so I was very interested in the deck Todd Anderson featured in the latest SCG versus live : https://www.twitch.tv/videos/365379218 starting at 1H11 minutes in the video.
The idea comes from someone else, so if someone figures out, feel free to share.
It's very close, with the main difference being Gutterbones over Footlight Fiend. The skeleton is a bit harder to cast on turn 1 but has a way more impactful synergy with Fireblade Artist, and Final Payment to a lesser extent
The other change is Orzhov Enforcer, which is not multicolored but is very useful in creature MUs.
If you watched you could tell the manabase is stretched too far. I would drop the unclaimed territories. Also drop benalish and instead play the 2 drop anthem.
Well, Stompy can afford to play 2 off-color lands along with 4 Steel Leaf Champions. The most awkward card to cast is Gutterbones / Footlight Fiend on turn 1, not Marshall on turn 3. But that's also why I mention Seraph, which would be in the slots of Marshalls. I notice that Marshall is a slow-rolled 4-drop in several games I have, so a 4-drop might as well be as good.
I would keep the Territories even without Marshall, the land is very good at fixing colors without the risk of paying life or etb tapped.
I'm not sure Radiant Destiny or another anthem is necessary. I tried a version with no marshalls, just Judith and Reinforcements, and it's already quite efficient. Venerated Loxodon may be better than noncreature anthems too.
There's a chance I want more removal in the maindeck too, MU creatures feel a bit too toss-dependant G1.
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I forgot about the hero's tokens. I just figured you'd want another anthem. If the deck doesn't need it I'd say mortify could be a good substitute. You're going to see quite a bit of enchantment play as there are a ton of great ones in this set.
Yeah mortify will deal with any of the array of conclaves/bindings/seal away type enchantments as well as making sure no one surprises you with a left-field Ethereal Absolution and shuts off your deck
I unfortunately haven't had a chance to test the deck, but my first thoughts after seeing a bunch of streams play various iterations of Mardu decks like this were:
How critical is Benalish Marshal to the gameplan? Anthem effects are strong but it definitely taxes the mana and requires a decent board presence to really shine.
Slots like Tajic and Integrity//Intervention look like filler to me. I imagine the deck wants to go up to 3x Final Payment mainboard at least, and I understand that a certain critical mass of multicolor cards are needed for HoP1 to go wild, but there's gotta be some better options here right?
Gutterbones was stellar everytime I saw it in action, especially in combination with Priest of Forogotten Gods. I think Gutterbones should replace Footlight Fiend in almost any build, regardless of whether Priest is in or not
I definitely saw issues with flooding and lack of card draw in a lot of matches. Apparently a lot of people have been having success with Militia Bugler, which makes sense considering basically every creature in the deck can be found with it.
Here's a take that I came up with, no idea if it actually plays out better or not but just throwing ideas out there and looking for input.
It's entirely possible that cutting Benalish just dilutes the more aggro-centric plan of the original decklist too much. Maybe it's better to keep Benalish in and cut Tajic for Priest instead, or something along those lines. I have a feeling that this shell is really strong and just needs some fine tuning, but I have no idea which direction will pan out in the current meta.
Threw this together on MTGO (because I have UWR on Arena, and no way in hell can I build another 3 colour mana base any time quick/cheap) not finished at all on the sideboard, as I have no idea what kind of meta is even on MTGO and...Arena hasnt needed sideboards.
Been fun in a few games, I was a big fan of Blood Artist decks when I started playing Modern, gave it another shot with Rally the Ancestors but as we all know, Modern is a tough hill to climb to 'viable'.
EDIT: 3 Duress and 4 Mortify in the 75, also swapped up the lands to emphasize B and W.
so I was very interested in the deck Todd Anderson featured in the latest SCG versus live : https://www.twitch.tv/videos/365379218 starting at 1H11 minutes in the video.
The idea comes from someone else, so if someone figures out, feel free to share.
4 Footlight Fiend
4 Imperious Oligarch
4 Hero of Precinct One
4 Fireblade Artist
4 Benalish Marshall
3 Judith, the Scourge Diva
2 Tajic, Legion's Edge
2 Integrity // Intervention
2 Final Payment
2 Blood Crypt
4 Godless Shrine
4 Isolated Chapel
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Clifftop Retreat
4 Unclaimed Territory
1 Plains
Before we discuss the SB, here's my first take on it :
4 Gutterbones
4 Orzhov Enforcer
4 Hero of Precinct One
4 Fireblade Artist
4 Benalish Marshall
3 Judith, the Scourge Diva
3 Tajic, Legion's Edge
3 Final Payment
2 Blood Crypt
4 Godless Shrine
4 Isolated Chapel
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Clifftop Retreat
4 Unclaimed Territory
1 Plains
It's very close, with the main difference being Gutterbones over Footlight Fiend. The skeleton is a bit harder to cast on turn 1 but has a way more impactful synergy with Fireblade Artist, and Final Payment to a lesser extent
The other change is Orzhov Enforcer, which is not multicolored but is very useful in creature MUs.
I wonder whether Seraph of the Scales or Justice Strike have a place in the deck, but the core has legs as is.
There's Radiant Destiny at 2W, that helps everything but the gutterbones. Only drawback is it can't hit people like Benalish can
I would keep the Territories even without Marshall, the land is very good at fixing colors without the risk of paying life or etb tapped.
I'm not sure Radiant Destiny or another anthem is necessary. I tried a version with no marshalls, just Judith and Reinforcements, and it's already quite efficient. Venerated Loxodon may be better than noncreature anthems too.
There's a chance I want more removal in the maindeck too, MU creatures feel a bit too toss-dependant G1.
Here's a take that I came up with, no idea if it actually plays out better or not but just throwing ideas out there and looking for input.
Militia Bugler variant
3 Militia Bugler
4 Hunted Witness
4 Hero of Precinct One
4 Gutterbones
4 Priest of Forgotten Gods
4 Fireblade Artist
4 Judith, the Scourge Diva
4 Pitiless Pontiff
4 Heroic Reinforcements
3 Final Payment
Lands (22):
4 Clifftop Retreat
4 Isolated Chapel
1 Plains
1 Swamp
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Blood Crypt
4 Godless Shrine
It's entirely possible that cutting Benalish just dilutes the more aggro-centric plan of the original decklist too much. Maybe it's better to keep Benalish in and cut Tajic for Priest instead, or something along those lines. I have a feeling that this shell is really strong and just needs some fine tuning, but I have no idea which direction will pan out in the current meta.
Been fun in a few games, I was a big fan of Blood Artist decks when I started playing Modern, gave it another shot with Rally the Ancestors but as we all know, Modern is a tough hill to climb to 'viable'.
EDIT: 3 Duress and 4 Mortify in the 75, also swapped up the lands to emphasize B and W.
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Godless Shrine
4 Blood Crypt
4 Isolated Chapel
4 Clifftop Retreat
2 Dragonskull Summit
//Creatures
4 Fanatical Firebrand
4 Footlight Fiend
4 Hero of Precinct One
4 Fireblade Artist
4 Imperious Oligarch
4 Pitiless Pontiff
2 Militia Bugler
3 Judith, the Scourge Diva
1 Final Payment
3 Mortify
1 Bedevil
4 Heroic Reinforcements
3 Duress
3 Tocatli Honor Guard
3 Sovereign's Bite
3 Lava Coil
1 Mortify
2 Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice
Spirits