I'm still trying to figure out why they'd didn't ban exarch instead. Deck becomes less consistent and more fragile... Maybe it wasn't enough, who knows?
Wall of roots doesn't shine when paired with sculler, unfortunately. Being able to go t1 dork into t2 wall + voice or wall + leap is pretty cool. That double 2-drop doesn't work unfortunately with scullers. Brain maggot is way worse and we can't do the tricks we do with sculler unfortunately.
Yes, Sculler does clash with the double 2-drop plan, but after seeing what they can do in the past two days of testing, I'm more than happy for them to stay.
They offered me way more than I expected out of them.
Oh, and I'd want to squeeze a witness in the main. If we need to rebuy something, chording for witness is pretty cool.I'd likely switch qasali or sculler #3 for a spellskite. Chording for a skite can be a game winner. T1 bird into wall + spellskite is just laughter vs burn
I did want Witness in my 75 in the Jund matchups, so I'll try squeezing them in somewhere.
Also Spellskites. I completely forgot about them. Gotta fit them in too!
(Btw, I'll be using the store creds to buy Tarmos, since my playset isn't complete yet ;))
Round 1: VS Grixis Splinter Twin
G1 - Me on play. Kept opponents hand in check with Seize and Sculler, while beating face with Spirits and Sigarda. Win.
G2 - Opponent on play. Again kept opponents hand in check with Seize and Sculler (although I assume he sided out the Twins in game 2). Flying Rhino beatdown. Win.
Round 2: VS Scapeshift
G1 - Opponent on play, opponent mull to 6. Opponent has a hard time drawing his second Scapeshift due to early game Sculler, while I beat face with Rhino. Win.
G2 - Opponent on play. This time I beat down quickly with Voice and Liege so the opponent has no time to react or cast Scapeshift. Win.
Round 3: VS Naya Burn
G1 - Me on play. I turn 1 Seize his Bolt, turn 2 Sculler his Searing Blaze, turn 3 Finks, turn 4 Rhino. Win.
G2 - Opponent on play, I mull to 6. Opponent burns past my Voice and nullifies my Spike Feeder heals with Scullcracks. Lose.
G3 - Me on play, opponent mull to 6. Opponent burns me down to 6, but I beat back with 4 2/2 Spirits. Win.
Round 4: VS Jund
G1 - Me on play. I chord in Sigarda after blocking 2 Tarmos with Spirits, then beat back twice, while blocking Tarmos with Spirits. Win.
G2 - Opponent on play. A very grindy game. In the end I outvalued the opponent with Leaps while slowly beating down with Spirits. Win.
(In game 2, I foolishly blocked an Obstinate Baloth with Sigarda then got Anger of the God'd. Gotta be more careful.)
Round 5: VS UR Splinter Twin
ID'd with the opponent. He was a cool guy.
[Thoughts on some cards] Sigarda, Host of Herons: An absolute all-star, especially since I know my LGS is full of Liliana decks. Wall of Roots: Kept early Tarmo and creatures in burn in check, while accelerating for larger dudes. Great card. Elspeth, Knight-Errant: Turns anyone into a scary evasive beater. Even Birds. Still a flying 7/7 (Voice) Elemental is cool too.
And yes, the Soldier token ability is useful for extra blockers/Leap fodder. Elsepth really highlights the point that good PWs are flexible PWs.
Rules question: if i have archangel and 2 lingering souls token attacking, give them lifelink with vault of the archangel, do I get to put 3 counters on each one? As in, does the damage from each creature trigger separately?
I think so, but that he cant deal damage from one token, then next token deals two, and the archangel deals 5 (3+2 triggers). Keep in mind when I started playing damage went to the stack, but for now, I question my judgement, therefore being unsure on how it works. If all damage is dealt at the same time, do I only trigger angel once?
According to Gatherer:
A creature with lifelink dealing combat damage is a single life-gaining event. For example, if two creatures you control with lifelink deal combat damage at the same time, Archangel of Thune’s ability will trigger twice.
Could you reliably cast your stuff with only 5 mana creatures, no vials and multiple 4 drops? The games I played felt like I always had too much stuff to do and too little mana. Tidehollow sculler seems awesome with vial, and mediocre without. Being it by kolaghan command is pretty bad, especially since the 2 damage can kill something else.
I was very impressed with wall of roots in my build, definitely try it out
I don't really feel three 4-drops was a lot, and was always in a position where I could cast them without issues (4 lands or 3 lands 1 dork.)
The 5-drops are different though, and there were times they clogged in my hand for 2 turns.
Since my deck lacks the Melira combo, I didn't feel like I had too much I wanted to do and too little mana.
Maybe cases when I wanted to float one G for Leap.
Sculler still felt great, since it functioned as hand peeking/hand destruction/removal magnet/beater in one.
Agreed on K.Command though. I was lucky I was able to Sieze it in the one game where he drew it.
(I also unintentionally buffed his Tarmogoyf, which I guess is another problem in modern if you aren't running Tarmo yourself.)
Will try Roots. I was pretty disappointed with KotR since she didn't do much (her land fetching felt slow, and no extra pressure like Voice or Scooze), so I think I'll swap them out and see.
I think a really "unepic" feeling block will alienate the community.
Like a block about a community of miners who are working for an empire lacking metal due to war.
They don't participate in the epic war going on in the background.
They fight monsters deep in the mines (with pickaxes and shovels), while making sure the canary isn't dead.
Since the deck looked so fun, I decided to build the deck and jump into a 10 man tournament at my LGS.
I used G_g53 and Mishichi's deck as my starting point (sans the Vials).
Round 1: VS Jund
G1 - Both mull to 6. Outvalue the opponent and win with 10 life left.
G2 - Opponent mull to 6. Opponent's Scooze kept pressure on me and he landed an Ob Nixilis, securing his win.
G3 - Seize his kill spells while taking care of Liliana with Sculler. In the end Wilt-Lead + Sigarda for the win.
Round 2: VS Ad Nauseum Lightning Storm
G1 - Opponent does not draw Ad Nauseum. Easy win.
G2 - Opponent does draw Ad Nauseum early in the game, but I Seize 1 and Sculler 2 more for the win.
Round 3: VS Mono-G Stompy (with a hint of red)
G1 - I mull to 5. Take care of his Dungrove Elder with Sculler, while blocking on land with Finks and attacking in the air with Spirits. Win.
G2 - I get beat in the face with a BoP with Sword of W&P+Rancor+kicked Vines of Vastwood+Temur Battle Rage. Lose.
G3 - I mull to 5. Rancored Scooze and Rancored Predator Ooze beat me down while I desperately block. Lose.
Overall I'm really liking the deck. Evolutionary Leap was ridiculous in the Jund matchup.
I was redirected here from the Abzan Company thread.
I found an interesting take on this deck on my LGS website... it seems to be an even heavier version of the deck, focusing on a grindier game.
What do you guys think of this rendition?
[edit]
The deck went 3-0 in a 10 man tournament.
I can't find any info on what decks it played against however.
There are a few players from here that have used that version. (me, cbrigardo, etc). There is some discussion going on in there, do check it out. It was the first time i beat GR tron with a junk colored deck, which is nice
I'm pretty sure this is the list he was running.
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=107541
Remember the Japanese "Mindbreaker Demon" leaked back in December?
That had Delirium too.
Only testing with friends so far, so I'll post deck lists once I take it to an actual tournament.
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=97994
The 21 land manabase is really surprising.
Good luck!
Hope to hear your results soon.
You guys have all my sympathies.
Yes, this would have definitely made more sense.
Yes, Sculler does clash with the double 2-drop plan, but after seeing what they can do in the past two days of testing, I'm more than happy for them to stay.
They offered me way more than I expected out of them.
I did want Witness in my 75 in the Jund matchups, so I'll try squeezing them in somewhere.
Also Spellskites. I completely forgot about them. Gotta fit them in too!
(Btw, I'll be using the store creds to buy Tarmos, since my playset isn't complete yet ;))
28(27?)33-man 5 round tournament at the same LGS as last time, and came in first place.(Yay, got 10000 yen worth of store credit!)
2 Forest
1 Plains
2 Swamp
2 Razorverge Thicket
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Godless Shrine
1 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
3 Verdant Catacombs
1 Marsh Flats
4 Windswept Heath
2 Gavony Township
1 Vault of the Archangel
Creatures (24):
3 Birds of Paradise
2 Noble Hierarch
3 Voice of Resurgence
3 Tidehollow Sculler
2 Wall of Roots
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Scavenging Ooze
3 Kitchen Finks
1 Spike Feeder
2 Siege Rhino
1 Wilt-Leaf Liege
1 Sigarda, Host of Herons
1 Archangel of Thune
3 Evolutionary Leap
2 Chord of Calling
3 Lingering Souls
2 Thoughtseize
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Path to Exile
Planeswalker (1):
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
2 Burrenton Forge-Tender
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
1 Thragtusk
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Fulminator Mage
1 Orzhov Pontiff
1 Abrupt Decay
2 Path to Exile
1 Golgari Charm
2 Crumble to Dust
2 Stony Silence
Round 1: VS Grixis Splinter Twin
G1 - Me on play. Kept opponents hand in check with Seize and Sculler, while beating face with Spirits and Sigarda. Win.
G2 - Opponent on play. Again kept opponents hand in check with Seize and Sculler (although I assume he sided out the Twins in game 2). Flying Rhino beatdown. Win.
Round 2: VS Scapeshift
G1 - Opponent on play, opponent mull to 6. Opponent has a hard time drawing his second Scapeshift due to early game Sculler, while I beat face with Rhino. Win.
G2 - Opponent on play. This time I beat down quickly with Voice and Liege so the opponent has no time to react or cast Scapeshift. Win.
Round 3: VS Naya Burn
G1 - Me on play. I turn 1 Seize his Bolt, turn 2 Sculler his Searing Blaze, turn 3 Finks, turn 4 Rhino. Win.
G2 - Opponent on play, I mull to 6. Opponent burns past my Voice and nullifies my Spike Feeder heals with Scullcracks. Lose.
G3 - Me on play, opponent mull to 6. Opponent burns me down to 6, but I beat back with 4 2/2 Spirits. Win.
Round 4: VS Jund
G1 - Me on play. I chord in Sigarda after blocking 2 Tarmos with Spirits, then beat back twice, while blocking Tarmos with Spirits. Win.
G2 - Opponent on play. A very grindy game. In the end I outvalued the opponent with Leaps while slowly beating down with Spirits. Win.
(In game 2, I foolishly blocked an Obstinate Baloth with Sigarda then got Anger of the God'd. Gotta be more careful.)
Round 5: VS UR Splinter Twin
ID'd with the opponent. He was a cool guy.
[Thoughts on some cards]
Sigarda, Host of Herons: An absolute all-star, especially since I know my LGS is full of Liliana decks.
Wall of Roots: Kept early Tarmo and creatures in burn in check, while accelerating for larger dudes. Great card.
Elspeth, Knight-Errant: Turns anyone into a scary evasive beater. Even Birds. Still a flying 7/7 (Voice) Elemental is cool too.
And yes, the Soldier token ability is useful for extra blockers/Leap fodder. Elsepth really highlights the point that good PWs are flexible PWs.
According to Gatherer:
A creature with lifelink dealing combat damage is a single life-gaining event. For example, if two creatures you control with lifelink deal combat damage at the same time, Archangel of Thune’s ability will trigger twice.
So yes, multiple times, in your case 3 counters.
I don't really feel three 4-drops was a lot, and was always in a position where I could cast them without issues (4 lands or 3 lands 1 dork.)
The 5-drops are different though, and there were times they clogged in my hand for 2 turns.
Since my deck lacks the Melira combo, I didn't feel like I had too much I wanted to do and too little mana.
Maybe cases when I wanted to float one G for Leap.
Sculler still felt great, since it functioned as hand peeking/hand destruction/removal magnet/beater in one.
Agreed on K.Command though. I was lucky I was able to Sieze it in the one game where he drew it.
(I also unintentionally buffed his Tarmogoyf, which I guess is another problem in modern if you aren't running Tarmo yourself.)
Will try Roots. I was pretty disappointed with KotR since she didn't do much (her land fetching felt slow, and no extra pressure like Voice or Scooze), so I think I'll swap them out and see.
Like a block about a community of miners who are working for an empire lacking metal due to war.
They don't participate in the epic war going on in the background.
They fight monsters deep in the mines (with pickaxes and shovels), while making sure the canary isn't dead.
I used G_g53 and Mishichi's deck as my starting point (sans the Vials).
2 Forest
1 Plains
2 Swamp
2 Razorverge Thicket
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Godless Shrine
1 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
3 Verdant Catacombs
1 Marsh Flats
4 Windswept Heath
1 Gavony Township
1 Vault of the Archangel
1 Ghost Quarter
Creatures (25):
3 Birds of Paradise
2 Noble Hierarch
3 Voice of Resurgence
4 Tidehollow Sculler
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Scavenging Ooze
3 Kitchen Finks
2 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Spike Feeder
2 Siege Rhino
1 Wilt-Leaf Liege
1 Sigarda, Host of Herons
1 Archangel of Thune
3 Evolutionary Leap
2 Chord of Calling
3 Lingering Souls
2 Thoughtseize
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Path to Exile
2 Burrenton Forge-Tender
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
1 Thragtusk
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Fulminator Mage
1 Orzhov Pontiff
1 Abrupt Decay
2 Path to Exile
1 Golgari Charm
2 Crumble to Dust
2 Stony Silence
Went 2-1. Details following.
Round 1: VS Jund
G1 - Both mull to 6. Outvalue the opponent and win with 10 life left.
G2 - Opponent mull to 6. Opponent's Scooze kept pressure on me and he landed an Ob Nixilis, securing his win.
G3 - Seize his kill spells while taking care of Liliana with Sculler. In the end Wilt-Lead + Sigarda for the win.
Round 2: VS Ad Nauseum Lightning Storm
G1 - Opponent does not draw Ad Nauseum. Easy win.
G2 - Opponent does draw Ad Nauseum early in the game, but I Seize 1 and Sculler 2 more for the win.
Round 3: VS Mono-G Stompy (with a hint of red)
G1 - I mull to 5. Take care of his Dungrove Elder with Sculler, while blocking on land with Finks and attacking in the air with Spirits. Win.
G2 - I get beat in the face with a BoP with Sword of W&P+Rancor+kicked Vines of Vastwood+Temur Battle Rage. Lose.
G3 - I mull to 5. Rancored Scooze and Rancored Predator Ooze beat me down while I desperately block. Lose.
Overall I'm really liking the deck. Evolutionary Leap was ridiculous in the Jund matchup.
I found an interesting take on this deck on my LGS website... it seems to be an even heavier version of the deck, focusing on a grindier game.
What do you guys think of this rendition?
[edit]
The deck went 3-0 in a 10 man tournament.
I can't find any info on what decks it played against however.
Thanks for the link! Checking it out now.