4-1'd a MTGO League with this list. Went against B/G Delirium, G/R Energy, U/W Control, the mirror match and lost to Grixis Control. Thing in the Ice is really good against us. I feel like Grixis is probably this deck's worst matchup, and we'll just have to accept that fact. U/W Control I think is not very well equipped to defeat Mardu Vehicles because they have no way of killing Gideon and don't have Radiant Flames. I think Jeskai and Grixis Control are probably just strictly better decks than U/W (not sure if Grixis or Jeksai is stronger overall, or which is better vs Vehicles. I think they're both probably poor matchups for this deck) and people will stop playing U/W, but we'll just have to wait and see.
I feel like the worst card in the deck is probably the Fleetwheel Cruisers honestly, and I'm going to try cutting them for +1 Gideon and +1 Cultivator's Caravan. (moving the Gideon from the board and +1 something in the side, not quite sure what)
What would be the gameplan against aetherworks marvel decks? With a decent hand they can easily pump out an edrazi titan T6ish, and since they run a lot of artifact counters: it's about 2 turns before we have our win.
I've been actually sideboarding all artifacts except copter just to "counter artifact hate": but it seems silly?
Marvel isn't really a worry for this deck in my experience, really. At worst it's a 50/50 matchup, but it's probably slightly in our favor. If the deck stumbles at all you just crush them, and the deck stumbles quite often. If you're on the play, a turn 4 emrakul is sometimes not enough for them to swing the game around. (turn 4 ulamog, however, is usally game over)
Been testing a black splash and I never want to play this deck without Scrapheap Scrounger again. Insane value. He keeps coming back to crew your vehicles (and with 3 power can crew everything), and is an artifact for your cards that care about artifacts. Splashing black also gives you Unlicensed Disintegration which, as the RB aggro deck has proven, can single handedly win games in one blowout turn. Strongly recommend trying out the black splash.
I was thinking about that too after checking out the RB Copter Madness thread, what's your list? I'm more interested in how you facilitate the splash with the mana base. 4 aether hub should work with a couple RB or WB lands
I'm still tinkering with the mana base (and the list as a whole, tbh) but I actually did not like Aether Hub in my initial testing, even though there's no double symbols aside form Gideon, only being able to tap the Hub for colored mana once has screwed me up a few times and caused me to mull otherwise keepable hands. (for example a hand with Toolcraft Exemplar and Veteran Motorist with only Aether Hub and a Mountain is an awkward hand to keep)
Been testing a black splash and I never want to play this deck without Scrapheap Scrounger again. Insane value. He keeps coming back to crew your vehicles (and with 3 power can crew everything), and is an artifact for your cards that care about artifacts. Splashing black also gives you Unlicensed Disintegration which, as the RB aggro deck has proven, can single handedly win games in one blowout turn. Strongly recommend trying out the black splash.
First and foremost, the mana in this deck is INCREDIBLE. I never found myself wanting for a missing color of mana. I also must encourage running a full four Abzan Ascendancy. The value created by this card is bonkers. If you have multiple copies out it's even better.
Butcher *and* Husk seems like too much. Do you get clogged with them? You will certainly draw awkward hands with that many sac dudes I imagine.
Is it really worth splashing a 3rd or a 4th color as opposed to play Black and Green only ?
The cards available in these colors already seem very very strong and it greatly reduces the HP loss caused by lands and the situation where we're stuck because we don't have lands of the color we need.
Abzan Ascendancy is absolutely worth running white at least, and at that point it's almost easier to run red for Butcher than it is to not.
Just got back from FNM. 3-0-1, drew in the last round. Played against Mardu Allies, Esper Dragons and GR Landfall. Will report back with results from an IQ tomorrow.
I'm sure I'm not the first to find this but I havnt seen it posted anywhere so I figured I'd share. I was doing some testing today and I found a pretty easy infinite combo.
Need to have a cutthroat and free sac outlet down. Husk being cheapest. Then liliana. Play second Lily to kill first and flip the other creating token. Then -3 to get other Lily back from yard. Pw version dies. Then sac token to flip Lily making another token and repeat.
I've used magiccards.info as my primary card search engine for a long time and it's always been quick to update in my experience. Really thrown off by the delay.
Going to FNM tomorrow with this list, assuming nothing changes afterwards (it very well might depending on results) I'll also be taking it to a PPTQ and a SCG IQ this weekend.
There's really no reason, I put them at first because I figured artifact & enchantment made it more versatile but I can't really think of any relevant artifacts (other than Hangarback, which neither answer). I'll probably pick up some Cubs before FNM.
Going to FNM tomorrow with this list, assuming nothing changes afterwards (it very well might depending on results) I'll also be taking it to a PPTQ and a SCG IQ this weekend.
How bone splinters is working? I dont see much potential in a list without hangarback walker, maybe i am wrong.
For Anafenza, abzan charm can be a amazing answer, especilly because den protector can't bring her back from grave. I am thinking in cutting 3 collect company for 3 charm in main, or just put 4 charm in sb.
Who's not running Hangarback? minewan's Sultai list at the top? He's not running Splinters tho.
I was the guy from Indy. Hit 68th on breakers, meaning I now have to type out my list since it's not up there. I'm going to preface this by letting you know that my list is very rough and that the archetype may be unplayable in the face of abzan aggro.
Bloodsoaked champs are the most controversial card I'm sure. They have a real tension between being decent on t1 and a great way to use all your mana every turn versus being mediocre in multiples. The raid ability being instant speed has gotten me some husk blowouts/free wins with ascendancy. It can't block which is very important to the deck and can't attack into hangarbacks, mantis riders, rhinos, anything but jace really. I would recommend a cut to 1 copy. Maaaybe 2.
Abomination was a win-more card that can't be slammed onto an empty board. More good 0-1 of material. He survived an ugin minus which was cool, but so did blisterpod.
The games played out in one of 3 ways:
1. Dork beatdown: This was very rare but there were times where you can just make a million little dudes, pump them with ascendancies and sorin, and run people over. Still, 2/1s and 1/1s are not super great attackers.
2. Husk "combo": People don't seem to realize how husk can kill you out of nowhere, especially with ascendancy. One failure to block him was lethal a decent amount of times. It can also just abyss them. Watch out for valorous stances though, they have few other good targets.
3. The grind: This was the most common way to win by far. You combine leap and ascendancy and aggressively chump your way to an overwhelming board presence. This is why I've never lost to a blue control deck in testing or at the event. Liliana really shines here, and you can eventually cutthroat them out.
Overall, the deck is pretty fun and powerful, but abzan aggro is an absolute foil to this deck. Their own hangarbacks, dromoka's command (the enchantment lock isn't even safe), rhino's trample, and anafenza attack from all the right angles. You just can't beat an anafenza. Your deck does literal nothing with it in play. Even if you should bone splinters the first one, they play 4 plus den protector and valorous stance.
In the right metagame, a perfectly tuned list could be a real contender,
I have been tinkering with this deck even since the full spoiler and your list is the most similar to mine that I've seen. I played at FNM and went 3-0 (with a bye, so... nothing special), and I played at a SCG IQ today and went 2-2-1, nothing to write home about but I've since adjusted to deck to answer exactly the issues you mention, thought I'm still split on Abomination. He's been really good, but he's also been really bad. But that seems true for almost every card in the deck, they all really depend on being able to be used together. Won't be able to play again until this week's FNM to test more though.
EDIT: Forgot to mention that I updated the list afterwards, the sidebaord is quite different than it was when I played today (answers to anafenza that I didn't have before). If I had this sideboard I think i would have been able to win the matches I lost
I feel like the worst card in the deck is probably the Fleetwheel Cruisers honestly, and I'm going to try cutting them for +1 Gideon and +1 Cultivator's Caravan. (moving the Gideon from the board and +1 something in the side, not quite sure what)
4 Bomat Courier
4 Toolcraft Exemplar
4 Inventor's Apprentice
4 Scrapheap Scrounger
4 Veteran Motorist
2 Pia Nalaar
2 Depala, Pilot Exemplar
Artifacts
4 Smuggler's Copter
2 Cultivator's Caravan
2 Fleetwheel Cruiser
4 Unlicensed Disintegration
Planeswalkers
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
Land
5 Mountain
5 Plains
4 Inspiring Vantage
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Aether Hub
4 Galvanic Bombardment
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
2 Transgress the Mind
1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
3 Fragmentize
3 Selfless Spirit
Marvel isn't really a worry for this deck in my experience, really. At worst it's a 50/50 matchup, but it's probably slightly in our favor. If the deck stumbles at all you just crush them, and the deck stumbles quite often. If you're on the play, a turn 4 emrakul is sometimes not enough for them to swing the game around. (turn 4 ulamog, however, is usally game over)
I think you'd be talking about a completely different deck at that point, and while not necessarily bad it'd certainly be much slower.
4x Aetherworks Marvel
3x Dynavolt Tower
4x Glassblower's Puzzleknot
Spells
2x Negate
4x Glimmer of Genius
4x Harnessed Lightning
2x Kozilek's Return
4x Anticipate
4x Cathartic Reunion
3x Emrakul, the Promised End
3x Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
Land
6x Island
5x Mountain
4x Spirebluff Canal
4x Wandering Fumarole
4x Aether Hub
2x Weaver of Lightning
2x Aether Meltdown
2x Ceremonious Rejection
2x Dispel
2x Kozilek's Return
2x Negate
3x Sphinx of the Final Word
I'm still tinkering with the mana base (and the list as a whole, tbh) but I actually did not like Aether Hub in my initial testing, even though there's no double symbols aside form Gideon, only being able to tap the Hub for colored mana once has screwed me up a few times and caused me to mull otherwise keepable hands. (for example a hand with Toolcraft Exemplar and Veteran Motorist with only Aether Hub and a Mountain is an awkward hand to keep)
Here's what my list looks like atm:
4 Toolcraft Exemplar
4 Inventor's Apprentice
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Veteran Motorist
4 Scrapheap Scrounger
3 Depala, Pilot Exemplar
Vehicles
4 Smuggler's Copter
2 Cultivator's Caravan
3 Fleetwheel Cruiser
1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
4 Unlicensed Disentagration
Land
4 Inspiring Vantage
4 Concealed Courtyard
2 Smoldering Marsh
2 Foreboding Ruins
6 Mountain
5 Plains
4 Galvanic Bombardment
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Selfless Spirit
2 Transgress the Mind
3 Fragmentize
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
Butcher *and* Husk seems like too much. Do you get clogged with them? You will certainly draw awkward hands with that many sac dudes I imagine.
Abzan Ascendancy is absolutely worth running white at least, and at that point it's almost easier to run red for Butcher than it is to not.
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/4-color-value-town/
EDIT: woops, didn't mean to double post
Lili also can't reanimate herself
There's really no reason, I put them at first because I figured artifact & enchantment made it more versatile but I can't really think of any relevant artifacts (other than Hangarback, which neither answer). I'll probably pick up some Cubs before FNM.
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/4-color-value-town/
Who's not running Hangarback? minewan's Sultai list at the top? He's not running Splinters tho.
I have been tinkering with this deck even since the full spoiler and your list is the most similar to mine that I've seen. I played at FNM and went 3-0 (with a bye, so... nothing special), and I played at a SCG IQ today and went 2-2-1, nothing to write home about but I've since adjusted to deck to answer exactly the issues you mention, thought I'm still split on Abomination. He's been really good, but he's also been really bad. But that seems true for almost every card in the deck, they all really depend on being able to be used together. Won't be able to play again until this week's FNM to test more though.
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/abzan-value-town-1/
EDIT: Forgot to mention that I updated the list afterwards, the sidebaord is quite different than it was when I played today (answers to anafenza that I didn't have before). If I had this sideboard I think i would have been able to win the matches I lost