Reporting for my last weekend's matchup. We had 3 games in which my cows greatly performed and finally scored a 2-0 in a match. Even though I lacked Thoughtseize in that match, and I just stick with Lightning Strike in its place. I still manage to win but I really find it useful if I have it.
Quoting my deck:
Round 3 - Win
I managed to land Mogis this time around and Thoughtseize got shy from him. He took 2 damage from Mogis every turn, not wanting to sacrifice any creatures until I Alpha-Strike with the same scenario on the first round bringing him down to 1 life. With no Scavenging Ooze around, I burned him with Magma Jet immediately.
Game 2: vs Boros Aggro Variant
Round 1 - Win
My opponent was wondering what deck I'm using. I was greeted by a Magma Jet at once, in which I replied with my own. He lays down creatures one-by-one which I killed off immediately including his Boros Reckoner and some Burning-Tree Emissary and then when I played Ragemonger, he exclaims, "Whoa!! Minotaurs!!". Having no creatures next turn on his side, I landed another Ragemonger, followed by two Reckoners and a Kragma Warcaller for the kill.
Round 3- Win
He did very much the same tactic like round 2, only that this time, I swept his side with Anger of the Gods, getting rid of his Phoenix for good. After the sweep, I played Mogis and then played my usual winning pattern of Ragemonger + (Insert other Minotaurs here) + Kragma Warcaller for the kill.
Round 2 - Win
It was almost a replay of the first round, only that he managed to Thoughtseize my Ragemonger away and counter some other cows with his Dissolve but then, I manage to land a Mogis, God of Slaughter that shocked him every turn that actually killed him.
Right now, I'm getting more satisfied with this build. It's becoming more consistent and efficient so long you can curve out nicely. One of my opponents even suggested to put an Immortal Servitude in the side and cast if for 3, since most cows costs 3. It was quite interesting and I'm considering it.
When did you increase the creatures and bump up the removal? I don't remember seeing that, although I definitely like the move.
Notes and questions on how the deck worked:
What things were you sideboarding in and out?
How often was Mutavault a thing for you? Your descriptions make it seem like you never really needed it and it might, surprisingly, function as a "win more" card.
In terms of Fanatic of Mogis, did you find you were losing your creatures through swings too often to get the devotion? I just want to understand its removal a bit better.
Control was your 2-0, but were there any key weaknesses that you saw Taurs having against it? Any strengths?
Anger of the Gods may have won you the game against Boros Aggro, but is it something that we really want in our deck? We're fragile as it is with our creatures being base 2/3.
Let me know how playtesting the Immortal Servitude goes. That's something that I've been trying, and I've really liked it. Another option to consider is Underworld Cerberus, but at this point, I'm actually considering including both. Underworld Cerberus is just a big ol' aggressive creature, although it has to die, and Immortal Servitude gets us our (slightly reduced) results immediately.
How often was Mutavault a thing for you? Your descriptions make it seem like you never really needed it and it might, surprisingly, function as a "win more" card.
Despite people recommending Mutavault here, I have to agree with you. The card is more like a "win more" based on my experience and I admit, it rarely goes into action since I'm mostly tapped out most of the time casting Minotaurs all the time. I can't even attack with it on the early turns either since I play removals during that time (players will still insist that it depends on situation). It even caused me a problem on turn 3 where I can't cast Boros Reckoner although it happened only once.
With this, I agree that Mutavault is "not that necessary" in here. You can win games fine without it. Some players kept pushing it in this deck, but then I realized that it was fine without it. As I've mentioned, it could create critical turn problems when you needed either a B or R when you only have colorless because of Mutavault. Still some will say it's not a problem and will keep defending Mutavault and will insist saying you have Blood Crypt or Temple of Malice anyway. But then again, each of us has their own reasons or preferences.
In terms of Fanatic of Mogis, did you find you were losing your creatures through swings too often to get the devotion? I just want to understand its removal a bit better.
I used to have Fanatic of Mogis before and it has won me games too. I just took it out to try a new build with more removals. The deck I have actually has free 3 spots in which I plan to put back the Thoughtseize in. Currently, the spot is filled by Lightning Strike and previously Fanatic of Mogis.
In terms of me losing creatures through swings, I haven't experience much of it. More often, it only takes one or two attacks when my "Minotaur Combo" lands without interference.
Control was your 2-0, but were there any key weaknesses that you saw Taurs having against it? Any strengths?
Minotaur's strength lies on its capability to lay down an Alpha Strike in one swing (if not interfered) using the "Minotaur Combo". The combo is Ragemonger + Rageblood Shaman + (insert a Minotaur here) + Kragma Warcaller. Also, your opponents may find it a little hard to spot remove some important Minotaurs. Doom Blade or Ultimate Price can't touch Kragma Warcaller and Ragemonger. Burn goes out of range when Rageblood Shaman lands, which means they have to deal with it first.
As for weaknesses, sure we have too. First and critical is a board-wipe. The only potential survivor of a board wipe is Deathbellow Raider which regenerates. You can off-set it by playing DEGA WBR build and add Boros Charm, but running a third color could be costly, but hey you can try it if you want. Another weakness is when they kept countering our cows and force a discard such as Thoughtseize, which means that hand disruption is also our weakness.
Anger of the Gods may have won you the game against Boros Aggro, but is it something that we really want in our deck? We're fragile as it is with our creatures being base 2/3.
It's just a sideboard material which you can choose along with Drown in Sorrow. I mainly used it when I battle faster decks who fills the board before I do. I usually cast it when I got no board presence or if I have a Boros Reckoner, which I'm willing to throw at their face from AoG's damage. Also, AoG is our answer to get rid of Voice of Resurgence and Chandra's Phoenix.
Let me know how playtesting the Immortal Servitude goes. That's something that I've been trying, and I've really liked it. Another option to consider is Underworld Cerberus, but at this point, I'm actually considering including both. Underworld Cerberus is just a big ol' aggressive creature, although it has to die, and Immortal Servitude gets us our (slightly reduced) results immediately.
I haven't tried Immortal Servitude but I'll be sure to report back the results once I do. As for Underworld Cerberus, it seems like a sideboard material too, and I'll see if it could assist our cows.
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I also noticed that some recommend Temple of Silence and the reason is "help cast Boros Reckoner". Sure it has a point, (others will even say that it lets you scry too, which is true) but with it, you may have problems for the other Minotaurs with R. Sure, it seems situational and build preference, but if you really want consistency, sticking with Rakdos RB colors and lands will suffice. I only run 4 Swamps and the rest of the B sources comes from either Blood Crypt or Temple of Malice. It rarely happen to me, but you will have almost no problems casting Boros Reckoner.
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Great breakdown of the deck. Hopefully it'll be helpful to players looking into the deck as well as making you evaluate the cards in a different light.
Also, that awkward moment when I stumbled across this deck while looking for inspiration on tappedout.net.
My build's pretty similar at the moment. I'm looking at picking up the copies of Mogis, God of Slaughter, taking out Fanatic of Mogis and adding in one more Deathbellow Raider, but it's iffy at the moment since I'm pretty much exclusively testing against UW Heroic. That deck is surprisingly a pain to play against. It can ramp out really fast and Gods Willing is an excellent card. It's mixed results at the moment, so the Mogis might add some consistency.
New poster, long time player. I put this deck together for last week's FNM. I have to say, this deck is pretty damn good and explosive. I took it to 3-1 at said FNM, and 2-1 yesterday at an 8-man.
In the short time playing it, I've learned a couple of things. RG Monsters can be a 50-50 battle. It pretty much boils down to whoever gets explosive first. Sub in Lifebane Zombie and it should tip more in your favor. BW Control/Bant Walkers is somewhat lopsided. Bring in Skullcrack, Slaughter Games and Seize's for those Verdicts and Revs. I would normally play Hero's Downfall MB, but the deck revolves around 3-drops. This explains why the removal consists of 2 drops. The Cacklers, without being Minotaurs, help launch out damage on turn 1 rather than waiting on the Raiders. Rakdos's Return is nutty post sideboards, espcially against any burn decks. I'm considering Mortars on the SB for Blood Baron. I have yet to face any, so I don't know how the preboarded games go necessarily.
Overall, this deck does suprisingly better than I was expecting. I'll be taking it to gamer day to see how it performs.
New poster, long time player. I put this deck together for last week's FNM. I have to say, this deck is pretty damn good and explosive. I took it to 3-1 at said FNM, and 2-1 yesterday at an 8-man.
How about some details regarding your match-up?
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After a bit of playtesting, it seems to me like we have 3 "open" slots. We have a 3 card slot that is currently Ultimate Price/Doom Blade. I'm doing some testing today, but I really am considering swapping out 2 mountains and 2 swamps for 2 Sacred Foundry and 2 Godless Shrine to splash white for Boros Charm. It's a card with a lot of versatility and synergizes incredibly well with our deck. The only drawback is that more of our lands potentially come in tapped, although I'm finding that I'm very willing to pay the 2 life for that. It will also help with playing Boros Reckoner. I've only had an issue once, but it is something that I am considering.
Tl;dr We have an abundance of removal and can "flex" 3 of those slots to try other options. I chose splashing white for Boros Charm.
EDIT:
I decided to do a breakdown of the deck, the cards in it, as well giving pros and cons to the "3-flex" spot that I felt was there. That can be found HERE
I've been trying toil // trouble with a lot of success lately. i understand that scry 2 from read the bones adds gas but the versatility to burn your opponent early game adds a lot pressure especially against midrange and control. Just my 2 cents.
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G Combo Elves G GW Maverick WG GWR Punishing Maverick RWG GWB Dark Maverick BWG RUG RUG Delver GUR UWR Miracles RWU
I've been considering adding Read the Bones so that we can get some card draw. Opinions?
Some players actually consider it as the deck's card draw. However IMO, it costs 3 which we know that most good Minotaurs costs 3, thus clogging up the slot. If you really consider card draw, perhaps Underworld Connections will do a better job, but it too costs 3.
I've been trying toil // trouble with a lot of success lately. i understand that scry 2 from read the bones adds gas but the versatility to burn your opponent early game adds a lot pressure especially against midrange and control. Just my 2 cents.
A playmate of mine tested it and casts it for free using Oracle of Bones, although I don't recommend the bones in this deck.
Based on my experience, the Cows Deck are really more of a "control" first and then "midrange-aggro" later. This divides the decks into 3 departments namely: 1) Lands with duals (Temple and Shocks); 2) Removals (sweepers on the side) and 3) Good, powerful & useful Minotaurs and their God
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One question.. What's your take on mogis, god of slaughter? Personally, i see him as a sideboard card. Yes, 2 damage a turn seems pretty sweet especially when your opponent doesn't have a way to answer it, but in a meta with tons of spot removals and board wipes, i don't really expect him to be a creature anytime soon. Also, with detention sphere being rampant, he'll probably shock 2x max. Thoughts?
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Some players actually consider it as the deck's card draw. However IMO, it costs 3 which we know that most good Minotaurs costs 3, thus clogging up the slot. If you really consider card draw, perhaps Underworld Connections will do a better job, but it too costs 3.
My worry with Underworld Connections is that it is that 3 drop as well as that it costs dual black. I mean, we decided early on that for those same reasons we would rather run Dreadbore over Hero's Downfall which was a fairly significant distinction. We may just have to focus on beating them with top-decks.
One question.. What's your take on mogis, god of slaughter? Personally, i see him as a sideboard card. Yes, 2 damage a turn seems pretty sweet especially when your opponent doesn't have a way to answer it, but in a meta with tons of spot removals and board wipes, i don't really expect him to be a creature anytime soon. Also, with detention sphere being rampant, he'll probably shock 2x max. Thoughts?
The way that I see Mogis, God of Slaughter, he works a few ways for us. He is a repeatable shock on a stick, he's a big ol' mother, he draws out their exile that could otherwise be directed at other key parts of the deck. Overall, I think he fits fairly well mainboard, and I've never really been upset having him there game one.
So i've been playtesting it early this evening. One problem card that i have encountered is gift of orzhova especially with hexproof creatures like witchstalker and reaper of the wilds. Lifelink, flying, and hexproof is just way too much to handle. I'm actually considering devour flesh main board. Thoughts? Also, I will post my decklist here when i get my free time later. Looking forward to great inputs from everyone. TIA!
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My worry with Underworld Connections is that it is that 3 drop as well as that it costs dual black. I mean, we decided early on that for those same reasons we would rather run Dreadbore over Hero's Downfall which was a fairly significant distinction. We may just have to focus on beating them with top-decks.
You are right. Card draws, despite ideal or good doesn't have enough room for the Cows' deck. All we could rely is the scry from our Magma Jet and Temple of Malice which is useful enough.
One question.. What's your take on mogis, god of slaughter? Personally, i see him as a sideboard card. Yes, 2 damage a turn seems pretty sweet especially when your opponent doesn't have a way to answer it, but in a meta with tons of spot removals and board wipes, i don't really expect him to be a creature anytime soon. Also, with detention sphere being rampant, he'll probably shock 2x max. Thoughts?
I don't have problems with Mogis main also. Aside from being able to shock our opponents mostly, Mogis draws attention to himself and could act as a "bait" so that our opponents will need to spend something to remove him rather than dealing with our cows. Based on my plays, they would like to remove Mogis first and deal with the cows later, but then already too late to stop the other Mad Cows from stomping them. When battling decks with white or green, I tend to side out Mogis on game 2 since mostly, those decks will side in either Revoke Existence or Fade into Antiquity, much to their dismay since I've taken Mogis off making it dead draws.
So i've been playtesting it early this evening. One problem card that i have encountered is gift of orzhova especially with hexproof creatures like witchstalker and reaper of the wilds. Lifelink, flying, and hexproof is just way too much to handle. I'm actually considering devour flesh main board. Thoughts? Also, I will post my decklist here when i get my free time later. Looking forward to great inputs from everyone. TIA!
I think Devour Flesh could fit in since it only costs 1B. Feel free trying it out. Also about Gift of Orzhova, I one time used it and made a Flying, Lifelink, Trample 4/4 Boros Reckoner just for fun, but then really didn't include it since it also costs 3.
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As a reiteration, our Minotaur Decks should consider cheap removals that only costs at least 2, that's why I think Devour Flesh deserves some testing since it could go around on problematic critter we can't normally get rid off such as protection, hexproof and indestructible. Some might argue about saying to include Read the Bones, Hero's Downfall etc..., well of course that's how others build theirs. But then, the effective way to run this deck is to deal with threats first on the early turns, that's why Thoughtseize or Duress fits well.
Also about enchantments like Madcap Skills, Deviant Glee, Dragon Mantle and some others, I admit that these are good spells on their own. Before BNG arrived, I have these on my deck. But then, we don't include them most of the time not because they are bad... it's because they take some space in which we should have removals instead. Of course, each one of us have their own play style, but then I'm just stating this facts based on my experience, which of course is different that the others.
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Good point bringing up Duress. I hadn't even thought of it since Thoughtseize is always considered the better option. We don't actually care too much about the majority of creatures, though, so it would definitely be a budget card that works incredibly well at getting rid of their other threats. Covers the vast majority we would be worried about, give us a turn one play, and give us knowledge of the opponent's hand.
Edit: I was just looking through my collection again. Some new options we can playtest: Wild Guess, Seismic Stomp.
Good point bringing up Duress. I hadn't even thought of it since Thoughtseize is always considered the better option. We don't actually care too much about the majority of creatures, though, so it would definitely be a budget card that works incredibly well at getting rid of their other threats. Covers the vast majority we would be worried about, give us a turn one play, and give us knowledge of the opponent's hand.
Edit: I was just looking through my collection again. Some new options we can playtest: Wild Guess, Seismic Stomp.
Duress is indeed a good card to consider, not only because of budget reasons but also allows us to answer threats we can't deal with on the board (e.g. Detention Sphere, Chained to the Rocks, and other nasty spells).
About Wild Guess, I'm on the fence about it, but Seismic Stomp could be a good option at least on the sideboard.
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Though i understand the power that boros reckoner and boros charm gives, splashing white gives a bit of inconsistency at times with my mana base. Although at the same time, splashing white gives me access to enchantment removal. Thoughts?
If you can get the 4 Blood Crypts, your mana base will be a lot more consistent. You'll have more red sources and be able to cast Boros Reckoner a lot more easily.
As for blood crypts, yes, they are much better. But, for set rotation purposes, i'm trying to keep the deck "post rotation" ready. I didn't want to invest in cards that are rotating out by the end of the year.
Sometimes, in games where me and my opponent gets to stand still, i just amass creatures and alpha strike them with rageblood shaman and kragma warcaller in play. Fun times.
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Sometimes, in games where me and my opponent gets to stand still, i just amass creatures and alpha strike them with rageblood shaman and kragma warcaller in play. Fun times.
Tormented Hero doesn't fit well here. Rakdos Cackler can do better if you want a decent 1 drop creature. Also, I would recommend replacing Minotaur Skullcleaver with Boros Reckoner. If you worry about your mana base, put a playset of Blood Crypt. You don't have to worry about casting Reckoner since most of the time you'll be able to. In your case, you have plenty of Swamps. Just 4 of them will do if you have Temple of Malice and Blood Crypt and also because you have more red sources. A bit of tip (just in case you don't know yet), count the total number of symbols in your deck for the colors you'll need, say you have a total of 16 red symbols. Divide it by 2 and you'll get 8, meaning you need at least 8 red sources of mana.
All right, I love my Minotaur deck. So far it's gone to one FNM and I took first. However, the only tier one deck I built was Esper control. I'm not sure if GW Aggro is tier one yet, but I took that down as well. I plan on going to a more competitive venue this weekend and will post an update then. I have never loved a standard deck this much since Quest. Here's the list:
Quoting my deck:
Anyways, on with my report today:
Game 1: vs Golgari Aggro
Round 1 - Win
I manage to take out most of his creatures on the early turns most especially his Scavenging Ooze and Lotleth Troll. He managed to Thoughtseize my Mogis, God of Slaughter off but I was able to beat him with a rush of Ragemonger followed by Rageblood Shaman, Boros Reckoner and Kragma Warcaller for an Alpha-Strike.
Round 2 - Lost
This time around, he delayed played his Scavenging Ooze and Lotleth Troll and instead played suicidal Thoughtseize on 3 turns straight, ripping off my Mogis, God of Slaughter, Ragemonger and my Rageblood Shaman. Got killed by 3 Trolls.
Round 3 - Win
I managed to land Mogis this time around and Thoughtseize got shy from him. He took 2 damage from Mogis every turn, not wanting to sacrifice any creatures until I Alpha-Strike with the same scenario on the first round bringing him down to 1 life. With no Scavenging Ooze around, I burned him with Magma Jet immediately.
Game 2: vs Boros Aggro Variant
Round 1 - Win
My opponent was wondering what deck I'm using. I was greeted by a Magma Jet at once, in which I replied with my own. He lays down creatures one-by-one which I killed off immediately including his Boros Reckoner and some Burning-Tree Emissary and then when I played Ragemonger, he exclaims, "Whoa!! Minotaurs!!". Having no creatures next turn on his side, I landed another Ragemonger, followed by two Reckoners and a Kragma Warcaller for the kill.
Round 2 - Lost
I wasn't able to draw enough removals this round, and he swept me with two Chandra's Phoenix and three Burning-Tree Emissary and then burned me with a final Lightning Strike.
Round 3- Win
He did very much the same tactic like round 2, only that this time, I swept his side with Anger of the Gods, getting rid of his Phoenix for good. After the sweep, I played Mogis and then played my usual winning pattern of Ragemonger + (Insert other Minotaurs here) + Kragma Warcaller for the kill.
Game 3: vs Dimir Control
Round 1 - Win
The first few turns was more of a draw-go for both of us until he lands a Nightveil Specter which I killed with Lightning Strike. He then also lands a Thassa and managed to counter some of my cows like Boros Reckoner and Deathbellow Raider using Dissolve. I managed to land two Ragemonger, Rageblood Shaman and Kragma Warcaller and killed him with it.
Round 2 - Win
It was almost a replay of the first round, only that he managed to Thoughtseize my Ragemonger away and counter some other cows with his Dissolve but then, I manage to land a Mogis, God of Slaughter that shocked him every turn that actually killed him.
Right now, I'm getting more satisfied with this build. It's becoming more consistent and efficient so long you can curve out nicely. One of my opponents even suggested to put an Immortal Servitude in the side and cast if for 3, since most cows costs 3. It was quite interesting and I'm considering it.
Notes and questions on how the deck worked:
What things were you sideboarding in and out?
How often was Mutavault a thing for you? Your descriptions make it seem like you never really needed it and it might, surprisingly, function as a "win more" card.
In terms of Fanatic of Mogis, did you find you were losing your creatures through swings too often to get the devotion? I just want to understand its removal a bit better.
Control was your 2-0, but were there any key weaknesses that you saw Taurs having against it? Any strengths?
Anger of the Gods may have won you the game against Boros Aggro, but is it something that we really want in our deck? We're fragile as it is with our creatures being base 2/3.
Let me know how playtesting the Immortal Servitude goes. That's something that I've been trying, and I've really liked it. Another option to consider is Underworld Cerberus, but at this point, I'm actually considering including both. Underworld Cerberus is just a big ol' aggressive creature, although it has to die, and Immortal Servitude gets us our (slightly reduced) results immediately.
In the first game, I sideboarded out Doom Blade for Dark Betrayal, Lightning Strike either for Mizzium Mortars, Skullcrack or Drown in Sorrow.
In the second game, I sideboarded out Lightning Strike and one Kragma Warcaller for my sweepers, Drown in Sorrow and Anger of the Gods.
For the last game, sideboarded out Doom Blade for Dark Betrayal and Rakdos's Return.
Despite people recommending Mutavault here, I have to agree with you. The card is more like a "win more" based on my experience and I admit, it rarely goes into action since I'm mostly tapped out most of the time casting Minotaurs all the time. I can't even attack with it on the early turns either since I play removals during that time (players will still insist that it depends on situation). It even caused me a problem on turn 3 where I can't cast Boros Reckoner although it happened only once.
With this, I agree that Mutavault is "not that necessary" in here. You can win games fine without it. Some players kept pushing it in this deck, but then I realized that it was fine without it. As I've mentioned, it could create critical turn problems when you needed either a B or R when you only have colorless because of Mutavault. Still some will say it's not a problem and will keep defending Mutavault and will insist saying you have Blood Crypt or Temple of Malice anyway. But then again, each of us has their own reasons or preferences.
I used to have Fanatic of Mogis before and it has won me games too. I just took it out to try a new build with more removals. The deck I have actually has free 3 spots in which I plan to put back the Thoughtseize in. Currently, the spot is filled by Lightning Strike and previously Fanatic of Mogis.
In terms of me losing creatures through swings, I haven't experience much of it. More often, it only takes one or two attacks when my "Minotaur Combo" lands without interference.
Minotaur's strength lies on its capability to lay down an Alpha Strike in one swing (if not interfered) using the "Minotaur Combo". The combo is Ragemonger + Rageblood Shaman + (insert a Minotaur here) + Kragma Warcaller. Also, your opponents may find it a little hard to spot remove some important Minotaurs. Doom Blade or Ultimate Price can't touch Kragma Warcaller and Ragemonger. Burn goes out of range when Rageblood Shaman lands, which means they have to deal with it first.
As for weaknesses, sure we have too. First and critical is a board-wipe. The only potential survivor of a board wipe is Deathbellow Raider which regenerates. You can off-set it by playing DEGA WBR build and add Boros Charm, but running a third color could be costly, but hey you can try it if you want. Another weakness is when they kept countering our cows and force a discard such as Thoughtseize, which means that hand disruption is also our weakness.
It's just a sideboard material which you can choose along with Drown in Sorrow. I mainly used it when I battle faster decks who fills the board before I do. I usually cast it when I got no board presence or if I have a Boros Reckoner, which I'm willing to throw at their face from AoG's damage. Also, AoG is our answer to get rid of Voice of Resurgence and Chandra's Phoenix.
I haven't tried Immortal Servitude but I'll be sure to report back the results once I do. As for Underworld Cerberus, it seems like a sideboard material too, and I'll see if it could assist our cows.
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I also noticed that some recommend Temple of Silence and the reason is "help cast Boros Reckoner". Sure it has a point, (others will even say that it lets you scry too, which is true) but with it, you may have problems for the other Minotaurs with R. Sure, it seems situational and build preference, but if you really want consistency, sticking with Rakdos RB colors and lands will suffice. I only run 4 Swamps and the rest of the B sources comes from either Blood Crypt or Temple of Malice. It rarely happen to me, but you will have almost no problems casting Boros Reckoner.
Also, that awkward moment when I stumbled across this deck while looking for inspiration on tappedout.net.
My build's pretty similar at the moment. I'm looking at picking up the copies of Mogis, God of Slaughter, taking out Fanatic of Mogis and adding in one more Deathbellow Raider, but it's iffy at the moment since I'm pretty much exclusively testing against UW Heroic. That deck is surprisingly a pain to play against. It can ramp out really fast and Gods Willing is an excellent card. It's mixed results at the moment, so the Mogis might add some consistency.
4x Boros Reckoner
3x Deathbellow Raider
3x Fanatic of Mogis
4x Kragma Warcaller
4x Rageblood Shaman
4x Ragemonger
Sorcery (3)
3x Dreadbore
3x Doom Blade
3x Lightning Strike
3x Magma Jet
3x Ultimate Price
Land (23)
4x Blood Crypt
10x Mountain
5x Swamp
4x Temple of Malice
3x Dark Betrayal
1x Drown in Sorrow
1x Immortal Servitude
2x Mizzium Mortars
1x Rakdos's Return
3x Skullcrack
2x Slaughter Games
2x Underworld Cerberus
I'm still considering Legion Loyalist, and I am looking at Gild for potential God removal, although I'm not completely sold on it yet.
3 Rakdos Cackler
4 Deathbellow Raider
4 Ragemonger
4 Rageblood Shaman
3 Boros Reckoner
3 Fanatic of Mogis
2 Mogis, God of Slaughter
3 Kragma Warcaller
3 Lightning Strike
3 Magma Jet
3 Dreadbore
2 Doom Blade
4 Blood Crypt
4 Temple of Malice
1 Temple of Silence
11 Mountain
3 Swamp
Sideboard
2 Slaughter Games
2 Rakdos's Return
4 Thoughtseize
2 Dark Betrayal
3 Lifebane Zombie
2 Skullcrack
In the short time playing it, I've learned a couple of things. RG Monsters can be a 50-50 battle. It pretty much boils down to whoever gets explosive first. Sub in Lifebane Zombie and it should tip more in your favor. BW Control/Bant Walkers is somewhat lopsided. Bring in Skullcrack, Slaughter Games and Seize's for those Verdicts and Revs. I would normally play Hero's Downfall MB, but the deck revolves around 3-drops. This explains why the removal consists of 2 drops. The Cacklers, without being Minotaurs, help launch out damage on turn 1 rather than waiting on the Raiders. Rakdos's Return is nutty post sideboards, espcially against any burn decks. I'm considering Mortars on the SB for Blood Baron. I have yet to face any, so I don't know how the preboarded games go necessarily.
Overall, this deck does suprisingly better than I was expecting. I'll be taking it to gamer day to see how it performs.
How about some details regarding your match-up?
Other options that I considered for that slot (organized by CMC):
+3 Legion Loyalist
+3 Coordinated Assault
+3 Thoughtseize
+1 Swamp, +2 Rakdos's Return
+3 Fanatic of Mogis
+1 Swamp, +2 Underworld Cerberus
Tl;dr We have an abundance of removal and can "flex" 3 of those slots to try other options. I chose splashing white for Boros Charm.
EDIT:
I decided to do a breakdown of the deck, the cards in it, as well giving pros and cons to the "3-flex" spot that I felt was there. That can be found HERE
I've been trying toil // trouble with a lot of success lately. i understand that scry 2 from read the bones adds gas but the versatility to burn your opponent early game adds a lot pressure especially against midrange and control. Just my 2 cents.
G Combo Elves G
GW Maverick WG
GWR Punishing Maverick RWG
GWB Dark Maverick BWG
RUG RUG Delver GUR
UWR Miracles RWU
MODERN:
G Coco Elves G
Some players actually consider it as the deck's card draw. However IMO, it costs 3 which we know that most good Minotaurs costs 3, thus clogging up the slot. If you really consider card draw, perhaps Underworld Connections will do a better job, but it too costs 3.
A playmate of mine tested it and casts it for free using Oracle of Bones, although I don't recommend the bones in this deck.
Based on my experience, the Cows Deck are really more of a "control" first and then "midrange-aggro" later. This divides the decks into 3 departments namely: 1) Lands with duals (Temple and Shocks); 2) Removals (sweepers on the side) and 3) Good, powerful & useful Minotaurs and their God
G Combo Elves G
GW Maverick WG
GWR Punishing Maverick RWG
GWB Dark Maverick BWG
RUG RUG Delver GUR
UWR Miracles RWU
MODERN:
G Coco Elves G
My worry with Underworld Connections is that it is that 3 drop as well as that it costs dual black. I mean, we decided early on that for those same reasons we would rather run Dreadbore over Hero's Downfall which was a fairly significant distinction. We may just have to focus on beating them with top-decks.
The way that I see Mogis, God of Slaughter, he works a few ways for us. He is a repeatable shock on a stick, he's a big ol' mother, he draws out their exile that could otherwise be directed at other key parts of the deck. Overall, I think he fits fairly well mainboard, and I've never really been upset having him there game one.
G Combo Elves G
GW Maverick WG
GWR Punishing Maverick RWG
GWB Dark Maverick BWG
RUG RUG Delver GUR
UWR Miracles RWU
MODERN:
G Coco Elves G
You are right. Card draws, despite ideal or good doesn't have enough room for the Cows' deck. All we could rely is the scry from our Magma Jet and Temple of Malice which is useful enough.
I don't have problems with Mogis main also. Aside from being able to shock our opponents mostly, Mogis draws attention to himself and could act as a "bait" so that our opponents will need to spend something to remove him rather than dealing with our cows. Based on my plays, they would like to remove Mogis first and deal with the cows later, but then already too late to stop the other Mad Cows from stomping them. When battling decks with white or green, I tend to side out Mogis on game 2 since mostly, those decks will side in either Revoke Existence or Fade into Antiquity, much to their dismay since I've taken Mogis off making it dead draws.
I think Devour Flesh could fit in since it only costs 1B. Feel free trying it out. Also about Gift of Orzhova, I one time used it and made a Flying, Lifelink, Trample 4/4 Boros Reckoner just for fun, but then really didn't include it since it also costs 3.
---
As a reiteration, our Minotaur Decks should consider cheap removals that only costs at least 2, that's why I think Devour Flesh deserves some testing since it could go around on problematic critter we can't normally get rid off such as protection, hexproof and indestructible. Some might argue about saying to include Read the Bones, Hero's Downfall etc..., well of course that's how others build theirs. But then, the effective way to run this deck is to deal with threats first on the early turns, that's why Thoughtseize or Duress fits well.
Also about enchantments like Madcap Skills, Deviant Glee, Dragon Mantle and some others, I admit that these are good spells on their own. Before BNG arrived, I have these on my deck. But then, we don't include them most of the time not because they are bad... it's because they take some space in which we should have removals instead. Of course, each one of us have their own play style, but then I'm just stating this facts based on my experience, which of course is different that the others.
Edit: I was just looking through my collection again. Some new options we can playtest: Wild Guess, Seismic Stomp.
Duress is indeed a good card to consider, not only because of budget reasons but also allows us to answer threats we can't deal with on the board (e.g. Detention Sphere, Chained to the Rocks, and other nasty spells).
About Wild Guess, I'm on the fence about it, but Seismic Stomp could be a good option at least on the sideboard.
Did some minor playing with Wild Guess, and it didn't feel right. It's effectively a cycle, and there aren't really cards that I want to discard.
Working on sideboard, looking for a place for Seismic Stomp. Quite a few of the cards seem so locked in place.
4x Rageblood Shaman
4x Ragemonger
4x Tormented Hero
3x Fanatic of Mogis
3x Minotaur Skullcleaver
3x Kragma Warcaller
4x Deathbellow Raider
3x Ultimate Price
2x Toil // Trouble
3x Magma Jet
4x Lightning Strike
Lands:
4x Temple of Malice
10x Mountain
9x Swamp
2x Mogis, God of Slaughter
4x Duress
3x Titan Strength
3x Dark Betrayal
3x Skullcrack
EDIT:
Though i understand the power that boros reckoner and boros charm gives, splashing white gives a bit of inconsistency at times with my mana base. Although at the same time, splashing white gives me access to enchantment removal. Thoughts?
G Combo Elves G
GW Maverick WG
GWR Punishing Maverick RWG
GWB Dark Maverick BWG
RUG RUG Delver GUR
UWR Miracles RWU
MODERN:
G Coco Elves G
Why the Tormented Hero? It doesn't really seem to fit.
Otherwise seems pretty decent.
As for tormented hero, i put it in as a 1-drop to apply more pressure to my opponent. Best curve i had with this deck was..
Turn 1: tormented hero
Turn 2: deathbelow raider
Turn 3: ragemonger
Turn 4: ragemonger and kragma warcaller
EDIT:
Sometimes, in games where me and my opponent gets to stand still, i just amass creatures and alpha strike them with rageblood shaman and kragma warcaller in play. Fun times.
G Combo Elves G
GW Maverick WG
GWR Punishing Maverick RWG
GWB Dark Maverick BWG
RUG RUG Delver GUR
UWR Miracles RWU
MODERN:
G Coco Elves G
I see you have learned how to Cow.
Also, if you want a one drop that synergizes, Thoughtseize, Duress, Legion Loyalist and Rakdos Cackler are your best options.
Tormented Hero doesn't fit well here. Rakdos Cackler can do better if you want a decent 1 drop creature. Also, I would recommend replacing Minotaur Skullcleaver with Boros Reckoner. If you worry about your mana base, put a playset of Blood Crypt. You don't have to worry about casting Reckoner since most of the time you'll be able to. In your case, you have plenty of Swamps. Just 4 of them will do if you have Temple of Malice and Blood Crypt and also because you have more red sources. A bit of tip (just in case you don't know yet), count the total number of symbols in your deck for the colors you'll need, say you have a total of 16 red symbols. Divide it by 2 and you'll get 8, meaning you need at least 8 red sources of mana.
About Toil // Trouble, it's more of a sideboard material. Why not add another removal like Dreadbore? Hand disruptions helps a lot too like Thoughtseize or Duress.
Standard Browntown
By: Surfkatt
Type II
Archive: http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/deck.asp?deck_id=1189309
Main Deck:
Sideboard:
It did not test terrible, it actually go a turn 4 nutso kill haha
4 deathbellow raider
4 boros reckoner
4 rageblood shaman
4 ragemonger
3 fanatic of mogis
3 kragma warcaller
1 mogis, god of slaughter
3 dreadbore
2 chandra, the pyromaster
1 rakdos keyrune
4 temple of malice
4 blood crypt
2 rakdos guildgate
2 mutavault
1 nykthos
5 swamp
7 mountain
1 rakdos's return
2 mizzium mortars
2 skullcrack
1 lifebane zombie
4 duress
1 doom blade
1 ultimate price
2 drown in sorrow
1 pithing needle
I won't waste my time explains choices unless someone actually cares. Since I'm using my phone, I'll save as much useless effort as possible.