The deck needs removals, if only to deal with the snowballs before they get out of control (re : Cub, Constrictor, etc.). Thalia temporarily screws them, but not long enough.
Garrison is better on the play, while Scout helps stabilize on the draw. Two of each in the main, and two more of each in the SB should do the job.
I added Kari Zev. I can see why she can be good, particularly with a few counters on her. Her Expertise spell could be good too in the current meta. Stealing a fat Cub, or Constrictor followed up by Lieutenant, would be a bomb.
I main decked Release the Gremlins, considering that all decks play artifacts, and it will rarely be a dead draw.
I still have to squeeze in 2-3 removals. But what to cut?
I tested this version a bit this morning. The removals are very sweet, and it's easy to fall in love with them. The manabase is very fast, and the odds of playing the first 3 lands untapped are very high. Even after that, there's a lot of untapped lands to play. Inventor's Apprentice can get fat quite fast, with the help of Mimic and Lieutenant (3/4 or 4/5), and is more resilient to Ballista than Expedition Envoy, and a more effective blocker. Siphoner provides card advantage, which is not a bad thing.
But I am incredibly sad to turn my back on the Ally theme. Rallying Menace and Lifelink on a wide board is amazing, and opponents are never ready for that. Also, all drop 2 are x/1, making them very vulnerable to Ballista (opponent will 2 for 1 me). Harvesters are good, but slow, and a step away from the Human theme. But the extra artifacts are needed to make sure Apprentice, Spire and Disintegration are at their peak performance.
I consider these changes :
+1 Heart of Kiran, -1 Harvester (to lower the curve ; I have 1 in my collection, and I don't want to invest in a card that may get banned next week, and is hard to crew)
+2 Stoneforge Masterwork, -2 Harvester (to lower the curve and compound on the tribal theme)
+1 Cultivator's Caravan, -1 Harvester (to accelerate into Gideon if land #4 is a tap land)
+2 Kari Zev, -2 Siphoner (to be more resilient against Ballista, and help trigger Revolt on Fatal Push)
SB : +2 Harvester, -2 Caravan (to replace Masterwork post-SB when opponent is expected to be more Control)
I would have loved to fit in Kari Zev's Expertise in the SB. It could be really good against GB Constrictor (steal a fat Cub or Snake, and remove a blocker ; a fantasy... steal Constrictor and play Mimic for free, then play Lieutenant and double the counters from Mimic and on all Humans, then attack with pumped up army and stolen snake).
On reviewing your previous post I thought there might be a way to squeeze in some allies, but you beat me to the punch.
I am struggling with the manabase. I see 11 W and 9 R untapped sources T1. I don't think that will serve you terribly well in an aggro deck. Karsten clains that you want 14 untapped sources for a turn 1 colored play. Below is a basis of a Mardu manabase that can play Thraben Inspector or Inventor's Apprentice T1:
This is 21 lands. It also has a problem in that 4 Aether Hubs is too many without Harnessed Lightning (maybe even with!). In your deck, Spire of Industry can probably be used to get you from 1 colored source to 2, so I could see 2 Spire of Industry, but 4 looks problematic to me.
I think you have about 37% Inspector and 33% Apprentice T1. For 2 drops, you want Heart or Mimic, but Captain's Claws don't help T3 unless you made a 1 drop. Mimic often doesn't want to attack T3, either.
TLDR: I think you need to speed up your manabase. Too often this deck will not be attacking until T4.
With 14 artifacts, Spire of Industry is quite reliable. The mana base is a lot similar to Mardu Vehicles, and 11 untapped W is ok for Inspector. It is otherwise fine to cast it later, on top of Mimic or Lieutenant to pump or get pumped. Same is true for Apprentice, and it can be a 4/5 if I play it with Lieutenant on a Mimic.
Claw is awkward on turn 2, and I prefer to play it later in the game, after opponent has spent their first few removals. I would replace it with Copter, but opponent will probably realise the foul play and call the judge.
A 2nd copy of Heart would be nice. But Claw is surprisingly good, and even more on Pia's Thopter. Going wide and wider is what a surged Bushwhacker wants, and this card helps at that. One trick is to equip the least useful creature (1/2 Inspector) and rejoice when for the cost of one mana, you'll have forced opponent to spend a precious removal on it (or just get away with it).
I did some tests today, and they were good.
Edit : Too bad Stonework Puma is not standard legal. I added Claw because it is an artifact, and also an Ally. Maybe the deck will do better with Scrounger instead...
Thanks for the article, hoser2. This one, also got my attention. It's not about Humans, but it gave me more insight about Mardu.
My Human/Ally deck is undefeated so far at my local store (3-0, 3-0, 3-0). But I think the plain Boros version did better than Naya. I got really lucky (or opponents unlucky) with Naya and I cannot count on luck to perform at PPTQ. Duskwatch Recruiter shenanigans are cute, and rewarding, but the mana base suffered a lot, and it slowed the deck too much.
My testing so far with Mardu: The mana base is very fast with 8 fast lands and Spire of Industry ; the removals are very good, but they require a lot of work around.
Fatal Push is a dead card against many creatures if you can’t trigger revolt. And killing a creature on Kalitas to trigger revolt is giving card advantage to the opponent. And even if you can trigger revolt, some creatures will just evade Fatal Push (Avacyn, Linvala, Gearhulks, etc.).
Unlicensed Disintegration always work, with a nice burn bonus. If you can get the mana. If you can get an artifact on the battlefield (and stay there). Conclusion: it is very taxing on the mana base to make it work (splashing black), and also very taxing on the creatures and spells to make if function at peak performance (the artifact requirement is not a problem in a vehicle deck, but it is for my tribe).
For a deck that thrives on its originality (synergy between Humans and Allies, with Mimic being the bridge between the two), losing too much of that for a set of removals that don’t always perform the way they are supposed to… I’m not a buyer.
I was already thinking this morning of going back to Boros, adding Shock and Thalia to the main deck in the hope of performing in a PPTQ that will most likely be filled with Saheeli Combo and Mardu Vehicles decks. PVR’s article confirmed my thinking, and this reassures me.
Shock should be good against Mardu, as it kills 100% of their creatures (except Depala, but she’s not played right now). It’s even possible to kill Exemplar while it’s +2/+1 ability is on the stack and prevent it from crewing Heart of Kiran. Shock kills Saheeli and other Planeswalkers, and also helps surge Reckless Bushwhacker at a very low cost.
Thalia is very good at preventing creatures from crewing vehicles, and Ally or Thopter Tokens become momentarily useless to defend Gideon or Saheeli. And on the play, if it can screw for a turn opponent’s mana, all the better.
I hope I’m not overselling the deck’s strategy to myself, but I believe repeatable Rally triggers of Menace and/or Lifelink is good in the current metagame. Lifelink will help stabilize against Mardu Vehicles, while Menace nullifies Heart of Kiran’s Vigilance, and helps close the race against Saheeli who can’t chump block as effectively to buy time.
So, with all that said, I’m back to straight RW, and BOROS ALLIANCE.
I hesitate between 3 and 3 of Shock and H-Lightning, or 4 and 2. More of Shock will help me against Saheeli if the combo deck is very popular. Harnessed Lightning has the potential to hit bigger targets if energy supply is available (good against everything GB and also against Temur’s Gearhulk). If you have an inspiration on that matter, I’m all yours.
I like Archangel Avacyn against the mirror (it's very good for you if they tap out for a planeswalker or Fumigate and you play Archangel Avacyn) and especially 4c Saheeli, as it lets you hold mana up to stop the combo while still adding to the board at some point, and if it ever flips it just clears the board. - Quote from PVR’s article.
That’s inspiring. I used to side in Avacyn quite randomly, but now I can do so with a focus in mind.
SIDEBOARD PLAN (still under construction)
General guidelines:
On the play, I get very aggressive with +3 Garrison and +1 Thalia (overwhelm with numbers and screw defense). Both screw Planeswalkers’ and help win faster. These replace the 4 Lantern Scout, as there’s no need for life if I can kill opponent before my life reaches zero.
Vs Mardu Vehicle : +3 Avacyn…
4c Saheeli : +3 Avacyn…
(more to come)
First, I'm *VERY* satisfied with the deck, and I wouldn't change a single card in the main deck or SB if I were to do it again. But, ***** happens, and today was a bad karma day.
Matchup #1 : Saheeli Combo, loss 0-2
To put it simply, I flooded out both games. In two games, I had 15 lands and 9 spells (normal ratio would have been 10 lands and 14 spells on that many cards). There isn't much one can do about such extreme deviance. I did stopped the combo 3 times with Shock and Harnessed Lightning, but I had no threat to put on the battlefield. Maybe I should revert to 23 lands and 4th Bushwhacker... Or back to Naya in the hope Recruiter gets me more cards, or that Attune with Aether thins out land density and reduces the chances of flooding out... Or do nothing and accept bad karma.
Matchup #2 : Esper Control, win 2-0
I devoured him Game 1. Game 2, I had Aethersphere Harvester (too fat for Grasp of Darkness and Fatal Push), and two Gideons and their tokens did the rest of the job (along with Mimic, for tokens on steroid).
Matchup #3 : GB Delirium, loss 1-2
Game 1, he had me down to 9 when I stabilized with Scout (back to 18, him down to 7). He had a really big board when I though I turned the corner. He had Delirium and attacked with Mindwrack Demon (down to 14), had two other demons untapped, Grim Flayer and Winding Constrictor. I then played Scout, and attacked with everything (Menace and Lifelink). He double-blocked Scout and Mage, but I got back to 25 life, and he was down to 1. I felt confident then that, unless he played Verdurous Gearhulk, he would try to grind me with one or two Demons per turn. This would give me enough time to get me the right cards and win (I still had Needle Spires and many creatures, including another Scout). But he played Gearhulk, adding 2 counters on Grim Flayer (trample) and each of three Demons, tapped out his creatures and said "I attack for lethal". The amount of damage was very impressive, and I trusted him in his calculations. I conceded, but I shouldn't have, as he was bluffing. He was actually attacking for 26, but my single Scout could have blocked Constrictor and I would have been down to 1. I had 3 other creatures and Needle Spires to go lethal myself next turn. I was very enraged then, and would have happily punched the guy in the face if I didn't know that was more wrong than being cheated out of victory.
Game 2, I dominated with Gideon and Avacyn. Gee, matchup would have been 2-0 if opponent wasn't such an a**hole.
I lost game 3 on the draw, never able to deal more than 2 damage (thanks to Apprentice on turn 2), while he healed himself back up to 29. I played Gideon for Anthem on turn 4 (he would have died anyway on his turn), hoping I could follow up with a 5/5 Avacyn on turn 5 to surprise block Harvester and stop that misery (Demon was in play too, but first killing the lifedrainer was a priority). But all hopes got crushed when he played Gearhulk, crewed the Harvester, and pumped it to 5/7 (and Demon to 6/7). I lost to a poker player, while I was playing Magic. Next time, I will do the math myself.
Matchup #4 : Jeskai Saheeli 2-1
He won game 1 with the combo, but I destroyed him game 2 with Chandra and Gideon.
Game 3, I had Gideon, a 2/2 token and 1/2 Inspector in play. He was at 11 life, and I played Heart of Kiran, crewed it with Gideon, made him a 5/5 Human, surged the Bushwhacker and attacked with everything for a lot more than 11.
Matchup #5 : I got a bye, win 2-0
Final results : 3-2 and Rank #5, out of 16 players (that single victory against the GB Delirium player ranked me up).
But I didn't made the cut to Top 4 (17+ players to get a cut to Top 8)...
First, I'm *VERY* satisfied with the deck, and I wouldn't change a single card in the main deck or SB if I were to do it again. But, ***** happens, and today was a bad karma day.
Matchup #1 : Saheeli Combo, loss 0-2
To put it simply, I flooded out both games. In two games, I had 15 lands and 9 spells (normal ratio would have been 10 lands and 14 spells on that many cards). There isn't much one can do about such extreme deviance. I did stopped the combo 3 times with Shock and Harnessed Lightning, but I had no threat to put on the battlefield. Maybe I should revert to 23 lands and 4th Bushwhacker... Or back to Naya in the hope Recruiter gets me more cards, or that Attune with Aether thins out land density and reduces the chances of flooding out... Or do nothing and accept bad karma.
Matchup #2 : Esper Control, win 2-0
I devoured him Game 1. Game 2, I had Aethersphere Harvester (too fat for Grasp of Darkness and Fatal Push), and two Gideons and their tokens did the rest of the job (along with Mimic, for tokens on steroid).
Matchup #3 : GB Delirium, loss 1-2
Game 1, he had me down to 9 when I stabilized with Scout (back to 18, him down to 7). He had a really big board when I though I turned the corner. He had Delirium and attacked with Mindwrack Demon (down to 14), had two other demons untapped, Grim Flayer and Winding Constrictor. I then played Scout, and attacked with everything (Menace and Lifelink). He double-blocked Scout and Mage, but I got back to 25 life, and he was down to 1. I felt confident then that, unless he played Verdurous Gearhulk, he would try to grind me with one or two Demons per turn. This would give me enough time to get me the right cards and win (I still had Needle Spires and many creatures, including another Scout). But he played Gearhulk, adding 2 counters on Grim Flayer (trample) and each of three Demons, tapped out his creatures and said "I attack for lethal". The amount of damage was very impressive, and I trusted him in his calculations. I conceded, but I shouldn't have, as he was bluffing. He was actually attacking for 26, but my single Scout could have blocked Constrictor and I would have been down to 1. I had 3 other creatures and Needle Spires to go lethal myself next turn. I was very enraged then, and would have happily punched the guy in the face if I didn't know that was more wrong than being cheated out of victory.
Game 2, I dominated with Gideon and Avacyn. Gee, matchup would have been 2-0 if opponent wasn't such an a**hole.
I lost game 3 on the draw, never able to deal more than 2 damage (thanks to Apprentice on turn 2), while he healed himself back up to 29. I played Gideon for Anthem on turn 4 (he would have died anyway on his turn), hoping I could follow up with a 5/5 Avacyn on turn 5 to surprise block Harvester and stop that misery (Demon was in play too, but first killing the lifedrainer was a priority). But all hopes got crushed when he played Gearhulk, crewed the Harvester, and pumped it to 5/7 (and Demon to 6/7). I lost to a poker player, while I was playing Magic. Next time, I will do the math myself.
Matchup #4 : Jeskai Saheeli 2-1
He won game 1 with the combo, but I destroyed him game 2 with Chandra and Gideon.
Game 3, I had Gideon, a 2/2 token and 1/2 Inspector in play. He was at 11 life, and I played Heart of Kiran, crewed it with Gideon, made him a 5/5 Human, surged the Bushwhacker and attacked with everything for a lot more than 11.
Matchup #5 : I got a bye, win 2-0
Final results : 3-2 and Rank #5, out of 16 players (that single victory against the GB Delirium player ranked me up).
But I didn't made the cut to Top 4 (17+ players to get a cut to Top 8)...
Yes, always do combat math yourself. He mag not have been deceiving you, though. His attack was lethal, but that doesn't mean the outcome had to be.
I ran the below out to a small tournament. 0-3, but it was closer than it seems. Still, my conclusion is that the more midrange version is better. The 1 drops just don't seem powerful enough. Lost to Grixis Tower Control (0-2), Grixis Control (0-2), GBx Midrange with World Breaker and Groundskeeper (1-2).
I ran the below out to a small tournament. 0-3, but it was closer than it seems. Still, my conclusion is that the more midrange version is better. The 1 drops just don't seem powerful enough. Lost to Grixis Tower Control (0-2), Grixis Control (0-2), GBx Midrange with World Breaker and Groundskeeper (1-2).
Oh. That's a sad outcome. Your other version of Humans did quite better, if I recall correctly.
Against Control and Tower, I found that flying Vehicles and Planeswalkers are the best way to win, along with some sort of Combo (because Tower is more Midrange than Control, Combo beats it). Some suggestions :
3-4 Gideons in the main deck
Chandra in the SB (for her +1 ability ; pure card advantage or turn top deck lands into Shock)
Heart of Kiran and/or Aethersphere Harvester in the SB (they are fat enough to escape the Tower's burn). Harvester is easier to crew, and lifelink is painful for the Tower deck.
Release the Gremlins in the SB. You can destroy Tower and Gearhulk after an ambush (opponent is then tapped out), and add 4/4 on two bodies to the battlefield.
Archangel Avacyn in the SB. She may not escape Grasp of Darkness or an energized Harnessed Lightning, but she's otherwise too fat for Tower and fly above Gearhulks. At best, use her to save your team from a a 3-color Radiant Flames, or flash her in when opponent is tapped out (before opponent's Anticipate or Glimmer of Genius resolves). At worst, flash her in EOT (opponent's), and pray (she's an angel, miracles is her stuff).
Reckless Bushwhacker is otherwise the best combo for an aggressive creature deck. Surge it ASAP with the first suitable companion to win the race (of killing them before they reach inevitability). Take note that Thing in the Ice and Baral's Expertise will bounce the Bushwhacker back to your hand, and this is often enough to kill opponent next turn.
These work for me, and may inspire you...
Note on Lifecrafter's Bestiary : IMHO, it's just cute. Losing a whole turn to cast this, then slowing then the whole deck to get some more cards is just helping the opponent reach inevitability. Tower will draw more cards than you (Anticipate & Glimmer, plus recursion of one or the other from Gearhulk), and if you're too slow and they hit Tower #2, a hand full of your 7 best cards won't save you.
About the manabase : 21 lands + 2 Attune is maybe not enough for a deck with 10 drop-3 and 4 drop-4 spells. It is rather thin for the diet of 4 Tireless Trackers, and just one Evolving Wilds is not enough to let them snowball for you. Aether Hub x 3 seems a lot in a color hungry deck that doesn't produce much energy (Mardu plays 2 Hubs max). But I may be wrong... How did the manabase played for you?
Hanweir Garrison is a prime target for removals (and has no ETB effect). I much more prefer it on the play, where it has some chances of doing something before it gets removed. That's why I play with Lantern Scout in the main deck instead. Even if it gets instantly removed, the life gained in the first game often allows me to turn the corner and win. Compared to Heron's Grace Champion, after the first trigger (a turn later), you only have 3 cards to repeat the Lifelink anthem. In my latest Boros brew, 17 other cards could trigger Scout's Rally.
Note for future Ally fans : play Firemantle Mage last if you can, after Scout ; it has a much higher target on it's head ; Scout is used to stabilized, while Mage is used to win, and that's why the two together are almost unbeatable against Mardu (remember that Scroungers don't block, and that's often their doom against Menace).
There are no failed experiments. I do agree that the more midrange version was better, so I will be working off that moving forward. The mana was tight on the numbers and might have cost me a match. I wasn't color-screwed, but small sample size caveats apply.
Thanks for the analysis. I do like the idea of increasing the Ally subtheme in the midrange version moving forward.
I forgot to mention that if you +1 Gideon before playing Lieutenant, he'll punch through Torrential Gearhulk. Control players hate when that happens, because a pumped Gideon is about the only thing that can threaten a Gearhulk, and it requires far less work to do so than get a Cub to 6/6 (or concentrate all of Verdurous' counters on the same creature).
Also, Shock in the main deck makes more sense than ever. It shuts Saheeli's combo for just 1 mana. This, compared to unreliable and double costed Harnessed Lightning.
I know you didn't faced Saheeli decks in the last tournament, but since the combo didn't get banned today, it's here to stay for a while longer. So here's an anti-Combo strategy : Kill the accelerators ASAP! Servant of the Conduit dies to Shock or Harnessed Lightning (get 4th energy needed to kill the Cat), and these can remove the blockers protecting Chandra (her mana ability is deadly with the Combo). Unless opponent casts the combo on two different turns (easier for you to deal with), he needs 7 mana. Even with Oath of Nissa, it takes a while to draw into 7 lands if you kill the accelerators. Saheeli's land count is low (20), and Attune is invisible to Oath and screws land density. Use your first removals to win the race and get to the long game with an Emblem that says "You gain Protection from Time Warp". Opponent won't benefit from your fear of the combo to gain the extra turns needed to assemble it. And you may as well draw another removal (or Thalia) before the combo hits the table. Based on a true story.
Virtuoso should also have a high target on it's head (kill it with Harnessed Lightning). Otherwise, more energy will make it better with time, and Thopter tokens will block your way to his dome or his Planeswalkers, again gaining time to get to the combo.
This is why Garrison is strictly better in this matchup, even on the draw. You don't really need life against the combo, but a very wide board will get around the Thopters (and Menace will do the job too).
...
I forgot to mention that if you +1 Gideon before playing Lieutenant, he'll punch through Torrential Gearhulk. ...
I have been using that trick. If only the tokens were Human. I guess Human tokens only exist on Innistrad. It's nice to see you taking advantage of their Ally-ness, anyway.
I have been using that trick. If only the tokens were Human. I guess Human tokens only exist on Innistrad. It's nice to see you taking advantage of their Ally-ness, anyway.
If Gideon's tokens were 2/2 Human Ally, instead of Knight Ally, the Human/Ally cross-tribe would probably dominate the format! I'm drooling just thinking about it...
I updated my previous post with some more comments on Shock (and removals) vs Saheeli. Have fun!
As I said in a previous post, I'm very happy with the straight RW version of the deck. But the temptation of playing Naya is still strong, for the explosive acceleration Recruiter can provide and the excellent work Attune with Aether does on land density (later draws are only better, normally). Every time I see hoser2's deck list, the temptation comes back... (the Johnny in me is quite strong).
I did a lot of math to help convince me I was doing the right thing with Boros. I will share my research and conclusions, and maybe it will help other make their choices.
To go Naya, I would have to replace 2 Inventor's Apprentice and 2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar with 4 Duskwatch Recruiter in the main deck. This means I'll lose a main deck solution against Saheeli (Thalia) and a cheap variable fatty (Apprentice can be cast as a 4/5 for R on turn 3 if played on Mimic and followed by Lieutenant). Relayed to the SB, Thalia will be taking the place of other cards (maybe copies #3 of Avacyn and Release).
The mana base with Naya is clunky and there are thousands of different combinations. This one is probably the strongest/fastest to ensure having untapped G on turn 1 (Attune) and WW or RR on turn 4 (Gideon or Surge Bushwhacker on H-Lightning). Full play set of Attune and Aether Hub are used to compound on each other's ability, and fix and accelerate the whole deck (but this is dangerous business). Anyway, anything less than that means lower odds of doing anything with the deck.
Boros version can produce 17 W and 17 R, which is close to optimal (18) for WW or RR on turn 4 (84.7% instead of 87.4%). It has 20 untapped lands (13 W, 13 R) for turns 1-3, and 16 untapped for turns 4+.
Naya version can produce 16 W, 16 R and 18 G, which is close to optimal (18) for WW or RR on turn 4 (81.7% instead of 87.4%). It has 20 untapped lands (12 W, 12 R and 14 G) for the early game (T1-T3), and 16 untapped for turns 4+. But 6 of these are Shadowlands :
With 5 basic lands of the appropriate type to reveal on an Shadowland, chances playing one untapped are 51-55-53% on turns 1-2-3.
After turn 1, with Attune with Aether fetching the right basic land (this turn or a previous one), the odds playing an untapped Shadowland on turns 2-3 go up to 79-73% (and 63-50% for turns 4-5).
But the catch here is if you have, for example, Fortified Village in your hand but need to fetch a Mountain to fix your colors, then you Attune is useless in helping you getting the right basic land to play Shadowlands untapped.
Naya offers no manland, while Boros has 4 in the main deck to help in the long game (mana sink). This may be offset by a slightly better top deck as more Attune with Aether are played, reducing land density in the deck. Let's do some math :
Odds of flooding out past turn 5 go down from 32% to 30% (thanks to Attune's fetch). It is thus expected to flood out (and lose) 18 games out of 60, instead of 19 out of 60 (where 60 games = 4 PPTQ of 5 rounds each, with 3 games per round). Fetching with Attune is flood protection one game out of 60. But this doesn't mean you'll win it.
Odds of having 1 of the 4 Needle Spires in play by the end of turn 6 to untap and attack with it on turn 7 are about 60%. It is thus expected to have a manland ready to attack 36 games out of 60 (if games ever are that long). How many of these 36 games will last long enough to warrant a manland's activation? And how many of these will be won because of the manland? It's hard to tell, I guess the manland's presence will result in more wins than what good fetching with Attune can do to prevent flooding out.
Note that the odds of having 5 untapped mana (3GG) to play and activate Recruiter on turn 6 are lower than playing a tapped Needle Spires on that turn with 2WR available to activate it next turn (with this mana available for other spells this turn).
From there, the rest of the comparison is very qualitative (not quantitative). My conclusion stays the same : reliability and speed of Boros' manabase, and full playset of Needle Spires, makes it a better choice over Naya. No matter how cute 3-allied-colors Humans may seem, I'll stay away from that temptation, unless new color fixing lands appear in Amonkhet. Mardu seemed possible with an artifact sub-theme (Spire of Industry), but this takes away too much of the Human theme. If Reflector Mage got unbanned (a Human Ally, like Scout and Mage), Jeskai would have been tempting and maybe possible too, thanks to Spirebluff Canal and Wandering Fumarole). But there is otherwise no appeal to splash blue. For me, it is either GW Humans (Aggro with a good long game thanks to Tracker's Clues) or Boros Alliance (Aggro with Ally subtheme to stabilize with Scout, get evasion with Mage and accelerate damage with surged Bushwhacker).
By all means, a great brewer like hoser2 may succeed with a Naya brew, but for mortals (like me) I'm quite sure straight GW or Boros are superior (and easier to build and play).
Thanks again for the interest and analysis. I do think the Boros and Selesnya versions are more consistent, almost certainly more competitive and would add my recommendation to patbou's for the spikiest people who are inclined to try Humans. I play Naya because I love the interactions and complexity.
One minor point in playing against the combo. Combo players can go off with 6 mana. They can play Felidar Guardian, flicker a tapped land that comes into play untapped and then cast Saheeli.
One minor point in playing against the combo. Combo players can go off with 6 mana. They can play Felidar Guardian, flicker a tapped land that comes into play untapped and then cast Saheeli.
Right. That caught me off-guard once, and I forgot about it in the above article. I still think you are better killing the accelerators to slow down the combo and win the race, than try to deal with the combo. The less time Saheeli has, the more you can beat her.
I hate myself so much... After a long speech on how Naya is not good, here I am, trying out my luck at it again. My approach is completely different than before, however.
With no 1-drops, other than the occasionnal Shock or Traverse, there's a lot less pressure on the manabase for untapped T1 lands, and color sources. This allow me to load up on two-drops. Adding full play set of Recruiter and Pacifist makes Mimic, Lieutenant and Bushwhacker a lot better than they were before. Lieutenant was just a bad play on turn 2, and now I have 8 more cards to play instead, or after Mimic. Turn 3 can easily be a two-drop + Shock or Traverse, to burn or to be ready for a turn 4 Gideon or Chandra, or a surged Bushwhacker on one of the many two-drops.
4 toughness is supposedly what's good right now. Garrison, Recruiter (flip) and Pacifist are good at this, with some help of Mimic, Lieutenant and Gideon's emblem.
Traverse can be used later in the game to find Lieutenant or Bushwhacker, whatever will make you turn the corner (or even Scout, Mage or Avacyn post-SB). With Evolving Wilds to fill graveyard and the target on Mimic's head, I'm just one card short of getting delirium. And with Planeswalkers, Instants and Sorceries in the deck, it's a nice bonus in the late game.
I'm losing the Ally theme in the main deck, but I maintain their presence in the SB. I guess they may be useful if I'm on the draw (gaining life and removing blockers can help turn the corner when behind). This actually makes more sense, to win game 1 and have a SB plan for game 2 on the draw (or good main on the play), than play game 1 and have a SB for game 2 if on the play (a kind of a loser's approach to SB).
The manabase is quite resilient, with plenty of basic lands (counting Evolving Wilds and Traverse the Ulvenwald) to make the Battlelands untapped in the late game. Traverse can even be used on turn 3 to fetch Plains or Forest to play untapped Fortified Village and one of the many two-drops, and be ready for turn 4 with an untapped land. What's best, is the five fetchlands (Evo and Traverse) to reduce the odds of flooding, and the absence of Aether Hub makes the whole thing more consistent. There's even room for two Needle Spires in the main deck! I thus have a production of 17 W, 17 R and 14 G. This is close to what's optimal for the deck (18-18-13), but this is expected in 3-colors Standard (this is not Modern).
I did some tests :
2-0 Temur Tower
2-0 GB Constrictor
2-0 UW Spirit
2-1 MonoU Reservoir
0-2 Weenie Equipment (how do you beat a 2/3 flying, vigilance, lifelink Dwarf equipped with Stitcher's Graft at instant speed?)
My take on Boros Humans. This is all theorycrafting but it seems to goldfish pretty well using online builder tools. The manabase is probably the biggest issue as it's a source or two shy on colour requirements, but I really want to keep the utility lands. Some of the card counts aren't optimal (Mimic, Lieutenant) but I'm working with the collection that's available to me.
Great to see the human activity!
@patbou - I really like the decklist and the early results, but I do have some questions.
On the manabase: Is Fortified Village good here? You really want your third, fourth and fifth land (postboard) to come into play untapped, and when you topdeck a Village as your last land, not so good. It also doesn't make it easier for Cinder Glade to be untapped. I wonder whether some combination of basics, a fourth Evolving Wilds, Aether Hub and Canopy Vista might be better.
Do you want another land in the sideboard for when you bring in Avacyn?
If you can cast it (and you can now), Heron's Grace Champion is Reckless Bushwhacker + Lantern Scout with the additional benefits of flash (okay, that's hyperbole, but worth considering). Representing Recruiter activation and flashing Champion in to maybe blow out removal is just an example. Are you sure you don't want them?
Tireless Tracker grinds really well. Are you sure you don't want any in your 75?
@TechnoWriter - I love the creativity of your take. I am still trying to figure out the implications of Nahiri's Machinations. I do have some questions also.
Particularly with Nahiri's Machinations, would Harnessed Lightning be better than Incendiary Flow? Instant speed and maybe even being able to occasionally hit for four to kill a Felidar Guardian seems good.
My take on Boros Humans. This is all theorycrafting but it seems to goldfish pretty well using online builder tools. The manabase is probably the biggest issue as it's a source or two shy on colour requirements, but I really want to keep the utility lands. Some of the card counts aren't optimal (Mimic, Lieutenant) but I'm working with the collection that's available to me.
At first glance, I think you don't play enough lands for your curve. Quick comparison :
6-18-10-4-0 : Curve of my latest Naya deck (with Bushwhacker best played for 1R, surged with a two-drop on turn 4+)
7-13-11-5-1 : Your curve (with Lieutenant and Claws being pretty bad on turn 2, and Nahiri's Machinations being pretty bad at all IMHO)
I forced myself to add the 24th land in my deck to support my curve. With 23 lands and a higher curve, I think you will find yourself too often mana short for your deck's needs. This will cost you games, most probably. Myself, I'm sometimes waiting for my 4th land to cast Gideon or surge Bushwacker on a two-drop, or 5th land to activate Needle Spires (or play Avacyn, post SB).
I remember reading an interview article with a Pro player, saying something close to this : "Peoples sometimes ask me to look at their deck list. Most of the time, they're fine, and I just remove a card and add a land instead. Casual players always underestimate how many lands to put in a deck. If you think you've figured out a number, make that +1, and you should be fine."
I'm saying all this to help (not be a jerk, and I'm honestly sorry if I look like one), and I hope it does.
A note about your colorless lands : Throught my testings, I realised that 6 is probably too many mana sinks (4 Spires, 1 Battlements, 1 Abbey). The 4 Spires are probably enough for any decks. Battlements and Abbey are probably just cute shenanigans that could be replaced with colored sources to help cast your nice spells. Gideon and Gisela both demand you more commitment to white, and Chandra in the SB demands the same (17 or 18 W and R).
With so many removals in the format (the best decks play 7+ removals), I don't think you'll be happy with Captain's Claws. Equipments on creatures without hexproof are usually bad (because you're telegraphing your intentions to the opponent), unless you can play them at instant speed and equip for free (Sigarda's Aid does that, and there are insane budget decks you can do with that theme).
If you have Harnessed Lightning, I would use that instead of Incendiary Flow. Instant speed helps a lot in the current format.
Great to see the human activity!
<snip>
@TechnoWriter - I love the creativity of your take. I am still trying to figure out the implications of Nahiri's Machinations. I do have some questions also.
Particularly with Nahiri's Machinations, would Harnessed Lightning be better than Incendiary Flow? Instant speed and maybe even being able to occasionally hit for four to kill a Felidar Guardian seems good.
Is three too many for the Claws? Spawning an Ally seems great, but I would hate to have two out and all my creatures removed or countered.
I hope this helps.
Thanks for the encouragement and questions, Hoser (take off eh?)
Nahiri's Machinations is there to mess with combat math. Based on the last couple pages of lists, it seems that I am running a higher number of first/double strikers, and Machinations really allows the deck to take advantage of that. It also lets me protect a guy, which enables the deck to be a little more fearless on offense. Especially if I have Captain's Claws on someone - now I can swing without fear of losing in combat, and get the extra attacker which might proc one of my Ally triggers.
As far as the Claws number is concerned, I really want to see it early every game as this build is geared towards going wide with tokens. I'm not running as many 1- and 2-drops as some of the other lists, so it sorta fills that spot. You're right that there is a chance of topdecking it with an empty hand/board, but that's true of any equipment (OK, maybe not Batterskull, but we can't have all the nice toys!). That said, I am not 100% committed to 3, and certainly willing to test running 2 plus something else. I would love to have a repeatable, non-creature-permanent based means of producing tokens, but outside of Westvale Abbey the pool is pretty shallow. Chandra, Flamecaller is too far up the curve, Whirlermaker is clunky, and Animation Module needs help. The one that might show promise is Retreat to Emeria, but at 4cc and relying on landfall in a land-light(ish) build it's questionable. If anything tho that is what I would test as a single Claws replacement.
As far as Aether Hub / Harnessed Lightning go, this is just a personal thing but I don't like the idea of running energy cards without much more support. Also if I'm using Hub for fixing then it's not going to power up a 4-damage Lightning. The removal suite in general could certainly use more testing. I know for sure I need instant answers for cat combo (and to help my first strikers out), and I want to have permanent ways to deal with Scrapheap Scrounger (and also go to the face / planeswalker in a pinch). I might be able to just rely on the SB Stasis Snares for that last piece, but I want to limit double-mana costs in the main if I can help it. If I had more artifacts I'd be all up for running a couple Spire of Industry, and similarly with more Allies I'd take some Ally Encampment action, but without those two conditions in place I might just have to take what I've got and make the best of it.
Keep the critiques and questions coming. I'm sadly missing FNM tonight but hopefully will find the opportunity this week to get some action in.
At first glance, I think you don't play enough lands for your curve. Quick comparison :
6-18-10-4-0 : Curve of my latest Naya deck (with Bushwhacker best played for 1R, surged with a two-drop on turn 4+)
7-13-11-5-1 : Your curve (with Lieutenant and Claws being pretty bad on turn 2, and Nahiri's Machinations being pretty bad at all IMHO)
I forced myself to add the 24th land in my deck to support my curve. With 23 lands and a higher curve, I think you will find yourself too often mana short for your deck's needs. This will cost you games, most probably. Myself, I'm sometimes waiting for my 4th land to cast Gideon or surge Bushwacker on a two-drop, or 5th land to activate Needle Spires (or play Avacyn, post SB).
I remember reading an interview article with a Pro player, saying something close to this : "Peoples sometimes ask me to look at their deck list. Most of the time, they're fine, and I just remove a card and add a land instead. Casual players always underestimate how many lands to put in a deck. If you think you've figured out a number, make that +1, and you should be fine."
I'm saying all this to help (not be a jerk, and I'm honestly sorry if I look like one), and I hope it does.
A note about your colorless lands : Throught my testings, I realised that 6 is probably too many mana sinks (4 Spires, 1 Battlements, 1 Abbey). The 4 Spires are probably enough for any decks. Battlements and Abbey are probably just cute shenanigans that could be replaced with colored sources to help cast your nice spells. Gideon and Gisela both demand you more commitment to white, and Chandra in the SB demands the same (17 or 18 W and R).
With so many removals in the format (the best decks play 7+ removals), I don't think you'll be happy with Captain's Claws. Equipments on creatures without hexproof are usually bad (because you're telegraphing your intentions to the opponent), unless you can play them at instant speed and equip for free (Sigarda's Aid does that, and there are insane budget decks you can do with that theme).
If you have Harnessed Lightning, I would use that instead of Incendiary Flow. Instant speed helps a lot in the current format.
Thanks for the assessment! And no worries, no jerkiness taken.
I hadn't looked at the curve as a whole, so thanks for doing that. I might have a thing about making my lists as tight on mana as possible... I'll definitely take your suggestion about the colourless lands under advisement in my testing. Swapping those out for a couple more basics would certainly help. (As a side note, have you tested with coloured utility lands like Looming Spires, Sandstone Bridge, Unknown Shores or even just Stone Quarry? Genuinely curious if those might have a place, and I can't recall ever seeing them mentioned.)
Captain's Claws is admittedly a pet theorycraft card for me in this build. I have yet to take the deck for a spin so you're right, it's very probable that it will just act as a removal magnet and I won't get a ton of value from it. Or I might find that I can stick it on a Thraben Inspector and force "wasted" removal on that instead of a bigger hitter. I will be taking close note of how often either event happens. In any case I don't see myself trying to turn this into a Sigarda's Aid toolbox build.
As for removal, I don't like energy cards without support, and this list doesn't have it. Quickly checking Gatherer gives me a few instant speed alternatives that seem decent (Galvanic Blast, Hungry Flames, Outnumber)... I might just have to suck up losing the exile clause.
Keep it coming!
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The deck needs removals, if only to deal with the snowballs before they get out of control (re : Cub, Constrictor, etc.). Thalia temporarily screws them, but not long enough.
Here's a different list :
4 Needle Spires
4 Inspiring Vantage
1 Westvale Abbey
1 Hanweir Battlements
7 Plains
6 Mountain
Creatures (33)
4 Thraben Inspector
3 Expedition Envoy
2 Hanweir Militia Captain
2 Kari Zev
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
4 Metallic Mimic
4 Reckless Bushwhacker
4 Firemantle Mage
2 Lantern Scout
2 Hanweir Garrison
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 Release the Gremlins
2 Declaration in Stone
1 Release the Gremlins
3 Archangel Avacyn
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Lantern Scout
2 Hanweir Garrison
1 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
1 Courageous Outrider
1 Munda, Ambush Leader
1 Kor Entanglers
Garrison is better on the play, while Scout helps stabilize on the draw. Two of each in the main, and two more of each in the SB should do the job.
I added Kari Zev. I can see why she can be good, particularly with a few counters on her. Her Expertise spell could be good too in the current meta. Stealing a fat Cub, or Constrictor followed up by Lieutenant, would be a bomb.
I main decked Release the Gremlins, considering that all decks play artifacts, and it will rarely be a dead draw.
I still have to squeeze in 2-3 removals. But what to cut?
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.
1 Needle Spires
4 Inspiring Vantage
1 Shambling Vent
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Spire of Industry
2 Evolving Wilds
2 Aether Hub
3 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Swamp
Creatures (27)
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Inventor's Apprentice
4 Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
4 Metallic Mimic
4 Hanweir Garrison
2 Pia Nalaar
1 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
2 Fatal Push
2 Unlicensed Disintegration
4 Aethersphere Harvester
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Fatal Push
2 Unlicensed Disintegration
2 Release the Gremlins
3 Archangel Avacyn
1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Cultivator's Caravan
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
I tested this version a bit this morning. The removals are very sweet, and it's easy to fall in love with them. The manabase is very fast, and the odds of playing the first 3 lands untapped are very high. Even after that, there's a lot of untapped lands to play. Inventor's Apprentice can get fat quite fast, with the help of Mimic and Lieutenant (3/4 or 4/5), and is more resilient to Ballista than Expedition Envoy, and a more effective blocker. Siphoner provides card advantage, which is not a bad thing.
But I am incredibly sad to turn my back on the Ally theme. Rallying Menace and Lifelink on a wide board is amazing, and opponents are never ready for that. Also, all drop 2 are x/1, making them very vulnerable to Ballista (opponent will 2 for 1 me). Harvesters are good, but slow, and a step away from the Human theme. But the extra artifacts are needed to make sure Apprentice, Spire and Disintegration are at their peak performance.
I consider these changes :
To put it more simply :
1 Needle Spires
4 Inspiring Vantage
1 Shambling Vent
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Spire of Industry
2 Evolving Wilds
2 Aether Hub
3 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Swamp
Creatures (27)
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Inventor's Apprentice
2 Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
2 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
4 Metallic Mimic
4 Hanweir Garrison
2 Pia Nalaar
1 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
2 Fatal Push
2 Unlicensed Disintegration
1 Heart of Kiran
2 Stoneforge Masterwork
1 Cultivator's Caravan
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Fatal Push
2 Unlicensed Disintegration
2 Release the Gremlins
3 Archangel Avacyn
1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Aethersphere Harvester
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
I would have loved to fit in Kari Zev's Expertise in the SB. It could be really good against GB Constrictor (steal a fat Cub or Snake, and remove a blocker ; a fantasy... steal Constrictor and play Mimic for free, then play Lieutenant and double the counters from Mimic and on all Humans, then attack with pumped up army and stolen snake).
But... Still no room for Allies.
Opinion?
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.
1 Needle Spires
4 Inspiring Vantage
1 Shambling Vent
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Spire of Industry
2 Evolving Wilds
2 Aether Hub
3 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Swamp
Creatures (26)
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Inventor's Apprentice
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
4 Metallic Mimic
2 Lantern Scout
2 Firemantle Mage
4 Reckless Bushwhacker
2 Pia Nalaar
2 Fatal Push
2 Unlicensed Disintegration
2 Captain's Claw
1 Heart of Kiran
1 Aethersphere Harvester
3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
4 Hanweir Garrison
1 Fatal Push
1 Unlicensed Disintegration
2 Release the Gremlins
3 Archangel Avacyn
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
3 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
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 am struggling with the manabase. I see 11 W and 9 R untapped sources T1. I don't think that will serve you terribly well in an aggro deck. Karsten clains that you want 14 untapped sources for a turn 1 colored play. Below is a basis of a Mardu manabase that can play Thraben Inspector or Inventor's Apprentice T1:
4 Aether Hub
4 Inspiring Vantage
6 Mountain
4 Concealed Courtyard
2 Plains
1 Swamp
This is 21 lands. It also has a problem in that 4 Aether Hubs is too many without Harnessed Lightning (maybe even with!). In your deck, Spire of Industry can probably be used to get you from 1 colored source to 2, so I could see 2 Spire of Industry, but 4 looks problematic to me.
I think you have about 37% Inspector and 33% Apprentice T1. For 2 drops, you want Heart or Mimic, but Captain's Claws don't help T3 unless you made a 1 drop. Mimic often doesn't want to attack T3, either.
TLDR: I think you need to speed up your manabase. Too often this deck will not be attacking until T4.
RNA Standard: Grixis Midrange, Jund Deathwhirler, Sultai Vannifar
GRN Standard: Red Midrange, Mono-Blue Tempo, Wr Aggro, Gruul Experimental Dinosaurs, Sultai Midrange, Jeskai Midrange
Modern: Bant Spirits
Forcing a single archetype in all formats: too many colors, bad mana.
Claw is awkward on turn 2, and I prefer to play it later in the game, after opponent has spent their first few removals. I would replace it with Copter, but opponent will probably realise the foul play and call the judge.
A 2nd copy of Heart would be nice. But Claw is surprisingly good, and even more on Pia's Thopter. Going wide and wider is what a surged Bushwhacker wants, and this card helps at that. One trick is to equip the least useful creature (1/2 Inspector) and rejoice when for the cost of one mana, you'll have forced opponent to spend a precious removal on it (or just get away with it).
I did some tests today, and they were good.
Edit : Too bad Stonework Puma is not standard legal. I added Claw because it is an artifact, and also an Ally. Maybe the deck will do better with Scrounger instead...
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.
RNA Standard: Grixis Midrange, Jund Deathwhirler, Sultai Vannifar
GRN Standard: Red Midrange, Mono-Blue Tempo, Wr Aggro, Gruul Experimental Dinosaurs, Sultai Midrange, Jeskai Midrange
Modern: Bant Spirits
Forcing a single archetype in all formats: too many colors, bad mana.
My Human/Ally deck is undefeated so far at my local store (3-0, 3-0, 3-0). But I think the plain Boros version did better than Naya. I got really lucky (or opponents unlucky) with Naya and I cannot count on luck to perform at PPTQ. Duskwatch Recruiter shenanigans are cute, and rewarding, but the mana base suffered a lot, and it slowed the deck too much.
My testing so far with Mardu: The mana base is very fast with 8 fast lands and Spire of Industry ; the removals are very good, but they require a lot of work around.
Fatal Push is a dead card against many creatures if you can’t trigger revolt. And killing a creature on Kalitas to trigger revolt is giving card advantage to the opponent. And even if you can trigger revolt, some creatures will just evade Fatal Push (Avacyn, Linvala, Gearhulks, etc.).
Unlicensed Disintegration always work, with a nice burn bonus. If you can get the mana. If you can get an artifact on the battlefield (and stay there). Conclusion: it is very taxing on the mana base to make it work (splashing black), and also very taxing on the creatures and spells to make if function at peak performance (the artifact requirement is not a problem in a vehicle deck, but it is for my tribe).
For a deck that thrives on its originality (synergy between Humans and Allies, with Mimic being the bridge between the two), losing too much of that for a set of removals that don’t always perform the way they are supposed to… I’m not a buyer.
I was already thinking this morning of going back to Boros, adding Shock and Thalia to the main deck in the hope of performing in a PPTQ that will most likely be filled with Saheeli Combo and Mardu Vehicles decks. PVR’s article confirmed my thinking, and this reassures me.
Shock should be good against Mardu, as it kills 100% of their creatures (except Depala, but she’s not played right now). It’s even possible to kill Exemplar while it’s +2/+1 ability is on the stack and prevent it from crewing Heart of Kiran. Shock kills Saheeli and other Planeswalkers, and also helps surge Reckless Bushwhacker at a very low cost.
Thalia is very good at preventing creatures from crewing vehicles, and Ally or Thopter Tokens become momentarily useless to defend Gideon or Saheeli. And on the play, if it can screw for a turn opponent’s mana, all the better.
I hope I’m not overselling the deck’s strategy to myself, but I believe repeatable Rally triggers of Menace and/or Lifelink is good in the current metagame. Lifelink will help stabilize against Mardu Vehicles, while Menace nullifies Heart of Kiran’s Vigilance, and helps close the race against Saheeli who can’t chump block as effectively to buy time.
So, with all that said, I’m back to straight RW, and BOROS ALLIANCE.
4 Needle Spires
4 Inspiring Vantage
2 Aether Hub
7 Plains
7 Mountain
Creatures (27)
2 Inventor’s Apprentice
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Metallic Mimic
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
4 Lantern Scout
4 Firemantle Mage
3 Reckless Bushwhacker
3 Shock
3 Harnessed Lightning
3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
3 Release the Gremlins
3 Archangel Avacyn
3 Hanweir Garrison
1 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
1 Heart of Kiran
1 Aethersphere Harvester
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Declaration in Stone
I hesitate between 3 and 3 of Shock and H-Lightning, or 4 and 2. More of Shock will help me against Saheeli if the combo deck is very popular. Harnessed Lightning has the potential to hit bigger targets if energy supply is available (good against everything GB and also against Temur’s Gearhulk). If you have an inspiration on that matter, I’m all yours.
That’s inspiring. I used to side in Avacyn quite randomly, but now I can do so with a focus in mind.
SIDEBOARD PLAN (still under construction)
General guidelines:
On the play, I get very aggressive with +3 Garrison and +1 Thalia (overwhelm with numbers and screw defense). Both screw Planeswalkers’ and help win faster. These replace the 4 Lantern Scout, as there’s no need for life if I can kill opponent before my life reaches zero.
Vs Mardu Vehicle : +3 Avacyn…
4c Saheeli : +3 Avacyn…
(more to come)
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.
First, I'm *VERY* satisfied with the deck, and I wouldn't change a single card in the main deck or SB if I were to do it again. But, ***** happens, and today was a bad karma day.
Matchup #1 : Saheeli Combo, loss 0-2
To put it simply, I flooded out both games. In two games, I had 15 lands and 9 spells (normal ratio would have been 10 lands and 14 spells on that many cards). There isn't much one can do about such extreme deviance. I did stopped the combo 3 times with Shock and Harnessed Lightning, but I had no threat to put on the battlefield. Maybe I should revert to 23 lands and 4th Bushwhacker... Or back to Naya in the hope Recruiter gets me more cards, or that Attune with Aether thins out land density and reduces the chances of flooding out... Or do nothing and accept bad karma.
Matchup #2 : Esper Control, win 2-0
I devoured him Game 1. Game 2, I had Aethersphere Harvester (too fat for Grasp of Darkness and Fatal Push), and two Gideons and their tokens did the rest of the job (along with Mimic, for tokens on steroid).
Matchup #3 : GB Delirium, loss 1-2
Game 1, he had me down to 9 when I stabilized with Scout (back to 18, him down to 7). He had a really big board when I though I turned the corner. He had Delirium and attacked with Mindwrack Demon (down to 14), had two other demons untapped, Grim Flayer and Winding Constrictor. I then played Scout, and attacked with everything (Menace and Lifelink). He double-blocked Scout and Mage, but I got back to 25 life, and he was down to 1. I felt confident then that, unless he played Verdurous Gearhulk, he would try to grind me with one or two Demons per turn. This would give me enough time to get me the right cards and win (I still had Needle Spires and many creatures, including another Scout). But he played Gearhulk, adding 2 counters on Grim Flayer (trample) and each of three Demons, tapped out his creatures and said "I attack for lethal". The amount of damage was very impressive, and I trusted him in his calculations. I conceded, but I shouldn't have, as he was bluffing. He was actually attacking for 26, but my single Scout could have blocked Constrictor and I would have been down to 1. I had 3 other creatures and Needle Spires to go lethal myself next turn. I was very enraged then, and would have happily punched the guy in the face if I didn't know that was more wrong than being cheated out of victory.
Game 2, I dominated with Gideon and Avacyn. Gee, matchup would have been 2-0 if opponent wasn't such an a**hole.
I lost game 3 on the draw, never able to deal more than 2 damage (thanks to Apprentice on turn 2), while he healed himself back up to 29. I played Gideon for Anthem on turn 4 (he would have died anyway on his turn), hoping I could follow up with a 5/5 Avacyn on turn 5 to surprise block Harvester and stop that misery (Demon was in play too, but first killing the lifedrainer was a priority). But all hopes got crushed when he played Gearhulk, crewed the Harvester, and pumped it to 5/7 (and Demon to 6/7). I lost to a poker player, while I was playing Magic. Next time, I will do the math myself.
Matchup #4 : Jeskai Saheeli 2-1
He won game 1 with the combo, but I destroyed him game 2 with Chandra and Gideon.
Game 3, I had Gideon, a 2/2 token and 1/2 Inspector in play. He was at 11 life, and I played Heart of Kiran, crewed it with Gideon, made him a 5/5 Human, surged the Bushwhacker and attacked with everything for a lot more than 11.
Matchup #5 : I got a bye, win 2-0
Final results : 3-2 and Rank #5, out of 16 players (that single victory against the GB Delirium player ranked me up).
But I didn't made the cut to Top 4 (17+ players to get a cut to Top 8)...
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.
Yes, always do combat math yourself. He mag not have been deceiving you, though. His attack was lethal, but that doesn't mean the outcome had to be.
I ran the below out to a small tournament. 0-3, but it was closer than it seems. Still, my conclusion is that the more midrange version is better. The 1 drops just don't seem powerful enough. Lost to Grixis Tower Control (0-2), Grixis Control (0-2), GBx Midrange with World Breaker and Groundskeeper (1-2).
4 Thraben Inspector
2 Town Gossipmonger
3 Duskwatch Recruiter
1 Hanweir Militia Captain
1 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
4 Metallic Mimic
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
4 Hanweir Garrison
1 Renegade Rallier
1 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
4 Tireless Tracker
4 Heron's Grace Champion
2 Attune with Aether
4 Harnessed Lightning
Lands
3 Aether Hub
4 Cinder Glade
1 Evolving Wilds
2 Forest
4 Fortified Village
3 Inspiring Vantage
1 Mountain
1 Needle Spires
2 Plains
1 Natural State
1 Declaration in Stone
1 Natural Obsolescence
1 Eerie Interlude
1 Kari Zev's Expertise
1 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
2 Stasis Snare
1 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
1 Thopter Arrest
4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 Sigarda, Heron's Grace
RNA Standard: Grixis Midrange, Jund Deathwhirler, Sultai Vannifar
GRN Standard: Red Midrange, Mono-Blue Tempo, Wr Aggro, Gruul Experimental Dinosaurs, Sultai Midrange, Jeskai Midrange
Modern: Bant Spirits
Forcing a single archetype in all formats: too many colors, bad mana.
Oh. That's a sad outcome. Your other version of Humans did quite better, if I recall correctly.
Against Control and Tower, I found that flying Vehicles and Planeswalkers are the best way to win, along with some sort of Combo (because Tower is more Midrange than Control, Combo beats it). Some suggestions :
These work for me, and may inspire you...
Note on Lifecrafter's Bestiary : IMHO, it's just cute. Losing a whole turn to cast this, then slowing then the whole deck to get some more cards is just helping the opponent reach inevitability. Tower will draw more cards than you (Anticipate & Glimmer, plus recursion of one or the other from Gearhulk), and if you're too slow and they hit Tower #2, a hand full of your 7 best cards won't save you.
About the manabase : 21 lands + 2 Attune is maybe not enough for a deck with 10 drop-3 and 4 drop-4 spells. It is rather thin for the diet of 4 Tireless Trackers, and just one Evolving Wilds is not enough to let them snowball for you. Aether Hub x 3 seems a lot in a color hungry deck that doesn't produce much energy (Mardu plays 2 Hubs max). But I may be wrong... How did the manabase played for you?
Hanweir Garrison is a prime target for removals (and has no ETB effect). I much more prefer it on the play, where it has some chances of doing something before it gets removed. That's why I play with Lantern Scout in the main deck instead. Even if it gets instantly removed, the life gained in the first game often allows me to turn the corner and win. Compared to Heron's Grace Champion, after the first trigger (a turn later), you only have 3 cards to repeat the Lifelink anthem. In my latest Boros brew, 17 other cards could trigger Scout's Rally.
Note for future Ally fans : play Firemantle Mage last if you can, after Scout ; it has a much higher target on it's head ; Scout is used to stabilized, while Mage is used to win, and that's why the two together are almost unbeatable against Mardu (remember that Scroungers don't block, and that's often their doom against Menace).
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.
Thanks for the analysis. I do like the idea of increasing the Ally subtheme in the midrange version moving forward.
RNA Standard: Grixis Midrange, Jund Deathwhirler, Sultai Vannifar
GRN Standard: Red Midrange, Mono-Blue Tempo, Wr Aggro, Gruul Experimental Dinosaurs, Sultai Midrange, Jeskai Midrange
Modern: Bant Spirits
Forcing a single archetype in all formats: too many colors, bad mana.
I forgot to mention that if you +1 Gideon before playing Lieutenant, he'll punch through Torrential Gearhulk. Control players hate when that happens, because a pumped Gideon is about the only thing that can threaten a Gearhulk, and it requires far less work to do so than get a Cub to 6/6 (or concentrate all of Verdurous' counters on the same creature).
Also, Shock in the main deck makes more sense than ever. It shuts Saheeli's combo for just 1 mana. This, compared to unreliable and double costed Harnessed Lightning.
I know you didn't faced Saheeli decks in the last tournament, but since the combo didn't get banned today, it's here to stay for a while longer. So here's an anti-Combo strategy : Kill the accelerators ASAP! Servant of the Conduit dies to Shock or Harnessed Lightning (get 4th energy needed to kill the Cat), and these can remove the blockers protecting Chandra (her mana ability is deadly with the Combo). Unless opponent casts the combo on two different turns (easier for you to deal with), he needs 7 mana. Even with Oath of Nissa, it takes a while to draw into 7 lands if you kill the accelerators. Saheeli's land count is low (20), and Attune is invisible to Oath and screws land density. Use your first removals to win the race and get to the long game with an Emblem that says "You gain Protection from Time Warp". Opponent won't benefit from your fear of the combo to gain the extra turns needed to assemble it. And you may as well draw another removal (or Thalia) before the combo hits the table. Based on a true story.
Virtuoso should also have a high target on it's head (kill it with Harnessed Lightning). Otherwise, more energy will make it better with time, and Thopter tokens will block your way to his dome or his Planeswalkers, again gaining time to get to the combo.
This is why Garrison is strictly better in this matchup, even on the draw. You don't really need life against the combo, but a very wide board will get around the Thopters (and Menace will do the job too).
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.
RNA Standard: Grixis Midrange, Jund Deathwhirler, Sultai Vannifar
GRN Standard: Red Midrange, Mono-Blue Tempo, Wr Aggro, Gruul Experimental Dinosaurs, Sultai Midrange, Jeskai Midrange
Modern: Bant Spirits
Forcing a single archetype in all formats: too many colors, bad mana.
If Gideon's tokens were 2/2 Human Ally, instead of Knight Ally, the Human/Ally cross-tribe would probably dominate the format! I'm drooling just thinking about it...
I updated my previous post with some more comments on Shock (and removals) vs Saheeli. Have fun!
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 did a lot of math to help convince me I was doing the right thing with Boros. I will share my research and conclusions, and maybe it will help other make their choices.
To go Naya, I would have to replace 2 Inventor's Apprentice and 2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar with 4 Duskwatch Recruiter in the main deck. This means I'll lose a main deck solution against Saheeli (Thalia) and a cheap variable fatty (Apprentice can be cast as a 4/5 for R on turn 3 if played on Mimic and followed by Lieutenant). Relayed to the SB, Thalia will be taking the place of other cards (maybe copies #3 of Avacyn and Release).
The mana base with Naya is clunky and there are thousands of different combinations. This one is probably the strongest/fastest to ensure having untapped G on turn 1 (Attune) and WW or RR on turn 4 (Gideon or Surge Bushwhacker on H-Lightning). Full play set of Attune and Aether Hub are used to compound on each other's ability, and fix and accelerate the whole deck (but this is dangerous business). Anyway, anything less than that means lower odds of doing anything with the deck.
4 Needle Spires
4 Inspiring Vantage
2 Aether Hub
7 Plains
7 Mountain
Boros version can produce 17 W and 17 R, which is close to optimal (18) for WW or RR on turn 4 (84.7% instead of 87.4%). It has 20 untapped lands (13 W, 13 R) for turns 1-3, and 16 untapped for turns 4+.
4 Attune with Aether
4 Aether Hub
4 Inspiring Vantage
3 Fortified Village
3 Game Trail
4 Forest
1 Plains
1 Mountain
Naya version can produce 16 W, 16 R and 18 G, which is close to optimal (18) for WW or RR on turn 4 (81.7% instead of 87.4%). It has 20 untapped lands (12 W, 12 R and 14 G) for the early game (T1-T3), and 16 untapped for turns 4+. But 6 of these are Shadowlands :
Naya offers no manland, while Boros has 4 in the main deck to help in the long game (mana sink). This may be offset by a slightly better top deck as more Attune with Aether are played, reducing land density in the deck. Let's do some math :
From there, the rest of the comparison is very qualitative (not quantitative). My conclusion stays the same : reliability and speed of Boros' manabase, and full playset of Needle Spires, makes it a better choice over Naya. No matter how cute 3-allied-colors Humans may seem, I'll stay away from that temptation, unless new color fixing lands appear in Amonkhet. Mardu seemed possible with an artifact sub-theme (Spire of Industry), but this takes away too much of the Human theme. If Reflector Mage got unbanned (a Human Ally, like Scout and Mage), Jeskai would have been tempting and maybe possible too, thanks to Spirebluff Canal and Wandering Fumarole). But there is otherwise no appeal to splash blue. For me, it is either GW Humans (Aggro with a good long game thanks to Tracker's Clues) or Boros Alliance (Aggro with Ally subtheme to stabilize with Scout, get evasion with Mage and accelerate damage with surged Bushwhacker).
By all means, a great brewer like hoser2 may succeed with a Naya brew, but for mortals (like me) I'm quite sure straight GW or Boros are superior (and easier to build and play).
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.
One minor point in playing against the combo. Combo players can go off with 6 mana. They can play Felidar Guardian, flicker a tapped land that comes into play untapped and then cast Saheeli.
RNA Standard: Grixis Midrange, Jund Deathwhirler, Sultai Vannifar
GRN Standard: Red Midrange, Mono-Blue Tempo, Wr Aggro, Gruul Experimental Dinosaurs, Sultai Midrange, Jeskai Midrange
Modern: Bant Spirits
Forcing a single archetype in all formats: too many colors, bad mana.
Right. That caught me off-guard once, and I forgot about it in the above article. I still think you are better killing the accelerators to slow down the combo and win the race, than try to deal with the combo. The less time Saheeli has, the more you can beat her.
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'll see if her ideas can be implemented in a Human deck...
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.
4 Inspiring Vantage
4 Fortified Village
4 Cinder Glade
3 Evolving Wilds
2 Needle Spires
2 Plains
2 Mountain
1 Forest
Creatures (26)
4 Metallic Mimic
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
4 Duskwatch Recruiter
4 Lambholt Pacifist
4 Hanweir Garrison
4 Reckless Bushwhacker
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
2 Traverse the Ulvenwald
4 Shock
2 Harnessed Lightning
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Lantern Scout
2 Firemantle Mage
3 Release the Gremlins
3 Archangel Avacyn
1 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
1 Heart of Kiran
1 Aethersphere Harvester
2 Harnessed Lightning
With no 1-drops, other than the occasionnal Shock or Traverse, there's a lot less pressure on the manabase for untapped T1 lands, and color sources. This allow me to load up on two-drops. Adding full play set of Recruiter and Pacifist makes Mimic, Lieutenant and Bushwhacker a lot better than they were before. Lieutenant was just a bad play on turn 2, and now I have 8 more cards to play instead, or after Mimic. Turn 3 can easily be a two-drop + Shock or Traverse, to burn or to be ready for a turn 4 Gideon or Chandra, or a surged Bushwhacker on one of the many two-drops.
4 toughness is supposedly what's good right now. Garrison, Recruiter (flip) and Pacifist are good at this, with some help of Mimic, Lieutenant and Gideon's emblem.
Traverse can be used later in the game to find Lieutenant or Bushwhacker, whatever will make you turn the corner (or even Scout, Mage or Avacyn post-SB). With Evolving Wilds to fill graveyard and the target on Mimic's head, I'm just one card short of getting delirium. And with Planeswalkers, Instants and Sorceries in the deck, it's a nice bonus in the late game.
I'm losing the Ally theme in the main deck, but I maintain their presence in the SB. I guess they may be useful if I'm on the draw (gaining life and removing blockers can help turn the corner when behind). This actually makes more sense, to win game 1 and have a SB plan for game 2 on the draw (or good main on the play), than play game 1 and have a SB for game 2 if on the play (a kind of a loser's approach to SB).
The manabase is quite resilient, with plenty of basic lands (counting Evolving Wilds and Traverse the Ulvenwald) to make the Battlelands untapped in the late game. Traverse can even be used on turn 3 to fetch Plains or Forest to play untapped Fortified Village and one of the many two-drops, and be ready for turn 4 with an untapped land. What's best, is the five fetchlands (Evo and Traverse) to reduce the odds of flooding, and the absence of Aether Hub makes the whole thing more consistent. There's even room for two Needle Spires in the main deck! I thus have a production of 17 W, 17 R and 14 G. This is close to what's optimal for the deck (18-18-13), but this is expected in 3-colors Standard (this is not Modern).
I did some tests :
2-0 Temur Tower
2-0 GB Constrictor
2-0 UW Spirit
2-1 MonoU Reservoir
0-2 Weenie Equipment (how do you beat a 2/3 flying, vigilance, lifelink Dwarf equipped with Stitcher's Graft at instant speed?)
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.
All that said, how's it look?
1 Hanweir Battlements
4 Inspiring Vantage
5 Mountain
4 Needle Spires
8 Plains
1 Westvale Abbey
Artifacts
3 Captain's Claws
Enchantments
1 Always Watching
1 Nahiri's Machinations
Instants
3 Shock
Sorceries
2 Incendiary Flow
3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
Creatures
2 Firemantle Mage
2 Gisela, the Broken Blade
3 Hanweir Garrison
3 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
2 Lantern Scout
2 Metallic Mimic
1 Resolute Blademaster
2 Thalia's Lieutenant
3 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
4 Thraben Inspector
3 Archangel Avacyn
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1 Declaration in Stone
1 Mountain
2 Nahiri, the Harbinger
3 Release the Gremlins
3 Stasis Snare
@patbou - I really like the decklist and the early results, but I do have some questions.
@TechnoWriter - I love the creativity of your take. I am still trying to figure out the implications of Nahiri's Machinations. I do have some questions also.
I hope this helps.
RNA Standard: Grixis Midrange, Jund Deathwhirler, Sultai Vannifar
GRN Standard: Red Midrange, Mono-Blue Tempo, Wr Aggro, Gruul Experimental Dinosaurs, Sultai Midrange, Jeskai Midrange
Modern: Bant Spirits
Forcing a single archetype in all formats: too many colors, bad mana.
At first glance, I think you don't play enough lands for your curve. Quick comparison :
I forced myself to add the 24th land in my deck to support my curve. With 23 lands and a higher curve, I think you will find yourself too often mana short for your deck's needs. This will cost you games, most probably. Myself, I'm sometimes waiting for my 4th land to cast Gideon or surge Bushwacker on a two-drop, or 5th land to activate Needle Spires (or play Avacyn, post SB).
I remember reading an interview article with a Pro player, saying something close to this : "Peoples sometimes ask me to look at their deck list. Most of the time, they're fine, and I just remove a card and add a land instead. Casual players always underestimate how many lands to put in a deck. If you think you've figured out a number, make that +1, and you should be fine."
I'm saying all this to help (not be a jerk, and I'm honestly sorry if I look like one), and I hope it does.
A note about your colorless lands : Throught my testings, I realised that 6 is probably too many mana sinks (4 Spires, 1 Battlements, 1 Abbey). The 4 Spires are probably enough for any decks. Battlements and Abbey are probably just cute shenanigans that could be replaced with colored sources to help cast your nice spells. Gideon and Gisela both demand you more commitment to white, and Chandra in the SB demands the same (17 or 18 W and R).
With so many removals in the format (the best decks play 7+ removals), I don't think you'll be happy with Captain's Claws. Equipments on creatures without hexproof are usually bad (because you're telegraphing your intentions to the opponent), unless you can play them at instant speed and equip for free (Sigarda's Aid does that, and there are insane budget decks you can do with that theme).
If you have Harnessed Lightning, I would use that instead of Incendiary Flow. Instant speed helps a lot in the current format.
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.
Thanks for the encouragement and questions, Hoser (take off eh?)
Nahiri's Machinations is there to mess with combat math. Based on the last couple pages of lists, it seems that I am running a higher number of first/double strikers, and Machinations really allows the deck to take advantage of that. It also lets me protect a guy, which enables the deck to be a little more fearless on offense. Especially if I have Captain's Claws on someone - now I can swing without fear of losing in combat, and get the extra attacker which might proc one of my Ally triggers.
As far as the Claws number is concerned, I really want to see it early every game as this build is geared towards going wide with tokens. I'm not running as many 1- and 2-drops as some of the other lists, so it sorta fills that spot. You're right that there is a chance of topdecking it with an empty hand/board, but that's true of any equipment (OK, maybe not Batterskull, but we can't have all the nice toys!). That said, I am not 100% committed to 3, and certainly willing to test running 2 plus something else. I would love to have a repeatable, non-creature-permanent based means of producing tokens, but outside of Westvale Abbey the pool is pretty shallow. Chandra, Flamecaller is too far up the curve, Whirlermaker is clunky, and Animation Module needs help. The one that might show promise is Retreat to Emeria, but at 4cc and relying on landfall in a land-light(ish) build it's questionable. If anything tho that is what I would test as a single Claws replacement.
As far as Aether Hub / Harnessed Lightning go, this is just a personal thing but I don't like the idea of running energy cards without much more support. Also if I'm using Hub for fixing then it's not going to power up a 4-damage Lightning. The removal suite in general could certainly use more testing. I know for sure I need instant answers for cat combo (and to help my first strikers out), and I want to have permanent ways to deal with Scrapheap Scrounger (and also go to the face / planeswalker in a pinch). I might be able to just rely on the SB Stasis Snares for that last piece, but I want to limit double-mana costs in the main if I can help it. If I had more artifacts I'd be all up for running a couple Spire of Industry, and similarly with more Allies I'd take some Ally Encampment action, but without those two conditions in place I might just have to take what I've got and make the best of it.
Keep the critiques and questions coming. I'm sadly missing FNM tonight but hopefully will find the opportunity this week to get some action in.
Thanks for the assessment! And no worries, no jerkiness taken.
I hadn't looked at the curve as a whole, so thanks for doing that. I might have a thing about making my lists as tight on mana as possible... I'll definitely take your suggestion about the colourless lands under advisement in my testing. Swapping those out for a couple more basics would certainly help. (As a side note, have you tested with coloured utility lands like Looming Spires, Sandstone Bridge, Unknown Shores or even just Stone Quarry? Genuinely curious if those might have a place, and I can't recall ever seeing them mentioned.)
Captain's Claws is admittedly a pet theorycraft card for me in this build. I have yet to take the deck for a spin so you're right, it's very probable that it will just act as a removal magnet and I won't get a ton of value from it. Or I might find that I can stick it on a Thraben Inspector and force "wasted" removal on that instead of a bigger hitter. I will be taking close note of how often either event happens. In any case I don't see myself trying to turn this into a Sigarda's Aid toolbox build.
As for removal, I don't like energy cards without support, and this list doesn't have it. Quickly checking Gatherer gives me a few instant speed alternatives that seem decent (Galvanic Blast, Hungry Flames, Outnumber)... I might just have to suck up losing the exile clause.
Keep it coming!