I was a fan of Infect since when I started playing the game (RTR) and eventually built a deck around skithiryx with green as support for pump and glisterner elf. This was kitchen table magic at its finest, not taking into account any banlist.
I got into commander afterwards and my groupgot more and more competitive which got us into modern, where I fell in love with jeskai delver.
But I want a second deck for something different, that's why am here.
Is Infect after the probe ban still viable, or fun to play? Can you still have the insane draws for a turn 2-3 kill?
My meta is probably a bit hostile for this deck, but thats the same for my delver so I am used to it.
My playgroup consists of: regular jund, bushwhacker zoo, enduring ideal combo, burn, soul sisters token, BW token, mardu mentor, Bant Eldrazi. Sadly there are no valakut decks and hardly any tron decks, like eTron.
Basically I am looking for an under the radar deck that's capable of goldfishing but also isn't easy to pilot and has more gameplans/threats to work with.
Thanks in advance!
Honestly, if I were you, I would not play Abzan Company.
The deck fell out of tier completely after the probe ban and the introduction of Fatal Push. The deck is currently "under the radar", which you mentioned is what you're looking for, but the reason it's it's there is because the deck is just not as good as it used to be.
Abzan Company has so many natural counter cards that get played at a very high frequency (Bolt, path, push, counter spells), as well as other creatures that will block you (your best card is Walking Balista, so you have to be lucky to draw him), or even worse, drawing a hand of 0 or 1 Collected Company, since the deck only really plays 4. The deck just gets beaten by so many different things, and Wizards hasn't printed the tools necessary to keep the deck alive, like another 1-drop, or good mid-range creature in the right color(s).
If you want a good deck, that is capable of a turn 3 win and has tons of gameplans and threats, I strongly suggest you check out Infect. You can see the deck in my sig, or just head over to their forums in the Developing Competetive section of Modern. It's a combo deck that can win fast out of nowhere, or it can beat your opponent down and play a mid-range game.
What do you guys think of the deck? I'm eager for feedback so I can continue to better myself and offer the best build available for our readers! Also don't forget that the article has a comments section -- it would be better to post suggestions for players new to the deck there so they don't get buried under other discussion on here.
I wanted to say I appreciate you coming in here and explaining your choices. You get respect points from me. With that said, I think a link in the comments would be sweet!
I was half hoping we could not pick it. I wonder if they contacted anyone from this thread when they made the article(s). And why don't they post a link to the thread for the budget decks they have been doing?
Leatherback Baloth is still decent in the meta as it still a 4/5. It does die to Fatal Push, but so most of the deck. Maybe not as a 4-of, but I would run them over Great Sable Stag. If you're that scared of Death's Shadow decks, I would run Dungrove Elder or Witchstalker, as Hexproof > Pro Blue and Black. Then maybe add some Blossoming Defense. Also I would drop the Blooming Marsh. They're not good after the third turn and you don't want to risk missing a land drop with a tapped land. Same goes for the Treetop Village. You should probably go down to a 1-of. And the Dismember can go down to two, four is pushing it. Also I would go for a more generalized SB with a Pithing Needle and some artifact/enchantment hate.
I feel like dropping Rancor for Kessig Prowler is the wrong move. I do understand your reasoning though. But without Rancor you're gonna get chumped way more often than not. And Kessig Prowler is underwhelming.
I went 3-1 last night at my LGS with Stompy. Very proud of the deck.
Went up against 4 color Bring to Light Scapeshift Round 1,(W) KCI Combo w/ Thopter Sword Combo Round 2,(L) OG Abzan, (W) and Grixis Kill All The THINGS Control(W)
A TL;DR Tourney Report:
Match 1: VS BTL Scapeshift
G1: Opponent had a slow hand, I got there.
G2: I had a decent had, brought the beats, but he wiped my board with Anger of the Gods and Scapeshift for the win.
G3: He had a grip full of red spells and no red mana. He drops Chalice of the Void on 1,Got there with Leatherback Baloth, Avatar of the Resolute and basically all the two drops, without using a pump (had 4 in hand)
Match 2: KCI Combo
G1: Kept a one land hand and prayed for a second land. Never saw it He combo'd and won. Brought in all the artifact hate for game 2
G2: Got there!
G3: Kept a one land hand. Didn't see it Brought him down low, misplayed and dropped Strangleroot Geist instead of Scavenging Oooze for beats and he capitalized by thop-swording for all the value.
Match 3: Abzan
G1: I drop Experiment one and pass. He drops goyf. It stays a 1/2 long enough for me to get in beats with Exo-1 and Strangleroot Geist I keep dropping dudes, and blank his removal with Blossoming Defense and Vines of Vastwood He blocks a dude I rancor'd and get in for exactzies.
G2: I learned Abzan runs Noble Heirarch so there was that. He drops two and begins to stabilize withSiege Rhino and Lingering Souls. Ge starts to beat in for 6 with the Rhino and then drops Grim Flayer I use Scavenging Ooze to keep him off delirium and combat tricks to get rid of Flayer and Derp Rhino. Ended it with a pumped upkicks Avatar.
Show Notes:
I like the Sideboard Grafdigger's Cage is a flex spot I think. Probably wrong about that. Never saw any sideboard cards aside from Oxidize which will never leave my sideboard cause they are full art and bae. I dodged Death's Shadow, which was in the room, so I lucked out. Not sure how the BTL match would have worked out if he was on mana, but I felt favored. Abzan opponent didn't draw and discard so that was lucky on my part. KCI felt like crap to play against MU wise but in actual play it was fun to see. The Grixis MU was fun and the the pilot was a lawyer. He did this sick play where he responded to my Geist with cracking a fetch for an untapped shock land and did nothing. Only to go for a terminate. I thought it was a good feint. Could be wrong. Overall, deck felt good. Aside from KCI combo, I never felt like it was unwinnable. Had some good talks about how fetches and goyf were bad for the deck and Elvish Spirit Guide would theoretically make the deck Tier 1.
Honestly, if I were you, I would not play Abzan Company.
The deck fell out of tier completely after the probe ban and the introduction of Fatal Push. The deck is currently "under the radar", which you mentioned is what you're looking for, but the reason it's it's there is because the deck is just not as good as it used to be.
Abzan Company has so many natural counter cards that get played at a very high frequency (Bolt, path, push, counter spells), as well as other creatures that will block you (your best card is Walking Balista, so you have to be lucky to draw him), or even worse, drawing a hand of 0 or 1 Collected Company, since the deck only really plays 4. The deck just gets beaten by so many different things, and Wizards hasn't printed the tools necessary to keep the deck alive, like another 1-drop, or good mid-range creature in the right color(s).
If you want a good deck, that is capable of a turn 3 win and has tons of gameplans and threats, I strongly suggest you check out Infect. You can see the deck in my sig, or just head over to their forums in the Developing Competetive section of Modern. It's a combo deck that can win fast out of nowhere, or it can beat your opponent down and play a mid-range game.
I wanted to say I appreciate you coming in here and explaining your choices. You get respect points from me. With that said, I think a link in the comments would be sweet!
We hit the big time boys!
Went up against 4 color Bring to Light Scapeshift Round 1,(W) KCI Combo w/ Thopter Sword Combo Round 2,(L) OG Abzan, (W) and Grixis
Kill All The THINGSControl(W)A TL;DR Tourney Report:
Match 1: VS BTL Scapeshift
G1: Opponent had a slow hand, I got there.
G2: I had a decent had, brought the beats, but he wiped my board with Anger of the Gods and Scapeshift for the win.
G3: He had a grip full of red spells and no red mana. He drops Chalice of the Void on 1,Got there with Leatherback Baloth, Avatar of the Resolute and basically all the two drops, without using a pump (had 4 in hand)
Match 2: KCI Combo
G1: Kept a one land hand and prayed for a second land. Never saw it
G2: Got there!
G3: Kept a one land hand. Didn't see it
Match 3: Abzan
G1: I drop Experiment one and pass. He drops goyf. It stays a 1/2 long enough for me to get in beats with Exo-1 and Strangleroot Geist I keep dropping dudes, and blank his removal with Blossoming Defense and Vines of Vastwood He blocks a dude I rancor'd and get in for exactzies.
G2: I learned Abzan runs Noble Heirarch so there was that. He drops two and begins to stabilize withSiege Rhino and Lingering Souls. Ge starts to beat in for 6 with the Rhino and then drops Grim Flayer I use Scavenging Ooze to keep him off delirium and combat tricks to get rid of Flayer and Derp Rhino. Ended it with a pumped upkicks Avatar.
Show Notes:
I like the Sideboard Grafdigger's Cage is a flex spot I think. Probably wrong about that. Never saw any sideboard cards aside from Oxidize which will never leave my sideboard cause they are full art and bae. I dodged Death's Shadow, which was in the room, so I lucked out. Not sure how the BTL match would have worked out if he was on mana, but I felt favored. Abzan opponent didn't draw and discard so that was lucky on my part. KCI felt like crap to play against MU wise but in actual play it was fun to see. The Grixis MU was fun and the the pilot was a lawyer. He did this sick play where he responded to my Geist with cracking a fetch for an untapped shock land and did nothing. Only to go for a terminate. I thought it was a good feint. Could be wrong. Overall, deck felt good. Aside from KCI combo, I never felt like it was unwinnable. Had some good talks about how fetches and goyf were bad for the deck and Elvish Spirit Guide would theoretically make the deck Tier 1.
4x Avatar of the Resolute
3x Blossoming Defense
4x Dryad Militant
2x Dungrove Elder
4x Experiment One
20x Forest
4x Leatherback Baloth
4x Rancor
3x Scavenging Ooze
4x Strangleroot Geist
1x Treetop Village
4x Vines of Vastwood
2x Dismember
2x Feed the Clan
1x Fog
1x Grafdigger's Cage
2x Natural State
2x Oxidize
2x Spellskite
1x Thrun, the Last Troll
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/26-02-17-mono-g-stompy/