Well Copter and Mage have been banned as of 1/20/17
Needless to say I'm not sure how U/W Flash will stay a T1 deck without both of those cards; since I really don't think that Revolt gives us anything that would replace them and work as well.
Psy
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Jeskai Control:42-23-5 Elves: 44-31-3 Red-Aggro: 18-9-0 B/G Energy 21-6-0
Well Copter and Mage have been banned as of 1/20/17
Needless to say I'm not sure how U/W Flash will stay a T1 deck without both of those cards; since I really don't think that Revolt gives us anything that would replace them and work as well.
Well Copter and Mage have been banned as of 1/20/17
Needless to say I'm not sure how U/W Flash will stay a T1 deck without both of those cards; since I really don't think that Revolt gives us anything that would replace them and work as well.
Psy
Baral + Harvester?
Harvester maybe; but I don't see Baral working in how the deck is currently built. For Baral you need to run enough Instants or Sorcery spells to make the cost reduction he provides worth it and U/W only runs 4 to 6 of them main deck. Plus U/W Flash would have to go the more controlling route by running more counter spells to take advantage of the card draw ability; since Spell Queller doesn't counter the spell just exiles it; most of the U/W Flash decks are only running 2 to 3 counter spells main deck.
Thalia is something that could work in the 3 drop slot; but will have to see how it works.
Psy
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Jeskai Control:42-23-5 Elves: 44-31-3 Red-Aggro: 18-9-0 B/G Energy 21-6-0
This deck just lost a total of 7-8 of its 35 non land cards, that is a huge hit. The way I see it is that this deck may have to look to other colors to stay competitive, either green (Tamiyo, Field Researcher), Red (Saheeli Rai combo) or black (Esper Aggro).
Well the deck was a T1 deck before copter lifted off: so that one can easily be replaced by the new Aethersphere Harvester - actually I think that might've been done anyways. Another option is (if 4 gideons) Heart of Kiran. Reflector mage gave a lot of of tempo, replacing that is a bit more difficult, but I think it can be replaced with the "universal blink" Felidar Guardian. Blinking avacyn, or gideons. Or even spell queller to "release" the spell it exiles at a opportune moment.
Why would you ever want to blink your own Spell Queller if you can't do it at instant speed?
So we lost copter and reflector mage. i don't think we lost out too bad compared to our rivals since the deck can survive with out. I think the coptor can be replaced by baral and mage...more removal?
Nah the deck is really dead. Copter was the only way to make the draw smoother and Reflector is what keep midrange creature like Kalitas at bay.
And with Emrakul out of the format, Marvel will fall in popularity, so the deck loses one of its best match. GB Del, -while weakened- on other hand, will still be played, the deck can survive without Emrakul, it's still the king of the grind.
I don't think spirits will work. Because there are no spirits on Kaladesh. The spirits deck wasn't enough last block, and now it will be even less than enough with everybody else getting stronger. You can play it as a tier 2 strategy, but it won't be the proven deck UW flash was.
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Current Awesome Deck: UWAll-In GiftsWU Consistent, Resiliant, and way overpowered, making multiple 4/4s per turn.
GB Electric Dreams BG Deal 20 in one shot, or discard their hand?
GWUFree Stuff MidrangeUWG Slowly bury the opponent with more threats and answers than they can handle.
To fizzle that counterspell that's under the queller? And prevent a destroy+counterspell happening at the same time?
I don't think it works like that.
Not being instant speed means that you can't prevent another spell resolving successfully.
I am less certain about this but I think that when the Queller flickers, the previously exiled spell goes onto the stack after the Queller's ability. It then resolves before the Spell Queller's ability, leaving nothing to exile unless there was a spell already on the stack.
The UW flash deck may be dead but UW Flash Spirits could still be a really good deck. Spirits was a good deck before everyone switched over to UW flash version. Spirits can be an aggro deck or a Suedo control deck.
Well the deck was a T1 deck before copter lifted off: so that one can easily be replaced by the new Aethersphere Harvester - actually I think that might've been done anyways. Another option is (if 4 gideons) Heart of Kiran. Reflector mage gave a lot of of tempo, replacing that is a bit more difficult, but I think it can be replaced with the "universal blink" Felidar Guardian. Blinking avacyn, or gideons. Or even spell queller to "release" the spell it exiles at a opportune moment.
U/W Spirits were never really a T1 deck until the last Pro Tour when people added Copter to the deck. Before that it was a fringe deck that never quite made T2. I don't feel that Harvester was ever going to replace Copter in the deck if Copter wasn't banned.
The looting ability on attack and block; which enabled us to sculpt our hand; was the real value and I would gladly take it over a 3/5 flier that I could pay pay one energy for Lifelink (which would give me two uses out of before running out of energy) and is also a turn slower. The ability to filter cards that I didn't need for cards that gave me more value was the true worth of the Copter.
Right now if I continue to play U/W Flash; I'm leaning towards adding Thalia to the deck in the place of Mages; since she can crew Heart of Kiran and also messes up the new CopyKat deck; since every copy would come into play tapped. She isn't a solution to that deck but something that can slow it down for a turn. I'm not sold on Felidar Guardian in this deck; without trying to turn it into a completely different deck. We don't have good targets for its blink ability and the fact that it doesn't have flash there is no way to use its ability to save something that is targeted with a removal spell at instant speed.
Psy
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Jeskai Control:42-23-5 Elves: 44-31-3 Red-Aggro: 18-9-0 B/G Energy 21-6-0
I have been considering Dovin Baan, but that card would infringe upon Gideon. I think the Thalia and Kirin may be the best testing cards right now. Disallow is also a card I may consider in the Mages spot.
There are choices, just not ones that are as good as the cards we had before.
Well, I was waiting for Eldritch Moon to leave Standard to play them in Modern, I guess I'll do it now. I have been playing this deck so ce Spell Queller was in the format and, while the loss of Smuggler's Copter hurts the consistency of this deck, it also left many decks undefended against flyers. The real damage is the loss of Reflector Mage, which was an enormous tempo play against so many decks.
I like Volrathy's deck, which I believe he'll find to be a strong T2 contender for FNM. However, I don't think it's going to be well positioned against RG energy, BR aggro, Mardu vehicles, Delirium or Human decks, which either have gained new toys or were poor against Smuggler's Copter.
In fact, with the return of a good black board wipe, Selfless Spirit and the other x/1 Spirits are really badly positioned right now.
Here's a couple list. Throwing out some ideas, I didn't post a control list but I do believe one is doable. This deck may be able to run as a transformer deck aggro first then switch to a control build from sb.
I was running a similar list 4 Always Watching and a couple Ongoing Investigation awhile back without Gideon and I don't think I had Avacyn either. I loved it but went back to the Tier 1 list before I got a chance to test Niblis of Frost. Now with the bans I'll back to that for FNM this week. Done any testing with Niblis? If you do run Avacyn in this package Essence Flux is a house!
I had the same mana base but 1 Plains was a Blighted Cataract.
My 2nd question is why inspector. The reason why he was good in U/W Flash is that you were able to go; Turn 1 Inspector; Turn 2 Copter and then turn 3 hold up mana for Queller and use the Inspector to crew the copter. In this desk all Inspector is; is a 1/2 speed bump against agro decks that gets you a clue when it ETB.
I just don't see this as being a good deck since you will not be putting in pressure on the other player until turn 5 at the earliest and the control package of Negate and Disallow is not enough to control the board and keep it clear of threats.
Psy
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Jeskai Control:42-23-5 Elves: 44-31-3 Red-Aggro: 18-9-0 B/G Energy 21-6-0
Here's a couple list. Throwing out some ideas, I didn't post a control list but I do believe one is doable. This deck may be able to run as a transformer deck aggro first then switch to a control build from sb.
Here's a couple list. Throwing out some ideas, I didn't post a control list but I do believe one is doable. This deck may be able to run as a transformer deck aggro first then switch to a control build from sb.
Heart of Kiran will never be crewed. The card sucks
I don't think it sucks but I do think that in the above deck it would be hard to crew; which makes it a suboptimal card choice. There are only 2 creatures that can crew it on curve and only 5 total creatures and the 3 planeswalkers that can crew it without Always Watching in play. Which means that for the majority of your games; you wont be able to crew it until turn 4 at the earliest.
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Jeskai Control:42-23-5 Elves: 44-31-3 Red-Aggro: 18-9-0 B/G Energy 21-6-0
Needless to say I'm not sure how U/W Flash will stay a T1 deck without both of those cards; since I really don't think that Revolt gives us anything that would replace them and work as well.
Psy
Jeskai Control:42-23-5
Elves: 44-31-3
Red-Aggro: 18-9-0
B/G Energy 21-6-0
Previous Played:
G/r Ramp:125-72-3 - Bant CoCo:64-24-2 - Jeskai Saheeli: 62-25-4 - Mono Green Eldrazi: 22-11-2
Bant Aggro: 51-27-6 - U/W/g Midrange: 47-24-1 - Bant: 4-3-0
Baral + Harvester?
Harvester maybe; but I don't see Baral working in how the deck is currently built. For Baral you need to run enough Instants or Sorcery spells to make the cost reduction he provides worth it and U/W only runs 4 to 6 of them main deck. Plus U/W Flash would have to go the more controlling route by running more counter spells to take advantage of the card draw ability; since Spell Queller doesn't counter the spell just exiles it; most of the U/W Flash decks are only running 2 to 3 counter spells main deck.
Thalia is something that could work in the 3 drop slot; but will have to see how it works.
Psy
Jeskai Control:42-23-5
Elves: 44-31-3
Red-Aggro: 18-9-0
B/G Energy 21-6-0
Previous Played:
G/r Ramp:125-72-3 - Bant CoCo:64-24-2 - Jeskai Saheeli: 62-25-4 - Mono Green Eldrazi: 22-11-2
Bant Aggro: 51-27-6 - U/W/g Midrange: 47-24-1 - Bant: 4-3-0
Or we can stay on WU and go heavy Spirit Tribal with Mausoleum Wanderer and Nebelgast Herald (which I was playing during EMN standard) or go heavy on tokens with Sram's Expertise and Westvale Abbey (which just got much better without Reflector Mage).
WBC Eldrazi & Taxes CBW
UR Keep on Cantripin' (UR Phoenix) RU
WU Surprise! It's not UW Control! (UW Midrange) UW
BG The Rock, Straight BG
U Mono-Blue Fish U
RBW Mardu Pyromancer BWR
RG Rabble! Rabble! (GR Blood Moon Aggro) GR
Legacy
W Death & Taxes W
Why would you ever want to blink your own Spell Queller if you can't do it at instant speed?
Ive been running this deck for awhile and I think I will now just be swapping to the spirit package and making it more aggressive with always watching
9 Island
7 Plains
4 Port Town
4 Prairie Stream
1 Westvale Abbey
4 Mausoleum Wanderer
4 Rattlechains
4 Selfless Spirit
4 Nebelgast Herald
4 Spell Queller
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
3 Archangel Avacyn
2 Always Watching
4 Stasis Snare
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Disallow
And with Emrakul out of the format, Marvel will fall in popularity, so the deck loses one of its best match. GB Del, -while weakened- on other hand, will still be played, the deck can survive without Emrakul, it's still the king of the grind.
GB Electric Dreams BG Deal 20 in one shot, or discard their hand?
GWU Free Stuff Midrange UWG Slowly bury the opponent with more threats and answers than they can handle.
My greatest hits:
GURFate Reforged Temur Ascendancy COMBORUG
GUDragons of Tarkir Whisperwood Forever UG
Not being instant speed means that you can't prevent another spell resolving successfully.
I am less certain about this but I think that when the Queller flickers, the previously exiled spell goes onto the stack after the Queller's ability. It then resolves before the Spell Queller's ability, leaving nothing to exile unless there was a spell already on the stack.
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.
U/W Spirits were never really a T1 deck until the last Pro Tour when people added Copter to the deck. Before that it was a fringe deck that never quite made T2. I don't feel that Harvester was ever going to replace Copter in the deck if Copter wasn't banned.
The looting ability on attack and block; which enabled us to sculpt our hand; was the real value and I would gladly take it over a 3/5 flier that I could pay pay one energy for Lifelink (which would give me two uses out of before running out of energy) and is also a turn slower. The ability to filter cards that I didn't need for cards that gave me more value was the true worth of the Copter.
Right now if I continue to play U/W Flash; I'm leaning towards adding Thalia to the deck in the place of Mages; since she can crew Heart of Kiran and also messes up the new CopyKat deck; since every copy would come into play tapped. She isn't a solution to that deck but something that can slow it down for a turn. I'm not sold on Felidar Guardian in this deck; without trying to turn it into a completely different deck. We don't have good targets for its blink ability and the fact that it doesn't have flash there is no way to use its ability to save something that is targeted with a removal spell at instant speed.
Psy
Jeskai Control:42-23-5
Elves: 44-31-3
Red-Aggro: 18-9-0
B/G Energy 21-6-0
Previous Played:
G/r Ramp:125-72-3 - Bant CoCo:64-24-2 - Jeskai Saheeli: 62-25-4 - Mono Green Eldrazi: 22-11-2
Bant Aggro: 51-27-6 - U/W/g Midrange: 47-24-1 - Bant: 4-3-0
There are choices, just not ones that are as good as the cards we had before.
I like Volrathy's deck, which I believe he'll find to be a strong T2 contender for FNM. However, I don't think it's going to be well positioned against RG energy, BR aggro, Mardu vehicles, Delirium or Human decks, which either have gained new toys or were poor against Smuggler's Copter.
In fact, with the return of a good black board wipe, Selfless Spirit and the other x/1 Spirits are really badly positioned right now.
WBC Eldrazi & Taxes CBW
UR Keep on Cantripin' (UR Phoenix) RU
WU Surprise! It's not UW Control! (UW Midrange) UW
BG The Rock, Straight BG
U Mono-Blue Fish U
RBW Mardu Pyromancer BWR
RG Rabble! Rabble! (GR Blood Moon Aggro) GR
Legacy
W Death & Taxes W
4 Mausoleum Wanderer
4 Rattlechain
4 Selfless Spirit
4 Nebelgast Herald
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
4 Spell Queller
3 archangel avacyn
2 Heart of Kiran
1 Stoneforge Masterwork
Planeswalker
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 Dovin Baan
Spells
4 Stasis Snare
2 Always Watching
4 Port Town
4 Prairie Stream
8 Island
7 Plains
4 Mausoleum Wanderer
4 Rattlechain
4 Selfless Spirit
4 Nebelgast Herald
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
4 Spell Queller
3 Archangel Avacyn
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
Spells
2 Always watching
2 Disallow
4 Stasis Snare
2 Authority of the Consuls
4 Prairie Stream
8 Island
7 Plains
WBC Eldrazi & Taxes CBW
UR Keep on Cantripin' (UR Phoenix) RU
WU Surprise! It's not UW Control! (UW Midrange) UW
BG The Rock, Straight BG
U Mono-Blue Fish U
RBW Mardu Pyromancer BWR
RG Rabble! Rabble! (GR Blood Moon Aggro) GR
Legacy
W Death & Taxes W
Stitcher's Graft is a double duty card in the deck with Avacyn, 2 to unattach and trigger Avacyn? Sounds like a good time to me.
How about the following:
4 baral, chief of compliance
4 selfless spirit
2 blessed alliance
3 anticipate
4 negate
4 disallow
4 gideon, ally of zendikar
1 baral's expertise
3 archangel avacyn
I was running a similar list 4 Always Watching and a couple Ongoing Investigation awhile back without Gideon and I don't think I had Avacyn either. I loved it but went back to the Tier 1 list before I got a chance to test Niblis of Frost. Now with the bans I'll back to that for FNM this week. Done any testing with Niblis? If you do run Avacyn in this package Essence Flux is a house!
I had the same mana base but 1 Plains was a Blighted Cataract.
My 1st question is what are you trying to do?
My 2nd question is why inspector. The reason why he was good in U/W Flash is that you were able to go; Turn 1 Inspector; Turn 2 Copter and then turn 3 hold up mana for Queller and use the Inspector to crew the copter. In this desk all Inspector is; is a 1/2 speed bump against agro decks that gets you a clue when it ETB.
I just don't see this as being a good deck since you will not be putting in pressure on the other player until turn 5 at the earliest and the control package of Negate and Disallow is not enough to control the board and keep it clear of threats.
Psy
Jeskai Control:42-23-5
Elves: 44-31-3
Red-Aggro: 18-9-0
B/G Energy 21-6-0
Previous Played:
G/r Ramp:125-72-3 - Bant CoCo:64-24-2 - Jeskai Saheeli: 62-25-4 - Mono Green Eldrazi: 22-11-2
Bant Aggro: 51-27-6 - U/W/g Midrange: 47-24-1 - Bant: 4-3-0
Heart of Kiran will never be crewed. The card sucks
I don't think it sucks but I do think that in the above deck it would be hard to crew; which makes it a suboptimal card choice. There are only 2 creatures that can crew it on curve and only 5 total creatures and the 3 planeswalkers that can crew it without Always Watching in play. Which means that for the majority of your games; you wont be able to crew it until turn 4 at the earliest.
Psy
Jeskai Control:42-23-5
Elves: 44-31-3
Red-Aggro: 18-9-0
B/G Energy 21-6-0
Previous Played:
G/r Ramp:125-72-3 - Bant CoCo:64-24-2 - Jeskai Saheeli: 62-25-4 - Mono Green Eldrazi: 22-11-2
Bant Aggro: 51-27-6 - U/W/g Midrange: 47-24-1 - Bant: 4-3-0