I think the either need to suck it up and make the power level of standard cards high enough that they can affect modern or push back when modern starts, as of right now they are in a vicious cycle. If they make something in standard that is good enough to affect modern, it might break standard. The last thing they want to do is ruin standard, as of right now the standard format has been relatively even. Banning and Unbanning won't do anything, any example you have of unbanning would just bring back the old deck that the card was in and make them want to re-ban it immediately. Cards are banned for a reason, Modern is not supposed to be Legacy-lite, they want a format that is all it's own.
As of right now what they need to do if they don't do either of those things (increasing power level of standard or extending modern farther back), they would need to print cards that can make every deck have a higher chance of winning so the format would not just be Abzan being dominant because they have the best generic control-ish cards that affect most of the decks.
Here's the list I have been testing, so far Gifts Ungiven has been amazing. Every time i resolve one, it grabs me the fuel i need to finish the game every time. I'm almost considering adding a third one but it rely's heavily on Goblin Electromancer for it to auto win, but without it its just a utility card to grab storm fodder.
i played a match against BG Rock today with a different list, im trying to see what i can do to run without leylines, and it looks like i need more dig spells, and i can't run soulflayer without the griselbrand package.
Here's the most up to date list i am playing with.
Against The Rock, i had issues but that was more about land. With the new list i am playing I am almost considering playing more land because of the control nature of this build with Sorin and more expensive dig spells. I really wish treasure cruise was not banned, this deck needs it so bad it isn't funny. If i can find a good substitute for Treasure Cruise then i think i would be in better shape.
I took out the Soul Spikes, they were good but i was running out of cards faster and path to exile and dismember were just going to do more for me. The card disadvantage in this deck is huge. If they printed something that was like "if you have 10 or more cards exiled, draw 2 cards, otherwise draw 1 card" for 1 mana, that would be great.
I tried my own variant of this deck tonight, i really do have to say, without the mainboard Leyline of Sanctity, burn is a massive issue. I also tried to incorporate Haakon, Stromgald Scourge for a budget version (since Griselbrand and Goryo's Vengeance don't come cheap). That did not work so it looks like you either have to shell out the money for the version you have running with Goryo's Vengeance, or don't run the deck at all.
I'm a big fan of how many people are complaining about TC and DTT being banned when that has been what everyone has been talking about since the cards came out. If people are worried about it being banned as soon as it comes out what hope does it have when wizards finally figures it out? Pod banning was inevitable as many people have said, Wizards just expects you to adapt. Not sure how i feel about GGT yet, dredge hasn't been in the radar for a while and I don't think even this will boost it to a T1 deck.
I've really been liking the 4 Divination in the sideboard, they really help you reload your hand in hard matchups, sometimes ill take out all of my melody's for the divinations and they work great even with no creatures. Sentinel Spider is just a test right now to see if it is relevant but i haven't had a chance to use it yet.
This card is very fairly costed, it is 1 mana more than Auratouched Mage with 1 more power and toughness. This card is also a giant so it is supposed to cost more than a wizard.
Hey guys i got inspired by a combo someone mentioned on here and tried my hand at making a competitive list, the one thing i am having an issue with is the sideboard.
While combos are not competitive in standard, there is one reasonably playable combo right now. Basically you combine Grim Guardian and Immortal Servitude with a deck chock full of 3 mana enchantment creatures and self mill cards like Grisly Salvage. Basically you want to fill your graveyard with enchantment creatures and multiple grim guardians, then when you cast immortal servitude they all return and you get 20-30 grim guardian triggers between 8 or more creatures. This combo is a lot more viable than any combo illustrated because removal usually shuts down a combo while it actually helps this deck out. And you play Nyx Weaver who helps the combo and can fetch immortal servitude from the graveyard.
I'm not saying this shuts down mono black devotion and the like but it can in fact beat them if theyre too slow. It can even overcome grey merchant lifegain, the highest drain I've seen with this deck is 35 life.
I never saw that combo but you inspired me to try it out, looks like it has a decent amount of good cards at 3 cmc in GB.
I realized there really wasn't any comboish decks in standard right now, maybe i am mistaken. Do you see any combos coming around any time in the future?
As of right now what they need to do if they don't do either of those things (increasing power level of standard or extending modern farther back), they would need to print cards that can make every deck have a higher chance of winning so the format would not just be Abzan being dominant because they have the best generic control-ish cards that affect most of the decks.
4 Goblin Electromancer
Spells: 38
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
4 Sleight of Hand
3 Desperate Ravings
4 Desperate Ritual
3 Grapeshot
4 Manamorphose
4 Pyretic Ritual
4 Pyromancer Ascension
2 Gifts Ungiven
3 Past in Flames
3 Island
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Shivan Reef
3 Steam Vents
3 Lightning Bolt
3 Echoing Truth
3 Blood Moon
3 Empty the Warrens
2 Shatterstorm
Here's the most up to date list i am playing with.
4 Stillmoon Cavalier
4 Tombstalker
2 Path to Exile
4 Shining Shoal
4 Sickening Shoal
4 Taigam's Scheming
2 Dismember
3 Forbidden Alchemy
3 Lingering Souls
4 Fieldmist Borderpost
4 Mistvein Borderpost
4 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
3 Sunscour
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Swamp
1 Watery Grave
3 Bloodstained Mire
4 Marsh Flats
2 Wear // Tear
1 Black Sun's Zenith
2 Rakdos Charm
4 Disrupting Shoal
2 Dismember
2 Faerie Macabre
Against The Rock, i had issues but that was more about land. With the new list i am playing I am almost considering playing more land because of the control nature of this build with Sorin and more expensive dig spells. I really wish treasure cruise was not banned, this deck needs it so bad it isn't funny. If i can find a good substitute for Treasure Cruise then i think i would be in better shape.
I took out the Soul Spikes, they were good but i was running out of cards faster and path to exile and dismember were just going to do more for me. The card disadvantage in this deck is huge. If they printed something that was like "if you have 10 or more cards exiled, draw 2 cards, otherwise draw 1 card" for 1 mana, that would be great.
Here's the list i tried if anyone was curious,
3 Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
2 Skyhunter Skirmisher
4 Stillmoon Cavalier
4 Chromanticore
4 Soulflayer
Spells: 30
2 Pull from Eternity
4 Shining Shoal
4 Sickening Shoal
4 Taigam's Scheming
2 Dismember
4 Fieldmist Borderpost
4 Mistvein Borderpost
4 Soul Spike
4 Sunscour
3 Bloodstained Mire
4 Marsh Flats
1 Plains
2 Swamp
1 Watery Grave
4 Chancellor of the Annex
3 Chancellor of the Dross
4 Darkblast
4 Faerie Macabre
What really doesn't help is i played Jeskai Control/Burn, that was an awful match up and i really was begging to have a leyline out in those games.
4 Birchlore Rangers
2 Elvish Mystic
2 Fyndhorn Elves
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Nettle Sentinel
4 Quirion Ranger
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Priest of Titania
2 Sylvan Ranger
3 Wellwisher
4 Llanowar Sentinel
4 Timberwatch Elf
4 Distant Melody
Artifacts: 2
2 Viridian Longbow
4 Divination
3 Gleeful Sabotage
3 Blastoderm
2 Spidersilk Armor
1 Presence of Gond
1 Sentinel Spider
1 Wellwisher
I've really been liking the 4 Divination in the sideboard, they really help you reload your hand in hard matchups, sometimes ill take out all of my melody's for the divinations and they work great even with no creatures. Sentinel Spider is just a test right now to see if it is relevant but i haven't had a chance to use it yet.
BG Servitude
4 Boon Satyr
4 Grim Guardian
4 Herald of Torment
4 Master of the Feast
4 Nyx Weaver
2 Pharika, God of Affliction
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
3 Commune with the Gods
3 Grisly Salvage
2 Immortal Servitude
Enchantments: 2
2 Underworld Connections
Lands: 24
6 Forest
4 Overgrown Tomb
10 Swamp
4 Temple of Malady
I never saw that combo but you inspired me to try it out, looks like it has a decent amount of good cards at 3 cmc in GB.