Yeah I wasn't sure about RIP, but I recently played against one with a lot of E Witnesses and Finks, but that still doesn't stop the druid/ballista combo.
I've been looking at Legacy lists lately and I just started playing this modern version based off of it and so far it's actually been kind of amazing... I'm using Counterbalance which is countering TONS of stuff even blindly, but I'm able to setup the top card often with jace and serum and even holding opt/hieroglyphic to use the 2nd card to counter. Mentor has been crazy when he starts going off, and disrupting Shoal has also been really awesome so far. Countering turn 1 thoughtseize or tapping out and still having a counter for certain spells.
Edit: Went 3/2 in first league, might need a couple more lands, but it wasn't really a problem except when I got turn 2 blood mooned twice by mono red prison. Still running the same amount of basics as usual though. I beat Shadow, some green ponza/tooth and nail deck and I already forgot what else.
Yeah, my big problem with Coco / combo is eventually running out of answers to the inevitable, so something to close the game out like Angels makes sense. I bring in dispel, surgical and rips usually, but dilutes some of my other answers like counters and snaps. I did start using a Gearhulk and it's been insanely good actually. I was playing against humans and he had Teeg and 2 meddling mages locking me out of pretty much anything, but Gearhulk saved the day. I've been thinking more and more of converting to Legacy and I think I'm gonna do it. Maybe I'll even get lucky and get some stuff that gets reprinted in MH at a discount now.
Oddly enough I keep winning against burn and tron and losing against things like spirits, phoenix, humans, infinite coco combo type decks. And Ad Nauseum, I really hate Ad Naus.
Edit again: I need to have coffee before I post next time... I just noticed it was actually @saltysquid14's deck, lol... anyway. I'm playing fairly similar list although I keep changing a couple cards. How do you sideboard vs Phoenix? I think I end up cutting logic knots, 1 teferi, D sphere, search, and maybe a cryptic or snap for rip/surgical, celestial purge, dispel, angels, but never seems right. Runed Halo might be good against Phoenix too? I might have to try that again. I usually end up losing a really close match. I was on 3 terminus 1 verdict 1 settle, but I'm not sure what's best anymore. I keep going back to this deck cause I like it, but it really feels like you needs to get lucky while your opponent gets unlucky in order to win a lot of the time. We could really use some good updated info on matchups, and hopefully modern horizons will give us some good new cards.
@Ym1r Yeah I tried Mentor in a league and never even got to make a monk token before he was dead or just stuck in my hand.
You could probably just stick a mentor in one of the flex slots and see how it does. I still wonder how good Disrupting Shoal could be right now. I've never tried it, but there are so many 1-2 mana spells it could easily counter for free or 3-4 mana later on. I will probably just get the deck back soon since it's still my favorite to play. A mainboard Surgical Extraction would probably do pretty well right now too.
I really want to try using 4x Disrupting Shoal and a Monastery Mentor or 2. I kind of traded my deck in frustration though... I'm on Tron for the time being, but I already miss UW even though I'm winning a lot more and much faster.
A lot of people being interviewed at the GP were saying Counterspell. It's still not that powerful compared to what all the combo decks are doing. Control decks are looking pretty dead at the big events, and I'm not even sure how much this would save them, but it'd be a great start.
edit: @Ryguyasaurus I don't think it's badly positioned either. I never feel like I have a bad matchup, but a lot of times i'm just trying to survive and end up running out of answers. I think we need more threats than just CC and a couple little snapcaster mages and a clique... or less situational counterspells.
Haven't been doing so great lately, thinking about switching decks for the time being Just noticed a couple interesting lists online though. Looks like some people are having luck with little Gideon again. 14th place list from SCG classic looks good, this other new one on MTGtop8 is really out there. Don't know why Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is in the sideboard.
How does Dredge do vs Phoenix / aggro decks, tron and other combo like storm and Ad Naus? Thinking of picking up something different that I've never tried before and it's between Dredge, Affinity or Tron, but leaning towards Dredge mostly. The control decks I always play are just not cutting it vs all the aggro and combo lately.
@magic geek Thanks for the info, I think I have been trying to way over sideboard. It's tough with so many playsets in the deck and many of them are very similar. I have been just taking out 1 or 2 of a lot of the creatures and end up not drawing enough to close out games. I just briefly looked at all the info a couple pages back, but I barely saw any mention of taking out most of the creatures. I have been taking out the Tricksters a lot for surge mares and counterspells, but it looks like most people never take those out. I guess the Mist-cloaked and maybe 1-2 Stormtamer are flexible? Still I think it's probably better to take out Dive Down before Stormtamer. I'm probably just overthinking everything being so used to modern.
Has anyone posted a sideboard guide recently? I'm brand new to the deck and the format so I don't really know which cards are good or bad for each matchup. Heck I don't even know the matchups!
heh, same. I could figure out what I was playing against easy enough, but I am having a really hard time figuring out what to cut for games 2/3. I would have thought such a simple deck would be much simpler, but it's actually pretty hard to decide. I just figured out that Surge Mare is supposed to block stuff. Haven't got any use out of Entrancing Melody yet. Against control I've ended up taking out creatures to get more counter spells in, but taking out creatures never feels right.
Playing this deck for the first time and also haven't played standard in years, but getting completely slaughtered. No idea how to sideboard because all the cards are so redundant... So I guess what are the "flex slots" or plan for aggro/control?
Thanks! It seems like Pyro is good against most decks... Surprised it doesn't show up in main more often. It always gets me when I'm not expecting it, but I've never actually played it myself. Apparently it's a big Legacy staple too, must be pretty good!
I've been looking at Legacy lists lately and I just started playing this modern version based off of it and so far it's actually been kind of amazing... I'm using Counterbalance which is countering TONS of stuff even blindly, but I'm able to setup the top card often with jace and serum and even holding opt/hieroglyphic to use the 2nd card to counter. Mentor has been crazy when he starts going off, and disrupting Shoal has also been really awesome so far. Countering turn 1 thoughtseize or tapping out and still having a counter for certain spells.
Edit: Went 3/2 in first league, might need a couple more lands, but it wasn't really a problem except when I got turn 2 blood mooned twice by mono red prison. Still running the same amount of basics as usual though. I beat Shadow, some green ponza/tooth and nail deck and I already forgot what else.
2x Absorb
2x Cryptic Command
4x Disrupting Shoal
2x Hieroglyphic Illumination
4x Opt
4x Path to Exile
2x remand
Sorcery (8)
4x Serum Visions
7x Terminus
Enchantment (4)
2x Counterbalance
2x Detention Sphere
2x Celestial Colonnade
2x Field of Ruin
4x Flooded Strand
2x seachrome coast
2x Hallowed Fountain
6x Island
2x Plains
Creature (6)
2x Monastery Mentor
3x Snapcaster Mage
1x Vendilion Clique
Planeswalker (3)
3x Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2x temporal mastery
1x Celestial Purge
2x Ceremonious Rejection
1x Disdainful Stroke
1x Dispel
1x surgical extraction
2x Negate
2x Rest in Peace
2x Stony Silence
1x Supreme Verdict
2x Timely Reinforcements
@Ym1r Yeah I tried Mentor in a league and never even got to make a monk token before he was dead or just stuck in my hand.
edit: @Ryguyasaurus I don't think it's badly positioned either. I never feel like I have a bad matchup, but a lot of times i'm just trying to survive and end up running out of answers. I think we need more threats than just CC and a couple little snapcaster mages and a clique... or less situational counterspells.
1 Vendilion Clique
2 Gideon of the Trials
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
6 Island
3 Plains
3 Celestial Colonnade
4 Field of Ruin
4 Flooded Strand
2 Glacial Fortress
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Absorb
1 Condemn
3 Cryptic Command
2 Hieroglyphic Illumination
2 Mana Leak
2 Negate
4 Opt
4 Path to Exile
1 Search for Azcanta
2 Supreme Verdict
3 Terminus
1 Timely Reinforcements
2 Damping Sphere
1 Baneslayer Angel
2 Leyline of Sanctity
3 Rest in Peace
1 Celestial Purge
2 Dispel
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Lyra Dawnbringer
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Timely Reinforcements
4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Field of Ruin
4 Flooded Strand
2 Glacial Fortress
3 Hallowed Fountain
6 Island
1 Plains
27 INSTANTS and SORC.
2 Blessed Alliance
4 Cryptic Command
1 Hieroglyphic Illumination
2 Mission Briefing
4 Path to Exile
4 Remand
1 Temporal Mastery
4 Terminus
1 Timely Reinforcements
9 OTHER SPELLS
1 Detention Sphere
1 Gideon of the Trials
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Search for Azcanta
2 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
1 Blessed Alliance
1 Cataclysmic Gearhulk
1 Cleansing Nova
1 Dispel
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1 Heliod, God of the Sun
2 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
2 Negate
4 Relic of Progenitus
1 Timely Reinforcements
Honestly I'm about to switch to Tron or Dredge though.