Looks like we have a new card Sylvan Anthem
GG
Enchantment
Anthem 1 for green
When ever a G creature etb under your control scry 1
Now this is an interesting one as I don't think it directly replaces anything and we've never had an equivalent. But between the devotion and the solid repeat etb and and solid anthem on 2 makes me think this is a new staple once we've found where it fits
I feel like this is either a 2 of its it's ok or a 4 of if it turns out to be really good (and honestly strangleroot with a copy of this around seems pretty good)
I'm most excited for the repeatable scry as that means it becomes much easier to fin a creature when we need to rebuild and pump spells when we need to kill.
Biggest downside is the lack of +1 counter support (but otherwise it would probably have become the best card in the deck )
I feel like this doesn't take up a creature spot. And its more impactful on lists with a higher density of 1-2 drops.
Wow didn't realise hexdrinkers price had shot up that much.
Your list still needs another 1 drop as a 2 of. With narnams and hexdrinkers out of viable budget range then either Kessig Prowler or pelt collector are your next best bets.
Personally I'm running 2 mb scooze ATM because of the amount of lurrus and unearth decks in the meta. But there an argument that it's no needed. And barkhind troll is a solid alternative.
For the 3 drops you've gone pretty top heavy (as far as curve is concerned) I'd personal go for a combo of 3 steel leaf champions and 2 Old-Growth Troll.
Old-Growth Troll took me by surprise but between the native trample for getting over defending faties and being another solid card to have on the field against a boardwipe. He's been over performing
For removal you want a combo of savage swipe and dismember. (Swipes better against burn and d&t decks and dismember is better against shadow and kroxa)
That said if you are facing alot of kroxa and shadow your best bet is still rhonas as he just stone walls anything without temur battlerage
Land base is complicated and very budget dependant
Ideally you want a small white splash for the SB. But the most optimal for budget is probably
3 g/b horizon land
1 treetop Village
2 Haspeth oasis
15 forests
(I personally still like a 21 land 39 other stuff split and this has become less painful with affordable horizon lands) and you don't want to many pain lands with the amount of burn style play currently in the meta
Snakeskin Veil is the new pump spell on the block but as it is I've not been impressed yet.
I would consider dropping to 2 rancors cutting some vines for defenses and and maybe droping 1 aspect. I've been running extra removal in the form of savage swipe in this slot as I dose act life a pump spell a significant amount of the time.
Inscription of Abundance is interesting hand I feel holds alot of promise for when the meta shifts back. It's soild untility card thats kicker is usable. I feel like it's a much better card against midrage than agro and as the meta is particularly fast ATM it's not it's time to shine.
i think its comes down to how much pump your decks running, if your is running more pump spells and ram through then I can see the troll as the stronger option, if your more all in on 1 cmc body's and and savage swipe then I can see steel leaf being the stronger choice.
I feel like the most important aspect of this card (aside from the board wipe proof nature that makes it playable) is the native trample, which makes ram through a lot more effective.
this fact also provides a viable alternative to combat damage as a win con, which the deck needs against a cryptic/scatuary locks and titan shift field of the dead. its fringe but a possible sb tactic for the deck, especially if you can get them down to the 6-7 life range by then end of turn 3. the decks lacked options before now against this prominent possibility. so will probably need testing to see if this is a viable option.
tried the mammoth in a fetch/narnam list, i'm not convinced, if the deck had some more ramp then maybe but in a list that not got alot of lands in rather have a hexdrinker in that slot 9-10 times
have tried Inscription of Abundance in a more budget list and i'm more impressed than i thought i'd be. the +2 counters tends to get stuff out of bolt range and can be used to immediately regenerate a e one, the removal is a little overpriced but at instant speed still solid, and the life gain has been relevant once or twice against burn. it's not a 4 of but 1-2 copy seems to fit nicely (been trialing 2 dismembers 1 inscription 1 Khalni Ambush for my removal package, with the inscriptions sitting in a flexi slot and khalni in a treetop village slot). i also run another inscription in the sb again due to the versatility. they seem to be a little more versatile that a savage swipe build but less directly powerful
Khalni Ambush was a big surprise, and definitely a meta call, but if your in a meta with balanced creature / spell heavy lists its normally better than a
second tree top, and having another mb removal spell in the deck has made games against tribal strategies a more viable.
also tried Swarm Shambler and its ok... im not in love but it plays a little better than you'd think, again its not a card you'd want to draw multiples of, (takes mana to grow, does not trigger eone/pelt.) but if your on a strict budget and cannot afford your 2 hexdrinkers its a very viable option in that slot
as for a current list, i don't have a set one form my budget version as i use them mainly to test new possibilities but this is what id probably go with as being the best option for fnm lvl
I'd consider adding 2-3 ghost quarter for use with flagstones and for emergency land removal.
I'm unsure on lingering souls. As if you where going a little more gy (with Unburial Rites and satyr wayfinder) it would be a natural fit but without a discard requirement I'm not sure it fits.
Next I would consider some flicker effects as a fair few of your cards have powerful etb triggers or can be reset. For this reason is consider running knight of autumn over pridemage and 3-4 restoration angel.
I would also consider another mana dork (with noble hirach being out of budget I would go for Avacyn's Pilgrim as 2 or so copy's)
Lastly in the deck I wouldn't bother with fetch lands my first none budget card would be collected company. Which would act as ramp and card draw.
my current competitive list has a strong white splash, and is arguably more zoo now than stompy, (there is link in my footer to a tapped out deck list) (white splash hugly helps against decks that are traditionally almost unwinnable when piloted well. like tron and once affinity and to a lesser extent jund.
after a lot of play with the traditional lists (pre kaladesh this was my main modern deck i still miss vines interaction against infect and twin) of the deck, i've gone with the philosophy of to be consistently effective in modern going all in aggro you need another color (or be mono red), what stompy does well is that it midgames better than most aggro (at the cost of a 1-1/2 a turn of speed), can win out of nowhere on a stalled board, finally its difficult to effectively interact with (due to the amout of inbuilt and dedicated protection) so that is where i've tended to lean in my game play and design of the deck. from experimentation i've tended to find leaning into a area where stompy is a little weak as a aggro deck (all out speed, reach, card draw ect), can improve it but you tend to loose to much of the inherent advantages while still being less effective than other options.
i consider the current optimal mb deck list to be something like this
give or take a rhonas and a couple of veils (depending on current meta)
hexdrinker, narnam and giest are the best things the deck can do most of time
followed closely by dryad militant (slightly less after snow ban) but the shut down so much of the meta in small but relevant ways that they are still very worth there slot,
the most flexible slots tend to be the rancors i personally like two but after trying without them the deck functions about as well.
there is also a argument for 1-2 hooting mandrills in a fetch heavy list but i personally feel like hexdrinker and the need for devotion shaves them just below the cut
there is also a argument for Syr Faren lean, i feel like the card lends itself to a 4 savage swipe, 4 rancor build with mandrills.
if we are going for a fetchless/budget (60-70) build then
then something close to this would be my go two. usually i don't include a solid sb, but for this list it needs dismembers, spheres and finks in the 75 to be viable.
hope this helps to understand where i'm coming from
not trying to convince you but a few clarifications on my own entrances with the deck.
rhonas doesn't require devotion just a creature with 4 power on board, and i've found the ability is more of an late game extra to give a little more reach and damage penetration, the relevant part is the 5/5 indestructible deathtouch for 3, but in general any creature can turn him on after a board wipe, he just completely shuts down some matchups like deathshadow and jund (as long as they don't manage to get a lily sac with only him on field there have no way to deal with him i there decks)
yeah the tron matchup was most of my reason for splashing white, teeg and path make the matchup a lot more viable, personally i found a well piloted etron to be almost unwinnable
for none snow control pithing needle is probably going to serve better, sticking needle on colande or jtms or big tef can severely cripple there decks.
dredge was a big factor in the deck originally playing 4 militants and 2-3 scooze mb, with these the matchup is about fair, and with a couple of return to natures in the sb really make the matchup pretty viable.
the issues i've had with 8 1/1 evolving creatures is it tends to lower the damage output in the first 2-3 turns and can has some seriously limiting effects on how to sequence your first 2 turn if you have multiples in your starting hand and first 2 draws (losing out on early pressure to set up for turn 4+) personally i've always hated that loss of flexibility and pressure, and they are also just really bad top decks.
yes swipe wants that 2 power to really show off, but at its worse it's still a prey upon which was historically the removal spell for the deck, even discounting evolve creatures you have 10 natural targets in the list you've got above, and another 11 targets that could have 2 power. best way to view it is a basic prey upon, but often its also providing better removal and more damage (often with straight damage dealing and fight effects you are limited by the size of your creatures on the field. this tends to raise the amount of damage you can deal effectively and while not limiting your options in the late game when you need to aspect and fight a deathshadow or angler.
only changes id make are
using savage swipe for the mb removal spell
5 pelt/eones (they are pretty bad in multiples and in there place add 2 more lands and 3 dryad militants (millanat shuts down uro, mystic sanctuary and snap caster plans, gurmag angler. it's just really solid against a surprisingly large amount of the modern meta.
19 lands feels a little light, as with hexdrinkers & canopy land the deck often has places to put mana.
also Waterlogged Grove is $ cheaper that peatlands with no real change in play 99% of the time
sb id probably go for pithing needle over surgical, as pw and creature combos are going to be more of a problem that non uro/shriekhorn based gy stuff for the most part
(im also a big fan of a single mb rhonas, as he just dominates a board and wins deathshadow and snow matchups. )
id keep the kcomands, brutalities and bone crushers but the glorybringers are a bit slow in modern even with ramp
rakdos skelemental is already kind of a deck with a few budgetish flavours.
with your current cards i think you need
4 Lightning Skelemental
4 Thunderkin Awakener
4 Unearth
4 Ransack the Lab
2 dreadhors arcanists
for this core, comes to around $20
the secondary packages cost about $30 for either one but you could probably make your own pretty budget without losing to much
you can either go
heavy disruption package (2 push 4 inquisitions, 4 bolts and 2 dreadhors arcanists 4 Ball Lightning)
or more grindy with (4 inquisitions, 2 chandra AOF, 3 Fulminator Mage 4 young pyro, 2 terminat 1 dreadbore)
Cards that I feel should be included are
Asylum visitor (basically Bob in these lists as you'll be out of cards most of the time)
Rankle (basically the closest thing pioneer has to lilly of the veil)
As mentioned above Fiery temper, collective brutality and rotting Reggie
Finally I would strongly consider running Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger over gurmag for Gy interactions.
Also Cut / Ribbons would be a pretty solid alt wincon as a one off.
Lastly I would seriously consider temure battlerage, as you run a lot of +4 power cretures
If you wanted a non control list, I think there's a deck to be made around the new small angle, Serra's avrnger, illusory angel and the new angels matters gain life cleric and resplendent angel and either going vial and anthems or Coco and a little ramp.
With those cards specificly I would also be running steel of the Godhead, as the best enchantment for them.
If this is the build your after I would go for arcane subtheme with tallowwisp and the shoal counter spells, unlike the spirits build you'll also have to consider ramp as bruna isn't a cheap threat and modern is fast.
Sylvan Anthem
GG
Enchantment
Anthem 1 for green
When ever a G creature etb under your control scry 1
Now this is an interesting one as I don't think it directly replaces anything and we've never had an equivalent. But between the devotion and the solid repeat etb and and solid anthem on 2 makes me think this is a new staple once we've found where it fits
I feel like this is either a 2 of its it's ok or a 4 of if it turns out to be really good (and honestly strangleroot with a copy of this around seems pretty good)
I'm most excited for the repeatable scry as that means it becomes much easier to fin a creature when we need to rebuild and pump spells when we need to kill.
Biggest downside is the lack of +1 counter support (but otherwise it would probably have become the best card in the deck )
I feel like this doesn't take up a creature spot. And its more impactful on lists with a higher density of 1-2 drops.
Thoughts?
Your list still needs another 1 drop as a 2 of. With narnams and hexdrinkers out of viable budget range then either Kessig Prowler or pelt collector are your next best bets.
Personally I'm running 2 mb scooze ATM because of the amount of lurrus and unearth decks in the meta. But there an argument that it's no needed. And barkhind troll is a solid alternative.
For the 3 drops you've gone pretty top heavy (as far as curve is concerned) I'd personal go for a combo of 3 steel leaf champions and 2 Old-Growth Troll.
Old-Growth Troll took me by surprise but between the native trample for getting over defending faties and being another solid card to have on the field against a boardwipe. He's been over performing
For removal you want a combo of savage swipe and dismember. (Swipes better against burn and d&t decks and dismember is better against shadow and kroxa)
That said if you are facing alot of kroxa and shadow your best bet is still rhonas as he just stone walls anything without temur battlerage
Land base is complicated and very budget dependant
Ideally you want a small white splash for the SB. But the most optimal for budget is probably
3 g/b horizon land
1 treetop Village
2 Haspeth oasis
15 forests
(I personally still like a 21 land 39 other stuff split and this has become less painful with affordable horizon lands) and you don't want to many pain lands with the amount of burn style play currently in the meta
Snakeskin Veil is the new pump spell on the block but as it is I've not been impressed yet.
I would consider dropping to 2 rancors cutting some vines for defenses and and maybe droping 1 aspect. I've been running extra removal in the form of savage swipe in this slot as I dose act life a pump spell a significant amount of the time.
Inscription of Abundance is interesting hand I feel holds alot of promise for when the meta shifts back. It's soild untility card thats kicker is usable. I feel like it's a much better card against midrage than agro and as the meta is particularly fast ATM it's not it's time to shine.
I feel like the most important aspect of this card (aside from the board wipe proof nature that makes it playable) is the native trample, which makes ram through a lot more effective.
this fact also provides a viable alternative to combat damage as a win con, which the deck needs against a cryptic/scatuary locks and titan shift field of the dead. its fringe but a possible sb tactic for the deck, especially if you can get them down to the 6-7 life range by then end of turn 3. the decks lacked options before now against this prominent possibility. so will probably need testing to see if this is a viable option.
Heartless Summoning
And rally the ancestors
tried the mammoth in a fetch/narnam list, i'm not convinced, if the deck had some more ramp then maybe but in a list that not got alot of lands in rather have a hexdrinker in that slot 9-10 times
have tried Inscription of Abundance in a more budget list and i'm more impressed than i thought i'd be. the +2 counters tends to get stuff out of bolt range and can be used to immediately regenerate a e one, the removal is a little overpriced but at instant speed still solid, and the life gain has been relevant once or twice against burn. it's not a 4 of but 1-2 copy seems to fit nicely (been trialing 2 dismembers 1 inscription 1 Khalni Ambush for my removal package, with the inscriptions sitting in a flexi slot and khalni in a treetop village slot). i also run another inscription in the sb again due to the versatility. they seem to be a little more versatile that a savage swipe build but less directly powerful
Khalni Ambush was a big surprise, and definitely a meta call, but if your in a meta with balanced creature / spell heavy lists its normally better than a
second tree top, and having another mb removal spell in the deck has made games against tribal strategies a more viable.
also tried Swarm Shambler and its ok... im not in love but it plays a little better than you'd think, again its not a card you'd want to draw multiples of, (takes mana to grow, does not trigger eone/pelt.) but if your on a strict budget and cannot afford your 2 hexdrinkers its a very viable option in that slot
as for a current list, i don't have a set one form my budget version as i use them mainly to test new possibilities but this is what id probably go with as being the best option for fnm lvl
4x Avatar of the Resolute
2x Barkhide Troll
4x Dryad Militant
2x Hexdrinker
4x Pelt Collector
2x Scavenging Ooze
4x Steel Leaf Champion
4x Strangleroot Geist
Instant (8)
3x Aspect of Hydra
2x Blossoming Defense
1x Inscription of Abundance
1x Khalni Ambush
1x Vines of Vastwood
3x Savage Swipe
Enchantment (2)
2x Rancor
Land (21)
15x Forest
3x Hashep Oasis
1x Tranquil Thicket
2x Treetop Village
3x Damping Sphere
3x Dismember
1x Inscription of Abundance
2x Kitchen Finks
3x Veil of Summer
chopping the veils of summer and hex drinkers brings the list down the $50 is range but they are both very very good.
I'm unsure on lingering souls. As if you where going a little more gy (with Unburial Rites and satyr wayfinder) it would be a natural fit but without a discard requirement I'm not sure it fits.
Next I would consider some flicker effects as a fair few of your cards have powerful etb triggers or can be reset. For this reason is consider running knight of autumn over pridemage and 3-4 restoration angel.
I would also consider another mana dork (with noble hirach being out of budget I would go for Avacyn's Pilgrim as 2 or so copy's)
Lastly in the deck I wouldn't bother with fetch lands my first none budget card would be collected company. Which would act as ramp and card draw.
my current competitive list has a strong white splash, and is arguably more zoo now than stompy, (there is link in my footer to a tapped out deck list) (white splash hugly helps against decks that are traditionally almost unwinnable when piloted well. like tron and once affinity and to a lesser extent jund.
after a lot of play with the traditional lists (pre kaladesh this was my main modern deck i still miss vines interaction against infect and twin) of the deck, i've gone with the philosophy of to be consistently effective in modern going all in aggro you need another color (or be mono red), what stompy does well is that it midgames better than most aggro (at the cost of a 1-1/2 a turn of speed), can win out of nowhere on a stalled board, finally its difficult to effectively interact with (due to the amout of inbuilt and dedicated protection) so that is where i've tended to lean in my game play and design of the deck. from experimentation i've tended to find leaning into a area where stompy is a little weak as a aggro deck (all out speed, reach, card draw ect), can improve it but you tend to loose to much of the inherent advantages while still being less effective than other options.
i consider the current optimal mb deck list to be something like this
3x Dryad Militant
2x Experiment One
4x Hexdrinker
4x Narnam Renegade
4x Avatar of the Resolute
2x Barkhide Troll
2x Scavenging Ooze
4x Strangleroot Geist
3x Steel Leaf Champion
5x Forest
4x Prismatic Vista
3x Waterlogged Grove
4x Windswept Heath
4x Wooded Foothills
Instant (7)
3x Aspect of Hydra
4x Blossoming Defense
2x Rancor
Sorcery (3)
3x Savage Swipe
give or take a rhonas and a couple of veils (depending on current meta)
hexdrinker, narnam and giest are the best things the deck can do most of time
followed closely by dryad militant (slightly less after snow ban) but the shut down so much of the meta in small but relevant ways that they are still very worth there slot,
the most flexible slots tend to be the rancors i personally like two but after trying without them the deck functions about as well.
there is also a argument for 1-2 hooting mandrills in a fetch heavy list but i personally feel like hexdrinker and the need for devotion shaves them just below the cut
there is also a argument for Syr Faren lean, i feel like the card lends itself to a 4 savage swipe, 4 rancor build with mandrills.
if we are going for a fetchless/budget (60-70) build then
4x Avatar of the Resolute
2x Barkhide Troll
4x Dryad Militant
2x Hexdrinker
4x Pelt Collector
2x Scavenging Ooze
3x Steel Leaf Champion
4x Strangleroot Geist
1x Rhonas the Indomitable
15x Forest
3x Hashep Oasis
2x Tranquil Thicket
2x Treetop Village
Instant (6)
3x Aspect of Hydra
2x Blossoming Defense
1x Vines of Vastwood
Sorcery (4)
4x Savage Swipe
Enchantment (2)
2x Rancor
3x Damping Sphere
3x Dismember
3x Kitchen Finks
then something close to this would be my go two. usually i don't include a solid sb, but for this list it needs dismembers, spheres and finks in the 75 to be viable.
hope this helps to understand where i'm coming from
rhonas doesn't require devotion just a creature with 4 power on board, and i've found the ability is more of an late game extra to give a little more reach and damage penetration, the relevant part is the 5/5 indestructible deathtouch for 3, but in general any creature can turn him on after a board wipe, he just completely shuts down some matchups like deathshadow and jund (as long as they don't manage to get a lily sac with only him on field there have no way to deal with him i there decks)
yeah the tron matchup was most of my reason for splashing white, teeg and path make the matchup a lot more viable, personally i found a well piloted etron to be almost unwinnable
for none snow control pithing needle is probably going to serve better, sticking needle on colande or jtms or big tef can severely cripple there decks.
dredge was a big factor in the deck originally playing 4 militants and 2-3 scooze mb, with these the matchup is about fair, and with a couple of return to natures in the sb really make the matchup pretty viable.
the issues i've had with 8 1/1 evolving creatures is it tends to lower the damage output in the first 2-3 turns and can has some seriously limiting effects on how to sequence your first 2 turn if you have multiples in your starting hand and first 2 draws (losing out on early pressure to set up for turn 4+) personally i've always hated that loss of flexibility and pressure, and they are also just really bad top decks.
yes swipe wants that 2 power to really show off, but at its worse it's still a prey upon which was historically the removal spell for the deck, even discounting evolve creatures you have 10 natural targets in the list you've got above, and another 11 targets that could have 2 power. best way to view it is a basic prey upon, but often its also providing better removal and more damage (often with straight damage dealing and fight effects you are limited by the size of your creatures on the field. this tends to raise the amount of damage you can deal effectively and while not limiting your options in the late game when you need to aspect and fight a deathshadow or angler.
using savage swipe for the mb removal spell
5 pelt/eones (they are pretty bad in multiples and in there place add 2 more lands and 3 dryad militants (millanat shuts down uro, mystic sanctuary and snap caster plans, gurmag angler. it's just really solid against a surprisingly large amount of the modern meta.
19 lands feels a little light, as with hexdrinkers & canopy land the deck often has places to put mana.
also Waterlogged Grove is $ cheaper that peatlands with no real change in play 99% of the time
sb id probably go for pithing needle over surgical, as pw and creature combos are going to be more of a problem that non uro/shriekhorn based gy stuff for the most part
(im also a big fan of a single mb rhonas, as he just dominates a board and wins deathshadow and snow matchups. )
rakdos skelemental is already kind of a deck with a few budgetish flavours.
with your current cards i think you need
4 Lightning Skelemental
4 Thunderkin Awakener
4 Unearth
4 Ransack the Lab
2 dreadhors arcanists
for this core, comes to around $20
the secondary packages cost about $30 for either one but you could probably make your own pretty budget without losing to much
you can either go
heavy disruption package (2 push 4 inquisitions, 4 bolts and 2 dreadhors arcanists 4 Ball Lightning)
or more grindy with (4 inquisitions, 2 chandra AOF, 3 Fulminator Mage 4 young pyro, 2 terminat 1 dreadbore)
good luck
Asylum visitor (basically Bob in these lists as you'll be out of cards most of the time)
Rankle (basically the closest thing pioneer has to lilly of the veil)
As mentioned above Fiery temper, collective brutality and rotting Reggie
Finally I would strongly consider running Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger over gurmag for Gy interactions.
Also Cut / Ribbons would be a pretty solid alt wincon as a one off.
Lastly I would seriously consider temure battlerage, as you run a lot of +4 power cretures
If this is the build your after I would go for arcane subtheme with tallowwisp and the shoal counter spells, unlike the spirits build you'll also have to consider ramp as bruna isn't a cheap threat and modern is fast.