Underworld Connections > Chant
Duress >> SG
VNH > Lifebane Zombie (assuming your meta has a good presence of aggro decks)
3 Olivias > 2 Olivias (unless there's very little Aristocrats/Jund/Junk in your meta)
Your SB looks pretty solid to beat UWr. Over the course of this season, my fav. cards against UWr out of the sideboard are Duress > Connections > Liliana > Ruric-Thar
While I'm at it, here's my deck for tomorrow's Game Day. I have very high expectations, very high confidence and very high pressure going to it. For the first time I'm going to play in a totally unknown meta. I'm pretty sure this will work in my favour though, because usually everyone knows what I play. I've tinkered with this deck having specifically UWR and RG Kibler-aggro in mind.
I'm going to splash restoration angel this weekend and move ooze to the sideboard. I figured with LBZ, Huntmaster, and Thragtusk, I have several good targets. There is a lot of green in my meta to the point LBZ can seriously do some work (lots of big naya, elves, and Jund).
Underworld Connections > Chant
Duress >> SG
VNH > Lifebane Zombie (assuming your meta has a good presence of aggro decks)
3 Olivias > 2 Olivias (unless there's very little Aristocrats/Jund/Junk in your meta)
Your SB looks pretty solid to beat UWr. Over the course of this season, my fav. cards against UWr out of the sideboard are Duress > Connections > Liliana > Ruric-Thar
While I'm at it, here's my deck for tomorrow's Game Day. I have very high expectations, very high confidence and very high pressure going to it. For the first time I'm going to play in a totally unknown meta. I'm pretty sure this will work in my favour though, because usually everyone knows what I play. I've tinkered with this deck having specifically UWR and RG Kibler-aggro in mind.
Not been a fan. Appetite is there to kill BE, and it also helps against other Midrange decks. My wins against against RG have often come off the back of VNH.
I took Jund to a first place finish at my game day!
There weren't too many people and I went 3-1 to make top 4 then beat my opponents to win the playmat and a few packs (kinda sucky prize, $15 to play and more than 12 people and I only took home a playmat and 5 packs ?!)
Nothing really remarkable to talk about, I beat naya humans round 1 (2-0), RBW midrange round 2 (2-0), beat a wescoes boros humans list round 3 (2-1), and lost to a junk tokens list in round 4 (2-0)
That was good enough for top 4, where I beat bant hexproof (2-0) and redeemed my loss against the junk tokens player from earlier (2-0). I played exceptional magic and was proud of my performance although I read my meta incorrectly. I expected way more uwr and esper instead faced hexproof and tokens, two decks that I were certain wouldn't appear. I got fairly lucky I think especially against hexproof, but I did play well in the match and capitalized in the matchup knowledge, earning me the important game 1 against them.
Congratz on the win. My Game Day was a disappointment, I lost in the finals, YET again. I'm getting really frustrated. The Store I played in had decent players with decent decks. 11 players turned up, cut to top 4, so I knew I had to go 3-1 to fight for the win. I beat Selesnya Midrange (2-1) off the back of Olivia, she was just great. Then lose to Naya Humans (0-2, nothing much to say, I lose G1 against the nuts and then keep a questionable 6 card hand, one of the few mistakes I made). Next I win against RDW (2-1, nothing much to say). Finally I win against UB control (2-0, this was ridiculously easy). I win against Naya Humans in the semifinals, then lose against Mono-G fight club in the finals. Sigh.
I was happy with my deck and my board. I made some mistakes during the day, but nothing really clear or desicive. I'm going to write a proper event report on the other topic. I might want to give Lifebane Zombie a try, but then again, I honestly don't know what to cut from my SB. I used every single card during that day.
Sad face for Tiemuuu :(. I really dislike being on the receiving end of humans with back to back "Gather the Townfolk" while I'm trying to get my ramp on.
I see everybody's deck list that is posted/played, it's very difficult to find something to cut for new cards, looks like just too many options that seem good. Was this a problem during zendikar block toward the end of the Shard's Jund era?
Took Jund to gameday. I've been playing Reid Duke's recent list from worlds that doesn't have lifebane zombies (the same list Owen Turtenwald just won a TCG 5k with in Chicago), the only change that I made was the sideboard (-1 Barter in Blood -1 Grafdiggers Cage +2 Ruric Thar the Unbowed)
There's a ton of aggro and control and not much midrange or reanimator in my meta so the Zombies actually aren't that great, I tried them at FNM last week and they were actually just awful. If I were to play a 3-drop in my meta I would probably play Nighthawk to hedge against blitz decks. 14 people showed up, I went 4-0 in the swiss and made top 4. The four of us decided to split cause we all knew each other from FNM's, 3 of us went home with 12 packs, and the other just wanted the playmat.
I think that if I went to a larger tournament like and SCG Open I would most likely run at least two zombies in the main deck, and move one of the two Garruk's to the board and cut the Rakdos Keyrune.
I played against Grixis Control, 2x UWR, and then Naya Midrange. The toughest matchup was the Grixis one crazily. He was on the drownyard plan with just tons of removal, and I flooded out terribly game 2, but I was able to barely come out with the win in extra turns via a large wolf run in game 3. Ruric Thar was an all-star all day, I feel like the matchup is 90% in my favor after sideboard against UWR. Boros Reckoner was annoying in the midrange Naya matchup, and I didn't help things in game 2 when I tried to tragic slip a Reckoner after Pillaring a mana dork, not remembering that pillar exiles and doesn't trigger morbid, but a miracle bonfire later it turned out ok.
TLDR, Lifebane Zombie is great, but you really need to pay attention to your meta when considering it. Oh, and Ruric Thar > control.
Took Jund to gameday. I've been playing Reid Duke's recent list from worlds that doesn't have lifebane zombies (the same list Owen Turtenwald just won a TCG 5k with in Chicago), the only change that I made was the sideboard (-1 Barter in Blood -1 Grafdiggers Cage +2 Ruric Thar the Unbowed)
There's a ton of aggro and control and not much midrange or reanimator in my meta so the Zombies actually aren't that great, I tried them at FNM last week and they were actually just awful. If I were to play a 3-drop in my meta I would probably play Nighthawk to hedge against blitz decks. 14 people showed up, I went 4-0 in the swiss and made top 4. The four of us decided to split cause we all knew each other from FNM's, 3 of us went home with 12 packs, and the other just wanted the playmat.
I think that if I went to a larger tournament like and SCG Open I would most likely run at least two zombies in the main deck, and move one of the two Garruk's to the board and cut the Rakdos Keyrune.
I played against Grixis Control, 2x UWR, and then Naya Midrange. The toughest matchup was the Grixis one crazily. He was on the drownyard plan with just tons of removal, and I flooded out terribly game 2, but I was able to barely come out with the win in extra turns via a large wolf run in game 3. Ruric Thar was an all-star all day, I feel like the matchup is 90% in my favor after sideboard against UWR. Boros Reckoner was annoying in the midrange Naya matchup, and I didn't help things in game 2 when I tried to tragic slip a Reckoner after Pillaring a mana dork, not remembering that pillar exiles and doesn't trigger morbid, but a miracle bonfire later it turned out ok.
TLDR, Lifebane Zombie is great, but you really need to pay attention to your meta when considering it. Oh, and Ruric Thar > control.
I kind of agree with this. Paulo wrote this in an article on channel fireball:
France played a mono-green Silverheart deck, but I would leave that for team tournaments because its biggest feature is only running horrible cards and therefore not taking anything away from any other deck. For this reason, I think four Lifebane Zombies are a little excessive for today’s metagame. I’d probably max out on two main. -- Lifebane Zombie is good, but the format right now probably makes him less good—I think four is excessive.
I just really think VNH is the best 3-drop in certain metas. It's the most flexible of the three (Lifebane Zombie, Liliana, VNH), it's never a horrible card. Not even in the mirror match, although I would definitely side them out for game 2. Yesterday I had to battle against aggro decks, and the maindeck VNHs really carried their weight. Having a Lifebane Zombie in their place would have been awful for me. I'm not super excited about Nighthawks, but I don't feel I have other choices in my meta (I'm the only Jund player). Rakdos Keyrune seems really underhwelming right now and I've cut them from my list weeks ago.
I made some changes to my maindeck. I was sideboarding out Bonfires pretty often, and taking the 3rd Ooze in almost always. So this follows: -1 Bonfire, -1 Abrupt Decay, -1 VNH. +1 Dreadbore, +1 Doom Blade, +1 Scavenging Ooze. The two empty slots in my SB will now be 2 Lifebane Zombies.
I kind of agree with this. Paulo wrote this in an article on channel fireball:
France played a mono-green Silverheart deck, but I would leave that for team tournaments because its biggest feature is only running horrible cards and therefore not taking anything away from any other deck. For this reason, I think four Lifebane Zombies are a little excessive for today’s metagame. I’d probably max out on two main. -- Lifebane Zombie is good, but the format right now probably makes him less good—I think four is excessive.
I just really think VNH is the best 3-drop in certain metas. It's the most flexible of the three (Lifebane Zombie, Liliana, VNH), it's never a horrible card. Not even in the mirror match, although I would definitely side them out for game 2. Yesterday I had to battle against aggro decks, and the maindeck VNHs really carried their weight. Having a Lifebane Zombie in their place would have been awful for me. I'm not super excited about Nighthawks, but I don't feel I have other choices in my meta (I'm the only Jund player). Rakdos Keyrune seems really underhwelming right now and I've cut them from my list weeks ago.
I made some changes to my maindeck. I was sideboarding out Bonfires pretty often, and taking the 3rd Ooze in almost always. So this follows: -1 Bonfire, -1 Abrupt Decay, -1 VNH. +1 Dreadbore, +1 Doom Blade, +1 Scavenging Ooze. The two empty slots in my SB will now be 2 Lifebane Zombies.
Scavenging ooze won me many games by simply padding my life total a point or two. It was always pretty significant.
Nocturnal God of Chaos of The Æsir Probably the most random person you will ever meet. Trust me on this one. Well, I'm off to poop.
Oh, my username is the same on Xbox and Cockatrice, add me!
"For some of us, easier Magic is good Magic, but if you are one of those 'intelligent types,' feel free to play your Hive Mind mirrors. The rest of us are here for the fireworks." - Kent Ketter
Playing in Type 2...BGRJundHearted
I don't like that list. Why would you run 0 Huntmasters in the maindeck? Why are you playing Druid instead of Farseek? Why is there a singleton Connections in the maindeck (!?), but no Rakdos's Returns? Why only 3 Thragtusk? It seems to me the deck has odd inclusions and exclusions just for the sake of originality.
"If fetch lands are reprinted I really believe they will be in allied colors (aka Onslaught fetches). If the fetch lands are reprinted you better believe that we'll all be fetching up basics. This would lead me to believe that the set after THS may have a reprint as the temples can't be fetched but it's pure speculation." - posted 03/22/2014 proved correct during Khans spoiler season.
"The set releases for fall 2015 (Blood, Sweat and Tears) and fall 2016 (Lock, Stock and Barrel). One or both of those 2 blocks (I'm betting) are going to contain either Fetch reprints or (more likely) Filter reprints. Filter lands still need a reprint. They are getting pretty high up there and it's been longer than ZEN so it makes a little more sense that Filter lands would see print earlier that fetches." - posted 03/22/2014 proved incorrect about filters coming earlier than fetches, still pending on filters in Origins block.
I don't like that list. Why would you run 0 Huntmasters in the maindeck? Why are you playing Druid instead of Farseek? Why is there a singleton Connections in the maindeck (!?), but no Rakdos's Returns? Why only 3 Thragtusk? It seems to me the deck has odd inclusions and exclusions just for the sake of originality.
To answer all your questions....
I don't like Huntmaster very much (he almost didn't make the SB).
Druid > Farseek when you're casting Ooze/Varolz
Singleton Connections b/c I wanted something other than Garruk that drew cards reliably.
Return's absence in the MD could be remedied by switching it with the Connections MD.
3 Thragtusk b/c we're playing 24 land without Farseek, and need to hit 5-drops. I also don't feel like playing 4 is correct here.
Seriously, I'm tired of people just theorycrafting all day, test new ideas instead of poohpoohing them.
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Nocturnal God of Chaos of The Æsir Probably the most random person you will ever meet. Trust me on this one. Well, I'm off to poop.
Oh, my username is the same on Xbox and Cockatrice, add me!
"For some of us, easier Magic is good Magic, but if you are one of those 'intelligent types,' feel free to play your Hive Mind mirrors. The rest of us are here for the fireworks." - Kent Ketter
Playing in Type 2...BGRJundHearted
Seriously, I'm tired of people just theorycrafting all day, test new ideas instead of poohpoohing them.
I hate when idiots post bad decks, get shot down because their decks are bad and then post this ****. No Farseeks is bad, you fix mana, you ramp. No Huntmasters is bad, Huntmaster is one of the best cards. Three Thragtusk is bad, hes's one of the best cards you need four. Varolz is bad, he does very little for the deck. So, your deck is bad.
Flaming is not allowed according to MTGS rules. -DarkRitual
I hate when idiots post bad decks, get shot down because their decks are bad and then post this ****. No Farseeks is bad, you fix mana, you ramp. No Huntmasters is bad, Huntmaster is one of the best cards. Three Thragtusk is bad, hes's one of the best cards you need four. Varolz is bad, he does very little for the deck. So, your deck is bad.
i'm all for new ideas but that list seems like it lacks synergy. varolz and scavenging ooze? the druid? hmmm
Seriously, I'm tired of people just theorycrafting all day, test new ideas instead of poohpoohing them.
The issue is that because this is the internet, there isn't a way to determine if someone has thoroughly tested an idea and created a new list based on something old a-la Kibler's RG deck... or if they are just throwing stuff at a wall to see what sticks. So everyone kind of has their own internal sniff test that they use when looking at new ideas. And sometimes the reaction you get is like Elesh Norn's.
The only thing you can really do is keep playing the game and let the results speak for themselves. If you are truly an innovative player, your name will end up getting attached to these new ideas that end up panning out. It's hard to ask for someone to readily accept a new idea when they probably run into dozens of ideas and they have no way of knowing which is the next big thing and what just isn't going to work.
Yes, but it is easy to see that no Huntmasters, no farseeks, and three Thragtusks is a bad idea, period, end of discussion. We need not have a discussion on that so theres no need for him to waste our time here. Put some thought behind your innovation, like migacz, who doesnt mess with the obvious core and backs up his changes with actual reasoning. Don't just change to do it, thats stupid. And then "I don't like it" is an awful reason to cut one of the best cards in the deck, and there's no reason to entertain posts like that.
Seriously, I'm tired of people just theorycrafting all day, test new ideas instead of poohpoohing them.
I do spend a lot time testing small tweaks, like adding Appetite for Brains to sideboard which is something that someone proposed on this topic. I've been liking it. Testing these small changes is so time consuming, I don't have the will to playtest completely new off-the-wall builds. If you have results to back an idea up, like a 4-0 daily or at least an FNM win, then maybe. But the deck looks bad on paper, and there's no reason for me to assume it would perform otherwise when actually played with.
You should just give us a clue why you chose those cards. How does it help us to fight the top decks right now? GR kibler aggro is the toughest MU, Burning Earth being namely the card that gives us a hard time. How does your build perform against that? You run Druid instead of Farseek, which actually seems decent because it can tap for mana, and can shoot Domri. Then again, only 3 Thragtusk and 0 Huntmaster in the maindeck makes me think that the deck is weaker because it has less lifegain. 2 Abrupt Decay and 2 Dreadbore is more than the usual amount of answers to Domri which is nice. Abrupt Decay is pretty bad in the mirror though, I've cut them from my deck because of this. 1 Maindeck Connections seems pretty horrifying to me, it's good against UWR and Jund but RR is a way better way to gain CA in G1 against an unknown opponent.
EDIT: Saying you don't like Huntmaster seems really odd. It's obviously one of the biggest reason this deck has performed throughout this season. The Jund core is 4 Farseeks, 4 Huntmasters, 4 Thragtusks and 3 Olivias and I don't think you should change any of that. It's clearly the framework from which you can start fine-tuning your deck.
Sloth here has a more conventional list, and good results to back up his deck building decisions.
Sloth here has a more conventional list, and good results to back up his deck building decisions.
Honestly changing the entire deck to deal with a few cards is just diluting it in my opinion. The hardest matchup I faced throughout the tournament was the G/R Kibler deck. Luckily for us Burning Earth is a 4 drop and dealing with their mana dorks really puts them on the back foot. I beat Kibler's deck all day but as many of you know (and saw if you watched it live) I got CRUSHED in the semi-finals of the top 8 by Kiblers G/R. There's still an element of luck involved with the game and no matter how you tweak it that element isn't going anywhere. What I would change??
1. Cut lifebane zombie. (he was a POWERHOUSE in the swiss rounds, nabbing me Angel of Serenities, Archangel of Thune, a million Thragtusks etc... etc... but against red he's just a 3/1 for 3 with intimidate which doesn't cut it these days.)
2. Add the Rakdos Keyrune if I missed one card it was definitely my keyrune. It's so nice to be able to leave 2 mana open and not have to worry about a board of Thragtusk, Huntmaster and wolf token on the other side. Especially when you're holding Olivia.
3. I would have dropped my Scavenging Ooze's later. Tricks with the Scooze aren't very well known yet, but the more you play with him the more you get to know how awesome he is. Sure Scooze is great on turn 2 but try waiting a few turns to cast him. He can come down and turn into a 5/5 with ease, it's absolutely bonkers. And he just netted you swagtusk life taboot!
Anyway, there's a lot of would have/should have's but I think the more we deviate from Reid's classic list, the more we lose out on the potency of what makes us the best.
Sure you can take out abrupt decay for Appetite for Brains if you're worried about Burning Earth but honestly it's all just fine tuning from here.
Short note: R/G Kibler HATES the Big Badda Boom Blade! If this deck continues to see popularity I can see Doom Blade coming back in numbers.
"If fetch lands are reprinted I really believe they will be in allied colors (aka Onslaught fetches). If the fetch lands are reprinted you better believe that we'll all be fetching up basics. This would lead me to believe that the set after THS may have a reprint as the temples can't be fetched but it's pure speculation." - posted 03/22/2014 proved correct during Khans spoiler season.
"The set releases for fall 2015 (Blood, Sweat and Tears) and fall 2016 (Lock, Stock and Barrel). One or both of those 2 blocks (I'm betting) are going to contain either Fetch reprints or (more likely) Filter reprints. Filter lands still need a reprint. They are getting pretty high up there and it's been longer than ZEN so it makes a little more sense that Filter lands would see print earlier that fetches." - posted 03/22/2014 proved incorrect about filters coming earlier than fetches, still pending on filters in Origins block.
I dislike Huntmaster mostly due to how underwhelming he is. He *is* perfect to discard to Lilianas or to just bait a sweeper. I also understand that with cutting Farseek, t3 Huntmaster is less prevalent, so another strike against him.
I cut a Thragtusk due to the Farseeks being removed (since it's ONLY good on T2, and mediocre-to-TERRIBLE late) and to make room for the second Thundermaw. 7 5-drops (2 Garruk, 2 Thundermaw, 3 Thragtusk) is the MAX I want to cast.
I like Druid over Farseek due to being slightly better than all the 1-drop mana dorks (better potential source of damage, can beat board stalls while accelerating) and being relevant late, where Farseek is effectively a whiff. I understand that Farseek thinning the deck is a nudge to its power, but I frankly want to draw lands often, as that's usually the best way to keep pressure on.
Keyrune + Druid helps vs Burning Earth more than I can describe, but obviously you need to have them in play first
I didn't want Slip at ALL. Same goes for Doom Blade. I would play Slip if more 4/1 fliers with haste were present >.>, and I would cast Doom Blade once Olivia leaves.
Connections main was a nod to my local meta (a lot of UWR, Esper, and the mirror) but it could easily be swapped with a SB Return as necessary. I just wanted it MD as more cards usually gets you there since our spells are SO strong.
Nocturnal God of Chaos of The Æsir Probably the most random person you will ever meet. Trust me on this one. Well, I'm off to poop.
Oh, my username is the same on Xbox and Cockatrice, add me!
"For some of us, easier Magic is good Magic, but if you are one of those 'intelligent types,' feel free to play your Hive Mind mirrors. The rest of us are here for the fireworks." - Kent Ketter
Playing in Type 2...BGRJundHearted
TheSloth
You are missing a card in your list, but I looked it up on SCG, and it is the 4th Scavening Ooze.
I saw your list posted online, and I switched my list for a Sunday PTQ to something close, except I decided to main deck 2 Liliana of the Veil (-1 Scavenging Ooze, -1 Garruk, Primal Hunter) and changed up the board a little bit for an expected metagame of heavy UWR.
It did not go as well for me, mainly due to some poor play, some mulligans, and losing puts you with decks for which Jund is not heavily tuned.
I dislike Huntmaster mostly due to how underwhelming he is. He *is* perfect to discard to Lilianas or to just bait a sweeper. I also understand that with cutting Farseek, t3 Huntmaster is less prevalent, so another strike against him.
I cut a Thragtusk due to the Farseeks being removed (since it's ONLY good on T2, and mediocre-to-TERRIBLE late) and to make room for the second Thundermaw. 7 5-drops (2 Garruk, 2 Thundermaw, 3 Thragtusk) is the MAX I want to cast.
I like Druid over Farseek due to being slightly better than all the 1-drop mana dorks (better potential source of damage, can beat board stalls while accelerating) and being relevant late, where Farseek is effectively a whiff. I understand that Farseek thinning the deck is a nudge to its power, but I frankly want to draw lands often, as that's usually the best way to keep pressure on.
Keyrune + Druid helps vs Burning Earth more than I can describe, but obviously you need to have them in play first
I didn't want Slip at ALL. Same goes for Doom Blade. I would play Slip if more 4/1 fliers with haste were present >.>, and I would cast Doom Blade once Olivia leaves.
Connections main was a nod to my local meta (a lot of UWR, Esper, and the mirror) but it could easily be swapped with a SB Return as necessary. I just wanted it MD as more cards usually gets you there since our spells are SO strong.
It sounds like your meta/lgs is control and midrange with very little aggro. In an aggro matchup huntmaster is usually your only out with t4 huntmaster t5 thragtusk as your only hope to stop them while they're curving out. The problem people have with your list is that its not competitive. It's tuned to what is currently playing in your lgs and wouldn't be able to hold its own in a larger tourney.
My current Jund list plays a one-of Lifebane Zombie main, and to be honest, I really want to say it's the right number. But I really want to try two. The guy is absolutely nutty in some matchups (G/W/X, Bant Enchants, etc.). But G/R and Big Red leave something to be desired. Not too bad of a topdeck later, since you get a creature plus you get to see their hand (possibly removing a threat as well).
I used to think Nighthawk main was the right call, but I've completely eliminated him from my deck. I want my creatures to take over the game, and while he definitely is a great creature, he just doesn't take over the game often enough. Huntmaster/Thrag/Olivia/Scooze can all totally swing the game in your favor, but Nighthawk, while helpful, doesn't do that.
1-of Liliana main seems good to me right now. Not unhappy to see her under any circumstance. Another in the side for control.
Warleader's Helix does make Garruk seem bad. But he can still take over games if left unchecked. So he keeps the spot for me.
Scooze early game always draws removal. Fine by me...rather them take my two drop than my Olivia that's going to totally bone them. Also one of the best topdecks mid-late game. Only unhappy to see him when there's more than one.
Won my Win-a-Box this past week, then both FNMs the next day, then my first Game Day with Jund on Sunday, still feeling pretty stoked. Loving this deck, it definitely rewards good play (and of course, good draws.)
Until the next time I drink and then meander onto the forums, these are my thoughts...may the bonfires be timely, and the Rakdos's Returns go uncountered.
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Duress >> SG
VNH > Lifebane Zombie (assuming your meta has a good presence of aggro decks)
3 Olivias > 2 Olivias (unless there's very little Aristocrats/Jund/Junk in your meta)
Your SB looks pretty solid to beat UWr. Over the course of this season, my fav. cards against UWr out of the sideboard are Duress > Connections > Liliana > Ruric-Thar
While I'm at it, here's my deck for tomorrow's Game Day. I have very high expectations, very high confidence and very high pressure going to it. For the first time I'm going to play in a totally unknown meta. I'm pretty sure this will work in my favour though, because usually everyone knows what I play. I've tinkered with this deck having specifically UWR and RG Kibler-aggro in mind.
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Stomping Ground
4 Blood Crypt
2 Dragonskull Summit
1 Rootbound Crag
4 Woodland Cemetary
1 Mountain
1 Swamp
2 Kessig Wolf Run
2 Cavern of Souls
Creatures (16):
4 Thragtusk
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
3 Olivia Voldaren
3 Vampire Nighthawk
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Garruk, Primal Hunter
Other spells (17):
4 Bonfire of the Damned
1 Abrupt Decay
2 Putrefy
1 Dreadbore
1 Mizzium Mortars
2 Tragic Slip
2 Rakdos's Return
4 Farseek
3 Liliana of the Veil
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Rakdos's Return
1 Dreadbore
1 Barter in Blood
2 Appetite for Brains
2 Pillar of Flame
2 Underworld Connections
2 Duress
Youtube Channel
Hopefully it works.
What abt golgari charm against burning earth?
Not been a fan. Appetite is there to kill BE, and it also helps against other Midrange decks. My wins against against RG have often come off the back of VNH.
Youtube Channel
There weren't too many people and I went 3-1 to make top 4 then beat my opponents to win the playmat and a few packs (kinda sucky prize, $15 to play and more than 12 people and I only took home a playmat and 5 packs ?!)
Anyway, I played this list
3 Scavenging Ooze
2 Lifebane Zombie
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
2 Olivia Voldaren
4 Thragtusk
Spells:20
2 Bonfire of the Damned
1 Pillar of Flame
1 Tragic Slip
1 Abrupt Decay
2 Dreadbore
4 Farseek
2 Mizzium Mortars
2 Rakdos's Return
2 Putrefy
1 Rakdos Keyrune
2 Garruk, Primal Hunter
4 Blood Crypt
2 Cavern of Souls
3 Dragonskull Summit
1 Kessig Wolf Run
4 Overgrown Tomb
3 Rootbound Crag
4 Stomping Ground
4 Woodland Cemetery
2 Pillar of Flame
1 Pithing Needle
2 Golgari Charm
1 Ratchet Bomb
2 Lifebane Zombie
2 Liliana of the Veil
1 Underworld Connections
2 Slaughter Games
2 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
Nothing really remarkable to talk about, I beat naya humans round 1 (2-0), RBW midrange round 2 (2-0), beat a wescoes boros humans list round 3 (2-1), and lost to a junk tokens list in round 4 (2-0)
That was good enough for top 4, where I beat bant hexproof (2-0) and redeemed my loss against the junk tokens player from earlier (2-0). I played exceptional magic and was proud of my performance although I read my meta incorrectly. I expected way more uwr and esper instead faced hexproof and tokens, two decks that I were certain wouldn't appear. I got fairly lucky I think especially against hexproof, but I did play well in the match and capitalized in the matchup knowledge, earning me the important game 1 against them.
Anyway, just thought I'd share!
I was happy with my deck and my board. I made some mistakes during the day, but nothing really clear or desicive. I'm going to write a proper event report on the other topic. I might want to give Lifebane Zombie a try, but then again, I honestly don't know what to cut from my SB. I used every single card during that day.
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I see everybody's deck list that is posted/played, it's very difficult to find something to cut for new cards, looks like just too many options that seem good. Was this a problem during zendikar block toward the end of the Shard's Jund era?
There's a ton of aggro and control and not much midrange or reanimator in my meta so the Zombies actually aren't that great, I tried them at FNM last week and they were actually just awful. If I were to play a 3-drop in my meta I would probably play Nighthawk to hedge against blitz decks. 14 people showed up, I went 4-0 in the swiss and made top 4. The four of us decided to split cause we all knew each other from FNM's, 3 of us went home with 12 packs, and the other just wanted the playmat.
I think that if I went to a larger tournament like and SCG Open I would most likely run at least two zombies in the main deck, and move one of the two Garruk's to the board and cut the Rakdos Keyrune.
I played against Grixis Control, 2x UWR, and then Naya Midrange. The toughest matchup was the Grixis one crazily. He was on the drownyard plan with just tons of removal, and I flooded out terribly game 2, but I was able to barely come out with the win in extra turns via a large wolf run in game 3. Ruric Thar was an all-star all day, I feel like the matchup is 90% in my favor after sideboard against UWR. Boros Reckoner was annoying in the midrange Naya matchup, and I didn't help things in game 2 when I tried to tragic slip a Reckoner after Pillaring a mana dork, not remembering that pillar exiles and doesn't trigger morbid, but a miracle bonfire later it turned out ok.
TLDR, Lifebane Zombie is great, but you really need to pay attention to your meta when considering it. Oh, and Ruric Thar > control.
I kind of agree with this. Paulo wrote this in an article on channel fireball:
I just really think VNH is the best 3-drop in certain metas. It's the most flexible of the three (Lifebane Zombie, Liliana, VNH), it's never a horrible card. Not even in the mirror match, although I would definitely side them out for game 2. Yesterday I had to battle against aggro decks, and the maindeck VNHs really carried their weight. Having a Lifebane Zombie in their place would have been awful for me. I'm not super excited about Nighthawks, but I don't feel I have other choices in my meta (I'm the only Jund player). Rakdos Keyrune seems really underhwelming right now and I've cut them from my list weeks ago.
I made some changes to my maindeck. I was sideboarding out Bonfires pretty often, and taking the 3rd Ooze in almost always. So this follows: -1 Bonfire, -1 Abrupt Decay, -1 VNH. +1 Dreadbore, +1 Doom Blade, +1 Scavenging Ooze. The two empty slots in my SB will now be 2 Lifebane Zombies.
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Scavenging ooze won me many games by simply padding my life total a point or two. It was always pretty significant.
4 Overgrown Tomb
3 Blood Crypt
3 Dragonskull Summit
4 Woodland Cemetery
4 Rootbound Crag
2 Kessig Wolf Run
4 Scavenging Ooze
3 Zhur-Taa Druid
2 Varolz, the Scar-Striped
3 Lifebane Zombie
3 Olivia Voldaren
2 Thundermaw Hellkite
3 Thragtusk
2 Dreadbore
2 Putrefy
1 Underworld Connections
1 Rakdos Keyrune
3 Liliana of the Veil
2 Garruk, Primal Hunter
3 Bonfire of the Damned
Oh, my username is the same on Xbox and Cockatrice, add me!
"For some of us, easier Magic is good Magic, but if you are one of those 'intelligent types,' feel free to play your Hive Mind mirrors. The rest of us are here for the fireworks." - Kent Ketter
Playing in Type 2...BGRJundHearted
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4 Thragtusk
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
3 Olivia Voldaren
3 Scavenging Ooze
2 Garruk, Primal Hunter
1 Dreadbore
2 Rakdos's Return
3 Bonfire of the Damned
2 Tragic Slip
1 Abrupt Decay
2 Putrefy
4 Farseek
1 Swamp
2 Forest
3 Dragonskull Summit
1 Rootbound Crag
4 Blood Crypt
4 Stomping Ground
4 Woodland Cemetery
2 Kessig Wolf Run
3 Underworld Connections
2 Golgari Charm
1 Rakdos's Return
3 Liliana of the Veil
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Duress
1 Abrupt Decay
Top 8'd my local SCG open this weekend on saturday with this list. Was very happy about it. woot woot!
"The set releases for fall 2015 (Blood, Sweat and Tears) and fall 2016 (Lock, Stock and Barrel). One or both of those 2 blocks (I'm betting) are going to contain either Fetch reprints or (more likely) Filter reprints. Filter lands still need a reprint. They are getting pretty high up there and it's been longer than ZEN so it makes a little more sense that Filter lands would see print earlier that fetches." - posted 03/22/2014 proved incorrect about filters coming earlier than fetches, still pending on filters in Origins block.
To answer all your questions....
I don't like Huntmaster very much (he almost didn't make the SB).
Druid > Farseek when you're casting Ooze/Varolz
Singleton Connections b/c I wanted something other than Garruk that drew cards reliably.
Return's absence in the MD could be remedied by switching it with the Connections MD.
3 Thragtusk b/c we're playing 24 land without Farseek, and need to hit 5-drops. I also don't feel like playing 4 is correct here.
Seriously, I'm tired of people just theorycrafting all day, test new ideas instead of poohpoohing them.
Oh, my username is the same on Xbox and Cockatrice, add me!
"For some of us, easier Magic is good Magic, but if you are one of those 'intelligent types,' feel free to play your Hive Mind mirrors. The rest of us are here for the fireworks." - Kent Ketter
Playing in Type 2...BGRJundHearted
I hate when idiots post bad decks, get shot down because their decks are bad and then post this ****. No Farseeks is bad, you fix mana, you ramp. No Huntmasters is bad, Huntmaster is one of the best cards. Three Thragtusk is bad, hes's one of the best cards you need four. Varolz is bad, he does very little for the deck. So, your deck is bad.
Flaming is not allowed according to MTGS rules. -DarkRitual
i'm all for new ideas but that list seems like it lacks synergy. varolz and scavenging ooze? the druid? hmmm
The issue is that because this is the internet, there isn't a way to determine if someone has thoroughly tested an idea and created a new list based on something old a-la Kibler's RG deck... or if they are just throwing stuff at a wall to see what sticks. So everyone kind of has their own internal sniff test that they use when looking at new ideas. And sometimes the reaction you get is like Elesh Norn's.
The only thing you can really do is keep playing the game and let the results speak for themselves. If you are truly an innovative player, your name will end up getting attached to these new ideas that end up panning out. It's hard to ask for someone to readily accept a new idea when they probably run into dozens of ideas and they have no way of knowing which is the next big thing and what just isn't going to work.
I do spend a lot time testing small tweaks, like adding Appetite for Brains to sideboard which is something that someone proposed on this topic. I've been liking it. Testing these small changes is so time consuming, I don't have the will to playtest completely new off-the-wall builds. If you have results to back an idea up, like a 4-0 daily or at least an FNM win, then maybe. But the deck looks bad on paper, and there's no reason for me to assume it would perform otherwise when actually played with.
You should just give us a clue why you chose those cards. How does it help us to fight the top decks right now? GR kibler aggro is the toughest MU, Burning Earth being namely the card that gives us a hard time. How does your build perform against that? You run Druid instead of Farseek, which actually seems decent because it can tap for mana, and can shoot Domri. Then again, only 3 Thragtusk and 0 Huntmaster in the maindeck makes me think that the deck is weaker because it has less lifegain. 2 Abrupt Decay and 2 Dreadbore is more than the usual amount of answers to Domri which is nice. Abrupt Decay is pretty bad in the mirror though, I've cut them from my deck because of this. 1 Maindeck Connections seems pretty horrifying to me, it's good against UWR and Jund but RR is a way better way to gain CA in G1 against an unknown opponent.
EDIT: Saying you don't like Huntmaster seems really odd. It's obviously one of the biggest reason this deck has performed throughout this season. The Jund core is 4 Farseeks, 4 Huntmasters, 4 Thragtusks and 3 Olivias and I don't think you should change any of that. It's clearly the framework from which you can start fine-tuning your deck.
Sloth here has a more conventional list, and good results to back up his deck building decisions.
Youtube Channel
Honestly changing the entire deck to deal with a few cards is just diluting it in my opinion. The hardest matchup I faced throughout the tournament was the G/R Kibler deck. Luckily for us Burning Earth is a 4 drop and dealing with their mana dorks really puts them on the back foot. I beat Kibler's deck all day but as many of you know (and saw if you watched it live) I got CRUSHED in the semi-finals of the top 8 by Kiblers G/R. There's still an element of luck involved with the game and no matter how you tweak it that element isn't going anywhere. What I would change??
1. Cut lifebane zombie. (he was a POWERHOUSE in the swiss rounds, nabbing me Angel of Serenities, Archangel of Thune, a million Thragtusks etc... etc... but against red he's just a 3/1 for 3 with intimidate which doesn't cut it these days.)
2. Add the Rakdos Keyrune if I missed one card it was definitely my keyrune. It's so nice to be able to leave 2 mana open and not have to worry about a board of Thragtusk, Huntmaster and wolf token on the other side. Especially when you're holding Olivia.
3. I would have dropped my Scavenging Ooze's later. Tricks with the Scooze aren't very well known yet, but the more you play with him the more you get to know how awesome he is. Sure Scooze is great on turn 2 but try waiting a few turns to cast him. He can come down and turn into a 5/5 with ease, it's absolutely bonkers. And he just netted you swagtusk life taboot!
Anyway, there's a lot of would have/should have's but I think the more we deviate from Reid's classic list, the more we lose out on the potency of what makes us the best.
Sure you can take out abrupt decay for Appetite for Brains if you're worried about Burning Earth but honestly it's all just fine tuning from here.
Short note: R/G Kibler HATES the Big Badda Boom Blade! If this deck continues to see popularity I can see Doom Blade coming back in numbers.
"The set releases for fall 2015 (Blood, Sweat and Tears) and fall 2016 (Lock, Stock and Barrel). One or both of those 2 blocks (I'm betting) are going to contain either Fetch reprints or (more likely) Filter reprints. Filter lands still need a reprint. They are getting pretty high up there and it's been longer than ZEN so it makes a little more sense that Filter lands would see print earlier that fetches." - posted 03/22/2014 proved incorrect about filters coming earlier than fetches, still pending on filters in Origins block.
I cut a Thragtusk due to the Farseeks being removed (since it's ONLY good on T2, and mediocre-to-TERRIBLE late) and to make room for the second Thundermaw. 7 5-drops (2 Garruk, 2 Thundermaw, 3 Thragtusk) is the MAX I want to cast.
I like Druid over Farseek due to being slightly better than all the 1-drop mana dorks (better potential source of damage, can beat board stalls while accelerating) and being relevant late, where Farseek is effectively a whiff. I understand that Farseek thinning the deck is a nudge to its power, but I frankly want to draw lands often, as that's usually the best way to keep pressure on.
Keyrune + Druid helps vs Burning Earth more than I can describe, but obviously you need to have them in play first
I didn't want Slip at ALL. Same goes for Doom Blade. I would play Slip if more 4/1 fliers with haste were present >.>, and I would cast Doom Blade once Olivia leaves.
Connections main was a nod to my local meta (a lot of UWR, Esper, and the mirror) but it could easily be swapped with a SB Return as necessary. I just wanted it MD as more cards usually gets you there since our spells are SO strong.
Oh, my username is the same on Xbox and Cockatrice, add me!
"For some of us, easier Magic is good Magic, but if you are one of those 'intelligent types,' feel free to play your Hive Mind mirrors. The rest of us are here for the fireworks." - Kent Ketter
Playing in Type 2...BGRJundHearted
You are missing a card in your list, but I looked it up on SCG, and it is the 4th Scavening Ooze.
I saw your list posted online, and I switched my list for a Sunday PTQ to something close, except I decided to main deck 2 Liliana of the Veil (-1 Scavenging Ooze, -1 Garruk, Primal Hunter) and changed up the board a little bit for an expected metagame of heavy UWR.
It did not go as well for me, mainly due to some poor play, some mulligans, and losing puts you with decks for which Jund is not heavily tuned.
Still, I think your list is very solid.
Nice work, Mr. Hunting.
It sounds like your meta/lgs is control and midrange with very little aggro. In an aggro matchup huntmaster is usually your only out with t4 huntmaster t5 thragtusk as your only hope to stop them while they're curving out. The problem people have with your list is that its not competitive. It's tuned to what is currently playing in your lgs and wouldn't be able to hold its own in a larger tourney.
My current Jund list plays a one-of Lifebane Zombie main, and to be honest, I really want to say it's the right number. But I really want to try two. The guy is absolutely nutty in some matchups (G/W/X, Bant Enchants, etc.). But G/R and Big Red leave something to be desired. Not too bad of a topdeck later, since you get a creature plus you get to see their hand (possibly removing a threat as well).
I used to think Nighthawk main was the right call, but I've completely eliminated him from my deck. I want my creatures to take over the game, and while he definitely is a great creature, he just doesn't take over the game often enough. Huntmaster/Thrag/Olivia/Scooze can all totally swing the game in your favor, but Nighthawk, while helpful, doesn't do that.
1-of Liliana main seems good to me right now. Not unhappy to see her under any circumstance. Another in the side for control.
Warleader's Helix does make Garruk seem bad. But he can still take over games if left unchecked. So he keeps the spot for me.
Scooze early game always draws removal. Fine by me...rather them take my two drop than my Olivia that's going to totally bone them. Also one of the best topdecks mid-late game. Only unhappy to see him when there's more than one.
Won my Win-a-Box this past week, then both FNMs the next day, then my first Game Day with Jund on Sunday, still feeling pretty stoked. Loving this deck, it definitely rewards good play (and of course, good draws.)
Until the next time I drink and then meander onto the forums, these are my thoughts...may the bonfires be timely, and the Rakdos's Returns go uncountered.