More I play with Knight of Malice, the less impressed I am by it. In a meta with more W/X control decks, it gets way better, but if you find yourself surrounded by aggro and midrange, it drops like a rock.
I've been very impressed with Liliana, Death's Majesty. Even without going to value town with Chupacabras, Belzenlok, or Gonti, she brings back shades and Aetherborn while churning out a small army of zombies.
Has anyone tried The Eldest Reborn? It could be a 3-for-1, but 5 Mana seems very slow.
I tried running Tetzimoc based on what I saw from the list that went 8-0 at the GP. He's been stellar, particularly because my meta features a number of midrange-y creature decks. Dropping Tetzimoc on turn seven with nine mana swings games back in your favor.
I like Walking Ballista as it can kill people out of nowhere, but running one Josu Vess should be fine. A lot of decks simply cannot answer him, and he's not bad early game like Torment of Hailfire is.
Lately, more and more lists on competitive MOL events have been running Liliana, Death's Majesty. I want to try out one or two copies. Running her would probably mean an increase to big ETB effects, like Noxious Gearhulk, Chupacabra, or Belzenlok.
I saw a list running some Deadeye Trackers on the sideboard. Seems like a cute inclusion to generate some card advantage while getting rid of Eternalize creatures and Scrapheap Scroungers, but I wouldn't run them.
I can't afford the additional 2 Karns, but they are likely necessary. Will try to get some for cheap or trade for them at GP Vegas.
It seems we will be moving onto the Established or Competitive forums soon. There's a MBC list that went undefeated on Day 1 of GP Birmingham, and seems to be doing well on Day 2.
Has anyone tried out Phyrexian Scriptures? I've seen it in some lists, and but am unsure of how it would play out.
It does disrupt tempo a bit for our opponents, delaying a potential threat, with a minimal upside of getting rid of random Scrapheap Scroungers and eternalize creatures. It does not, however, wipe the board the turn you draw it.
I want to test it and see how it performs, but if anyone has any experiences with it, the data would be appreciated.
Seems like a very solid list. I was slightly apprehensive of running Ballistas, but they convinced me throughout the day. Won a couple of games against UW control thanks to a timely Ballista that could not be hit by Seal Away or Settle the Wreckage.
Running Ballistas also lets me drop the evolving wilds in favor of 2 Field of Ruin and 2 basic swamps, as they easily trigger Fatal Push.
Not sure about not running any sweepers MD, especially considering that my local meta has a lot of aggro-y or midrange decks. I can't afford all 4 Karns, but I can see the argument for running them.
I like Yahenni's Expertise over Golden Demise because it kills Benalish Marshal and friends. Dropping a 3 drop for free can wreck face really hard, as most people don't expect to see a Shade or a Doomfall on the same turn as you wipe the board. The former applies a lot of pressure while the latter either cleans up any stragglers or clears the hand of potential threats.
Also, in an effort to de-clutter the 4 drop slot in the curve, I've gotten rid of both copies of Dark Bargain and will be trying out one Thaumatic Compass and one Treasure Map. They can help Karn churn out blockers if need be, and provide some card selection, while giving me more TO plays. Will let you know how they work out.
Went 4-0 at FNM. Went up against Mardu Vehicles, Temur Energy, a W/U Homebrew with a bunch of unlockable creatures and auras,and mono red.
Takeaways: Dreamstealer is a no-go. Sideboarded all three out every single match, and never found myself wanting to draw it.
Running some number of Gifted Aetherborn in the main is probably the right call. Helps against aggro matches and puts pressure on control. Also makes OTKO-ing someone with Torrent of Hailfire easier.
I want to try Mastermind's Acquisition out, as it does give a lot of flexibility.
Potential changes:
OUT
3x Dreamstealer
2x Torrent of Hailfire
2x Ravenous Chupacabra
I tried Painful Lesson and wasn't impressed with it being a sorcery. The only time I was happy to see those were if I had either no other plays on turn 3, or was casting it off a Yahenni's Expertise.
You make a good point on Gonti. How many would you run between maindeck and sideboard? I'm leaning towards 2 total, though I'm not sure how I'd slot them in. The deck feels like it has an excess of 4 drops at the moment.
I've liked Dark Bargain, as having some card selection is nice. The fact that it is instant speed is algo really good, as it gives me more freedom in how I use my mana.
I do have a couple of Gonti that I could try out. He's a great blocker, but I'm not sold on his ETB ability. Seems too random.
And yes, Evolving Wilds is essentially Fatal Push power, along with a tiny bit of deck thinning. There's not much cost to running them, especially early game, so I threw them in. I might swap a couple of swamps for Field of Ruin, as it replaces itself with a swamp to power up Cabal Stronghold and randomly gets rid of strong lands.
I've been playing Daxos for a bit now, and I've gone all-in on the pillowfort strategy. The idea is, essentially, to make it as hard as possible for people to swing at me and then overwhelm them with tokens. It's easier said than done, though, and I feel like the deck lacks some threats.
Cards that I've been running that I haven't seen mentioned too often:
Lili helps the discard aspect, while working well with Rule of Law and providing removal in a pinch.
Ob and Sorin draw me cards and blow stuff up if I need them to.
Wound Reflection is a recent addition; feels like this might make my opponents swing at each other more often (especially when I'm sitting behind any number of prison effects)
Also, no love for Angel of Despair or Necromancy? I like Necromancy's instant speed possibilities and the Angel is solid, going crazy when paired with Skybind.
What about running stuff like Smallpox or Death Cloud? I want to try them out along with creatures that leave a body when they die (Pawn of Ulamog, Rotlung Reanimator, Xathrid Necromancer, Symbiotic Wurm, Hangarback Walker...) as they seem insane.
I've been very impressed with Liliana, Death's Majesty. Even without going to value town with Chupacabras, Belzenlok, or Gonti, she brings back shades and Aetherborn while churning out a small army of zombies.
Has anyone tried The Eldest Reborn? It could be a 3-for-1, but 5 Mana seems very slow.
I like Walking Ballista as it can kill people out of nowhere, but running one Josu Vess should be fine. A lot of decks simply cannot answer him, and he's not bad early game like Torment of Hailfire is.
I saw a list running some Deadeye Trackers on the sideboard. Seems like a cute inclusion to generate some card advantage while getting rid of Eternalize creatures and Scrapheap Scroungers, but I wouldn't run them.
I can't afford the additional 2 Karns, but they are likely necessary. Will try to get some for cheap or trade for them at GP Vegas.
https://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/gpbir18-standard/8-0-players-grand-prix-birmingham-standard-2018-05-13
Plus, some pros out there are also giving the deck a crack. Here's to hoping!
Regarding the list, I do find it odd he's only running 3 Ballistas, and Tetzimoc seems interesting.
I believe I will have to concede to ryxsyn that Golden Demise seems to be better than Yahenni's Expertise.
I'll get some more tests in tomorrow and let you guys know how it plays out!
It does disrupt tempo a bit for our opponents, delaying a potential threat, with a minimal upside of getting rid of random Scrapheap Scroungers and eternalize creatures. It does not, however, wipe the board the turn you draw it.
I want to test it and see how it performs, but if anyone has any experiences with it, the data would be appreciated.
http://www.hareruyamtg.com/en/k/kD47044S/
Seems like a very solid list. I was slightly apprehensive of running Ballistas, but they convinced me throughout the day. Won a couple of games against UW control thanks to a timely Ballista that could not be hit by Seal Away or Settle the Wreckage.
Running Ballistas also lets me drop the evolving wilds in favor of 2 Field of Ruin and 2 basic swamps, as they easily trigger Fatal Push.
Not sure about not running any sweepers MD, especially considering that my local meta has a lot of aggro-y or midrange decks. I can't afford all 4 Karns, but I can see the argument for running them.
Thoughts?
Also, in an effort to de-clutter the 4 drop slot in the curve, I've gotten rid of both copies of Dark Bargain and will be trying out one Thaumatic Compass and one Treasure Map. They can help Karn churn out blockers if need be, and provide some card selection, while giving me more TO plays. Will let you know how they work out.
Takeaways: Dreamstealer is a no-go. Sideboarded all three out every single match, and never found myself wanting to draw it.
Running some number of Gifted Aetherborn in the main is probably the right call. Helps against aggro matches and puts pressure on control. Also makes OTKO-ing someone with Torrent of Hailfire easier.
I want to try Mastermind's Acquisition out, as it does give a lot of flexibility.
Potential changes:
OUT
3x Dreamstealer
2x Torrent of Hailfire
2x Ravenous Chupacabra
--- SB ---
1x Bontu's Last Reckoning
1x Disposses
2x Gifted Aetherborn
IN
4x Gifted Aetherborn
2x Mastermind's Acquisition
1x Gonti, Lord of Luxury
---SB---
1x Torrent of Hailfire
1x Gonti, Lord of Luxury
1x Tetzimoc, Primal Death
1x Ravenous Chupacabra
You make a good point on Gonti. How many would you run between maindeck and sideboard? I'm leaning towards 2 total, though I'm not sure how I'd slot them in. The deck feels like it has an excess of 4 drops at the moment.
I do have a couple of Gonti that I could try out. He's a great blocker, but I'm not sold on his ETB ability. Seems too random.
And yes, Evolving Wilds is essentially Fatal Push power, along with a tiny bit of deck thinning. There's not much cost to running them, especially early game, so I threw them in. I might swap a couple of swamps for Field of Ruin, as it replaces itself with a swamp to power up Cabal Stronghold and randomly gets rid of strong lands.
I'm not 100% sold on Dreamstealers. They feel like they've been underperforming. I'll give more detailed thoughts on them after tonight's FNM.
Here's the list I'm running:
4 Cabal Stronghold
4 Evolving Wilds
17 Swamp
Creatures
2 Ravenous Chupacabra
3 Dreamstealer
2 Josu Vess, Lich Knight
4 Dread Shade
Planeswalkers
2 Karn, Scion of Urza
2 Torment of Hailfire
3 Fatal Push
1 Azor's Gateway
1 Arguel's Blood Fast
2 Cast Down
4 Doomfall
2 Dark Bargain
3 Yahenni's Expertise
4 Vraska's Contempt
4 Duress
1 Fatal Push
2 Bontu's Last Reckoning
1 Battle at the Bridge
2 Gifted Aetherborn
3 Lost Legacy
2 Dispossess
I want to try out a Mastermind's Acquisition package, so I'll be looking to get my hands on a few of those today. Any comments/help are appreciated!
Cards that I've been running that I haven't seen mentioned too often:
Lili helps the discard aspect, while working well with Rule of Law and providing removal in a pinch.
Ob and Sorin draw me cards and blow stuff up if I need them to.
Wound Reflection is a recent addition; feels like this might make my opponents swing at each other more often (especially when I'm sitting behind any number of prison effects)
Also, no love for Angel of Despair or Necromancy? I like Necromancy's instant speed possibilities and the Angel is solid, going crazy when paired with Skybind.
I was planning on including one the minute I got my hands on another copy.