The deck first started as a Tempo deck (Blue Black Tempo Jacks), but after extensive testing, I realised how powerful The Scarab God really was. Playing the God instead of more Tempo oriented cards was already a step closer to Midrange. And after reading SaffronOlive's article, I realised Midrange really was the direction Pirates should be taken. Another PRIMER was required, even if the deck still has a certain Tempo feeling to it...
Disclaimer : I'll give full credit to SaffronOlive for the deck list. I tweaked the lands a bit, and one or two cards in the main deck, but that's all. Also, I want to point out that @jacobk was the first to my knowledge to post a deck list with full playset of Gifted Aetherborn and Champion of Wits.
It's manabase is reliable, and won't let you down.
It can play any role on the metagame clock, and doesn't have any bad matchups.
DETAILED EXPLANATIONS :1. The most powerful card in Standard right now is The Scarab God. And it will likely stay so until it rotates out in a year from now. And this deck probably offers one of the best assortment of targets for its ability :
4/4 Flash Deathtouch Lifelink Gifted Aetherborn to ambush big creatures with hexproof.
2. Amazing card advantage all around the curve :
Kitesail Freebooter is usually a 2-for-1, since it can protect itself (exile a removal) and Stormtamer or Dispersal can protect it even further ;
Champion of Wits to loot away cards you don't need for that matchup, and/or discard targets for the God (and pure card advantage when you Eternalize it, so you don't mind if it dies to Walking Balista) ;
Hostage Taker is a 3-for-1 most of the time, and we're better at protecting it than any other decks with Stormtamer, Freebooter and Dispersal ;
The Scarab God itself is card advantage (unless countered or exiled right away). But eternalize Kitesail Freebooter or Hostage Taker and we get card advantage over card advantage.
3. Very good answers :
Lookout's Dispersal is an excellent counterspell. It can deal with T4 bombs (Hazoret, Hydra, Chandra) even when we're on the draw and don't have any Pirates on the battlefield. I'll take four.
Fatal Push, helped by Evolving Wilds, is super cheap and effective removal. I'll take four, too.
Walk the Plank is cheap and good at the moment (no Merfolk in the meta right now), despite being a sorcery. One is enough.
Trial of Ambition deals with Gods and hexproof creatures (Bristling Hydra and Carnage Tyrant). It's narrow, so make that one.
Essence Extraction kills many creatures in the current meta. It's an instant and gains you some life. It's not cheap, and selectively effective, so only one in the main deck.
Vraska's Contempt instantly kills everything, even Gods and Planeswalkers. Gaining 2 life is nice. But it costs 4, so make that two in the 75.
4. Reliable manabase :
"The best decks are usually the ones with the best mana" - Frank Karsten. Allied-Color decks don't have Fastlands, but we have a better mid-to-long game with Checklands (ETB untapped) and Cyclelands (flood protection). And staying in two colors adds to reliability.
5. It can play many roles :
Aggro-Control to beat Control : With 23 creatures, hand disruptions and counterspells, it can play aggressively while protecting the board from sweepers. Champion of Wits will even make sure removals (dead cards) are filtered out to the graveyard.
Control to beat Combo : Main deck counterspells and hand disruptions can deal with most combos, and removals can even take care of Electrostatic Pummeler.
Combo to beat Midrange : Hostage Taker removes a threat and gives you control of it, while The Scarab God will quickly snowballs to victory.
Midrange to beat Aggro : 9 removals and 4 Gifted Aetherborn take care of the early games problems, and 25%+ of the deck being card advantage will make sure opponent dries out before you do.
Only the mirror matchup is probably a coin toss. I otherwise beleive the deck to have a 55-65% MWP across the board.
Champion of Wits + Hostage Taker. Exile Champion with Taker if no good targets are available (or if you can't protect Taker and no better play on turn 4). If Taker dies, we get a free Champion. If not, we get to cast Champion again (and loot).
Champion of Wits + Champion of Wits : Discard second Champion when you loot with the first, so you can Eternalize it later and get real card advantage.
Field of Ruin + Fatal Push : The basic land fetched enters the battlefield untapped. Sacrificing Field of Ruin triggers Revolt, and the Swamp fetched can cast Fatal Push.
CARDS UNDER CONSIDERATION :
Gonti, Lord of Luxury : Gonti fills the same spot on the curve as Hostage Taker. There's less tempo swing and card advantage to it than Taker, but is more useful in the Control matchups (where Taker just don't have any targets but our own creatures). Could be 2 in SB, or 1 in SB and 1 in main deck (instead of 1 Taker) if Control decks rise in popularity.
Lost Legacy : Pure SB material, but true hate vs Combo and Control decks.
Baral's Expertise : Huge tempo swing in our favor vs Aggro and Midrange if we bounce 2-3 of their creatures and 0-1 Hostage Taker (if we don't have it already in hand).
The PRIMER is now done. I hope the community likes it!
Hopefully, the deck will gain some traction and the thread be upgraded to Established or Proven soon. It certainly feels like Tier 1 material to me (have a look at SaffronOlive's videos to better understand the deck's power).
Feel free to comment, and/or to post your own results (be they real games at an event, or just play testing with friends or online). I'll test the deck myself with XMage and post the results as they come in.
I don't think Ifnir Deadlands is a good card, and I think you mentioned it on one of your previous iterations of this deck. Could it be right to change these to Field of Ruin? SaffronOlive said that it could be a possible inclusion in his article. If you run a mana base similar to Josh Utter-Leyton's UB World's list (yes, I know his aim was to fill the yard for Search for Azcanta), you have 5-6 thinning lands (if you add in another Evolving Wilds), meaning that you'll be hitting more answers rather than dead cards, and also triggering revolt on Fatal Push more often.
Also, Siren's Ruse? Bouncing anything on our side seems good, and just seems fun to bounce a Hostage Taker that's taken our own Champion of Wits... Draw one from Ruse, Champion in play, draw 2 discard 2, Hostage Taker back in to either get something else or to hide away Champion for casting later. More realistically though, it allows the play of casting Hostage Taker, stealing something, casting it, then blinking Hostage Taker to take something else.
I vividly recall saying that Ifnir Deadlands seems like a bad card. I still think it is, but SaffronOlive's deck is so sweetly brewed, I thought that if he included it in the 75, it may be worth it to at least test it in action. I don't play 3 in my list like he does, but only 2.
Field of Ruin? A big no for now. The deck and side deck is color hungry, and I certainly don't want to draw a colorless land in my opening hand.
Siren's Ruse is a cute shenanigan at best. It's amazing when it works, but the deck doesn't have enough Pirates to make such a narrow card worthwhile.
I rather play unsmmon then siren's ruse. CMC difference is very relevant, plus plays great in the whole tempo plan if used on your opponent creatures, something ruse can't do
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Huey, Dewey and Louie are always dressed in RUG. it is CLEARLY going to be the wedges block Pioneer: WURFaerie fires BRGDragons ModernBGElves WRBurn UR Fires Turns URGift Storm UG Twiddle Storm
Do you have a deck list? I'm not sure Unsummon is any good for The Pirate God deck. We really want to send creatures to the graveyard to feed the God's ability, and not bounce them into opponent's hand... And remember this deck is more Midrange than Tempo.
It sure seems like you'd want to fit Gonti, Lord of Luxury into the 75 somehow. Maybe as a 2-of in the sideboard for the mirror and matchups where you're likely to face Bristling Hydra and/or Carnage Tyrant? I feel that Jace, Cunning Castaway is the weakest card in the 75 and you might stand to lose another Essence Extraction as well. Gonti just seems so good in a deck with Hostage Taker--you could build up a pile of your opponent's cards to cast with the same shenanigans you described with Champion of Wits.
Jesus. I proxied this deck in an attempt to figure out how The Scarab God shot up to $40 over night. This deck doesn't always win, but it never loses a match. Assuming the pilot is pro, the tempo grinds most other decks to dust. The opponent is basically on the back foot from turn two on, assuming a quality draw. Aggro decks seem to have the best chance, but the odds still aren't a sure thing. Combo decks can beat it, but all that means is that a counterspell needs to be held back.
Jesus. I proxied this deck in an attempt to figure out how The Scarab God shot up to $40 over night. This deck doesn't always win, but it never loses a match. Assuming the pilot is pro, the tempo grinds most other decks to dust. The opponent is basically on the back foot from turn two on, assuming a quality draw. Aggro decks seem to have the best chance, but the odds still aren't a sure thing. Combo decks can beat it, but all that means is that a counterspell needs to be held back.
I do not look forward to facing this deck.
My feeling, too.
Mirror match will probably the hardest for The Pirate God. We'll have to find a way to beat it, because I'm sure this deck will soon become part of the competitive metagame.
I didn't have much time to test the deck, but here are the results :
2-1 vs UB Tezzeret (featuring Marionette Master) : I lost game 1 to his combo, with my only cards being removals and Liliana. Once Marionette got in play, there was no way I could stop the combo. I easily won game 2 and 3, with Duress, Doomfall and Kitesail Freebooter.
Gonti, Lord of Luxury could be an interesting option vs Control. Hostage Taker isn't particularly good in this matchup (with no targets to steal), and both are at 4CMC. Maybe Jace, Cunning Castaway will have to go... What else? And considering the rise of Control in Standard, could it better to move 1 Hostage Taker to the SB, to main deck 1 Gonti, Lord of Luxury?
Note about Gifted Aetherborn : Deathtouch is amazing vs Bristling Hydra (and I assume Carnage Tyrant). UB Tempo Jacks would lose to these cards before. It's no longer the case. I'm very satisfied with the Midrange version of the deck so far.
This list will probably end up being my favorite to run this standard season.
Any thoughts on Baral's Expertise slotting in over Liliana or somewhere in the 75? It can be a pretty nice tempo swing on turn 5, particularly against Temur. It allows us to cast basically anything in our deck. It's still a good topdeck later in the game allowing us to bounce our Hostage Taker or Champion and cast it again at the same time bouncing 2 of our opponent's creatures. It removes Scarab God for a turn or any tokens permanently.
I guess the ceiling would be turn 5 bounce/remove 2-3 of our opponent's creatures/tokens and then cast Hostage Taker to take another creature forcing them to spend mana removing Hostage Taker and/or rebuilding their board or Vraska's on a planeswalker. The floor would be that it is absolutely horrible against Control lists.
Idk, Liliana is pretty great in the 5cmc slot, but I figured the list is still pretty new and it couldn't hurt to brainstorm some more ideas.
I tried this list now and I like it. The big advantage this guy has is it is much easier to pilot than the tempo version, since there is more flexibility in the lines of play. Some people might find this funny, but I ended up using ipnu rivulet instead of the deadlands. I found it useful to dump some cards in the yard when facing down the new dinosaur scavenger and decks packing graveyard hate.
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1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Why would one want to activate Ipnu Rivulet on oneself versus a board having a Deathgorge Scavenger on the opposing side?
I guess this would be one situation where Ifnir Deadlands is strictly better than Ipnu Rivulet. But I think Colt47 wanted to refill the graveyard the Scavenger was emptying. Note, however, that there were only four copies of Deathgorge Scavenger in the 15 decks that did 12 points or better at WORLDS 2017 (Martin Muller and Seth Manfield), and they only appeared in the SB. I guess the Scavenger will see more love in the future if The Scarab God continues to rise in popularity, but now is not the case.
I'm not a fervent disciple of either Ifnir Deadlands or Ipnu Rivulets, and I'm wondering if more basic lands would just be better (for a friendly manabase and more reliable Drowned Catacomb). Still testing the deck. We'll probably won't know for sure until a few weeks from now.
Yeah, the idea was to refill and use the god to play a creature from the yard. Did it with a hostage taker.
Ugh, I may have to get my third god. That price Spike burns.
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1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Even if you run the Honor Guard that only stops the ETB effects. The deck is actually about out-valuing the opposition on the back of The Scarab Gods ability to eternalize creatures into 4/4s. creating a stream of 4/4 flying beaters is still more than enough to end a lot of games, especially in this format where the biggest fliers at 5 cmc are 4/4s themselves.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Jokes aside, I'm wondering if The Pirate God would be better with 25 lands, and full playset of Siren Stormtamer. We really want a cheap way of protecting the God, and we definitely don't want to miss a land drop in the first 5 turns. And after that, we want to cast any hostage taken, activate the God's ability, eternalize Champion of Wits and still have mana for counterspells and removals. To that end, other than Essence Extraction and Trial of Ambition or Walk the Plank, I'm clueless about what cards to cut to make room for land #25 and Siren #4. Suggestions?
I think the deck is gaining some traction. I’ve faced an identical deck this morning on XMage (lost game 1 on the draw ; the first to play The Scarab God wins ; lost connection and didn’t get to play game 2 at all). I’ve watched another game and one of the player played this list too! We have to think about the mirror, because we’re likely to face it.
25 lands could help make sure we’re first to play the God. But if everyone does that, it changes nothing. What could be good SB cards in the mirror? Lost Legacy is probably one of the best option we have...
Bought a third god since it was all I needed to complete this build.
The strongest decks in the format are ramunap red, Energy decks in general, approach of the second sun, and the mirror.
Lost legacy is an auto include, but don't forget that the two decks we are using that against run counter spells like negate.
Board sweepers include bontu's last reckoning and Yahenni's expertise. I don't think there is a strong need for reckoning unless something changes, as carnage tyrant is being heavily mitigated by edicts and white board sweepers. I want to try expertise Vs red rush decks as it shuts down vehicles, kills most early drops, and let's you play something afterwards like a freebooter, but it does miss god's in the format.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Even if you run the Honor Guard that only stops the ETB effects. The deck is actually about out-valuing the opposition on the back of The Scarab Gods ability to eternalize creatures into 4/4s. creating a stream of 4/4 flying beaters is still more than enough to end a lot of games, especially in this format where the biggest fliers at 5 cmc are 4/4s themselves.
The tempo of the ETB effects are what really makes this deck work. I can answer the Scarab God all day long, but not if my opponent rips away all my answers and creatures before I can bring them to bear. If I can't out threat him before he can get the Scarab God online, I deserve to lose.
My point is that a 2-mana creature that blanks half the creatures in the deck seems like a threat that merits a kill card the minute it hits play.
Even if you run the Honor Guard that only stops the ETB effects. The deck is actually about out-valuing the opposition on the back of The Scarab Gods ability to eternalize creatures into 4/4s. creating a stream of 4/4 flying beaters is still more than enough to end a lot of games, especially in this format where the biggest fliers at 5 cmc are 4/4s themselves.
The tempo of the ETB effects are what really makes this deck work. I can answer the Scarab God all day long, but not if my opponent rips away all my answers and creatures before I can bring them to bear. If I can't out threat him before he can get the Scarab God online, I deserve to lose.
My point is that a 2-mana creature that blanks half the creatures in the deck seems like a threat that merits a kill card the minute it hits play.
Oh yeah, I'd kill it. The question is what deck would board it in? I'm thinking maybe approach, but even god pharaoh's gift decks would probably not run it due to the effect being asymmetrical. It stops so many things that it's hard to find a deck that doesn't shoot itself in the foot except maybe dinosaur value decks or decks messing with the low cost beaters that exist in Amonkhet block like plague belcher.
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
There seem to be a number of tokens decks getting good results, and devoting a sideboard slot or two might not be a bad idea. Doomfall and Duress seem like good options against tokens to nab Anointed Procession/Hidden Stockpile,Legion's Landing but I think those decks also underline the value of Gonti, Lord of Luxury in the main. I hate to think Make Obsolete might be playable, but it essentially acts as a 3-mana instant-speed one-sided wrath against tokens, and might be worth consideration if those decks keep putting up results...
The deck first started as a Tempo deck (Blue Black Tempo Jacks), but after extensive testing, I realised how powerful The Scarab God really was. Playing the God instead of more Tempo oriented cards was already a step closer to Midrange. And after reading SaffronOlive's article, I realised Midrange really was the direction Pirates should be taken. Another PRIMER was required, even if the deck still has a certain Tempo feeling to it...
Disclaimer : I'll give full credit to SaffronOlive for the deck list. I tweaked the lands a bit, and one or two cards in the main deck, but that's all. Also, I want to point out that @jacobk was the first to my knowledge to post a deck list with full playset of Gifted Aetherborn and Champion of Wits.
CURRENT VERSION OF THE DECK
6 Swamp
5 Island
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Fetid Pools
3 Evolving Wilds
2 Ifnir Deadlands
1 Field of Ruin
Creatures (22)
3 Siren Stormtamer
4 Kitesail Freebooter
4 Gifted Aetherborn
4 Champion of Wits
4 Hostage Taker
3 The Scarab God
4 Fatal Push
1 Trial of Ambition
1 Walk the Plank
4 Lookout's Dispersal
2 Vraska's Contempt
1 Liliana, Death's Majesty
3 Duress
2 Negate
2 Bontu's Last Reckoning
2 Doomfall
3 Essence Extraction
1 Liliana, Death's Majesty
1 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
1 Lost Legacy
6 Swamp
5 Island
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Fetid Pools
3 Evolving Wilds
2 Ifnir Deadlands
Creatures (22)
3 Siren Stormtamer
4 Kitesail Freebooter
4 Gifted Aetherborn
4 Champion of Wits
4 Hostage Taker
3 The Scarab God
4 Fatal Push
1 Trial of Ambition
1 Walk the Plank
1 Essence Extraction
4 Lookout's Dispersal
2 Vraska's Contempt
1 Liliana, Death's Majesty
3 Duress
2 Negate
2 Bontu's Last Reckoning
3 Doomfall
3 Essence Extraction
1 Liliana, Death's Majesty
1 Jace, Cunning Castaway
WHY THE DECK IS SO GOOD?
DETAILED EXPLANATIONS :
1. The most powerful card in Standard right now is The Scarab God. And it will likely stay so until it rotates out in a year from now. And this deck probably offers one of the best assortment of targets for its ability :
"The best decks are usually the ones with the best mana" - Frank Karsten. Allied-Color decks don't have Fastlands, but we have a better mid-to-long game with Checklands (ETB untapped) and Cyclelands (flood protection). And staying in two colors adds to reliability.
5. It can play many roles :
SIDEBOARD PLAN :
Oct. 13, 2017 : Primer updated to version 1.1.
1st, GP Toronto Sunday Super Series 2016 : Ally Company RWBG
Top 8, PPTQ Shadows over Innistrad : Boros Humans WR.
Use a hypergeometric calculator for your deckbuilding maths,
and use TopDecked to manage your decks and collection on your Apple or Android device.
Hopefully, the deck will gain some traction and the thread be upgraded to Established or Proven soon. It certainly feels like Tier 1 material to me (have a look at SaffronOlive's videos to better understand the deck's power).
Feel free to comment, and/or to post your own results (be they real games at an event, or just play testing with friends or online). I'll test the deck myself with XMage and post the results as they come in.
1st, GP Toronto Sunday Super Series 2016 : Ally Company RWBG
Top 8, PPTQ Shadows over Innistrad : Boros Humans WR.
Use a hypergeometric calculator for your deckbuilding maths,
and use TopDecked to manage your decks and collection on your Apple or Android device.
Also, Siren's Ruse? Bouncing anything on our side seems good, and just seems fun to bounce a Hostage Taker that's taken our own Champion of Wits... Draw one from Ruse, Champion in play, draw 2 discard 2, Hostage Taker back in to either get something else or to hide away Champion for casting later. More realistically though, it allows the play of casting Hostage Taker, stealing something, casting it, then blinking Hostage Taker to take something else.
Field of Ruin? A big no for now. The deck and side deck is color hungry, and I certainly don't want to draw a colorless land in my opening hand.
Siren's Ruse is a cute shenanigan at best. It's amazing when it works, but the deck doesn't have enough Pirates to make such a narrow card worthwhile.
1st, GP Toronto Sunday Super Series 2016 : Ally Company RWBG
Top 8, PPTQ Shadows over Innistrad : Boros Humans WR.
Use a hypergeometric calculator for your deckbuilding maths,
and use TopDecked to manage your decks and collection on your Apple or Android device.
Pioneer: WURFaerie fires BRGDragons
ModernBGElves WRBurn UR Fires Turns URGift Storm UG Twiddle Storm
1st, GP Toronto Sunday Super Series 2016 : Ally Company RWBG
Top 8, PPTQ Shadows over Innistrad : Boros Humans WR.
Use a hypergeometric calculator for your deckbuilding maths,
and use TopDecked to manage your decks and collection on your Apple or Android device.
I do not look forward to facing this deck.
My feeling, too.
Mirror match will probably the hardest for The Pirate God. We'll have to find a way to beat it, because I'm sure this deck will soon become part of the competitive metagame.
I didn't have much time to test the deck, but here are the results :
Note about Gifted Aetherborn : Deathtouch is amazing vs Bristling Hydra (and I assume Carnage Tyrant). UB Tempo Jacks would lose to these cards before. It's no longer the case. I'm very satisfied with the Midrange version of the deck so far.
1st, GP Toronto Sunday Super Series 2016 : Ally Company RWBG
Top 8, PPTQ Shadows over Innistrad : Boros Humans WR.
Use a hypergeometric calculator for your deckbuilding maths,
and use TopDecked to manage your decks and collection on your Apple or Android device.
Any thoughts on Baral's Expertise slotting in over Liliana or somewhere in the 75? It can be a pretty nice tempo swing on turn 5, particularly against Temur. It allows us to cast basically anything in our deck. It's still a good topdeck later in the game allowing us to bounce our Hostage Taker or Champion and cast it again at the same time bouncing 2 of our opponent's creatures. It removes Scarab God for a turn or any tokens permanently.
I guess the ceiling would be turn 5 bounce/remove 2-3 of our opponent's creatures/tokens and then cast Hostage Taker to take another creature forcing them to spend mana removing Hostage Taker and/or rebuilding their board or Vraska's on a planeswalker. The floor would be that it is absolutely horrible against Control lists.
Idk, Liliana is pretty great in the 5cmc slot, but I figured the list is still pretty new and it couldn't hurt to brainstorm some more ideas.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Please let us know how these perform for you, if you ever test them. Thanks!
1st, GP Toronto Sunday Super Series 2016 : Ally Company RWBG
Top 8, PPTQ Shadows over Innistrad : Boros Humans WR.
Use a hypergeometric calculator for your deckbuilding maths,
and use TopDecked to manage your decks and collection on your Apple or Android device.
I guess this would be one situation where Ifnir Deadlands is strictly better than Ipnu Rivulet. But I think Colt47 wanted to refill the graveyard the Scavenger was emptying. Note, however, that there were only four copies of Deathgorge Scavenger in the 15 decks that did 12 points or better at WORLDS 2017 (Martin Muller and Seth Manfield), and they only appeared in the SB. I guess the Scavenger will see more love in the future if The Scarab God continues to rise in popularity, but now is not the case.
I'm not a fervent disciple of either Ifnir Deadlands or Ipnu Rivulets, and I'm wondering if more basic lands would just be better (for a friendly manabase and more reliable Drowned Catacomb). Still testing the deck. We'll probably won't know for sure until a few weeks from now.
1st, GP Toronto Sunday Super Series 2016 : Ally Company RWBG
Top 8, PPTQ Shadows over Innistrad : Boros Humans WR.
Use a hypergeometric calculator for your deckbuilding maths,
and use TopDecked to manage your decks and collection on your Apple or Android device.
Ugh, I may have to get my third god. That price Spike burns.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Even if you run the Honor Guard that only stops the ETB effects. The deck is actually about out-valuing the opposition on the back of The Scarab Gods ability to eternalize creatures into 4/4s. creating a stream of 4/4 flying beaters is still more than enough to end a lot of games, especially in this format where the biggest fliers at 5 cmc are 4/4s themselves.
If I were to build a deck that would fight this particular deck, it would have Tocatli Honor Guard, Angel of Sanctions, Deathgorge Scavenger, along with Hour of Glory at the helm for removal since going double black for Vraska's Contempt is a little rough in abzan.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Well... Thanks for not helping! LOL
Jokes aside, I'm wondering if The Pirate God would be better with 25 lands, and full playset of Siren Stormtamer. We really want a cheap way of protecting the God, and we definitely don't want to miss a land drop in the first 5 turns. And after that, we want to cast any hostage taken, activate the God's ability, eternalize Champion of Wits and still have mana for counterspells and removals. To that end, other than Essence Extraction and Trial of Ambition or Walk the Plank, I'm clueless about what cards to cut to make room for land #25 and Siren #4. Suggestions?
1st, GP Toronto Sunday Super Series 2016 : Ally Company RWBG
Top 8, PPTQ Shadows over Innistrad : Boros Humans WR.
Use a hypergeometric calculator for your deckbuilding maths,
and use TopDecked to manage your decks and collection on your Apple or Android device.
25 lands could help make sure we’re first to play the God. But if everyone does that, it changes nothing. What could be good SB cards in the mirror? Lost Legacy is probably one of the best option we have...
1st, GP Toronto Sunday Super Series 2016 : Ally Company RWBG
Top 8, PPTQ Shadows over Innistrad : Boros Humans WR.
Use a hypergeometric calculator for your deckbuilding maths,
and use TopDecked to manage your decks and collection on your Apple or Android device.
The strongest decks in the format are ramunap red, Energy decks in general, approach of the second sun, and the mirror.
Lost legacy is an auto include, but don't forget that the two decks we are using that against run counter spells like negate.
Board sweepers include bontu's last reckoning and Yahenni's expertise. I don't think there is a strong need for reckoning unless something changes, as carnage tyrant is being heavily mitigated by edicts and white board sweepers. I want to try expertise Vs red rush decks as it shuts down vehicles, kills most early drops, and let's you play something afterwards like a freebooter, but it does miss god's in the format.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
The tempo of the ETB effects are what really makes this deck work. I can answer the Scarab God all day long, but not if my opponent rips away all my answers and creatures before I can bring them to bear. If I can't out threat him before he can get the Scarab God online, I deserve to lose.
My point is that a 2-mana creature that blanks half the creatures in the deck seems like a threat that merits a kill card the minute it hits play.
Oh yeah, I'd kill it. The question is what deck would board it in? I'm thinking maybe approach, but even god pharaoh's gift decks would probably not run it due to the effect being asymmetrical. It stops so many things that it's hard to find a deck that doesn't shoot itself in the foot except maybe dinosaur value decks or decks messing with the low cost beaters that exist in Amonkhet block like plague belcher.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!