MTG Salvation

Just wanted to give a quick update on how FNM went. I ended up at 2-2.

The first match was against a mono red deck, both games were a blow out.

Round 2 I was up against a GW Humans deck with some Thragtusk throw-in for good measure. Ended up winning the match 2-1.

Round 3 was against a URW Flash deck. I beat him down early game. He Though Scoured himself, flipping two Azorius Charms, and managed to draw two Snapcaster Mages to flash them back. Still managed to get him down to where I would win my next turn when he topdecked his second Thundermaw Hellkite to win the game. Game two, multiple Strangleroot Geist did some dirty work and won the game. Game three pretty much went the same as game one with multiple Azorius Charms and Snapcaster Mages mixed in with Unsummon. These tempo decks are our worst matchup by far.

Round 4 was against a Jund deck. Game one I was mana flooded, and Olivia Voldaren was to much for me to deal with. Game two I started with a turn two Lotleth Troll and turn 3 Predator Ooze, and he topdecked his one-of Golgari Charm, go figure. Managed to draw some gas and started to beat him down, got him down to where I would win on my next turn when he topdecked Thundermaw Hellkite to swing for the win.

Oh well. It was fun, and I was diffently rusty as that was the first time I played paper MTG since RtR came out. I'm going to discuss some changes to my deck in my blog later, so be sure to check that out!

Later today or tomorrow I plan on recording some more videos as well.

I checked out your blog, great write-up! It's funny you mention how underwhelming tragic slip has been for you, as I've had the opposite experience. I suppose it all depends on the meta you end up playing in. For me, I may eat 5 from a hellkite or 4 from an aristocrat, but creatures in my deck are _always_ dying. I go pretty hard in aggro, and am perfectly willing to let me rancor'd Geist die to sneak some damage in, knowing it's going to come back +1/+1, or my Mangler knowing I can scavange it later. Also, you're running 4 trackers. There's a ton of synergy there with slip. I only run 2, and I feel like I can get the morbid effect off either the same turn or 1 turn later pretty consistently. I actually run 3 slips and 2 prices MB. Although, I'm thinking of running 2 slips, 2 price, and 1 sever because exile seems so strong right now and flashback never hurts for lategame trickery.

I also feel like Harvest is a better SB card, but to be fair, I haven't playtested with it at all, so who knows. Seems like if you're gonna mainboard it, you should also be mainboarding Increasing Savagery. Of course, you MB that, and you probably need to MB guiles to protect your investment... so then where does it end?

One thing I definitely agree with is the Avenger. I feel like I almost never get to use him as a combat trick, because my opponent is either on their heels due to my aggro and therefore not attacking, or attacking with flyers. At best to me it ends up being an end of their turn drop, and a 3/3 attacker next turn that I feel compelled to leave more mana open for that I'd prefer use on something else.

I'm also with you on alpha authority as a possibility post GTC. I think guile may ultimately end up being the better value card due to it being an instant, and the added +1/+1 bonus, but I sure do love the thought of a hexproof ooze with rancor, that can never be blocked by more than 1 creature! =)

I've liked this deck a lot since I first saw it.

I decided to test it splashing blue for 3 Zamek Guildmage, 1 Cyclonic Rift, 2 Simic Charm, a singleton Prime Speaker Zegana, and Aetherize/Dimir Charm in the board.

Lost some aggro speed and consistency for better recovery and tempo. I don't know if I'd run it over the traditional Golgari build, but I think BUG is at least worth a look-over and some testing.

heres my last tournament from last week.
6 rounds tournament with swiss finished 4th in 48 players



So basically i went 4-1-1 first 6 rounds heres the summary

round 1 Big Human Reanimator 2-1
game 1 - i never knew what kind of deck it was. i just saw some loothings. i had 2 oozes 1 4/4 1 3/1 with rancor then he looted. discarded two conscripts and summoned a angel of glory rise. and i just reached my sb
game 2 - good curve. elf to ooze to rancor to mangler was too fast for him.
game 3 - i only used deahrite shaman for boards and it finished him.

round 2 esper control 2-0
game 1 - i didnt really understand the deck from the start. he had jace adept and mindsculpt plus lingering souls then he sorined so i wondered if it was a token midrange or a mill deck. well the mb deathrite finished him exiling 4 lingering souls.
game 2 - it was oozes time to shine he went up to 10/10 turn 6 and i topdecked a revenge of the hunted it was gg the nxt turn.

round 3 RDW 0-2
game 1 - 3 stromkirks 1 cackler 1 zealot 1 hellrider in 4 turns. who coudve matched with that?
game 2 - this time 3 zealots 1 thundermaw and a pyreheart wolf ended me fast.

round 4 Bant Control 2-0
game 1 - turn 2 ooze was detentioned sphered early. turn 3 mangler rancor turn 4 mangler strangleroot and i just won easily.
game 2 - he sphinxed for 1 2 times in turns 3 and 4 just to draw that 5th land and he didnt get it. 3 thragtusks was stuck in his hand when i duressed him and finished him with deadbridge goliath

round 5 Naya midrange 2-0
game 1 - he didnt have answers for my two predator ooze which was at 10/10 and 9/9 respectively.
game 2 - he boarded in charms and o ring as expected. i boarded in my decays for the orings. and when he oring my ooze turn 4 i decayed and slapped in 3 rancors to finish.

round 6 Junk Midrange 1-1
we just drawed this to get to the swiss.

Quarterfinals Selesnya Humans 2-1
game 1 - perfect curve for him. 2 champions pilgrim then mayor and rancor
game 2 - my turn. perfect curve too, elf to mangler to geist rancor rancor then dreg mangler and ulti price his blocker to end.
game 3 - he mulled to 4. he didnt have the 2nd land till turn 5 when he dropped it he dropped his knight of glory which was overwhelmed by my rancored lotleth troll

Semi Finals Uwr Midrange 0-2
game 1 - mulled to 5. he dropped turn 3 geist turn 4 resto turn 5 hellkite and i just scooped.
game 2 - to my surprise, a turn 1 delver that flipped turn 2. it punished me as i wasnt able to draw any of my removals.

Overall i finished 4th with 8 packs (1 sphinx revelation foil 1 deatrite shaman foil + pr pass for gtc (breeding pool foil and aurelia's fury). happy that my badluck in opening packs was not there anymore.

The deck needs more flying power. gatecrash didnt give us that so im not sure if im still gonna use this deck. but its strong,

Glad to hear the good results. I think a BUG deck would be much more midrange or tempo. This deck is complete aggro.

I want to touch base on some cards coming into standard that I think could help this deck:

Contaminated Ground - This could be a sleeper card, it would mess up mana bases and is a Shock every time they use that land.

Devour Flesh - This will be going into my sideboard to replace Tribute to Hunger. The minor life gain (if played correctly you should use this in response to an enchantment being cast on Geist of Saint Traft or Invisible Stalker) is totally worth saving one on the casting cost.

Illness in the Ranks - Another potential sleeper if tokens are big in your area or if they pick up play.

Thrull Parasite - Meh, but it could be used to keep Strangleroot Geist around longer and/or to hit Planeswalkers. Overall not feeling this card though.

Wight of Precinct Six - Very similar to Boneyard Wurm.

Alpha Authority - Might try this in place of Ranger's Guile.

Experiment One - This guy will be very good in this deck more often then not.

Slaughterhorn - Uncounterable Giant Growth could be good depending on the format.

Burning-Tree Emissary - Really wish you could pick the combination of mana (adding G G would be amazing in this deck). As is, might be worth trying to make a Jund Aggro deck, this guy could be very similar to Bloodbraid Elf (how I wish this guy was in Standard again) by helping us cast two spells in one turn. Imagine a turn two Stangleroot Geist into a turn three this guy into a Dreg Mangler or Flinthoof Boar.

Gift of Orzhova - Could easily replace Mark of the Vampire as it gives evasion and it helps deal with one of the problems of this deck, fliers. Problem being double B though.

Immortal Servitude - Could be a decent one-of against control maybe?

Nightveil Specter - Not really worth it.

Pit Fight - I almost want to play Prey Upon in this deck, but being a sorcery really hinders it. Is getting it at instant speed worth one more mana?

Overall, I feel this set is way weaker then Return to Ravnica, but there could be a couple good additions to the deck. I was thinking about trying this:



The basic plan is to kill as quickly as possible. Experiment One plays very nicely with both of our two drops, a following turn Deathrite Shaman, and Strangleroot Geist can make him a 3/3 very quickly (that could regenerate to boot). The sideboard is basically side in discard and Ranger's Guile (might want more of them) for tempo/control for the removal, Tragic Slip for Falkenrath Aristocrat, Ulvenwald Tracker for midrange style decks, and Devour Flesh for the Bant Hexproof Enchant decks (I really hate Geist of Saint Traft).

Why the swap to 4 shaman? I remember your earlier lists only running one main or so. I don't see how he has any increased synergy with this new list. He seems like a sideboard card. A very good one, but sideboard none the less

Quote from FuneralofGod

Why the swap to 4 shaman? I remember your earlier lists only running one main or so. I don't see how he has any increased synergy with this new list. He seems like a sideboard card. A very good one, but sideboard none the less

Because Ulvenwald Tracker get's sided out more then Deathrite Shaman. Deathrite Shaman just adds something that Ulvenwald Tracker doesn't, a great mana sink and always something to do at the end of my opponents turn. Deathrite Shaman has won me several games with his ability to deal damage or gain life.

I was siding him in more then I wasn't. Plus, in certain matchups he is an easy side out.

And against mono red, he can block Stromkirk Noble and Pyreheart Wolf and survive.

I haven't got to play this deck too much yet but I do love the feel! I played 3 rounds before I had to drop for work. I still have A LOT of testing to do though... Here's what I'm running...

(I can't find Ulvenward Tracker's at my nearby LGS's!!!)



I'll be moving Lilly to the Side once I can get a Tracker or two. But I was damn amazed how great Grisly Salvage can be in some situations...

Quote from slater

Because Ulvenwald Tracker get's sided out more then Deathrite Shaman. Deathrite Shaman just adds something that Ulvenwald Tracker doesn't, a great mana sink and always something to do at the end of my opponents turn. Deathrite Shaman has won me several games with her ability to deal damage or gain life.

I was siding her in more then I wasn't. Plus, in certain matchups she is an easy side out.

And against mono red, she can block Stromkirk Noble and Pyreheart Wolf and survive.

That makes sense. I guess it just doesn't seem to go with the hasty beatdown strategy. It's more of a grind card. Can't argue though, it's obviously fantastic in many situations.

Also I'm fairly certain the shaman is male, not female. A closer inspection of your signature should help

Quote from FuneralofGod

That makes sense. I guess it just doesn't seem to go with the hasty beatdown strategy. It's more of a grind card. Can't argue though, it's obviously fantastic in many situations.

Also I'm fairly certain the shaman is male, not female. A closer inspection of your signature should help

Yeah, he adds a certain element of grindy to the deck, but I find that it is what I often need.

And I corrected my post about the he/she thing... I just almost always call cards she, just like how I do with cars, lol.

Finally got those videos up:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdokYnSNfwiosNprFc1QzRiR9uYUHfaYd&feature=view_all

Played against the mirror three times, lol. The one match I lost was against a RDW, all the games were close.

Here is a couple decklist that topped 8 in recent Premiers on MTGO:






I'm seeing a trend here, there is decks that are going aggro and others that are veering more towards a mid-range style. Hard to say what version is better at this junction. It really depends on your matchups I suppose.

Playtested this deck all day yesterday against my friends.

Naya Midrange:
Seems favorable. I'd say 60:40 It can get rough if games get grindy. Our big dudes vs their big dudes is what it comes down to. If we come swinging out the doors in the early turns, it's hard to stop.

Red Deck Wins:
50:50 I'd say. Our matches ended up 3-3. I think it just comes down to who has a faster aggro hand. I'm currently playing a version that's more aggro than midrange, and I think the midrange version could handle RDW better.

Zombies:
Rough... just... rough. Awkward board states, a lot of trading. Between our dudes being hard to get rid of, and their dudes always coming back, games can get pretty weird. Ooze is a must have in this. Save your Troll's for turn 3 or later to ensure regeneration.

I'm curious to see how this deck stands up post GTC. Unfortunately, it didn't get much to strengthen it. I could see Experiment One being useful, but also possibly overloading the 1 slot too much to be worth it. One thing's for sure, I intend to add Tower Defense to my side board! The thought of taking down an Aristocrat with just my Arbor Elf makes me giggle.

The biggest unknown about this deck after GTC is what other decks could come about. I personally don't see the meta changing much.

Esper Control will use the same cards with just a "better" mana base.
Bant Control I do not see gaining anything, at all.
GWx Midrange style decks I do not see gaining anything.
The Reanimator Decks don't really gain anything.
Jund I think doesn't really gain anything.

I just don't see GTC impacting the Meta at all. These are the cards I see making an impact if any:

Blind Obedience - I see this card trying to slow down the Haste decks, and being used by aggro decks to keep potential blockers out of the way. Overall lackluster card in my humble opinion.

Boros Elite - Any card that makes you over commit to the board seems bad to me.

Frontline Megic - One of the most overrated cards ever. Most decks are not trying to "kill" your stuff at the moment. This is still blown out by Azorius Charm, which means that it doesn't effect Sphinx's Revelation.

Gideon, Champion of Justice - Gideon Jura this card is not.

Aetherize - Sleeper card, this is like an Azorius Charm on steriods.

Cloudfin Raptor - Decent one drop for a Ux Tempo Deck. Could be the new Delver of Secrets.

Hands of Binding - I see this as fuel for a Ux Tempo Deck.

Rapid Hybridization - Bad trap card.

Spell Rupture - Could be really good in a Ux Tempo Deck.

Contaminated Ground - Could be really good against the Innistrad "Spell" Lands, greedy mana bases, and any kind of Aggro deck with black might like this to slow an opponent down.

Devour Flesh - Best card in the set in my opinion. We don't often get edict effects this efficient.

Illness in the Ranks - Pure sideboard card.

Undercity Plague - If only this cost one less mana.

Foundry Street Denizen - Could be a one drop for a Goblin Deck.

Hellraiser Goblin - The card that Goblins needed to have a shot at being a deck. Krenko, Mob Boss is happy again.

Legion Loyalist - Could be a decent card for Boros, a Goblin Deck, and any other red based aggro deck.

Mugging - Not quite good enough to replace Pillar of Flame, yet.

Skullcrack - This I see in either a burn based deck or a sideboard card.

Experiment One - Is going to be a very strong one drop, sucks against Azorius Charm.

Slaughterhorn - Fringe playable card.

Assemble the Legion - I could see this being a good sideboard card for againt control decks.

Aurelia, the Warleader - I don't see it making much impact, seems like a win more card. I would rather cram more Thundermaw Hellkites in my deck.

Aurelia's Fury - Okay card, but doesn't really fit any where.

Boros Charm - Decent card, I think being over valued with cards like Azorius Charm, Feeling of Dread, Unsummon, etc. seeing play. Doesn't stop Tragic Slip nor Mutilate (Which I see seeing more play) either.

Clan Defiance - Another decent card, but outclassed by other cards right now.

Dimir Charm - Good Value card, I see this defining UB/UBx control decks far more then being anticipated.

Domri Rade - Hard to read this guy.

Duskmantle Seer - Terrible card, this card is a trap.

Fathom Mage - I could see this seeing sideboard play in control mirrors. This plays nicely with the Bant Control decks. I could see this hitting play turn 3 after a Farseek, Snapcaster Mage flashing back something and drawing a card, Thragtusk hitting play after, then Restoration Angel targeting Thragtusk (or Fathom Mage to reset it). That line of play is a 5/5, 5/3, 3/4, 3/3, 2/1 on board, gained 10 life, drew 4 cards, and flash backed something, wow.

Ghor-Clan Rampager - One of the best cards in the set.

Gruul Charm - How did this charm get made? Worst one of the cycle by a mile.

High Priest of Penance - Card is terrible. You need either an opponent to block it (which means you are probably winning already) or a way to "Fling" it. This card isn't worth playing, period.

Lazav, Dimir Mastermind - If only he would get the ETB effect, could be a decent sideboard card against Reanimator. Not a very good card overall I think.

Master Biomancer - Don't really seeing this being necessary.

Merciless Eviction - Could replace some number of Terminus in decks that need to be able to interact with other permanents.

Mystic Genesis - I like this card in limited numbers.

Obzedat, Ghost Council - Okay card, I like better against control decks though.

Orzhov Charm - Sleeper card of the set. Saves your dude and any enchantments, good value right there. Why not add in a little worse version of the best removal spell ever, Swords to Plowshares. For value, guess you can get back your Champion of the Parish or something similar. This card is very good.

Prime Speaker Zegana - Overrated trap card. If only he had flash.

Rubblehulk - Fringe Playable.

Shamble Shark - Fringe Playable.

Signal the Clans - Could see play. Imagine going after Thragtusk, Huntmaster of the Fells, Restoration Angel, Olivia Volderan, etc. It at minimum replaces itself with something relevant, and tutor effects are always scary. I like the card.

Simic Charm - Another sleeper card, I like the Hexproof ability better right now. Adding in Giant Growth and Unsummon makes this a very value card.

Soul Ransom - Another trap card. Way terrible card.

Treasury Troll - Could be really good.

Truefire Paladin - Fringe Playable. I like Vigilance alot.

Urban Evolution - Fringe Playable. Could be used in place of Sphinx's Revelation if a UGx deck is looking for a big draw card and doesn't want to play white.

Whispering Madness - If there is a combo deck, this will enable it.

Zameck Guildmage - This card is worth playing UG by itself.

Boros Reckoner - Decent card, but a little ackward.

Burning-Tree Emissary - This card could very easily be another Bloodbraid Elf.

Immortal Servitude - Terrible card.

Pit Fight - Might be playable, will have to see.

Dimir Keyrune - Reminds me of Creeping Tar Pit.

Glaring Spotlight - Another terrible trap card.

Prophetic Prism - Could see play in 4CC or 5CC decks, or some of the other big mana decks.

All the dual lands - The Shocks and Guildgates are the biggest impact cards, period.

Quote from IxidorVersionTwo

I haven't got to play this deck too much yet but I do love the feel! I played 3 rounds before I had to drop for work. I still have A LOT of testing to do though... Here's what I'm running...

(I can't find Ulvenward Tracker's at my nearby LGS's!!!)

sslater's DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
4 Arbor Elf 4 Strangleroot Geist 4 Predator Ooze 4 Wolfir Avenger 4 Lotleth Troll 4 Dreg Mangler 2 Deadbridge Goalith	4 Rancor 3 Ultimate Price 1 Tragic Slip 1 Grisly Salvage 1 Garruk Relentless 1 Liliana of the Veil	4 Woodland Cemetary 4 Overgrown Tomb 3 Golgari Guildgate 4 Swamp 8 Swamp

I'll be moving Lilly to the Side once I can get a Tracker or two. But I was damn amazed how great Grisly Salvage can be in some situations...

I'm guessing that is suppose to be 8x Forest? How has Liliana of the Veil been for you? She doesn't seem like she would hurt to bad with the Scavenge guys, but I would rather be discarding those to Lotleth Troll. Haven't really thought about using Grisly Salvage, it just seems like it would be hard to cast it early game and any time after that I would rather be casting a removal spell or Rancor to try to finish the opponent off. What does your sideboard look like?

My friend built something along these lines, and he runs 2 Corpsejack Menace and 2 Increasing Savagery.

With Loleth Troll, Dreg Mangler and Predator Ooze things can get redonkulously huge out of nowhere.

I didnt see it in your lists, so I thought id mention it.
2nd turn Ooze 3rd turn Corpsejack is scary to go up against.

Quote from slater

I'm guessing that is suppose to be 8x Forest? How has Liliana of the Veil been for you? She doesn't seem like she would hurt to bad with the Scavenge guys, but I would rather be discarding those to Lotleth Troll. Haven't really thought about using Grisly Salvage, it just seems like it would be hard to cast it early game and any time after that I would rather be casting a removal spell or Rancor to try to finish the opponent off. What does your sideboard look like?

Whoops
Liliana has been okay at best. There hasn't been a lot of situations where I was happy to see her. I decided to move her to the sideboard for grindy control match-ups.
Grisly Salvage has been that miracle of a 1-of. It's always on the chopping-block, but I mean... for 2 mana at instant speed it can get me out of some nasty situations. It can grab a dude while throwing 1 (or even 2!) Scavenger's in the graveyard. Hell, one time I grabbed a land so I wouldn't miss my land-drop, to which I proceeded to have 5 mana open to Scavenge the Dreg Mangler I just tossed. I like it, but I can understand why people don't play it.
I haven't worked on my sideboard much. It's a work-in-progress. I just tossed a bunch of cards together of what I already had:




I went 4-0 with this deck last night at a Win-a-Box tournament. It was a fantastic feeling, even after seeing I cracked almost no money what-so-ever (I gave a pack for free to a girl; she opened a Jace!)

2-0 Bant Enchant

2-0 Boros Aggro

2-1 BW Exalted

2-0 Esper Control


It was certainly an interesting meta. I felt absolutely confident in all my matches, and I think my record proves that. The Exalted kid was able to get a game on me after some surprise tricks. However, this deck just lost no steam last night. I was able to curve out pretty well and even win a lot of games on just 2-3 lands along with an Arbor Elf in play. I figured the Esper match-up would be rough if I didn't kill fast enough - but it's a fair match if they don't have Terminus. I'll deal with Supreme Verdict all day... (Azourious Charm can be annoying but it's do-able)

Super stoked on this deck. I've been playing it without the Ulvenward Tracker to great success and I'm almost considering not even bothering to add him if I even do get my hands on some.

Yeah, Ulvenwald Tracker has been okay for me. What I do like about him is that he is a one drop that brings value to the game. I will be moving some to my sideboard because he is awesome against GWx Midrange decks and pretty solid overall. I just think that Deathrite Shaman is the best one drop in standard at the moment. Against creature decks she gains life, against spell based decks she shocks every turn, and she hoses reanimator decks. So much value, it is ridiculous. I can't wait to try Experiment One, that card could be the missing link. He doesn't like the Ooze which sucks but oh well.

Also, how has Garruk been for you?

Maybe it's my meta, but personally tracker has been pure gold for me. Believe it or not, I run 4 main board, and as such, only run 3 instant removal cards. I actually side in Deathrite as hate, and more often than not, the tracker's stick. They're major removal bait, and often eat the tragic slip my predator ooze would otherwise eat when I tap out 2/3rd turn. I'm taking my current list to FNM tonight and will report back re: how it does against new GTC standard. I actually have 0 GTC cards in my MB, and only 2 in my SB... so should be interesting.

I won my FNM with this list 5-0 only losing a 2 games one to Naya Midrange and one to Peddler's Rites.

My list is as follows


I can not begin to tell you how awesome Revenge Of The Hunted is. It one me so many games even at a hard cast which I did several times it just blows the board up especially on an Ooze.

Ranger's Guile was really good against things like Oblivion Ring, Selyesna Charm, and other removal. I may cut Garruk, Relentless for a 3rd.

Quote from The Gate Keeper

I won my FNM with this list 5-0 only losing a 2 games one to Naya Midrange and one to Peddler's Rites.

My list is as follows

sslater's DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
2 Ulvenwald Tracker 4 Predator Ooze 3 Wolfir Avenger 3 Dreg Mangler 3 Arbor Elf 4 Strangleroot Geist 4 Lotleth Troll Enchantments 4 Rancor 1 Tragic Slip 2 Ultimate Price 3 Revenge of the Hunted 2 Death Wind 2 Ranger's Guile	Planeswalkers: 1 Garruk Relentless Lands 11 Forest 4 Overgrown Tomb 4 Woodland Cemetery 3 Golgari Guildgate	SIDEBOARD 3 Duress 2 Golgari Charm 1 Garruk, Primal Hunter 3 Deathrite Shaman 2 Sever the Bloodline 2 Appetite for Brains 2 Mark of the Vampire

I can not begin to tell you how awesome Revenge Of The Hunted is. It one me so many games even at a hard cast which I did several times it just blows the board up especially on an Ooze.

Ranger's Guile was really good against things like Oblivion Ring, Selyesna Charm, and other removal. I may cut Garruk, Relentless for a 3rd.

Glad that you had a good FNM. What were you're matchups? What did you side in, what did you swap out?

I like the deck. Have you thought about trying Increasing Savagery?

I think that Abrupt Decay might be worth starting to add to the deck. Loxodon Smiter, Domri Rade, Ravager of the Fells, Garruk, the Veil-Cursed, Liliana of the Veil, Deathrite Shaman, Flinthoof Boar, Dreg Mangler, Boros Reckoner, pretty much anything in Mono-Red, Frontline Medic, all other playable humans, Detention Sphere, Izzet Staticaster, Oblivion Ring, Vampire Nighthawk, Blind Obediance, Ethereal Armor, Spectral Flight, Centaur Healer, etc. are all good targets for it. All of these cards are in one of the top tier decks, so you will always have a target. I am going to be testing with having more in my sideboard and maindeck. With Tragic Slip being more and more underwhelming for me (Rackdos Cackler and Deathrite Shaman alone make it less amazing), I'm liking the thought of the versatility that Abrupt Decay provides.

Just an example of what each removal spell would hit of the Top 8 from the first major tournament of the new season, SCG Atlanta:







As you can see, Abrupt Decay and Ultimate Price can have far more value in a tournament. All of the target's that Tragic Slip can hit are as well handled by Abrupt Decay and Ultimate Price. The pluses for Tragic Slip is that it get's around regeneration, Boros Charm, and costs only one mana. The other removal options are better against the major one drops of the other aggro decks, Stromkirk Noble, Champion of the Parish, Deathrite Shaman, Experiment One, and Rakdos Cackler because their toughness is usually above one right away. Best thing about Abrupt Decay is that it has a target in every matchup, period.

I do like Traqic Slip, but I feel it is more of an sideboard card for the mirror and a very niche card.

Hey Slater i love the info you've put together about this deck. I myself put one together a week ago on MTGO and i've been playtesting it with so so success. i wanted to see if you had time to list what you usually sideboard in/out vs some of the top decks and what we can do to gear it towards beating RDW... Seems like every 8-man i get into i'm playing at least 2 RDW's.

My MTGO username is Kbglfkid. thanks again for all the useful info and playtesting.

The base-red decks are kind of hard. The best thing I have found to have is either Lotleth Troll or Predator Ooze because it is a hard to deal with "roadblock". Then you hold up Ultimate Price for their "Big Haste" guys. Don't be afraid to trade Arbor Elf for a creature either. Deathrite Shaman can work wonders in this matchup as well, gaining life and is able to stop Stromkirk Noble all day.