It may be kind of frowned upon in some stores but I use pokemon energy cards (blue and red for mana and yellow for storm) with dice on each. The other way I like doing it is with different colored dice.
Tried out search today at my team practice vs. UW Control and it was amazing in the matchup. Being able to find the card you need to rebuid your hand after a counterspell is crazy valuable. I like it as a one of, no more.
Your deck seems identical to the one I top 8ed regionals with a couple weeks back.
I definitely think foundry inspector is the better play. I started jamming 4 and never looked back. I also tried matter reshaper. I like Foundry Inspector best.
I've tried losing the glint nest cranes. I think its fine without them.
I also no longer play fumigate.
Instead I play 4 Thought-Knot Seers and 2 more blessed alliance main.
I think Blessed Alliance is bonkers in this deck. All 3 modes are super relevant. Crewing two vehicles and then untapping for additional damage often times just wins you the game.
Hopefully this is helpful as I like this deck a lot and would like to see it continue to evolve.
Grafdiggers cage is definitely public enemy number 1 when it comes to hate cards. Then rest in peace. Then Topor Orb. Usually in these match-ups you are incidentally siding out some parts of the combo and some number of chords or companies (depending on the match-up) which makes it at least slightly less hurtful.
Jeskai Nahiri was running rampant at states yesterday. I was prepared for it with 2x Thoughtseize, 2x Sin Collector and 1x Anguished Unmaking in the sideboard.
I never played it however. My matchups were as follows.
Round 1 - Dredge - 2-1 - I started off my day with a really bad hand. I really should have known better and should have mulliganed. I thought i was playing against mill when I sat as he landed two hedron crabs early but they were for milling himself. Unfortunately I never got beyond 2 lands and lost game 1. Luckily I landed an early scavenging ooze in game 2 (which is lights out) and in game 3 he mulled to 5 when i was hitting relevant creatures off collected company. This matchup seems favorable overall.
Round 2 - Infect - 2-0 - Whenever you get this matchup it should be a cakewalk if you keep a reasonable hand. It was like having the bye after getting two early melira's down with gas to go with.
Round 3 - Kiki-Chord - 2-0 - Admittedly this was my first time playing this matchup and from reading this forum I thought it would be a bad matchup. My goal was to go for combo and while he kept me off it for a while I eventually completed my combo one turn before he could (the damage one). Game 2 I got into a weird position where I had no Viscera seer's in my deck with one going into the Graveyard and one in my hand (with no black mana to cast). I scryed a bunch and eventually drew a card of horizon canopy which was Chord of Calling. I immediately chorded for one (knowing that there was no seer in there) and he conceded. Lucky me.
Round 4 - Abzan Company 1-2 - Game 1 I comboed off. Game 2 he comboed off while keeping me off combo. Game 3 was a slogfest. We continually built up boards and gavony township triggers. He had more mana dorks so he was in the lead. We went to turns. I decided to make a win-now kind of play and sacced my horizon canopy for a card to get closer to combo and wiffed. Eventually he won because i was a turn behind on township triggers and in part because I made a misplay in attacking on my last turn.
Round 5 - G/R Tron - 0-2 - He assembled tron into turn 4 Ugin, turn 6 Ulamog and I was crushed. Game 2 he has Chromatic Star in play and Urza's tower. I sin collector to see Chromatic Sphere, Expedition Map, Sylvan Scrying, Ancient Stirrings, 2x Urza's Power Plant. I had a qasali pridemage in hand and wanted to keep him off tron so I took sylvan scrying. He played expidition map and Chromatic Sphere next turn (off the star) with the power plant now in play. I blew up the expedition map with a Qasali Pridemage and thought I was in a pretty good spot. Unfortunately he had drawn another sylvan scrying and another expedition map and assempled tron. He then got sanctum of ugin off of ancient stirrings and naturally drew into World Breaker which he played and sacced sanctum to get Ulamog. Pretty nut draw from the Tron player but thems the kicks.
Round 6 - Infect - 2-1 - He didn't understand how Inkmoth Nexus with Melira out worked and ended up paying dearly for it. Game 2 I actually had melira out but he ended up killing me with two inkmoth nexuses after dismembering my melira. This is my first loss to Infect in about 20 or so games played. I was due. Game 3 I had some paths and anguished unmaking plus blockers. He had a slow hand. He had a lot of counterspells but not much gas and I ended up winning this match when I comboed off for infinite damage.
Round 7 - Boros Burn - 2-0 - Best draws of the day. Turn 3 infinite life game 1 after he played a rabblemaster of all things. Turn 3 Company into 2x Kitchen Finks into Turn 4 combo in game 2. Insane draws and I admitted as such to my opponent even the matchup is more than favorable.
Overall I finished 5-2 for 14th place. I wish I could replay that mirror as I don't have a lot of experience with it and feel like a second wack at it would turn out differently.
Kataki is a great sideboard card. If you land it early against affinity you can just win the game. Its also good against lantern control and tezzerator. Unfortunately it doesn't have a lot of applications.
There are so many things that I argue with myself over in this deck. The minute details really make it.
22 lands vs. 23 lands is something that I've been arguing over. If I did cut a land to go to 22 it would be the Gavony Township 100% though. You need colored sources.
I do feel spoiled with a great LGS but we have $12 drafts (seperated into 8 man pods) that pay out 1.5 packs into the prize pool per person for a total of 12 packs total.
I've found Mindscensor for me is 100% for Scapeshift. It has other applications as well like Gifts Ungiven. But it is mainly for that matchup. That being said, I've found it to be underwhelming at times as well.
Plan 1: Combo First
Plan 2: Take resources via tidehollow or sin collector and beat down
Plan 3: Chord Mindscensor or flash it in response to scapeshift
Thanks I'm glad to see that at the very least I'm not the only person not sold on this card in this particular deck. I think I'm going to continue to jam 2-3 paths and have more sideboard to work with.
Is there a particular deck/reason for running abrupt decay in the SB? My initial reaction is that its for cranial plating but that seems very narrow. I try to solve problems with creatures when i can so I'm curious as to what people think.
I'm thinking of taking out my 1/1 Spike Feeder/Archangel of Thune Combo to either try out 2 Voice of Resurgence main (I'm expecting more U/W control games going forward) or testing out 1 Duskwatch Recruiter and 1 Liliana Heretical Healer. Maybe even 1 Voice and 1 of those cards. Anyone have any experience with any of these in this deck I would appreciate the advice. Got 3 big modern tournaments coming up including GP LA.
I definitely think foundry inspector is the better play. I started jamming 4 and never looked back. I also tried matter reshaper. I like Foundry Inspector best.
I've tried losing the glint nest cranes. I think its fine without them.
I also no longer play fumigate.
Instead I play 4 Thought-Knot Seers and 2 more blessed alliance main.
I think Blessed Alliance is bonkers in this deck. All 3 modes are super relevant. Crewing two vehicles and then untapping for additional damage often times just wins you the game.
Hopefully this is helpful as I like this deck a lot and would like to see it continue to evolve.
I never played it however. My matchups were as follows.
Round 1 - Dredge - 2-1 - I started off my day with a really bad hand. I really should have known better and should have mulliganed. I thought i was playing against mill when I sat as he landed two hedron crabs early but they were for milling himself. Unfortunately I never got beyond 2 lands and lost game 1. Luckily I landed an early scavenging ooze in game 2 (which is lights out) and in game 3 he mulled to 5 when i was hitting relevant creatures off collected company. This matchup seems favorable overall.
Round 2 - Infect - 2-0 - Whenever you get this matchup it should be a cakewalk if you keep a reasonable hand. It was like having the bye after getting two early melira's down with gas to go with.
Round 3 - Kiki-Chord - 2-0 - Admittedly this was my first time playing this matchup and from reading this forum I thought it would be a bad matchup. My goal was to go for combo and while he kept me off it for a while I eventually completed my combo one turn before he could (the damage one). Game 2 I got into a weird position where I had no Viscera seer's in my deck with one going into the Graveyard and one in my hand (with no black mana to cast). I scryed a bunch and eventually drew a card of horizon canopy which was Chord of Calling. I immediately chorded for one (knowing that there was no seer in there) and he conceded. Lucky me.
Round 4 - Abzan Company 1-2 - Game 1 I comboed off. Game 2 he comboed off while keeping me off combo. Game 3 was a slogfest. We continually built up boards and gavony township triggers. He had more mana dorks so he was in the lead. We went to turns. I decided to make a win-now kind of play and sacced my horizon canopy for a card to get closer to combo and wiffed. Eventually he won because i was a turn behind on township triggers and in part because I made a misplay in attacking on my last turn.
Round 5 - G/R Tron - 0-2 - He assembled tron into turn 4 Ugin, turn 6 Ulamog and I was crushed. Game 2 he has Chromatic Star in play and Urza's tower. I sin collector to see Chromatic Sphere, Expedition Map, Sylvan Scrying, Ancient Stirrings, 2x Urza's Power Plant. I had a qasali pridemage in hand and wanted to keep him off tron so I took sylvan scrying. He played expidition map and Chromatic Sphere next turn (off the star) with the power plant now in play. I blew up the expedition map with a Qasali Pridemage and thought I was in a pretty good spot. Unfortunately he had drawn another sylvan scrying and another expedition map and assempled tron. He then got sanctum of ugin off of ancient stirrings and naturally drew into World Breaker which he played and sacced sanctum to get Ulamog. Pretty nut draw from the Tron player but thems the kicks.
Round 6 - Infect - 2-1 - He didn't understand how Inkmoth Nexus with Melira out worked and ended up paying dearly for it. Game 2 I actually had melira out but he ended up killing me with two inkmoth nexuses after dismembering my melira. This is my first loss to Infect in about 20 or so games played. I was due. Game 3 I had some paths and anguished unmaking plus blockers. He had a slow hand. He had a lot of counterspells but not much gas and I ended up winning this match when I comboed off for infinite damage.
Round 7 - Boros Burn - 2-0 - Best draws of the day. Turn 3 infinite life game 1 after he played a rabblemaster of all things. Turn 3 Company into 2x Kitchen Finks into Turn 4 combo in game 2. Insane draws and I admitted as such to my opponent even the matchup is more than favorable.
Overall I finished 5-2 for 14th place. I wish I could replay that mirror as I don't have a lot of experience with it and feel like a second wack at it would turn out differently.
This was the list:
4x Windswept Heath
3x Verdant Catacombs
1x Marsh Flats
2x Temple Garden
2x Overgrown Tomb
1x Godless Shrine
2x Horizon Canopy
1x Razorverge Thicket
3x Gavony Township
2x Forest
1x Plains
1x Swamp
Spells (8)
4x Collected Company
4x Chord of Calling
4x Kitchen Finks
2x Melira, Sylvok Outcast
2x Anafenza Kin-Tree Spirit
2x Viscera Seer
4x Birds of Paradise
3x Noble Hierarch
2x Wall of Roots
3x Eternal Witness
1x Murderous Redcap
2x Voice of Resurgence
1x Qasali Pridemage
1x Fiend Hunter
1x Spellskite
1x Scavenging Ooze
2x Thoughtseize
2x Sin Collector
3x Path to Exile
1x Scavenging Ooze
1x Burrenton Forge-Tender
1x Eidolon of Rhetoric
1x Khataki, War's Wage
1x Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1x Orzhov Pontiff
1x Voice of Resurgence
1x Anguished Unmaking
22 lands vs. 23 lands is something that I've been arguing over. If I did cut a land to go to 22 it would be the Gavony Township 100% though. You need colored sources.
Golgari Grave-troll
Goblin Lackey
Dack Fayden
Oblivion Ring
Brainstorm
Won't be Reprinted:
Snapcaster Mage
Stoneforge Mystic
Grafdigger's Cage
Griselbrand
Inkmoth Nexus
Plan 1: Combo First
Plan 2: Take resources via tidehollow or sin collector and beat down
Plan 3: Chord Mindscensor or flash it in response to scapeshift