Thank you for your interest!
With that expression I meant a list based on 4 chalices in the 75 and multiple copies of the same threats (wurmcoils and ugin). Also only 1 Mindslaver. In facts, the similarities end there, as I made some card choices that he has historically advised against; those are the small twists I pondered about, I explain better below.
4 Shocklands: often I don't have a turn 1 play, so I can just play those tapped to save some life.
Signet is in because my manabase is more vulnerable to color screw.
Trinket Mage package: I feel less in need of Walking Ballista; EE on 2 feels good enough; it can tutor chalice. Also, I wanted to be able to cast EDF even without tron, so with the alternative cost of sacrificing a creature.
3 EDF: big flashy body. They were intentionally a bit too many, I wanted to see how often it could trigger Kozilek's return from the gy. Unfortunately it didn't happen quite as often as I hoped.
3 Thirst for Knowledge + 1 Champion of Wits: even if champion does not draw 3, it can provide a blocking body in those matchups where counters are less effective, while also digging at the same time. Also, it's good from the gy when out of cards, and it's a creature to be sacrificed to EDF. Playing 1 was such a small cost.
Sanctum of Ugin: this was a test. In my mind, after reaching tron and with a stable position, I would cast a win condition (possibly Ugin or big Ballista or even EDF) having an EDF to back it up the following turn. Chaining EDF into EDF can gain a lot of tempo, if that's what you need. Also, it is just a way to make sure that the opponent gets overwhelmed by hard-to-answer threats, as it often tutored Wurmcoil.
Alpine Moon: such a great card that won me several games. This hates on opposing trons and valakuts without harming us. I also brought it in against bant eldrazi as a way to stop whichever effect is the most annoying at the moment (Cavern of Souls, Eldrazi Temple, Ghost Quarter). If you know that your opponent uses one specific strip mine effect, this can act as a protection. It also stops manlands. I was lacking some kind of interaction with lands in the mainboard.
Kozilek's Return: I don't want to repeat myself, but I feel like this belongs here.
Moving on, several improvements can be made and I believe the big octopus is OK but not exceptional in the mainboard. I'd like to find a better interaction with Kozilek's return to be fit in this deck
I used to play a list similar to yours @DasNekros, it feels a blast to play! I'd like to hear your thoughts on World Breaker, as it always felt strong to me while having Gifts Ungiven and Life from the Loam. I remember that back in the day you compared it to Sundering Titan and wurmcoil, but now I feel like "reach" can be an important keyword and it's more flexible than the titan (at least from my experience).
Also, I'd like to report back on my testings on Kozilek's Return and my version of Ur Tron in general, as it proved itself a funny interesting experiment.
I couldn't practice each matchup extensively, but I have faced a decent number of decks:
G Tron 1-0
GW Aura 2-0
Martyr Proc 0-2
GR Ponza 1-2
Bant Eldrazi 2-1
UB Mill 1-1
Humans 2-1
Storm 2-1
Overall I felt like G Tron was still a tough matchup even with Alpine Moon + chalice on 1, and games are harder when the opponent keeps on destroying my lands as it happened with Martyr and Ponza. Mill isn't easy either. Elder Deep-Fiend was decent but only once it has been a better Torrential Gearhulk, i.e. when I could cast it on turn 4. I think I will go back to gearhulk. Kozilek's Return has been good against each creature deck I faced, mainly because it's an instant and this allows to play around triggers of the likes of Champion of the Parish, Thalia's Lieutenant and Knight of Autumn. Playing it once at the right moment won me a whole game against humans (the other win was due to Ugin).
It has been bad only against Serra Ascendant so far, and opponent had it both games.
I will keep testing, but I feel like the card fits well with the playstyle of the deck and strongly helps in situations that a mono blue deck struggles to handle.
P.S: I didn't post the list because it's just a pierakor-style list with some small twists for testing or personal preference, like all of us do, except it also has 3 Kozilek's Return MB + 2 Alpine Moon SB. I will post what I played if someone is interested.
With that expression I meant a list based on 4 chalices in the 75 and multiple copies of the same threats (wurmcoils and ugin). Also only 1 Mindslaver. In facts, the similarities end there, as I made some card choices that he has historically advised against; those are the small twists I pondered about, I explain better below.
4 Expedition Map
3 Thirst for Knowledge
2 Izzet Signet
Cheap interaction
2 Chalice of the Void
4 Condescend
2 Remand
2 Repeal
2 Dismember
3 Kozilek's Return
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Engineered Explosives
Non-creature Win Conditions
2 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
1 Mindslaver
2 Wurmcoil Engine
3 Elder Deep-Fiend
1 Walking Ballista
1 Trinket Mage
1 Champion of Wits
Lands
12 Urza lands
1 Academy Ruins
1 Tolaria West
1 Sanctum of Ugin
4 Steam Vents
4 Island
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Tormod's Crypt
3 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Nimble Obstructionist
2 Alpine Moon
2 Chalice of the Void
1 Crucible of Worlds
So:
- 4 Shocklands: often I don't have a turn 1 play, so I can just play those tapped to save some life.
- Signet is in because my manabase is more vulnerable to color screw.
- Trinket Mage package: I feel less in need of Walking Ballista; EE on 2 feels good enough; it can tutor chalice. Also, I wanted to be able to cast EDF even without tron, so with the alternative cost of sacrificing a creature.
- 3 EDF: big flashy body. They were intentionally a bit too many, I wanted to see how often it could trigger Kozilek's return from the gy. Unfortunately it didn't happen quite as often as I hoped.
- 3 Thirst for Knowledge + 1 Champion of Wits: even if champion does not draw 3, it can provide a blocking body in those matchups where counters are less effective, while also digging at the same time. Also, it's good from the gy when out of cards, and it's a creature to be sacrificed to EDF. Playing 1 was such a small cost.
- Sanctum of Ugin: this was a test. In my mind, after reaching tron and with a stable position, I would cast a win condition (possibly Ugin or big Ballista or even EDF) having an EDF to back it up the following turn. Chaining EDF into EDF can gain a lot of tempo, if that's what you need. Also, it is just a way to make sure that the opponent gets overwhelmed by hard-to-answer threats, as it often tutored Wurmcoil.
- Alpine Moon: such a great card that won me several games. This hates on opposing trons and valakuts without harming us. I also brought it in against bant eldrazi as a way to stop whichever effect is the most annoying at the moment (Cavern of Souls, Eldrazi Temple, Ghost Quarter). If you know that your opponent uses one specific strip mine effect, this can act as a protection. It also stops manlands. I was lacking some kind of interaction with lands in the mainboard.
- Kozilek's Return: I don't want to repeat myself, but I feel like this belongs here.
Moving on, several improvements can be made and I believe the big octopus is OK but not exceptional in the mainboard. I'd like to find a better interaction with Kozilek's return to be fit in this deckAlso, I'd like to report back on my testings on Kozilek's Return and my version of Ur Tron in general, as it proved itself a funny interesting experiment.
I couldn't practice each matchup extensively, but I have faced a decent number of decks:
G Tron 1-0
GW Aura 2-0
Martyr Proc 0-2
GR Ponza 1-2
Bant Eldrazi 2-1
UB Mill 1-1
Humans 2-1
Storm 2-1
Overall I felt like G Tron was still a tough matchup even with Alpine Moon + chalice on 1, and games are harder when the opponent keeps on destroying my lands as it happened with Martyr and Ponza. Mill isn't easy either.
Elder Deep-Fiend was decent but only once it has been a better Torrential Gearhulk, i.e. when I could cast it on turn 4. I think I will go back to gearhulk.
Kozilek's Return has been good against each creature deck I faced, mainly because it's an instant and this allows to play around triggers of the likes of Champion of the Parish, Thalia's Lieutenant and Knight of Autumn. Playing it once at the right moment won me a whole game against humans (the other win was due to Ugin).
It has been bad only against Serra Ascendant so far, and opponent had it both games.
I will keep testing, but I feel like the card fits well with the playstyle of the deck and strongly helps in situations that a mono blue deck struggles to handle.
P.S: I didn't post the list because it's just a pierakor-style list with some small twists for testing or personal preference, like all of us do, except it also has 3 Kozilek's Return MB + 2 Alpine Moon SB. I will post what I played if someone is interested.