In testing this deck, I've find that it is quite good against aggro decks (Mono Red, Zombies) but actually struggles a bit more against Control. Before, the Eldrazi typically favored slow, grindy match-ups. I think I may put more hand disruption in the sideboard.
And I'm starting to become disappointed in Heart of Kiran largely due to the presence of Abrade, though at the same time I can't think of a better two-drop to take its place.
Match-ups were against BW Curses, GR Pummeler, and Ramunap Red. Ramunap Red was the toughest match-up, but the combination of efficient removals and Gifted Aetherborn did the trick. The finisher was Kalitas, because the 4 toughest is enough to avoid most of Red's removals and will completely take over the game if not dealt with. Noxious Gearhulk is probably a rather useless card, so I'm going to take that out for a Liliana, the Last Hope.
Been kicking the tires on the mono B version of this and I have really enjoyed it. It feels like it is positioned really well for the current meta. Control can be a little tricky as game 1 all or most of the removal is dead, but the ability to side into a bunch of discard helps. Did get Rick-rolled by B/G Sneks but I drew no removal in the 1 match-up I've had. Was playing with 2x Drana's and no Kalitas(traded away long ago 😠) and although Drana was dope if she stuck, unfortunately she died a lot, quickly. So, going to try and get a little more aggressive and play some Ammit Eternal 's. Never / Return felt too slow, so I think I am going to try Murder out for tonight. Side seems pretty good cept I am thinking about swapping Crooks out for Scarab Feast, as again Crook felt slow and at least Feast can cycle if needed. Here is my updated list. Another thing I wanted to address was that I was flooding out way too much so I cut 1 land and am trying out a couple utility lands.
Siphoner is sooooo good, I couldn't see cutting any number. I have won so many games off the back of it, its almost not fair. Menace is super key and the draw power is really off the charts. Auto 4 of in any Black based deck for its life in Standard imho. I have considered Bearer, but not being able to block is an issue for me. I really had no trouble keeping the way clear for my Zombie-Croc to get through and reset itself, most times it required a lot of 2 for 1s to get it off the board. Really liked Murder last night as well, pretty relevant against just about everything, cept the damn U/W Approach decks, so close to finally cracking that deck, Gonti was huge in getting his 1st one last, whiffed on the second and couldn't draw enough threat so. Really like the deck right now, seems to do well against a lot, just got some really janky draws and weird all removal or discard draws and no real threats.
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Current Decks Standard : WB Orzhov Vampires BWGUB Sultai Constrictor BUG Brawl : GB Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons BG Modern : GB Golgari Elves BGGR Atarka Goblins RG Pauper : W Heroic WGB Delve BG
Botelho originally played 2 Collective Brutality in the main but I really didn't like this card. Its hand disruption mode is likely the best but I've whiffed on it too many times, and the other modes are really subpar. It's great if you can do all 3 in one turn, but that's not worth ditching two cards in your hand. I've opted for Never // Return and Ruinous Path because the deck actually has some trouble dealing with planeswalkers. I'd probably go for two Never // Return bug Ruinous Path can be casted off of Yahenni's Expertise.
Glint-Sleeve Siphoner is absolutely essential as a card advantage engine.
Thought-Knot Seer as 3x instead of 4x. This is because playing two Seers back to back has yields diminishing returntake: the second one played is likely not going to give you as much value because you will have already taken away their best card from the first. Meanwhile, giving your opponent a free card upon dying is not favorable. Plus in match-ups where Seer is very good (i.e Control), Gonti actually works better.
Cards I've played before but no longer:
Distended Mindbender: I've just whiffed too many times on this card. Given how fast this format forum you're not likely to get a double hit, even against control.
Scrapheap Scrounger: Only really good against control, but much less effective now due to Magma Spray. Also not being able of block really hurts you in aggro match-ups.
Dispossess: I considered this in the side against God-Pharaoh's Gift decks, but it's not very useful outside of that match-up. Kalitas works just fine if not better here.
I honestly haven't been super impressed with Thought Knots in the main deck. I've moved them all to the sideboard and have since been testing Ammit Eternal as well. I am curious how Bone Picker has been working, it seems like a great card to test out. I also think its a must to have Brutality if you want to beat red decks. I like more than 1 scavenging ground considering Gearhulk and reanimator are both legitimate threats. What are thoughts on adding Red or Green to the deck to make it have more long standing power?
Brutality is definitely not a must-have against Red. Kalitas, Liliana, and Gifted Aetherborn are all stonewalls against Red. Against Red, Brutality is mostly going to be a 2-mana kill Sorcery spell, not efficient. Activating 2-3 modes is also very bad because you never want to be discarding cards, unless you're flooding out in which case you're probably going to lose to Red anyway.
Against most other decks, Brutality is pretty dead, except Control, but we have have so many tools for that match-up anyway.
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4x Thought-Knot Seer
4x Scrapheap Scrounger
4x Gifted Aetherborn
3x Bone Picker
3x Matter Reshaper
2x Reality Smasher
2x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
Artifact (4):
3x Heart of Kiran
1x Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
1x Never \\ Return
Instants (8):
4x Grasp of Darkness
3x Fatal Push
1x Murder
Lands (25):
15x Swamp
2x Blighted Fen
2x Ruins of Oran-Rief
1x Scavenger Grounds
1x Sea Gate Wreckage
4x Ifnir Deadlands
3x Yahenni's Expertise
3x Transgress the Mind
2x Ob Nixilis Reignited
1x Scarab Feast
1x Lost Legacy
1x Noxious Gearhulk
1x Distended Mindbender
1x Gonti, Lord of Luxury
1x Fatal Push
1x Tresspasser's Curse
In testing this deck, I've find that it is quite good against aggro decks (Mono Red, Zombies) but actually struggles a bit more against Control. Before, the Eldrazi typically favored slow, grindy match-ups. I think I may put more hand disruption in the sideboard.
And I'm starting to become disappointed in Heart of Kiran largely due to the presence of Abrade, though at the same time I can't think of a better two-drop to take its place.
4x Thought-Knot Seer
4x Scrapheap Scrounger
4x Gifted Aetherborn
3x Bone Picker
3x Matter Reshaper
2x Reality Smasher
2x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
Artifact (4):
3x Heart of Kiran
1x Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
1x Never \\ Return
Instants (8):
4x Grasp of Darkness
3x Fatal Push
1x Murder
Lands (25):
15x Swamp
2x Blighted Fen
2x Ruins of Oran-Rief
1x Scavenger Grounds
1x Sea Gate Wreckage
4x Ifnir Deadlands
3x Yahenni's Expertise
3x Transgress the Mind
2x Ob Nixilis Reignited
1x Scarab Feast
1x Lost Legacy
1x Noxious Gearhulk
1x Distended Mindbender
1x Gonti, Lord of Luxury
1x Fatal Push
1x Tresspasser's Curse
Match-ups were against BW Curses, GR Pummeler, and Ramunap Red. Ramunap Red was the toughest match-up, but the combination of efficient removals and Gifted Aetherborn did the trick. The finisher was Kalitas, because the 4 toughest is enough to avoid most of Red's removals and will completely take over the game if not dealt with. Noxious Gearhulk is probably a rather useless card, so I'm going to take that out for a Liliana, the Last Hope.
https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/6s2wfg/gp_minnesota_deck_writeup_9th_place_with_mono/?utm_source=amp&utm_medium=comment_list
4x Aether Hub
2x Blighted Fen
1x Endless Sands
1x Hostile Desert
4x Ifnir Deadlands
1x Sea Gate Wreckage
11x Swamp
Planeswalker (3)
3x Liliana, the Last Hope
3x Ammit Eternal
4x Gifted Aetherborn
4x Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
4x Matter Reshaper
4x Reality Smasher
4x Thought-Knot Seer
Instant (10)
4x Fatal Push
4x Grasp of Darkness
2x Murder
2x Bontu's Last Reckoning
2x Crook of Condemnation
1x Dispossess
2x Doomfall
2x Gonti, Lord of Luxury
1x Lost Legacy
1x Ob Nixilis Reignited
2x Transgress the Mind
2x Yahenni's Expertise
Current Decks
Standard : WB Orzhov Vampires BW GUB Sultai Constrictor BUG
Brawl : GB Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons BG
Modern : GB Golgari Elves BG GR Atarka Goblins RG
Pauper : W Heroic W GB Delve BG
I was also decking Bearer of Silence over Siphoner
C Long Live Eldrazi C
Current Decks
Standard : WB Orzhov Vampires BW GUB Sultai Constrictor BUG
Brawl : GB Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons BG
Modern : GB Golgari Elves BG GR Atarka Goblins RG
Pauper : W Heroic W GB Delve BG
Have you tried Distended Mindbender against control?
Scrapheap Scrounger and Eternal Scourge can really help you grind control decks
There is also Hope of Ghirapur
C Long Live Eldrazi C
Current Decks
Standard : WB Orzhov Vampires BW GUB Sultai Constrictor BUG
Brawl : GB Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons BG
Modern : GB Golgari Elves BG GR Atarka Goblins RG
Pauper : W Heroic W GB Delve BG
My list going forward:
4x Reality Smasher
4x Matter Reshaper
4x Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
4x Gifted Aetherborn
3x Thought-Knot Seer
2x Drana, Liberator of Malakir
2x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
Planeswalker (3):
3x Liliana, the Last Hope
4x Fatal Push
4x Grasp of Darkness
Sorcery (2):
1x Never // Return
1x Ruinous Path
Lands (24):
13x Swamp
2x Sea Gate Wreckage
4x Ifnir Deadlands
4x Aether Hub
1x Blighted Fen
1x Scavenger Grounds
2x Ob Nixilis, Reignited
2x Gonti, Lord of Luxury
2x Yahenni's Expertise
2x Bontu's Last Reckoning
1x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
1x Doomfall
1x Lost Legacy
3x Transgress the Mind
Botelho originally played 2 Collective Brutality in the main but I really didn't like this card. Its hand disruption mode is likely the best but I've whiffed on it too many times, and the other modes are really subpar. It's great if you can do all 3 in one turn, but that's not worth ditching two cards in your hand. I've opted for Never // Return and Ruinous Path because the deck actually has some trouble dealing with planeswalkers. I'd probably go for two Never // Return bug Ruinous Path can be casted off of Yahenni's Expertise.
Glint-Sleeve Siphoner is absolutely essential as a card advantage engine.
Thought-Knot Seer as 3x instead of 4x. This is because playing two Seers back to back has yields diminishing returntake: the second one played is likely not going to give you as much value because you will have already taken away their best card from the first. Meanwhile, giving your opponent a free card upon dying is not favorable. Plus in match-ups where Seer is very good (i.e Control), Gonti actually works better.
Cards I've played before but no longer:
Distended Mindbender: I've just whiffed too many times on this card. Given how fast this format forum you're not likely to get a double hit, even against control.
Scrapheap Scrounger: Only really good against control, but much less effective now due to Magma Spray. Also not being able of block really hurts you in aggro match-ups.
Dispossess: I considered this in the side against God-Pharaoh's Gift decks, but it's not very useful outside of that match-up. Kalitas works just fine if not better here.
4 Gifted Aetherborn
4 Glint-sleeve Siphoner
3 Ammit Eternal
2 Drana, Liberator of Malakir
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
3 Bone Picker
3 Thought-knot Seer
4 Reality Smasher
4 Grasp of Darkness
4 aether hub
4 ifnir deadlands
2 blighted fen
14 swamp
The lands should probably include 1 or 2 Sea Gate Wreckage
C Long Live Eldrazi C
Against most other decks, Brutality is pretty dead, except Control, but we have have so many tools for that match-up anyway.