Having a T1 birds makes comboing easier, since by T2 it will be able to tap, so you don't really need a Mox Opal as soon as you would if you draw into a Paradise Mantle. For me this is key since I only play 3 Opals and I've been playing 4x Glint Hawk and they've been good for this and a variety of other reasons.
This will also make the switch to 4x Assistant really easy for me.
I was about to bring this up as well, the extra mana on T2 from the Paradise Mantle on the AA is doing wonderful things in my simulations.
I am testing the list that you showed with the following adjustments:
-2 Thoughtcast, +2 Serum Visions (They help dig for that missing land T1).
-1 Cheeri0, +1 Noxious Revival (I have found that the drop from 20 to 19 isn't bad, and the extra noxious is always relevant).
Should have some numbers by this weekend on a 300 run crunch.
Now, will it actually be better than whatever it is replacing due to removal is a different question. I do know there was at least one person on here playing contraband kingpin due to the scry.
Kingpin was great, and still useful in the burn/aggro matches, but this is far better overall. It even rides the bone saw / cranial plating for some plan B wins.
Can this be played without Mox Opal? I love the concept of this deck but cannot afford Mox opals.
You will have to combo off later with extra mana, and your fizzle rate will go through the roof. If you switch to a red/white build using Leave // Chance as your bounce, you can kinda fake it with Simian Spirit Guide, but you will really miss the consistency the opals give you.
I am not sure how many Mox Amber's we want. When Erayo flips we lose the blue until we get a new one down, and there are only 8 applicable legends here. Thoughtcast feels good, and I want more of those. It gets us 2 cards and passes chalice for 1-2 mana on average.
Another protector that I am considering would be Saffi Eriksdotter. She would enable more Mox Amber's and could theoretically replace a chalice. 10 legendaries might be enough for 2 Mox's. Need to crunch through some games. With Paradise Mantle we are up to 25 ways of getting mana, although some methods are dicey at best. This may justify MB 4 drops though. Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain triggers off of 31 different things in the above build...pretty hard to fizzle with her.
Heh, glad to see someone else noticed Erayo's new friend. I went and picked up 2 playsets a couple of nights ago. Antiquity War could be a new finisher for us. I am going to be hammering a new more controlly version of Cheeri0's I think.
Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain
2UR
Legendary Creature — Human Artificer
3/3
Whenever you cast a historic spell, draw a card. (Artifacts, legendaries, and Sagas are historic.)
Heya folks, been awhile, but I haven't been slackin' on our favorite breakfast. With things getting so hostile towards the core of our deck I decided to take a new approach that brings in a few lessons from previous angles that incorporate improvise mechanics (bastion inventor), simian spirit guide, and a previously non-bo status protection scheme in the form of chalice of the void. Before, all of this didn't quite fit or wasn't functional at all, but leave // chance gives us the flexibility as a 2 cmc bouncer to try some new and more resilient strategies for the meta.
I have ditched all of the 1 cmc spells for the lovely addition of Chalice of the Void. We have up to 8 ways to get this horribly oppressive artifact on the field T1. It stops so many of our natural enemies I can't begin to sing all of it's praises. When I look down at my beautiful, foily Puresteel Paladin, and then think of all the terrible things at 1 cmc that happen to it all day and all night, the $220 expenditure for the Chalice's doesn't feel so bad Previously with Retract being a core component of our combo, we couldn't do Chalice for 1 and function, but Leave // Chance gets us past that. It also fuels our early Bastion Inventor's.
Simian Spirit Guide has been a tool that made for some explosive and ridiculously fast T1/T2 kills. Now it serves another purpose by enabling our best protection to date in most circumstances. I have tested 4 and am now giving 3 a chance as they aren't ideal all the time for obvious reasons.
Taking out all of the Retract's, Noxious Revival's, and Serum Vision's has been a little startling, as the consistency of the combo has suffered. Regardless of that, the addition of Bastion Inventor has given the deck a very robust plan B, as well as a stifling presence in Chalice that allows us to accumulate pieces over time that become a near auto win with our combo.
The 2 CMC Equipment slot may need refining...do we want more 0's instead (Spidersilk Net)? Evasion (Horned Helm)? Get some sick power with Cranial Plating? Or stick with the Greaves to protect our engines without cost? So much testing to do.
Anyhow, take a look and give it a go. The Bastion Inventor's have been great as they are usually a T3 5/8 vigilance/hexproof or better. I'm am not sure there is another improvise creature that would be better, but let's not let any stone remain.
Why we dont play claim//faim ? It is better then revival exept it doesnt help to recast retract
Noxious Revival over-all gives great resiliency plus a boost to consistency as you mentioned. I think claim // fame gives us better resiliency vs targeted discard or bolts/pushes, but it doesn't boost consistency. Perhaps a SB option.
So What are keepable hands and how far do you mulligan? When i played this deck sometime mulling to 5 just for a land and a serum visions and 3 0's i would keep, cause the odds of mulling to 4 aren't much better. but would you keep a CBK, Land, x2 O's and anything else at 5?
At 5 that is an auto-keep against agro/burn. Other MU's I would probably still keep it, but it certainly bears some math.
Looks like he made 9-2.
https://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/gphar18/round-11-standings-2018-04-15
Keep the affinity match-ups coming!
I was about to bring this up as well, the extra mana on T2 from the Paradise Mantle on the AA is doing wonderful things in my simulations.
-2 Thoughtcast, +2 Serum Visions (They help dig for that missing land T1).
-1 Cheeri0, +1 Noxious Revival (I have found that the drop from 20 to 19 isn't bad, and the extra noxious is always relevant).
Should have some numbers by this weekend on a 300 run crunch.
Kingpin was great, and still useful in the burn/aggro matches, but this is far better overall. It even rides the bone saw / cranial plating for some plan B wins.
Holy moly, the T2 wins just exploded in frequency.
You will have to combo off later with extra mana, and your fizzle rate will go through the roof. If you switch to a red/white build using Leave // Chance as your bounce, you can kinda fake it with Simian Spirit Guide, but you will really miss the consistency the opals give you.
4 Erayo, Soratami Ascendant
4 Sram, Senior Edificer
4 Puresteel Paladin
3 Simian Spirit Guide
Instants (5):
1 Echoing Truth
4 Leave // Chance
4 Accorder's Shield
4 Cathar's Shield
4 Paradise Mantle
4 Bone Saw
Sorcery (2):
1 Grapeshot
1 Thoughtcast
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Mox Opal
1 Mox Amber
Lands (13):
4 Rugged Prairie
4 Flooded Strand
2 Windswept Heath
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Plains
I am not sure how many Mox Amber's we want. When Erayo flips we lose the blue until we get a new one down, and there are only 8 applicable legends here. Thoughtcast feels good, and I want more of those. It gets us 2 cards and passes chalice for 1-2 mana on average.
Another protector that I am considering would be Saffi Eriksdotter. She would enable more Mox Amber's and could theoretically replace a chalice. 10 legendaries might be enough for 2 Mox's. Need to crunch through some games. With Paradise Mantle we are up to 25 ways of getting mana, although some methods are dicey at best. This may justify MB 4 drops though. Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain triggers off of 31 different things in the above build...pretty hard to fizzle with her.
2UR
Legendary Creature — Human Artificer
3/3
Whenever you cast a historic spell, draw a card. (Artifacts, legendaries, and Sagas are historic.)
It costs 4, but this is another engine...
Here is a test list that is doing well for me:
3 Bastion Inventor
4 Sram, Senior Edificer
4 Puresteel Paladin
3 Simian Spirit Guide
Instants (5):
1 Echoing Truth
4 Leave // Chance
4 Accorder's Shield
4 Cathar's Shield
4 Paradise Mantle
4 Bone Saw
Other Equip(2):
2 Lightning Greaves
Sorcery (1):
1 Grapeshot
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Mox Opal
Lands (14):
4 Rugged Prairie
4 Flooded Strand
3 Windswept Heath
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Plains
New stuff:
I have ditched all of the 1 cmc spells for the lovely addition of Chalice of the Void. We have up to 8 ways to get this horribly oppressive artifact on the field T1. It stops so many of our natural enemies I can't begin to sing all of it's praises. When I look down at my beautiful, foily Puresteel Paladin, and then think of all the terrible things at 1 cmc that happen to it all day and all night, the $220 expenditure for the Chalice's doesn't feel so bad Previously with Retract being a core component of our combo, we couldn't do Chalice for 1 and function, but Leave // Chance gets us past that. It also fuels our early Bastion Inventor's.
Simian Spirit Guide has been a tool that made for some explosive and ridiculously fast T1/T2 kills. Now it serves another purpose by enabling our best protection to date in most circumstances. I have tested 4 and am now giving 3 a chance as they aren't ideal all the time for obvious reasons.
Taking out all of the Retract's, Noxious Revival's, and Serum Vision's has been a little startling, as the consistency of the combo has suffered. Regardless of that, the addition of Bastion Inventor has given the deck a very robust plan B, as well as a stifling presence in Chalice that allows us to accumulate pieces over time that become a near auto win with our combo.
The 2 CMC Equipment slot may need refining...do we want more 0's instead (Spidersilk Net)? Evasion (Horned Helm)? Get some sick power with Cranial Plating? Or stick with the Greaves to protect our engines without cost? So much testing to do.
Anyhow, take a look and give it a go. The Bastion Inventor's have been great as they are usually a T3 5/8 vigilance/hexproof or better. I'm am not sure there is another improvise creature that would be better, but let's not let any stone remain.
Noxious Revival over-all gives great resiliency plus a boost to consistency as you mentioned. I think claim // fame gives us better resiliency vs targeted discard or bolts/pushes, but it doesn't boost consistency. Perhaps a SB option.
At 5 that is an auto-keep against agro/burn. Other MU's I would probably still keep it, but it certainly bears some math.