), I'd put it in the sideboard. I have a similar opinion of Galvanic Bombardment.

I think instead of Cathartic Reunion (which, btw, is a card I really like), your deck would rather have Bedlam Reveler. It's a much better topdeck.

Lightning Axe has great synergy with Fiery Temper and Just the Wind (we're testing a version with that card). Hungry Flames sits too high on the curve to fit in the deck, and Flame Lash is worse. The deck performs not on quality spells, but on casting a lot of spells. I would play Hungry Flames in the SB, and side it in only on the draw (where you will be behind and need every spells to hit harder). And maybe one or two Flame Lash in the same circumstances, as well as Torrential Gearhulk (these two together = kaboom).

The metagame is full of creatures heavy deck right now. I would play Galvanic Bombardment and Lightning Axe in the deck anytime, just because they cost only a single red mana.

The problem with Bedlam Reveler in this deck is because we draw a lot of cards with Fevered Visions, and it doesn't happen often that our hand is empty.

Quote from Narvuntien »

I gave up.. everything dies to fatal push and there is too much aggro that fevered visions doesn't win the game anymore.

That's why I would side in Dispel against black (with the prevalence of instant speed removals, it's probably quite good, and it costs only one mana). And doesn't Thing deals well with Aggro? Given the example in my first post that I could hit for 16 in a single turn with 3 mana (T4) and reset their board, I don't feel the deck is not well positioned. I may be wrong, but it feels strong, particularly against Aggro.

I was main deck playing 4 dispel (-2 tormenting voice - 2 unsubstantiate) the week before I took it apart to try to deal with it.

But the nature of the deck is that you need proactive cards to keep pressure on your opponent life and to cast to allow you to flip thing.

If your opponent never casts an instant you have a dead card and you don't have many dead cards to spare before you lose.

Nah standard is two decks vechials and GB and you can't beat either deck with this.

Have you tried Just the Wind in the deck?

Replace Fevered Visions with Dynavolt Tower and put Harnessed Lightning in the main for the vehicles match. It helps immensely. Also think about Lightning Weaver since it kills so many of their creatures and dodges Push.

Well I am trying to play UR Dynavolt tower, but I hate it.

Dynavolt tower is too slow and harnessed lightning (Which doesn't go to the face) and 4 glimmer of genious a bunch more lands some counterspells because its a slow deck now and 4 Torrential Gearhulk. At which point it is a completely different deck that plays completely differently.

Quote from Narvuntien »

Well I am trying to play UR Dynavolt tower, but I hate it.

Dynavolt tower is too slow and harnessed lightning (Which doesn't go to the face) and 4 glimmer of genious a bunch more lands some counterspells because its a slow deck now and 4 Torrential Gearhulk. At which point it is a completely different deck that plays completely differently.

Well, yeah. At that point, it plays more like a traditional control deck. You answer or counter their threats while doing incidental damage before you can land a creature and kill them with it.

Okay. I am going to appologise. I had a rought month with the deck... but somehow... I won FNM tonight.



Seems everyone got bored of snake decks. I managed to beat mardu vechicals.. because they got mana screwed (three colour decks are going to do that sometimes) and Jeskai Copy Cat control because I drew double visions.